Acupuncture Center in Beverly Hills

The human body is comprised of an intricate network of energetic pathways, which are responsible for unifying the body’s organs to work together as a whole.  These meridians work much like an electric circuit in that they supply vital energy, or Qi, to the body’s systems in order to attain proper functioning.  For optimum health, the Qi must flow smoothly.  It is when there is a disruption in the flow that disease occurs. Innately, the body is able to heal itself. It is this innate ability which Traditional Chinese Medicine helps to restore.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used systems of healing in the world. Originating in China some 3,500 years ago, only in the last three decades has it become popular in the United States. In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration estimated that Americans made up to 12 million visits per year to acupuncture practitioners and spent upwards of half a billion dollars on acupuncture treatments.

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that there are as many as 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body, which are connected by 20 pathways called meridians. These meridians conduct energy, or qi (pronounced "chi"), between the surface of the body and its internal organs. Each point has a different effect on the qi that passes through it.

Qi is believed to help regulate balance in the body. It is influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang, which are complementary forces in the universe.  These complementary forces are therefore present in the human body. Acupuncture harmonizes yin and yang, promotes the normal flow of qi throughout the body and restores health to the mind and body.

How does it work?

Acupuncture restores the body’s bio-electric energy and smooth flow of Qi by inserting and manipulating fine, hair-like needles at specific points along the meridians.  As the flow of Qi is balanced, one gradually returns to an optimum state of vitality and health.

Scientific studies have shown that the insertion of acupuncture needles may stimulate the release of endorphins, a class of opiates naturally produced in the brain. These substances are potent, innate, natural painkillers and sedatives which may explain some of the pain reducing properties of acupuncture.

Does it hurt?

Unlike hypodermic needles, acupuncture needles are hair-thin, and they are not designed to cut the skin. They are also inserted to much more shallow levels than hypodermic needles, generally no more than a half-inch to an inch depending on the type of treatment being delivered.

While each person experiences acupuncture differently, most people feel only a minimal amount of pain as the needles are inserted. If there is pricking or pain during initial insertion, it should go away quickly.  If it does not, a patient should communicate to the practitioner so that the needle can be readjusted.   There may be a heavy or dull achy sensation.  There may be no sensation.  In fact, the same patient may have a different experience with each treatment.   Some people reportedly feel energized while others feel relaxed. If you experience significant pain from the needles, it may be a sign that the procedure is being done improperly.

Is it safe?

When practiced by a licensed, trained acupuncturist, acupuncture is extremely safe. As a system of health care, acupuncture already has some inherent safeguards. Because the treatment is drug-free, patients do not have to worry about taking several doses of a medication or its side effects.

Properly administered, acupuncture does no harm. However, there are certain conditions you should notify an acupuncturist about before undergoing treatment. If you have a pacemaker, for instance, you should not receive electroacupuncture due to the possibility of electromagnetic interference with the pacemaker. Similarly, if you have a tendency to bleed or bruise easily, or if you are a hemophiliac, you may want to consider a different type of care.

What conditions does it treat?

In the late 1970s, the World Health Organization recognized the ability of acupuncture and Oriental medicine to treat nearly four dozen common ailments, including:

• Neuromusculoskeletal Conditions: arthritis, neuralgia, insomnia, dizziness, neck/shoulder pain
• Emotional and Psychological Disorders: depression and anxiety
• Circulatory Disorders: hypertension, angina pectoris, arteriosclerosis and anemia
• Addictions: alcohol, nicotine and other drugs
• Respiratory Disorders: emphysema, sinusitis, allergies and bronchitis
• Gastrointestinal Conditions: food allergies, ulcers, chronic diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, intestinal weakness, anorexia and gastritis

In 1997, a consensus statement released by the National Institutes of Health found that acupuncture could be useful by itself or in combination with other therapies to treat:

• addiction
• headaches
• menstrual cramps
• tennis elbow
• fibromyalgia
• myofascial pain
• osteoarthritis
• lower back pain
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• asthma

Other studies have demonstrated that acupuncture may help in the rehabilitation of stroke patients and can relieve nausea in patients recovering from surgery.

What should I expect on my first visit?

Your first visit to the acupuncturist is exciting and fascinating. Above all, it is very thorough.  You may be a bit surprised at first when your practitioner asks questions that seem unrelated to your condition. Inquiries consist of dietary habits, bowel movement regularity and consistency, sleep habits, and your ability to tolerate hot or cold, just to name a few.  These questions are necessary for your practitioner to examine your condition from the proper perspective in order to develop an adequate treatment protocol.

