Acupuncture For Period Pain: Does It Really Work?

Some women can get their periods and go about their business without batting an eye. Others aren’t so lucky. Many women struggle with painful menstrual cycles that leave them bed-bound for days, clinging to a heating pad for dear life. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, you know just how debilitating period pain can be. And, sometimes, even pain medications aren’t enough to make the cramps go away. So, why not try something more holistic, instead? If you’ve heard of acupuncture for period pain, you’re probably wondering, does it really work?

Acupuncture relieves tense muscles and supports hormonal balance to alleviate period pain. Acupuncture can be used to provide you with immediate relief from period pain, but ongoing sessions can regulate your cycles and provide long-term relief. 

Which menstrual conditions can acupuncture help treat?

Acupuncture is incredibly useful when it comes to supporting fertility. Even if you aren’t currently trying to get pregnant, painful periods can point to infertility issues, and restoring your fertility can help you eliminate your monthly pain. 

At Integrative Healing Arts, we rely on acupuncture to treat a variety of menstrual conditions, including the following:

• Dysmenorrhea

• Anovulation

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

• Endometriosis

• Adenomyosis

• Uterine fibroids

• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

• Luteal phase defect

• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

• Thyroid disorders

• Pituitary disorders

• Adrenal disorders

As you can see, acupuncture has a proven track record of treating a number of menstrual disorders and other hormonal conditions. Correcting these issues with the help of acupuncture (and a few fertility superfoods) can make all the difference in your period pain. 

How does acupuncture stop period pain?

You’re doubled over in pain from your period and you’re desperate for relief. You’re ready to give acupuncture a shot, but how exactly does it work? In the short term, acupuncture works to alleviate period pain by 1) encouraging your muscles to relax, 2) reducing stress hormones that can contribute to muscle tension, and 3) enhancing your mood by upregulating neurotransmitter activity. 

During your acupuncture session, your acupuncturist will determine the best places to insert needles to relieve your pain. As the needles are inserted, they force muscles to twitch and then release tension. This increases circulation while also reducing inflammation. Your acupuncturist may manipulate the needles slightly during your session to enhance their effects. 

While the needles are helping your muscles relax, they’re also sending a message to your body telling it to chill out. Acupuncture has been shown to reduce stress levels. Many patients report a tremendous sense of relief after a single standalone session. Reducing stress hormones has a cascade of effects. You’ll feel calmer physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

Finally, acupuncture modulates the way your body perceives pain. Acupuncture stimulates the release of feel-good neurotransmitters, including endorphins and serotonin. These chemical messengers improve your mood naturally, filling you with optimism. At the same time, they also raise your pain threshold, making it easier for you to deal with your period cramps without having to take more pain pills.

Can acupuncture help prevent period pain?

Now that you know how acupuncture can help you cope with period pain in the moment, let’s take a closer look at how it helps prevent and treat period pain over the long haul. 

Acupuncture reduces stress. The more sessions you get, the better your body becomes at handling stress. Because acupuncture brings stress hormones down, it helps restore the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, which encourages your body to focus on producing sex hormones, instead. Normal estrogen and progesterone levels encourage a healthy menstrual cycle which, in turn, helps prevent period pain.

On top of promoting hormonal wellness, acupuncture enhances blood flow to the reproductive organs, which works to tone the uterus. During your period, your body releases prostaglandins, pro-inflammatory chemicals that encourage the uterus to contract and shed its lining. By strengthening the uterus, acupuncture makes each contraction more efficient, so you’re less likely to feel any pain.

If you struggle with uterine adhesions, endometriosis, PCOS, or fibroids, acupuncture can further reduce your pain by breaking up scar tissue. Acupuncture increases circulation to nearby tissues, which ushers in red blood cells and other materials the body needs to heal properly. It also stimulates collagen production, to help your body recover properly, replacing scar tissue with healthy new tissues, instead. 

What else can you do to alleviate period pain?

