There has long been an association between acupuncture and pain relief. By stimulating certain points on the body called “acupuncture points” with subtle pressure produced by the insertion of fine needle tips into the epidermis, the Acupuncturist stimulates biological responses from the body that naturally alleviates pain. There is acupuncture for chronic pain, acupuncture for neuropathy and even acupuncture for plantar fasciitis.
Each one of these conditions is treated with different point locations know as ‘point prescriptions’. This is because the Acupuncturist diagnosis the problem in terms of Chinese Medicine and creates a prescription to deal with it, much like a medical doctor writes a prescription for drug medication.*
Principles of acupuncture involve energy patterns called Qi that flow through the body and positively influence a person’s overall well-being. Experienced acupuncturists remove disruptions in this energy flow by altering physiological processes that may be inhibiting the Qi. Once the Qi is free to flow, inflammation is no longer required by the body to protect itself and the pain associated with inflammation can be resolved.*
For this reason, no two patients or conditions are the same requiring a competent diagnosis before treatment is given. The Acupuncturist will therefore, in most cases, spend the majority of the first visit doing a detailed intake with the patient to determine the precise issue behind the pain before treating it.