At the Acupuncture Center of Richmond we are experienced in treating a wide variety of conditions. The following list of conditions are some of the ones we see regularly in our practice. This is an ongoing list, meaning it is not complete, so if your condition is not covered below please give us a call and we can discuss whether or not we have experience treating the condition as well as any treatment options. With Chinese medicine, because there are many methods of treatment developed over many millenium, there are often many options for treatment. Because the medicine is holistic, one or several conditions can be treated simultaneously.
Acne/skin disorders
Skin disorders often respond better to Chinese medicine than to Western treatments. One reason for this is that Eastern medicine realizes that skin disorders are rarely due to problems with the skin. Most if not all of the skin conditions that we see are due to internal conditions manifesting on the skin. So it is essential to fix the internal condition that is causing the skin issue or, even if the condition goes away, it will usually return. Because Chinese medicine focuses on the root of the problem and Western medicine usually focuses on the symptom, we feel that we can more effectively treat most skin conditions. We do this usually with a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Most skin conditions will respond significantly to treatment fairly quickly, so we should know in a matter of a couple of treatments if this will be effective.
Acute Injury and Trauma
This is an area where acupuncture and Chinese medicine shines. When trauma or injury has taken place there is an immediate response by the body which sends help to the damaged area to swell and immobilize the area and also begin the healing process. Often there is a traffic jam of sorts in the area and the advantage of getting acupuncture during this early stage is that acupuncture and herbs administered will allow for a smooth flow through the area. This reduces swelling and allows the healing process to take place in a sped-up manner. We see this all the time in the clinic, that acute injuries that often will take several weeks to heal, are healed in half the time. There are several effective Chinese herbal formulas that continue the healing process between treatments. Also, we will sometimes use some light cupping or moxibustion in the area to stimulate healing. It is best to start acupuncture and herbs as soon as possible after an injury, but it is also effective several days or even weeks after the trauma if the injury does not seem to be healing as fast as it should or if you just want to accelerate the process. Getting acupuncture and herbs also seems to help the healing process complete itself, meaning it is more likely that there will be no lasting effects from the injury.
Anxiety and Stress
One of the most effective applications of acupuncture and Chinese medicine is in the treatment of anxiety and stress. If you have ever had an acupuncture treatment for anything else than you will know that acupuncture causes a deep relaxation to happen. And this deep relaxation is something that you will usually carry with you for the remainder of the day or even multiple days. From a Western perspective this might be due to the release of endorphins, or perhaps a relaxing of the sympathetic nervous system (our fight or flight response which is often activated in our modern world of unrelenting stimulus). From an Eastern perspective, the reason it works so well for anxiety is that it causes the energy in your body to flow more freely. We believe that there needs to be a constant and smooth flow of energy (and blood and fluids) around the body, and anxiety can cause this not to happen. Anxiety causes a tightening of the tissues and a situation where energy and fluids do not flow smoothly. This flow is responsible for keeping the body healthy and pain free and over a long time, anxiety can lead to chronic illness or pain. Anxiety is recognized in Western medicine as well as a cause of chronic illness. So acupuncture is so effective for anxiety and stress conditions because it is simply the best thing out there that naturally brings better flow and relaxation to the body. The relaxation that it brings feels very natural, almost like something you lost that you once had many years ago. So the mechanisms that cause anxiety are lessened with the first acupuncture treatment and over some time will cause a permanent change to the body's reaction to stress. Treating the root cause in the body is something quite unique to Chinese medicine, looking not only at the symptoms, but asking why the body is producing the symptoms at the degree to which it is. There are many Chinese herbal formulas (as well as some Tibetan ones we use) that are very effective in treating anxiety and these are used between treatments to reduce anxiety and stress and also to treat any underlying organ weakness (root cause) that might be contributing to it.
