Acupuncture For Allergies

Image by Corina from Pixabay

Is it me, or is there a copious amount of tree pollen tumbleweed rolling down the streets and into the air? Many patients have been suffering this week - patients who don't normally get allergies. How can Acupuncture help?

Acupuncture helps strengthen your immune system which in turn can help your response to allergens. Allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, runny nose, congestion, fatigue, headache, and post nasal drip will sometimes be immediately alleviated, or take a few sessions. 

how does it work?

Acupuncture strengthens your immune system and helps with common symptoms such as runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, and headaches. By working on the defensive level (in Chinese called Wei Qi level) acupuncture strengthens the body's ability to deal with the allergen. I also work on regulating the adrenal glands where our histamine response comes from, by calming the autonomic nervous system. 

Acupuncture appointments before, during and after allergy season will make Spring a much more pleasant experience. So come in for your weekly dose of acupuncture and get out and smell the flowers!

Benefits Of Sports Medicine Acupuncture

Image from Pixabay.

Whether you are an Olympian, a sports enthusiast, or just an active person, Sports Medicine Acupuncture offers a comprehensive, integrative approach to decrease pain, increase function and get you back into the game!

Here are the benefits of Sports Medicine Acupuncture:

1. Relieves muscle pain and spasm: There are several studies which have shown that when needles are inserted, they stimulate points that boost our natural painkillers. In one study, researchers at the University of Michigan (published by University of Michigan Health System in Journal of NeuroImage, Vol. 5, No. 83, 2009) found acupuncture affected the brain’s long-term ability to regulate pain. - See more at: Five Ways Acupuncture Helps Athletes and Can Help You, Too.

2. Improves circulation: Acupuncture increases the amount of Nitric Oxide in the body which causes the blood vessels to relax and to widen, thereby opening up the arteries. This allows better blood flow to the heart and your other important organs.

3. Muscle relaxation: Athletes train for thousands of hours which is punishing to their bodies. Acupuncture reduces soreness from workouts and increases blood flow.

Some Commonly Treated Sport Injuries:

• Achilles Tendonitis

• Ankle Sprain

• Arch Pain

• Golfer’s Elbow

• Groin Pull

• Hamstring Strain

• Iliotibial Band

• Lower Back Strain

• Meniscus Tears

• Muscle Pull

• Neck Pain

• Runner’s Knee

• Shin Splints

• Shoulder Impingement

• Tennis Elbow

Methods Used:

• Acupressure

• Acupuncture

• Cupping

• Electroacupuncture

• Exstore Method

• Gua Sha

• Soft Tissue Release

• Trigger Point Dry-Needling

If you have any questions or would like to get more information, you can contact me at laurakara@aculaura.com

Beating The Sugar Blues

Image by Andres Ayrton from Pexels

Blood sugar imbalances:

In my years of experience, I have found that, by far, the most damage someone can do to the body is having blood sugar imbalances. We eat more sugar and refined carbs in a week than people ate in a year 200 years ago. This is the common factor in almost every modern disease. The problems are severe and can include:

• Increased cardiac risk - Carbs actually cause high cholesterol, not fat!

• Hardening arteries (risk of developing Alzheimer’s - aka Type 3 Diabetes).

• Reduced stomach and digestive function - The role of Spleen/Pancreas.

• Accelerated aging - Sugar sags!

• High cancer risk - Tumors feed off sugar.

• Adrenal fatigue - Sugar causes Fight or Flight reactions in the body.

• Hormone Imbalances - Causes high Estrogen.

• Inflammation - Cortisol causes Inflammation and belly fat.

• Hypertension - The sugar roller coaster ride.

• Increased risk of stroke and clotting - Sugar damages the arterial wall.

• Depression - The Ultimate sugar “crash!”

• Muscle weakness, tears, cramping - Spleen/Pancreas governs muscles in Chinese Medicine.

Ways to reverse blood sugar imbalances:

• Eating something protein-based every 2-3 hours BEFORE you are hungry.

• Never miss a meal.

• Cut back on refined carbs and sugars to the point where you are not craving them.

• Exercise - This is one of the only things that will reduce insulin resistance and improve blood glucose metabolism. A minimum of 30 min. 4-5x a week. Keep it light - walking, swimming and yoga are all good options.

• Get acupuncture! I have individualized treatments that balance blood sugar by working with the liver, pancreas, spleen and addictions to sugar.

Once your blood glucose levels have become more stable, you will notice that your energy levels are much better, your adrenals start to recover, your immunity improves, you sleep better, your moods are better, joint pain improves, and on and on!

ACUPUNCTURE FOR DIGESTIVE HEALTH – IT AFFECTS MORE THAN YOUR GUT!

By Kindel Media from Pexels

The way we look at gut health in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is to look at the body-mind-spirit as a whole.  Ever wonder why Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) happens after a stressful or traumatic experience? Why brain-fog has much to do with what’s happening in the digestive system? Why we get colds easily after a weekend of binge eating?

