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Trigeminal Neuralgia

What’s Our Medical Director Been Up To?

Have you heard? Our Medical Director, Laura Parks, M.Ac., L.Ac. went back to school and will be graduating at the end of April 2023 with her Doctorate in Acupuncture. 13 years after graduating with her Masters degree in Acupuncture, we’ll be calling “Dr. Laura” to the clinic with all her new wisdom on how to help patients. 

Here’s what she had to say about her doctorate experience so far: “It’s been so great studying advanced, complex conditions like Lyme’s disease, advanced fertility and gynecological issues, pediatrics, and autoimmune conditions, weighing in with some of the most brilliant minds in the country. Last semester I got to celebrate getting straight A’s in all my classes while juggling family life and running a very busy clinic, all while completing medical internships, studying modern acupuncture research, and learning from live case studies. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to take my training to the next level and serve thousands of patients in the future with this centuries old medicine.” 

We can’t wait to see what the future holds upon completing her doctorate this April! 

If you’re interested in working with our Medical Director, Laura Parks, this spring, give us a call at 410-847-4766.

Trigeminal Neuralgia… Now there is Hope!

Approximately 15,000 new people are diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia each year. It is most common in people over 50, and more likely to happen to women than men, but is not usually genetic. 

Unfortunately, Trigeminal Neuralgia is described as “insanely painful, severe condition” of the face, caused by the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve starts near the top of the ear, then splits into three areas: going towards the eye, cheek, and jaw. Usually trigeminal neuralgia presents on only one side of the face. The pain is often described as more painful than giving birth or passing a kidney stone. 

Patients describe the facial pain as:

  • Stabbing
  • Electrical sensation
  • So severe the person cannot eat or drink
  • Comes on within seconds, but can last minutes or longer
  • Can be triggered by anything touching the face or teeth (shaving, applying makeup, brushing teeth, even the wind blowing on the face or water touching the face. 

Trigeminal Neuralgia causes are not easily known, but some believe it can be caused by dental procedures, facial trauma, or a blood vessel pressing against the trigeminal nerve (vascular compression).

In rare cases, trigeminal neuralgia can be related to multiple sclerosis, a tumor, or possibly from postherpetic neuralgia (caused by shingles). 

Traditional treatment for trigeminal neuralgia in western medicine is to use pain medications or invasive surgery, both with many potential side effects. 

Now there is Hope. Cloud 9 Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine specializes in treating Trigeminal Neuralgia with over a 90% success rate in significantly reducing the pain in intensity and frequency, and many patients are able to manage their pain without medications after a series of specialized treatments, living fuller, happier lives without pain. The secret to our success is utilizing acupuncture combined with ATP Resonance BioTherapyTM, and O3 Regenerative TherapyTM. 

To begin, Call 410-847-4766 for a comprehensive consultation to find out if you are a good candidate for treatment. 

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