May 16
Acupuncture is effective in reliving pain for many.
Acupuncture works for me.
That seemingly strange treatment where a trained and licensed practitioner sticks needles about my body has been practiced for centuries in Asia. It is used to treat most pain conditions – including lower back pain, shingles and other nerve pain, hand and knee pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and menstrual pain.
Official research on the effectiveness of acupuncture produces mixed results, according to the Harvard Healthbeat newsletter.
Tagged with: Pain
May 13
Here are some good questions and answers on the topic of acupuncture.
Official research on the effectiveness of acupuncture produces mixed results, according to the Harvard Healthbeat newsletter.
But my experience has been positive, although I would caution that results might take as many as 12 treatments.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture involves the insertion of extremely fine needles into the skin at specific “acupoints” along the body’s meridians. This action can result in pain relief by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural painkilling chemicals, and might affect the part of the brain that governs serotonin levels, the brain transmitter involved with mood, the Harvard newsletter says.
May 11
If you want to quit smoking, you may want to try acupuncture and hypnosis.
Acupuncture and hypnosis have been promoted as drug-free ways to help smokers kick the habit, and there is some evidence that they work, according to a research review that looked at 14 international studies.
Researchers, whose findings appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, said that there are still plenty of questions, including exactly how effective alternative therapies might be and how they measure up against conventional methods to quit smoking.
But the alternatives should still stand as options for smokers determined to break the habit, said researchers led by Mehdi Tahiri of McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
In general, smokers who want to quit should first try the standard approaches, w hich include nicotine-replacement therapy, medications and behavioral counseling, Tahiri said.
Tagged with: Smoking
May 09
A session with an acupuncturist inspires the author to search for more subtle needs than physical and emotional needs.
After an acupuncture treatment, I was reminded that we have more subtle needs than just our physical and emotional.
The way my acupuncturist put it was “being mindful of your deeper needs.”
When she said it, it made sense on some level, but it wasn’t until later that I really thought about it.
The wisdom in the statement speaks to more than physical self-care, but to all levels that need care.
For example, on the surface it’s easy to think about what your body needs, or even what your relationships need, but what do you really want?
If you could wake up every day and do exactly what you want, what would it be?
What are your long-term dreams or goals?
Tagged with: Subtle Needs • Zen
May 06
Acupuncture can prevent muscle loss in seniors as well as patients.
A team of researchers from Japan have found that acupuncture therapy may benefit the elderly and patients who suffer from poor mobility due to loss of skeletal muscle mass, a condition known as skeletal muscle atrophy.
Muscle atrophy is common in the elderly and patients who go through extended periods of inactivity, such as when a limb is put in a cast or being bed-ridden due to a prolonged illness. The condition can also be caused by many diseases such as cancer and liver failure.
Skeletal muscle loss prevents sufferers from performing certain tasks and increases the risk of accidents while engaging in daily activities such as walking.
Tagged with: Muscle Loss
May 05
Do you know what medical acupuncture is? Did you know that it can promote optimal health?
As it turns out, medical acupuncture is acupuncture performed by a medical doctor. Dr. Laurie Mallis is a licensed medical physician, board certified in internal medicine and geriatrics, and a certified medical director of the American Medical Directors Association and diplomate of the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She spent her career in hospitals and nursing homes, mostly in sub-acute care. After practicing traditional Western medicine for years, Mallis became increasingly frustrated.
Apr 30
An exciting research has found that new type of acupuncture treatment provides a longer lasting pain relief, to the delight of many pain sufferers.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina have found a way to deliver long-lasting pain relief through a new therapeutic approach to acupuncture. The promising treatment, which they call PAPupuncture, gave several days of pain relief in animal studies.
Several years ago UNC scientists documented how injecting prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) into the spine eased chronic pain in rodents. The only problem was PAP’s delivery.
Tagged with: Pain
Apr 29
A new study has found that acupuncture can greatly improve skeletal muscle atrophy.
“It is my hope that this study will demonstrate acupuncture’s feasibility with regard to improving health among the elderly and medical patients. Our findings could identify acupuncture as the primary nonpharmacological treatment to prevent skeletal muscle atrophy in the future,” says Akiko Onda, an acupuncturist and graduate student at the Waseda University School of Sport Sciences, who has been conducting a series of studies on skeletal muscle atrophy for the past four years. Her presentation was on April 23, at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting, which is part of EB2012.
Tagged with: Skeletal Muscle Atrophy
Apr 22
If you are intrigued about acupuncture, there are more medical centers and clinics that are offering this service.
Acupuncture is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a system that has been used for thousands of years in China for treating illness and injury. In recent decades, it has become more widely available in the United States, including at mainstream medical centers, such as the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
Acupuncture is based on the principle that there are energetic pathways, or channels, throughout our bodies, which influence associated internal organs and structures. Energy from these pathways surfaces at various points on the body. These are identified as acupuncture points.
Apr 18
Acupuncture can stimulate parts of the brain and help restore imbalances of body energy.
Originating in ancient China, acupuncture has been used for 2500 years. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that disease is caused by blockages and imbalances of energy (known as chi) flowing through meridians in the body and can be eased by inserting needles at specific points.
Since the 1970s, acupuncture has become more popular outside east Asia. Once widely considered a quack medicine, there is now tentative support for its use in certain conditions from respected official bodies such as the World Health Organisation, the National Health Service in the UK and the National Institutes of Health in the US.
There is evidence that acupuncture is effective in treating a range of conditions including spinal injuries, infertility and the side effects of chemotherapy, and that its effects aren’t entirely due to the placebo effect. However, despite extensive research, the mechanism of this ancient healing art remains unknown.Originating in ancient China, acupuncture has been used for 2500 years. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that disease is caused by blockages and imbalances of energy (known as chi) flowing through meridians in the body and can be eased by inserting needles at specific points.
Since the 1970s, acupuncture has become more popular outside east Asia. Once widely considered a quack medicine, there is now tentative support for its use in certain conditions from respected official bodies such as the World Health Organisation, the National Health Service in the UK and the National Institutes of Health in the US.
There is evidence that acupuncture is effective in treating a range of conditions including spinal injuries, infertility and the side effects of chemotherapy, and that its effects aren’t entirely due to the placebo effect. However, despite extensive research, the mechanism of this ancient healing art remains unknown.
Tagged with: energy
