Weight Loss: Use Acupuncture to Help

Do you feel like you've tried it all? After countless diet and exercise plans you're still struggling to lose those extra pounds. Or are you in a constant battle to keep the weight from creeping back as soon as you relax your strict eating habits? Then maybe acupuncture could be the key to your weight loss success.

What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical practice of placing fine, filiform needles into the body at specific points for therapeutic effect.

According to Dr. Neemez Kassam, Associate Professor of Asian Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, there are two schools of thought on how acupuncture works: The Western perspective whereby acupuncture releases endorphins which produce natural euphoric activity, and the traditional approach where acupuncture regulates the flow of QI, or energy, bringing the body back into balance.

Around for more than 2,500 years, this relatively painless healing technique has become more and more popular in Canada over the past two decades, and is now recognized as a safe and effective treatment for everything from migraine pain to infertility, and is often used to help with weight loss and weight management.

Should you try it?
To incorporate acupuncture into your own life, Dr. Kassam says you must first have a consultation with your chosen practitioner to clarify the reasons for your weight problem, whether physiological due to issues such as a slow metabolism, menopause or thyroid problems, or behavioural due practices like overeating and binge eating.

"If there is a craving issue and potentially an eating disorder, then that can be controlled with the acupuncture," says Dr. Kassam, "but also if it's a metabolic one, where they're not eating that much but putting on weight, then the acupuncture can help stimulate the metabolism and also their digestive system so things don't sit around as long."

Have you tried acupuncture for weight loss? Was is a success? Chat about it with fellow readers in our forums!

Page 1 of 2 – on page 2: read about the procedure?
The procedure
Once the nature of your disorder has been identified, your caregiver can choose the correct treatment plan for you, targeting acupuncture points that will work to reduce cravings and appetite, and stimulate and balance hormones. The special needles used for acupuncture are thin, flexible and designed to slide through body tissues without causing pain, damage or bleeding. Generally, the needles are left in for between 15 and 30 minutes per session, and the practitioner may lift or rotate the needles as part of their technique.

"It's relatively pain free, and for those who are afraid of needles it's not at all the same as giving bloodor having blood taken," says Dr. Kassam. "They're very fine, hair-thin needles, and actually it's a very relaxing technique."

Dr. Kassam says that for best results, patients should maintain a healthy diet and exercise plan on top of weekly acupuncture visits, and with regular visits you can quickly see results.

"With diet and exercise, results can be seen within a couple of weeks of treatment," he says. "Where it will take a minimum of three weeks if using acupuncture alone."

How to find a acupuncturist
To find a reputable acupuncturist in your area, a little legwork might be in order because as of now traditional acupuncture is only regulated in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.

In other provinces, there are currently no regulations for acupuncturists, and those working under the title in these provinces might have only minor training in the field.

But things are improving. In certain provinces you can also receive acupuncture from naturopathic doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and medical doctors, who have received training through their governing bodies. And recently, Ontario has recognized acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and will very shortly (in the next 8-12 months) be in the same place as B.C., Alberta, and Quebec.

Dr. Kassam recommends doing some research into the educational background of anyone you consider seeking treatment from, making sure that they have graduated from a reputable school.

"It's well worth their while to search that out," says Dr. Kassam. "It's buyer beware."

Article originally appeared on Canadian Living

Infertility and Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the insertion of ultra-thin, sterile needles into specific acupuncture points on the body which reside on channels or meridians; these are pathways in both the exterior and interior of the body. These points, when needled, can regulate the way in which the body functions.

Acupuncture helps by addressing problems that affect fertility such as an under-functioning thyroid (hypothyroidism) or over-functioning thyroid (hyperthyroidism).

Find a Acupuncturist in your area

Can acupuncture be used to treat infertility?

Acupuncture, frequently combined with herbal medicine, has been used for centuries to treat some but not all causes of infertility. For example, acupuncture and herbs will not work to address tubal adhesions which can occur as a result of pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis.

However, in this situation, an individual could still benefit from acupuncture and herbs because of the potential effect of improved ovarian and follicular function. Additionally, acupuncture can increase blood flow to the endometrium, helping to facilitate a thick, rich lining.

