What Conditions Does Acupuncture Treat?

Acupuncture has been used in Asia to treat many health conditions affecting all aspects of the body for hundreds of years. With modern medical research, there is a significant number of studies that show the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a list of conditions that are recognized by conventional medicine as treatable with Acupuncture: http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/pdf/s4926e/s4926e.pdf (check out pages 23-26). Now if you look at this list and do not see your specific medical condition, that does not mean Acupuncture won't help you. Research into the effects and benefits of Acupuncture is behind conventional medical research. Chances are your condition may very well be treated by Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine, but there might not be any research yet. If you have any questions about your individual health concerns and Acupuncture, please call! Try our our FREE CONSULTATION and we can discuss your health and illnesses. WHO  recognizes that the following conditions are treatable with Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine:

• Addictions (alcohol, narcotics, tobacco)
• Adverse Reactions to Chemo & Radio Therapies
• Anxiety/ Depression
• Arthritis/ Osteoarthritis/ Gout/ Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Asthma
• Back Pain/ Sciatica
• Bell's Palsy
• Breathlessness (COPD)
• Bronchitis
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Colitis
• Cold and Influenza
• Constipation/ Diarrhea
• Deficient Lactation 
• Dental Pain
• Diarrhea
• Digestive Issues
• Dizziness
• Dysentery
• Earaches
• Elbow Pain (Tennis Elbow/ Golfer's Elbow)
• Emotional Disorders
• Eye Disorders
• Facial Pain, Paralysis, Spasm
• Fatigue
• Fibromyalgia
• Gingivitis
• Headaches

Who Should Get Acupuncture

EVERYONE! Everybody can benefit from the effects of Acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture is not just effective for injury and disease, it is also great preventive medicine. Acupuncture helps to boost the immune system and reduces inflammation- both important in maintaining excellent health! There are times when Acupuncture are more or less appropriate. Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine are going to be helpful in treating most stages of an injury or illness. Acupuncture will work best, however, the closer to the beginning of a health issue. More treatments will be needed for chronic issues. That being said, if you have an injury that requires immediate medical attention (broken bone, stitches, major health crisis)- SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE FIRST. Only after receiving the conventional health care and your condition has stabilized should you begin Acupuncture. Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine can be a very important part of your recovery after a serious illness, injury, or surgery. Try Acupuncture to help reduce injury or post-surgical pain, to reduce inflammation, to reduce scar tissue, and/ or improve bone bending and soft tissue recovery. If you are suffering from an acute, but non-emergency or life threatening condition, Acupuncture can be effective at the earliest stages of an injury or illness. If you strain a joint playing sports, have a flare in your chronic pain, or have migraine headaches- get Acupuncture quickly. Early treatment can help reduce pain and speed up recovery. 

Who SHOUld not get acupuncture

Acupuncture treatment is very safe for a wide range of conditions. There are some conditions, however, where acupuncture is used with caution. For example, electrical stimulation of acupuncture needles is avoided with patients who have pacemakers, are epileptics, or those individuals on blood thinning medication. Certain acupuncture points are avoided with pregnant women. We do not needle at sites of infections, open wounds, or tumors. In regards to cancer, patients should understand that the effects of Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine are not widely researched. Cancer treatment should always be coordinated by a qualified oncologist. That said, Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine can be used to treat the side effects of chemo and radio therapies and pain symptoms associated with cancer and cancer treatments.

treatment plans and frequency of care

Acupuncture, like physical therapy, chiropractic care, or massage, is PHYSICAL medicine. Physical medicine requires multiples treatments over a sustained period of time. You wouldn't go to physical therapy once and have an injury completely rehabilitated, and the same can be said of acupuncture treatment. The extent of treatment is largely going to depend on how long you have had the injury or illness and how severe the condition is. In cases of pain, it is common to have a starting treatment frequency of twice a week until your bodies pain response is under control. Just like one pill is not enough to cure an illness, one Acupuncture treatment will not be enough to treat most conditions.