Acupuncture

Acupuncture may provide avenues for you to meet physical and emotional wellness goals. Acupuncturists may also offer other complementary therapies such as Chinese massage (tui na), scraping of the skin (gua sha), cupping, dry needling, mind-body exercise instruction and recommendations about nutrition.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture comes from traditional Chinese medicine and has been used for more than 4,000 years. It’s also influenced by Western concepts about how the body works and how the body can be healed. Acupuncture promotes natural healing.

How does acupuncture work?

Acupuncture uses very thin, sterile needles, which are inserted at specific places on your body. Most people say it causes very little pain .

Current research into acupuncture shows that it works by stimulating blood vessels, nerves and the release of hormones. Blood flow may be increased and pain signals to the brain are blocked. Acupuncture also causes hormones such as endorphins to be released which relieve both pain and feelings of stress.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the understanding is that acupuncture balances channels of qi, or life force, in the body.

Learn more about acupuncture at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital.

Acupuncture benefits

The benefits of acupuncture may include:

• Faster healing of muscle, bone and joint conditions
• Improved mobility and athletic performance
• Reduced pain and inflammation
• Increased relaxation

Acupuncture at Advocate Health Care

We believe in treating you as a whole person, which may include combining traditional medicine with holistic treatments.

We’re part of Advocate Health, one of the largest health care organizations in the nation. Our acupuncturists can work closely with your integrative medicine doctor and doctors in all kinds of traditional specialties.

Conditions we treat with acupuncture

Some of the conditions we may treat with acupuncture include:

• Allergies
• Anxiety
• Arthritis
• Back pain
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Chronic pain and inflammation
• Common cold
• Depression
• Digestive issues
• Eating disorders
• High blood pressure
• Infertility
• Insomnia
• Menopause symptoms
• Migraines
• Overactive bladder
• Sciatica
• Sinusitis
• Stress
• Weight management

Research indicates that acupuncture used with conventional cancer treatments helps manage some of the side effects such as pain, nausea, neuropathy and immune function problems.

Many people who receive acupuncture treatments say they get excellent results. However, it doesn’t work for everyone. Make sure you communicate with your orthopedist and primary care doctor about your acupuncture treatments.

What should I expect at an acupuncture session?

Average treatments from an acupuncturist feature a series of six to 10 treatments. However, your symptoms may improve after just a few visits.

Your first visit will include a personalized evaluation and will likely last about an hour. Subsequent visits will be 45 minutes to an hour.

Your acupuncturist will keep you informed about things like whether you’ll need to remove any articles of clothing and where they will be placing acupuncture needles. After application, they may gently move some of the needles or apply heat or electrical stimulation. Needles will be removed and discarded after 20-30 minutes.

It’s important to verify whether acupuncture is covered by your medical insurance before your first treatment.