Category Archives: Acupuncture

Acupuncture Treatment for Tonsillitis

Sore throat is often accompanied by several other symptoms. These symptoms may differ depending on the source of the discomfort. The sufferer can manifest difficulty in swallowing, pain, tonsil inflammation, feeling of scratchiness and dryness, or a hoarse voice. The symptoms can be the result of an infection which may lead to added symptoms such as feelings of nausea, body aches, headache, fever, and cough. If after a week or more, the symptoms are still there, or if they frequently come back, it’s then imperative to consult with your doctor.

Tonsillitis means that your tonsils are Inflamed. This condition may the result of a viral or bacterial infection. A bacteria known as streptococcus is one the most common causes of tonsillitis. The herpes simplex virus and the virus that causes influenza are often the culprits in virus-caused tonsillitis. A patient with tonsillitis may manifest coating on the tonsils, fever, headache, blisters in the throat, and swollen lymph nodes and glands. Treatment for bacteria-caused tonsillitis usually involves the use of antibiotics.

Tonsils are tissues that produce antibodies and thus, are important parts of the immune system that help ward off infection. They also prevent toxins from going through the respiratory system. For severe and frequently recurring tonsillitis, surgery is performed to remove the tonsils. This used to be the most common way of treating tonsillitis but it is now only used for the aforementioned reasons.

Tonsillitis was listed by the World Health Organization 25 years ago, as a condition that is treatable with acupuncture. A 1987 controlled study involving 220 subjects revealed that tonsillitis symptoms can be relieved by acupuncture. The alleviation of sore throat and fever in particular, was achieved in the test group than in the control group.

The University of Heidelberg, Department of Otorhinolaryngology conducted a study in 2009 which demonstrated that the duration of post-tonsillectomy pain relief was greatly lengthened with acupuncture therapies. Patients who have received acupuncture treatment had a longer duration (three hours longer, on average) of relief of post-surgical swallowing pain than the patients who have taken NSAIDS or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The study also concluded that specific acupuncture protocols are effective in cases where patients cannot tolerate the NSAID drugs.

When treating tonsillitis, the acupuncturist will address the pattern of excess toxin and heat that causes swelling. This swelling can result in blockages in the lung meridians causing stagnation in blood and qi. If this is the case, the stagnation can result in the swelling of the lymph nodes. For patients with different sore throat conditions, their acupuncturist may come up with a diagnosis such as yin deficiency or an invasion of wind heat.

Acupuncture is one very good way to treat osteoarthritis

These days, osteoarthritis is quite a commonly reported issue heard by doctors. Most of the time, this condition affects middle age people. Osteoarthritis is the gradual degeneration of the joints and it is a quite painful condition.

Between the joints in the body, a layer of membrane exist called cartilage. For young people, the cartilage acts to facilitate movement by serving as a lubricating membrane. It assists in preventing the two adjacent joints from rubbing against each other when the body moves. But, as a person ages, the cartilage starts to weaken and degenerate. It eventually becomes so eroded that it can no longer effectively act as a protective layer for the bones. This then results in pain whenever there is movement. In a lot of instances, the inflammation of the joints also causes swelling that follows the soreness.

Osteoarthritis can be due to many factors. This problem can be brought about by overuse, injury, old age, or heredity. People who are in their 20s or 30s also have a chance of developing this disease. An osteoarthritis sufferer should find treatment as early a soon as possible for 2 reasons: to prevent the condition from worsening and second to relieve the swelling, soreness and pain of osteoarthritis.

The inflammation needs to be treated when it develops around the affected joints. Western doctors usually prescribe steroid-based anti-inflammation medicines. The bad thing about this is that these drugs come with a number of harmful side effects. Worse, these drugs can actually induce osteoarthritis in some case thus exacerbating the condition. This has forced doctors to seek other non-steroid ways to resolve osteoarthritis.

Acupuncture is one very good way to treat osteoarthritis, especially if it is combined with the use of NSAIMS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines. In one controlled clinical study, about 70% of the patients received pain relief right after being treated with acupuncture.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese modality and has been practiced for over 5,000 years. These days, a large number of doctors are also practicing this ancient treatment method. Acupuncture uses ultra thin needles to stimulate the energy pathways in the body. Acupuncturists state that the body possesses over 2000 acupuncture points scattered all over the body. When Qi or vital energy in the body is balanced, the body is able to easily heal itself. O, the primary aim of using acupuncture is to stimulate these acupuncture points to clear out obstructions can be cleared and allow Qi to flow freely.

