What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture itself is a very old form of what may be termed ‘physical’ medicine. It is a hands-on approach of interacting and providing input to the body through the stimulation of specific, anatomical areas called acupuncture points. These acupuncture points have multiple ‘functional’ effects within the human body – simply put, they tell the body to do something e.g. relieve the inflammation causing the pain, lower the blood pressure, increase digestive movement, etc. The use of specially designed filiform (hair-thin, flexible, solid, sterile stainless steel) needles is the safest and most common method of achieving this goal. A very gentle technique of needle insertion is adjusted to accommodate the comfort of the patient. We do want you to feel something! Even so, the treatment itself often has a very sedating and relaxing effect as you rest quietly for 30 minutes or so.
How old is acupuncture?
The first formal record of acupuncture was compiled in China between 300 B.C. and 100 B.C., but that compilation is so extensive and complete it’s obvious that acupuncture had been practiced long before that time. Based on recent archaeological discoveries, scholars now believe acupuncture in a rudimentary form may date back 5,000, or even 7,000 years. It’s probably safe to say that acupuncture has been a healing method to some degree for at least that long.
What are the main objectives of acupuncture treatment?
There are three main objectives:
- Relieve pain and other symptoms.
- Strengthen the immune system.
- Balance, harmonize and integrate the functions of the internal organs with each other, making for a unified, healthy person.
What conditions are treatable by acupuncture?
While acupuncture is best known for its ability to treat pain, in the hands of a highly trained acupuncturist, it has much broader applications. Because acupuncture helps the body to more effectively heal itself, it can also be effective for a very wide range of medical problems. The human body constantly struggles to maintain balance (homeostasis) and instantly reacts to any disruption of its delicate balancing act. However, for a variety of reasons, sometimes the body is unable to restore balance and pain and/or illness is the result. Acupuncture helps the body to better focus its healing efforts and gain control over the problem. This is why acupuncture can help so many disorders from internal problems such as hormone imbalances or disorders of the organs or glands, to such varied problems as anxiety disorders, chronic fatigue, weak immune systems, infections, and even neurological problems.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has determined that “there is sufficient evidence of acupuncture’s value to expand its use into conventional medicine.” Many of its mechanisms of action are well-known and proven. Acupuncture can be effective as a single treatment method, can be combined with other therapies, or can be used as a support or adjunct therapy to other medical/surgical interventions. The World Health Organization recognizes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a wide range of medical problems including:
- Digestive disorders: gastritis, hyperacidity, spastic colon, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, nausea, vomiting, cholelithiasis.
- Respiratory disorders: sinusitis, sore throat, bronchitis, asthma, recurrent chest infections, allergies, common cold.
- Neurological and muscular disorders: headaches, migraines, facial tics, bell’s palsy, acute and chronic pain, tennis elbow, sciatica, low back pain, and osteoarthritis.
- Urinary, menstrual, and reproductive problems: painful urination, male sterility, infertility, painful menstruation, endometriosis, PMS, and menopause.
- Acupuncture is particularly useful in resolving problems related to tension, stress, and emotional problems.
*** And, many others. Please do not hesitate to call if you need to inquire about a specific condition that is not listed here. This is just a general listing. We will be happy to answer any questions that you might have.
Can acupuncture help relieve pain?
Chronic pain, more than any other complaint, brings people to acupuncture. Patient complaints may include pain anywhere in the body as well as headache, pain in the back, neck, arm, shoulder, leg… all persistent reminders that something is wrong. Many people suffering with chronic pain have been taking pain medications – sometimes for years – but have never gained permanent relief. Also most health care professionals agree that pain medications, even when they relieve pain, seldom address the underlying cause. Much of acupuncture’s reputation, however, stands on its potency for relieving pain while addressing the underlying cause.
Can acupuncture help that "stressed out" feeling?
Most people already know that the demands of modern life leave many people feeling stressed-out and anxious because, it seems, there is always more and more to do and less and less time to do it. But there’s often far more to daily stress than just negative feelings. Acupuncturists see that such ‘pressure cooker’ living contributes to a host of chronic illnesses and conditions. Here’s why: Too much stress tends to disrupt the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and the homeostatic balance in the body which can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, depression, IBS, infertility and many other stress-related conditions. For this reason, acupuncturists sometimes recommend periodic acupuncture care which often helps replace feelings of stress with a sense of well-being, something everyone desires.
What about acupuncture for older adults?
