Research Update: Acupuncture Relieves PTSD Symptoms after Natural Disaster

Research Update: Acupuncture relieves PTSD symptoms after natural disaster 

In April 2019, a team of Italian researchers published a study in Medical Acupuncture that suggests acupuncture may be effective for reducing symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a natural disaster. The research team looked at residents of Amatrice, Italy, were a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in 2016 left nearly 300 people dead and almost 30,000 homeless. Natural hazards, like earthquakes, that are unpredictable and wreak widespread havoc on communities, have been shown to cause psychiatric disorders in survivors, including PTSD.



The participants in this study received five weeks of acupuncture treatments starting about a month after the earthquake. Researchers used patient-reported numbers on a pain scale to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments. Before the treatments, 68 percent of the patients reported having psychological and pain symptoms associated with PTSD. Already after the third treatment, 54 percent of patients reported improvements in their psychological symptoms and 60 percent reported improvements in their pain symptoms. Using a statistical analysis, researchers measured a significant reduction between the initial reported psychological and pain scores and the scores after the third treatment. The researchers did not report any adverse side effects or events.



In the aftermath of natural disasters, communities are thrown into stress-provoking situations for myriad reasons, including loss of life, loss of property, loss of job, other economic losses, loss of community in the case some members move away and loss of infrastructure like schools or restaurants, among other things. Studies show individual mental health plays an important role in the success of communities rebuilding efforts after a natural disaster.



Although more research is needed to bolster the findings of this study, it suggests acupuncture can be an effective therapy for communities in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Studies show acupuncture is effective at balancing hormone levels that contribute to moderating stress levels in the body. The most significant body of research on acupuncture is in the field of acupuncture’s ability to reduce physical pain. This study suggests the effects of acupuncture extend to stress and pain brought on by a natural disaster.


New York Sports Acupuncture
Dr. Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.
www.nysportsacu.com
888.375.5444



https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/mali-aed042319.php

Research Update: Acupuncture beats intravenous morphine for acute pain relief

Research Update: Acupuncture beats intravenous morphine for acute pain relief 

In 2016, the American Journal of Emergency Medicine published a study that looking at the efficacy of acupuncture in managing acute pain for patients in the emergency room when compared to intravenous morphine. The researchers looked at 300 patients who presented to the emergency room with acute onset moderate to severe pain. Half of them were treated with acupuncture and half were given intravenous morphine. To measure their pain reduction, they asked patients to report their pain score before and after the treatments, and considered a reduction of 50 percent or greater to be a significant reduction.



The study showed the patients who received acupuncture treatments for their pain saw pain reductions of 92 percent compared to 78 percent in the morphine group. The acupuncture also seemed to work more quickly than the morphine, lowering patients’ pain scores in an average of 16 minutes compared to 28 minutes for the morphine group. Additionally, 89 patients who received morphine experienced minor adverse side effects while only four of the patients who received acupuncture did. Overall, this study showed acupuncture worked better and more quickly than intravenous morphine for reducing people’s pain in a medical setting.



This study joins a growing body of literature suggesting acupuncture is very effective at reducing pain and/or changing how our bodies experience pain. The lack of adverse side effects associated with acupuncture treatments presents a strong argument for its use, especially as synthetic medications are associated with many negative side effects and people are often allergic to the medications.



Because acupuncture affects our brains, stimulating the release of natural pain-reducing hormones, it can be used for any number of afflictions that cause pain. Acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins – neurotransmitters responsible for blocking the sensation of pain. The stimulation also releases other chemicals that either change how the body experiences pain or triggers the release of other chemicals that activate the body’s internal regulating system. It is thought that acupoints are more densely packed with nerves than other points on the body, so stimulating these points sends more signals along the nerve networks in our body to cause this release of chemicals.



This process has a normalizing effect on nerves and hormones. By bringing the body into better biochemical balance, acupuncture promotes physical and emotional well-being and supports the body’s natural healing abilities.



Acupuncture and TCM also address the root causes of pain rather than just masking the symptoms. We develop treatment plans that are unique to each patient because each patient comes in with a unique body, health history and root cause behind their pain. By addressing the root causes, we create more lasting healing and bring your body back to a place where it can function optimally, using its natural healing processes to help you stay well.


