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Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia: Proven and Painless

April 8th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Tip! The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine or ACAOM is the one that accredits an acupuncture school. If you seek for excellence in acupuncture studies, it would be best to enroll in an acupuncture school accredited by ACAOM.

As one of the leading alternative therapies, acupuncture involves the insertion of sterile needles into the skin. In acupuncture theory, the primary reason for pain and illness is congested energy (qi). Congested qi and its human repercussions are analogous to a heavy storm’s debris clogging a creek’s thoroughfare, preventing water flow downstream of the obstruction. To initiate qi’s unobstructed movement, acupuncture needles are strategically placed in the body. Acupuncturists aim to free any blocked qi (the most common cause of pain), which ensures optimal health.

Used as a primary healthcare method for over 5,000 years, acupuncture has a lot to offer people suffering from fibromyalgia. Many research studies have supported the use of acupuncture for various pain and fatigue disorders. However, the variability in acupuncture’s diagnosis and treatment strategies makes it challenging to study. While a western medical doctor will traditionally prescribe the same protocol for everyone with the same disorder, acupuncturists assess each individual in terms of their specific energetic imbalance. Therefore, ten people with fibromyalgia will likely receive ten different energetic diagnoses, and are subsequently administered a customized treatment plan.

Tip! The FDA ruling indicates that acupuncture is a safe and effective medical treatment. Because modern acupuncture needles are disposable and used only once, there is no risk of transmitting infections from one person to another.

Proven
With over 6 million Americans battling fibromyalgia, and no effective western medical treatment to relieve its symptoms, more people than ever are turning to the successes of alternative medicine. Although dozens of alternative methods may taut themselves as effective in conquering fibromyalgia, few have the scientific proof to support these claims.

Published in the March/April 2006 edition of Alternative Therapies, acupuncture therapy is finally proven to have a significant therapeutic advantage in treating fibromyalgia. In addition to demonstrating effective reversal of arthritis and other chronic pain disorders, acupuncture is now specifically proven to improve fibromyalgia’s painful symptoms.

The nature of clinical research is such that studies need to include uniform subject selection, criteria and treatment administration. This poses a quandary to acupuncture because of the possible different diagnoses and treatments employed per individual. A recent study cited in Alternative Therapies was structured to satisfy the stringent expectations of sound medical research. In Southern California, treatments were administered two times a week for a total of two months. The same acupuncture point combinations were used with each recipient, dependant only on the western medical diagnosis of fibromyalgia (not the acupuncturist’s energetic diagnosis). The results were statistically significant, demonstrating that regular acupuncture treatments led to decreased pain levels in tender points, without side effects.

Tip! Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners or TCM physicians claim that acupuncture can help you to lose body fat by making you feel full and so will eat less. This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patient’s weight loss program.

Painless
Regardless of their level of pain, the use of needles is enough to deter many people from trying acupuncture. In reality, the sensations of an acupuncture treatment are typically far from what one might expect.

When most people think of needles, images of the instruments used to draw blood or administer injections are typically conjured. These needles are hollow and in a completely different category than thin, solid acupuncture needles. For comparisons sake, a blood drawing needle is to an elephant like an acupuncture needle is to an ant.

Tip! There are about 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body. Each point is associated with different healing attributes.

The concept, “no pain, no gain” is not applicable to acupuncture therapy. When uncomfortable or in pain, a programmed reaction is to tighten our muscles in an effort to protect our vulnerability. During acupuncture, this response to discomfort or pain works contrary to the intended result. Whether conscious or unconscious, the clenching or tightening associated with discomfort will create pain, inhibit the movement of qi and hinder acupuncture’s effect of relaxing muscle tissue. So, if a client is not relaxed during an acupuncture treatment, then the needles will not have the desired effect.

Acupuncturists are aware of this, typically going to great lengths to bring comfort to their clients. Luckily, acupuncturists can use extremely thin and painless pediatric needles (akin to a flea in the previous needle analogy) to move congested qi. Find a therapist experienced with first time needle-phobes because with experience, focus and high-end needles, an acupuncturist can glide the needles in to their destination without much, if any, awareness of their presence.

Tip! School of acupuncture therapy provides acupuncture-training courses to all practitioners. These courses help them to perform various acupuncture treatments to reduce diseases in human beings.

The majority of recipients find acupuncture to be the opposite of painful. If considering this option with trepidation, empower yourself by interviewing acupuncturists with the following questions:

� Are you state licensed or nationally certified?
� How much experience do you have with fibromyalgia?
� How long have you been practicing?
� Do you use very thin, silicone-coated (for painless insertion) needles?
� Are you comfortable treating first-time, sensitive patients?

Most importantly, your comfort receiving acupuncture will amplify when you find someone with whom you can communicate freely.

Knowing that acupuncture is painless, one of the few therapies clinically proven to reduce the pain of fibromyalgia and without side effects, there is no reason to procrastinate any longer. Join the thousands who’ve found the power of acupuncture to break fibromyalgia’s painful cycle.

Tip! On March 29, 1996, the Food and Drug Administration bestowed the Class 2 status of ‘medical tools’ to acupuncture needles. Acupuncture needles were previously listed under Class 3, or ‘experimental devices.

References:

Singh, Betsy B., et al, Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia, Alternative Therapies, March/April 2006, Vol. 12 No. 2

This article was prepared for FibroManage.com. Visit us to learn more about fibromyalgia signs and symptoms.

This Popular Food is a Pain in the Neck, Joints, and Rump!

April 8th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Tip! Along with a high mesencephalic output, the neck pain patient may present with a decreased output of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is in the back part of the brain.

