Acupuncture Blog

Anxiety is one of the most common complaints I see in my practice. The Chinese believed it is due to an unrested Spirit or Shen disturbance due to a possible variety of conditions in the body. Do you find yourself losing sleep because you wake up with a racing mind? Are you unable to initially fall asleep because your anxious thoughts keep you from relaxing? Perhaps you actually do fall asleep but wake feeling tired and unrested and your anxiety seems to have doubled two-fold overnight? Is the anxiety interrupting your work capabilities? Difficulty feeling like you are “on top of your game”? Feel like your shoulders are permanently attached to your earlobes from the stress the anxiety is causing? You are not alone!

Acupuncture and Herbs can help! Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners focus on calming the spirit and treating the true root of the problem. It is believed that if we treat the root, the branches will fall into their correct place in the tree. The symptoms that are experienced will fall away and the anxiety will become controlled once more. This process does take time and can be complicated by life and hormonal shifts so be ready for possible ups-and-downs during your treatment duration. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on this blog or ask your Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. And of course, if you feel you need immediate Western medical attention for your anxiety, please contact your primary care physician.

Being an Occupational Therapist that works at a top orthopedic hospital in Boston, I have found that many patients have had acupuncture prior to surgery and found great relief. I have also found many patients have had acupuncture after surgery and found their pain decreased and their physical healing to be expediated. Many research studies are demonstrating again and again that acupuncture on osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee have yielded positive results. The use of electroacupuncture as well as TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) have been found to greatly reduce OA-induced knee pain (Ng, MM; J A;tern Complement Med, 2003 Oct; 9(5): 641-9) and was found to have no loss of benefit after one month (Tukmachi, E; Acupunct Med. 2004 Mar; 22(1): 14-22).
So in Layman’s terms, what does this mean? This means that if you are suffering from any characteristic arthritis pain in the knee (as well as the hip and other joints too) that may be interrupting your daily activities, acupuncture with adjunctive therapies (electroacupuncture, etc.) may be the answer before heading straight to the surgical unit. Many hospitals have acupuncturists on staff so don’t be afraid to ask your doctor/surgeon. Please consult your medical doctor first as to how far your arthritis has progressed and if surgery is medically pressing. Or you can send me a comment and I will answer any questions you may have!

ok, so here we go…Welcome to my Blog! I am new at this blog thing as I am an acupuncturist but am willing to learn new things all the time! I am an Occupational Therapist and a licensed acupuncturist/herbalist in the MetroWest area, specifically on Route 20 in Marlborough at the Marlborough Wellness Center. I have focused my practice on pediatric sensory integration treatments and non-insertive acupuncture techniques, women’s health issues, and men’s musculoskeletal injuries. I am an active member of the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce and the Marlborough BNI chapter as well. Please feel free to visit my website at www.MetroWestFamily.com.

Ok, so what do I want to accomplish by blogging, you may ask? I am going to hopefully educate and enlighten those who are interested in the art and science of acupuncture and herbs. Many people claim fear of needles or the cost of the uncovered treatments by their health insurance as major retardants to experiencing acupuncture/herbs. I hope to clarify that the fear is unneccesary and the cost is well worth it in the end. As my good friend and business confidant, Dr. Ovid Fraser of Environmental Health Associates, often says, “”It is better to be well than to get well”.

So to start the discussion: The science of acupuncture.
As I reading an article in Acupuncture Today (vol. 6, #9, pg.10) by Kabba Anand DAc, LAc, Dipl. Ac., Dipl. CH, he used the Webster’s dictionary to define science as “knowledge attained through study or practice”. His point was that “OM/Oriental Medicine (or oftentimes referred to as TCM/Traditional Chinese Medicine or CAM/Complementary Alternative Medicine) is a practice based upon centuries of empirical data, observation and experience. But does it stand up to the Scientific Method or the “gold standard” randomized controlled trials?” As of right now, we as practitioners and researchers are attempting to do just that. But what gets left out is the art of treating the whole person. I find so many times, I spend more than 30 minutes waiting for a 5 minute appointment in the current Western medical system. I take pride in the fact that my clients are guaranteed 45-60 minutes of my time every time they come to see me and that I know their bodies/health as thoroughly as any health practitioner can. I believe TCM is a science based on the part of people that can’t be measured by Western standards and thus, discredited at times as being “bunk medicine”.