Category Archives: Acupuncture
Curing or Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
The name of the painful wrist condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome is derived from the tunnel or tube that reeves through the carpal bones in the heel of the hand. The focal point of the pain is situated in the area where the hand and the wrist meet. Pressure bears on the median nerve if the size of the tunnel narrows, causing the pain and numbness that distinguishes carpal tunnel syndrome.
The median nerve is just below the tendons that can be identified when you turn your palm toward your face, make a fist, and squeeze. These tendons that pop up and run like railroad tracks side-by-side from your wrist to your hand.
Because a lot of people nowadays spend a great deal of time typing away on the keyboard of their computer, they tend to develop carpal tunnel syndrome which has now become a famous work-related condition.
Carpal tunnels syndrome can cause symptoms that often arise after people indulge on a new hobby or start a new job that forces them to use their finger and/or wrist in a repetitive manner. Men are less prone to this condition than women more so if the woman is between the ages of 40 and 70 or if she’s pregnant. The palm, wrist, and/or forearm are the body parts most affected by the pain. There are carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients who may experience a sharp pain when performing repetitive movements and there are patients who may feel a constant tingling or numbing of half of their ring finger, middle finger, index finger, or thumb. Nighttime is when these symptoms worsen. The pain may become so unbearable that in order to lessen the pain the sufferer has to wake up and shake his/ her hands. It’s common for CTS sufferers to have problems with fine motor skills, like crocheting or writing. The affected hand may frequently drop things due to the pain.
According to traditional Chinese medical, carpal tunnel syndrome is the result of three factors: wind, damp, and cold. Wind causes the symptoms of shooting pain in the nerve, damp causes the hand and forearm to feel achy and heavy, cold, makes the patient feel more pain when in a cold environment. These three factors prevent the smooth circulation of qi and blood in the arms.
To treat CTS, acupuncturists stimulate acupoints proximal to (near) the wrist by sticking a needle in and out of the point. The sensation you may feel may be a light electrical sensation that tends to relieve the numbness and pain and help relax the tendons. Various acupuncture techniques may be used to treat CTS. They include laser acupuncture, magnet therapy, electromagnetic acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, or acupuncture needles. More often than not, these may be complemented with moxibustion and/or Chinese herbal medicine.
Besides acupuncture treatment CTS sufferers are advised to refrain from activities that might worsen the condition of the wrists. They may include performing acrobatic activities, doing assembly work, working at a computer, and prolonged writing with a pen or pencil.
Vita-Health Acupuncture and Wellness Center
6840 Dykes Road
Pembroke Pines, FL 33331
Phone: (954) 880-0090
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture Are Ideal Ways For Curing Endometriosis
For followers and practitioners of acupuncture, the condition of endometriosis is just another health issue to deal with and heal. Scientists, however, have a different way of looking at this treatment. They consider acupuncture as merely a pacifier or a way to trick the mind that a health condition is being cured. They explain that women suffering from endometriosis may see positive outcomes from the treatment because of the optimism that a possible cure can bring.
Can Acupuncture Really Treat Endometriosis?
To determine whether or not a link in the relief of endometriosis symptoms and acupuncture exists, we need to understand what the fundamental principles of acupuncture are.
Acupuncture is an important part of TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine that works with a life force known as chi existing in each individual.
The normal unimpeded flow of chi in the body of a person means that the person enjoys good health and can put him/her in tune with his/her environment. A blockage or disruption in this flow in our body or in nature will lead to sickness and destruction.
TCM corrects this problem by using modalities such as acupuncture to restore the proper flow of chi which results in the bringing of pain relief and the reversal of sickness in the person. Acupuncture achieves this with the use of filiform needles that are stuck into specific points in the body known as acupoints where the flow of chi can travel undisturbed.
If the balance of chi is brought back, the process of self-healing can commence. This outcome is quite attractive to the Western World and because it really works, it can be used to help a person to think better, relax and lead a healthy happy life. Acupuncture is now a very popular form of alternative treatment in the United States and Europe.
