Does Acupuncture Really Work
Opinions among HCPs are divided as to whether acupuncture works, as are the studies examining its efficacy. In one study, patients experienced moderately lower pain levels after receiving actual acupuncture, but so did control patients who were given placebo acupuncture treatments. In several studies, acupuncture seemed to be most effective for chronic pain, such as migraine attacks or back pain. As acupuncture has gained popularity in the United States and more studies have shown promised about acupunctures efficacy for managing pain and other medical issues, major insurance companies like Aetna and Blue Shield have started paying for acupuncture treatments for selected maladies. For example, when Julia was treated for chronic pain from her car accident, her insurance company paid for the treatments, but she had to pay out of pocket when she returned for her vasculitis treatment.
Although patients may be afraid of acupuncture treatment because of the needles involved, Chen stresses that the needles are relatively thin and most people feel little to no pain upon insertion. Patients may feel soreness or tenderness after acupuncture treatment, but it goes away quickly, Chen said.
What The Research Says
In recent years, researchers have taken a deeper look into specifically how acupuncture can help childhood health issues. There is an analysis of recent literature that can be very helpful from theNational Institutes of Health highlighting several studies.
One study published in theJournal of Alternative and Complementary Therapies found acupuncture to be an effective alternative to treating chronic pain in pediatric patients. The study asked participants various questions regarding pain, nausea, and quality of life both before and after the acupuncture treatments. Study results showed both the parents and the children who participated indicated decreased pain and nausea, as well as increased quality of life after the treatments were finished. While researchers agree more studies need to be conducted, they noted that this is a promising indication acupuncture can be used to treat pediatric patients with successful outcomes.
If you are looking for a whole family wellness plan, give us a call. We can evaluate what is needed on an individual basis for each family member, including your children. Acupuncture is a great natural alternative without the side effects of prescription medication.
How Kids Can Benefit from Regular Acupuncture Treatments was last modified: December 27th, 2021 by admin
- Take your health to the next level with our FREE eBook. 5 Ways to End Chronic Pain for Good!
Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2018 Will Take Place From 26 February To 4 March
This year, during Eating Disorders Awareness Week, well be asking the question Why Wait?
On average, 149 weeks pass before those experiencing eating disorder symptoms seek help. Thats almost three years, 37 months or 1,043 days. On top of this, in a YouGov survey conducted for EDAW, more than one in three adults in the UK, who gave an answer, could not name any signs or symptoms of eating disorders.
We know the sooner someone gets the treatment they need, the more likely they are to make a full and fast recovery. As well as campaigning to improve the services available, we recognise that we must raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder and encourage and empower people to take action now no matter how long their symptoms have been present.
Don’t Miss: Anya Shumilina
Community Workshops Courses And Events
EDV run a range of workshops, courses and events throughout the year that support people going through recovery, as well as people caring for loved ones. Examples include:
- Discovering the Healthy Self, a six-week workshop for people going through recovery
- Collaborative Caring Skills Workshop, a seven-week workshop for carers designed by Professor Janet Treasure
- USKILL and RENEW, online courses for carers run by the Carer Coaching team
- Stories of Recovery events where Ambassadors share their experience of recovery from an eating disorder and answer audience questions
Workshops are regularly updated on our events page.
Find out whats on
Visit out events page to see the latest workshops and events at EDV.
Acupuncture As An Alternative Therapy For Pain Management May Prove To Be A Powerful Component Of Addiction Recovery Programs
The path to recovery from addiction is often long, and the route it takes varies for different people. While addiction recovery requires sustained hard work, it also requires sustained self-care. How people choose to care for themselves as part of recovery varies because of factors like upbringing, culture, and a persons individual personality.
Addiction recovery is a process that encompasses the entire individual, body, soul, and mind, and all three of those components must be looked after for the highest probability of long-term success. Some people with substance abuse issues turn to care methods that are traditional to other cultures, such as acupuncture.
