Acupuncture and Herbs Healthcare

1.	Q:	How deep do the needles go?
	A:	That depends upon the nature of the problem, the location of the points selected, the patient¹s size, age, and constitution, and upon the acupuncturist's style or school. Usually, needles are inserted from 0.5 to 1 inch in depth.
2.	Q:	Does it hurt?
	A:	Acupuncture needle are fine and flexible, just like human hair. They are different from medical hypodermic injection needles, which are stiff, hollow, and thick. If your practitioner has obtained the correct stimulus of the needle, you may feel some heaviness, distention, tingling, or electric sensation either around the needle or traveling up or down the affected meridian, or energy pathway. This sensation is minor and first-time patients are usually amazed at how comfortable they are during treatment.
3.	Q:	Are the needles clean?
	A:	The practice among acupuncturists in America today is to use sterilized, individually packaged, disposable needles. Needles are never saved and reused for later treatments. This eliminates the possibility of transmitting a communicable disease by a contaminated needle.
4.	Q:	How does acupuncture work?
	A:	Modern Western medicine cannot explain how acupuncture works. Traditional acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese theories of the flow of Qi (Energy) and Xue (Blood) through distinct meridians or pathways that cover the body somewhat like the nerves and blood vessels do. According to ancient theory, acupuncture allows Qi to flow to areas where it is deficient and away  from where it is excessive. In this way, acupuncture regulates and restores the harmonious energetic balance of the body. In Chinese there is a saying, "There is no pain if there is free flow; if there is pain, there is no free flow."
5.	Q;	Are there different styles of acupuncture?
	A:	Yes, there are. Acupuncture originated in China but has spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Europe, the British Isles, and America. In different countries, different styles have developed based on differing opinions as to theory and technique. Patients should talk to their practitioners about their particular style and learn as much as possible about the treatment being proposed.
6.	Q:	What criteria should one use in choosing an acupuncturist?
	A:	Patients should ask about where the practitioner trained, how long the training was, how long he or she has been in practice, and what experience the practitioner has had in treating the patient's specific ailment. Acupuncture is a licensed and regulated healthcare profession in more than half the states in the U.S.
7.	Q:	How many treatments and how often will I need them?
	A:	That depends upon the duration, severity, and nature of your complaint. You may need only a single treatment for an acute condition. A series of five to fifteen treatments may resolve many chronic problems. Some degenerative conditions may require many treatments over time. Generally, the recommendation is two to three treatments per week for the first few weeks. Once a week treatment may be given after the condition has significantly improved.
8.	Q:	How long do treatments take?
	A:	Depending on the patient’s condition and treatment plan, usually needles remain in the patient’s body for 30 minutes.
9.	Q:	What should I know about the proposed treatments?
	A:	Your practitioner will explain the nature of your problem and what treatment he or she is  recommending. Your practitioner will tell you what benefits and risks there are to the    proposed treatment and what other treatment options are available to you through this   practitioner or by referral to another practitioner or physician. If you agree to go ahead with the treatments, your practitioner will tell you what progress to expect, what to do if you don¹t experience that progress, and what to do if you feel worse.
10.	Q:	Is there anything I need to do before receiving an acupuncture treatment?
	A:	A: Yes, the following suggestions will help you get the maximum benefits from your treatment:           1. Maintain good personal hygiene to reduce the possibility of bacterial infection.            2. Wear loose clothing and avoid wearing tight stockings.            3. Avoid treatment when excessively fatigued, hungry, full, emotionally upset, or shortly after sex.
11.	Q:	Is there anything I need to do while receiving acupuncture?
	A:	Yes, again:            1. Relax, There is no need to be frightened. Ask your practitioner any questions you have along the way so that you can get the most benefit possible from the treatment.           2. Do not change your position or move suddenly. If you are uncomfortable, tell your practitioner.           3. Very few people experience dizziness, nausea, cold sweat, shortness of breath, or faintness during treatment. This can occur if you are nervous. Inform your practitioner immediately so he or she can readjust or withdraw the needles. Also let your practitioner know if you feel an increasing amount of pain or burning sensation during the treatment.           4. If you find your treatment unbearable at any point, be sure to speak up so that your practitioner can make proper adjustments or stop the treatment.

