The Treatment of Chronic Pain with TCM

Today's #TCMTuesday blog tackles a tough and tender topic - pain management.

Many people deal with pain every day.  In fact it is estimated that at least 116 million Americans deals with chronic pain (in an article here from Cornell University). 

Being the tolerant species we are, most people put up with the pain, or just take daily pain relievers and try to ignore it so that they can do what they have to get done.

But what if you didn't have to pop that pill or put up with the pain?

There are many ways to manage pain, and in some cases relieve it, using acupuncture and other traditional modalities.  Acupuncture is acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as being very effective for treating pain.

Treatment begins with your acupuncture physician reviewing your health history and the circumstances of the pain, such as the triggering event (if any), the location, quality and frequency of the pain, and other life factors that may aggravate the pain (occupation, hobbies, diet, exercise, etc.).  They then review other health factors in your medical history to determine if there are any other complicating factors contributing to the pain.

From this information we determine a pattern which leads us to a diagnosis for what is causing the pain.  Pain can have many different diagnoses based on the signs and symptoms in TCM.  By far the most common cause of pain is Stasis of Blood and/or Qi.  This means that the normal flow of Qi and Blood in the meridians has ceased or has been compromised, and the resulting "backup" of Blood/Qi in the area of pain is causing the pain sensation to occur.  As an analogy, think of Qi/Blood Stasis like a bruise - blood collects and coagulates under the skin causing the skin over that spot to be tender to the touch or even to hurt when moved.  Internal pain like arthritis and menstrual cramps can often times be attributed to Qi and Blood Stasis as well.

There are also other causes of pain in TCM, and the determination of how to treat it is made upon complete evaluation.  If you're curious how Acupuncture could help with a pain condition, I'm open to questions and available for consultations.

As always, I'm here to help.

--Marissa Byrum, AP, DOM, Dipl. Ac., is an associate at Ideal Balance Center for Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine in Temple Terrace, FL.