For years, chiropractors have known the benefits of holistic medicine in helping patients find relief from pain. But today, more and more conventional medical experts are turning to complementary therapies to build a more comprehensive pain management plan for patients dealing with chronic pain. The timing couldn’t be better; chronic pain is becoming an epidemic that more needs innovative solutions. Back in 2012, a survey led by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) discovered that nearly 26 million U.S. adults — or 11.2 percent — had been in pain every day for the preceding three months, and nearly 40 million experienced severe pain — and those numbers are estimated to have grown substantially since then. Every day at Doyle Chiropractic, we see the positive effects of acupuncture care and other complementary therapies for our patients who are in chronic or acute pain. With over 21 years of experience, Dr. Cody Doyle is experienced at offering acupuncture therapy to Roanoke, TX patients looking for a new approach to pain management. To schedule your appointment, or learn more about acupuncture therapy, call our practice at 817-767-5430.
Why More Practitioners are Turning to Complementary Therapies
The current opioid epidemic has illustrated to medical practitioners across the country that medication and conventional treatments don’t offer the best solution for every patient. While surgery remains another traditional treatment option, it can have cost barriers to many patients, and may not fully address chronic pain. This is because medical research is proving more and more that chronic pain isn’t just a physical sensation: it’s an intricate state that draws from the emotional condition, mental perception, and even social influences.
As a result, more researchers are focusing on studies that examine how and why complementary therapies can be used as part of a treatment plan for chronic pain sufferers. Everything from meditation, yoga, hypnosis, acupuncture, and other ancient medical practices are being studied to more fully understand the relief they can bring. The future of pain management doesn’t just lie with physicians – it’s being shaped to include a network of psychologists, mental health providers, physicians, chiropractors, and other alternative health providers.
Acupuncture for Chronic Pain
Acupuncture is a holistic procedure in the tradition of ancient Chinese medicine. During treatment, Dr. Doyle inserts very thin, sterilized stainless steel needles into strategic points on the body to increase circulation and stimulate the nerves, muscles, and tissues within the musculoskeletal system. This process of stimulating pressure points helps to eliminate chronic and acute pain for patients dealing with neck and back pain, arthritis, TMJ disorders, migraines, and more. Millions of Americans use acupuncture to address chronic pain, according to the National Institute of Health. Recently, an analysis of nearly 18,000 patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that acupuncture relieves back, neck, and shoulder pain, as well as chronic headaches and the pain associated with osteoarthritis.
While the analysis showed some evidence to point to acupuncture’s “placebo effect”, researchers concluded that placebo effects in both traditional and alternative medicine are a uniquely critical part of pain treatment, since pain processing occurs differently for everyone. Unlike so many other medical conditions, the psychological state of a patient comes into play significantly with pain management. Therefore, whatever treatments can address the psychological state, as well as the physical, can be most effective.
Pain Relief in Roanoke, TX
If you are suffering from chronic pain and are interested in how alternative therapy could offer supplemental pain relief from your body pain, headaches, or osteoarthritis pain, contact Doyle Chiropractic in Roanoke, TX. We’ve helped patients just like you discover how acupuncture, chiropractic care, and other complementary therapies can make daily life less painful. Call us at 817-767-5430 to schedule your appointment with Dr. Doyle.