The prevalence of diabetes has risen or at best remained unchanged in virtually every part of the world over the last three decades. A new international study published in The Lancet collating worldwide data on diabetes since 1980 has found that the number of adults with the disease reached 347 million in 2008, more than double the number in 1980. As a holistic therapy, acupuncture can be utilized for the treatment of diabetes to normalize endocrine function. … Read More

According to a new Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study the regular consumption of processed red meat increases risk of diabetes in adults. The study also shows that replacing red meat with healthier proteins, such as low-fat dairy, nuts or whole grains, can significantly lower the risk. … Read More

Behavior-oriented interventions can help overweight adults achieve meaningful weight loss, suggests findings of an Archives of Internal Medicine systematic review. As an alternative therapy, using acupuncture for weight loss, when combined in a comprehensive weight loss program involving diet modification and exercise, has been shown to have positive effects. … Read More

Stress management programs like Transcendental Meditation should be implemented to help manage coronary heart disease in patients, according to a new editorial written by a Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute physician, C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D., and published in Archives of Internal Medicine. Acupuncture and other TCM therapies can treat symptoms of stress including: Headaches, pain, fatigue, sleep disorders, mood swings, allergies, sinus conditions, and reproductive disorders. … Read More

Many complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are effective for the management of acute and chronic pain conditions, including acupuncture, massage, relaxation techniques, and tai chi. … Read More

Stress is a widespread problem a large number of Americans deal with on a daily basis. According to the Global Organization for Stress, three quarters of adults said they had moderate to high levels of stress during the previous month and nearly 50 percent reported their stress increasing during the prior year. Eighty percent of workers feel stress on the job and have trouble managing it, and the condition is a concern for high school age children. What should you do if — like many — you experience stress? Luckily, there are natural solutions to stress. … Read More

Many people experience back pain at some point in their lives. According to the National Institutes of Health, back pain is the second most common neurological disorder in the United States, following headaches. A large proportion of individuals with back pain use complementary and alternative medicine therapies, such as herbal medicine and acupuncture. … Read More

Insomnia is a sleep disorder associated with difficulty falling or staying asleep, and is such a common problem that sleep aids are more widely used than ever. Acupuncture can be utilized as a primary or complementary therapy for the treatment of acute and chronic insomnia. … Read More

High blood pressure is often treated with lifestyle recommendations associated with diet, exercise and weight loss in combination with drug therapy. However, some individuals seek out alternative therapies due to an inability to enact healthy lifestyle changes or who continue to experience high blood pressure although they lead a healthy lifestyle. Acupuncture is a holistic therapy which can effectively regulate blood pressure. … Read More

Acupuncture can be beneficial in the treatment of many infertility-related conditions including: Uterine fibroids, hormonal imbalance, amenorrhea, recurrent miscarriage, and endometriosis. Acupuncture improves ovarian function by regulating the endocrine system, which aids in stabilizing hormone levels. … Read More

Integrative and mind/body therapies can be effective in pain management for patients. Integrative medicine emphasizes a full range of personalized healthy lifestyle approaches that tend to physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. … Read More

Frankincense, an age old herbal remedy, may effectively treat arthritis, which only serves as another success story in treating arthritis with alternative medicine. Cardiff University scientists have been examining the potential benefits of frankincense to help manage symptoms of the condition. In addition to frankincense, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have been found to be effective at alleviating the pain and inflammation associated with all types of arthritis. … Read More

Those recovering from knee injuries might do well to take note of research from the American College of Sports Medicine. Findings indicate that those who pedaled backward on treadmills and elliptical machines tended to do better than those who pedaled forward. Acupuncture can treat knee pain, swelling and stiffness while improving muscle strength. “The results were very encouraging,” says lead author Elmarie Terblanche, Ph.D. “Participants who used backward locomotion showed significantly greater gains in quadriceps and hamstring strength. Additionally, they had greater aerobic capacity than the forward-locomotion group. Many people suffer knee injuries, whether through sports participation or activities of daily living. It can be a significant aid in rehabilitation to know how to most efficiently strengthen the joints and muscles after injury. When exercise and over-the-counter medications are ineffective in reducing knee pain and swelling, other options should be considered. Acupuncture can reduce knee pain by increasing the production of neurotransmitters and endorphins, which naturally minimize pain. Acupuncture activates the body’s pain-modulating system, changing the processing and perception of pain information at various levels of the nervous system. Acupuncture can help to unblock qi, the body’s vital energy, which aids in healing and overall health. … Read More

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), created by Richard Bandler, is a behavioral method which can empower you with a set of guiding attitudes and principles about behavior. NLP can be combined with acupuncture to create an effective approach to mind and body. NLP places an emphasis on the relation between thoughts, language and behavior. Techniques used in NLP teach people to modify beliefs, reach personal goals, eliminate addictions, and improve communication with others. By adopting more successful ways of using the mind, negatives can be changed into positives. “Often, I only need to see people a couple of times to reprogram their thinking and give them a whole new outlook on life, success and happiness,” says Bandler. “I don’t look at where people went astray, what they did or why. I teach them to get back on the rails and not to look back.” Once people realize that they create their own internal beliefs, memories and experiences, they become aware that they have the power to change their behavior and health. There are now more than 3,000 NLP institutes in 70 different countries, using Bandler’s techniques to cure everything from phobias and lack of confidence to traumatic association from past events. NLP benefits: • Allows you to shape your future. • Provides optimism about the present. • Teaches how to use determination and calm in adverse situations. • Improves personal and professional decision making. NLP and acupuncture treatment combine the powerful mind techniques of NLP with the body and meridian work of acupuncture to promote mental and physical health. Many health conditions have mental and physical components that can be effectively treated by integrating NLP with acupuncture therapy. … Read More

Attending frequently with medically unexplained symptoms is distressing for both patient and health care practitioner and effective treatment options are limited: One in five patients have symptoms that remain unexplained by conventional medicine. A new study examines traditional acupuncture as a treatment for people with unexplained symptoms. The study from the Institute of Health Services Research, University of Exeter, assessed 80 such patients to investigate their experiences of having five-element acupuncture added to their usual care. Findings indicate that acupuncture has a significant and sustained benefit for these patients and can be added safely to conventional therapies used by practitioners to treat patients with unexplained symptoms. Patients were divided into a group receiving 12 acupuncture treatments over 26 weeks or a group which received the same number of treatments beginning 26 weeks later. The acupuncture group reported a significantly improved health survey score compared to those not receiving acupuncture immediately. The acupuncture group maintained their improvement up to 52 weeks, and the second group, now receiving acupuncture, showed a ‘catch-up’ improvement. Participating patients had a variety of longstanding symptoms including chronic pain and fatigue. Patients reported that their acupuncture consultations became increasingly valuable, and that they appreciated the holistic nature of the sessions. As a result many patients were encouraged to take an active role in their treatment, resulting in cognitive and behavioral lifestyle changes, such as a new self-awareness about what caused stress and how to manage it, and taking their own initiatives based on advice from their acupuncturists about diet, exercise and relaxation. Benefits of acupuncture: • Reduced dependency on medication. • Increased energy. • Balanced mental-emotional states. • Reduced fatigue. Acupuncture & Massage College’s Community Clinic offers acupuncture, massage therapy and herbal medicine for the treatment of a wide range of health conditions as well as for overall wellness. To schedule an appointment call (305) 595-9500. For information about AMC’s Oriental Medicine and Massage Therapy programs ask for Joe Calareso, Admissions Director. … Read More