Acupuncture can be an effective treatment for frozen shoulder by reducing pain, inflammation, and improving mobility. It works by inserting fine needles to stimulate endorphin release and enhance blood circulation. Clinical trials and case studies show significant relief in pain and increase in range of motion for those with frozen shoulder. Acupuncture’s holistic approach targets […]
Acupuncture can address knee pain. One of the common reasons for knee pain is osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Osteoarthritis is defined as “a degenerative joint disease, in which the tissues in the joint break down over time” by NIH. It is the most common knee problem that I encounter, and it could also be one of the most difficult cases to treat with acupuncture.
In this article, I would like to focus on the type of knee pain that responds to acupuncture very well: quadriceps tendonitis. https://www.knee-pain-explained.com/quadriceps-tendonitis.html
The tendon of quadriceps femoris is anchored on the top side of the knee cap. The main function of this large muscle (Which actually consists of four individual muscles) is to straighten the leg. As a secondary function, it flexes the thigh, bringing it closer to the abdomen.
A condition commonly known as tennis elbow is pain felt on the outside of the elbow. It is due to the inflammation or minor tear of the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the elbow.
The name, tennis elbow, suggests that it is caused by tightly gripping a racket and engaging in a back hand stroke with poor technique. However, it does not affect just tennis players. Overuse of the hands and forearm may cause inflammation or minor tear of the extensor muscles on the forearm for anybody.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is basically the compression of the median nerve, caused by the narrowing of the small space called the carpal tunnel that the median nerve goes through. During my acupuncture training in school, one of my teachers told us that the problem in the wrist was never just in the wrist.
Since the median nerve originates in the neck and travels down the front of the shoulder, arm, forearm and to the hands, any inflammation and swelling of the muscles, tendons, ligament, joints, and the surrounding tissues on the path will compress on the nerve.
Because of the distribution of Triple Warmer channel and Gallbladder channel, this combination covers most problems of the muscles and joints on the lateral side of the body. This point combination is essential for the treatment of neck pain, shoulder pain, and low back pain.
The name of this point is 四讀, Shi Toku (Japanese) or Si Du (Chinese). It means “Four Rivers”. Apparently, it indicates the region in China where the Yellow River and three other large rivers merge, and the name suggests “big currents”. I think it is reasonable to assume that this point is where big currents of Blood or Qi occur.
Heart is considered the emperor of all organs in Eastern Medicine. It makes sense because when the heart stops, that is the end of one’s life. For that reason, there is no “Heart deficiency” pattern that we treat in our medicine. There is only the “Heart excess” pattern that is applicable to what we practice.
All the organ systems are equally important in keeping the body in balance, but, for an acupuncturist, Kidney (in an Eastern Medical sense) takes precedence in the assessment of a patient. This is because Kidney is considered as the source of our vitality, controls Yin/Yang balance, plays an important role in reproduction, etc. The list […]
A Chinese classic, Su Wen素問, indicates that pensiveness is the normal emotional state that Spleen supports. In a healthy individual, Spleen should provide good memory and mental calmness to handle affairs in a thoughtful manner. From this perspective, Spleen 脾 (in Eastern Medicine) is not just an organ; rather, Spleen represents the digestive functional unit […]