Phranque Wright

It could be an allergic reaction. It could be something unrelated to the acupuncture but just coincidental, it could be and irritation that occurred after the treatment or it could be a result of the treatment itself. (Sometimes, our treatment is "releasing heat" and that can result in a rash, but we want it to rash out because we want your body to release the pathogen.)

I cannot know without knowing your case or what the rash looks like, so go back to the practitioner and show them. A topical, over-the -counter rash ointment might be all you need, but if it gets worse, check for infection.

You can certainly ask the practitioner to use a different brand of needle, because some of them have silicon coatings to make the insertion smoother and that might be an irritant to you.

So, go back to the acupuncturist and show them so they can assess - I cannot advise without seeing it myself.

Acupuncture helps your muscle let go. Think of your muscle pain as a 'half flexed' muscle that won't let go until if finishes it's flex. Like if you wanted to lift a chair over your head but only got to your chest. Even when you put the chair down, the muscle stayed flexed - so it is tight, like when you're still holding a chair. The acupuncture helps your muscle finish the flex and return to relaxed position - it lets you put the chair back down without holding the flex.

Another way to look at it is to think of a tight muscle as a stretched rubber band. It too is tight and stretched. The acupuncture would be like un-stretching the rubber band so the muscle again loosens and relaxes.

The spasms are from tight muscles - the acupuncture keeps them more loose and also helps the nutrients be delivered through the blood, so that the muscles can be nourished and relaxed. Like a plant being watered to soften up, muscles need the fluids and blood to keep them soft, supple and relaxed. Acupuncture helps the body nourish the muscles.

There are more ways, but those are the basics. Find a licensed practitioner and it may take a few treatments to fully help - don't give up after 1 treatment if the one doesn't seem to help. Also, if your acupuncturist isn't helping, you can always switch to another one. Just like auto mechanics and donut shops, some places are better for you than others, but everyone has their own personal favorite.

Good luck

When I had my tooth extracted because it was broken, they not only had to take out my tooth but also cut up my gum to put in some bone powder to allow my jaw to grow for when they were going to put in an implant. They gave me a prescription for pain, but I never used it because I was able to treat myself and have other practitioners I know also treat the issue.

So, yes, acupuncture is a very viable alternative to opioids, but you may need to go more than once and depending on your issue, you may need to return periodically. In some cases though, you may only need a few treatments - it all depends on how the surgery went, how your body reacts to treatments and the lifestyle you have (work, exercise, activities, etc).

It is important to go soon though, because the longer the pain lingers the more difficult it is to treat in any manner. In addition to needles, the practitioner may also have some salves, liniments or patches made from herbs or even an herbal formula to take to help as well. If it's herbal pills, they are not addictive like opioids and you should be able to use those without being dependent.

They could also do what is called 'gua sha' (which is a scraping technique - think of it like getting a massage with a spoon or other blunt tool. Or they may do some cupping; both cupping and gua sha help the blood flow, which will relieve pain and assist in healing. They may also do some moxibustion, which is the burning of an herb on the needle or with a cigar looking thing that warms the body so again the blood can flow and healing can improve.

We have many tools on hand to help relieve you of your pains and acupuncture is very effective when you see a licensed practitioner.

Good luck.

It all depends on your differential diagnosis - not all people get the same points when getting treatments even if it is for the same type of issue.

You can probably expect them to be anywhere, back, leg, arms, feet hands abdomen, etc. So, dress in layers or with very loose clothing that is easily moved around so the practitioner can get to many areas easily (no tight jeans or anything like that.

The practitioner will tell you in advance of the needle part of treatment what areas you'd need to expose (i.e. roll pants up to knee, sleeves to elbow, lift shirt to ribs...)

Sorry I can't help any further, but again, not everyone gets the exact same points each time. Good luck.

In the United States and other "1st World Countries" we have very strict regulations on sterilization of medical equipment and and standards for the prevention of spreading diseases (especially blood born diseases).

With that said, pretty much any licensed practitioner is going to use pre-sterilized needles and after removing them from you will deposit said needle into a sharps container (medical waste container) just like a doctor would do in a hospital.

So, go to a licensed practitioner and you should be fine.

An acupuncture session lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half depending on the practitioner. When you call the practitioner they should be able to answer that question for you.

Yes, acupuncture puts you into your body's real state. Because of that, sometimes you might come out super energized ready to take over the world and sometimes you feel tired and want to sleep and sometimes it is not very noticeable at all.

Basically, this is your body telling you to take it easy for a little while. Allow yourself to rest and you'll be fine soon.