Depending on the seriousness and the duration of your condition, your first consultation may take between 30-60 minutes and may be followed by a treatment that usually does not exceed 30-40 minutes. As with most other health practitioners, the first visit to an acupuncturist begins with the practitioner taking your detailed history. But you may be surprised at the amount of detail that is significant to your acupuncturist. This approach ensures a treatment that is personalized. Depending on your condition, you may be subjected to an examination of the tongue, as well as an examination of the pulse.  This is ­a major diagnostic technique in traditional Chinese medicine.

After an appropriate diagnosis is made, your practitioner will ask you to lie down in a comfortable position that you can maintain throughout the treatment.  He or she will then insert hair-thin needles into specific acupoints indicated for your condition.  Then you will be asked to relax for a period of time that usually does not exceed 30 to 40 minutes.  Many people drift off into a peaceful sleep while the needles guide the body through its own regulating and rebalancing.

It may take several visits to see significant improvement or to alleviate your condition. As with any treatment plan, however, make sure that your questions are answered completely, and that the treatment plan seems reasonable. If you don't understand a particular technique or type of treatment, make sure to ask.

Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the oldest continuous systems of medicine in history, dating as far back as two thousand years B.C.  By contrast, contemporary American or Western forms of health care have been in existence for a much shorter time.  The American Medical Association was formed in 1847, some 3,800 years after the first mention of TCM.

Chinese medicine is complex and challenging. TCM is rooted in the Daoist belief that we live in a universe in which everything is interconnected. Many of the concepts emphasized in traditional Chinese medicine have no true counterpart in Western medicine. One of these concepts is qi (pronounced "chi"), which is considered the vital force or the energy responsible for controlling the workings of the human mind and body. Qi flows through the body via channels, or pathways, which are called meridians. Imbalance of flow causes illness; correction of qi flow restores the body to balance.

In TCM the emphasis is on the individual as a whole being.  One part of the body affects every other part of the body.   Mind and body are not viewed separately, but as part of an energetic whole.  A patient’s mental and physical conditions are closely examined so that the practitioner observes the subtle disturbances that contribute to disease.  By examining the symptoms of illness and also the roots of pathology, the practitioner is empowered to establish a treatment plan that is specific to the individual’s needs.  Through enhancing the immune system, strengthening organ functions, and promoting the proper flow of Qi,  TCM enhances the body’s inherent ability to heal itself.  As a result, the individual achieves optimum wellness without the common side-effects of conventional medicine.

Is Acupuncture the same as TCM?

The practice of acupuncture is often equated with the practice of traditional Chinese medicine.  But they are not equal. While acupuncture is the most often practiced component of TCM it is merely one important piece of a much larger system. Traditional Chinese Medicine encompasses several methods designed to help patients achieve and maintain health.  Along with acupuncture, TCM incorporates adjunctive techniques such as:

• acupressure
• moxibustion
• manipulative and massage techniques (tuina, cupping and gua sha)
• herbal medicine
• nutritional counseling
• lifestyle counseling
• meditation
• qigong 

A German study published in the September, 2008 issue of Cephalalgia shows that people who suffer from chronic migraines may benefit from acupuncture to reduce the severity and frequency of their headaches.

The study is one of the largest to date on using acupuncture to ease headaches.  Researchers from Charité University Medical Centre in Berlin followed more than 15,000 adults who had been suffering from either migraine or tension-type headaches at least twice a month for a year or more.

Of these patients, 1613 were assigned to receive acupuncture in 15 sessions over 3 months in addition to usual care, while 1569 continued with usual care alone.

After 6 months, acupuncture patients reported significantly greater reductions in headache pain than those who continued with usual care.

Headache frequency fell significantly in patients assigned to acupuncture, from 8.4 headache days over 3 months at the start of the study to 4.7 headache days over 3 months at the end.

In contrast, headache frequency remained almost constant, at nearly 8 headache days every 3 months, in patients assigned to usual care alone.

"Our study has shown that treating patients with headache in routine primary care in Germany with additional acupuncture resulted in a clinically relevant and persistent benefit." Lead researcher, Dr. Stefan Willich concluded. "Therefore, acupuncture should be considered a viable option for patients with headache."

