Want relief from pain? Acupuncture as Pain Management is an Effective form of Treatment.

The actual causes of pain often cannot be identified and addressed by western medicine. While a pain syndrome may be given a diagnostic name, such as, arthritis, osteoarthritis, muscle strain, sprain, chronic fatigue, or fybromyalgia, the treatment regimen is often the same. Anti-inflammories or pain killers are the most common forms of pain management.

While these treatments may provide temporary relief, they do not provide long-term relief. There are safe and effective alternative medical treatments. Acupuncture as pain management and Chinese Medicine are alternative medical therapies that provide suffers of chronic pain with effective treatment options.

Common Causes of Chronic Pain

In the Acupuncture model, chronic pain has a number of different diagnostic causes. These causes are termed patterns and can arise from external factors, such as exposure to certain weather conditions or a trauma; or from internal factors such as cold accumulation in areas of the body or a deficiency of substances. In this model, all pain syndromes fall under the general disease name of "pain". A simple and direct description. Within this broad category, there are designations by location of the pain, for instance, neck pain; or the type of pain, such as deep or superficial.

In making the diagnosis these factors are important. Further refinement is then made at the pattern level. This is where the diagnostic assessment departs from or is more in depth than the traditional western medical model. When we know the problem is pain both the allopathic practitioner and the alternative medical practitioner can provide temporary relief from the pain.

It is at the pattern diagnostic level that the acupuncturist determines the origin of the pain -- the fundamental cause. Once this is accomplished, a treatment plan is designed to address the fundamental cause, with the ultimate result being diminishment or elimination of the condition that is causing the pain.

Examples of some common patterns may help in further understanding the concept of acupuncture as pain management. We will use the example of pain caused by osteoarthritis, strain, fibromyaglia or chronic fatigue syndrome. From the acupuncturists prespective, the western diagnosis is of little importance. The problem is pain and we can begin to understand how treat its root by making a diagnosis using pattern diagnostics.

At the pattern level, we will consider nine possible patterns or causes pain. These include wind invasion; cold, damp, hot, phlegm stagnation; or qi or blood obstruction; kidney or liver/kidney deficiency or qi or blood deficiency. Each of these patterns can arise individually or in combination. Once the pattern has been identified, the acupuncturist can then begin treating the underlying problem, using acupuncture as pain management.

For instance, in the case of a wind invasion this commonly arises in two separate ways. It may be what is known as an external invasion (the result of being exposed to a draft) or an internally caused condition in which vital fuilds or substances are deficient thus allowing air (wind) to move into those spaces. The first type this is often of a relatively short duration and is of sudden onset. Often the pain is sharp, and like wind itself, tends to be moving rather than stationery. Using principles of Chinese Medicine, the acupuncturist will use acupuncture points that are effective for releasing wind. Acupuncture as pain management works, because the point perscription developed by the acupuncturist is unique to the patients specific pain pattern. If the acupuncturist is also a trained herbalist, then herbs that release or eliminate wind may be perscribed. In contrast, if the condition is of the second type, a completely different approach will be required. In that case the approach would be to tonify (build up) the deficient substances so that wind can no longer accummulate in the empty spaces. Once again, the point perscription developed by the acupuncturist will be unique to this specific pattern resulting in acupuncture as pain management.

In either event, the Treatment plan and approach is designed to address the specific situation. The ultimate aim is to eliminate the underlying condition which is causing the pain. In each case, because the acupuncturist has diagnosed a very specific pattern of the disease, the development of a specific point perscription, results in acupuncture as pain management.