By Alex A. Kecskes

Sports teams, athletic organizations, and sports medicine clinics are on the lookout for acupuncturists and oriental massage practitioners. Many have discovered that keeping the body in balance through massage and acupuncture allows for more efficient and effective training, which is the surest way to improve performance.

In today's fast paced stressed-out world insomnia and sleep disorders are on the increase. The proverbial good night's sleep seems more elusive than ever. So many people are facing so many sleepless nights, and yet they fear the side effects and addictive nature of sleep medications - as well they should.

TCM recognizes the importance of adequate sleep for physical, psychological and spiritual well being. Traditional Chinese Medicine sees insomnia as an imbalance of Zang (Heart) functions. Stress and poor diet produce stagnation of Qi, this stagnation of Qi travels as fire to the heart Zang, which is also the repository of the mind and spirit. The damage done by the fire results in insomnia and sleep disorders.¹

By Alex Kecskes

Combining acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture is a virtually painless, non-surgical procedure that can restore youthful beauty to your face. It can reduce wrinkles, fine lines, puffiness, and facial sagging and discoloration. It can also reduce eye bags, droopy eyelids and double chins. Treatments have been known to improve hormonal balance, delay the hair loss and graying associated with aging, even improve the quality of sleep. Refined, tested, and perfected over the course of thousands of years, acupuncture is a natural, noninvasive method of addressing both the outward symptoms of aging and its internal causes.

Some of the best health results from the combination of Eastern and Western medicine. Fertility is no exception, and when combined with the Western idea of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Oriental acupuncture can increase chances of pregnancy. Some studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can affect the levels of pituitary and ovarian hormones, which can increase chances of pregnancy. Also, electro-acupuncture (the application of a pulsating electrical current to acupuncture needles as a means of stimulating one's "qi," or life force) has been shown to improve blood flow in the uterine arteries of infertile women.

Acupuncture is widely known for its ability to induce relaxation. Infertility can be extremely grueling; it often leads to stress and other intense emotions. This can be a vicious cycle for some women, stress can inhibit pregnancy; when the body is relaxed, it functions better. The feeling of well-being provided by acupuncture can serve to relax the muscles of the uterus. If the uterus is in a relaxed state at the time of the IVF embryo transfer, it is less likely to produce contractions that could push the transferred embryo away from fertilization. Acupuncture also improves blood circulation to the ovaries, which will boost the health of the eggs, as well as the uterus, which will increase the lining and make it strong enough to carry eggs full term.

By Alex A. Kecskes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every three Americans (an estimated 70 million people) is affected by arthritis. Because joints naturally degenerate over time, most people over the age of 50 show some signs of arthritis. Many have sought relief through acupuncture.
One of the oldest medical procedures in the world, acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, rising to prominence in the U.S. in the early 1970s. Practitioners of Chinese medicine say that arthritis occurs when the cyclical flow of qi in the meridians becomes blocked. This blockage is called "bi" type pain and can often be treated using a combination of acupuncture and/or Chinese herbs. In treating the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis, a skilled acupuncturist may use a variety of different points and herbs, guided by the source of your qi's blockage -pathogen, wind, cold, damp or damp-heat.

Chinese traditionalists treat arthritis by honing in on conditions unique to each individual, combining acupuncture, Chinese herbs, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. This means your acupuncturist will examine you to determine when and how your condition began. In this way, the practitioner can learn the signs and symptoms unique to your condition to determine the most appropriate acupuncture points and treatment plan.

Acupuncture points to treat arthritis are located throughout the body, not just directly over the affected area. During the acupuncture treatment, tiny needles are placed along your arms, shoulders, and legs. Most patients are insensitive to the insertion of acupuncture needles, which are not much wider than a human hair. Once the needles are in place, most people relax and often drift into sleep during treatment. The duration and number of treatments will vary. Treatments usually average 15 minutes, once or twice a week. Some symptoms are relieved after the first treatment, while more severe or chronic ailments often require multiple treatments.

In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved acupuncture for use by licensed acupuncture practitioners. The FDA requires the use of sterile, nontoxic needles, labeled for single use only. That means a new set of disposable needles taken from a sealed package should be used for each patient. In addition, all treatment sites should be swabbed with alcohol or other disinfecting agent before needles are inserted through the skin.

