How to Choose an Acupuncture Practitioner

As with all medical professionals you interact with, you want to find an acupuncturist who cares about your concerns and well-being. With acupuncture, you’re treating the whole self so it’s important you’re able to be comfortable and candid during treatment. Here are 4 steps for how to choose an acupuncture practitioner who can meet all your needs and truly treat the whole you.

Step 1: Specify Your Reason to See an Acupuncture Practitioner

Acupuncture is a wonderful mix of Eastern and Western medicine and a practice dating back centuries. To find the right acupuncturist for you, first identify why you want the treatment. It can be used to treat a wide array of conditions including:

Chronic pain caused by a car accident, illness or injury
Nausea, including morning sickness
Energy imbalance
Allergies
Stress
Arthritis
Digestive health illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome

Your aches, pains and other uncomfortable symptoms may flare during some weather, especially in spring and summer when the weather is hot and there’s additional pollen and humidity in the air. Knowing the conditions or symptoms you need treatment for can help you to focus on the specialities and experience you’re looking for in an acupuncturist.

Step 2: Seek Recommendations

If you have family or friends who have gotten acupuncture treatment, ask them who their practitioner was and why they liked — or didn’t like — their experience.

Another way to get a recommendation is to look at testimonials or reviews online. You can do a simple online search of “acupuncturist in NC” to see what your options are in Chapel Hill and beyond.

Step 3: Choose an Acupuncture Practitioner

Consider the training and qualifications the practitioner has and whether he or she has the ability to treat your needs. At the very least, your acupuncturist should be either a Licensed Acupuncturist (L. Ac.), a medical doctor, an osteopath or a chiropractor. In North Carolina, a Licensed Acupuncturist means the person has completed:

A 3 year post-graduate program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
The clean needle technique course offered by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
The NCCAOM written exam
The practical exam, the NCCAOM PEPLS

While physicians can legally perform acupuncture treatment without formal training, it’s best to seek a physician who does have formal training. Acupuncture takes years to master, which is why Licensed Acupuncturists are required to complete programs and exams. To ensure you receive effective treatment and have the best experience possible, consider focusing your search on people who specialize in acupuncture and apply the treatment frequently.

Based on your identified needs, the recommendations you found and the background research you did on the acupuncturists you’ve found, it’s time to choose an acupuncture practitioner.

Step 4: Schedule an Appointment

Schedule an appointment with your acupuncture practitioner and come to the appointment prepared to discuss your condition and/or what treatment you’re seeking. You should be ready to answer questions such as:

What conditions or symptoms are you hoping to use acupuncture as treatment for?
What other treatments have you tried?
How long have you experienced this condition or symptom?
What do you want to gain from acupuncture treatment?
Do you have any questions or concerns about acupuncture?

You should also consider asking questions such as:

What’s your experience with treating my condition?
How long can it take to treat my condition?
What do you recommend for treatment?

By asking and answering these questions during your appointment your acupuncturist can be sure to care for you and offer you the best treatment plan they can, and you can begin to create a meaningful connection with the practitioner.

To find out what types of acupuncture we offer and learn more about our personalized approach to treatment, contact us to book an initial consultation.

Treat Swollen and Sore Lymph Nodes from CFS with TCM

It’s Saturday morning, and all you want to do is sleep. You’ve already canceled your plans to head out to Southern Village Farmers Market. Your swollen lymph nodes aren’t getting better, despite all the effort you’ve put into overcoming chronic fatigue. As you lie back down, your smartphone starts buzzing with incoming text messages. One friend tells you to feel better, while another suggests trying TCM. A quick Internet search reveals that TCM stands for traditional Chinese medicine, but you still frown. How could TCM relieve your swollen and sore lymph nodes?

What Is CFS?

Since you’ve been struggling with chronic fatigue syndrome for over six months, you’re already somewhat familiar with CFS – a disease that affects three out of every 1,000 Americans. You happen to be one of the unlucky ones. No medical professional or amount of online research can explain why you were diagnosed with CFS.

Possible reasons for getting diagnosed with chronic fatigue include:

Infections
Nutritional deficiency
Immunity dysfunction
Stress on the HPA axis (where the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands interact)
Abnormally low blood pressure

Before diagnosing you with CFS, your primary care physician conducted various tests to rule out other conditions, including sleep disorders and medical problems such as diabetes, anemia and hypothyroidism.

