Pain Relief Treatment

You can schedule a consultation with me today (310) 902-7222 to identify which treatment is best for treating your painful condition. Or message me using either the form or address below. 

Alleviating Pain & Improving Lives

The pain epidemic in the United States affects more people than heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. Pain relief treatment is therefore in high demand.

Pain relief is the principal reason that you may want my help right now. Unfortunately, your current pain relief treatment strategies might be doing more harm than good by focusing on covering up the symptoms rather than treating the cause.

Complex and debilitating painful conditions have probably sent you searching for more comprehensive, holistic health approaches instead of temporarily masking your symptoms.

If so, then you have come to the right place.

How Chinese Medicine Approaches Pain Management

If you are experiencing pain from a traumatic injury, arthritis, headaches, migraines, menstrual pain, or nerve pain of any kind, relief is just a phone call away.

Your transformation shall commence shortly! Through the skillful use of herbs, acupuncture, and comprehensive changes to diet and lifestyle, you will find your pain levels decreased, and your function restored.

Generally speaking, Chinese medicine considers pain as either a condition of excess or deficiency in the body, often described as “Qi and Blood stagnation.” This sensation can feel sharp, dull, tight, or stiff in an area where Qi and Blood do not flow adequately. Using needles or pressure, this blockage can be removed with sufficient skill and proper technique.  Over time, with appropriate guidance and treatment, the body can adapt and further development of this blockage can be avoided.

Acupuncture Treatments

Acupuncture stimulates specific parts of the body called acupuncture points or ashi points with very fine, sterile needles. The stimulation at these points communicates to your body and tells it how to heal itself.  Studies have explored the systemic effects of needling and confirm that chemical messengers and neurotransmitters are released with acupuncture and inform the body precisely what’s not quite working.

Overwhelming evidence from dozens of studies over the past decade successfully demonstrate acupuncture’s effectiveness to reduce pain beyond a placebo effect. Supporting evidence indicates that acupuncture stimulates peripheral nerves to release endorphins and down regulate the up-regulating cycle of the nervous system to promote rest and repose, rather than a fight or flight response.

These pain-relieving compounds, which the body naturally produces internally, help to block pain pathways in the brain. As the treatment relaxes your mind and body, you might even fall asleep due to the endogenous release of endorphins.

If you are concerned that the needles used in my practice might be painful, it might seem incredible that something like this could work. I used to be convinced of the same line of thinking; however, if you are willing to try it, you will discover that the needle insertion is usually quite painless, and you won’t even know the needle is there unless you move your limb to look.

Even if we decide not to use needles, there are ways to stimulate the points with acupressure instead. So fear not, relief from pain is available to even the needle-phobic!

Specific Uses of Acupuncture for Treating Pain

Acupuncture has proven helpful in reducing chronic pain in various areas of the body. A recent study showed that nearly 18,000 patients suffering from chronic pain found significant improvements with acupuncture in the following areas: back, neck, osteoarthritis, chronic headache, shoulder pain, and labor pain.

Acupuncture also helps with labor pains related to childbirth. In a study that compared results from 13 trials, including nearly 2,000 women, researchers found that with acupuncture and acupressure, women experienced less pain. They also noted that these patients didn’t need as much pharmaceutical pain relief during labor.

Regardless of your pain pattern, acupuncture or acupressure is likely to help you as well. I’m confident that my experience with treating chronic pain will help you too.

Herbal Medicine Treatments

Many Chinese herbs offer to help with pain treatment, and you’ve likely already heard of herbal remedies like turmeric and its ability to treat shoulder pain. Self treatment with herbs does not always have the best outcomes, however, and you might struggle to find the best solution for your situation. Usually, traditional strategies with Chinese Medicine employ a formulaic method rather than a single herb to treat painful conditions. Still, even when considering a single herb, it’s important to consider dosage when taking herbs for painful conditions.  We will discuss your options and determine the best recommendation for your pattern of illness. 

You may have heard of corydalis (Yan Hu Suo), used for thousands of years to resolve severe chronic conditions. This plant is harvested, ground up, and boiled with hot vinegar to treat chronic migraine, back, or menstrual pain. Corydalis contains a pain-relieving compound called dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB). DHCB has gained significant attention because it does not generate a tolerance, unlike other drugs. The best part is, we can harness the power of compounds like this one without expensive manufacturing or extraction processes. Herbal remedies are cheap and easy, but should only be used under the supervision of a trained professional.

The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which has gained popularity in recent years in remedies for chronic inflammation. Jiang huang is the Chinese name for one species of turmeric root. Yu jin is the name for another species, and each have different properties. Both are beneficial for traumatic injury, abdominal pain, and menstrual pain, but they are not always the best choice for all types of pain. For instance, studies show that curcumin extract is not as effective to relieve pain as the dried herb from which it is derived. Also, one species of turmeric is warming in nature, the other is cooling, and both can interfere with digestion if taken by themselves. The formulaic strategy includes herbs that mitigate the side effects of other herbs in the formula, which often boosts its overall benefit. In general, the superior method is to use a formula rather than a single herb or extract, since better outcomes can be attained this way. 

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine offer safe, effective, reliable relief from pain. Scientific studies have demonstrated that these methods often perform better than standard care offered by pharmaceutical approaches or surgery. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to live with the pain forever.  After determining your specific pattern of illness, we will develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing your health concerns with herbs as well as acupuncture or massage. 

Certainly, you can expect to notice significant improvement even after a few sessions, but it often takes consistent healthy habits to create lasting changes. Let me help you get back on your feet and put together a plan for your success.

You can schedule a consultation with me today (310) 902-7222 to identify which treatment is best for treating your painful condition.