- Cloud 9 Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine22 West Padonia Rd. Suite A-203
Timonium, MD 21093 Follow Us!
Health WellNews
Did you know? Acupuncture can help Osteoporosis!
By Bradley Stiles, L.Ac.
Do you suffer from Postmenopausal Osteoporosis? Acupuncture can help!
In a recent study acupuncture with moxibustion has been shown to outperform a supplementation of calcium added into the diet. The study used three groups, a calcium supplement control group, an electro-stim acupuncture group, and an acupuncture and moxibustion group. If you are not familiar with electro-stim, it is exactly what it sounds like. Acupuncture is applied and then an e-stim machine is attached to the needles and applies electrical current through the needles. Moxibustion is the burning of the herb mugwort, also known as Moxa, at the location of an acupuncture point. Warm needle acupuncture is moxa applied to the needle so that the needle itself is warmed up.
Receiving treatment once a day for 30 days, data was gathered on visual analog scale pain scores. Additional data was logged in the form of the biomarkers serum insulin growth factors (IGF-1), serum interleukin 6 (IL6), and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-A). Acupuncture points that were chosen were BL 11, BL 23, and GB 39 and were “proven to produce subjective and objective results” through the study.
If you are interested in knowing more information or the specific details of the study please read the study itself which can be found below.
If you suffer from postmenopausal osteoporosis and are interested in getting acupuncture please schedule an appointment with us, the link can be found in the header at the top of the page!
Bradley’s Timonium Hours:
Monday … 7am – 12 pm
Tuesday … 7am – 1pm
Wednesday… 7am – 12pm
Brad is ready to see patients with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna and Aetna plans in Timonium.
Bradley’s Kent Island Hours:
Thursday …10am – 5pm
We do not accept insurance at our Kent Island location.
Read more about Brad & Watch Brad’s Video! at https://cloud9acuclinic.com/bradley-stiles-acupuncturist/
How Acupuncture Can Help You with Your Chronic Pain
By Bradley Stiles, L.Ac.
Can acupuncture help you with your chronic pain?
YES!
The National Institute of Health (NIH) believes so saying “Results from a number of studies suggest that acupuncture may help ease types of pain that are often chronic such as low-back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis/knee pain. It also may help reduce the frequency of tension headaches and prevent migraine headaches. Therefore, acupuncture appears to be a reasonable option for people with chronic pain to consider. “
When I started writing this blog post there were over 700 studies on the relationship between acupuncture and chronic pain on PubMed (short for Public Medical Database, an online resource that complies verified scientific data on all different kinds of research experiments). This positive relationship is well documented and well known. The science behind acupuncture and its reductive effect on pain is one of the reasons most insurances cover acupuncture today. (Thank Goodness!) New scientific research is coming out all of the time!
It is even being used in many hospitals and even in some Emergency Rooms/departments. Below I’ve linked two studies that have shown positive changes that were statistically significant in Pain management outcomes through the use of acupuncture. This means that acupuncture performed better than a placebo effect. Please read the studies below if your interested in knowing more.
With the current opioid epidemic if you know someone that is interested in coming off of their pain meds we at Cloud 9 would love to work together with their doctor to manage the patient’s pain levels with the goal of their doctor either suggesting a reduction in their amount of medication or (with physician supervision and approval) the patient is able to come off medications altogether because symptoms have disappeared by completing a series of acupuncture treatment protocol .
Links Related to This Article:
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/introduction
Acupuncture as a Nonpharmacologic Treatment for Pain in a Pediatric Emergency Department- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Acupuncture+as+a+Nonpharmacologic+Treatment+for+Pain+in+a+Pediatric+Emergency+Department&fbclid=IwAR1EeOIxp4nj2AhbHd938KRgYIqokY-9lnLeWaUrX9kS8ktIWszlbZajxlc
Effect of Integrative Medicine Services on Pain for Hospitalized Patients at an Academic Health Center –
Bradley’s Timonium Hours:
Monday … 7am – 11am
Tuesday … 7am – 12pm
Wednesday… 7am – 11am
Brad is ready to see patients with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna and Aetna plans in Timonium.
Bradley’s Kent Island Hours:
Thursday …10am – 5pm
We do not accept insurance at our Kent Island location.
Read more about Brad & Watch Brad’s Video! at https://cloud9acuclinic.com/bradley-stiles-acupuncturist/
Earth Constitutional Factor
By Kelly Ferguson, L.Ac.