Individuals with CFS often have four or more of the following symptoms:

Short-term memory or concentration problems
Sore throat
Headaches
Joint pain
Muscle pain
Exhaustion
Poor-quality sleep
Brain fog
Irritable bowel syndrome
Balance problems and dizziness
Tender and swollen lymph nodes, usually in the armpits or neck

Dealing with a combination of these symptoms has made it impossible to go back to your normal active life.

Swollen Lymph Nodes

Think of lymph nodes as your health’s bodyguards. Lymph nodes are clusters of cells (lymphocytes and macrophages) that capture viruses, germs and foreign substances. These are broken down before they can do harm and are eliminated from your body.

Each group of lymph nodes is designed to drain a particular body area. Since CFS is poorly understood, its relation to lymphadenopathy – the medical term for swollen lymph nodes – is also unclear. However, some research has linked immune system problems to CFS, which could explain swollen and sore lymph nodes in some individuals diagnosed with chronic fatigue.

Don’t forget that swollen lymph nodes can indicate an infection or another medical problem. Even if you’ve already been diagnosed with CFS, it’s still important to consult a physician to rule out other possible conditions – especially if your immune system might not be functioning at its best. Your physician may order other tests, such as:

Blood tests, including liver function tests, kidney function tests and complete blood count
A lymph node biopsy
A chest X-ray
A liver-spleen scan

Using Traditional Chinese Medicine

Grounded in the ancient philosophy of Taoism, TCM dates back to over 2,000 years ago. TCM is said to treat illness while optimizing health and enhancing the body’s capacity for healing.

Top-notch integrative medicine clinics offering TCM can develop treatment plans that include various practices such as:

Acupuncture, which involves inserting fine needles into specific body locations to correct energy imbalances, promote blood flow and release tension
Herbal formulas that combine medicinal plants with immunomodulating, antiviral and antibacterial properties
Qigong, which integrates posture, breathing, focused intention and movement to boost physical and mental health
Acupressure, which uses pressure instead of needles on acupuncture points
Cupping, in which cups filled with heated air are positioned on painful body areas
Yoga, meditation and other relaxation techniques

Acupuncture for Swollen Lymph Nodes

According to the British Acupuncture Council, acupuncture can help over 60 conditions, including chronic fatigue. While the mechanism of acupuncture remains unclear, the stimulation of nerve fibers that send signals to the brain and spinal cord could trigger the release of hormones that block pain. This could help correct the energy pathways that flow throughout the human body.

Since acupuncture is often used to alleviate CFS, you may wish to try treating your chronic fatigue symptoms (including your swollen lymph nodes) with TCM.

Acupuncture Balanced Health

Acupuncture Balanced Health is dedicated to reducing all of your CFS symptoms and improving your quality of life by integrating Western and Eastern medicine into an individualized treatment plan. Our team of experts includes traditional Chinese medicine physicians and a board-certified physician with in-depth knowledge of integrative medicine and acupuncture research. You shouldn’t have to keep on canceling plans or calling in sick to work, so contact us today and request a free introductory acupuncture treatment.

What Is IBS and How Can I Treat It?

You’ve been spending the entire day at University Mall on a mission to find the perfect dress or pants to attend an upcoming wedding. You head home with a smile on your face. Your endurance has paid off – or so you think. As you slip on your spectacular outfit, a prehistoric growl rises from your stomach. You frown: is IBS declaring war on you again? Your stomach has bloated to the size of a small pumpkin, and no matter how hard you try, there’s no way you can squeeze back into your new clothes. Recover your wellbeing and equilibrium after an IBS attack through acupuncture treatments.

What Is IBS?

Irritable bowel syndrome is estimated to occur in about 10 to 20 percent of the population in the U.S. Symptoms occur when stress results in colon spasms, resulting in abdominal pain and discomfort.

There is no specific test to diagnose IBS, and its causes are unknown. Some studies suggest that a glitch in the nervous system may heighten the sensitivity of the lower digestive tract. This means that harmless muscle contractions or simple gas lead to pain, bloating and a plethora of other problems.

