Posts Tagged ‘acupuncture’

Acupuncture Could Relieve Joint Pain Linked to Breast Cancer Treatments

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Acupuncture could be an effective therapy for joint pain and stiffness in breast cancer patients who are being treated with commonly used hormonal therapies, says a new study.

Joint pain and stiffness are common side effects of aromatase inhibitor therapy, in which the synthesis of estrogen is blocked.

Researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, led the new study.

It was previously shown that the therapy, which is a common and effective treatment for early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women, causes some joint pain and stiffness in half of women being treated.

“Since aromatase inhibitors have become an increasingly popular treatment option for some breast cancer patients, we aimed to find a non-drug option to manage the joint issues they often create, thereby improving quality of life and reducing the likelihood that patients would discontinue this potentially life-saving treatment,” said Dr. Dawn Hershman, senior author of the paper.

To explore the effects of acupuncture on aromatase inhibitor-associated joint pain, researchers randomly assigned 43 women to receive either true acupuncture or sham acupuncture twice a week for six weeks.

Sham acupuncture, which was used to control for a potential placebo effect, involved superficial needle insertion at body points not recognized as true acupuncture points.

All participants were receiving an aromatase inhibitor for early breast cancer, and all had reported musculoskeletal pain.

In women treated with true acupuncture, it was shown that they experienced significant improvement in joint pain and stiffness over the course of the study. Pain severity declined, and overall physical well being improved.

In addition, 20 percent of the patients who had reported taking pain relief medications reported that they no longer needed to take these medications following acupuncture treatment.

However, no such improvements were reported in women who were treated with the sham acupuncture.

“This study suggests that acupuncture may help women manage the joint pain and stiffness that can accompany aromatase inhibitor treatment,” said Dr. Katherine D. Crew, first author of the paper.

“To our knowledge, this is the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial establishing that acupuncture may be an effective method to relieve joint problems caused by these medications. However, results still need to be confirmed in larger, multicenter studies,” she added.

The results of the study were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Alternative Pain Relief Options

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Certain drugs have undesirable effects and for this reason, a great number of individuals have second thoughts in using them. Here are alternative pain relief options for you.

Ever since humans existed, pain is already a part of life. Pain also has varying degrees. An individual can suffer from emotional pain, physical pain, etc. It would be impossible to avoid pain all the days of y9ur life. You must accept the fact that pain is part of life but if you don’t want to use conventional medicine, you can always turn to alternative methods.

Famous drugs can indeed help especially in the case of tooth extraction or when there is injury. Trademark medicines are numerous these days and there are also creams to relieve any kind of pain. For common pains, you can also use certain natural treatments and herbal supplements.

What are the alternative options for pain relief? Well, here they are:

* Massage. many years ago, ancient civilization was already using massage to get rid of certain body pains. Oriental traditions believe that at the center of the massager’s palm is an energy source that can immediately rid the patient of pain. Its efficacy has long been proven. Have you ever heard about infant massage? Mothers are encouraged to give their babies infant massage to relieve muscular pains. At present, massage therapy is already considered a profession. If you don’t want to take medicines, consider this an effective and affordable pain relief option.

* Acupuncture. this ancient science was first used in China. In this method, the acupuncturist inserts tiny needles to the ‘meridians’ found in the different parts of the body. You can find a lot of information about acupuncture on magazines, newspapers, and on the internet. If you want to choose this option, make sure that you contact a real acupuncturist to ensure your safety. Get only the professional.

* Herbs. herbs have healing wonders. Depending on the location and nature of the pain, there is always an appropriate herb that you can use. You can now find natural herbal supplements and preparations for ease of use. Minor pains can be effectively addressed using herbs.

* Relaxation Therapy. you need to achieve deep relaxation of the mind and body. A therapy is now widely prescribed by some medical experts; examples are Reiki and Yoga.

Even if you plan to use these alternative options, it is still important that you seek medical attention from a qualified professional. If you plan to turn to herbs, you need to consult an herbalist so that you can make the appropriate herbal preparations. The other alternative options also require professional attention so that you can ensure the efficacy and safety of such methods. It may take a while before you can see the effects but you need to be patient especially if you’re learning Reiki and Yoga.

If you exert a little effort in learning the alternative methods, you can achieve desirable results. For centuries, people relied on natural ways to relieve pain. There is no harm in trying and if such alternative methods don’t work, you can always go back to using conventional medicine. Safety should always be your first consideration when using pain relievers. Who would want to worsen their situation right? So what’s its going to be – massage, acupuncture, herbs, or relaxation therapy? Choose now and experience a different way to get rid of pain.

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Finding Pain Relief Through Acupuncture

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Even though there are plenty of ways to treat various ailments in the body, one of the ways that the ancient Chinese believed would benefit everyone is the technique of acupuncture. There are plenty of reasons to believe that acupuncture works, though, and one of the proven ways that acupuncture works is through active pain relief. The reason that the word ‘active’ was put before the phrase ‘pain relief’ is because there are many people who continually experience pain throughout most of their lives. The active pain that they feel within their bodies usually never stops; however painful these bodily ailments can be, though, many people besides the Chinese have found that acupuncture has worked for them. Indeed, acupuncture has been transported to the United States, and it is a very excellent therapy to get involved with.

One of the reasons that people inside the United States and outside feel that acupuncture is a great therapy to deal with pain relief is that there has been so much work done in the Chinese culture as well as in the United States’ culture. For starters, many people with ailing arthritis parts of the body have found that there problems instantly cure and clear up when they have been exposed to acupuncture in one way or another. Furthermore, there are all sorts of people that contend that they ward off chronic pain and any other pain sources they feel through the constant and daily routine and use of acupuncture therapy. Indeed, just as there are massage therapists who can make pain go away through the twisting, pulling, and pushing of the body in its purest form, there are many people that believe that acupuncture has always been the way to cure chronic pain in the body.

Can chronic pain relief be met with the successful treatment of acupuncture, though? Even though there is much evidence that shows that it can be, there are still plenty of people who find that acupuncture therapy just does not work for them. Perhaps an important component of the acupuncture therapy, though, is the belief that this ancient therapy truly does work. This is not to say, however, that the placebo effect is in play in the people who find that acupuncture truly cures their illnesses. On the other hand, ancient Chinese civilizations have always felt that not believing in a certain way of doing something, such as medicine, would indicate that the medicine method would not necessarily be effective for that person.

There have been plenty of studies, however, that show that the Chinese cultures are right in saying that acupuncture does truly work. For starters, the University of Arizona conducted a study just ten years ago that showed how depressed people could get rid of the pain that they felt through using acupuncture therapy. Other than that study, though, there have also been individual and private studies done throughout unofficial research centers that have data to the contrary of anyone who contends that acupuncture is a hoax.

All things considered, though, in order to truly know whether or not acupuncture works for pain relief, though, one must try the therapy for him or herself in order to truly know what works. After all, acupuncture is a physical therapy and the only good way to know is to subject yourself to the treatment first!

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Acupuncture Pain Therapy

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Most people today live a quite unhealthy lifestyle which often results in the unavoidable occurence of health problems. Medical breakthroughs have been steady over the years, but people, especially Westerners, are now opening their minds, as well as bodies, to what can be considered non-Western health or therapy ideas. One popular alternative medicine is acupuncture therapy.

What is acupuncture? The disturbing image that usually pops in our minds when we speak of acupuncture is that of the Chinese poking needles into their skins. Acupuncture originated in ancient China and is usually clumped under traditional Chinese medicine.

Acupuncture Therapy

Acupuncture therapy is often times considered by some people as an ineffective healing method simply because it does not make sense to them. So, to shed light on the perennial question of what is acupuncture to the uninformed, here are a few basics to know about acupuncture:

1. Acupuncture therapy utilizes fine filiform needles being inserted into specific points in the body, either for general healing purposes or specific for pain relief. These meridians are specific points in the body where life energy (qi) flows are situated.
2. Acupuncture points, in most cases, are located in the twelve main meridians that correspond to vital body organs like the kidney, liver or lungs. Acupuncture can be helpful in treating a range of health problems.
3. Due to the its Oriental roots as well as lack of anatomical or histological basis for its medical claims, acupuncture therapy it has been receiving staunch criticism from Western scientists and doctors. Some people still think of it as a simple myth but several studies show that it is truly an effective treatment of some health conditions.
4. Acupuncture therapy places an emphasis on the free flow of blood and qi. Qi is difficult to translate in the English language but it can be viewed as a form of life energy. When certain body parts experience excessive or deficient levels of qi, sometimes there is stagnation of qi in the body. Acupuncture therapy is used as a technique to balance the qi excess or deficiency by promoting its free flow and either draining it if there is an excess or replenishing it if there is a deficiency.

Traditional Chinese medicine looks at health as a symbiosis of yin and yang in the body. Yin and yang, which are contrasting forces that work together, can be compared to dark and light, male and female, or high and low. Acupuncture therapy in the Western world then becomes a blending of the East and the West, yin and yang, thus making it an intriguing healing art. Upon its introduciton in the West, some people thought of it as a mere myth however, through the years, it has been well researched. In fact, acupuncture therapy has been efficient in the treatment of several health conditions in the Western world.

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Pain Treatment

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

There are a number of ways to treat acute pain and chronic pain. A physician may recommend lifestyle improvements such as exercise, quitting smoking, stress management, reduced intake of alcohol, weight loss or diet. Other categories of interventions in pain management:

* Medication. The many classes of drugs used to address pain include:

- Analgesics (painkillers), including non-narcotics such as acetaminophen and opioids such as morphine

- Anti-inflammatory drugs, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and COX-2 inhibitors) and corticosteroids

- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), to reduce joint damage caused by conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

- Antidepressants, sometimes prescribed for certain types of chronic pain

- Anesthetics and interventional injections, which includes nerve blocks, epidural steroid injections and facet joint injections

* Therapy. Several health professions offer interventions to help deal with pain, including:

- Physical therapy, to increase strength, range of motion, coordination and balance

- Occupational therapy, to maximize function in daily activities such as dressing and cooking

- Manipulation therapy (e.g., chiropractic, massage therapy), to improve bodily movements

- Cognitive behavioral therapy, to help patients replace negative thought patterns with positive ones

* Modalities (physical agents). Examples of modalities that can relieve pain and increase function include:

- Thermotherapy (heat), such as ultrasound therapy
- Cryotherapy (cold)
- Hydrotherapy (water)
- Electrical therapy, such as TENS

* Complementary and alternative methods. It is best to consult a physician before trying treatments such as:

- Acupuncture, a Chinese practice inserting needles into trigger points
- Acupressure, a needle-free variation on acupuncture
- Biofeedback, which trains the mind to control bodily functions
- Glucosamine and chondroitin, supplements that might help some cases of arthritic pain

* Surgery.
If noninvasive measures are inappropriate (such as with appendicitis) or do not succeed, an operation may be necessary. Types include:

- Arthroscopy, involving small incisions
- Arthroplasty, such as a joint replacement
- Carpal tunnel release
- Spine surgery, such as laminectomy, fusion, vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty

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