Acupuncture and Inflammation: A Healthy Alternative to Cortisone

Inflammation and an inflammatory diseases play a huge role in our health.  In one form or another, it can have a negative impact in practically every part of our body.  Under normal circumstances, the inflammatory process is an important part of our immune response and is critical to help fight infection and drive wound healing.

There are times, however, when the inflammation process gets “out of control” and causes problems.  At a local level, say, for tendonitis, it can lead to chronic pain and actually slow down joint healing.  In a more general body-wide level, it’s responsible for a wide range of health problems including allergies, asthma, gastro-intestinal disorders, cancer, heart disease, and auto-immune diseases.

Historically, the  conventional treatment has been some form of corticosteroids.  The immunosuppressive action of corticosteroids has been very successful in reducing short-term symptoms of inflammation.  So what are the risks?  Shutting down the immune system using these corticosteroids has a long list of negative side-effects and health risks…..many of which are completely unknown by the patients who take them.

Fortunately, patients have options that are both effective and infinitely safer including acupuncture and natural medicine.  The following article discusses inflammation and corticosteroids in great detail while highlighting the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of inflammation.  Click HERE to access the article.

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and expert on cold-laser therapy.  He can be reached through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com

Cold Laser Therapy for Hypothyroidism : Help for People with Hashimoto’s Disease

One of the earliest contraindications (warnings) in using cold laser or low level laser therapy was to AVOID treating the thyroid gland.  Why?  The theory was that we may actually affect thyroid gland function.   Several months ago I questioned the wisdom of this warning.  What if someone’s thyroid gland was not functioning properly?  Can’t we possibly restore function?  This question burned me for several months and I even contacted the manufacturer of my laser system to ask if they had heard of any studies done on this subject.  Well… the universe has a funny way of  providing.  The manufacturer (Apollo) just released news citing an article from a journal (Lasers Surg Med. 2010 Aug;42(6):589-96) answering this exact question.

Hashimoto’s Disease or Chronic Thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.  A hypothyroid condition is characterized by a thyroid gland that  produces too little thyroid hormones (T3 and T4).  Both T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine) are responsible for controlling metabolism throughout the body.  Virtually Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism.  So, this process is obviously incredibly important.

Hashimoto’s Disease is an auto-immune disease where the thyroid gland is attacked by the body’s own immune system.  In doing so, the thyroid gland becomes enlarged, and it’s function is impaired.  The result is hypothyroidism.  Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, joint and muscle pain, constipation, dry thinning hair, heavy or irregular periods, depression, and anxiety.  It can be confirmed through blood tests showing high levels of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and low levels of T3 and T4.

About 14 million people in the U.S. suffer with hypothyroidism.  It affects about 7 times more women than men.  Common treatment methods include supplemental thyroid medication such as Armour Thyroid, Nature-Throid, Levothyroxine (LT4), and Synthroid.

In our clinic we’ve found that acupuncture is beneficial in some cases of hypothyroidism.  Now, however, we have evidence that our cold-laser therapy treatments can also  be incredibly effective in treating Hashimoto based hypothyroidism!  The study as referenced HERE was conducted to test if laser treatments directly on the thyroid gland can eliminate or reduce the need  for supplemental thyroid medication (Levothyroxine).  The results suggested that even 9 months after a 10 week treatment session, the need for supplemental thyroid (Levothyroxine) can be reduced or even completely eliminated!  The study continues to suggest that one of the markers  reflecting the autoimmune aspect of the disease (thyroid peroxidase-TPOAb ) can also be reduced!

So, now we have both acupuncture AND cold laser therapy to effectively treat hypothyroidism / Hashimoto’s Disease.

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is licensed acupuncturist and expert on cold-laser therapy.  He can be reached through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com

Acupuncture and the Immune System: Part 2 – A Traditional Chinese Perspective

Acupuncture and the Immune System: Part 2 – A Traditional Chinese Perspective

by: Craig Amrine

While Part 1 of this article discussed the effect of acupuncture on the immune system from a bio-chemical perspective, Part 2 describes how disease, specifically infectious disease, is seen from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) viewpoint.  The full article can also be viewed HERE.

