Some of you may not know, but I spend about half of my working days as a Naturopathic Doctor in Toronto performing acupuncture on patients. I'm often asked how it works and what it works for - so I thought I'd answer these questions here.
How does acupuncture work?
I don't think that we have a really good answer for that question. We know that acupuncture increases blood flow to the area where the needles are inserted. We know that acupuncture can relax muscles. We know that acupuncture can change hormone levels. I could go on and on, but the thing we don't know is HOW all of these things happen. The majority of the research on acupuncture is addressing the question of does it work, not HOW does it work. Honestly, I kind of like the mystery behind it and I'm ok not knowing everything.
What does acupuncture treat?
The short answer is anything & everything. Acupuncture was once a whole medical modality, so it has historically been used to treat almost everything! There is so much research on acupuncture these days showing efficacy on everything from IBS to insomnia, infertility (both female & male), anxiety, digestive issues (constipation, diarrhea, bloating, etc.), skin issues, high blood pressure, muscle & joint pains, colds & flus, allergies, and as I said almost anything else.
It's a very simple treatment and doesn't need to hurt (if anything hurts, I take the needle out so the body can focus on healing & relaxation). Many of my patients fall asleep while they're relaxing with their acupuncture needles in!
If you have any questions, please reach out an ask. And if you want to give it a try, come on in!
