Diabetes to stress: Benefits of acupuncture beyond body pain

After the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of people are suffering from bone, joint and muscle-related health problems. Here is how acupuncture can be your saviour.
Acupuncture for cancer patients
Acupuncture is used as complementary therapy for stress relief. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Team Health Shots Updated: 23 Oct 2023, 12:32 pm IST
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Most of us are starting to catch the wind of acupuncture treatments. The amount of people suffering from back and joint problems has increased drastically and when searching for treatments, acupuncture is flashed in front of our face like a big red bulb, hard to ignore. So, what is all the fuss about? We will take you through what acupuncture is and how it is an effective treatment for so many ailments.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an alternative treatment method. Thin needles are used in this. These needles are inserted deep into the body at certain specific points. When needles are well placed, they can increase the release of neurotransmitters. These transmitters are also called enkephalins and endorphins. It reduces the sensation of pain. When an acupuncture needle is inserted, it helps with the production of cortisol, which reduces inflammation. Acupuncture is either used alone or in combination with a variety of other treatment procedures for effective results.

Now that we have an idea about what is acupuncture, let’s find out for which conditions you can use acupuncture as your treatment.

Acupuncture has many benefits and here are 3 of them:

1. Body pain and acupuncture

According to Dr. Vinoda Kumari, Deputy Chief Health Officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute, the whole world is trying to adapt itself to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cases of stiffness in the lower back, hips, neck and shoulders are increasing due to long working hours at home. However, painkillers or OTC (over-the-counter) medications may be helpful in providing some relief from the pain.

But these medicines control the symptoms without treating the actual cause of the pain. Acupuncture works to regulate the energy within the body. Acupuncture can be a safe treatment method for people who suffer from bone or muscle-related pain (rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, etc).

acupuncture for back
Acupuncture can do wonders for your back pain! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

2. Diabetes and acupuncture

As shocking as that sounds, it is indeed true that acupuncture can help in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes. Scientists at Edith Cowan University report that the study was performed on people classified as “prediabetic”, meaning they displayed higher-than-normal blood glucose levels without actually being high enough to be diagnosed as diabetic. They underwent acupuncture therapy and saw several key markers associated with diabetes improve. Such markers include fasting plasma glucose, two-hour plasma glucose, and glycated hemoglobin, as well as an overall greater decline in the incidence of prediabetes.

acupuncture for diabetes
Acupuncture can help prevent diabetes! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

3. Mental health and acupuncture

Various researches have found out that acupuncture combined with medicine can improve the symptoms of depression. Apart from that acupuncture works for headaches, migraines and overall stress buster. Acupuncture treatment will reduce stress hormones and help balance your mood to lower your anxiety and boost feelings of joy. Not only do the needles work to heal your body, but the treatment session is calming and relaxing.

acupuncture for migraine
Acupuncture is the answer to all your cure for migraine prayers. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

The World Health Organization has compiled a list of health problems in which acupuncture could be beneficial.

* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Tennis elbow
* Sprain
* Fibromyalgia
* Back pain
* Stiff neck
* Neuralgia
* Facial pain

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