Men with CPPS suffer from pelvic pain, painful, frequent, urgent, or difficult urination, as well as sexual dysfunction. Pain is not only located in the pelvis or pelvic floor but also in the genitals, lower back, or the lower abdomen.  These symptoms can be severe and affect all aspects of your life leading to challenges at work and educational opportunities, and trouble in relationships.
 
Traditional Chinese Medicine Physicians have been using acupuncture to treat these symptoms for over 2000 years.  Even though as many as 35% of men over the age of 50 suffer from chronic prostatitis, few know they can use acupuncture for treatment. 

Most Americans tend to think of acupuncture for back and knee pain.  In China, people seek acupuncture for a wide range of diseases, including chronic prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BHP).  In the acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) departments of the Hunan University of TCM, I saw first hand many men finding relief from the symptoms of those conditions.

How does acupuncture help treat Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome?
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine provide a holistic approach to healing and are effective treatments to relieve the pain, improve sexual function, and decrease urinary problems associated with Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. Acupuncture is a natural treatment with very few side effects.

In fact, Chinese medicine’s 2000 years of history could possibly make it the most used treatment for Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome of all time. In one of Chinese medicine’s earliest text called Elementary Questions, TCM has described the diagnosis and treatment many syndromes characterized by painful, frequent, and urgent urination with pain and distention of the lower abdomen and pelvis Of course, this syndrome was not called Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome or Chronic Prostatitis at the time. But the practice of Chinese medicine has shown that those same principles of diagnosis and treatment are effective when applied to the symptoms caused by Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome.

Acupuncture works to reduce pain and inflammation through regulating neural pain pathways, stimulating the release of natural pain relievers in the body, such as opioids, as well as regulating pain relieving opioid receptors. Many studies have also shown acupuncture to have a anti-inflammatory effect, reducing the circulating inflammatory hormones in the blood.

Acupuncture Treatment for Chronic Pelvic Pain
Traditional Chinese Medicine has a holistic approach to diagnosis and treatment, identifying specific imbalances in the body and using acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and acupressure to correct them. The symptoms of pain, urinary changes, sexual dysfunction, as well as digestion, energy, sleep are all factored into identifying the cause of the issues.  Examining the muscles within the lower back, pelvis, and legs often reveals trigger points which refer pain to the pelvic floor.  The gluteus maximus and medius, adductor magnus, and illopsoas are among the most common problematic muscles.  In addition, sacro-iliac joint should be examined for dysfunction. Correcting the imbalance does not just treat the symptoms or mask the condition, but rather corrects the root of the problem by encouraging self-healing of the body.

Chinese medicine works best as a combination therapy that includes acupuncture, tui na (acupressure), and other therapies such as gua sha and cupping. Chinese herbs are also effective and may be required for certain people. Acupuncture diagnosis and treatment focuses on identifying the specific root imbalance causing the condition and tailoring the treatment for you.