Acupuncture and East Asian medicine have been in use for over 2,000 years. One of the foundations of this medicine is the belief that most health problems are caused by imbalances in the body.
Acupuncture focuses on fixing these imbalances to promote healing.
Acupuncture has been shown to increase blood flow to localized areas of treatment and activates neurotransmitters and endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. A 2010 study from the University of Rochester in New York also found that acupuncture can help relieve pain through the release of adenosine, which helps contribute to acupuncture’s ability to decrease pain. [1]
The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s national survey on acupuncture use in the United States found that nearly 1 out of every 10 U.S. adults over the age of 18 has tried acupuncture, approximately 20 million in total.
According to the National Institute of Health, almost 40% of American adults use alternative forms of medicine. Overall, acupuncture and Chinese medicine are continuing to gain widespread acceptance.
[1] Nedergaard, M., Goldman, N., et al. Adenosine A1 receptors mediate local anti-nociceptive effects of acupuncture. Nat. Neurosci. 2010 Jul; 13(7): 883-888.