“How does acupuncture stop pain?”
I am a 33 year old female. I want to know how does acupuncture stop pain?
19 Answers
Takes about 8 years to complete an answer…or a visit with instant relief.
Acupuncture works on the same receptors as opioids and is very effective for pain management.
Scientific Explanation of Acupuncture:
Neurologic Aspects of Acupuncture for Pain:
Chronic pain is a neuropathic problem, not a structural problem. Chronic pain exists due to a problem in the patient's nervous system. A delta nerve fibers are responsible for sharp burning pain. C nerve fibers are responsible for dull pain. In order to feel pain, 2 nerves are involved, the sensory pain nerves (nociceptor fibers: the A delta and C nerve fibers) and the proprioceptive. The sensory pain nerves send signals to L5, then up the spine, track of Lissaur, the same type of nociceptor nerve). So, there is a nerve signal to the midbrain to tell the brain to register the pain. Proprioceptive fibers are also firing continuously at the affected area. 20 m/second is how fast this conduction all this nerve travels. This signal travels up the spine to the midbrain, which tells the brain the location of the pain. To feel pain, signals from both the nociceptor and proprioceptor nerves are required. As a result of the signals from these nerves, the midbrain then releases endorphins, enkaphlins, and other pain-modulating substances to fill the pain receptor sites along the spine and at the location of the patient's pain. So, pain relief occurs as the nerve cannot signal the brain anymore to tell it it has pain because the pain receptors are filled with the enkaphlins and other pain-modulating substances. Patients with chronic pain have weak neurological proprioceptive signals. The midbrain is not receiving a strong proprioceptive signal.
How do Acupuncture Needles function when they are placed distally to the site of pain?:
The Distal acupuncture needles increase and stimulate the proprioceptive signal to the midbrain. By increasing the signal strength over a certain threshold level, acupuncture encourages the midbrain to instantly release the body's internal pain relieving substances. When the patients return home, within a few hours, the signals become weak again. The next day, the signal should be stimulated again with acupuncture. The acupuncture continues stimulating the nerve signals above the threshold level until the body "remembers" and reestablishes the normal threshold to signal the brain. There exists a relationship between the distal location of the needles and the location of the pain that is necessary to stimulate the nerve signals.
Neurological Explanation of Acupuncture for Local needles:
Mast cells located in the tissue, often found sequestered with fine blood vessels and intimately associated with nerve endings at the needle insertion site, are the primary proinflammatory agents that respond to tissue damage. (Kendall, 2002) When the acupuncture needle is inserted into the skin, it bumps against mast cells, and they burst and release leukotrins (much stronger that histamines) and prostaglandins causes the sensory and proprioceptive nerves to fire. Leukotrins are powerful anti-inflammatory substances in the body that encourage vasodilation, and stimulate white blood cells (WBC) to assist with the inflammation. With local insertion of acupuncture needles, the healing of the injury occurs directly where the needles are placed. This process creates micro-inflammation at the site of the injury (site of the older inflammation from the brain's perspective), and the micro-inflammation encourages healing in the local area due to the release of chemicals, and stimulation of the immune system.
How does acupuncture stimulate increased blood flow to the affected area?:
The brain vasoconstricts the area where pain exists. Why? Because the brain makes the assumption that the injury needles to be isolated to assist with the healing for a variety of reasons. So, the brain reduces the supply of blood to that area in order to prevent it from spreading it to the other areas. So, in order to protect other parts of the body, generally speaking, it causes vasoconstriction. Until the pain is stopped, the brain typically will not vasodilate the area. So, we need to stop the pain first in order for the healing to begin.
Neurologic Aspects of Acupuncture for Pain:
Chronic pain is a neuropathic problem, not a structural problem. Chronic pain exists due to a problem in the patient's nervous system. A delta nerve fibers are responsible for sharp burning pain. C nerve fibers are responsible for dull pain. In order to feel pain, 2 nerves are involved, the sensory pain nerves (nociceptor fibers: the A delta and C nerve fibers) and the proprioceptive. The sensory pain nerves send signals to L5, then up the spine, track of Lissaur, the same type of nociceptor nerve). So, there is a nerve signal to the midbrain to tell the brain to register the pain. Proprioceptive fibers are also firing continuously at the affected area. 20 m/second is how fast this conduction all this nerve travels. This signal travels up the spine to the midbrain, which tells the brain the location of the pain. To feel pain, signals from both the nociceptor and proprioceptor nerves are required. As a result of the signals from these nerves, the midbrain then releases endorphins, enkaphlins, and other pain-modulating substances to fill the pain receptor sites along the spine and at the location of the patient's pain. So, pain relief occurs as the nerve cannot signal the brain anymore to tell it it has pain because the pain receptors are filled with the enkaphlins and other pain-modulating substances. Patients with chronic pain have weak neurological proprioceptive signals. The midbrain is not receiving a strong proprioceptive signal.