Western medical scientists believe that these acupuncture points are part of the central nervous system and when they are inserted with acupuncture needles, hormones, neurotransmitters and other special chemicals are released and they all aid the body in healing itself. Through the use of acupuncture for the treatment of osteoarthritis, there will be less and less need for the use of steroid based drugs. This therapy brings quick relief from pain and enables the affected joints to heal naturally and gradually.

Acupuncture may be the only treatment you need to completely cure your psoriasis.

Frankly speaking, acupuncture was not used as a treatment for psoriasis during ancient times the reason being that psoriasis cases back then was a rarity. However, as nature and science have been unsuccessful in finding a cure for psoriasis, some sufferers have reported being cured of their psoriasis with acupuncture. This treatment has helped them alleviate the lesions and plagues of psoriasis; so, this natural and unique form of therapy may be worth a try.

There around 2% of Americans suffering from severe psoriasis while about ¼ of the US population experience mild to extreme type of this skin problem. Besides that, thousands of new cases are discovered year causing psoriasis to become a worldwide dermatological problem. Modern science still does not know what actually causes it but psoriasis is known to not only affect the skin’s upper layer, it is also suspected to be associated with problems in the immune system that allow certain cells to turn hyperactive resulting in the lesions and plagues that are the classical symptoms of psoriasis.

During treatment, the acupuncturist utilizes long thin needles inserted into the body at acupuncture points that lie on top of a series of signal paths located just underneath the skin that correspond to a problem area. The needles may not necessarily be inserted into the region where the psoriasis symptoms develops when treating the condition. Signals will be channeled through certain acupuncture techniques in order to treat the symptoms as well as their underlying cause.

The number of research done on the effect of acupuncture in treating psoriasis is very few. This lack of study, of course, does not help validate acupuncture’s ability to treat psoriasis. Furthermore, since acupuncture works differently from person to person, it may not follow the conditions set by western medicine in testing the efficacy of a treatment   So, unfortunately, acupuncture studies are often considered cases of trial and error in an attempt to treat a condition.

You may need several sessions of acupuncture treatment to be able to cure your condition and so, if you’re in a hurry to cure your psoriasis, then acupuncture is not for you. One of the best things about this treatment is that there are no side effects unless you have a fear of needles that causes you anxiety or makes your blood pressure to shoot up. You should know that there are acupuncture techniques that use small probes and mild electric currents instead of needles. These less invasive techniques are as effective as the traditional acupuncture needling technique.

If you have used all kinds of treatments without success, then it’s time to give acupuncture a chance. It may be the only treatment you need to completely cure your psoriasis.

Acupressure and acupuncture do provide great possibilities when it comes to curing sinusitis

People nowadays are more dependent on modern knowledge and technology as the basis for the kind of life they want to live. As a result, they often think that modern society can provide them all the answers to their well being and health. After all, the fantastic advancements in modern medicine have made the fight against diseases like heart attacks and cancer much more promising. Therefore, it is only natural to believe that modern medicine holds all the answers to what afflicts us. However, this is, more often not, not the case at all for a lot of life’s maladies. One huge example is sinusitis. What may even be truer is that the ancient healing methods of acupressure and acupuncture are much more effective modalities for treating sinus infections than the ones modern medicine currently offers us. A lot of former sinusitis sufferers who have tried acupuncture and/or acupressure will testify that acupressure or acupuncture cures sinusitis. Modern medicine has no known cure for sinusitis.

Acupuncture is one huge component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). What was once belittled by Western doctors is now a widely accepted medical procedure in the western world. Acupuncture has become a common form of treatment that chances are you may know someone who has tried it. This natural therapy is based on the assumption that vital energy or qi flows in the body. From a purely physical viewpoint, acupuncture is also believed to improve the circulation of blood throughout the body.

Acupuncture treatment involves the use of delicate ultra thin needles inserted along points in your body known as meridians. The needles are inserted into different parts of the body depending on the condition you are trying to resolve.

For sinusitis, a special acupuncture regimen is applied. Your acupuncturist will precisely know what parts of your body are to be treated with needles. It is important that you furnish your acupuncturist with adequate information regarding your symptoms and all other relevant information to give your acupuncturist a clear picture of your condition.

