How to Use Acupuncture for Just About Everything
Acupuncture might be known for helping as a direct result of injury and pain, but there are a number of other wonderful reasons to receive an acupuncture treatment. As Katy Perry said:
I get a lot of the ideas when I'm resting - either when I'm meditating or getting some kind of work done on my back, like physical therapy or acupuncture. That's where I get my best ideas, maybe because I'm balancing my body.
Whether you’re interested in addressing a specific issue or want to find balance in your body like one of America’s favorite pop-stars, there is a myriad of uses for acupuncture. Keep reading to discover surprising uses and reasons to receive treatment.
Surprising Uses for Acupuncture Treatments
There are so many different ailments, disorders and lifestyle conditions that acupuncture can address. Here are a few from Simple Health.
1. Menstruation and PMS
Did you know that symptoms of PMS aren’t as widely common as you might think? When the body is in harmony there actually shouldn’t be any PMS symptoms. As Simple Health states, “Most PMS symptoms are due to liver imbalance, which is common due to modern lifestyle, including excessive consumption of stimulants, imbalanced diet, prolonged use of oral contraceptives and poor stress management.”
The beauty of acupuncture is that it can reduce PMS symptoms and bring harmony back to the body. The website notes that, acupuncture regulates menstruation, treating heavy, light and painful periods.
2. Relaxation
To promote relaxation, Simple Health states: “Acupuncture regulates neurotransmitters to modulate autonomic nervous system responses, seemingly by sensory stimulation of the nerves. Research indicates that glutamate and GABA involvement is the mechanism by which acupuncture regulates the autonomic nervous system.”
As Acupuncture Today states, “GABA is short for gamma-aminobutyric acid, an amino acid produced naturally in the brain. It is manufactured from the amino acid glutamine and functions as a neurotransmitter, helping to foster communication between nerve cells and reduce stress.”
3. Beauty and Rejuvenation
If you want to look and feel your best, a facial acupuncture is great to maintain a youthful appearance. Acupuncture is great at increasing blood flow and boosting production of collagen. Specifically, acupuncture can address sagging skin on the face, bags under the eyes and red patches on the face.
4. Pregnancy and Post-Natal Care
One of the greatest uses for acupuncture is for pregnancy and port-natal care. Through acupuncture, pregnant women have experienced a lowering in blood pressure and pain. Even Kim Kardashian received acupuncture treatments for her pregnancies. She said, “I would go to the doctor in Beverly Hills every day at five in the morning to get tested to see if I was ovulating. I was trying everything: I did acupuncture and got a nutritionist to eat healthier, thinking that was an issue.”
5. Mood Disorders
If you’re experiencing mood disorders, acupuncture can treat anxiety, irritability, depression and mental health.
6. Eye Health
What eye issues does acupuncture treat? This form of treatment addresses, macular degeneration, dry eyes, diminished night vision and eye pain.
7. Body Awareness
One of the most vital aspects of Chinese Medicine and acupuncture is the connection to the body. How does acupuncture do this through Chinese Medicine?
Here are helpful explanations from the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation:
Complete Body: Each structure in your body is an important and necessary part of the whole. Along with your mind, emotions and spirit, your physical body structures form an incredibly complex, interrelated system that is powered by life force, or energy.
Connection to Nature: When nature changes, it is reflected in the body. Medicine accounts for the particular season, geographical location and time of day, as well as your age, genetics and the condition of your body when looking at your health issues.
Natural Healing Abilities: Your body is a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm. Just like nature, the body has a regenerative capacity. Occasionally, this ability may appear to be lost or difficult to access. However, in most cases, it is never completely gone.
Prevention: Your body tries to shout from the rooftops when something is wrong, but most of us ignore these signs or symptoms until something more complicated arises. Chinese Medicine teaches you how to interpret what your body is telling you.
8. Digestive Regularity
Bowel health and being regular is a crucial part of a healthy body and lifestyle. Acupuncture allows the body to rest, digest and eliminate; it even addresses constipation issues.