If all you do to manage your period pain is invest in acupuncture sessions, you’re doing yourself a massive favor. Acupuncture is an excellent 100% natural alternative to pain medications and, frankly, in many cases, it’s actually far more effective. 

However, there are other holistic treatment measures that can be used to help treat period pain as well, and they can be utilized right alongside regular acupuncture treatments. Chinese herbal medicine is perhaps the most effective at providing natural period pain relief. Certain herbs, like bai shao and dong quai, regulate the menstrual cycle and eliminate menstrual pain.

Massage therapy is another great choice. The same prostaglandins your body produces to get your uterus to contract can contribute to lower back pain, hip pain, and leg pain as well. A deep tissue massage encourages these tense areas to loosen up so you feel more comfortable. 

It’s tough to say exactly which therapies will help you the most off the cuff because every woman is different. But, rest assured, we have the knowledge and expertise to help you determine which therapies will serve you best so you can finally find out what it’s like to have a pain-free period!

Book your first appointment today

Period pain may be common, but that doesn’t mean that it’s normal. In most cases, significant period pain points to an underlying issue. Whatever may be causing your period pain, acupuncture can help you find relief. 

Acupuncture has helped countless women alleviate their monthly discomfort, restore normal hormone levels, and establish healthy cycles. At Integrative Healing Arts, we’ve helped many women regain control of their health. We’re ready to help you as you begin your journey to better health, too!

Contact our clinic today to book your first appointment, and to learn more about how acupuncture can help you overcome your period pain. We’ll work with you to get to the bottom of your menstrual irregularities so you can finally begin to address them.

How Many Acupuncture Sessions Does It Take To Get Pregnant?

Study after study shows that acupuncture can help women get pregnant. Acupuncture supports fertility on multiple levels, by improving blood flow to the ovaries and uterus, balancing hormones, and reducing stress. If you’re trying to get pregnant, acupuncture is a supportive therapy that can be used alone, or alongside assisted conception treatments. If you’re looking into starting acupuncture to enhance your fertility, you may be wondering, how many acupuncture sessions does it take to get pregnant?

We advise our clients to begin acupuncture 6 to 12 months prior to trying to conceive to focus on balancing their hormones and preparing their bodies for conception. But it’s never too late to begin treatments!

How many acupuncture treatments will you need to get pregnant?

Exactly how many acupuncture sessions you’ll need to get pregnant depends on a variety of factors, including your current state of reproductive health. Generally speaking, the better your fertility, the fewer sessions you’ll need to get pregnant. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have anything to gain from regular sessions. Acupuncture has the potential to benefit everyone, even the healthiest among us!

But if you’re currently dealing with infertility issues, whether they’re the result of poor lifestyle choices, a bad diet, or hormonal conditions, such as PCOS, then acupuncture can assist you as you make your way toward better health. We recommend acupuncture to anyone trying to improve their fertility. 

We typically advise most women to start acupuncture sessions 6 to 12 months before trying to conceive. As for women using acupuncture as a support measure during IVF and IUI, we recommend starting a round of acupuncture 2 to 3 months before transfer. 

If you’re currently trying to get pregnant, you can start treatments right now. It’s never too early, or too late, to start fertility acupuncture. Regular sessions normalize menstrual cycles by balancing hormone levels, stimulating ovarian function, and improving egg quality. 

How exactly does acupuncture support fertility?

You know acupuncture can help women get pregnant. But how does it work? Well, to be honest, it works differently for every woman! It all depends on your overall health. 

See, some women fail to conceive due to elevated insulin levels, whereas others may struggle with a luteal phase defect. Each case is totally different. The great thing about acupuncture is that, because it supports the body, it has the potential to treat multiple causes of infertility. 

In healthy women with normal ovulatory menstrual cycles, acupuncture is a supportive measure that mitigates stress levels and keeps everything functioning optimally. If things aren’t functioning optimally, acupuncture stimulates your body, gently nudging you toward better health. 