Source: Cephalalgia, Volume 28 Issue 9, Pages 911 - 913

The latest study, published in the March, 2008 journal, Headache confirms that acupuncture significantly reduces migraines and works better that drugs alone.

The study, conducted at the University of Padua in Italy by Dr. Enrico Facco and his colleagues, included 160 participants that were divided into four groups; a true acupuncture treatment according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in migraine without aura, a standard mock acupuncture protocol, an accurate mock acupuncture healing ritual, and an untreated control.

The participants in all the groups were given the medication, Rizatriptan, to treat any migraine attacks.

Over six months, only the group receiving true, traditional acupuncture showed lasting improvement in migraine disability measured on a standardized scale.  The groups using only the medication and the mock acupuncture plus Rizatriptan showed only temporary or transient improvement.

Dr. Facco theorizes that acupuncture prevents migraine by altering nerve signals or affecting neurotransmitters released in the central nervous system. The results are promising, according to Dr. Facco, but more studies are needed to confirm the benefits of traditional acupuncture for migraine.

However, Facco added, since the therapy carries little risk of side effects, it could be worth a try for migraine sufferers who are not adequately helped by standard preventive treatment.

SOURCE: Headache, March 2008

A recent German study published in the February, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology confirms that acupuncture can relieve a woman of her menstrual pain.
 
In the study, 201 women were randomly assigned to acupuncture or no treatment for menstrual pain, severe cramps and discomfort.  The majority of patients receiving acupuncture reported at least a 33 percent improvement in their pain level.

It was observed that after three months of treatment the average pain score was 3.1 in the acupuncture group, compared with 5.4 in the control group, using a pain scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain.  The treatment included an average of about 10 sessions.

"Patients with chronic dysmenorrhea [menstrual pain] treated with acupuncture as an adjunct to routine care showed significant improvements in pain intensity and quality of life compared to patients who received routine care alone.” Dr. Claudia Witt of Charite University Medical Center in Berlin said.

This study is part of a large acupuncture research initiative of a group of social health insurance funds that provide coverage to approximately 10% of the German population.  Until now, women have been using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, to treat menstrual cramps.  These drugs, however, come with side effects as mentioned in the report.

Since 2000, the researchers note, said.This study is part of a large acupuncture research initiative of a group of social health insurance funds that provide coverage to approximately 10% of the German population.  Until now, women have been using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, to treat menstrual cramps.  These drugs, however, come with side effects as mentioned in the report.Since 2000, the researchers note, Germany’s health insurers have recommended that acupuncture to relieve pain only be covered by insurance if it is delivered as part of a study to investigate its effectiveness.

"Our study showed that acupuncture was beneficial for women if offered as part of the health insurance system," the researchers write in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.’s health insurers have recommended that acupuncture to relieve pain only be covered by insurance if it is delivered as part of a study to investigate its effectiveness."Our study showed that acupuncture was beneficial for women if offered as part of the health insurance system," the researchers write in the .

Based on these findings, the researchers conclude that “acupuncture should be considered as a viable option in the management of these patients.”

Acupuncture is extremely effective at treating menstrual disorders including: painful periods, irregular periods, amenorrhea and PMS.

Source: American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 198, Issue 2, Pages 166.e1-166.e8 (February 2008)

Women undergoing IVF were 65 percent more likely to become pregnant when they combined the procedure with acupuncture, a recent study has shown.

The remarkable success rate occurred across seven acupuncture trials involving 1,366 women in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in a February, 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal.

Acupuncture was delivered either just before or just after embryo transfer – the moment when the embryo fertilized in the laboratory must attach itself to the wall of the womb to establish a pregnancy.

The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Maryland in America and the VU University Amsterdam in Holland. Researchers claim that because acupuncture costs only about $75 per session compared to $6000 to $10,000 per cycle for IVF, it would be a cost effective, safe and efficient way of boosting success rates in fertility treatment.

It is thought that acupuncture stimulates the neurotransmitters that trigger the production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, which controls the menstrual cycle and a woman's ovulation.

Acupuncture is also thought to stimulate blood flow to the uterus and boost the production of endogenous opioids, inducing the body to relax.
 
Acupuncture has been used in China for centuries to regulate fertility. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic pain as well as many common and uncommon disorders.
 
Source: British Medical Journal, doi:10.1136/bmj.39471.430451.BE (February 2008)