acupuncturist

 

Who says alternative medicine (acupuncture) is for quacks?

Following the decision of the FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the use and practice of alternative medicine, there might just be hope for millions of alternative therapists who have repeatedly been ridiculed by the medical profession. Commonly referred to as "quack doctors", healers who practice unorthodox treatments may finally get the recognition they have been seeking for centuries.

The practice of alternative medicine has been around long before medical schools and hospitals. "What's funny is that alternative medicine has often been regarded as baseless and misleading by traditional doctors when it is, in fact, the real traditional medicine," says Dr. Joe Bankston of the Office of Alternative Medicine.

The National Library of Medicine classifies alternative medicine as "an unrelated group of non-orthodox therapeutic practices, often with explanatory systems that do not follow conventional biomedical explanations." These include, but are not limited to, the following disciplines: folk medicine, herbal medicine, diet fads, homeopathy, faith healing, new age healing, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathy, massage, and music therapy.

Because these methods are unconventional and not thoroughly explained by scientific trials, the U.S. FDA had been hesitant in recognizing the legitimacy of these treatments. As a result, the practice has remained underground for decades, and patients have been resorting to shady deals in order to avail of drugs and services. Also, because alternative medicine has been shunned by the scientific community, the possibility of these therapies being studied further remained remote.

Prior to the FDA legislation, the Complementary Healthcare Consultative Forum started regulating the practice of alternative medicine by accrediting practitioners of alternative medicine, early last year. It also aimed to develop a more effective system of monitoring over the counter supplements 

Director of the Office of Complementary Medicine Dr. Fiona Cumming says more surveillance will be placed on the safety of herbal products, and a new advertising code drawn up to regulate claims made by manufacturers.

"We have been looking at ways to streamline the regulations of complementary medicines, delivering absolutely safe quality products for consumers, but allowing more timely access onto the market," she said.

What regulation can do

"Regulating alternative medicine may only be beneficial to patients and consumers, because this would give patients more options in choosing legitimate health care, not being limited to conventional treatments," says Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio. Rep. DeFazio pushed for the law which gave the National Institutes of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine the power to provide funding for independent research into alternative health care methods.

The formation of regulation policies will provide a new approval mechanism for natural medicinal products, in order to make potentially life-saving treatments more widely available to consumers, as opposed to the excessive limits on the availability of alternative medical treatments in the past.

With the growing acceptance of alternative medicine as a legitimate treatment for various conditions, the public can only expect a wider array of such medical products and services in the market. The patient will be able to select which kind of treatment he or she wants, without any fear of rejection or castigation by conventional practitioners. Although this is probably far from happening, it might not be long before you find alternative healers side-by-side with your physicians in the hospital.

acupuncture By Shakira Andrea Sison

"Would you go to a blind acupuncturist?"

I only have two words for this: Toyohari Acupuncturists

Blind woman tries again for state acupuncture license

Associated Press

 

AUSTIN — A blind student of acupuncture is making a second request for a state license to practice the trade after being rejected last year because of her lack of vision.

 

The licensure committee of the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners was set to rehear Juliana Cumbo's request for a license today. She would be the first blind person to be issued a state license, board members said.

 

"I wanted to be more involved in health care … and I thought it was a perfect profession for a blind person," Cumbo said of her decision to pursue acupuncture, a method of diagnosing, treating and preventing illness by placing thin needles along specific points on the body.

 

The 31-year-old practices as a graduate intern in the student clinic of the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin. She has earned a master's degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine and passed the national board exams.

 

"Juliana is an exemplary practitioner … and she is extremely talented," said Will Morris, president of the Austin academy. "I am proud to sign her diploma."

 

Meng-sheng Lin, the licensure committee chairwoman, said she's inclined to repeat her vote against Cumbo's application. She said Cumbo's case was the first time she had encountered the issue.

 

"I'm just trying to fulfill my duty to protect the public," said Lin, an acupuncturist in Dallas. "Would you go to a blind acupuncturist?"

 

Lin said acupuncture can lead to bleeding, which could be a problem if it went unnoticed and created a situation where the acupuncturist or patient could become contaminated.

 

Hoang Ho, a member of the acupuncture committee who also voted against Cumbo's license, said licensing Cumbo would be a liability for the board if something were to go wrong.

 

"You have to know exactly the point" to insert the needle, said Ho, who practices acupuncture in Kerrville and San Antonio. "There are a lot of blood vessels, and there can be injuries."

 

Cumbo, who said she also has a bachelor's degree in classical guitar, completed 3,218 hours of training in acupuncture. About a third of that was clinical experience in which she worked on 592 patients without any formal safety complaints, said Xiaotian Shen, the director of the Austin clinic and one of Cumbo's teachers.

 

Cumbo received extra hands-on training, and now she is better at finding acupuncture points than many students who can see, Morris said.

 

Shen said Cumbo was tested on a live model to pass the national boards.

 

Dr. Terry Rascoe, the acupuncture board's presiding officer, said the committee could approve Cumbo's request, reject it or ask the full board to consider it. The case could also go before a state administrative judge.

 

Cumbo's lawyer, David Cohen of Austin, said denying Cumbo a license "on the basis of her blindness alone" would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Acupuncture / acupuncturist in Copenhagen, Denmark

were to get acupuncture treatment in Denmark, Copenhagen.

Acupuncture clinic Apunkt.dk St. Regnegade 26a. 1110 Copenhagen City, Denmark

Pain treatment. Fertility – IVF / intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Cosmetic acupuncture – a facelift.

