Experience the Far-Ranging Benefits of Acupuncture in Milwaukee

At the Vitality Health & Wellness Center of WI, our team of clinicians is honored to be a fantastic resource for acupuncture in Milwaukee and surrounding areas. We pride ourselves on providing high-quality care which includes this time-honored alternative health method.

The History of Acupuncture: From Ancient Times to Our Modern World

Ancient Chinese herbalists and healers used acupuncture among their many techniques for healing and wellness. As a practice, it emphasizes the role of the inner body—specifically, the nervous system and multi-organ system—in function and wellness, rather than just identifying and treating the outward manifestation of the disease.

Here's how it works: thin sterile needles are gently inserted into the skin along specific points. These points are correlated with various neurologically-based energy pathways (called "meridians" in the traditional practice). By triggering these points, the central nervous system is activated and rendered more effective at influencing the flow of healing hormones, circulation, and neurotransmitters, and even innate natural painkillers.  

Because of the wide influence your nervous system has on your body, and because of the healing influence acupuncture has your nervous system, this ancient art can be used to help facilitate tissue healing, anti-inflammation, tissue perfusion, pain relief, normalized blood pressure and respiratory rate, and physical and mental relaxation and stress relief. Benefits are emphasized when provided alongside other natural healing remedies.

What Conditions Can our Milwaukee Acupuncturist Treat? 

As an acupuncture physician in Milwaukee, Dr. Rapkin uses this ancient technique to treat several different health conditions, including: 

• Gastrointestinal distress
• Asthma
• Chronic pain
• Overweight and obesity
• Fibromyalgia
• Acute pain (especially following sports injuries and car accidents)
• Liver disease and dysfunction
• Gynecological disorders, including pregnancy-related pain, menopausal symptoms, and post-partum dysfunction
• Insomnia
• Depression

When administered by an experienced clinician, acupuncture can drastically reduce the symptoms associated with these and other conditions, as well as restore your overall physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Our promise to you is that acupuncture and all our other services are provided in a calming, welcoming, and peaceful environment.

Is Acupuncture Supported by Modern Science?

Many Western patients who are asking "Does acupuncture work?" aren't necessarily satisfied with the answers provided by Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this age of evidence-based medicine, it's only natural to seek scientific data that explains and supports the use of this ancient healing modality in modern terms. Fortunately, our ever-expanding knowledge about how the body works, and our ability to observe and measure those processes, gives us a clearer understanding of just how acupuncture can relieve your pain and improve your health than ever before.

How does acupuncture work to relieve pain, according to the latest scientific studies?

Research suggests that the very act of needling can cause biochemical reactions between white blood cells and calcium which in turn result in higher levels of endorphins and opioid neurotransmitters, the body's own natural painkillers. Researchers have also found that acupuncture acts on cells called microglia and astroctyes by inhibiting these cells' ability to contribute to inflammation and pain.

Acupuncture's powers to improve other aspects of health and wellness are also being discovered and documented by modern science. For instance, researchers believe that the same process that helps control inflammation also has the benefit of reducing oxidative damage to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. Acupuncture also seems to have beneficial effects on the immune system, especially when immune system is under strain from hyper-stimulation by hormones such as cortisol. Acupuncture has been found to reduce blood levels of cortisol while increasing the levels of stress-busting serotonin. A 2007 study found that even a single acupuncture session produced improvements in immune response that continued for up to 72 hours.

Does acupuncture work as an aide to weight loss?

Again, modern science says, yes, it can. Studies of obese patients indicate that acupuncture can help reduce BMI, hip and waist circumference, and other recognized obesity indicators -- not only in adults, but also in children. So you can see why our team at Vitality Health & Wellness Center of WI has incorporated acupuncture into our holistic weight loss programs. It also serves as a powerful part of our blended approaches toward pain management and preventative wellness. We put multiple, complementary techniques to work toward helping you feel and function better -- from the ancient technique of acupuncture to state-of the-art laser treatments.

How Acupuncture Balances the Body for Pain Management

Acupuncture works by restoring balance to the body’s systems. All kinds of things can throw your body out of balance chemically, hormonally and otherwise. Stress, poor diet, injuries, too little sleep or hydration are all things that can affect health and block the body’s energy pathways, which are called meridians. The energy flowing through these meridians is called Qi (“chee”). When Qi flows freely, the body and mind are healthy. Current scientific studies point to these ancient notions of Qi and meridians as actual pathways of the nervous system that flow through the body. When these pathways become hindered in some way, then illness and pain result. Skillful insertion of these needles, along with nutritional and herbal interventions, however, can have a significant positive impact on pain management and healing.

By skillfully inserting these sterile, fine, FDA-approved needles, our Milwaukee acupuncturist can bring balance to our patients. Numerous recent studies have shown conclusively that needling spurs biochemical changes in the body, releases endorphins for pain relief and actually boosts energy levels. In fact, the most recent and wide-ranging studies have shown that the needles are more effective at bringing pain relief than actual pharmaceutical painkillers—but without all of the negative side effects. We have also been able to help many patients see significant anti-aging results and even weight loss success through this type of treatment.

For those who might be anxious about the idea of all the needles, our patients who have tried acupuncture overwhelmingly report that this is a comfortable process. The needles are so fine that some people barely feel them going in, while more sensitive patients report only the tiniest prick, like a mosquito bite. On the other hand, our patients overwhelmingly report improvement in their conditions after a full course of needling and other complementary and natural treatments.

Although acupuncture is not a stand-alone treatment, it is an essential aspect of a natural healing regimen that includes nutritional and herbal interventions. We may recommend a series of treatments a few times a week over several weeks, more or less depending on the severity of the patient’s condition and his or her health goals. Most patients start seeing an overall improvement in their health and a reduction in their pain levels and an increase in their energy levels after a few sessions.

Get Chronic Pain Relief & More with Our Acupuncturist Team

Do you live near Milwaukee, Elm Grove, Brookfield, West Allis, New Berlin, Wauwatosa, Waukesha, Muskego, or another nearby Lake Country Wisconsin town? Have you been struggling with chronic pain, infertility, weight loss, asthma, or another condition? Contact our acupuncturist team today. We can help you find effective relief and start feeling better as soon as possible. 

Talk with our Milwaukee acupuncturist today at 262-226-2046!