Acupuncture: The Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression, is a debilitating problem that interferes with the quality of life of thousands of patients, especially during the fall, winter and early spring.

This syndrome seems to be a worldwide phenomenon and occurs cross culturally, especially in countries far from the equator. Clinical symptoms that reappear regularly with the seasonal changes include lethargy; difficulty concentrating; depression; negative thoughts; elevated cravings for carbohydrates with corresponding overeating and weight gain; hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness); tiredness in the morning; diminished libido; and decreased social interaction. Patients typically become more anxious by the end of the summer as they anticipate the coming months, during which less sunlight is present and their symptoms return. (acupuncturetoday.com, written by Skya Abbate)

Clinical experience reveals that patients may have other mental problems as well, such as substance abuse disorders, personality disorders and anxiety disorders, which as comorbdid conditions, further exacerbate the degree of the SAD patient's symptoms. Flaws and Lake define SAD as "a variant of bipolar disorder characterized by cyclic manic, depressive or mixed mood states that are somehow triggered by external clues to changing seasons, including principally, increased or decreased day length. Individuals with SAD tend to become depressed during the autumn months and manic during the springtime."1 This is a complicated disorder that may accompany many severe illnesses such as cardiovascular and endocrine disease, and for which a patient should seek qualified professional help. Seasonal affective disorder does, however, respond well to treatment with Oriental medicine.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is an example of how a change in seasons can affect our emotional and physical wellbeing. Between 4 and 6 percent of the U.S. population suffer from SAD. It is more commonly observed in those who live at high latitudes (areas farther away from the equator to the north and south). Seasonal changes are generally more extreme in these regions, supporting the idea that SAD is caused by changes in sunlight availability.

While SAD can occur during summer with limited symptoms such as weight loss, trouble sleeping and decreased appetite, its winter symptoms tend to be more severe. Winter-time sufferers of SAD can experience fatigue, increased need for sleep, decreased energy levels, weight gain, increase in appetite, difficulty concentrating and increased desire to be alone.

The TCM yin and yang forces of the seasons coincide with those of the body. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine states that, “People and nature are inseparable.” While yang’s warmth, activity and brightness work through out the spring and summer months, yin’s passivity, coldness and darkness begin in autumn and continue until spring equinox. Therefore, the winter months, which represent the height of the yin cycle and the water element, can cause those whose constitution tends toward yin to feel the effects of this season more acutely.

Western medicine currently treats seasonal affective disorder with light therapy and sometimes with antidepressants. This is because energetic imbalances, which are associated with emotional and physical disturbances in the body, can become more pronounced after a change in weather and sunlight. The downside to these light therapies is that they carry side effects such as eyestrain, headache, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, palpitations, high blood pressure and reduced libido. Also, these therapies do not address the underlying problems, but merely offer symptom relief.

Acupuncture is a natural alternative to light therapy or antidepressants. Acupuncture, which has shown promising results treating depression by releasing serotonin and noradrenaline-norepinephrine, has no side effects. Together with a treatment plan created by a licensed acupuncturist, acupuncture can improve balance of mood and energy, relieving the patient from the burdens of a depressed, unbalanced system.

The winter months are associated with the kidney system, which is the base of qi, our vital energy. The kidney creates fire and warmth and provides energy to other organs. As our bodies use up energy keeping warm, they begin to crave quick sources of new energy in high calorie foods, which are stored as fat to keep the body warm. These foods do not sustain energy levels in the body, nor do they properly nourish the kidney, and with this energy depletion we tend to feel more lethargic and sensitive to our surroundings. This is why winter is a time to seek replenishment of body, mind and spirit.

Nourishment in all areas of life is especially important during the winter months when SAD is most common. Although many people head indoors during winter, it is important to continue outdoor activities to expose yourself to daylight, and to take part in activities that support inner balance. Physical and mental stress, as well as poor sleep and nutrition, further deplete the body’s energy and leave you susceptible to illness. You should rest and conserve energy, but also spend time with friends and loved ones, cultivate your inner dialogue and eat a well balanced diet. Eating less fruits, increasing whole grain intake and plenty of warming foods such as soup, is a great way to nourish the kidney system.

