Top 3 Acupuncture Myths You Should Toss and Forget
Acupuncture is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicines that have been around for thousands of years and is still quite prevalent today. It is a practice that uses hair-thin needles to stimulate various acupressure points in the body, regulating the flow of Qi.
Although this traditional medicine has been around for years, many Westerners are still skeptical about this medical system. However, there has been growing research in recent years that shows the efficiency of acupuncture and its advantages for the body. Since acupuncture’s benefits have been backed up by many research, integrative and functional medicine doctors like to incorporate it into their programs.
One of the many reasons people are skeptical about acupuncture is because of the myths they believe. If you’re one of those, you’re in for a ride, so keep reading! In this article, we’ve listed three acupuncture myths that you need to stop believing. Let’s dive in!
Having hundreds of needles stuck on your body looks quite painful on the surface, and it’s understandable if many people think that way. Many people associated needles with shots and medical use, making you believe that having acupuncture will be as painful.
However, you should know that the acupuncture needles are way thinner compared to medical needs. Acupuncture needles are about twice the diameter of a human hair and are quite flexible, and can bend up to 90-degrees without snapping.
If you’re worried about the sensations of pain you might feel, you should know that it isn’t painful at all. Instead, you may feel a bit of numbness, heaviness, or even tingling around the area.
Myth #2: It only treats pain
Aside from pain, you should know that acupuncture is also used to treat other ailments, such as allergies and even arthritis. Thus, many hospitals offer acupuncture treatment to ease stress and anxiety in patients, and have been beneficial to the US military to help with PTSD.
Myth #3: It’s just a placebo effect
Since people believe that acupuncture has a placebo effect, many researchers have disproved this claim. In various studies, to test the efficacy of acupuncture, a group of participants was divided into two: those getting real acupuncture and sham acupuncture.
For people getting sham acupuncture, researchers placed needles on people at random points to see the placebo effect’s strength. At the end of the research, both parties felt a change; however, true acupuncture participants had significant and long-term results.
Because of these studies, many hospitals and integrative and functional medicine doctors recommend this program for people who want to get long-term results through a more holistic method.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve busted the top three most common acupuncture myths, you’re probably more curious about it and want to try it for yourself. There is a reason this traditional Chinese medicine has been around for thousands of years and why people swear by this treatment. If you’d like to try this out for yourself, speak to your holistic doctor and try acupuncture today.
If you’re looking for integrative and functional medicine doctors, look no further and search for your holistic clinic that combines the best of Naturopathic and Chinese medicine to provide whole-person care.