To be, or not to be…. Well.

What are your days like this winter?  Do you get up each day, tired and wondering if today you are going to get the office plague, have you spent the entire (albeit beautiful) Portland rainy winter hoping you don’t get H1N1?  Do you spend a good portion of your time working out various ways to avoid being ill and tired, avoiding digestive problems and other maladies?  How many of these problems do you have on a regular basis?

Here’s the real question:

How many of these health problems give you that niggly, squicky feeling in your head that there’s really something more serious going on?

Do you move toward health or away from illness?

Avoiding sickness holds a certain mindset.  It means expecting the illness and seeking only to move away from the pain and suffering it causes you. We continually worry that we may become sick and this worry undermines our immune systems.  We have to take time off of work to make emergency trips to our physician so that they can provide us with medications to alleviate our pain and problems, which again, undermine our purposes and goals.  Lost time at work and not being at our best, not to mention over use of antibiotics can really keep us from fully succeeding and living our lives to the fullest!

Your ideal health

What would it be like to seek health?  To continually look to the future and obtain a healthy body? A body that, in its natural state seeks homeostasis and ease?  What if you could lose the swings of good/bad and simply be amazing? What if the glass wasn’t half full or empty, but filled from a constant source of renewed health?

How would you think differently?  How would you act differently?  How would your life’s plans and goals change?

A winter full of health with no colds.  A life without the seasonal blah-blahs, no missed work, missed deadlines or missed goals.  A life where you are out of pain and have time to achieve your goals and still have time  for intimacy in your relationships.  What would happen then?

Your plans will change, your relationships will change, your life will change.  You’ll do something new, you will move toward and engage in, health.

All alternative medicine is based on seeking health, rather than running way from illness.  There is no glass half full or half empty, it is always being filled by a renewable source of life force and energy.  Chinese Medicine embraces and treats the  the whole body.  It succeeds in motivating you toward a whole new state of health.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Tuina, cupping and nutritional counseling can all help you to start to look for and move toward ways to make your life better.  Acupuncture has been shown to boost immunity, relieve depression, relieve chronic pain, help you lose weight and give you an over all sense of well being.

To seek or to avoid?  One is open, full of possibility and future, one is reactive, constricting and full of fear.  Which are you?  Which will you choose for yourself this year?

Not sure about acupuncture just yet?  Read 5 Myths about Acupuncture

Picture is Marc Forrest’s via flickr

Treating just one point on a meridian can treat various problems along that meridian.  By inserting just one point, we can affect different parts of the body.

Treating the roots can affect the branches!

Bladder 67 as an acupuncture point does just this.

It treats

• Stuffy nose
• Nosebleeds
• Eye Pain
• And headache that is at the top or back of the head.

Each point on the body can do this, by using them in combination, we can achieve an even greater effect!

• Auricular Acupuncture helps with smoking cessetation.
• Acupuncture is a great alternative treatment for low back pain
• Acupuncture Treatment May Limit Dose of Anti-Depressant Needed

Have you used acupuncture to treat smoking addiction or for your low back pain?  Does acupuncture help you with seasonal affective disorder or depression?  Tell let us know in the comments!

Migraines and headaches are debilitating to nearly 28 million people in the United States aged 12 and older - nearly 13 percent of the population.  (National Headache Foundation)  Those who suffer will generally try just about anything they can to relieve the pain. Very few of the Western methods work for any length of time and being a person who suffers from Headaches, it can be very frustrating.

Alternative treatment for Headaches Photo by Paul J Everett

Pain relief of headaches, using Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can come in many forms depending on the Chinese Medical diagnosis of the headaches.  Chinese Medicine diagnoses in a much different way than Western Medicine, and therefore is more equipped to find the root of the pain rather than simply attempt to alleviate the pain.  This is a more healthy way of addressing the problem because it gets patients off of drugs and pain relievers and able to live a healthy lifestyle without the added burden these drugs can put on the liver and kidneys which can lead to further health concerns.

