Acupuncture – Page 2 – Medford Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic

Does Acupuncture Hurt?

Written by Ann Zimmerman on April 12, 2011. Posted in Acupuncture, Pain Relief.

by Clark and Ann Zimmerman, L.Ac.

Acupuncture has the capacity to effectively treat a variety of chronic health conditions that typically do not respond to other forms of intervention.

In our practice, we have used acupuncture to treat both children and adults. In fact, we have done full acupuncture treatments on kids as young as 4, including needling points on the face, scalp, hands, and feet. Even patients this age typically do not experience any discomfort that lasts for more than a second or two.

The truth of the matter is that nobody really likes needles. We are generally conditioned to have an aversion to them because of the trauma involved in getting shots and other procedures using hypodermic needles. It is always funny when a new patient comes in and confesses in a voice that suggest their situation is utterly unique, ‘I don’t like needles.’ Most new patients make this confession – and most are very surprised by how pleasant the treatment actually is, even though it involves needles.

Acupuncture and Arthritis Pain Relief

Written by Ann Zimmerman on April 12, 2011. Posted in Acupuncture, Pain Relief.

by Clark and Ann Zimmerman, L.Ac.

In our clinical practice, we have worked with people with all forms of arthritis and have helped many of them get off of pain killers and steroids.

Approximately 44 million Americans have been diagnosed with arthritis. Many of these people are being treated with Western medications such as steroids and anti-inflammatories, while many others’ symptoms are left untreated, as they do not want to pursue conventional Western treatment options.

If you suffer from Arthritis, meditation is an excellent discipline to restore health, balance, and awareness to your life.

In our clinical practice, we have worked with people with all forms of arthritis and have helped many of them get off of pain killers and steroids. This is possible by using a combination of acupuncture, herbs, nutritional supplements, and possibly techniques such as yoga, qi gong or meditation. We are always pleased (as is the patient) when we can use natural therapies for pain management because they do not have any side effects, unlike most of the Western medications for pain relief, which can cause a host of complications. Many of these medications weaken the body over time, which, in our opinion, causes premature aging and general debility.

Below are several natural herbal and nutritional supplements that have proven effective in overcoming the pain and inflammation of arthritis. It is always best to seek out the services of a healthcare professional if you are interested in using these products.

Depression

Written by Ann Zimmerman on April 12, 2011. Posted in Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Mental and Emotional Health.

by Clark and Ann Zimmerman, L.Ac.

Approximately 38 million Americans suffer with chronic anxiety or depression. One out of eight adults are currently taking antidepressant medications.

While these medications can offer support and benefit on certain occasions, there are indeed many people that do not respond well to this form of treatment. This can be due to a number of factors including:

Various side effects that outweigh the benefits of the medication
A developed tolerance to the medication that causes the benefits to diminish
Excessive sensitivity to the concentrated nature of these medications
A belief system that suggests that the depression is not due to a biochemical imbalance, or that this imbalance is the result of a deeper spiritual issue.

In our clinical practice, we have worked with a number of patients who were convinced that they had run out of options after finding medications and/or talk therapy to be ineffective for their needs. Many of these people try acupuncture as a last resort. Based on the experience we have had in working with numerous patients who suffer from chronic depression, we now firmly believe that Chinese medicine, nutritional supplementation, meditation, yoga and qi gong can offer tremendously helpful support in healing the root causes of this epidemic. This approach is much more comprehensive and much less invasive to the brain than using SSRI medications. It accounts for not only biochemical factors, but also energetic, nutritional, and spiritual influences as well.