Ms. Ellen D. Leonard, L.AC.

You betcha! Acupuncture can be very effective in treating nausea. As always, it's about frequency and consistency with her treatments, so be sure she goes to all appointments, even if it doesn't start to take effect immediately.

I hope she starts feeling better soon!!

Acupuncture can certainly help with the pain of arthritis, but I would also like to make a suggestion that could address the cause of the arthritis and not just the resulting pain.

Arthritis, like most of the common diseases in our society, is an autoimmune disease which causes inflammation in different areas and organs of the body. One of the most common causes of the autoimmune response is our exposure to the genetically engineered foods we eat, and the most common of these foods is gluten because it is in so many foods. So, whenever I treat patients for arthritis, I also encourage them to eliminate gluten (and all the grains that have similar proteins) from their diets. The tricky part is watching for it in boxed and canned foods. It also is worth noting that it takes less than a gram of gluten to create the autoimmune response in the body, that thi response can last up to a month, and the effects of it can last up to a year. So, it's important that you are diligent and don't let it sneak into your diet.

I hope this helps!

Yes, acupuncture can help heal ulcers at many levels, and your acupuncturist will probably have access to herbs that can help speed healing. I think it's a great idea to seek someone out who has experience treating ulcers and get in to see them as soon as you can. In the mean time, try getting some liquid aloe and drinking it several times a day. Aloe is a great healer of raw skin and often helps with pain immediately.

Yes, acupuncture can treat chronic fatigue. I might also suggest going on a gluten-free diet. Chronic fatigue is often linked to gluten intolerance, as well as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is also an autoimmune disease that is often caused by gluten intolerance. So it's a good bet to get off gluten. But watch for it in boxed and canned foods. It hides in things like Natural Flavors, so it's a good idea to stick with things that say they are gluten free.

I would certainly give it a try. Acupuncture works by balancing the body's energies, which affects all the body systems. If he is taking supplements and his levels are still low, the acupuncture might support whatever system is not doing its job so he can better absorb the iron. You must have patience, though. It will probably take a series of treatments of twice a week for him to start seeing results.

I hope you give it a try. Good luck!

Oh, absolutely. Strangely enough, depression is one of my favorite things to treat because acupuncture works so darned well for it. Though everyone is different and has different causes of depression, she will likely start feeling results very quickly, and over time the improvements will last longer and longer til she only needs tune ups.

So yes, don't walk, run to an acupuncturist who has treated depression, and start getting your mom some relief!

Hi!

Yes, acupuncture can often help with insomnia, if that's the problem with sleep to which you are referring. Also, there are herbs than can be taken in place of pharmaceuticals or over-the-counter drugs. I would strongly encourage you to find an acupuncturist in your area and get a series of treatments (one is rarely enough).

Hope this helps!

Hi! I'm so glad you're asking about acupuncture for depression rather than just slapping your daughter on antidepressants, which can have detrimental physical and emotional effects if used long-term.

Emotional problems are probably my favorite things to treat because acupuncture works so incredibly well. There are also herbal formulas that can assist, but honestly, I rarely have to add those into the mix because the acupuncture does so well.

As with most issues, it will take a series of treatments to help your daughter, and she may find that she needs to go back periodically for "tune ups." But stick with it and be patient. It's really worth it in the end.

As an aside, you may want to find a good psychologist or counselor (they don't prescribe drugs like psychiatrists) for her to see at the same time. If this has come on recently, it may have an experiential cause that she needs help working through, and the talk therapy should give her tools to use throughout her life to help her get through other difficult times.

Hope this helps!

Although there are several meridians and points in the foot, all but one are on the tops or sides, not the bottoms of the feet. So though I've not heard of this product, I can't say I believe they work on the acupuncture meridians.

Having said that, there are many nerves in the soles of the feet, and it's been known for a long time that there are reflexology points there that can support organs and help with back pain. Since every body is different, and everyone has different problems, using these slippers would be a kind of hit or miss shot gun approach that may or may not help you. Depending on how expensive they are, it might be worth a try.

Hope this helps.

There are an infinite number of causes for fatigue, so it's a difficult question to answer. Many, many causes are treatable by acupuncture and herbs, so I would certainly find a licensed practitioner, one who does a full intake and exam, and go for a series of treatments. They may prescribe herbs as well to increase the effect of the acupuncture. Or they may counsel you on diet and habits. These things can all have profound effects on our energy levels.

Good luck! I hope you get relief soon! It's no fun feeling tired all the time.

Absolutely! One of the things acupuncture is best known for helping is low back pain. I certainly treat it all the time. And my favorite thing to treat is stress and the problems that come with that because acupuncture works so well for it. So yes, don't walk, run to your nearest acupuncturist, and start feeling better today!

P.S. And yes, acupuncture will make you feel better in general because it's about balancing your body's energies and that will help everything.

You betcha! There are many ways acupuncture can treat infertility - both with body acupuncture and ear acupuncture. There are also protocols that can be used for IVF. Try calling around and find someone who has had success in the area. Lots of acupuncturists are even specializing in it.

Good luck!!

