Tag Archives: acupuncture

Acupuncture can relieve Xmas stress

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London: *One in five Britons suffers from stress during the festive season. Tiredness, lack of exercise, an overload of people, alcohol, food, spending and over-excited children can all contribute to increasing levels of stress.

Beverly Dickins, acupuncturist and British Acupuncture Council member said the pressures at this time of year can have a very real impact on our well-being.

“From shopper’s backache and Christmas dinner panic to December dehydration and over-spending insomnia, the festive season is a stressful time for many of us,” she said.

“The most common symptom of stress is a breakdown in your immune system, leaving you susceptible to colds and illness. Eating fattening foods, taking less exercise and stressful situations between family members can really take its toll on your health.”

“Holistic therapies such as acupuncture can help you cope with these demands and enable you to stay on top of things.”

Stress, anger, or any intense emotion acts like a traffic jam, blocking the free flow of energy in the body. One of the many symptoms people who are very stressed experience is upper back, shoulder and neck pain. This is because stress causes the ‘snarling up’ of the energy passing through channels in these areas causing pain, tension and stiffness – often resulting in headaches as well.

Through acupuncture, these energy blockages can be addressed. Acupuncture can help energy flow smoothly, and alleviate not only the symptoms of stress and anxiety, but the underlying stress and anxiety itself.

In addition, acupuncture improves circulation of blood throughout the body. The calming nature of acupuncture also helps decrease heart rate, lowers blood pressure and relaxes the muscles.

Beverley said as the winter days become shorter and colder and with most of us trying to cram in last minute work, many people will start to feel tired and rundown as the festive season approaches.

“In over 25 years of practice I have been continually impressed at the breadth and power of acupuncture as it has something for everyone and can really help in situations like this,” she said.

“Acupuncture can assist with the following symptoms:

Feeling unwell and tired – acupuncture can elevate your mood and return good energy levels to your body

Feeling stressed – acupuncture can calm you down and you can learn how to stimulate acupressure points to assist with ongoing anxiety

Hangovers and eating to excess- acupuncture’s capacity to cleanse the organs can help restore wellbeing after diet and alcohol excess.”

To find your nearest qualified British Acupuncture Council practitioner please visit < ahref="http://www.acupuncture.org.uk">www.acupuncture.org.uk or call T: + 44 (0)20 8735 0400

About the British Acupuncture Council
The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has a membership of over 2,800 professionally qualified acupuncturists and is the UK’s largest professional body for the practice of acupuncture.

BAcC members practise a traditional, holistic style of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment based on a system developed and refined over 2,000 years. To achieve BAcC membership, practitioners must first undertake extensive training in traditional acupuncture (minimum three years full-time or part-time equivalent), which includes physiology, anatomy and other biomedical sciences appropriate to the practice of acupuncture.

*Research courtesy of www.mind.org.uk

Acupuncture and fertility

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London: Can acupuncture really increase a woman’s chances of conceiving? Research has found that acupuncture treatment can have a positive effect on those trying for a baby and can actually aid the conception process.

Over the past twenty years, fertility problems have increased dramatically. At least 25* percent of couples in the UK planning a baby will have trouble conceiving, and more and more couples are turning to fertility treatments to help them start a family.

Fertility focused acupuncture treatment can help to increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, balance hormone levels, regulate the menstrual cycle and help improve the lining of the uterus and quality of eggs released. Additionally, conditions such as polycystic ovaries and endometriosis have also been shown to improve with acupuncture

Men today also face fertility problems. Benefits to male fertility have been helped by acupuncture with positive effects on sperm count, morphology and mobility.

Some of the positive effects of acupuncture in fertility treatment are thought to include:

· regulate the menstrual cycle and promote regular ovulation

· regulate the hormones to produce a larger number of follicles

· improve the functions of ovaries to produce better quality eggs

· enhance the vitality of sperm

· relieve the side effects of drugs used in IVF

· increase the thickness of the uterine lining so to encourage successful implantation

· reduce the chance of miscarriage

It is known that stress has an adverse effect on the fertility hormones. Acupuncture can be used to strengthen the constitution, thus enabling couples to cope with any stress and anxieties they may experience during the process of trying to start a family. The acupuncture treatment can help promote a calm, positive, relaxed frame of mind which can bring a more successful outcome for conception.

