I get asked this a lot by my patients. Actually it is very simple. What these 2 modalities have in common is that they both are stimulating acupuncture points. Acupuncture points are just places on the body that have been found to have healing properties. These points were mapped out over thousands of years by the Chinese and continue to be added to and modified to this day. The main difference between acupuncture and acupressure is that the stimulation by the needles is usually much stronger. Another difference is that with acupuncture many needles can be stimulated simultaneously and this can give a more complete treatment. With acupressure only one point at a time is being stimulated so generally less points will come into play in an acupressure session. But there are many acupuncture points that can be pressed on at home that will yield good results. You will just get better results in an acupuncture clinic where several points can be combined to make a stronger treatment.

I haven't been writing my blog because all the news is really the Covid virus. But just a quick update to say that we are indeed up and running and actually have been rather busy. It is good to see all our regular patients again and welcome new ones. We are doing things differently starting with everyone being required to wear a mask. Also, we have taken all but one chair out of our waiting area and are spacing out patient so that you will most likely go right into the treatment room, no waiting and rarely seeing another patient. We are also opening up windows in the waiting area and also between patients in the treatment room, just to keep the air flowing better. We are using Lysol on all surfaces and doing extra cleaning at the end of the day. And of course we are washing our hands and changing the linen after each patient. We are doing our best to keep you safe. 

Me, being a skeptic by nature (in some arenas), found this study intriguing study. You can check out the article here.

This is probably the most asked question I get from patients. Of course you can google this. But it's probably a good idea to know how the person who is doing acupuncture on you answers this question. I like to write my blogs from my own personal experience. This is just how I think of it, from 20 years of study and doing acupuncture on patients. Simply put, acupuncture works by manipulating the Qi of the body. What Qi is is another blog; but just think of Qi as the energy that gives movement and life to us, the energy that moves your limbs and makes your heart beat and your stomach digest. So acupuncture, through hundreds of access points or acupuncture points manipulates or changes this energy in some way. It is the Qi that keep us healthy, so acupuncture assists the Qi in keeping us healthy and out of pain. The acupuncturist knows how to use combinations of points to do this. The function of each of these hundreds of points has been studied for thousands of years. It's more complex than this, but this is a good start. 

 My Dad was a track star in high school and a running back on the football team. But after high school he never really worked out again. That's just the way things were back then. Most people didn't work out or do much in the way of sports after their school days. But luckily times have changed. More people seem to be staying more active nowadays into their 70s, 80, and even 90s. And studies like this one show that it is worth it. This blog and my last blog both reference studies that show that we should keep on being as active as possible for as long as possible. If you are not someone who moves a lot then find some activity you enjoy - from walking to tennis to yoga. And keep at it. 

Now that we are into the cold and flu season, it's important to stay healthy. One of the things that drew me to Chinese medicine is it's emphasizes on prevention.  One result of any acupuncture treatment is that it will immediately boost your immune system. This sounds like a bold claim, but it is just due to way acupuncture works. And coming in for a treatment that emphasizes the immune system is even better.  Our long time patients tell us that they rarely if ever get sick any more and this is something that you can experience. It's a bit complicated to go into here, but acupuncture works by enhancing and moving the Qi, or the basic energy of our body. The Qi also makes up your immune system. And the strength and free-flow of Qi strengthens your immune system. Some of our patients (and us as well) will also take Chinese herbal supplements this time of year to further boost the immune system. We have our favorite formulas that we always have around just in case. 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326786.php

​I will just say the results were positive. And that, of course, we are not in the least surprised. In fact we treat menopause with herbs all the time. The Chinese figured this out a long time ago. There are many symptoms that go along with menopause and an increase in overall inflammation can effect things that we don't usually associate with menopause, like shoulder pain, or plantar fasciiitis. So, it usually helps to keep this in mind when you are treating women in this age range.