LI 4

There are a host of studies showing the usages of acupuncture for anesthesia during common medical procedures and events.  These range from colonoscopies to labor to dental work, to appendectomy and more.  Studies such as the one following are important as the reduction of stronger anesthesia agent…

You might find it easier to get a child more comfortable with the idea of getting a shot of penicillin than you would explaining why you are going to let your acupuncturist do "bloodletting" on them.  But a recent Chinese study found that acupuncture bloodletting is superior to penicillin for acute…

Acupuncture and associated techniques are regularly used for a broad range of pain, neurological and psychological conditions.  The broad systemic affects of acupuncture appear to make it a valid treatment for a wide range of complex systematic conditions such fibromyalgia and other related auto-im…

Acupuncture has long been used and studied clinically for stroke recovery.  Within the field there are many differing methods many of which are effective.  Researchers from Hunan University in Changsha China recently conducted a study comparing the effects of electroacupuncture (acupuncture with el…

Tinnitus is a common complaint seen by Chinese Medicine practitioners, particularly as many western treatments have poor response rates.  There are cases where structural abnormalities exist and these are difficult to resolve with any method, however, many cases exist without a known etiology.  Wit…

The acupuncture point LI 4 is one of a handful that also works well as an acupressure point - which makes it useful for home/self-treatment.  Researchers in this months Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health conducted a study evaluating this commonly used point for pain in a specific application o…

ALS or "Lou Gehrig's Disease" is a quickly debilitating and near exclusively fatal neuro-degenerative disease with no known cure.  Chinese Medicine including herbal medicine, acupuncture, Tong Ren Therapy, Tuina and other aspects has been used to help slow the progression of the disease, but has of…

Acupuncture and related Chinese Medicine techniques are commonly used to treat a wide range of digestive and bowel related medical conditions.  Irritable bowel syndromes is a commonly treated condition within many acupuncture clinics around the world as western treatments are often limited or undes…

Similar to other western conditions, Chinese Medicine does not use western terminology such as a “cold” or the “flu” in formulating proper treatments.  Colds and flus are merely western names which describe an array of symptoms with some common underlying factors and symptoms.  Chinese Medicine, on…

Chinese researchers recently conducted a study looking at the effects of light needling on the acupuncture point LI 4 for infantile colics.  Other studies have shown acupuncture to be effective for the crying aspect of colic, but the effect on the gastrointestinal aspect is yet to be fully understo…

Researchers from Fangshan Hospital in Beijing recently conducted a randomized controlled study of 60 cases of ordinary psoriasis.  The subjects were evenly split into a standard western medicine group and a acupuncture with moxibustion group. Within the western medicine group the drug Acitretin…

Many patients are trying acupuncture for the very first time and are generally unaware of the vast differences in needling styles between various forms of acupuncture (Japanese, Korean, TCM, Five Element, etc.) and from practitioner to practitioner within each style.  On the practitioner side man…

As well as fertility and birthing issues, acupuncture is very often used during pregnancy as it is both effective and in some cases there are no viable western alternatives. Breech position, back pain, morning sickness, propensity towards miscarriages, and more are all commonly treated. There are…

While somewhat less common in the US as it is in other countries where Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture are more tightly integrated with Western Medicine, acupuncture is very often used to promote labor.  In the US we tend to perform treatment outside of a hospital setting which requires the use of "…

While not very common in the US, China and other countries who have better integration of acupuncture into their hospital systems use acupuncture to limit the drugs required for anesthesia.  It is well known that this works but what points to use specifically and how much western medication can b…