Oriental medicine can restore the balance our bodies seek during seasonal transitions. While the tendency is to look inward or become preoccupied with one area of our health, such as maintaining energy and keeping warm, it is important to remember that balance in everything from your diet to your living environment is essential in sustaining a positive outlook and a healthy mood. (pacificcollege.edu)

Migraines: Preventative Care with Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the technique of piercing the body with a solid needle for therapeutic purposes. Acupuncture was developed in China and the first textbook describing the use of acupuncture is thought to date back to about 200BC. Western interest in acupuncture grew in the 1970’s with President Nixon’s visit to China and has steadily increased since then. The majority of acupuncture treatment in the UK is provided in private practice by professional (lay) acupuncturists who are not from an orthodox medical background. However, acupuncture is provided in almost all NHS pain clinics and by increasing numbers of GPs and physiotherapists.

Types of acupuncture

Two main philosophical approaches are usually recognised. Traditional Chinese medical concepts describe illness and disease as a disturbance of qi (a form of energy or ‘vital force’) within the body. Qi is said to flow along fourteen meridians on the body surface on which the acupuncture points are situated (rather like stations on the lines of the London Underground map). Acupuncture aims to re-establish the correct flow of qi throughout the meridians. Diagnosis may include detailed examination of the pulse and tongue. Needle placement is individualised, so each patient with migraine might receive a different number and distribution of needles. This is often combined with dietary advice and Chinese herbal treatment.

Western medical acupuncture is a modern scientific approach which is based on the biological effects of needling and on clinical and laboratory research. Acupuncture has been found to have effects on the nervous system, including locally where the needles are placed, in the spinal cord and brainstem, where a ‘damping effect’ occurs on pain transmission, and in areas of the brain which regulate the emotional aspects of pain. This may explain beneficial effects from ‘distant’ acupuncture points of traditional practice. Western medical acupuncture uses both local points (for instance on the head and neck) and distant points (such as hands and feet). A related approach is ‘trigger point’ acupuncture, in which tender points in muscles are needled to release muscle spasm contributing to the condition, for example in the neck and scalp.

Evidence for acupuncture

A major problem in acupuncture research is that most clinical trials in headache are ‘randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trials’, which means that the treatment (typically a drug) is compared with a ‘placebo’ or dummy tablet of identical appearance so that neither the patients nor the researchers know which is which. This is done to minimise treatment expectations affecting the outcome. However, it is much more difficult to devise a ‘placebo’ acupuncture technique with which patients and researchers can be ‘blinded’. One method is called ‘sham’ acupuncture, in which the needles are inserted less deeply into the skin and away from classic acupuncture points. This relies upon the patient not knowing where the true points are and works best in those who have never had acupuncture before. The second method is to use a special needle held in a sheath, which hides it from the patient. The needle can then be made to enter the skin as usual, or to ‘prick’ the skin but not penetrate it (placebo). This has been shown to mimic the sensation of acupuncture effectively. There is much controversy about whether either of these methods are truly inactive like a drug placebo or may have specific effects because they stimulate nerve fibres lying under the skin. The other issue is that practitioners can never be ‘blinded’; they always know which treatment they are giving. For this reason the results of treatment must be assessed by another researcher unaware of which patients got which treatment, or by the patients themselves.

Acupuncture studies in headache have concentrated almost entirely on the prevention of headache rather than acute treatment. A Cochrane systematic review first published in 2001 analysed 16 studies involving 1151 patients and concluded that ‘the existing evidence supports the value of acupuncture for the treatment of idiopathic headaches’, but called for further large-scale studies. Large, randomised controlled clinical trials involving several thousand patients have now been conducted, funded by German health insurance companies. These studies have compared acupuncture with standard treatment (drugs and advice given by physicians) and demonstrate persistent and clinically relevant benefits under real-life conditions and equivalence to specialist drug management. However, no convincing evidence of superiority to ‘sham’ acupuncture has been shown for headache. To skeptics, this suggests that ‘acupuncture doesn’t work’ (i.e. ‘it is no better than placebo’). To supporters of acupuncture, it suggests that while the studies show that it may not matter quite so much how the acupuncture is done, i.e. where the needles are placed or how deeply, acupuncture is much better than no treatment and equivalent to conventional treatment options, with considerably fewer side-effects.

