Posts Tagged ‘migraine’
Practical Acupuncture
May 10, 2013
Acupuncture is mysterious, acupuncture is unique, but above all acupuncture is practical.
Often patients come in my New York acupuncture clinic and they are surprised how practical it is. And the main reason that acupuncture is practical is that it works. It’s not about the body’s energy or imbalances that are the root of your problem. It’s about feeling better and staying healthy.
Feel Better, Get Acupuncture
Acupuncture is about staying healthy, but the way it works is by correcting imbalances in the body. When the imbalance is removed you feel better. The acupuncture is just reminding the body how to be healthy.
When a patient comes into the our acupuncture office, we assess what the problems is, where and what imbalance is impending your health. The acupuncture treatment works to correct the imbalance. There are many imbalances that cause diseases. The key is to address the correct one with the correct approach. For example, if there is not enough Qi, the body’s energy, the acupuncture helps to boost the body’s qi.
Acupuncture is a simple idea but complicated in practice
Creating an effective therapy is where it gets more complicated, because addressing the underlying imbalance effectively depends upon the acupuncturist’s technique. This includes choosing the right acupuncture points, the most powerful combination of acupuncture points, and also how your acupuncturist stimulates the acupuncture points.
The correct acupuncture points must be chosen. Take the example I already used, if there is not enough Qi in the body, then we should use acupuncture points that stimulate production of Qi like St 36 or Kid 3.
Location of the acupuncture point is important as well. For example, when treating migraine headaches, I prefer to use acupuncture points that are not on the head, but rather on the shoulders, arms, and legs. This helps to reduce the imbalanced energy in the head causing the migraine. But for a back spasm in the lower back, I would use more acupuncture points close to the issue.
Acupuncture Technique is in the Hands
Another aspect is how acupuncture points are combined together. Sometimes it is important to put a few points close together to stimulate healing in a specific area. For example, with a muscles spasm in the lower back I may use a technique called surround the dragon. The surround the dragon technique uses four or five needles in the circle around the muscle in spasm. This communicates with the muscles to relax and return to a healthy states.
Part of the acupuncture technique is manual. How do we use the needles to stimulate the acupuncture points, nervous system, muscles, and fascia.
One technique to get a trigger point to release is twirling. The needles are twirled slightly to create a twitch in the muscle. The twitch is a signal that the body is acupuncture point is activated and it is initialing the healing process.
Acupressure For Self Healing is Back at the Open Center
Oct 1, 2012
The introductory class for Acupressure for Self Healing at the New York Open Center is on Monday November 5th 2012 at 6pm.
Interested in learning more about how you can use acupressure to relieve headaches, menstrual cramps, digestive problems, and improve overall health? Then you should come to my class at the New York Open Center in November 2012.
What is acupressure?
- Acupressure is a traditional Chinese healing art in which physical pressure is applied to acupuncture points with the hand (rather than with needles as in acupuncture), so it can be practiced by everyone.
How does acupressure work?
- Acupressure can helps to circulate and balance our qi (energy) to improve our overall health and wellness or help address specific conditions
What will I learn in the class?
- This course will introduce you to the basic concepts and practices of acupressure, including how to
Rolling is a Tui Na Technique
locate points, how to diagnose imbalances in energy flow through the meridians, and how to apply pressure correctly. You’ll also learn some qigong breathing exercises and tui na massage techniques.
- By the end of the course, you’ll be able to use acupressure on ourselves and others to alleviate a range of ailments, including indigestion, PMS and menstrual cramps, headaches and migraines, back and neck pain, as well as to boost overall wellness and energy.
The Body Acupuncture
Jan 17, 2012
Acupuncture can target chronic pain in any location of the body. Sometimes, an acupuncturist will put needles in the place of the pain. But other times an acupuncturist will place needles far away from the location, such as in acupuncture points on the legs and feet for chronic headaches.
The primary way acupuncturists can focus the treatment for chronic pain in specific places because of the acupuncture channels. Acupuncture channels connect different parts of the body and run along different places in the body. The acupuncture channels create a type of map that interconnects different regions of the body.
Large Intesting 4
For example, the Large Intestine acupuncture channel starts on the hand, up the forearm, through the shoulder to the face. This is why LI 4 on the hand can be very effective for frontal and sinus headaches.
