Acupuncture: We Stimulate Your Body’s Natural “Painkillers” to Relieve Back Pain

In medicine and associated medical journals and publications, many times, the “new” and “innovative” is lauded as the “best,” “preferred,” or “sought-after” treatment; however, acupuncture bucks this notion. Rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has a vaunted history. Its staying power and rising popularity in modern times is a testament to how well it works to transform individuals’ lives.

Acupuncture for Back Pain

From our office in Manhattan, we at the New York Center for Integrative Health use acupuncture to treat many types of patients successfully. Some conditions for which acupuncture is helpful include anxiety, depression, insomnia, and hormonal issues. However, many of the conditions indicated for acupuncture have a critical thing in common: they are sources of pain and discomfort.

One of the most common forms of pain affects the back. In fact, back pain is one of the world’s leading causes of disability. A thriving industry exists around products that claim to relieve the aching, burning, stabbing, and tingling sensations associated with persistent back pain. These products often fail to live up to their big promises.

Acupuncture is a time-tested way to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, “calm” the nervous system, and boost our body’s natural “painkillers”–endorphins! If our naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist, Dr. Robert Kachko, determines that acupuncture is appropriate for you, he will start you on a healthy routine of treatment sessions.

These treatments are not a source of additional pain. You will not feel anything during treatment. Many of our patients look forward to them because they are so relaxing, and they feel so energized afterward.

What to Expect

Each treatment session takes about one hour. So, it can easily fit into your lunch break. The process involves gently inserting thin, sterile needles into precisely selected points on the body. These sites present areas to stimulate the nerves, muscles, connective tissues, and endorphins. It is not uncommon for our patients to doze off during treatment. We’ve been told that undergoing a 30- to 40-minute acupuncture treatment feels like getting an extra two to three hours of rest. What better way to break up the day and recharge?

Initially, it is advised that patients visit us once or twice a week. Maintenance “doses” may be needed monthly or every three months. Ongoing treatment depends on many factors specific to you and how you have responded to treatment. Often, people experience improvement in the frequency and severity of their pain in just six to 10 weekly treatments–some patients feel better after one treatment. In our skilled hands, acupuncture can be safely combined with, and presents a great complement to, other treatment modalities (such as mind-body medicine and botanical medicine).

If you want to learn more about acupuncture treatment for back pain, request an appointment today! Call the New York Center for Integrative Health Manhattan office at (917) 477-3538 . Or, click on the “request an appointment” button on this website.