More and more older adults depend on acupuncture for much of their health care. Some seek an alternative method for chronic conditions, while others have already “tried everything else” for their problems. Also, some people have residual problems from a long-forgotten accident or other trauma which stayed quiet for years, only to flare up unexpectedly in the form of pain, soreness, and reduced mobility. When that happens some older people tend to give up, saying, “I’m getting old and I’ll just have to learn to live with this.” But sometimes it’s too early for that response. In many cases, it’s not too late for acupuncture to help. Countless patients have discovered that acupuncture care often helps keep them feeling younger longer and still enjoying life.
What are needle treatments like? Are they comfortable?
Patients who have received vaccinations, blood draws or other medical injections from a hypodermic needle are sometimes fearful that acupuncture treatments will be as painful. But, this is not the case. Medical hypodermic needles are stiff, hollow, and have a cutting edge designed to tear the flesh which often results in an uncomfortable, if not painful, procedure.
Typical acupuncture needles are flexible, thin (no bigger around than a human hair or piece of thread), and are designed to produce little or no trauma to the skin and muscle tissues. Gently inserted into an acupuncture point, the slender needle produces minimal sensation. You might experience a heavy or distending sensation, and, sometimes a slight tingling or traveling sensation. This means that the point is being activated and is considered a normal response. Most sensations will subside quickly, and you may even forget that the needles are there. The treatment is adjusted to accommodate your comfort level. We do want you to feel something during this process!
Is acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is very safe when applied by a qualified practitioner. Acupuncture needles are pre-sterilized, individually packaged, and disposable. Every practitioner gets extensive training in human anatomy both to correctly locate acupuncture points as well as to avoid accidentally inserting a needle into a place that could cause any type of damage.
The World Health Organization (WHO) comments that unlike many drugs, acupuncture is non-toxic and adverse reactions or side effects are minimal. For instance, acupuncture and morphine have similar rates of effectiveness when used for chronic pain, but with acupuncture, unlike morphine, a patient does not have the negative side effect of dependency. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that relatively few complications have been reported, considering the millions of people treated with it every year.
Who practices acupuncture in the State of Ohio?
Ohio legislators and lobbyists have created this confusing environment for patients by simultaneously allowing 4 different health professionals to practice ‘Acupuncture’ within their scopes of practice. Yet, only Licensed Acupuncturists, L.Ac.s, are trained exclusively in any and all methods of Acupuncture and Chinese or East Asian Medicine. This is important because medical treatments of any kind tend to work best when applied within the context of the basic theory and foundations of the system. You don’t really want to have a part-time or just-doing-it-for-fun or to-make-a-little-extra-money practitioner placing acupuncture needles in you according to the way their discipline views it. Our advice to you would be to seek someone who lives and breathes acupuncture, who is passionate about it, and who practices it exclusively as their profession.
Acupuncture Training:
Acupuncturists: Over 2,000 hours or 3 years of post-graduate study in acupuncture specific education, training, and clinical rotations. Successful completion of NCCAOM national board examinations.
Other professions: 0 – 300 hours of training in medical / chiropractic acupuncture / ‘dry needling’ which may or may not include clinical training and supervision on actual patients
Why does everyone want to practice Acupuncture?
- Because it’s really cool and fun to do.
- Safe, effective, and has other positive health benefits.
- Treats not only pain, but the person as well.
- All of the above, none of the below.
- I can bill insurance and make a lot of money. (If that’s your reason for doing it, please stop.)
How long do treatments take?
Depending on your condition and the treatment plan, needles are usually left in place an average of 30-45 minutes. During this time, you will be resting comfortably. An acupuncture treatment often goes something like this: gentle insertion of needles, you will usually start to feel quite relaxed and sometimes may even fall asleep briefly during the treatment, and, after about 30 minutes, you will start to feel more awake, alert, and even energized – this is an indication that the treatment has done what it is supposed to do. When needles are removed, you will leave the center feeling refreshed and renewed, and you will continue your day.
How many treatments? And how often?
Acupuncture is a therapy: receive a treatment, let the body respond to it, repeat the treatment. Pain and some other symptoms may respond immediately to a treatment, but this does not mean that the problem is completed resolved. Slow and steady wins the race. It takes time for healing to occur, for inflammation to subside, for muscles and tissues to unwind, for hormone levels to return to a balanced state, for digestion to improve, for the nervous system to be regulated. So, we are looking to build up a cumulative and sustained effect in your body from a series of acupuncture treatments. There are no quick fixes or easy cures in medicine. Think about it: you are usually required to take a prescription drug every day in order for it to continue working – this is not a cure, it is a method of managing a chronic problem. Acupuncture is also a method of managing a chronic problem, albeit a much more natural one, and one that resonates with many people because of the many benefits that they receive from it. Plan on treating more frequently at the beginning of your treatment and then less frequently as your symptoms improve. We will give you a recommendation of how often you will need to treat in order to receive the maximum benefit from your acupuncture treatments.