New York Sports Acupuncture
Dr. Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.
www.nysportsacu.com
888.375.5444



https://www.ajemjournal.com/article/S0735-6757(16)30422-3/abstract

DANDELION: DETOX WITH THIS YELLOW CHARMER

DANDELION: DETOX WITH THIS YELLOW CHARMER 

Next time you’re in a wide-open field, pasture or meadow dotted with beautiful yellow dandelions, know that these prolific little delights are not only beautiful but packed with nutrition and offer a host of health benefits. Let’s explore this amazing flower.

Dandelions are known as Pu Gong Ying in pinyin and are used frequently in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The name comes from the French “dent-de-lioun,” which translates into “tooth of the lion” due to its sharp leaves. They are known to aid the liver, kidneys, and gallbladder in particular. 

In Chinese medicine herbs are used to heal, this includes flowers, bark, roots, and seeds. For example, if an herb is considered “warming,” it is given for cold conditions. An herb that is bitter would clear heat and detoxify. If an herb is sour it benefits the liver. If an herb is red it benefits the heart and blood. TCM creates herbal formulas that use a combination of different herbs to balance the formula and keep it safe. 

Dandelion is considered a cold, bitter and slightly sweet herb. Its milky juice clears heat, detoxifies the blood, reduces swelling and helps the early stages of a cold. Dandelion helps the liver and gallbladder by increasing bile production and helping in cases of jaundice. Often dandelion is combined with licorice, milk thistle, and fennel.

Here are some other key benefits of this flower:

• It is a diuretic and aids the kidneys, urinary disorders, and may prevent kidney stone

• Lowers blood pressure (as a diuretic) 

• Weight loss (as a diuretic)

• Helps digestion, promotes appetite, increases bile, is a mild laxative

• Stimulates the production of insulin by the pancreas for diabetes

• Has iron, vitamins, and protein to help anemia

Dandelion can be eaten, taken in a tea or as a supplement. Be careful of picking dandelion on your own and ingesting it, the area it grows in may be sprayed with harmful chemicals.


It is not recommended to start taking dandelion without consulting a healthcare professional. Dandelion is considered safe, but may cause digestive upset if taken in large quantities. It is also not recommended to combine dandelion with other herbs without consulting an herbal specialist. 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we record a patient's history and make a careful diagnosis before prescribing an herbal formula designed specifically for your constitution.


Smile next time you walk by a field of dandelions; these little beauties are lovely to our bodies. 

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

Acupuncture and Alcohol Detoxification

Acupuncture and Alcohol Detoxification


Alcoholism affects nearly 16 million adults in the United States, yet only approximately 1.5 million Americans actually seek and get help to deal with their addiction. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, nearly 88,000 people die from alcohol-related deaths every year, which makes alcohol the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the United States. After all the research that has been done on alcohol, people in the United States are still dying from something completely legal. And ultimately, we are paying for it, not just with our lives, but also with our tax dollars.

There are approximately 15,000 rehabilitation facilities in the United States. With that many rehab centers, one would think there wouldn’t be such a huge alcoholism problem in the United States. But unfortunately, 80 percent of those facilities are outpatient only and they accounted for about 90 percent if the total number of people served (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). This means most of the people who are admitted to these rehab centers are released very shortly after they enter. This leads to higher numbers of repeat offenders and unsuccessful alcohol rehabilitation.

One of the ways to help insure that alcoholics truly succeed when they enter rehab is to offer them more than just a quick fix. Traditional Chinese Medicine can provide a very useful tool when trying to overcome alcohol addiction. Alcoholics have to first detox and then learn how to deal with their addictions, so as to avoid relapsing. But detoxing is usually the hardest part. This is why so many people who enter into the aforementioned outpatient rehab centers, usually don’t stay sober. The cravings and the lack of willpower often become overbearing and the person once again succumbs. But many inpatient rehab centers are starting to offer acupuncture in conjunction with their programs.

The benefits of acupuncture during alcohol rehabilitation are numerable. Regular acupuncture treatments can decrease cravings, decrease depression and anxiety, decrease anger and irritability associated with detoxing, decrease headaches, increase concentration and also improve and increase sleep quality.

The NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) protocol is frequently used when treating addicts. This protocol specifically uses auricular or ear acupuncture points to help people deal with and recover from substance abuse. These detoxification protocols, in contrast to much of TCM, do not involve a traditional diagnosis and they do not need to be modified in any way. The protocol is generally administered on its own without the addition of other auricular or body acupuncture points.

