Acupuncture With more than 8000 years of history, acupuncture has been a popular therapy for various conditions, especially musculoskeletal health issues. The hallmark of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it uses hair-thin needles that are inserted in specific points. Then the needles are either retained or manipulated gently to stimulate changes within the body to restore balance and promote healing. Below are the popular physical health benefits of acupuncture: Relief of Chronic Pain Acupuncture analgesia or pain modification using acupuncture, is perhaps the most recognized effect of TCM by healthcare professionals and patients alike. It’s because of the hundreds studies, clinical trials and vast number of evidence-based literature that …show more content…
Recent studies are only beginning to unravel the mechanism behind acupuncture. In a single blind study that aims to find out the effect of acupuncture in physical performance as well as regulation of heart rate and blood pressure, thirty-six healthy young men were randomly selected to three groups, receiving either placebo acupuncture, true acupuncture or no stimulation. The experiment was determined through spiro-ergometer test that was performed at the start and end of the five weeks treatment that consists of one session per week. The participants from the group that received real acupuncture were able to increase maximum performance capacity and physical performance at the anaerobic threshold. Such result may be understood as a sign of improvement in metabolic and hemodynamic mechanisms. Also, studies have suggested that it can improve the body’s natural ‘painkillers’ and even influence the nervous system and the fascia – the connective tissue interconnecting the bones, nerves, muscles, vessels and organs of the human body. To improve mobility and achieve optimal physical performance, acupuncture can be combined with physical …show more content…
It is a treatment that uses cold temperatures to reduce spasm and pain, increase cellular survival and promote vasoconstriction (constriction of blood vessels). Below are the most common benefits of cryotherapy: Relief of Pain & Spasms Cryotherapy means cold therapy. The use of snow and ice for pain relief was first written by the Greek physician Hippocrates hundreds of years ago. When you apply a bag of frozen peas on a swollen knee or knuckles, you’re treating it with a basic form of cryotherapy. Cryotherapy can be used in many different ways including coolant sprays, icepacks, ice baths or ice massage. When used for treating simple injuries, cryotherapy in the form of gel packs or ice remain the simplest, time-testing home remedies for relieving pain and swelling. Experts believe that cryotherapy for pain relief can decrease pain, which is associated to swelling. The benefits of applying cold therapy for pain include: • Reduces pain and swelling • Reduces nerve