Jeff Rippey

Yes, acupuncture can reduce inflammation. Studies have shown that acupuncture regulates a broad set of inflammatory mediators. Here are some good summaries:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781596/

https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1714-acupuncture-anti-inflammatory-marker-found

https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/present-research/acupuncture-antiinflammatory-effect-and-immunomodulation/

There are literally thousands of good studies showing acupuncture's effectiveness in pain management. Pubmed is the best resource for peer reviewed trials (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/). Here's a good review article:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28719458

I typically get excellent results with all kinds of pain, including neck pain. For the best possible outcome, please make sure you're seeing a licensed acupuncturist in your state. If you're not in CA, you can use the "Find a Practitioner" lookup at NCCAOM.org to get a list of providers local to you.

Studies show that acupuncture is relieving pain in four ways:

1. Stimulates the release of endogenous opiate peptides. These are molecules created by the body that function similar to opiate drugs.

2. Increases the number of opiate receptors in the brain. This provides more binding sites for endogenous opiate peptides resulting in faster and longer lasting pain relief.

3. Regulates a set of neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord which are responsible for transmitting pain signals.

4. Changes the way the pre-frontal cortex of the brain processes pain signals.

With chronic headache, I almost always recommend patients start with a head x-ray/CT/MRI just to make sure we're not missing something serious. If you've had this done already and have clear imaging, acupuncture can most likely help relieve your pain.

Yes, acupuncture can help with chronic headache. The number of treatments necessary is going to depend on how long you've been experiencing the headaches. I typically tell patients they should be seeing some improvement in either frequency or severity in 3 to 5 treatments.

Most of the studies on acupuncture in fertility focus on IVF. There are a few looking at acupuncture in more of a stand-alone or natural role. In both cases outcomes are usually good in terms of achieving and sustaining pregnancy.

Here's the thing though - some of these studies also provide some guidance on how much acupuncture might be necessary and the current thinking is: you want to start weekly acupuncture sessions about 90 days in advance. Of course, this comes with the caveat that both you and your husband have been evaluated and there are no structural/hormonal/sperm quality/other issues which need to be addressed.

When it comes to fertility and Chinese medicine, you really need to make sure you're seeing an acupuncturist licensed in your state. There are a lot of other providers out there who take a weekend seminar and then add 'acupuncture' to the list of their service offerings. A provider like this does not understand the complexity of Chinese diagnostics or how that system inter-relates to fertility issues and will thus be of very limited use.

If you're not in CA, I suggest you start with NCCAOM.org's "Find a Practitioner" look up to get some board certified and licensed people near you. For fertility issues you want to see someone who specializes in this aspect of Chinese medicine and has a good track record.

I can describe what it might feel like for me, but everyone can experience a different sensation. Those sensations range from nothing, to a slight pinch on insertion followed by nothing, to a range of potential experiences which usually fall in to a bucket labeled "Ok, if you feel them."

Potential 'ok' sensations include: a short lived electrical/pins and needles sensation that propagates up or down from the needle location, a dull throbbing or aching around the needle site or a mild sense of distention around the needle as though someone is blowing a balloon up under the skin.

This is complicated by the fact that some needle locations are more tender than others. A lot depends on what your chief complaint is, what your Chinese diagnosis is and how your provider chooses to treat that diagnosis.

If it helps any, acupuncture needles are solid and roughly the diameter of a cat's whisker. The longer needles can actually be tied in to a knot by someone with sufficient dexterity.

Acupuncture can be a very good choice for treating anxiety. If you don't already have an acupuncturist, shop around a little and take advantage of any free consults that might be offered. Get a feel for the providers in your area and pick someone you feel like you can trust. You can start with the "Find a Practitioner" page at NCCAOM.org.

Yes, assuming a few things are true, acupuncture can be an excellent treatment choice for migraine. I see a few migraine patients and I'm almost always able to reduce frequency, severity or both.

If your migraines are a relatively new development (and it sounds like, for you, they may be), you really need to rule out a few things first. It's often a good idea to start with your primary care doctor or a neurologist and have a head x-ray/CT/MRI - just to make sure we're not missing something serious as the cause of your headaches. Also, if your migraines have recently ramped up in either severity, frequency or both, you may want to have a head x-ray/CT/MRI, again, just to make sure we're not missing something more serious.

If you have clear head imaging, and especially if you have clear head imaging and pharmaceuticals aren't doing much for you, then acupuncture can probably be of benefit.

For the best results, please make sure you're seeing someone who is licensed as an acupuncturist in your state. You want someone who attended and graduated from a school of Chinese medicine, not someone who is offering the service as a 'bolt-on' after attending a few hours of seminars.

Yes, it's possible to treat vertigo with acupuncture. I've treated it successfully for several patients.

To get the best results, please make sure you're seeing someone who is licensed as an acupuncturist in your state. Outside of CA, you can visit NCCAOM.org and use their "Find a Practitioner" look up.

If you've been to your doctor and have a clear head x-ray/CT/MRI, then yes, acupuncture can often be of great benefit for migraine sufferers.

Where the needles might be placed is a harder question to answer. In Chinese medical theory there are several reasons why you might be experiencing migraine or headache. Each of these reasons has a different treatment. On top of this, there are multiple different systems of acupuncture, each of which has a slightly different approach to needle placement.

Chinese medicine is a highly individualized approach, there aren't really treatment 'protocols' per se like there are in conventional medicine. This is one of the reasons why we're often so effective at treating issues where conventional medicine struggles.

Which brings me to my last point: when seeing a provider for acupuncture or Chinese medicine, you want someone who can diagnose your issue in Chinese medical terms and then apply needles and herbs to remedy that diagnosis. For the best results you need to see a licensed acupuncturist in your state. If you're outside CA, you can use NCCAOM.org's "Find a Practitioner" look up to get a list of local board certified and state licensed acupuncturists.

