Early in my career as an acupuncturist, my clients introduced me to the nuances of Temporomandibular Dysfunction or Disorder. TMD is a general diagnosis that represents a group of often painful and/or dysfunctional conditions involving the muscles of chewing and/or the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) located just under the ear. This is a special and complex joint, since it can act as a lever, it can shift side to side, and…
Read more »
Acupuncture Relieves Common Side effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy: Cancer therapies, although lifesaving, can be so hard on the body. So, if you could safely take the edge off some of the uncomfortable side effects, wouldn’t you want to? Many patients find that acupuncture can relieve a lot of the common side effects of cancer therapies such as pain, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, anxiety, and loss of appetite. Research studies…
Read more »
There are so many pains and health issues that bring people to our clinic. But over the years it is obvious to me that the motivation and expectations behind why people seek out acupuncture can be narrowed down to only 3 reasons. Whether its back pain or stress-induced insomnia, people come to us with certain assumptions of what acupuncture can do. Our job is to do our best in helping…
Read more »
Whether you are a student trying to maximize your cognitive function while learning at university or a middle-aged person noticing how your memory isn’t as good as it used to be, this research on acupuncture and dementia may apply to you too! Dementia is not a necessary consequence of aging alone. A report released this month by the Alzheimer Society of Canada highlights that one of the greatest health…
Read more »
Our Edmonton clinic uses acupuncture with an integrated approach to treat low back pain that creates lasting improvement and not just short-term relief. Here’s why: The way we do acupuncture focuses first on resetting and improving the function of the core muscles and sinews. During the first treatment, our main work is to reduce the sensitivity to pain. This creates the opportunity for the back to start healing in the…
Read more »
Acupuncture works to relieve symptoms of menopause Two recent research trials highlighted below have shown that acupuncture works for menopause. It can produce fast and clinically relevant and sustained reduction of hotflashes and night sweats. A series of treatments over a few months can result in effects lasting several more months. Menopause symptoms Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common and troublesome symptoms associated with menopause. A hot flash…
Read more »
Acupuncture works for headaches and migraines Acupuncture for headaches and migraines has gained significant credibility in modern times. Many Edmontonians come to us seeking relief for headache or migraine because their medications are no longer working well or are giving them unacceptable side effects. A previous blog I wrote talks about a very rigorous scientific examination of clinical research. In a 2016 Cochrane Review the authors summarized twenty-two clinical acupuncture trials…
Read more »
Recent research shows that acupuncture therapy can be recommended as a safe and effective therapy for the management of fibromyalgia; and is better for pain relief than medications
We use acupuncture to strategically your back pain in 3 steps: 1. first, we use acupuncture to relieve back pain by relaxing the painful/tight muscles (the main reason most come to see us!). 2. Second, we use acupuncture to activate the unresponsive, “sleepy” muscles not being engaged as you sit all day. For many you walk out of our clinic with a more responsive back, “reset” and “balanced” for functional…
Read more »
by Gord Grant PhD, RAc In traditional practices, acupuncture has been used to effectively treat anxiety problems, with or without depression. Now, modern research has shown that acupuncture can be as clinically significant as psychological counselling in the treatment of depression. Recent studies have linked psychological depression with activation of the amygdalae, an important little pair of almond-shaped structures located behind the eyes and about as far back as the…
Read more »
