Acupuncture Unbeatable at Treating Low Back Pain

According to a recent study conducted by scientists at the University of York, acupuncture is the best long-term treatment method for back pain. The ancient Chinese practice was found in trials to ease persistent lower back pain more efficiently than any other modern medical methods, such as medication, manipulation or physiology. The beneficial effects of acupuncture worked miraculously against excruciating lower back pains and lasted for at least 2 years.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical practice which focuses on the vital, universal flow of Qi/Chi energy, in order to relieve pain and treat a wide range of diseases. The principle on which Acupuncture works is related to the belief that there is a unity in the universe and nothing should be seen as separate entities, as we are all parts of the supreme entity that is nature.

All things are interconnected on a larger or smaller scale. That is why the components of our body should not be considered or treated separately, but as a whole. Because if a part of our body is sick, this means that the whole metabolic system experiences an impairment and must be cured holistically.

Ancient medics who used to treat ill patients with acupuncture techniques believed that the body can only be sick because of a flawed course of the Chi energy. A flawed course means that the energy gets stuck, blocked, obstructed somewhere in our body and does not manage to continue its free flowing. That is why acupuncture experts heal the body by using extremely thin needles that are inserted partially into our skin into certain main points of the body. This will release the flux of energy and will allow it to circulate throughout the meridians without any obstacle or burden in the way.

Acupuncture is still widely used nowadays to cure various mild or very serious diseases, such as: stroke, migraines, menstrual pains, osteoarthritis, asthma and even dental pain or labor pain. It is a safe practice as long as it is performed by a certified acupuncturist with sterilized needles. It is highly recommended to avoid practicing acupuncture on your own and especially with improvised tools. This can lead to infections and other severe complications.

The current study was conducted on 241 volunteers who suffered from persistent back pain. A part of the subjects in the study received acupuncture treatment for about a three months period, while another group of volunteers received a normal back pain treatment, including exercising, physiotherapy and medication.

Findings published in the British Medical Journal showed that patients who received acupuncture sessions over the three months period experienced less back pains for at least two years from the treatment.

"If you offer acupuncture to someone with back pain on average it is expected you are likely to benefit, not just in the short term but particularly in the longer-term of 12 and especially 24 months. That's a remarkable finding in that normally you would expect the benefit of the treatment to wear off. This is the first study to show this growing gap up to the two-year point. It is quite unique in that sense," concluded leader of the study Hugh MacPherson.