Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) techniques like acupressure and acupuncture have been used successfully for thousands of years. However, in this era when dangerous - and life-threatening - addictions to opioids are increasingly common, holistic healthcare professionals advocate for acupuncture as a natural alternative to opioids. Acupuncture reduces or alleviates pain without any related risks of addiction, overdose, or suicide.
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) states:
Addiction affects a victim’s body, mind, and spirit. Acupuncture appears to have a beneficial effect on all three aspects and should be considered an important component of a multidisciplinary approach to opioid dependence and in the treatment of opioid or other substance addiction.
According to multiple clinical studies, some of the most typical uses of acupuncture for pain management involve relief from:
Headaches and migraines
Neck, back, and shoulder pain
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis (both osteo- and rheumatoid)
Post-surgical or post-acute injury pain
Endometriosis
Chronic pain
Neuropathy
Cancer and related treatments (particularly chemotherapy & radiation)
There are several reasons acupuncture relieves pain while also treating chronic inflammation - which exacerbates pain or discomfort)
Acupuncture Relieves & Inhibits Pain Signaling
Thousands of years ago, healers in the Eastern world noticed that the body had multiple energy centers and a network of energy pathways that intersected at smaller energy hubs. TCM refers to these energy centers and hubs as “meridians,” and it’s no surprise that they align with Western medicine’s model of the nervous system - from crown to sacrum and throughout our body and extremities.
The more tension, pain, inflammation, or trapped energy triggers these key pressure points, the more likely we are to experience pain, discomfort, disease, and lack of energy. Poor energy flow throughout the meridians also causes insomnia, heightened anxiety, and digestive ailments - exacerbating any underlying health issues.
During an acupuncture session with a licensed acupuncturist, very thin needles are painlessly inserted along the meridian lines and key pressure points, depending on a patient’s symptoms. By stimulating these points and pathways, the body:
Releases endorphins, serotonin, and other self-produced biochemicals that relieve pain.
Restores healthy energy flow, further relaxing tense or long-held energy and emotions.
Relaxes and also energizes.
Becomes less inflamed, which restores healthier immune system responses.
Reprograms repeat pain signals that can continue along the nervous system's pathways long after the original trigger, event, or cause of pain is gone.
With repeat sessions, the body can reset and continually reap acupuncture’s benefits, which continue healing momentum with minimal risk (and no threatening) side effects. That said, most patients experience some level of pain relief and increased relaxation in a single session.
Using Acupuncture To Avoid Opioids
Unfortunately, Western medicine isn’t always as long-thinking in its approach to pain management. The use of highly-addictive opioids is an example of that. While effective in a very short-term approach, the overall effects of opioids do not provide any sustainable results.
Studies reveal that continued use of opioids is dangerous
In fact, studies prove that any continued use of opioids:
Reduces a patient’s pain tolerance creating a higher dependence on pain relievers.
Creates an addiction cycle that is extremely hard to break.
Increases a person’s risk for depression and suicidal thoughts.
The situation is so serious that the federal government calls it an “opioid crisis” and is in the process of regulating this drug’s prescribed use. In the meantime, holistic health professionals do all they can to spread the word about acupuncture and other natural, healthy alternatives to opioid use.
Fortunately, many mainstream Western medicine practitioners also support acupuncture as a natural alternative to opioids.
The AAFP supports acupuncture as a natural opioid alternative
A recent article published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) supports the use of acupuncture as a healthy form of pain relief. In addition, their Health of the Public and Science Division director, Dr. Jennifer Frost acknowledges that “...nonpharmacologic treatments such as acupuncture may provide benefits to some patients…especially important given the effects of the ongoing opioid epidemic on pain management.”
Unlike most pharmaceutical solutions for pain, which can do a decent job of masking pain but don’t cure or address the cause, acupuncture gets to the root source of the pain. By addressing the cause of the pain and accompanying complications (like inflammation, poor diet, other underlying health conditions, etc.), we can slowly but surely get the body back into a more balanced and comfortable state.
Let MFA Show You What Natural, Effective Pain Management Feels Like
Give your body a break from the toxic and risky side effects of prescription pain medications like opioids. Mitchell Family Acupuncture wants to show you what it feels like to experience pain management that supports more healthy, comfortable, and relaxed well-being.
Contact us to schedule an acupuncture appointment and learn about other pain-relieving techniques, tools, nutritional/lifestyle supports, and supplements.
