Can Acupuncture Improve My Health?

Acupuncture is a centuries-old medical treatment technique that’s been a fundamental part of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves the use of very thin needles that stimulate functionally active areas just below the skin.

While acupuncture is an ancient practice, modern research continues to uncover its many benefits. At Memorial Healthcare System, we incorporate acupuncture as an integrative treatment to treat several issues and complaints, and to improve patients’ overall health and well-being.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

According to Eastern medicine, our bodies have a complex system of pathways called meridians or channels. It uses very thin, sterile medical-grade acupuncture needles to stimulate locations along these meridians that have been identified over centuries to have functional and neurological actions and benefits.

Acupuncture treatments have been seen to restore function, decrease pain, provide therapeutic improvements, reduce reliance on some types of medications, improve sleep and resolve fatigue.

“Researchers have been studying acupuncture for decades to understand its effects from the perspective of Western medicine,” says Amy Sear, AP, Dipl. AHM, nationally board-certified, state-licensed acupuncturist at Memorial Healthcare System.

We know that inserting needles in specific spots stimulates functionally active areas. It can also:

• Improve blood flow
• Promote tissue repair
• Reduce inflammation
• Stimulate the release of the body’s own pain-killing chemicals

Who Performs Acupuncture?

Our acupuncture procedures at Memorial are performed by nationally board-certified acupuncture physicians licensed by the State of Florida. Our specialists have specific training in botanical medicine, nutrition, anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology.

What to Expect During an Acupuncture Session

At Memorial Healthcare System, only specially trained and licensed acupuncture physicians perform these treatments. They discuss your medical history, diagnoses, symptoms and treatment goals with you before choosing treatment strategies and beginning treatment.

For most acupuncture sessions, you’ll lie down on a table, fully clothed. Depending on your needs, the acupuncturist will place several needles into various spots on your body.

Acupuncturists use sterilized single-use needles for your safety and comfort. The needles are very thin and much smaller than those used to administer vaccines or draw blood.

You will typically feel no pain. Some patients feel a stronger tug-like sensation at some of the locations. You’ll rest quietly for about 20 minutes before the practitioner removes the needles.

Conditions We Treat With Acupuncture

Most people find the acupuncture process peaceful and relaxing. This is part of some of its positive effects on the nervous system. Activities and treatments that stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system can calm your body, improve digestion and lower your heart rate.

“We still don’t have exact scientific proof or explanations for how acupuncture may work,” says Ms. Sear. “But there is a growing body of research to support its effectiveness.”

Studies have found that acupuncture can be an effective integrative treatment for many conditions in adults and children, including:

• Anxiety and depression
• Cancer treatment side effects (such as pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, neuropathy and low white blood cell count)
• Digestive issues (including acid reflux, constipation, nausea and irritable bowel syndrome)
• Headaches
• Hot flashes
• Insomnia
• Pain (including back pain, joint pain, cancer pain and post-surgical pain)

Acupuncture as Supportive Care

At Memorial Healthcare System, we believe that integrative therapies, including acupuncture, play an important role in health care. That’s why several of our locations provide a full range of integrative medicine services.

It can be easy to dismiss practices such as massage, yoga and acupuncture as fringe or luxury treatments. But these methods are now included in most large hospital systems across the country, and valued for the added benefit they can bring to a wide range of patients.

Our integrative medicine physicians collaborate with your medical team and utilize Memorial’s complex medical record system. While medical doctors work to diagnose, determine and manage your condition or disease, acupuncturists can help reduce discomfort and improve quality of life. Additionally, acupuncture often addresses issues that surgery or medications may not fully resolve.