Beyond Pain Relief: How Acupuncture Can Help You Feel Your Best Year Round

Dr. Wanda Duong, Doctor of Acupuncture

We’re already halfway through the year, and with summer in full swing, calendars quickly fill with travel, activities, and time outdoors. As you enjoy the warm weather, don’t forget to prioritize your health. Regular acupuncture treatments can help you feel your best so you can fully embrace the season.

It’s also the perfect time to make use of your extended health benefits. Rather than cramming appointments into the end of the year, spacing treatments throughout the months provides more consistent and effective support for your body.

While many people think of acupuncture primarily for pain—like backaches, neck tension, or injuries—its benefits go far beyond pain management.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the body is seen as an interconnected system. Acupuncture helps restore balance—physically, emotionally, and energetically. This holistic approach supports a wide range of everyday health concerns, not just pain.

Here are five common ways acupuncture can help:

1. Stress and Anxiety

We all experience stress—whether from work, family, or the pace of daily life. Anxiety is also increasingly common, affecting both mental and physical well-being. What many people don’t realize is that acupuncture offers a natural, effective way to help the body manage stress and return to a state of balance.

Acupuncture gently stimulates specific points on the body to regulate the nervous system and encourage the release of natural chemicals like endorphins—your body’s own mood boosters and pain relievers. It helps shift your body from a constant state of stress (“fight or flight”) to a more relaxed, restorative mode.

How acupuncture helps ease stress and anxiety:

Emotional regulation: Calms the nervous system and eases symptoms like racing thoughts, tension, or restlessness.
Relief of physical stress symptoms: Reduces muscle tightness, headaches, digestive upset, and sleep disturbances—common effects of chronic stress.
Restores calm and clarity: Enhances resilience by supporting the body’s overall balance.

2. Hormonal Imbalance & Menstrual Health

Irregular periods, PMS, painful cramps, or the ups and downs of perimenopause are common—but they don’t have to be something you just "put up with." Acupuncture provides a gentle, natural way to support hormonal balance at every life stage.

In TCM, many hormonal or menstrual issues are signs that the body’s internal systems are out of sync. Acupuncture supports these systems, helping the body regulate hormones more effectively and naturally.

Modern research backs up what TCM has long understood: acupuncture can influence the nervous and endocrine systems, promoting hormone balance, ovulation, and improved blood flow to reproductive organs—while also reducing stress, a major disruptor of hormonal health.

How acupuncture supports hormonal health:

Encourages hormone regulation: Influences the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, supporting healthy levels of estrogen, progesterone, and more.
Regulates cycles: Improves circulation to the uterus and ovaries to normalize cycle length and support ovulation.
Eases cramps and PMS: Reduces inflammation and stimulates endorphins to relieve pain, bloating, and mood swings.
Supports menopause and perimenopause: May reduce hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and anxiety—offering a natural alternative to hormone therapy.

3. Digestive Health

Digestive issues like bloating, constipation, acid reflux, or IBS can seriously impact quality of life. While diet and stress are often to blame, TCM views these symptoms as signs of internal imbalance.

Acupuncture targets specific points that help regulate digestion, reduce inflammation, and calm the gut-brain axis—the connection between your digestive system and mental state.

How acupuncture supports digestion:

Improves gut motility: Regulates peristalsis (intestinal movement), supporting both sluggish and overactive bowels.
Soothes the gut-brain connection: Eases stress-related symptoms like nausea and IBS flare-ups by calming the nervous system.
Reduces inflammation: May help with conditions like gastritis or acid reflux by decreasing gut inflammation.
Supports gut healing: Early studies suggest acupuncture may improve microbiome health and strengthen the intestinal lining.

4. Insomnia & Restless Sleep

Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling unrested? You’re not alone. Sleep issues are incredibly common and can affect your mood, focus, energy, immunity, and digestion. Fortunately, acupuncture offers a drug-free way to reset your sleep cycle and restore rest.

In TCM, poor sleep is often linked to imbalances in organ systems that affect both emotional and physical regulation. Acupuncture helps correct these imbalances while calming the nervous system and quieting a racing mind.

Many people experience improved sleep after just a few sessions.

How acupuncture supports better sleep:

Deep relaxation: Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest and digest” mode), easing tension and lowering heart rate.
Balances brain chemistry: Supports the production of melatonin and GABA—neurochemicals essential for sleep.
Reduces cortisol and stress: Helps regulate the stress response and lower cortisol levels, which can interfere with sleep.
Resets the internal clock: Influences the HPA axis, helping re-establish a healthy circadian rhythm.
Eases inflammation and pain: Reduces discomfort that may disturb sleep.
Supports emotional wellness: Functional MRI studies show acupuncture calms overactive brain regions linked to worry, making it easier to unwind.

5. Post-Viral Fatigue

Ongoing fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, and muscle aches weeks or months after an illness are signs of Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS), including what’s commonly referred to as Long COVID.

Western medicine identifies several possible causes:

Immune system dysregulation and chronic inflammation
Lingering viral fragments
Mitochondrial (cellular energy) dysfunction
Gut microbiome imbalances
Brain inflammation and hormone disruption

In TCM, post-viral fatigue is often described as a pattern of deficiency at the root with excess at the surface—meaning core energy is depleted, while lingering “pathogenic factors” create symptoms like heaviness, foggy thinking, or weakness.