9. Addiction
If you are trying to quit smoking, Simple Health reports, “Tobacco addiction is often successfully treated with acupuncture, despite it being such a difficult substance to quit using. Acupuncture decreases cravings, reduces withdrawal symptoms and improves lung function. Other substance abuse/addiction are also treated with acupuncture.”
Another form of addiction that acupuncture can treat is opioid addiction. According to Forbes:
A January 2016 letter from the Joint Acupuncture Opioid Task Force, Acupuncture Now Foundation and the American Society of Acupuncturists outlines several benefits of acupuncture in the midst of the opioid crisis, stating, “Acupuncture has the potential to reduce or even in some cases eliminate the need for opioids and non-opioid drugs while also helping to treat opioid addiction.” Researchers believe acupuncture can replace opioids through stimulating the production of the human body’s “endogenous opioids” – using the body’s own chemistry to mirror or exceed the benefits of synthetic drugs without the risk of side effects.
10. Vagus Nerve Tone
Acupuncture is one of many ways to tone the vagus nerve. What is the vagus nerve? Medical News Today describes it as, “The longest and most complex of the 12 pairs of cranial nerves that emanate from the brain. It transmits information to or from the surface of the brain to tissues and organs elsewhere in the body.”
Simple Health notes, “Vagal tone is important as this nerve has the most far-reaching effects, from the brain to the stomach and intestines, the pancreas, heart, liver, gallbladder, sex organs in females, kidney, spleen, lungs, ureter, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, ears and tongue.”
Acupuncture is great for keeping this nerve functioning properly and keeping just about every other aspect of the body healthy.
Oh wait, there’s more! Can’t get enough of interesting reasons to receive acupuncture treatment? Keep reading for more.
11. Allergies
As In Your Home Therapy states, “Acupuncture can naturally relieve hay fever and seasonal allergies. Studies have found that just 12 sessions reduced allergic reactions and allowed sufferers to use antihistamines less often.” It can also address sneezing, coughing and rashes from an allergic reaction.
12. Cognitive Health
As reported by Alzheimer.net:
A study conducted at Wellesley College in 2000 concluded that acupuncture could treat anxiety and depression for people who have Alzheimer’s. The study involved 11 participants who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Vascular Dementia. Participants received acupuncture treatments 2-3 times per week for three months. Following treatment, researchers evaluated the mood of participants and found substantial increases in mood, energy and pain from other ailments caused by aging.
After completing the study, lead researcher Dr. Nancy Emerson stated, “I think people should check it out. Besides anxiety and depression, they are likely to have other issues such as pain that can be helped with acupuncture.”
For those who are struggling with a member of their family with Alzheimer’s, this is a great treatment to add to your routine.
13. Food Cravings
Are you struggling with eating too much or have insatiable cravings? An acupuncture session releases endorphins that can eliminate the emotional need to eat because of the increase in the ‘feel good’ hormone. There are also specific acupuncture methods, such as ear stapling, that can curb cravings through manipulating certain points of the ear.
14. Heart Health
Studies are finding that weekly acupuncture sessions are helping reduce hypertension. Specific points near the elbow and knee, “Release neurotransmitters that travel to areas of the brain that regulate the cardiovascular system,” according to John Longhurst, MD, PhD at Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. Paired with medication, these treatments can help reduce and prevent the risk for heart disease and heart attack.
Using Acupuncture for Health and Wellbeing
Were you surprised acupuncture can help any of the above issues? As you can tell, it’s beneficial to the entire mind and body, as well as addressing specific challenges.
Are you ready to embrace acupuncture in your life? Contact us today to learn how acupuncture can help your overall life and health.
About Green Lake Natural Health:
Green Lake Natural Health provides natural healing services and medicinal herb counseling to patients. The mission of Green Lake Natural Health is to provide customized care to patients to effectively treat their health concerns in a natural manner that restores harmony and healing in the body. Services include, but are not limited to, acupuncture, massage, medicinal herb counseling to treat conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain and more. Proudly serving the Seattle community since 2010.
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