by William Alexander | Aug 8, 2025 | About Acupuncture, Acupuncture Nashville TN, Health & Wellness, Health Benefits of Acupuncture
Acupuncture—a key component of traditional Chinese medicine—has garnered increasing attention within integrative healthcare due to its potential to modulate gastrointestinal (GI) function effectively.
How It Works: The Physiology Behind the Points
- Neurohumoral modulation: Through precise needle placement, acupuncture stimulates afferent sensory fibers in the skin and muscles. This triggers a cascade involving the autonomic nervous system (ANS), particularly the vagus nerve, enhancing parasympathetic tone. Increased vagal activity can promote gastric motility and adaptive enteric nervous system responses. Clinical analysis suggests improved secretion of digestive enzymes and normalization of peristalsis.
- Endorphin release and pain regulation: Acupuncture promotes the secretion of endogenous opioids—such as endorphins and enkephalins—in the central nervous system. These act to reduce visceral hypersensitivity, particularly of the stomach and intestines, helping alleviate functional disorders like irritable bowel syndrome.
- Anti-inflammatory effects: Needling may downregulate inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6), reducing mucosal inflammation in patients with gastritis or functional dyspepsia. This may both soothe GI discomfort and enhance nutrient absorption.
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis modulation: By regulating the stress response system, acupuncture can lower cortisol levels, reducing the GI tract’s stress-induced motility issues and hypersensitivity often seen in stress-related digestive conditions.
Why It Works: What Clinical Evidence Shows
A range of clinical trials and meta-analyses—published in respected journals like The American Journal of Gastroenterology and databases such as PubMed—have studied acupuncture’s role in treating digestive symptoms:
- In cases of functional dyspepsia, acupuncture has demonstrated improvements in upper abdominal discomfort, post-prandial fullness, and early satiety. The proposed mechanism is normalization of gastric accommodation via vagal activation and modulation of gastric myoelectric activity.
- For irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), randomized controlled trials reveal that acupuncture can reduce pain frequency and severity, regulate bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea predominant), and improve quality of life—attributed to both ANS balance and anti-inflammatory neuro-immune modulation.
- In postoperative ileus and gastroparesis, acupuncture has shown promise in accelerating bowel motility and reducing time to first flatus or bowel movement—likely via neuromodulatory effects on enteric reflex arcs.
Multiple reviews summarized by institutions like the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) conclude that acupuncture may offer symptomatic relief for certain GI conditions, especially when combined with lifestyle adjustments and consistent treatment schedules.
Consistency Is Key
Start with a structured course of treatment—often weekly sessions for several weeks—before spacing to maintenance intervals. Digestive regulation via acupuncture is cumulative: regular stimulation optimizes neural and hormonal milieu over time. Patience and consistency yield the best outcomes.
“Thank you for giving me my smile back,” shared one of our clients who struggled for years with chronic digestive discomfort before finding relief through acupuncture.
Ready to Begin Your Healing Journey?
If you’re ready to reclaim comfortable, balanced digestion:
Let us support you with compassionate, effective care. Together, with consistency and expert guidance, we’ll help restore your digestive well-being.
#AcupunctureForDigestion #DigestiveHealth #GutHealing #FunctionalMedicine #MindBodyWellness #AffinityAcupuncture #ConsistencyIsKey #ThankYouForGivingMeMySmileBack
by William Alexander | Jan 2, 2020 | Health & Wellness
Eating well is one of those elusive things that we know we should do, but don’t. Like flossing. But also like flossing, proper nutrition is incredibly important to our overall health. We should be placing a focus on proper diet, exercise, and yes also dental hygiene, but it can be tough. Life gets in the way. We don’t always feel we have the time. The benefits of taking care of ourselves in this way can get lost, but they do exist. And once you get into the habit of paying attention to these things, you’ll notice a difference.
Here are some of the ways you stand to benefit from proper nutrition.
Nutrition to Make You Feel Better
The first thing you’ll notice is the simple fact that you feel better. You’re body works overtime when it has to digest unhealthy food. The leads to feeling sluggish and tired. And when we’re tired, we tend to be more cranky. But proper nutrition ensures your meals act more as a fuel source than a drain. This is what our meals are supposed to be, but we’ve gotten away from that with the increased ease of finding meals that don’t benefit us nutritionally.
Affinity Acupuncture offers nutritional counseling that personalizes a plan just for you. Visit us today to learn more.
Nutrition for Stronger Immune System
Different foods affect our internal systems in different ways. Not paying attention to what we are putting into our bodies can lead to a weakened immune system. Nobody likes to get sick. So give yourself the best chance at staving off common colds and infections by keeping your immune system strong. Proper diet helps your body to run as smooth and efficiently as possible. You’ll thank yourself the next time you see your coworkers reaching for the kleenex while you feel great.