Arthritis
Arthritis pain usually responds extremely well to acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy. Arthritis in our medicine can have several causes and can affect various parts of the body and so the approach we take will be different for each patient. We find this individualized treatment to be both essential and effective, since we are all different and everyone responds somewhat differently to therapy. Arthritis patients will usually find that they feel better after just one or in some cases a couple of treatments. It is important, however, to treat not only the painful symptoms but at the same time to find and treat the underlying cause of the arthritis. Sometimes the underlying cause can be a weakness in the body, or perhaps a structural or postural problem. If the cause of the arthritis is treated than the person can be truly healed of the ailment. If just the pain is treated than the underlying cause may actually worsen and over time the pain might spread or worsen. This is a very important distinction between the Eastern and the Western approach to arthritis and many illnesses. Often in Western medicine, the pain is treated with steroids or other pain killers, the pain may lessen while the actual disease mechanism marches on, untouched. Chinese herbs and diet are also effective in reducing pain and treating the root cause of the arthritis and proper exercise is important. Any postural abnormalities must also be addressed if true healing of the arthritis can occur; if we have neck pain for instance and we carry our head forward and down, we are fighting gravity itself, which usually wins. Using Chinese medicine to treat arthritis pain gives us many options. It is important to stop the pain, but it is equally important to stop the reason it began in the first place.
Back Pain
Back pain is historically considered a problem that can successfully be treated by acupuncture. The reason for this is because back pain does respond quite well to acupuncture and Chinese medicine. There are several reasons for this. First, there are some very effective acupuncture points, called back shu points, that are located on the back. When these points are activated using acupuncture, back pain is diminished and healing is promoted. There are also very effective points on the legs and ankles for back pain that have been used for centuries for this purpose. Secondly, cupping, a method of attaching plastic suction cups to a painful area and moving them to promote blood flow and vessel growth, is easily done on the back. And thirdly, there are several very effective herbal formulas that target back pain and healing, which are used in- between treatments to provide continuous improvement. We treat back pain on a daily bases at the Acupuncture Center and our patients are often amazed with the results they get and the speed with which the healing takes place. As with any pain condition, however, the severity and duration of the problem will also influence the number of treatments necessary. This is a condition that we treat very often at the Acupuncture Center of Richmond so we have a great deal of experience with it.
Bell's Palsy
Bell's Palsy is a condition that traditionally responds extremely well to Acupuncture. In fact many physicians recommend that their patients with the condition get acupuncture. With Bell's Palsy it is important to start treatment as soon as possible. Bell's Palsy seems to be one of those conditions that can often get entrenched, and the longer you wait the the tougher it can be to resolve. However even patients who have had the condition for a year or more can see significant improvement, it just takes longer. Most of our recent onset patients see marked improvement after just a couple of visits. We also have several traditional herbal formulas that can hasten recovery.
Chronic constipation/diarrhea
Chronic constipation and diarrhea can be a result of several factors. Chinese medicine recognizes these symptoms to be a result of imbalances affecting the stomach and spleen system. Acupuncture would be used to stimulate or sedate bowel function, improve metabolism, strengthen digestion and regulate moisture in the intestine. Points in the hands, abdomen and legs would be utilized as well as Chinese herbal formulations to return the body's digestion and elimination to a healthy state.
Depression
Several double blind studies have shown the effectiveness of Chinese medicine to reduce or eliminate depression. A 1994 NIH study at the University of Arizona, found that symptoms of depression were reduced by 43% after eight weeks of treatment with acupuncture. A May 2009 article in Psychiatric Times reported on several studies that found acupuncture alone to be as effect or more effective then traditional medications for depression, with no adverse side-effects. In our clinic we find that patients usually respond very quickly to a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal supplementation. We find significant improvement is common with most patients in just two to three weeks.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a medical syndrome often of unknown cause. It can be a complex ailment but it is one that responds especially well to acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Acupuncture treats the entire body at once, so things that seem to affect just about every part and system in the body, like fibromyalgia does, can benefit greatly. Acupuncture works by bringing the body back into balance, to a place where all the body's systems are working better. Fibromyalgia patients, for whatever reason seem to be especially out of balance, and our patients will often tell us, unprompted, that they feel this way (its often a vague feeling that things are just somewhat off). If we don't know the exact cause of something then just bringing the body back into balance and making the patient healthier overall will often very quickly make the patient much better. So we see in our practice that fibromyalgia patient's symptoms reduce very quickly.
