Everyone is aware that you should visit your family doctor and dentist at least twice a year. However, not everyone is aware of acupuncture or the many advantages it can offer you. You might not need to visit the family doctor as frequently for those small little problems if you start including acupuncture into your health and fitness routine. Let's see how acupuncture treatments may keep you happy and healthy.

Acupuncture treatments have the power to alter someone's life in a variety of ways. One of the most obvious effects is how acupuncture can change the way you view your health. This could indicate that you begin looking more closely at your health, which might enable you to stray from some of the standard medical procedures like using numerous medications. Many long-term acupuncture patients discover they no longer require all the pharmaceuticals their primary care physician has recommended since the symptoms have been treated with acupuncture.

Acupuncture is excellent for prevention. Because regular acupuncture treatments can balance hormones and boost immunity, there is a good chance you won’t need that annual flu shot or all those over-the-counter cold medications. A trained acupuncturist can spot a problem like decreased immunity from a mile away. It can appear as symptoms such as chronic fatigue, insomnia, and even body temperature fluctuations. A couple of treatments can make a big difference.

What about relieving some of that extra stress we all deal with? Yes, regular acupuncture treatments can keep that at bay too.  Many people don’t equate being poked with tiny needles as a relaxation technique, but it truly is relaxing. Many patients actually fall asleep after or while the needles are being placed. And the effects can last for days or even weeks. So the next time you feel irritable and overwhelmed, check out your wellness provider.

The most popular reason to get regular acupuncture treatments is that it will help you remain pain-free. We all have aches and pains. But research has shown acupuncture is more effective than opioids for controlling things like arthritic pain in the joints. It has also been incorporated into hospital emergency rooms throughout the United States, so people don’t need as many pain medications. As a matter of fact, in Asia, acupuncture is sometimes used by itself during and after surgical procedures to treat pain.

While many of you may have a needle phobia, don’t let that deter you. Acupuncture is part of an amazing medical system that has been around for nearly 3,000 years. Western medicine has only been around for about 200 to 250 years. That puts things in perspective a little, especially considering that most people in Asian countries live longer, happier, healthier lives than almost everybody in the United States. There’s no better time than the present to start a good habit. Just be sure to seek out a fully trained and licensed acupuncturist. Your whole life just might change for the better.