You should know that acupuncture is an art and a science that takes years to master. Be sure to look for an FDA approved, licensed acupuncturist with formal training and experience in the treatment of arthritis. Remember to discuss acupuncture with your doctor to see if it's the right treatment option for you. Should you decide to try acupuncture, keep in mind you don't have to stop other medical treatments.

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine recently had the pleasure of seeing another of its students find success in the practice of Oriental medicine. On February 27, 2008, Janet Tsai, an alumni of Pacific College's San Diego branch, demonstrated cosmetic acupuncture on the popular program 'Rachael Ray's Daytime Talkshow.' As well as an alumni, Janet Tsai is a faculty member at Pacific College in New York where she teaches in the Acupuncture and Bioscience departments. As a licensed acupuncturist in three states (New York, New Jersey, and California) Tsai serves as a Clinic Supervisor at the Pacific College Acupuncture Clinic.

The practice of cosmetic acupuncture is both ancient and up-and-coming. While the Chinese have been practicing secrets to a youthful glow for thousands of years, the American public is just now realizing the amazing aesthetic benefits acupuncture can offer. On Rachael Ray's talkshow, Janet Tsai applied half a dozen miniature needles around Rachael's face. Tsai stated "The needles I'm putting in around the forehead are going to help with the circulation and the blood flow, so it brings more oxygen to the area." Having the needles applied is not only painless, but for many, it's a relaxing and rejuvenating experience.

Acupuncture is a holistic medicine that began about 5,000 years ago in China. Other ancient forms of Oriental medicine include herbology, diet, energy-cultivation exercises, and life-style counseling. One thing that each of these methods has in common is the combined interest of the physical with the spiritual, or internal, being. Oriental medicine strives to heal with the idea that the mind is richly integrated with the body, that both must be attended. Given this ideology, it makes sense that one of the ailments best treated by acupuncture is one that begins in the mind and affects the body - anxiety.

According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the U.S., and it affects 40 million adults in the United States alone - that's 18.1% of the population.¹ Another interesting fact is that with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorders, women are twice more likely to be affected than men. Acupuncture is one aspect of Oriental medicine that is known to be particularly effective in aiding anxiety.

by Kathleen Rushall

Morning sickness is one of the first clues of pregnancy as well as one of the first discomforts. For many women, happy tidings are marred with nausea, vomiting, and heartburn. With acupuncture, women can safely modify these inconveniences with a natural solution. Morning sickness varies greatly in each woman, and the name is misleading - this misery is not confined to the mornings, but can take place at any time of day and last for hours. With acupuncture treatments, the severity of the condition will lessen as well as the frequency with which it occurs.

By Andy Rosenfarb, C.A., National Board Certified in Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine

Over the last 10 years, in my practice I have specialized in TCM Ophthalmology. I have made quite a few significant clinical observations through diagnostic testing, treatment, and direct feedback from my patients. In my clinical practice I incorporate TCM with nutrition and "functional medicine." Functional medicine uses methods to measure how weak (yin) or stressed (yang) the body's organs, glands, and systems may be. Among these include blood sugar, adrenals, thyroid, pituitary, oxidation, hydration, ATP-energy production, etc. Both TCM and functional medicine look to uncover patterns of disharmony. The idea is to relate the patient's symptoms (glaucoma in this case), to the underlying disease pattern.

Just a few decades ago, most Americans viewed acupuncture as a foreign practice.  The general public was skeptical of acupuncture. However, lately, more and more Americans are opening their minds to this “alternative medicine.”  There has been a steady growth in the number of acupuncturists over the last few decades. Organizations like the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have begun to perceive acupuncture as a type of medicine, rather than some sort of eccentric ritual.  As some Americans are losing patience with unsuccessful Western treatments, they are turning toward acupuncture.  Even celebrities are trying acupuncture and are reporting its benefits.

Acupuncture has been used in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years.  Its function is to insert extremely thin needles into specific points of the body in order to facilitate the flow of qi (life energy).  Rather than focusing on the obvious health issue of a patient, an acupuncturist focuses on the entire body and realizes that in order to treat the specific problem, and to maintain the person’s health after the problem is treated, he or she must create a balance of qi within the entire body.  This method of practice is slowly evolving into mainstream America.