Acupuncture is traditionally explained as a technique which relieves the blockages in the energy pathways in the human body. These blockages are thought to be responsible for causing pain. Acupuncture involves inserting needles at specific points of the body to release the blockages to the meridians. A more scientific explanation, however, would be that the needles cause the release of natural pain relieving endorphin in addition to improving circulation and balancing the nervous system.

In case of carpal tunnel syndrome, the points for the needle insertions lie in the thumbs, wrists, arms, neck and back. The sessions vary from patient to patient, increasing in number as the symptoms of the disease become more acute. This kind of treatment, as is obvious, involves regular visits to a acupuncturist. For those who are not comfortable with needles, an alternative exists in the form of laser acupuncture. The results are encouraging with an increasing number of patients reporting no recurrence of pain even after 2 years.

Acupressure bears many similarities to acupuncture with the only significant difference being in the way the blockages in the energy pathways are removed. Acupressure involves application of pressure on the points instead of the needles used in acupuncture. Acupressure points for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome exist on the arms, wrists and hands.

Acupressure relieves the swelling and numbness in the hands caused by carpal tunnel syndrome by promoting and regularizing blood flow to the wrists. Acupressure also involves regular sessions with a practitioner, and the intensity of the treatment depends on the gravity of the symptoms.

Chiropractic involves manipulation of the spine, joints and soft tissues by hand by a practitioner. Although a highly debated technique whose benefits are held in doubt by some in the medical community, a study has proved that chiropractic treatment in treating carpal tunnel syndrome is equally effective as compared to more conventional and mainstream treatments.

Chiropractic treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome involves manipulation of the soft muscle tissues and joints present on the arms and spinal regions of the patient. This is followed up with ultrasounds of the carpal tunnel region and using wrist supports at night. Chiropractic treatment needs to be done under the strict supervision of a practitioner as one of the downsides of chiropractic is damage due to improper treatment.

One of the reasons for the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome has been found to be the deficiency of vitamin B6. Multiple independent studies have concluded that higher levels of vitamin B6 tend to be associated with lower chances of carpal tunnel syndrome. Intake of vitamin B6 for carpal tunnel syndrome should, however, be done in consultation with a doctor.

Foods such as sweet potatoes, mango, potato, chicken, turkey, etc., contain vitamin B6. There are various reasons for vitamin B6 deficiency other than low dietary intake of the vitamin such as use of oral contraceptives and stress. The advised intake of vitamin B6 to tackle carpal tunnel syndrome is 100 mg to 150 mg/day taken in 2 to 3 parts throughout the day. However, the total intake for any individual should be less than 200 mg/day unless explicitly specified by a doctor.

Yoga has been found to be effective in treating the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Studies have found that doing various yoga postures significantly reduced hand numbness and promoted an increase in grip strength in as early as 8 weeks. This was in comparison to people who had worn wrist splints for the same period of time. The techniques of yoga in general help to stretch and strengthen muscles and regularize blood flow and are found to be extremely effective in treating the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in patients.

Hellerwork is a technique of bodywork for treating carpal tunnel syndrome. The techniques usually begin to take effect from 2 to 3 sessions. This treatment involves more changes in the lifestyle of a patient. It involves three major steps: The first part of the treatment involves working on the soft tissues of the hands and forearms. The second part is promoting a lifestyle which would not further increase the symptoms. These include education about proper work posture and movement. The third part is to address the various emotions that make the muscles lock into various holding patterns and affect breathing.

There are several vitamins other than B6 and supplements that are used in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Bromelian is a natural enzyme found in pineapple which has anti-inflammatory properties and helps in treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Others such as Wobenzym have similar effects. Vitamin B12 is also known to help in treating carpal tunnel syndrome.