Acupuncture and Exercise

Over the last several years I have been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I love to work out and work out hard. I have been a long distance runner for over five years and now I've taken on indoor cycling (aka spinning). I will get up before 5AM on my day off to spin from 5:30 to 6:30, then I'll hit up a second class that day for 30 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes of yoga. I've also been know to do a two and a half (2.5) hour ride on Saturdays. Some people in my circle have started referring to me as psycho, but honestly, high intensity exercise keeps me sane.

Any time I went through a difficult period in life where my anxiety grew stronger and I had slight bouts of depression, I wasn't exercising. As soon as I start up an exercise routine, I'm happier and have more energy (even waking up at 4:55AM).

An article I recently read highlights a study on how acupuncture can help cardiac patients gain muscle function in their skeletal muscle system (not in their heart pumping function). It has been shown that inflammation messengers increase in the blood stream during chronic heart failure and those messengers make the muscles tired signaling to the body that it can't sustain the workload. This particular study found that one of the inflammation messengers, Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF alpha) decreases after an acupuncture treatment. TNF alpha actually leads to the loss of muscle mass and muscle strength, so a reduction in TNF alpha can help prevent loss. The study followed cardiac patients; one group was in the "real acupuncture" group and the other group had dull placebo needles placed on the skin, but not inserted. "[The real] acupuncture patients could cover a greater walk distance in the time allowed than the placebo patients. They recovered more quickly and tended to feel subjectively less exhausted."

So, if acupuncture can help heart disease patients tolerate exercise longer with a better recovery, how might it help the rest of us? Give acupuncture a try for any overused aches and pains, but also to boost your bodies capacity and recovery time. Give exercise a try to reduce fatigue and boost mood. I promise, it's worth it!