IBS/IBD (Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Disease)
The National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization identify many conditions that acupuncture can successfully treat that are commonly found in IBS patients; these include abdominal pain, muscle cramps, diarrhea, constipation, anxiety, stress, insomnia and depression. Proper digestion and elimination is of paramount importance in Chinese medicine and considered essential for maintaining health. Because of this, many methods of treatment for digestive disorders have been developed to treat disorders like IBS and IBD. Our approach is to use acupuncture, diet, and herbs to treat the symptoms mentioned above, and also to address any underlying imbalances or weaknesses which make up the root cause of the symptoms. When the root is eliminated, the disease is gone. In our clinic we apply Chinese medical dietary guidelines for our patients with IBS, and often suggest Chinese herbal formulas as supplements. With acupuncture, proper diet, and stress management, most of our patients with IBS can become symptom free in a relatively short time.
Insomnia
Insomnia is something that we treat at the Acupuncture Center of Richmond quite often, as a stand-alone ailment, or often as a symptom combined with other issues. For example, patients with fibromyalgia, anxiety, pain or menopause may also not sleep well. So because we treat many conditions that also include insomnia as a symptom, we have developed many effect treatment strategies for successfully treating insomnia. The Chinese have always considered sleep to be vital to our well being, so in our medicine much emphasis is placed on solving sleep issues. Every patient we see is questioned as to their sleep patterns, because sleep issues can point to important underlying conditions and imbalances. As with any condition in Chinese medicine we are looking for the root of the problem, as treating just the symptoms is not a real solution, only a band-aide. Because there are many causes of insomnia, the points we use and the herbal formulas we suggest will be different for each patient. It is never as simple with us as one size fits all, which is actually a good thing, because we are all different and the best way to get to the underlying issue is to treat everyone as an individual.
Irregular Menstruation
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are very effective in treating irregular menstruation. A variety of causes such as improper diet, hormonal imbalances, emotional factors and stress may be to blame for putting the body out of balance. Acupuncture can address those imbalances which may manifest as unpredictable periods, short periods, excessively long periods or absent periods as well as other symptoms such as heavy bleeding, cramping, spotting between periods. Many women find that after several treatments their periods become more regular, easier to manage and less painful. Ovulatory problems can also be addressed in cases of anovulation.
Knee Pain
An extensive University of Maryland double blind study concluded that acupuncture is effective for knee pain due to osteoarthritis. One Skandinavian study reported that 25 percent of patients in their study canceled their plans for surgery after receiving acupuncture treatments. Because there are many effective acupuncture points around the knees, acupuncture can work well for many knee issues, acute or chronic.
Low Energy
Chinese medicine recognizes low energy as a medical condition. Often patients who come in for other conditions will find that their energy levels have increased after just a few treatments. Because Chinese medicine is based on the concept of Qi or energy, it is not surprising that the overall level of energy in the body is an important concept. There are several reasons for low energy, but perhaps the most common one is a deficiency in the Spleen/Stomach organ system, which can be described in more western terms as simply a weak digestion. Weak digestion, which can be the root of many issues, is very common in our society, where the foods we consume are often not the best quality or quantity and where there are many internal and external stressors that can cause damage. The digestion is the source of energy for the body, as the body takes in nourishment and converts it into energy for the body's use. So acupuncture points, which directly effect the energy system of the body, can be chosen which improve the ability of the Spleen/Stomach to provide energy for the body. Also if stress is a factor, which is usually is, points are chosen to reduce stress. And as usual, there are several Chinese herbal formulas which can be used to bolster the treatment and provide for more continuous improvement between acupuncture treatments. This is a condition that usually improves quickly and which can be a substantial factor in overall health and wellbeing.
Menopause
A balance of Yin and Yang energies are necessary for optimum health. By nature women are predominately yin energy and men are predominately yang energy. As women age the yin energy begins to wane giving rise to symptoms such as dryness, insomnia, irritability/moodiness, hot flashes, lack of focus and fatigue. Acupuncture and herbal formulations can rebalance hormones, re-energize the entire system, and restore health by encouraging the Yin to return to normal levels.
Migraine
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal remedies are a very effective way to control and even eliminate migraines. In my experience, migraines will be diminished in intensity and frequency very soon after starting acupuncture treatment. There are many causes of migraines and it is important to find a proper diagnosis for each patient. Though there are usually some commonalities with migraine sufferers, a 'one size fits all' approach to treating migraine is often not successful. Individual differences must be taken into consideration. With a proper diagnosis in hand, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, food therapy, and often stress management, are used in combination to treat migraines.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Many risk factors are associated with the development of MS but no specific cause has been identified. The symptoms and severity of this disease can vary according to the area of the myelin sheaths that are effected. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been shown to lessen the severity of symptoms such as numbness and pain, improve balance and weakness, and reduce the number of flare-ups. The type of acupuncture that has shown to be most effective for MS and the type that we use in our clinic for this condition, is scalp acupuncture. We find that with this specific type of treatment, symptoms improve and quality of life is enhanced. With this therapy results can be especially quick, usually noticeable after the first treatment.
