I always learn so much from you, my patients. Today is no exception. I just received an email with information about a fantastic art work called the Portland Acupuncture Project.
In an effort to identify important spots around the city and bring a sense of interconnectedness, an artist named Adam Kuby is placing large scale needles in different points around the city.
With this "acupuncture", Portland is sure to become one of the healthiest cities!
Thanks Laura for sharing the info!
Showing posts with label acupuncture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acupuncture. Show all posts
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Burn Treatment
A few years ago, while rushing around the kitchen, I accidently grabbed a metal spatula that had just come out of the oven. The utensil left a perfect outline burned into my palm. I quickly abandoned my dinner prep and rushed to grab my acupuncture kit. I’ve read and studied all about Dr. Manaka’s burn treatment in school, but this was going to be the first time I would get to use it. Since this incident, it’s still one of my favorite treatments because the results are unbelievable and undeniable.
Dr. Yoshio Manaka was a Japanese poet, artist, scholar and physician. During his medical tour of duty in World War II, he discovered that applying tin foil to burns reduced pain and helped to speed up the healing of the area. Upon further studies, he developed a device called an ion-pumping cord which serves as a way to use the body’s own electrical potential to reduce the severe pain that comes with second degree burns. Within 10 minutes of starting the procedure, patients in severe pain noticed a reduction in pain. After 20 minutes, all patients reported markedly less or no pain at all.
Since I’ve always been a huge skeptic, I didn't count on much relief but I thought I would at least get a chance to “test” Dr. Manaka's treatment on myself. Within a few minutes of treatment, my hand stopped hurting. My first thought was that my burn wasn’t that bad! So I removed the cords and foil and, within minutes, the pain returned and my hand throbbed. I spent the next 10 minutes applying and removing the treatment – just because I could not believe how clear it was that it was helping. By the end of the day, with my hand “healed” enough to submerge in water without screaming, I decided that this was officially my favorite acupuncture treatment – and a much better reminder of that day than a spatula-shaped scar.
Since that day, Dr. Manaka’s treatment has brought smiles to many of my patients who showed up for treatments, sunburned and in pain.
Dr. Yoshio Manaka was a Japanese poet, artist, scholar and physician. During his medical tour of duty in World War II, he discovered that applying tin foil to burns reduced pain and helped to speed up the healing of the area. Upon further studies, he developed a device called an ion-pumping cord which serves as a way to use the body’s own electrical potential to reduce the severe pain that comes with second degree burns. Within 10 minutes of starting the procedure, patients in severe pain noticed a reduction in pain. After 20 minutes, all patients reported markedly less or no pain at all.
Since I’ve always been a huge skeptic, I didn't count on much relief but I thought I would at least get a chance to “test” Dr. Manaka's treatment on myself. Within a few minutes of treatment, my hand stopped hurting. My first thought was that my burn wasn’t that bad! So I removed the cords and foil and, within minutes, the pain returned and my hand throbbed. I spent the next 10 minutes applying and removing the treatment – just because I could not believe how clear it was that it was helping. By the end of the day, with my hand “healed” enough to submerge in water without screaming, I decided that this was officially my favorite acupuncture treatment – and a much better reminder of that day than a spatula-shaped scar.
Since that day, Dr. Manaka’s treatment has brought smiles to many of my patients who showed up for treatments, sunburned and in pain.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Study: Acupuncture - no side effects and cost effective treatment choice for oncology patients.
Recently published study showed acupuncture to be as effective at reducing hot flashes in women with breast cancer as other medication. But acupuncture produced these results without negative side effects.
Dr. Eleanor Walker, MD, director of breast radiation oncology in the Henry Ford Health System, and the lead author of the study, said that patients treated with medications reported experiencing nausea, dry mouth, headache, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, double vision, increased blood pressure, constipation, fatigue, anxiety, feeling “spaced out,” and body jerking during the night.
Patients treated with acupuncture experienced no negative side effects. Instead they reported having more energy, increased sexual desire, being able to think more clearly, and feeling better overall than before treatment.
Dr. Eleanor Walker, MD, director of breast radiation oncology in the Henry Ford Health System, and the lead author of the study, said that patients treated with medications reported experiencing nausea, dry mouth, headache, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, double vision, increased blood pressure, constipation, fatigue, anxiety, feeling “spaced out,” and body jerking during the night.