The NADA protocol uses only five points in the outer ear. These points include Lung 2, Shen Men, the Autonomic Point, Liver and Kidney. Each point has its own set of properties that make it unique, but when used in conjunction, these points can be an effective adjunctive therapy for treating nearly any form of addiction. To find out more about this protocol, seek out a properly licensed acupuncturist.

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

Acupuncture for Addiction

Acupuncture for Addiction

Addiction is defined as the compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance, which means addiction can come in a lot of different forms.  People can be addicted to illicit drugs like heroin just as easily as they can be addicted to sugar. But for the purpose of this article, let’s stick to illicit drugs and alcohol.  

According to the Health Services Administration, 23.5 million people ages 12 or older have needed treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. And the treatments provided aren’t guaranteed, nor are they always easy. Luckily, there are alternative treatment options that can help.

          

Acupuncture is based on the correlation of individual locations and energetic meridians found in and on the body. For addiction, micro-acupuncture has been used with good results. Micro-acupuncture uses points on a small part of the body, like the ear, that also show correlations with balancing and restorative functions.

Auricular acupuncture is probably the most common technique used when treating addiction. There is a specific protocol utilized for treating addiction. It is called the NADA protocol. NADA stands for National Acupuncture Detoxification Association.  NADA was established in 1985 to promote education and training. The NADA protocol utilizes five specific points in the ear that not only address substance abuse, but also the emotional, physical and psychological attributes involved in addictions. This five-point protocol allows one practitioner to treat many patients at a time, making it more time-effective, as well as more cost-effective.

The NADA protocol consists of five specific points, the sympathetic point, Shen Men, the kidney point, the liver point and the lung point. The sympathetic point balances the nervous systems and has a strong analgesic effects. Shen Men has a relaxing effect and helps alleviate anxiety and nervousness that may accompany withdrawals. The kidney point boosts the source energy of the patient while helping to resolve fear and increase willpower. The liver point promotes the repair of the liver and aids in resolving anger and aggression. The lung point strengthens the immune system and accelerates detoxification. It also helps addicts deal with grief and letting go.  When somebody is going through the initial detoxification process, it is important to receive acupuncture treatments daily until you are able to remain clean.

          

Acupuncture provides a solid foundation for recovery and rehabilitation. It is a supportive component of addiction treatment as well as a tool enabling addicts for a normal life after rehabilitation. Acupuncture works to enhance overall functioning in several ways. Because it is nonverbal, it helps reach patients that are resistant to change. It has been shown to reduce anxiety and agitation. And it helps develop an inner meditative state in those who are fearful or severely troubled.

          

Acupuncture for addiction and substance abuse offers a proven method of assisting people in the process of recovery without any side effects. Acupuncture provides relief of anxiety, depression, cravings and other withdrawal symptoms.  Freedom from addiction is just a phone call away.

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM

888.375.5444

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

How the NADA protocol helps treat addiction

How the NADA protocol helps treat addiction 

NADA, which stands for the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, was established in 1985 to promote the NADA protocol acupuncture treatment for addiction. The non-profit organization promotes advocacy and the use of a non-verbal, pharmaceutical free approach to behavioral health. The protocol uses five specific acupuncture points on the ear to treat addiction and to be an alternative to methadone.

The NADA protocol differs slightly from other acupuncture treatment. The treatment usually involves needling in both of the patient’s ears for about 30 minutes. The treatment is done in a group setting for support for those being treated as they recover from addiction.

The NADA protocol is about more than just acupuncture, but really about being a step in a sometimes long road to recovery.

Patients are treated in a quiet, peaceful room. Each patient gets the exact same treatment. Group treatment is emphasized to address feelings of denial and create an open, safe environment.

Those in recovery from addiction commonly report feelings of an improved sense of purpose and well being after treatment. Acupuncture is known for its relaxing benefits, which is especially helpful for those in recovery. Patients are able to destress in their treatment process to help them continue to make progress.

Most common effects of the NADA protocol include:

• Improved retention of rehabilitation programs
• Improved mood and outlook
• Lowered anxiety
• Lowered cravings
• Improved sleep
• Reduced need for prescription medication

There are a lot of factors that come to play in addiction treatment. Along with counseling, support groups and/or 12-step programs, the NADA protocol can help make recovery easier and more successful.

