Pain
Unlocking the Ancient Wisdom of Gua Sha
Gua sha is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. Practitioners of this medicine believe that a person’s qi, or energy, must flow unhindered throughout the body so you can feel your best. When qi becomes stagnant, health problems occur. With Gua sha, your acupuncturist uses a smooth-edged tool to gently scrape areas of your body where inflammation or stagnant qi exist to help improve circulation and promote healing. When done correctly, Gua sha can help you unlock radiant skin and achieve holistic well-being. continue reading
Acupuncture for Orthopedic Pain
Orthopedic pain is a big deal for many Americans, and it comes in many different forms including knee, hip, shoulder, and other joint pain. Acupuncture has been proven an effective tool to deal with orthopedic pain…even Harvard Medical School thinks so. continue reading
Acupuncture & Athletes: A Winning Combination
Whether a weekend warrior or a seasoned semi-professional or professional competitor, athletes are always looking for that competitive edge, the thing that can keep them healthy and give them a bit more in the tank to defeat the competition.
Sports acupuncture is a great tool athletes can use as part of their overall health care strategy. Sports acupuncture is a hybrid form of acupuncture and sports medicine that is specifically used to support sports-related activity. Athletes and runners especially can use sports medicine acupuncture to relieve pain, accelerate the healing of sports related injuries, improve performance, and increase muscle flexibility. Let’s unpack each of these benefits and see just how sports acupuncture can be used to treat athletes. continue reading
Burning Mouth Syndrome
Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) or glossodynia, is described as a sudden facial and oral pain characterized as burning, scalding, tingling, or numbness. Often pain increases throughout the day, and can last for months or even years. It is a complex condition with many possible root causes, which often means that diagnosis remains challenging. Therapeutics are equally difficult. Symptom relief and pain management for BMS can be VERY frustrating!
Like many complex but common syndromes, there’s not much traditional (classic) western medicine can do. Most practitioners will give medications to provide temporary relief, such as lidocane sprays, or prescribe anti-depressants. Many syndromes, which present as a set of symptoms, are often regarded as “less real” than something that can been SEEN, such as lesions on the tongue. Diagnosis in such cases is based on what the patient reports that he or she is experiencing. continue reading
Acupuncture as an Alternative to Opioids
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, almost 50,000 people die every year from opioid overdoses, more than 10 million misuse opioids in a given year, and opioids are a factor in 72% of overdose deaths. You hear about the opioid crisis on the nightly news frequently but what can be done to help people deal with chronic pain (the reason they are likely taking the opioids in the first place). Can acupuncture really help? continue reading