Acupuncture and herbal medicine are effective for the treatment of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19).
The Beijing Health Commission notes that 87% of COVID-19 patients in Beijing received traditional Chinese medicine treatment (acupuncture and herbs). The commission documents that the total effective rate for patients receiving TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) treatment is 92%. [1]
Gao Xiaojun, spokesperson for the Beijing Health Commission, announced that Chinese medicine practitioners will determine Chinese medicine treatment plans for newly diagnosed, affected, severe, and critically ill COVID-19 patients. In a formal announcement, Gao Xiojun cited a brief history of one COVID-19 patient suffering from fever. Three TCM experts from Dongzhimen Hospital and Ditan Hospital formulated and administered a TCM treatment plan. By the next morning, the patient’s temperature dropped significantly to 37.2 degrees Celcius.
The spokesperson added that there are many similar cases and that Chinese medicine has “played an active role in improving the cure rate and reducing the mortality rate.” [2] The Beijing Health Commission has established city, district, and hospital level TCM expert groups to establish treatment protocols for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 patients.
BACKSTAGE PASS with Susan Bowlus, Co-owner at Urban Acupuncture Center
A backstage pass with our co-founder and co-owner Susan Bowlus, who discusses her cooking challenges at home and sings a song that shares hope for the future.
BACKSTAGE PASS – RITA GHODSIZADEH on benefits of moxibustion
Join us backstage as UAC acupuncturist Rita introduces us to her family and discusses the benefits of moxibustion.
BACKSTAGE PASS – AUTUMN SNAVELY on acupressure tips that can help you ease stress and anxiety
Contact Us
For more information about how acupuncture,massage therapy and other treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Clintonville (614) 725-2488 | Main St, Westerville (614) 426-4406 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.
Deep tissue massage is a hands-on massage technique designed to treat musculoskeletal concerns, such as muscle strains, sports-related injuries, and over-use injuries such as plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow. Unlike some massage techniques that focus on a light, gentle touch, deep tissue massage involves the application of firm and sustained pressure targeting the inner layers of muscles and connective tissues. Depending on each patient’s specific health concerns, deep tissue massage can be a full body massage, or it can be used to focus on one specific problem area. And while deep tissue massage can be emotionally relaxing as well as physically restorative, the slow and deep strokes needed to get deep into the muscles can, at times, get a bit uncomfortable!
What are the Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage?
Deep tissue massage offers a number of significant benefits, primarily (although not solely) focused on maintaining muscular health. While some massage techniques are intended primarily for relaxation, deep tissue massage is intended to address problem areas and facilitate healing. Some specific physical benefits of deep tissue massage include:
Breaking up scar tissue following an injury
Reducing tension held deep within the muscles
Treating muscle pain
Improving muscle soreness and stiffness
Reducing inflammation
Promoting faster healing through increased blood flow
However, while the primary target of deep tissue massage is physical healing, it can—and often does—also offer psychological benefits; most patients also experience significant stress reduction and increased relaxation after a deep tissue massage!
How is Deep Tissue Massage Different from Swedish Massage?
Both deep tissue massage and Swedish massage utilize slow and sustained pressure to relieve tension in the muscular-skeletal system. However, they differ quite a bit in terms of the level of pressure involved and the intended result.
Swedish massage is much gentler than deep tissue massage, involving less tension and pressure on the muscles. It utilizes less intense pressure because the goal of Swedish massage, generally speaking, is to promote relaxation and address muscle tension caused by everyday activities. Therefore, Swedish massage is usually a full-body massage targeting the superficial muscle groups that generally “hold tension”, such as the neck, shoulders, and back.
Deep tissue massage, on the other hand, also utilizes the palms and fingers to knead and manipulate the muscles and connective tissue, but may also involve use of the elbows and forearms to get at the deeper layers of muscle. It is this deeper penetration that enables deep tissue massage to target muscle and tendon injury, scar tissue, pain and stiffness, and sports-related injury.
Like Swedish massage, a deep tissue massage will start with lighter, gentler strokes to warm up the muscles and connective tissue. Once the muscles have warmed and loosened, your licensed massage therapist will begin to use a deeper kneading, stroking, and pushing, with varying amounts of pressure, to really target problem areas. Because of deep tissue massage targets the underlying musculature, it’s not uncommon for you to experience some lingering soreness for a few days after the massage; this soreness can usually be relieved with a heating pad or cold pack on the tender area.