As the understanding of external pathogenic (infectious) diseases evolved in China, so did the various theories on how to describe them.  In it’s most simple form, these diseases were seen as invasions of “Wind”.  Exterior wind was seen to invade the body through the skin by way of the Lungs.  In TCM, the Lungs were seen to control sweating and spread defensive (Wei) Qi around the body.  So, this is where the battle began.   As the Wind invades the body, it is fought by this defensive Qi .  Several types of Wind exist, and the specific symptoms that manifest during this battle will categorize  what type of Wind it is.

The various types of Wind types are:  Wind Cold, Wind Heat, Wind Dampness, Wind Dryness, and Wind Water.  The differences were characterized by the corresponding symptoms, the texture of the pulse, and the appearance of the tongue.  The symptoms for the different types or wind can be seen below1:

Wind-Cold:  Severe stiffness and ache of occiput (back of head) and body, sneezing, cough,  fever, dislike cold, no sweating, no thirst, runny nose with white-watery mucus.

Wind-Heat:  Mild stiffness and ache of occiput (back of head) and body, sneezing, cough, fever, dislike cold, itchy sore throat, swollen tonsils, sweating, thirst, runny nose with yellow mucus.

Wind-Dampness:  Muscle ache, swollen joints, feeling of “heaviness in the body”, dislike cold, swollen neck-glands, nausea, sweating, fever, dislike cold

Wind-Dry: Slight dislike of cold, dry skin,nose, and mouth, sore throat, dry cough

Wind-Water: Dislike of cold, cough with heavy white and watery mucus, sweating, no thirst.

The nature of Wind is dynamic, so a patient can often have symptoms of more than one Wind type.  It is also common for symptoms to transform or progress from one Wind type to another.

To further complicate matters, TCM views these Wind patterns in terms of different “levels” or “stages” in the body.  Each “level” or “stage” describes how the disease begins at the surface of the body, and how if left un-treated, will sink deeper with symptoms becoming more serious and eventually attack the organs.  The general trend is that as the disease progresses, it transforms predominantly towards a heat condition where it can eventually burn out the body’s internal substances.

Within TCM, we have several types of Qi in the body.  For example, Gu-Qi is derived from the food we eat, Jing-Luo (meridian) Qi flows along the meridians that we access with acupuncture, and Wei (Defensive) Qi serves to protect the body from external pathogens and is considered the first line of defense against disease.

In it’s most fundamental form, TCM views health in terms of proper balance.  When we are near to being in balance, our Qi is strong and resistant to attack.  When we are out of balance, we are left vulnerable to disease or “disharmony”.    If, through diet, lifestyle, or trauma, our Qi becomes weak or “stuck”, we are much more prone to getting sick.

So, when we first encounter a Wind attack, our goal is to both “expel” the wind and to strengthen the Wei-Qi.  While this may seem esoteric and even a bit silly, the end-result is that we use acupuncture points that are proven to increase levels of white-blood cells as well as to lower fever2.

What about cancer/tumors?  Within TCM, tumors are often seen as toxic heat in the body.  So, both acupuncture and herbs designed to clear toxic heat are used.  Interestingly, there are encouraging anti-tumor effects of TCM herbs according to some studies3,4.  In fact, there is a large body of evidence highlighting the positive effects of herbs on cancer.  Since this article is more focused on acupuncture however, that is beyond the scope of this article.

The final word on using acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in the fight against diseases and cancer is that early detection and treatment is important and stress that Traditional Chinese Medicine is an extremely powerful tool in fighting disease/cancer.  It can be effective in prevention as well as in both early and later stages of disease progression.  With virtually no negative side-effects, TCM can work hand-in-hand with more conventional therapies including chemo-therapy and radiation to increase comfort, decrease symptoms, and ultimately speed recovery.

Sources:

Maciocia Giovani, The Practice of Chinese Medicine, 2nd Edition. Churchill Livingstone, Oxford 2008, pp 1315-1337

2.  Xiao L, Jiang GL, Zhao JG, Wang LX, Xing J, Li JJ, Yang ZX., Clinical observation on effects of acupuncture at Dazhui (GV 14) for abating fever of common cold

TCM & Acupuncture Center, No. 464 Hospital of PLA, Tianjin 300381, China.Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2007 Mar;27(3):169-72.

