While I’m often explaining modalities like acupuncture, herbal therapy, or cupping to patients, I love when I get the chance to discuss the benefits of acupuncture point injection therapy (APIT)—particularly when it incorporates homeopathic medicine.
APIT is easily one of my favorite modalities because it allows me to combine two incredibly effective types of medicine—acupuncture and homeopathy—and customize them to the patient in front of me. What exactly do I mean by this?
First, let me explain a bit about homeopathy.
What Is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a type of medicine that uses medicinal substances derived from natural sources, including plants, animals, and minerals. These substances are highly diluted and used as oral, topical, or injectable medicines, also known as remedies.
There are two types of homeopathic remedies: single and complex. Single remedies contain one diluted medicinal substance used to treat a specific condition. Complex remedies combine a group of single remedies that all treat the most common variations of a particular condition (such as different types of joint issues, muscle spasms, or inflammation in the body). These complex remedies are what we commonly use as homeopathic injections.
Think of it like using a seasoning blend when cooking. If you know exactly what your dish is missing, you may know the exact spice to add. But in other cases, you might know it’s missing a general flavor, so incorporating something like a seasoning blend gives you the best chance to remedy what’s missing, because you’ve added the ingredients most likely to fill the gap and resolve the issue.
How Acupuncture Points Work
Now let’s move on to acupuncture. To briefly explain, as acupuncturists, we are educated to know the location of hundreds of acupuncture points on the body. Each of these points has its own set of functions. For instance, there are different acupuncture points that benefit each type of tissue in your body, such as bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They can also affect each body system to address various internal conditions, such as immune, respiratory, digestive, or nervous system imbalances.
How APIT Combines Homeopathy and Acupuncture
Where this becomes especially useful and uniquely individualized is in how we combine a homeopathic remedy with acupuncture points.
Let’s say, for example, you’ve developed chronic pain as you heal from a knee injury. First, you could choose a homeopathic medicine used to reduce inflammation and pain due to trauma. Then you could inject that medicine into local acupuncture points that benefit the knee, along with points that support blood circulation and tissue recovery.
As another example, let’s say you’re about to take a trip and you know you’re prone to getting sick easily. While I would suggest a series of acupuncture treatments to address the underlying cause of the immune system imbalance, an excellent option before travel is to get an immune-supportive homeopathic injection at an acupuncture point that also targets immune system health.
APIT at Art of Acupuncture
At Art of Acupuncture, we offer a myriad of homeopathic injections to assist in cases such as:
- Inflammation and pain
- Bruising, swelling, and fluid retention
- Post-operative and post-traumatic recovery
- Injuries such as sprains, strains, dislocations, and fractures
- Arthritic conditions, including issues affecting the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and surrounding tissues
- Spasms and cramping of the skeletal muscles and smooth muscles (including organs such as the stomach, intestines, uterus, and urinary bladder)
- Immune system support and regulation
- Prevention of viral infections and management of viral symptoms
If you’d like to learn more about how APIT using homeopathy could benefit your health or be incorporated into your acupuncture treatments, ask one of our practitioners at your next appointment. We’re here to support you in your health journey and help you feel your best.