What to Expect After Treatment:
Initial effects of an acupuncture treatment may be noticed immediately and for up to 24-48 hours afterwards. For this reason, we would like you to pay attention to your pain or other symptoms for 1-2 days after each treatment as well as the time in between treatments. For example, does the pain or other symptom improve after treatment and then slowly return, or does it stay away for a whole week and not return to its original intensity level? And, because acupuncture has several different mechanisms of action in the body, we also want you to pay attention to how you are feeling in general. There are many beneficial side effects to receiving acupuncture treatment.
Is acupuncture covered by my insurance?
We do not bill insurance directly. Therefore, we are considered an out-of-network provider. But yes, if you have insurance that covers acupuncture, you can request a billing statement from us to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Or, you may use a flexible spending or healthcare savings account to pay for your acupuncture treatments. In either case, full payment is due at the time of service.
Videos
Why Acupuncture Works
Home Moxibustion
How does acupuncture work?
Patient Help Sheets – Acupressure Points
Home Moxibustion Therapy Instructions
Release Pain
Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of Headaches/Migraines, Chronic Pain, Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.
Acupuncture is probably most well-known for its ability to treat pain and the many types of pain-related disorders that plague us as humans. Pain signals one of two things: 1) there has been some type of trauma or damage to the structural tissues of the body or 2) there is an internal problem affecting one of our body systems that needs to be addressed. Pain instructs us to take some type of action. Fortunately, many of our pains, physical injuries, accidents, and pain related to illnesses are short lived, temporary and resolve themselves. But, other times, some type of therapy or intervention is required to treat the damage or the problem in order to make it go away. Acupuncture is a therapy that most likely developed out of this aspect of the human condition that requires us to experience pain or suffering at some point in our lives. Pain is a very personal and unique experience for each of us; it is something that we all understand on some level. While we can empathize with another person’s pain and try to objectify it on a scale of how severe it is, it is still very different in how it presents itself and how it affects us as individuals.
Acupuncture looks at pain in the context of the body as a whole, complete, and functioning unit. So, while there are many Western Medicine theories, studies, and research findings about how Acupuncture Treats Pain, these commonly overlook the underlying mechanism by which this is accomplished. The discussion of how acupuncture treats pain is completely intertwined with the topic of How Acupuncture Works in the body at all. For now, let it suffice to say that acupuncture acts as a ‘counter-irritant’ to the body.
WHO & NIH List of Pain related conditions that may be effectively treated by Acupuncture
The use of acupuncture has been shown to effectively treat many types of pain-related conditions. In 2003 the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of (NIH) released a report called “Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials.”
Below you will see a list of the conditions mentioned in that report:
-
- Headache / Migraine
- Neck / Facial / Dental / TMJ pain
- Periarthritis of the shoulder / ‘Frozen’ shoulder / ‘Tennis’ elbow / Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Intercostal neuralgia / Peripheral neuropathies / Shingles pain
- Low-back pain / Sciatica / Knee pain
- Muscle pain, swelling, stiffness and weakness
- Arthritis / Osteoarthritis /Rheumatoid arthritis / Fibromyalgia
- Work and Sports related injuries / Sprains / Strains/ Tendonitis
- Post-operative pain
Can Acupuncture Help Get You Pregnant?
Enhance Fertility with Acupuncture
Acupuncture regulates hormone levels and alleviates stress creating an internal environment that supports pregnancy. Increase success rates of IFV/IUI, Relieve PMS/Menopause symptoms.
Acupuncture can be an effective therapy for improving fertility, balancing hormone levels, and regulating many symptoms related to your menstrual cycle or even menopause syndrome. Whether you are planning to use high tech fertility treatments, take a natural approach, or combine the best of both systems, acupuncture can increase your chances of achieving a pregnancy and delivering a healthy baby.