It helps to know how endometriosis develops in order to better understand how acupuncture can cure this condition.
During the menstrual cycle of a female, her uterus develops an inner lining known as the endometrium. This lining is where the fetus attaches itself after successful conception. If the fertilization process does not occur, the endometrium lining will be eliminated from the body through menstruation.
However, there are instances when the endometrium goes to other parts of the body, resulting in the disruption of certain body functions, scarring, and internal bleeding. This condition is known as endometriosis and females who have this usually experience progressive and intense body pain.
The way physicians address this is by controlling the patient’s estrogen levels, or by prescription painkillers to help the patient deal with the pain caused by the disease. One other treatment alternative option for endometriosis is surgery. Surgery removes the misplaced endometrial tissue and adhesions and scarring.
A lot of times however, these Western conventional treatment provide inadequate symptomatic relief forcing a number of sufferers to turn to alternative therapies to either complement the conventional treatments or to use these alternative treatments as a standalone option for curing endometriosis.
When the patient first comes in for acupuncture treatment, the practitioner will ask the patient a number of questions regarding certain aspects about her life and her menstrual cycle. Each patient is treated in a different way and the acupoints selected for treatment will differ from person to person. However, the most common acupoints selected by acupuncturists are located on the legs, stomach, back, ears, and neck.
Chinese herbal medicine is also used alongside acupuncture in treating endometriosis. Herbal remedies are formulated based on the patient’s needs and act in conjunction with the acupoints chosen.
The inserted needles re-channel the flow of chi which helps the patient feel stronger and better giving her body the ability to overcome endometriosis. This means that acupuncture does not cure endometriosis per se but aids the body in curing the condition by itself.
Experts believe that acupuncture helps in a number of ways. It relieves the symptoms of discomfort and pain by releasing endorphins in the body and makes it easier for the female to relax. Acupuncture also boosts the circulation to the stomach thus helping promote healing.
If you have endometriosis and are interested in getting acupuncture for the relief of your symptoms, you need to talk to your doctor first and ask him/her about acupuncture and other available treatments that can be good for you. If your doctor gives you the go ahead for acupuncture, you need to look for a licensed acupuncturist in your area.
Galina Semyonova is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist in New York City. She has studied extensively in the fields of biofeedback therapy, SCENAR therapy, Chinese herbal treatments and Chinese and Western nutrition.
Breast Conditions and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Sadly, around 200,000 women living in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Despite the proliferation of information on how and what Western medical treatments are useful for treating breast cancer, therapies that can help prevent this deadly disease from occurring are quite unknown. Regardless if a woman is predisposed or not to breast cancer, there are certain ways one can follow that can help them prevent the rise of this greatly feared condition. Few people are aware that men can also develop breast cancer although cases for this are quite rare accounting for just a mere 2% of all breast cancer cases.
The causes of breast cancer are varied. They include prolonged estrogen exposure of the breast tissue brought about by external and endogenous factors such as an accumulation of pesticides, contaminated water, food additives and other environmental toxins, unresolved mental and physical stress, lack of exercise, and a poor diet.
Breast Cancer from the Viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a lot of breast conditions have the same root problem processes and are also related. The ability of TCM to diagnose these processes before any symptoms appear makes it easy to diagnose and treat the diseases in their initial stages. And by identifying these conditions in their early or initial stages, preventing these diseases from advancing to a much more serious stage (like cancer) is very good.
TCM practitioners believe that all breast diseases have as their underlying cause stagnation of vital energy and blood. The body, according to TCM, has within itself a form of vital energy known as qi that circulates throughout the body through invisible routes known as meridians in the same way blood travels through blood vessels such as veins, capillaries, arteries, etc. Any blockage of disruption of this movement in the entire system or locally leads to an imbalance in the body.
