Could Acupuncture Be the Treatment You Never Knew You Needed?

Acupuncture is one component of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a holistic approach to overall wellness and health which the Chinese embraced more than 5000 years ago. Acupuncture was added to the TCM regimen of herbs, acupressure, exercise, and a healthy diet around 1000 BC. Acupuncture continues to grow in popularity today as more people experience its benefits.

TCM is based on the three basic beliefs:

• The body can heal,
• Every aspect of the body is connected, like a small universe, and
• Preventive health and wellness practices will help you avoid pain and illness.

Why acupuncture?

According to Dr. Frank Ly, a fourth-generation TCM practitioner and acupuncture specialist based in Huntsville, Alabama, no one is exactly sure how or why acupuncture works so well.

“There are 14 main meridians in the body that we work on, and we know acupuncture helps with any type of injury or pain,” said Dr. Ly. “For thousands of years, practitioners have talked about how acupuncture at these points opens up energy within the body. There’s still a lot of mystery about how exactly this happens.”

New research at Duke University found that “energy” acupuncture releases may have something to do with endorphins and dopamine the procedure releases. Our bodies naturally produce endorphins like cortisone to alleviate and eliminate pain and inflammation, and dopamine helps our bodies relax and experience feelings of happiness — all without prescription medications or invasive procedures.

“In this country, when we hurt, we take pain pills,” explained Dr. Ly. “These medicines can lead to digestion problems, and they’re usually only treating the symptoms of an issue and not the problem that led to the pain in the first place. Acupuncture works on the whole body, the whole system, not just the pain.”

A wide range of benefits

Most of Dr. Ly’s patients first visit his practice with multiple problems, and most often these include neck and back pain. He explained that when we have one problem, for example, pain in one knee, our body will compensate by shifting weight to the other side of our body. This leads to more problems in the spine and hips if we wait to seek treatment.

“Your body is like a car,” said Dr. Ly. “At around 100,000 or 200,000 miles, parts start to wear out, and most all of us will have pain.”

Dr. Ly recommends that patients start out with four visits, after which they can really tell the acupuncture treatments are working. Most sessions last about an hour, but can vary based on the reason for the visit. Although acupuncture can indeed fix the root cause of pain, it may come back simply because of our habits, lifestyles, or the work we do. For example, if we don’t improve our posture or continue to keep our heads down and focused on our phones, the pain that acupuncture resolved may return.

The benefits of acupuncture go well beyond just treating pain, though. Dr. Ly says that he regularly treats patients for sinus and allergy problems, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and headaches. Acupuncture is also a recommended and proven treatment for infertility and immune system disorders. However, the second most popular treatment at his practice is his weight loss regimen.

“Acupuncture treatments on the ears can help to shut down your appetite,” said Dr. Ly. “As part of the weight loss program, we also have natural Chinese herbal supplements that will help with metabolism.”

Dr. Ly and his staff personalize treatments and programs to each individual patient and his or her needs, and does not require a physician referral to schedule an appointment.

Why acupuncture?

According to Dr. Frank Ly, a fourth-generation TCM practitioner and acupuncture specialist based in Huntsville, Alabama, no one is exactly sure how or why acupuncture works so well.

“There are 14 main meridians in the body that we work on, and we know acupuncture helps with any type of injury or pain,” said Dr. Ly. “For thousands of years, practitioners have talked about how acupuncture at these points opens up energy within the body. There’s still a lot of mystery about how exactly this happens.”

New research at Duke University found that “energy” acupuncture releases may have something to do with endorphins and dopamine the procedure releases. Our bodies naturally produce endorphins like cortisone to alleviate and eliminate pain and inflammation, and dopamine helps our bodies relax and experience feelings of happiness — all without prescription medications or invasive procedures.

“In this country, when we hurt, we take pain pills,” explained Dr. Ly. “These medicines can lead to digestion problems, and they’re usually only treating the symptoms of an issue and not the problem that led to the pain in the first place. Acupuncture works on the whole body, the whole system, not just the pain.”

A wide range of benefits

Most of Dr. Ly’s patients first visit his practice with multiple problems, and most often these include neck and back pain. He explained that when we have one problem, for example, pain in one knee, our body will compensate by shifting weight to the other side of our body. This leads to more problems in the spine and hips if we wait to seek treatment.

“Your body is like a car,” said Dr. Ly. “At around 100,000 or 200,000 miles, parts start to wear out, and most all of us will have pain.”

Dr. Ly recommends that patients start out with four visits, after which they can really tell the acupuncture treatments are working. Most sessions last about an hour, but can vary based on the reason for the visit. Although acupuncture can indeed fix the root cause of pain, it may come back simply because of our habits, lifestyles, or the work we do. For example, if we don’t improve our posture or continue to keep our heads down and focused on our phones, the pain that acupuncture resolved may return.

The benefits of acupuncture go well beyond just treating pain, though. Dr. Ly says that he regularly treats patients for sinus and allergy problems, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and headaches. Acupuncture is also a recommended and proven treatment for infertility and immune system disorders. However, the second most popular treatment at his practice is his weight loss regimen.

“Acupuncture treatments on the ears can help to shut down your appetite,” said Dr. Ly. “As part of the weight loss program, we also have natural Chinese herbal supplements that will help with metabolism.”

Dr. Ly and his staff personalize treatments and programs to each individual patient and his or her needs, and does not require a physician referral to schedule an appointment.