Most of us have occasional aches and pains. But chronic pain is different. When the original source of the pain should have been healed right now, you have to ask yourself why it has not. Your body heals itself. You just need to give it what it needs to heal.
Quick Synopsis:
- To completely heal from chronic pain, you have to heal the whole person
- Pain is caused by blockage, and acupuncture and Chinese herbs treat that
- Licensed Acupuncturists learn how to prescribe herbal medicine in the same way doctors prescribe pharmaceuticals
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs help to restore energy levels, and restore healthy circulation. The herbs are especially important for chronic pain, because they are used to help you heal faster and treat underlying issues that could keep you locked in a pain cycle for years.
Pain is not just caused by inflammation, as the people who sell pills for this want you to think. Inflammation is only part of the pain pattern.
Once circulation to an area is blocked, the blood flow, and the oxygen supply are reduced also. Over the counter pain relievers stop the pain and inflammatory process, they do nothing to restore healthy blood flow.
Blood Stagnation Is Important to Resolve for Pain Relief
Another part of pain is stagnation of blood. This is a Chinese medicine explanation of pain. When the circulation is blocked too long, the blood in the area is also blocked. In order to fully relieve pain, you have to restore healthy blood flow, and resolve the stagnant blood. This theory is not considered in modern medicine. They do have drugs that resolve blood clots, but they do not resolve pain issues. They can also be very dangerous. But the herbs that work on this problem are safe if prescribed by someone who has a degree in Chinese medicine.
In acupuncture school, in order to be a Licensed Acupuncturist in Texas, we spent two years studying Chinese herbs. The first year was learning over 100 Chinese herbs, and what the functions were of each one.
In the third year of acupuncture school, we learned how to prescribe herbal formulas to treat health issues.
The traditional use of Chinese herbs was to get the raw, dried herb, and boil it for about 30 minutes. Then the tea is drunk 2-3 times per day until the next evaluation, where the formula might be changed, or adjusted, depending on what the current symptoms are.
Modern Chinese Herbal Medicine
These days we use herbal extracts. The herbs are boiled in a big pharmaceutical grade factory, and the liquid from the boiling is dried and formed into tablets, capsules, or powder.
One of my favorite herb companies is KPC. I have used this brand since 1996, in acupuncture school. Check them out here: KPC Herbs Website
There are now dozens of companies that manufacture high quality herbal extracts for sale in America. Each company has their own basic formulas, as well as proprietary formulas which other companies do not make. That is why I personally use at least 6 brands of Chinese herbs. I need a big variety of brands to have multiple formula options.
