Chronic Conditions

Acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine can enhance many chronic conditions, such as digestive function, emotional balance and autoimmune disorders. Set up your treatment plan today.

Acupuncture has been helping digestive function for thousands of years. A healthy digestive system is at the root of all wellness. Our digestive system is intimately connected to our immune system, and being able to absorb all vital nutrients and eliminate all excess products efficiently is necessary for the health of all the bodies tissues: muscles, nerves, organs, blood and vessels.

Acupuncture helps with the functions of absorption of nutrients and elimination. Absorption issues may manifest as anemia and diarrhea, and elimination problems may result in constipation, bloating and gas, poor appetite and excessive weight. Other health complications related to digestive function are arthritis, chronic inflammation, kidney stones, gallstones, and autoimmune disorder. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) responds very well to acupuncture treatment reversing and healing this common disorder. Acupuncture and Asian medicine are also very helpful for chronic disease such as:

  • Celiac

  • Crohn's

  • Heartburn & reflux

  • GERD

  • Ulcerative Colitis

  • Proctitis

Throughout your treatment process foods specific to your health are discussed. Foods which work better for your body are encouraged, and foods which inhibit healing are discouraged. As you incorporate these changes into your diet this will help in your process of recovery and your acupuncture treatments will be highly effective in its healing benefit.

Digestive

Approximately 20% of the American population suffer from autoimmune diseases. About 75% of autoimmune diseases occur in women. The reason for this is not totally understood. Hormones are believed to play an important role, as some autoimmune illnesses occur more frequently after menopause, while others improve or worsen during pregnancy. Other suspected triggers are genetics, environmental toxins, and viral illnesses.

What causes the diseases? Under normal conditions our immune response protects one's own body. However if the immune system falters it can attack the very cells that it is meant to protect. The exact mechanisms causing these changes are not completely understood, but food allergies, bacteria, viruses, toxins, and some drugs may all play a role in triggering an autoimmune response in someone who already has a genetic (inherited) predisposition to develop such a disorder. Treating autoimmune disorders can be complex as there are more than 80 types of the disorders and some have similar symptoms making it hard to know if you have the disease or which one it is. Thankfully, Acupuncture and Asian medicine have a lot to offer in reducing symptoms and even recovering from an autoimmune disorder. It is possible to reduce medications significantly and in many cases get off medications all together depending on the severity and nature of the disorder.

Autoimmune Disorders

Typical Western treatments involve the use of medications with varying degrees of effectiveness and toxicity. These drugs do not cure the underlying cause of the disorder. Instead they address the symptoms or suppress the immune system in order to keep symptoms under control. The side effects of these drugs can be toxic, especially to the liver and kidneys.

Acupuncture and Asian medicine addresses the underlying cause of autoimmune disorders by reducing inflammation, alleviating pain, improving energy and vitality, and addressing the wide variety of symptoms that occur. Nutritional counseling is a part of the treatment process as many foods contribute to the inflammatory process. We will go over your daily food intake to look at where beneficial changes might be helpful.

Some of the more common autoimmune conditions that acupuncture and Asian medicine can treat are:

  • Alopecia Areata

  • Celiac Disease

  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

  • Crohn's Disease

  • Diabetes Millitus

  • Fibromyalgia Syndrome

  • Grave's Disease

  • Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

  • MS – Multiple Sclerosis

  • Myasthenia Gravis

  • Psoriasis

  • Raynaud's Phenomenon

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Sjogrens's Syndrome

  • Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus

  • Parkinson's

A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic found that fibromyalgia patients who received acupuncture had significant improvement in pain levels, fatigue, and anxiety. The researchers concluded that acupuncture would be very beneficial to fibromyalgia patients in managing the symptoms of the disease. Susan has specialized training working at the Chronic Fatigue clinic at Harborview Hospital.
Several studies have also been done on acupuncture and chronic fatigue. These studies incorporated acupuncture with other Asian medicine modalities. The conclusion of each study was that patients had significant improvement in energy, muscle strength, sleep, headaches, and memory.