A brief summary of the East Asian Perspective

Most concisely, Acupuncture helps to harmonize the flow of Qi (life force energy) through the energetic pathways (aka meridians of the body) to promote healing and mitigate pain and other symptoms.  Pain, by definition in Chinese medicine, is a blockage or stagnation in the flow of blood, lymph or qi.  Acupuncture releases blockages and stimulates the flow of blood, lymph and/or qi through the meridians, resulting in the mitigation or elimination of pain.  Pain relief can last for hours or days after the initial treatment(s).  As treatments continue, healing of the affected tissues results in progressively longer lasting reduction, and often elimination of pain and other symptoms. 

A brief review of Western Scientific Research

There are many challenges that face researchers interested in identifying acupuncture protocols for concussion and whiplash injuries. Perhaps the greatest challenge is that every concussion and whiplash injury is unique in the location(s) of injury, the resulting symptoms, and the prior physical injury history of each person. My treatment approach is therefore to tailor each acupuncture needle and treatment to the unique presentation of every individual in my care. Western research informs my clinical methods, but does not constrain my choice of therapies or point locations.

There is currently limited western research to directly confirm my clinical experience that acupuncture can be healing if not transformative for the treatment of concussion and whiplash injuries. However, there is extensive research which has demonstrated that the stimulation of particular acupuncture points in a research setting (aka non-clinical) can provide significant change and healing to the brains of healthy research subjects and to injured animal subjects. A brief review of applicable western research will be posted here in the future, drawing in part from my 2018 Capstone Project titled, “Acupuncture and Photobiomodulation For Sport-Related Concussion: Neuroscience and Practical Applications”, written to complete my Masters of Science degree from Tufts University School of Medicine’s Pain Research and Education Program.