The Truth About Acupuncture: Why It Deserves Your Attention

Common Misconceptions About Acupuncture

Over the years, I've had countless conversations with people who express genuine curiosity about acupuncture but also admit they don’t know much about it. Many immediately dismiss it due to common misconceptions: "No way... it’ll hurt!", "I don’t do needles," or "I’m diabetic, so I can’t risk infection."

A Story That Stuck With Me

This past winter, I had an eye-opening chat with someone on a chair lift. He had received a gift certificate for acupuncture a year ago but hadn’t used it because he didn’t know what to go for. As we rode to the top of the mountain, he explained that he had arthritis, a bad knee, and a digestive issue that led to him getting a colostomy bag. It struck me when he said, "There’s nothing that acupuncture can really help me with."

How Patients Typically Find Acupuncture

Acupuncture is much more common out West, especially in places like the Rocky Mountains, where it’s integrated into mainstream healthcare. Here in the Northeast, however, many are still just beginning to explore its benefits.Often, people come to acupuncture as a last resort—after trying every option in Western medicine. They’ve gone through the motions: getting MRIs and X-rays, taking medications, receiving cortisone injections, seeing surgeons, and sometimes even recovering from surgery. By the time they walk into our clinic, they’re discouraged and unsure if anything will help. But, once they give acupuncture a try… they start to feel better.

Healing Takes Time

It doesn’t always happen immediately, especially for chronic conditions that have been ongoing for years. But by around the 7th or 8th visit, patients begin to notice something: they start to believe.

At first, they might say, “I’m feeling better, but I did used to have good days, so I can’t really say…”Later, it might be, “I’m feeling better, and I’ve also been doing X, so I can’t really say…”And eventually, they say, “I’m feeling better—acupuncture is definitely helping!”

Rethinking Healthcare

The truth is, most of us need to reframe how we think about healthcare. We don’t need to wait until something becomes so painful that we end up in the ER, or until we've exhausted every other option. Instead, what if we approached health as an ongoing, continuous balance—repairing our bodies and undoing the effects of stress, poor posture, and toxic load?

The Power of Acupuncture for Maintenance

Acupuncture is one of the many tools that can help us maintain balance. Imagine this: what if, with a simple treatment every 4-6 weeks, you could stay in perfect harmony, allowing your body to heal itself efficiently? Keeping your organ systems functioning optimally? That’s the power of acupuncture.

Help Us Spread the Word

I’m truly passionate about spreading the word about acupuncture and this simple yet powerful perspective on health. So, I’m asking for your help. If you’ve had a positive experience with acupuncture, share your success! Leaving a Google review is a great way to give others hope and help them discover acupuncture’s benefits. And, of course, tell your friends and family about it.

Here’s What You Need to Know About Acupuncture:

Acupuncture as a First Option

I wish more people knew that acupuncture works best as a first option. It can often prevent things from getting worse and stop problems before they escalate.

How Acupuncture Helps the Body

We don’t yet have one single, definitive explanation for how acupuncture works in the language of modern biomedicine. But we do know what acupuncture does—and we have research to back it up.

Studies show that acupuncture:

• Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest-and-digest” state)

• Stimulates the release of endorphins (your body’s natural painkillers)

• Modulates inflammation

• Improves blood flow

• Creates new neural pathways, promoting neuroplasticity

• Influences the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, helping regulate your stress response

In simpler terms, acupuncture trains the brain and helps the body return to homeostasis; it puts the body in the best possible position it can be in to heal itself.

Acupuncture Is Widely Accepted

Acupuncture is no longer considered a fringe therapy. It’s used in some of the most respected institutions in the country, including:

• Cleveland Clinic (for pain, fertility, migraines, anxiety, and more)

• Mayo Clinic (part of their integrative medicine services)

• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (easing the side effects of cancer treatment)

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

• Johns Hopkins and UCLA Health

In fact, major insurance companies, the U.S. military, and the Department of Veterans Affairs all cover acupuncture due to its effectiveness—particularly for pain, PTSD, and chronic conditions.

The Ongoing Challenge with Public Perception

Yet, the Wikipedia page still dismisses it as “pseudoscience,” which is frustrating, given the centuries of clinical experience and modern research backing it.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to fully understand how acupuncture works to benefit from it. Most of our patients don’t walk in with a deep knowledge of meridians or neurochemistry—they just want to feel better. And more often than not, acupuncture helps them.

While many people find us as a last resort, I always wish they had come sooner. Acupuncture is gentle, effective, and safe. It helps the body heal itself, and it deserves to be recognized for what it truly is: a powerful healing modality.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support helps spread the word about acupuncture and empowers others to take charge of their health. Together, we can make a difference!

Have a balanced day!

Allison, LAc