Chinese Medicine and acupuncture is used to treat a wide variety of menstrual/hormonal, endocrine and fertility issues.  Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an increasingly common problem affecting approximately 1 in 15 women and can cause fertility problems, menstrual issues as well as complex health issues such as diabetes.

Acupuncture is regularly used for a variety of eye disorders including glaucoma, optic nerve atrophy, macular degeneration and other related issues.  A recent meta analysis (looking at a group of studies collectively) was conducted to help establish proper clinical guidelines for the use of acupuncture with optic nerve atrophy.  Researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology at the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army in Beijing recently analyzed

There are a few herbal formulas within Chinese Medicine that are worth their weight in gold.  Yin qiao and/or Gan Mao Ling for colds/flus, Bao Ji Wan for food poisioning/acute digestive disturbances, and Yunnan Baiyao for acute ble

Qigong exercise is widely used to aid a variety of health issues with physical, psychological and spiritual benefits.  While qigong is hard to generalize about, as there are thousands of different forms and variations of the exercises, it appears from research to hold some fairly clear benefits regardless of which form is practiced.  In our center we tend to practice Da Peng Gong and a form called the Tai Chi Dao Yin - both of which are relatively easy to learn and quite effective.

In our clinic, and in clinics around the world, patients often ask "How Does Acupuncture Work?".  The truth is we simply do not know, but most are very, very glad it does....  Saying we don't know exactly, however, is very different from saying we have no ideas or no signposts along the way to understanding all of the mechanisms.  There are often very reliable and observable changes to the stimulation of various acupuncture points.  The problem from a research perspective is there are often many physiological, chemical, horm

Acupuncture and associated techniques are regularly used for a broad range of pain, neurological and psychological conditions.  The broad systemic affects of acupuncture appear to make it a valid treatment for a wide range of complex systematic conditions such fibromyalgia and other related auto-immune/inflammatory based conditions. 

Chinese Medicine is often used to treat a wide range of pain and auto-immune related conditions including osteo (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  Within Chinese Medicine, Chinese herbal formulas can be used to aid patients with arthritis called (bi-syndromes) in Chinese Medicine.  In a recent study, researchers from the Shanghai Guanghua Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine conducted a study evaluating the effectiveness of a particular herbal formula on bone density in RA patients.

There are many treatment methods within Chinese Medicine and acupuncture theories and over time practitioners tend to gravitate towards certain methods more than others based on what they have seen effective for various conditions.  In the following study researchers from the acupuncture and moxibustion department within the Affiliated Hospital of Tongren Polytechnic in Tongren China compared conventional acupuncture treatment (i.e.

Ulcerative colitis is a condition involving chronic inflammation of the bowels leading to rectal bleeding along with pain and/or urgency among other symptoms.  It is thought to have at its basis an immune response possibly to a virus or bacterium that the body feels is not cleared or it may derive from an auto-immune response.  Patients may experience relapsing remitting varieties or more chronic conditions that plague them.

Plantar fasciitis is a commonly treated condition within Chinese Medicine clinics around the world.  This condition can plague runners, nurses, hair stylists and anyone else who is on their feet all day.  Traditional treatments involve pain management with medication, stretching exercises and possibly orthotics.  Even with standard treatments, however, the condition often comes and goes or doesn't resolve at all.  Acupuncture is shown time and time again to be a useful modality to both treat and more importantly resolve the underlying conditions leading to plantar fa

Some cognitive decline is expected with aging.  Mild cognitive impairment, however, is an early middle ground between the more serious dimension and those changes that are expected with aging.  Some of these changes may also be brought on by vascular changes such as head trauma or a stroke.  In western medicine the medication nimodipine is used to help patients recover from stroke and other vascular issues with the brain and has been researched and used as a way to slow cognitive decline.

Encephalomyelitis is a general term for a number of conditions arising from inflammation in the brain and/or spinal cord.  Most notably these are multiple sclerosis (MS - "encephalomyelitis disseminata), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS - myalgic encephalomyelitis), along with many others.  The more we learn about the role of inflammation generally in modern health issues the more researchers are looking for wa

Chinese Medicine which includes acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, among other techniques, has long been used alone and in conjunction with western medicines for the treatment of type II diabetes.  A variety of Chinese Herbal formulas can be helpful with diabetes given the appropriate underlying diagnosis (see What Does Acupuncture Treat?, to better understand

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Chinese Medicine is commonly used for a wide range of women's health issues including menstrual irregularities, fertility, hormonal imbalances and issues at menopause.  Researchers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong recently conducted a study evaluating a widely used Chinese Herbal Medicine for the alleviation of menopausal symptoms.

Acupuncture is used for a broad range of psychological conditions including anxiety, depression and insomnia.  All of these are commonly treated with acupuncture and/or Chinese Herbal Medicines within Chinese Medicine clinics worldwide.  Insomnia is a very common reason for visting an acupuncturist often to look for alternatives to western medications as sleep aids.  Researchers from Chiayi Branch of Taichung Veterans Hospital in Taiwan recently conducted a study comparing acupuncture to Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate) for

Acupuncture has long been used and studied clinically for stroke recovery.  Within the field there are many differing methods many of which are effective.  Researchers from Hunan University in Changsha China recently conducted a study comparing the effects of electroacupuncture (acupuncture with electrical stimulation) vs. standard acupuncture for stroke rehab.

Tai Chi has been shown in volumes of studies to be helpful for a broad range of conditions.  Studies have shown that Tai Chi contributes to very positive changes in the bodies balance, bone density, immunity and stress responses among others.  Researchers from Chungnam National University in South Korea recently conducted a study evaluating the effects of tai chi on glucose control and neuropathy in type 2 diabetes patients.

Moxibustion is an externally applied herbal technique commonly used within Chinese Medicine (see What Is Moxibustion? for more information).  Moxibustion has a wide range of uses and is often recommended by acupuncturists as a home/self treatment and used in many clinics during patient visits as well.  Recently researchers from the Acupuncture-Moxibustion department of the General Hospital of the Chinese PLA in Beijing conducted a study to evaluable the effectiveness of moxibustion for myofa

Tinnitus is a common complaint seen by Chinese Medicine practitioners, particularly as many western treatments have poor response rates.  There are cases where structural abnormalities exist and these are difficult to resolve with any method, however, many cases exist without a known etiology.  Within Chinese Medicine there are many patterns (see What Does Acupuncture Treat?) from which tinnitus can arise as a symptom and so

Many of my patients often ask me "how" acupuncture works.  I tell them we simply do not know but there are many deep physical, chemical and hormonal changes that are prompted by acupuncture that are very difficult to study in a linear fashion.  Another aspect of "how" acupuncture works is how did our anscestors find the points to begin with?  What was it that drew them to these very specific spots and how on earth did they know what to use them for.

A team of Japanese researchers recently conducted a study evaluating the beneficial effects of an herbal medicine formula with regards to aiding side effects from a western cancer medication.  Studies like this will likely be seen more and more and show an excellent collaborative stance between modern and traditional medicine.