Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine, which has been used for hundreds of years as a form of alternative medicine to deal with and heal from health issues holistically.
One of the oldest arts of healing and wellness in the world, it wasn’t recognized by many cultures and countries until much later. It wasn’t until 1971, when James Reston, an American journalist, returned from his visit to China and wrote about his experience with acupuncture in a New York Times article, “Now, About My Operation in Peking.”
This is when Americans really started looking into the benefits of acupuncture and what it meant for chronic pain management. Here’s everything you need to know.
What Acupuncture Really Is—and How It Works
Acupuncture is a practice that is almost 3,500 years old. It works by applying needles, heat, and pressure to affected areas of the body. It is believed that inserting these needles on specific pressure points releases trapped energy, or Qi—helping it flow better.
In Chinese medicine, Qi is the life force that flows in our bodies. However, our busy routines, bad posture, and lack of physical activity because of long hours sitting at our desk jobs, hinder the flow of Qi, trapping it in some areas.
This trapping, imbalance, or blockage of Qi leads to pain and different illness—one of them being chronic pain.
Scientific Evidence For Acupuncture
There have been a number of studies that have been conducted to analyze how well acupuncture works. Many of these studies have concluded that the treatment holds tremendous benefits for patients suffering from chronic pain conditions; for example, low back pain, migraines, tension headaches.
The treatment significantly reduces the incidence and severity of these conditions, greatly improving the quality of life of the people who are experiencing it, and reducing the need to take strong pain medications that even pose uncomfortable side effects.
Where To Find A Skilled Acupuncturist
If you’re looking for an acupuncture Bethesda or Rockville areas in Washington DC, try our services at Malama Honua Healing LLC. We offer acupuncture treatment for chronic pain, digestive disorders, respiratory disorders, and immune function, among many other issues. You can also check out what our clients are saying about us right here.
We also offer other wellness and spiritual treatments, including Online Kundalini Yoga DC, meditation, and soul coaching services to the residents of Bethesda, and Rockville, MD.
Feel free to contact us today for more information or to book an appointment. Get started on your journey to a happy, healthy, and pain-free life with us!