It is also important to consult and be treated by a licensed therapist. You can find one by asking your doctor or other health care provider for recommendations. You can also search online or search in the local Yellow Pages. Acupuncture is quite popular now that finding the right acupuncturist for you will not be a problem.

Providing similar therapeutic benefits is the less invasive procedure of acupressure. This therapy is very similar to acupuncture. You can perform this on yourself or by a professional.

As mentioned before, acupressure is based on the same theory as acupuncture but instead of using needles, stimulation is done using manual pressure. Your eyes is one of the most effective areas of your body where your can begin acupressure. This is an easy technique that you can do on yourself.

Begin by setting your thumbs on either side of your nose, about halfway up. Firmly apply pressure on the nostril’s cartilage. Apply pressure for about half a minute. Repeat as often as you can. One of the best things about acupressure is that it has absolutely no side effects at all.

One other acupressure technique you can try is using your left index finger and thumb to put pressure on the part next to the inner eyes on both sides of the bridge of your nose. Apply pressure to this area for about 10 seconds. This is the same to what most individuals instinctively do where they’re enduring sinus problems, which is applying pressure to parts near their eyes.

You can also solely depend on modern medical knowledge and techniques to treat problems that you may have. People often forget of the natural types of healing disciplines that were discovered centuries ago that are just as good or even more effective than several modern remedies around. Acupressure and acupuncture do provide great possibilities when it comes to curing sinusitis.

Anemia Treatment Using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

When the body does not produce enough RBCs or red blood cells for it to function normally, this is known as anemia. Fatigue is the most common symptom of anemia and it is due to the poor function of other cells that are poorly supplied with oxygen due to the body’s lack of RBCs causing the body to become weak. Doctors oftentimes term this condition as “tired blood” for obvious reasons. Anemia can present itself in many forms. It can range from mild to severe that can last for a short time or stay with a person for the rest of his/her life. The type of anemia the patient has will determine the type of allopathic treatment he/she will receive. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) usually choose alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture, bodywork and herbal remedies among others to treat anemia.

Anemia Treatment Using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Doctors trained in allopathic medicine can identify various types of anemia. A specific cause will lead to a certain type of anemia which will entail a specific treatment for the condition. Practitioners of TCM, on the other hand, argue that all anemia types are just signs of the body either not creating adequate amounts of good quality blood or the flow of energy or qi, which is the vital energy that generates health in the body, is deficient or has slowed down. In order to treat anemia, these practitioners need to boost circulation of qi throughout the body as well as create more good quality blood. The symptoms presented by the patient are determinants of what treatment needs to be given.

Acupuncture for Anemia

One of the most common modalities used by TCM practitioners to treat anemia is acupuncture. Acupuncture is a type of treatment wherein slender, filament-thin needles are stuck at specific points in a person’s body to boost qi flow all over the body. When used for anemia treatment, needles are inserted into affected energy vessels (vessels where qi flows) known as meridians associated with the spleen, where blood, according to TCM, is created as well as meridians associated with the abdomen. Some needles can also be used to treat meridians that correspond to the liver. The liver is the organ system where blood is stored and helps regulate the proper flow of blood all over the body.

Some of the common acupuncture points that are needled to address anemia include:

Spleen 10

The spleen 10 acupuncture point is also known in Chinese as Hsue Hai or Sea of Blood. The treatment of Spleen 10 or Sp 10 helps to tonify and revitalize blood as well as resolve all types of blood disorders.

Liver 8
The Liv 8 is referred to in Chinese as Spring at the Crook or Qu Chuan. This is a favorite point for practitioners for the treatment of Liver qi deficiency related to blood conditions. This point revitalizes the blood and tonifies blood and yin of the body as well.

Stomach 36

Foot three mile or Hsu San Li is the other name of this acupuncture point that is situated on the Stomach meridian. The Foot Three Mile indicates that treatment of this acupoint can relieve fatigue and can give you extra strength to walk another 3 miles or so. The Stomach 36 point vigorously tonifies both blood and Qi, better absorb nutrients and improve the digestive function.

