Study: Acupuncture May Change the Way the Brain Perceives Pain

Check out this Time Magazine article on recent research showing how acupuncture works:

The idea of pricking your body with needles in order to relieve pain seems nothing if not counterintuitive, but thousands of acupuncture patients swear the treatments are effective in addressing pain of all kinds.

But how does it work? How much of the relief is due to the placebo effect — the mere perception that the needles are actually dulling pain — as opposed to a real biological change in the way nerves signal the brain to pain? ... Read more

Acupuncture and Low Back Pain

The Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective of Low Back Pain

Low back pain is an extremely common concern, affecting anywhere from 75 to 90 percent of people at some point in their lives. Low back pain is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost days at work and is one of the most common reasons to seek medical care, including acupuncture. In fact, one of the top reasons that people get acupuncture treatments is for low back pain.

In spite of the large number of pathological conditions that can give rise to low back pain, up to 85% of the cases are classified by Western physicians as 'non-specific'. When low back pain is looked at from an Oriental medicine perspective, it is seen as a disruption of the flow of Qi within the area and associated with a specific disharmony and then treated accordingly.

The basis of acupuncture is expressed in this famous Chinese saying: "Bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong" which means "free flow: no pain, no free flow: pain."

In other words, any kind of pain or illness represents an obstruction in the normal flow of Qi or life force. Simply put, acupuncture moves Qi, restoring free flow.

The disruption of Qi that results in low back pain is usually associated with the following three disharmonies:

Weak Kidney Qi - In Oriental medicine, the lower back is referred to as the “dwelling of the Kidneys”. The majority of chronic low back pain conditions are associated with Kidney Deficiency. Kidney Deficiency type pain is dull and comes and goes. It is usually aggravated by over tiredness and improves with rest.

Stagnation of Qi and Blood - When the flow of Qi along the meridians that traverse the lumbar region becomes congested, it is referred to as the stagnation of Qi and blood. This presents with a severe stabbing pain that is worse with rest and better with movement, tender to touch and can be accompanied by stiffness and tightness.

Invasion of Cold and Dampness - Cold, damp type pain is worse in the morning and when the weather is cold and damp. This type of pain improves with movement and the application of heat. Stiffness and contraction of back muscles that is aggravated by rest indicates cold predominance while swelling, numbness and a heavy sensation are indicative of dampness.

If you or someone you love suffers from acute and chronic back pain, please call to find out more about how acupuncture and TCM can help you.

Source: Qi Mail

Acupuncture and Pain

There was a blurb in the Wall Street Journal about Acupuncture that I found share-worthy:

The compound adenosine is key to acupuncture's effectiveness, according to a study in Nature Neuroscience. Despite acupuncture's 4,000-year history, little is known about the biological pathways that enable carefully placed needles to relieve pain in many patients. Researchers mimicked acupuncture in mice by placing and gradually rotating a needle at a point just below the knee, for 30 minutes. Levels of adenosine, a neurotransmitter, rose 24-fold in the tissue fluid surrounding the needle. Mice injected with an inflammatory substance in their paws and given acupuncture displayed fewer pain symptoms than mice that didn't get acupuncture. But mice genetically engineered to lack a certain adenosine receptor didn't benefit from the acupuncture session at all—further evidence of adenosine's role. Blocking enzymes that break down adenosine made the acupuncture much more effective, tripling the level of adenosine near the needle and extending pain relief from about one hour to about three hours.

Caveat: As with any animal study, it's far from certain that these findings can be replicated in humans.

Many of my patients report significant pain relief after an acupuncture treatment. It looks as though we are discovering even more about the body's pain receptors and how acupuncture works!

Women and Foot Pain

Many people, especially women, suffer from foot pain and believe it is normal. Living in a walking city, such as New York, we need to take special care! A recently published study featured in the New York Times, determined that many women make poor shoe choices early in life and suffer with foot pain in later years. The issue is not only confined to the feet, but has also been seen to cause alignment issues in knees, hip, back and even the neck. Unfortunately for the fashionista, high heels not only cause pain, they also cause corns, bunions, hammer toes, shortened calf muscles and ingrown toenails. Ouch!

Improve foot health

• Limit the amount of time you wear high heels. Carry a pair of good quality flats to wear for part of the day, and choose athletic shoes for weekends and downtime.
• Cushion! Take your high heels with thin soles to the shoemaker, and ask for a thin rubber sole cemented to the bottom of the shoe to cushion your foot.
• Pregnancy may cause your feet to grow up to a full size! When shoe shopping, look for thick, supportive soles. Buy shoes that give your toes room to move. Laced, rather than slip on shoes are recommended by podiatrists for the best fit.
• In addition to alignment issues caused by poor shoe choice, I also see a fair bit of orthopedic conditions in the neck, shoulder and hips due to carrying large, heavy handbags on one shoulder.
• Acupuncture can be very effective in treating chronic pain, but prevention is the best medicine. Lighten up the load, limit the high heels and switch to a supportive pair of shoes!

Acupuncture on NPR

This morning, a story about acupuncture for chronic back pain appeared on NPR. The piece details one woman's first-time experience with acupuncture and examines a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, which found that a seven-week course of acupuncture helped many patients ease the pain of chronic lower back pain.

