Acupuncture for Patients with Brain Injuries

Acupuncture is an ancient practice that has become the most common healing method throughout the world. It is believed to have originated in China approximately 3,500 years ago but has only become popular in the west about three decades ago. 

According to the Food and Drug Administration, about 12 million visits were made in 1993 to acupuncture practitioners. Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective for many health conditions.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is said that there are up to 2,000 acupuncture points in the human body that are interconnected with 20 pathways known as meridians. There are 12 main meridians and 8 secondary meridians. It is the meridians that conduct energy called qi. The qi runs energy between the skin or outer body and the internal bodily organs. Each acupuncture point has a different effect on the qi that passes through it.

Like other alternative medical techniques, the idea is that qi regulates the balance of energy in the body. It works by understanding the opposing forces of yin and yang, the positive and negative forces of energy, both in the universe and in the human body. Acupuncture is thought to maintain the balance between yin and yang so that the flow of qi within the body can go smoothly and restore health to the body and mind.

There are several modern theories of how acupuncture is supposed to work. In one approach, it is suggested that acupuncture blocks pain impulses from reaching the spinal cord. It blocks the pain impulses at specific gates leading to these areas. Because the majority of acupuncture points are located near or connected to actual neural structures, there is the suggestion that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system’s activity.

The video below explains how acupuncture is used as an alternative treatment for pain.

Acupuncture is used for a variety of conditions, including brain trauma. Medical organizations and insurance companies have begun to approve acupuncture being treated for various medical problems, including stroke rehabilitation and relief of nausea in postoperative patients.

In one patient with a brain injury, acupuncture was able to help some of the side effects of brain trauma, including headaches, elevated muscle tone, sinus difficulties, and other brain-affected ailments. In many cases, things do not improve after one treatment, and several treatments are necessary to notice a positive effect.

Make sure that your acupuncturist washes their hands before performing the procedure, and make sure that clean, sterile, and disposable needles are used by the acupuncturist. Make sure all needles are accounted for after the process is over.

While no one knows how acupuncture works, research has seen that brain neurochemicals are changed for the better in traumatic brain injury. It changes the brain pattern seen in a concussion, so the patient feels less pain and anxiety associated with an acute concussive injury. In cases that have been going on for some time, acupuncture seems to help with things like post-concussive headaches and even the anxiety that can go along with suffering from a traumatic brain injury.

Acupuncture can help those with traumatic brain injury. If you or a loved one has suffered severe injuries in an accident, call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.

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Editor’s Note: This page has been updated for accuracy and relevancy [cha 4.5.22]

Image by acupunturacomunitaria from Pixabay [cs 622]