Typical symptoms of IBS include:

Abdominal cramping
Bloating
Diarrhea
Constipation
Discomfort
Gas
Fatigue
Headaches

Since these symptoms occur frequently with other disorders, your physician will most likely rule out other possible diseases before diagnosing you with IBS. Chances are that if you’re also experiencing weight loss, rectal bleeding, nausea, fever, or anemia, you’ll need to undergo further testing.

Keep in mind that as unpleasant as IBS can be, your intestines remain unharmed, so you and your healthcare professional should focus on how to prevent the reoccurrence of symptoms.

Treatment for IBS

IBS symptoms vary from person to person, so there is no set treatment course for the disorder. Treatment includes:

Keeping a food diary to identify foods that seem to trigger your IBS symptoms
Visiting an integrative medicine clinic, such as Acupuncture Balanced Health, to learn about pain and stress management techniques
Integrating yoga, meditation and breathing techniques to lower your stress levels
Consulting your physician to learn more about your options for prescription medications, such as anticholinergic and antispasmodic drugs, or antidepressants for pain management
Trying acupuncture for digestive disorders
Trying hypnosis
Increasing your exercising habits, which help reduce stress and maintain bowel regularity

What About Nutrition and Natural Supplements?

Avoiding foods that cause IBS symptoms seems like an obvious step, but it can take up to a month or so to correctly pinpoint what foods propel you to groan and moan. However, a 2005 study on IBS patients published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology linked excess bloating and gas to consuming wheat, beef, pork, lamb and soybeans.

Individuals have also reported relief after taking other measures. You may also wish to:

Increase your fiber intake.
Avoid dairy foods, stimulants and non-nutritive sweeteners.
Refrain from overeating.
Take probiotics.
Ingest peppermint oil 15 to 30 minutes before eating.
Start taking turmeric powder – turmeric is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and it also reduced IBS symptoms by 50 percent in a 2004 pilot study.

Acupuncture for Digestive Disorders

According to the British Acupuncture Council, spasms in the colon are closely related to the sympathetic nervous system’s response to stress. Acupuncture can activate the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, initiating the ‘rest and digest’ response. Some IBS patients have reported experiencing great relief with acupuncture.

Acupuncture Balanced Health

If you’re tired of planning your social life (or lack thereof) around your meals, contact us to make an appointment. By offering traditional Chinese medicine and integrative medicine consultations, Acupuncture Balanced Health is dedicated to reducing your IBS symptoms and improving your quality of life. Bringing you the best of Western and Eastern medicine, our team of experts includes traditional Chinese medicine physicians and a board-certified physician with expertise in integrative medicine and acupuncture research. Acupuncture Balanced Health is committed to assembling a personalized plan that will meet all of your individual needs and health goals – including ensuring your new clothes still fit you after a shopping spree.

7 Methods of Treatment for Arthritis Patients

Unless you or someone you love has arthritis, chances are you won’t know the exact causes, signs and definition of arthritis. If you or someone close to you has just been diagnosed with this condition, you may not be sure about the arthritis treatments out there.

What Is Arthritis?

The first question you probably have about this disease is what the actual arthritis definition is, and this is where things start to get complicated. That’s because there’s no single cause of arthritis.

The cause of your arthritis will depend on what type you have: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or some other form. It may be caused by mechanical wear and tear on the joints, issues with bone density or autoimmune conditions. Your doctor may need to run extensive tests to determine the cause of your symptoms.

While there are multiple causes of arthritis, the symptoms of most forms of this disease are relatively similar, and everyone with the condition will experience some or all of these signs of arthritis to some degree at some point:

Joint swelling and pain.
Reduced mobility in joints.
Stiffness, particularly first thing in the morning.
Redness or warmth around a joint.

Diagnosing your exact type of arthritis will require a medical history, X-rays and tests, and it may be a little while before you have a precise diagnosis. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, arthritis is close to a BI syndrome, which commonly caused by COLD, WIND, HEAT or DAMP invasion, or KIDNEY deficiency. You can read more about this here.

Treatment for Arthritis

Once you have experienced signs of arthritis and been diagnosed with one of the many forms of the disease, it’s important to realize that all of your arthritis treatments will be geared toward treating the symptoms of the disease rather than curing the underlying cause.

Thus far, there is no known cure for arthritis, and there are no known methods for repairing the damage that may already be done by the wear and tear on your joints that this disease causes.

