Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine Body Clock

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:20:12 -0500

There are twelve energy pathways, or meridians, in the human body that connect to specific organs in the body. Chinese medicine believes that each organ has a two hour time period when the Qi is at its peak in that meridian. The Qi flows cyclically in a clockwise rotation like a wave through the meridians.

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Moxibustion For Breech Pregnancy

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 03:51:48 -0500

Up to 25% of babies at some point in a pregnancy are in a breech position, but by 34 weeks most fetuses turn into a head-down, or vertex, position on their own. This is the normal and safest fetal position for birth. Delivering a baby in a breech position involves several risks to the infant. Most obstetricians in todays world therefore will opt to perform a caesarean section if the fetus has not turned on its own. Moxibustion, the burning of the herb mugwort over an acupuncture point, in this case Bl-67 on the little toe, has been shown to be very effective to turn the fetus. Here is an excellent video where Dr. Lorne Brown, an acupuncturist from Vancouver Canada, demonstrates the procedure. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Brown at a seminar in Toronto last year where Jane Lyttleton lectured on Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of infertility.

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Acupuncture Treatment For Bladder, Uterine or Rectal Prolapse

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:15:50 -0500

I was recently asked by one of my patients whether or not I thought acupuncture treatments would benefit their sister who was told she had a bladder prolapse. Since most of my patients seek help for painful conditions, it reminded me that many people are not yet aware that Chinese medicine is also very beneficial for other types of disorders. Yes! Unless the condition has progressed to the point of requiring immediate surgical repair, acupuncture may help prevent organ prolapse conditions from deteriorating, if not completely rectify the problem.

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Cupping Therapy For Lower Back Pain

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:32:44 -0500

Here is a demonstration of Chinese medicine cupping to treat low back pain - performed by the author of “Traditional Chinese Medicine Cupping Therapy”, Ilkay Zihni Chirali. In this video, he is using cups made of glass. Glass cups are probably the most commonly used in this country because they are easy to sterilize and it is easy to see the strength of the suction when applied to the patients skin. In China, bamboo cups are very common because they are inexpensive, but they have some disadvantages. They have sharp edges, break down easily and can be a greater risk for cross-infection. In both cases, the technique of obtaining suction is the same. A cotton ball is soaked in alcohol and lit. This is used to heat the inside of the cup which removes the oxygen and creates a vacuum. When the cup is placed on the patient, the skin is drawn up into the cup. By placing the cup over an injured area, stagnant blood and toxins are brought to the surface allowing fresh blood to nourish...

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Traditional Chinese Medicine Cupping Therapy

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:13:50 -0500

Cupping Therapy has been an integral part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years and continues to be incorporated into treatments today. This book by Ilkay Zihni Chitali is an excellent resource for the practitioner of Chinese medicine. Mr. Chitali provides details for ten different cupping methods. For each method he explains the technique itself in detail along with valuable illustrations. Examples are given for conditions that may benefit from that particular technique. Half of the book (almost 100 pages) is devoted to specific treatment protocols for common ailments. Cupping instructions are given along with acupuncture points, moxibustion and herbal remedies. Case studies accompany each section. Several techniques may be used with children and he specifically notes the difference in cupping duration and technique that should be applied for each age group.

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Master Tung Five Tiger Points For Finger and Toe Pain

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:08:00 -0500

There are many Master Tung points that I personally have found to be more effective than traditional meridian acupuncture points and Wu Hu (Five Tigers) is in that category. Wu Hu is a set of five acupuncture points located on the radial aspect of the proximal segment of the thumb on the border of the red and white skin. The points are numbered sequentially, one thru five, with Wu Hu 1 being the most distal point and Wu Hu 5 the most proximal. Wu Hu 1 is selected for finger pain, palmer pain and tenosynovitis. Wu Hu 3 is selected for toe pain. Wu Hu 2 is added to strengthen the effect of Wu Hu 1 or 3. Wu Hu 4 is needled for instep or dorsal foot pain and Wu Hu 5 is very effective for heel pain (in combination with points on the heel of the palm and PC 7 on the pericardium meridian). As with most Master Tung points used to treat painful conditions, points are needled contralaterally to the pain and the patient is asked to move the affected part of the body while the needles...

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Acupuncture Point Xiaojie for Ankle Pain

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:23:17 -0500

Master Tung passed away in 1975 leaving behind only one book documenting his acupuncture points. Today there are only three direct disciples of Master Tung living in the US. Dr. Wei-Chieh Young is one of them. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Young for sharing his experience with Master Tung’s points via his lectures, seminars and recently published books. Xiaojie is a point that Dr. Young discovered based on Master Tung’s holographic imaging of the body and contralateral needling technique. This point is located at the base of the ball of the thumb and needled for an inch and a half thru the thenar eminance of the palm. This acupuncture point alone is amazingly effective for sprained or strained ankle and I have had occasion to use it several times in my clinic.

