CONDITIONS WE TREAT
Women’s Health
Here at Acupuncture and Wellness Center, P.S. we treat a number of issues relating to women’s health. It’s our goal to help you feel better, and we’ll start with a relaxed consultation, a review of your medical history, pulse diagnosis, and a discussion of our findings and recommended treatments.
Conditions we treat include, but are not limited to:
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Chronic Fatigue
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Fibromyalgia
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Infertility
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Menopause
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Menstrual Cramps, Excessive Bleeding, and Amenorrhea
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PMS
EMOTIONAL HEALTH
& DEPRESSION
RESPIRATORY &
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Chronic Fatigue
Other than back pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression are the most common complaints that we treat in our clinic.
In many cases, the fatigue is being caused by the excessive use of pharmaceuticals that the patient is taking, especially beta-blockers. With the permission and cooperation of the patient’s medical doctor, it is usually possible to reduce the number of drugs the patient is taking, especially those most responsible for the fatigue.
In the State of Washington, an East Asian Medical Practitioner is not legally permitted to prescribe or adjust a patient’s medication. What we do find is that doctors are quite amenable when it comes to adjusting prescriptions.
If the fatigue is not drug-related, then Chinese medicine is an excellent solution. Either the patient has too much toxicity in their system, or they are simply devoid of nutrients and low-level anemia is present. In either case, these problems can be improved using Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.
An analogy we often use is one of a garden hose which has no water coming out at the nozzle. Either the hose is pinched (too much toxicity), causing a reduction in water flow, or there simply is not enough water in the hose (weakness and anemia). Even though the complaint, fatigue, is the same for both problems, the methods of fixing the problems are completely different.
Fibromyalgia
Many women are suffering from this syndrome, which has no cure in Western Medicine. Clinically, we treat this problem at least five times a day with good results.
In Chinese medicine, we find two etiologies (causes) for fibromyalgia. The first is very poor blood circulation, almost always due to obesity. For every extra 10 pounds we have on our frames, the diameter of our blood vessels are cut in half (Mayo Clinic).
If the patient is overweight, then there is a systemic lack of nutrient (Ying) and oxygen (Qi) circulation to all the major muscle groups of the body and the sensory nerves which surround them. The result is constant chronic pain.
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine appear to be vasodilating the major longitudinal blood vessels of the body, thereby providing more oxygen and nutrients to the malnourished muscle groups. The result is a dramatic reduction of pain over a short period of time.
The second etiology is also malnourishment, but from a different cause. Some fibromyalgia suffers are simply anemic or borderline anemic. The anemia is a plasma anemia which Western Medicine fails to acknowledge. This type of patient is thin, frail, has dry skin, does not sleep well, is usually anxious and jumpy, and of course has a lot of pain, especially in the upper body. Chinese Herbal Medicine seeks to restore the fluid deficiency in the blood and body. The result is an improvement in the condition known as fibromyalgia.
Treating Infertility with Acupuncture
Did you know that treating infertility with Acupuncture and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) has been recorded in our ancient texts, and even on the backs of turtle shells, for thousands of years? How can this age-old medicine make such a difference? In the last five years the science behind many studies reveal that:
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Chinese medical theory states that Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, which dramatically improves a woman’s response to the hormonal therapy.
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Acupuncture has been shown to regulate hormone levels by moderating the release of beta-endorphin levels in the brain, which improves the release of gonadatrophin-releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle-stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland, and estrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary.
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Acupuncture reduces stress and a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system response.
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Acupuncture has been speculated to moderate cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin levels in the uterus,reducing uterine motility to improve implantation rates.
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s Fertility & Sterility Journal has concluded the utility of acupuncture in conjunction with assisted reproductive technology. With all this evidence in the last five years, you would think that every reproductive clinic in the world would require their patients to receive acupuncture. Thanks to the role that acupuncture and TCM has played in helping women get pregnant, and the media coverage it has received in recent years, all of that is changing.
Menopause
Menopause is the permanent end of menstruation and fertility, defined as occuring 12 months after your last menstrual period. Menopause is a natural biological process, not a medical illness. Even so, the physical and emotional symptoms of menopause can disrupt your sleep, sap your energy and — at least indirectly — trigger feelings of sadness and loss.
Chinese medicine has been treating menopause for at least 2,000 years. The patient can expect the main symptoms of night sweats and hot flashes to be gone fairly quickly. The emotional upset that can go with menopause is treated very effectively with Chinese Herbal Medicine. In short, women suffering from menopause can expect an improvement in their symptoms using TCM.
