Overview of the Benefits of Acupuncture and its future as an Alternate Therapy
Summary: Acupuncture therapy is slowly gaining worldwide acceptance as an alternate therapy for the maladies that plague current society, such as depression, neuropathy, glaucoma, headache, knee pain, neck pain, and back pain, with its efficacy being shown in many scientific studies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield offer acupuncture coverage in Boston, Dover, Wellesley, Dedham, Framingham, Lexington, Newton, Acton, Andover, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Braintree, Brookline, Burlington, Cambridge, Canton, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Medfield, Melrose, Malden, Milton, Natick, Needham, Norwood, Quincy, Sharon, Sherborn, Somerville, Southborough, Sudbury, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Westwood, and Weston for pain in the neck, lower back and other parts of the body.
Acupuncture treatment options are becoming increasingly popular, especially in Western countries like the United States of America (USA). With a variety of scientific studies underway on its effectiveness, acupuncture has already been shown to offer pain relief and is being considered in cancer and allergy treatment. With the current health legislation geared towards the non-discrimination of alternate therapies, the future of acupuncture therapy looks promising in the USA. With more acupuncture clinics cropping up around Boston, the acceptance of acupuncture is increasing every day.
Health benefits of acupuncture
For a long time, the acupuncture technique was viewed under a skeptical lens by countries in the West. Its recent acceptance can be attributed largely to an increasing body of scientific evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture treatments. Initially, acupuncture was used on the scalp to relieve back pain, knee pain, insomnia, depression, and headaches. Currently, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has funded many studies to show how effective acupuncture is against IBS, neuropathy, and neck pain. A growing body of experiences is also showing that acupuncture can be used to alleviate anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and PTSD symptoms in veterans. If you are in Boston, Wellesley, Dedham, Framingham, Lexington, Newton, Acton, Andover, Arlington, Brookline, Dover, Lincoln, Medfield, Melrose, Milton, Natick, Needham, Norwood, Sharon, Sherborn Sudbury, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Westwood, Weston, and surrounding areas, you can easily find a very experienced acupuncturist.
What to expect when you opt for acupuncture therapy?
The Boston area has many acupuncture offices that you can walk into to avail of their services. Boston, Wellesley, Needham, West wood, Dover, Newton, Brookline, and surrounding areas have trained acupuncturists that will examine you and inquire about certain aspects of your lifestyle. After the assessment, you will lay down so that the acupuncturist can insert very thin needles into certain points on your body. Typically, these needles will stay in place for not more than half an hour. The frequency of treatments will depend on the individual and the severity of the ailment they suffer from. It is important to know that acupuncture is a complementary therapy and is to be used in conjunction with other medical treatments for conditions such as depression, kidney failure, heart failure, and cancer.
The future of acupuncture treatments
The future of Acupuncture looks bright indeed. Most insurance companies encourage the use of acupuncture as a complementary therapy in Greater Boston areas because they have realized that they can save money in the long run. Accumulated evidence has been able to show that acupuncture treatment plays an important role in many conditions, such as infertility, colitis, neuropathy, diabetes, acne, dry eye, Raynaud’s, dry eye, back pain, and even allergies. Many treatable disorders, such as depression, prostate problems, erectile dysfunction (ED), eczema, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and neuropathy have been shown to be alleviated after acupuncture treatments.
The combination of eastern and western medical practices has slowly become more widely accepted. Scientific studies have been showing that there is a physiological effect of acupuncture on structures such as the brain, muscles, and ligaments. Acupuncture has been shown to modulate neural pathways that process pain and restore the balance of the neurotransmitters involved. A publication by Park and colleagues in Scientific Reports 2021, titled “Peripheral ERK modulates acupuncture-induced brain neural activity and its functional connectivity,” reported how acupuncture can modulate peripheral chemicals such as TRPV1 and adenosine A1 receptor, or mast cell degranulation, thereby changing brain cell functional connections and initiating the therapeutic effects of acupuncture.