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Source: Acupuncture Today
http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=31488
With Oprah and her worldwide audience learning about the benefits of acupuncture, is mainstream public acceptance far behind?
“We’re witnessing the globalization of medicine.” With those simple words, Dr. Mehmet Oz may have brought acupuncture and Oriental medicine one step closer to worldwide public acceptance. The setting: “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Feb. 13, 2007. The context: a demonstration of acupuncture by Daniel Hsu, LAc, MSTOM. Oprah herself received a wellness treatment while a guest, Angela, received specific treatment for her chronic shoulder pain.
What better opportunity to share the benefits of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine with a global television audience than on “The Oprah Winfrey Show?” The program has been the most-watched daytime talk show in the United States since 1986, with an estimated 48 million Americans tuning in each week. Its reach extends far beyond the U.S., however, as it is broadcast internationally in 126 countries. “Ask Dr. Oz” is a popular periodic feature of the show, during which the doctor answers audience members’ questions about specific health issues.
Daniel Hsu, a licensed acupuncturist from New York, appeared on the Feb. 13, 2007 episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” As the Feb. 13 episode begins, Angela explains she’s had shoulder pain for “a long time” and has gotten massages, but nothing has seemed to help. Her question for Dr. Oz: What about trying acupuncture? “Acupuncture makes a lot of sense in that setting,” he responds, after verifying with Angela that she’s had the shoulder X-rayed to rule out the possibility of dislocation, etc.
In a sense, Dr. Oz represents the progressive merging of conventional and CAM; of Western and Eastern medicine. He is a vice chair of surgery and professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University, and is a founder and director of the complementary medicine program at New York Presbyterian Columbia Hospital. As anyone who has seen “Ask Dr. Oz” can attest, he is a huge advocate of complementary and alternative medicine.
“Acupuncture has been around for 2,500 years in China,” he explains to Oprah. “There are a billion people in another part of the world who use these therapies. So for us to just now be beginning to grapple with it is a little bit surprising.”
“We’re slow,” say Oprah. Dr. Oz agrees.
Oprah then introduces Daniel Hsu, a licensed acupuncturist from New York. (Daniel is a doctoral fellow at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. He attended PCOM in New York City, receiving a Master’s of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine; and is licensed in New York and Rhode Island. He founded and practices at the New York AcuHealth Center in NYC.) Daniel attests that “[Acupuncture] treats any condition, from allergies to obviously pain to gastrointestinal issues – a wide range of chronic [conditions]. … It’s also good for wellness and to boost your immune system. You don’t have to be sick to get it.”
Oprah explains that Angela will be getting a full treatment backstage, and that Oprah herself has “agreed to test it out.” She quickly adds, “The last time I got stuck with a needle, it didn’t go so well,” a reference to the Feb. 21, 2005 episode, when she got her ears pierced for the very first time. Oprah’s concern about the prospect of having needles inserted into her body is a real one, undoubtedly shared by many people who have never experienced acupuncture. She emphasizes this point, saying many people are afraid to even try acupuncture because they think it looks painful.
“Yesterday, I had my blood drawn, and even that was hard,” she says. “These are very different needles,” Dr. Oz replies. Right before Oprah’s treatment, he again reassures her: “The needle could fit through the hole in the needle they use to take blood from your arm.”
Dr. Oz explains that the needles will stimulate nearby nerves, “which then send messages out to the brain. The brain releases a chemical called endorphin – that’s what gives you the runner’s high.” “I’m going to get a runner’s high right here?” says Oprah. “You’re going to get it right now,” Dr. Oz responds.
“And actually, that’s the mechanism [by which] we think it works.”
Daniel Hsu proceeds to place one needle in the top of one of Oprah’s feet and one in the top of one of her hands. “I felt it,” she says, “[but it’s] not as bad as getting your blood drawn. … not bad, not bad at all.” He removes the needles, and Oprah tells viewers he will be taking Angela backstage for a full treatment.
After a commercial break, Dr. Oz provides an overview of complementary and alternative medicine. “Let’s broaden the discussion,” he says, “because it’s not just about acupuncture. … We have global media, we have global banking…”
“So why shouldn’t there be global medicine?” Oprah interjects. “Exactly,” says Dr. Oz. “And alternative medicine is the globalization of medicine.” He then proceeds to explain that the human body is pure energy, and that acupuncture taps into meridians – energy we can’t actually see. Our cells are energy, our organs are energy. “We are beginning now to understand things we know in our hearts are true, but we could never measure. … Understanding for the first time how energy influences how we feel. Because we are energy.”
