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Acupuncture

Laser Acupuncture

At East Side Acupuncture we try to incorporate modern knowledge with ancient wisdom. One way that we are doing that is through the addition of laser acupuncture to the services we offer.

Laser acupuncture
Lasers we use at East Side Acupuncture

What is laser acupuncture?

Laser acupuncture is a needle-less technique that uses low level lasers (aka “cold lasers”) to stimulate the acupuncture points. They are called low level lasers because they have a relatively low output, and are sometimes called cold lasers because the output is not strong enough to create any heat.

Laser acupuncture is a great option for anyone who is afraid of needles and unwilling to try traditional acupuncture and for children. If you have been trying to get a friend or family member to try acupuncture but they have been resistant encourage them to try laser acupuncture.

Another great advantage is as an alternative to needling in sensitive areas such as the foot for treating plantar fasciitis, neuropathy, or foot pain.

Laser acupuncture will be available to patients at both our Syracuse office and our Oneida office. Rates are the same as traditional acupuncture.

Honest Answers to Your Top Acupuncture Questions

meridian-man-headA few weeks ago, I asked for your most pressing acupuncture questions.  I’ve compiled the most common questions and I noticed one distinct trend—there are a lot of questions about the needles.  Some of you must be nervous about getting needled!

If these acupuncture answers don’t put your fears to rest, call me for more information.  Acupuncture brings good health, relaxation and vitality.  I don’t want fear to stop you from getting treatment. continue reading »

The Best Home Gym Equipment for Less than $50

jumpropeDon’t you love how great you feel when you work out regularly?

You’re alert, you sleep better, and it’s easier to stay calm and optimistic.  Once you get in the routine of working out and keeping a healthy routine, it’s fun.

But there’s always something that stops you.  For most of us, it’s either time or money.  We don’t have time, and gym memberships are too expensive.

Let’s imagine a dream solution.  You want the fitness tools you find in a gym but you want to do it at home so it’s convenient.  You want aerobics, strength and stretching so you have a good holistic workout.

And most importantly, you don’t want to spend more than $50 on any piece of equipment.

Can you build a home gym with that budget?

continue reading »

What Are Your Acupuncture Questions?

hand-acuQuestions?  Comments?  Concerns?

Normally I use this blog to tell you a little about my favorite topics, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture and natural health.  But today I want to do something different.

I want to learn more about you.

Today I want to know what your concerns and questions are.

Ask me anything, basic or complicated.  Ask about TCM, acupuncture or general health.  Ask about injuries, illness or disease.  Whatever is on your mind, ask the question.

Contact me here, and I’ll reply to your questions as soon as I can.

When The Treatment Is Scarier Than The Illness

Recently a patient was asking me why some people need knee replacements even though they are not physically active and had no injury. “Do they just ignore the problem?” Not being an orthopedic surgeon I can’t definitively answer that, but certainly in many cases our health problems are made worse by not being proactive about treating them. Remember the old adage “An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure”?

As we continued to discuss the idea of being proactive my patient brought up a very good point. Maybe it is not that people are purposefully ignoring their health issues, but they are more afraid of the treatment than they are of the problem. I think he may be onto something.

The mindset in our country is that there is a “pill for every ill”. That’s all well and good but we’ve all heard the disclaimers on drug commercials. Certainly itchy eyes and runny nose is better than having a stroke. If it is a musculoskeletal issue then there is always the fear of needing surgery. For many people it is better to ignore a minor complaint than to deal with it and have to deal with possible risks or side effects. The problem with that strategy is not knowing when to stop ignoring the problem and deal with it. The longer it is ignored the bigger the problem may become and the scarier the treatments will get.

This may not seem like a big issue at first glance. Either people take care of their health or deal with it later and maybe have bigger problems. For myself and my fellow acupuncturists the problem is bigger. We know we can help these patients and we do our best work when the problem is still minor. However, our medical system still does not do a great job of offering alternative solutions. Doctors do not recommend them enough and insurance companies often do not cover them. We need everyone’s cooperation to help bring acupuncture out of the fringe and make it an option for patients.

For the patients and their family and friends – don’t ignore your health. Sometimes little issues do go away on their own and that’s great. Ignoring a problem, however, doesn’t make it go away. Those little aches and pains are a signal that something is wrong and needs to be fixed or something needs to be changed. Rather than ignore the issue see your doctors and other health care professionals and if they are recommending a treatment that might have some scary side effects ask them for more information about the risks. Seek out alternative methods. It might not be covered by insurance but treating an issue early with acupuncture might require two or three visits. Waiting and creating a bigger problem will make it more expensive to treat (regardless of how you treat it), more time consuming, and decrease the chance of a complete recovery. Speak up and let your healthcare providers know you want more options for treatment, write or call your HR department (or whoever determines your insurance options) and let them know you want policies with alternative treatments covered.

The Secrets of Acupuncture for Children: Getting Kids to Love Acupuncture Needles

family-acupunctureAcupuncture is great for children.

Children are very responsive to the acupuncture needles and often show great improvement after a treatment.   Acupuncture is fantastic for many childhood illnesses like coughs, fevers, ear infections, bed wetting, digestive issues, colic, allergies, ADD and ADHD.  And more and more research proves that acupuncture is safe for kids.

