A recent study in Australia is being touted as the world’s largest controlled study to show that acupuncture really does work to reduce pain and treat patients. Over 500 patients were studied being treated for considerable pain in emergency departments like migraines and other small injury. For patients who were administered a treatment of acupuncture, there was no immediate pain relief, but a significant amount of pain relief within 48 hours. The study has lead many doctors worldwide to discuss more deeply the use of acupuncture for pain management. The study doesn’t reveal new information but confirms old information. Acupuncture is an ancient eastern practice which has been used as preventative medicine for centuries. Using needles to target energetic points throughout the body, acupuncture can release inflammation, improve circulation, and remove blockages of energy which cause stored up stress in the muscles. Acupuncture has different forms of practice like traditional practice or specifically sports practice. Acupuncture can be used specifically for detox and for pain management as well. The versatility of acupuncture is what makes it a great treatment for opiate addiction. Emergency rooms are struggling to come up with treatment options that help reduce pain effectively without necessitating a prescription for opioid painkillers. An over-prescribing crisis is in part what has led to the current opioid epidemic. People who received opioid painkillers for non-serious pain in addition to patients who were prescribed opiates for considerable pain, found themselves getting addicted to the powerfully strong drugs. Acupuncture serves as an alternative to opioid pain treatment which can also help in treating pain in opioid addiction. Opioid painkillers work by binding to the opioid receptors, which creates analgesia, or the numbing, pain-killing effect of the medications. When opioids are abused, the brain becomes dependent on them to provide pain relief. Consequently, the brain actually becomes more sensitive to pain. Rather than effectively regulate pain, the brain interprets everything as deeply painful, creating a low threshold and a high level of craving for opioids. Acupuncture slowly reprograms the brain to recognize that other methods can provide pain relief and even the relaxation many people crave from opioids.
Acupuncture is part of our healing program at Oceanfront Recovery. Our treatment center offers a full continuum of residential treatment programs to provide you with the support you need from detox to transitional living. For information, call us today: (877) 279-1777