“That’s very exciting,” says Oprah.
While Angela receives her acupuncture treatment backstage – approximately 12 needles placed strategically in the upper right quadrant of her back/shoulder – Dr. Oz answers audience questions on a variety of topics, ranging from cellulite to skin cancer to teeth whitening. With the show winding down, Oprah brings Angela out on stage and inquires about the status of her chronic shoulder pain. “Do you notice anything now?” she asks. “If you don’t, then don’t say so.”
“I feel rejuvenated,” Angela responds. “The pain that I had was a constant, radiating pain, and I don’t feel it … I don’t feel it. I feel wonderful.”
“I need to get 12 more after the show,” Oprah tells the audience. She turns back to Angela and asks her if she was in pain earlier in the show. Angela reiterates that she was in constant pain and couldn’t even sleep at night sometimes.
“Would you do it again?” asks Oprah. “Oh, definitely,” says Angela. Daniel Hsu adds that she should probably have several treatments back to back and eventually, “She’ll have no pain at all.”
In a phone conversation with AT on March 2, Daniel said he hopes his appearance on the show will help advance acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, bringing it into the limelight as a viable adjunct to Western medicine.
Oprah’s influence is truly global, even if you take her talk show out of the equation altogether. With a production company (Harpo Productions), a cable network (Oxygen), a magazine (O, the Oprah Magazine) that boasts 2.4 million subscribers, “Oprah’s Book Club,” a Web site that averages a staggering 68 million page views each month, and philanthropic interests too numerous to list, suffice it to say that if Oprah endorses (or disavows) something or someone, a decent percentage of the public will follow.
Will this trend hold true, now that acupuncture and Oriental medicine have taken center stage? Only time will tell.
Source: Oprah
http://www.oprah.com/health/Acupuncture-101
Dr. Oz introduced audiences to acupuncturist Daniel Hsu on The Oprah Winfrey Show . Now he’s invited Daniel to educate Oprah Radio listeners about the healing powers of acupuncture.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine practice that involves sticking needles into different parts of the skin. This releases endorphins and serotonin in your brain, which are natural chemicals that regulate pleasure and mood. Daniel says acupuncture has been shown to treat many common ailments and chronic diseases more effectively than modern Western medicine practices.
Daniel outlines a few of the health benefits of acupuncture:
Provides relief for chronic pains such as lower back pain and migraines
Daniel says acupuncture not only causes the body to release natural pain killers, it can also change a patient’s perception of the pain, thereby relieving their symptoms. “If two people have the same X-rays and the same MRIs and one person can feel absolutely no pain and the other person can feel a lot of pain and it’s just unexplainable, what acupuncture does is just alter that perception—and it’s quite effective,” he says.
Relieves stress and anxiety
Daniel says acupuncture treatments geared toward different parts of the body can relieve different types of stress. For example, he says that if a patient complains of palpitations and is upset and unhappy, he will use acupuncture to trigger points that help the heart. If a patient is irritable, stressed-out and quick to lose their temper, he will treat trigger points that help the liver. “Every organ has corresponding signs and symptoms,” he says.
May help women dealing with infertility
Daniel says acupuncture can be used in conjunction with medical care to help women dealing with infertility, depending on the presumed causes. He says he will often administer acupuncture to women before and after they undergo in vitro fertilization because it decreases uterine contractions (which can cause the IVF to fail), and it can also increase blood flow to the uterus, which may help the embryo take.
Improves overall health and wellness
Rather than going for a massage or a trip to the spa, Daniel says he has many patients who use acupuncture to improve their overall well-being and as a preventative health measure. “It boosts your immune system and it also just gives you a sense of wellness, and it helps people in a stressful time, with work and with family, to continue with their week and actually enjoy life better,” he says.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/Acupuncture-101#ixzz2pC7q1kjb
Source: Dr. Oz
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/pain-relief-guide-acupuncture-chinese-medicine
“So, can you help me with my pain?” It’s the first question I’m asked when someone discovers I’m an acupuncturist.
There is not one person I’ve met who has not experienced pain to some degree. It can be temporary pain from a skinned knee or from slamming a thumb in the door to more chronic pain, such as low back pain, neck pain, migraines, or pain associated with serious diseases.