Menstrual Cramps, Excessive Bleeding, and Amenorrhea
Among the most common complaints that we treat daily are menstrual disorders. Whether the problem is no period, too much bleeding, or excessive pain and cramping during menses, these are all problems readily handled by Chinese Herbal Medicine. Pain at period time is almost always due to vessel blockage in the lower abdomen. This can be caused by vaso-spasms in the vessels of the lower abdomen, excessive cold in the lower abdomen, fibroid cysts, or a disease known as endometriosis. All of these conditions, if not too structurally severe, are usually improved through a series of Acupuncture visits and the use of Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to a wide range of physical or emotional symptoms that typically occur about 5-11 days before a woman starts her monthly menstrual cycle. The symptoms usually start when menstruation begins, or shortly thereafter. In Chinese medicine, PMS is almost always attributable to poor blood flow through the liver at the time of menses. Encouraging better circulation through the hepatic artery, which delivers 70% of the blood to the liver, can be very effective in helping with these problems. The Chinese discovered almost 2,500 years ago that emotional upset, in most cases, is a result of poor circulation through the liver. Over the centuries, the Chinese developed several methods for increasing blood flow to and through this vital organ. Once the liver is functioning properly, the emotional ups and downs are greatly reduced.
Emotional Health & Depression
Depression is one of the most common complaints we treat at the Acupuncture And Wellness Center, P.S. Chinese Pulse Diagnosis can help us to determine the etiology of the depression, and Chinese Herbal Medicine, combined with Acupuncture, offers positive results.
Conditions we treat include, but are not limited to:
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Addiction
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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
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Depression & Anxiety
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Insomnia
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Menstrual Disorders
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Postpartum Depression
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Stress & Tension
Addiction
Treating smoking, drug, or alcohol addiction using Acupuncture has been well researched in the United States. The results show that the success rate is about the same as other methods, specifically about 50%. For this reason, in our office we combine both Acupuncture and Chinese herbs, which greatly increases the success rate.
The role of Acupuncture in nicotine cessation isn’t limited to reducing cravings. Acupuncture has also been shown to promote relaxation and better sleep. Moreover, Acupuncture can be used to treat many disorders associated with smoking, such as damage to the bronchopulmonary and cardiovascular systems and the symptoms from nicotine withdrawal. In our experience, the effectiveness of Acupuncture to stop smoking varies with many factors, including the length of time the patient has been smoking, their overall health, and the frequency of treatment. In many cases, we will also use Auricular (ear) Acupuncture to help the patient retain the effects of Acupuncture between treatments.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
As of 2010, we have treated ADD in our clinic about 20 times. For those who went through the course of treatments, our success rate has been good. Success means no more drugs and a 80% reduction of symptoms.
Treating this problem in children is extremely heartwarming. We have had several parents literally crying with joy because their children are behaving normally and are no longer on medication. In Chinese Medicine, the most common causes of this disease are either weakness of the lung, adrenal gland, and thyroid combined with slight anemia; or excessive heat/inflammation in the body causing enormous agitation. In either case, Chinese Medicine works very well and quickly too, especially with children.
Depression & Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are two of the most common diseases we treat; usually seeing 20 or 30 patients a day. In Chinese Medicine there are at least 10 different causes of these conditions. First, we determine the etiology (causes) for the problem using Pulse Diagnosis. Once we are certain of the cause, the treatment follows automatically. For mild forms of depression and anxiety, our success rate is encouraging. For more severe problems such as bipolar disease or schizophrenia, Western Medicine appears to work better. To read what patients have to say, visit our Testimonials.
Insomnia
The inability to sleep properly is one of the worst maladies that a patient can suffer. Insomnia makes everything worse — pain, anxiety, digestive disorders and a host of other problems. In Western Medicine, pharmaceutical drugs are the treatment of choice. The problem with these drugs, such as zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata) or ramelteon (Rozerem), is that they can cause severe allergic reactions, facial swelling and unusual behaviors, such as driving or preparing and eating food while asleep. Side effects of prescription sleeping medications are often more pronounced in older people and may include excessive drowsiness, impaired thinking, night wandering, agitation and balance problems.
In our clinic, we treat insomnia using Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. In Chinese Medicine, insomnia is just a sign of lack of health and function. By restoring the patient to normal function the insomnia goes away. From our point of view, insomnia drugs do not restore a patient to normal function. They are largely used to subdue the symptom without any regard for the overall health of the individual.