TCM has this saying that “if there is free flow, there is no pain.” The question then is what is it that is not flowing freely that can lead to pain? There are three things in TCM that flow in the body. They are the Body Fluids, Blood, and Qi.
A blockage of Qi will also interrupt the flow of lymph material and blood since it is Qi the moves these two essential materials in the body, as well.
A blockage of Qi is called stagnation of Qi in TCM. This stagnation leads to lumps, pain, or distention. Blood Stasis is a condition in which the Blood is not flowing. This can result in clotting in the menstrual blood, or stabbing or intense pain. Lastly, if the fluids are not flowing, a condition known as phlegm nodulation or damp accumulation can causes that can lead to cysts, and sensations of heaviness or swollenness. Although they do not necessarily result in cancer, these underlying problems are the processes almost found in all types of breast diseases, including breast cancer.
More and more breast cancer patients consider acupuncture to have some of their symptoms observed and treated. In terms of breast conditions the most commonly complained are:
-Mastitis or breast abscesses
-Fluid filled sacs or cysts
-Benign masses or fibroadenomas
-Breast soreness and premenstrual breast pain
Treating Breast Diseases with Acupuncture Treatment in Vancouver
Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are the two primary modes of treatment used for breast diseases. As a rule, herbal medicine is used over acupuncture if it is observed a lot of physical changes in the breast tissue have occurred. However, acupuncture is still a very important part of treatment because of its ability to produce immediate treatment and relief of anxiety, pain, and swelling.
The needling of the correct acupoints results in the removal of the blockages the caused Qi and fluid stagnation. This leads to the quick relief of the swelling and pain and are some of the reasons why acupuncture for breast disease treatment is growing in popularity.
Pain and breast soreness that presage menstruation are actually the two most commonly heard complaints involving breast diseases. These conditions are relatively harmless but still, correcting them should be a priority as they may lead to more serious and deadly conditions
The moment breast symptoms related to PMS start to appear, acupuncture treatment should be given and repeated as often as possible until the female reaches her first day of menstruation. This protocol can be done again the next month and if treatment is combined with a proper change in lifestyle and diet, the symptoms tend to become less prolonged or severe. The protocol should be continuous till the symptoms have completely vanished. Usually after three to six cycles of menstruation will premenstrual breast distention be resolved.
Besides preventing the rise of PMS breast soreness, maintaining the free flow of the qi of the breast can also help prevent any development of cysts, tumors, and even cancers in the breast.
Allergy Cure can be Achieved with the Use of Acupuncture
Individuals who suffer from food allergies or substances such as animal dander, molds, or pollen are always in search for the best cure of their problem. Unfortunately, though, the proliferation of over-the-counter allergy medications does not mean a guaranteed resolution of their allergies since most of these have proven ineffective. Besides that, these sufferers may still have to endure the side effects that come with the use of these medications. Allergy problems can be much more effectively addressed through the use of an alternative treatment known as acupuncture.
The major reasons for using these types of treatments are to get rid of the symptoms of allergies as well as to correct the underlying problem responsible for the development of the condition as well as to prevent the occurrence of future allergy attacks. These are reasons why acupuncture is considered to be a truly unique type of allergy cure. It may be a good idea to discuss what an allergy is before we begin to understand why acupuncture works for this type of problem.
What exactly are allergies?
Allergies develop when the immune system becomes imbalanced. Seasonal allergies often arise due to wind borne allergens. What are allergens? These are things that trigger allergy reactions in a person. There are different types of allergies. They include respiratory allergies, seasonal allergies, skin allergies, and food allergies.
How does Acupuncture Work in Curing Allergies in New York?
Acupuncture uses specific meridians points to treat a specific allergy problem. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners believe that the principal cause of most health problems is the obstruction to the different areas of the body. Acupuncture is used to remove this obstruction to guarantee the free flow of energy.
For people who are having problems with food allergies and facing symptoms such as vomiting or nausea, acupuncture can guarantee them a cure from these dysfunctions. This is basically because this alternative type of remedy gives relief by addressing the real reason for the occurrence of these problems.
