To Your Health

Using Acupuncture and Exercise to Treat Frozen Shoulder

"Frozen shoulder" is the term used for a variety of conditions that cause pain and limit the range of motion of the shoulder joint. Frozen shoulder is usually caused by an inflammation of tissue or thickening of fluid in the synovial joint, and is usually seen in middle-aged people who have a history of shoulder injuries.

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News of Interest

The Unmedicated Mind - Backlash against antidepressants is fueling new interest in alternative treatments. From lobotomies with ice picks to early antidepressants that caused brain hemorrhaging, Americans have a complicated and ever-changing approach to treating mental illness. Now, spurred by the growing disenchantment with antidepressants, an increasing number of people are seeking treatment for depression, anxiety and eating disorders from naturopaths, acupuncturists and even chiropractors. At the same time, more traditional psychiatrists are incorporating massage and meditation in their practice.

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To Your Health

Pregnancy-Related Pelvic, Low Back Pain Relieved by Acupuncture

Pain in the lower back and pelvic area is one of the most common symptoms suffered by women in the last trimester of pregnancy. A recent study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica examined the role acupuncture could play in relieving pelvic and low back pain in pregnant women, and has concluded that it is a safe and effective method of reducing pain, without producing any serious side-effects.

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To Your Health

Children's Pain Eased With Acupuncture

A National Institutes of Health consensus panel recently concluded that acupuncture was effective in relieving or decreasing pain resulting from a variety of conditions, including headache, tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome. While the NIH panel focused primarily on pain suffered by adults, a new report presented at a meeting of the World Congress of Anesthesiologists has found that acupuncture can also be used successfully to manage various types of pain in children.

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To Your Health

Acupuncture Reduces Pain Levels in Cancer Patients

While acupuncture has been used for many years in the United States as a treatment for chronic muscle pain, only recently has it been considered as a remedy for other types of pain, including cancer-related pain. The results of a small study conducted in France suggest that acupuncture is an effective form of relief from pain caused by cancer, and that it could be used as an adjunct to, or replacement for, traditional types of pain relief.

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To Your Health

Symptoms of Lumbago Relieved by Acupuncture

Lumbago is a painful condition that affects the muscles and tendons of the lower back. Although it occurs most often in young people and in those whose jobs require a great deal of physical activity, it can be experienced by people of all ages. Most cases of lumbago are treated either with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen; in some cases, surgery may be required. Both approaches are not without risks, however. Surgical procedures are expensive and may actually exacerbate, rather than cure, back pain; NSAIDs, meanwhile, may bring about unwanted side-effects and merely mask the pain without eliminating its source.

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To Your Health

Ulcerative Colitis Patients Find Better Relief With Acupuncture Than With Drugs

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation of the large intestine. It affects up to 2 million Americans, and can affect people of both sexes and all ages. While some doctors prescribe medications to reduce the swelling associated with ulcerative colitis, there is no known cure for the condition, which had led scientists to study other possible remedies, including acupuncture. In fact, the results of a recent study suggest that acupuncture is superior to drugs in treatment of ulcerative colitis, with more acupuncture patients reporting complete relief of symptoms and a higher overall effectiveness rate compared to patients taking anti-inflammatory agents.

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To Your Health

Acupuncture Relieves Pain Caused by Lower Jaw Problems

Many people suffer from temporomandibular disorders (TMD), which may be caused by problems with the temporomandibular joint, the mandible (or lower jaw), or the muscles that attach the mandible to the temporal bone of the skull. Although the exact number of people who suffer from TMD is unknown, the National Institute of Dental Research estimates that the condition usually occurs in people between the ages of 20 and 40, and that it manifests in women about twice as often as men. A new study has found that acupuncture may be particularly useful in the treatment of TMD, producing dramatic decreases in pain after only a few treatment sessions.

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To Your Health

Acupuncture Stops Urinary Infections from Coming Back

Few things in life are more painful than an infection of the urinary tract. Women who suffer from repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs) have reported that the pain can be as severe as that felt during childbirth. While antibiotics normally relieve UTI symptoms in a few days, some women choose not to take their medication and let the infection run its course, which can lead to serious health problems. Worse yet, women who are especially prone to UTIs often take large doses of antibiotics before an infection sets in, which only hastens bacterial resistance.

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To Your Health

Managing Chronic Fatigue With Acupuncture

A study published in a recent issue of Medical Acupuncture suggests that acupuncture may help improve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents. The study found that patients receiving acupuncture at a specific set of points along the spine showed improvements in activity levels and the ability to sleep, without producing any unwanted side-effects.

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To Your Health

Electroacupuncture Better Than Drugs in the Treatment of Depression

Depression is a complicated psychological condition characterized by symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, decreased interest in sex and difficulty sleeping. It affects not only the quality of life of the person who is depressed, but of that person's friends and family members. Fortunately, a variety of methods are available to help treat people afflicted with depression. In a recently published study, scientists at the Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine compared the efficacy of electroacupuncture in the treatment of mental depression with a well-known antidepressant, and found that electroacupuncture was more effective, while producing fewer side-effects.

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To Your Health

Having Trouble Sleeping? Try Acupuncture
Getting a good night's sleep is important to health and well-being. For some people, though, the inability to sleep or to experience high-quality sleep is a recurring problem that can lead to irritability, loss of productivity, and other disorders. Up to 12 percent of all adults suffer from insomnia on a regular basis, a figure that increases up to 25 percent in elderly people.

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To Your Health

Acupuncture Reduces Vomiting in Chemotherapy Patients
Nausea and vomiting are common side-effects experienced by patients undergoing chemotherapy. Although antiemetics are often prescribed to curb the incidence of vomiting, these drugs do not provide adequate relief in many instances, which has led researchers to look for more natural methods of vomiting and nausea control.

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To Your Health

Auricular Acupuncture for Endometriotic Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea, or painful menstruation, is one of the most common gynecological conditions, and is a leading cause of absenteeism by women from work, school and other activities. While most cases of dysmenorrhea are caused by anemia, stress and poor nutrition, some cases are caused by lesions or pelvic diseases such as endometriosis.

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To Your Health

Stimulation of Bladder, Gallbladder Points Effective in Treating Sciatica
Sciatica is a painful condition caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the leg. In some cases, the pain may extend below the knee and down into the foot. In addition to pin, sciatica may cause numbness and weakness of the lower leg muscles, leading to disability and decreased quality of life.

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To Your Health

Electroacupuncture for Stroke Patients
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. While relatively few studies have explored the use of acupuncture to treat stroke patients in the U.S., several clinic trials conducted in China have found that it may help those who suffer a stroke to get back on the road to recovery. The results of one such recent study, published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, suggest that the earlier acupuncture is performed, the less severe a stroke patient's disabilities will be, and the better chance that a person has of resuming a normal life.

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