Gerad Kite, acupuncturist and British Acupuncture Council member explains how it can help: “Unexplained infertility is becoming endemic as more and more couples decide to wait to start a family until their 30’s. Acupuncture has now been recognised as a viable treatment to help this patient group increase their chances of conception. The treatment supports the person by finding the key that will unlock the natural healing mechanism that not only brings balance to their system but can dramatically increase fertility”.

Research

Previous studies have proved the effectiveness of acupuncture for infertility.

A 2004 study conducted by the Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Center in Colorado found that 51% of women who underwent both IVF and acupuncture treatment at the same time became pregnant, while only 36% of those who only underwent IVF did. The latter group also had higher rates of miscarriage and stillbirth (20%) compared to those women who had received acupuncture (8%).

A 2005 study conducted by Shanghai University in China found that acupuncture also helped treat male infertility. Of the men who participated, those who had acupuncture had an increased percentage of sperm in their semen; their sperm structure and morphology was also healthier than their counterparts who did not undergo acupuncture infertility treatment.

A report published in the journal Fertility and Sterility (2002) found the pregnancy rate in the group receiving acupuncture group was 42.5%, compared to the group which did not receive the therapy, where the rate was 26.3%.

To find your nearest qualified British Acupuncture Council practitioner please visit www.acupuncture.org.uk or call + 44 (0)20 8735 0400

About the BAcC:

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has a membership of over 2,800 professionally qualified acupuncturists. It is the UK’s largest professional body for the practice of acupuncture.

BAcC members practice a traditional, holistic style of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment based on a system developed and refined over 2,000 years. To achieve BAcC membership, practitioners must first undertake extensive training in traditional acupuncture (minimum three years full-time or part-time equivalent), which includes physiology, anatomy and other biomedical sciences appropriate to the practice of acupuncture.

Acupuncturists would always conduct a full consultation prior to treatment, as they need to fully understand the problem, in order to take a holistic approach and assess a patient individually.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an Oriental therapy that aims to improve the overall wellbeing of the patient, rather than treating specific symptoms in isolation.

Traditional Chinese philosophy states that our health is dependent on the body’s motivating energy – known as Qi – moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin.

For any number of reasons, Qi may become unbalanced and lead to illness. By inserting fine needles into the channels of energy or Qi, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body’s own healing response and help restore its natural balance.

Acupuncture helps back pain, two reports confirm

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York:Acupuncture relieves low back pain and is cost-effective, according to two new studies carried out in the UK.

In the UK, an estimated 16% of the adult population consult their general practitioner for help with back pain in a 12-month period. The annual cost of lower back pain to the NHS has been estimated at £480 million (€703million; $901million) and the burden of lower back pain is estimated at over £10 billion per year in terms of lost productivity and sickness benefits. The full reports can be viewed at www.bmj.com

Acupuncture is used by an estimated 2% of adults each year for a range of conditions, including back pain. But the evidence is largely inconclusive and the best way to manage low back pain remains unclear.

So, researchers identified 241 adults aged 18 to 65 with persistent non-specific low back pain. The people were provided by members of the British Acupuncture Council. Patients were randomly assigned to either usual NHS care or up to 10 acupuncture treatment sessions. All patients remained under GP care.

Pain levels were measured at intervals during the two-year study period. Satisfaction with treatment and use of pain medication were also recorded.

At 12 months, patients in the acupuncture group showed a small benefit in pain scores compared to patients receiving usual care. Stronger evidence was observed for an increased benefit at 24 months.

At three months, patients in the acupuncture group were significantly more likely to be ‘very satisfied’ with their treatment compared with usual care, and with their overall care, but showed no such difference in satisfaction with information received.

At 24 months, the acupuncture group were more likely to report reduced worry about their back pain, less likely to report current use of pain medication for their back, and more likely to report no pain for the past 12 months.

Although the differences in pain scores between groups were small, they represent a clinically worthwhile benefit and can be viewed as a ‘moderate’ effect, say the authors.

Further research is needed to investigate the optimum timing for such an acupuncture treatment package, and to assess the value of repeated courses of acupuncture for patients experiencing recurrent episodes of low back pain, they conclude.

In a separate paper, the same researchers looked at the cost effectiveness of acupuncture for lower back pain. Costs were measured from both an NHS and a societal perspective, and effectiveness was measured in terms of quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained.