What happens when acute pain begins to linger and then transforms into a chronic condition? What happens when you’ve exhausted all conventional treatment options, you’ve undergone surgery, you’re on pain medication, and you’re STILL in pain?
Emotionally, you may begin to feel depressed or frustrated. The pain may prevent you from getting a full night’s sleep, so now you’re sleep-deprived and irritable. Your relationships may suffer. You may not be able to think clearly and you may experience memory loss. Chronic pain is ultimately exhausting and negatively impacts your quality of life. If severe enough, it also can negatively affect your spirit and sense of self worth.
Acupuncture is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with a rich history and lineage dating back thousands of years to ancient China. Acupuncture is truly a medical art, as each clinician uses various approaches, techniques and styles to address their patients’ conditions; no two patients are treated the same.
TCM is complex and abstract as we think in terms of the universal principles of Yin and Yang. We discuss theoretical concepts such as “Qi” (pronounced “chee”). Qi is incredibly challenging to translate, but can loosely be described as “life energy.” Qi is a fundamental concept in Eastern ideology and TCM. In China, it is referred to as “Qi.” In Japan, it is called “Ki”. Koreans refer to it as “Gi,” and in India, ayurvedic practitioners refer to this life energy as “Prana.”
Qi takes on various roles in our body. For example, it is the energy that keeps us from falling ill, the energy that forces our heart to beat, or cells to divide. In TCM, Qi is a moving force that travels along pathways in the body noted as meridians. When Qi is flowing without obstruction or without deficiency, we are in a perfect state of health and wellness. It is the moment an imbalance occurs, that we begin to fall ill and manifest in various symptoms of disharmony.
Acupuncturists have a unique and keen ability to address the patient as a whole. We take a tremendous amount of time assembling a complex jigsaw puzzle; each piece of the puzzle comprises details such as stress levels, bowel movements, response to changes in season, aversion or preference to cold or hot temperatures, menstrual cycle, etc. Our main goal is to treat the root cause of a patient’s condition. It is not uncommon for my chronic pain patients to notice improvement in pain, but they also begin noticing side benefits, such as improvement in sleep, mood, mental clarity, and overall improvement in quality of life.
Conventional medicine has begun paying closer attention to acupuncture. It is no longer looked upon as a fad, exotic, or as folk medicine. TCM is rooted in empirical evidence. Our model of medicine was shaped by thousands of years of clinical experience by ancient Chinese physicians who did not have the technology we have today. Scientists are now working backward to determine exactly why you feel better when I stick small needles into your body! A tremendous amount of data is accumulating to support acupuncture’s complex influence over the body, especially the nervous system.
Acupuncture is now available in many US hospitals and private practices. It’s even being used by the Department of Defense to treat our soldiers who are dealing with acute and chronic pain in war-torn areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
Your initial appointment with an acupuncturist will usually be the longest visit. You’ll undergo a detailed assessment from which a TCM diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment plan is developed. Acupuncturists are trained in various techniques and styles and use these techniques on a patient-by-patient basis.
Source: Prevention
http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/natural-remedies/acupuncture-natural-cure-pain
Acupuncture is gaining new traction—and respect—in hospitals and doctors’ offices as evidence of its curative power piles up. Here, why this Chinese medicine works—and what health problems it’s best for.
Virginia Ginsburg, 35, of Santa Monica, CA, didn’t put much stock in acupuncture. So when she woke up one morning in September 2009 with pain in her back and leg so excruciating that she could barely walk, she begged her husband to take her to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with sciatica, given a shot of morphine and some pain pills, and sent limping home. But after a few days, when the pain hadn’t abated, she remembered how acupuncture had eased her morning sickness when she was pregnant. “I was skeptical that it could help with a more serious condition, but I didn’t know where else to turn,” she says. So she called the acupuncturist again.
The results astonished her. After just one treatment, the agony began to subside. She went to two or three sessions a week and, after 10 weeks, she was completely pain free.
Stories like Ginsburg’s have become increasingly common over the past few years. Marilyn Burack, 52, of Livingston, NJ, says she was cured of vertigo in two sessions of acupuncture after 6 months of medications had failed her. Rhalee Hughes, 38, of New York City, found that just one treatment could stop a flare-up of the pinched nerve in her neck. And similar accounts are told by many of the more than 3 million Americans who have turned to the 2,500-year-old Asian technique to relieve osteoarthritis, back pain, migraines, nausea, hot flashes, anxiety, addiction, insomnia, and infertility.
