We tend to think of acupuncture as something that can help with aches and pains.

What most people don’t know is that acupuncture can make you feel and look younger.

Regular acupuncture treatment can make you feel more energetic and reduce the outward signs of aging. Here are seven ways acupuncture can turn back the hands of time.

1) Reduces Stress.

We all are exposed to stressful situations in our lives. When the stress is extreme or lasts a long time, our physical health begins to suffer. Some common stress-related illnesses are: irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, insomnia, hypertension, stroke, migraine, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune diseases.

Acupuncture effectively treats stress by unblocking stuck energy and allowing it to flow properly throughout the body. As our tension is relieved, so are our symptoms. Acupuncture also releases stress-reducing, natural pain-killing chemicals in the brain, called endorphins. The calming nature of acupuncture also decreases our heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and relaxes our muscles.

2) Improves Sleep.

Ruminating thoughts, hormonal imbalances, anxiety, depression, and overstimulation are a few of the reasons why we can have trouble sleeping at night. One of the immediate gifts of acupuncture is its ability to calm the mind, lift the spirit, reset our body clock, and allow us to get our restorative “beauty sleep.”

3) Leads to Younger Looking Skin.

Facial acupuncture has been used since the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.), where it was believed to keep the empress looking youthful. These days celebrities, such as, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie, and Julianne Moore use facial acupuncture as a way to maintain and improve their appearances.

Facial acupuncture represents a natural method to promote youthfulness and enhance natural beauty and can take 5 to 10 years off the look of your skin. It requires no downtime and is safe and painless. As you age, the 57 muscles in your face gradually lose their tone causing the sagging, deep wrinkling, and tired look associated with aging. Acupuncture stimulates the muscle function, and the face lifts itself—returning the face to a healthier, revitalized, and youthful appearance.

By inserting needles into specific points on the face, acupuncturists can stimulate collagen turnover and blood flow to nourish the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, dark spots, and enlarged pores. Acupuncturists trained in this specialized art use body points to stimulate the spleen, which helps to lift up sagging skin, the lungs which control the skin, and the liver which causes dark spots.

4) Better Sex.

Acupuncture can bring back the spark in your sex life, too! The needles can help to allow for a smoother flow of energy and blood to the genital area, thereby increasing pleasure and desire. Additionally, acupuncture can balance your hormones back to a more youthful state, increasing estrogen and testosterone levels. This can result in a reduction in the size of an enlarged prostate, less vaginal dryness, and many other benefits.

5) Reduce Pain.

Acupuncture reduces pain by improving blood flow and releasing pain-relieving endorphins and serotonin. Pain that is chronic can be mentally and physically exhausting. Our emotions can wear us down, and cause us to be weak and unable to heal. It is impossible to effectively treat chronic conditions without addressing a person’s state of mind. Acupuncture addresses the negative emotions (such as anger and fear), thereby decreasing stress hormones, which cause pain.

Blocked energy (Qi) in the body can cause pain as well. This concept is well known by anyone who does body work, such as, physical therapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors. Acupuncture is uniquely suited to release stuck energy and maintain a smooth flow of Qi throughout the body, thereby reducing pain.

6) Stronger Immune System.

Acupuncture can help to naturally boost your immune system. Scientists have been able to determine that acupuncture enhances the production of natural killer cells, which is the primary defense mechanism against organisms that make us sick. It also regulates white blood cells directly linked to the fight against infections, allergic reactions, and even autoimmune disorders. Regular acupuncture treatments are a great preventative measure to ward off colds and flu.

7) More Energy and Vitality.

Although the immediate effect of acupuncture treatment is very relaxing, the long-term effects are more energy and vitality. The reason for this has to do with a concept in traditional Chinese medicine called jing, the energy of the kidneys. It is the power that keeps us going. How much jing you have determines your energy levels, how you will age, and how healthy you will be.

If your kidney energy is deficient, it can lead to premature aging, dried up wrinkled skin, and dark circles. Jing deficiency can affect your hair and bones (osteoporosis and premature greying are signs of jing deficiency). By treating your kidney energy, an acupuncturist can increase your jing and subsequently refill your energy stores, putting more bounce in your step.

Acupuncture…the premier anti-aging medicine for over 5,000 years.

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Author: Michelle Gellis 
Image: Courtesy of Author
Editor: Travis May
Copy Editor: Callie Rushton
Social Editor: Taia Butler