How to shop for top-notch acupuncture treatments

StarTribune | February 06, 2019

Many health care providers see acupuncture as a possible tool to battle the U.S. opioid epidemic.

Back pain. Headaches. Allergies. Arthritis. Anxiety. Morning sickness. Acupuncture practitioners claim their centuries-old approach can successfully treat dozens of medical problems — with few side effects or risk of complications.

Many health care providers see acupuncture as a possible tool to battle the U.S. opioid epidemic. Recently, the American College of Physicians recommended using acupuncture as one of the first treatments for lower back pain, and the Joint Commission’s “Pain Management Standards” now includes acupuncture as a non-pharmacological strategy for managing pain.

Western medicine proposes several theories on how acupuncture works. One premise: It releases the body’s own painkillers, or endorphins. Another hypothesis, the Gate Control Theory of Pain, argues that the body shuts down pain receptors in response to acupuncture’s needling.

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