Modern bodies, modern acupuncture

I'm Coming Around

As many of you know, I'm in the process of completing my Acupuncture Sports Medicine Apprenticeship Program with Whit Reaves, L. Ac.. Acupuncture sports medicine is the synthesis of principles of traditional Chinese Medicine with Western sports medicine. It pairs ancient needling techniques with knowledge of anatomically significant tissues such as motor points, trigger points, muscle bellies, tendon sheaths, joint spaces, muscle tendon junctions, ligaments, tendons, and other structures. Often Electrical stimulation (estim) is a machine somewhat similar to a TENS unit (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). Like a TENS unit, estim uses a very low level of electric current. Needles are placed into hyper or hypo-functioning tissue and Estim leads are attached to the needles to provide a low level of current through the tissue. Estim spurs the body to profuse injured, weakened or inflamed areas with Qi and blood. The theory is electrical stimulation interrupts pain signals and causes the body to release endorphins, it’s natural painkillers.

When I was fresh out of school, Acupuncture sports medicine didn't appeal to me much at all. After all, it's pretty obvious that I'm not a jock. Using an Estim machine used to seem to me like cheating. I wanted to be the acupuncturist who put in a few magic needles in seemingly random places and make all the pain go away. I’m drawn by the mystical, but I’m too pragmatic not to be practical. As I've practiced over the years, I've discovered that there are many for whom this works and there are many for whom it doesn't work at all. Buy why? 

Sitting and Hunching

Whit Reaves has a hypothesis, and I have to say, I like it. If you look at classical acupuncture points taut bands of muscle are overlooked in favor of points located in hollows, spaces between muscles. These were paired with distal points on the same acupuncture channel for maximum efficacy. According to Whit, in the early 80's classical techniques were effective on the majority of patients. So what changed? Technology. Or rather, technology changed us. 

I can remember a bright spring morning in 1978, my father brought in a big box and set it on our old teacher's desk. He unpacked and tinkered a while. Then the neighbors were invited over and we all gathered round the wonder of the first 8086 IBM PC on the block. Desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones have changed us. No longer are we swinging scythes out in the fields or toting laundry down to the stream. Instead we sit, hunkered over staring into our marvelous devices for hours at a time. Then we get up, hop into our cars and sit, hunched over our steering wheels. Prolonged inactivity paired with lousy posture has lead to our muscles becoming more shortened, contracted and fibrous than they were before. Thus, the techniques that have been effective for centuries, are not always effective on our modern bodies. That being said, there are plenty of bodies that seem to respond better to traditional techniques than sports medicine acupuncture. These people can be more sensitive foods and medications than other people. For them, traditional acupuncture techniques make more sense. 

Everyone is an Athlete

We are all athletes. We may not be running marathons, but we're all likely to sprain an ankle on the curb or aggravate a shoulder by shoveling snow. Everyone has a body and at times the body gets broken or stressed. The same knowledge can be applied to a 25 year old softball player as can be applied to a 75 year old who has pain lifting her arm. Even if I'm not going to treat a problem with acupuncture sports medicine, it makes sense to know how the body works from an allopathic medical perspective. I have many colleagues who turn their noses up at learning anything remotely related to Western medicine. It didn't take long for me to understand that patients expect acupuncturists to know what they're talking about when they mention spondylosis, Grave's disease or a torn medial meniscus. I feel the Western medical training I got during my Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Asian Medicine was sorely lacking. I’m excited for the opportunity to delve deeper into orthopedic medicine from both the Western and Eastern sides using the tools of acupuncture sports medicine.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed Acupuncturist and nationally 

board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range of health issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, headaches, fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

Why are you putting that needle there?

A very good question! The short answer for me boils down to a few main factors: what systems need help, what systems need to calm down, where are the blockages in the body and does the brain need some attention? 

The needles on the insides of the arms and legs tend to be associated with the organ systems that need some encouragement to do their jobs better (Liver, Kidneys, Spleen, Heart, Pericardium and Lungs). The needles on the outside of the arms and legs tend to be associated with the organ systems that hold stagnation and heat (Gallbladder, Urinary Bladder, Stomach, Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and San Jiao). These guys need to “snap out of it!” and relax. 

A lot of the pain theory of acupuncture is based on using microsystems. This is the idea that every part of the body mirrors and affects another part of the body. For instance, I can use points on your elbows (a hinge joint) to affect pain in your knee (another hinge joint). I can use points near the back of your skull to affect the pain in your heel. Sometimes we just put a needle in where it hurts, too! Sometimes, it's a combination of both. 