On the other hand, the Gall Bladder channel runs from the toes, along the sides of the body, and then to the sides of the head. This is why Gall Bladder 34 near the knee can be effective for headaches on the side or temples.
Auricular acupuncture
Auricular acupuncture, or ear acupuncture, is particularly effective for chronic pain.
In acupuncture, the ear lobe provides a map of the body with points for specific areas and organs.
In ear acupuncture, the best way to target the chronic pain is to find the most sensitive points in the ear for that region and place the needle in that acupuncture point.
What Conditions Acupuncture Treats
Dec 29, 2011
What does acupuncture treat?
During the past year I have been adding a section to my website focusing on the commonly treated conditions in my clinic. It is not yet comprehensive, but over the next few months I will continue to build this section. Currently, I have a number of in depth articles detailing the acupuncture treatment.
Skin Conditions
- Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine for Eczema
- Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine for Psoriasis
Chronic Pain
Urology
- Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
- Acupuncture for Interstitial Cystitis
Headaches and Migraines
Nov 9, 2011
Acupuncture is very effective at treating chronic migraines, tension headaches, and sinus headaches. Acupuncture therapy has been used for over 2000 years to treat chronic headaches.
How does acupuncture treat headaches?
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine scholars theorize that health is based upon balance in the body. Imbalances can cause long term illnesses and pain. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine work by correcting these imbalances in the body. Once the imbalance is corrected, the body can then works to heal itself.
Physiological, acupuncture works to reduce pain and inflammation through regulating neural pain pathways, stimulating the release of natural pain relievers in the body, such as opioids, as well as regulating pain relieving opioid receptors. Many studies have also shown acupuncture to have a anti-inflammatory effect, reducing the circulating inflammatory hormones in the blood (1).
Chronic headaches and migraines there is often a terrible cycle of tension and pain. The muscles tense up in reaction to the pain and then the pain causes the muscles to tense up more. Some believe this cycle of pain further exasperates the decreased blood flow to and from the skull, which may be one of the causes of migraines. Acupuncture cuts off this cycle of tension and pain by relaxing the muscles and relieving tension.
Acupuncture is also very relaxing. Most people feel very calm during the treatment and this lasts for a period of time afterwards. Over time, treatment helps influence you to be calm and increase your ability to deal with stress. This is because acupuncture does not separate the body and the mind. The mind influences the body, and the body influences the mind. So in treating the body we also relax the mind.
What are the most common imbalances that cause headaches?
When comes to headaches, the imbalance is often rooted in the circulation or production of the body’s energy called qi (pronounced chee). Qi needs to be abundant and circulate through channels in the body or else illness occurs.
In Chinese medicine, it is said “When the qi flows there is no pain, when qi stops, there is pain and illness.” When there is stress, trauma, or other illness, the qi circulation can slow down and become stagnated. Someone with qi stagnation will have headaches that are intense, worse with stress, neck pain, ribside pain, possible insomnia, and digestive problems.
Another imbalance can be too little energy, or what is called qi deficiency. If there is too little energy, then people will feel tired, get bloated after they eat, and have a weak pulse.
Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and acupressure all help to build more qi and smooth the flow of qi.
What is acupuncture treatment like?
An effective acupuncture treatment is based upon a specific and accurate diagnosis. The root imbalance of the condition and by asking in depth questions, taking your pulse, and examining your body. By targeting the exact root of the condition leads to the most successful treatment.
I combine acupressure, Chinese medicine massage, with the acupuncture to create greater results and a stronger sense of relaxation. Usually people will feel some relief after only a few weekly visits.
Research on Acupuncture for Headaches
A recent metanalysis of 31 studies, showed that acupuncture was more effective than both medication and placebo acupuncture (2). For those who do not know, a metanalysis is a more definitive study which examines many many previously performed studies. The studies showed that acupuncture was stronger than placebo acupuncture for reducing headaches, and even stronger than medication for reducing headache frequency, intensity, and overall physical function.
References:
1. Napadow V, Ahn A, Longhurst J, et.al. The Status and Future of Acupuncture Mechanism Research. J Altern Complement Med. 2008 September; 14(7): 861–869.
