October 2020 - Acupuncture & Massage Columbus Ohio

Five Benefits of Adding Acupuncture to Your Massage Treatment

by urban-acupuncture | Oct 12, 2020 | Acupuncture, Massage Therapy

Acupuncture and Massage Treatments

If there was one word that could describe today’s world, many of us would chose “stressful.” And stress takes both a physical and emotional toll on our fragile bodies. Luckily, treatment options such as massage and acupuncture can help address chronic and acute aches and pains caused by stress, illness, and injury.

By realigning the body’s chi (qi) (vital life force) into proper balance, acupuncture promotes our natural ability to address and heal—at a systemic level—issues stemming from stress, chronic conditions, and even acute injury.

Massage therapy targets the muscles, tissues, and fascia of the musculoskeletal system to alleviate pain, discomfort, soreness, and inflexibility, as well as reduce stress and improve sleep.

Both are powerful stand-alone techniques when performed by a licensed and experienced therapist. However, massage and acupuncture are also complementary; when performed together, they can actually augment the results of each type of treatment.

Here are five reasons why you should consider a combination treatment with both acupuncture and massage:

Improves circulation and blood flow

As our blood flows through every part of our body, it brings life-giving oxygen and nutrients to our cells, while carrying away harmful waste and toxins. Improving circulation and blood flow both in general and in specific areas of the body with both massage and acupuncture simultaneously can promote the body’s natural self-healing processes.

Boosts the immune system

One of acupuncture’s most important benefits is its ability to help boost the immune system, which enables the body to fight off germs such as viruses and bacteria. Massage reduces stress, promotes relaxation, and improves sleep, so the body can focus on fighting off disease and illness. Together, these two treatments can amplify the immune-boosting effects of each one.

Helps manage acute and chronic pain

Both acupuncture and massage can be used to target areas of pain and discomfort, whether stemming from an acute injury or from a chronic condition. Improving blood flow to injured areas and boosting the body’s natural immune system, as noted above, are of great benefit when it comes to reducing pain. Acupuncture and massage can also help break up painful scar tissue and promote muscle relaxation for powerful relief.

Reduces stress

Relaxation and stress reduction are perhaps the most well-known benefits of both massage and acupuncture. Using both massage and acupuncture together to address the physical symptoms of stress can help you sleep better, reduce the occurrence of stress headaches, give you more energy, and overall help you feel better.

Promotes overall well-being

Most importantly, massage and acupuncture together can promote a lasting sense of overall well-being.

By enhancing circulation and proper energy flow, helping the body’s self-healing mechanisms, and minimizing feelings of stress and tension, a combined massage and acupuncture treatment will leave you feeling calmer and more centered. Helping you release negative energy enables more room for the positive energy you need to enjoy life to its fullest.

Contact Urban Acupuncture Center in Columbus, OH For More Information

For more information about how acupuncture, massage therapy and other alternative healing 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.

IVF Preparation Treatment with Acupuncture

by urban-acupuncture | Oct 1, 2020 | Acupuncture

IVF Preparation

For everyone who has dreamed of becoming a parent, getting pregnant always seemed like it would be the easy part of parenting. Unfortunately, infertility is far more common than most people realize. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), nearly 12% of women will struggle with fertility issues at some point in their lives.

Modern medicine can help some couples achieve a successful pregnancy. In vitro fertilization (IVF), for example, involves fertilizing a woman’s eggs outside of the body and then placing the fertilized eggs back into the uterus. Pregnancy occurs when one or more of the eggs successfully embeds itself into the uterine wall to begin its natural growth. IVF is an invasive process that can take several months to complete a single cycle. Multiple cycles may be required, putting significant stress on both the body and the mind.

For some women, incorporating acupuncture into the IVF cycle can potentially improve the chances for achieving a successful pregnancy. When performed by a licensed and experienced acupuncture therapist, acupuncture can help prepare your body to promote ovulation and successful implantation. And acupuncture can help improve your overall health and wellbeing as well by reducing stress and correcting natural imbalances. If you are considering IVF, speak to your fertility specialist about whether acupuncture could help increase your chances of a successful fertility treatment.

How Can Acupuncture Help Your IVF Treatment?

Acupuncture can help improve the chances of a successful IVF treatment in two ways.

First, acupuncture has been shown to improve circulation. When incorporated into an IVF cycle, it can increase blood flow specifically to the reproductive organs. Proper blood flow to the ovaries can promote ovulation of healthy eggs. Improved blood flow to the uterus can help prepare the uterine lining which is critical for successful implantation of fertilized eggs. Moreover, by promoting healthy circulation, acupuncture can help ensure the proper flow of nutrition, anti-oxidants, and hormones throughout the reproductive cycle.

Second, acupuncture promotes overall wellness which can also play a role in successful IVF cycles. By addressing and correcting imbalances throughout the body, acupuncture can improve digestive function and reduce inflammation. And by promoting relaxation and restoring balance, acupuncture helps to reduce stress and improve sleep, enabling both your body and your mind to cope better with the physical and emotional stress that comes along with infertility and IVF.

When to Schedule Acupuncture during an IVF Cycle

Before starting acupuncture, taking any medication including herbal remedies, or starting any medical procedure, it is critical that you speak with your fertility specialist to ensure that supplemental treatments promote, and do not adversely impact, your IVF treatment.

There are several steps during your IVF cycle at which it may be appropriate to incorporate acupuncture.

Three to six months in advance: Acupuncture treatments before your IVF treatment can help promote healthy blood flow to the ovaries and eggs. It also promotes general health to improve your natural balance and build up reserves to prepare the body for the IVF treatment.
Priming Phase: Weekly acupuncture may be appropriate during the month before your IVF treatment. As you begin the medications necessary to suppress the ovaries in preparation for stimulation, acupuncture will continue to promote healthy blood flow to the ovaries.
Stimulation Phase: Weekly or even twice weekly acupuncture can promote healthy egg growth as ovulation is stimulated. Because this phase can vary in length, it is important to monitor and alter the acupuncture treatments as necessary.
Retrieval: Most acupuncture therapists will recommend a treatment 1 to 2 days before the eggs are retrieved. Acupuncture at this point in the cycle can help the eggs grow to full maturity to ensure that they are at the correct stage and size for retrieval.
After Retrieval: One acupuncture treatment between retrieval and embryo transfer can help relax the uterus and increase circulation to the uterine lining, as well as help relieve discomfort from cramping or other side effects of retrieval.
After Embryo Transfer: One or two acupuncture treatments immediately after the transfer of the fertilized egg, or embryo, into the uterus can improve the chances for a successful pregnancy. One treatment can be performed that same day or on the following day, with another treatment scheduled three or four days later. Weekly acupuncture throughout the first trimester can help support and promote a continued healthy pregnancy.

Coping with infertility is difficult, and IVF can put added stress on both the body and the mind. Talk to your fertility specialist and acupuncture therapist today to see if incorporating acupuncture into your IVF treatment cycle could help promote the chances that your IVF treatment will result in a successful, healthy pregnancy.