Thursday, May 19, 2011

Microcurrent Facial Rejuvenation, Chico CA

Microcurrent Facial Rejuvenation Therapy

at Traditional Acupuncture Health Center

We’d like to extend an invitation to try our Microcurrent Facial Rejuvenation Treatments now being offered. This is a completely painless, needle-less treatment using gentle electrical stimulation and color-light therapy to enhance the circulation, rejuvenation, and health of the facial region. Rather than inserting needles like other types of acupuncture facial rejuvenation, this method has no risk of leaving bruises or causing any pain.

How Microcurrent works

Microcurrents work directly on the nerves, muscle fibers, and blood circulation, and promote collagen and elastin production. Color light works by enhancing subtle regulatory and cellular communication systems throughout the body. This combination therapy can provide a superior, longer lasting facial than other available systems, helping to naturally tighten and tone the skin of the face, as well as to enhance nourishment to the area by activating the facial meridians. This works to reduce wrinkles, sags, crows-feet, etc., and to increase the general vibrancy and glow of one’s face. This treatment has the additional benefits of helping to increase mental sharpness and clarity as well as raising one’s mood and state-of-mind. Because of this, it is also very effective in the treatment of depression and other mood imbalances. Patients often describe feeling extremely relaxed and clear-headed, yet wide-awake and grounded at the same time following a treatment.

reasonable rates; FACIAL REJUVENATION PACKAGES AVAILABLE

We are offering these treatments for a much greater value than many other clinics, as we’d like to make them accessible to as many people as possible. A visit lasts approximately 30 minutes, and we recommend applying a mudd masque either before or after the treatment (sometime during the day of the treatment is best).

Because these treatments reach their full effectiveness when applied in a series of 10 to preferably 20 visits, our Microcurrent Therapy packages yield the best value and results. Please get in touch with us for our rates. Often the best approach is to book a single visit to experience the effects of Microcurrent Therapy and assess the results for yourself -- please let us know if you have any questions about our Facial Rejuvenation treatments or to schedule your first visit with us!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Relieve Dysmenorrhea Pain with Acupuncture

A study in the journal Evidence-based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine demonstrated a significant beneficial effect when acupuncture treatments were administered to patients who were suffering from dysmenorrhea resistant to conventional medical treatment. Dysmenorrhea manifests as painful menstrual cramps, and it can be either "primary" (without proven pelvic pathology/causation) or "secondary" (cramps in the presence of pelvic pathology). The dominant symptom of either classification of dysmenorrhea is pain, which is not alleviated by NSAID drugs in approximately 25% of cases.

Patients included in this study were suffering from dysmenorrhea of a moderate to severe nature for 1 year or longer and had not responded well to NSAID use. They had also refused oral contraceptive therapy, which is currently administered as a first line of treatment in dysmenorrhea cases. The participants were given 8 weekly acupuncture treatments over a period of 2 months, with needles inserted in applicable point locations for 30 minutes.

13 of the 15 participants in the study experienced substantial reduction of pain and of NSAID consumption following the acupuncture treatments. Greater pain reduction was observed in patients experiencing primary, rather than secondary dysmenorrhea. 7 of the 15 participants ceased NSAID use completely and remained asymptomatic when questioned 6 months after treatments ended.

Acupuncture has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a scientific therapeutic modality with an effective pain-relieving ability, and it has been recommended by the NIH for the treatment of several diseases, including dysmenorrhea. The beauty of acupuncture treatments is that they are virtually devoid of side effects, non-invasive and extremely safe. It is postulated that the insertion of acupuncture needles causes enhanced blood flow to the affected area.

Herbal medicine can also be used together with the above acupuncture protocol to enhance the effect. Although the proper Chinese Herbal Formula must be selected for each individual patient's exact signs and symptoms, one of the most commonly prescribed formulas for primary dysmenorrhea patients is known as gui zhi fu ling wan. This combination of 5 Chinese herbs includes cinnamon twig (Cinnamomi Ramulus), hoelen (Poria), peony root (Paeoniae Radix), moutan root bark (Moutan Cortex), and peach kernel (Persicae Semen). These herbs are considered in the Traditional Chinese Medicine theory to have a strong invigorating or circulating quality of the blood, and they serve the role of alleviating pain by eliminating blockages or stagnations in the body. This same formula is also appropriate in certain cases of uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.

The study mentioned above concludes that acupuncture treatment may be indicated to treat dysmenorrhea related pain, especially for patients in whom oral contraceptives or NSAID are refused or contraindicated. This agrees with clinical results that many acupuncture clinics have been reporting. However, it should be noted that this particular study had a relatively small group of participants, and it did not employ a randomized, double-blind format. It will be useful to seek further scientific validation of the effect of acupuncture in dysmenorrhea treatment.

Sources for this article:

http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/...

Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, 3rd edition, by Dan Bensky, et al.

Handbook of Oriental Medicine, 3rd edition, by Hyunbae Kim.


Adrian Baume practices Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and Microcurrent Therapy with his father Richard Baume, L.Ac., at Traditional Acupuncture Health Center (http://www.acupuncturechico.com) in Chico, California, and treats a wide range of conditions, from pain management, sports injuries, and rehabilitation, to insomnia, digestive problems, and health maintenance. He is also a practitioner of Tai Chi and Nutritional Medicine.