What is gua sha?

Acupuncture, yoga and cupping are increasingly seen in the media and gaining popularity as a holistic treatment method for pain reduction. I want to introduce you to gua sha. Gua sha is a traditional Chinese treatment — whose name roughly translates to “scraping bruises” — and involves using a smooth spoon-like instrument to break up restricted muscles. This method often creates bruising on the skin. The most constricted muscles turn the deepest red during scraping. The treatment’s been used by Asian acupuncturists since at least 220 CE, but it’s recently been gaining popularity in the West.

You might be wondering why someone would voluntarily choose to scrape up their skin. Let us explain.

Gua sha releases unhealthy elements and stimulates blood flow in the soft tissue. By creating a deliberate injury above and below the skin, the body jump-starts itself into healing. This produces immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory effects that can last for days following a single treatment. Gua sha for pain relief and stiffness is most commonly used, but it can also address conditions such as asthma, fever, chills, colds, and spasms.

During the treatment, a lubricating medium, such as massage oil, is applied to the area being treated. The acupuncturist then uses the instrument to apply a variation of long and short strokes to the skin. Treatment typically lasts for about 30 minutes and, for some, can be a bit uncomfortable. Following therapy, the treated skin will look red and bruised, and possibly show some welting. This should subside after just a few days, during which time issues such as muscle pain and poor circulation should rapidly improve.

One study published in a 2011 issue of Pain Medicine found that those who suffered from neck pain felt significant improvement after one treatment with gua sha, compared to the use of a thermal heating pad. Similar studies have been conducted at Harvard University and by teaching faculty at the Beth Israel Medical Center.

As with any treatment of this nature, it’s important to first meet with a qualified acupuncturist to determine your individual needs. If you’re found to be a good candidate for the therapy, your acupuncturist will create a plan specifically for you. Schedule an acupuncture appointment today!

What is Zusanli?

Zusanli is an acupoint running along the stomach meridian. If there is an interruption in this meridian it can cause an imbalance that results in discomfort, pain, and illness and induce abdominal distention, vomiting, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, and acute appendicitis.

Most acupuncture therapy involves stimulating numerous points along the body, however those who suffer from certain stomach issues may find one of these acupoints to be particularly beneficial. It’s called zusanli, and it’s located about four-finger widths below the bottom of the knee, towards the outside of the shin. While many acupuncturists prefer to perform more complex treatments, stimulation of this point, even on its own, can mean profound improvements on quality of life.

According to Ma Danyang, a famous Daoist known for his work with acupuncture, zusanli is one of the 12 most important acupoints on the body, and perhaps the most critical when dealing with issues of the stomach. Needling this point can help stop disease, and restore vitality — in some cases, with a single 10- to 20-minute treatment.

Perhaps the most convincing argument for the importance of zusanli acupuncture is just how crucial our stomach is to our overall health. The lining of the gut is the core of the immune system, so when the stomach’s not working properly, we put ourselves at risk for viruses and bacteria. The stomach also produces 95% of the body’s serotonin. The brain produces the other 5%, meaning the brain and stomach are in constant contact. If our stomachs are in distress, it alerts the brain to feel stress, which causes a host of other negative impacts on the body.

If you suffer with any of the stomach issues listed above, consult with a qualified acupuncturist. Treatment of the zusanli acupoint may be able to bring you some relief, as well as lead you on a path towards better health. Schedule an acupuncture appointment today!

For couples trying to get pregnant, the process can be one of the most excitingly joy-filled or exhaustingly frustrating times of their lives. 

Treatments like in vitro fertilization and hormone shots have varying reliability and sometimes come with a steep financial burden. These factors often leave couples looking for alternative approaches to complement their existing infertility treatments.  You might be surprised to learn that acupuncture helps over 4.5 million couples/year with infertility.

According to Dr. Raymond Chang, who’s both a Western-trained physician and a classically trained acupuncturist, the ancient Chinese treatment can stimulate egg production in women who can’t or don’t want to take fertility medications. In a study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, he notes that acupuncture increases the production of “feel good” endorphins, which play a critical role in regulating ovulation.

Dr. Raymond Chang reported to WebMD “When you compare the pregnancy rates for an egg producing drug to acupuncture alone, the rates are equal, “a 50 percent chance of pregnancy in three months for patients not undergoing IVF. However, acupuncture is even more successful when used in conjunction with IVF. 

