Acupuncture and Anxiety

Acupuncture Point, Yin Tang, Relieves Children's Preoperative Anxiety
By: Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM
A study published in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia found that stimulation of the acupuncture point, Yin Tang, alleviated preoperative anxiety in children.

According to the researchers, this could be of great clinical importance due to the fact that excessive preoperative anxiety contributes to operative delays and heightens the pain response.

Fifty-two children participated in the study, where an adhesive bead was either placed on Yin Tang (located between the eyebrows) or on a sham acupuncture point (a spot above the left eyebrow that hasn't been linked to any clinical effects) before a gastrointestinal endoscopic procedure. The researchers found that stimulation of Yin Tang reduced anxiety by 9% during the preoperative waiting period whereas anxiety continued to rise 2% for children who got sham acupressure. Anxiety levels were measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children questionnaire, considered the "gold standard" for pediatric assessment.

According to the researchers, this could be of great clinically important due to the fact that excessive preoperative anxiety contributes to operative delays and heightens the pain response.

While traditional acupuncture on Yin Tang has been shown to relieve anxiety in adults before surgery, the researchers wanted to study the efficacy of stimulating the point with an adhesive bead which would be much easier to incorporate into a preoperative treatment protocol, especially in children.

Source: Anesthesia & Analgesia September, 2008; 107: 811-6

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Reishi Mushroom

This is the first in a series of posts that will start to introduce my patients and interested community members, herbalists and acupuncture patients to Chinese Herbal Medicine. High quality tinctures of these herbs are available to my patients at Acupuncture and Healing Arts. These are made by me in order to be able to guarantee high quality fresh herbs and in an appropriate concentration. Tinctures of this quality made in Memphis are rare.

The first herb that I would like to introduce to you is called Reishi. It is a mushroom used extensively through out Asia. Reishi is actually the Japanese name. Ganoderma lucidum is the latin name.


Here is a photo:


It is a non toxic herb that has many healing properties. Reishi can help build the immune system and boost your energy. Also go to this wiki page for more information. Here is what it says about Reishi or Lingzhi in chinese.

Lingzhi research and therapeutic usage

Lingzhi may possess anti-tumor, immunomodulatory and immunotherapeutic activities, supported by studies on polysaccharides, terpenes, and other bioactive compounds isolated from fruiting bodies and mycelia of this fungus (reviewed by R. R. Paterson[4] and Lindequist et al.[7]). It has also been found to inhibit platelet aggregation, and to lower blood pressure (via inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme[8]), cholesterol and blood sugar.[9]

Laboratory studies have shown anti-neoplastic effects of fungal extracts or isolated compounds against some types of cancer. In an animal model, Ganoderma has been reported to prevent cancer metastasis,[10] with potency comparable to Lentinan from Shiitake mushrooms.[11]

The mechanisms by which G. lucidum may affect cancer are unknown and they may target different stages of cancer development: inhibition of angiogenesis (formation of new, tumor-induced blood vessels, created to supply nutrients to the tumor) mediated by cytokines, cytoxicity, inhibiting migration of the cancer cells and metastasis, and inducing and enhancing apoptosis of tumor cells.[4]

Additional studies indicate that ganoderic acid has some protective effects against liver injury by viruses and other toxic agents in mice, suggesting a potential benefit of this compound in the treatment of liver diseases in humans,[12] and Ganderma-produced sterols inhibit lanosterol 14α-demethylase activity in the biosynthesis of cholesterol .[13] Ganderma compounds inhibit 5-alpha reductase activity in the biosynthesis of dihydrotestosterone.[8]

Besides effects on mammalian physiology, Ganoderma is reported to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral activities.[14][15] Ganoderma is reported to exhibit direct anti-viral with the following viruses; HSV-1, HSV-2, influenza virus, vesicular stomatitis. Ganoderma mushrooms are reported to exhibit direct anti-microbial properties with the following organisms; aspergillus niger, bacillus cereus, candida albicans, and escherichia coli.
[edit] As weight loss aid

Some oriental preparations containing Lingzhi extract are marketed as a weight loss aid. They are advertised as a "slimming formula"[4] in Japanese markets and Lingzi is combined with other herbal extracts. Research is scarce to show the validity of these claims in terms of Lingzhi as a weight loss aid.