3.  http://www.saitama-med.ac.jp/jsms/vol28/03/p109_115.pdf

4.  http://www.meridianmedical.org/atcm3_chap12.pdf

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and can be reached through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com

Cold Laser Therapy in the news.

A recent article in Yahoo Finance news page talks about cold-laser therapy and it’s benefits towards healing.  The  article can be found by clicking here.

Acupuncture Improves the Immune System – Part 1

The following link references a recent article I published discussing how acupuncture can significantly increase the amount of immune cells in our body.  It highlights how our treatments may play a role in helping the fight against cancer and infectious diseases.   You can either click to the link HERE or read the article below:  Enjoy!

The Effect of Acupuncture on the Immune System:  Part 1 – A Western Medical Perspective

Cancer.  The big “C”.  There are few words more effective in filling us with fear or dread.  Virtually all of us have either been directly affected by cancer or have had someone very close to us affected by cancer.  The word “cancer” is an umbrella term describing a large variety of diseases all with one thing in common;  a “growth” or “neoplasm” characterized by abnormal or uncontrolled growth of cells within the body.  For various reasons, the standard cell growth and death cycle gets out of control and these abnormal cells may spread throughout the body (metastasis) and infect other cells.

While reported cases are still on the rise for certain cancers, increased vigilance and advanced treatment protocols have vastly increased the survivability of most cancers.  Specifically, detection and treatment in the early stages have played a large role in surviving cancer.

Normally, we are constantly bombarded with any number of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.  Internally, we have a standard number of abnormal cells that may, if left unchecked, ultimately manifest as cancer.  Fortunately, our immune system is usually effective in fighting and destroying these invaders or rogue cells.  Our bodies are battle grounds of sorts.  Fortunately….most of the time….our bodies are victorious; our immune system destroys the invaders or cancer cells and we go on with our daily lives.

When we get sick, however, it is most commonly the result of our immune system becoming overwhelmed.  Either the invading virus, bacteria, parasite, or cancer cells proliferate at such a rapid rate that our immune response is unable to match the onslaught, or our standard immune response has been compromised/altered…..either by the invading cells/antigens themselves or by some other factor such as prolonged stress.

Conventional therapies for fighting cancer including chemo-therapy that are designed to kill very rapidly dividing cells…such as cancer cells.  The problem however, is that chemo-therapy is not too specific and will also target virtually ANY rapidly dividing cells including both white and red blood cells as well as hair follicles.  Ironically, this can lead to lowering the immune system and thus lead to a large host of other health-risks.

Cancer Treatments: Treatment and prevention of cancer, be it through conventional as well as non-conventional treatments is a HUGE topic.  There are medical doctors, oncologists, naturopaths, and experts of Traditional Chinese Medicine who spend their entire careers on this.  Entire medical journals are dedicated to new breakthroughs in cancer treatment.  One such technique involves regional hyperthermia to treat local neoplasms.  The thought is that heating a tumor up to 113 F will kill cancer cells but leave healthy cells relatively intact.  This is often combined with radiation and/or chemotherapy.  For this article however, we will simply talk about the role of acupuncture in this battle.

So, where does acupuncture fit in?  Can acupuncture help in the fight against cancer and other diseases?  Before we discuss that, listed below is a (very) brief list of some of our cells that are involved in our immune system⁶

WHITE BLOOD CELLS

Granulocytes

Neutrophils = Most abundant type of white blood cell.  Become phagocytic when encountering infectious materials; meaning they eat foreign, infected, or dying cells.

Eosinophils = Weakly phagocytic.. Very effective against parasites (worms).  Ingest antigen/antibody combinations.  They also moderate histamine induced allergy and inflammatory responses.

Basophils = They release histamine, an enzyme that is triggered by cell damage.