Patients treated with acupuncture experienced no negative side effects. Instead they reported having more energy, increased sexual desire, being able to think more clearly, and feeling better overall than before treatment.
In addition, Dr. Walker found that acupuncture was a much more cost effective way to treat hot flashes. She reported that patients treated with acupuncture had long lasting effects - lasting up to 3 months after initial treatment, compared to only 2 weeks when using medication.
Read full article.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Shoulder Pain After Gallbladder Surgery
Stones present in the gallbladder do not cause problems for everyone, but if they decide to move, they may cause a blockage of the bile duck. This leads to, what is commonly referred to as, a “gallbladder attack.” In this case one of the presenting signs might be pain between the shoulder blades or pain under the right shoulder. Other signs and symptoms include right side abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. Often these symptoms start after consuming fatty meals, or in the middle of the night. A trip to the ER quickly follows and, in most cases, the gallbladder will be removed.
What frustrates many patients and doctors is that the pain in the right shoulder returns and stays even after the gallbladder has been removed and surgery scars have healed. Treatment for this pain usually involves painkillers, which do not work for everyone.
So what can you do?
Positive effects on reducing all kinds of pain with the use of acupuncture have been well publicized. Both patients and doctors recommend acupuncture because it’s safe, non-invasive and does not produce negative side effects. But there is another reason why acupuncture can be very effective in eliminating the pain that occurs after the gallbladder has been removed.
Diagnosis during your acupuncture visit includes palpation and examination of the abdomen as well as specific acupuncture channels to find “weaknesses” in the body that may have contributed to the gallstone formation in the first place. Gallstones and a gallbladder attack are both presenting symptoms, but the goal of an acupuncturist is to find the root of the problem. By observing individual patterns in each patient, we can determine and treat that root cause and therefore eliminate the leftover symptoms – like shoulder pain.
To make it easier for you to visualize how acupuncture works to diagnose and treat the problem, here is my favorite analogy. If you see that a tree in your garden has dry leaves, at first, you may pull off the dry leaves and that’s it. But if you notice that more dead leaves keep showing up without a reason, you will probably check the water supply and look for evidence of bugs or disease somewhere else on the tree. By doing this, you are trying to determine the root of the problem because you intuitively know that the whole tree is connected. That’s the goal of acupuncture – find the true cause of the problem, beyond just the symptoms that are most obvious.
Treating each patient on individual basis helps to create a treatment protocol that is specifically catered to their own needs. For one patient that might be a combination of points “A”, B” and D” while others will get better results with “Z”, “F” and “Q”. This approach not only relieves the pain, it also produces results that last.
What frustrates many patients and doctors is that the pain in the right shoulder returns and stays even after the gallbladder has been removed and surgery scars have healed. Treatment for this pain usually involves painkillers, which do not work for everyone.
So what can you do?
Positive effects on reducing all kinds of pain with the use of acupuncture have been well publicized. Both patients and doctors recommend acupuncture because it’s safe, non-invasive and does not produce negative side effects. But there is another reason why acupuncture can be very effective in eliminating the pain that occurs after the gallbladder has been removed.
Diagnosis during your acupuncture visit includes palpation and examination of the abdomen as well as specific acupuncture channels to find “weaknesses” in the body that may have contributed to the gallstone formation in the first place. Gallstones and a gallbladder attack are both presenting symptoms, but the goal of an acupuncturist is to find the root of the problem. By observing individual patterns in each patient, we can determine and treat that root cause and therefore eliminate the leftover symptoms – like shoulder pain.
To make it easier for you to visualize how acupuncture works to diagnose and treat the problem, here is my favorite analogy. If you see that a tree in your garden has dry leaves, at first, you may pull off the dry leaves and that’s it. But if you notice that more dead leaves keep showing up without a reason, you will probably check the water supply and look for evidence of bugs or disease somewhere else on the tree. By doing this, you are trying to determine the root of the problem because you intuitively know that the whole tree is connected. That’s the goal of acupuncture – find the true cause of the problem, beyond just the symptoms that are most obvious.
Treating each patient on individual basis helps to create a treatment protocol that is specifically catered to their own needs. For one patient that might be a combination of points “A”, B” and D” while others will get better results with “Z”, “F” and “Q”. This approach not only relieves the pain, it also produces results that last.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
A Super Weekend...