However, in fairness, Western Medicine is expanding its horizons and is now recommending improved diet and exercise as a way of treating insomnia. We applaud this approach, since it is much healthier than loading the patient up on drugs, especially if they are seniors. In Chinese Medicine, insomnia is usually a dysfunction in the heart or liver. If blood flow to the heart is slightly diminished the patient will have a hard time falling asleep. If the liver is inflamed or sluggish the patient will wake up a number of times at night. Both of these etiologies are treated very well using Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.
To hear from patients we’ve helped, please visit our Testimonials.
Postpartum Depression
Childbirth is by far the largest strain on the human body for most women. The loss of blood and fluid at childbirth combined with sleep deprivation during the first year of the child’s life leaves most women tired, anxious and depressed. Western Medicine usually treats the problem with iron supplements if there is measurable anemia, counseling, and hormone replacement, along with anti-depressants or serotonin re-uptake drugs.
Chinese Medicine takes a different approach. One of the gifts that Chinese Medicine gave the world is the knowledge and use of what are known as tonic herbs, such as ginseng, astragalus and many more. With this class of herbs a well-trained Chinese herbalist rebuilds the vitality and strength of a woman suffering from postpartum depression. The results are usually better than the Western approach and help restore the patient to their former level of vitality, prior to becoming pregnant.
Stress & Tension
Stress and tension are very easily treated with either Acupuncture or Chinese Herbs. Even an inexperienced practitioner will be able to handle these two issues very well.
Relief from Pain
Chronic pain, whether from a pinched nerve, sciatica, arthritis or other conditions can be very frustrating for the sufferer. It is often difficult to treat nerve pain with traditional medications as nerve pain does not respond well to prescription pain relievers, including narcotics.
Conditions we treat include, but are not limited to:
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Arthritis & Joint Pain
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Back Pain
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Bursitis & Tendonitis
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Facial (Bell’s) Palsy, first 3-6 months
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Headaches & Migraine(See: “7 Ways to Stop a Headache without Drugs”)
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Hemorrhoids
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Intercostal Neuralgia
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Meniere’s Disease
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Neck Pain
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Peripheral Neuropathy
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Sciatica
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Shoulder Pain, Frozen Shoulder
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Sports Injuries, Tennis Elbow
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Stroke & Paralysis
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TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder)
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Trigeminal Neuralgia
We treat a wide range of pain-related conditions
Any time there is pain in the body, you have sensory nerves which are firing and you might or might not have a structural problem causing the sensory dysfunction. In most cases chronic pain has no structural cause. The problem with most doctors who are not well versed in the field of neurology is their immediate assumption that if you have pain, there must be a structural reason for the pain. In other words, there must be some form of structure, either bone, soft tissue, disc or some object actually pushing on the sensory nerve, causing it to continuously fire. This assumption is not true.
Actually, in most cases of chronic pain, there are no structural reasons for the pain at all. Yes, your back can look like a corkscrew, but the neural impingement that your doctor is telling you about is inferred from a radiology report. An MRI or X-ray cannot see a nerve. Consequently the medical profession is assuming, based on their idealized knowledge of anatomy, that your pain has to have a structural cause. However, in most cases the sensory nerves are swollen and firing on their own with nothing pushing on them.
In order for the brain to register pain, there has to be two types of neural signals hitting the brain at about the same time. The first signal is from the sensory nerve or nerves themselves. The second is from the proprioceptive nerves which are also firing right next to the sensory nerves. The proprioceptive nerves tell the brain where your pain is emanating from. If everything is working properly, the brain will release a torrent of what are called enkephalins. These chemicals are the body’s natural pain killers, and they plug up the pain receptor sites in the brain, all along the spine, and on the the capillary beds where you feel the pain. They stop the chronic pain and allow the body to return to normal function.
Obviously, with those patients who suffer from chronic discomfort, this mechanism is no longer working. There are many reasons the body’s natural pain-relieving mechanism is not working. However, the number one cause appears to be a chronic signal strength problem in the proprioceptive neural tissue. If the neural threshold level (signal strength) is too low, the brain will not know exactly where to release the enkaphalins and thus the pain continues. Acupuncture will raise the signal strength on the proprioceptive pathway and the result is a sudden and dramatic relief from pain. For this reason, we can treat an incredibly wide variety of pain problems (see the list above).
This technique does have its own problems when a patient’s pain is caused by a structural problem. In this case, there is actual tissue pushing directly on a sensory nerve or group of nerves. Jumping the signal strength on the proprioceptive pathway alone will not solve this type of problem. These patients usually need more invasive procedures, such as surgery.
