cupuncture Related Therapies

 

Moxibustion Therapy

 

The burning of dried mugwort herb (Artemisia vulgaris) to warm acupuncture points is called moxibustion. The heat generated from moxibustion improves the circulation of Qi-energy and blood to alleviate pain and to correct disorders caused by “cold pathogens”. A rolled up piece of mugwort can be attached to the handle shaft of an inserted acupuncture needle to combine acupuncture therapy with moxibustion therapy. This therapy is best suited for weaker patients and especially elderly patients that complain of cold body and joints.

 

Cupping Therapy

 

A flame is applied to the inside of small glass jars to create a vacuum inside the jar. These jars are applied over acupuncture points or on energetic meridian pathways. The vacuum lifts up the skin area inside the jar like a negative pressure massage. This soothing technique is often used after acupuncture to improve circulation and break up blockages that are the cause of pain and functional imbalances. It is also effect as a stand-alone therapy.

 

GuaSha Therapy

 

Gua means scrape, Sha means skin reaction. Therefore GuaSha is a therapy where the surface of the skin is scraped to cause a reaction of the skin. A lubricating cream is first applied over a selected area such as the upper back. A small flat tool is then used to scrape the surface of the skin. The scraping causes the skin to become intensely red, which serves to improve local circulation and release “heat pathogens” from the body. This therapy is especially effective in strengthening the immune system to fight the flu and its associated neck/shoulder pain.

 

 

<click on filiform>

Filiform needles are not hollow like hypodermic needles used to draw blood and give injections. Acupuncture needles (~0.2 mm diameter) are on average only one quarter the thickness of the average hypodermic needle (0.82 mm diameter) used to draw blood for tests. Their design permits efficient sliding through tissues and makes them unlikely to cause bleeding or damage to underlying structures like hypodermic needles which have a cutting edge designed to cut through tissue. Insertion of acupuncture needles feels like a mosquito bite, which is hardly perceptible. Any initial discomfort disappears after the needle has been inserted.

 

<Insert needle

 

Conditions that acupuncture can help

 

In 1996 the World Health Organization summarized a list of conditions that acupuncture can benefit. The National Institute of Health (NIH) released a similar list in 1997, shown as (NIH) below.

 

 

 

Dental

Dental pain (NIH), Temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction

Head/Ear/Eye/Nose/Throat

Allergic rhinitis (incl. hay fever), Earache,
Epistaxis (nosebleed), Eye pain due to subconjunctival infection,
Meniere's disease,
Sjogren's syndrome,
Sore throat (incl. tonsillitis)

Infectious Diseases

Acute bacillary dysentery, Epidemic haemorrhagic fever,
Hepatitis B virus carrier status,
Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpes virus 3),
Whooping cough (pertussis)

Immunological

Rheumatoid arthritis

Internal Medicine

Biliary colic,
Abdominal pain (incl. peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, gastrospasm),
Hypertension, Essential
Hypotension, Nausea & vomiting, Leukopenia,
Renal colic, Bronchial asthma (NIH),
Cardiac neurosis,
Cholecystitis, Cholelithiasis,
Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent),
Gastrokinetic disturbance,
Hyperlipaemia,
Ulcerative colitis

OB-GYN

Menstrual cramps (NIH only), Labor induction,
Malposition of fetus,
Morning sickness/pregnancy nausea (NIH), 
Female infertility,
Hypo-ovarianism,
Labour pain,
Lactation deficiency,
 Polycystic ovary syndrome,
Premenstrual syndrome

Oncology

Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, incl. nausea & vomiting, Cancer pain

Neurology, Orthopedics & Physical Medicine

Facial pain and spasm,
Fascitis, Myofascial pain,
Fibromyalgia (NIH),
Headache (NIH)
Knee pain,
Low back pain (NIH),
Neck pain,
Periarthritis of Shoulder (Frozen Shoulder),
Post-operative pain,
Sciatica,
Sprain,
Tennis elbow or epicondylitis (NIH), Bell's palsy,
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (NIH only),
Craniocerebral injury, closed
Osteo- and Gouty arthritis (NIH),
Radicular and pseudoradicular pain,
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy,
Spine pain, acute
Stiff neck,
Stroke rehabilitation (NIH only),
Tietze's syndrome,
Tourette's syndrome

Psychiatry

Depression (incl. depressive neurosis, and post-stroke), Competition stress syndrome,
Schizophrenia

 

Addiction (NIH)

Alcohol dependence & detox,
Opium, cocaine, and heroin dependence,
Tobacco dependence

Dermatology

Acne vulgaris,
Neurodermatitis (Lichen simplex),
Pruritis (Skin itching)

Genito-urinary

Female urethral syndrome,
Male sexual dysfunction, Prostatitis, Recurrent lower urinary tract infection,
Retention of urine, Traumatic
urolithiasis

Pediatrics Post-extubation in children

Vascular Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans,
Raynaud's syndrome, primary
Vascular dementia

Miscellaneous Obesity,Pain due to endoscopic examination,Post-operative convalescence,Sialism (drug-induced)