For women with anovulatory cycles, acupuncture increases circulation to the reproductive organs, improving ovarian function and egg quality while simultaneously preparing the uterus for conception. For women with hormonal issues, acupuncture acts directly upon the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis to regulate hormone levels and restore healthy ovulation and menstruation.

You see? Acupuncture can enhance your reproductive health in so many different ways. No matter what might be contributing to your infertility, acupuncture will support you as you begin taking steps to reclaim your fertility.

Reproductive health is an indicator of your overall health

Fertility is inextricably tied to your general wellness. In fact, it’s fair to say that your overall health can only be as good as your reproductive health. So taking measures to support your hormones and improve your fertility won’t just enable you to get pregnant. It will improve all aspects of your well-being. 

Acupuncture has been shown to benefit so many common conditions. Those annoying symptoms that many of us just sweep under the rug can actually point to much larger issues. Allergies, random stomach upsets, and generalized aches and pains are your body’s way of telling you that something’s not right. 

Most people assume that these symptoms are completely unrelated to their fertility. But they’re red flags pointing to underlying imbalances. By treating these underlying imbalances through the healing powers of acupuncture, you’ll also be supporting your body’s ability to get pregnant. 

In fact, acupuncture isn’t the only therapy we rely on to enhance your health. Chinese herbal medicine, stress management, and immune system support measures are just a few additional strategies that we rely on to address your fertility from a holistic perspective. 

Everyone’s pregnancy journey is different!

What helps one woman get pregnant may not help another. So when it comes to figuring out how many acupuncture sessions you’ll need to get pregnant, the answer can vary quite a bit. Often, we’ve found that what a woman needs changes as she progresses through her acupuncture treatments. 

Since every case is different, we treat each patient as a unique individual. Because, well, they are! We approach every client with a clean slate and help them come up with an acupuncture protocol that supports their specific goals. Sometimes, we stick very closely to that plan. Other times, the plan changes halfway through as underlying issues resolve or come to light. 

It’s easy to stress yourself out, comparing your fertility journey to those of your friends. But there’s no point in it. Your body is totally unique, and you need a support plan that acknowledges that fact.

We’ve had many clients spontaneously get pregnant on their own after only 2 to 3 weeks of treatments, even if they struggled for years to conceive. We’ve also had women who have gotten pregnant easily in the past suddenly struggle with infertility, and require a more aggressive approach. It’s hard to say exactly what your body needs. But, rest assured, we’ll be there to help you on your fertility journey. 

Get in touch with our clinic today

At Integrative Healing Arts, we’ve watched so many of our clients who were told there was no hope deliver healthy, happy bundles of joy. It’s one of the most fulfilling parts of our job!

For anyone out there struggling to get pregnant, know that there is hope. We’re here to help you support your fertility naturally, whether you want to conceive on your own or with the help of IVF and IUI treatments.

If you’re ready to get started with acupuncture, get in touch with our clinic today. We’ll help you schedule your first appointment so you can see for yourself just how much acupuncture can benefit you.

Does Fertility Acupuncture Work?

There’s a lot of skepticism surrounding acupuncture as a fertility support measure. How could sticking a few needles in your body possibly make it easier to conceive? But acupuncture is more than just the placement of a few needles. It’s a holistic approach that identifies imbalances in your body and works to address them. Acupuncture has been used for centuries to help women overcome underlying issues and enhance their fertility naturally so they can finally get pregnant. But how does fertility acupuncture work?

Fertility acupuncture can be extremely effective because it works on several different levels to enhance your fertility naturally. Acupuncture helps balance hormones, reduce stress, and improve egg quality, all of which make conception that much easier. 

How does acupuncture support fertility?

Acupuncture is pretty simple when you get down to it. All it takes is a few carefully placed needles. But what those needles do while they’re in place is truly amazing. As each tiny needle is inserted, it triggers the body’s nervous system to boost circulation, conquer widespread inflammation, and reduce stress levels. 