Why Acupuncture Works for Fertility:
- Promotes blood flow to the uterus and ovaries
- Improves egg quantity and quality
- Reduces uterine contractions after IVF assisted implantation
- Reduces miscarriages and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)
- Helps normalize reproductive hormones
- Assists in thickening the uterine lining
- Creates calmness – a more “grounded” feeling
- Treats PMS, endometriosis, anovulation
- Regulates menstrual cycles
- Male Factor: Improves sperm count, motility and morphology
- Relaxes the patient & reduces stress, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue
- Improves and supports your immune system
- Reduces side effects of medications & IVF drugs
- Treatments given throughout pregnancy
IVF/IUI/ART and Acupuncture
Research on the impact of Acupuncture combined with IFV/IUI/other ART interventions has shown:
- 26% increase in the rate of clinical pregnancies
- 6% fewer ectopic pregnancies
- 10% fewer multiple births
The treatment protocol for IVF/IUI patients includes a series of treatments: 10 treatments twice a week for 5 weeks before egg retrieval/insemination, 1 treatment 12-24 hours before transfer, followed by weekly treatments through the 1st trimester. This protocol is based on two major studies done which demonstrated increased pregnancy rates combining acupuncture with IVF/IUI/ART.
*** [Urban Acupuncture Center is able to offer 7 days/week availability for transfer treatments in most cases.]
Combining acupuncture with your IVF/IUI care program, you should expect:
- Improved Pregnancy Rates
- Reduced rates of miscarriage, multiple births, and ectopic pregnancies
- More Take Home Babies!
Fertility and Acupuncture
How Acupuncture Can Assist with Fertility
Our goal is to allow patients to conceive naturally. By strengthening the patient’s health, it allows the inborn ability of conception to take place. A healthy, more balanced body will conceive more easily. Many women feel a sense that their “biological clock” is running out; it stands to reason that pregnancy is more likely to occur in a “healthy” 40-year-old versus an “unhealthy” 40-year-old.
It will take more than three months to improve the quality of oocytes (immature egg cells that develop into follicles). Acupuncture therapy can improve both ovarian and follicular function. Additionally, acupuncture can increase blood flow to the endometrium, helping to facilitate a thick, rich lining.
This doesn’t mean lost time; it means giving your body a head start. If you do not conceive naturally and decide to use ART, IVF or IUI, you can rest assured that the time spent on improving your health will give you the best possible outcome.
Should I wait to try Acupuncture before using high tech fertility treatments?
Every woman has the inborn ability to conceive naturally. Acupuncture improves your overall health and will bring the body back to “health” balancing all organs and systems involved in reproduction. By allowing this inborn ability to return to its natural state we can restore the body to enable it to carry out what it is naturally prepared to do, and that is to procreate. Its goal is aimed at creating a healthy person. Conception and pregnancy are then just a natural event, the way it should be.
Most patients are aware of their ‘Windows of Opportunity’ or hear the term “Biological Clock” and often believe they are running out of time. In reality, a successful conception and pregnancy relate to the patient’s health more than to the patient’s age. A 40-year-old patient, whose health is restored (including general as well as reproductive health), stands a better chance of conceiving and maintaining pregnancy than a 30-year-old patient who is in poor health.
When a couple doesn’t conceive on their own (or with the help of IVF), it is time to try something new. Although we cannot guarantee that patients leaving our clinic will conceive, they will be in much better health than before they started acupuncture. If more aggressive methods are needed like IVF, IUI’s, we can support you through these treatments as well. One thing to remember is that you are going into the next step a whole lot Healthier after having preconception care.
What can you do to help yourself?
by Randine Lewis
First, the more you can eliminate nicotine, caffeine, drugs and alcohol, the higher your chances for success. Take natural, high potency multivitamins with iron, folic acid, and B vitamins. Eat only hormone free meat and dairy products as the typical American diet is loaded with harmful, synthetic estrogens. Eat soy products and supplements containing natural phytoestrogens.
Exercise moderately and employ deep breathing techniques. Become actively aware of your fertility signs. Don’t believe that the only way to achieve pregnancy is by taking fertility drugs or medically assisted conception. Some cases do require the use of these methods but with or without them, acupuncture can help support your body’s normal function.
We will help you balance the disharmonies which have been preventing conception.
It is very common for couples today to feel like “it is getting too late”. While it’s true that the average couple waits until later in life to conceive, Acupuncture may help “turn back the reproductive clock.” Please be patient with yourself. It takes at least three cycles to normalize a woman’s cycle; longer if she has taken fertility drugs, has a history of sexually transmitted disease, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or polycystic ovaries. Likewise, it takes 70 days to generate new sperm in a man. If he has a history of drug and alcohol abuse or urological complications, it may take longer to regenerate his reproductive capacity.
