Atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, affects nearly 10 million children and more than 16 million adults in the U.S. Itchy skin is one of the hallmark symptoms of this frustrating, often-chronic condition. Topical anti-inflammatories are the standard of care; but what about acupuncture?
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Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, but their effectiveness can be improved with electroacupuncture, suggests new research.
Researchers evaluating 100 patients at Guangzhou First People’s Hospital (China) diagnosed with major depressive disorder – for which SSRIs are considered a first-line treatment in both adults and children – administered an SSRI (escitalopram) to half of the patients; and escitalopram plus electroacupuncture to the remaining half. Average patient age was 43.25 years, and treatment lasted six weeks.
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Postoperative pain and associated mobility limitations are common following cesarean section, with postoperative opioids almost universally prescribed. Is there a safer, more effective way to reduce pain and restore movement? Preoperative acupuncture, suggests research.
A placebo-controlled clinical trial divided 180 expectant mothers scheduled for elective cesarean delivery into three equal comparison groups: acupuncture and placebo acupuncture (both randomized) or standard postoperative analgesia (nonrandomized). Patients in the acupuncture group received auricular (four points) and body (six points) acupuncture. Needles were placed before spinal anesthesia and “remained in situ for three days after cesarean delivery.”
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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.
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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.
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If you would like to know how acupuncture can help Seniors, contact our Beaverton area office.
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.
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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.
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.
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For more information on how acupuncture can help you, contact our Beaverton area office.
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.
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If you are interested in learning more about acupuncture & how it can help you, make an appointment at our Beaverton office.
A study published by the National Institutes of Health evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture for stimulating or regulating the immune system by comparing the results from several studies that each used different methods of acupuncture. Through the use of electroacupuncture, moxibustion, herbs, and acupuncture, the studies concluded Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, can be helpful for the immune system. The combined studies demonstrated that moxibustion helped repair the gut mucosa of rats suffering from ulcerative colitis, electroacupuncture can increase the number of T cells in the body and that general acupuncture can decrease inflammation, which plays a vital role in the immune system.
Your immune system is what keeps you healthy and helps you ward off pathogens like the flu or a cold. Most of us don’t spend a lot of time worrying about our immune system until we’re sick. Then we reach for the over-the-counter medications to help relieve our symptoms. By looking to TCM instead, we can be proactive about supporting our immune systems in a safe and natural way.
According to TCM, the body is protected by something known as the Wei Qi (pronounced “way chee”). The Wei Qi, or Defensive Qi, is comparable to the immune system in conventional medicine. It acts as the first line of defense when the body is under attack from external pathogens. If the Wei Qi is strong, then the body is capable of fighting off bacteria and viruses. Extreme stress, lack of sleep and a poor diet can all play into how strong the body’s Wei Qi is and how well it performs.
There are multiple tools in the TCM practitioner’s toolbox that can assist in keeping the immune system strong and healthy, including acupuncture, moxibustion, electroacupuncture, herbs, cupping, and nutrition.
Each of these tools has a similar effect on the body. TCM can regulate immune function, while also treating the underlying causes of the disease. This is done by reducing the symptoms, speeding up the healing, decreasing excess phlegm, decreasing inflammation, and boosting the immune-mediated cells in the body that help ward off invasions.
Studies show regular acupuncture treatments can actually increase the number of T cells the body produces. T cells destroy harmful bacteria and viruses in the body. Acupuncture needles stimulate the brain into thinking an invader (virus or bacteria) has entered the body. The brain signals the increased release of T cells and white blood cells to fight off the intruder. The amazing part is the increased cellular response lasts for several days after the acupuncture treatment. Thus, receiving regular acupuncture treatments can actually prevent the body from getting sick.
To learn more about how acupuncture can help your immune system, contact us for an appointment at our Portland area office.
There are several acupressure points that are known to treat stress and stress related symptoms. It’s important to understand that acupressure is not the only form of treatment and having a balanced diet, exercise regime and lifestyle will also decrease the chances of stress being a factor in your life.
ACUPOINTS
The following five acupoints are known to help alleviate stress and other related symptoms.
LU 1—Zhong Fu
GV 24.5—Yin Tang
KI 1—Yong Quan
LI 4—He Gu
S 36- Zu San Li
THE BREAKDOWN
Lu 1, Zhong Fu- This point is often used to treat vomiting, stops coughing, disperses fullness in the chest, stops pain and regulates Lung Qi. It’s located in the upper chest in the space below the first rib, six cun from the midline. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Lu 1 regulates Lung Qi and stimulates the Lung Qi to descend. It also disperses fullness in the chest and stops coughing.
KI 1, Yongquan, Bubbling Spring- This acupoint is located on the sole of the foot approximately at the junction of the second and third toes. Indications that this acupoint will aid you are if you’re experiencing headaches, dizziness, loss of voice, blurring of vision and so on. In TCM, this acupoint is known to subdue wind and empty-heat, clear up the brain, and tonifies yin.
LI 4, Hegu, Joining (Union) Valley- The LI 4 is known to treat swelling and pain of the eye, nasal obstruction, toothache, facial swelling, deafness, sore throat and much more. In TCM, it’s said to dispel exterior wind, stimulate the dispersing function of the lungs, removes pain, and harmonizing descending and ascending functions. This point is located on the back of the hand at the apex of the webbed triangle between the thumb and the index finger.
ST 36, Zu San Li- This acupoint is often used to treat vomiting, stress and fatigue and gastrointestinal discomfort. This point is located along the outside of your shin bone about 4 finger lengths from the knee cap. You will know you’re in the right location because a muscle will mom out as you move your foot up and down. In TCM, this point is stimulated frequently to promote health and longevity.
GV 24.5, Yin Tang, Third Eye- This point is located about one finger above the point between the eyebrows and will be almost directly in the middle of the forehead. Working this point is said to calm the mind, clarify ideas and intuition as well as strengthen mental projection. It can be used to alleviate dizziness, stress, vertigo, sinusitis and headaches.
TREATMENT
Each of the above points can be used to aid in relieving stress and/or other symptoms that can cause stress. It’s helpful to bring a list to your Acupuncturist of any symptoms you may have or are looking to treat, any information will be helpful in curating your individualized treatment plan. Please communicate with your Acupuncturist if you are pregnant or looking to become pregnant as some pressure points may affect you.
If you are wondering how acupuncture can help with your stress, make an appointment at our Beaverton area office.