Patient Testimonials From Acupuncture.com

Acupuncture.com has a huge amount of information available for patients. One of my favorite components of that site is the Patient Testimonial section. While Mrs Shepard is not a patient of mine she wrote this testimonial regarding neck and back pain:

By Janet Shepard

Hello, My name is Janet Shepard and I live in Alaska. I want to say that my first three acupuncture treatments have significantly healed constant neck and back pain that I have had for years. Although movement therapy and chiropractics helped me previously, nothing has reduced the pain more than acupuncture. I have recommended it to several friends that have constant neck and back pain. One of my friends that went to my acupuncturist has been very please with the reduction of her neck/back pain.

Chuck Sullivan, L.Ac. is available at Acupuncture and Healing Arts Medical Group for the treatment of neck and back pain. He uses a variety of techniques to achieve results. These techniques include acupuncture, acupressure, gua sha, cupping, and herbs.

Memphis Tai Chi Curriculum

Your acupuncture treatment is greatly enhanced by the practice of Tai Chi Chuan. It develops coordination, leg strength, balance, etc. You also develop enhanced sensitivity and awareness of your body and mind. Please read this post to find out more info regarding our Wudang Tai Chi Lineage.

The Sullivan Acupuncture/Memphis Internal Arts curriculum includes a 12 posture form in the style of Wudang Tai Chi Chuan. I have been working on this form with Ping for about 2 years now. The body mechanics are very intricate. I posted a previous clip of him performing some movements. Please view those for more in depth review. Here is a short article I found on the web tonight that talks about the Sun style connection to Wudang Tai Chi Chuan. The link (editors note: I can't find the authors link) to the original article can be found here.



Yeh Da-Mi, (1888-1973), also called Bai-Ling, was born in the city of Wen Cheng, ZheJiang province. His family had been famous for many generations for their knowledge and practice of medicine and martial arts. Master Yeh was intelligent and diligent. He excelled in Tui-Na (Traditional Chinese medical massage), Dao-Yin (Induction and channeling of life force), Qi-Gong, and Taiji Quan, but he was most drawn to Taiji Quan.
In 1917, he began to study Yang style Taiji in Hung-Zhou city with Tian, Zhao-Lin (田兆麟), becoming one of his “open door” students. Tian had studied with the Yang style masters Yang Jian-Hou (楊健侯) and Yang Shao-Hou (楊少侯) and had learned and mastered the essence of the Yang style Middle-Frame Taiji. The following year, Yeh met Sun, Cun-Zhou (孫存周) (Son of Grand Master Sun, Lu-Tang (孫祿堂)) who was the leading proponent of Sun style Taiji. They shared the same passion for Taiji and considered themselves blood brothers. They practiced together, shared and learned from each other’s arts. Master Yeh had gained insight into the method of applying internal energy from both Sun, Cun-Zhou and Grand Master Sun, Lu-Tang.
In 1926, Master Yeh founded the Wutang Taiji Quan School in ShangHai and began teaching Yang style Taiji. The following year, the Wutang Sword master Li, Jing-Lin came to Shanghai. Master Yeh and two of his friends, Chen, Wei-Ming and Chen, Zhi-Jing studied the Wutang Sword form with master Li in order to promote and popularize it.
In 1928, Grand Master Yang, Shao-Hou and Yang, Cheng-Fu settled in NanKing. Master Yeh followed them and learned the Large-Frame Taiji forms and the techniques of cultivating and applying internal energy. An open-minded Scholar, Yeh was able to incorporate the new techniques and greatly advanced his skills. In his later years, Yeh pointed out the three major sources of his own style of Taiji to his student Jin, Ren-Lin(金仁霖): Yang style Taiji Quan, Sun style internal energy system, and Wutang sword form. As Jin, Ren-Lin explained, “The art of Master Yeh’s Taiji Quan represent a harmonious blend of elements of Sun style energy system, Yang style Taiji, and Wutang Sword form. It is a style of its own.” Jin Ren-Lin also said, “Master Yeh considered Sun style’s internal energy system is the most powerful of all of the Chinese martial arts. The invisible energy penetrates your body without you being aware of it. Even though you feel nothing, you are injured by the tremendous power. Yang style incorporates a vast amount of martial application in their solo form; they also established the most systematic training methods in their push hand practices. Master Li’s Wutang sword techniques is a very practical sword form, the inner work of this soft sword style can be a great inspiration to the advancement of one’s Taiji skill.
Master Yeh not only taught traditional Taiji Quan and Wutang Sword technique, but also focused on inspiring the next generation...

Sullivan Acupuncture Q&A: What does acupuncture treat?

