Yin Yang Health Care

How Acupuncture Can Relieve Pain and Improve Sleep, Digestion and Emotional Well-being

      Acupuncture is a 3,000-year-old healing technique of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 1997, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) documented and publicized acupuncture’s safety and efficacy for treating a wide range of conditions. Acupuncture is now covered by many insurance policies and is used most broadly to relieve pain.

How does acupuncture work?

      Acupuncture improves the body’s functions and promotes the natural self-healing process by

stimulating specific anatomic sites--commonly referred to as acupuncture points, or acupoints. The most

common method used to stimulate acupoints is the insertion of fine, sterile needles into the skin.

Pressure, heat, or electrical stimulation may further enhance the effects. Other acupoint stimulation

techniques include: manual massage, moxibustion or heat therapy, cupping, and the application of topical

herbal medicines and linaments.

       Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on an ancient philosophy that describes the universe, and the

body, in terms of two opposing forces: yin and yang. When these forces are in balance, the body is

healthy. Energy, called "qi" (pronounced "chee") flows along specific pathways, called meridians,

throughout the body. This constant flow of energy keeps the yin and yang forces balanced. However, if

the flow of energy gets blocked, like water getting stuck behind a dam, the disruption can lead to pain,

lack of function, or illness. Acupuncture therapy can release blocked qi in the body and stimulate

function, evoking the body’s natural healing response through various physiological systems. Modern

research has demonstrated acupuncture’s effects on the nervous system, endocrine and immune

systems, cardiovascular system, and digestive system. By stimulating the body’s various systems,

acupuncture can help to resolve pain, and improve sleep, digestive function, and sense of well-being.

 

Is Acupuncture Safe?

       Yes. Acupuncture is used by millions of Americans every year. Acupuncturists are required to

undergo extensive education, including detailed study of human anatomy and training in Clean Needle

Technique. Licensed acupuncturists are required to pass comprehensive national board examinations

administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (

NCCAOM) and must be licensed by the state. As required by law, we use pre-sterilized, disposable,

single-use needles to ensure your complete safety.

 

What happens during an acupuncture treatment?

       First, your acupuncturist will ask about your health history. Then, she will examine your tongue’s shape, color, and coating, feel your pulse, and possibly perform some additional physical examinations depending on your individual health needs. Using these unique assessment tools, the acupuncturist will be able to recommend a proper treatment plan to address your particular condition. To begin the acupuncture treatment, you lay comfortably on a treatment table while precise acupoints are stimulated on various areas of your body. Most people feel no or minimal discomfort as the fine needles are gently placed. The needles are usually retained between five and 30 minutes. During and after treatments, people report that they feel very relaxed.

 

How many treatments will I need?

       The frequency and number of treatments differ from person to person. Some people experience dramatic relief in the first treatment. For complex or long-standing chronic conditions, one to two treatments per week for several months may be recommended. For acute problems, usually fewer visits are required, usually eight to ten visits in total. An individualized treatment plan that includes the expected number of treatments will be discussed during your initial visit.

 

What conditions are commonly treated by acupuncture?

       Hundreds of clinical studies on the benefits of acupuncture show that it successfully treats conditions ranging from musculoskeletal problems (back pain, neck pain, and others) to nausea, migraine headache, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and infertility.

Case-controlled clinical studies have shown that acupuncture has been an effective treatment for the following diseases, symptoms or conditions:

 

Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
Biliary colic
Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Dysentery, acute bacillary
Dysmenorrhoea, primary
Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)
Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
Headache
Hypertension, essential
Hypotension, primary
Induction of labor
Knee pain
Leukopenia
Low back pain
Malposition of fetus, correction
Morning sickness
Nausea and vomiting
Neck pain
Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
Periarthritis of shoulder
Postoperative pain
Renal colic
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica
Sprain
Stroke
Tennis elbow

 

The following diseases, symptoms or conditions have limited but probable evidence to support the therapeutic use of acupuncture:

 

Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)
Acne vulgaris
Alcohol dependence and detoxification
Bell’s palsy
Bronchial asthma
Cancer pain
Cardiac neurosis
Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation
Cholelithiasis
Competition stress syndrome
Craniocerebral injury, closed
Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent
Earache
Epidemic haemorrhagic fever
Epistaxis, simple (without generalized or local disease)
Eye pain due to subconjunctival injection
Female infertility
Facial spasm
Female urethral syndrome
Fibromyalgia and fasciitis
Gastrokinetic disturbance
Gouty arthritis
Hepatitis B virus carrier status
Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3)
Hyperlipaemia
Hypo-ovarianism
Insomnia
Labour pain
Lactation, deficiency
Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic
Ménière disease
Neuralgia, post-herpetic
Neurodermatitis
Obesity
Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence
Osteoarthritis
Pain due to endoscopic examination
Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans
Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein-Leventhal syndrome)
Post-extubation in children
Postoperative convalescence
Premenstrual syndrome
Prostatitis, chronic
Pruritus
Radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome
Raynaud syndrome, primary
Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Retention of urine, traumatic
Schizophrenia
Sialism, drug-induced (excessive salivation)
Sjögren syndrome
Sore throat (including tonsillitis)
Spine pain, acute
Stiff neck
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
Tietze syndrome
Tobacco dependence
Tourette syndrome
Ulcerative colitis, chronic
Urolithiasis
Vascular dementia
Whooping cough (pertussis)

 

*This is not a comprehensive list. Acupuncture can also treat circulatory disorders like high blood pressure, immune disorders like chronic fatigue; it can help with weight control, allergies, addictions, diabetes, and ease side effects from radiation, chemotherapy, etc.