Stress is a major impediment for most couples who are trying to conceive. High levels of cortisol make getting pregnant on your own difficult. And the longer you go without conceiving, the more stressed you feel, perpetuating this vicious cycle. Acupuncture can help you keep your stress levels under control. This benefit alone is enough to help many women conceive after years of trying unsuccessfully. 

But, on top of this advantage, acupuncture also helps normalize sex hormones and regulate the menstrual cycle. For women struggling with issues like PCOS, this can be a godsend. Acupuncture supports ovarian function to promote healthy cycles, and it actually enhances egg quality, both of which go a long way toward improving your fertility. 

Overall, acupuncture is an excellent supportive measure for women who are struggling to get pregnant. Fertility acupuncture works for men, too. Acupuncture has been shown to increase sperm quality, which can also make conception much easier. 

Can you use fertility acupuncture with IVF and IUI treatments?

Acupuncture has a modulating effect on the body, stimulating underactive systems and soothing overactive ones. It’s adaptogenic in nature and simply supports your body’s ability to heal itself. Overall, fertility acupuncture is highly effective, and because it’s also gentle, it can play a valuable role in your IVF and IUI treatments.

If you and your partner have decided to undergo assisted conception treatments, you know what a major commitment it can be, both emotionally and financially. You want to make sure you get everything right the first time. Acupuncture can act as a safety net for your investment. 

Regular acupuncture sessions prior to IVF and IUI treatments prime the body, making it more receptive to them. A well-timed acupuncture session shortly after IVF or IUI transfer can help you seal the deal, and increase your chances of conceiving. 

We always recommend acupuncture to our clients who are trying to conceive with the help of IVF and IUI treatments. Acupuncture has been proven to increase the success rates of assisted conception. And, if nothing else, it can help you keep your stress and your hormones in check as you make your way on your fertility journey.

When should you start fertility acupuncture?

It’s really never too early, or too late, to start acupuncture treatments for fertility. But if you intend to get pregnant in the not-too-distant future, we recommend starting fertility treatments 6 to 12 months prior to conception — and that’s whether you intend to get pregnant on your own, or with the help of IVF or IUI treatments. 

Regular acupuncture sessions in the weeks and months prior to conception help prepare your body for carrying a baby. As we mentioned earlier, acupuncture enhances egg quality and ovarian function. But it also strengthens the uterus and promotes proper muscle function in the pelvic floor. It’s important to keep these muscles toned since they help support the weight of a growing child as you progress through your pregnancy. 

It’s worth noting, too, that acupuncture can be used to support fertility even after you get pregnant. Acupuncture helps moms-to-be cope with some of the more unpleasant side effects of pregnancy, including morning sickness, ankle swelling, and back pain. 

Acupuncture can even help your baby stay in the proper position. In several studies, acupuncture was found to effectively resituate breech-presenting babies, correcting their positions before labor. Talk about impressive!

Other holistic therapies support fertility, too!

Acupuncture’s supportive nature makes it an excellent choice for a variety of conditions, whether you’re trying to enhance your fertility, fight endometriosis, reduce migraine episodes, or alleviate sciatica pain. It’s our first choice of treatment for a number of health issues.

But when it comes to supporting your fertility, we rely on a variety of therapies to maximize your chances of getting pregnant. Chinese herbal medicine has proven time and time again to be tremendously helpful. The right herbs can help you and your partner conceive naturally and can boost the effects of regular acupuncture sessions (certain superfoods can be useful, too!).

Massage therapy is also beneficial, and it can be used in tandem with fertility acupuncture to support you on your pregnancy journey. Routine massages can help you kick stress to the curb, and make all the difference in your fertility.

Utilizing several different types of holistic therapies allows us to support your fertility from multiple fronts. We’ll help you determine which therapies will work best for your situation. It’s not uncommon for your needs to change as time goes on, so we may make adjustments to your customized program as necessary. 

