What is Electro-Acupuncture?

Hi and welcome to Fast Relief Acupuncture! It’s me John Kim, your licensed acupuncturist in the Bergen County region of NJ. First, I would like to apologize for not writing anything for the past few months. The reason for this is that I have gotten not only busy at work (which I cannot thank enough for those who have supported me!) but also at home life as well. I also have been attending many seminars recently learning invaluable treatment methods that I will be introducing to help you, the patient, experiencing first- hand why Acupuncture is the best medicine out there!  One of those tools I will be discussing here will be the wonders of Electro- Acupuncture!

What is Electro-Acupuncture? Simply, Electro- Acupuncture is the attachment of wire clips to an electrical unit on acupuncture needles to stimulate the body further. Let me illustrate how this would look. For example, a patient comes in complaining of having low back pain described as a 8 out of 10 pain and feeling ‘locked and stiff’. Normally after taking the regular physical examination, I would ask the patient to lay down and begin performing acupuncture on the patient. Electro- Acupuncture will be used to not only reduce or eliminate the pain but also to unlock the ‘locked and stiff’ feeling on the lower back. Typically, 2 to 6 needles would be inserted, then I would attach wire clips to those needles, and turn on my unit to get the proper frequency and setting to stimulate those acupuncture points.

There are several purposes of using Electro- Acupuncture. One is that helps stimulate the body with acupuncture needles better than if I do it manually. For certain conditions, higher frequencies are more appropriate to use for certain conditions and I know that I cannot achieve them by stimulating them by hand. Second, any modern research conducted on the effectiveness of acupuncture for specific conditions were done with Electro- Acupuncture. So if one were to look up any scientific research on acupuncture that shows definite benefits such as anxiety/ depression, musculo-skeletal disorders, nerve disorders, sepsis, post surgical recovery, and etc…Third, certain frequencies used for Electro-Acupuncture can stimulate the body to use its natural pharmacy of neurotransmitters to help the body. I will explain that more.

The human body, especially the brain, holds many neurotransmitter chemicals that can help the body recover naturally. For example, there are neurotransmitters that are basis of many of the pharmacological drugs that many patients take such as cortisone, norepinephrine, adrenaline, serotonin, and even natural opioids. The wonderful thing about this is that these chemicals are naturally produced within your body and can help you eliminate the need for chemically enhanced prescription drugs. By setting the proper frequency and leaving them for specific set of time, it can stimulate the body to release these natural chemicals throughout the whole body.

Now many wonder what the difference is between the use of a TENS unit (the electrical units with sticky pads that attaches to the skin) and Electro- Acupuncture. For starters, TENS unit is applied to the skin. The pads cannot penetrate the skin layer, only stimulating the surface layer of the body whereas the Electro- Acupuncture, due to the use of the needle, can penetrate through the skin that will stimulate the deep layers of the muscles. Also, did you know that when using the TENS unit, the patient is supposed to be active i.e. moving around with it on? Majority of people do not know this and are not getting the maximize benefits from it.

With Electro- Acupuncture, the unit and the needles are stimulating the body to release natural neurotransmitters to help the body eliminate pain, alter the mood for the better, promote better circulation, naturally remove phlegm or congestion, and properly resets the internal organs to function properly. I am an adamant believer in this new way of utilizing acupuncture and believe it to be the future of medicine. It will eventually eradicate the need to be dependent on chemical substances which can cause irreparable harm, not only to the body and mind itself, but also to the community once a person gets addicted it. I truly believe that Electro-Acupuncture is the answer to combat the opioid crisis we are enduring right now!

The procedure is very simple and for the people who are afraid of needles, minimal amount of needles are used. Call today and take that first step to restoring your body and mind with a proven and effective method of treatment called Electro- Acupuncture!