Acupuncture also aids a person to rid if his allergies related to asthma as well as heal the tissues in the sinuses.
Acupuncture generally stimulates the acupoints that help restore or improve the normal flow of energy.
What’s the best way to undergo these kinds of treatments?
Because an acupuncture needle involves the insertion of needles right into predetermined acupoints to resolve a condition, you always need to undergo treatment only under the guidance or the skilled hands of a licensed and qualified acupuncturist.
This article is created to provide the reader with a better concept of how allergies can be effectively eliminated through the use of alternative therapies such as acupuncture in case other forms of conventional therapies fail to produce satisfactory results. It is important to remember that when performed in the right manner, acupuncture and other forms of alternative treatment, and under the supervision of an expert, can provide you with a cure or maximal relief of your allergies.
Addressing Your Thyroid Conditions with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture
Most of us know where our thyroid gland is located but few know that it is an organ that serves to regulate metabolism and preserves the normal balance of calcium levels in the body. The thyroid gland has two lobes on both sides of our windpipe and both lobes are made up cells known as parafollicular cells and follicular cells with a large part of the tissue made up of follicular cells that manufacture the iodine possessing T3 and T4. Calcitonin is produced by the parafollicular cells.
The hormones T3 and T4 hormones coming from the follicular cells are needed by the body to help normalize metabolism, regulate the utilization of oxygen in the hard working cells and boost protein production. In order for the cells to develop and function well, it needs proteins to utilize and release energy from digested nutrients. The process in which nutrients is converted into proteins is known as metabolism or the metabolic process. If T3 and T4 are inadequate in the body, the cells will be unable to function normally. This causes the metabolic process to either decrease or increase resulting in hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism respectively. To balance the levels of calcium in the body, the calcitonin coming from the parafollicular cells interacts with another chemical produced by the parathyroid hormone. The thyroid gland’s activity is usually kept normal by a hormone known as TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) produced by the pituitary gland.
What role does the thyroid gland contribute to health? Well, if this small but very important gland malfunctions and produces too little or too much T3 or T4, then the metabolic process of your body will not function properly. An imbalance of the thyroid is diagnosed through laboratory results. Usually TSH levels are measured but if the doctor sees that your T3 or T4 levels are off, you probably will be diagnosed with a thyroid condition. Too little thyroid activity would mean hypothyroidism and too much activity would imply hyperthyroidism. Radiation or surgery to relieve or extract the hyperactive gland, and drugs such as levothyroxine to replace T4 (for a weak functioning gland) are the Western modes of treatment for a malfunctioning thyroid gland.
Women are more prone to thyroid conditions than men, and unless women have a genetic predisposition to a faulty thyroid, these conditions come about more so as women near menopause. Hypothyroid sufferers would often feel cold and have problems regulating their temperature. Fatigue and weight gain is also experienced since metabolism is affected. Hyperthyroidism symptoms, on the other hand, manifest symptoms opposite that of hypothyroidism and they include an inflamed thyroid gland (goiter), weight loss, insomnia, palpitations, flushing, nervousness, and anxiety.
Thyroid Conditions and Acupuncture in Vancouver
Acupuncture can be used to restore balance to the thyroid gland and bring back the under or over active thyroid back to its normal function. Acupuncture has the power to effectively treat endocrine disorders and diseases. Its relaxing benefits have an effect on hormone and brain activity inside the body. Besides the power to directly treat the thyroid, this ancient Chinese healing technique can also be a very valuable way to resolve the undesirable symptoms of thyroid conditions. Acupuncture for the treatment of thyroid conditions involves the use of filamentous needles painlessly stuck in the ears (ear acupuncture). To enhance the treatment, Chinese herbal remedies are also given to the patient to either subdue or enhance the function of the thyroid. Herbal remedies such as ginger, mint, or ginseng are oftentimes used.