Nutrition for More Energy
As we said earlier, healthy food turns your meals into an energy source. Clean food means your body doesn’t have to waste its energy breaking down your meal and can instead mine it to give you the power to finish out your day strong. Have you ever noticed an afternoon slump in your energy? Perhaps you’ve wanted to take a nap behind your desk? This is most likely because your lunch is sitting too heavy in your stomach and is draining you of your energy. Paying attention to your meals can help avoid this.
Nutrition to Reduce Risk of Disease
Heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure—all of these things can be mitigated by a healthy diet. The foods we eat translate into what our body becomes. And if you give your body unhelpful things to work with, it will turn that food into undesirable results. Whether it’s making use of vitamin E to reduce the chance of blood clots, reducing sugar and salt to help with diabetes, or reducing cholesterol to help your heart stay healthy—our food can have a large impact on susceptibility to dangerous health conditions.
Nutrition to Lose Weight
The most noticeable result of a proper diet is lost weight. We carry around the excess of what our body doesn’t use from our food. And unhealthy food has a lot of this excess. Not only does losing weight make us look better, it makes us feel better and reduces our chances of future health problems. Obesity is a major health issue in the US. Along with exercise, a nutritional diet can stave off the negative effects of carrying around extra weight.
Nutrition for Stronger Microbiome
We each have a microbiome living in our stomachs. That’s right, living. This is a collection of various bacteria, microbes, and other microscopic single-celled organisms that have a drastic effect on our health. This microbiome helps with everything from mood, to memory, to how well our digestive system operates. The foods we eat either help or harm this complex and important system living inside us. Focusing on foods to help this system thrive can help our microbiome work in our favor at all times of the day.
How Do You Know You’re Doing It Right?
Eating healthy can be difficult. There are countless articles on the internet and many of them contradict each other. So who do you trust? The most simple answer is to trust yourself. Find foods that aren’t overly processed, contain a lot of vegetables and fruits, and make you feel better after you eat them.
But if you want to be absolutely sure that you are getting everything you need from your diet, consult a professional. Affinity Acupuncture in Nashville, TN offers nutritional counseling. Our experts offer nutrition education to their clients. But if you really want to dig in, you can sign up for the Affinity for Nutrition program.
This program involves a discussion of your personal habits and goals, leading to a personalized plan to help you reach them. With all the information out there, a direct conversation with a professional will give you the clearest path toward optimizing your meals.
Contact Affinity Acupuncture today for Nashville Acupuncture treatments and appointments!
by William Alexander | Aug 26, 2015 | Uncategorized
Gluten sensitivity/gluten intolerance (not to be confused with Celiac Disease) is an immensely popular buzz phrase right now. There is a great deal of controversy around whether or not it is a truly legitimate condition, and many speculate that going gluten free is a trend that will quickly pass for those who voluntarily chose it as a lifestyle. For people who are dealing with very real symptoms, it is a very real problem. In some instances, though, it is misdiagnosed either by the individual or a health care provider.
Gluten sensitivity has many of the same symptoms as a condition called Candida, or Candidiasis, which is caused by an overgrowth of a naturally occurring yeast (Candida albicans) in the body. Left untreated, Candida can lead to major health issues down the line.
I’m not saying this to start a panic, and I’m not trying to alarm anyone. The purpose of this article is to provide information. If you or someone you know is living with the symptoms below, we strongly encourage consultation with a health care professional for proper diagnosis and treatment. If you have Candidiasis, going gluten free may not be an effective enough solution.
Shared Symptoms
Gluten Sensitivity and Candidiasis share many of the same chronic symptoms, including:
Irritability
Mood swings
Depression/anxiety, especially after eating
Digestive distress (gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea)
Mental fogginess
ADD/ADHD behaviors
Fatigue
Headaches/migraines
Muscle/joint aches and pains
Candida can lead to the following if untreated:
Adult-onset allergies to foods and airborn irritants. Left unchecked, the number of allergies can continue to grow to the point that some individuals essentially become shut-ins.
Chronic yeast infections
Menstrual complications
Infertility
Impotence
UTIs
Thrush
Chronic infections (cold, flu, tonsillitis, bronchitis, ear ache) due to weakened immune system
Athlete’s foot
Psoriasis
Rough bumps on the sides of arms
Jock itch
These are only partial lists. One of the reasons that Candida is often misdiagnosed is because it has so many symptoms (and so many shared symptoms with gluten sensitivity), and individuals do not always present with the same cluster of issues. If not properly treated, Candidiasis can linger for life, especially in individuals who frequently consume eggs, meats, and milk treated with antibiotics, or women on oral contraceptives.
