David Hanley, L.AC, LMT, PTA

Hello,

Sorry to here about your pain. Both may help. It really matters on who the individual is that’s treating you. Dry needling is acupuncture needling done without an acupuncture license or education on how/why it is performed. The needles will probably be placed only in the location of back pain (which may offer relief). With acupuncture, points will be in locations on the back in addition to points within the vast channel system. There will be a diagnosis based on looking at your tongue and feeling your pulse to see what’s happening to you internally. Why is this even happening to you and not heeling on its own? The acupuncturist will figure out why you have this severe back pain and address the root cause. Is it do to deficiency, excess, stomach issue, blood stagnation, cold, heat, bladder problem, etc? Treating the root of the problem will offer long term results. Needling solely the back is like watering leaves on a plant, without nourishing the root. I’m also a physical therapist and have a colleague that performs it. He took a 6-month course and became certified to do needling that I was trained for 6 years to do safely. The treatment approaches and point selections will be completely different, though. (A nail technician is legally able to give massage, but if I was in pain, I would choose a licensed massage therapist instead.)
Hope you obtain long-lasting relief soon.

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM

Hello,

I would definitely give it a try. They will probably help out your liver and spleen to take away any fatigue and muscle pain. I hope that you learn how to manage symptoms ASAP.

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM

Sorry to here about your son being in pain. Usually, when pain is bilateral (both shoulders), it has to do with overuse. He loves to play basketball so much that he is still tossing the ball up even though he is very sore. He must give his shoulders a rest now bc it’s possible that there is some inflammation in his tendons. I recommend some gentle massage once or twice a week and acupuncture once a week, very mild at first and he needs to be stretched passively by someone who really is conservative. The good news is that kids bounce back and the inflammation will go away, he just needs a rest from the offending activity that is causing his pain (overuse playing the game he loves). If pain persists more than 6 weeks without playing basketball, an MRI would give you all peace of mind. I see these kind of issues with kids playing video games, at least he is active and will be again soon- with rest. Applying a gel ice pack to each shoulder after any activities could only settle things also.

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM

Hello,

The WHO (World Health Organization) declares acupuncture as an effective treatment for some forms of thyroid imbalances. A majority of my clients (not all) have had normalized thyroid hormones in blood tests after a series of treatments. I would imagine that the cause of the thyroid imbalances plays an important factor. In my professional opinion, acupuncture has potential to assist and could alleviate the symptoms you may be experiencing due to the abnormal levels (for example, fatigue, spontaneous sweating, palpitations, insomnia, etc.).

Good luck to you,

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM

Hello,

Glad to here you are taking care of your health. You can do it!
Yes, acupuncture can assist in bringing down levels of LDL cholesterol (in addition to exercise and diet modifications, of course). I usually try and invigorate the blood, but some people need different treatment approaches. There are currently about five of my clients taking Chinese herbs with great results to lower their cholesterol. One other person is taking the herbs as well, but needed to go back on statins. He is also a heavy drinker so there are many factors. One size doesn’t fit all, but it may work for you.

Best of luck,

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM

Hello,

Headaches can be based on many different reasons. Acupuncture helps many clients with headaches as long as the practitioner figures out why they are occurring from an Oriental medicine standpoint. They can be due to muscle tension, stress, heat rising up to the head (heat always rises), excess, deficiency, sinus congestion... the list goes on. The practitioner needs to ask certain questions, look at your tongue and feel your different pulse positions to accurately diagnose and treat. It’s definitely worth looking into.

Good luck,

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM

Hello,

Sorry to here about your reoccurrence. Every person with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome presents differently and obtains variable levels of relief from acupuncture. That’s great that it lasted two years without symptoms. I usually recommend a maintenance treatment every three months after symptoms have subsided. No symptom is synonymous to no disease, as we are taught. Hopefully, you can obtain great results again with just a few “tune up” treatments. Give it a try again, good luck to you.

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM

Hello, sorry to hear you are in pain. Joint pain could potentially be relieved with acupuncture treatments. It’s a common ailment that I treat at my clinic. A majority of my clients obtain relief, but I would have to diagnose where and why you have the pain first. If your tongue has a thick, yellow or white coat on the back, then I would start decreasing your amounts of dairy. Then, you should look into an acupuncturist in your area.

Good luck and I’m always here if needed.

David G. Hanley, Dipl. OM