If you are experiencing chronic pain and you are in pain in between your sessions then I think you should go more often. Maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I would start by going once every two weeks and if you are in pain in between sessions then move up to once a week. After a few weeks you should notice it gets stays good longer, then you can lengthen the time between sessions.

Use your body's response and recovery time as a guide and discuss it with your practitioner.

This is a multi-complex answer and not well known to those who aren't fully trained or in training, but here's a partial breakdown:

1. There are 362 points on the "regular" acupuncture channels. This would be what you would see on an acupuncture model or in a typical acupuncture poster. It is the points that are on the 12 "organ" channels and the midline front and midline back of body (Du and Ren Channel)

2. There are about 2,000 of what we call "extra points". These are points on the body that have been used and inputed into the system of "known" points. These points, however, are not necessarily "on the channel" per se or a part of the "channel points" in the charts.

3. There are also points on the body that are part of "microcosms" - that means that a certain body area can represent the whole body, such as the ear, the hand, the abdomen, the scalp, etc. These microcosms are a part of the Chinese medical idea that any part of the body can represent the whole - similar to how any piece of a hologram looks like the whole hologram. In modern speak, we can say that "every cell has the DNA of the whole body". So, each microcosm will have up to hundreds of points on them or will be "zones" where treating an area isn't so point specific as it is when using "channel points".

4. Chinese medicine and acupuncture in particular has many disciplines as different tribes/families or systems grew from the basic understanding. This is true of martial arts, cooking and other disciplines. With that said, there are some systems that also have points that are a mix of "extra points" and "microcosms" that may or may not be listed in the above categories - these would include what we can "Dr. Tung" style or some other family style. I do not know that number.

5. As acupuncture moved across the globe, other cultures have developed other systems - so the Japanese, the Koreans, the Vietnamese et al have also developed points they have found useful through basic theory, extra point theory, channel theory, organ theory, other microcosm theory or through empirical evidence. I do not know that number.

Because of all the answers above, ANY point on the body could potentially be an acupuncture point - one of the extra systems has what we call "ah shi" points, which are on the "muscular channel system". These would be similar to what some people call 'trigger points' or just 'knots' but it is more than just that. "Ah shi" points can appear anywhere there is a muscle.

So, yes, it is important to know what points you are using, but also know WHY you are using that point based on which system or discipline you are following. In a similar mindset, any wire pulled out of a power system will affect the electrical system, but how is it being rewired, removed, turned on/off, etc that will determine the result.

We have an adage: "Chinese medicine is easy to understand, but it is difficult to practice - Chinese medicine is easy to practice but it is difficult to understand" That circular thought is very real.

Acupuncture is very helpful with neuropathies and with diabetes. Be sure to find a trained professional a "Licensed Acupuncturist" and find one who is comfortable or who has worked with this issue before. If you don't get good results from the first practitioner (do give it a few tries before feeling it isn't working) don't give up. Find someone else.

Good luck.

I am not a specialist in fertility, but I do know that you should see the practitioner in advance to trying to conceive and see them for a few months depending on your condition. They will help regulate the cycles and regulate hormones, work with emotional issues, etc. It may take a few months or might fix things right away. Also have your husband go, we tend to only look to fixing the female, but the males need balance too.

Call a local acupuncturist who specializes in infertility and they will guide you.

Good luck.

Acupuncture is very good at keeping the body's functions moving in a proper way. The cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, et all are actually all related to each other and through a proper diagnosis, our practitioners can help the body communicate between these systems to function more properly and smoothly. Not only through physical means, but also by balancing emotional imbalances and psychological mishaps that could be affecting your health too.

Good luck.

Dental pain is just another form of pain, it just happens to happen in your mouth. Acupuncture can help move blockages in the body's flow, can help relax muscles that are preventing movement and can help the body to regulate growth properly for areas that may not be regenerating well. The mouth is no area of exception.

I can give you a personal experience: I had to have a tooth pulled out two years ago and had to have my jaw bone cut up in the process to help me get a dental implant. The doctor gave me a prescription for pain meds, but all I had to do was needle three points and I had no pain. I went back for more work and the doctor was pushing on my jaw the whole time he worked, so the next day I had a couple of my acupuncture students work on some other points to relieve the pain my neck endured from his jaw pushing work. I never used the prescription in either time. Once the body is flowing properly again, there is no pain.

In order to fully answer your question, I would need to know your full case. If you choose to go get acupuncture, you'll need to be assessed by the practitioner on which is the best route to take for you.

Good luck.