The anticipation. The excitement. Seeing the best doing what they do best. What a weekend!!!
Scramble left… scramble right… pass the acupuncture needle…
Before I confuse too many football fans, I should clarify; I’m not talking about the Super Bowl here! Sorry. That may have been an exciting game, but I’m buzzing with excitement about a different display of talent and grace.
Here is a “play-by-play”.
This weekend some fortunate fans descened on Pasadena and got to see Coach Kiiko Matsumoto, once again, generously share her latest “plays” and winning point combinations. In an eye opening, fun and often funny two day seminar, Kiiko Sensei scored all sorts of victories while navigating the tough field of stubborn and complicated cases.
A history of chronic cough, a lower leg neuropathy, a frozen shoulder, a case of painful menstruation are just a few of the “players” that ended up on the losing team as Kiiko Sensei whipped out her needles and sent these symptoms packing.
Her winning “team” consisted of rookies such as “Mr. Trochanter Treatment”, “Ms. Bai Liao #2" and "Mr. Bai Liao #3”, “Mr. Outer Kidney Shu” and “Mr. Edge of 12th Rib”, together with some of the seasoned veterans such as “Mr. Oketsu.” Together, they delivered wonderful results and sent the fans home inspired.
What a weekend indeed. I can’t wait to apply these strategies in the coming weeks! Domo Arigato Gozaimasu Kiiko Sensei!
Scramble left… scramble right… pass the acupuncture needle…
Before I confuse too many football fans, I should clarify; I’m not talking about the Super Bowl here! Sorry. That may have been an exciting game, but I’m buzzing with excitement about a different display of talent and grace.
Here is a “play-by-play”.
This weekend some fortunate fans descened on Pasadena and got to see Coach Kiiko Matsumoto, once again, generously share her latest “plays” and winning point combinations. In an eye opening, fun and often funny two day seminar, Kiiko Sensei scored all sorts of victories while navigating the tough field of stubborn and complicated cases.
A history of chronic cough, a lower leg neuropathy, a frozen shoulder, a case of painful menstruation are just a few of the “players” that ended up on the losing team as Kiiko Sensei whipped out her needles and sent these symptoms packing.
Her winning “team” consisted of rookies such as “Mr. Trochanter Treatment”, “Ms. Bai Liao #2" and "Mr. Bai Liao #3”, “Mr. Outer Kidney Shu” and “Mr. Edge of 12th Rib”, together with some of the seasoned veterans such as “Mr. Oketsu.” Together, they delivered wonderful results and sent the fans home inspired.
What a weekend indeed. I can’t wait to apply these strategies in the coming weeks! Domo Arigato Gozaimasu Kiiko Sensei!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sorry gentleman, this one is for the ladies
It seems that these days a woman’s menstrual cycle is getting all sorts of negative publicity. Think about the last time you heard or read something good about “that time of the month.” If you’re drawing a blank, you’re not alone.
Even if you yourself are not suffering from painful cramps or especially bad mood swings, you’re probably indulging in thoughts of eliminating the vacation-spoiling, wardrobe-limiting, monthly event – at least on occasion.
But there is a reason to, dare I say, embrace the period. The fact is the menstrual cycle is a very good reflection of a woman’s overall health. Regular, pain-free, not too heavy, not too light periods demonstrate that everything from our hormones and fluids to muscles and organs is functioning well.
If you are experiencing painful periods, irregular periods, skipping periods, heavy bleeding or any other symptoms that occur as part of your menstrual experience, don’t wait to get treatments. The sooner you take charge of your body the faster and easier it will be to nudge it back to a balanced state.
If you think that the only options available are over-the-counter drugs, birth control pills or surgical intervention you will be pleasantly surprised by how much acupuncture can help eliminate these symptoms – in a safe and non-invasive way!
Acupuncture has developed a huge following in US over the last few years - by both patients and their gynecologists, because of its high success rates and virtually non-existent negative side effects. In addition, acupuncture diagnosis and treatments DO NOT involve some of the… how should I put this?… dreaded “positions” we end up in during the yearly gynecological check-ups. Instead, acupuncturists rely on pulse diagnosis, acupuncture channel palpation and external-abdominal palpation to design treatments. In fact patients report that the treatments are relaxing and pain free.
