There is one thing that almost everyone has experienced at least once in their life. No, I am not talking about taxes. I am talking about pain. Whether it was chronic pain or acute pain, chances are you have experienced pain. Did you know that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – including acupuncture – can help with pain?
TCM for pain relief
When you have pain, how do you deal with it? Western medicine offers many pain-relieving medications. But perhaps you want to know about the options found in Complementary or Alternative medical systems. Traditional Chinese Medicine – which includes acupuncture – is one such option for helping alleviate pain.
How does TCM work for pain?
There are two kinds of physical pain – chronic and acute
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Chronic pain is pain that is ongoing and usually lasts longer than six months. Acute pain usually comes on suddenly and is caused by something specific. It is sharp in quality.”
Chronic pain and TCM
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), chronic pain is often related to cold damp congestion, or hot damp congestion. Essentially, these are the Chinese Medicine diagnoses for the stiff, heavy aching feeling you have when it is cold and damp outside; and for arthritis-type pain. Western medical diseases that fall into this category are neuropathy, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and certain autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Acute pain and TCM
TCM relates acute pain to congested blood and qi which can lead to muscle spasms, knots, tension, and other types of pain. This is most commonly seen in injuries due to excessive use, or from accidents and sports-related injuries.
If left untreated, acute pain can sometimes turn into chronic pain. That is why the ankle you sprained multiple times as a child can feel tight or stiff and probably crack more than it used to, especially during certain times of year.
How does TCM help you manage your aches and pains?
TCM has many different modalities that can be used to treat both chronic and acute pain. Some of the tools of our trade include: Cupping, moxibustion, gua sha, Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage), liniments and ointments, herbal formulas, and the use of acupuncture.
Here’s how these tools work
- Cupping – Uses suction to release adhesions deep within the muscle and fascial tissues. It is commonly used as a fascial release. It feels like a deep massage.
- Moxibustion – A technique for bringing warmth into a specific point or area of the body to nourish and decrease pain in the affected area. Great for chronic conditions.
- Gua Sha – A scraping technique similar in its effects to cupping. Gua Sha affects the superficial muscle layers.
- Acupuncture – Can increase energy and fresh blood flow to the affected area. It can also decrease muscle spasms and speed up the recovery time for injuries.
- Herbal Medicine – Can be taken internally or applied topically (as liniments or ointments) to help speed up recovery time and address underlying conditions that might be contributing to chronic pain. Low back pain and knee pain are frequently associated with Kidney deficiency, an example where food can be part of the TCM treatment plan for pain relief.
Whether you are suffering from low back pain, an autoimmune disease, a recently sprained ankle, or neck pain – acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine might be able to help!
