Acupuncture - an explanation

Is Acupuncture the Miracle Remedy for Everything?
• How does it work?
• What are the benefits?
• What to expect
• How to find an acupuncturist
• Home alternatives

Acupuncture, the practice of treating conditions through triggering certain points on the skin with needles, may help with allergies, migraines, arthritis pain, sciatica and insomnia. Acupuncture is an evidence-based medicine that has been proven by literally thousands of studies.

If you’re new to holistic healing as a type of treatment, acupuncture can seem a bit terrifying. How could pressing needles into your skin possibly make you feel better? Doesn’t that hurt?

Well, no, it’s definitely not the overtly painful procedure you may be imagining and considering that it’s been studied and practiced for over 2,500 years, it seems acupuncture enthusiasts could seriously be onto something.

Some people swear by acupuncture, citing it as a “miracle” to improving their quality of life because it’s said to be able to treat everything from depression and allergies to morning sickness and cramps.

What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine-based approach to treating a variety of conditions by triggering specific points on the skin with needles.

Paul Kempisty, a licensed acupuncturist with a MSc in traditional Oriental medicine, explains, “Acupuncture is a minimally invasive method to stimulate nerve-rich areas of the skin surface in order to influence tissues, gland, organs, and various functions of the body.”
“Each acupuncture needle produces a tiny injury at the insertion site, and although it’s slight enough to cause little to no discomfort, it’s enough of a signal to let the body know it needs to respond,” Kempisty says.
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“This response involves stimulation of the immune system, promoting circulation to the area, wound healing, and pain modulation.” Contemporary research on acupuncture relies mainly on this theory.

What’s the philosophy behind acupuncture?
The Chinese philosophy behind acupuncture is a bit more complicated, as the ancient practice isn’t traditionally based in science and medicine.

“They believed that the human body was filled with and animated by an invisible life-giving force which they called ‘qi’ (pronounced ‘chee’) and when the qi was flowing well and going to all the right places, then a person would experience good mental and physical health. When the qi was flowing incorrectly (blocked or deficient) that would result in illness,” says Kempisty.

The concept of qi isn’t too out there — think of it as your body’s natural inner workings. Sometimes you’re more prone to illness when feeling stressed or anxious.

When you’re relaxed and healthy, your body physically reflects that too. After all, your mood, mental health, and general well-being do affect your physical health. Thus, acupuncture aims to assist people in achieving balance, or qi, and, as a result, provide relief for many ailments.

What does acupuncture do?
You may be interested in acupuncture for a variety of reasons. For example, I sought treatment for my chronic headaches and sinus pressure.

There are numerous conditions and symptoms that acupuncture has been found to help with. Here are just a few:
• allergies
• anxiety and depression
• osteoarthritis
• chronic pain, often in the neck, back, knees, and head
• hypertension
• insomnia
• menstrual cramps and PMS
• migraines
• morning sickness
• multiple sclerosis
• sprains
• strokes

Studies suggest that acupuncture can help with cancer treatment as well. Most cancer centres now include acupuncture within their standard of care.

Limited evidence for
• acne
• abdominal pain
• cancer pain
• obesity
• insomnia
• infertility
• diabetes
• schizophrenia
• stiff neck
• alcohol dependence

While there’s no evidence that acupuncture is a miracle cure-all, it does seem to have some evidence as a worth-while treatment for people who may have multiple conditions and illnesses.

There’s a reason it’s been around for more than 2,500 years and as research grows, so will our knowledge of exactly what works and what does.

Incorporating acupuncture into real life
An acupuncture assessment lasts 45 minutes and will involve a short trial to be sure that you are happy with needles. If you aren’t, a small electrical current device can be used instead (see our blog on electro-acupuncture).

The actual treatment portion of acupuncture may last around 30 to 45 minutes. Many people actually request a longer amount of time. Dopamine is released during acupuncture and many patients who appreciate a relaxing experience due to the dopamine release prefer longer retention time.

In terms of results, it’s nearly impossible to say what one should expect, as everyone responds to and experiences acupuncture differently.

“There is no universal response to acupuncture. Some people feel relaxed and may be a little tired, others feel energized and ready for anything,” Kempisty explains. “Some people experience an improvement right away and for others it can take several treatments before noticing a positive change.”

The most common response to acupuncture, however?

“People feel happy and content,” Kempisty says. “It’s hard to put into words but there’s a distinct balanced and harmonious feeling that acupuncture gives most people and it just feels good!”

You may also feel tired after a treatment and see changes in your eating, sleeping, or bowel habits, or experience no changes at all.

How do I find an acupuncturist?
Both Jane and Ryan at Physioplus+ offer acupuncture as part of their treatments. Jane treats a wide range of issues as above, whilst at the moment Ryan uses trigger point acupuncture to treat pain and is pursuing further training later in 2025.

https://www.physioplusguisborough.co.uk/specialisms.html

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