Histamine is responsible for increasing blood flow to a target area, increasing permeability of blood vessels to promote fluid to flow from blood vessels to surrounding tissue spaces resulting in swelling.  It is secreted by basophils, mast cells, and platelets and is responsible for much of our undesirable allergy symptoms when left unchecked.

Natural Killer Cells (NK) = These cells directly attack and kill infected and cancer / tumor cells.  They don’t have to rely on any prior “conference” or anti-body based reactions, although they do respond to “some” instructions from other immune cells.  They are considered the “shock-troops” of this defensive battle.

Agranulocytes

Phagocytes = Derived from monocytes; a type of white blood cell… wander through connective tissue.  There are “free” macrophages that include dendritic cells of epidermis and alveolar cells of lungs search for cellular debris or  foreign invaders.  There are also “fixed” macrophages such as Kupffer cells (liver) and microglia (brain)

Lymphyocytes = Responsible for developing cell immunities.

T Lymphocytes = These cells can either directly kill certain tumor or virally infected cells (CD8+ or “cytotoxic” version) or they can secrete factors that activate other white blood cells (CD4+ or  “helper” version).  There are several other subtypes of T-lymphocytes that I didn’t include in order to keep this article at a reasonable a length.

B Cells = The main function of these cells is to secrete antitbodies; specific markers for one particular antigen.  These antibodies serve as markers on the infected cell to trigger other types of white blood cells to attack and kill it.

Cytokines = Proteins secreted by various white-blood cells that act as messengers and mediators during the immune response.  They are often responsible for both enhancing or modulation inflammation, fever, and immune responses led by white-blood cells. There are SEVERAL sub-types of cytokines including Interleukins (IL-1, IL-2 subfamily, IL-10 subfamily), Interferon (IFN), and lymphokines.

The overall immune response mechanism (both cell-mediated and humoral immunity) is an ingenious and complex dance that involves all of these cell types listed above as well as several other cells and processes designed to provide an effective but regulated defense against bacteria, viruses, parasites, and cancer.  Imbalance in this process can lead to, on one extreme, a weak immune system where we are left vulnerable to any external or internal invader.  On the other extreme, imbalance can lead to a situation where the immune system is too active and will attack healthy body tissue and undigested proteins as characterized by several types of auto-immune disorders.

What can acupuncture do?  Can acupuncture actually affect the number of leukocytes and cytokines responsible for our immune system?  The answer is without a doubt YES!

Acupuncture and Immune Cells:  A brief literature review

Several studies were conducted on both healthy adults as well as adults afflicted with malignant tumors.  Blood analysis was taken on both control groups as well as groups treated with acupuncture.  In some of the studies, acupuncture was conducted several times, in other studies, acupuncture was performed just once.

The first study¹ showed how a single acupuncture session treated at various points showed show no changes on relative amounts of certain lymphocytes but also showed statistically significant increases in several types of cytokines, interferon, and NK-cells.  The temporary increase returned to normal levels, however, after about 30 days.  While this study provided detailed blood analysis of its subjects before and for several intervals after the acupuncture treatment, it lacked important details that could have provided even more powerful conclusions such as a “control” group or a “sham” group where patients were treated with acupuncture points NOT designed for boosting immune function.

Another study² comparing T-lymphocytes showed how acupuncture treatments on patients with malignant tumors showed statistically significantly increases in T-lymphocyte subsets OKT3+, OKT4+, OKT8+.

A third study³ investigated levels of T-lymphocytes subgroups (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (SIL-2R) and beta-endorphin in the peripheral blood of patients with malignant tumors. Half of the group received NO acupuncture (control Group).  The other group received daily acupuncture treatments for 10 days (treatment group).  After 10 daily acupuncture treatments, remarkably significant increases in peripheral blood plasma levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and beta-endorphin were noted.  Interestingly, a remarkable decrease in levels of SIL-2R was also measured.  No changes were noted in the untreated (control) group.  Serum sIL-2R level is a sensitive marker of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cell activation or specific tumor cell growth including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)⁴.  In other words,  lower levels of SIL-2R is a good thing.  Studies suggest that lower levels of SIL-2R indicate increase chance of surviving certain types of cancer.