Western doctors are taking notice.
“More people in the medical community are embracing acupuncture because they see it works—often in cases where conventional medicine hasn’t been as effective,” says Geovanni Espinosa, ND, the director of the Integrative Urology Center at NYU Langone Medical Center. An estimated 1,500 US physicians are now trained in acupuncture. And some hospitals even have acupuncturists on staff, who tote their needle kits into cancer and orthopedic wards.
What’s behind this wave of acceptance is more than treatment trendiness. As reports of acupuncture’s potency accumulate, researchers have discovered more evidence about how the technique functions—and the conditions for which it’s most effective.
December 19, 2013 by admin
Source: AAAOM
http://www.aaaomonline.org/?page=supremecourt
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Key Health Care Reform Elements
What it all means for California licensed acupuncturists…
In a 5–4 split decision, the Supreme Court upheld almost all of the Obama administration’s heath care reform legislation—the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)—including the law’s individual mandate requirements.
In short, this ruling, coupled with legislation currently under consideration in the California legislature, will likely mean that the vast majority of California’s 38 million residents will have a basic level of acupuncture coverage starting in 2014. In all likelihood, this base acupuncture coverage will be equivalent to the coverage currently provided under the Kaiser Small Group HMO plan, which provides for up to 20 covered acupuncture visits per year.
It is important to understand that each insurance plan will still establish its own reimbursement rate for acupuncture services as they currently do. The adoption of the Kaiser Small Group HMO plan as a benchmark does not mean that Kaiser’s reimbursement rates will be adopted. It simply means that the acupuncture coverage value to the consumer must be as high or higher than the coverage provided by the Kaiser Small Group HMO for almost all insurance plans.
Another key provision of the health care reform law is the “Non-discrimination in Health Care” language. This language will, starting in 2014, prohibit health plans from discriminating against providers who are providing services within their state-defined scope of practice. In other words, plans could no longer require that acupuncture services be rendered only by a medical doctor.
December 19, 2013 by admin
Source: WebMD
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20131217/ear-acupuncture-may-hold-promise-for-weight-loss
TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2013 (HealthDay News) — Placing five acupuncture needles in the outer ear may help people lose that spare tire, researchers report.
Ear acupuncture therapy is based on the theory that the outer ear represents all parts of the body. One type uses one needle inserted into the area that is linked to hunger and appetite, while the other involves inserting five needles at different key points in the ear.
“If the trend we found is supported by other studies, the hunger acupuncture point is a good choice in terms of convenience. However, for patients suffering from central obesity, continuous stimulation of five acupuncture points should be used,” said lead researcher Sabina Lim, from the department of meridian and acupuncture in the Graduate College of Basic Korean Medical Science at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea.
According to Lim, the effectiveness of acupuncture on obese patients is closely related to metabolic function. “Increased metabolic function promotes the consumption of body fat, overall, resulting in weight loss,” she said.
The report was published online Dec. 16 in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.
Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, said, “We must avoid rushing to judge that a treatment is ineffective just because we don’t understand the mechanism. Rather, if a treatment is genuinely effective, it invites us to figure out the mechanism.”
But this study does not prove the effectiveness of acupuncture, he said. “Placebo effects are strong, particularly when they involve needles. The evidence here falls short of proof,” Katz said.
According to the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, results from the few studies on acupuncture and weight loss have been mixed.
In one study, researchers examined the effect of ear acupuncture with sham acupuncture on obese women. “Researchers found no statistical difference in body weight, body-mass index and waist circumference between the acupuncture group and placebo,” said Katy Danielson, a spokeswoman for the center.
For this latest study, Lim and her colleagues compared acupuncture of five points on the outer ear with one-point acupuncture. They randomly assigned 91 overweight people to five-point acupuncture, one-point acupuncture (hunger) or sham (placebo) treatment.
During the eight weeks of the study, participants were told to follow a restrictive diet, but not a weight-loss diet. They were not supposed to increase their exercise.
Those who received five-point acupuncture had needles placed 2 millimeters deep in one outer ear taped in place and kept there for a week. Then the same treatment was applied to the other ear. The process was repeated over eight weeks.
Other patients received similar treatment with one needle or with sham acupuncture where the needles were removed immediately after insertion.