In so-called ‘pragmatic’ studies, the real-world effectiveness of acupuncture has been assessed when given in addition to usual treatment. Patients are randomized to ‘acupuncture’ or ‘no additional treatment (standard GP management) without the use of a placebo. In one such study, patients suffering with chronic headache (80% with migraine) were given 12 sessions of acupuncture over 3 months. This resulted in 34% fewer headache days, 15% less medication, 15% fewer days off work and 25% fewer GP visits after one year. The cost-effectiveness, expressed per ‘quality-adjusted life year’ (QALY), the recommended measure, was £9000 per QALY, well under the threshold of £20-30 000 per QALY) required by the National Institute of Clinical Effectiveness (NICE). These results have been repeated in Europe.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) include in their headache guideline(2012, updated 2015) that a course of up to 10 sessions of acupuncture may be offered by a healthcare professional if neither topiramate or propranolol are suitable or work well for a particular patient. However, there is no mandate for health professionals to prescribe acupuncture. In practice its availability on the NHS is inconsistent.

Safety of acupuncture

Acupuncture is extremely safe if delivered by adequately trained practitioners. The most frequent side-effects are mild and include: minor bruising or bleeding, usually on needle withdrawal (3%), worsening of existing symptoms (1%) which usually lasts no more than two days and is sometimes associated with a good overall outcome; drowsiness, relaxation, or euphoria (3%) which is often experienced as pleasurable (and if so is not an adverse event!), and pain at the needling site (1%). Severe, extremely rare side-effects include a puncture lung or heart membrane (this is avoided by correct technique); transmission of blood-borne diseases (e.g. hepatitis C), avoided by using single-use, sterile, disposable needles, and skin infection (which is possible with ear acupuncture, particularly if indwelling studs are used).

Acupuncture at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital

The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, part of University College Hospital NHS Trust, introduced acupuncture into the NHS in 1977. It is the largest provider of acupuncture services to NHS patients, providing several thousand patient sessions per year. All treatment is provided by conventionally qualified doctors, nurses and physiotherapists who are additionally trained in acupuncture.  Both Western and traditional Chinese techniques are used. With increasing scientific evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture, the RLHH has concentrated on the challenge of providing NHS acupuncture on the scale and frequency required to treat the large number of sufferers with chronic painful conditions including headache and migraine, facial pain, back and neck pain and knee osteoarthritis. It has set up a number of pioneering group treatment services, where patients are treated up to six at a time initially on a weekly or two-weekly basis, followed by monthly maintenance treatment for those who respond. Clinical audit has demonstrated that the results compare with those from clinical trials.

References

• Linde K et al. Acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD001218.

• Diener HC. et al. Efficacy of acupuncture for the prophylaxis of migraine: a multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial. Lancet Neurol. 2006 Apr;5(4):310-6.

• Linde K, Streng A, Jurgens S, Hoppe A, Brinkhaus B, Witt C et al. Acupuncture for patients with migraine: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2005;293(17):2118-25.

• Vickers A. et al. Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial BMJ 2004;328;744-9.

• Wonderling D et al. Cost effectiveness analysis of a randomised trial of acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care. BMJ 2004;328;747.

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.  Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management (NICE guidelines [CG 150]).  2012 (updated 2015).

this article originally appeared on migrainetrust.org, with contribution by Dr Saul Berkovitz MRCP

2 Points For Eliminating Lower Back and Hip Pain

Lower back and hip pain are common complaints among older adults with a wide range of underlying causes. Legs aside, the hips are the most important weight-bearing parts of the body that provide support and allow us to stand upright and move in all directions. However, lift something that is too heavy, twist the wrong way, strain your back muscles and you are in a world of pain. The pain can be simply a dull throbbing, a burning sensation or tingling that continues over a period of time. Or it could be sharp waves of pain pulsating upon movement. When looking for a way to treat the momentary pain on the spot, many people consider alternative medicine.

According to WebMD, acupressure is the ancient Chinese medical practice used “to promote relaxation and wellness and to treat disease.” It is often thought of as simply acupuncture without the needles. Acupressure is the application of pressure, or massage, of key pressure points on your body to help restore health and balance. Hundreds of acupressure points exist within the human body, and although some of the benefits of the points overlap, each point accomplishes something unique, too.

Acupuncture Points for Lower Back Pain Relief

There are 2 acupuncture points that can help you relieve your lower back pain. They are B48 and GB30, as presented on the image below.

Massaging the GB30 is supposed to lessen hip pain, pain in the buttocks, lower back pain, sciatica, muscle spasms and hip joint pain. It also helps in relieving leg pain, lumbar pain and hemiplegia.

