Treatments

TREAMENT METHODS

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the technique of inserting hair-thin needles into specific points on the body and with manipulation, optimizing the body energy, qi which flows along the meridian or channels of the body, to balance health.

Ear Acupuncture

Auricular acupuncture is the technique of stimulating specific points in the ear that correspond to different parts of the body with the use of specialized beads or needles. It is effective and convenient especially in treating addiction, pain modulation and chronic conditions.

Moxibustion

The application of burning herbs on or above the skin at selected acupuncture points. The herbs radiate its therapeutic properties onto the points to induce warmth and healing.

Chinese Medicinal Herbs

Herbs and Acupuncture are complementary components of Chinese medicine, comparable to synthetic drugs and surgery of the western medicine. Again, the herbs normalise the flow of the body Qi for healing.

Cupping

The application of glass cups to specific areas of the body is to stimulate the flow of Qi that dispels the wind and dampness which are the causes of dis-ease. The skin is ‘suckéd’ up with the negative pressure created by burning away the oxygen in the cup The skin area where the suction cups are may be bruised.

Tui-Na

Tui-Na is a form of massage which embraces the meridian concept to normalize the body energy. Modern day Tui-Na practitioners may incorporate manipulative technique to improve the flow of Qi and normalize the locomotive apparatus of the body.

CONDITIONS TREATED

Pain Syndromes

Chronic pain, colics, headaches & migraines, neck and back pain including sciatica, Failed Back Surgery Syndrome, osteoarthritis joint pain, facial pain (including cranio-mandibular and TMJ disorders) , pain due to endoscopic examination;

Addictions

Cigarettes, alcohol (dependence and detoxification), & drugs (opium, cocaine and heroin dependence);

Cancer

Pain modulation, adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, leucopenia;

Neuro-Musculo-skeletal Disturbances

Fibromyalgia and fasciitis, numbness & pins-and-needles, radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome, sprain & strain, bursitis, tendinitis, disc herniation, muscle spasms, sports injuries such as tennis elbow;

Neurological Problems

Strokes and post-stroke rehabilitation (paralysis), tremor, primary Raynaud syndrome, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Bell’s palsy, carpal tunnel syndrome, dizziness & vertigo including Ménière’s disease, post-herpetic neuralgia (shingles);

Women & Pregnancy

PMS, menopausal syndromes, painful or irregular periods, endometriosis, fibrocystic breast disease, infertility, morning sickness, pre- & post- natal care, induction of labour, correction of malposition of fetus;

Genitourinary Conditions

Renal colic, urinary incontinence, recurrent lower urinary-tract infection, female urethral syndrome, chronic prostatitis, non-organic male sexual dysfunction;

Mind & Mental States

Stress, anxiety, insomnia, irritability; depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke), competition stress syndrome, ADD/ADHD;

Autoimmune Disorders

Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Lupus;

Ear, Nose, Throat, Respiratory

Allergies, rhinitis including hay fever, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, post-extubation in children, sore throat (including tonsillitis), ear infections (acute and chronic), common colds/flu, cough, emphysema, sore throat, non-organic breathing pain, hiccough & burp;

Digestive Disorders

Nausea and vomiting, stomach-ache, food poisoning, epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastro-spasm), hiccough & burp, biliary colic, cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation cholelithiasis, abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm), chronic ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids;

Cardiovascular Problems

Non-organic chest pain, poor circulation, essential hypertension, primary hypotension, arrhythmia, varicose veins, thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger’s disease);

Dermatological Conditions

Pruritus, premature aging, eczema, acne, urticaria, rashes, psoriasis, warts, Acne vulgaris;

Miscellaneous

Obesity, morning sickness, thyroid conditions, immune system deficiency;

* World Health Organization 2002 – Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints, adjacent soft tissue and organs. Commonly affects women in middle age.

RA attacks joints on both sides of the body equally. The common areas are the wrists, fingers, knees, feet, and ankles. Symptoms are morning stiffness, joint pain, sometimes numbness, tingling or burning in the hands and feet. Gradually nodules appear under the skin with destruction of the joints leading to deformity and disability. Other symptoms include chest pain when taking a breath (pleurisy), dry eyes and mouth, eye burning, itching, and discharge.

RA usually requires lifelong treatment and early treatment could decrease pain and damage, traditionally includes medications (most common is Methotrexate), physical therapy, exercise, education, and possibly surgery; however acupuncture has been found effective in treating RA as evidenced in the World Health Organization 2002 – Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial.

I, myself suffered from RA since 2005 and was on Methotrexate for a few years. Being aware of the potential detrimental side effects to the body, I stopped the medicine and started acupuncture treatment. Within few months, the joint swelling and pain subsided. Since then I have been having acupuncture treatment on a weekly basis as a preventive measure.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease of the inflammation of the spine. The cause is unknown and occurrence within the family is not uncommon. The onset is usually in late adolescence and early adulthood and is more common in men.

Symptoms are morning stiffness and inflexibility of the back. When AS affects the rib cage, it makes the lung difficult to inflate. Other complications include eye inflammation (uveitits), compression fractures and distortion of the aortic valve caused by an inflamed aorta.

The disease has no cure, exercise helps and acupuncture can ameliorate some of the symptoms as published in World Health Organization 2002 – Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial.

Spinal Disc Herniation (Herniated Disc, Prolapsed Intervertebral Disc (PID) , Slipped Disc)

A herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the rubbery discs between the vertebrae at the spine. The discs are pads that serve as “cushions” between the vertebral bodies that serve to minimize the impact of movement on the spinal column. Each disc is designed like a jelly donut with a central softer component (nucleus pulposus) encased within a tougher exterior fibres.

PID occurs when some of the softer “jelly” pushes out through a crack in the tougher exterior pressing against the spinal nerves which come out from the spinal cord through the holes between the vertebrae (intervertebral foramen) supplying the arms and the legs. A herniated disk can irritate nearby nerves resulting in pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or leg.

According to the World Health Organization 2002 – Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial, acupuncture has been employed extensively in the treatment of PID.

Hair Loss

The normal cycle of hair growth lasts between two to six years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter (less than half an inch) per month. In the scalp, 90% of a hair’s life is in a growth phase. Two to three months after it ceases to grow, it falls out from the hair follicle while a new hair starts to grow. Hair loss (alopecia) can occur few months after pregnancy, medication, certain illness or a major surgery and is usually temporary.

There are two main types of alopecia, androgenetic alopecia is a hereditary permanent hair loss in that hair on the head thins and falls out and alopecia areata which is an autoimmune disorder and could be temporary. Acupuncture has been known traditionally to stop the progress of the hair loss and help the re-growth of the hair in the latter type.