Read how Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine have helped many of our patients on our Testimonials.
Back Pain and/or Sciatica
Back pain, whether caused by chronic sciatica, a bulging disc, or arthritis is very painful and can be disabling. A person suffering from sciatica has an inflamed sciatic nerve. This nerve starts roughly at the base of the spine, travels down the back of the leg and then stops in your foot. Sciatic pain is difficult to treat because nerve pain does not respond well to painkillers. Sciatica can cause severe, stabbing pain and can make the patient cry out when sudden movements are made.
Acupuncture works by stimulating the nervous system and allowing for the body to regain balance. There are many scientific studies on acupuncture and the results are conclusive, that acupuncture is effective in relieving certain kinds of pain.
There are also other ways to relieve back pain without medication. These include physical therapy, and a progressive exercise program that uses both stretching and balance techniques. Back pain may not be completely relieved by exercise or physical therapy alone and that is when alternative treatments become useful. Strengthening the stomach muscles through exercise is a specific way to increase back strength and improve the overall functioning of the low back.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is another difficult to treat illness because of the complexity of the shoulder joint. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint, attached together by ligaments and protected by cartilage. If there is ligament damage or the cartilage has worn down, the joint will hurt when it is used. There is no significant way to stop shoulder pain that is caused by worn cartilage without surgery. Acupuncture may help you keep pain at bay while you wait for a surgical procedure.
Arthritis
Arthritis pain can be felt anywhere in the body where there is a joint, therefore, arthritis pain can be anywhere in the body. Arthritis can be widespread or it can be concentrated in a knee, low back, or shoulder. Arthritis is a very common health ailment for the general public and with early management, arthritis pain does not have to be disabling. You can live with arthritis for a long time without pain if you make changes in your lifestyle that include alternative therapies.
Those that suffer from arthritis will likely find relief from acupuncture treatments because acupuncture treats the whole body and promotes overall wellness. Arthritis sufferers likely have arthritis in more than one place and analgesics only help for so long.
Chronic, low grade pain can lead to a decrease in activity and a lack of enjoyment in activities because the pain is just too much to deal with. People that suffer from chronic pain are more prone to depression because they are no longer able to do things that they once enjoyed. They may suffer loneliness and feel that they are suffering alone.
Respiratory & Immune System
Asthma, Bronchitis, Common Colds and Flus, Rhinitis, Pneumonia, Tonsillitis, and COPD are well treated using Chinese Medicine. Asthma or Allergic Asthma is treated at least 10 times a day successfully in our clinic. We consider a successful outcome to be an 80% reduction of symptomology.
Allergies are also treated well using Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Patients usually experience a noticeable improvement in the first two weeks. Unlike Western medications,Chinese Medicine is much more curative, actually boosting the patient’s immune strength while at the same time reducing symptoms.
COPD or Emphysema can be more challenging. In all cases, we offer a free exam at our clinic to determine whether we can help the patient or not. In some cases we feel the problem is beyond our ability to help, but in those cases we can usually recommend a care provider.
To read what our patients have to say, please visit our Testimonials.
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Gastrointestinal disorders are uncomfortable, painful, sometimes embarrassing, and can often be aided with the help of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Among the gastrointestinal disorders we treat are:
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Acid Reflux
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Colitis
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Esophageal Spasm
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
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Gastritis
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Hiccough (Hiccup)
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Hyperactivity
About Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a typical disease pattern that we treat every day. Patients come to us most often because Western Medicine is not very effective at treating IBS. Chinese Medicine seeks out what we consider to be the causes of the problem, and treats those. We do not treat the symptoms of this disease.
Typical causes of IBS as detected by Chinese Medicine are: Heat or inflammation of the large or small intestines; emotional disturbances (either depression affecting the digestive system, or liver inflammation affecting the digestive system); or simply an overall weakness in the power of the digestive system, in which case patients often complain of fatigue, and usually speak with a soft voice. Traditional Chinese Medicine has a good track record in treating all of these causes. Recovery time is usually one month of treatment for every year you have had the problem.
Cardiovascular Disorders
Among the cardiovascular disorders treated at the Acupuncture & Wellness Clinic, P.S. are:
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Anemia
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Dizziness & Vertigo
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High Blood Pressure
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Hypertension
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Irregular Heartbeat
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Low Blood Pressure
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Palpitations
The number one cause of death in the United States is cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, the gold standard for finding coronary occlusions is an angiogram, which no insurance company will cover unless the patient fails a treadmill test and/or has a pretty bad case of angina.