While deep tissue massage is generally considered to be a safe and (mostly) risk-free treatment, it is not appropriate for everyone. It is not appropriate for pregnant women or for anyone with osteoporosis or a bone-related cancer, as the pressure involved in deep tissue massage may be enough to cause a fracture in weakened bones. Deep tissue massage may also not be recommended for individuals with a clotting disorder to history of blood clots or are taking blood thinners or have a clotting disorder. It is always recommended that you speak with your medical practitioner before undergoing a deep tissue massage.
Contact Us For More Information
For more information about how acupuncture,massage therapy and other treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Clintonville (614) 725-2488 | Main St, Westerville (614) 426-4406 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.
Understanding Anxiety and Panic, and How Acupuncture Can Help
Let’s face it: modern life is stressful. Navigating a busy schedule, managing responsibilities at work, keeping up with the bills: it’s no wonder that we always seem to feel stressed. For most of us, this type of stress comes and goes over time, without reallyinterfering with our ability to get through the day. Yet for some individuals, feelings of stress, anxiety, and panic are more than a temporary response to a specific stressor. Instead, the feelings of anxiety and panic actually grow stronger over time, even when the source of the anxiety seems to have faded.
If you suffer from excessive worry or anxiety or experience frequent panic or recurrent panic attacks, you know just how difficult it can be to cope with even normal activities such as school or a job. Even everyday social interactions or managing a relationship can be challenging. And anxiety and panic don’t simply impact your emotional well-being; it can undermine your physical health as well, causing physical discomfort and symptoms such as shortness of breath, elevated heart rate or chest pain, muscle tension, dizziness, trembling and/or numbness in the fingers and toes, and nausea.
Standard treatment for anxiety disorder and panic disorder varies greatly from individual to individual, depending on the severity of disorder and each individual’s unique physical and psychological health and well-being. Traditional treatment approaches usually involve some combination of therapy and medications such as antidepressants. Increasingly, however, many medical practitioners are recognizing that traditional Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture, may also play a role in treating anxiety and panic disorders. For some individuals, regular acupuncture treatments alone can relieve anxiety and enable them to manage both physical and emotional symptoms; for others, acupuncture may work best when combined with therapy and/or medications.
How Acupuncture Works for Anxiety and Panic
Acupuncture is premised on the belief that many mental health concerns, as well as many physical ailments, are brought about by an imbalance in our vital life energy (chi or qi). When our body and our mind are in balance, our chi flows freely through energy channels called meridians. If our body is not in balance, chi becomes blocked or congested.
The root of anxiety and/or panic disorders can also be described as an imbalance between the sympathetic nervous system, our “fight or flight” response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest and recover” response. For individuals suffering from anxiety and panic, the “fight or flight” response controlled by the sympathetic nervous system takes over, while the “rest and recover” responsecontrolled by the parasympathetic system is stifled.
Acupuncture helps relieve anxiety and panic by addressing this fundamental imbalance in the body, restoring the proper flow of chi along the body’s meridians and enabling the “rest and recover” response to appropriately counter the “fight or flight” response. A licensed acupuncturist will place small, sterile needles at the appropriate points along the body’s meridians, known as acupuncture points; for anxiety, for instance, the acupuncture points are usually believed to be the breastbone, between the eyebrows, and/or along the insides of the wrists. And while it can sounds scary, when done properly, the treatment is not painful and should not hurt; in fact, most patients find it both soothing and relaxing!
If you suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, or anxiety or panic disorder, how do you know if acupuncture is right for you? The first step is to talk to your doctor. Acupuncture is generally considered to be risk-free for most people, when performed by an accredited, licensed acupuncturist, so many practitioners may encourage you to incorporate it into your comprehensive treatment plan. And while it may not be appropriate as a stand-alone approach, many patients do feel the relaxing impact of acupuncture immediately. If you think acupuncture might help you cope with anxiety and stress, we encourage you to contact Urban Acupuncture Center to schedule your appointment today.
For more information about how acupuncture,massage therapy and other treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Clintonville (614) 725-2488 | Main St, Westerville (614) 426-4406 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.
The Beijing Health Commission notes that 87% of COVID-19 patients in Beijing received traditional Chinese medicine treatment (acupuncture and herbs). The commission documents that the total effective rate for patients receiving TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) treatment is 92%. [1]
Deep tissue massage is a hands-on massage technique designed to treat musculoskeletal concerns, such as muscle strains, sports-related injuries, and over-use injuries such as plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow. Unlike some massage techniques that focus on a light, gentle touch, deep tissue massage involves the application of firm and sustained pressure targeting the inner layers of muscles and connective tissues. 
If you suffer from excessive worry or anxiety or experience frequent panic or recurrent panic attacks, you know just how difficult it can be to cope with even normal activities such as school or a job. Even everyday social interactions or managing a relationship can be challenging. And anxiety and panic don’t simply impact your emotional well-being;