Neck Pain
At the Acupuncture Center of Richmond we see many patients who come to us for neck pain. Neck pain is very common because the neck, compared to many other parts of the body is quite vulnerable. It has the task of holding the heavy human head upright for most of the day. We see neck pain due to trauma, bad posture, due to just a night of sleeping wrong, or chronic neck pain that seems to have no cause at all. Of course there is always some cause, and finding it will help us effectively treat neck pain. Another reason neck pain is so common is because the neck is a place where many people hold their stress (the neck and often the shoulders as well). After many years of holding stress in the neck and shoulders, the blood circulation actually diminishes and the muscles and tissues become undernourished and weak, leading to tiredness, strain and pain. Also, many of us develop bad posture for a number of reasons and this incorrect position of the head will cause the neck muscles to have to work harder just to keep the head upright. There are many things we can do for neck pain. There are many strong and effective acupuncture points in the neck area which we use, but we also use many points called distal points which are not close to the neck that empirical evidence over hundreds of years tells us are effective for helping neck pain. There are several effective Chinese herbal formulas that are specific for neck pain as well as ointments that we can prescribe that augment the treatment, allowing the healing to continue between treatments. I also will usually prescribe some exercises to do two things: bring the head back into proper alignment, and strengthen the neck muscles.
Neuropathy/Neuralgia/Shingles
Neuropathy is a condition where the nerves that usually send impulses to the brain are damaged or diseased and may or may not include pain. Neuralgia involves pain along a nerve that does not necessarily involve damage. Shingles is an condition that often leads to neuropathy or neuralgia. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been found to be one of the most effective treatments for these conditions. Acupuncture works with the energetic system of the body, which, like our nerves, travels to every inch of the body. Our medicine is very moving, moving energy (Qi) and blood to all areas of the body. In an Eastern medicine sense, the areas that are tingling or numb or in pain often lack proper Qi and blood flow, become undernourished and damaged or painful. Acupuncture and corresponding Chinese herbal formulas work for these conditions because they circulate Qi and blood to the area improving the health and functioning of the nerves and removing blockages. Patients often report significant reduction of symptoms after just one treatment, but often to completely eradicate the damage several treatments and/or herbs are needed.
Osteoporosis
Chinese medicine treats osteoporosis with herbal formulations and acupuncture that encourage the strengthening of bone, increase bone formation and encourages bone to heal and rebuild. It has been shown to increase levels of calcitonin a hormone produced by the thyroid gland which inhibits bone degradation. Additionally, it enhances or produces recalcification of osteopenic bone. It also has a beneficial effect of lowering bone pain. Diet and proper supplementation are crucial for osteoporosis treatment and recommendations are made. Chinese medicine has been show to be an extremely safe and effective treatment for osteoporosis and the incidence of the condition in China are a fraction of those in the west because of this.
PCOS
PCOS in Chinese medicine is considered an imbalance and weakness of digestive, reproductive and hormonal energies. Through Chinese medical diagnostics an individual's imbalances can be assessed and corrected with acupuncture and herbal therapy as well as various lifestyle and dietary changes to aid in optimizing the body's metabolism, balancing hormones and improving reproductive health overall. This ScienceDaily article reports on acupuncture's success in treating this syndrome
Plantar Fasciitis
Anyone who has had this condition knows how painful it can be and how hard it can be to get rid of. There are a plethora of different devices and methods out there for dealing with this common condition. Some work better than others. But because of the nature of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, because of the way it looks at pain syndromes, acupuncture may be the best way to treat this condition. The plantar fascia is a ligament and ligaments, tendons, and joints have less efficient and abundant blood flow. Nourishment, and thus healing capacity, can be greatly reduced when damage has occurred. Acupuncture stimulates healing by stimulating blood and energy flow through the area. In addition to acupuncture, typically we will use one or more of the following in our treatment plan for plantar fasciitis: Chinese herbs (internal), Chinese liniments, cupping, gua sha, electostimulation.