Do you ever wonder where the expression “go with your gut” comes from or why you get “butterflies in your stomach” when you’re nervous?

Within your digestive system are hidden intricate interactions between nerve signals, gut hormones and microbiota—the bacteria that live in the digestive system. These signal the brain. Poor digestion and obesity have been linked to depression, hence the gut-brain connection. The digestive system is also important for good immune function. As Jonathan Jacobs, MD, PhD, a professor of digestive diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA says, “the microbiome and the immune system are critically intertwined.” “What’s present in the gut determines what education immune cells get.”

HOW CAN ACUPUNCTURE HELP?

Acupuncture needles are inserted in points on meridians close to nerve bundles that send signals to the brain, thus having an immediate switch to calm the nervous system and take your “fight, flight and freeze” response and put you into a “rest and digest” response. This in turn produces good-feeling hormones and has been shown to increase vagal tone (the longest cranial nerve that goes deep into the gut) as well as increase feel-good hormones like endorphins and serotonin.

“Researchers note that acupuncture has been shown to stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain therefore increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels.” HealthCMI 2/2/2015.

Most of my patients with digestive issues are able to remediate them with acupuncture, dietary changes and daily calming habits such as meditation, yoga or simply going for a walk. I love seeing the changes in my patients’ digestive system after a few sessions. Sleep also improves which is an added bonus!

What is a Motor Point?

Motor points are the most electrically charged area of the muscle that tells the muscle to do it's job.

It's where the nerve innervates the muscle.  When these points are activated by electric stim, they can help to contract or relax the muscle, in turn helping body's movements and muscles to work in synchronicity with one another. Often, after an injury, accident, surgery or trauma, certain muscles become inhibited, meaning they are not functioning properly. Often their counterpart muscles, over compensate and adapt, but this causes a lot of strain on those antagonistic muscles. An example is the upper rib cage muscles; serratus anterior to the upper trapezius muscles. Most people who are sitting passively at a desk all day will have very tight upper traps and shoulder muscles, because their core strength to the upper trap (serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi) are not active.  This combined with gravity and compression on the neck and back discs can cause a host of problems. 

At Kara Acupuncture & Wellness, we do a full postural assessment, gait analysis, and correct the body as a whole so that it can move fluidly again. This global correction, is long lasting and doesn't take a lot of sessions.  Make sure you are seeing a Licensed Acupuncturist who is trained in Motor Point and electric stimulation.

This photo is a great example of an agonist/antagonistic pair of muscles, from an old ankle sprain years ago, causing her gait to be off balance. By correcting this with acupuncture motor points and electric stim, her gait improved immediately.

Importance of Having More Than One Acupuncture Treatment

Image by tekinturkdogan from iStock

Trying acupuncture just once won't give you a real feel for what the outcomes of acupuncture can do.  It's important to book your sessions weekly or bi-weekly at least for a month to six weeks to see issues start to clear. 

It's been incredible to see how my patients have been able to go back to their activity, sometimes very quickly but usually at least 4-6 sessions. Improvements happen weekly, but can be subtle at first. Just like you wouldn't do just one PT session to rehab an injury, you certainly wouldn't want to just give acupuncture a once in a while try. 

Here’s an article on why it’s important to have more than one acupuncture treatment.

Press Reset On Stress

Image by Shahariar Lenin from Pixabay

How Does Acupuncture Work for Chronic Pain?

Image by Belchonock from Deposit Photos.

By Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM

eastern explanation

The Eastern Explanation for how Acupuncture works is that the life energy flowing through the body which is termed Qi (pronounced chee) can be influenced and balanced by stimulating specific points on the body. These points are located along channels of energy known as meridians that connect all of our major organs. According to Chinese medical theory, illness arises when the cyclical flow of Qi in the meridians becomes unbalanced or is blocked.

western explanation

Definition of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points located near or on the surface of the skin which have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to achieve the desired effect.

Explanation of How Acupuncture Works

Acupuncture points are areas of designated electrical sensitivity. Inserting needles at these points stimulates various sensory receptors that, in turn, stimulate nerves that transmit impulses to the hypothalamic-pituitary system at the base of the brain.

The hypothalamus-pituitary glands are responsible for releasing neurotransmitters and endorphins, the body’s natural pain-killing hormones. It is estimated that endorphins are 200 times more potent than morphine. Endorphins also play a big role in the functioning of the hormonal system. This is why acupuncture works well for back pain and arthritis and also for P.M.S. and infertility.

The substances released as a result of acupuncture not only relax the whole body, they regulate serotonin in the brain which plays a role in human and animal disposition. This is why depression is often treated with acupuncture.

Some of the physiological effects observed throughout the body include increased circulation, decreased inflammation, relief from pain, relief of muscle spasms and increased T-cell count which stimulates the immune system.