Acupuncture: Myths Debunked!
A few weeks ago, I talked a little bit about the health benefits of acupuncture. Today, I want to continue the conversation by discussing some common myths that surround the acupuncture practice.
MYTH 1: Acupuncture is only used for pain management.
FALSE: While acupuncture is often used to manage or relieve pain, acupuncture has many different uses. It has been shown to help with certain mental health disorders, stress, anxiety, headaches, nausea, digestion issues, sleep regulation, and gynelogical conditions. Acupuncture stimulates the central nervous system to start healing processes in the body and promote alignment of the body's different systems. Different systems are linked to different acupuncture points across the body, including hands, feet, arms, legs, and even some on your face!
MYTH 2: Acupuncture needles aren't sanitary.
FALSE: Certified acupuncture providers are required to take sanitation training and pass the accompanying exam in order to be qualified as acupuncture practicioners. Each acupuncture needle comes individually wrapped in a sterile encasement, ready for a new patient. The needles are single use only and are disposed of after use.
MYTH 3: Any effect of an acupuncture treatment is just a placebo!
FALSE: While it's true that every individual is different and efficacy may vary from patient to patient, scientists have been able to map the neural pathways stimulated by acupuncture through the use of fMRI technologies. These technologies show that acupuncture decreases the inflammatory markers in the body and stimulate the body's endogenous pain relief system. Pain or issues in the body is our body's way of alerting that something is out of balance; acupuncture helps to bring the balance back to our body's systems!
MYTH 4: Yikes! Acupuncture uses needles? I bet they’re huge!
FALSE: The average acupuncture needle is as thick as a human hair or approximately one tenth the size of a regular hypodermic needle used for shots or other medical procedures. If you want numbers, the average acupuncture needle is about 0.13 milimeters in diameter, while a hypodermic needle can be up to 1.1 milimeters in diameter!
Curious to try out your first acupuncture session? Call or book online at http://wellco.janeapp.com/ to schedule an appointment!