They found that total NHS costs during the two-year study period were higher on average for the acupuncture group (£460; €673; $859) than for the usual care group (£345; €506; $644).

However, the cost per QALY gained was £4,241 (€6,223; $7,921). This is well below the lower threshold of £20,000 used by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to decide whether the NHS can afford to pay for a health technology.

A short course of traditional acupuncture for the treatment of lower back pain in primary care confers a modest health benefit measured in QALYs for a relatively minor extra NHS cost relative to usual care, say the authors. The use of acupuncture for the treatment of lower back pain therefore appears to be cost-effective in the longer term.

Stress

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Stressful situations release the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone-S (DHEA-S) in the body which helps us look and feel younger, as well as boosting sex drive and improving memory. Those who produce more of the hormone are better able to deal with stress.

DHEA-S is produced by the adrenal glands in response to stressful situations. It assists brain and body function, boosts memory and mood and keeps skin supple, weight down as well as boosting libido. Like other hormones production decreases as we age.

Ultimately it is the way that we deal with stress that has the potential to allows stress to become a negative or positive force in our lives.

For example, when we find ourselves in a threatening situation, our heart beats faster and our muscles tense. This is known as the fight or flight response and our ancestors depended on this reaction for their survival – to escape enemies and predators. We still use it today but in lesser situations and the body returns to normal.

It is constant stress when the body does not return to normal that can result exhaustion and illness. In life crises such as bereavement, marriage breakdown or depression, doctors have found that the immune system becomes impaired and the
body manufactures large quantities of stress chemicals particularly corisol. At the same the activity of “natural killer” (NK) cells, which circulate in the blood ready to attack foreign bodies and mutant cells are supressed.

These are some of the symptoms of long-term stress:

* Fast and shallow breathing
* A racing heart which can led to chest pains, tingling, palpitations and asthma
* A dry mouth
* Muscle tension and pain.
* High blood pressure
* Nausea, indigestion, heartburn and ulcers.
* Sweating
* Sudden feelings of fear and panic
* Feelingtense, nervous or wound-up
* Difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, or waking
early
* Constant feelings tha something awful might happen
* Feeling irritable, edgy and bad-tempered
* Irregular eating patterns and often eat too much or too little
* Smoking or drinking too much, or take tranquillisers or other drugs
* Suffering from upset stomachs, diarrhoea or constipation
* Difficulty with concentration, memory or making decisions
* Constantly feeling exhausted
* Worrying that you will lose control, crack up or become ill
* Feeling apathetic – like nothing matters
* Feeling short of breath even when resting
* A feeling of tightness in the neck, chest or head
* Avoiding worrying situations
* Unable to turn off certain worrying thoughts
* A loss of interest in sex
* A sensation of palpitations or butterflies in the stomach or chest
* A lack of self-confidence
* Constant worrying that you will not be able to cope
* Frequent headaches
* Feeling thatlife is not worth living
* Feeling pessimistic about the future
* Feelingunder strain.
* Feeling obsessive about certain issues
* Constant aches and pains that worry you
* Feeling very emotional and crying easily
* Feeling physically run down
* Feeling dizzy, remote, unreal or faint.
* Can’t be bothered to see friends or take up interests

What can you do about stress?

Although there is no magic cure or pill to cure stress, there are certain lifestyle changesthat will help you better cope with it and diminish its impact on your health and life.

Look after your health by eating foods that help you to be fitter and strengthen your immune system. There are also mood-enhancing foods that trigger the release of the serotonin which has a soothing effect – these include vegetables and
wholegrains. Vegetables contain high levels of the amino-scid L-Tryptophan which is also a serotonin trigger.

Take more exercise. Go for a 15-minute run before work. Don’t eat lunch at your office desk – go and sit in the park and take a walk. Take the dog for a walk before dinner.

Do something to make you laugh.

Develop a positive attitude.

Express your feelings

Learn to delegate

Relax and take time out for yourself

If you do feel stressed breath deeply and slowly, close your eyes and go to a place where you feel good – like a palm-fringed beach, where you can listen to gentle waves lapping back and forth. Practice this several times a day and it will help you relax and refocus.

