Dr. Karolyn Mauro, M.D.

As is true for allopathic (Western) medicine, Chinese medicine recognizes anxiety as a sign that something is out of balance for the person experiencing it. While medications can help decrease the symptom, invariably some type of therapy is necessary to address the mental/psychological aspect of the anxiety and to provide ways to heal or at least manage it. Acupuncture is based in helping a person's energies to get back into balance so that the body, mind and spirit can function optimally. There are specific acupuncture point combinations that are very effective in relieving acute anxiety, but a skilled practitioner will talk to you and check some physical things to try to figure out the underlying energy imbalance that is contributing to the anxiety. That way they can use acupuncture to treat the root cause and not just the symptom of anxiety. Peace & Health, Karolyn R. Mauro, MD

Yes it is. There are effective approaches whether the pain originates in the sciatic nerve itself or from nerve roots in the lower spine.

I wish there was a simple answer to your question. However, there are several ways to approach nerve pain. For example, Chinese Scalp Acupuncture is often very effective, but the source and location of the pain will influence frequency and length of treatment. Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation [PENS] can be very successful for nerve pain due to spine problems. The recommended course for PENS is 12 weekly treatments followed by a "rest" period -- relief can last as long as that from an epidural steroid injection, potentially longer. But the duration of any treatment will depend on how long the condition has been present and how the patient's body responds to acupuncture, among other factors. I hope that helps you decide whether to try acupuncture... Dr. Mauro (she/her) Karolyn R. Mauro, MD

It would not be accurate to say acupuncture can "fix" chronic tiredness, but a skilled acupuncturist will be able to help you identify imbalances, behaviors and lifestyle factors that contribute to it. Then acupuncture can help to address those things, typically combined with other treatments and methods. It will also be important for you to inform the person treating you about any other health problems you may have, so that s/he can provide the appropriate treatment for your "chronic tiredness." In Health, Karolyn R. Mauro, MD

There are several options in acupuncture treatments for nerve pain, based

In response to your question whether acupuncture can help with low back pain, the answer is absolutely yes. Lumbar pain is among the conditions most studied in acupuncture clinical trials. Acupuncture's proven success treating this common, and often treatment-resistant, problem led to it becoming the first (and only) condition for which Medicare provides some reimbursement for acupuncture. Of course, no treatment can be guaranteed for every person, but I encourage you to try it, whether with a Medical Acupuncture physician or a licensed acupuncturist trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Karolyn R. Mauro, MD (she/her)