Acupuncture and Inflammation
Inflammation is a big topic right now. We’re learning how it has systemic effects on our body and complicates many conditions. It’s not just pain; even conditions such as COVID suffer when inflammation get’s out of control.
Inflammation is not all bad. It is considered to be the kick start to a healing response. When we get injured, the body ramps up processes in order to start healing it. This is referred to as “pro-inflammation”. For some reason, this process can go out of control. This is when inflammation becomes problematic. This can lead to pain, headaches, arthritis and more.
There is a lot of current research into learning exactly how and why systems get inflamed, and what can be done to mitigate it. We all know that taking Aspirin/Tylenol/Ibuprofen can help, but it’s often temporary. More effective relief is found when you not only reduce the inflammation, but address the reason why it exists in the first place. Chinese medicine is very good at addressing the root issue to help the inflammation reduce more long term. Acupuncture helps rewire our system and remove any blockages leading to increased inflammation. There are many herbs that have anti-inflammatory effects; we choose a formula that addresses both your symptoms and the root of them.
Here is some of the research regarding how Acupuncture effects inflammation in the body:
This article discusses research on one mechanism thought to play a significant roll in inflammation. Research shows that Acupuncture has a beneficial effect on this pathway. The article refers to many different studies and touches on the effect of Acupuncture for pain, inflammation, Parkinson’s disease, post operative surgery and more. Winning!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7370084/
Researchers pinpoint how Acupuncture targets inflammation
This recent article (2021) helps elucidate one way Acupuncture regulates the nervous system to relieve inflammation. They have discovered in this research certain points regulate the vagal-adrenal axis. If you’re not familiar, the vagus nerve is associated with “rest and digest”, or the parasympathetic nervous system. This suggests that the inflammation is relieved via getting the nervous system (whole body) to relax.
Acupuncture inflammatory response found
This article reviews various studies, showing that Acupuncture can benefit the “Cytokine Storm” effect of inflammation. It also reviews studies where Acupuncture and herbs reduce inflammation to benefit depression.