Patients Prefer Acupuncture to Injection Therapy
It is becoming harder and harder to dismiss acupuncture as a viable method of treatment for neck pain. Could it be that patients actually prefer it? I would have never believed it when I was a student eleven years ago, but it seems that patients are starting to prefer acupuncture to injection therapy for all types of neck pain.
When a patient steps into my office, I first look at body language. These cues never lie. I cannot tell you how often a person will reach over his/her shoulder and massage his/her own neck or shoulders while talking. Even without neck pain as a chief complaint, one may feel stress there. It makes sense to me that a person could feel a dull, stagnant pain in the neck as several acupuncture meridians become closer to each other in that area just before entering the head. I've included a picture so that you may see. This photo was taken by me, an amateur photographer, of an acupuncture wall chart.
The acupuncture needles provide a release of stagnant qi within the meridian and assist with proper blood flow. Most patients feel relief almost immediately. Some become so comfortable that they fall asleep on the table. I've even had some patients forget where they are. Now, THAT is some deep relaxation.
Thank you for reading.
Tamara ZumMallen
Great entry! As a chiropractor and acupuncturist, I fully know the benefits of increasing blood flow and proper mechanics of the spine as an extremely effective treatment protocol for neck pain. Injections merely mask the symptoms for a while but never allow the body a chance to heal. In my opinion, acupuncture & chiropractic do just that - provide an opportunity for the body to function optimally. There's no better than that.
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Tamara,
I just wanted to drop a note and let you know how much I enjoy reading your site. Your articles - such as this one - are consistently informative and extremely insightful. Thank you so much!
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