One interesting finding was that when points are stimulated on the body's surface it produces the same results as inserting needles. The reason this happens is that both methods are based on the same chinese medicine meridian system and simply stimulating the points on the channel can illicit a therapeutic response. In fact, in certain types of acupuncture, namely Japanese acupuncture, which is also practiced at Five Seasons Healing, the technique is to either shallowly insert needles or only placed them on the surface of the skin.

You can listen to the story or read the text on NPR's website.

Pregnancy Sciatica

During the last few months of pregnancy, as the baby grows more rapidly and the pelvic joints begin to relax to accommodate birth, expectant mothers may experience back pain and sciatica that can range from a minor discomfort to an exhausting, crippling condition.

Sciatica may be causes by the weight of the pregnant uterus, altered posture to compensate for altered shape, fatigue leading to poor posture or other factors such as softened, relaxed pelvic ligaments due to the presence of progesterone and relaxin in the body.

The pain is often worse at night and there is little western medicine can offer for relief aside from back exercises and advice about proper posture.

From the Chinese medicine standpoint, pregnancy sciatica is due to stopping of Blood and Qi (energy). Strain can weaken the back muscles, and exposure to cold can wear on the immune system, making the mother more susceptible to ailment and injury.

Acupuncture is one of the few safe and effective treatments for pregnancy sciatica. First, the acupuncturist determines whether the pain is acute or chronic. Severe pain that gets worse with rest but improves with light exercise and tender to the touch is connected to the stagnation of Blood and Qi. A large area of pain could indicate an invasion of Cold or Dampness or a constitutional deficiency. By identifying the blocked meridian, or energy channel, acupuncture can help to Qi flow and resolve the condition.

How to Survive Holiday Travel

For many of us, the holiday season involves traveling to visit family and friends. Though this is a joyous, celebratory time of year, the hustle and bustle can be taxing on our minds and bodies, putting us at risk for illness and injury.

Sitting in one position for a long time on planes, in buses, and cars can wear on the body, causing discomfort in the back, shoulders, and neck. Lugging heavy bags weighs us down. The stress of rushing to make departures, long lines at airports, crowded highways, along with throngs of other people dealing with the exact same things, takes its toll on us emotionally as well as physically.

When we arrive at our destination, relief is usually fleeting. Sleeping in guest beds, on couches, and air mattresses can wreak havoc on our spines, and family tensions can make us emotional. Being out of our familiar settings and in close quarters with people we may not see that many times a year can drive us to lose our good will towards men.

However, here are a few measures you can take before, during and after your trip to make it as stress-free as possible.

• Before you leave, get organized.
o Pack ahead of time rather than saving it for the last minute. Minimize luggage by bringing only the necessities.
o If you’re flying, keep tickets in a safe place where you will remember them. Don’t wait until ten minutes before you leave to find them.

• Be prepared for delays and traffic. Bring a book and music to keep yourself occupied.
o Get enough sleep in the days leading up to your trip so you’re not running on empty.

• Strive to eat balanced meals and drink plenty of water, even on the road or in the air. It may be tempting to resort to surviving on coffee, pastries, and airline peanuts, but you’ll feel much better by the time you reach your destination if you’ve given your body the nutrition it needs.
o Be mindful of what you eat and drink, but don’t beat yourself up for indulging in a special treat.

• See your Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner to pick up some remedies:
o “Cold Quell” pills can be taken before beginning your journey to prevent colds and then immediately with any sign of a cold coming on.
o An immune booster like "Jade Windscreen Pill" for a week before travel and during your entire stay is also effective.
o A great formula to help with digestion is "Strengthen the Spleen" pills to be taken after a very filling holiday meal.

• Pressing on acupressure points, self-massage, and self-care are also helpful.
o LI4 (or Large Intestine 4 point, also called peaceful union) is great for any type of headache, toothache or pain in the body. Take the thumb and index finger of one hand and press the soft mound of flesh on the palm between the thumb and index finger of the opposite hand. Look for the tender area and rub for 5 minutes, alternating sides.
o Round rub around eyes—Make hands into loose fists and take the knuckles of index fingers and rub around the eye socket pausing in the tender spots. Rub around nose and sinus passages to encourage healthy, open sinuses and clear vision.
o After arriving, soak feet in warm water to encourage any anxiety, tension or excitement from travel to melt away. This will help you get a good night’s rest by descending energy away from the head in order to calm nerves and rest the mind.

• There are various yoga stretches and breathing exercises that promote calmness or increase energy.
o Forward bends are great for calming the mind. Either with legs straight or bent, hang from hips, holding elbows, nodding head “yes,” shaking head “no”, to open spine and release neck and shoulder muscles. Resting your head on a few stacked books helps to calm mind.
o You can also do this on the floor with backs of legs flat against floor and bending forward towards your toes (no need to touch) and resting your head on stacked pillows to make it restorative rather than strenuous. It is best to relax into this pose for 3-5 minutes.
o If you want to boost your energy, doing a headstand is a great way to gear up.
o Practice deep breathing, in moments where you’re afraid of losing your cool,. Breathe in for seven seconds, and then out for seven seconds. Do this for 10 rounds and feel the effects.

Exercise is one of the ultimate stress-busters. Even a walk around the block with a cousin or sibling can get your heart rate up and produce feel-good endorphins.
Perhaps most importantly of all, be kind to your body. Don’t push yourself too hard. Though many of us feel pressured by the demands of the season, remember that you are only human.

When you get home, check in with your acupuncturist, chiropractor, therapist, or any other practitioner you regularly see. They can help you tend to any lingering ailments.

Cheers to a happy and healthy holiday season!