Acupuncture for Back Pain Relieves Discomfort

Ancient Chinese medicine describes thousands of herbs and their uses. Acupuncture for back pain is enhanced by the application and consumption of individualized formulations.

Does your back hurt?

You’re not alone, and you are likely affected physically or emotionally.

Back pain is everywhere: in your merciless “ergonomic” chair at work, buried in your lumpy mattress, enrobing you during a two-hour commute to and from work, threatening your well-being following an accident or injury. It’s an unequivocal reason why patients visit their doctors, and most of the time, they are only given prescription drugs to manage their discomfort. More often than not, these ubiquitous drugs carry a barrage of side effects and are insidiously addictive.

Back pain is the leading reason why patients try acupuncture, or seek a referral from a primary care physician.

Adopting a regimen of regular acupuncture treatments tailored to your specific pain and symptoms targets internal imbalances across meridians and pathways in the body to correct physical alignment, emotional wellness and facilitate recovery. This is achieved by the following scientific processes:

❖ Acupuncture speeds the relay of electromagnetic signals, releasing endorphins and/or immune system cells;
❖ Changing brain chemistry to stimulate or slow the production of nerve impulses;
❖ Altering the release of neurohormones to positively influence organ health and stimulation;
❖ Igniting the release of natural opioids produced by the body, which lead to sleep.

Chances are, if you suffer from back pain, acupuncture for back pain can target and treat the pain, sleeplessness, irritability, stress and spasms that create a quality of life impediment.

Blending treatments to create an optimal regimen:

There are countless reasons to try acupuncture for back pain, 1,800 of which pertain to herbs.

Seem a tad far-fetched? Consider some quick facts about herbs:

❖ The practice of Chinese Medicine has incorporated herb therapy for centuries;
❖ There are more than 5,700 existing herbal substances used in therapeutic formulations;
❖ Formulas are hand-combined to create distinctive regimens that therefore, address different organs, disharmonies and and meridians;
❖ Herbs minimize unpleasant side effects gently and effectively;
❖ When used in conjunction with acupuncture treatments, herbs work synergistically to alleviate back pain symptoms faster;
❖ Why 1800 reasons to try acupuncture for back pain, you ask?  Because, there are 1,800 types of herbs used in Chinese pharmacopoeia.
❖ Herbs used in conjunction with acupuncture for back pain are derived from different entities: plants, animals and minerals.

Don’t know much about herbs, but are curious? Here’s a brief synopsis:

The earliest known documentation of herbal application in Chinese medicine is exemplified by a copy of a text entitled Recipes for 52 Common Ailments. This book of antiquity was found in a tomb sealed in 168 BC.  Next, after this text, the herbalist Shennong is came in the line of historical succession.  Thus, his life was dedicated to the testing, documenting and application of herbs in medical scenarios.  Consequently, his text, Materia Medica, is the oldest recognized book on Chinese herbs.   It contains approximately 365 roots, grasses, woods, animals, furs and other organic materials that are subsequently inserted into three classifications:

1. Superior (used to target multiple diseases and restore total body balance); almost no unfavorable side effects;
2. Tonics and Boosters, for temporary use and not to be administered in prolonged fashion;
3. Small Dose Applications, which are only meant for short-term consumption, and which target specific diseases.

Texts in succession to the aforementioned emerged in the Han Dynasty, which covered drug therapy in association with Yinyang and the Five Phases (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal) to restore balance and harmony to an afflicted organ or meridian holistically. Li Shizhen’s Bencao Gangmu was composed in the Ming Dynasty and  is still used today as a reference text in modern herbology and acupuncture.

Today, herbs are manufactured in China under standardization patents, thus using the same proportion of ingredients in accordance with law. Western manufacturers may produce formulas of the same name using different blends or ratios of herbs. Herbal therapy has rapidly gained momentum in both alternative and Western medical circles as its effectiveness is legitimized through testimonial and professional observation. Some manufacturers are pursuing FDA clinical trials to permit marketing the products as drugs in the United States and Europe.

Hot Peppers and Rosemary: More than just condiments:

A wide variety of herbs, including rosemary, willowbark and hot peppers, are utilized in formulations which, combat back pain, and therefore contribute to a patient’s holistic recovery.