How acupuncture supports recovery:

Stimulates endorphin release to ease fatigue and pain
Modulates inflammation and supports immune function
Improves blood flow and oxygenation of tissues
Enhances neurotransmitter activity to support energy and mood

Because every recovery is different, acupuncture is often paired with other therapies—such as Chinese herbal medicine, dietary changes, nutrient support, gentle exercise like qigong, and rest—to create a tailored, comprehensive recovery plan.

Conclusion

Whether you're dealing with pain, stress, poor sleep, or lingering illness, acupuncture offers a time-tested, holistic approach that supports the body’s innate healing processes. It treats not just symptoms, but the root causes—helping restore balance across body, mind, and spirit.

Modern research continues to confirm what Traditional Chinese Medicine has taught for centuries: true health is harmony. When that harmony is disrupted, acupuncture can help gently guide you back.

Curious about how acupuncture might support your health? Reach out or book a consultation. Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all—and you don’t have to walk the path alone.

Discover the Benefits of Acupuncture!
You can now book with Wanda Duong, Doctor of Acupuncture, at AST Westman Village.
Experience how acupuncture can support your wellness and recovery—schedule your appointment today!

Understanding Acupuncture: A Gentle Solution for Pain Management

Written by: Dr. Wanda Duong, Doctor of Acupuncture, R.Ac, B.Sc, Dip. TCM and Natural Nutrition

Acupuncture, an ancient practice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been used for thousands of years to address a variety of health concerns, especially pain. This technique involves carefully inserting fine needles into specific points on the body. While its origins are deeply traditional, modern research is shedding light on how acupuncture works to alleviate pain and improve well-being.

According to TCM, acupuncture revolves around “Qi” (“chee”), a vital energy flowing through pathways called meridians. These pathways are believed to connect the body’s organ systems and maintain balance (homeostasis) between opposing forces that are categorized into Yin and Yang. When the flow of Qi is disrupted, it can result in pain or illness. Acupuncture helps by restoring this balance and promoting the smooth flow of Qi. Although this traditional explanation may sound mystic, modern science offers a clearer understanding of acupuncture’s benefits, particularly for pain management.

Scientific studies have revealed several ways acupuncture can help reduce pain:

Nerve Stimulation

When needles are gently placed at specific points, they stimulate nerves in the skin and muscles. These nerves send signals to the brain and spinal cord, activating the body’s natural pain-relief systems. This process often creates a tingling, radiating, heavy, or pulling sensation which is linked to acupuncture’s therapeutic effects.

Release of Natural Painkillers

Acupuncture prompts the release of the body’s own pain-relieving chemicals, including substances known as endogenous opioids, which act similarly to pain medications by targeting opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord to ease discomfort. Additionally, acupuncture boosts the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, which help regulate both pain and mood.

Engaging the Body’s Pain Control System

It may also engage a natural process called diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC). This system reduces the perception of pain by blocking pain signals in the central nervous system.

Reducing Stress and Tension

Stress, which often aggravates pain, can also be eased through acupuncture. By influencing areas of the brain like the hypothalamus and reducing stress hormones such as cortisol, acupuncture helps the body relax, indirectly alleviating pain and enhancing overall well-being.

Stimulating Adenosine Receptors

And finally, during treatments, a natural compound called adenosine is activated. This compound plays a key role in reducing pain and inflammation by binding to specific receptors in the body.

Some critics claim acupuncture works because of the placebo effect—the belief that a treatment will help. However, studies comparing real acupuncture to “sham acupuncture” (where needles are placed in non-therapeutic areas) consistently show that real acupuncture delivers greater pain relief. This demonstrates that its effects go beyond psychological benefits.

Acupuncture is widely used to manage a variety of pain-related conditions, including chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain, migraines and tension headaches, osteoarthritis, and pain and nausea following surgery. Many people find that acupuncture works best when combined with other treatments, creating a comprehensive plan for managing their pain and improving overall health.

Studying acupuncture scientifically poses challenges due to its individualized approach and varied techniques. However, continued research is uncovering new insights into how acupuncture interacts with the body’s systems, providing a clearer picture of its effectiveness.

Acupuncture offers a unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern science, providing a natural, drug-free way to manage pain. By stimulating nerves, releasing natural painkillers, and activating the body’s pain-control systems, acupuncture is an effective and holistic option for addressing both acute and chronic pain. While there’s more to learn, acupuncture remains a powerful tool for enhancing quality of life and supporting the body’s ability to heal.

Are you looking to experience acupuncture yourself? Contact AST Westman Village to book an appointment with Dr. Wanda Duong, to learn more.

Sources:

Audette, Joseph F., and Angela H. Ryan. "The role of acupuncture in pain management." Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, vol. 15, 2004, pp. 749-772, doi: 10.1016/j.pmr.2004.04.009.

Chen, Lucy. "The Role of Acupuncture in Pain Management." Acupuncture in Modern Medicine, IntechOpen, 2013, http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/.

Ondrejkovičová, Alena, et al. "Why acupuncture in pain treatment?" Neuroendocrinology Letters, vol. 37, no. 3, 2016, pp. 163–168.