13.	Q:	What can I expect after treatment?
	A:	You may note a spot of blood at one or more of the needle sites and/or a small bruise could develop. These should not be harmful, but please talk to your practitioner if you are concerned. Patients often experience the most dramatic results after the first treatment. Some patients experience an immediate total or partial relief of their pain or other symptoms. This relief may last or some pain may return after a day or so. In a few cases, there may be no immediate relief, but patients notice the diminishment of pain over the next couple of days. Generally, you should expect to feel better, but in some small percentage of cases the treatment provokes a “healing crisis”; in such cases, the pain actually increases as a result of the treatment.  This is actually a positive sign and usually indicates that relief will follow subsequent treatments

14.	Q:	How effective is acupuncture?
	A:	Acupuncture is highly effective not only as a preventative medicine, but as a drug-free treatment of signs and symptoms. Studies indicate that acupuncture influences the central and peripheral nervous system and evidence shows it releases endorphins from the brain, which makes acupuncture particularly effective in pain control. Among a host of factors, acupuncture affects sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in the blood; the functioning of the gastrointestinal system; and the activity of the endocrine system. Acupuncture works with the body, strengthening and balancing energy. It improves circulation and allows the body to heal itself more quickly and more completely.
15.	Q:	Is acupuncture recommended for emergency situations or acute medical problems?
	A:	It is strongly recommended that you first seek immediate medical attention at a nearby hospital for such conditions as difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath; dizziness, fainting or feeling faint; pain or pressure in the chest or upper abdomen; sudden weakness or severe pain; sudden bleeding; injuries; falls; suicide attempts; and when surgery, tests, x-rays and life support equipment may be needed. Acupuncture can be given in certain instances, depending on the circumstances involved.
16.	Q:	Can acupuncture improve athletic performance or treat sports or work-out injuries?
	A:	Absolutely yes. Acupuncture can speed healing and eliminate the discomfort of many sports injuries.
17.	Q.	Can I continue taking my regular medication while receiving acupuncture?
	A:	Yes. Acupuncture treatment may be used along with other medical care to great advantage. It is used for pain control after other medical or dental procedures, for improving healing, and to lessen the side effects of some Western protocols. Acupuncture is a drug-free protocol.
18.	Q:	Can acupuncture be used with infants or children?
	A:	Yes. Needleless treatment is primarily used for young children. Studies have shown that it is useful for treating jaundice in newborns. Infants and babies can also be successfully treated for colic, earache, cerebral palsy, myopia, and bed-wetting. Many parents have found that by introducing their children to acupuncture, many childhood diseases are avoided. In the Orient, parents are encouraged to have their children treated every month as a preventive measure.
19.	Q:	Can acupuncture help senior citizens?
	A:	Yes. Acupuncture is for people of all ages, but the elderly can often experience great benefits from enhanced circulation. It can assist with insomnia. It can increase mental clarity and regulate blood pressure. In the Orient it is recommended for stroke patients as soon as possible after their diagnosis and is helpful in eliminating or decreasing related paralysis.
20.	Q:	Can acupuncture be effective when other treatments have failed?
	A:	Yes. Each system of medicine has its own areas in which it has its greatest effectiveness. Acupuncture¹s advantage is its diagnostic and treatment system with a broad and deep understanding of our energetic nature and the impact of energy in healing. It is not limited by western medicine¹s assumption that disease is based in biochemistry. Acupuncture is powerful medicine, which works despite belief or unknown factors.
21.	Q:	What are other aspects of Chinese Medicine?
	A:	Acupuncture is one of three major branches of traditional Chinese medicine. The other two are Herbal Medicine and the practice of a physical and mental discipline called Qi Gong. Depending on the patient’s need, treatment plans may call for any or all of the available methods.  Insurance Coverage   If you are using health insurance to cover the acupuncture, please make sure your policy include a rider for acupuncture treatment by a licensed acupuncturist not by an M.D., physical therapist, or chiropractor. You may call first if you have questions about insurance coverage accepted at this office. The medical insurance coverage accepted at this office is as follows:   Oxford (Alternative Medicine rider only) Blue Cross & Blue Shield (some of them only covers post-surgical pain, dental pain, nausea during the first trimester of pregnancy, knee osteoarthritis, and nausea from chemotherapy   Some other non-HMO insurance policies may cover acupuncture. Please call your insurance company to verify individual benefits.   

 

Non-Traditional Styles of Acupuncture in US

In the early 1970’s, President Nixon’s visit to China opened the door to U.S. interest in acupuncture. Since that time, acupuncture has been gradually accepted by the American public and the American mainstream medical profession. Restrictions imposed by the Cultural Revolution in China meant that much of the information about acupuncture came indirectly through other countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc. These multiple paths of information had the result that many different schools of acupuncture took root in the U.S.