It looks like you're asking about two things - can acupuncture help with stress and pain? To both is a resounding yes. As far as pain goes, the World Health Organization lists acupuncture as a useful way to treat all kinds of pain. Perhaps less well known is that acupuncture is also extremely effective for treating stress. In fact, stress and emotional problems of all kinds are my favorite things to treat because acupuncture works so well for it.

So, yes, get yourself in to the nearest practitioner you can find (plan on seeing them twice a week for a series of treatments till the stress is under control), and start feeling better today!!

That's a difficult question to answer as it depends on so many variables.

Having said that, I have very few patients who NEED to come in week after week, month after month (the ones who do do so mostly for job stress because they feel so much better after treatments and it keeps them healthy). But for everybody else, healing a physical or emotional problem can generally be accomplished in a matter of weeks, or sometimes months if it's a problem they've had for a very long time. If it's, say, a recent injury, healing can happen in a few weeks.

Another factor is age - younger people heal faster than older people, and children heal at the speed of light. A third variable is the number and kinds of medications people are taking. I have much faster results with folks who are not on many pharmaceutical drugs.

I'm sorry I couldn't give a more definitive answer, but I hope this helps.

Low libido in women is a complex problem as women are influenced by so many things. Having said that, acupuncture and herbal medicine can help a great deal in some cases, so I would certainly give it a try. Please be sure to give it enough treatments as sometimes balancing hormones and energy can take a while.

Your wife might also try counseling. Sometimes there are things buried in our subconscious minds that we aren't even aware of that impact any and all aspects of our lives, including sex drive. Counseling or even hypnotherapy might be a way to discover if there's something in her past that is getting in her way now.

Hope this helps!

If you see a licensed acupuncturist, it is not only safe to get treatments, but also extremely helpful to both you and your baby. Acupuncturists are VERY highly trained and skilled at their jobs, and know precisely what they can safely do or not do. Most physicians don't know much about our field, so they can't comfortably recommend it. I don't blame them. But rest assured, it is as safe a form of health care as any other, maybe more so. And we have specific training on how to deal with pregnant women at all stages. So yes, I would absolutely recommend continuing your acupuncture now that you're pregnant.

Just an aside, I treat women who are attempting to get pregnant, those who have morning sickness and back pain, I have turned a breach baby, and I help induce labor. There is no part of the process in which acupuncture cannot be a help.

And congratulations!!

There are many causes for recurrent gas and bloating, so I will talk about a few of the most common ones I see in my practice:

First, if you are middle-aged or older, you probably need to be taking food enzymes. I say this because as we age, we produce fewer and fewer of the enzymes (things that end in -ase, like lactase, which breaks down lactose) that break down and digest our food. So, taking a good food enzyme with every meal might take care of the problem.

You should also be taking a good probiotic. Antibiotics, stress, poor diets, all have done a great job of wiping out the good bacteria that live in our intestinal tracts and help us digest our food and keep us healthy (70% of your immune system is in your intestines!). So, getting as many different types of probiotics repopulated in your gut can do wonders for gas and bloating.

Another very common cause is gluten intolerance. The genetic engineering of wheat has caused irritation of the intestines in many, many people. This can lead to lots of problems, gas and bloating being just the beginning of much larger issues, like celiac disease or diverticulitis. And gluten/wheat and other grains that have the same effects on our bodies are hidden in lots and lots of things we buy regularly, like ketchup or corned beef hash, or beer. So, it takes research and diligence to avoid it, and it takes less than a gram of the stuff to create the autoimmune response in our bodies, so vigilance is required. But, if you are sensitive to gluten and you continue to eat it, it will cause one problem after another. Unfortunately, there are no tests for gluten intolerance, just the elimination diet to see how you feel after a month without it.

A third common cause is dairy. Many people have gas and bloating after drinking milk, eating yogurt, or enjoying ice cream. Sigh...

A final suggestion is about eating fruit. Fruit digests more quickly than most other foods, and if there's something else in front of it in the digestive tract, it will sit there and ferment. And what's the byproduct of fermentation? Gas. So, if you're a fruit eater, get your fix first thing in the morning (and that includes fruit juices as well) when your stomach is empty, and that orange or banana has a clear ride through your system.

I hope you get to the bottom of the issue. Besides being uncomfortable and embarrassing, it can portend much larger problems just around the bend.

Acupuncture can help balance your blood glucose, but if you are serious about not wanting to have to use pharmaceuticals, you will also have to carefully and faithfully control what you eat. Exercise can also play a very big part in controlling the disease so meds are not necessary.

So, the bad news is that with diabetes, we are our own worst enemies, and we often cause the disease by what we eat. The good news is that this means that we can have a great deal of control over the disease by lifestyle changes, and acupuncture can be part of that lifestyle change.

Good luck!!

I would absolutely recommend that you get acupuncture for your hypertension, even when you're taking medications. Acupuncture can often help lower the hypertension, allowing you to work with your doctor to lower your meds. No risks whatsoever!

Acupuncture is based on something entirely different than western medicine - namely qi (energy). Therefore, our approach to health problems is based on getting the qi to go in the direction it's supposed to go and getting it to balance. I could go into Kidney qi deficiency allowing Lung qi to rise upward instead of downward, but your eyes would probably start glazing over and roll back in your head. Suffice it to say that we can help with all kinds of weird stuff that leaves western docs scratching their heads. Go for it! What have you got to lose but your cough?