Snohomish Brown, LAC, CMT

Yes, absolutely! Acupuncture is extremely safe and well tolerated for most conditions. Recent research even suggests that acupuncture can improve blood lipids and control blood pressure, as well as reduce weight. Meta analysis from 21 studies, which comprised a total of 1943 participants, compared sham acupuncture or no acupuncture treatment plus baseline treatments with acupuncture plus baseline treatments which yielded a reduction in Fasting Blood Glucose (MD 1.21 mmol/l, 95%CI, 1.56 to 0.87), 2 hr Blood Glucose (MD 2.13 mmol/l, 95%CI, 2.79 to 1.46), and HA1c (MD 1.12%, 95%CI 1.62 to 0.62). These are incredible results and need to backed up by longer and larger studies of course, but I would say that based on this evidence, not only is it safe, but it is highly recommended. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31383426/

Medical practices for the past few centuries have intended to provide treatment and not a permanent cure for disease. The only permanent cure is death, but I doubt that's what you are anticipating for an answer to your question. Let me point you to a fellow who is more eloquent than I am:
https://www.healthwriterhub.com/cure-or-treatment-whats-the-difference/

Best regards,

Snohomish Brown, DACM, LAc, CMT

Acupuncture is the practice of inserting tiny hairlike filiform needles, which are different and much thinner than hypodermic needles used for injection, under the skin, to tell the body how to heal itself. Although the exact mechanism of how this happens is not well understood, there is hope for further research to uncover these mysteries.

*The Rainbow and the Worm* is a book I would recommend if you have interest in this study. First published over 20 years ago, it is Mae Wan Ho's initial attempt to answer the questions posed by the Nobel Laureate Erwin Schrödinger in *What is Life?*. Often regarded as the founder of quantum theory, probably Schrödinger's most important question was "How can the events in space and time which take place within the spatial boundary of a living organism be accounted for by physics and chemistry?" His emphasis on genes inspired the discovery that DNA held some clue to the puzzle. Ho's insight is that life is not a thing or a structure, but a process. Instead it is an organizing wholeness, whereby all of the molecules of the body interact together in correlated synchronized union, achieving a state of quantum coherence.

I hope that by researching her published works you may someday come to an answer to your question, and I hope that my help in this matter was useful to you. In the meantime, regardless of how the human body works, even those who make pain medications cannot fully explain the mechanism by which their products affect the body's pain signals. Your question dives right into the heart of "What makes life work?". Whoever answers this will do very well for themselves, and all of mankind, I am sure.

Without a detailed explanation of the physiological processes involved, we do know from animal studies and some functional MRI studies on humans that acupuncture does produce certain physiological effects on the body and it is not simply a placebo effect that eliminates pain. Current studies show acupuncture activates chemical messengers, endogenous opioid mechanisms, and may stimulate gene expression of neuropeptides. Recent data, obtained by using functional magnetic resonance imaging, suggest that acupuncture has regionally specific, quantifiable effects on relevant brain structures. I would invite you to do a search for yourself using the database found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov as the literature on these studies is extensive.

Ultimately, however, it is helpful to know that acupuncture is only one of the tools that a competent Doctor of Chinese Medicine can use to treat disease. Herbal remedies, moxibustion, and exercises like Tai Chi and Qi Gong are also important tools for health, which should not be overlooked. Chinese Medicine is a complete system that is capable of treating all manner of injury or illness. That being said, the World Health Organization has summarized a comprehensive list of conditions for which there is sufficient clinical research demonstrating the effectiveness of acupuncture. That list has been constantly updated since 2003. You can find the current one here:

https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-scientific-evidence/

Studies have shown acupuncture and Chinese herbs to be effective at reducing high blood pressure. In some cases, it is more important to lower the blood pressure quickly so to protect the health of the patient.

Electrostimulation with acupuncture may be applied distally without interfering with the titanium screws and plates in your jaw. It just means you will probably not have this kind of treatment directly on your jaw where the plates are located. Even in that location it might still be okay, it depends on how well you can comfortably receive stimulation of that nature. Talk to your acupuncturist.

Best regards,

Snohomish Brown DACM, LAc, CMT

Acupuncture is an excellent option to address chronic knee pain. First, we would need to identify which of the six channel meridians that flow through the knee are most effected by the pain in order to guide treatment. Then we would select a combination of local and distal points to restore the dynamic flow through those specific meridians we identified in the previous
step. We might also, at that point stimulate the needles by mild heat or electric current or by gentle manipulation. This would produce the tangible effects that would restore proper flow of Qi and Blood and stop the pain.

The Qi is a difficult to explain concept, that has more to do with breath and vitality than it does with energy as physicists understand that term. In any event, we can manipulate the flow of Qi in a tangible way with the needle that has clinically relevant effects of stopping pain. It restores and enhances blood flow as well as promoting the body's own ability to heal itself. Hopefully this answers your question.

