STUDY: Acupuncture Reduces Pain Intensity for People with Fibromyalgia

Posted on February 17, 2016 in Alternative Pain Therapy, Fibromyalgia 

After ten weekly sessions of individualized acupuncture treatments, people with fibromyalgia experience reduced pain intensity, and an improvement in functional capability and quality of life, according to a study published in Acupuncture in Medicine.

“This treatment produced an improvement in the participants’ condition, reflected by a reduction in pain intensity and enhanced functional capacity and quality of life after the intervention and during the follow up period,” Dr. Jorge Vas, lead author of the study wrote.

“Such an outcome has not been reported by previous studies following the application of standardized treatments: therefore, our results suggest that applying individualized treatment algorithms when starting a course of acupuncture may be important,” they conclude.

The researchers compared individually tailored acupuncture treatment with sham treatment in 153 adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia based on the diagnostic criteria set by the American College of Rheumatology.

Participants were randomly assigned to either real or sham treatments, each lasting 20 minutes.  Participants continued the use of other medications prescribed for treating symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Measurements of pain, depression, physical and mental health were assessed with validated scoring systems before treatment and then after 10 weeks, 6 months and one year.

After 10 weeks pain intensity was lower by an average of 41%, compared to 27$ for those in the sham group.  Significant differences were observed after one year with the average pain score reduction of 20% receiving the real treatment compared to 6% receiving the simulated treatment.

Scores from the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) also showed a significant difference between the groups, with reductions of 35%, 25%, and just over 22% for those given tailored acupuncture compared with 24.5%, just over 11%, and 5%, for those receiving the sham treatment.

“The effect persisted at 1 year, and its side effects were mild and infrequent. Therefore, the use of individualized acupuncture in patients with fibromyalgia is recommended,”

Clinical trials have not demonstrated that acupuncture is a proven treatment for fibromyalgia, to which the authors characterize that the lack of efficacy is due to clinical trials using a single standard approach to acupuncture compared to an individualized approach.

Article Reference: Click Here

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Space Coast Wellness Center
Phone: 321.610.8935
Email: spacecoastwellnesscenter@gmail.com
466 North Harbor City Blvd. Melbourne, FL
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Acupuncture Beats Drugs For Shingles Nerve Pain

 27 MAY 2014 

Acupuncture combined with moxibustion was determined more effective than the drug gabapentin for the treatment of shingles, herpes zoster. New research compared the effects of acupuncture followed by local moxibustion against a group that received gabapentin and sham acupuncture. The true acupuncture group had an effective rate of 94% and the drug group had an effective rate of 86%. 

Gabapentin (neurontin) is a pharmaceutical medication often used to treat nerve pain, especially in cases nerve pain due to shingles (post-herpetic neuralgia). True acupuncture was applied to Ashi points. Sham acupuncture is a form of simulated acupuncture used to help establish controls in clinical investigations and assists in ruling out the placebo effect. In this study, sham non-acupuncture points were needled in the distal region of the herpetic lesions. This type of sham control has received recent criticism by researchers in that sham needling may provide medical benefits thereby skewing data towards underestimating the healing powers of true acupuncture.

Moxibustion involves burning herbs, usually Ai Ye (mugwort), near the skin to provide penetrating warmth. Moxibustion is often combined with acupuncture by licensed acupuncturists in clinical settings. In this study, moxibustion (moxa) was applied for 15 minutes in the region of the lesions.

The treatment of shingles has historically been treated by acupuncture within the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) system for well over 1,000 years. This new research confirms the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of nerve pain related to the sequela of shingles. The team estimated the cost of care for both groups and determined that acupuncture is both effective and cost-effective for the treatment of nerve pain due to shingles.

TCM
The historical treatment of shingles with acupuncture often involves, according to TCM principles, the treatment of endogenous damp heat. A Zang-Fu diagnosis may confirm excess liver and gallbladder fire and exogenous toxins. Treatment may involve acupuncture points LI11 (Quchi), SP10 (Xuehai), UB40 (Weizhong), GB34 (Yanglingquan) and LV3 (Taichong). According to TCM principles, this combination of acupuncture points dispels wind, clears heat toxins, clears heat in the blood and clears liver and gallbladder damp heat.

Reference:
Huang, S. X., M. Mao, J. J. Pu, Y. H. Chen, L. Deng, H. Zhao, M. J. Geng et al. "Clinical research on fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion for postherpetic neuralgia." Zhongguo zhen jiu [Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion] 34, no. 3 (2014): 225.