Read Also: Paraphobia Meaning
Treatment Protocol For Eating Disorderpatients
As an acupuncturist on apatients eating disorder recovery journey, it is important that this conditionis considered carefully in the way of diagnosis and interacting with thepatient. An eating disorder tends to engulf the person completely, and they areusually dealing with some kind of underlying emotional issues and/or possibleaddiction. If you as the provider are involved in their healing it is importantto discuss case management in order to provide a safe treatment experience foryour eating disorder patient.
The main difference in treating an eating disorder patient is that unlike other health issues, there is potentially a patient resistance to recovery , and an impaired perception of themselves. Often it seems as though you are interacting with the patient along with the eating disorder itself as it takes on its own voice within the patient driving self-destructive behavior, and depending on conversations & information given can have potentially dangerous effects.
Safe case management strategies:
Making sure to be mindful of what information your patients encounter before, during, and after treatments can help to create a safer environment for them on the road to recovery.
Treating Teenage Acne With Chinese Herbs
We have developed our Yinova Eating Disorder Support Program based on over a decades worth of experience in treating patients with all kinds of eating disorders. It is not intended as a replacement for psychiatric and medical care but as a gentle adjunct to conventional treatment using the ancient wisdom of acupuncture and Chinese herbs to address both the underlying causes of dysfunctional eating and the physical symptoms that are commonly experienced by people who have suffered eating disorders over a long period of time.
Acupuncture, in combination with a specially tailored herbal formula, can:
- Help address anxiety, overthinking, worry, and stress.
- Treat panic attacks and palpitations
- Help to treat digestive problems such as bloating, gas, acid reflux, nausea, loose stools and constipation
- Regulate the menstrual cycle and treat irregular periods, no periods and PMS
- Treats fatigue and insomnia
- Restore functional metabolism after long term restricted food intake
Herbal formulas that may be helpful are:
- Gui pi tang for anxiety combined with bloating and poor digestion
- Liu wei di huang wan for light or no periods and dry skin and hair
- Jin gui shen qi wan for metabolic problems from long term restrictive eating
- Tian wan bu xin dan for anxiety and will power turned inwards in a self-destructive fashion
Some vitamins and nutritional supplements that may also be helpful are:
You May Like: Effects Of Phobia
Which Of The Following Mental Disorders Can Ap Disorders Are Curable
There are typically changes in mood or behavior related to these disorders. The disorder usually consists of a depressed mood or elation, also called mania. A treatment for these disorders is highly effective. The condition can affect several different types of people, including major depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
We Get It Because We’ve Been There Too
We know that recovery from an eating disorder is really hard, and is often not linear.
EDVs services are informed by the lived experience of people who have experienced eating disorders and those that have cared for them. Many of our staff, volunteers and board members have lived experience of eating disorders.
We aim to provide empathetic and helpful support in everything that we do. Our range of services cover the breadth of the eating disorder journey, from first diagnosis to recovery, relapse and maintenance.
Also Check: Fear Of Long Word
Telehealth May Solve Treatment Gap
Researchers from the InsideOut Institute have worked with families across five regional and rural areas of the state to deliver treatment Mr Manning did not have access to.
The study looked into the effectiveness and feasibility of using telehealth to deliver family based treatment for anorexia nervosa, where the whole family is involved in the treatment and recovery process.
InsideOut Institute researcher and PhD candidate Ashlea Hambleton said specialised FBT was often hard for regional and rural families to access.
“We wanted to find a way to deliver treatment that’s typically available in the metropolitan and urban centres of Australia directly into rural and regional towns,” she said.
“There’s been a lot of work that’s been done to try to upskill local clinicians within general mental health services and teams.
“But for rural and regional areas, the catchment area for a particular treatment centre can be very large, so that can still mean that families and individuals are travelling very long distances giving up days of work to get to and from appointments.”
High demand for services also created issues, with some families left facing wait lists after being referred to private practitioners or local GP offices.