Best regards,

Snohomish Brown DACM, LAc, CMT

Yes, acupuncture can help treat your mother's depression. In fact, it can treat any mental emotional disorder identified or diagnosed by Chinese Medicine as a Shen disturbance. The Shen is defined as conscious awareness or mind. When it loses its natural qualities of health, we call that a Shen disturbance. Depression and anxiety represent two extremes of mental emotional expression, similar to yin and yang. As Chinese medicine operates upon specific principles to balance these pairs of opposites, it is capable of treating this kind of imbalance too. Many therapeutic points on the body are identified with the word Shen as part of its title, illustrating its importance in treating mental emotional problems. Depression is often also related to difficulty with the free flowing circulation of blood and qi throughout the body. Both acupuncture and herbs can assist with improving mood by also improving circulation, but without the negative side effects of SSRIs or other medications. Acupuncture effectively normalizes and modulates our lymbic and paralymbic neocortical network which is responsible for emotional expression in the human brain. There is a growing body of research that is demonstrating this fact and you can read more about that here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26007331

Acupuncture can help with depression by regulating the lymbic system responsible for emotional expression. Depending on the antidepressant your daughter is taking, ending treatment may do more harm than good, however. There is clinical evidence of some "withdrawal" side effects to consider before ending medication abruptly. You can ask your daughter's doctor about how safely to wean off whatever medication she is taking. That being said, there is also growing evidence for better outcomes with depression when treated with combined drug therapy and acupuncture. The authors of this systematic review seem somewhat skeptical about the benefit of acupuncture, but then express surprise mixed with caution at the results: "This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that acupuncture combined with antidepressant medication is effective, has an early onset of action, safe and well-tolerated over the first 6-week treatment period. Moreover, this treatment combination appears to result in greater therapeutic efficacy than SSRI therapy alone." Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25704563

The answer to this question depends upon several factors, including what treatment goals you have, how long you have had the problem you want to fix, and how well you respond to treatment. There are certainly more factors to consider as well such as treatment protocols, frequency, and duration. These are factors along with accurate diagnosis which are dependent more upon the doctor's skill than the circumstances of the case, however, both are important. For instance, you may have an early stage sore throat or other cold and flu symptoms. Something like this might only need a couple of visits to treat, if we catch it before it gets worse. On the other hand, congenital defects that have been a problem since birth may take more effort to treat and probably will never completely improve. In cases such as these, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can still greatly improve quality of life and ensure better health outcomes, even if that means regular treatments for life.

Yes, acupuncture and Chinese herbs will resolve the problem your sister is having. Also, having a look at her diet and examining the root causes of her eczema will prevent it from returning.

Yes, absolutely acupuncture can eliminate back pain, especially if this is due to an excess condition or injury. In other cases, it might not be so simple. Certainly acupuncture can help calm your sympathetic nervous system and reduce pain caused by stress much more easily though.

Many women who find it difficult to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy to full term seek out the help of licensed acupuncturists. These treatments not only protect the pregnancy, but often allow those who experience frequent miscarriages to have a successful birth. I am sure that if your current acupuncturist is not experienced in this area, there are others who are and can assist you.

Many factors will be used to determine the number of treatments you will need to address your back pain. How long that this has been a problem for you will certainly be one of them. Severity, duration and frequency of pain are additional factors. Then, how you respond to treatment is also very important. Usually a course of treatment will be five to seven sessions. In some cases, people who either don't respond well or who have had this problem for longer than a year or more will need several courses of treatment. Obviously, if no improvement is observed, then other factors will need to be considered or a second opinion needed, in case the diagnosis is wrong. As long as you notice improvement and the treatments keep you in good health, you are in good hands and may continue receiving care. What acupuncture does to the body is restore the dynamic of flow between the organs, harmonizing their activity. When the organs are in harmony, there is no room for disease to take root. Therefore, a lifelong commitment would likely serve you well into old age.

Of course it can! So can Chinese herbs alleviate the feeling of nausea, but it is important to determine the cause of the nausea first. Frequently, the feeling of nausea is evidence of too much dampness in the body, but other factors can contribute to this as well.

I'm sure they feel great, but probably only as effective as you are at standing in them the right way to apply pressure to the selected point that corresponds to your treatment.

Yes, but the protocol will differ depending on the reason for your fatigue. For instance, if you feel tired after eating, this indicates a slow down of the metabolism is the cause. If you are tired because of insomnia, this may be due to insufficiency of blood causing you to wake up at night or anxiety interfering with falling asleep. These are only a few of the many possible causes. The best way to address your fatigue is to seek a consultation with me and we will identify the root causes and put together a customized treatment plan for you. We will use modern diagnostics as well as ancient techniques to assess your overall health and with the right set of questions, we will select the appropriate protocols and formulas to eliminate your fatigue.

Hi there,

Yes, acupuncture can help with weight loss in several ways. It can reduce appetite by venting heat from the stomach meridian. Also, ear acupuncture is helpful to curb impulse response and retrain your behavior in regards to eating. Of course, you need to manage what you eat and certain herbal formulas can aid in digestion of fats or carbs and proteins.

Have a great weekend!