2. Sun Y, Gan TJ. Acupuncture for the management of chronic headache: a systematic review. Anesth Analg. 2008 Dec;107(6):2038-47.
written by Joseph Alban
edited: November 7, 2011
Acupressure Class Tonight
Jun 6, 2011
My class Acupressure for Self Healing at the New York Open Center starts Tonight, Monday, June 6th.
Register here at the The New York Open Center.
What is acupressure?
- Acupressure is a traditional Chinese healing art in which physical pressure is applied to acupuncture points with the hand (rather than with needles as in acupuncture), so it can be practiced by everyone.
How does acupressure work?
- Acupressure can helps to circulate and balance our qi (energy) to improve our overall health and wellness or help address specific conditions
What will I learn in the class?
- This course will introduce you to the basic concepts and practices of acupressure, including how to
Rolling is a Tui Na Technique
locate points, how to diagnose imbalances in energy flow through the meridians, and how to apply pressure correctly. You’ll also learn some qigong breathing exercises and tui na massage techniques.
- By the end of the course, you’ll be able to use acupressure on ourselves and others to alleviate a range of ailments, including indigestion, PMS and menstrual cramps, headaches and migraines, back and neck pain, as well as to boost overall wellness and energy.
How long is the course?
- There is a five dollar introductory course on June 6th at 8pm. Click here to register.
- The course meets for 4 session on Mondays from June 13th-July 11th, 8-10pm.
There is no class meeting on July 4th.
Register here at the The New York Open Center.
Learn Acupressure for Headaches, Digestive Problems, Cramps, and More
May 16, 2011
Interested in learning more about how you can use acupressure to relieve headaches, menstrual cramps, digestive problems, and improve overall health? Then you should come to my acupressure class at the New York Open Center in June 2011.
What is Acupressure?
- Acupressure is a traditional Chinese healing art in which physical pressure is applied to acupuncture points with the hand (rather than with needles as in acupuncture), so it can be practiced by everyone.
How does acupressure work?
- Acupressure can helps to circulate and balance our qi (energy) to improve our overall health and wellness or help address specific conditions
What will I learn in the class?
- This course will introduce you to the basic concepts and practices of acupressure, including how to
Rolling is a Tui Na Technique
locate points, how to diagnose imbalances in energy flow through the meridians, and how to apply pressure correctly. You’ll also learn some qigong breathing exercises and tui na massage techniques.
- By the end of the course, you’ll be able to use acupressure on ourselves and others to alleviate a range of ailments, including indigestion, PMS and menstrual cramps, headaches and migraines, back and neck pain, as well as to boost overall wellness and energy.
How long is the course?
- There is a five dollar introductory course on June 6th at 8pm. Click here to register.
- The course meets for 4 session on Mondays from June 13th-July 11th, 8-10pm.
There is no class meeting on July 4th.
Register here at the The New York Open Center.
What can Acupuncture Treat?
Mar 10, 2009
What can acupuncture treat? This is probably the second most common question I get as a New York acupuncturist. (The first is how did I get into acupuncture, which I answered in this post).
Sounds like a simple question, but in fact it is quite hard to answer. In many ways, it is like asking, “What does Western Medicine treat?” or ” What do medications treat?”
Unlike other therapies, such as psychotherapy or physical therapy, acupuncture can treat both physical and mental problems, as well as internal medicine. Acupuncture, as a part of Chinese medicine, has been used as a comprehensive medical system and over one billion people still use Traditional East Asian Medicine as their primary means of health care. That means that people use it to treat back pain, colds, PMS, infertility, asthma, strokes, migraine headaches, painful urination, acne, stomach aches, depression, anxiety, and all other types of diseases.
Generally speaking, people seek acupuncture for chronic conditions. Here are some various resources to help you explore “what acupuncture treats?”
1. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). NCCAM has some good information about acupuncture treatment for a few conditions, like osteoarthritis of the knee, fibromyalgia, and PTSD. There is also a great video by Richard Hamershlag, a wonderful acupuncture researcher.