Once your doctor has diagnosed the type of arthritic pain you are dealing with, they will work with you to create a comprehensive treatment plan that may include many different parts, including the following seven methods of treatment for arthritis patients:

Dietary changes.
Customized exercise programs (usually low-impact exercises and strength training).
Lifestyle changes, including weight loss for overweight patients and sleep pattern changes for patients with poor sleep patterns.
Physical therapy or massage.
Pain management treatments, including acupuncture.
Heat or ice treatments.
Medications, including pain relievers, autoimmune medications and steroids. Drugs will be prescribed based on the type of arthritis you have been diagnosed with.

Arthritis is a chronic disease, and the primary goals of treatment are to slow the progress of your symptoms and to manage the pain associated with this disorder. BI syndrome in Chinese Medicine means stagnation or blockage of something in joints or damage in joints. Acupuncture is one of effective tools to relieved the pain by unblock the stagnation. Be sure to consult your doctor and explore both complementary and traditional treatments, which have been known to help provide significant relief for sufferers. It may take some time to find the right balance for you, but once you do, you can certainly minimize the effects of the condition.

How Integrative Medicine Boosts Natural Healing

There was a time when doctors focused only on the physical. They treated things that they could see, quantify and measure, while ignoring everything else. The state of modern health care is a clear indication that a single-minded approach to medicine does not work.

In spite of near-miraculous advances in medicine over the decades as well as a deeper understanding of the mechanics of our bodies, we are seeing more cases of chronic diseases and lifestyle-related problems than ever before. Rushed lives, bad diet, stress and environmental factors mean that even with all those advances, we’re still not as healthy as we should be.

This is part of the reason why even traditional medical practitioners are turning to integrative medicine more frequently.

What Is Integrative Medicine?

Integrative medicine is a holistic approach to health that incorporates traditional medicine and its focus on the mechanics of the body, but also includes mental health, spiritual wellness and even environment.

It is not strictly limited to natural cures, natural healing, complementary medicine or any other element of the medical spectrum, but aims to combine them all in a health care approach that is best for the patient.

Because integrative medicine encompasses so many different areas of medicine, it can also be a collaborative approach, with western doctors working with alternative health practitioners, acupuncture specialists and many other specialists to create and deliver a whole-body approach to health and wellness.

How Prevalent Is Integrative Medicine?

There was a time when natural cures were written off as irrelevant by the world of conventional medicine. But as their benefits are proved time and again in study after study, more and more medical professionals are incorporating nontraditional methods of natural healing into their health plans for their patients.

Patients with stress-related heart conditions, for instance, are being treated by their cardiologists but are also referred to yoga practitioners so they can learn stress management techniques that support their medical treatment. Patients with cancer might be referred to an acupuncturist to assist with pain, while simultaneously using traditional cancer treatments, dietary changes and counseling to manage other elements of their condition.

The fact is that integrative medicine is pervasive and becoming more so, because it has proven health benefits.

Whole Life Medical Solutions

Perhaps the best way to look at integrative medicine as a method of natural healing is to see it as a “whole life” approach to health, rather than limiting treatment to the body.

By incorporating acupuncture, biofield therapies, guided imagery, hypnotherapy, mindfulness and yoga with more traditional medical treatments, your medical team can address all elements of your overall health at the same time, and that means better, longer-lasting health results.

Ideally, your traditional medical team should be able to help you find the right combination of conventional, alternative and natural cures to treat every aspect of your body, not just the causes and symptoms of your main condition. If not, don’t be afraid to seek out an integrative medical practice that can supplement your treatments. It is your body and your life, and if you feel that you should be treating all aspects of it, there are solutions out there.

6 Causes of Chronic Headaches and How to Treat Them

There’s nothing worse than living with chronic pain, and headaches can be one of the most challenging. When a severe headache strikes, it’s debilitating and can force you to do nothing but lie still in a darkened room until the worst of the effects pass.

Thankfully, most chronic headaches are not quite that painful, and they can be more of a “headache behind the eyes” or a mild, throbbing headache than the most severe headache you’ve ever had. Let’s take a closer look at what causes chronic headaches and explore methods of treatment for them.