When should acupuncture treatment begin?

Acupuncture is similar to physical therapy in that it is a process-oriented method of medical intervention. It is better to do more than less. Patients are commonly treated for three to four months before progressing to insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), or donor-egg transfer. This pacing of treatment seems to have a therapeutic effect.

In a study by Stener-Victorin et al from the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology Fertility Centre, Scandinavia and University of Gothenburg, women are encouraged to receive acupuncture treatments pre and post embryo transfer.

Clinical observations from the Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness suggest that the most effective fertility treatments involve a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and traditional medicine. However, conception occasionally occurs when acupuncture and herbal medicines are used without traditional medical interventions.

When should I stop?

Typically most miscarriages occur within the first 3 months of pregnancy. Consequently, treatment of patients may often last through week twelve to help prevent miscarriage.

Are the acupuncture points different after an insemination, IVF, or donor-egg transfer than before?

Acupuncturists should not place needles in the abdomino-pelvic area after insemination or transfer. There are 6 contraindicated acupuncture points which should be avoided when the patient is pregnant or pregnancy is suspected. These include Gallbladder 21, Stomach 12, Large Intestine 4, Spleen 6, Bladder 60, Bladder 67 and any points on the lower abdomen.

What are the risks of using acupuncture with infertility?

There are minimal risks in using acupuncture for fertility treatment. The risk of miscarriage may increase if incorrect acupuncture points are used during pregnancy. This is one reason why those choosing to include acupuncture in their treatment regimen should only be treated by an acupuncturist who specializes in treating fertility disorders. Acupuncture is generally safe regardless of a person’s medical history.

Who make up typical patients?

Acupuncture can be used to treat any type of fertility disorder including spasmed tubes. Spasmed tubes are often de-spasmed with acupuncture, though blocked tubes will not respond to acupuncture. Acupuncture is often combined with herbal remedies to treat elevated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), repeated pregnancy loss, unexplained (idiopathic) infertility, luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia (when not caused by a prolactinoma), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) with annovulatory cycles and male factor including men affected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation.

This article originally appeared on http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/acupuncture/

Acupuncture - The Oldest Health Care System in the World

The origins of acupuncture in China can be traced back at least 2000 years, making it one of the oldest and most long-standing health care systems in the world. Today, acupuncture is an effective, natural and increasingly popular form of health care that is being used by people from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds.

Acupuncture is a time-honoured medicine and takes a holistic approach to understanding normal function and disease processes and focuses as much on the prevention of illness as on the treatment.

What is qi & how does it affect the body?
When healthy, an abundant supply of qi (pronounced chee) or "life energy" flows through the body's meridians (a network of invisible channels through the body). If the flow of qi in the meridians becomes blocked or there is an inadequate supply of qi, then the body fails to maintain harmony, balance and order, and disease or illness follows. This can result from stress, overwork, poor diet, disease pathogens, weather and environmental conditions, and other lifestyle factors and becomes evident to TCM practitioners through observable signs of bodily dysfunction. TCM practitioners look carefully for these signs of health and dysfunction, paying particular attention not only to the presenting signs and symptoms, but also to the medical history, general constitution, and the pulse and tongue.

How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine, sterile needles into specific sites (acupuncture points) along the body's meridians to clear energy blockages and encourage the normal flow of qi through the individual. The practitioner may also stimulate the acupuncture points using other methods, including moxibustion, cupping, laser therapy, electro-stimulation and massage, in order to re-establish the flow of qi.

As a natural form of healing, acupuncture has the following benefits:

• provides drug-free pain relief
• effectively treats a wide range of acute and chronic ailments
• treats the underlying cause of disease and illness as well as the symptoms
• provides an holistic approach to the treatment of disease and illness, linking body, mind and emotions
• assists in the prevention against disease and illness as well as the maintenance of general well-being

Acupuncture is known to treat a wide range of disorders including:

• Neurological conditions such as headaches, migraines, difficulty sleeping, nervous tension, stroke, some forms of deafness, facial and inter-costal neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, some forms of paralysis, sequelae of poliomyelitis, peripheral neuropathy, noises in the ears, dizziness, and Meniere's disease.
   