Over the course of the study, 24 patients dropped out, 15 of whom were receiving sham treatment, the researchers noted.
Among those who completed the study, there were significant differences in weight loss among the groups. At four weeks, those receiving five-point treatment had an average reduction in weight of 6.1 percent, compared with a 5.7 percent reduction among those treated with one needle and no weight loss among those receiving sham therapy, the researchers found.
The largest drop was seen in waist size with the five-point treatment, compared with sham therapy; however, this difference disappeared after taking age into account, the investigators noted.
Percentage of body fat also dropped, but only in those receiving the five-point treatment, the study authors added.
“Both five- and one-point approaches showed significant effects on treating the obese patients and notable reduction in the values closely related to obesity, such as waist circumference measurements and weight, compared to the sham group,” Lim said.
“But yet, the five-point approach caused the largest decrease in waist circumference, indicating that the method should be considered as a primary treatment to reduce central obesity, rather than the hunger acupuncture point or temporary stimulation of the five acupuncture points,” she pointed out.
According to the Acupuncturecost.org, treatments range in cost from $75 to $125 and are covered by some, but not all insurance companies.
December 15, 2013 by admin
Source: Prevention
http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/acupuncture-and-qigong-pain-relief
Acupuncture
Use it for: arthritis; migraines; low-back, menstrual, or post-operative pain
What the science says: When pricked with tiny, essentially painless needles, your body releases endogenous opioids, its natural painkillers, but for reasons scientists are still figuring out, the benefits last longer than the chemicals’ analgesic effect. Recent research has yielded stunning results: people with knee arthritis reduced pain by 40% after 6 months of weekly acupuncture, according to researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine, who also found it can relieve low-back pain. Overseas, scientists in Europe used acupuncture to cut medication use in half among migraine sufferers and, in another study, ease menstrual pain. Post-surgery patients needed less morphine after receiving the needle pricks, a recent Duke University study found.
How to try it: For acute pain, try 5 to 8 treatments; experts say you’ll need 8-15 sessions for chronic pain (in the UMCIM study on osteoarthritis, significant improvement took 14 weeks). Nearly half of employers offer health insurance that covers acupuncture, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Contact your state’s acupuncture board or your insurer to find a licensed practitioner. (Learn more about this natural cure with 6 Science-Based Benefits Of Acupuncture.)
December 15, 2013 by admin
Source: Prevention
http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/natural-remedies/6-health-benefits-acupuncture-therapy
How acupuncture improves your health
Has your doctor ever prescribed you a round of acupuncture? Probably not. Alternative treatments often get short shrift in standard healthcare because doctors are generally unaware of the science showing that they really are effective alternatives to drugs and medication. But a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine may (hopefully) change that.
The researchers pooled data from nearly 18,000 people who had participated in studies examining the effectiveness of acupuncture and found that, yes, it really is a good treatment for chronic pain and that doctors should start recommending it as treatment for arthritis and other chronic ailments.
Chronic pain is certainly one of the most common reasons people seek out acupuncturists, but here are six other scientifically studied ways that acupuncture therapy can alleviate what’s bothering you.
1. Eases your aching back
Using acupuncture therapy to successfully relieve chronic back pain is well documented in scientific literature, and acupuncturists say that it’s the leading reason that people visit their clinics. A study published in May’s issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine even found that people who were given “simulated acupuncture,” where pressure was place on certain acupuncture points but no needles were actually used, saw as much as a 15% greater improvement in their symptoms (equal to the improvements seen in people who were receiving true acupuncture) than people who were taking medications and undergoing standard chiropractic care.
2. Boosts the effectiveness of meds
A study from China, published in the August issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that a low-dose of fluoxetine (Prozac) combined with acupuncture therapy was just as effective at reducing anxiety in patients being treated for depression as full-dose medication. Cutting the dose and adding acupuncture also reduced the drug’s side effects, which can include nausea, weight gain, and a decreased sex drive.
3. Soothes indigestion
Brazilian researchers recently published research finding that acupuncture therapy alleviated heartburn and indigestion in pregnant women. One group of pregnant women was given a combination of acupuncture and medications, and another group was counseled on dietary changes and given medications if needed. Over the course of the study, 75% of the women in the acupuncture group saw heartburn intensity, and antacid use, decline, while only 44% of women in the standard-treatment group saw those same effects.