You are not alone. Approximately one in six to ten couples experience problems with fertility. Innumerable women grieve the loss of a potential child once a month, and lose a little more hope with each period. We believe that we can give you reason for optimism. Acupuncture therapy is gentle, yet effective. Many women do not need fertility drugs and medically assisted reproductive techniques, yet they go through months of physical and emotional agony, not to mention the financial burden. Acupuncture is safe, natural, cost effective, and has no side effects. In fact, Acupuncture can only make you stronger, while helping create a healthier environment for a harmonious pregnancy. (It will also increase the likelihood of conception if you do opt for the fertility drugs or medically assisted fertilization techniques.
Improve Digestion with Acupuncture Treatments
Digestive health is the core of both overall health and your immune system function. IBS, GI disorders, Indigestion, Heartburn, Gastritis.
Why is Digestion so Important?
Digestion seems like such a simple process in the body. It both is, and it isn’t. Medicine used to think that it was simply a matter of breaking down food to be utilized as the source of nutrition and energy in the body – yes. But many recent research studies are illuminating the fact that it goes far beyond that. Digestive health is the root of your overall health and wellness – past, present and future all included here. What happens to your gut as a child is instrumental in the state of your health as an adult. The functioning of your immune system is intimately tied to the functioning of your digestive system; one is the reflection of the other and vice-versa. Current estimates are that 70-80% of one’s immune function resides in one’s digestive activity. By observing the unprecedented rise in autoimmune disorders, allergy and food intolerances, and chronic, degenerative diseases in our society, it becomes clear what the implications are to one’s health. There is an epidemic of digestive illness in our country, one that is directly related to the foods we eat and the way we live.
It follows that improving one’s diet and nutrition will improve your digestive health as well as your immune health. Again, in this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, this can be made to be either very simple or very complicated. Changing the way that we eat and think about food is a learning process that takes time and effort. Yet, a lifestyle change is much preferred to a diet that might not be sustainable or nourishing for your long-term health. I myself prefer simple and easy to complicated and difficult especially when it comes to change. And, author Michael Pollan, has the most basic answer to what people should be eating: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” The simplicity of his answer is almost laughable because it is so obvious, but it is true nonetheless. You eat food ultimately to nourish all of your cells. If you make poor food choices or if your body cannot digest, absorb, and utilize the food due to poor digestive function, you will eventually develop signs, symptoms, and finally a diagnosable illness.
There’s a Little Brain in My Gut?
Why, yes there is; don’t you hear it talking to you? There is a lump in my throat. You make me sick to my stomach. I have butterflies (in my stomach). You nauseate me. These sayings all indicate that there is a well-understood relationship between emotions, such as anger and fear, and unpleasant gut sensations and feelings. Furthermore, the saying, I have a gut feeling about this, implies an understanding of an inner intelligence that is based upon prior experiences. Most people know intuitively that there is a Mind/Brain-Gut Connection. And, multiple scientific studies show that most people experience unpleasant gut symptoms associated with stressors/triggers.
There are two “brains” in your body. One brain is within your skull and is part of the central nervous system, or CNS. But you probably never realized that you have a second brain in the lining of your digestive system called the enteric nervous system, or ENS. Dr. Jack Wood, a physiologist at The Ohio State University and a pioneer in gut research, calls the ENS “the little-brain-in-the-gut”. The CNS and the ENS closely resemble one another, because they develop from the same embryonic tissue. Later, they take different developmental paths, but they continue to have similar nerve tissue and neurochemical communication receptor sites. Many of the neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin) in the CNS are also found in the ENS. What might surprise you, though, is that your gut manufactures significantly more neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, than does the brain. In fact, 80-90% of the serotonin in your body is made in the gut. This is fascinating and clearly demonstrates how even mood disorders and behaviors have a direct link to your gut health.
The big brain in your head and the little-brain-in-your-gut mutually influence one another. Gut sensations originating from the nerves in the wall of the gut travel up the spinal cord and finally reach the brain. Transmission is bi-directional; it is a two-way street. The gut affects the brain, and the brain affects the gut. Interestingly, if the vagus nerve, which connects the brain and the digestive system is cut, the digestive system continues to function fine on its own, an indication of how crucial it is to the rest of our body. There is often an interaction between emotions, the brain, and the bowels, and this means treating the entire problem, not just the gut. And, this is where Acupuncture treatment comes into play.