The National Institute of Health released a comprehensive study in 2012 that showed “acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain and is therefore a reasonable referral option.” (Bobbins 2016) This study was conducted with nearly 18,000 participants over the course of six years. It analyzed how acupuncture can be used to treat:

• Low-Back Pain
• Neck Pain
• Osteoarthritis/Knee Pain
• Chronic Headaches
• And Other Chronic Conditions

We conducted our own study of the patients here at The Gathering Point Community Acupuncture. Our random sample of client records shows that 80% of the people we treat at the clinic come here to address various kinds of pain, including arthritis, carpel tunnel, tendinitis, TMJ, fibromyalgia, and migraines.  Acupuncture sessions target specific areas of the body that can help release muscle tension; guide neurological pathways to release positive energy throughout the body; and reduce the side effects of chronic pain, such as insomnia, fatigue, and nausea.  Gua sha treatments can help boost the effectiveness of the acupuncture by increasing blood circulation to the effected area to help extract toxic waste from the body.

The evidence is clear. Pharmaceutical medications for pain control are addictive and have many negative side effects. Acupuncture has thousands of years of practice to prove it is a positive form of medical treatment. Why, then, hasn’t the CDC included acupuncture in its recommendations for non-pharmaceutical methods of pain management?

In a recent article from Acupuncture today, Licenced Acupuncturist Shelly Bobbins states:

“Effective pain management in lieu of opioids, especially for chronic syndromes, requires all hands on deck. If the CDC is serious about physicians helping to provide pain patients with the best possible options that do not include opiod prescriptions, acupuncture needs to be identified in these guidelines as a proven treatment. With the high rate of heroin and opioid addition, acupuncture is an important cost effective option that can treat a vast array of acute and chronic pain conditions, as well as assist with treatment for substance addiction . . . If the CDC is serious about effective methods for reducing the amount of opioids prescribed, acupuncture needs to become  an integral part of these referral equations used to help guide physicians.” (Bobbins 2016)

If you are dealing with chronic pain issues, call The Gathering Point Community Acupuncture so we can help you form a holistic approach to addressing these health problems.