Acupuncture helps regulate many of the body's systems, including the digestive, the circulatory, the lymphatic, etc. No one really know the full reasoning behind the physiology behind it and there have been many studies giving a variety of explanations. So, this shows that there are many aspects of the body's functions that are being activated with the acupuncture stimulation.

From a Chinese medical standpoint, we are adjusting the organs ability to function and setting the body to coordinate with the other organs functions, so it works smoothly on it's own. In other words, it helps the blood circulate because it helps the breathing and digestion circulate - together they "build blood" and "move blood".

Nothing can help an addiction that is also feeding the addiction. That is why the patches and the gums don't work - they are still putting nicotine into his system. When it comes to substances that are legal (tobacco, alcohol, sugar, etc) it is difficult to quit unless the participant is WILLING and WANTING to quit. Without that will and want, there is nothing preventing the person from going out and getting the substance themselves - nothing inhibits a person's free will.

How does acupuncture work? There are points that help the person stay calm, so they don't need the substance to keep them calm. It helps regulate the body's systems (digestive, circulatory, sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system, respiratory, et al). It doesn't work by itself and it will not work if the patient is not willing to quit the lifestyle and become a non-smoker.

There is usually an herbal formula that assists the acupuncture treatment and there are counseling sessions the practitioner has with the patient and there is even a couple of points that can cause the patient to be repulsed by the scent of the cigarette.

It is best to work with someone who is familiar with working with this type of addiction, someone who has had experience and knows how to work with an addicted patient. So, when seeking a practitioner, be sure they know it's a process and will help guide your son. Before that, though, be sure that your son wants to make the change, because we cannot change his habits, only he can.

Good luck.

There is no magic number for acupuncture treatments vs weight loss (or any other condition, really). The bulk of your weight loss regiment will be the diet and exercise portion. The acupuncture will help your metabolism, your digestion and your overall health and mental wellness, but it is not the object that will be reducing the weight.

So, go as often as you like to see how it helps you along on your path. Stick to a good healthy diet and lifestyle and you'll reach your goals in an appropriate manner. You are in charge here, it is the work you do to reach your goal that will get you there - the acupuncture is only a tool to keep you overall balanced.

There are a variety of complications that can occur, the most extreme are the most rare - side effects rarely if never happen when done by a Licensed Acupuncturist with full training. This is why it is important to see a licensed practitioner, a Licensed Acupuncturist, instead of going to, say, a Chiropractor who "does acupuncture" or an MD who "does acupuncture" or a PT doing "dry needling (definitely stay away from that one).

Minor things are local pain, maybe bruising and a drop of blood could come out. Even these are rare when done by a professional. More serious things would be nerve pain or a patient passing out. Again, those are rare and usually the passing out comes from the patient not eating that day, not resting well or because of their fears (similar to someone passing out when getting blood drawn is more from the fear than the actual draw).

Very serious problems, such as pneumothorax (lung collapse) or piercing a vital organ, etc are so rare that I only know of one person doing it in my 20 years of practice. This type of occurrence happens by people who have minimal training or don't care about what they are doing

Licensed Acupuncturists are trained to avoid such occurrences more vigorously than those who take the weekend courses to add to their scope (see MD/DC/PT note above).

There really is no danger of them needling "wrong points" and you won't have any real adverse effects from the treatment itself, it isn't like a pharmaceutical that would poison you or have an overdose limit. You might feel more calm and sedated as your body regulates, many patients feel a better sense of well being and that can seem weird, but it isn't harmful.

Any fear you have, be sure to just ask your practitioner. I promise you it is safer than the meds you are already taking.

There are a variety of sensations that can happen in response to an acupuncture insertion. It ranges from a mild ache/tingle to an itchy feeling or can be as intense as a muscle jump or "jolt" running up or down. There are many other sensations people experience, even in different parts of the body that weren't directly needled (i.e. "felt in the feet when needling the hands").

The key thing is to stay in communication with the practitioner - there are some feeling that we are actually looking for and some that may be inappropriate. If what you feel is "pain" i.e. too much for you to bear, than definitely tell your practitioner so they can remove or adjust the needle.

I cannot diagnose you without seeing you, but I know that daith piercings have helped people in the past. I would advise that you go to an acupuncturist, not just a body piercer, to get a treatment done. They may have better alternatives for you and can give you ear needling sessions that aren't as invasive as a full piercing

Yes, it can. The acupuncturist will have a differential diagnosis that addresses both conditions. The arthritis is more a chronic version of the back and shoulder pain, most likely, so the shoulder pain might relieve more quickly, but with time both should resolve.