Other treatment with acupuncture:

 

 

Acne Rosacea

Alcoholism

Allergies

Allergies with Runny Nose

Allergies with Headaches

Amenorrhea

Arthritis

Appendicitis

Asthma

acupuncture

Back Pain

Clogged Arteries, High Cholesterol

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome II

Degenerative Joint Disease

Depression

Depression/Anxiety

Dermatology: Rash of Unknown Origin

Dry Eyes

Ear Infection

Endometriosis

Epstein Barr virus

Headache

Hives

Infertility

Infertility I

Insomnia

Interstitial Cystitis

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Leukopenia

acupuncture

Multiple Sclerosis

Menopause

Menstrual Cramps

Migraines

Neck and Back Pain

Morton's Neuroma

Post-Polio Syndrome

Plantar Facitis

Restless Leg Syndrome

Sciatica

Sciatica

Shingles

Sinusitis

Quit Smoking

Ulcerative Colitis

Weight Loss

Acupuncture in Copenhagen

 

 

Acupuncture is today in most western cultures it is considered a "new alternative" medicine. In reality Acupuncture (and its related Moxibustion) are practiced medical treatments that are over 5,000 years old. Very basically, Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles, (sometimes in conjunction with electrical stimulus), on the body's surface, in order to influence physiological functioning of the body.

 

The general theory of acupuncture is based on the premise that there are patterns of energy flow (Qi) through the body that are essential for health. Disruptions of this flow are believed to be responsible for disease. Acupuncture may, it has been theorized, correct imbalances of flow at identifiable points close to the skin.

 

Facial Acupuncture for Hoollywood stars

 

Who wouldn't want to look 10 years younger in just 20 minutes? In America, you can – as long as you don't mind lying in a darkened room with needles protruding from your face, eyes and ears.

The rich, the vain and the famous (reportedly Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cher) are having weekly "acupuncture facelifts" to ward off their wrinkles.

The "facelift" is administered by a acupuncturist, who spikes your face with disposable, hair-thin needles that – allegedly – turn back time and halt the physical manifestations of ageing.

The needles are inserted into wrinkles and frown lines, eventually making them vanish.

The stimulation brings blood rushing to the face, which makes it look flushed. Apparently, after a few sessions, eyes brighten, skin feels firmer, lips become plumper and blemishes vanish.

"Facial acupuncture stimulates the cells to lay down new collagen fibres under wrinkles, thereby filling them in," says New York acupuncturist Billy Villano. "And the needles relax muscles, which combats sagging in facial areas. The results are amazing."

Determined to find out just how "amazing" facial acupuncture might be, I made an appointment with Clarence Lu, a New York-based OMD.

"Why do you want facial acupuncture?" he asks, peering at my skin. "I've heard it's popular with celebrities and I want to try it for myself," I say.

Lu looks unimpressed. "I suppose it's a better option than Botox injections," he says. "The facial acupuncture works by making energy circulate properly around your face, but energy needs to circulate properly around your whole body, not just your face."

Lu offers to give me traditional acupuncture but refuses to administer facial acupuncture, saying he doesn't see the point.

Traditional acupuncture has been practised for centuries and is used to treat many ailments, from migraines to menstrual disorders.

It focuses on the entire body by regulating one's flow of energy, or "qi", and addressing the "energy blockages" that might be causing the problem.

Consult an acupuncturist for help to quit smoking and he will also examine your eating and sleeping habits, the condition of your pulse and your sex life. Acupuncture facelifts fly in the face of that philosophy, focusing solely on the appearance of the facial skin and features.

"Some women ask to have the needles placed all around the edges of their lips so that they swell up," says Lu, disdainfully. "It's something I won't do. It would be very, very painful."

Facial acupuncture is indeed ridiculously self-indulgent – but according to Hollywood stars, who incorporate acupuncture facelifts into their primping routines, it works. It makes you look young and bursting with health, even if you are a chain-smoker who lives on junk food.

Part of the beauty of these facelifts is their accessibility; they take about as long as a manicure. Afterwards, there is no scar and no permanently surprised expression. The only downside is that treatment is exorbitantly expensive.

A half-hour session costs about $150 (£80) and it takes around 25 weekly sessions to achieve lasting results (50 sessions if you're extremely wrinkly).

Finally, after I had stayed up all night meeting a deadline, acupuncturist Billy Villano agreed that I looked tired and washed-out enough to require an acupuncture facelift.

"This won't be as dramatic as a surgical facelift," he says. "If you had severe wrinkles or a double chin, I couldn't promise that this would eliminate them. But it would definitely make them look better."

I lie back in his Brooklyn office, while he takes my pulse, inspects my tongue and palpates my stomach (from this he can tell the condition of my "qi" and if I have energy blockages that prevent my skin from glowing).

Apparently, I have "spleen qi deficiency" – which, Villano quickly points out, does not mean that there is anything actually wrong with my spleen.

"It means that, going by the Chinese definition of things, your spleen energy is a bit depleted, which might make you appear a bit bloated. It could be caused by stress, or consuming too many ice-cold beverages, or by too much work," says Villano.

Then, he pinches my cheek and inserts tiny needles with a tapping motion. I make the mistake of smiling bravely at Villano and an intense pain shoots from my cheek to my ear.

This is good, apparently – it is my stuck qi circulating around my tired face. Two needles are inserted (thankfully painlessly) into my forehead to energise me and brighten my complexion.

Another needle goes into my chin, three into each ear and a few around my eyes, to widen them. The final needle is tapped into the top of my head, to wake me up. But, instead, I drift off to sleep.

After 35 minutes, Villano whisks the needles out (this part doesn't hurt at all). My skin looks markedly brighter and fresher than it did when I arrived. I had planned to go home for a nap after my acupuncture facelift, but I feel so alert and refreshed that I arrange to meet a friend for lunch instead.

"What have you been up to?" my friend asks, when I walk into the restaurant. "Your skin looks amazing."

Facial acupuncture from The Tlegraph

Acupuncture May Aid In Vitro Fertilization