When To Avoid Dry Needling

Have you ever heard of dry needling before? A lot of people confuse dry needling with acupuncture. However, these two traditional medical methods are quite different from each other.

This needling practice started several decades ago and is considered an extension of physical therapy. However, there are not so many medical institutions that have recognized this method yet. In general, this is used for relieving pain particularly pain in the lower back. It has been used for several experts in treating conditions such as sciatica, herniated discs and slipped discs.

As needling expands, it's important to know the possible side effects, or when to avoid using dry needing. One of the side effects such as pain and bruising. In some cases, it can also cause bleeding. If you have tried this method before, you may have also felt soreness for a few days after it was administered.

When do you need to avoid dry needling? There are several circumstances when you should dry needling. This practice has some risks therefore you need to think through it first before you try it.

Avoid this needling practice when you are pregnant. Although there are few cases of complications on pregnant people, it is still very important to be cautious. When you are pregnant, your body is more sensitive and more vulnerable. There may be certain regions of your body where this practice is prohibited. You should also remember that when you are pregnant, you are not only after your health but also the health of your baby. Therefore, you should never try medical methods if you are not sure they are healthy for you and your child.

Avoid dry needling if you are not sure about the therapist. Needling, like acupuncture, should be administered by people who have thoroughly practiced this method. This practice involves inserting needles in different parts of your body including nerves. Therefore, you need to make sure that the therapist who will administer dry needling is an expert. Unless you are one hundred percent sure about the skill and reputation of the physician, you should never have someone insert needles in your body. This may case more complications than relief. You need to always take care of your body.

Avoid this type of needling practice if you have belonephobia. Belonephobia is the fear of needles. It's just common sense. If you are afraid of needles, how can you have someone insert needles on you? You will just feel very uncomfortable about the practice and you may even faint if your phobia is very strong. If you faint during the practice, it can be dangerous because there will be a lot of needles lying around and you may become injured. You know you have belonephobia if, whenever you see a needle, you sweat a lot, feel dizzy, feel sick and palpitate. If you really want to try dry needling, you should first overcome your fear of needles.

Acupuncture and Depression: An Effective Treatment

Acupuncture treats depression by correcting the physical imbalances at the root of the condition. Chinese medicine believes that depression, although recognized in the West as a mental or emotional problem, is actually a physical problem that simply manifests emotionally. The root of most depression, again from a Chinese medicine perspective, is blocked energy, what we call blocked Qi or Qi stagnation. When the natural movement of energy does not flow smoothly, it triggers one or more of the classic symptoms of depression.

You may have trouble falling asleep even when you're tired. Or you may fall asleep but can't stay asleep, waking at night unable to fall back to sleep for hours. Or you may want to sleep all the time, at night, during the day, feeling like you just can't get enough sleep. You may have trouble with eating, either having no appetite or wanting to eat all the time. You might have strong cravings for sweets, salty foods, high carbohydrate or rich foods. You may feel so tired physically and mentally that you don't even want to move or think. You will most likely lose interest and motivation for doing anything.

Additional symptoms of depression may include having repeating thoughts that won't go away, feeling extreme emotions (of sadness, irritability, anger), or a complete lack of emotions (feeling emotionally numb). You may experience a profound sadness, losing hope of ever feeling better. Sometimes physical pain accompanies depression, like headaches or neck aches. When you're depressed the brain does not function correctly, leading to foggy thinking, trouble remembering and poor concentration. You may be overly sensitive to your environment and to people around you. Bright lights might bother you, and normal sounds, voices and music may become intolerable.

How does energy get blocked in the first place, triggering depression? Qi gets blocked by a number of factors, including stress, trauma, chronic pain, and poor diet. Acupuncture resolves depression so effectively because it gets the stagnant Qi to move again in the body. And unlike most medications, acupuncture's effects have long lasting results. In other words, acupuncture gets your qi moving and at the same time strengthens your body to keep the qi moving on it's own. Let's face it, you were not born depressed. Your body was able to move it's qi quite well in the past. Acupuncture trains your body to do it's job again, returning you to health.

In addition to moving the qi, acupuncture corrects the other symptoms that manifest along with depression. It improves sleep by regulating your day/night cycle, calming your mind to reduce negative thoughts, and reducing anxiety that often accompanies depression, especially at night. Acupuncture increases your mental alertness and concentration by stimulating brain activity, and boosts your physical energy by strengthening your Spleen function. It regulates your digestive function to either increase your appetite if you've lost it or reduce your cravings if your depression has triggered binge eating.

Acupuncture also increases your natural tolerance to environmental stimuli so your surroundings and people around you no longer bother you. As the Qi starts flowing again through your body you will regain your motivation, feel hopeful again and start enjoying interactions with people around you.

The results are generally impressive. The vast majority of people who suffer from either mild or moderate depression, once treated with acupuncture, will have a full recovery. People suffering from major depression, accompanied with suicidal thoughts, can receive acupuncture, but only in conjunction with proper care from a psychiatrist.

So many people think they are stuck with their depression and just need to manage it as best they can. But there's a better solution, a drug-free solution in many cases, and that's acupuncture.