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SOOTHE SUMMER SKIN WITH ACUPUNCTURE

Source: Female First

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/stylebeauty/soothe-summer-skin-with-acupuncture-294907.html

Itchy eyes, a runny nose and frequent sneezing are just a few of the miseries that will afflict Hay Fever sufferers over the summer months.

As pollen levels soar, the number of UK sufferers could reach over 15 million: that’s 20-25% of the UK population, making the spring and summer seasons a miserable time for many.
While Hay Fever sufferers may reach for the medicine counter for relief, there is an alternative, effective treatment that can naturally alleviate the symptoms of Hay Fever – acupuncture. By inserting fine needles into the channels of energy which run underneath the skin, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body’s own healing response and help restore its natural balance.

The Research
Acupuncture may help to relieve pain and congestion in people with allergic rhinitis by:
Regulating levels of IgE and cytokines, mediators of the allergic reaction to extrinsic allergens
Reducing inflammation, by promoting release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors
How Acupuncture Can Help

Deb Connor is a member of the British Acupuncture Council practising traditional acupuncture at her clinic in Merseyside.
“As an acupuncturist a common complaint I see in my clinic is Skin problems, which can often be worse during the warmth of the summer months. Problems such as hives or heat rashes can leave patients feeling fed up as well as itchy. A summer course of acupuncture can be helpful to clear the Skin and improve the feeling of well being.
Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the basis of diagnosis and treatment is that the mind and body should be in perfect balance. If the energy of the body; known as ‘Qi’ is out of balance due to overwork, stress or from life in general, all manner of problems and feelings of ill health can result.
Your acupuncturist will do a full diagnostic consultation, asking questions about all aspects of your health and well being including; your sleep, your digestion, your diet. Your acupuncturist will also look at your tongue and feel your pulses on both wrists. This comprehensive diagnostic consultation allows an individualised treatment plan to be made.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine problems such as hives and heat rashes often relate to the body holding too much ‘heat’. Acupuncture together with diet and lifestyle advice can help release and reduce this heat, helping to alleviate the skin problem and have you feeling full of energy and vitality ready to enjoy the summer!
During the acupuncture treatment ultra fine needles are placed, usually on the limbs or body, to regulate the flow of energy; ‘Qi’, around the body, thus reducing the retained heat and helping to clear the skin.
Research has shown that acupuncture is safe and effective. Acupuncture gently stimulates the body’s own healing capability. Some patients begin to feel differences after just one session; however it is recommended that you attend for a course of treatments in order to get to the root of your problem. The number of sessions required will depend on how long you have been experiencing the skin problem and any other symptoms you are experiencing.”

ACUPUNCTURE REDUCES STRESS PROTEIN

Source: Georgetown University Medical Center

http://gumc.georgetown.edu/news/stories/264184.html

LadanEshkevari, Ph.D., C.R.N.A., L.Ac., has been told so many times by her patients that the acupuncture she gives them relieves stress that she decided to put all that good feeling to a rigorous scientific test.

While traditional Chinese acupuncture has long been thought to relieve stress—in fact, the World Health Organization states that acupuncture is useful as adjunct therapy in more than 50 disorders, including chronic stress—no one has biological proof that it does so, says Eshkevari, an assistant professor, and assistant program director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at Georgetown’s School of Nursing & Health Studies.

But how do you design such a study? A patient survey of stress levels before and after acupuncture isn’t solid proof. And drawing blood to test certain stress-related chemicals in the blood of her patients seemed a little invasive as a first step, says Eshkevari, who is also a nurse anesthetist and a certified acupuncturist.

So she turned to rats.

These animals had already been used in Georgetown laboratories studying the biochemical pathways involved in stress. Researchers there had discovered that neuropeptide Y (NPY) can be elevated under chronic stress with this model.

NPY is a peptide that is secreted by the sympathetic nervous system, which is involved in the “flight or fight” response to acute stress, resulting in constriction of blood flow to all parts of the body except to the heart, lungs, and brain (the organs most needed to react to danger). When NPY is chronically elevated, maladaptive responses to stress can occur.

Rats are useful animals to help study stress because they mount a stress response when exposed to winter-like cold temperatures for an hour a day.

But how do you give acupuncture to a rat? You can’t give them anything to relax, because that would, by itself, reduce stress.

Use of a slightly used sock helps, Eshkevari says.

She allowed the rats to become familiar with her, and encouraged them to rest by crawling into a small sock that exposed their legs. She very gently conditioned them to become comfortable with the kind of stimulation used in electroacupuncture—an acupuncture needle that delivers a painless small electrical charge. This form of acupuncture is a little more intense than manual acupuncture and is often used for pain management, she says, adding, “I used electroacupuncture because I could make sure that every rat was getting the same treatment dose.”

Eshkevari has studied the two main stress pathways. Her work on the sympathetic nervous system and changes in NPY was published in the January issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, and she says it counts as the first study to show molecular proof of the stress reduction benefit of acupuncture. In this study, she selected a single acupuncture spot to test, Zuslanli (ST36 on the stomach meridian, found on the leg below the knee in humans). In a controlled study, Eshkevari found that NPY levels in an experimental group that was stressed, and then given acupuncture, came almost down to the level of a non-stressed group of rats, compared to animals that were stressed and then untreated.

In a second experiment performed separately, Eshkevari stopped acupuncture in the experimental group but continued to stress the rats for an additional four days, and found NPY levels remained low. “We were surprised to find what looks to be a protective effect against stress,” she says.

She has also completed a study looking at the second, more important stress pathway, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), part of the neuroendocrine system that controls the body’s reaction to chronic stress.

“The SNS and HPA work in tandem to handle stress, and when stress becomes chronic, it becomes maladaptive,” Eshkevari says. “My study is really the first of its kind looking at the effect of acupuncture on this type of stress with the two classic pathways.”

While she can’t relate specific findings of the second set of experiments with regards to the HPA until the study is published, Eshkevari says the results are exciting, and just as she suspected. She has submitted this second study for publication.

Eshkevari wants to take her findings and study into a human population, looking for the same effects in patients—especially in soldiers those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

“If my animal findings are replicated in humans, acupuncture would offer a proven adjunct, or sole therapy for stress, which is often difficult to treat,” she says. “A belief held for thousands of years might yet be accepted by modern medicine without such data.”

By Renee Twombly, GUMC Communications

Making the right choice

In the end, pick the acupuncturist that is right for you. Make sure their treatment methods, specialties, and “bedside manner” are what you are looking for. Meet with them and see if they listen to your concerns and can explain exactly what they can do to improve your health.

What types of treatments are available?

In addition to acupuncture using needles, many acupuncture centers use massage, Chinese herbal medicine and meditation to treat patients. The acupuncturist should begin by talking with you about your health problems. Then they will create a plan that includes many types of treatments.

How to choose an acupuncturist

How to choose an acupuncturist

More and more people are choosing acupuncture as an alternative to their doctor, or as a treatment that enhances their doctor’s care. But how do you know what to look for when choosing an acupuncturist?

• Make sure they are licensed to practice in California
• Ask your friends and doctors for recommendations
• Ask what conditions the acupuncturist is qualified to treat
• Choose an acupuncturist who will explain what they are doing during the treatment
• Make sure they explain how often you need treatment and the costs involved

 
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