Medical acupuncture is a therapeutic technique that consists of precisely stimulating the peripheral nervous system, in which fine solid needles (acupuncture needles) are inserted into specific anatomical sites on the body, and stimulated manually or with electricity. The purpose of this therapeutic intervention is to control any abnormal activity of the nervous system and/or of its associated structures (muscles, joints, visceral organs, hormones, etc.). In this way, acupuncture encourages the nervous system to activate the body’s natural mechanisms of healing and self-regulation.
In the last few decades, acupuncture has been widely accepted by the public in western countries. Medical acupuncture can be effective as a separate treatment, or as an adjunct to other therapeutic interventions. Acupuncture is indicated in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain problems (neck pain, shoulder pain, low back pain, joint pain, etc.), sports-related injuries and other movement disorders, chronic pain (headaches, arthritis, sciatica, etc.), stress-related problems (anxiety, fatigue, low energy, etc.), digestive problems, and menstrual pain.
Pain with needle-insertion is a common fear factor for most patients. Not only are medical acupuncture needles much thinner than injection needles, doctors at the Proactive Health and Performance Clinic aim at reducing or eliminating the needle-insertion pain by adopting a painless needle-insertion technique (rapid needle-insertion speeds using guided tubes). Contemporary medical acupuncture is only practiced by physicians and other qualified licensed health care practitioners.