Causes of Chronic Headaches

Before we get into what causes chronic headaches, we should define what they are. In headache terms, chronic means you experience headaches at least 15 days per month for at least three months. This is different from a migraine or other types of acute headache, which strike hard and then disappear. But chronic headaches are no less difficult to live with, whether you experience them as a headache behind the eyes, a throbbing headache or a pressure headache.

There can be many causes for this type of headache, but here are some of the more common triggers:

Muscular tension, often linked to posture, is one of the most common causes of tension headaches.
Stress is another big contributor to chronic headaches.
Eye strain can cause tension headaches, and if you routinely experience headache behind the eyes, you might need to have your eyes tested.
Dehydration, alcohol consumption and caffeine can all cause or worsen headaches behind the eyes.
Tiredness is another factor, and if you routinely experience pressure headaches when you’re tired, then you might simply need a little more sleep.
Environmental factors like heat, cold or wind.

The good news is that tension headaches or pressure headaches that typically cause chronic headaches are rarely a sign of something more serious. So while they do need to be treated to improve your quality of life, they are generally manageable with the right treatment methods.

Treatment for Chronic Headaches

Treatment for chronic headaches can be tricky because they are so frequent. While your doctor may advise you to take over-the-counter painkillers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, you can’t take these types of medications every day. Overuse of these medications is bad for certain organs and may actually cause headaches.

If you do take painkillers, try to limit them to days when you genuinely need them, rather than taking them every day. Do not take them as a preventive measure.

Dealing with stress is a good way to treat chronic headaches, which can be linked to stress. Neck massages, physiotherapy, shoulder massages and acupuncture can all loosen tight muscles that are causing headaches.

Exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy that teaches you to actively alter your habits and lifestyle can also be effective treatments for chronic headaches, as they can help you make lifestyle changes that reduce or limit your pain.

Most people find that a combination of therapies, avoiding the things that trigger their headaches, and ongoing pain management treatments like physiotherapy and acupuncture are the best solution for their pressure headaches. So it may simply be that you need to find the right mix of therapies.

What Conditions Can I Treat with Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient eastern medical discipline in which it takes years for practitioners to be considered proficient acupuncturists. It has proved to be an effective treatment for a wide range of ailments, symptoms and medical conditions, and we have collected some of those conditions in this article. If you don’t see your condition or symptom discussed here, contact a trained acupuncturist with your questions. It may well be possible to provide relief using our needle insertion techniques.

Pain Conditions

Acupuncture is perhaps most well-known as a pain treatment, and rightly so. Acupuncture is a successful method of addressing chronic pain conditions, as well as pain related to diseases like cancer.

Neurological Conditions

Acupuncture has been used successfully to treat the causes and symptoms of a wide variety of conditions related to brain function, from migraine headaches to dizziness and tinnitus, to some forms of paralysis, stroke symptoms, and even types of neuralgia. People with many conditions involving the brain or the nervous system have found relief from their symptoms through acupuncture.

Tooth Problems

Many people don’t realize that acupuncture can help treat the effects of toothache, post-extraction pain, and gum diseases like gingivitis.

Cardiovascular Conditions

Acupuncture has been found to be beneficial in the treatment of a variety of cardiovascular conditions, including high and low blood pressure, angina and poor circulation.

Digestive Complaints

Whether you suffer from IBS, GERD, dyspepsia, ulcers, hiccups or any one of dozens of gastrointestinal complaints, acupuncture can help treat the cause as well as the symptoms.

Skin Conditions

Acupuncture has had a remarkably positive effect on a range of skin conditions, including eczema, dermatitis, shingles, scarring, hair loss and acne.

Sporting Injuries

Sports-related injuries, from tennis elbow to sprained ankles, can be helped by acupuncture. Whether the problem is muscular or skeletal, acupuncture has been proved to provide pain relief and improve recovery time.

Musculoskeletal Conditions

Acupuncture needles are a proven and popular treatment for a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, including sciatica, lumbago and other back conditions, arthritis, gout, and neck pain, among many others.

Gynecological and Obstetric Issues

Conditions including PMS and other menstrual issues, fertility problems, PCOS, menopause, hormonal imbalances and many other conditions related to the reproductive system can benefit from treatment with acupuncture.

Psychological Conditions

In addition to physical conditions, acupuncture can be used to treat a wide range of psychological conditions, including depression, phobias and anxiety.