Anemia Treatment Using Chinese Herbal Medicine

Both complex and single herbal remedies used by licensed Chinese herbal remedies can help treat anemia. A variety of herbs is utilized to boost qi and blood supply. These herbs may include:

White peony rhizome – astrnges yin and nourshes blood
Rehmannia – a processed type of this herb is known as Shu di. Rehmannia helps generate fluid and nourshes yin.
Dear Antler – tonifies qi and blood and strengthens yang.
Astragalus propinquus – tonifies spleen qi and blood
Licorice root – tonifies stomach and spleen qi
Pilose asiabell – nourishes body energy and blood
Angelica – dispels cold, tonifies blood, harmonizes and revitalizes blood
White Atractylodes rhizome – tonifies the spleen and supplements qi
In a lot of cases, TCM treatment of a condition may entail complementary therapies along with herbal formulas. The Four Ingredient Decoction is one of the most widely used remedy for deficiency of blood.

Anemia Treatment Using Chinese Massage (Tui Na)

Chinese massage treatment or Tui Na massage has been a reliable part of Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. It is based on a principle that is akin to that of acupuncture, which is manipulation of energy channels to help boost yin and yang and improve the flow of qi all over the body. There are practitioners who may concentrate on hand on foot massage in order to increase blood production in the spleen as well as better qi flow all over the body.

What Is Anemia?

As we can see, anemia is a condition concerning the blood which is typified by symptoms, such as:

-Muscle cramps
-Shortness of breath especially after exercise, headache
-Problems concentrating
-Dizziness
-Pale skin
-Loss of energy and fatigue

Different factors can lead to different forms of anemia. One example is individuals suffering from sickle-cell anemia. They possess a genetic disorder that causes their body to create abnormally shaped red blood cells. For some reason, these red blood cells have a tendency to collectively clump in the bloodstream leading to symptoms such as infection susceptibility, poor muscular development and pain in the joints. Iron-deficiency anemia is due to a lack of iron in the blood. Other types of anemia can include among others thalassemia, hemolytic anemia, vitamin-deficiency anemia and aplastic anemia.

Eczema – How does acupuncture see it?

Eczema, from the perspective of TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine, is the result of a lack of Defensive-Qi or Wei-Qi. Wei-Qi is a concept of TCM that has a close association to your skin and helps shield your body from external pathogens. The Five Elements Theory is one of the three main theories that make up TCM. This theory states that the Lung (this is capitalized to make it distinct from the one used in scientific terms) system governs your skin which in turn means that it is also responsible for the skin’s health. The Kidney system, on the other hand, contributes to the health maintenance of the skin. The Kidneys are responsible for moistening and nourishing the skin.

Eczema often begins to develop when you are young. It is a condition that usually crops up along with asthma. There are two main forms of eczema, Wind-Heat and Damp-Heat. Wind-Heat is often caused by Lung deficiency) and Damp-Heat (is more associated with the Kidneys). You can see that both types deal with ‘Heat’. This means that eczema always comes with inflammation and redness on the skin. Wind-Heat cases will manifest dry lesions that move from place to place on your body (this movement pattern indicates the presence of Wind in the body). Damp-Heat, on the other hand, will produce oozing lesions which is a sign that there is Dampness in your body. The lesions are often limited to certain parts of your body like the lower legs and forearms.

How does acupuncture treat eczema?

Treatment for eczema that is acute in nature (particularly, some of the Wind-Heat type) is quite an easy treatment to do since the pathogen has had little time settling into your body. TCM practitioners, however, often encounter eczema conditions that are chronic in nature in this society; however, most cases treated by TCM are seen in the chronic stages. And usually these chronic cases have already been treated using conventional methods with no or little success. TCM and acupuncture can prove to be more effective than conventional treatments when it comes to addressing chronic types of eczema. However, the treatment may take a lot longer for chronic cases than for acute types of eczema.

For the treatment of eczema the main treatment protocol will be to nourish the Kidneys and/or Lungs and at the same time nourishing the Blood if there is Wind and/or a significant Dampness or Blood deficiency.

What can you do?

If you have eczema, you need to protect your skin from wind and cold exposure. You also need to avoid foods such as mushrooms, spinach, shellfish, alcohol, spicy foods, fried foods and dairy.

One of the Well-Known Alternative Types of Treatment for Crohn’s Disease is Acupuncture

Considered in incurable chronic type of condition, Crohn’s disease can only be healed. Even with the breathtaking advancements in medical science and research, no promising and effective cure or treatment for it has been developed. However, many different kinds of symptoms can manifest in the body to declare the existence of this condition.

Crohn’s disease manifests symptoms that affect the personal life and work of the sufferer. The disease can impact the sufferer’s quality of life as well. It can biologically impact the liver, cause the development of arthritis at the large joints, cause eye lesions as well as thrush in the mouth.

