Both acupuncture and cupping therapy are traditional health and wellness practices that have been experiencing a resurgence in popularity lately at our Palm Beach Gardens center. Long thought to be pseudo-science, these practices have shown some promise towards treating and improving a variety of health conditions. Many of the conditions that acupuncture and cupping therapy can treat have failed to find much improvement through modern medicine. While the exact ways these therapies work is not fully understood, the beneficial results speak for themselves.
Some of the benefits of acupuncture include pain relief, mood elevation, and stress relief. Acupuncture can be very useful in cases of neuropathic pain, such as diabetes-induced peripheral neuropathy, especially in cases where other methods have been ineffective. The exact way that acupuncture works to improve nerve pain is not fully known, but the benefits have been well-documented.
The benefits of cupping therapy include accelerated healing of skin and soft tissues, improved blood flow, and stress reduction. Cupping therapy can be very effective at treating soft tissue injuries, such as those that are common in sports or work-related injuries, and reducing overall levels of muscle tension and stress. Cupping can not only improve blood flow in the short-term, but it may also promote angiogenesis; the formation of new blood vessels.
Acupuncture is at least 2,000 years old and originates from China as a holistic wellness and pain management practice. In traditional acupuncture, the goal is to realign the body’s “Qi” to promote health by inserting small needles into the skin at specific points, known as “Meridians” throughout the body. While the modern practice of acupuncture takes a different approach to the theory behind acupuncture, the practice of acupuncture remains almost unchanged. Modern research and studies, particularly those done by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, have been supporting the pain-relieving potential of acupuncture.
It is known that acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural painkillers, known as endorphins, although the exact way this works is still unclear. By using acupuncture along with other therapies, we can provide comprehensive pain relief and stress reduction to our clients. In particular, acupuncture has been extremely effective at treating neuropathic pain conditions that have proven refractory to other treatment modes. This can result in less pain and stress and does not rely on potentially addictive painkiller drugs but instead uses the body’s own pain-relieving abilities to reduce discomfort for our Palm Beach Gardens clients.
Cupping therapy is another very old health and wellness practice, dating back roughly 3,000 years to ancient Egypt as well as China. The practice uses small cups and suction, in modern times produced by heat, a vacuum, or a flame on the end of the cup, to pull skin and muscles into the cup, producing a small bruise. This promotes blood flow, relieves tension, and can promote the growth of new blood vessels, known as angiogenesis. Long though a fringe medical practice with no practical application, it has proven very effective over the last few decades as a complimentary wellness practice that is most effective when combined with other therapies.
The practical benefits of our Palm Beach Gardens cupping therapy include increased blood flow to both cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues which may accelerate healing and improve circulation. It also helps relieve tension and stress in muscles since it is technically a type of massage, promoting soft tissue mobilization. The minor damage caused to surface capillaries by suction can promote the growth and development of new blood vessels and help improve overall blood flow and circulation.
Many people in Palm Beach Gardens may ask if acupuncture and cupping are right for them. The relative safety of both of these practices makes them widely accessible to almost anyone. Acupuncture may pose a slight risk to people with certain pre-existing medical issues, but cupping therapy is non-invasive and exceptionally safe. The very low risks along with the wide range of benefits provided by these therapies mean that they can be available to almost anybody.
Certain types of acupuncture may use electric stimulation of the acupuncture needles and this may not be suitable for someone with a pacemaker. Other potential risks of acupuncture may include the risk of excessive bleeding, although this is only an issue among people with a bleeding disorder that may lead to excessive bleeding when acupuncture is performed. Most people will bleed very lightly or not bleed at all when acupuncture is performed, and this has shown to be a very safe practice. If you’re considering either of these treatments, come speak to our Palm Beach Gardens acupuncture and cupping therapy specialists today, and find the right solution to improve your health and wellness.
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