Acupuncture’s a growing interest among patients with chronic pain, headaches, stomach problems, menstrual cramps, and fertility issues. A form of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture’s been practiced for thousands of years and to great degrees of success.
Acupuncture is very beneficial in the way that there’s no interaction risk-wise with anything else you’re doing. Just be honest with the acupuncturist about which medicines you are on and what you’re there to treat. That way, all cards are on the table and your practitioner will know where to take things from there.
As a therapy and treatment, there’s a lot of potential for acupuncture to be an amazing tool in our healthcare. Here are eleven different pros and cons of acupuncture:
1. Pro – Acupuncture provides pain relief
First and foremost, acupuncture’s biggest advantage is its ability to provide pain relief and symptom relief related to headaches or other conditions. As the acupuncture needles press into the body, they stimulate a natural response to pain with the release of endorphins and a natural reduction in discomfort.
2. Pro – It’s an all-natural therapy
There’s no medication or chemicals involved in acupuncture. As long as the needles are fully sterilized prior to, there’s no risk of infection or damage whatsoever. East Asian medicine as a whole builds around all-natural therapies, treating medical conditions based on the belief that some chronic issues are caused by energy imbalances or blockages.
3. Con – They involve needles
If you don’t like needles, you may not want to accept acupuncture as a treatment option for yourself. That said, acupuncture needles are very fine and thinner than a piece of human hair. You don’t feel them going in or coming out. In most cases, acupuncture’s delivered onto the back, which also means you don’t need to look at them. So all in all, acupuncture needles are hardly a bad thing if are one of the many people with a phobia of needles.
4. Pro – Acupuncture is scientifically proven
Ancient practitioners believed acupuncture restored balance to the body and interpreted acupuncture to be almost like energy healing. After 100s of scientific studies, we know this not to be the case however what we do see is noticeable changes. There is a lot of verifiable proof supporting acupuncture as a quality healthcare treatment for chronic pain and a myriad of conditions.
5. Cons – Symptoms may temporarily worsen
Like other treatments, acupuncture can sometimes cause certain symptoms to worsen temporarily before things get better. This is simply your body re-balancing itself. It’s almost as if certain muscles, nerves, and ligaments need to be re-trained how to feel and how they experience pain. For this reason, your system may be overstimulated and somewhat sensitive to stimuli for a few days – especially if you’re not used to receiving acupuncture.
6. Pro – Acupuncture comes with no side effects
If you take medications such as opioids, antidepressants, blood pressure medications, or even acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or other over-the-counter chemicals, those pharmaceuticals all come with big, big risks to your health. There is no risk, no side effects, and no negatives to acupuncture. The worst that can happen is that it does nothing for you.
7. Con – You may experience temporarily lifestyle changes
Acupuncture can cause some minor changes in behaviour or lifestyle. Although temporary, patients sometimes end up feeling sleepier or groggier, have a change in appetite, and/or see bowel or urination habits change. These responses aren’t anything to be worried about but it is something to note.
8. Pro – You will feel more relaxed
After you walk out of an acupuncture treatment, you will likely feel more relaxed than you were before. For this reason, acupuncture’s been used to treat insomnia and sleep problems. Acupuncture needles create minor traumas that we don’t even feel and stimulate natural relaxation in response. In fact, it’s not uncommon to fall asleep during an acupuncture treatment.
9. Con – It might not work
No pharmaceutical medication, therapy, or medical treatment is 100% successful in 100% of the patients. Acupuncture’s no different. You may undergo a treatment and see no improvement. For this reason, we recommend a few weeks at least of acupuncture. For some, they don’t experience improvement in pain or discomfort until their fifth or sixth session.
10. Con – It can take time to work
Some people do not see improvements in symptoms for quite some time. Ask your practitioner what the expectation is, prior to beginning on any sort of treatment plan. If there’s an acute problem, it should improve after a few treatments. If it’s chronic, you may need 1-3 visits a month for possibly multiple months. It’s all in what you’re treating and how much time or effort you give it.
11. Pro – You can continue your current medication regimen
If you have a medication treatment plan or physio treatment plan, or anything similar, acupuncture does not mean you should or have to stop. Keep going! Acupuncture’s simply a resource. In time, assuming symptoms improve, then you can titrate down medications or experiment with changing up your day to day.