Acupuncture for lower back pain

There is no shortage of people who suffer from lower back pain. The research tells us time and time again that Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for lower back pain. Now a recent study in the Journal of Complementary Medicine concluded that “patients with LBP (Lower Back Pain) were less likely to visit physicians for LBP after acupuncture treatment. This led to reduced health services spending on LBP” (Moritz et al). This study looked at 2000 patient records in the socialized healthcare system of Canada to see who was treated with acupuncture for lower back pain and who then followed up with medical care from their physician. The study shows that people treated with acupuncture were less likely to see their physician after the acupuncture for the care of their lower back pain. Not only does this study show us the effectiveness for acupuncture in treating lower back pain, it also shows us that it is cost effective to the healthcare system as well.
Remember that the worst thing that you can do is to not treat you lower back and to allow the pain to just get worse. It is our heartfelt philosophy that you should try everything until you find something that works for you. Follow the research.

Works Cited.

Sabine Moritz, Ming F. Liu, Badri Rickhi, Tracy J. Xu, Patricia Paccagnan, and Hude Quan. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. November 2011, 17(11): 1015-1019. doi:10.1089/acm.2010.0619.

Acupuncture and your Immune System

acupuncture can help strengthen the immune system

As you may know, acupuncture has been in use for more than 2,000 years – and over a decade here at Empirical Point in Philadelphia – and is more and more being used for the treatment of common conditions and ailments like stress, pain and immune system disorders. When the immune system is overstimulated, your body reacts (as in a seasonal allergy reaction) and can be calmed by acupuncture. At the other end of the immunity continuum, you have a weakened immune system. Several important recent studies show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for patients looking to address this weakened state and strengthen their immune systems.
When it comes to cancer and the immune system, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has cited numerous preclinical studies that suggest that acupuncture can reduce vomiting caused by chemotherapy and may help the immune system be stronger during chemotherapy. The NCI has also highlighted animal studies that support the use of electroacupuncture to relieve cancer pain and that additional preclinical research has examined how acupuncture works for cancer treatment, including the role of acupuncture in stimulating immune functions. The NCI also talks about human studies and the effect of acupuncture on cancer patients, saying that it has “shown that it changes immune system response” and “boosts immune system activity.”
BreastCancer.org also provides patients with information about managing their cancer and states that “researchers propose that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system to release natural painkillers and immune system cells. They then travel to weakened areas of the body and relieve symptoms.” In addition to this immune system response, BreastCancer.org outlines that recent studies show that acupuncture may help fight fatigue, control hot flashes, help decrease nausea, reduce vomiting and lessen pain.
Additionally, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports acupuncture research by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School, that has shown “physiological effects – changes in the brain’s pain centers – with acupuncture…gene expression and molecular changes in the nervous and immune systems.”
There is a growing wealth of research and data pointing to the real and significant impact of acupuncture on the immune system. Here at my practice, I see patients from all over the Philadelphia region who are also seeing these benefits. This increase in measurable effect along with the growing use of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine could translate into broader acceptance of this centuries-old practice in the future.

Headaches & Migraines — How Chinese Medicine Can Help

acupuncture and Chinese medicine relieve migraines

For those people that suffer regular headaches or chronic migraines, the pain and discomfort can be debilitating. But, acupuncture has been shown to be an effective treatment that can offer relief. In fact, there is a wealth of information available that outlines the effect acupuncture can have on reducing headaches and migraines. One study in the British Medical Journal followed a group of 400 patients suffering from headaches – half of the patients received acupuncture treatments. A year later, researchers found that the patients that received acupuncture treatments experienced 22 fewer days with headaches, used 15% less medication, made 25% fewer visits to their doctor and took 15% fewer days off sick from work than the patients that did NOT receive acupuncture.
Migraines can be particularly painful and can render a patient unable to participate in daily activities or go to school or work. Acupuncture treatments and herbal medicine regimens that are customized to each patient’s needs can make a huge difference. Working with individual patients to determine their headache profile, migraine triggers, optimal diet and the most effective treatment approach is one way Chinese Medicine experts can help minimize the strain and pain this condition can have. Here’s an interesting online resource from the University of Maryland Medical Center with more useful information about foods, triggers and treatments.

