ACUPUNCTURE
The intent of acupuncture therapy is to promote health and alleviate pain and suffering. The method by which this is accomplished, though it may seem strange and mysterious to many, has been time tested over thousands of years and continues to be validated today. The perspective from which an acupuncturist views health and sickness hinges on concepts of “vital energy,” “energetic balance” and “energetic imbalance.” Just as the Western medical doctor monitors the blood flowing through blood vessels and the messages traveling via the nervous system, the acupuncturist assesses the flow and distribution of this “vital energy” within its pathways, known as meridians and channels. The acupuncturist is able to influence health and sickness by stimulating certain areas along these meridians. Traditionally these areas, or “acupoints”, were stimulated by fine, slender needles. Today, many additional forms of stimulation are incorporated, including herbs, electricity, magnets and lasers. Still, the aim remains the same – adjust the “vital energy” so the proper amount reaches the proper place at the proper time. This helps your body heal itself.
Acupuncture can be used to address the following concerns:
- All chronic pain
- Headaches
- Side effects of chemotherapy and radiation
- Arthritis
- Phantom pain syndrome
- Induction of labor
- Tinnitus
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Neurogenic pain
- Addictions – smoking, drugs, food
- Depression and anxiety
- Infertility and IVF
- Sciatica
- Tendonitis
- Shingles
- Frozen Shoulder
- Trigger points and musculoskeletal pain
TYPES OF ACUPUNCTURE THERAPIES
According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, illness is caused when qi does not flow properly throughout the body. Acupuncturists determine whether qi is weak, stagnant or otherwise out of balance, which indicates the points to be stimulated. Electroacupuncture is considered to be especially useful for conditions in which there is an accumulation of qi, such as in chronic pain syndromes, or in cases where the qi is difficult to stimulate.
In the United States, electroacupuncture has been studied as a treatment for a variety of conditions. It has been effectively used as a form of anesthesia; a pain reliever for muscle spasms; and a treatment for neurological disorders. Other studies have examined the role of electroacupuncture in treating skin conditions such as acne, renal colic, and acute nausea caused by cancer medications. There is also some evidence that electrical stimulation of acupuncture points activates the endorphin system, which could lower blood pressure and reduce heart disease.
Biologically, the laser bio-stimulation will increase the cell production in connective, tendonous, and cartilaginous tissue, resulting in increased collagen production. Research demonstrates that the laser affects the mitochondria, thereby enhancing the production and synthesis of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), and optimizes oxygenation and phagocytes. The healing process increases the tensile strength of healed tissue; reduces swelling; increases blood flow; increases lymphatic activity; reduces inflammation; increases cellular metabolism; and speeds the repair process.
Laser Acupuncture treatment is non-destructive, safe and painless, and the results are accumulative. The more you use it, the more effective the results. The results can include: Growth factor response within cells and tissues; pain relief as a result of increased endorphin and serotonin release; increased lymphatic activity and strengthening of the immune system response; stimulation of acupuncture points; increased collagen and ATP production and increased circulation.
Scalp Acupuncture is remarkable for its fast effects. Many patients notice an improvement after the first treatment. These positive responses usually continue for 3 to 4 days. To obtain the best results, it is often necessary to repeat the treatment.
Auricular Therapy is widely used for many conditions, including addiction treatment, mood disorders, obesity, pain, and other conditions. This medical system emphasizes a holistic approach to medicine, an approach that treats the whole person. The acupuncture points found on the ear help to regulate the body’s internal organs, structures, and functions. Auricular therapy also stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s own feel-good chemicals.
Ear acupuncture is generally incorporated into a regular acupuncture treatment. In addition to using acupuncture points on the rest of the body, your acupuncturist may select a few ear acupuncture points that will be helpful for your particular condition.
There are three types of trigger points:
- Active – An active trigger point is one that is painful, even when the patient is at rest.
- Latent –A latent trigger point often does not hurt until the point is touched. Latent trigger points often refer pain to other areas of the body.
