Side Effects Of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique whereby the practitioner tries to stimulate strategic points on your body by inserting thin needles into the skin. Referred to as traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is one of the most sought after alternative medical treatments by most people nowadays. It is believed to bring balance to your bodily energies.

This technique helps to ease pain that is associated with chronic health issues such as low back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis/knee pain, joint dysfunction, nerve pain (neuropathy) and shoulder pain. It is also used for other painful ailments such as cancer, migraine headache and osteoarthritis. There are some people who prefer to use acupuncture in order to control addictions such as cocaine dependence and smoking.

Acupuncture helps to relieve symptoms such as dry mouth, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome (also called CFS ), anxiety, sleeping difficulty (insomnia), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, vomiting associated with cancer treatment, stroke, bed-wetting, urinary incontinence, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (progressive lung disease).

People may have received satisfactory results from this traditional Chinese medicine, yet every medical treatment does have the potential for certain side effects. Not many people are aware about some of the side effects of acupuncture. Here are some of the side effects of acupuncture.

Fatigue
Acupuncture is generally beneficial, yet it does have a few side effects. Most people feel energised after undergoing this traditional healing treatment. Nevertheless, there are some patients who feel a little wiped out after undergoing acupuncture for body treatment. Feeling a bit fatigued is not a cause of concern. However, it is a telltale sign that your body needs to rest immediately.

Soreness
After doing acupuncture, there are chances of feeling uneasy and sore after the needles are removed. Some of the body parts where the needles are inserted during the treatment will tend to remain sore for a couple of days. The soreness from an acupuncture session usually fritters away within 24 hours. However, some of the acupuncture release points (in the hands especially between thumb and index finger) could cause certain lingering soreness and would last for a few more days. Soreness is the most common side effect of acupuncture.

Infections
There are relatively more complications involved while treating your body with acupuncture. Some of the worst side effects of acupuncture are getting infections. Most licensed acupuncturists are required to follow certain precautions such as using sterile and disposable needles. On the other hand, reused needle could expose you to diseases such as hepatitis.

Bruising
Bruising is one of the most common side effects of acupuncture and it does happen occasionally during an acupuncture session. This could create a haematoma (a localised swelling that is filled with blood) that occurs when the needle punctures the skin.

Organ injury
If the needles are initiated deeply, there is a possibility of puncturing internal organs especially the lungs. However, this is the rarest complication that you could face in the hands of a specialised practitioner.

Emotional pain
Some patients, who undergo acupuncture for the body, tend to feel extra sensitive. Some people cry during the session. Emotional release can turn out to be a positive experience for some patients. But it can be surprising when it becomes more stoical.