If you are living with chronic pain, you know that it is difficult to manage. Although medications may help, other therapies such as chiropractic and acupuncture will allow you to live a fuller, more active life. When you need to address chronic pain, successful treatment is best achieved with a variety of modalities.

Acupuncture Use in the United States

Although acupuncture has been around for over 2,500 years, acupuncture has only become popular in the United States over the past 40 years. In the early 1970's, President Nixon was on a trip to China. James Reston, a journalist for the New York Times accompanied Nixon on this trip. While in China, Reston needed an emergency appendectomy, and the surgery occurred using "acupuncture anesthesia". The news of this operation became popular in the United States, and the efficacy of acupuncture as effective treatment began to be discussed.

Acupuncture is Used to Relieve Pain

Many patients seek the help of an acupuncturist for the treatment of chronic pain, headaches, and sometimes fibromyalgia. The theory behind acupuncture is that the body is made up of energy meridians, and when the energy is blocked, pain occurs. Acupuncture restores the energy balance in the body using small, hair like needles that are placed in specific areas of the body.

Similar to acupuncture, chiropractic treatment is based on the theory that when the body is misaligned, there is illness and pain present. Through the use of manipulation techniques, hot and cold therapies, and muscle massage, chiropractic treatment aims to restore balance to the structure of the body in order to restore health.

If you are scared to get acupuncture because of a fear of needles, there is little reason to worry. Therapy consists of the insertion of needles, but they are so thin you can barely see them. The chronic pain that you are suffering from is far worse than anything you may feel while the acupuncturist is providing treatment.

Progressive Pain Relief

Although your pain won't simply vanish, you may find significant pain relief after one treatment with chiropractic and acupuncture. This relief may be fleeting, so it's important to continue therapy until you have reached optimal health. You may have more sessions at first, and then slowly wean down to maintenance sessions within a few months.

Decrease Dependence on Medication

If you are tired of taking pain medications that don't seem to work, consider a visit with an acupuncturist. With success at managing chronic pain without the use of medications, treatment with acupuncture is a great complementary therapy when being treated for difficult conditions.

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