Acupuncture May Help Treat Depression In Expectant Mothers

According to a new study, acupuncture may be an effective way to treat depression in pregnant women.

Currently, nearly 20 percent of women report symptoms of despair during pregnancy, while approximately 10 percent meet the criteria for major depression. Coping with the disorder can be extremely difficult for many women who do not want to take anti-depressants during pregnancy out of concern for the developing fetus.

“Depression during pregnancy is an issue of concern because it has negative effects on both the mother and the baby as well as the rest of the family,” said study author Rosa Schnyer.

In the study, a total of 150 pregnant women meeting the standards for major depressive disorder were separated into three groups. One-third of the respondents were given acupuncture specific for depression, another one-third was given control or “sham” acupuncture and the others were treated only with massage.

The researchers found that the women who received depression-specific acupuncture experienced a significantly greater decrease in symptoms related to the disorder.

Acupuncture may also be used to help alleviate symptoms associated with headaches, lower back pain and menstrual cramps.

Infertility & Acupuncture

acupuncture helps increase fertility

A common and devastating condition that many people are coping with today is infertility – for couples trying to start or expand a family, the stress and frustration of dealing with infertility can be devastating and can make conceiving even more difficult. While by no means a “cure all” for infertility, acupuncture has been clinically shown to help increase the chances of success for some fertility treatments and can help treat conditions associated with fertility issues like hypo- or hyperthyroidism.
Often asked about information regarding infertility and acupuncture – and there’s a LOT out there. Our recommendation and opinion is that people closely review the literature and studies to really understand the facts. Here are a few resources and studies that we find helpful:
The American Pregnancy Association cites acupuncture, along with Chinese herbal medicine treatments as a centuries-old treatment for infertility. The Association offers some tips and information about acupuncture treatments to increase fertility here.
WebMD discusses acupuncture’s role in treating infertility and how it has been shown to increase the chances of success for in vitro fertilization here. WebMD also cites a recent medical study, illustrating the beneficial results of acupuncture for women undergoing IVF:
Indeed, in a study of 160 women, published April 2002 in the reproductive journal Fertility and Sterility, a group of German researchers found that adding acupuncture to the traditional IVF treatment protocols substantially increased pregnancy success.
Also, it’s important to note that not only women benefit from acupuncture when trying to increase fertility. In fact, a 1999 study published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine showed that men struggling with low fertility due to reduced sperm activity that received acupuncture treatments showed a significantly higher and improved fertility index (total functional sperm fraction, percentage of viability, total motile spermatozoa and integrity of axonema) than men who did not receive acupuncture treatment.
So, if you are trying to conceive, acupuncture can be a beneficial treatment, but please take the time to learn more about exactly HOW it can help and to determine if it’s a fit for you. It will be important to discuss your expectations and timelines with a licensed acupuncturist or Chinese Medicine practitioner to be certain that their treatment recommendations and protocols match up with your time and budget.

Oriental Medicine & Prostate Cancer

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help side effects of prostate cancer treatment

With more than 2 million survivors of prostate cancer in the U.S., it’s important to recognize that September is Prostate Cancer Awareness month. It’s even more important when you realize that 1 out of every 6 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Thankfully, prostate cancer can be successfully treated for many patients with care ranging from “watchful waiting” to surgery and chemotherapy to hormone therapy. In addition to these approaches, many doctors are increasingly seeing the benefits of Oriental Medicine, including acupuncture, to help patients manage their overall health and treat some of the common side effects associated with their treatments.
For example, acupuncture has been shown to help alleviate cancer pain and the nausea associated with chemotherapy treatments. Also, a recent study published in International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics showed that acupuncture helped relieve the hot flashes that can be associated with prostate cancer surgery or hormone treatment.
In addition to acupuncture, the University of Maryland Medical Center outlines on its website select herbal medicine treatments that have shown promise for prostate cancer patients. These include:
Green tea – green tea extract has been shown to provide a slight benefit in certain types of prostate cancer
Milk Thistle – in a lab test, milk thistle was shown to stop prostate cancer cells from growing; these results have not yet been confirmed in human patients
Garlic – taking garlic extract has been shown to help fight cancer cells
Remember, a licensed practitioner of Oriental Medicine will help develop a custom and comprehensive treatment regimen for each patient, including acupuncture and herbal remedies.

