Worldwide research studies conclude that the positive health benefits of Acupuncture are both curative and preventive. The renowned United Nation's based World Health Organization (WHO) lists more than 40 conditions for which acupuncture is a useful and valuable treatment, including nourishing and strengthening the immune system for immune-compromised patients such as those with HIV/AIDS.
With ever-increasing conflicts in the world, there are so many victims of war and refugees who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. Scientific Research shows that Acupuncture can help greatly in these areas.
In accordance to the needs of developing nations, conditions appropriate for Acupuncture Therapy are as follows:
* Digestive: Abdominal pain, Constipation, Diarrhea, Hyperacidity, Indigestion
* Emotional: Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Stress reduction, and Neurosis and PTSD
* Eye-Ear-Nose-Throat: Cataracts, Gingivitis, Poor vision, Tinnitus, Toothache
* Gynecological: Infertility, Menopausal symptoms, Premenstrual syndrome
* Addiction Control
* Circulatory: Blood pressure regulation, Chronic Fatigue, Immune system support, Diabetes
* Musculoskeletal: Arthritis, Back pain, Muscle cramping, Muscle pain/weakness, Neck pain, Sciatica
* Neurological: Headaches, Migraines, Neurogenic Bladder dysfunction, Parkinson's disease, Postoperative pain, Stroke
* Respiratory: Asthma, Bronchitis, Common cold, and Sinusitis, Smoking cessation, Tonsillitis
Source: World Health Organization, United Nations
Health care practitioners (doctors, nurses, medical assistants) trained in acupuncture are much more self-reliant having a "new" set of tools to use in conjunction with allopathic medicine. A series of acupuncture protocols exist that can be initiated in emergency situations where conventional life-saving equipment may not be available will also be taught.
Acupuncture affords significant savings in medicines, which in these developing nations are often expensive and not readily available. Also the preventive qualities of Acupuncture treatments permits significant savings in drugs and medical procedures.
Humanitarian assistance through acupuncture is also inexpensive, since the total cost, paid by Acupuncture Ambassadors, is essentially limited to the following:
* air and ground transportation costs, food and lodging expenses for the volunteer practitioners/diplomats
* teaching supply costs
* costs for acupuncture supplies.
The teaching of Acupuncture to the blind.
Blind acupuncture is a nationally recognized practice that has openly existed in Japan since the early Edo Period (1603-1867). Currently, 30 percent of the roughly 90,000 licensed acupuncturists in Japan are blind. These visually challenged are found nationwide mixed among the sighted at clinics and hospitals, carrying out private practices, and passing on their skills to others like themselves in special schools for the blind. They hold the same licenses, earn the same wages, and charge the same fees. They even have Zenshinshikai, a national association for blind acupuncturists, to set future agendas and provide a buffer against possible discrimination.
The opportunity to learn viable medical skills, gain a meaningful vocation and a means to financial freedom for the sight impaired in developing countries is great.
A worldwide language of medicine and community.
The teaching of acupuncture and the theories of Traditional Asian Medicine also create and foster a common language, a global language, in which all acupuncture practitioners and patients worldwide can communicate, thus solidifying international relationships and cross-cultural bonds betweens citizens of countries of the world. This promotes a healthier, more productive, cohesive, and inter-connected world, united by the common language of Acupuncture and Traditional Asian Medicine.
Showing posts with label BACK PAIN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BACK PAIN. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
BACK PAIN
The patient with this problem comes in with severely acute pain in the mid-back area and very often the pain is so severe that it radiates out to the front, to the sternum, to the breast bone area. It can pierce through like a knife going through from the back to the front and it can be extremely distressing and alarming. The pain is so severe that the patient feels like something is horribly wrong and indeed, this patient is in so much pain that this is not a good situation. Thankfully there are ordinarily solutions for this problem and when we are able to determine that the cause is anterior or Thoracic vertebrae, we are able to offer great hope for relief. This is a condition where there has been a “buckling” of the mid-back, or the mid-thoracic spine, where the vertebra and ribs have buckled forward, the vertebra especially. The ribs are often “left behind” and “separate” from their usual abutment or smooth connection to the vertebrae.
