7 Potential Health Benefits of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is becoming increasingly popular as a potentially safe and effective treatment for a variety of health issues ranging from insomnia to stress, menstrual cramps to low back pain. we will discuss the 7 Potential Health Benefits of Acupuncture.

According to the Mayo Clinic, acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy for balancing the body's energy, known as qi, which travels through various energetic pathways known as meridians.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the balance of qi supports overall wellness in TCM's conceptualization of health and disease, and any disruption to it may cause health concerns. According to traditional Chinese medicine, inserting tiny stainless steel needles into specific points known as acupoints along the meridians may help rebalance the flow of qi, ultimately restoring your overall health.

Here's what you should know about acupuncture's potential health and wellness benefits, scientific findings that may help us understand acupuncture's potential benefits, and acupuncture applications that need more research.

Acupuncture Therapy's Potential Health Benefits

1. Relieve Chronic Pain

Acupuncture may help reduce low back and knee pain caused by wear and tear osteoarthritis (OA).

A meta-analysis published in Pain in May 2017 looked at nearly 18,000 chronic pain patients (including low back, neck, and shoulder pain; knee OA; and headache or migraine). It discovered that the pain-relieving effects of acupuncture therapy lasted for 12 months. However, whether patients improved after 12 months without additional acupuncture therapy remains to be determined.

Similarly, a review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in April 2017 evaluated nondrug approaches to treating low back pain and discovered that acupuncture reduced discomfort and improved function immediately after the session. The authors once again stated that the long-term effects of Acupuncture is still understudied and needs more research.

However, in response to a request for public comment from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on whether to include acupuncture therapy and licensed acupuncturists for federal payment, the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) outlined several research findings, including the Pain meta-analysis. SAR recommended acupuncture as part of a comprehensive pain-management strategy for ageing Americans in its feedback, which was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in April 2019. Following that, the CMS finalized its decision to cover acupuncture therapy for chronic low back pain for Medicare beneficiaries in January 2021.

2. Control Allergic Asthma

Acupuncture may be an effective adjunct treatment for asthma, particularly allergic asthma, which is defined by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology as a type of asthma triggered by inhaling allergens such as pollen, dust, food, and mould.

For example, in one study of people with allergic asthma published in April 2017 in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, those who received up to 15 acupuncture treatments over three months improved more than those who received only routine care.

3. Resolve Nausea and Vomiting

Chemotherapy frequently causes nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately, medications used to control nausea and vomiting are frequently insufficient, and increasing the dosage to improve efficacy may result in other side effects such as headaches, dizziness, and constipation, according to a study published in Medicine in January 2020.

Acupuncture may be a viable alternative. A review of 41 randomised, controlled trials concluded that acupuncture is a safe and effective complementary therapy for cancer patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, but they added that more research is needed.

4. Improve Your Sleep

Acupuncture may be a beneficial therapy for people who suffer from insomnia or sleep disturbances.

Sedatives and other medications are commonly used to treat insomnia. However, while sedatives may be effective in the short term, long-term use may result in negative side effects such as excessive drowsiness and medication dependence, according to a study of 72 participants published in Sleep Medicine in September 2017. People with insomnia who received acupuncture three times per week for four weeks saw significant improvements in sleep quality and anxiety when compared to people who received sham acupuncture (the control group, for whom no needle penetrated the skin and only the plastic tubing touched the skin).

5. Assist in the prevention and reduction of headache and migraine severity

According to research, acupuncture may help relieve painful headaches or migraines in addition to relieving certain types of chronic pain.

A study published in April 2017 in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people with migraine without aura who received acupuncture five days a week for four weeks had a greater reduction in migraines 16 weeks after starting the study than those who received sham acupuncture.

Furthermore, a review of 22 trials involving migraine prophylaxis patients discovered that acupuncture treatments may be as effective as prophylactic drug treatments (mainstream medical approaches taken daily to prevent migraines).

6. Prevent Menstrual Cramps

Acupuncture may also be an effective complementary therapy for painful periods.

Researchers examined 49 randomized, controlled trials in a meta-analysis published in Medicine in June 2018 and discovered that traditional acupuncture and electroacupuncture (a type of acupuncture that incorporates a weak electric current) were more effective than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in relieving menstrual pain.

Another study of 74 women, published in the journal PloS One in July 2017, discovered that more frequent acupuncture treatments may be most effective in relieving menstrual pain. Women who received three acupuncture treatments in the week preceding their period experienced greater pain intensity improvements than women who received three acupuncture treatments every 7 to 10 days in between their periods.

7. Assist in Recovery Following Surgery

Recovery from surgery can be a long process. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, some patients experience a variety of symptoms following surgery, including nausea and vomiting from general anesthesia, pain around the incision site, restlessness and sleep problems, constipation, and sore throat.

Some healthcare providers, such as Sheinberg, recommend acupuncture to alleviate some of these symptoms and promote healing. "I find myself using it a lot in my anesthesia practice," she says.

Patients who received acupuncture after surgery reported significant improvements in sleep, anxiety, pain, fatigue, nausea, and drowsiness in a study of 172 participants published in January 2017 in Integrative Cancer Therapies.