There are a number of alternative therapies that can help with stress such as massage, acupuncture, aromatherapy, flotation and Bach Flower Remedies. Read about these in more detail in Alternative Therapies

Acupuncture

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ACUPUNCTURE is practised mostly on horses, dogs and cats, but other animals do benefit. It has been tried at some point on most species, including rabbits, cattle, pigs, parrots, birds of prey, guinea pigs and rats. Pets can undergo acupuncture for a wide range of conditions such as joint problems, pain and inflammation, muscle spasms, wound repair, lameness and nerve problems, and after accidents and surgery. It is also given to induce labour and to help animals giving birth. Incontinence can be eased and some inflammatory skin problems will also respond.

With horses, acupuncture may improve endurance and stamina. During treatment, very fine needles are used at specific points on the body, but for sensitive or worried pets a special laser, photonic or electrical stimulation can be used instead.
When the needle reaches a specific point there may be a sensation like a dull ache and some pets find this uncomfortable.The other options are gentler and less invasive. If your vet doesn’t practise acupuncture, he can refer you to a specialist.

Kinesiology

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Using massage of the acupunture meridians kinesiology assists in restoring the body’s energy balance. Helps patients to gain relief from stress and also boosts energy. it is based on the belief that each muscle relates to an internal organ and an energy path called a meridian, to form a circuit.

The treatment was originally developed by US chiropractor, Dr George Goodheart, in the 1960s. Now there are various strains of kinesiology but all involve asessing how muscles and reflexes work.

The practitioner will test your muscles and the strength or weakness of certain muscles is believed to relate to corresponding organs and indicates physical, mental and biochemical health.

Information:

Association of Systematic Kinesiology
47 Sedlescombe Road South
St Leonards on Sea
East Sussex TN38 0TB

e-mail: admin@systematic-kinesiology.co.uk
website: www.systematic-kinesiology.co.uk
tel: 0845 020 0383 (local call rate)

Traditional Chinese Medicine

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Based on ancient Chinese medicine over 5,000 years old and uses herbs to treat a variety of illnesses. The herbs which are either pungent, sour, sweet, bitter or salty, are boiled in water and drunk several times a day and often used alongside acupuncture. Reputed to be useful for skin diseases, addictions, weight loss,
fertility and breathing problems.

Contact the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine
PO Box 400
Wembley HA9 9NZ, UK.
Tel: 44(0) 7000 790322
Fax: 44(0) 7000 790332
Email: herbmed@rhm.co.uk
Web: www.rchm.co.uk
Contact: Mr Melvin Lyons

Udai vilas, Udaipur, Rajasthan

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T:+91 294 243 3300; www.oberoihotels.com

The resort has two large swimming pools which are heated in winter, a gymnasium, boutique and a library with a selection of music and DVDs. Private excursions and cruises on the lake can be organised by the hotel. The spa, managed by Banyan Tree, offers holistic treatments and therapies to pamper and revitalise mind and body using holistic therapies and massages combining the best of East and West. Massages, facials and body beautification methods use ancient Ayurveda and aromatherapy as well as Thai and western techniques designed to relieve stress as well as create a sense of wellbeing. The spa has a private pool and individual therapy suites with views of Lake Pichola, the Aravali mountains and City Palace. Each of the eight suites has its own steam sauna and Victorian style bathtub. The gym and hair salon are located around a central domed foyer with a marble fountain.

Acupuncture

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Useful for a wide range of conditions including pain, bowel or bladder problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual and menopausal symptoms, allergies, skin problems, sinusitus, as an aid to slimming and giving up smoking.

Acupuncture has been practised in the Far East for centuries and is believed to encourage the body to self heal.

It is sometimes used alongside traditional treatments by GPs and also in many hospitals. Fine needles are inserted into various meridian points in the body and left for up to 20 minutes to stimulate energy flows. The acupunturist will make a diagnosis based on the patient’s answers to questions about their health and lifestyle, as well as taking the pulse and examining the tongue. Also useful for stress, headaches, migraine, pain, allergies, smoking and alcohol addictions.

Available through British Acupuncture Society and through some health clinics and GPs. Further information can be obtained from:

British Medical Acupuncture Council
BMAS House
3 Winnington Court
Norwich, Cheshire CW8 1AQ
Tel: ++ 44(0)1606 786782
Fax: ++ 44(0)1606 786783
Email: admin@medical-acupuncture.org.uk