If you are suffering from:
Pain – before, during or after your period
Irregular or missed periods
Heavy or very light bleeding or spotting
Fibroids
Changes in mood associated with your cycle
Changes in appetite and digestion associated with your cycle
Skin changes associated with your cycle
Negative reaction to birth control or hormone treatments
Hormonal imbalances
Infertility
Visit your gynecologist for a check-up and call your acupuncturist for some relief.
The sooner you start paying attention to these symptoms that keep reoccurring month after month, the quicker you can say – wait, that really was a “happy period.”
Friday, January 30, 2009
Modern Gadgets and Ancient Medicine
I thought it would be appropriate to talk about technology in this first blog. Here I am practicing what is a 2,000+ year old medicine yet I believe that some modern technology is responsible for making me a better physician. Some of it is obvious – like the internet, of course. How did anyone live without it? What about something much, much smaller? Take for instance a pocket-sized keyboard, which opens up to laptop size, and allows you to type notes straight to your smart mobile phone – no laptop or outlet required. If you’re wondering how this gadget can possibly contribute to a better treatment for my patients, consider the following.
Each medical professional, myself included, relies on and is required to complete continuing education classes in their field. It is in these seminars that we learn from some of the best people in our respective fields. For me, it’s following the work of Kiiko Matsumoto by attending weekend seminars. Each seminar is about two days long and usually held in a classroom or a conference room.
The information we learn in these classes is advanced and cutting edge. The rooms we are in are not. On average the class size is anywhere from 25-100 people while the number of electrical outlet plugs is 2! Now imagine 25 people trying to use the same plug to keep their computer alive for 8 hours, two days in a row. Knowing this situation, most will opt for the old fashion pen and paper. But in my experience the notes you take the old fashion way often end up collecting dust somewhere in a box. Mine were always illegible, messy, and incomplete.
With the help of this relatively inexpensive gadget you can type on a full size keyboard that operates on a couple of AAA batteries. The battery life of BlackBerry or Palm far exceeds that of my laptop so I can sit anywhere in the classroom, type quickly, almost to a point of transcribing, and then with a quick sync to my own computer, have the notes available to me with a click of a mouse.
When researching patient cases I can find treatment ideas with a simple click of “Ctrl F” and immediately have access to several weekend lectures at once. No paper cuts. Having done this for several years now, I continue to be constantly amazed at treatment ideas that are in my notes that I simply did not remember from class.
So, as this weekend and Kiiko Matsumoto’s latest class approaches, I’m packing fresh AAA batteries and my little techno gadget and looking forward to learning about the ancient medicine that, with a little help from technology, will make my patients feel much better.
Each medical professional, myself included, relies on and is required to complete continuing education classes in their field. It is in these seminars that we learn from some of the best people in our respective fields. For me, it’s following the work of Kiiko Matsumoto by attending weekend seminars. Each seminar is about two days long and usually held in a classroom or a conference room.
The information we learn in these classes is advanced and cutting edge. The rooms we are in are not. On average the class size is anywhere from 25-100 people while the number of electrical outlet plugs is 2! Now imagine 25 people trying to use the same plug to keep their computer alive for 8 hours, two days in a row. Knowing this situation, most will opt for the old fashion pen and paper. But in my experience the notes you take the old fashion way often end up collecting dust somewhere in a box. Mine were always illegible, messy, and incomplete.
With the help of this relatively inexpensive gadget you can type on a full size keyboard that operates on a couple of AAA batteries. The battery life of BlackBerry or Palm far exceeds that of my laptop so I can sit anywhere in the classroom, type quickly, almost to a point of transcribing, and then with a quick sync to my own computer, have the notes available to me with a click of a mouse.
When researching patient cases I can find treatment ideas with a simple click of “Ctrl F” and immediately have access to several weekend lectures at once. No paper cuts. Having done this for several years now, I continue to be constantly amazed at treatment ideas that are in my notes that I simply did not remember from class.
So, as this weekend and Kiiko Matsumoto’s latest class approaches, I’m packing fresh AAA batteries and my little techno gadget and looking forward to learning about the ancient medicine that, with a little help from technology, will make my patients feel much better.
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