The final article I want to mention is  a wonderfully written paper that references several studies examining the effect of acupuncture on levels of NK (natural killer cells) ⁵.  Within this paper, one study examined cytotoxicity levels of NK cells in both healthy women as well as a group of women with high levels of anxiety.  Interestingly, the women with chronic anxiety showed 3-fold lower NK cell activity than those with no reported anxiety.  After 10 acupuncture treatments however, the anxious women showed a full restoration of NK-cell activity back up to normal levels!

An interesting observation is how both presence of malignant tumors AND stressed emotional states (anxiety) have been shown to lower the levels of immunity enhancing cell activity such as NK-cells.  Remarkably, acupuncture treatments have consistently been shown to counteract the negative impact of emotional (anxiety) and physical (cancer) states on the immune-cell quantities and function.

This paper further references several other studies highlighting how acupuncture treatments (most often referencing acupuncture  point zusanli) have resulted in remarkable increases in NK-cells, Interferon-gamma, and interleukine-2 (IL-2).  Some of these studies do, in fact, utilize “sham” points and control groups to further strengthen the argument that specific acupuncture points are directly responsible for these increases in immune function

These studies provide an overwhelming body of evidence that acupuncture does have a strong effect in enhancing immune-cell function in the body, even in those with immunocompromised conditions.

What does this mean to my health?

Now, the big question is: Does acupuncture shrink tumors?  Does it prevent cancer? Does it prevent infectious diseases like the flu? The common cold?  As of yet, I haven’t been able to be find any studies specifically measure the tumor reducing effects of acupuncture.  That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, it just means I’ve been unable to find them.   But, we can safely conclude that acupuncture can affect our immune system in a “positive” way.  It can be used as another weapon in our fight against disease and cancer, both as a preventative as well as an adjunctive therapy for current cancer treatments. I can also say with confidence that patients who see me on a regular acupuncture schedule will claim to get far fewer colds and flus during their course of treatments.  They also seem to recover much faster and suffer far fewer symptoms flu-like symptoms including fever, aches, and sinus congestion.

Stay tuned for the follow-up article to understand how immune function, cancer, and infectious diseases (such as influenza) are viewed from a Traditional Chinese Medical perspective.

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Sources:

Nobuo Yamaguchi et. al. Acupuncture Regulates Leukocyte Subpopulations in Human Peripheral Blood, Department of Fundamental Research for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, University of Oriental Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, eCAM 2007;4(4)447–453

Yuan J, Zhou R., Effect of acupuncture on T-lymphocyte and its subsets from the peripheral blood of patients with malignant neoplasm [Article in Chinese] Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 1993;18(3):174-7.

Wu, B. “Effect of Acupuncture on the Regulation of Cell-Mediated Immunity in Patients With Malignant Tumors.” Chen Tzu Yen Chiu. 1995. 20(3):67-7

Kono N, Kanda Y, Yamamoto R, Chizuka A, Suguro M, Hamaki T, Arai C, Matsuyama T, Takezako N, Miwa A, Togawa A. Prognostic significance of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor level in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: a single center study in Japan.  Department of Hematology, International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo.  Leuk Lymphoma. 2000 Mar;37(1-2):151-6.

Michael Francis Johnston1, Elizabeth Ortiz Sánchez2, Nikola L. Vujanovic3,* and Wenhui Li4,* Acupuncture May Stimulate Anticancer Immunity via Activation of Natural Killer Cells.1Department of Medicine, University of California, 2Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 3University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Departments of Pathology and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA and 4Department of Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, eCAM Advance Access published online on February 1, 2010

6)  http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/bugl/immune.htm#adapt

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and can be contacted through is website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com

Acupuncture and the Immune System – Part 1 Preview

And old joke told to me by a professor in my acupuncture school went like this…  ”How long does it take to get over a common cold?”

The answer is that it takes about a week.

“How long does it take to get over a common cold if you get acupuncture?”

Ahh….with acupuncture, it only takes about 7-days.

The obvious message is that the common cold is stubborn and we just have to let it run its course, regardless of any treatments we seek.