Does Acupuncture Treatment Mprovement
Despite these limitations, acupuncture is being studied to see if it can be prescribed to treat depression as well as related symptoms. A significant drop in depression severity. The researchers from the University of Michigan reported that acupuncture therapy significantly improved depressive symptoms among 151 patients over 8 weeks.
Don’t Miss: Feretrophobia Definition
Could Acupuncture Be Used Y Treatment For Anxiety
Mathew Kulas, MA, RAc, an acupuncture and chiropractic resident at Henry Ford Health System, says that complementary therapies reduce stress hormones like cortisol from the body. Acupuncture has been proven to be safe and effective at treating anxiety, and it has fewer side effects than traditional therapy.
Using Acupuncture To Treat Binge Eating And Food Addiction
A disorder like binge eating can take control of a persons health and make it difficult for them to live a normal life. People with binge eating disorder frequently consume unusually large amounts of food and feel unable to stop eating. Binge eating means more than overeating on occasion, it is a regular occurrence that becomes out of control.People who overeat may also be suffering from a type of food addiction that is a dangerous cycle.
Food addiction and binge eating are problems that can cause people to suffer from serious health issues including obesity which puts them more at risk for a number of diseases. Compulsive over-eating can be a dangerous and even fatal problem for many people who find that they simply cannot stop themselves from eating. There are a number of different ways that binge eating can be treated but alternative therapies like acupuncture can be a helpful tool in reducing appetite and calming the kind of anxiety that leads to food addiction.
Supplementing Therapy with Alternative MedicineAt the root of binge eating there are often psychological problems that drive people to use food as a kind of drug to calm their emotional state. The core of treatment for binge eating must be cognitive behavioral therapy or some other form of psychological counseling that can reduce some of their mental health issues. However, alternative treatments like acupuncture can provide a helpful supplement to a patients regular therapy.
Read Also: Whats The Fear Of Throwing Up
Chinese Medicine Helps With Treatment For Eating Disorders
Nearly 1 million men and women in the United States suffer from eating disorders, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, including the two most common ones anorexia and bulimia. Both disorders involve a perception distortion of body shape and weight. Anorexia is characterized by extreme weight loss bulimia is characterized by binge-eating and compensatory factors such as purging and fasting. Conventional therapies for eating disorders include medical and psychological evaluation, medication and nutritional counseling. But if you’re looking for treatment for eating disorders, Chinese medicine and other alternative therapies can help.
Acupuncture can aid in treatment of eating disorders
One of the most effective healing traditions in the treatment of eating disorders is traditional Chinese medicine , which includes acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine, massage and dietary therapy. In addition to allopathic therapies, TCM especially acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can aid in regaining emotional and physical health.
How acupuncture helps in related conditions
Auricular acupuncture points are also effective in harmonizing digestion, absorption and metabolism. Acupuncture body points selected can tonify or increase the energy of Chi and circulate oxygen and blood with an emphasis on the stomach. By restoring Chi energetic balance, acupuncture can manage uncontrollable appetite and reduce cravings.
Combination of holistic modalities
Can Acupuncture Help Patients With Celiac Disease
- Anemia
- Neurological complications
- Infertility
- Calcium loss resulting in reduction of bone mass
- Mineral and vitamin deficiencies
- Cancer of the intestines and gastrointestinal tract
- Hyposplenism
- Disorders of the peripheral and central nervous systems
- Deficiency of the pancreas
- Gall bladder malfunction
Current western medical research maintains there is no cure except to refrain eating foods with gluten. But even when gluten-containing foods are removed from the diet, sometimes the intestinal inflammation may persist. Relief from the following symptoms may take up to several months for some.
- Gas
- Extremely itchy skin rash on elbows, knees, back and back of neck
- Abnormal sensations in hands and feet described as a feeling of ‘pins and needles’
- Mouth sores
- Delayed mental and physical growth in young children
- Headaches
- Depression
- Discolored teeth
Find an Acupuncturist near you to learn how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help manage your symptoms!
