Pain Management

“I cannot see a better solution to long-term chronic pain.  There is no question in my mind that acupuncture is safer than surgery or drugs.”  Dr. Bruce Pomeranz, Neuroscientist, University of Toronto

Most people experience significant pain at some time in their lives – whether from an injury, sports, illness, or an unknown cause.  Pain is a warning signal, an alarm that goes off when your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong and out of balance.

No one should have to live with pain, but which treatment is right for you?  Often times, people suffering from pain take medication to dull the sensation.  Taking medication is understandable when pain is constant and unbearable.  It may be helpful to dull the symptoms for a short period of time, but it will not get at the root of the problem and correct it.  It is like hitting the snooze button on an alarm.  Unless the cause of the pain is treated, your body will keep sounding the alarm and reminding you that something is wrong.  Eventually the pain may get worse or become chronic.  It is also possible for the medications to cause unwanted side effects and further compromise your health.

Surgery may be another option.  At times, this approach may make sense and be appropriate.  But it can be both expensive and risky, and there is no guarantee that it will be effective.

Acupuncture is a time tested, safe, effective and drug-free way to eliminate pain and help heal the underlying cause.  When the initial cause of the pain is corrected, your body can begin to heal on deeper levels. Unlike other methods of handling pain, there are no serious side effects.  Well known and leading national and international health organizations acknowledge the benefits of acupuncture in providing long-term pain relief along with improvements in physical activity levels, quality of sleep and diminished use of pain medication.  In a recent German study, patients reported the acupuncture treatments that they received were more effective for lower back pain than most conventional treatments.  This study yielded such impressive results that acupuncture is now considered a mainstream treatment in Germany and is covered by state health insurance.

Acupuncture can also be used as part of a team approach for more severe cases that would benefit from both western biomedicine and holistic techniques.  A combined, well-thought-out, cooperative and integrative approach is often the best that medicine has to offer.