- Satellite – Trigger points can create pain in multiple locations. A latent trigger point might refer pain to another area of the body, causing an active trigger point to develop there. The active trigger point, in turn, can then refer pain to a third area, which becomes known as a satellite trigger point.
In contrast to Acupuncture, which treats a broad range of pain and other conditions, trigger point therapy is used only to treat pain originating from the muscles and bands of tissues surrounding and separating the muscles, called myofascial.
GuaSha treatments are not painful. As the body is scraped, it pushes a build-up of fluid ahead of the area, and after it passes, it leaves an indention or vacuum behind, which draws toxic fluid out to the surface of the skin from deep within the tissue. The toxic fluid (Sha) floods to the surface and can be seen in small red, deep purple or green pools of blood. The skin is also often hot on the area where the toxic heat is extracted. Red spots are an indication that toxins are being released. Where the area is deep purple, the blood is old and extremely stagnant. A dark green discoloration is a sign that stagnant blood and toxic Qi are being released from the system.
Patients who suffer from chronic pain, excess systemic toxicity, poor circulation, lymphatic congestion, inflammation, fatigue, infections, or physical or emotional stress, will greatly benefit from GuaSha treatment.
GuaSha creates suction on the skin that pulls stagnant intercellular fluid to the surface, removing toxic debris, and replacing it with fresh oxygenated, nutrient rich fluid, which in turn accelerates regeneration and revitalization. This method promotes a healthy Qi, the constant and vigorous movement of energy, or life force, that keeps us healthy and alive.
The traditional Chinese Medicine theory behind the function of TDP lamps is based on the radiant electromagnetic frequencies that the healthy human body produces. The function of the TDP lamp is to reproduce this radiant effect in a dramatically more powerful manner. Using a mineral and curing plate as the main components of the lamp, the energy produced by the lamp is absorbed by the body. Key minerals that are essential to health are contained in the mineral plate, and when heated, the plate emits electromagnetic waves that allow for maximum absorption by the human body. Since the human body relies on vitamins and minerals to repair itself, the absorption of these minerals by the body helps to promote circulation, improve metabolism, and strengthen the immune system.
How does laser light heal? Low level lasers supply energy to the body in the form of non-thermal photons of light. When low level laser light waves penetrate deeply into the skin, they optimize the immune response in our blood. This has both anti-inflammatory and immunostimulate effects and has positive effects throughout the whole body, supplying vital oxygen and energy to every cell.
What are the effect of LLLT?
- Biostimulation/tissue regeneration
- Anti-inflammatory
- Analgesic
LLLT increases metabolism at the cellular level, causing accelerated ATP production; protein synthesis and DNA and RNA formation. At the tissue level, circulation increases during and after the administration of LLLT; new blood and lymphatic vessels are formed; and collagen synthesis is enhanced.
The bi
ochemical model attributes pain relief to a host of factors, including elevated endorphins and acetylcholine; nerve blockade; decreased synthesis of bradykinin; decreased release of histamine; and increased microcirculation to correct ischemia and acidosis.
Are there risks associated with LLLT? There is no destruction of tissue and relatively little risk associated with low power lasers. The following safety measures should be followed:
Do not stare into the beam or shine it into an eye Do not knowingly shine the laser beam over a cancerous tumor Do no shine the laser beam onto the unclosed fontanelles of babies and children.
Applications of LLLT; according to published Medical Reports, many acute and chronic conditions may be improved or eliminated with laser use; including:
- Acupuncture points
- Arthralgia/Arthritis
- Back pain
- Bursitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Chondromalacia Patellae
- Fibromyalgia
- Heel Spurs/Plantar Fascitis
- Migraine Headaches
- Neck Pain/Whiplash
- Nerve Root Pain
- Post-Operative Pain
- Repetitive Stress
- Injuries
- TMJ Pain/Dysfunction
- Tendonitis
- Tennis Elbow
- Neuralgia
- Trigger Points
- Sprains/Strains
- Swelling
- Wound Healing
- Acne, Skin disorders, Scars
- Herpes
- Prostatitis
- Sinusitis
- Sports Injuries