The importance of iodine for the proper function of the thyroid gland must be emphasized since the typical American diet oftentimes lacks this very important element. You can augment iodine into your diet by supplementing it with sea salt, or seaweed, which are both rich in iodine to help improve the function of your thyroid gland. If you suffer from hypothyroidism, you must know that taking levothyroxine or other medications that contains synthetic T4 (to augment the T4 deficiency caused by this condition), will cause the body to adjust its own TSH or thyroid hormone levels. The result might be increased side effects and a rapid switching of hormone levels. If you would rather avoid surgery or drugs, then Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are natural and sensible alternatives you should consider to help manage and resolve your thyroid condition.
Acupuncture Helps Get Rid of Neck Pain and Back Pain Safely and Naturally
In Western cultures such as the United States, acupuncture is widely considered to be an unconventional element of Western medicine for the treatment of neck pain back pain. While it is not widely used as a first line of treatment for most neck or back problems, more and more doctors as well as other health professionals are turning to acupuncture as a way to lessen back and neck pain.
Used as far back as 2500 years ago in China, acupuncture is based on the premise that the body possesses pathways were vital energy circulates throughout the body. This vital energy is called qi or chi by the Chinese; to experience good health, the normal circulation of qi should be maintained in the body.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners believe that the human body possesses over 2000 points and 20 energy channels known as meridians. These channels are where qi circulates throughout the body. With the use of filiform stainless steel sterilized needles, the acupuncturist inserts them into some of these preselected acupoints in an effort to maintain or correct the proper flow of qi.
How Acupuncture Works
Although not verified, the mechanisms of acupuncture have manifested a number of commonly accepted effects to the body. Stimulation of the central nervous system, which comprises the spinal cord and brain, is one of the most notable effects of this therapy. When the needles are inserted, people usually experience a numbing and/or tingling sensation. Afterwards, they may feel either energized or relaxed. This will depend on the person receiving the treatment as well as on how the person perceives the treatment.
There are about one to twenty needles that will be stuck into the person skin during an acupuncture procedure. The depth into which a needle is inserted into the skin may range from a single inch to several inches long. Areas of the body where deeper fat/muscle layers are found are treated with 5 to 9 inches long acupuncture needles. The needles to be used will, of course, depend on the required penetration or depth and on what condition is being treated. The acupuncturist normally leaves the needles in place for 20 minutes to a full hour. There are acupuncturists who turn the needles in one or more directions after they’ve been inserted into the skin. This is done in accordance with what the acupuncturist is trying to achieve. Sometimes, the inserted needles are removed and inserted back into the skin of the patient. Sometimes, the needles are electrically charged or heated after they’ve been inserted into the skin. Electro- acupuncture may be utilized through a non-penetrating probe or with needles.
Acupuncture Considerations
Individuals may experience acupuncture in different ways but almost all of them never describe the treatment as ‘painful’. The tip of an acupuncture needle is not sharp-edged but comes smoothly to a point unlike needles used for drawing blood or for injections. In terms of width, acupuncture needles are 20 times thinner than a typical hypodermic needle used for injections. This is as thin as the hair in your scalp. These needles do not remove tissue as what would happen when using hypodermic needles which makes them really safe to use. There are acupuncturists who integrate moxibustion therapy into an acupuncture procedure where moxa leaves are burnt on the needles while they are inserted in the skin to augment the potency of the treatment.
Some practitioners may use cupping, a procedure in which cups are heated and laid on the skin to generate suction to suck blood close to the skin surface.
Some acupuncturists specialize in treating microsystems. These systems are found on the body particularly on the ear. Ear acupuncture is also known as auriculotherapy. Other microsystems used by acupuncturists include the ones found in the foot, the hand, and the face among many other parts of the body.
Single-use sterilized disposable needles (needles that are sealed prior to use) are the most widely used acupuncture needles in the United States. In the US, only sterile, one-time use needles (that are sealed prior to use) are allowed. These needles are disposed of properly after use in a bio-hazardous waste receptacle.
