Healing the Root Cause
Acupuncture is famous for its successful results with pain control. One of the reasons that acupuncture successfully treats patients with pain that is unresponsive to conventional treatment is because of its physiological pain-relieving effects and its treatment of the root cause. Acupuncture is known to release pain relieving substances in the blood stream, called “endorphins”. In addition, acupuncture signals the autonomic nervous system in the brain, namely the hypothalamus, to stimulate the release of the body’s own corticosteroids which help to heal the local tissue injury.
The western standard medical approaches have included steroids, aspirin and various pain killers. These medications have many varied side effects including reduced alertness, changes in bowel function, addiction and degeneration of the patient’s overall health condition.
The value of Chinese Medicine (herbs and acupuncture) for pain alleviation is that it a) reduces the pain naturally without side effects, b) strengthens and builds up the patient’s overall physical and emotional condition, c) treats the root cause of the illness in addition to relieving and getting rid of the pain. This means that many of the patient’s other complaints are alleviated also, because the root cause is corrected and the body put back into balance.
To describe what happens in terms of Chinese Medicine, the causes of pain include disruption of the chi; blood; moisture; invasion of “wind”. “Wind” is describes as transitory external conditions such as coldness, extremes of temperature, allergies, bacteria, viruses, extreme emotional states. Disruption of “chi” or basic life energy is caused by liver disturbance, which produces spastic conditions of ligament and muscles leading to restrained blood flow and inflammation. Disturbance of water balance produces an excess moisture syndrome with swelling and pain in the joints. Invasion by cold and wind produces aches and pains such as headaches, joint pain, muscular tension, cold-flu symptoms, sinus congestion.
Thus, the standard therapy for relieving these painful conditions is to balance the flow of energy; circulate the water and blood flow and dispel and invading cold or “wind”.
Severe stabbing pain may be accompanied by blood stasis, and in this case, Chinese herbs are highly recommended to work at a deeper level of dispelling the “stagnant blood” to facilitate the healing process. These formulas are also aimed at balancing the basic 23 energy channels or meridians throughout the body and balancing 12 elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, water (which are one of the basic principles of Chinese Medicine).
Thus, Chinese Medicine by working on a simple energetic level, effects a profound physiological change in the body which can alleviate pain and heal the internal and external injuries of the body.