This condition commonly affects people who work with arms overhead, such as a hairstylist, mechanics, certain housekeeping chores may bring this on, typists, therapists, construction workers. I have probably seen it most often and most severe amongst weight lifters who are doing bench pressing. When they are pressing heavy weight with their arms and shoulders, the spine buckles behind them, buckling the mid-back area forward. This buckling the spine causes the vertebrae to displace and when they do, they lose their juxtaposition, or natural positional relationship with the ribs that should be smoothly attached to the sides of the vertebra. These ribs that are attached to the vertebra are highly innervated because the rib cage protects our vital organs. By the primitive wisdom of the body, we have “alarm systems” that go off when something affects that area and so these rib heads, where they attach to the vertebra in the mid back, are very sensitive, and when they are displaced or pushed out of place, they will give off a tremendous amount of pain. The good note about this is that although the pain is quite debilitating and alarming, when properly treated, there is usually predictable relief by an effective chiropractic approach releasing that vertebra in just the right direction. This can be done in a pain-free manner greatly relieving the condition when performed by a chiropractor skilled in the appropriate method.
I would like to talk a little bit about some of the complications on these cases. Often mechanical issues will bring them on. Of course, it can come about suddenly from the impact of a rear-end car accident or some other trauma like that. It could be brought on by an assault, or a wrestling match, or when somebody has buckled back in surfing or in ways where somebody is thrown backwards and buckles their spine back, and may cause this problem to erupt. Sometimes these are known as “hyperextension injuries” to the thoracic spine.
There is a whole other area of concern sometimes in these cases. Actually the condition can be brought on and/or perpetuated by problems involving digestion, involving tension in and about the diaphragm, involving stress handling issues that settle in at the upper digestive region of the body and the diaphragm that anchors into and is innervated from the mid thoracic spine. In fact, it is considered quite classic for stomach problems, ulcers and other types of stomach distresses to be the direct cause of such flooding of nerve impulses into the mid-back area at specific vertebrae. Such as to “suck them forward” and pull them anterior or forward out of place, and this has to do with the abnormal nerve activity from the irritated stomach or upper digestive organs blasting through to the spine to relay up to the brain to tell the brain what is going on. In patients who have this type of tension or digestive distress, cramping of the diaphragm, tightening of the diaphragm, stress related or related digestive distress, reflux disorder that is uncontrolled – all of this can flood nerve impulses into that mid-back area. If these digestive conditions are not worked with and controlled, then the mid-thoracic area, which may well be greatly relieved by getting treatment, will constantly be recurring. So the need to do something effective about the causation of the problem cannot be underscored enough.
This condition commonly affects people who work with arms overhead, such as a hairstylist, mechanics, certain housekeeping chores may bring this on, typists, therapists, construction workers. I have probably seen it most often and most severe amongst weight lifters who are doing bench pressing. When they are pressing heavy weight with their arms and shoulders, the spine buckles behind them, buckling the mid-back area forward. This buckling the spine causes the vertebrae to displace and when they do, they lose their juxtaposition, or natural positional relationship with the ribs that should be smoothly attached to the sides of the vertebra. These ribs that are attached to the vertebra are highly innervated because the rib cage protects our vital organs. By the primitive wisdom of the body, we have “alarm systems” that go off when something affects that area and so these rib heads, where they attach to the vertebra in the mid back, are very sensitive, and when they are displaced or pushed out of place, they will give off a tremendous amount of pain. The good note about this is that although the pain is quite debilitating and alarming, when properly treated, there is usually predictable relief by an effective chiropractic approach releasing that vertebra in just the right direction. This can be done in a pain-free manner greatly relieving the condition when performed by a chiropractor skilled in the appropriate method.
I would like to talk a little bit about some of the complications on these cases. Often mechanical issues will bring them on. Of course, it can come about suddenly from the impact of a rear-end car accident or some other trauma like that. It could be brought on by an assault, or a wrestling match, or when somebody has buckled back in surfing or in ways where somebody is thrown backwards and buckles their spine back, and may cause this problem to erupt. Sometimes these are known as “hyperextension injuries” to the thoracic spine.
There is a whole other area of concern sometimes in these cases. Actually the condition can be brought on and/or perpetuated by problems involving digestion, involving tension in and about the diaphragm, involving stress handling issues that settle in at the upper digestive region of the body and the diaphragm that anchors into and is innervated from the mid thoracic spine. In fact, it is considered quite classic for stomach problems, ulcers and other types of stomach distresses to be the direct cause of such flooding of nerve impulses into the mid-back area at specific vertebrae. Such as to “suck them forward” and pull them anterior or forward out of place, and this has to do with the abnormal nerve activity from the irritated stomach or upper digestive organs blasting through to the spine to relay up to the brain to tell the brain what is going on. In patients who have this type of tension or digestive distress, cramping of the diaphragm, tightening of the diaphragm, stress related or related digestive distress, reflux disorder that is uncontrolled – all of this can flood nerve impulses into that mid-back area. If these digestive conditions are not worked with and controlled, then the mid-thoracic area, which may well be greatly relieved by getting treatment, will constantly be recurring. So the need to do something effective about the causation of the problem cannot be underscored enough.
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