More Research Shows Acupuncture Improves Pregnancy & Live Birth Rates For Couples Using IVF

The studies about acupuncture's effectiveness in improving pregnancy rates continue to emerge. The newest one that I just read concludes that acupuncture  improves clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates for women  receiving IVF (in vitro fertilization). In another, live births  significantly increased when acupuncture was administered near the time  of either oocyte aspiration or

Baby Dragons Are In High Demand

You would think that only dragon moms and dads would want dragon babies but - no.  Many people who believe in the Chinese astrological calender are thinking about dragon babies.  This is The Year Of The Dragon and, in Chinese astrology, your sign depends on the year in which you are born so - babies born this year will be DRAGONS.  Dragon years are considered the luckiest of all years to have a

Well Being Increases With Our Ability To Make Choices

*This post is from the cutting edge psychology blog Life Ain't For Sissies by Dr. Linda Edelstein

Researchers in New Zealand performed a meta-analysis of 638 research studies that asked 420,599 men and women (mean age =37) from 63 different countries about their Health, Wealth and Happiness. They found that a strong sense of well-being could be predicted if a person scored high on individualism,

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today begins the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon being a legendary animal and the mightiest of all the Chinese Astrological signs means this could be a very special year filled with powerful changes. If you've been waiting to try something new and spread your wings this is the year to do it. 
"If you ignore the dragon, it will eat you. If you try to confront the dragon it will

Acupuncture Can Relieve Both Chronic and Acute Headaches

Headaches are a common problem that bring people into my Chicago acupuncture office. Several million people suffer from severe headaches/migraines and it is an increasingly popular reason to seek acupuncture treatment - with good reason. Acupuncture is effective at treating all types of headaches, both acute and chronic. This includes tension headaches, sinus headaches, hormonal headaches and

Please Help Us Make Acupuncture Available To More People !!!!

The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) is working hard to get acupuncture included in the Affordable Care Act as an Essential Health Benefit.

This means that acupuncture would be covered by the Affordable Care Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in March 2010.  The goal of the Act was to get patients better access to care,

Where Have You Been Dwelling?

"I dwell in possibility." — Emily Dickenson

Are You A Computer Geek Who Needs Acupuncture?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is common, especially among people who spend a lot of time working on their computers. Daily long hours at your computer can cause new health problems and exacerbate existing ones. Some common problems that computer geeks (I use that term lovingly since I am also on my computer a lot) experience include: eye strain, neck, back and wrist pain, anxiety, and carpal tunnel

Year of the Dragon Year of the Video !!!!

The Chinese New Year begins on January 23rd when we usher in The Year of The Dragon. Dragon years can be filled with excitement and opportunity. To begin in the right spirit, I've made my first video and it's about the Dragon.


Let me know what you think

Acupuncture for Improving Health and Well-Being

Jing was recently featured on our local news, WDRB 41 Louisville. We were able to demonstrate acupuncture as well as non-needle modalities such as cupping, moxibustion, Tui-Na, and magnet therapy. Somehow the crew managed to make 4:30am fun! Check out the series of videos here: Acupuncture for improving health and well-being - WDRB 41 Louisville - News, Weather, Sports Community

Keith Kaiser having fun with an auricular  acupuncture model

Acupuncture shoulder points

Cupping 

Ready To Fly?

There are 12 animal symbols represented in Asian astrology and this year is The Year of the Dragon. Of all the symbols, the Dragon is the one mythical creature (as compared to Tiger, Rabbit and others) and the only one that can fly. This promises us an exciting year!

The Year of the Dragon begins on January 23, 2012, and ends on February 9, 2013. In addition to having an animal sign, each year

Hospitals Are Offering More Alternative Medicine Choices

Hospitals are increasingly offering patients acupuncture and other 'alternative' therapies. Have we won them over?  Maybe. Certainly, many doctors have followed the research and understand the effectiveness of acupuncture and other Chinese medicine treatments but, I'm afraid that some of it is about greed. Hospitals are aware of the large numbers of people who visit other types of practitioners

Stress: One Point Can Make The Difference

There are hundreds of acupuncture points throughout the body, but there are some that elicit a particularly powerful therapeutic response.   The following studies explain the method of actions of two different points and examines the beneficial effects that using just one point can have on chronic stress.

Stomach 36
In this study from Georgetown University, researchers administered electroacupuncture to acupuncture point St36 to the treatment group, sham acupuncture to another group, and no acupuncture to the control group prior to and following a stressor.  They exposed  all of the groups to fourteen days in a cold environment in order to induce a physiologic stress response. The sympathetic peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY), elevated levels of which are found in those suffering from PTSD or other chronic stress conditions, and is hypothesized to contribute to the physiological stress response. No difference in NPY levels was found in the sham and control groups. The treatment group saw immediate and sustained suppression of NPY indicating that acupuncture to St36 may be an effective treatment and prevention of chronic stress.

Acupuncture at ST36 prevents chronic stress-induced increases in neuropeptide Y in rat. Eshkevari L, Egan R, Phillips D, Tilan J, Carney E, Azzam N, Amri H, Mulroney S. Experimental Biology and Medicine. In press. (2011).

Pericardium 6
Building on previous studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of P6 to decrease stress-induced anxiety,  researchers in Korea investigated the effect of this acupuncture point on memory by measuring acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity in the hippocampus.   Individuals with chronic, mild stress exhibit low levels of AchE and that can result in memory impairment. Those in the treatment group received three minutes of stimulation on P6 resulting in an increase in AchE reactivity that was not produced in those receiving stimulation at acupuncture point San Jiao 5.  Researchers concluded P6  is an effective point for restoring the CMS-related biochemical and behavioral impairments, such as learning and memory.

The effects of acupuncture (PC6) on chronic mild stress-induced memory loss. Hyunyoung Kima, Hyun-Jung Parkb, Hyun Soo Shimd, Seung-Moo Hanc, Dae-Hyun Hahmd, Hyejung Leed, Insop Shimd. Neuroscience Letters. Volume 488, Issue 3, 25 1-2011, p 225-228.

Latest Celebrity Round Up Of Chinese Medicine Fans

Celebrities attract a lot of attention and become trendsetters. When well known people endorse a product, many others are happy to try the same exercise, read the same book or experience acupuncture. And celebrities are loving acupuncture! More and more, I read articles about various athletes and entertainers who are trying acupuncture, herbs or cupping.

Here are some of my latest finds:

The

Chicago Blackhawk Used Acupuncture

Ray Emery, a Chicago Blackhawk's player has not always been known to have a good attitude.  However, since being diagnosed with avascular necrosis two years ago, a lot has changed.  Avascular necrosis cuts off the blood supply to bone tissue and one of the bones in Emery's hip was deteriorating from the disease.

In the spring of 2010, he underwent surgery followed by months of rehabilitation