Welcome to our Toronto Chronic Pain relief center!
For the last 23 years, we’ve helped thousands of patients with Chronic Pain. Let us explain how Acupuncture, Cupping and Moxibustion are amazing modalities for chronic pain relief. Conventional treatments for chronic pain will often include medications that can have adverse side effects; in comparison, acupuncture has a lower risk of adverse side effects and complications. Acupuncture can also work in conjunction with conventional treatment methods to provide more benefits and/or to alleviate side effects of conventional treatments. In this article, we’re going to share how Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture can relieve Chronic Pain but it can also help to address the secondary effects of chronic pain on one’s mental health.
Acupuncture- A classic choice for natural pain relief
Acupuncture is known for its analgesic properties and it’s strength really shines when we treat chronic pain. All of the techniques we practice in our Yorkville clinic, have the ability to stimulate specific nerve fibers that are associated with blocking pain receptors.
Here’s how we do it (summed up in a nutshell): by either inserting a needle, placing a “fire-cup”, or burning some Moxibustion, we can inhibit pain by affecting these nerve fibers and helping to modulate the body’s pain response.
Acupuncture is INCREDIBLE at supporting the nervous system. It adjusts our body’s pain response in a positive way. It can help to upregulate us when we need our natural healing response to address something or downregulate us when we need the body to reduce or turn the volume down on our pain response.
Acupuncture can help to release endogenous opiates, such as endorphins as well as corticosteroids which help relieve pain.
Pain Release according to Chinese Medicine
Bear with us while we explain some Chinese Medicine terminology as it related to Chronic Pain. We do feel it’s important! Here goes…
Stagnation: In Chinese medicine, when there is pain qi and blood flow are stuck or restricted in those areas. This restriction is known in Chinese Medicine as “Stagnation”. We use multiple different modalities – Fire Cupping, Clinical Acupuncture and Japanese Moxibustion. All of which release stagnation and increase qi and blood flow to the painful areas.
From a Chinese Medicine perspective, when pain is caused by stagnation, Cupping and Acupuncture needles are your best friend! Cupping is a great modality that provides immediate relief on a muscular level.
It can be very common for folks to develop pain not only in the primary area of concern but also in other areas of the body due to compensating or trying to avoid applying too much pressure or tension in the primary area. For example: if someone has had a severe injury to their right knee due to a MVA, this may cause them to favor the left knee which then can cause tension and overdevelopment of muscles along the entire left chain of the body. The lactic acid build-up that can happen with increased use of certain areas of the body can be supported with cupping by breaking up that build up and allowing for quicker muscle recovery.
Treating pain at the root vs symptom relief: Additionally, because chronic pain can have so many different sources, Traditional Chinese Medicine will look to not only address the symptoms in the local areas of concern but it will also look to support and harmonize the underlying imbalances that may be contributing to the pain.
Think of Chinese Medicine as pacifying pain with soothing techniques that help dull or eliminate the sharpness of it.
Fire Cupping Therapy for Chronic Pain Relief
We incorporate cupping at no extra cost into our chronic pain relief sessions. We use a lot in clinic and our patients love the pain relief properties of it! Cupping can be especially great for muscular imbalances in the body, allowing for qi and blood that is getting stuck (thus, causing pain) to be released and allowing the body to move more freely. Increasing qi and blood flow also allows for muscles to be better nourished.
Chronic pain also affects the immune system. Over time, the body can be weakened by being in a state of chronic pain thus affecting the immune system. Cupping can increase the immune system’s natural response by increasing white blood cells to the area, helping to fight off pathogens that can feel much stronger due to being in a state of chronic pain. In some cases, chronic pain can be due to immune dysfunction such as in autoimmune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. TCM can then address these underlying conditions, getting to the root of the problem thereby eliminating the presenting symptom of pain.
Chinese Medicine provides mental health support for Chronic Pain sufferers
Not only is acupuncture, cupping, and moxa supportive for the physical aspects of chronic pain but also the effects it can have on mental health as mentioned above. Acupuncture is wonderful for relieving stress and relaxing the nervous system. Often, chronic pain can cause the nervous system to be in a constant state of activation which can have detrimental effects not only on the body’s biochemistry but also one’s mental state.
Watch our video to learn an easy breathing technique for Chronic Pain
Acupuncture can help to remind the body that it is able to relax again by reducing pain and furthermore, releasing endorphins.