Common Medical Treatments for Headaches:

• Pain relievers
• Suggestion of stress reduction
• Occasionally doctors will suggest dietary changes
• Anti-Depressants for migraines
• Occipital Nerve Stimulation

Diagnosis and Treatment with Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture:

Traditional Chinese Medicine does not recognize migraines and recurring headaches as one particular syndrome.  Each individual is looked at in terms of their constitution, diet, exercise levels and other lifestyle choices.  TCM works to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using techniques determined to help that individual, such as acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, tui na massage and nutrition.  The way that you are diagnosed will depend on many variables and your acupuncturist will ask you questions such as: Is the headache behind your eyes and temples, or is it located more on the top of your head? When do your headaches occur (i.e. night, morning, after eating)? Do you find that a cold compress or a dark room can alleviate some of the pain? Do you describe the pain as dull and throbbing, or sharp and piercing?

The answer to these questions can help your acupuncturist to determine the best course of treatment for you. You will likely receive acupuncture treatment at various points in the body corresponding to the actions and locations of your headaches and many patients report having immediate relief of the pain!

Acupuncture is highly effective for migraine headaches, but also works to alleviate tension headaches, cluster headaches, headaches caused by trauma and headaches that are related to disease such as sinus problems, high blood pressure and sleeping disorders.

Traditional Chinese Medicine can bring relief without the side effects of other methods, is effective and without side effects.

Research and Articles:

• Acupuncture may help tension headaches
• Study: Acupuncture for tension type headache
• Study: Treatment of Migraine by Acupuncture
• Acupuncture for recurrent headaches: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
• Effect of acupuncture on headache measured by reduction in number of attacks and use of drugs

Make an appointment today and get the relief you need.  Don’t suffer anymore.

“The study showed that acupuncture increases the binding availability of mu-opioid receptors in regions of the brain that process and weaken pain signals — specifically the cingulate, insula, caudate, thalamus and amygdala. By directly stimulating these chemicals, acupuncture can affect the brain’s long-term ability to regulate pain, the study found.” - US News and World Report

Alternative approach to Headache pain. Photo from Flickr by Sarah G

From the Los Angeles Times:

High-tech images of the brains of chronic pain sufferers have found that the ancient practice of acupuncture fights pain by making key brain cells more sensitive to the pain-dampening effects of opioid chemicals. The study, published online in the August issue of the journal NeuroImage, comes less than a year after the publication of a controversial study that concluded acupuncture was no more effective than sham treatment at reducing pain.

More on how the brain works with acupuncture to relieve pain.

Acupuncture has a bad rap.  In America we grow up being poked and prodded with various types of needles.  We have blood drawn, we get vaccinations and other injections.  The key here is to understand the difference between those

types of needles and acupuncture needles.  A typical needle for phlebotomy or injection is hollow with a beveled point that allows it to penetrate the skin and veins, in short, they cut.

Acupuncture needles, on the other hand, are many times thinner and they are solid, rather than hollow.  They are incredibly flexible since they are so tiny and they are for all intents and purposes, rounded at the tip.

Acupuncture needles are inserted quickly through the surface of the skin and you may have a sensation of warmth, tingling or pressure.  After a few minutes, these sensations usually go away and you are left with deep, body wide relaxation.

Myth #2: Acupuncture only works if you believe in it.

With the popularity of books such as The Secret and with everyone trying to Think Positive, its no wonder that this myth flourishes!  Keeping a positive attitude and having your mind focused on your health and what is happening in your body during an acupuncture treatment may be a good thing… the how and why of acupuncture isn’t that simple.  Acupuncture has a measurable effect on your bodies immune system, blood pressure, blood flow, temperature and brings the levels of endorphins (your body’s way of killing pain) to a higher level.  (National Institute for Health)

Acupuncture has provided millions of people worldwide with tangible, long term benefits.

Myth #3: Acupuncture is only good for treating pain.

Here’s one myth that at least has some truth to it.  Acupuncture IS great for treating pain. Low back pain, sciatica, neck pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches and other kinds of pain may all be treated successfully with acupuncture. However, make no mistake that acupuncture is able to treat other problems with the body.  The main goal of acupuncture is to bring about balance in the body. Because of this, it can also treat problems such as: insomnia, fatigue, digestive problems, menopause, menstrual disorders, infertility, MS, Lupus, and a supportive treatment for patients with cancer, Hepatitis or HIV.

Myth #4: Acupuncturists aren’t licensed medical professionals.