For drugs that treat the condition, they may either cause side effects or result in other problems in the body. A number of treatments have been manufactured but till now no bona fide treatment has yet been designed to cure the disease.

One of the well-known alternative types of treatment for Crohn’s disease is acupuncture. This treatment can heal the condition but as with all other kinds of treatment, cannot fully cure it. Acupuncture is an exclusive form of treatment that came from China. It has a lot of therapies used to cure several kinds of illnesses and one of these illnesses is Crohn’s disease.

Acupuncture helps treat Crohn’s disease by stimulating the energy vessels in the body and the nervous system. It involves the use of very thin acupuncture needles injected into specific points in the body known as acupuncture points to activate brain cells. The needles help cause the brain to produce and release natural “feel-good” hormones such as enkephalins and endorphins into the blood stream to help curb pain and improve the function of the immune system. Acupuncture can also help calm and reinvigorate the nervous system. This therapy is considered the best form of treatment for psycho-physiological issues.

Acupuncture is a very popular modality since it has no side-effects whatsoever on the body. Lack of evidence aside, acupuncture, has nevertheless, been used by TCM practitioners to treat digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease.

The focus of acupuncture treatment for Crohn’s disease is towards central nervous system, gastrointestinal motor and gastrointestinal sensory processing. Though the performance and efficiency of acupuncture differ on the kind of symptoms manifested, it is hard to assess the outcomes of this therapy based on short- term studies.

Even with the lack of scientific evidence, acupuncture is nevertheless still widely accepted by people in Europe and the United States for the treatment of bowel infections and certain gastrointestinal disorders.

Substance Addiction Treatment with Acupuncture

Two of the best modalities traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can offer for the effective treatment of substance addiction are ear acupuncture (auriculotherapy) and acupuncture. In fact these, two therapies have been utilized by TCM practitioners for thousands of years to restore and maintain health. More currently, they are utilized to resolve drug addictions like cigarette, alcohol, crack, heroin and cocaine. People who have been treated with one of these methods usually have few (if ever) relapses and experience no kind of bad side effects. It is then very strange why western medicine considers TCM as “alternative medicine” when it has been practiced for millennia!

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been around for 5 thousand years and is grounded on the principle of Qi or vital energy. According to acupuncture/TCM theory, Qi flows throughout the body along 12 energy vessels known as meridians, with each meridian associated with a corresponding organ system. There over a thousand acupuncture points underlying the meridians and both these points and the meridians underneath them can be stimulated by acupuncture needles to improve the flow of Qi. During an acupuncture treatment, the needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points to help restore health and balance in the body.

Prior to the 1970’s, very few people in the United States were aware what acupuncture was all about. Now acupuncture’s popularity has expanded and is recognized by institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a valid treatment for a number of conditions. Acupuncture is considered a valid treatment for over 40 health conditions according to the World Health Organization.

Auriculotherapy

Diagnosing and treating health conditions in other parts of the body by needling and stimulating the meridians in the outer ear is known as auriculotherapy or ear acupuncture. The out ear or auricle can be represented by a fetus at an upside down position. The lower ear lobe represents the fetus’s head while the top of the external ear is the feet and everything in between is the body of the fetus.

A French doctor Dr. Paul Nogier is honored by the Chinese government to be the Father of Modern Auricular Therapy because of his research and discoveries on the auricle and on how acupuncture on the ear can help treat a number of conditions.

An American psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Smith was able to develop an effective auricular therapy procedure in 1987. He was able to create a treatment that is acceptable in the Miami legal court system to help provide effective treatment rehabilitation of drug addicts. Dr. Smith also helped establish the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association whose website is acudetox.com.

When treating addictions using auriculotherapy, certain acupuncture points on the ear are selected and may subjected to one or more of these treatment tools: laser, electro-stimulation, acupressure, magnets, seeds/pellets or needles.  This therapy can be performed by acupuncturists and if properly trained, even by psychotherapists, physical therapists , nurses, naturopathic doctors, medical doctors, and chiropractic doctors  .

One of the best features auriculotherapy or acupuncture can provide is that they can be safely given to “high risk” patients.  An addict who suffers from high blood pressure or is pregnant cannot be prescribed with pharmaceutical medications unlike auriculotherapy or acupuncture which can be given to all people who have a substance addiction problem.