Credit Reference: http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1314-acupuncture-beats-drugs-for-shingles-nerve-pain#sthash.CXC1HFsi.dpuf

Have questions? Please contact us for more information about acupuncture and treatment.

Space Coast Wellness Center
321.610.8935
466 North Harbor City Blvd. Melbourne, FL
spacecoastwellnesscenter@gmail.com

Location: We are conveniently located at 466 North Harbor City Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida.  At the corner of US 1 and Babcock St.

Anti Aging~ Space Coast Wellness Center

Are Senior Moments and creaky joints just a part of aging?

No. Aging is not the same thing as getting old.

If you've lived long enough, you may have noticed the irony of getting older- your wisdom and experience increase while your health and looks decrease. How sad so many people think aging, as we know it, is normal! Wrong! It is abnormal to age as quickly as we do, in pain, slowing down, stiff and unhealthy and, for some, infirm and unable to love on our own, chained to a body that won't do what we want and taking larger and larger numbers of expensive prescription drugs. You can prevent unnatural aging. Right now!

So What's Going On?

With each generation over the last century living longer than the one before, this coming generation is the first predicted to actually have a shorter lifespan. And, believe it or not, many countries have a longer life expectancy than we do in the US.

We are inundated every day with chemicals that age us quickly. We eat toxins, fruit gassed into ripening (many fruits are nutritious only when naturally ripened) or, worse, un-ripened fruit sprayed to look ripe and vegetables with less nutritional value each year. Our meats and diary products continue to increase in hormone and antibiotic levels, so children are entering puberty at younger ages! As young as eight years old! Ever wonder what it does to your hormone levels through your life-span? Then there are pesticides, which are estrogen and mimics female sex hormones, confusing our natural hormonal balance which can cause age related diseases, mental dysfunctions and/or premature aging.

Many women are given pharmaceutical grade hormones to replace the body's natural hormone production but, while the body does not recognize these as natural enough to effectively use, it reacts by decreasing natural production far more than in normal, healthy aging. We need these hormones to keep us healthy and youthful.

Antibiotics used against bacteria in animals continue to be less and less effective as the bacteria mutate and become resistant, so the strength of the antibiotic is increased. These antibiotics weaken our own immune systems too. The weaker it is, the more we become worn down by disease.

We no longer get the nutrients we need from good health, in body or mind. We also get the wrong advice about diet, even from well-intentioned physicians and dietitians who offer us conflicting information and don't keep up on the latest research. We eat too many carbohydrates (sugars) and processed foods, and not enough proper fats and proteins, which also feed the brain.  It's no wonder we are aging so quickly.

Free Radicals

Many physicians and most scientists studying aging feel free radicals are responsible for the process of aging. Free radicals are chemicals left in the body that the body cant get rid of and that cause cellular damage. Some free radicals are the result of just plain living itself- metabolism and cellular processes- and are natural for all living things. But, between the high toxins and low nutrition, pollution, trauma and stress, our bodies take a beating from the outside as well and all this builds up even more free radicals.

And you have plenty of them by age forty and they just build from there, slowing down the cell's work, causing them to function incorrectly, reproduce faulty copies or not reproduce at all. Free radicals go crashing into DNA, causing genetic damage and leaving the cells without the information they need to do that work that is so vital to our health. The result is age.

In short, the body has to work harder and harder. It loses ground, can no longer repair the normal damage and the free radical damage as well as it could when it was younger. And the worse it gets, the harder it is to fix and the downward spiral of age continues. The effects are visible,  just look in the mirror.

Our genes are set to bring us to maturity but we have no genes that have the job of facing us. Aging is due to damage. Today, we are living longer, but not better. Wouldn't it be great to live longer and be healthy all the way?

Look & Feel Younger

Wouldn't it be great if you could have the benefits of aging and dramatically reduce the parts you don't like? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have great energy and glowing good looks long into your 'golden years'? Sure, we want to live longer, but we also want older age to be vibrant, healthy, active and youthful. That means we want to look good, with beautiful, glowing, youthful skin, the vitality we had in our twenties and thirties and the ability to enjoy life to its fullest.

Fortunately, the study of healthy aging has occupied the best minds in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years as well as some of the best western scientists for the past few decades. And the East and West agree. As a result, there are ways to improve your quality of life as you age. And all of these techniques are completely natural- they work with your body to increase your overall health while also increasing your energy and youthful appearance.  One of the most powerful and comprehensive approaches to help you achieve a long and healthy life is called Anti-Aging Acupuncture. I offer this treatment to my patients who want to insure their quality of life as they age.

