To learn more and see a Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture Video please click the link.

Adria has been trained in a wide variety of modalities from Deep Tissue to Reiki, as well as Fertility Massage.  She also does hot stone massage, which is just incredible.  I have personally had several incredible sessions with her, and always look forward to the next one.  If you would like to find out more about her background, training and methods, check her out here.

If you would like a massage please call our office for an appointment.  There is a special rate for your first session.

Tony Smith, the Canadian Gymnastics Team coast decided to try it for chronic lower back pain, after nothing else she had tried helped, and was “amazed” at the results.  She is now recommending it to her athletes.  Read more about it here.

In this short video interview Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist in swimming Daniel Kowalski discusses his use of acupuncture to recover from injuries and general health maintenance.

Another interesting acupuncture story is about a 60 year old acupuncturist named Wei, from Guangxi province, who set out to demonstrate his patriotism, and break a worlds record by inserting 2008 decorative acupuncture needles in his head face and chest.  The previous record, according to the article, was 1790 set in 2004.  That’s pretty amazing considering the human body has only about 350 main points, not including some of the micro-systems used on the hands and ears!

It is an amazing story.  I think many people, eager to quickly get out of pain, will decide to look up an acupuncturist after hearing one of these single-treatment miracle stories from a friend, or reading a testimonial.  But I want to prepare you for a possible let down.

Yes, these one treatment miracles do occur, but they are the exception rather then the rule.  Acupuncture can get extremely good results with many types of pain, but  major results usually come after a set or grouping of treatments, not a single stand-alone treatment.  In China a course of treatments is 10 fairly closely together spaced treatments.

Yet when many people say they “tried” acupuncture, they may mean they went in and tried it once.   Being a nation of instant gratification, many of people think that if they don’t feel any different after one visit then there is no point in continuing.  In many cases of chronic lower back pain,  I usually start seeing hearing patients report notable improvement after treatment five or six.

Now, if your spacing those treatments close together such as 2-3 times per-week, you can get this improvement in 2-3 weeks.  However if your coming in at a leisurely rate of once per week, your looking at well over a month!

If you’ve tried an acupuncture treatment on a cruise or in a spa setting, you’ve probably received a general introduction to acupuncture, and experienced the relaxation that accompanies a good session.  But, if you want to make some real progress on your health, you need to establish a relationship with an acupuncturist in your area, and invest the time to get the lasting results you are looking for.

Golfer’s Elbow is an acute, or chronic inflammation of the tendons that attach to the inside of the elbow joint.  The medical term is medial epicondylitis.  These tendons are part of the muscles that flex the wrist inwards, and close the fingers around an object such as a golf club.

Tennis elbow is the exact opposite.  An inflammation of the tendons that attach to the outer elbow, and are part of the forearm muscles that curl the wrist back and open the fingers.  The medical term is lateral epicondylitis.

These tendons become inflamed when micro-tears develop over time from shock and impact.  Tendons don’t have good blood circulation like muscles, so these tears are slow to heal and can become chronic, especially when not given adequate time to rest and recover.

The anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture can greatly hasten the recovery from these sports injuries.  Acupuncture also enhances blood circulation to speed the healing.  I usually see rapid improvement in golfer’s, and tennis elbow, provided the arm is given enough time to rest and heal.

Aside from elbow pain, golfers frequently suffer from various shoulder and low back pain issues, which often develops from repeated training of one side of the body.  This can cause imbalances.  The pain and spasms that result can usually be addressed with several acupuncture sessions, which allow full mobility and a better swing.

Would you like more information?  Contact me here.

There are three main types of headaches for which people seek out alternative medicine. All three can be chronic, reoccurring, and interfere with life and work. These are migraines, tension headaches and sinus headaches. These all will usually respond well to acupuncture treatments, with tension headaches being the most amenable, next Sinus headaches followed by migraines.

Tension headaches are usually associated with stress, poor posture, vision problems, structural problems or injury, and have a high response rate to acupuncture after only a few weeks of treatment. Sinus related headaches require treatment of the underlying infection, and draining of the sinuses cavities. This can be accomplished well with acupuncture and herbs working in together.

