Pain Relief

Acupuncture is best known for its ability to successfully treat pain, and in this, it’s remarkably and noticeably effective, often almost immediately. Pain Relief is an area I have worked in for a number of years both in my practice and as a volunteer concentrating on pain alleviation through acupuncture in a palliative care facility. I have also attended a number of conferences and training courses on this particular aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine and have received training in the “Balance Method” from Dr. Richard Tan, one of the foremost experts in the field of acupuncture for pain relief and pain management.

Dr. Tan’s contributions to the modern understanding and practice of acupuncture are world-renowned. His simple but effective approach attains clinical results within minutes after treatment for pain has begun.  A unique quality of Dr. Tan`s Balance Method is that needles are placed in what are called balancing channels located primarily in the lower half of the arms and legs, rather than in the area of discomfort or pain. Fewer needles are used and pain is significantly reduced, with pain relief usually experienced from early in the first session. Quite exceptional results can be achieved within two to five treatments.  If you are tired of living with your pain, this is a solution I offer that may well give you the relief you have been looking for.

If you’re experiencing pain for whatever reason, make an appointment to come in and see me and find out for yourself the relief that Acupuncture can give you (you can call me on 416-722-8813 to make an appointment). At Acupuncture Mississauga, you can receive immediate Pain Relief or Pain Alleviation in almost all cases.

Pain is NOT a diagnosis, but a warning….

What happens when acute pain begins to linger and then transforms into a chronic condition? What happens when you’ve exhausted all conventional treatment options, you’ve perhaps undergone surgery, you’ve tried other alternative treatments, you’re on pain medication, and you’re STILL in pain? Emotionally, you may begin to feel depressed or frustrated. The pain may prevent you from getting a full night’s sleep, so now you’re sleep-deprived and irritable. Your relationships may suffer. You may not be able to think clearly and you may experience memory loss. Chronic pain is ultimately exhausting and negatively impacts your quality of life. If severe enough, chronic pain can also negatively affect your spirit and sense of self worth.

To relieve their pain, many people take over-the-counter medications or prescription medicines – either acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, including aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen). Even if the pain subsides for the moment, the side effects from taking the pain killers on a long-term basis may be result in more problems than the pain medication seems to solve. However, many people still experience pain despite taking such medications. This is why many Canadians seek alternative methods and medicines in an attempt to find an effective way to ease their pain with minimum side effects.

Pain itself is not a diagnosis, but rather an indication or a warning that a problem exists somewhere in the body. The exact location of pain may point to where the problem is, as in the case of elbow pain above an inflamed tendon. Or the location of the pain you’re experiencing may be related to problems far away, as in leg pain resulting from a herniated disk pushing on a nerve in the back. The intensity of the pain usually indicates or warns how severe the problem is. Each person has a different pain threshold, but pain levels that increase or do not lessen over time point to something that needs attention. The circumstances surrounding the onset of the pain are just as important. Was there an accident or incident? Or did the pain gradually develop over a course of time or during a certain period of life? The characteristics of pain give important information about what is causing the body to send this signal. Once noticed, it is important to address the underlying problem that forced the body to send a pain message, not just turn down the discomfort. Otherwise the body will send out other warning signals until the core problem is corrected.

How does Acupuncture give you Pain Relief?

There are many therapies that attempt to stop pain. Most of them mask the pain while hoping the body is able to heal itself or push the body to heal faster while offering limited pain relief. Acupuncture however is an extremely powerful and effective approach to both pain relief AND healing because it decreases pain levels as it stimulates the body’s healing response.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture is explained in terms of bringing the body’s systems into harmony and balance. Specific acupuncture points on the body correspond to energy channels called “meridians.” When a meridian is blocked, the body’s life energy (Qi) backs up in some areas and dries up in other areas, causing an imbalance that prevent the body’s organs from working harmoniously. By inserting the needles into the correct points, blocked meridians are cleared and energy flows correctly again, leading to relief from symptoms caused by the imbalance.

From a scientific perspective, scientists are starting to identify some of the physiological mechanisms at work. There’s evidence that the insertion of needles into designated acupuncture points speeds the conduction of electromagnetic signals within the body. These signals may increase the flow of endorphins and other pain-relieving chemicals, as well as immune system cells, which aid healing. It would appear that Acupuncture resolves pain by affecting several pain pathways and healing responses at the same time:

• raises endorphin levels and diminishes the nervous system’s pain response
• decreases inflammation and swelling
• relaxes muscles and stops spasms
• increases blood circulation to the local area, enhancing healing

But for you as a patient seeking pain relief, the “why” and “how” don’t matter as much as the fact that acupuncture for the relief of chronic pain does work amazingly well and may even work better than pain medication, without the side effects.