Oriental Medicine, Anti-Aging Acupuncture and Cosmetic Acupuncture

Anti aging acupuncture and oriental medicine can help bring the body into balance- the balance necessary to reduce the free radicals, heal cellular damage and reproduction, increase your immunity so you stay healthy, help you keep the hormones you need and reduce the wrinkles you don't. It can help remove stress and reduce the effects of trauma and disease. Even arthritis pain can decrease as you get older and enjoy a more active life.

• Oriental medicine and cosmetic acupuncture or facial rejuvenation can bring postmodern faces the same youthful appearance it has achieved for Asian royalty for centuries without the trauma or expense of surgery.
• Many patients see definite improvements. Lines soften even after just one treatment and lasting results can be found with proper care.
• Cosmetic acupuncture stimulates the circulation of qi (say chee), the body's life or energy force in Oriental medicine, to the face and neck, bringing blood and energy flow to the skin and the connective tissue beneath it, brightening and firming.
• Procedures can smooth out fine lines, reduce the appearance of deeper wrinkles, plump out the texture of skin and help tone underlying muscles to tighten saggy cheeks and droopy necks.
• Anti-aging acupuncture does not just help you look younger, but it also helps you feel better.
• People who have face-lifts look like they've had face-lifts. Anti-aging acupuncture shows nothing to the world but health, youthfulness and longevity.
• Someone with dry, thin skin with fine lines would require a different approach than someone with saggy cheeks and dark circles under the eyes. Anti-aging acupuncture tailors the treatment to the person.

Sometimes working on other conditions has an unexpected benefit of improving appearance. You came in for wrinkles but might find you are losing weight and breathing better.

Vision failing? Hearing decreasing? Accumulated trauma? Creeky joints? Growing older does not mean you have to feel and look old. It doesn't have to be that way.

Want more information?

Call Dr. Christopher Bickford, AP. Dipl. Ac. OMD for a consultation. Make the alternative choice that makes a lasting difference.

Space Coast Wellness Center
321.610.8935
466 North Harbor City Blvd. Melbourne, FL
spacecoastwellnesscenter@gmail.com
www.spacecoastwellnesscenter.com

Location: We are conveniently located at 466 North Harbor City Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida.  At the corner of US 1 and Babcock St.

#antiaging #acupuncture #melbourne, FL #health #wellness

Acupuncture ~ Space Coast Wellness Center, Melbourne FL

What Can Acupuncture Do for Me?

Acupuncture has been used for centuries in China to treat a host of health problems, such as joint pain and sprains, stress, skin problems, infertility, PMS, menopause, and most gynecological complaints

It's also an extremely effective, drug free, non-surgical adjunct to cancer treatment, and is particularly helpful in treating the serious side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. It can successfully treat many autoimmune diseases such as lupus and fibromyalgia. It is also a powerful tool to help relieve post-operative pain and reduce scarring, both internal and external.

Many other conditions can be treated too. Among the most responsive are muscoluskeletal problems such as sciatica, low back pain, and arthritis; Circulatory problems like high or low blood pressure, or cold hands and feet; nervous system imbalances, especially anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, or depression; asthma and allergy and sinus problems; and digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, diarrhea or constipation.

We often treat headaches, vertigo, sports and stress injuries, skin problems, fatigue and chronic pain.

Acupuncture has been found to be especially useful for detoxification from addictive substances such as drugs, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and cigarettes.

Oriental Medicine is particularly effective at treating emotional disorders such as phobias, grief, and anger; and non-somatic symptoms of which there seems no organic cause.

It's not only good if your sick, but it balances the body's systems and promotes good health and well-being so you are then able to handle the stresses of everyday life more easily, and minor health issues can be resolved before they become major problems.

CONDITIONS TREATED

Space Coast Wellness Center
321.610.8935
466 North Harbor City Blvd. Melbourne, FL
spacecoastwellnesscenter@gmail.com
www.spacecoastwellnesscenter.com

Location: We are conveniently located at 466 North Harbor City Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida.  At the corner of US 1 and Babcock St.

The Wellness Center specializes in Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine, Natural Medicine, Massage Therapy, Homeopathic Treatments, Herbal and Alternative and Integrated medicine. Serving Melbourne, Palm Bay, Brevard County and the greater Florida Space Coast County. 

Space Coast Wellness Center

Brevard's first choice for natural & holistic healthcare. 

Benefits of Massage

Massage is generally considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. It's increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations.

Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension.

While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found massage may also be helpful for:

• Anxiety
• Digestive disorders
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches
• Insomnia related to stress
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Soft tissue strains or injuries
• Sports injuries
• Temporomandibular joint pain

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743

Call Space Coast Wellness Center to book your massage appointment today!

Space Coast Wellness Center
321.610.8935
466 North Harbor City Blvd. Melbourne, FL
spacecoastwellnesscenter@gmail.com

Location: We are conveniently located at 466 North Harbor City Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida.  At the corner of US 1 and Babcock St.

The Wellness Center specializes in Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine, Natural Medicine, Massage Therapy, Homeopathic Treatments, Herbal and Alternative and Integrated medicine. Serving Melbourne, Palm Bay, Brevard County and the greater Florida Space Coast County. 

Theories behind what massage might do include blocking nociception (gate control theory), activating the parasympathetic nervous system which may stimulate the release of endorphins and serotonin, preventing fibrosis or scar tissue, increasing the flow of lymph and improving sleep (1) but such effects are yet to be proven by well designed clinical studies.

Single dose effects

Pain Relief: Relief from pain due to musculoskeletal injuries and other causes is cited as a major benefit of massage. (1)  In one study, cancer patients self-reported symptomatic relief of pain (3) (4)  Massage can also relieve tension headaches, Shiatsu, Acupressure or pressure point massage may be more beneficial than classic Swedish massage in relieving back pain. (8)

State Anxiety:  Massage has been shown to reduce state anxiety, a transient measure of anxiety in a given situations. (20

Blood Pressure & Heart Rate:  Massage has been shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rate as temporary effects.  (20

Attention: After massage, EEgG patterns indicate enhanced performance and alertness on mathmatical computations, with the effects perhaps being mediated by decreased stress hormones.

Other:  Massage also stimulates the immune system (9) by increasing peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs).

Multiple Dose Effects:

Pain Relief:  When combined with education and exercises, massage might help sub-acute, chronic, non specific low back pain. (6) Furthermore, massage has been shown to reduce pain experienced in the days or weeks after treatment. (2)

Trait Anxiety:  Massage has been shown to reduce trait anxiety; a persons'  general susceptibility to anxiety. (2)

Depression:  Massage has been shown to reduce subclinical depression (2)

Diseases: Massage, involving stretching, has been shown to help with spastic displagia resulting from Cerebral palsy in a a small pilot study (7).

Sources Cited:

1. "Massage Therapy as CAM".  The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (2006-09-01)).  Retrieved on 2007-09-6.

2. "A Meta-Analysis if Massage Therapy Research." (PDF). Psychological Bulletin (2004). Retrieved on 2008-01-12.

3. "Massage therapy for symptom control: outcome study at a major cancer center.".  NcBI PubMed (2004-09-12).  Retrieved on 2007-09-111.

4.  Grealish L, Lomasney A, Whitman B. (2000).  "Foot massage. A nursing intervention modify the distressing symptoms of pain and nausea in patients hospitalized with cancer (abstract)".  PubMed NCBO. Retrieved on 2006-03-07.

5.  Furlan, A, Brosseau L, Imamura M, Irvin E (2002).  "Massage for low back pain." Chochrane Database Syst Rev: CD0039. doi:10.1002/14611818.CD0039. PMID 1207/6429

6.  Kuriyama, H. (2001). "Immunological and Psychological Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage (abstract)". Evidence based Complementary and Alternative Medice 2 (2): 179-184.doi: 10.1093/ecam/neh087. PMID 147118

7. Macgregor R, Cambell R, Gladden MH, Tennant N, Young D (2007). "Effects of massage on the mechanical behavior of muscles in adolescents with spastic diplegia: a pilot study". Developmental medicine and child neurology 49 (3): 187-9. MID 1731174

8. "Massage for low back pain." NCBI PubMed (2002). Retrieved on 2007-09-28

9. Muscolino, J (2004). "Anatomy of a Research Article" (PDF). Massage Therapy
Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.


Space Coast Wellness Center
Phone: 321.610.8935
Email: spacecoastwellnesscenter@gmail.com
466 North Harbor City Blvd. Melbourne, FL
(At the corner of US 1 & Babcock St)
Like Us on Facebook!

The Wellness Center specializes in Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine, Natural Medicine, Massage Therapy, Homeopathic Treatments, Herbal and Alternative and Integrated medicine. Serving Melbourne, Palm Bay, Brevard County and the greater Florida Space Coast County.