Bishara Wilson

New York Sports Acupuncture

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

For more information about NADA go to: http://www.acudetox.com/

http://www.acudetox.com/

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/nadaprotocol.php

Acupuncture and Addiction

Acupuncture and Addiction

Addiction affects millions of Americans each year. Whether it's substance abuse from alcohol, nicotine or other drugs, addiction is a disease that takes treatment and commitment to overcome. Many times, rehabilitation doesn’t work the first time, but takes many tries to really kick a habit for good. Acupuncture has been proven to be an effective alternative option that can help treat addiction.

A study done by researchers at Yale University found that around 55 percent of cocaine addicts seeking rehab who were treated with auricular acupuncture were tested clean during their last week of treatment compared to only 23.5 percent that did not. Auricular acupuncture involves the placement of five needles in the outer part of each ear, left in place for about 30 minutes. These points on the body specifically are focused on to treat addiction. These points result in a release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller. When this happens, cravings can decrease.

According to the Huffington Post, more than 2,000 drug and alcohol treatment programs in the U.S. have used ear acupuncture as part of their treatment plans. Ear acupuncture, known as micro-acupuncture, has been proven effective in treating and helping curb addiction. Lincoln Hospital in New York delivered 100 acupuncture treatments a day for over 35 years as a part of their substance disorder program, finding patient’s anxiety and agitation were reduced, as well as reaching patients who were reluctant to attend treatment programs.

The American Cancer Society also acknowledges acupuncture as a method for quitting smoking. Acupuncture treatment can help reduce symptoms of withdrawal such as cravings, irritability, jitters and anxiety. A study from the University of Oslo, Norway, found that acupuncture reduced the desire to smoke as well as reduced the craving for the flavor of cigarettes for up to five years after treatment.

Acupuncture works by addressing the body as a whole and getting to the root of the problem. Each acupuncture point is based on the meridian system, the body’s natural energy system in which Qi flows through. When there is a blockage in this system, the body cannot function properly. Acupuncture points work to release these blockages and return the body back to balance and health.

Bishara Wilson

NewYork Sports Acupuncture

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

Sources:

http://bit.ly/1RJF8EX
http://bit.ly/1MirnLB

http://bit.ly/1SNamju

http://huff.to/1PrpK2t

http://bit.ly/1G3y5Yr

http://bit.ly/1L7YWRM

6 Ways to Help Alleviate Addiction

6  Ways to Help Alleviate Addiction

Meditation

Mindfulness is an important practice for overcoming addiction. Taking the time to become aware of our body and mind and self-reflect is important in the process of recovery. Meditation, whether or not it's just five minutes a day of deep breathing in a quiet place, can help keep the mind at ease and decrease negative thoughts that could trigger relapse. Meditation is an easy way to regulate mood and lower stress.

Yoga

Yoga incorporates poses with deep breathing and meditation. Not only is this practice good for the body but the mind as well. Yoga promotes well being through poses that are intended to decrease stress and anxiety. Yoga of Recovery offers retreats and classes integrated into a 12-step recovery program. Retreats are done all over the world.  

Acupuncture

Acupuncture treatment has been proven to help addiction. Acupuncture can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression and increase the release of endorphins, which can help fight addiction. Treatment has been shown helpful for alcohol, opium, heroin, cocaine and tobacco dependency.

Gardening Therapy

Gardening therapy can be used for many reasons to promote mental well being. Gardening can prove to be a relaxing activity that gives a sense of purpose. Research has shown that gardening can lower irritation, improve self-esteem, lower anxiety and depression and improve concentration.

Exercise

Exercise is a must when it comes to recovering from an addiction. Not only is physical activity great for the body but for mental health as well. Exercise releases endorphins to fight cravings as well as lowers anxiety and depression. Adding in just 20 minutes of some sort of activity whether it is running, swimming or walking can help boost your mood and help you on the path to recovery.

Animal therapy

Having a pet has been proven beneficial in many ways for mental health. Studies suggest that those with an animal companion have lower stress, anxiety, depression and lower blood pressure. Animal therapy such as riding horses has also been proven effective and helps recovering addicts focus on caring for someone else.

Bishara Wilson

New York Sports Acupuncture

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

Sources:
http://bit.ly/1TJ1Pz7
http://bit.ly/1XqH0GE