Because of this, many people are walking around with heart disease without realizing it. They usually have, from time to time, an uneasy feeling or sudden discomfort in the chest, which is fortunately short lived. If the patient tells their doctor, they will usually be given an EKG, which is pretty useless in spotting coronary blockages and will only tell the doctor if they have already had a heart attack or if they have some form of irregular heartbeat. At this point in time, cardiac testing is still too crude or problematic to pick up heart disease in its earliest stages.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart is the most important organ and a great deal of attention is given to its health and function. A good pulse diagnostician can often pick up coronary spasms or occlusions before they are revealed in a treadmill test. The problem with treadmill tests is that issues are usually spotted when the patient’s coronary arteries are already at least 50% blocked. The test is usually inconclusive if the patient’s coronary arteries are 30% blocked.
The patient may be told there is nothing wrong when, in fact, there is a problem. Again, an angiogram is the only sure way to know there is a problem in the early stages; but this is a somewhat risky procedure and the doctor has to have good reasons for ordering it. The only preventative procedure for mild undetected heart problems is taking an aspirin, which from a Chinese medical point of view is too simplistic.
Our approach is to widen the coronary arteries, clean them out, and increase blood flow to the heart. We do not have double blind studies to prove this is what we are doing, but we do have scores of anecdotal evidence to suggest that is exactly what we did. In two cases of proven coronary blockages, patients undergoing treatment in this clinic actually had their stint surgeries canceled on the operating table when it was discovered that their 80% blockage in both coronary arteries was now a 30% blockage. This result was achieved in only 6 and 8 weeks of treatment respectively.
Dermatological Disorders
Among the dermatological disorders treated at the Acupuncture & Wellness Clinic, P.S. are:
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Acne
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Allergic Reactions
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Dermatitis
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Dry Skin
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Eczema
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Itching
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Psoriasis
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Rashes
It is common knowledge that skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, and vitilego are not treated well with Western Medicine. Hives and Uticaria are treated well with drugs, but only symptomatically. In Western Medicine, the true cause of such disorders remains somewhat murky. Consequently, treatments are usually in the form of topical medicine, which is not adequate to remove the cause of the problem. There are pharmaceutically drugs which treat these diseases systemically, but there are many unwanted side effects, making treatment more difficult.
Skin diseases or dermatological disorders are also difficult to treat with Traditional Chinese Medicine, but with one big difference. In TCM we have clear causes or etiologies for such diseases, and the treatment for them goes far beyond superficial topical ones. In treating psoriasis and eczema in our clinic, we expect a 40% improvement fairly quickly, with improvement beyond that level over time. There are no side effects of treatment and the patient will feel an overall improvement in health and vitality. Treatment consists of both Acupuncture and custom Chinese Herbal formulas.
Skin diseases that respond well to Chinese Herbal Medicine are categorized as follows:
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Skin diseases with a fixed pain, i.e. herpes zoster, painful erythemas, etc.
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Skin diseases characterized by a rough, dry skin such as sclerotic skin lesions, psoriasis, chronic eczema, lichen planus, etc.
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Skin diseases due to vascular changes such as scleroderma, generalized lupus erythematosus, dermatitis, polymyalgia rheumatica, rheumatic fever, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Other Conditions We Treat
Cancer:
There is no evidence in the United States or in China that Chinese Medicine can remove cancer from the body. What we can do is help strengthen the immune system while a patient is undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. Western Medicine is capable of killing cancer, but unfortunately these caustic approaches also harm the body’s immune system; and because the immune system is weakened, the cancer may return. Chinese Medicine has proven itself to be effective in strengthening the body’s immune system and restoring vitality to the patient, even those who are currently undergoing Western medical treatment for cancer, or for those who have finished chemotherapy and radiation.
Hepatitis:
Over the years we have treated quite a few cases of chronic hepatitis or Hepatitis C. The results have been very encouraging. In the cases we have treated there has been a statistically significant improvement in liver function as measured by Western medical tests. For this reason, there are medical doctors in Washington state and throughout the country who refer patients to Traditional Chinese Medicine clinics for the treatment of liver diseases.
Urinary Incontinence:
Clinically we see two types of urinary incontinence. One type involves a low-level bladder irritation or infection. This type responds well to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The other type comes under the category of a “Deficiency” in Chinese Medicine, and unfortunately does not respond well. This type of incontinence is often found in the elderly, and we have had difficulty treating it with any success.
Questions? Please phone us at (360) 394-4357 or email info@acupuncturewellness.net.