Causes of Candida
Candida albicans is a naturally occurring yeast in our bodies. Diets heavy in refined flours and sugars trigger yeast growth and its related symptoms, which is one of the reasons that Candida is often misdiagnosed as gluten sensitivity. Corticosteriods, chemotherapy drugs, and prolonged or frequent broad spectrum antibiotic use kill the bacteria that keep candida albicans in check, allowing for the yeast to flourish. Additionally, individuals with long-term illnesses, excessive amounts of stress, and those who smoke, drink, or have inadequate exercise and diet programs, are vulnerable to Candida outbreaks.
Treatment of Candidiasis
Anti-yeast treatments and a modified diet help reduce the proliferation of Candida albicans in the body. Once the yeast levels are regulated, it is necessary to repair the damage done. Adding nutritional supplements, and acupuncture and/or naturopathy are also effective in treatment.
Candidiasis in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, defines 6 Yang organs in the body. When one of the Yang organs is over or under-stimulated, it affects balance with Yin, and overall health. The Triple Burner is one of the Yang organs. The Upper Burner is the heart and lungs; Middle Burner regulates spleen and stomach; Lower Burner comprises the liver, intestines, bladder, and kidney. The spleen processes the foods we ingest into Chi and Blood, which nourish everything in the body. When Candidiasis affects the Spleen, it can spread and create Damp Heat in the Lower Burner and Heat and Fire in the Upper Burner, leading to a variety of the symptoms listed above.
Acupuncture needles placed along the body’s meridians regulate the Spleen, which can help clear waste, toxins, and phlegm from the body. Once the body is cleansed, it must be tonified to repair damage and restore balance.
While acupuncture and other forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine are highly effective in treating Candida, it requires more than one session. It took time for the body to get broken to the point people experience symptoms, and it takes time for the body to heal to the point symptoms are relieved.
The Candida Diet
Foods to Avoid
Highly processed and refined foods
Foods high in sugar (including honey, agave, syrup, and molasses
Alcohol
Fruit
Starchy vegetables
Mushrooms
Aged cheeses, especially blue cheese
Peanuts
Cashews
Sweetened beverages – coffee, tea, energy drinks, fruit juice
Processed meats – bacon, packaged deli meat, sausages
Condiments/Dressings/Sauces – ketchup, tomato sauce, pickles containing sugar; vinegar based salad dressings (unless apple cider vinegar)
Friendly Foods
Free-range chicken and eggs
Grass-fed beef
Nuts and seeds
Yogurt and kefir
Fermented foods (kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut)
Daikon radish
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocado
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Unsweetened coffee and tea (caffeine aggravates Candidiasis in some individuals)
Leafy greens – collards, mustard, spinach, kale, endive, Swiss chard
Full-fat dairy
Eggplant
Fish – mackerel, shellfish, sardines, halibut, wild Alaskan salmon
Garlic
Non-glutinous grains such as buckwheat, millet, amaranth, and quinoa
Green beans
Leeks
Okra
Butter and oils – olive, coconut, sesame, flax, sunflower
Onions
Peppers
Radish, especially Daikon
Snow peas
Tomatoes
Turnips (makes a great mash in lieu of potatoes; so does cauliflower)
Zucchini
Self-diagnosis is often mis-diagnosis. You may have noticed that your body responds negatively to certain foods, and positively when you limit those foods from your diet. That’s a great first step. The next step is to carefully examine how effective dietary restrictions have been. Did they reduce or eliminate all of your symptoms? Do you have new symptoms that didn’t appear before? Be mindful of your body, and thoughtful in how you treat it. Consult a health care provider if you suspect that you may be living with Candidiasis, or if eliminating gluten from your diet has not alleviated the symptoms often ascribed to gluten sensitivity.
Contact Affinity Acupuncture for Nashville Acupuncture treatments and techniques.
by William Alexander | Apr 22, 2015 | Uncategorized
“I’ve tried everything, and nothing works. Can acupuncture help me? I want to avoid surgery, and don’t want to spend the rest of my life on medication.” We get that phone call several times a week from individuals with a wide variety of conditions. One of the most frequent conditions prompting the call is Peripheral Neuropathy. Recently, I received a call from a client we had been treating for PN, and he said “I had no pain today. I consider that a big win.”
PN is a condition caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system, affecting the pathways from the spinal column into the rest of the body. It usually begins in the feet or hands and can travel up the arms and legs into other areas. Most of the symptoms associated with Peripheral Neuropathy include tingling, pain, or numbness, and they are generally worse at night. In some cases, PN can lead to muscle wasting, paralysis, and even organ/gland dysfunction.
There are several causes of Peripheral Neuropathy, including other diseases (diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, heavy metal poisoning; as a side effect of some prescription drug use; as the result of trauma or injury; and idiopathic (no exact cause can be pin pointed).
