Lipomas are benign and fatty lumps that grow between your skin and the muscles in various parts of the body, mainly on the head, neck, back and shoulders. Lipomas can be surgically removed if they increase in size, cause pain or interfere with the movement of your muscles.
Nonetheless, acupuncture is another form of treatment that can help you get rid of lipomas or get relief for lipoma symptoms. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese treatment, is harmless and causes no pain. Acupuncture practitioners claim that lipomas are caused by a stagnation in the body’s flow of qi, meaning “life force energy”. People with lipomas can suffer pain if lipomas are located near nerves or contain many blood vessels. Cosmetic and pain are also the most common reasons why people choose surgery.
On the other side, acupuncture works differently. It involves the insertion of fine needles into specific spots on your body along energy pathways known as meridians. According to the Longevity Center of Classical Chinese Medicine, acupuncture balances the flow of energy through your meridians when these are blocked. Additionally, it stimulates the release of endorphins, strengthens the immune system and helps balance qi.
Acupuncture for lipomas consists of inserting very fine needles around the fatty lump or by stimulating of the acupuncture point located along the spleen and liver meridians. Liver and spleen are two areas where energy is unbalanced and the congestion of it can result in lipomas on your skin or even various skin disorders. Additionally, you can experience fatigue, anxiety or depression. With the help of acupuncture, energy blockages are open and lipoma-related symptoms disappear.
Acupuncture can provide great benefits for people with lipomas, but it doesn’t work for everybody as each body is different. There is no scientific proof that acupuncture can reduce the symptoms or size of lipomas. A lipoma may sometime resemble types of benign or malignant tumors, so the best thing you should do is to consult a doctor as soon as possible in case you develop any lump or swelling on your body.