Tag Archives: alternative medicine

Acupuncture | Q&A

So integrative medicine means taking a team approach to healthcare, and that can be by bringing modalities that are different from what is typically a Western biomedical treatment. And that could be something like using massage or using meditation or using acupuncture in conjunction with those traditional therapies. To give the patient a more optimal outcome, a more positive experience, and that the entire team of providers is communicating and making sure that the treatment plan is communicated to the patient. And that everyone’s on the same page the whole time.

akupunkturbehandling

From a modern biological perspective, acupuncture is stimulating the body to balance itself. And it does that through complex neurochemical pathways that affect the immune system, the nervous system, and the inflammatory process. Now from the traditional Eastern perspective, the theory explains that our bodies are a microcosm of the natural world and that there is energy at play that animates us, that makes us alive.

And each of our organs contains a type of energy that’s call, Chi. And that Chi that energy travels through the body through pathways and we call those pathways meridians. And along those pathways, there are points where that energy is said to collect, and each of those points has very specific functions. And it’s by stimulating those very precise, very specific points that we’re able to affect certain changes in the body depending on what we’re treating. No, acupuncture is a very relaxing treatment, feels very good. The placement of the needles stimulates your body’s abiiity to relieve pain and releasing endorphins. A lot of patients fall asleep and leave an acupuncture treatment feeling very good. So acupuncture can treat a wide range of conditions, just about anything that might affect a patient’s quality of life in the long term.

Here in the gastroenterology department, I see patients with things like Crohn’s disease, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, sometimes gastroparesis. But acupuncture actually can treat a much broader range of things. And I do see all kinds of different conditions here in my practice. And that could be anything from joint pain, orthopedic sports injuries, a lot of women’s health issues, menopause, infertility, PMS, anything that causes pain. Things that are aggravated by stress, things that are mediated by an inflammatory process. Acupuncture is very, very effective for. The number of treatments that a patient might require for any given condition is going to vary widely from case to case, just like it does in any medical modality. It’s important to speak with a licensed acupuncturist who can give you more targeted information depending on what it is that you’re looking for.

How severe a condition is, how long it’s been a problem, the overall more global health of the patient are all things that are taken into consideration. But usually acupuncture is performed in a series of treatments, kind of like a course of antibiotics, you could think of it that way, and the effect is cumulative.

As found on Youtube

We Ordered Acupuncture Online

Today I’ll be trying an acupressure mat from Amazon. – My upper back is real fucked up.

I look at multiple different screens, and I do get a lot of neck pain. – I have something called degenerative disk disease which sounds like way more serious than it is. – I’ve had chronic back pain for the last four years. I do suffer from moderate scoliosis which I’ve had for about 18 years. – I go to Chinatown, and I have them like really just get into it. – I’ve been in lots of different physical therapy. I’ve tried prescription pain medication. – I’d say I’m at like a six out of ten. – I’ve only been at work for two hours, and my pain level is already a seven, so I’m hoping that this works. – I’m like so open to trying things to relieve my back pain. – The fact that it’s from Amazon is fine with me because I love Amazon.

Akupunktur

I trust it. I think. – I mean I’m putting my hand on here, and it’s already stinging. – Should I take my shirt off or… – I imagine the end is where I put my head and then I just kind of lay down. – I want maximum effectiveness from this high-quality Amazon technology. (light music) What’s it like? Oooooh. – Oh! – It just feels prickly. – Like a massage, like a bunch of fingers all together going all in my back. – It kind of feels like lying on a Brillo pad. – It feels good on my back. It does not feel good on the head. – Like the best head scratch, I’ve ever had. – It’s like getting all up in the cranial areas. Now I’m feeling kind of relaxed. – I’m curious to know what this would be like with no shirt on ‘cuz I’d imagine it hurts a little bit.

– Right. – It seems like there’s a lot of little things on my head. It’s like little ants crawling. – Ow. – Oh, my God. I don’t think I could ever sleep on this. – I don’t know why I started doing this. – This thing here I think is doing well especially if you just move around a little bit. – Ow. – It’s hurting my ear. – I do like a little dancing. – I prefer laying down not on this. – I’ve spent like thousands of dollars on pain relief so for me 40 bucks are like yup, I’ll try it.

– I hope I feel better when I stand up. – Oh. – Oh, owww. Are there marks on my back? – I think it was relaxing, but you all seem concerned now. – I feel like I just took a nap. – I don’t feel that different. – You know, a little more relaxed, a little more limber. – It feels like when you sit like on a lounge chair with no beach towel on it, and you know that you have like lines in your back. I have that but like times a thousand ‘cuz it’s a lot of little holes. – I don’t feel as much neck pain. My mobility is improved. – I probably won’t try this again just because for me and my specific back condition I don’t think it will be helpful. I think other means will be more effective. – I think I’d purchase it. $40 seems like not that much to pay if you consider having to go and pay for a massage or pay for an acupuncturist. – I would spend my money on naked yoga or like burritos ‘cuz those are relaxing as well.

I might still be trying to steal the mat afterward. – The day after I used the mat I woke up feeling no pain at all. I don’t know if it was just a coincidence or not, but I might change my mind about this mat. (light music) ♫ We’re here to play our part.

As found on Youtube