It’s no news that arthritis can significantly affect your quality of life. While there’s no cure for the condition, acupuncture has proven to aid the management of the disease considerably.
Arthritis is one of the most common conditions that affect the joints. It can occur in the knees, hips, back, hands and feet. It causes your joints to become inflamed, sometimes resulting in severe pain.
While there are several forms of arthritis, they all share a common thread of symptoms — stiffness, swelling, tenderness, pain, and redness. There are several treatments for arthritis, but there’s, unfortunately, no cure. An effective alternative treatment is acupuncture.
At Acupuncture Health Services in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, Michael Beys, LAc, DACm, and his team specialize in using the unique healing properties of acupuncture to manage the chronic pain caused by arthritis.
Read on to learn more about how acupuncture can help with your arthritis pain.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice that involves inserting fine specialized needles into specific points in your skin. The underlying belief of acupuncturist practitioners is that we have an essential life energy called qi that flows through channels in the body called meridians.
When your qi is blocked, it can cause pain and disease. By stimulating acupuncture points in your body with the specialized needles, an acupuncture practitioner clears the blockage and reinstates your qi, which helps to alleviate the symptoms you are feeling.
It’s a relatively safe procedure that most people can tolerate. When done correctly, the process is painless. You may, however, feel some tingling at the points where the needles are being inserted. Booking an appointment with a certified and trained professional is crucial to prevent any troubling side effects or complications.
How acupuncture helps arthritis pain
In Western medicine, it’s believed that acupuncture helps ease symptoms by stimulating blood flow and a hormone called cortisol, which helps regulate your immune system and reduce inflammation.
With arthritis, acupuncture has been shown to help with pain relief and improve people’s quality of life.
Acupuncture is an excellent alternative for people who haven’t responded well to traditional arthritis treatments. For long-term pain management, you may need several acupuncture sessions.
What the science says
In a 2018 review of 43 studies, researchers found that acupuncture was effective in managing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. It was also to improve the overall quality of life of people who went in regularly for acupuncture sessions.
In a more recent review conducted in 2022, the effectiveness of acupuncture, when combined with traditional treatment methods, was studied. Scientists concluded that patients who received a combination of acupuncture and traditional medicine faired better than those who opted for conventional medicine alone.
If you are looking for alternative treatment for your arthritis, acupuncture is an excellent option. Get started today by booking an appointment online or calling us at 732-898-2284.