Acupuncture: Is It Painful?

Acupuncture: Is It Painful? NO.

Single-use needles are used to stimulate acupuncture points. These points are anatomical sites with certain common characteristics. Notably, the sites in question present lower electrical resistance than elsewhere in the connective tissue—the needle then acts as a diode to restore resistance there.

Additionally, mast cells and nerve cells would share perivascular anatomical locations—around blood vessels. These two types of cells, mast cells and nerve cells, would be found in abundance at the anatomical location of acupuncture points. Peripheral stimulation by acupuncture of these specific reflex points induces the release of histamine by mast cells. Histamine excites receptors in primary sensory neurons and notably leads to promoting the impulse of nerve impulses. Histamine released at an acupuncture point would play a key role in the immune response to acupuncture. The organism must react to the microtrauma caused by the puncture, and this is then the beginning of a cascade reaction to restore homeostasis.

Different biomarkers can be used to confirm the stimulation of an acupuncture point from an experimental perspective, including adenosine or even nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is released in higher concentration at biostimulation sites used for acupuncture treatments.

Size of an Acupuncture Needle

Acupuncture needles are as fine as a human hair! With a diameter 8 to 10 times smaller than hypodermic needles used for injections or blood draws at hospitals, they are practically not felt by the patient during insertion. The vast majority of patients experience a pleasant and relaxing state each time, sometimes enjoying a restful nap during treatment. These are pleasant sensations that encourage patients to pursue treatment with this ancient medicine.

Furthermore, the acupuncturist's toolkit contains indispensable elements to complement needle treatments or to reassure those who have an insurmountable aversion to needles; LASER, therapeutic massage, warmth from moxibustion (moxa), application of invisible therapeutic magnets placed on points, electromagnetic heat, electrical stimulation, auricular and systemic acupressure, cupping, etc.

Size of an acupuncture needle

You're still wondering what an acupuncture needle could be compared to in terms of size? A hair! See on this comparative image above various everyday objects in comparison to an acupuncture needle. In order, from top to bottom: a matchstick, a syringe, a sewing needle, and, finally, at the bottom, an acupuncture needle. The comparative image was created by Lawrenceville Acupuncture Centre LLC.

An acupuncture treatment is a pleasant experience, usually an important source of pleasure for regular patients. Some people even testify that they enjoy the treatment so much that they wonder if a dependence could develop. This is not the case: treatments are without side effects, provided they are administered by a qualified healthcare professional. Given its ability to boost performance and improve several biomarkers of the blood profile, the international Olympic committee has already considered the question of whether acupuncture should be considered sports doping. The answer: No. It's even better in fact.

Fun Fact

30 - 40 K disposable needles, with copper coil handles, are used each year at Clinique Shanti!

Why Do People Seek Out Treatments?

Evidence-based data reviewed in the literature review published in January 2017 by John McDonald et al., summarize the applications for which the effectiveness of acupuncture has been demonstrated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4IdCCFVGiI

How Does It Work?

There are indeed several ways to explain it. Acupuncture achieves clinical results for several dozen health disorders. Acupuncture is particularly effective, cost-effective and safe for several common health problems.

But what are the mechanisms of treatment?

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"Yes, acupuncture is capable of remodeling the somatosensory cortex in cases of chronic pain as demonstrated by Vitaly Napadow, but one should not 'reduce' the functioning of acupuncture to this discovery. What is clear is that there would be very complex interactions between receptors, mediators and regulatory pathways in the mechanisms of acupuncture treatment, in addition to the modulation of expression of specific genes. It can be very tempting to jump to simplistic conclusions and say 'it would actually be about gasotransmitters', 'it would actually be about vasodilators', 'it would actually be about the vagus nerve', 'it would actually be about endogenous opioids', 'it would actually be about adenosine mediation pathways and purinergic receptors', 'it would actually be about modulation of neuroplasticity', 'it would actually be about immune modulation'… Although all these processes have been demonstrated, there would not yet be a unified theory that explains everything acupuncture can do. For example, the point 足三里 Zu San Li - Stomach 36 - has more than 120 therapeutic indications, involving all the organ systems of the human body to varying degrees, which implies that these 120 actions are all linked in some way since they occur in cascade following a single stimulus. If there were only one single central pivot element, it could be the circadian cycle, which is expressed in the nucleus of all cells in the body and all these cellular 'clocks' communicate in some way with each other via many pathways. There would now be significant evidence-based data that the circadian cycle clock regulates almost all, if not all, organ systems. When acupuncture 'harmonizes' the liver and pancreas, perhaps it synchronizes all the cellular clocks of these organs, and when all cells in the human body function on the same time zone, optimal health is experienced. There is now direct experimental animal data indicating that acupuncture modulates genes and proteins in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is actually the master clock of all circadian cycle clocks."

-John McDonald, Australian Acupuncturist and Researcher

Olivier Roy, Acupuncturist, Clinique Shanti, Acupuncture Montreal