After spending some time now as an acupuncturist, and reading countless studies, do I still believe this?  The answer is NO.  I’ve seen compelling evidence, both in my my clinic, as well in the form of clinical studies, showing how acupuncture has a very strong effect on increasing white blood cells and associated cytokines responsible for our immune function.  In essence, it can be very effectively used to strengthen our immune system, whether we are already healthy or if our immune system is already compromised.  Stay tuned for a full report in the next few days.

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and can be contacted through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com

Treating Whiplash with Acupuncture

Lets face it.  Most of us drive cars to get around.  And despite how perfect we all are as drivers, accidents happen.  Many of us are left with (besides a damaged car) a sore neck or back.  In more severe cases, this neck soreness is called “whiplash”.

The common source of whiplash is a sudden collision from behind.  The impact causes a rapid extension and then flexion of the neck, leading to cervical sprain or strain. The resultant damage can include ruptured/herniated discs as well as strained or torn ligaments in the neck, shoulders,  or back.   This can lead to headaches, dizziness, nausea, and of course, severe pain in the neck, shoulders, and back.  Severe spasms of the muscles often accompany the localized damage.  In some cases, victims can also experience tingling, numbness, or weakness in the arms and fingers.  This is due to impingement of the nerves in the hands that originate at the neck bones C5, C6, and C7.

What do you do if you ever get in a car accident?  The most important thing is to NEVER admit that you’re fine.  And NEVER EVER sign any document saying that you’re OK and have no injuries.  Why?  Most neck and back injuries from car accidents don’t fully manifest until at least 1 month after the accident.  By the time patients seek medical care for the injury, it’s too late to seek help from insurance companies involved in the accident.   I recommend that patients get at least an x-ray as soon as possible following the accident.  I then suggest anywhere from 5 to 10 acupuncture treatments with cold-laser therapy.  In my experience, neck pain is very easily treated with acupuncture.  Our treatments can effectively eliminate the spasming, decrease inflammation, and dramatically decrease the associated pain.

The most common scenario at my clinic is patients seek my help after spending several months and thousands of dollars under chiropractic care, often getting adjustments 2-3 times per week for several months.  After several months of treatment, they admit that it’s not working and seek me out.  In MOST cases, significant progress is made between 5 to 10 of my treatments.  This is not to say that chiropractic care is not appropriate.  I will often recommend patients to see a chiropractor immediately following the accident to address any subluxation (dislocation) of the spine.  After the initial adjustment, however, I suggest that patients work with an acupuncturist trained in traditional chinese medicine.   Acupuncture is proven to reduce pain, increase functionality and accelerate healing of whiplash.

The neck and back are ingenious designs that give us both skeletal support and amazing mobility.  They are also, however, frustratingly vulnerable to all sorts of injuries that can lead to years of suffering if left untreated.  Fortunately, acupuncture is almost tail0r-made to address these problems.

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and can be contacted through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com

Acupuncture and Back Pain – A medical breakthrough ?

I often hear commercials on the radio talking about the latest medical breakthroughs to treat back-pain: Decompression therapy, non-steroidal injections, laser-surgery…. the list goes on. These latest “breakthroughs” are in response to recent findings that traditional back surgery (discectomies, spinal-fusion therapies) doesn’t necessarily improve pain.  While listening to these commercials, I find it fascinating that none of them mention acupuncture.

At least 50% of my patients originally come to me for back pain.  While the underlying reasons for their pain may vary, I’d say my success rate in either completely eliminating or vastly relieving their back pain is around 90%.  The most recent example is of a gentleman in his late 20′s who arrived at my clinic needing a cane to walk.  After having back surgery 2 years ago to address a disc herniation, his pain returned with such intensity it left him unable to even get out of  his car without assistance and was leaning heavily on a cane to walk into my office. He was extremely skeptical about acupuncture, but was willing to try “anything”. After his first treatment, he no longer needed his cane.  He was completely speechless how much better he felt after the treatment.  After his second treatment, he is walking almost completely normal; no cane, no lean, and no drugs.   Is there a secret formula or technique I”m using to treat back-pain?  Not really.  While I think I’m good at what I do, this story is more to demonstrate simply how powerful and effective acupuncture is in eliminating back pain.  Additional information on back pain can be found through my recently published article HERE.