PMS
PMS is easily treated with acupuncture and herbal formulations. In Chinese medicine PMS arises predominantly from the bodys response to stress. In a stressed state the body tends to constrict resulting in pain in the abdomen, breast or back. This constriction leads to a constriction of the body's energy flow which can in turn cause moodiness, water retention, bloating and digestive disturbances. By loosening the constriction and encouraging the free flow of energy, pain is alleviated, the mood stabilizes, bloating abates, water more easily moves through the system and digestion improves.
Sciatica
At the Acupuncture Center of Richmond we see and treat many cases of sciatica. This is an ailment that like most things can have many causes, from a bulging disk in the L5 area, to overuse of the low back from excessive driving, sore or tight glutes or in some cases the cause is completely unknown. Sciatica pain usually starts in the low back or buttocks area and will often travel either down the back of the leg or the side of the leg and in some cases to the front of the leg. Sometimes there is no back pain, only leg pain. Acupuncture is used to promote flow of blood in the areas of pain, to remove blockages and to stimulate the body to heal itself. There are several effective Chinese herbal formulas that we use in conjunction with the acupuncture to reduce pain and continue the healing between treatments. Sciatica is a painful condition that we see year-round but more often in the summer. This is because the environment we live in does affect our bodies (have you ever known someone who can tell you it is about to storm because their bad knee will be aching?). If this is the case then often a less invasive treatment, such as acupuncture and herbs can fix a problem that often mimics a disk problem.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain and stiffness is something that is quite common especially in people over forty, and a disorder that we treat often at the Acupuncture Center of Richmond. Shoulder issues will in general respond within the first few treatments. So, I usually suggest that patients try a set of 3 or 4 treatments to determine if acupuncture will be an effective therapy for their particular shoulder issue. Some issues do respond better than others, but nearly all will show improvement. The shoulder must be both very strong and extremely mobile, and because of this combination, unique to this joint, it can be vulnerable to injury. Also, we don't always use our shoulder's full range of motion after a certain age, which can lead to issues. We can treat a wide range of shoulder issues including tendonitis, bursitis, rotator cuff issues, adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), sprain, strain, and arthritic conditions.
Sequela of Stroke (Stroke recovery)
Many studies have shown acupuncture to be one of the most powerful therapies for recovery from stroke www.medicalacupuncture.org/acu_info/articles/stroketreatment.html . Motor as well as sensory function can be improved using a specialized type of acupuncture done on the scalp. Studies have also concluded www.medicalacupuncture.org/aama_marf/journal/vol14_3/article3.html that disphagia or difficulty in swallowing that is often a symptom of stroke can be improved by acupuncture. Scalp acupuncture is a different branch of acupuncture that is not practiced by every acupuncturist, but one that we are well versed in (we use scalp acupuncuture for a wide variety of conditions). We have seen marked improvement in many of our stroke patients. It is preferable but not absolutely necessary, that the treatments begin as soon as possible after the acute phase of the stroke in order to achieve maximum benefit. Acupuncture is a very safe and effective form of treatment for stroke patients.
Tennis Elbow
A British Journal of Rheumatology double-blind study found that acupuncture reduced the pain of tennis elbow by 55.8% after just one treatment. We find at the Acupuncture Center very similar results with our tennis elbow patients. Our patients are usually pain free after a few to several treatments depending on severity, general health, and whether they are able to stop the task that caused the condition. Tennis elbow is not always caused by tennis playing and many certain repetitive arm motions can lead to the condition known as tennis elbow.
Cupping
Cupping is a practice in Chinese medicine that has been around for about as long as acupuncture has (around 5000 years). Most non-Western cultures use some form of cupping. Cupping is a practice that we use every day in our practice because it is so effective. Our patients are often amazed with the results. Cupping is mainly used for pain cases and is usually done after an acupuncture session. Cupping is the use of suction cups applied to the skin in the area(s) where the pain is located. The cups are either left in place or moved around. Cupping is very effective for removing blood stassis or stuck blood. In Chinese medicine blood stassis is thought to contribute to or even be the direct cause of pain. Cupping is very safe but it does cause some bruising which is painless and resolves completely in a few days.