Acupuncture Injection Therapy

What is Acupuncture Injection Therapy (AIT?) 

AIT is a marriage of many systems, and to fully understand its value you have to understand its various parts. This recent addition to an acupuncturist’s repertoire builds on a traditional foundation and adds in parts of homeopathy and western medical practice. To begin, we’ll look at acupuncture.

When you get down to it, acupuncture is targeted injury in order to instigate therapeutic response. By using a needle, we irritate very specific areas and the body does the rest. How that irritation occurs has changed since the beginning; from crude stone spikes, to iron rods, to thin filiform needles. Thankfully, patient comfort has come a long way.

So then, if acupuncture is the act of causing curative injury it can be performed by anything. In the 1950s, after Western doctors brought intramuscular injection to China, acupuncturists began to put two and two together. Needling acupuncture points with a syringe will cause the appropriate irritation while also allowing the injection of a beneficial substance.

But often the drugs that doctors used were harsh. Side effects were a concern and TCM practitioners wanted to stick to their guiding principles. Thus, instead of harsh pharmaceuticals acupuncturists began injecting herbal solutions into points. Instead of diffuse action through absorption in the stomach, now a solution could be added directly to the site of dysfunction.

As time went on various substances were introduced. Homeopathic doses of arnica, jasmine, ordinary saline and other natural ingredients began to see increased usage as AIT became more popular in the west. The AIT employed today has grown out of three traditions combined together for the benefit of our patients.

It is performed a lot like an ordinary injection, although the points selected are based on TCM theory. Typically a practitioner will select 2-4 points and inject 1-2 milliliters of solution. This is repeated as needed until the desired results are obtained. Due to the nature of the medicines used, side effects and adverse reactions are much less than can be expected by stronger drugs.

When is AIT appropriate?

Once the door was opened to injecting solutions into acupuncture points, the applications were limitless. Anything that acupuncture can treat may also benefit from AIT. As more research is performed we learn that injection therapy is beneficial for musculoskeletal issues like joint pain, arthritis and muscle fatigue; in nerve issues like ALS, Bell’s Palsy and sciatica; in infertility cases and hormonal imbalance; in cosmetic acupuncture as an alternative to Botox. Just to name a few.

AIT can be performed by itself or together with other TCM modalities. Whether or not it is appropriate for a specific concern will be determined during consultation with an acupuncture physician. Patients must ensure that their practitioners are trained in the system and make the proper diagnosis in order to avoid any complications.

Is it safe?

AIT is as safe as acupuncture or a shot from your primary care provider. All injections are performed intramuscularly – never in a vein. Depending on what solutions are used, the most common side effect is some soreness in the area.

It is important that the physician performing AIT takes a proper intake, however. Homeopathic solutions are mild by nature, but when using herbal solutions there is a higher risk of adverse effects. Someone properly trained in AIT will know these risks and will discuss them with you.

Whether you suffer from muscle aches, GI pain or just want to look your best, acupuncture injection therapy is an excellent tool to help you achieve your goals. Book your free consultation with Miami Acupuncture and Herbal Solutions to learn more.