The insertion of the needles into the body releases certain chemicals in the body. This physiological process helps relieve or even cure neck pain and back pain psychologically and physically.
Acupuncture is believed to work by:
Activating specific electromagnetic points on the body – The 2,000 acupoints on the body is where acupuncture needles are inserted to stimulate electromagnetic energy. When these areas are stimulated, endorphins are released into the bloodstream causing the alleviation of discomfort and pain.
Altering the production and release of neurohormones and neurotransmitters – The needles are believed to stimulate the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus causing the production and secretion of these chemicals. The neurohormones and neurotransmitters are responsible for the suppression of pain as well as the function of specific internal organs. Tests have revealed that acupuncture modifies the chemicals’ release in a way that stops pain. Studies also show that this treatment impacts the immune functions in a positive way.
Releasing opioid peptides – The analgesic effect of opioids causes a significant reduction of pain in the body. Opioids are substances that are naturally developed in the brain and studies have shown that acupuncture activates the central nervous system to help secrete these chemicals.
In spite of the positive opinion of many medical experts about acupuncture’s ability to treat specific conditions, no consensus so far has been reached to make this treatment a formal form of therapy since all could not agree on how it really works. There are others who define the effectiveness of the treatment within the boundaries of TCM principles of meridians and qi while some attribute its success based on certain biological and scientific changes that it causes in the body. There are also some who question if acupuncture does indeed work at all.
Acupuncture Considerations
Considered a safe mode of treatment, acupuncture is seen by practitioners and doctors alike to be a powerful alternative form of treatment or as an adjunct to other medical treatments. In specific cases, it may be used as a replacement for conventional painkillers or used in combination with them.
The NIH (National Institutes of Health) in 1998 announced that evidence abounds showing the effectiveness and pain-relieving abilities of acupuncture in adults who have undergone post surgical dental pain, and in the treating of chemotherapy-related nausea. Acupuncture was also deemed by the NIH to be a valid form of for low back pain and for other painful conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain, and headache.
Countries such as China use acupuncture in various ways including stomach and brain surgeries and in other surgeries as well. There are occasions when a surgical procedure would require part anesthesia part acupuncture to suppress pain during surgery.
Dr. Vickery is a licensed acupuncturist in Tarzana, CA., and the founder and clinical director of Vickery Health and Wellness.
Acupuncture Can Be Used as a Treatment for Mouth Ulcers
A common symptom of digestive diseases such as Reiter’s syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease is mouth ulcer. Mouth ulcers can also develop from various factors such as post radiation therapy, oral thrush, and use of antibiotics. Herpes infection can also cause mouth ulcers. A lot of patients suffer from recurrent mouth ulcers stemming from unknown reasons. Western conventional medicine answers this problem through the use of various topical painkillers and antiseptic washes. These remedies are designed to merely mask the symptoms; acupuncture for mouth ulcers, on the other hand, treats the symptoms and resolves the underlying reason of the problem.
Does Acupuncture Treatment for Mouth Sores Involve Inserting Needles in the Mouth or Lips?
No. The energy channels (also known in Chinese medicine as meridians) travel all over the body including the four limbs and enwrap every part of the body, including the tongue and gums. The acupuncture points chosen for treatment are usually located far away from the mouth such as those located near the web of the toes. The meridians targeted for the treatment of mouth ulcers are those associated with the heart, large intestine and the abdomen systems.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners in Tarzana believe that the tongue has a relationship with the heart and that the mouth is the gateway to the abdomen. Also, the energy channel of the large intestine radiates to the gums. And so if you eat the improper types of food, toxins and heat buildup in the abdomen. This can cause the development of ulcers forming in the mouth. If the bowels are not properly eliminated due to constipation or any other reason, it can also cause a buildup of toxins that lead to mouth ulcers.
Anxiety and other forms of emotional stress can lead to the rise of ulcers in the mouth.