About the Author: Vanessa Vogel Batt, L.Ac., MSTOM, studied at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and practiced acupuncture and Oriental medicine in New York for several years. Vanessa enjoys traveling the world, and has published articles on acupuncture and Oriental medicine and related health topics for websites and publications in both the U.S. and abroad.
Don’t Miss: Prodromal Stage Of Schizophrenia
Treatment For Eating Disorders
Getting help early is very important for a person struggling with an eating disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with eating disorders are at greater risk of suicide. They also may develop medical complications such as digestive problems from vomiting and laxative abuse, or heart damage from malnutrition.
Treatment for eating disorders typically includes:
- Individual, family, or group counseling
- Medical intervention and monitoring
- Medication
- Nutrition therapy
Like most mental and physical health conditions, you gain the most benefits from a personalized treatment plan. If youre searching for an alternative therapy to support your traditional medical plan, then you may want to consider acupuncture to help treat your eating disorder.
Acupuncture & Eating Disorders
Acupuncturecan be a great way of addressing the root issues of eating disorders, andrestoring flow and function to the body. Eating disorders are, without a doubt,very challenging to treat. However, the advantage of TCM treatment is theemphasis on treating the whole person on an individualized basis, and ourunderstanding of the connection of the emotional & physical self. Themortality rates are high, in fact, every 62 minutes at least one person dies asa direct result of an eating disorder, and have the highest mortality rate ofany mental illness.
Although studies are limited for acupuncture for eatingdisorders, acupuncture has proven to be a great adjunct therapy in the recoveryof eating disorder patients.
Acupuncture for eating disorder studies:
- A study in 2010 was done on 9 females with eating disorders, and showed that acupuncture improved the patients quality of life as measured by the Eating Disorder Quality of Life scale as well as showing decreased anxiety & perfectionism.
- A study in 2017 sought out to show the effectiveness of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy in anorexia nervosa patients. Patients in the study , described acupuncture as offering a pause in a very stressful situation, and that the relaxation was palpable. This study concluded that it allowed anorexia nervosa patients to rest providing better mental clarity, and decreased anxiety & gaining weight became easier to endure.
Citations
ACE Student Support
CEU Blog
Also Check: What Does The Word Phobia Mean
Eating Disorders: Why It Is Time To Change The Stereotype And Start Talking More About Repairing Our Relationship To Food
Eating Disorders: Why it is time to change the stereotype and start talking more about repairing our relationship to food
Eating disorders are often stereotypically thought of to be a condition of teenage girls, and it is time to change the thinking. I remember growing up in the 90s, the thin-grunge body ideals and fat-free cookie fads inspired a generation of girls to fear fat and emphasize empty sources of calories. Our society may be growing more inclusive of diverse visions of beauty, but the fact remains that every 62 minutes in the United States, someone dies as a direct result of an eating disorder. Compared to all other mental illness, EDs have the highest mortality rate. Lets break the stereotypical thinking around eating disorders and explore how they manifest in todays world.
What are eating disorders?
Eating Disorders do not only affect teenage girls
What causes Eating Disorders? Beyond magazines and media
Why is it so hard for people with EDs to get help?
How Might Acupuncture Help With Addiction Recovery
Studies of acupuncture as a component of an addiction recovery program are sparse, but studies published in respected medical journals like the Archives of Internal Medicine and the American Journal of Public Health have reported that acupuncture therapy was beneficial to the recovery of people with tobacco and cocaine addictions.
Stress reduction and relief from pain are perhaps the two primary benefits of acupuncture, and it is easy to see how this might benefit people in recovery from opiate abuse disorders. Acupuncture as an alternative therapy for pain management may prove to be a powerful component of addiction recovery programs, particularly with addictions involving painkillers. Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, but the scale of opioid addiction society is dealing with now is fairly new. It will take time for large-scale results of acupuncture to be assessed more completely.
Stress and pain reduction are two primary goals of acupuncture therapy.
Read Also: Progression Of Schizophrenia