Massaging B48 should lessen hip pain, sciatica and pain in the sacral area. Take note that often the B48 points can be very sensitive and inflamed if you are already experiencing back pain, and care should be used when massaging them. Massaging B48 is also helpful in treating diarrhea and diabetes.

Locating the GB30 and B48 points on the body

GB30 is also known as the Jumping Round point. This point can be located by moving three-quarters into gluteal muscles from the middle of the sacrum. It is located between the sacrum and greater trochanter.

B48 is a local acupressure point for hip pain. In some literature it is mentioned as B53. This point is also known as the Bladder Vitals and it is located 3.0 chon to the side of the sacrum, right in the middle of the gluteal muscles of the buttocks.

What Else to Do to Reduce Lower Back Pain?

When dealing with lower back pain it’s often useful to apply ice pack on the affected area to lessen the inflammation. Continuing to move around helps prevent tightening of the muscles and muscle spasms.

Stretching and exercising the muscles around the sore area, like we demonstrate in this article, is a great way to strengthen them and can help in reducing and preventing lower back pain. Avoid wearing high heels (above an inch) as this will improve your posture and your lower back condition. Tummy sleeping and lifting incorrectly may also contribute to your back pain.

Sometimes light stretching and a little massage may be all that’s necessary to alleviate the discomfort you experience.

This article originally appeared on www.thehealthsciencejournal.com

https://www.thehealthsciencejournal.com/press-2-points-near-hips-eliminate-lower-back-pain-hip-pain-sciatica/

Athletes Discover Acupuncture Treats Injuries & Boosts Performance

Athletes of many stripes are turning to acupuncture for an effective method of injury treatment and prevention. Professional football players from the ranks of the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers and more have embraced acupuncture to manage pain, speed injury recovery, and achieve peak physical performance in their sport. A review of research studies on the use of acupuncture in sports confirms its efficacy at increasing muscle strength and power in athletes.1

Sports acupuncture is used for injury treatment, prevention and (in combination with Chinese herbs) to improve athletic performance.2 Acupuncture taps into the body’s natural ability to heal itself. It can work in conjunction with Western medical treatment, and in cases where rest is prescribed for an injury, acupuncture reduces pain and accelerates the healing process without side effects.

Matt Callison, a licensed acupuncturist and instructor at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, has been using sports acupuncture to treat athletes for 11 years and counting. Callison says, “traditional Chinese medicine [including acupuncture, herbs and exercises] has been an extremely helpful and growing trend in athletics for quite a while. Steve Young and Jerry Rice [of the San Francisco 49ers] have been treated with sports acupuncture, and Canadian speed skater Kevin Overland received sports acupuncture to help him earn a bronze medal in the 1998 Olympics.”3

Baltimore Ravens safety Will Demps credits acupuncture with boosting his performance on the field. “In my extensive off-season workouts, I have noticed a difference in my balance and agility since receiving [acupuncture] treatments…I feel my muscles have been ‘turned on’ and are firing on all cylinders.”3

In Major League Baseball, the Seattle Mariners were the first team to utilize acupuncture, primarily due to the influence of Japanese players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki. Players opt for acupuncture to help their muscles rebound more quickly after intense training, or to support rehabilitation and speed recovery from injuries.4

Proprioception, the body’s sense of where it is in space, is a process of the muscles communicating with the nervous system. Injury interferes with the body’s proprioceptive signals and creates imbalance. Acupuncture serves to relieve stress on the musculoskeletal system5 and “is one of the quickest ways to restore muscle balance,” says Callison. “When acupuncture is used at specific sites, the muscle spindles are reset, and then that balance is reawakened.”

The practice of acupuncture views pain as an imbalance or interruption of one’s qi (life force energy). The insertion of acupuncture needles triggers the release of pain- and inflammation-fighting chemicals in the body, and restores the cyclical flow of qi, allowing the body to function at more optimal levels. A qualified acupuncturist will first conduct a thorough intake and evaluation of symptoms, then create a targeted course of treatment for maximum results.

This is an original article from Dreamclinic, Inc. Dreamclinic is a Health and Wellness company committed to sharing information about commonly experienced health conditions and how they may be impacted through the use of bodywork and other natural approaches.

References:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20386479
2. https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Acupuncture+for...
3. https://www.pacificcollege.edu/acupuncture-massage-news/articles/593-.html
4. http://www.bastyr.edu/news/general-news-home-page/2013/05/acupuncture-st...
5. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9781437709278