You may hear your practitioner speaking about your CF or Constitutional Factor, and you are probably asking yourself what that means? In Five Element Acupuncture Theory there are five elements or seasons that we use to help diagnosis and understand our patients. We have each of these elements within us, but we prefer one to two of them over the others. Those elements that we unknowingly prefer or align with are what we would call a person’s Constitutional Factor or CF. Within each CF there are the meridians, colors, odors, sounds, emotions, personality traits, seasons, etc. that go along with it.
One of these Constitutional Factors is called Earth. The season for this element is Late Summer which we are getting ready to head into. This element is very grounding or centering. It allows us to nurture ourselves and those around us. Earth CF’s can sometimes sound like they are singing as they are speaking. They tend to have a yellow complexion to their skin around their eyes, and their odor can be a bit sweet smelling. The meridians that go along with Earth are spleen and stomach meridians.
Kelly sees patients on Tuesdays & Thursdays 12p -8pm, Saturdays 10am-3pm in Timonium, and Wednesdays 12:30pm-7:30pm in White Marsh. Read more about Kelly at https://cloud9acuclinic.com/kelly-ferguson-acupuncturist/
How Can Cupping Help Me?
by Kelly Ferguson, L.Ac.
Cupping is one of the many tools an acupuncturist has in their arsenal. It has been used for thousands of years and by many different cultures.
How Cupping Works
An acupuncturist or trained professional will take a glass cup and momentarily place a flame within it, removing the air and creating a vacuum or suction when applied to the skin. The cups will remain on the skin for 5-10 minutes and will either remain in place or be moved around by the practitioner.
Cupping helps to resolve blood stasis, remove lymph or fluids in the tissue, and relieves muscle tension in the body. Cupping essentially increases the circulation of blood and lymph in the body. Did you know you have more lymph fluid in your body than blood? Lymphatic fluid helps remove toxins and muscular waste from your body and is excreted through your sweat, urine and bowel movements.
When you receive cupping, the lymphatic system is removing the toxins and muscular waste, while fresh oxygenated blood rushes in to the area of cupping to help heal muscle tissue much faster (especially in the case of muscle injuries).
Further, cupping is often used for Allergies, High Blood Pressure, Respiratory Conditions such as a cold or bronchitis, and Musculoskeletal conditions like back, shoulder or neck pain/tension. Last year when Michael Phelps had cupping marks at the Olympics, we received many questions about cupping.
Hopefully this article helps answer some of your questions and perhaps help you form more questions. Please contact us with your new questions and curiosity about cupping if you or your family member is ready to try this awesome modality.
Prevent Springtime Allergies with Acupuncture Today
By Kelly Ferguson
Are you an allergy sufferer? Do you dread the fall or spring due to your seasonal allergies? If you are, you are not alone. Researchers estimate that nearly 50 million people in the Unites States have allergies making allergies the 6th leading cause of chronic illness.
An ‘allergy’ is hypersensitivity in your immune system to foreign substances. These foreign substances are known as ‘allergens’ and are recognized by your body and create a response in your immune system. Common allergens are animal dander, pollen, dust, nuts and mold. However, there are many different allergens and if you are not sure what you are allergic to it can be helpful to speak with an allergist who can test which allergens your body is having a reaction to.
In Chinese medicine there are four meridians we use to reduce/stop your allergy symptoms. These meridians are Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Large Intestine. The gut plays a large part in your immune system. Your gut or gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the main route for external stimuli entering into your body every day. It is important that we work on keeping your GI tract healthy so that it can better handle the external stimuli.
There are various points that can be used to help with allergies, and these points will be chosen based on the individual, their symptoms, pulses and their tongue. A couple common ones are Large Intestine 4 which helps the body to clear toxins and reduce inflammation, and Lung 9 which helps support the Lung meridian and build qi.
Along with using acupuncture to help stop your allergy symptoms, your acupuncturist will also talk to you about your diet and daily lifestyle. For most these are simple changes. An example of this could be: over eating sweets. Sweets are actually very damaging to your Spleen and Stomach meridians which can make your allergies worse. Likewise, getting a shower at the end of the day to remove any allergens that might be attached to your skin, hair or clothing after being outside during the day. Some other tips are getting a new pillow every few months, buying a pillow cover that protects against allergens, and changing your filters in your car and HVAC.
As we near closer to spring time it is important to consider adding in or making some changes in our day-to-day life so that we can help prevent allergies. Be sure to schedule your acupuncture appointment this spring to help with the upcoming allergy season or any other spring symptoms you may be experiencing.