These are just a tiny sampling of the many conditions that acupuncture has been used to successfully treat over the more than 2,000 years it has been practiced in China and elsewhere. There are countless other conditions that can benefit from acupuncture as a treatment plan, and it’s always worth asking about to find out if it’s right for you.

There may be certain conditions for which acupuncture is not recommended, and it’s a good idea to check with both your doctor and a certified acupuncturist before seeking this type of treatment. Also remember that acupuncture is often a supplementary treatment and part of a broader treatment plan for a particular condition, disease or injury. To find out what types of acupuncture we offer, contact us to book an initial consultation.

What is Tendinitis and How Is It Caused?

Tendinitis, also known as tendonitis, is an acute inflammation of one or more tendons in the body. The condition is usually related to repetitive strain, and it’s a fairly common diagnosis. Here’s what you need to know about tendinitis causes, treatment and prognosis.

Symptoms of Tendinitis

Because tendons are present in the joints of the body, most of the symptoms of the condition are localized around the joint. If you notice a dull, aching pain in or near a joint, combined with tenderness and possibly mild swelling, you are likely experiencing tendinitis.

Causes

Tendinitis is most often caused by repeated strain and overuse. This is very common in sports, which is why so many types of tendinitis (tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, swimmer’s shoulder and jumper’s knee, for example) are sports-related terms. That does not mean that only athletes suffer this type of injury, however; many patients who get a tendinitis diagnosis work in a physically demanding job rather than playing sports. Additionally, while tendinitis can occur at any age, it is common to see tendinitis in older patients, too, as tendons tend to stiffen as we age.

Untreated Tendinitis

In most cases, when tendinitis is diagnosed and treated properly, patients will have a full recovery without any complications. However, if the pain is ignored or left untreated, it can lead to a condition known as tendinosis. This is a form of degeneration of the tendon at a cellular level, often without inflammation. It can also lead to tendon rupture, which is another – much more serious – condition.

Tendinitis Treatment

Upon receiving a diagnosis of tendinitis, you may have several options for treatment and to alleviate your joint pain, including:

Over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, which help relieve symptoms while you heal.
Treating tendinitis with acupuncture, which can provide non drug-based pain relief while you heal.
Corticosteroids, which are sometimes injected into the joint, but usually only for acute cases. Long-term or chronic tendinitis is not usually treated with this type of drug, as it can cause further damage or weakness in the tendon.
Resting the affected joint. This is critical to preventing long-term complications. If you have tendinitis, you must avoid strain – particularly the type of strain that caused the injury in the first place.
Gentle, doctor-approved exercises for the joint, which can help preserve flexibility and mobility.

Preventing Recurrence of Tendinitis

Once you have treated a case of tendinitis, there are several measures you can take to avoid a recurrence.

Improving flexibility is one way to prevent the condition from striking again. Additionally, it’s a good idea to make proper stretching and warm-up a priority before sports activities, as well as varying your movements and stopping an activity immediately if you start to notice pain in a joint.

Depending on the cause of your tendinitis, ongoing treatments, such as acupuncture can help, and it doesn’t hurt to consider lower-impact sports or activities.

How Acupuncture for Stress Helps Patients Cope

Acupuncture has been used to treat depression and anxiety for years, so it makes sense that it would also work to help patients suffering from stress.

However, because “stress” is a much broader term than the either depression or anxiety and it’s sometimes hard to pinpoint triggers or causes, acupuncture for stress has not always been considered an effective method of reducing or relieving stress.

Recent studies and research show that not considering acupuncture as an effective treatment for stress might have been a mistake. In fact, there’s plenty of evidence to support the use of acupuncture to help with stress – especially in the case of those who are also suffering from anxiety or other mood conditions that might interact or trigger episodes of stress.

The Science Behind It

In a study published in the Journal of Endocrinology, researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic stress. The study used electro-acupuncture (EA), a form of acupuncture where small electrical currents are sent through the needle into the body to help stimulate contact points. They found that EA is highly effective in reducing the release of stress hormones from the brain and into the nervous system.

The study—which was done in rats and not humans—found that certain acupuncture points directly affect the release of peptides and proteins, which in turn influence the production of hormones such as cortisol (the stress hormone). This could be significant because people with stress often have elevated levels of cortisol that can cause side effects like insomnia, irritability, mood swings, and more. By using acupuncture to affect the production of cortisol, practitioners can help patients lower their stress levels.