For complete article go here:

In an official report, Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, the WHO (WHO) has listed the following symptoms, diseases and conditions that have been shown through controlled trials to be treated effectively by acupuncture:

* low back pain
* neck pain
* sciatica
* tennis elbow
* knee pain
* periarthritis of the shoulder
* sprains
* facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
* headache
* dental pain
* tempromandibular (TMJ) dysfunction
* rheumatoid arthritis
* induction of labor
* correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation)
* morning sickness
* nausea and vomiting
* postoperative pain
* stroke
* essential hypertension
* primary hypotension
* renal colic
* leucopenia
* adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy
* allergic rhinitis, including hay fever
* biliary colic
* depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
* acute bacillary dysentery
* primary dysmenorrhea
* acute epigastralgia
* peptic ulcer
* acute and chronic gastritis

Acupuncture for PMS

Acupuncture is one of the best treatments used for women's health. It can treat everything from PMS to Irregular Cycles to Infertility and more. The crew over at Tao of Health wrote a great article for Acupuncture.Com.
Here is the article:
A Cure for PMS

By the Staff at Tao of Wellness

Premenstrual Syndrome & Chinese Medicine"Premenstrual syndrome” (PMS) is the cyclic recurrence of a group of symptoms that peak 7 to 10 days before menstruation and disappear a few hours after the onset of the menstrual flow. This condition is characterized by multiple and diverse symptoms including, but not limited to: breast tenderness, transient weight gain, bloating, constipation, insomnia, acne, headache, pelvic pain, irritability, depression, mood swings, poor concentration, confusion, social withdrawal, impulsiveness and appetite changes. While many women experience mild symptoms of short duration, other women have more severe symptoms that last for many days and temporarily disturb their normal functioning.

PMS is due to unbalanced hormonal fluctuations. A mixture of correct diet, adequate exercise, and emotional clarity, along with acupuncture and Chinese medicinal herbs can correct imbalances and bring long-term relief.

Balanced nutrition is crucial for overcoming PMS. Certain foods such as alcohol, caffeine, cold temperature foods, sugar, salt, and animal fats exacerbate symptoms of PMS and should be avoided. In addition, commercial red meats and poultry, which have a residue of steroids composed of female animal sex hormones, should be eliminated from the diet. Food necessary for a harmonious menstrual cycle include: plenty of organic vegetables, small amounts of fruit, whole grains, legumes (especially soy), seaweed, small amounts of lean hormone-free meats, and fish (especially salmon, tuna, trout, and mackerel).

Exercise plays an important role in the treatment of PMS. Thirty to forty-five minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least three times per week improves blood circulation and significantly helps reduce symptoms.

In addition to diet and exercise, some form of meditation can be very helpful. Our emotions and hormones influence each other, since they are registered in the same part of our brain. Stress can cause hormonal imbalances and therefore worsen the symptoms of PMS. Some quiet time everyday helps bring emotional and physical equilibrium.

Chinese medicine offers even more tools to address premenstrual syndrome. Acupuncture removes energy blockages and in turn stabilizes hormonal fluctuations. It also provides deep relaxation that helps to calm the mind. Chinese herbs work together with acupuncture to regulate the flow of energy and substances in the body. Together they stimulate the body’s natural functions and encourage it to establish optimum balance.

Women do not have to accept and live with premenstrual syndrome. When the symptoms of PMS are reduced or eliminated, women feel more energetic -- physically, mentally, emotionally and creatively.

Acupuncture in the Armed Forces

As a former Airman, this article proved to be extremely interesting. It recently appeared in the commercial appeal and I would share it with you all.

Air Force to train combat docs to use acupuncture

By KAMALA LANE – 11 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Warrant Officer James Brad Smith broke five ribs, punctured a lung and shattered bones in his hand and thigh after falling more than 20 feet from a Black Hawk helicopter in Baghdad last month.

While he was recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, his doctor suggested he add acupuncture to his treatment to help with the pain.

On a recent morning, Col. Richard Niemtzow, an Air Force physician, carefully pushed a short needle into part of Smith's outer ear. The soldier flinched, saying it felt like he "got clipped by something." By the time three more of the tiny, gold alloy needles were arranged around the ear, though, the pain from his injuries began to ease.

"My ribs feel numb now and I feel it a little less in my hand," Smith said, raising his injured arm. "The pain isn't as sharp. It's maybe 50 percent better."

Acupuncture involves placing very thin needles at specific points on the body to try to control pain and reduce stress. There are only theories about how, why and even whether it might work.

Regardless, the ancient Chinese practice has been gradually catching on as a pain treatment for troops who come home wounded.

Now the Air Force, which runs the military's only acupuncture clinic, is training doctors to take acupuncture to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. A pilot program starting in March will prepare 44 Air Force, Navy and Army doctors to use acupuncture as part of emergency care in combat and in frontline hospitals, not just on bases back home.