4. Counteracts radiation side effects
Cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment are likely to suffer a variety of side effects, depending on the part of the body being treated. However, acupuncture therapy has been found to have some effect on the perception of how bad those effects can be, particularly for nausea and dry mouth, common in patients receiving radiation to the head and neck. A review of studies published in CA, a journal of the American Cancer Society, found that people undergoing radiation treatment perceived fewer negative side effects of radiation even though the side effects may still be there. For instance, in one study, patients who wore acupressure bands during treatment said they felt less nausea, although they still had the same occurrence of vomiting as they did before wearing the band, and in another study, people said they had less of a problem with dry mouth, even though measures of their saliva showed that levels remained the same. The acupuncture didn’t actually alleviate the symptoms, but it did help improve patients’ quality of life after treatment.
5. Dulls persistent headaches
A review of 22 studies involving acupuncture therapy, migraines, and tension headaches found that regular acupuncture therapy was effective at preventing tension headaches and migraines from becoming a problem, and that it was an effective treatment for existing headaches.
6. Ends obesity?
The influence of acupuncture therapy on obesity isn’t as well-documented as the other examples we’ve listed, but there’s enough evidence to suggest that it could be an effective weight-loss treatment. Researchers from Korea analyzed 31 studies on a total of 3,013 people, and found that acupuncture therapy led to greater decreases in body weight than lifestyle changes or medications. However, they note in their findings, published February in the journal Obesity, that flaws in many of the studies made it difficult to see how effective acupuncture therapy would be on obesity in the long run. But for people willing to try it, adding a weekly acupuncture session to daily exercise and a smart diet could lead to healthy gains.
December 15, 2013 by admin
Source: Prevention
http://www.prevention.com/beauty/beauty/acupuncture-acne
Finding yourself with a bathroom full of failed cleansers, spot treatments, and moisturizers that all claimed to clear your face of adult acne? According to over 30 years of research, it’s time to come over to the alternative side of medicine. When it comes to acne, acupuncture is where it’s at.
A systematic review of 43 trials in English and Chinese language studies found acupoint stimulation—a blanket term which includes acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, acupoint injection, and acupoint catgut embedding treatment—to be an effective, side effect-free treatment for acne. Some of the individual therapies, like cupping, were even found to be significantly better than pharmaceutical medications at curing (yes, curing) patients of their breakouts, says the research published in Medical Acupuncture.
Acupuncture is the insertion of hair-thin sterile needles into the skin and is a typically painless way to signal the brain to make changes within the body. And while it may be news to you, acupuncture as a form of medicine has been getting results for over 2000 years, says Mary Sabo, L.Ac., acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and assistant clinic director at The YinOva Center in New York City. Undergoing acupuncture therapy for acne often includes dietary changes and taking Chinese herbs and supplements along with weekly acupuncture appointments—far more involved than taking a pill or applying a cream.
But Sabo says the benefits of acupuncture extend beyond a patient’s pimples, and usually long after treatment has discontinued. “Regular acne creams are just suppressing the manifestation of underlying imbalance in the body,” along with causing unwanted side effects like irritation, dry skin, and even increased risk of birth defects, says Sabo. The needles are applied to points that send signals to strengthen (as in digestion or immunity), reduce (inflammation, known as heat) and move stagnant energy. “Treatments with acupuncture work to make the whole body healthier, and in the process resolve the acne from the inside out—which is why many of my patients also see improvement in their digestion, sleep, stress levels, and energy.”
The findings also showed acupuncture was even more effective at increasing the number of cured patients when combined with herbal medicine. In Sabo’s mind, it makes perfect sense: “I think of acupuncture as communicating with the body, while herbal medicine provides the building blocks to help the body make those changes,” she says. “Combining the two makes healing happen faster.”
December 5, 2013 by admin
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-odell/on-pins-and-needles-in-beirut_b_3584460.html
As the only woman under 65 — and not wearing a hijab — I wondered if I’d found the right place. Just 15 minutes before, I’d hopped in a taxi in my pajamas — I forgot to set my alarm — and zoomed past army tanks and yellow Hezbollah flags.
“I’m here for acupuncture,” I said to the woman dressed in black behind the desk.
“Yes, please take a seat, the doctor will see you in a few,” she replied.
As I surveyed the room, a quiet woman in a navy blue hijab offered me some Arabic coffee. My pajamas and emerald Ottoman slippers weren’t the only sign I was strange — I was also the only woman who put sugar in my cup.