This may have been true 35 years ago when acupuncture first became available in the U.S., but today acupuncture is a licensed, regulated profession with professional organizations such as the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Acupuncture licensing requires that the professional have a minimum of 7 years of higher education, graduating with a Masters Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.  There are many doctoral programs for Acupuncturists now as well, in Portland we have our own at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. Acupuncture is a well respected profession and acupuncturists enjoy employment at spas and health resorts, sports medicine facilities and hospitals as well as detox centers around the country. Like all other health care professionals, acupuncturists are required to attend continuing education and maintain national and state certification and licensure.

Myth #5: I can’t afford to get acupuncture!

Many people see acupuncture as simply a “spa” treatment, only for stress relief, or as something to make them only feel and look better.  In fact, acupuncture can be used to overcome an impending cold or flu, help you heal quickly from acute injuries such as a sprained ankle or a broken bone.  These things will keep you out of work and losing money, acupuncture and Chinese Herbs can get you up and running in no time!  Most acupuncturists charge a reasonable fee and many of us will bill your insurance for you.  Call your acupuncturist today and find out what they can do for you!

]]> http://acupuncturepdx.com/2009/08/24/five-myths-about-acupuncture/feed/ 5 http://acupuncturepdx.com/2009/08/18/10-things-about-acupuncture-that-work-did-you-know/ http://acupuncturepdx.com/2009/08/18/10-things-about-acupuncture-that-work-did-you-know/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:53:01 +0000 Kim Knight, MAcOM, LAc /?p=150 Everyone seems to be getting acupuncture lately. We’ve seen movie stars with cupping marks, talking about how its cured their post partum depression and helping with recovery after childbirth. Have you checked it out yet? Do you know what you are missing?

Many people across the globe are using new therapies, Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs and other modalities generally referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM treats a huge variety of problems. Read on for how it can help you.

Pain Relief

• Acupuncture relieves pain by releasing Endorphins, the bodies “feel good” chemicals.
• Acupuncture can normalize nerve impulses by stimulating the central nervous system with acupuncture needles.

The Immune System

• Evidence indicates that acupuncture can strengthen the body’s immune systems and give it a better natural resistance to outside pathogens.
• It increases white blood cell counts.
• In increases Alpha, Beta and Gamma globulins, which can help white blood cells better fight infection and produce more immune antibodies.

Drug Recovery

• Using acupuncture for detox is getting more and more attention these days.
• Acupuncture can help with reducing withdrawal symptoms, decrease cravings, relieve stress and tension and help with insomnia.
• Many clinics through out the USA are using acupuncture detox treatments for drug addiction, alcohol addiction and smoking withdrawal.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

• Acupuncture releases tension in muscles.
• Lymphatic, nervous and circulatory systems are affected by acupuncture, making it effective to treat torn muscles, pain after trauma, sports injuries and more.
• Now days many sport figures use acupuncture to improve training and performance and speed up healing and manage pain.

Allergies

• Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help with allergies by helping the body react normally to the substances that are causing the problems.
• Chinese herbs can help to lower the excessive immune response of the body to bring relief from common allergies.

Stress

• Acupuncture helps to balance the body and give you energy as well as relax you.
• De-stressing and relaxation can be the best way to prevent serious health problems such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and respiratory problems.

Diseases and Disorder

• Disease happens with theres serious disorder in the body. Regular acupuncture can help the body stay balanced during the onslaught of daily life.
• Acupuncture treatment is varied depending on the nature of the illness and the constitution of the person being treated, this personalized treatment can help the body to heal and prevent such things as bronchitis, asthma, diarrhea, IBS, GERD and high blood pressure… just to name a few.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is one problem that many physicians find themselves unable to treat. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can improve the body’s immunity and therefore, eliminate this problem.
• Depression and stress is often the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, acupuncture can help to relieve these problems.

Menopause

• Are you looking for alternative methods of working with your menopause? Acupuncture can make the difference!
• Typical symptoms associated with menopause include night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, and heart palpitations. Don’t miss out on being able to control these symptoms, acupuncture can help.

PMS and Menstruation

• The emotional and physical discomfort associated with your monthly menstrual cycle can be put back into balance.
• Women’s health is one area where Chinese Medicine shines. Research shows that it can help with infertility as well as health challenges surrounding menstruation.

Do any of these problems plague you? Call your acupuncturist today and make an appointment to discuss how they can help. You and your health are important, make the investment today.