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Self Acupressure For Diarrhea

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:27:39 -0500

Here it is - my debut on www.youtube.com! My sister convinced me that I could make an instructional video on acupressure, so we gave it a whirl. Considering we had several takes due to one or both of us bursting out laughing, it didn't come out too bad, if I do say so myself. I chose to demonstrate this Master Tung acupuncture point because I have used it myself and I know it is effective. As I say in the video, the translated name of the point is "Intestine Gate". Intestine Gate has a powerful effect on calming the intestinal tract. Acupressure can be used in an acute situation. Acupuncture to this point along with others based on the Chinese medical differential diagnosis can be used to treat chronic diarrhea.

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Master Tung’s Gynecology (Fu Ke) Acupuncture Point

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:59:36 -0500

This two-point unit is located on the ulnar aspect of the proximal segment of the dorsal side of the thumb. This acupuncture point is very effective to treat almost any kind of gynecological disease including irregular menses, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, amenorrhea, endometriosis, fallopian tube blockage, uterine pain or fibroids, frequent miscarriage and infertility. This point is needled on one hand and often coupled with a different point on the opposite hand called Return to Nest (Nest being a reference to the uterus). The first time Fu Ke will be needled on the left and Return to Nest on the Right. The next time, Fu Ke will be needled on the right and Return to Nest on the left. Continue alternating the points with each treatment.

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Mind Body Spirit Fitness - The NIA Technique

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:54:22 -0500

Last weekend I attended a NIA workshop at the Kripalu Yoga Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts. Carlos Rosas, co-founder of the technique, led our “Dancing Through Life” workshop. NIA, an acronym for Neuromuscular Integrative Action, is an amazing mind, body and spirit approach to fitness. You may think that a website devoted to acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an odd place to be discussing a fitness technique, but if you consider that TCM also focuses on keeping the body in balance to maintain health by addressing the mind, body and spirit of each individual, you will see that there is a definite correlation.

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Self Acupressure for Constipation

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:25:40 -0500

I often give my patients homework to do between acupuncture treatments. This homework commonly involves acupressure. Sometimes small seeds are applied to the ear to stimulate corresponding parts of the body to relieve pain. Sometimes points are stimulated on the hand corresponding to Korean Hand acupuncture points. And sometimes pressure is applied directly to the meridian acupuncture points. Acupressure can address acute symptoms between the acupuncture treatments which in turn focus on addressing the underlying imbalance in the body that is causing the pain, symptom or disease. Here is a short video clip I found on YouTube demonstrating the use of acupressure to relief constipation. The narrator explains that this technique can be helpful for those incidences of constipation that many people experience while travelling.

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The Magic Points of Master Tung

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:00:16 -0500

If I had to pick one event in the last six years that had the most impact on my career as an acupuncturist, I would have to say that it was in 2003 when I listened to a taped lecture by Susan Johnson on Master Tung’s Top Ten Points. At the time, my training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) had focused on the 365 points of the Fourteen Meridian System, a system that has been standardized in the People’s Republic of China. This is the system that is most often taught in the acupuncture schools of the U.S. It is the system upon which the national (NCCAOM) acupuncture board exam is based.

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Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for Smoking Cessation

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:01:57 -0500

With the new year, come New Year’s resolutions, and several people have been asking me about using Chinese medicine to help them to quit smoking. Acupuncture has been used successfully to overcome addictions in this country for decades. The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) was formed in 1988 and promotes the use of a specific ear acupuncture protocol to help with the anxiety and stress associated with hardcore drug addiction withdrawal. This protocol has been applied to smoking cessation. Four or five points are selected on the ear and stimulated either by hand or with electrical stimulation.

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Bleeding the Ear Apex

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:37:55 -0500

There are many good books on the market for auricular acupuncture and I have several in my reference library, but there is one that is special to me – “Modern Chinese Ear Acupuncture” by Ping Chen. Dr. Chen (though she always insisted that we call her Ping) was one of my professors at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a dedicated teacher and compassionate doctor and I am very grateful to have had her as a mentor. Ping’s book is thorough in point location and indications with detailed diagrams and case studies. She speaks of many ways to stimulate the auricular points including seed acupressure, needle implantation, plum blossom needling, ear moxibustion, ear massage, medicated plasters, electroacupuncture, magnet therapy, medicine injection and bloodletting.

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Insomnia Due to Heart Disease

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:49:32 -0500

A local support group for heart and stroke patients asked me recently to give a talk about acupuncture and Chinese medicine at one of their monthly meetings. One gentleman approached me afterwards and said that he had not slept well since his heart bypass surgery, which had been about three years earlier. This did not surprise me, as the Heart in Chinese medicine is said to house the spirit and has a lot to do with the body’s ability to sleep peacefully. Since the problem was becoming really worrisome (he only slept two hours a night), and he did not want to add another medication to his long list of prescriptions, he decided he had nothing to lose by trying acupuncture treatments. We started weekly treatments. I used points that are well known to calm the mind and nourish the heart to help sleep. For a couple of weeks, he would sleep better for a night or two only to return to the same pattern of two hours a night. After four treatments he was getting discouraged, and even...

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