“I never put sugar in my coffee — I hate it,” one of the older women said, before grabbing her lower back and groaning.
When most people think of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, they don’t think of the Middle East — or Islam. I didn’t either, until I moved to Beirut and asked a colleague where I could find an acupuncturist — expecting to find none.
“Why, right here in our very own hospital,” she said, telling me about a young Lebanese doctor who had recently studied acupuncture in China.
“But how much does it cost?” I said, expecting the price to be out of range (like in New York).
“It’s free, I think — at most, just a co-pay,” she said.
Naturally, I called immediately to schedule a number of appointments with a doctor who turned out to be just as talented at placing pins, as she was lovely as a person (just like her hot pink hijab). But the reduced hours and travels of summer forced me recently to find someone new.
“How are you feeling — is the treatment working?” the women in the waiting room began asking each other, sharing their aches and complaints aloud — unlike back home, where no one in the waiting room dares utter a sound.
As a number of tan women in sleeveless sundresses strolled through the door and exchanged kisses on the cheeks, our waiting room was quickly becoming as full of laughter and gossip as I imagined a beauty parlor in the south might be.
“Please, Emily, have some zataar,” the acupuncturist’s assistant said, pointing to some pita brushed with sumac and sesame.
Any irrational anxiety I had about catching a stomach bug was soothed by the thought of ruining my acupuncture high with unnecessary hunger — plus, it just looked so damn good.
When the acupuncturist, a male doctor with the lean frame and soft eyes of a yogi, sat down to write some notes, his assistant nudged me to tell him why I had come.
“Well, nothing’s wrong, I’m just here because acupuncture worked miracles for me in the past, and I want to keep using it,” I said, before detailing past diagnoses and discomforts.
“While I understand everything you’re telling me from the perspective of western medicine — you still haven’t told me your chief complaint — from inside of yourself,” he said, challenging me to articulate my own embodied experience.
Since I wasn’t used to sharing in a crowded waiting room, I had nothing to say — or maybe I just hadn’t given it much thought.
“From the model of Chinese medicine, your main problem, you know, is your breathing,” he said, drawing a detailed map of my meridians on the desk to illustrate my whole system.
“How do all of these people find out about you — and acupuncture — in Beirut?” I asked.
“Some, like you, already know about acupuncture, and they seek me out — others hear about me and the positive results of acupuncture from their friends,” he said. He’s now forced to turn many patients away, because his schedule has become so full.
In his clinic, he provides acupuncture to refugees of all ages — for all kinds of problems — for free. Not surprisingly, many of them come seeking treatment for depression.
“But do they call it depression, or something else?” I said.
“Well, from the Chinese point of view, depression cannot be separated out as something separate — we must think of the whole — but yes, some call it depression — while others just grab their neck, and say that their collar is choking them,” he said.
As he ushered me into the treatment room, he instructed me keep on all my clothes. The pins he placed didn’t go where they normally did. One even went right on my throat — and I could barely swallow.
“Don’t worry — this configuration will help you breathe more deeply — now try taking a breath,” he said, as he hooked up the needles to the current of a machine nearby.
As air rushed rapidly and deeply into the deprived cavities of my lungs, I wondered if I had inhaled all the oxygen in the clinic. No wonder the women in the waiting room had grown so quiet.
“Much better, yes?” he said, before smiling and closing the curtain to leave me alone.
Suddenly, I no longer felt the needle in my neck. And instead of the woodwinds and synthesizers of New Age music, I was lulled to sleep by the hushed sounds of Levantine Arabic in the hall — which, for a linguist, is even better.
“Emily, are you awake?” he said a half hour later, crawling under the curtain.
As he began to knead his fingers into parallel pressure points on my feet, I no longer winced — like I had before he placed the pins.
Staring at the ceiling and stuck with pins, I couldn’t stop thinking how amazing it is that in Beirut, acupuncture is not just for the wealthy. And since acupuncture here isn’t considered a status symbol or a bourgeois luxury — it can be just medicine, which is what it should be. From refugees to millionaires — and children to the elderly — acupuncture in Lebanon is available to all — for a relatively low fee (or even free).
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Contact Us
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Meridian Healing
Silicon Valley
4161 El Camino Way, Suite A Palo Alto, CA
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PHONE:
650-815-8251 |
EMAIL:
meridianhealingsv@gmail.com |
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