Pain Management In Chinese Medicine

By S. Hunter Thompson, DOM, DiplAc (NCCAOM) LAc ADS (NADA)

Turning Point - Foundation of Wellness

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Pain Management In Chinese Medicine

Opioid addiction is at an all-time high in the U.S. Individuals who are in pain need relief and yet the side effects of opioids are often difficult to deal with along with the potential for addiction. However, there are excellent methods for pain management without these medications.

Chinese medicine, both acupuncture and Chinese herbs are well-documented alternatives to drugs for pain management. Both of these modalities work with the person’s body to help it to heal the issue that is causing pain while at the same time reducing the pain. The acupuncturist will perform a specific assessment that differs from Western medicine. Some of the diagnostic methods include reading the pulse of both wrists as well as looking at the tongue. In addition, some abdominal palpation and assessment of the joints may be performed.

Acupuncture looks at the underlying cause of the pain in addition to the current location of the sensations. Often the acupuncture treatment may seem as if it is not related to the location of the pain. This works because all parts of the body are connected. Just as blood vessels are found throughout the entire body and are all connected to one another, so are acupuncture channels. While the pain may be in the knee, acupuncture treatment may be performed on the back or the foot. A headache may be treated by using points on the foot or hand rather than the head.

Some acupuncture patients suffering from pain, almost to the level of being unable to move, have much greater freedom of movement and less or no pain at the end of treatment. Each person is unique, and some patients require several treatments before they experience such results.

Chinese medicine is holistic, meaning that it treats the whole person and does not see a person as a group of parts. Pain is a complex experience. Someone who is in great pain or who has been in pain for a long period of time most likely will have some emotional reaction to the pain and to the underlying causes. Acupuncture treatment potentiates emotional release as well as release of the physical mechanisms of pain.