Acupuncture Proves Better Than Common Medication for Migraines.

A recent study published in Cephalgia concluded that, Acupuncture treatments was significant better than that of the common pharmacological therapy of Topiramate (Maxalt). The researchers showed that, “A significantly larger decrease in the mean monthly number of moderate/severe headache days (primary end point) from 20.2 ± 1.5 days to 9.8 ± 2.8 days was observed in the acupuncture group compared with 19.8 ± 1.7 days to 12.0 ± 4.1 days in the topiramate group (p < .01) Significant differences favoring acupuncture were also observed for all secondary efficacy variables. These significant differences still existed when we focused on those patients who were overusing acute medication. Adverse events occurred in 6% of acupuncture group and 66% of topiramate group” (Yang). What this tells us is that the Acupuncture group had a decrease of headache days on average of 11 less days of headache compared to the Maxalt group which had a decrease of only 7 days.
Acupuncture has no known side effects from treatment if performed correctly. Maxalt has the following list of potential side effects: Serious Reactions including coronary vasospasm, myocardial ischemia, MI, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, arrhythmias, life-threatening, HTN, severe hypertensive crisis, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, peripheral vascular ischemia, intestinal ischemia and serotonin syndrome.
Common Reactions: dizziness, somnolence, asthenia, fatigue, nausea, paresthesias, chest pain/pressure/tightness, jaw pain/pressure/tightness, neck pain/pressure/tightness and dry mouth.
Acupuncture may not work for you but the research states that it is clearly worth the try. Our philosophy is that you should try everything until you find what works best for you. Given the long list of potential and common side effects of Maxalt it seems logical to try Acupuncture first. What I suggest to people is that they give it a try along with lifestyle change for 2-4 weeks and see how they are feeling.
References:
Yang, C-P.  Acupuncture versus topiramate in chronic migraine prophylaxis: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Cephalalgia October 21, 2011

Staying Focused on Your Goals

How often we set goals and we get very excited about them. We can see ourselves having or living the fantastic dream and then we face an obstacle. What happens then, in most of the time, is that we concentrate on the obstacle. We analyze it, look at it from different angles and soon instead of concentrating on our objective, that is our dream, we get engulfed by the obstacle. By doing that we made the obstacle grow to a size of a mountain, and we lose sight of our goal. It is like driving a car, paying attention to the road which leads us to the destination – our goal, and suddenly having a big bug splashing on our windshield, just in front of our eyes. We try to concentrate on the road and there it is, that big spot, just in the middle of our view.  It is just a bug, and we can still see where we are going, yet for many people that bug takes over and soon it feels to them like the whole windshield is covered with it.
My advice to you is: concentrate on the road to your goal and forget the bug. Don’t let the bug, bug your life. After all it is only a bug. Don’t let the dead bug control YOUR life!

Nothing happens until something moves

“Nothing happens until something moves.” – Albert Einstein.
How true! You can set the most magnificent goal, you can have the most amazing dream, but if you don’t act on it nothing is going to happen. Thinking and acting are two lines of the same highway. You can not achieve your dream without the right thinking, but the right thinking is not enough to get you to your dream. You have to act on it!
Imagine you are a fisherman or fisherwoman. You decided you are going to have the most successful day in your life and you are going to catch many fish. You are all excited as you know how to think in the right way. You go to your living room, set on your couch and you think positively. You think that you are catching  so many fish, so many  At the end of the day you look around and you ask yourself, “Where are the fish?” No, fish. You see, you can not get it by thinking only. In order for you to get catch the fish, you have to go and get your boat and go to the sea, and you have to do all the necessary things in order to catch them. It is not going to happen by itself.
There are two basic ingredients of success; right thought and action, and you have to apply both in order to succeed. So, remember, thinking in a right way is great, but “Nothing happens until something moves.”