The good news is, acupuncture can often help with PN. Few, if any, treatments are silver bullets when it comes to chronic conditions. Many clients experience at least some relief with their first visit, but there is a cumulative effect to treatments. Affinity Acupuncture offers an exclusive Monthly Membership program as well as packages for individuals needing multiple treatments.
There are also things individuals can do at home to increase the success of their acupuncture treatments in treating Peripheral Neuropathy. These include:
Maintaining a healthy weight
Avoiding exposure to toxins
Specific exercises recommended by a health care professional
Keeping a healthy diet
Correcting vitamin deficiencies
Limiting/avoiding alcohol intake
Yoga and meditation to control external factors that trigger pain
Affinity Acupuncture offers nutritional counseling as well as high-quality herbal and vitamin supplements to further support PN care. To learn more about how we can help you or someone you love, call us at 615-939-2787.
by William Alexander | Feb 12, 2015 | Uncategorized
We are constantly inundated with the latest, greatest “solutions” for what to eat and what to omit from our diets for wellness and weight loss. Try this and you’ll lose 20 lbs. in a month, or try that and take inches off of your waistline in no time. What we don’t hear is that almost 100 million Americans are on a diet at any given time, and the weight loss industry makes $20 billion dollars a year. That’s not a typo – $20,000,000,000.
One of the latest trends that has people buzzing is detoxing, which comes in many forms – elimination diets, juicing, special shakes, and so on. Do they work? For some people, yes – to a certain degree. Cutting out certain foods for a few weeks may remove your brain’s “dependence” on them. Certain foods trigger happy chemicals in our brain, leading to cravings. And you may lose several pounds during the diet, but you’re likely to put the weight back on once you return to your old eating habits.
For others, the effects can be harmful. They become extremely fatigued, which can exacerbate existing medical conditions. Or, they end up craving certain foods so much that they jump off the wagon and binge.
As far as actually detoxing the body goes, your body is pretty good at detoxing itself. The liver, kidneys, and other organs flush toxins from our systems. And detox diets don’t actually flush fat from the body.
That being said, doing a detox for a few weeks once or even twice a year is probably ok (so is consulting with your doctor), but keep your expectations realistic.
When it comes to your health, there are no silver bullets.
It takes time to gain weight. It takes time to lose weight. Most chronic conditions take a lot of time to develop, and a lot of time to recover from (if full recovery is even an option).
If you want permanent results, you need to make permanent changes – and you probably already know what they are.
1) Eliminate, or at least reduce, sugar and artificial sweetener from your diet. Sugar leads to inflammation, which leads to a laundry list of physical problems. Many sugar substitutes, especially artificial ones, are also problematic. Do you really need two spoons of sugar or caramel syrup in your morning coffee?
2) Stand up for what you believe in – your health. Sedentary lifestyles lead to long-term health problems, and some of them are permanent. Standing desks are actually a trend that have legitimate health benefits.
3) Shop and eat seasonally and locally. When you can, buy organic produce and free-range protein. Better still, start a vegetable garden in your own yard – gardening is some of the best exercise out there.
4) Be present in the moment. Adopt a few quick mantras that you can incorporate into your day. Practice deep breathing. Thousands of cultures have practiced these traditions for millions of years for a reason.
5) Spend quality time with people. Humans are social creatures. There are health benefits to live, in-person social time. Smiles, laughter, and hugs actually have positive physical effects on the body.
6) Cut the crap. Fast-food chains like McDonald’s are losing money because people are opting for healthier alternatives. There are better convenience foods available, but those can have long term effects on the body, as well.
7) Invest in yourself. If you can afford a daily cup of coffee from a popular chain or weekly take out, you can afford a gym membership, monthly massage, or acupuncture session. They might not be daily indulgences, but they have long-term benefits for your body. If you want more energy, better circulation, restful sleep, and dozens of other benefits, those things come from exercise and Complimentary Alternative Medicine. (Acupuncture can also help jump start stagnated metabolism.)
8) Limit alcohol. There are health benefits to having a glass of wine or a beer as often as daily, but mixed drinks are empty calories, and mixing alcohol with energy drinks confuses the body.
9) Reduce or eliminate packaged, refined foods and food products. Need to make meal prep easier? Take an hour over the weekend to cut up all of your vegetables for the week. It reduces cooking time dramatically. Crock pots are your friend.
10) Sleep. You can do everything else under the sun, but if you don’t give your body the rest it needs, you won’t get the best results from your body.
Yes, it takes time to prepare food. Yes, it takes time to get prolonged results from exercise, massage therapy, and acupuncture. But you get lasting results. You get more energy to do the things that require your attention on a daily basis. Ideally, you get to keep more money in your pocket in the short and long run because you’ve taken the steps to prevent chronic conditions.
Take care of yourself. You deserve it.