Contact Integrative Healing Arts today

The path to conception is different for every couple. For some, men and women, acupuncture alone is enough to support fertility. Others may find that they need a little more help, and that’s perfectly okay.

At Integrative Healing Arts, we have years of experience helping couples regain their health, restore their fertility, and finally conceive the child of their dreams. We’re here to help you, too! 
Get in touch with our clinic today to book your first appointment. We are committed to working with each of our clients to help them come up with fertility solutions that work for them. Get started with fertility acupuncture today. We’ll be right there to assist you during every step of your journey!

10 Fertility Superfoods To Help You Get Pregnant Naturally

Good nutrition is important if you want to stay healthy, but it’s absolutely critical if you’re trying to get pregnant. A well-rounded diet that includes a variety of vitamins and minerals ensures your body has all of the materials it needs to support your reproductive health. By eating the right foods, you can drastically improve your chances of conceiving on your own. Here are 10 fertility superfoods to help you get pregnant naturally. 

Eggs, oily fish, and a variety of nuts and seeds are rich in healthy fats that support the metabolism and nourish the reproductive system. Meanwhile, yams, cinnamon, and royal jelly can help regulate your sex hormones. 

What are the best fertility superfoods to help you get pregnant naturally?

There is no one secret superfood that is guaranteed to get you pregnant, unfortunately. But there are a number of foods out there that can enhance your reproductive health, optimize your egg quality and ovulation, and support regular menstrual cycles.

Here are 10 amazing superfoods for fertility that can help you get pregnant.

Oily Fish

Are you a fan of seafood? Choose oily fish, like wild-caught salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies, which are rich in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. 

Not only do omega-3 fatty acids reduce systemic inflammation, providing natural relief for debilitating conditions like arthritis, but they also enhance reproductive health. 

In a study conducted in 2012 on mice, omega-3 fatty acids were found to improve female fertility in aging mice. 

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve egg quality. They also support ovulation by reducing circulating levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in women of a normal weight. 

Once you do get pregnant, omega-3 fatty acids can still prove beneficial. In a study, women who consumed omega-3 fatty acids saw a 58% decreased risk of early pre-term delivery. So be sure to eat plenty of oily fish if you and your partner are trying to conceive!

Nuts And Seeds

Nuts and seeds are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and they’re loaded with protein, too. So toss a handful of seeds into a large salad for your dinner. Or make a trail mix of your favorite nuts to snack on when you get hungry in the afternoon.

These amazing little superfoods are an excellent source of trace minerals, especially vitamin E, zinc, and selenium, which nourish the thyroid. Optimizing your thyroid health encourages healthy menstrual cycles, which enhances your fertility naturally.

Whether you choose Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds is totally up to you. Just be sure to choose raw nuts and seeds, preferably those that are still in their shells, to ensure they’re as fresh as possible. 

Yams

Not to be confused with sweet potatoes, yams have long been used to support female fertility. 

One study, conducted in the 1970s, pinpointed regular consumption of white yams as the reason why mothers consistently gave birth to twins. 

It’s thought that yams produce anti-estrogens, compounds that trick the brain into believing there are adequate levels of estrogen in the body. This leads to an uptick in gonadotropin, which stimulates ovulation.

If you struggle with anovulatory cycles, eating yams on a daily basis can support healthy menstruation.

Full-Fat Dairy

Full-fat dairy gets a lot of flack. But if you’re trying to get pregnant, this is one superfood you can’t afford to ignore. 

High intake of low-fat dairy foods may be associated with an increased incidence of anovulatory cycles. However, moderate intake of high-fat dairy foods may enhance ovulation.

Choose full-fat Greek yogurt to make a delicious breakfast parfait, use whole milk in smoothies, and sprinkle handfuls of your favorite cheeses in savory dishes for a nutritional boost.

Beef Liver

If you’re struggling with multiple nutritional deficiencies, you’ll have a much harder time conceiving. 

Beef liver is chock full of vitamin A as well as B vitamins. It’s also a good source of iron, zinc, copper, and selenium. 

These blood-building nutrients don’t just support healthy hormone levels, but they also ensure you have adequate circulation to your reproductive organs. 

Goji Berries

Goji berries are loaded with antioxidants, which makes them a great superfood for fighting inflammation, slowing down the aging process, and boosting the immune system. So is it any surprise these bright red berries can support fertility, too?

Goji berries have been used to support reproductive health, in both men and women, for thousands of years. 

These berries can be used to support egg quality, improve ovulation, and help women who are struggling with low ovarian reserve. 

Royal Jelly

Many people think royal jelly is a type of honey, but it’s not. It’s actually a milky secretion made by worker honeybees to nurse bee larvae. 

This fertility superfood has been shown to promote ovarian follicle growth and increase ovarian hormones, in a study conducted in rats. 

Royal jelly also mitigates oxidative stress in women who are trying to conceive. Managing stress hormones is a major boost to your reproductive health, so consider adding some royal jelly to your fertility diet plan. 

Cinnamon

A warming spice, cinnamon is great for improving circulation. Good blood flow is essential for reproductive health, as this ensures your reproductive organs have access to the oxygen and nutrients they need to stay healthy and support a pregnancy. 

But the benefits of cinnamon don’t stop there. Cinnamon also improves insulin sensitivity. 

Insulin resistance is a major cause of infertility. Many women, including those with PCOS, struggle with elevated insulin levels, and, consequently, anovulatory cycles. 

Using cinnamon daily in your morning tea or oatmeal resensitizes your body to insulin, and this has a normalizing effect on reproductive function, making it much easier for you to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy. 

Take charge of your reproductive health

Eating the right foods can enhance your fertility naturally. But there are a variety of alternative therapies that can be used to help you get pregnant, too. 

At Integrative Healing Arts, we utilize natural therapies, like massage therapy and Chinese herbal medicine, to create customized fertility programs for our clients. 

Whether you’re a young mom-to-be looking to reduce stress and have a healthy pregnancy or a woman over 40 trying to conceive naturally, we’re here to help.

Get in touch with our clinic today. We’ll work with you to create realistic goals and offer personalized guidance as you make your way through your journey to conception.

Is Acupuncture For Sciatica Effective?

Most people have dealt with back pain at some point. We’ve all sat in an uncomfortable chair for too long and gotten stiff. But sciatica is back pain on another level. 

Sciatica is inflammation of the sciatic nerve that runs from the lower back through the buttocks and the back of the legs. Certain conditions, like herniated discs, piriformis syndrome, and spinal stenosis can cause damage to the sciatic nerve. This results in sciatica pain, sharp, shooting pain that radiates throughout the lower body, as well as numbness, weakness, and a pins and needles feeling. 

If you’re struggling with these annoying symptoms, you may be considering acupuncture for sciatica. But is this alternative therapy really effective for managing your symptoms?

Acupuncture reduces pain naturally. The increase in circulation improves nerve function and alleviates inflammation. Over time, acupuncture boosts your pain threshold making it easier to cope with pain without having to rely on medications. 

How does acupuncture alleviate sciatica symptoms?

The primary benefit that acupuncture offers sciatica patients is pain relief. Sciatica pain is a special kind of awful, with inescapable shooting pains that can make sitting, standing, and walking difficult. You may have trouble getting comfortable when you go to bed, or double over in pain upon getting up from your desk. The good news is that acupuncture can put a stop to these problems. 

As each needle is inserted, this causes tiny tears in the muscle tissue. The body recognizes this microscopic trauma instantly and sends a flood of blood and oxygen to the injury site. Improving circulation to the area allows the body to reduce inflammation naturally. Good blood flow is essential for healing and for removing pro-inflammatory byproducts.

At the same time your body is ramping up blood flow, the acupuncture needles are forcing your muscles to release tension. The pain from sciatica can alter the way you move. Other muscle groups have to overcompensate for the ones that are in pain. Over time, this leads to sprains. 

Including acupuncture in your holistic sciatica treatment protocol supports proper muscle function. Keeping your muscles in good working order allows you to move synergistically, with each muscle group pulling its own weight. That way, none of your muscles become strained, and you can stay pain-free. 

Does acupuncture improve sciatic nerve function?

Acupuncture doesn’t just reduce pain in the same way an anti-inflammatory medication would. These drugs mask the pain making it more tolerable, but they don’t necessarily address the source of the pain. When it comes to truly healing, anti-inflammatories don’t really do much. But acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural healing process, speeding up your recovery time, whether you’re struggling with a migraine, a sprained ankle, or sciatica. 

Because acupuncture needles create microtraumas, they force the body to redirect its attention to a certain area. When using acupuncture for sciatica, the needles encourage the body to address the inflamed muscles and nerves in the back, hips, and legs. 

In a study, acupuncture was found to be more effective than the prescription anti-inflammatory, diclofenac, at regenerating damaged sciatic nerves. If your sciatica is the result of an injury, acupuncture can help your body recover from the trauma quickly and completely. 

Acupuncture has a modulating effect on the nervous system, encouraging healthy nerve function. This, coupled with its ability to reduce inflammation, makes it extremely effective for pain management. But acupuncture has another benefit that gives it an edge, and that is that it can regulate your mood by supporting neurotransmitter function. 

How acupuncture can raise your pain threshold naturally

Ever wonder how athletes are able to cope with pain better than people who live more sedentary lives? You’ve probably heard of a “runner’s high”. That euphoria that runners experience after an intense workout is caused by endorphins, feel-good neurotransmitters that modulate the body’s pain sensations naturally.

The body releases endorphins in response to pleasurable stimuli, like laughing and eating. Acupuncture can also trigger the body to release endorphins. The cascade of these helpful chemicals raises your pain threshold, allowing you to go about your day-to-day activities in spite of your sciatica. 

Now, alone, endorphins may not necessarily help your body heal. But they effectively kill the pain associated with sciatica. When you factor the endorphin-boosting benefits of acupuncture in with its anti-inflammatory and pro-healing qualities, it makes this holistic therapy a tough one to beat!

What other protocols can be used to treat sciatica pain?

Acupuncture isn’t the only tool in our arsenal when it comes to treating sciatica pain. Massage therapy is often helpful, too, because it allows us to manipulate spinal alignment and reduce deep muscle tension. Massage therapy can dramatically improve muscle function, whether you’re a serious athlete or a desk jockey. The better you can use your muscles, the less pain, inflammation, and tension you’ll develop. 

Naturally, stress management is also helpful for overcoming sciatica pain. Stress leads to muscle tension, and muscle tension quickly results in pain. Keeping stress levels at a minimum, sometimes with the help of traditional Chinese herbal blends, is often just as helpful when it comes to treating sciatica. 

Using a variety of supportive treatment measures at once is the best way to speed up your recovery. Acute cases of sciatica may be managed with acupuncture alone, but chronic and/or complicated cases will likely benefit from a multi-pronged approach. We’ll work with you to determine the best path forward. 

Booking your first appointment

No two bodies are exactly alike, that’s why one-size-fits-all treatment protocols never work. At Integrative Healing Arts, we treat the individual, not just their condition. Getting to the bottom of your sciatica symptoms is the key to resolving your pain so you can take a more active role in your life. 

Sciatica is a relatively common condition. If you want to learn more about how acupuncture can improve your sciatica symptoms, contact us today. From your very first appointment, we’ll listen to your health concerns and create a treatment protocol that focuses on realigning your body, mind, and spirit. 

Renew your energy and tackle your pain naturally. Book your first appointment with Integrative Healing Arts today and take the first steps toward reclaiming your health!