How do Acupuncture Needles function when they are placed distally to the site of pain?:
The Distal acupuncture needles increase and stimulate the proprioceptive signal to the midbrain. By increasing the signal strength over a certain threshold level, acupuncture encourages the midbrain to instantly release the body's internal pain relieving substances. When the patients return home, within a few hours, the signals become weak again. The next day, the signal should be stimulated again with acupuncture. The acupuncture continues stimulating the nerve signals above the threshold level until the body "remembers" and reestablishes the normal threshold to signal the brain. There exists a relationship between the distal location of the needles and the location of the pain that is necessary to stimulate the nerve signals.
Neurological Explanation of Acupuncture for Local needles:
Mast cells located in the tissue, often found sequestered with fine blood vessels and intimately associated with nerve endings at the needle insertion site, are the primary proinflammatory agents that respond to tissue damage. (Kendall, 2002) When the acupuncture needle is inserted into the skin, it bumps against mast cells, and they burst and release leukotrins (much stronger that histamines) and prostaglandins causes the sensory and proprioceptive nerves to fire. Leukotrins are powerful anti-inflammatory substances in the body that encourage vasodilation, and stimulate white blood cells (WBC) to assist with the inflammation. With local insertion of acupuncture needles, the healing of the injury occurs directly where the needles are placed. This process creates micro-inflammation at the site of the injury (site of the older inflammation from the brain's perspective), and the micro-inflammation encourages healing in the local area due to the release of chemicals, and stimulation of the immune system.
How does acupuncture stimulate increased blood flow to the affected area?:
The brain vasoconstricts the area where pain exists. Why? Because the brain makes the assumption that the injury needles to be isolated to assist with the healing for a variety of reasons. So, the brain reduces the supply of blood to that area in order to prevent it from spreading it to the other areas. So, in order to protect other parts of the body, generally speaking, it causes vasoconstriction. Until the pain is stopped, the brain typically will not vasodilate the area. So, we need to stop the pain first in order for the healing to begin.
Yes acupuncture with massage and herbs can relieve your pain by doing reducing techniques, you better try!
Lejla Fazlicic
Acupuncturist
There are a few theories about the topic. Acupuncture affects the whole body and creates hormonal changes to stop pain.
In Chinese medicine, Pain is usually caused by stagnation, deficiency or excess condition. After the doctor assess the situation he/she may work to open the stagnation, tonify the body and reduce the excess condition. This way the pain is alleviated.
Good afternoon,
Acupuncture does help and relieve pain. Acupuncture will cause the body to produce a chemical called endorphins, but the pain is also caused by many different mechanisms. Therefore, ask your practitioner what causes the pain to know the answer how to relieve the pain.
David
Acupuncture does help and relieve pain. Acupuncture will cause the body to produce a chemical called endorphins, but the pain is also caused by many different mechanisms. Therefore, ask your practitioner what causes the pain to know the answer how to relieve the pain.
David
Acupuncture needles access energy meridians in the body and this rebalances the body to decrease inflammation and relieve pain.
Acupuncture stops pain by increasing healthy circulation, improving muscle tension, and quieting nocioreceptors (or pain-perceivers in the body).
Warmly,
Natalie Ramsey, MS LAc
Warmly,
Natalie Ramsey, MS LAc
Acupuncture helps alleviate pain by relaxing the soft tissues, increasing circulation to the affected area, and stimulating the release of endorphins. It also helps to disrupt the pain signal to the brain. All of these functions combined make acupuncture an effective therapy for pain conditions.
That is a great question. So acupuncture can help with pain by getting to the root cause of that the pain is, by regulating the energy within the organs and channels that are out of balance. Acupuncture also has an amazing effect on balancing our brain chemistry which helps decrease pain signals hence managing and lowering pain. Acupuncture can also help release endorphins which are our body's natural pain killing chemicals. (This process works by helping the brain release serotonin and again balancing hormone levels overall in the body.) On the path to pain relief you may also notice that as your body becomes healthier and more balanced that other issues or ailments resolve as well. It's a complex system that is difficult to explain in simple terms but I hope this small explanation is helpful to you. Be well.
