Medical Acupuncture

What is Medical Acupuncture?

Medical Acupuncture, sometimes known as Contemporary Medical Acupuncture or Neurofunctional Acupuncture, should not be confused with the traditional Chinese method of Acupuncture, though each of these treatments is based on the precise stimulation of the nervous system to relieve pain. Acupuncture needles are inserted into what are known as neurofunctional sites, which are areas where irregular activity of the nervous system occurs, causing pain and lack of mobility.

Medical Acupuncture needles in patient

Medical Acupuncture has a specific scientific basis behind its method of healing. Studies conducted on the nervous system have previously determined that modulating abnormal activity of the nervous system can lead to a decrease in pain levels and an increase in normal movement in the body. When the acupuncture needles are inserted into a neurofunctional site, the nerves are electrically or manually stimulated in order to prompt what is known as Neuromodulation in the body. This modulation designed to correct the dysfunction of irregular nerves is what promotes the healing process within the body, leading to a reduction of pain and a return to normal mobility.


The process of Neuromodulation that is achieved through Medical Acupuncture allows the analgesic treatment of the procedure to take place. By influencing the nervous system to correct itself through neurological and neurohumoral mechanisms, troubled areas of the body can be specifically treated on different levels if necessary, such as the spinal cord, brain stem, peripheral nerves and in some cases, even the brain itself. By targeting any of these levels of the nervous system, neurotransmitters (such as dopamine, amino acids, etc) can be modified and altered in order to regulate the amount of pain being transmitted to the brain due to abnormal nerve activity.


Medical Acupuncture is in many ways similar to a healthy dose of exercise, as it encourages the stimulation of regulatory mechanisms that are already present within the body in order to improve the body’s ability to properly function. When a Medical Acupuncture treatment is successful, one of two things usually occur within the body. The symptoms caused by the abnormal function of the nervous system, such as chronic pain and lack of mobility, are reduced to a tolerable level, or in other cases, the issue is permanently resolved. The latter of these two situations usually occurs because original cause of a person’s symptoms had to do with irregularities in the nervous systems that have since been resolved by successful Medical Acupuncture treatments.

Acupuncture therapy in vancouver

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