The effectiveness of acupuncture for acute pain has recently been proven. Many people erroneously think that acupuncture can only treat chronic pain, like chronic backpain, chronic elbow pain, or fibromylagia that has become a chronic condition. And it is true, multiple studies in China and the U.S. have focused on using acupuncture to treat chronic pain, but a recent study sheds light on the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute pain. In fact, patients responded faster and better to acupuncture than to intravenous morphine! Over 300 people were recruited for the study, and it is in press to be published in the prestigious American Journal of Emergency Medicine, August edition.
Over my many years of practice I have treated thousands of cases of acute pain. A medical doctor comes to see me when the pain of his plantar fasciitis nags at him after playing basketball. A mom comes in to receive acupuncture for acute back pain after the simple injury of bending over incorrectly to pick up her child. Athletes come to see me with torn rotator cuffs, sprained ankles, carpal tunnel flare ups, and the list goes on.
Think for a moment about what this study could mean in light of the opioid crises we are experiencing in America. The patients in this study that received acupuncture had more pain relief, in a quicker fashion, than those who received the morphine. This is astonishing…the results should be plastered over all the news media, and more research should be conducted in major hospitals. Alas, that is not what we see happening, and this is why it is so important for citizens to educate themselves about acupuncture research like this, and share it with others. If you can think of one person in pain right now, imagine how they might benefit from acupuncture, instead of opioids. You might save a life by recommending acupuncture to someone in pain.
We treat acute pain very successfully and efficiently here at our Asheville acupuncture clinic. If you know anyone in acute pain, let them know that acupuncture can help. You can also show this medical study to your doctor and help educate people about the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of acute pain.
To see the abstract of the study, click here:
https://www.ajemjournal.com/article/S0735-6757(16)30422-3/abstract
