Acupuncture and COVID Long-Haulers

Pt. 1: 5 Element Acupuncture basis for diagnosis and treatment.

The long-tail symptoms of Covid involve multiple organs and physiological systems. Western medicine is struggling to understand this sequela, its disruption to full recovery and how best to treat it.

Worsley 5 Element Acupuncture, with its assessment focus on finding the root cause of illness, namely the causative factor, may offer a lens through which any acupuncture health care provider can understand the long-tail symptoms for any one patient and target their treatment. Case reports suggest the sequelae of symptoms that persist is linked to your causative factor. Treatment results point to 5 Element Acupuncture as an effective assessment and treatment intervention in long-Covid recovery.

Biomedicine: The Lasting Health Effects of COVID

Estimates are that “approximately 30% of people who’ve had COVID-19 experience prolonged symptoms.”¹ These are wide ranging from lung damage and breathing problems, to heart, immune system and brain dysfunction. Often reported are weakness on exertion, tachycardia, blood pressure variability, brain fog, dizziness, headaches, muscle pain and insomnia.

Continue reading at Acupuncture Today.

Make an acupuncture appointment at our Beaverton area office.

Beaverton Acupuncturists Could be Medicare Providers

On July 29, 2021, U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.) introduced H.R. 4803, the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act. H.R. 4803 would instruct the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to recognize qualified acupuncturists as Medicare providers. Medicare recognition would align Medicare policy with acupuncturists’ independent service-delivery model by enabling eligible acupuncturists to provide covered services to Medicare beneficiaries without supervision. This alignment would also authorize acupuncturists to directly bill Medicare for services they provide.

CMS has the authority to recognize specific services, but must receive instruction from Congress to recognize a provider group. Obtaining Medicare provider status requires legislation to amend the Social Security Act, which authorizes the Medicare program. H.R. 4803 is the first step to achieving this recognition and advancing the profession.

Continue reading at Acupuncture Today.

If you would like to know how acupuncture can help Seniors, contact our Beaverton area office.

Acupuncture Treatment for Depression Symptoms

Depression is associated with cardiovascular disease via both lifestyle and physiological mechanisms. Depression makes one more likely to eat poorly, stop exercising, suffer sleep irregularities, etc.; and has been shown to elevate heart rate and blood pressure, reduce blood flow to the heart, and increase cortisol production.

New research suggests acupuncture use is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD; the most common form of cardiovascular disease) in depressed patients. The study by Chia-Yu Huang, et al. (for full text, click here), found that patients diagnosed with depression who received acupuncture experienced a significantly lower rate of CHD than depressed patients who did not receive acupuncture. These findings were independent of age, sex, comorbidities and medication use.

The study involved more than 43,000 patients, identified through the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database, and divided into an acupuncture group and a non-acupuncture group for comparison based on a review of insurance claims records. TCM services are reimbursed through National Health Insurance, which covers more than 99 percent of the Taiwanese population, according to the study authors.

Continue reading at Acupuncture Today.

If you have depression or know someone who does, make an appointment to learn more about how acupuncture can help with depression at our Beaverton area office.

Acupuncture to Help Anxiety & Insomnia

Anxiety and insomnia are extremely common patient presentations encountered in the clinic – undoubtedly even more so in today’s challenging times. Often these patients are also apprehensive or sensitive to needling sensation; or blatantly afraid of acupuncture needles in general.

Let’s discuss three of my favorite acupoint prescriptions that offer a minimalist approach for patients suffering from general anxiety and insomnia. These prescriptions use only three points apiece, yet provide highly effective results, allowing apprehensive patients to experience the benefits of acupuncture with minimal invasiveness.

Point Prescription #1

Benshen (GB 13) + Shenting (DU 24) + Sishentong (EX-HN 1)

This is perhaps my favorite point prescription for anxiety and insomnia in all patients; however, this three-point formula is particularly applicable for patients who are anxious about using acupuncture points on the hands or feet. All points are located on the scalp, and work quickly and effectively to calm the mind in cases of anxiety and insomnia. It is extremely effective for patients who suffer from anxiety / insomnia and/or chronic headaches, chronic nasal allergies, poor memory, poor concentration, mild to moderate depression, tense shoulders, and visual fatigue / eye strain due to daily work with computer screens.

Continue reading at Acupuncture Today.

For more information on how acupuncture can help you, contact our Beaverton area office.

Acupuncture Help Before Surgery

Medication, including opioids, is commonly prescribed following surgery; and many veterans deal with chronic pain with opioids, independent of surgery. Exciting new research suggests veteran surgical candidates who receive acupuncture prior to their procedure experience less postsurgical pain and are less likely to require opioids – a win-win for both veterans and the acupuncture profession.

Study findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and subsequently detailed in an ASA press release, detailed the encouraging results involving more than 100 veterans randomly assigned to one of two groups prior to surgery.

Continue reading at Acupuncture Today.

If you are interested in learning more about acupuncture & how it can help you, make an appointment at our Beaverton office.