Prevention magazine recently recommended 9 alternative remedies and of course Acupuncture is one of them.

Acupuncture for chronic pain

“A rash of new research affirms this ancient therapy as a powerful head-to-toe pain reliever for a wide range of conditions. After as few as six sessions, people who suffered from regular tension headaches saw their symptoms disappear. Another new study found that sufferers of chronic lower-back pain who received acupuncture fared better than those receiving conventional care. Acupuncture also relieves pain and improves mobility in people with osteoarthritis of the knee — encouraging news, because the condition is considered irreversible. Just how does acupuncture work? According to precepts of Chinese medicine, placing needles at specific points along the body’s meridians, or energy channels, balances energy flow. Western scientists have a more prosaic explanation: The needles stimulate the body to release its own natural opioids, quelling pain. As their discomfort eases, sufferers of arthritis and lower-back pain can then perform exercises that enable them to regain strength, flexibility, and mobility.

Hidden benefit: You gain deeper body knowledge. Your acupuncturist will take a holistic approach to your condition, so although you may go in to treat pain in one part of your body, you may come out with a much broader understanding of how other parts contribute to that discomfort as well.”

To read about the other eight natural health cures and see a video click here.