• Cardiovascular disorders such as high or low blood pressure, fluid retention, chest pain, angina pectoris, poor circulation, cold hands and feet, and muscle cramps.
   
• Respiratory conditions such as bronchial asthma, acute and chronic bronchitis, acute tonsillitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, hay fever, chronic cough, laryngitis, sore throat, influenza and the common cold.
   
• Digestive system disorders such as toothache, post-extraction pain, gingivitis, mouth ulcers, hiccough, spasms of the oesophagus, gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastric hyperacidity, gastritis, heartburn, hiatus hernia syndrome, flatulence, paralytic ileus, colitis, diarrhoea, constipation, haemorrhoids, liver and gall bladder disorders, and weight control.
   
• Urogenital disorders such as cystitis, prostatitis, orchitis, low sexual vitality, urinary retention, kidney disorders, nocturnal enuresis, and neurogenic bladder dysfunction.
   
• Gynaecological and obstetric disorders such as premenstrual tension, painful, heavy or irregular, or the absence of periods, abnormal uterine bleeding or discharge, hormonal disturbances, disorders associated with menopause, prolapse of the uterus or bladder, difficulty with conception, and morning sickness.mu
   
• Skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, nerve rash, herpes zoster, acne, scar tissue and resultant adhesions, hair loss and dandruff.
   
• Eye conditions such as visual disorders, red, sore, itchy or watery eyes, conjunctivitis, simple cataracts, myopia in children, and central retinitis.
   
• Musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, sciatica, lumbago, weak back, low back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, tenosynovitis, shoulder and neck pain, cervicobrachial syndrome, 'frozen shoulder', and 'tennis elbow'.
   
• Sporting injuries such as sprained ankles and knees, cartilage problems, corking and tearing of muscles, torn ligaments and bruises.
   
• Psychological conditions such as depression, phobias, emotional disturbances, anxiety, nervousness and addictions such as smoking.

* The disorders above which appear in bold have been recognised by the World Health Organisation (December 1979) as having been successfully treated by acupuncture. The disorders which do not appear in bold above are other common disorders which have been found to respond well to acupuncture.

This article originally appeared on http://www.acupuncture.org.au

Revive yourself: Yoga and Acupuncutre Workshop

Spring is the perfect time to stop, pause and reassess your life.  Come regroup, revive and restore yourself emotionally, physically and spiritually through this unique offering of Yoga Therapy and Acupuncture.

Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist, Shari Arial; & Acupuncturist, Vanessa Groshong present:

The Yoga and Acupuncture Workshop

What’s involved :

-       Three 2 hour workshops, offered in a series of once per week focusing on energetic pathways in the body, accessing them through embodied yoga movement, internal dialogue promoting a self-inquiry approach to awareness, and acupuncture points;
 

-        (1) the mind – we will acknowledge the mind and explore the power it has over our daily thoughts, feelings, emotions and reactions.   Acupuncture points will be used to retune the mind and return us to the center of our body.

 

-       (2) body – we will explore the relationship with our body, which is our greatest teacher in life, learning to love ourselves more.  Acupuncture points will be used to imprint love and compassion for ourselves.

-       (3) spirit – we will honor the deep wisdom that resides within each of us, learning to harness that energy and how use it to make powerful changes in our lives.  Acupuncture points will be used to continue to open us up to our spirit, freeing us from past habitual patterns and allowing us to move forward in life.

What it looks like:

-       75 minute mindful yoga practice with internal dialogue focusing on the weekly theme

-       30 minutes of acupuncture performed during savasana focusing on weekly theme

-       15 minutes of integrating and further imprinting what you may have noticed

Investment:

-       Sign up for one - $90 per workshop; or,

-       Sign up for all three - $250.

REGISTER YOUR SPOT: therapythruyoga@hotmail.com

There is the potential for insurance reimbursement for the acupuncture portion of the workshops

($45 receipt will be provided for each workshop).