But many parents worry that their kids will hate the needles.  They want to avoid a treatment that is traumatic and difficult.

How do you give a child a treatment which they may not like?

The answer is that you do it kid style. continue reading »

More than Needles: 3 Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapies You Can Do at Home

Baduanjin_qigong_smIf you asked the average person how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) keeps you healthy, they would probably answer that it uses acupuncture needles.

That is a good start.

TCM is a complex understanding of how Qi, or life force, affects your health.  Qi flows through meridians passing through points which can be used to regulate and control that flow.  When the flow of Qi increases, decreases or its quality changes, your health is affected.  The most common way to manage the flow of Qi is with acupuncture needles.

But TCM is much more than needles.

In the second part of our two-part series “More than Needles,” you will learn three ways to keep yourself healthy using Traditional Chinese Medicine principles at home.  By using these techniques in your daily life, you will be in charge of your health. continue reading »

Reiki

In my last post I talked about the relationship between reflexology and acupuncture.  This got me thinking about another topic I’m often asked about – reiki. There are many reiki Masters in Syracuse, and even a handful in Fayetteville. I even rent office space in Oneida from a Reiki Master (who also happens to by my aunt). In fact, I learned about reiki long before I started studying acupuncture (though I have not received attunements or any formal training yet).

Questions about reiki usually revolve around how reiki and acupuncture/Chinese medicine are related. Strictly speaking reiki is a distinct therapy method developed by a Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui in 1922. He claims that during meditation he received a divine inspiration showing him the symbols and methods that he used to create his reiki method. It uses hand positions on the body to transmit and direct energy from the universe into the energy centers (chakras) of the patient.

The main similarities between reiki and traditional Chinese medicine is the idea that the body needs to have sufficient levels of energy (called qi/chi/ki) that flow unimpeded through the body in order to be healthy. A lack of energy or a blockage of its flow can result in disease. The similarities pretty much end here.

In traditional Chinese medicine we use needles, herbs, and other hands-on techniques to stimulate the flow of energy in the body. Acupuncture does not direct the flow of “universal energy” into the body, rather it makes adjustments to the body’s own energy flow and improves its ability to create energy. Acupuncture does not make use of the “chakras”, or energy centers of the body that are a core concept in reiki. However, the 7 chakras all correspond to major acupuncture points located on the midline of the body.

While reiki and acupuncture share some surface similarities, it is important to note that they are distinctly separate therapies with different ideas about the body and disease. They can both be used for great effect, and there are many acupuncturists that are also trained in reiki and incorporate both methods.

However, when talking about reiki and traditional Chinese medicine it is important to bring up qigong.  I have discussed qigong in other posts, but simply put it is a method of self-care that uses deep breathing and simple movements to create a meditative state. Tai chi is the best known style of qigong and other martial arts use qigong techniques as part of their training. Qigong also has some similarities to yoga, and in fact was known as Chinese Yoga in the US for a while. Though qigong is focused on self healing, there are more advanced techniques of external energy transmission in which the practitioner directs energy into the body. These techniques are remarkably similar to reiki. It is my guess that Mikao Usui had some basic familiarity with these techniques. A main difference between the systems is that qigong practitioners often go through much more intensive training over a longer period of time. Reiki is much easier to learn. Qigong also uses the same theories and concepts as acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine while reiki has it’s own system. I use qigong methods for my own self-care and also have some training in the external qi transmission techniques.

To compare the effects of the reiki to acupuncture I think acupuncture does a much better job treating pain and other physical illnesses/symptoms. Reiki does a better job of dealing with the more subtle issues like emotional trauma. They can be used together for great effect.

 

More than Needles: 6 TCM Therapies You May Never Have Heard of

cuppingMost people know that one way to feel better is with acupuncture needles.  You go to your acupuncturist feeling bad.  I put in a few needles.  You leave feeling lighter, energized, more pain-free.

Using acupuncture needles to heal is part of a broader medical system called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  By observing body systems and the links between symptoms, TCM developed a medical philosophy about the flow of Qi, or life force.   When Qi is balanced, you feel healthy.   When it is disrupted, blocked or unbalanced, poor health is the result.

In acupuncture, needles are placed at specific points along the meridians to balance the Qi.

But did you know that needles are just one way to balance Qi?

TCM is a flexible system.  The principles can be applied in many ways and to many different therapies to achieve the same results.

In the following 2 part series, we will look at the many ways you can balance Qi.  This first part of the series describes the TCM therapies that require the help of a practitioner.

continue reading »

6 Ways to Relieve Allergies Without Drugs, Shots or Needles

summer-fieldSummer finally arrives.

The sun comes out.  The flowers bloom.

Most people grab their sunscreen and head outside.  But what do you do?

You close the windows, grab your antihistamines and hide in the house.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could enjoy being outdoors?

Allergies are widespread.  According to WebMD, 20% of the population suffers from allergies or asthma, and 55% of the population tests positive for one or more allergens.   Allergies are the 5th leading chronic disease in the US and cost the US health care system $7.9 billion annually.

If you can’t live with your runny nose, congestion or watery eyes, but you don’t want to take antihistamines or get allergy shots, what can you do to relieve your symptoms?

continue reading »

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