A thorough review of ancient Chinese acupuncture documents will reveal several references to certain acupoints and why they are used to treat mouth ulcers. To easily understand this, imagine an energy channel traveling from the mouth and down to the tip of the little finger. If the mouth suffers from excess heat causing mouth ulcers, an acupoint remote from the mouth and related to the heart energy channel located proximate to the wrist is chosen for treatment. The needling of this acupoint causes the buildup of steam and heat in the mouth to escape allowing the ulcer to disappear.
According to TCM, mouth ulcers can have several causes. To determine the exact cause, a comprehensive examination and diagnosis need to be done during the initial consultation with your acupuncturist.
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs Can Resolve The Symptoms of Hypertension
Hypertension or High Blood Pressure can be managed effectively with an array of Western and Eastern treatments. Western drugs can give effective treatment but they always come with adverse side effects. Because of this, a lot of hypertensive people opt for alternative treatments to address their condition. These include Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. Besides that, there are other natural therapies such as relaxation techniques and dietary therapy that can help lower blood pressure in a safe and natural way. When used either as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with other methods, acupuncture is one of the most effective alternative therapies available for lowering high blood pressure and can be done comfortably and safely for as little as one session a week. Outcomes are usually seen within the first 1 to 3 weeks and improvements continue until the body is brought back to a balanced and harmonious state.
How does acupuncture treat high blood pressure in New York?
Several studies reveal that acupuncture lowers blood pressure through its ability to balance the angiotensin-adrenaline system. Acupuncture’s effectiveness is also associated with beta acceptor blocking of the sympathetic nervous system (just like beta-blockers in Western medicine). For high blood pressure, acupuncture is usually combined with electric stimulation via a technique known as electro-acupuncture. Electro-acupuncture treatment involves the use of low-frequency currents that are conveyed through wires to standard acupuncture needles to augment the potency of the treatment. Moreover, acupuncture has the capacity to reduce stress and calm the nervous system. Through this procedure, acupuncture generates a relaxing effect that can help lower blood pressure. This shows that acupuncture is an effective and safe modality to help lower hypertension and treat its related symptoms, thereby preventing any potentially dangerous complications.
Oftentimes, to guarantee the best results, a combination of herbal medicine and acupuncture is given the patient. The herbs prunella (Hsia Ku Cao) and gastrodia (Tian Ma) are commonly used to treat high blood pressure and are formulated according to the patient’s specific constitution.
Hypertension treatment can consist of:
-A thorough consultation on the initial visit followed by recommendations on lifestyle factors, supplements, and diet, and specific feedback on follow-up visits
-A customized herbal remedy, taken 3 times a day for a month. This formula will be created based on the patient’s unique constitutional factors.
-Treatments with acupuncture performed once each week for a month. After the first month, the treatments are to be scheduled once in two weeks for 4 sessions
Treating Shingles Naturally and Holistically with the Use of Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture
Each month, there are a number of Americans who try out acupuncture treatment for their shingles infection. While there may be a few of them who have a fundamental understanding of what this infection is all about, most only become aware when they themselves get infected with this condition. This article aims to help you understand what shingles is and the means to fight or prevent its outbreak.
What is shingles?
The Mayo Clinic defines shingles as an infection by the varicella-zoster virus that results in rash that is painful and can develop at any part of your body, although it most often occurs around the torso. The varicella zoster is the virus that also causes chickenpox. People usually experience chickenpox once in their lives; however, the virus can still linger in the body and stay dormant in the nerve tissues near the brain and the spinal cord, a trigger and can reactivate the virus although it will manifest this time in the form of shingles.
Each year, around 4 million Americans get infected with chickenpox. Almost all of them (about 96% of them) will experience it during adulthood based on statistics coming from the Center for Disease Control or CDC. Since shingles and chickenpox originate from the same virus, we can now begin to understand why there seems to be a lot of cases for shingles infection occurring each month. There are vaccines that have been made to combat chickenpox but most of them are not designed for the adults who have been infected with the virus.