Gluten is found in wheat, oats, barley, and rye. Doctors have reported a higher than normal percentage of people with autoimmune disorders are allergic to gluten. They suggest complete avoidance for at least one month to see if benefits will occur. (www.digitalnaturopath.com/cond/C536241.html#G90)

Studies have also shown that wheat can irritate patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, (carbon.hampshire.edu/~cjarvis/NS120/2002/RA.Web/nutrition.html) Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and Chrohn’s. Gluten also tends to raise inflammation production in the colon and rectum of those with coeliac disease.

It is not just that you are “allergic” or “sensitive” to gluten. Gluten is contributing to your autoimmune symptoms. It is causing you pain!!! Those symptoms may occur within a few minutes or not for a few days, which makes it hard for you to pinpoint the problem.

Giving up gluten can be a challenge. The digestion of gluten can create an addictive substance that acts like endorphins, our own personal narcotics. These endorphins have the ability to disrupt brain chemistry and cause addiction.

Nature hasn’t left us without gluten-free grains. Quinoa is sometimes called a super-grain. You typically buy it dried. The germ of quinoa is larger than most grains, so it is higher in fiber than many grains. Quinoa is considered a complete protein and has the highest protein content of any grain known. A cup of cooked quinoa has more calcium than even a cup of milk. Cooked quinoa has a texture similar to tapioca pudding. My family thinks that it has a slight sweet potato flavor. Most importantly, it is gluten-free.

Tip! A recent European study divided patients into three groups for treatment. The group that received traditional Chinese acupuncture reported the most significant neck pain relief in the short term and over time, compared with those that underwent massage therapy or laser treatment.

Amaranth is also gluten-free. However, amaranth is not a true grain, but an herb. Amaranth has a nutty flavor and a “sticky” texture. It was a staple in the diets of pre-Columbian Aztecs. Amaranth can be cooked as a cereal, ground into flour, popped like popcorn, or sprouted. Amaranth seed is high in protein, fiber, and contains two times more calcium than milk.

Heidi Whitaker is an author and popular speaker on the topic of nutritional support of autoimmune disease. An advocate for alternative health solutions, she co-founded http://www.healthydivas.com, a resource center for those autoimmune sufferers looking for real answers outside of what conventional medicine can provide.

Acupuncture as an Effective Alternative Therapy for Fibromyalgia

April 3rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Tip! Functionality and success of acupuncture is something not known to many people. In our body, many channels of energies flow in regular patterns.

Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic neurological disorder that generates a wide range of symptoms. Most people with fibromyalgia complain about recidivating muscular pain, rigidity of joints and a generalized state of body weakness. Although these manifestations may point to rheumatoid arthritis, clinical examinations can reveal any signs of physical damage in people with fibromyalgia.

Due to the fact that most medical treatments are unable to overcome fibromyalgia, the disorder is considered to be incurable. However, this belief is far from the truth. Although fibromyalgia is a serious disorder with a pronounced chronic character, there are actually effective means of treating it. Acupuncture has proved to be a very reliable form of therapy for fibromyalgia, providing symptomatic relief and preventing the recurrence of the disorder.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice that has been successfully used to treat various illnesses for thousands of years. This oriental therapy can relieve most of the symptoms generated by fibromyalgia in a relatively short period of time. Acupuncture can quickly restore physical and mental balance, improving the overall health of the people who follow this form of therapy.

Tip! It is believed that the earliest acupuncture needles were sharp pieces of bone or flint called bian stones. Early acupuncture needles were made from iron, copper, bronze, and even silver or gold.

Acupuncture can quickly ease fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. This form of alternative therapy uses needles to stimulate various nervous centers of the body. In Oriental medicine, it is believed that the internal activity of the organism can be influenced by activating certain points on the body. These points are referred to as “acupuncture points” or “acupoints”. Therapists use acupuncture needles to activate specific acupoints on the body, correcting the activity of the entire organism simply by stimulating the nervous system.

This ancient Chinese practice is very benefic for people affected by fibromyalgia. Acupuncture inhibits fibromyalgia pain by stopping pain impulses from reaching the brain. This form of therapy can also regulate the body’s production of hormones, increasing the levels of serotonin, endorphins and encephalin, which have a very important role in relieving pain. Acupuncture can also improve the blood flow, restoring muscular tonus. Furthermore, acupuncture can help people with fibromyalgia relax, inducing them a state of comfort and wellbeing.

The majority of people affected by fibromyalgia admit that they have experienced an amelioration of their symptoms after only a few sessions of acupuncture. The first symptoms that can be relieved with the means of acupuncture are muscular pain and weakness, rigidity of the joints, and fatigue. After a month of ongoing therapy, acupuncture can also reduce stress, depression and mental confusion.

Chinese therapists claim that acupuncture works on multiple levels, healing the body, mind and spirit altogether, helping people re-achieve their balance. Oriental therapists also state that acupuncture stimulates and increases the vital “chi” energy, improving the overall health of the organism.

Tip! To really understand how acupuncture works, it is necessary to become familiar with the basics of Chinese philosophy that underlines the essence of the theory of acupuncture. The way it has gained popularity in the developing and developed countries in the past forty years, it may ultimately prove to be a very important vehicle for maintaining good health and well-being.

Acupuncture is very benefic to people with fibromyalgia and it can quickly alleviate their symptoms. In present, this form of therapy is probably the most effective means of overcoming the disorder.

If you want to find out more information about Fibromyalgia please visit this website. You will also find valuable information about Fibromyalgia pain and Fibromyalgia symptoms.

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Credits: | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund