It was nice to see a mention of my chair massages at the Women's winter cycling clinic at the Great Escape in February. Ric wrote a good review:
Women's Winter Cycling Clinic, The Great Escape Blog
There is another seminar this Thursday if you missed the first one.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Acupuncture and Massage
Sometimes when a client comes in I get a question about other alternative therapies such as acupuncture or chiropractic care. I found over the years that there is frequently more than one way to help a person heal him or herself, so unless I know a practice is dangerous, I usually encourage folks to try all avenues for healing. I’ll talk about some of the other modalities at some point, but want to share some thoughts today about acupuncture.
Although some people are skeptical about acupuncture, and say we don’t have enough research, I think that’s bunk. There is ample research on the effectiveness of acupuncture. The problem, at least here in the US, is that most of the research for the past 1000 years or so was published in Chinese, and has not been translated into English. And not many western doctors have studied Chinese, so they are unaware of the research. I decided to trust the acupuncturist that the scientific enquiry backs up the use of this therapy.
Here’s a quote about acupuncture:
The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture stimulates the body's own natural healing ability. The ultimate result yields significant increases in a patients physical and emotional well-being. http://keyacupuncture.com/acupuncture.php
Like massage, the goal is to help you heal yourself. We all have that innate ability, but sometimes we let ourselves get so out of balance that outside intervention is necessary to set us back on track.
I’ve been going for regular acupuncture treatments for about 3 years now. It has helped me with pain relief, especially when I severely injured my shoulder, along with helping clear up sinus problems, menopause symptoms, and digestive disorders. I’ve sent clients there when I thought it might help, and one person came back with immediate relief and satisfaction, when other therapies had not helped at all.
In addition, my acupuncturist has referred people for massage when she felt that would benefit them instead of, or in addition to her treatment.
One of my clients being treated for breast cancer reported that if she received acupuncture a few days after chemotherapy, it greatly reduced the side effects of the drugs. Some preliminary research has shown that a combination of acupuncture and massage for relief from the effects of chemo is cumulatively greater than the benefits of either alone. Here's a reference to one study:
Collins KB, Thomas DJ. Acupuncture and acupressure for the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Feb 2004;16(2):76-80.
Remember that some therapies work better for certain situations than others, so please keep an open mind and if one doesn't work for one condition, it may work for another.
Although some people are skeptical about acupuncture, and say we don’t have enough research, I think that’s bunk. There is ample research on the effectiveness of acupuncture. The problem, at least here in the US, is that most of the research for the past 1000 years or so was published in Chinese, and has not been translated into English. And not many western doctors have studied Chinese, so they are unaware of the research. I decided to trust the acupuncturist that the scientific enquiry backs up the use of this therapy.
Here’s a quote about acupuncture:
The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture stimulates the body's own natural healing ability. The ultimate result yields significant increases in a patients physical and emotional well-being. http://keyacupuncture.com/acupuncture.php
Like massage, the goal is to help you heal yourself. We all have that innate ability, but sometimes we let ourselves get so out of balance that outside intervention is necessary to set us back on track.
I’ve been going for regular acupuncture treatments for about 3 years now. It has helped me with pain relief, especially when I severely injured my shoulder, along with helping clear up sinus problems, menopause symptoms, and digestive disorders. I’ve sent clients there when I thought it might help, and one person came back with immediate relief and satisfaction, when other therapies had not helped at all.
In addition, my acupuncturist has referred people for massage when she felt that would benefit them instead of, or in addition to her treatment.
One of my clients being treated for breast cancer reported that if she received acupuncture a few days after chemotherapy, it greatly reduced the side effects of the drugs. Some preliminary research has shown that a combination of acupuncture and massage for relief from the effects of chemo is cumulatively greater than the benefits of either alone. Here's a reference to one study:
Collins KB, Thomas DJ. Acupuncture and acupressure for the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Feb 2004;16(2):76-80.
Remember that some therapies work better for certain situations than others, so please keep an open mind and if one doesn't work for one condition, it may work for another.
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