A 2012 study conducted by Tel Aviv University found that 65.5 percent of a test group who combined the treatments were able to conceive, compared to 39.5 percent of the group who did IVF alone. Why did this happen? It largely comes down to stress.

Acupuncture has been proven to be an incredibly effective tool for stress management. When stress is lowered, blood flow is increased throughout the body, including the uterus and ovaries. This increased blood flow creates a thicker uterine wall, and therefore a stronger environment for an egg to be nourished and carried full term.

For those who are struggling with infertility, many doctors recommend this type of two-pronged approach. Acupuncture helps infertility by allowing your body to function more efficiently, which in turns makes your more responsive to treatments like IVF.

If you’re considering treatment for infertility, speak to your OB/GYN and find a licensed and qualified acupuncturist. Experts estimate you’ll need a 30-minute session roughly two times per week, and it may take several months before your body begins working as it should. Hopefully, with the right acupuncturist and the proper treatment plan, you’ll be picking out maternity clothes before you know it.

If you’ve ever suffered from eczema — a skin condition plaguing nearly 10 percent of the entire U.S. population — you know how uncomfortable and embarrassing it can be. This inflammation causes skin to be itchy, bumpy, scaly, and raw, sometimes even leading to blisters and bleeding.

When these conditions arise, many doctors are quick to prescribe steroid injections and over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams. However, as Jennifer Jacobs — a homeopathic doctor and professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington — says, these treatments only mask the problem. They don’t address what’s going on in the body to be causing eczema in the first place. What’s more, with continued use, the body can become immune to these types of treatments.

Thankfully, acupuncture provides a safe and natural option for battling eczema. Research shows acupuncture to be an effective treatment for battling other skin conditions as well, such as melasma, psoriasis, shingles, and neurodermatitis, a disease similar to eczema. According to Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials published by the World Health Organization, 53 percent of melasma cases were cured within three months of treatment with acupuncture, compared to 13 percent of cases treated with vitamins C and E. Even more impressive, cure rates for neurodermatitis were 100 percent, compared to just 17 percent for the group treated with more traditional Western medicine.

To address eczema and other skin conditions with acupuncture, high-grade surgical steel needles are used to stimulate points typically along the torso, legs, and arms. The stimulation of these points simultaneously activates the immune and endocrine systems, which jumpstarts the body into healing itself. Depending on your individual needs and the plan you’ve discussed with your acupuncturist, this treatment may last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.

Those with skin disorders also tend to have more sensitivities to diet. People with eczema and other conditions are encouraged to avoid the things that can cause inflammation, such as alcohol, and focus on a diet high in fruits and leafy green vegetables.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the myriad of benefits associated with acupuncture: lower stress, increased productivity, and even relief from headaches and migraines. Yet, there’s something else acupuncture can improve, and it plays a major role in every aspect of our lives — sleep.

According to the Institute of Medicine, an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans — roughly 16 to 22 percent — suffer from at least one of 90 distinct sleep disorders. These include narcolepsy, insomnia, disordered breathing, and many, many more.

Unfortunately, lack of sleep — described as less than seven to eight hours a night — can have a hugely harmful effect on our health. While daytime sleepiness is the most common side effect of a poor night’s sleep, it can manifest in other ways such as depression, anxiety, obesity, and hypertension.

What’s more, sleep loss has been associated with life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, those who get five or less hours of sleep per night are 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes. Another study published in the same journal found that, over a 10-year period, those who got five or less hours a sleep had a 45-percent increased risk for heart attack.

Sadly, sleep disorders can be easily treated, yet so many of them are overlooked. And when they are treated, prescription drugs — with their many side effects and potentially addictive qualities — are all too quickly thrown at the problem. So, what can we do? Acupuncture may be the answer.

Frequently used in China to treat insomnia, the traditional practice has shown to be a natural and effective treatment for a variety of sleep disorders. In trials involving nearly 4,000 participants, acupuncture for sleep deficit was “superior to medications regarding the number of patients with total sleep duration increased.” Another study found that acupuncture may increase melatonin, a hormone that controls the body’s natural sleep cycles. Increased levels of melatonin and regularity of sleep also boosted relaxation while decreasing feelings of anxiety.

As with any treatment, it’s important to first meet with a qualified acupuncturist to determine your individual needs. If you’re found to be a good candidate for treatment, your acupuncturist will create a plan specifically for you — one that focuses on regaining relaxation, quality of sleep, and, at the end of the day, better health.