Stress relief essential to reduce chronic pain- Acupuncture to the rescue!
- Stress, above and beyond the primary symptoms of the chronic pain condition, can add further harm as well.
- Stress can trigger pain flare ups, affect our immune system, and it even shortens the telomeres of our DNA!
- Acupuncture can help increase parasympathetic activity in the CNS, shifting our bodies from “fight, flight, freeze” to “rest and digest”.
- Acupuncture allows for our body’s natural healing abilities to turn back on after being inhibited during chronic states of stress.
We successfully treat a wide variety of patients with various chronic pain conditions
According to the Canadian Pain Task Force, about one in four Canadians lives with chronic pain. We see a wide variety of chronic pain patients in our downtown Toronto clinic.
Research has shown acupuncture to be effective in relieving:
- Low back pain
- Nerve related pain
- Migraines
- Fibromyalgia
- Neck pain
- Abdominal pain
- Musculoskeletal pain
- Immune system conditions
- Any pain that impedes on daily tasks and peace of mind
What exactly is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is considered pain that persists beyond 3 months or recurs over that same amount of time. Sources of chronic pain can vary greatly; it can be associated with:
- Injury: eg. herniated disk
- Cancer
- Arthritis – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
- Primary pain conditions – eg. fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, headaches/migraines
- and many other conditions.
Symptoms of chronic pain
- Aching, burning, shooting, throbbing and stiffness.
- Often affects different and/or multiple areas of the body.
- Pain that is debilitating and disruptive in almost all areas of one’s life.
- Discomfort and pain that gets in the way of everyday tasks and affects work, and relationships.
- Insomnia or sleep difficulties due to not being able to get comfortable during the night and/or having pain that flares up more during the evenings – especially after a long day of having to use our bodies to complete daily tasks.
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Hopelessness/Despair
Don’t suffer Alone
An aspect of chronic pain that can make it especially difficult and isolating is that it can often appear invisible to others which takes a toll on folks who are looking to access care. Given all of these ways that chronic pain can affect one’s life, it is not surprising that Pain Canada states the statistic that people living with chronic pain are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression.
Chronic pain can prevent people from being able to socialize as they once did which leads to further isolation and perpetuating a cycle that further breaks down mental health. Living with chronic pain from a young age can have a profound effect on one’s sense of identity, especially if those around them or in their circle of care may not fully understand the experience of living with chronic pain. When chronic pain occurs later in life, it can also have a profound effect due to the potential shifts in one’s capacity and feeling as if they cannot live their life as they did before.
Lack of health system support for chronic pain
While available treatment for chronic pain is evolving, people living with chronic pain have shared in the Report by the Canadian Pain Task Force that conventional treatment for chronic pain can often be difficult to access with long waitlists and unavailability of specialty pain services. Primary care professionals (GP’s and other MD’s) are often unaware of the full range of services available (such as Acupuncture). These factors can further exacerbate the frustration and toll on mental health while experiencing chronic pain.
Acupuncture as part of your chronic pain journey wellbeing tool-kit
We get it, we’re here for you and will meet you where you’re at. Come prepared to relax while we help lighten feelings of physical and mental heaviness.
What does a course of treatment look like at Acupuncture Center Toronto?
It is important to keep in mind that chronic conditions can sometimes take a bit longer to heal as the body has become accustomed to a specific pattern of pain and physiological responses.
We recommend starting off by booking a “Clinical Acupuncture appointment”. Some chronic pain patients notice a reduction in pain intensity during or immediately after each session. While others, the energy shift and analgesic pain killing properties may take 2-3 days to set in. We like to suggest a treatment frequency that aligns with your budget and schedule. Perhaps 1/week until you are feeling better and want to start spacing them out. Or maybe a regular Acupuncture session every two weeks will help keep symptoms at bay. It’s up to you to decide without pressure. With regular acupuncture treatments. We can help shift that pattern so that the body can maintain new responses. Pain is one of our specialties and we look forward to making you feel more comfortable and relaxed in your body.
By Aya Tomioka R. Ac
Aya Tomioka has a special interest in the mind/body connection of pain. They have treated hundreds of chronic pain related cases in our Yorkville Clinic. They are trauma informed and known for being an excellent communicator of our services and Chinese Medicine. When not practicing Acupuncture they are involved in community work and social justice initiatives. Aya always meets their patients where they’re at and has a knack for making people feel heard and healed. Click here to book an appointment with Aya Tomioka R. Ac.