Finally, I assess for every patient if their brain needs attention. For us, fine tuning the nervous system is done predominantly by using points on the head and in the ear. A French neurologist, Dr. Paul Nogier, pioneered the work of mapping the correspondences of the brain to the ear. Studies have shown that measurements of microsweating in the ear correlate to increased activity in certain parts of the brain as measured on a functional MRI. We use needles in the ear to promote relaxation, encourage better sleep, and to decrease feelings of depression or anger. We can also use the ear to increase concentration and improve memory. Finally it can also be used to calm pain in the body. 

---

Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range of health 
issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, headaches, 
fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, infertility and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

How long should an acupuncture treatment last?

When Less is More and When More is More

When I was in school, I was taught that "Qi takes 20 minutes to circulate through the body". Most westerners translate "Qi" as "vital life force energy". A better translation is the metaphorical "breath" of the body. The character for Qi actually depicts the steam rising off of a bowl of cooked rice: there is a smooth movement of warmth, water vapor, and air all mixed together. Qi is everything in your body that distinguishes you from a corpse.

The idea that Qi takes 20 minutes to circulate has lead some practitioners of Oriental Medicine to the idea that everyone needs a 20 minute acupuncture treatment. Some community acupuncturists (contrarians that they are!) leave people for as long as they don't need the chair for someone else, leading to two hour cook times. 

What if you only have time for a 20 minute treatment, but you usually get an hour? I still think you'll get a good treatment. I feel that anything  less than 15 minutes is pushing it, but my friend Theresa gets great results just leaving needles in for 5 minutes, so who knows! 

Some of my colleagues and I have noticed that, again, one size does NOT fit all. Many patients will do better with a shorter "cook" time. In my experience, those patients who have low blood sugar, are more frail, are elderly, those going through chemo and those who are fighting off colds generally do better with less time. Just like "it takes money to make money", it takes Qi to move Qi around. If you don't have much Qi to begin with, we don't want to go using it up by leaving someone too long with needles. 

One of my mentors taught that building the body's resources takes many short bursts of treatment over a long period of time. This seemed counter-intuitive to me at the time, but now I get it. I, myself, have had several experiences of having acupuncture before lunch that left me wiped out. (This is an example of having your blood sugar too low for acupuncture.) I felt really relaxed, but also like I needed to go home and take a three hour nap. 

For some folks, it takes 45 minutes or more for their body and mind to settle down and let go of all the stress of their life. These are the people who will do better with a longer time.

It's natural to feel relaxed, floaty and slightly spacey after acupuncture. If you feel dizzy or muzzy-headed, please have a glass of water before you get into your car. This will help ground your energy and "bring you back". If you feel exhausted or exceptionally foggy-headed after acupuncture, you had too many needles or both. Please tell us if this happens so we can adjust accordingly. 

Some of our patients feel they get the best treatment from over an hour with the needles. Some of our patients only relax for 10 minutes before they feel "done". Some folks need a lot of needles before they feel the positive effects of acupuncture. Some folks only need 5-10 needles to get a good treatment. How do we know what's right for you? We start out with an average treatment and make adjustments depending what diagnosis we've made for you. Then we see what happens. 

Cook times can change, too. One of my regulars who tends to crash out for 45 minutes got very agitated 20 minutes into a treatment. He got angry, in fact. After I pulled the needles he calmed down and said that he just felt like "he needed to get up and go!" Patients who are more sensitive can learn to tune in to their bodies. The cues are different for everyone. Feeling antsy, suddenly awake, and energized are the ones I've encountered most often in clinic. 

Don't be afraid to ask us for something different. We won't always be able to accommodate you because of safety concerns or logistics, but we do want to help you get the very best treatment possible. Please be sure to communicate with us about your treatments. Tune in for the first 48 hours after treatment: do you feel calmer? More energized? Wiped out? Hyper? Do you have less pain right away? Does the pain slowly lessen over time?

We have wireless doorbells for each patient. (I'm lousy about handing them out sometimes. If you want one, just ask!) Use a doorbell, wave us over or cough repeatedly if you're ready to get up. Note that sometimes we can't get to you immediately if we're in the middle of needling. Please, please tell us if you have to get up at a certain time. We will do our best to get you out the door on time!

_________________________________________________________________

Get your 'Qi' on at Left Hand Community Acupuncture
424 E. Simpson St. Lafayette, CO 

 www.lefthandacu.com

720-248-8626

Book your appointment today at:  

http://left-hand-community.genbook.com