Yes, acupuncture can be effective for acne. I've been able to help a couple patients with this particular skin issue using acupuncture combined with a little food therapy (add a couple food items, remove a couple food items). For females whose acne is related to their menstrual cycle, acupuncture often has the added benefit of evening the cycle out and relieving things like cramping, distention, PMS and PMDD.

For the best results, please make sure you're seeing a state licensed acupuncturist. If you're outside CA, you can use NCCAOM.org's "Find a Practitioner" look up to get a list of local providers.

Most of the literature in alternative/holistic weight loss looks at acupuncture. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a reason acupressure wouldn't work. I've utilized both acupuncture and acupressure for patients and, in my experience, acupuncture gives faster, longer lasting results.

I suspect that in order to see any benefit with acupressure, you'd need to be pressing/massaging the appropriate points at least daily if not multiple times per day. Not everyone has that kind of discipline.

I'd suggest you start with a licensed acupuncturist in your state. If needles are an issue for you, I've gotten good results in weight loss/food cravings using ear seeds. If you're not in CA, go to NCCAOM.org and use their "Find a Practitioner" look up. Call a few providers in your area and see if you can find someone who works with weight loss on a regular basis.

Yes, acupuncture can be a good choice in the treatment of depression. Several studies have shown that acupuncture matches the effectiveness of drugs like Prozac in mild to moderate depression. There are also studies showing acupuncture plus therapy gives better results than either acupuncture or therapy alone.

If you're not in CA, go to NCCAOM.org and use their "Find a Practitioner" look up. Get a list of practitioners in your area and then call around to see if anyone will make a house-call. Sometimes we do and that might be a better fit for your friend initially.

Acupuncture can probably help with your pain issue. The area where we have the best evidence of acupuncture's effectiveness is in chronic and acute pain. I've worked with lots of hand/wrist pain patients and I'm usually able to get good results for them.

If you're not in CA, go to NCCAOM.org and use their "Find a Practitioner" lookup to get some providers close to you.

Good question. Unfortunately, the answer is: it depends. How long you've had the migraines, how long they've been a daily occurrence, whether or not there is a hormonal component or a lifestyle component all influence how a practitioner of Chinese medicine will diagnose and treat and also influence how many treatments you might need.

A general rule of thumb that I give to my migraine patients when we start treatment is: if something about your migraines (frequency, severity) doesn't change for the better in 3-5 treatments (at one treatment per week), we may need to re-think our approach.

Acupuncture can be fairly effective in mild to moderate depression. Here's a link to a study showing acupuncture is at least as effective as a typical antidepressant:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-acupuncture-treat-depression/?redirect=1

Be prepared to give acupuncture 3-5 treatments and please ensure you're seeing a state licensed acupuncturist. To find someone in your area, assuming you're not in California, you can start at NCCAOM.org and go to their 'Find a Practitioner' page.

Yes, acupuncture can probably help with your migraines. I have a handful of migraine patients and I'm usually able to get them to a place where their migraines are under control and don't exert as big an impact on their quality of life.

Be prepared to commit to weekly treatment for somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-5 weeks.

Also, please make sure you see a state licensed and board certified acupuncturist. If you're not in California, a good place to start is the 'Find a Practitioner' page at NCCAOM.org.

I'm a little confused by your question: have you and your husband been trying to get pregnant and are experiencing difficulty, or are you considering trying to get pregnant and want to use Chinese medicine just in case?

Assuming no underlying health issues for either one of you, I'd probably suggest starting acupuncture for both of you at the end of your period. I'd go once a week, this will give you roughly 2 treatments prior to ovulation. I'd continue acupuncture, for both partners, at once a week for the next 2-3 weeks and then see what happens.

If you have menstrual irregularity, abnormally long or short cycles or abnormally painful menstruation, then all bets are off and you might need more intensive treatment to normalize your cycle before getting in to the work of fertility enhancement. Things might also get complicated if you've been on long term hormonal birth control (pills, implants, Mirena IUD, etc.)

It's also worthwhile to have your husband tested for sperm count, quality and so on. This will give you a head start on things if you do encounter issues getting pregnant.

No, it's not typical for a patient to experience headaches after an acupuncture treatment. There's a lot that could be going on here and without a great deal more information here's the best advice I can offer: talk to your provider and let them know what you're now experiencing. Hopefully the feedback will give them the information they need to adjust your treatment so this doesn't happen again.

Yes, acupuncture can be very effective for migraine. I've had several migraine patients over the years and usually the combination of acupuncture and diet modification brings things well under control.

This is a question I get a lot: how long is it going to take for acupuncture to work for some condition? Unfortunately, there isn't really a single answer. Chinese medicine considers the human system as an integrated whole. Each person is unique and the treatments are individualized. This makes it difficult to pin down an exact number of treatments.

Diagnostically, Chinese medicine works a little different from conventional medicine. For anxiety, there are a couple of different root causes and some root causes are easier to treat than others. It sometimes helps to envision your health issue like an iceberg. The part of the ice floating above the water is the symptom you experience. The part of the ice below the water is everything leading up to the symptom you experience. To make the symptom go away, we also have to address what's hidden under the water, and there's often way more stuff that's submerged.

That being said, you should notice some improvement by your 3rd treatment (assuming weekly sessions). The idea with Chinese medicine is not to have you coming in once a week for the rest of your natural life. What we're trying to do is find a maintenance interval that works such that your symptoms are either eliminated or reduced to such a degree that they don't interfere with your life. Sometimes an acupuncturist can resolve your issue in 5 or 7 treatments, and sometimes an acupuncturist gets things under control in 5 or 7 treatments and then sees you monthly for a few months to make sure everything is going ok.