East West Medicine

 Acupuncture Orthopedics

T he American Journal of Epidemiology endorses acupuncture as a viable treatment option for patients who suffer with chronic low back pain. Acupuncture treatment was found to ease pain and improve back function in a cost effective manner. The journal referenced the largest study to date of acupuncture in the treatment of back pain. Research showed that patients experienced significantly better back function and a pronounced decrease in pain during treatment and for a period of three months after receiving treatment. Acupuncture is considered one of the most conservative treatment options for back pain. This is especially true when acupuncture is compared to the risks of surgery and the debilitating effects and short lived benefits of using anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers.

 

How about having your own traveling acupuncturist?  That’s the height of luxury for most of us but, for some, flying your acupuncturist to your location is a necessity. If you are a professional football player whose body is treated violently every week, you will do almost anything to reduce your pain and increase the length of your career.  I don’t think of football players as people who generally embrace alternative medical treatments but 40 of the top players in the NFL scheme to get onto the acupuncturist’s schedule as close to game time as possible.  The New York Times (11/30/10) profiled Lisa  Ripi , an acupuncturist who travels around the country to treat her football player patients and reduce their soreness, pain, and bruising. Ripi focuses on sore areas, using her needles to increase blood flow, thereby relaxing the player’s tight muscles. Acupuncture has long been known for its effectiveness in treating pain and, as an added benefit, these athletes don’t

I imagine that when you are an NBA star and have a contract worth millions, you take your injuries seriously and are willing to be open to new therapies. Certainly, that is the case with Mickael Pietrus, the famous NBA player for the Phoenix Suns who sought treatment at the Shaolin Temple in China. This Temple is well known for it's Eastern medicine approaches. While he was there he received acupuncture, massage and other traditional remedies performed by the Shaolin monks. Pietrus is not the first basketball star to receive treatment here, both Abbot Shi Yongxin and Shaquille O'Neal have also come to the Temple. Not to mention the many other NBA players who have tried acupuncture elsewhere. When Pietrus recently left the Shaolin Temple he said he felt better. That his knees no longer had pain and he would resume practice soon. Read more here

I know that many of you have questions about herbs - the content of tablets and the quality control of ingredients, in particular. Good. It is important to be particular. That is one reason why people need to work with a skilled practitioner. I've investigated many brands and varieties of herbal formulas and have found companies and people who I can depend on. Cathy Margolin, L.A.c., a practitioner who I met several years ago, has developed  formulas for specific ailments. her formulas for sleep and PMS  are very popular. Here is an excerpt from an article she wrote for the Huffington Post that explains how helpful Chinese herbs can be for relieving PMS, with research to back it up. "Herbs have been around longer than mankind. Through the ages every culture has discovered the healing properties nature provides; this has been a universal phenomenon. The Chinese began embracing natural botanicals and documenting their medicinal value circa 300 BC. The Yello

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory joint disease. It is classified as an autoimmune disorder, which is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. I find it fascinating that our immune system, which protects us from so many pathogens on a day to day basis, would attack itself. Essentially what happens is that our body designates one of its own cells as a foreign cell. How could this happen? Throughout our lifetime, and even before we are born, we accumulate environmental toxins, hormone disruptors, and other agents that have become part of what it means to live in a modern society. It is practically unavoidable. With all these components of non-self that are now integrated into our bodies, it is understandable why the body would be confused! These toxins don’t belong there but have become part of our inner landscape none the less. Thus, when managing cases of rh