Pain is often not a problem until it becomes entrenched. We rarely give minor aches and pains a second thought. But when discomfort becomes chronic or severe, it starts to interfere with our daily lives. Acupuncture offers a unique understanding of the nature of pain coupled with a highly effective treatment. Today’s blog post introduces four Chinese medicine principles of assessing and addressing pain in the body.
Channel Theory and Qi Stagnation
Fourteen channels run through the human body, highways for the flow of Qi energy that sustains life. Qi travels through these channels to nourish the organs, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Pain results when the flow of qi energy is blocked. One of the fundamental principles of Chinese medicine, and a key to understanding the nature of pain, is “move the Qi to stop the pain.”
Let’s say you have pain in your elbow (tennis elbow). The classic acupoint for elbow pain is LI11. LI11 is the eleventh point along the Large Intestine channel, which runs from the tip of the pointer finger up the arm, shoulder, neck, and ends on the face. An effective treatment to resolve tennis elbow involves needling points along the Large Intestine channel (shoulder, elbow, and hand). This point combination opens the pathway of energy down the arm, alleviating pain in the elbow.
Channel theory is like a network of roads allowing cars to travel from place to place. When the streets are working well, cars get to where they need to go. An accident along the road causes a traffic jam, stopping the flow of vehicles. This accident is like pain along the channel. Tow the wreck away, and traffic flows again. Acupuncture opens the blockage along a channel, restoring the free flow of Qi.
Deep Rooted Pathogens
Another fundamental principle in understanding the nature of pain involves deep-rooted pathogens. Chinese medicine recognizes that diseases can lay hidden within our bodies, dormant for a while, and then spring up to manifest as pain. Modern medicine describes viruses this way, like the Epstein Barr or Shingles virus, which hide deep in the body awaiting an opportunity to attack. Pathogens of this nature cause cyclic or recurring pain, such as migraines, bouts of fatigue, and flares of whole-body pain.
The strategy for treating deep-rooted pathogens is first to identify the disease (through Chinese medicine differential diagnosis) and then route out the pathogen with acupuncture. Acupuncture helps the body expel pathogenic forces by strengthening its healing capacity. Treatment often involves boosting our digestive system, which naturally weakens as we age. Poor digestion leads to inadequate nutrient absorption, further taxing our organs and making us susceptible to illness and disease.
Patients with fibromyalgia often have debilitating pain and fatigue flares, sending them to bed for days. However, once a flare passes, they can function more normally. So what causes the sudden collapse of their energy? Why are they able to function in between episodes? Chinese medicine explains this phenomenon in terms of deep-rooted pathogens which periodically rise and attack the body. Acupuncture combats this attack by strengthening the patient’s digestive function, resulting in less frequent and intense flares.
Internal Heat (Inflammation)
We see a different manifestation of the nature of pain when dealing with autoimmune diseases, whose root lies with uncontrolled inflammation. These conditions include Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. The body’s immune system overacts on itself, causing an inflammatory response, leading to pain. Acupuncture reduces pain from autoimmune conditions by quieting the body’s inflammatory response. Specific acupuncture points clear heat and calm the immune system, reducing pain.
For example, we treat Crohn’s disease by reducing inflammation in the large intestine and colon, resulting in better bowel function, less cramping, and reduced pain. Rheumatoid arthritis patients also respond positively to acupuncture, leading to decreased inflammation and pain in the joints. Acupuncture reduces inflammation and calms the immune response, resulting in fewer flares and less discomfort.
Stress and Pain
To fully understand the nature of pain, we need to account for stress’s role in our health. Stress typically will not create a pain syndrome, but it will almost always worsen existing pain. Therefore, any comprehensive pain relief strategy must include reducing stress. In Chinese medicine, we realize that people can be emotionally and physically affected by stress. When exposed to a stressful situation, Qi energy stagnates in vulnerable areas of the body, areas that were injured or weakened in the past.
Stress seeks out our weak links wherever they may be – a past neck injury from a car accident 20 years ago, stomach and intestinal dysfunction in a person with IBS, or achy knees in a retired firefighter who spent years working on hard concrete floors. Acupuncture reduces both emotional and physical stress by improving the flow of Qi in the body. Specific acupuncture points increase Qi circulation, points like LV3, LI4, and BL18. When the body holds less stress, pain levels naturally decrease.
Next Steps
If you suffer from chronic, difficult-to-treat pain, try acupuncture. We will assess your condition, determine your differential diagnosis, and treat you holistically. You’ll know within four treatments if acupuncture can help you – many feel the difference after just one treatment. If you have a positive response to treatment (as 90 percent of our patients do), we will help reduce your pain using the time-tested principles and techniques of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
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The Nature Of Pain
Understanding the root causes of pain allows acupuncture to effectively reduce and resolve some of the most stubborn and persistent health conditions. The ancient principles of Chinese medicine are just as relevant today as thousands of years ago.
What our Clients are Saying
I’m a golfer and started having trouble with my left shoulder over a year ago. My doctor wanted to do surgery, but I wanted to try other alternatives first. So I tried acupuncture. The folks at Raleigh Acupuncture were very professional, reasonably priced and did excellent work. They resolved my shoulder pain completely. I use them now for other pains in my post-50 body! Thank you Raleigh Acupuncture.
I’m a dentist and over the last 20 years the nature of my work and positions required by my work had resulted in chronic neck pain. It affected my sleep, limited my ability to exercise, and was just a real pain in the neck! A friend at church recommended Raleigh Acupuncture and I gave it a try. I have to say that I was a bit skeptical, but gave it a try because I had tried a number other therapies with no success. I’m glad I did. They resolved my neck pain completely!
All of my joints were hurting. I’ve got fibromyalgia and it effects me by making my joints hurt. The pain would move around from place to place, first the hip, the next day the shoulder, then the knee, etc. The practitioner at Raleigh Acupuncture explained that the best way to treat my kind of moving joint pain was to treat me holistically. Instead of treating the hip one day, the shoulder the next, they treated the root of the pain. They said this type of treatment would also improve my mood and my sleep. Right on all counts. I started feeling better after the second treatment. It’s like all of the joints just settled down and stopped giving me trouble. I had less flares and the intensity of the pain went way down. My sleep is better, not just because I have less pain. I’m more relaxed and less stressed. I’ve made this treatment a regular part of my life. I’m very grateful.
I suffered from low back pain for years and tried many different remedies. When I came to Raleigh Acupuncture, they really listened to understand my issues. I can honestly say that they cured my chronic back pain. I didn’t think it was possible, after all these years. I highly recommend this practice. The doctors take the time and do good work.