You have probably heard of acupuncture, a procedure that involves inserting thin needles into the skin at strategic areas of the body to provide pain relief. If you’ve never tried acupuncture, you may be skeptical of its effectiveness. But acupuncture treatment has now been tested and approved by some of the strongest men and women on earth: soldiers. 

Active soldiers and veterans are finding relief from acute and chronic pain with the help of acupuncture. For soldiers who are wounded in active duty, battlefield acupuncture can provide immediate reduction in pain. Acupuncture for veterans can provide relief from ongoing pain that results from injuries sustained while in active service. If acupuncture can work for soldiers, it can work for others. 

 

Benefits of Acupuncture for Soldiers and Vets

The use of acupuncture provides many benefits to soldiers wounded in active duty as well as veterans, including: 

• Immediate acute pain reduction. When a soldier is wounded or injured in the line of duty, battlefield acupuncture can be applied immediately to relieve the severe, acute pain that occurs. Needles can be immediately inserted into the ear, even while a soldier is wearing a helmet. 

• Relief from chronic pain. Veterans who were wounded or injured in the line of duty often suffer from ongoing pain that can plague them for the rest of their life. But acupuncture for veterans can provide relief from pain that no medication has been able to alleviate. 

• Reduction in the use of pain medications. A disturbing amount of pain medication is used by soldiers, on an individual basis and by soldiers and veterans as a group. Some prefer not to use medication at all, and others rely on it too much, resulting in addiction. Acupuncture for soldiers provides an alternative to the myriad of pain medications prescribed to active duty and retired military personnel. 

 

Military Tested and Approved

Flight surgeons from different countries gathered in Germany in 2017 to receive training on battlefield acupuncture as part of an initiative to address concerns about overmedication of servicemembers. They learned how to place acupuncture needles in certain points on the ear that correspond to pain receptors in other parts of the body. 

Acupuncture is not a difficult treatment to learn, which is another reason why it works well in a military setting. It can be learned in steps and practiced on live subjects with no serious risks. The surgeons involved in the training practiced on each other, not only to learn how to properly place the needles, but to experience the treatment for themselves. 

Numerous studies have been conducted using acupuncture that have shown a decrease in both the use of narcotics and in the amount of work missed due to pain. 

 

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Acupuncture is considered to be an Eastern medicine, originating in Chinese culture and healing. Western medicine is starting to recognize acupuncture as a valid form of pain treatment, but acceptance is still developing. The idea behind acupuncture is that the needles unblock areas of the body where the flow of energy has stopped. By opening up the channels of energy that flow throughout the body, pain can be relieved and healing can be accelerated. 

Western medicine’s scientific interpretation of acupuncture is that it increases the flow of blood to an injured area, bringing healing blood cells to the area to relieve pain and decrease recovery time.  

 

Interested in Trying Acupuncture? Visit Thumos Health Center 

Thumos Health Center provides holistic healing and Eastern medicine for those seeking an alternative to traditional or Western medicine. If you want to avoid or reduce your use of medication to treat your health problems, or if traditional medicine hasn’t worked, try a different approach. At Thumos Health Center we believe in treating your pain at the source and eliminating the problem that is causing the pain, rather than just masking your symptoms. Acupuncture can provide pain relief and promote healing for longer lasting relief. Don’t overmedicate, heal and overcome your pain. 

Call (310) 927-2792 or contact us today to schedule a consultation. We look forward to providing you with a different kind of pain relief.