A Harris Poll released earlier this year found that approximately three out of ten U.S. adults currently suffer from chronic low back pain. To put it another way, that’s an estimated 72.3 million people! Common treatments usually include prescription medications which bring their own complications and side effects into the picture. If you are looking for a drug-free alternative to your back pain, acupuncture could be the solution you have been searching for. 

What the Research Says

According to the experts at WebMD, chronic low back pain is one of the conditions most touted by research suggesting acupuncture could be an effective treatment tool. WebMD also pointed to guidelines from the American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians who say “doctors should consider acupuncture as an alternative therapy for patients with chronic low back pain that’s not helped by conventional treatment.”

How It Works

If you have never experienced an acupuncture treatment, you might be wondering just how it works. First, I will take a detailed health history to determine the best course of treatment for your pain. I may also suggest dietary changes or supplements to help your condition as well. 

A typical treatment involves inserting thin needles at specific points on the body. Stimulating the various points (depending on your particular health concern and the severity of the pain) can correct any energy imbalances, thus relieving pain with little or no side effects. The medical experts at WebMD also believe that “acupuncture has fewer adverse side effects than many of the standard treatments for back pain.” 

Many people wonder how many treatments it will take to find relief. It all depends on the severity of the issue but typically six to twelve sessions are scheduled. Again, depending on the severity of the condition, sessions can be done once or twice a week and can last for 30 to 90 minutes. Less severe issues could require fewer treatments, but in severe cases, additional sessions may need to be scheduled to completely address the condition. 

Chronic back pain could be a sign that there are other issues and imbalances happening in your body. In addition to relief from your back pain, you may notice other positive side effects like improved digestion, better sleep, and less stress and anxiety. 

If you suffer from chronic back pain and are looking for a treatment option, call me and make an appointment today! 

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Anyone who has suffered from sciatic nerve pain can tell you it can be a very debilitating condition. It is typically caused by an impingement of the sciatic nerve in the lower back but the pain is actually felt radiating down the leg and in the buttock. There are several potential causes of sciatic pain including:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Lumbar spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Pregnancy
• Herniated lumbar disc (also known as a slipped disc)

Acupuncture is one of the most gentle and effective treatment options. Traditional medicine may prescribe medication to deal with the pain caused by sciatica, but acupuncture is a drug-free option that treats the issue and not just the symptom.

Types of Sciatic Pain

Those suffering from sciatic pain often describe it as impacting just one side of the body and causing pain in the leg or buttocks that worsens when sitting; burning, tingling, or sometimes searing pain down the leg; weakness or numbness with difficulty moving the leg or the foot; or shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand. 

What Acupuncture Does

It’s a safe and effective option to help manage the pain by increasing blood flow to the area and relaxing the lumbar muscles, while releasing those helpful endorphins. Research also points to acupuncture being an effective pain management option for sciatica.

Relieving the Pain

While acupuncture cannot heal the structural issues causing the sciatic pain, I often recommend chiropractic visits as well as muscular therapy as adjuncts to help alleviate the pressure on that nerve. 

Each patient is different so no two treatments will be the same and I will work with you to determine the frequency and best number of total treatments.

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Statistics show that almost eight out of 10 people experience low back pain at some point during their life. Seeking medical treatment for back pain is very common. Typically back pain is fleeting and can be easily resolved with rest, heat and an occasional anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. However, once the damage is done, the recurrence of back pain can be as high as 50 percent. Part of this is because as we age, things like muscles and tendons become less flexible and pliable. This can also be attributed to the fact that many people suffer from low-grade dehydration because they don’t drink enough water and they don’t ingest enough healthy fats that keep the muscles and tendons loose. It is also very well known that in the United States, people are too sedentary, and this leads to excess weight gain that can create added pressure on the body, especially the low back.

Studies have shown acupuncture stimulates the body to produce natural steroids that reduce inflammation. Acupuncture also increases the production of endorphins, which are helpful in reducing pain. In this way, acupuncture can be very helpful in preventing costly surgeries or prescription pain medication addiction. If a person seeks out acupuncture treatments when the low back pain is acute, it can potentially help them avoid chronic pain.

Along these lines, there are also some things that can be done at home to help with low back pain. Acupressure uses the same concept of acupuncture without the needles. By applying pressure to specific acupoints with either a finger or a smooth rounded instrument, it is possible to decrease low back pain until an acupuncture treatment can be scheduled. Here are three acupoints that can be used to help with low back pain.

Large Intestine 4 – This point is located bilaterally on the back side of the hand, in the webbing between the forefinger and the thumb. When the hand is made into a fist, the point can be located in the center of the mound of flesh that is created. This point is used for relieving pain anywhere in the body.

Gallbladder 34 – This point is found bilaterally on the outer side of the lower leg. It can found in the depression that is in front of and below the head of the fibula. This point is known as the influential point of the tendons.

Urinary Bladder 40 – This point is located bilaterally on the crease behind the knee, right in the center, directly behind the knee cap. This point helps relieve pain along the spine. It is helpful for relieving muscle spasms and reducing pain associated with sciatic nerve involvement, which stems from the low back.

Self-acupressure is an effective way to help relieve low back pain when you are unable to get in for a treatment. These three points can also be used on a regular basis in between acupuncture treatments to help keep low back pain at bay. Regardless, chronic low back pain should be evaluated to make sure that there are no structural issues that may require surgery. Ask me about acupressure if you’re curious!

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Obviously urination is an essential component to the functioning of our bodies, and as such, the bladder plays a vital role through its filling and emptying of urine.

However, the bladder system in TCM has far more influence in the body than just over fluid transformation and excretion. As mentioned above, each yang organ is paired with a yin organ, and the bladder is paired with the kidneys. The kidneys are one of the most important energy systems in TCM, they store some of our deepest levels of energy, being the root of all yin and yang in the body and hold our essence. The kidneys often exert an effect on the bladder system when there is a weakness, this means that sometimes problems with the kidney energy can be detected and treated sooner by treating the bladder or the bladder channel. An example is low back pain. The kidneys in TCM govern the low back and the knees. The bladder meridian runs down the length of the back in not one but two trajectories on either side of the spine. Most forms of low back pain can be treated with bladder points on the back, as well as bladder points on the backs of the legs.

In acupuncture, one of the most essential aspects of the bladder channel is treating the back. The bladder channel runs from the inner canthus of the eye, over the top of the head, down the neck and the back on either side of the spine, through the sacrum and down the back of the leg to the knee. Then the channel travels back up to the top of the back and begins its downward trajectory again, tracing another trail down the length of the back, more lateral than the first. It then continues down the back of the leg to the outside of the pinky toe. The bladder channels trajectory makes it a powerful channel for treating most kinds of neck, back, sacral, hamstring, calf and achilles pain. It is particularly helpful when there is a pain condition affecting more than one of these sites.

Every energy system in TCM exerts an effect on both the physical body and the mental/emotional self. The kidneys are associated with fear – this means excessive fear will weaken the kidneys, but irrational fear can also be a symptom of a kidney imbalance. As the bladder is linked to the kidneys, it can be used to support the kidneys in treating fear. When the bladder itself is out of balance, there may be negative emotions such as jealousy, suspicion and inability to let go of grudges.

To take care of the bladder, make sure you drink plenty of non-caffeinated, non-sugary beverages throughout the day to optimize its water transforming function. Eating a kidney-nourishing diet will also help the bladder energy. To keep energy flowing optimally through the bladder meridian, make sure to stretch! Create a daily stretching routine that includes stretches for the whole posterior portion of the body. You might think about including foam rolling, massage, myofascial release, cupping, gua sha or tuina.

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