They will learn "battlefield acupuncture," a method Niemtzow developed in 2001 that's derived from traditional ear acupuncture but uses the short needles to better fit under combat helmets so soldiers can continue their missions with the needles inserted to relieve pain. The needles are applied to five points on the outer ear. Niemtzow says most of his patients say their pain decreases within minutes.

The Navy has begun a similar pilot program to train its doctors at Camp Pendleton in California.

Niemtzow is chief of the acupuncture clinic at Andrews Air Force Base. He's leading the new program after training many of about 50 active duty military physicians who practice acupuncture.

The U.S. military encountered acupuncture during the Vietnam War, when an Army surgeon wrote in a 1967 edition of Military Medicine magazine about local physicians who were allowed to practice at a U.S. Army surgical hospital and administered acupuncture to Vietnamese patients.

Niemtzow started offering acupuncture in 1995 at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Several years later, he became the first full-time military medical acupuncturist for the Navy, which also provides health care for the Marines.

Later, he established the acupuncture clinic at the Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews, and he continued to expand acupuncture by treating patients at Walter Reed and other Air Force bases in the country and in Germany. Niemtzow and his colleague Col. Stephen Burns administer about a dozen forms of acupuncture — including one type that uses lasers — to soldiers and their families every week.

Col. Arnyce Pock, medical director for the Air Force Medical Corps, said acupuncture comes without the side effects that are common after taking traditional painkillers. Acupuncture also quickly treats pain.

"It allows troops to reduce the number of narcotics they take for pain, and have a better assessment of any underlying brain injury they may have," Pock said. "When they're on narcotics, you can't do that because they're feeling the effects of the drugs."

Niemtzow cautions that while acupuncture can be effective, it's not a cure-all.

"In some instances it doesn't work," he said. "But it can be another tool in one's toolbox to be used in addition to painkillers to reduce the level of pain even further."

Smith says the throbbing pain in his leg didn't change with acupuncture treatment but that the pain levels in his arm and ribs were the lowest they've been since he was injured. He also said that he didn't feel groggy afterward, a side-effect he usually experiences from the low-level morphine he takes.

Ultimately, Niemtzow would like troops to learn acupuncture so they can treat each other while out on missions. For now, the Air Force program is limited to training physicians.

He says it's "remarkable" for the military, a "conservative institution," to incorporate acupuncture.

"The history of military medicine is rich in development," he said, "and a lot of people say that if the military is using it, then it must be good for the civilian world."

How does acupuncture work?

Scientists have not reached a consensus regarding the mechanism by which acupuncture works. There are several theories that try to explain acupuncture within a scientific framework. Here is part of an article from HowDoesAcupunctureWorks.com

Western Scientific Explanation


Currently, there is not one western scientific theory that collaboratively explains all of the physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of Acupuncture. This is because Acupuncture has a variety of therapeutic effects on the body thus the action must vary depending on the type of pathology. However it is proposed that acupuncture primarily produces its effects through regulating the nervous system. Regulation of the nervous system aids the activity of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body. In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones. These affect the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes that regulate a person’s blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature.

In summary, scientists have deduced a number of theories from observing a number of individual clinical effects of acupuncture treatment. These theories and the observed clinical effects on which the theories are based can be summarised as the following:

Augmentation of Immunity Theory - Increased Immune Function & Resistance to Disease

Endorphin Theory - Reduction of Pain

Neurotransmitter Theory - Inflammation Reduction & Promotion of Feelings of Well Being

Circulatory Theory - Improved Circulation & Smooth Muscle Relaxation

Gate Control Theory - Increased Pain Tolerance

Motor Gate Theory - Hasten Motor Recovery from Paralysis

Homeostatic or Regulatory Effect - Regulation of Body’s Homeostasis to Disease or Abnormal Conditions

Bioelectric Theory - Stimulation of cells of tissue growth & repair

Nervous System Theories - Central nervous system, spinal & peripheral nerve stimulation, resulting in some of the above-mentioned effects.

What's acupuncture like? Does it hurt?

Many people cringe at the thought of acupuncture. They will often say I don't like needles. But the key point is that most people's experience with needles are the shots they receive either from their M.D. or the dentist. However, acupuncture needles are much much smaller. The sensation of being needled is more on the level of a mosquito or even no pain at all.
Take a look at this video from expert village. It has a demonstration of someone receiving acupuncture.

Demonstration of Acupuncture Procedures: Guide to Alternative Medical Treatment -- powered by ExpertVillage.com