So, if you are struggling with back-pain, try acupuncture.  It’s a safe treatment that has been proven to work for the past 4000 years.  Honestly, what other medicine has such a long and successful track record?

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and can be reached through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com.

Cold Laser Therapy vs. Ultrasound in Bone Repair

Many of my patients ask me how my cold-laser therapy treatments compare to ultra-sound treatments.   Theoretically, ultra-sound treatments are supposed to stimulate injury repair and accelerate healing.   Cold-laser therapy is claimed to also accelerate wound healing.  Several studies, however, prove that cold-laser therapy is FAR more effective in wound-healing than ultra-sound.  The most recent study as published HERE compared ultra-sound and cold-laser therapy treatments on bone-defects in mice.  The study showed that compared to both control groups and groups treated with ultra-sound, mice treated with cold-laser therapy showed intense bone formation surrounded by highly vascularized tissue.  In contrast, the group exposed to ultra-sound therapy showed no difference in bone repair compared to the control group.

This latest study again shows how truly powerful and effective cold-laser therapy is for accelerating tissue repair.

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and expert in cold-laser therapy and can be reached through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com

Acupuncture and Heat Stroke: A TCM view of overheating.

This  past week in Arizona has reminded us that summer has indeed arrived.  Temperatures are already well above the 100 degree mark until well after sunset.  Living in these conditions pose unique health risks that require special precautions.  The most common health risk is heat exhaustion that can be characterized by heavy sweating, irritability, headaches, paleness, nausea, muscle cramps, and fainting.  Treatment of heat exhaustion includes drinking cool NON-alcoholic or caffeine beverages, finding shade, taking a cool shower or bath, and finding an air-conditioned environment.  If left untreated, heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke.   Heat stroke is considered a medical emergency and can be fatal if not treated properly.  Symptoms of heat stroke include red or flushed skin, lack of sweating, headache, nausea, difficulty breathing, hallucinations, cramping, seizures, and coma.  The lack of sweating indicates severe dehydration where the body can no longer adequately cool itself and can lead to elevated body temperatures (hyper-thermia).  While waiting for 911 response, the same treatments can be applied as in heat exhaustion.  Additionally, ice packs can be applied to the armpits, groin, and the back of the neck.  Re-hydration is critical in either condition.  Drinking too much water and electrolytes too quickly, however, can result in severe stomach cramping, so frequent small sips are recommended.

From a Traditional Chinese Medical perspective, these conditions are the result of a Yang-based summer-heat or pathogenetic heat invasion.  This heat attack can quickly burn up the Yin and fluids of the body and lead to an attack of the heart.  Acupuncture treatments for either condition involve using acupuncture points to specifically clear heat.  Bleeding certain points including the jing-well points, ear apex, and UB40 (back of the knee) is also a common protocol.

Prevention of either condition involves the classic common sense advice that we’ve been taught (but often forget) for most of our lives.  These include staying hydrated, find shade, and avoid being outside in the heat of the day if we can avoid it.

Probably the MOST important prevention that a person can do, however, is to simply cover their head.  A hat…. ANY hat…. that adequately covers the top of the head can greatly improve our resistance to heat-related illnesses.  From a TCM perspective, most pathogenetic wind-invasions, whether it’s hot or cold, enter the body at either Du14 or Du20.  From my experience, wind-cold invasions are more likely to attack Du14, while wind-heat invasions attack Du20.  Du14 is located at the back of the neck between the C7 and T1 vertebrae.  Du20, however, is located at the very top of the head.  So, simply covering Du 20 with a hat is a cheap and effective way to help fight off heat-related illnesses.  This advice applies to EVERYBODY.  Regardless whether you have dark or light skin, have a full mop of hair or are bald.

So, next time you decide to hike in the Arizona sun, bring plenty of water, and bring 2 hats…one for you, and one for your friend who insists that he/she is fine and doesn’t need one.

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Craig Amrine, L.Ac. is licensed acupuncturist and be reached through his website at www.hiddenrhythmacupuncture.com