Almost every person finds acupuncture treatments to be very relaxing. Many do not expect this effect, especially dealing with painful conditions, but acupuncture balances various parts of the body together. This results in a person feeling calm, peaceful and very relaxed. Pain is stressful and can wear someone down causing irritability, tension and insomnia. By relaxing the whole person, acupuncture also helps eliminate these other negative aspects of pain. And it does so in a natural way, with no negative side effects. Acupuncture also looks at the entire person, not just the one part that hurts. This means an acupuncturist will offer suggestions for individual lifestyle improvements regarding exercise, supplements and diet, sleeping and stress management techniques to help a person improve health and decrease pain.

How many treatments will I need for Pain Relief?

Because acupuncture is meant to resolve the deeper, internal causes of pain, it usually takes several sessions for complete healing but keep in mind that this varies considerably based on the specific condition being treated. Each of my patient’s receives an individualized treatment plan based on age, past medical history, lifestyle, treatment goals and current pain status. Generally speaking however, acute pain (less than 3 months duration) is often resolved in a short series of treatments spaced close together while chronic pain requires consistent regular treatment over a longer period to achieve long-term pain relief.

I find that my patients are enthusiastic about the pain relief results from their first session. Patients who have struggled to find pain relief through conventional medical treatments have reported that my acupuncture treatments have helped them overcome various types of chronic pain, with considerable relief being experienced from the very first treatment. If you’re experiencing pain for whatever reason, make an appointment to come in and see me and find out for yourself the relief that Acupuncture can give you (you can call me on 416-722-8813 to make an appointment). At Acupuncture Mississauga, you can receive immediate Pain Relief or Pain Alleviation in almost all cases.

Common pain conditions treated with acupuncture

General Pain Conditions

• Arthritis and joint pain (shoulder, wrist, hand, knee, ankle, foot)
• Bursitis (shoulder, hip, calcaneal)
• Causalgia
• Chronic pain syndrome
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Menstrual pain
• Muscle tension (shoulder, arm,neck, back, thigh, calf)
• Muscle spasms (shoulder, arm, neck,back, thigh, calf)
• Myofascial pain syndrome (shoulder, arm, neck, back, thigh, calf)
• Overuse /overtraining injuries (shoulder, arm, neck, back, thigh)
• Pain from cancer
• Post-surgical pain
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Repetitive strain injuries (shoulder, arm, back, thigh, calf, foot)
• Sports injuries
• Sprains (back, neck, shoulder, wrist, hand, knee, ankle, foot)
• Strains (shoulder, arm, neck, back, thigh, calf)
• Stress-related pain (neck, shoulders, low back, headaches)
• Tendonitis, tendonosus, tendinopathy (shoulder, knee, ankle, foot)

• Cervicalgia
• Cervical disc pain
• Cervical radiculopathy (nerve root injury)
• Neck degenerative disc disease
• Neck degenerative joint disease
• Neck facet joint pain and arthritis
• Neck myofasical pain syndrome
• Neck sprain/strain
• Thoracic degenerative disc disease
• Thoracic degenerative joint disease
• Thoracic disc pain
• Thoracic facet joint pain and arthritis
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Upper back muscle strain
• Whiplash syndrome

Headaches, Migraines & facial pain

• Dental and jaw pain
• Migraines
• Orofacial pain
• Tension headaches
• TMJ syndrome
• Learn more about Acupuncture for Headaches and Migraines

•  ACL/MCL ligament sprains
• Chondromalacia patella
• Hamstring strains
• Hip/gluteal tendonitis/apophysitis
• Iliotibial band (IT band) pain
• Knee meniscus injuries
• Knee osteoarthritis
• Patellar tendonitis
• Patello-femoral pain
• Post joint-replacement recovery
• Quadriceps tendonitis

Calf pain, ankle pain, and foot pain

• Achilles tendonitis/tendinopathy
• Ankle sprains
• Ankle/foot tendonitis
• Calcaneal bursitis
• Calf strains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Sesamoiditis
• Shin splints
• Turf toe

Don’t see your condition listed? Need more information regarding acupuncture treatment? To discuss whether acupuncture is appropriate for you, I invite you to:

• Contact Bernadette by phone on (416) 722-8813. If I don’t answer, leave a message with your name and phone number and I’ll call back as soon as I’m free