2. The World Health Organization published huge document on acupuncture and traditional medicine in 2003. Unfortunately it is no longer on the web, (here is a link to it’s summery on Wikipedia). The document listed over 140 conditions which acupuncture is used for and has documented efficacy. Here are a few of the conditions listed:
- Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
- Allergic rhinitis
- Depression
- Painful Periods
- Ulcer
- Facial pain
- Headache
- Knee pain
- Low back pain
- Correction of Malposition of fetus
- Morning sickness
- Neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Postoperative pain
- Renal colic
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sciatica
- Stroke
3. A great article published in the Annals of Family Medicine in 2005, examined the most common reasons for going to an acupuncturist in Washington State and Massachusetts. This article also discusses training and background of acupuncturists and the major categories of diseases, along with specific conditions.
Some of the most common conditions included:
- back pain and stiffness
- anxiety and depression
- neck pain and stiffness
- fatigue
- headache
- shoulder pain and stiffness
- general wellness
- allergies to food
- knee pain
- abdominal pain, cramps, and distention
- infectious disease
- problems of pregnancy or fertility
4. From my personal experience, I think that article was pretty comprehensive for common conditions. In my clinic, other common conditions are chronic prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, migraine headaches, acne, dermatitis, and irregular or painful menstruation. If you are interested in getting acupuncture, find someone you can trust and ask them if they have experience with your concern.
5. The way that the Chinese still use their own traditional medicine should also help us understand what can Acupuncture and Chinese medicine treat.
Dr. Chan, my acupuncture Professor, and me
In China, Chinese medicine is completely integrated with the healthcare system. Where I studied, at the Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we had an entire hospital dedicated to TCM. They also used Western medicine when needed, such as antibiotics, but the main focus was acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and acupressure.
The hospital has many departments, I rotated in acupuncture, internal medicine, Tui na (medical massage) and dermatology. They also had an OBGYN, pediatrics, and an entire inpatient department. People came to see us with all typs of pain, headaches, shoulder pain, back pain, facial paralysis, bell’s palsy, menstrual cramps, infertility, hepatitis, gall bladder disease, rehabilitation from stroke, chronic renal failure, sexual dysfunction, proastatitis, acne, and hives just to name a few.
Dr. Chan, my teacher in the photo above, is a master Chinese medicine Doctor and Acupuncturist. He is famous for his treatment of Prostatitis, Parkinson’s disease, pain, eye conditions, stroke, and cerebral palsy.
6. A similar question to what is it used for is “Is there research?” The answer to that is a wholehearted yes! There is too much to discuss hear, so I selected some of my favorite.
One of the best and most comprehensive studies focuses on acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee. There is also evidence that acupuncture works for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, an area I believe acupuncture is underused. Acupuncture has also been shown to help the effectiveness of IVF and improves the health of the babies at birth. Acupuncture is also great at treating headaches of all kinds. I’ve already written about acupuncture and headaches in this post.
Of course, there are millions of other chronic conditions acupuncture can treat. If you are interested in learning more about if acupuncture can address your health concern, please call us at 917-887-4946 to schedule an appointment.
Top Photo: NYCTCM
It’s Official, Acupuncture Can Relieve Your Headaches
Feb 3, 2009
Headaches suck. The pounding and pressure really can be very severe and greatly impact your life.
But, there is hope, acupuncture can help by relieving the pain from many types of chronic headaches including migraines, tension headaches, and sinus headaches. And recently, the research is supporting this idea.
The Metanalysis on Acupuncture for Headaches
A recent metanalysis of 31 studies, in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, showed that acupuncture was more effective than both medication and placebo acupuncture. For those who do not know, a metanalysis is a more definitive study which examines many many previously performed studies. The studies showed that acupuncture was stronger than placebo acupuncture for reducing headaches, and even stronger than medication for reducing headache frequency, intensity, and overall physical function.
How does acupuncture work to treat headaches?
The body is amazing at healing itself. And if everything is working well there is no need for help, your headaches will not become chronic.
When there is an imbalance, it can cause long term illnesses and pain. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine work by correcting these imbalances in the body. Once the imbalance is corrected, the body can then works to heal itself. Each person’s imbalance is different and the diagnosis must be based on your specific symptoms.
What are the most common imbalances that cause headaches?
When comes to headaches, the imbalance is often rooted in the circulation or production of the body’s energy, qi.
