What does acupuncture treat?
So much more than people imagine!
Fortunately, many of the issues that Traditional Western Medicine is unable to help with are the very things that acupuncture treatment does best. This makes the two very complimentary. If you have a chronic condition, chances are that acupuncture can help you.
The following are issues that I have personally helped people with in my practice:
Arthritis
From osteo (wear and tare) to rheumatoid (auto immune), acupuncture can help bring relief of pain, fatigue, and stiffness associated with many types of arthritis. Unfortunately there is no cure in any modality. But that doesn’t mean you have to be in constant pain.
Usually the treatment and results for osteoarthritis is simple. Rheumatoid can be more complex. Please look under “autoimmune diseases” for more information.
Headaches
There are many different types of headaches. Many conditions can bring on headaches as well. Headaches can be brought on by tension, migraines, allergies, diet, stiffness, and other issues. Regardless, acupuncturists have a very different way of diagnosing and treating. Five people may all come in with the western diagnosis of “migraines” and be treated in 3 or more different ways! Though there are no guarantees, some people stop experiencing headaches all together.
Migraines usually need dietary and other lifestyle changes for the best results possible. Your acupuncturist will thoroughly go through your history and make recommendations that are right for you as an individual. The more willing you are to make those changes, the better the results you will experience.
Autoimmune Diseases
Did you know that there are over 100 different types of autoimmune diseases? Diabetes, Crohn’s Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and even Celiac disease are all autoimmune based. Having an autoimmune disease can be overwhelming and very complicated. Quality of life now, and in the future, can be greatly effected by what you eat, how much stress you have in your life, and what types of treatment you choose to participate in. Acupuncture can help bring down stress, treat the pain and swelling, sleep issues, depression, that comes with autoimmune diseases. And just as importantly, your acupuncturist will help you tease out the best changes in diet, supplements, and other support that you can do to take back control over your life.
Cancer
Acupuncture does NOT treat cancer. However, acupuncture can be very helpful in supporting a person through radiation and chemotherapy including helping with the side effects of treatment. This can include fatigue, pain, sleep issues, “burning,” neuropathy, etc. The side effects a person has depends very much on the type of chemo and/or radiation they are treated with. However, your best chance of keeping the side effects down is to start acupuncture just before (preferably) or just after starting treatment. Even when well into treatment acupuncture can help, but you are to see the best results through prevention of the potential side effects coming up.
Depression and/or Anxiety
Just like headaches above, acupuncturists see depression and anxiety very differently than in Western Medicine. There are many different types which are all treated differently. And unlike other modalities, acupuncture looks at the whole person and how other parts of your life may be related to the issues you have. Acupuncture works better on some times of acupuncture/anxiety than others. Sometimes herbs must be added to see full results. A session or two should be enough to learn what you need personally to be helped best. Did you know that long term use of antibiotics can lead to depression and/or anxiety? The acupuncturist will help you decipher the bottom line of where your issues stem.
Pain
Whether your pain is in just one part of your body or many, there is a good chance acupuncture can help to relieve it. I have seen patients for everything from foot pain to neck pain. Back pain to hand pain. Shoulder pain to knee pain. Most can have some sort of relief. Some peoples’ pain goes away completely. Whether or not yours will depends very much on where it is, how it got there, and how long you have had it. Also, any lifestyle changes you are willing to make can make a huge difference for bringing pain down for good.
Women’s Health Issues
Menstrual issues can cause a woman’s life to completely stop for 3-6 days out of every month. Acupuncture can help. Whether its cramps, heavy flow, irritability, soreness, fibroids, or more we can help to reduce or even completely remove most or all of your issues. And if you are past having periods and are now into menopause acupuncture can help with hot flashes, sweats, irritability, sleeplessness and many of the other issues that comes with getting older. (And wiser!)
Many acupuncturists help women become pregnant. So long as you go to a specialist and follow all the directions given, many women can get pregnant within 3-5 months! I do not specialize in this but we can refer you to someone in your area who does.
Digestive Issues
There are so many issues that fit into this category. “GERD,” Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chrone’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), gas, bloating, constipation, etc. Depending on what you have, how you got it, and how long you have had it, acupuncture can help a lot with symptoms. Many of these are complex issues so a consult would be best to learn how much you may be helped with what is going on with you personally.
Spiritual-Emotional
Are you lost? Maybe life hasn’t turned out the way you thought it would. Or you are feeling stuck either in your career, in your lack of relationships, or something else? Perhaps you are figuring out what the best path is for your future career and education. Acupuncture works surprisingly well to help you learn more about who you are. Become more in touch with what is in your heart and the path you are meant to be following. (Your Tao as we acupuncturists like to call it.) Everyone has one. Do you know yours?