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 "The effectiveness of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) can be significantly enhanced by complementing these fertility procedures with acupuncture, Chinese herbs and other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)." A recent online article ( view the full piece here), reflected on studies both in Germany and here in the US at Cornell University Medical School that considered an integrative approach to fertility. Many fertility experts believe that acupuncture treatments can be beneficial during ART procedures, and there are no adverse side effects to watch out for. As is our policy here at Health On Point, "it is important that all team members, the team being the patient, the acupuncturist and the reproductive specialist, be in communication." Choosing to work with Health On Point means you are cared for completely. We have wonderful connections with local physicians and Reproductive Endocrinology practices. Learn more about acupuncture for fertility and prenatal support.
In a wonderful editorial, 'Alternative' may be the way to go, Ms. Gerhild Krapf shares here experience in our clinic.
Less than one day later, we've already received emails and calls from community members exclaiming "I can't belive there is hope for me yet!". Thank you to Gerhild for her enthusiastic letter, sharing with our Iowa City community the power of integrative care. Those interested in trying acupuncture for the first time, or inspired by the Press-Citizen article receive a special aromatherapy treatment as part of your initial visit.
* * * * * * * * * September 12, 2010
I'm writing to those who are 50-plus, have less energy than they used to -- perhaps some aches and pains, and an inability to lose weight -- and have been told that it's just part of getting old and that they should "get used to it."
These problems do not have to be accepted, they can be cured, and there is life after 50. But the road back to energy and health may not be through the practitioner who has gained your confidence over the first 50 years of your life.
As a longstanding fan of traditional medicine, I am surprised to find myself writing this. Traditional medicine has served me well through pregnancy, childbirth and broken bones. But I have found myself ill served in the last few years, during which I have slogged through tiredness, unexplained sudden weight gain of at least 20 pounds, mental fogginess, muscle soreness, headaches and food intolerances. And during which I have submitted to thousands of dollars of tests with no resulting diagnosis, treatment or support.
I ran across a website with a testimonial from a woman who had many of the symptoms I was experiencing -- all of them now resolved.
This led me to two "alternative" practitioners who collaborate, consult with and support one another in very skilled diagnosis and treatment: Rachel Weissman, an acupuncturist of Health on Point, and Jason Bradley, a naturopath from the Washington Street Chiropractic and Wellness Center. I have concluded that this "alternative" -- getting proper diagnosis and treatment -- is well worth the break with "tradition."
They found not only a thyroid problem, but vitamin D, B3, B6 and B12 deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, high glucose, insulin resistance and food allergies.
After seven months, headaches, fogginess and food intolerances are gone, and the weight is almost off.
But most remarkably, I have tremendous energy I didn't know I had lost, and I feel fabulous.
As a classically trained organist, my greatest joy is the resurgence of the will to perform, which I had given up "for good" -- not realizing that I was ill. I now have a recital scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 26 in the First Presbyterian Church. All are welcome!
Gerhild Krapf
Iowa City |
 (PhysOrg.com) -- As a member of the physical medicine and rehabilitation team at UC (University of Cincinnati) Health, Jessica Colyer, MD, has the latest in medical technology available to her. But she sometimes calls upon the ancient healing practice of acupuncture to relieve her patients' pain.Colyer, who recently joined UC Health after completing her residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, is licensed to practice acupuncture. Based at Drake Center, she sees both inpatients and outpatients at the rehabilitative care center in Hartwell. "What really interested me when I chose PM&R were the chances for complementary medicines such as acupuncture,” says Colyer. "It’s another way of helping injured people get back into the community with more function and a better quality of life.” Acupuncture has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. The term refers to a variety of procedures and techniques involving the stimulation of anatomical points of the body, but it’s most often associated with needles manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation. According to the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000 children had used acupuncture in the previous year, an increase of about 1 million people over the 2002 survey. Acupuncture practitioners in the U.S. must be licensed (Colyer, who also specializes in stroke rehabilitation at Drake, took intensive course work in acupuncture outside of her regular medical training), and acupuncture needles are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to meet requirements that they be sterile, nontoxic and labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only. "There are a lot of uses for acupuncture, but the treatment I’ve learned is exclusively for pain management,” says Colyer. "So if muscles are tight, or having spasms, when we insert needles into the muscles it loosens them up and people feel a lot more relaxed and more comfortable.” Numerous studies of exactly how acupuncture works have been inconclusive, but the Western view is that it likely works by stimulating the central nervous system to release chemicals that dull pain, in addition to stimulating blood flow and tissue repair at the site itself. Treatment techniques can also include electrical stimulation, using two needles at a time so the impulse passes from one needle to the other. "People want to see clinical trials, but it’s hard to do that because you can’t get a good control group,” says Colyer. "For example, how do you fake acupuncture well?” Treatment regimens vary depending on the patient, and some insurance carriers may cover acupuncture while others may not. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine recommends that prospective patients check with their insurer before they start treatment.
... More like the OLD painkiller. Last week, The Sunday Telegraph outlined current research and anecdotal evidence in support of acupuncture. Perhaps most promising were quotes from physicians and professors. See what all the hype is about and how acupuncture may help you - stop by our clinic and have a treatment today!
Australian hospitals are finally catching up with what the Chinese have long known –acupuncture is a great alternative form of pain relief.
Acupuncture is fast gaining acceptance in mainstream medicine right across the Western world. It’s already used routinely in several Australian emergency departments and is now undergoing a randomised, controlled trial in three Melbourne hospitals to alleviate pain from acute migraines, back pain and ankle sprain.
Researchers at the University of York and Hull York Medical School in the UK have just mapped acupuncture’s effect on the brain and have found that it changes specific neural structures, deactivating the areas in the brain associated with the processing of pain.
This is key, says Professor Marc Cohen, head of the trial and professor of complementary medicine at RMIT University.
“We know that pain is the most common reason for people coming to emergency departments, and we know that it’s not very well treated in that a lot of people don’t get sufficient pain relief,” he says.
“We also know that pharmacotherapy, the main method of treating pain in emergency situations, has severe side effects. Some people can’t tolerate drugs, others find that opioid medication such as pethidine or morphine causes nausea and constipation.
Once you give morphine you have to watch the patient for several hours and monitor blood pressure and nausea.
“What we’ve found anecdotally is that people who have come into an emergency department in pain and tried acupuncture, have had their pain relieved in a very short period of time.”
Acupuncture can also be safely combined with most conventional drugs and treatments and has very few side effects.
Read the original article here.
 "Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Pain" was published last week in the Times. I missed the boat on this one, only reading it last night for the first time. Once again, research shows that acupuncture works to treat pain (in this case, arthritis of the knee). And, once again, sham acupuncture works too! Most acupuncturists or those familiar with our medicine are far from shocked at results like this. Equally valuable to the article itself, are the readers' comments that follow. Folks are very opinionated and fortunately, most are respectful in their responses. You may wonder, why would I draw attention to an article that demonstrates 'fake' acupuncture is as effective as the real deal?? I, of course, have my own opinion on the matter. For one, trying to establish a control in any acupuncture study is difficult - placebo acupuncture is still acupuncture. And while most studies compare TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) style Acupuncture, there is much more out there. As one of my most favorite articles boasts:
We found an 80% correspondence between the sites of acupuncture points and the location of intermuscular or intramuscular connective tissue planes in postmortem tissue sections. We propose that the anatomical relationship of acupuncture points and meridians to connective tissue planes is relevant to acupuncture’s mechanism of action and suggests a potentially important integrative role for interstitial connective tissue. [download the full text from my site here]
As my patients and practitioner-patients will tell you, many of my acupoints are not found in any text book. And treatments work. VERY well.But I'm curious, what do YOU think?
 At Health On Point, we often work with athletes and dancers from the University of Iowa - and the results are astounding! College athletes aren't alone in finding relief from acupuncture... Boston Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima will undergo a few rounds of acupuncture before rejoining the team next week, according to ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald. Manager Terry Francona said Okajima would need a minimum of a week to 10 days before he is ready to return. Felix Doubront, who was recalled to take Okajima's place on the roster, will be moved to the bullpen for the rest of the season. Read more about Okajima here.
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"The effectiveness of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) can be significantly enhanced by complementing these fertility procedures with acupuncture, Chinese herbs and other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)." A recent online article (view the full piece here), reflected on studies both in Germany and here in the US at Cornell University Medical School that considered an integrative approach to fertility.