Dr. Sam
Dr. Sam
Acupuncture loosens what is stuck and causing pain. It works to bring free flow of energy throughout the body. When your energy is flowing freely there is no pain.
"How" is a complex question. From a TCM perspective, we stop pain by removing stagnation of the Qi and rebalancing the body's vital life energy. By doing this, balancing the Qi, the physical body - which the Qi runs through - follows suit and the pain is relieved. From a western standpoint, we know that acupuncture can change MU opiate receptors in the brain to change how we feel or perceive pain, we know it can improve circulation and decrease inflammation and cause endorphin release as well, but there is no single western answer for "how," only the traditional energetic explanation. I like to say a little bit of science and a little bit of magic.
Yes, it can be.
Mr. Anthony James Lorenzo
Acupuncturist
You, myself and the entire scientific community would like to know exactly how. It remains an unsolved mystery, scientifically speaking.
That's a very good question, and I spent 4 years in a Masters program to find the answer. (It's very complicated.) If you're really interested, I would suggest you pick up Ted Kapchuckt's book, "The Web that has no Weaver." It's written for lay people to help them understand how acupuncture works.
Acupuncture stops the pain by the nerve conduction.
How acupuncture stops pain is one of those seemingly easy questions. Unfortunately the full answer is long and complicated. Studies have shown a variety of effects, and we have to remember that conventional medical studies are looking at the body in terms of biochemistry - so they're looking for biochemical effects.
Does acupuncture exert its effect solely due to biochemical changes? Probably not, since a good acupuncturist can often get immediate pain relief or reduction from the first few needles. There's not nearly enough time for a biochemical response to be stimulated, those molecules to travel to their site of action, bind receptors, and exert the effect.
Generally, we can talk about a short list of biochemical effects due to acupuncture:
1. Acupuncture promotes the production and release of endogenous opiate peptides. These are opiate like proteins your body produces naturally. Acupuncture increases their production and release which can have the effect of lowering pain.
2. Acupuncture regulates a set of neurotransmitters in the spinal cord and brain which are intimately involved in the propagation of pain signals. Basically, acupuncture makes it harder for these signals to move around.
3. Functional MRI studies have shown that acupuncture changes the way the brain processes pain signaling. In addition to thinning the pain out (opiate peptides) and slowing the signal down (neurotransmitters), acupuncture is changing the way the brain deals with pain signals that make it through.
4. Functional MRI studies also show that acupuncture increases binding sites in the brain for opiate peptides. We're changing the pain sensation by inducing the brain to produce more binding sites for opiate peptides which reduce pain sensations.
Is this the exhaustive list of everything acupuncture does in pain management? In my opinion, no. None of these changes or interactions accounts for how long the acupuncture pain relieving effect can last, nor do they explain how quickly pain relief can come on as a result of acupuncture.
Does acupuncture exert its effect solely due to biochemical changes? Probably not, since a good acupuncturist can often get immediate pain relief or reduction from the first few needles. There's not nearly enough time for a biochemical response to be stimulated, those molecules to travel to their site of action, bind receptors, and exert the effect.
Generally, we can talk about a short list of biochemical effects due to acupuncture:
1. Acupuncture promotes the production and release of endogenous opiate peptides. These are opiate like proteins your body produces naturally. Acupuncture increases their production and release which can have the effect of lowering pain.
2. Acupuncture regulates a set of neurotransmitters in the spinal cord and brain which are intimately involved in the propagation of pain signals. Basically, acupuncture makes it harder for these signals to move around.
3. Functional MRI studies have shown that acupuncture changes the way the brain processes pain signaling. In addition to thinning the pain out (opiate peptides) and slowing the signal down (neurotransmitters), acupuncture is changing the way the brain deals with pain signals that make it through.
4. Functional MRI studies also show that acupuncture increases binding sites in the brain for opiate peptides. We're changing the pain sensation by inducing the brain to produce more binding sites for opiate peptides which reduce pain sensations.
Is this the exhaustive list of everything acupuncture does in pain management? In my opinion, no. None of these changes or interactions accounts for how long the acupuncture pain relieving effect can last, nor do they explain how quickly pain relief can come on as a result of acupuncture.
Acupuncture stops pain by stimulating points that break the transmission of pain from the body to the brain. Additionally, it treats the injury or other cause of the pain. Once the cause of the pain is resolved, you will no longer feel it.
