How Does Acupuncture Work?
“Modern research shows that acupuncture can affect most of the body's systems - the nervous system, muscle tone, hormone outputs, circulation, antibody production and allergic responses, as well as the respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems”.
- British Medical Acupuncture Society
- The placement of very fine acupuncture needles in the skin activates an ancient biological mechanism whereby our bodies are stimulated into self healing mode through the nervous, immune and endocrine systems.
- Pain relieving and wellbeing promoting substances such as endorphins and neuropeptides are released with acupuncture needling.
- Pain regulating mechanisms such as neural gates in posterior horns of the spinal nerves are activated. These are particularly important in reducing chronic pain.
- Pathways in the brain are activated reducing the reception and perception of pain and other unpleasant stimuli such as nausea.
- Stable long-term responses and the incremental effect seen during a course of acupuncture treatments results from neuroplasticity in the nervous system and alteration in gene expression.
- Real-time brain imaging studies show acupuncture positively influencing several brain regions including the limbic system, reducing pain and the emotional unpleasantness of pain and other experiences like tinnitus and nausea.
- Acupuncture has anti-inflammatory, immune regulating and anti-allergy effects.
- Acupuncture relaxes shortened, spasming muscles thereby releasing pressure on joint structures, tendons and nerves. This along with vasodilation normalizes blood circulation promoting nourishment and detoxification of starved tissues, including stimulating internal organs.
- Acupuncture has a balancing effect on the autonomic nervous system thereby relaxing over-activity and improving under-functioning.