If a person only knows one thing about acupuncture, it’s probably the needles. Of course, this is everything that some people need to know. Just the thought of needles is enough to conjure up bad memories of painful childhood vaccinations. Fortunately for anyone considering acupuncture, this is an unrealistic fear- the tools we use are […]
Definition of acupuncture points
It’s a tough definition to do in western medicine. Here’s a working definition that is a good start if you are not trained in eastern medicine. An acupuncture point is a specific spot in the body that is prone to unnatural tension. This tension can be caused by injury, mechanical stress, biochemical imbalances, reduced circulation […]
Definition of Trigger Point Acupuncture
Triggerpoint acupuncture is directly treating triggerpoints using active needling techniques. A triggerpoint is an unnaturally tight muscle in the body that is having an impact on another, related part of the body. For example, a tight muscle in a forearm muscle pulls on the elbow joint and creates pain there. Triggerpoint acupuncture is the process […]
Reactive or proactive medicine
From a health strategy, I find that most people agree that proactive is better than reactive. It’s a bit puzzling to me why people think of medicine as a reactive method. If instead people thought of medicine as proactive, there would be more checkups, maintenance and avoidance of problems and tus the cure would happen […]
The Biggest Acupuncture Myth
“Acupuncture needles are stuck into nerves” Acupuncture needles are inserted into muscles…not nerves. Most people feel nothing on the insertion of the needles. The needles are about 1/3 the diameter of the typical syringe and, due to their diameter, are extremely flexible. Acupuncture is 5,000 years old and so are the descriptions of how it […]
Traditional and modern definition of Meridians
There is an eastern and western description of meridans. Eastern live force is what people see when they look at an animal and know it is living … contrasted to a stone. Anyway, this motivating force is called Chi (chee) and in traditional chinese medicine, is the focus of acupuncturists. Thousands of years ago, acupuncturists […]
Health changes occur slowly … for bad and good
Lifestyle caused problems take years to develop. Whether it’s eating too much, or unhealthily, lack of exercise, not dealing with deep, negative emotions, drinking or taking other drugs, all of these problems taks a long time to develop into life-threatning problems. It’s unfortunate that a quick fix attitude has been developed within the typical western […]
Case study: Improving Neuropathy with Acupuncture after Chemo
Over the past year and a half, I treated a patient who recently had a bout with bowel cancer. After surgery, he went through a 6-month period of Chemo. He was experiencing a common side-effect of the chemotherapy … neuropathy … loss of sensivity in his feet. He describes this sensition as if he was […]
Video of Triggerpoint for Plantar Fasciitis
The first few steps of the day will typically include pain in the bottom of the foot. Limping is typical. This foot problem is a perfect illustration of the effectiveness of Acupuncture on muscular-related problems. Moreover, this case also illustrates the common misconception that the problem is always where you feel the pain. This type of […]
Blueberries – Packed with Nutritional Value
Recently, Dr. Weil discussed 6 reasons to eat blueberries in a Daily Tip from Dr. Weil.com email. We love blueberries in my house and try to eat a lot of all berries. Berries are dark and colorful and are all packed with a lot of nutrients. Here are the reasons Dr. Weil said to eat […]