Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, a healing oriented approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit.
http://www.drweilblog.com/home/2010/5/20/all-about-acupuncture-part-1.html
http://www.drweilblog.com/home/2010/5/21/all-about-acupuncture-part-2.html
Acupuncture has been around for at least 2,500 years and has proven to be an effective method of both preventing and treating disease. If you've never experienced acupuncture, the following can help you to know what to expect.
- A skilled acupuncturist will first ask you questions about diet, exercise, stress levels and other physical and mental characteristics to get to know more about you and your health concerns.
- He or she may examine your tongue and take pulses on various parts of your body to determine the imbalances in energy flow
- Once this initial examination is completed, very fine needles will be gently placed in specific locations, just puncturing the skin. (The experience of being "needled" varies tremendously, but it's nothing to be afraid of. Some people don't feel the needles at all, while others have a sensation like a very small electric charge upon insertion.)
- Once the needles have been placed, they may be gently manipulated. Some practitioners may use heat or even very low voltage electricity with the needles.
- Needles are usually left in place for five to 20 minutes and typically no longer than 60 minutes, and then removed.
- Following a treatment, a practitioner will usually reassesses the client and often give suggestions for home care. He or she may also recommend supplemental Chinese herbs to help enhance and maintain the energetic balance achieved by the acupuncture session.
- The most common side effects of needling are bleeding and bruising at the insertion sites, along with minor pain and soreness. Those with bleeding disorders or who are taking blood thinners should check with their doctors before having acupuncture
Acute conditions may require only two to four sessions of acupuncture; for chronic cases, it is common to have as many as 12 or more treatments, usually over a course of eight to 10 weeks. Regular monthly visits may be suggested as a preventive measure to decrease stress, improve energy or boost immunity
What Health Concerns Can Acupuncture Best Help Address
Acupuncture is not just about needles, but is a comprehensive traditional therapy focused on correcting imbalances of energy flow throughout the body. It can be employed effectively for a wide variety of conditions:
- Emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder
- Digestive complaints, including nausea, vomiting, and irritable bowel syndrome
- Pain syndromes due to an injury or associated with chronic degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Neurological problems like migraines or Parkinson's disease
- Respiratory conditions, including sinusitis and asthma
- Gynecologic disorders and infertility (it has demonstrated clinical success when used in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization)
- Fatigue or low energy
- Addictions
- Chronic lower back pain
It can also be used as a rehabilitation strategy for individuals who suffered a stroke, can help control chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and can help promote overall wellbeing.
If you are considering seeing an acupuncturist, you should discuss this therapy and seek a referral for a licensed acupuncturist from your primary care physician.
How Acupuncture May Work
The needles seem to boost levels of a natural pain-killing compound. Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York have reported that adenosine, an amino acid which becomes active in the skin to ease pain after an injury, also has activity in deeper tissues affected by acupuncture. In a study with mice, the investigators found that acupuncture reduced discomfort in a paw by two thirds in animals with normal, working levels of adenosine, but that needling didn’t work at all when the adenosine was inactivated. And when adenosine was "turned on" in tissues, discomfort faded even without acupuncture. During and immediately after acupuncture, adenosine levels in tissues near the needles were 24 times higher than they had been before treatment, the researchers reported. They also found that when they used a cancer drug, deoxycoformycin, which makes it harder for tissues to remove adenosine, the effects of acupuncture rose dramatically, nearly tripling the accumulation of adenosine in the muscles and more than tripling the length of time the treatment was effective. The study was published online May 30, 2010, in Nature Neuroscience.
How About This for Natural Healing and Stress Reduction?
For more information on Acupuncture or to request an appointment - Call 262.354.4683 for a consultation today in Oconomowoc
