Sarah Faggert-Alemi

Acupuncture can help relieve pain in two ways: by alleviating the inflammation in the area that causes us to "feel" pain as well as by addressing the injury itself - thus alleviating both the symptom and the root of the symptom. In this case, pain from your neck injury. When a needle is inserted into the body, this starts a cascade of bio-physiological reactions inside the body. The central nervous system is stimulated; it activates the parasympathetic nervous system in particular. The "rest and digest," system as this is the state in which our repair cells, hormones, and other neurotransmitters that are responsible for repair and pain relief (think endorphins, serotonin, GABA, etc.) are released. These feel-good chemicals flood the area in addition to the blood circulation being improved. This helps the actual inflammation to be flushed out by the body via the excretory system.

One of the reasons why I love acupuncture is because it is a holistic medicine; mind and body are influenced by each treatment, even if the treatment is "focused" on knee pain or back pain - or whatever symptom you may have. You do not need a diagnosis to start acupuncture treatment; most practitioners will come up with their own "diagnosis" or pattern of disharmony during the initial consultation and treat according to what they find during their intake. Being holistic, practitioners help to alleviate symptoms according to what they believe the root of the problem is - not simply address the symptoms (i.e. pain). This is also because two individuals who have the same western diagnosis (say migraines) are not necessarily going to have the same cause. Therefore, a different treatment strategy would be applied to each. On top of all of this, acupuncture is generally safe and natural, in that no chemicals are introduced to the body. The needles are simply a way to help jump start the body's own healing system. However, should a practitioner believe that a scan, MRI or blood work is needed, they may recommend you see a primary care or specialist before or during treatment.

I wish I could give you a simply answer for this question; unfortunately, my answer would be: it depends. Is your back pain chronic or acute (i.e. did you recently injure it or is their active inflammation). Acute pain is usually quicker to respond to treatment and I would recommend you go in for acupuncture as close to the start of the pain as possible. Longer or chronic pain may take a few sessions before relief starts to be felt, simply because it's been there for a while and others factors (i.e. poor sleep, diet, activities) may have aggravated it over time. However, most patients feel some sort of "positive" effect after one session, usually being a general feeling of better well-being or more relaxed, better mood, etc. Usually anywhere from 6-10 sessions are recommended; for chronic pain, at that point a re-evaluation may be done. Dosage does matter here. The more acupuncture sessions you get, the longer the results last and the more profound the results may be.

Thank you for reaching out.

Yes, acupuncture can help with depression and some of its accompanying symptoms. The insertion of the thin, filiform needles into particular points along the body start a cascade of reactions inside the body. The goal is that the central nervous system is prodded to switch to the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as “rest and digest.” It is when the body is in this state that repair and feel-good hormones, chemicals and neurotransmitters can be released into the body. For example, acupuncture can stimulate the release of endorphins, enkephalins, GABA and serotonin.

These various chemicals, hormones, neurotransmitters, etc., that are produced are what help to regulate our mood and overall sense of wellness, in addition to helping various organ systems function more effectively and efficiently. This is how acupuncture is able to help with issues, such as depression, insomnia, stress, pain, and low energy among many other things. By encouraging the body to produce these particular items, we can try to “re-set” the body and brain, or bring it back to its natural homeostasis.

Often, one of the first things that patients tend to notice after a treatment is that they seem more relaxed and feel more at ease. Continued treatments only help to amplify these results among others, such as helping with feelings and symptoms of depression.