Acu-Olympians

Olympian and world vault champion McKayla Maroney from Long Beach, California cites using acupuncture as a helpful tool for injury recovery. Maroney re-injured a toe that was broken at an Olympic training session in Chicago two months ago. She noted, “On my beam routine, my round-off dismount, I split my big right toe.” She added that this is the third time she has injured the toe. Maroney said, “I’m doing acupuncture and icing it like 30 times a day.” Maroney stated, “It looks a lot better now.” According to the USA women’s coordinator, Maroney will compete in the vault and may forego the floor exercise competition as a precautionary measure.

The use of acupuncture by USA Olympians is not unusual. In the last summer Olympics, Gymnast Nastia Liukin took home the gymnastics women’s all-around Olympic gold medal after using acupuncture to recover from an ankle injury. Pole vaulter Jeremy Scott used acupuncture to help in the recovery of his knee and will be competing this year. Tennessee track and field Olympian Dee Dee Trotter trained extensively with the help of acupuncture and will compete in the London Summer Olympics. Five-time Olympian from Austin, Texas Amy Acuff cites the use of acupuncture as one of the reasons why she has lasted for many years in the injury prone sport of high jump. She will go for the gold in London... but that’s not all! Amy Acuff is not only an enduring Olympic athlete but is also a licensed acupuncturist.

Acupuncture at the Games

Acupuncture makes another strong showing at the Olympic Games. Dr. Bret Moldenhauer, an acupuncturist from Chattanooga (Tennessee), will travel to the Olympics with world class runner and Team USA Olympian, Dee Dee Trotter. As her personal acupuncturist, he brought his acupuncture equipment to the track and treated Dee Dee Trotter on the spot during training. In pole vaulting, Team USA Olympian Jeremy Scott sailed through Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon. Acupuncture is included in his regime of care for the treatment of his knee.

Another acupuncturist is returning to the Olympics as a competitor! The London Olympics will be Amy Acuff’s fifth time on the USA Olympic team. A licensed acupuncturist in Austin, Texas; she attributes some of her long-term success in the sport of high jump to acupuncture. She notes that high jump is an injury-prone sport and that acupuncture is successful in the prevention and recovery from injuries.

Team USA isn’t the only Olympic team to benefit from acupuncture. The South Korean Olympic team has a successful history using acupuncture. Volleyball player Kim Yeon-koung notes that acupuncture boosts her performance capabilities. Men’s handball player Park Jung-geu notes that acupuncture provides rapid recoveries from sporting injuries.

Here in Iowa City, many of our patients utilized services at Health On Point to prepare themselves for the RAGBRAI which started on Sunday. Whether you're cycling or supporting local riders - everyone deserves a break and some rejuvenation. Come on by - specials are available for Ragbrai participants!

Research: Acupuncture Treats Fibromyalgia (Adult and Juvenile)

At Health On Point, we frequently see members of our community struggling with fibromyalgia (FMS).  Fibromyalgia is a medical condition involving pain, increased sensitivity to stimuli and fatigue. Other symptoms frequently include sleep disturbances, joint stiffness, digestive complaints, numbness, tingling, headaches, anxiety and impaired cognition. The overall presentation of fibromyalgia is that of body-wide pain and tenderness. New research published in Clinical Rheumatology concludes that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of fibromyalgia. In this new study, researchers find that acupuncture provides “beneficial effects” for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Other studies support the same conclusions as those reached in this recent modern research.

Acupuncture for FMS

In a study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore), researchers conclude that “real acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture for improving symptoms of patients with FMS.” In another study published by the Department of Anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester (Minnesota), researchers conclude, “We found that acupuncture significantly improved symptoms of fibromyalgia. Symptomatic improvement was not restricted to pain relief and was most significant for fatigue and anxiety.” Lastly, a study in Brasil maintains: "Acupuncture is a traditional chinese medi-cine modality that can be used in pediatric patients with fibromyalgia."

If you or a loved one suffers from symptoms of FMS, contact us to schedule a complimentary phone consult or introductory session. Working together, we will build an individualized treatment plan to ease your discomfort.

Don’t sweat it: Acupuncture treats excessive perspiration

Whether it’s stifling, humid conditions, vigorous exercise or plain old stress that’s the trigger, trickles or torrents of sweat streaming from the body will undoubtedly follow.

From cool beads dribbling from foreheads to the damp trails on chests, backs and underarms, the outbreak of patches of perspiration in response to anxiety, warm weather or workouts is inevitable. Yet some people cope with even more extreme amounts of sweat.

(photo stopsweats.org)

Primary hyperhidrosis may have a genetic or hereditary link and is typically characterized by excessive sweating of various regions of the body, including feet, hands, under breasts, the groin and armpits. When the cause of excessive sweating is correlated to another disorder — such as hyperthyroidism or menopause — it’s known as secondary hyperhidrosis.

“Basically, if your sweating is enough that it interferes with your daily activities of your life, you probably have hyperhidrosis,” Dr. Nowell Solish, a Toronto-based cosmetic dermatologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

“It’s not sweating when you exercise and work out — it’s sweating all the time. Even in the winter, even when you’re home watching TV.”

Those with hyperhidrosis may have to change shirts repeatedly within a day, avoid raising arms in public or steer clear of shaking people’s hands due to excessive sweating, Solish noted. He said the condition’s cause remains unknown.

“It’s probably something in the brain, we don’t know exactly for sure,” said Solish. “The glands are normal. It’s just they’re being signalled to sweat when they don’t need to be.

“We think it’s probably some signal from the brain coming down, or that the glands are too sensitive to the signal that they’re sweating more than they’re needed to maintain normal temperature and water control.”

One of the treatments for hyperhidrosis is Botox. When used for cosmetic or medical reasons — like smoothing fine lines in the face — Botox blocks the signal from the nerve to the muscle to move.

“If you put Botox around the sweat gland, even if the nerve is signalling it to sweat, the signal doesn’t reach the sweat gland, and you don’t sweat as much,” said Solish.

There are safer alternative treatments to address hyperhidrosis.

Many people come to Health On Point in search of a non-invasive treatment approach to not just address sweating, but its core cause. We find that emotional issues like stress or anxiety are common triggers — especially if it’s a secondary hyperhidrosis. Sometimes an autoimmune condition is to blame. All of these things acupuncture can help — not just the symptom of sweating, but addressing the root cause of the hyperhidrosis.

First, we encourage our patients to ensure hyperhidrosis is diagnosed with their doctor. We also recommend blood work and testing to rule out certain root causes, such as a thyroid hormone issue.

Acupuncture can be beneficial by helping to balance overstimulated nerves and prevent them from being overactive. That, in turn, helps to reduce sweating and aid the body to regulate temperature.

We typically recommend patients participate in eight to 10 acupuncture sessions that can be combined with herbs.

For those looking to keep bacteria and bad odors at bay, they may consider opting for an herbal astringent. We recommend placing a couple of drops of an essential oil into a spray bottle with filtered water. The concoction can be used as a body splash following a shower or bath or throughout the day as needed, she noted. Both rosemary and tea tree oils have antifungal and antibacterial properties, and are available in clinic (as well as directions and a home 'recipe' for this remedy).