            Starting in the mid-70’s, legislation affecting acupuncture was introduced in many state legislatures in the U.S. This resulted in a national board certification exam as a requirement for legal practice of acupuncture in most states. Because of the multiple paths of information about acupuncture coming to the U.S., the questions on early version of this exam were derived from many different traditions (e.g., Korean 4-needle technique). After political reform occurred in China, many acupuncturists coming to the U.S. who had graduated from Chinese TCM universities influenced and standardized the content of the national certification examination. Each acupuncture school in the U.S. had to have a minimum curriculum in TCM so that their students could pass the national exam, but some schools concentrated on a distinctive style of acupuncture different from TCM. For example, Tai-Sophia mainly concentrated on 5-element acupuncture, New England School of Acupuncture and the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine concentrated on Japanese acupuncture, and Tri-State College of Acupuncture concentrated on trigger-point acupuncture. In 2008, a survey conducted by NCCAOM found that 79.1% of current acupuncturists mainly used TCM as their basic approach to acupuncture, 27.7% used Japanese acupuncture, and 7.08% used 5-element acupuncture. We will give a brief introduction to the following popular styles of acupuncture apart from TCM: 5 element acupuncture, Japanese acupuncture, and trigger-point acupuncture.

1. Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture

            Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture was developed in the late 1960s and 1970s by J.R. Worsley (1923-2003) in England. It was then introduced in the United State in the 1970’s. After World War II, Worsley practiced physiotherapy and began to study osteopathy, naturopathy and acupuncture. In the early 1950s, he traveled to Taiwan, Singapore and Korea to further his studies and was awarded a Doctorate in Acupuncture. In the 1960s, there was a loose grouping of practitioners who showed a keen interest in acupuncture. Five Element theory was the major philosophical influence on this group. The members of the group subsequently wrote books primarily focused on the Five Elements. J.R Worsley and some of his students started to teach his vision of Five Element acupuncture in England, and, to a lesser extent, in other countries such as Norway, Holland, Canada, Switzerland and Germany. Bob Duggan and Dianne Connelly, along with other American students of J.R Worsley, left the U.K. in 1974 to form the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Maryland, U.S.A.

            Five-Element Constitutional Acupuncture, rooted in ancient wisdom from “Nei Jing,” “Nan Jing,” and adapted by Professor Worsley for the modern world, is an effective and unique system of medicine that diagnoses and treats the cause of disease. It was drawn to the way it looked at every aspect of a person's physical, mental and spiritual well-being in order to diagnose the root cause of his or her imbalance. In 1996, the British Acupuncture Council reported that 38%, or 1,995, of its member practitioners were using this style.

2. Kiiko Matsumoto Style Acupuncture

            Kiiko Matsumoto Style Acupuncture has been developed by Kiiko Matsumoto over the past three decades. Kiiko Matsumoto studied closely with Master Nagano, a blind acupuncturist, Dr. Manaka, and Master Kawai. She has succeeded in integrating different approaches with classic Chinese texts into a coherent and highly effective style of her own. She has published four acupuncture books in English and many articles as well as video productions in Japanese for Ido-No-Nippon Sha. She is a well-know contemporary Japanese acupuncturist practicing and teaching in the U.S.

            Kiiko Matsumoto’s style of acupuncture offers a totally new way to look at patients. It combines Classical Chinese medical principles with modern pathophysiology in a way that facilitates understanding and brings out the best in both. Kiiko Matsumoto’s style of acupuncture often uses a Palpatation and Cross Checking method to diagnose a problem and evaluate treatment results. It addresses the patient’s health issues from superficial to root problems. By looking more deeply into the structural and/or constitutional imbalances, the practitioner is able to assist in a more complete and lasting healing. Because of the continual exposure to innovative treatment techniques and new clinical insights, the Kiiko Matsumoto Style continuously develops methods designed to achieve the maximum results when treating a patient.

3. Acupuncture Physical Medicine

            Acupuncture Physical Medicine (APM) is also called New American Acupuncture. Developed over the past twenty-five years by Tri-State College of Acupuncture’s founder Mark Seem, PhD., Acupuncture Physical Medicine draws from classical acupuncture, in which a focus on meridians is central. At the same time, APM draws from Western physical medicine and osteopathy, most notably as taught by the late Dr. Janet Travell, M.D.

            Acupuncture Physical Medicine is a modern approach to acupuncture that combines classics-based French-meridian acupuncture with Western physical-medicine techniques, most notably trigger point dry needling. Its assessment of a patient focuses on palpitation of the body for myofascial constrictions, which are referred to as holding patterns. In this way, APM assessment and treatment takes as its basis a patient's actual, physical lived experience of illness or distress. It is especially well suited to treating the complex and chronic disorders that plague modern medicine, from chronic pain, chronic fatigue, multiple allergies, and stress disorders, to the symptomatic relief of internal medical complaints in the various organ systems of the body, including neurological, cardio-respiratory, gastro-intestinal, genitourinary, and gynecological complaints. APM has also proven an effective complement to the psychological treatment of post-trauma disorders.

Reference:

J.R. Worsley http://www.worsleyinstitute.org/content/content.php?pageID=6

Kiiko Matsumoto and David Euler. Kiiko Matsumoto’s Clinical Strategies[M]. MA.USA, Kiiko Matsumot International，2003，14-26 http://www.tsca.edu/site/prospective/c/programs/acupuncture-physical-medicine/