A recent Cochrane meta-analysis reported acupuncture may be an effective treatment to manage primary dysmenorrhea. Acupuncture significantly improved pain when compared to a placebo control as well as NSAIDs. Acupuncture also strongly reduced menstrual symptoms when compared with medication.
Believe it or not, your period can show up easily without PMS or pain. Cramps mean that your uterine wall has too much lactic acid in it leading to muscle tension/cramping and uneasy flow. That's not normal. Women's issues respond very well to acupuncture and Chinese herbal prescriptions.
Scientists in Greece at the University of Athens tested two groups of athletes with plantar fasciitis. Both groups received conventional treatments, but only one group received acupuncture. Those who got needled experienced significantly more relief after just a matter of weeks. The researchers concluded that "acupuncture should be considered as a major therapeutic instrument for the decrease of heel pain, combined with traditional medical approaches."
The earlier you begin acupuncture, the better. This is always true - the younger the better and the earlier into your symptom the better. I can't stress how waiting until the last minute makes your treatment last longer and need to be more frequent. When people say that they "don't have to see their MD every day" I respond by saying "that's true. But you are taking medication every day or more than once a day! That is the equivalent of seeing your MD for treatment daily." Acupuncture heals rather than put on a bandaid to hide symptoms.
Here's an interesting article about how ginger reduces inflammation. That is good news for us since many of the issues of aging center around inflammation (pain, acid reflux, more pain, skin rashes, etc.).
Quoting from Health CMI this week:How about weekly on-site acupuncture treatments for your staff?
In the September issue of the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine an article titled "Employee use and perceived benefit of a complementary and alternative medicine wellness clinic at a major military hospital: evaluation of a pilot program." was published.
Results of a pilot program at a major military hospital indicate the hospital's employees would benefit from a wellness center that employs complementary and alternative therapies.
The objectives of the study were to examine the feasibility of a weekly on-site complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) wellness clinic for staff at a military hospital, and to describe employees' perceptions of program effectiveness. The study setting was at a United States Department of Defense hospital and the subjects were hospital nurses, physicians, clinicians, support staff and administrators, the abstract noted. Employees could select from ear acupuncture, clinical acupressure and Zero Balancing. A self-report survey was done after each clinic visit to evaluate clinic features and perceived impact on stress-related symptoms, compassion for patients, sleep, and workplace or personal relationships.
Among the results:
• 97.9 percent of participants strongly agreed they felt more relaxed after sessions;
• 94.5 percent of participants felt less stress after sessions;
• 84.3 percent of participants felt less pain after sessions; and
• 78.8 percent of participants would recommend the wellness center to a colleague.
Among surveys completed after five or more visits, more than half (59-85 percent of participants) "strongly agreed that experienced increased compassion with patients, better sleep, improved mood, and more ease in relations with co-workers”.
This study suggests that weekly CAM-based treatments have positive health benefits related to stress reduction at work as well as improved mood and sleep.
Let me set up such a program at your office for more productive, happier employees. Call 303-947-6224 or email DrMLucas@AcupunctureWoman.com.
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According to a recent article in Cardiology Journal, approximately 6.4 million people in the U.S. suffer from symptomatic cardiac disease usually involving fatigue and chest pain. For some, drug therapy or surgical procedures like cardiac bypass or angioplasty may cure their suffering. But those who continue to suffer with chest pain are known to have “Refractory Angina Pectoris” or simply RAP (also known as “intractable Angina Pectoris” or iAP). For these people, there is no clear cure. While there are numerous new experimental methods of helping, from spinal stimulators to the latest drugs, there is a very old therapy that has also shown to help reduce pain: Acupuncture.
Researchers at Liaocheng Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shandong randomly divided up 70 RAP patients into two groups of 35 each. The control group received the standard medications including nitric acid, beta blockers, calcium antagonists, aspirin and heparin. The study group received the same drugs and acupuncture once daily for 10 consecutive days. The group that received the addition of acupuncture improved significantly over the group that only received drug therapy on measures of perceived pain (89% vs. 60%), electrocardiogram readings (63% vs. 31%) and even sudden death (6% vs. 20%). (Acupuncture.com, T Boldt)
That’s pretty impressive! And to boot, the patients who received acupuncture were also receiving an overall body balancing like you do when you see a TCM Practitioner whose diagnostic skills are good. Ask your practitioner about his or her pulse diagnosis training including courses taken after formal academic TCM training to determine their level of skill. Remember, a proper diagnosis drives effective treatment and you are not just there to get pain relief. You are receiving treatment to balance your overall qi so that your general health is better. That way, your pain goes away because your body is better at staying balanced. Acupuncture should not just be a bandaid treatment. That is, seeing someone who puts needles only where your pain is. Treatment needs to encompass your entire body and energetic systems. Call or email me if you have questions about diagnosis and treatment. 303-947-6224; DrMLucas@AcupunctureWoman.com.
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One of the benefits to those who come to me for Traditional Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture treatment is that I am fairly fanatical about working to improve the digestion. And, I am a font of nutritional advice for you! Good digestion is one of the key ingredients is maintaining a vibrant life – actually, it’s pretty much THE key since digestion is how we make our qi. It is where we create the energy on which we live. When your digestion runs smoothly, you get the maximum nutrients from your food that keep your body functioning in peak condition. Unfortunately our society is marked by poor digestion – whether that be caused by inadequate chewing, stress, poor choice of foods (and non-foods), medication & supplement side-effects, etc. Here are some things that you can try at home for better digestion (and therefore better qi production!!)
Peppermint tea improves gastric secretions, settles the stomach, and alleviates gas. But, be aware that it may cause some acid reflux if you already suffer from it.
Chamomile tea settles the stomach – it’s actually a good all around relaxer.
Ginger … ahh, ginger. Ginger has been known practically forever to benefit those who suffer from nausea. But it also soothes the stomach’s digestive lining and balances gastric juices. It actually can help us absorb nutrients better. Be careful to use a very thin slice of fresh ginger because, like peppermint, it can cause acid reflux.
I also highly recommend fennel tea. Fennel improves peristalsis so it’s great for good digestion. Or try this prescription: flash fry fennel seeds, keep a bowl on the kitchen table, eat before, during, after meals.
Licorice (tea not candy) soothes the gastro-intestinal system.
If tea isn’t your “bag”, you can drink warm lemon water to receive a number of benefits including cleaning out your intestines first thing in the AM. Try some of these natural digestive aids and let me know how it works for you. And don’t forget to call me if you want help regulating your digestion and your creation of qi using TCM/Acupuncture. It works!!
The e-mail address drmlucas@acupuncturewoman.com is migrating to another server and not operational for a few days. In the interim, please us energymedicinewoman@yahoo.com or call 303-947-6224 to reach Dr. Lucas.
Here is an article from Acupuncture Today about a computerized method of diagnosis that prints out a bunch of pretty charts for patients/clients.
I was in Turkey last month (for the third year in a row), teaching Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture and Pulse Diagnosis to medical doctors.
Acupuncture for colic - quoting Dr. Nithin Jayan:
According to this article in the Denver Post, modern medicine is sorely trained to treat chronic pain. And, it seems that many physicians have a more or less "negative" attitude toward patients who suffer from chronic pain. 