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The Ins And Outs Of Acupuncture Acupressure
By Paul
Treating Autoimmune Disease with Acupuncture
Over 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease; an autoimmune disease occurs when the body?s immune system attacks healthy tissue.
Due to the complexity of treating autoimmune disorders, integrative medicine solutions including acupuncture and Oriental medicine have received much attention as successful therapies in their treatment. Acupuncture is specifically noted for its use in pain relief, regulating the immune system, managing symptoms and improving quality of life. ]]>
Army To Include AOM for Pain Treatment
[from Acupuncture Today, July 21, 2010]
The statistics are sobering, to say the least. According to leading pain specialists in the Veterans Administration, nine in 10 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans return home with some form of pain, and 60 percent have significant pain.1 Now, a recent announcement by top Army officials may help address this situation and provide our modern military forces with ancient forms of healing to help with pain relief.
On June 25, the Army Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, announced the release of a report by the Pain Management Task Force, which has 109 recommendations for changes in the way Army personnel are treated for pain. Among those recommendations are the inclusion of complementary and alternative treatments such as acupuncture, meditation, biofeedback and yoga. ]]>
Is Cosmetic Acupuncture Effective for Aging?
A major tenet of acupuncture is that to reflect beauty on the outside, you must be healthy on the inside. Cosmetic acupuncture is a unique method of facial rejuvenation based on this philosophy. And its popularity is growing among women in America.]]>
Study: Acupuncture Improves Fertility in Men, Too
Acupuncture Today
Previous research has shown that acupuncture can improve fertility levels in women. Fewer studies on male infertility have been conducted, although evidence suggests that acupuncture can have an effect on sperm production and quality, without causing any changes in behavior or sexual desire. ]]>
Study Supports Acupuncture Effects In Pain Control
The scientific validity of traditional Chinese medicine for pain treatment of pain received a nod of support in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
Dr. Philip Lang and colleagues of the University of Munich used quantitative sensory testing to identify changes in pain sensitivity with acupuncture in 24 healthy volunteers. After applying acupuncture to the leg, the researchers found that pain thresholds increased by up to 50 percent. Effects were noted in both the treated leg and the untreated (contralateral) leg. ]]>
More than half of the population of the world will face neck pain at some time in their life. If neck pain lasts for long periods or it creates problem repeatedly, it is said to be chronic. Generally chronic neck pain is caused by abnormalities in soft tissues either because of injury or due to prolonged wear and tear. Different types of chronic neck pain are caused by different factors:
Muscle strain:
Overuse of the neck creates strain in the soft tissues. It creates acute pain in the neck and back. Poor posture and work habits sustain the pain for long periods. Repeated overuse of muscles creates pain particularly in the back side of the neck.
Cervical Foraminal Stenosis:
Pain which develops very slowly over the years and occurs after particular neck positions might be due to Cervical Foraminal Stenosis. Wear and aging of the vertebral joints in the neck or at the disc margins creates this kind of pain. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish this type of pain from muscle pain by depending on Xray and CT scans. In such cases, an injection called a medial branch block (MBB) is performed. The injection confirms that the cause of pain is facet joint.
Cervical herniated disc:
Cervical herniated disc is the main cause of neck pain radiating down the arm in some cases to the hands and fingers. Herniated disc or bone spur compresses the spinal cord to cause the pain. Symptoms of this type of pain can develop both suddenly and slowly. If the pain is not responding to conservative treatments (medication, physical therapy or manipulations), surgery may be needed.
Disk injury:
Discs control the motion of the neck. When discs are stressed beyond their limits pain is experienced which extends to the annulus (outer wall of the disc). An example of this is whiplash injury. Muscles and ligaments are inflamed or stressed by an accident. Neck pain sometimes flares or gets worse. Pain is increased by certain postures. In most cases it is healed but for some people it creates pain in normal activities. About one quarter of patients develop neck pain due to disc injury.
Using to relieve symptoms of neck pain:
Acupuncture is part of the 2500 year old science of natural healing called traditional Chinese medicine. It also includes Asian bodywork therapy as well as Chinese Herbal therapy. The practice of has turned out to be an accepted treatment for neck pain worldwide. Acupuncture needles are inserted into empirically exact points, called an point, which are located along organ meridians, to stimulate the smooth flow of Qi energy. Qi energy is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of life force or spiritual energy.
Acupuncture aims to affect the central nervous system, including the spinal cord, mid-brain and hypothalamus-pituitary intricate. Studies have also shown that promotes vasodilation and increases blood flow. Concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol and phospholipids in the blood can decrease following treatments . Acupuncture' is also reported to positively affect the immune system. It is thought that this is due to endprphins acting as mediators between the central nervous system and the immune system.
Reducing the chronic pain:
In twice blind scientific trails, was proven successful in treating chronic pain, 55% to 85% of patients reported positive benefits. This compares positively with the effectiveness of potent drugs, like morphine, which helped in 70% of cases.
Acupuncture is currently being used worldwide as part of court-ordered drug withdrawal and detoxification programs. In a remarkable study, 42% of alcoholics remained alcohol free for three months following treatment, and an additional 28% drank much less. These are extraordinary numbers when compared with any other type of drug therapy.
Acupuncture treatments resolve concern:
Although many people notice a reduction in symptoms of the neck pain following the first treatment, may take 3 to 5 sessions before results are evident. This is predominately dependent on the difficulty of the problem being addressed. Generally the greater the chronic condition, the more treatments that are necessary to elicit long term relief. For chronic conditions of neck pain there are many experts. The use of appropriate herbal formulas, changes in diet, lifestyle and exercise may be necessary to correct long standing problems of the neck pain.
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