Migraines are a much more complicated situation, and the treatment requires patience and consistency. Many people arrive at our acupuncture clinic with a migraine history of many years. Migraines indicate an enduring imbalance in the body that can be related to genetics, stress, diet and the menstrual cycle. Again, although the main treatment may be acupuncture, herbal medicine may play an important roll in achieving good results.

Most people have been to a western trained doctor, and have tried a number of medications without success by the time they seek out an acupuncturist. Some patients, such as pregnant women, are looking for a treatment that doesn’t involve taking medications. With chronic headaches, it is important to see an MD in order to rule out other possible health problems such as tumors, meningitis or hypertension, which may present with headaches. It is also important to remember that excessive use of pain medications, even over the counter ones such as ibuprofen and aspirin (NSAID) all carry the risk of stomach and intestinal bleeding. Frequent use of these medications may also trigger headaches themselves, known as a “rebound headache.”

After understanding what kind of headache you have from a western diagnosis, an acupuncturist needs to translate this into the system of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). To do this, I need to know what makes the pain worse or better, times of onset, patterns of pain, location and type of pain and any foods, or emotional states that may trigger it. This is why we start with a fairly extensive questionnaire. I also will combine this with a reading of your pulses and a brief examination of your tongue to further complete the picture.

After we have this information we can begin the treatment. Many people are anxious about where the needles will be placed. Most of the needles are placed on the lower legs, feet and hands and wrist areas. A few may be placed on the head in areas of recurrent pain, and a few may be put in the ears (called auricular acupuncture). In treating tension headaches, needles are often put on the neck, shoulders, and places where tension builds. The treatments are relaxing and restful.

The best time to treat headaches are at the very onset, before it has gotten too severe. However, prevention is the true goal of headache treatment. And this means regular treatment between times of headache occurrence.

To successfully prevent migraines, it is important to commit to treatment at least twice weekly for about 8 weeks, regardless of whether a headache is occurring. After this period there should be a noticeable reduction in the frequency and intensity of the headaches. Treatment should be continued once weekly for several more months with continual improvement noted.

Acupuncture benefits for treating headaches:

• Stimulates the release of the bodies natural pain killing opiates
• Eases neck and shoulder tension, and the muscle spasms that start headaches
• Releases bodily stress
• Balances the nervous system
• Drains and clears sinus pressure
• No Harmful side effects

The lead author Xiaoshu Zhu from the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney, said the trials confirmed the effectiveness of  Chinese herbs over NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) Heat treatment, placebo, no treatment, and interestingly, even acupuncture.  Significantly, the researches found the treatments to reduce the recurrence of the pain for over three months.

A new German study released this February showed that acupuncture can help relieve menstrual pain.   The study comprised of 201 women compared acupuncture to a group receiving no treatments.  Although the researchers admitted there was no control group, such as a group receiving “sham acupuncture,”  they still felt the study was able to show the benefits of acupuncture in treating dysmenorrhea, and recommended it be made available through the health-care system.  The research was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Although larger and more thorough studies need to be done, these two western studies confirm what I see in my clinical practice daily.  Chinese medicine and acupuncture excels at treating menstrual cramps for both woman and teenage girls.  I am not surprised the herbs edged out acupuncture in the first study.  Herbs can be taken in advance of the pain, which can do a great deal in preventing it’s onset.  In addition, certain types of severe pain that we acupuncturists refer to as “blood stasis,” will respond better to herbs, especially when given over time.

I do find acupuncture quite effective for other types of menstrual pain, especially if a patient comes in complaining of cramps or low back pain.  It can usually be greatly improved by the end of the session.

The secret is, never letting the oils stay on your skin long enough to start the reaction.  What you need is to keep a bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels in your car.  There are some more pricey  products on the market that you can buy at REI, but I find ordinary Windex works just fine.  If you suspect you’ve touched poison ivy, after your ride or hike, spray down your exposed skin and wipe of with the paper towels.  The glass cleaner will break down the oils from the poison oak before it gets a chance to start causing a reaction.  Time is of the essence here, so try not to delay wiping down when you get back to your car.  Once you get home, shower off to remove the Windex, and be sure to wash any clothes that may have contacted the offending plant as well.

Enjoy the flower viewing while it lasts!