Acupuncture awareness - 5 reasons to have acupuncture today

Today marks the beginning of the Acupuncture Awareness Week in the UK, an amazing medicine model with an incredible 4000 years history, and still evolving. 

Acupuncture is a one of the major modalities of ancient Chinese Medicine that is very well suited to the needs of modern men. From acute injuries to more chronic health issues, acupuncture can help you on the road to recovery.

In my clinical experience of more than 10 years, these are the main reasons why people turn to acupuncture for either support alongside their conventional medical treatment or as a sole medicine model of choice:

1. Acupuncture improves functioning of the immune system. 

If you experience frequent colds, flu or low energy levels, it is a sign that your immune system is not strong enough to fight off the intruders, such as viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. With regular acupuncture treatments, especially at the change of seasons, you strengthen and improve your natural immunity. Acupuncture increases the production of white blood cells moderating the immune system.

2. Acupuncture moderates your stress levels and stress associated symptoms, such as anxiety, poor sleep, digestive system symptoms and menstrual irregularities in women. 

We now know that major contributing factors to acute and chronic health problems is stress we face in daily life and how we respond and process it. Constant rush of adrenaline leads to all of the above mentioned symptoms, but with regular acupuncture treatments, your hormonal balance is regulated, you are more relaxed and sleep patterns are restored. Acupuncture activates parasympathetic nervous system, overriding the stress activated sympathetic nervous system.

3. Acupuncture is excellent for reduction and management of pain.

Acupuncture moderates pain by triggering the release of endorphins thus changing the processing of pain in the brain and the spinal cord. It improves local micro circulation in the pain affected areas and reduces swelling and bruising. Due to its pain regulating characteristics, acupuncture may reduce the need for medication, so secondary complaints induced by medication therapy are improved as well. More awareness about the benefits of acupuncture led to it being included within conventional medicine institutions as a complementary medicine of choice that provides longer lasting pain relief for patients suffering from chronic pain.

4. Acupuncture helps you to improve and keep healthy weight.

If you are experiencing issues with body weight, whether you want to reduce or gain some, having regular acupuncture treatments helps your metabolic function by stimulating the transformation and transportation of nutrients and better absorption. The sense of hunger is regulated and because adequate digestion and absorption means that foods ingested are utilised to their maximum, hunger between meals is reduced. If you are experiencing cravings for certain foods, such as crisps, cheese or have a sweet tooth, it is useful to know that according to Chinese Medicine these are signs of an unbalance in bodily functions, restored very efficiently by acupuncture. Once regulated, your eating habits, digestion and evacuation are improved and you will find your energy levels improved, too.

5. Acupuncture is a supporting medicine model in male and female fertility.

Acupuncture use in family planning is a well researched area and is now even provided onsite a number of conventional private IVF clinics in the UK.

If you are en route to start a family, have acupuncture. Your acupuncturist is able to advise best course of treatments to suit your individual circumstances. Acupuncture can improve a number of issues from regulation of menstrual cycles, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), endometryosis, anouvulation, to improving both egg and sperm quality in male partner. The complete benefit package of acupuncture in reproductive medicine is beyond the scope of this article. However, it is worth mentioning that, besides anatomical irregularities that might exist in either or both partners, there isn't an aspect of reproductive physiology where acupuncture may not influence to some degree your reproductive health.