Similar results where obtained in other studies, such as the one published in the CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics journal. Here, researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture to treat anxiety and found it just as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is one of the most common forms of treatment used to deal with anxiety and stress.

Other Benefits of Acupuncture on Stress Levels

Acupuncture can help not only to lower levels of stress, but it can also help patients deal with the physical effect of stress on the body. For example, a study published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine looked at the effects of stress on immune system impairment and whether acupuncture could help fight those effects.

Researchers found that women who used acupuncture for stress experienced fewer physical effects on the body. When a blood test was performed after acupuncture treatment, researchers also found that these women had stronger immune systems, while those in the control group (who didn’t use acupuncture) had a diminished or impaired immune system. The results remained the same for a month after each session of acupuncture.

One last thing to consider: acupuncture has been studied for a number of conditions and symptoms that might be connected to stress. For example, research has shown that one of the effects of acupuncture treatment is to stabilize the production and release of serotonin and dopamine, two hormones that regulate mood chemistry and can help ease the physical and mental effects of anxiety and stress.

Other studies have shown that acupuncture has a direct impact on the areas of the brain that control pain and stress. Because of this, acupuncture can be used to promote relaxation and to help ease feelings of worry or anxiety. When done regularly, this could help patients dealing with chronic stress.

How Acupuncture Treatment Benefits a Range of Conditions

The credibility of using acupuncture in Raleigh NC has grown substantially over the past few years. Even if you had never considered trying acupuncture before, you might be weighing your options now.

Acupuncture has a long tradition of being a very effective, non-invasive treatment for issues like nausea and vomiting, especially in the case of chemotherapy patients.

Types of Conditions

Although results vary and there aren’t always reliable studies to back up anecdotal evidence, acupuncture is also widely used to treat:

headaches
fibromyalgia
carpal tunnel syndrome
addiction
weight loss

and even as part of stroke rehabilitation.

According to MedicineNet, acupuncture works by encouraging the body to release opioids into the central nervous system. This in turn eases pain, increases a feeling of well-being, and might explain the relief of a number of symptoms after a single visit to a practitioner.

Reliable Studies and Why the Experts Are Standing Behind Them

One of the main reasons people seek acupuncture in Raleigh NC is back pain – and with good reason. Numerous studies back up the use of acupuncture treatment for this condition, and many show it to be more effective than a number of conventional approaches.

For example, in an article published in Acupuncture Today, researchers pointed out that acupuncture actually works better than injectable drugs to relieve lower back pain. Other studies have shown that acupuncture treatment is superior to physical therapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help relieve pain, tension and discomfort in the lower back area.

In addition, patients who receive acupuncture are more likely to experience long-term relief of pain and improvements in functional abilities as long as six months after the last session. These responses are not seen with the use of any other type of treatment.

How Else Acupuncture Can Help

Here’s an unexpected benefit of acupuncture: using it might actually improve the effectiveness of your prescription drugs. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that people who used acupuncture and a small dose of Prozac experienced similar results to those using a full dose of Prozac but no acupuncture to treat anxiety. In addition, the acupuncture treatment option was a lot more effective because it resulted in fewer side effects. On the other hand, those on a full dose of Prozac experienced more nausea, gained more weight, and reported a decrease in their sex drive.

Digestive Conditions

And while the use of acupuncture in Raleigh NC for nausea and vomiting has been practiced for years, it now appears that acupuncture can also help with digestive conditions. In fact, researchers found that acupuncture sessions can help pregnant women deal with indigestion and heartburn without the dangers or side effects associated with drugs. In a study conducted in Brazil, 75 % of the women using acupuncture reported improvements in their heartburn episodes, while only 44% of women using traditional drug treatment reported the same.

Weight Loss

Finally, acupuncture has been extensively used to help reduce appetite and improve weight loss results, but new studies show it might also help fight obesity. A systemic review of 31 studies showed that the use of acupuncture treatment in obese patients leads to better results than the use of medications or diet alone.

If you are curious about these findings and living in Raleigh NC, make the short drive over to Chapel Hill‘s Acupuncture Balanced Health to see one of our highly experienced practitioners. Give us a call to schedule your introductory consultation.