How common is shingles?
In the United States, roughly 33% of the population will experience shingles once in their lifetime; each year, almost a million Americans suffer from this disease and most of them are adults; people (women and men) who are at the age of 60 years and older, account for half of all the cases of shingles.
Outbreaks of shingles can be triggered by certain factors, and one of the most common of these factors is stress, which is very preventable. When a person is suffering from too much stress, the stress suppresses the immune system making it function less than its normal full capacity giving shingles an opportunity to arise. Seeking ways to lessen stress in your body such as regular exercise or getting adequate can restore the maximal function of your immune system.
Eating a diet with low amounts of L-arginine and high amounts of L-lysine can also help prevent the occurrence of shingles. Shingles is especially sensitive to the balance of L-lysine to L-arginine in the body. These two are amino acids that can be found naturally in the human body, although they can also be derived from foods. In order to prevent the proliferation of the herpes voster virus in the body, the amount of L-lysine should be greater to that of L-arginine in the body. Vegetables, dairy and proteins are rich in Lysine while high amounts of arginine can be found in tomatoes, chocolate and nuts. When you have been infected with the shingles virus, merely modifying your diet can help lessen the severity and duration of your infection. One can also avail of L-lysine supplements during and after a shingles outbreak to help maintain the proper balance of L-lysine to L-arginine.
When it comes to natural and alternative therapies, the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) modalities of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture can be very effective ways to treat shingles. Your acupuncturist will usually adopt differential diagnosis to help formulate a plan of treatment in order to treat the symptoms and to make the immune system stronger. Chinese herbs and acupuncture work synergistically to treat the symptoms, lessen the pain and boost the shingles patient’s quality of life right after the start of the treatment.
If you, or someone you know, is suffering from shingles infection, you can talk to a qualified and licensed acupuncturist in Miami to help get rid of your shingles in a natural and holistic way. Getting TCM treatment for your shingles will prevent the use of drugs and provide you with much better results.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Approaches to Dry Skin
Hereditary, psychological or allergic factors are usually the causes of dry skin, according to Western Medicine. Dermatologists will use a magnifying glass to examine the skin and may extract specimens for microscopic study. A biopsy of superficial lymph nodes and blood tests may be done on the patient to help rule out other conditions that affect the skin.
The treatment approach of Western Medicine doctors to itchy, dry skin is to advise patients to stay away from substances that might be causing the problem. Doctors may recommend oils or lotions to be applied to the dry areas of the skin in order to moisturize the skin and to take iron supplements. If the skin turns dry due to an infection, antibiotics are the usual prescribed modes of treatment. Some medications like antihistamines and steroids may also be prescribed to help manage the pain and itching. Hospitalization may be necessary if the condition turns severe in order to exclude reaction to any strong irritant and to better help address symptoms.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lungs are the organ systems responsible for the skin. The skin pores and lungs need to respire together when one is inhaling. When the skin is soft and healthy, it means that the lungs are taking in quality moisture. When steam coming from the large intestine evaporates, the lungs receive the vapor then send it to the skin. This is the reason why a healthy moisturized skin is soft. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pembroke Pines state that if the lungs have too much mucus or if the temperature of the small intestine is too low, the skin cannot receive enough water vapor which leads to an itchy and dry skin. Using steroids can cause a lot of side effects including the closing of the skin pores. If the pores are shut, it can’t receive water which causes the skin to dry up.
To treat itchy and dry skin, Chinese herbal formulas are used by Traditional Chinese Medicine in order to raise the internal temperature in the small intestine and to clear any mucus or residue in the lungs. When the respiratory tract has been cleared, it leads to the resolution of the dry skin and to the prevention of any future recurrences. You also need to exercise to allow the body to perspire. Be sure not to immediately enter into an air conditioned room after you’ve exercised because it will shut the skin pores and trap the sweat that’s trying to come out. The body needs to cool down in a natural way.