Study finds acupuncture to be more effective in treating pain than morphine
Acupuncture is an age-old traditional Chinese practice in which practitioners stimulate specific trigger points on the body by inserting thin needles through the skin. In Asia, acupuncture has been used for centuries to treat back, knee, and neck pain, osteoarthritis, headaches, and many other medical conditions. Today researchers are slowly unraveling what benefits acupuncture can have on our overall health.
According to new research, published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, acupuncture may be more efficient in the management of pain than intravenous morphine. Furthermore, the study reported that acupuncture can work faster in relieving pain and with no adverse health effects. When performed by an experienced, well-trained practitioner using sterile needles, acupuncture is generally well-tolerated and considered safe for most people.
The dark side of morphine use
People suffering chronic pain are usually prescribed morphine or morphine-like prescription drugs. These opioid pain medications are highly addictive and can have severe adverse health effects. Next to being highly addictive, morphine-based drugs can cause drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, tired feeling, anxiety, and mild itching.
Furthermore, a research team from the University of Colorado-Boulder reported that they may actually worsen chronic pain instead of treating it. As reported by Waking Times, prescription painkillers have been responsible for more than 183,000 deaths over the last 15 years.
Even though there are several holistic alternatives available to treat chronic pain, doctors keep prescribing these health-damaging drugs to the majority of pain sufferers. Current evidence suggests acupuncture is one of the most effective holistic treatments to combat pain. It might even be more effective than morphine, according to the researchers from the Fattaouma Bourguiba University Hospital in Tunisia.
Acupuncture versus Big Pharma
For their study, the research team evaluated 300 emergency patients. Of these 300 patients, 150 were administered up to 15 milligrams of morphine per day while the other 150 people were treated with acupuncture to manage their pain.
The team concluded that there was a significant difference in pain reduction between the two groups. The acupuncture group experienced greater pain reduction. Furthermore, the researcher reported that the effect occurred faster and with fewer side effects compared to the morphine group.
This is not the first time acupuncture has been associated with better health and pain reduction. In 1996, acupuncture became an accepted form of medical treatment, officially recognized by some governments throughout the world. Nonetheless, harmful prescription medication is for many pain sufferers still the way they choose to manage their chronic aches and pain.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), conditions for which acupuncture has been proven to be an effective treatment include adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, allergic rhinitis, biliary colic, depression, dysentery, nausea, morning sickness, hypertension, headaches, sciatica and lower back, knee, and neck pain.
As you can see, acupuncture can play a crucial role in pain management. It works better than morphine, one of the strongest painkillers out there, making it an effective drug-free alternative to health-damaging prescription drugs. If you, or one of your loved ones, suffers from chronic pain, instead of relying on money-generating, addictive medications why not give this ancient, time-tested, natural practice your trust?
yogaesoteric
July 12, 2017