Qi circulates in the body. When there is stress, trauma, or other illness, the qi circulation can slow down and become stagnated. Someone with qi stagnation will have headaches that are intense, worse with stress, neck pain, ribside pain, possible insomnia, and digestive problems.
Another imbalance can be too little energy, or what is called qi deficiency. If there is too little energy, then people will feel tired, get bloated after they eat, and have a weak pulse.
What is treatment like?
An effective acupuncture treatment is based upon a an accurate diagnosis of the imbalance. Acupuncturists will ask in depth questions, take your pulse, and look at your tongue to make the correct diagnosis.
I prefer to use only few needles because I target the precise cause to achieve powerful results. In addition, I will combine acupressure, Chinese medicine massage, with the acupuncture to create greater results and a stronger sense of relaxation. Usually people will feel relief after only a few weekly visits.
How Acupuncture Treats Pain
Oct 15, 2008
The majority of Americans are in chronic pain or have experienced it. More and more, people are seeking acupuncture for relieve of all types of chronic pain, from back pain and neck pain, to headaches and migraines, or chronic pelvic pain.
Pain can affect almost every system in the body and develops from many sources.It can occur from a chronic immune disorder, after an infection, from a physical injury, or from emotional stress. Often, pain stays around a long time after an injury has healed.
As a teenager, I first sought out acupuncture to treat my own chronic pain. For several years I suffered from back pain. It was quite severe for my age, keeping me from playing sports, getting regular exercise, and fully enjoying myself. No one knew what it was from and everyone had their own theory: I was growing too fast, growing too slow, my muscle didn’t develop, or my muscles were too tight. After trying various remedies, and being called a complainer by my not so friendly general practitioner, I tried Chinese medicine. It was the only thing that stopped the pain.
How does Acupuncture address pain?
Acupuncture addresses pain by helping the body heal itself. It not only treats symptoms, like taking a painkiller, but also corrects imbalances in the body, thereby, allowing the body to heal itself.
Recently, several scientific studies have attempted to figure out what exactly this healing process is. To explain a few of the concepts, I’ll use my back pain as an example. Although, I feel the pain in my back, the perception of pain is created in the brain. Acupuncture works not only to heal the pain locally, in my back, but also in my brain. Unlike other approaches, acupuncture treats both sources of the pain.
Often, the acupuncture itself focuses on the location of the pain. In my case, it was the lower back.The fibroblasts, the cells of the connective tissue in the area, actually grab onto the needle.The ends of the cells then wrap themselves around the needle.[i] Then the cells begin to change shape and rearrange their own support system, probably working to correct injuries.This is also a method for cells to communicate with one another, so one cell can broadcast messages of self-healing to other cells in the tissue.[ii] In addition, the nucleus begins to expand, which signals the first stages of gene expression to repair the cell and the tissue around it.
The phenomenon in which the body grabs onto the needle has been known to Chinese medicine physicians for thousands of years and is described as “getting the qi” which should feel similar to a fish biting a hook. As a practitioner, this is how I know when the point is stimulated correctly. I can actually feel the body grab the needle, which tells me that the body is reacting well to the treatment.
Acupuncture Healing the Whole Body
While the acupuncture treatment may be focused on the painful area, the purpose of each acupuncture treatment addresses the whole body. As I mentioned before, one way acupuncture addresses the whole body is through the brain.
We forget a lot of things, like where we put your keys or our mother’s birthday. But, the brain does not like to forget pain. Often, the brain remembers pain long after an injury has healed itself. Using an fMRI scanner, a scan that tracks blood flow within the brain, scientists have shown that acupuncture can change the brain patterns for those with chronic pain.
One of the best studies that used fMRI focused on individuals with carpel tunnel syndrome.[iii]After the treatment, the pain was greatly reduced and the nerve health of the arm was improved. In addition, the carpel tunnel pain pattern within the brain was much more like that of a healthy person than before the treatment.
Working both at the area of pain and in the brain, acupuncture helps to reduce chronic pain by reteaching the body to be healthy.As we learn more about acupuncture we are also discovering how much the ancient clinical science of acupuncture and Chinese medicine has to add to our knowledge of the human body.
[i] Langevin HM, Churchill DL, Wu J. Et. al. Evidence of Connective Tissue Involvement in Acupuncture. FASEB Journal. April 10, 2002.Published Online.
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