Working Well Resources' Blog

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Acupuncture

I started getting acupuncture years ago when I had chronic sinus infections. Antibiotics would help temporarily but then the infection would come back. In desperation I finally gave a friend’s recommendation a try and went to an Acupuncturist. Back then, Acupuncture was not allowed in Illinois unless practiced by a medical doctor or chiropractor. But I wanted the real deal so I went to a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (OMD), who had studied medicine in China. She read my tongue and my pulse and then told me to lay down and close my eyes as she

inserted tiny needles into my face and head.  She also counseled me to cut back on dairy and take some Chinese herbs for my sinuses. My infection did not go away entirely after one treatment but I felt a lot better,. In a few weeks of no dairy and taking Chinese herbs, I my sinuses were fine and I soon began to use Acupuncture for other ailments and stress relief.

In 1997, the State of Illinois also decided acupuncture was a legitimate medical treatment and made it legal for OMD

‘s and acupuncturists to practice without a Western medical license. For a complete text of the Illinois Acupuncture Practice Act click here. As time goes on more and more medical doctors are also endorsing Acunpuncture as a legitimate health care treatment. See what Dr. Oz has to say about it in a post from Acupuncture Blog Chicago.

The Houston Chronicle recently published The You Docs: Why we still like ancient acupuncture By Michael Riizen, M.D.and Mehmet OZ, M.D. Here are a few excerpts from the article.

“What do Cher, Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams and Titan, the world’s tallest dog, have in common? Like more than 20 million Americans and Canadians, they’re on pins and needles.

It’s been around thousands of years, but it’s backed by an impressive body of 21st-century research. Often, acupuncture can help when drugs can’t be tolerated or when conventional treatments fail.

Here’s what acupuncture clearly has been shown to help so far:

• Peaceful sleep. Just months ago, a Hong Kong University study of 60 insomniacs found that those who got acupuncture fell asleep faster and were more likely to stay that way than those who got a fake version of the treatment.

• Relief from arthritis. British researchers who analyzed five studies of 1,334 people with bum knees have confirmed that acupuncture relieves debilitating joint pain related to arthritis.

• Squelching pain. In a landmark German study of 1,162 back-pain sufferers, twice as many got relief from acupuncture as from conventional fixes such as drugs or physical therapy. Acupuncture also has been proven at least as effective as pain drugs not only for treating migraines, but for preventing them, too.

• Reducing treatment side effects. Dozens of studies show that acupuncture helps quell pain, nausea, fatigue, hot flashes and dry mouth in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation.

• How can one therapy do so much? Eastern and Western medical philosophies merge when a licensed acupuncturist inserts those sterile, disposable needles into your skin. Eastern practitioners say the needles remove blockages so that the body’s energy, called qi, flows freely. Western science shows that acupuncture boosts levels of pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory chemicals called endorphins in the brain and bloodstream. And that changes how your nerve impulses flow.”

To read the entire article click here

To read more of Dr. Oz’s thoughts about acupuncture click here

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