Acupuncture is a popular wellness therapy used for the treatment of everything from chronic pain to asthma and infertility.  Now this treatment is getting a serious boost…from an electrical current⚡️

Electroacupuncture: How It Works

While electroacupuncture isn’t new, more people are becoming interested in how and why it works.   

With this treatment you take 2 tiny clips with a positive and negative end— kind of like you’re going to jump your car — connect them to the acupuncture needles, then connect them to an electrical current.  The electroacupuncture machine then sends pulses into the body, activating your “qi” or life force energy and moving blockages that could be causing your pain, illness or other conditions.  

Electroacupuncture can also help with optimal performance and recovery from athletic training sessions as it effectively releases trigger points and tight muscles.  

Electroacupuncture uses the same principles and pressure points as the traditional acupuncture method where needles are stimulated by hand, but it adds a micro or milli-current to the needle for additional therapeutic benefit.  Acupuncturists adjust the frequency of the current and the number of electrons that flow through the wire to the body, enhancing the function of that specific point and activating different types of regeneration in the body.

Electroacupuncture: Benefits

Electroacupuncture therapy taps into your nervous system by stimulating circulation in the body at specific points.  

Low frequency electroacupuncture is associated with a greater output of endorphins from the nervous system. These endorphins circulate in your bloodstream longer, providing an extended period of pain relief compared to acupuncture alone.  The neurons traveling throughout your body can also provide better tissue healing and wound repair.

At Blue Soulspace we incorporate electroacupuncture into patient care to treat a wide range of conditions – from anxiety to chronic or acute pain, and also some digestive complaints like constipation.  Research shows it can help relieve symptoms of joint pain, fatigue and depression in breast cancer patients.

Athletes see promising results from electroacupuncture. This therapy can help with performance and recovery from training sessions thanks to how effectively it releases trigger points (bands of hyper-irritated muscle tissues from overuse, strain or trauma). 

Acupuncture with electric stimulation uses a trigger point technique, where you get the muscle to twitch and then relax. The result is a more balanced muscle structure and pain relief in that particular area.  It normally occurs after one to three sessions of electroacupuncture. 

We use electroacupuncture to treat sciatica, low back pain, shoulder injuries and also plantar fasciitis, which is foot pain common in runners.  It can even help relieve carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrists.

If you’ve broken a bone, electroacupuncture may even help you heal faster by stimulating bone growth, nerve regeneration, ligaments and capillary formation.

Electroacupuncture: What to Expect, Side Effects and Contraindications

Like any treatment, your acupuncturist will start by asking about your medical history and symptoms.  With holistic medicine, if you come in for shoulder pain, I want to know about your digestion, elimination, sleep and other health symptoms so I can customize your treatment plan and treat your entire system.

If you have an electrical device like a pacemaker or defibrillator or are pregnant, I don’t recommend electroacupuncture.  Also if your health history and current condition do not indicate electroacupuncture, I will not use this type of therapy as often it can be counter-productive in some individuals.  

While the thought of becoming a human pincushion makes some people uneasy, don’t worry- insertion of the needles typically doesn’t hurt and the electrical current shouldn’t feel like you’re getting shocked.  You might be aware of a pulse, dull heaviness or other sensations in your body with the current, but not pain.   It can even be common for some people to get a needle in their back, and feel a tingling in their foot or elsewhere – as the energy pathways travel throughout your body in channels. 

When your treatment is over, most patients describe feeling a profound sense of relaxation, or perhaps feeling a bit spacey or drained.  You may even feel sore the next day, especially with trigger point therapy, but that resolves quickly and ideally, you are feeling more mobile and energized within 24 hours.  

If you have any questions about electroacupuncture and if it’s right for you, please contact us or book a consultation here.