by William Alexander | Nov 20, 2024 | Acupuncture for Women's Health, Acupuncture Nashville TN, Health & Wellness, Health Benefits of Acupuncture, Treatments
Bell’s Palsy is a condition characterized by sudden, temporary facial paralysis or weakness caused by inflammation or compression of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII). This condition can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life, affecting facial expressions, speech, and even eating or drinking. While conventional treatments like corticosteroids and antiviral medications can help, acupuncture is emerging as a powerful treatment for Bell’s Palsy patients.
Understanding Bell’s Palsy
The exact cause of Bell’s Palsy is not fully understood, but it is often linked to viral infections, such as herpes simplex, that lead to inflammation of the facial nerve. This inflammation disrupts the nerve’s ability to send signals, resulting in partial or complete paralysis on one side of the face. Symptoms can include drooping of the mouth, inability to close the eye, loss of taste on the affected side, and sometimes pain or discomfort around the jaw or behind the ear.
How Acupuncture Works
Acupuncture involves the insertion of thin, sterile needles into specific points on the body to stimulate the area. Acupuncture promotes circulation, reduces inflammation, and stimulates the nervous system, which can be especially beneficial for conditions like Bell’s Palsy.
Acupuncture’s Benefits for Bell’s Palsy
- Reduces Inflammation and Swelling
One of acupuncture’s key mechanisms is its ability to reduce inflammation. By targeting specific points, acupuncture stimulates the release of anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, helping to reduce pressure on the facial nerve and allowing it to heal more effectively. - Improves Nerve Function
Acupuncture can directly promote nerve regeneration and function. By stimulating facial acupuncture points, the treatment enhances blood flow and nutrient delivery to the affected area, supporting the healing of damaged nerves. - Relieves Muscle Stiffness and Weakness
Bell’s Palsy often leads to muscle stiffness or flaccidity. Acupuncture helps balance the muscle tone by promoting relaxation in overworked areas and stimulating weak muscles, restoring facial symmetry and improving mobility. - Alleviates Pain and Discomfort
Many individuals with Bell’s Palsy experience pain or discomfort around the affected area. Acupuncture has a natural analgesic effect, reducing pain by triggering the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. - Enhances Overall Well-Being
Dealing with Bell’s Palsy can be emotionally and mentally taxing. Acupuncture not only targets the physical symptoms but also promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and enhances overall well-being, supporting the healing process holistically.
Scientific Evidence Supporting Acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy
Numerous studies have highlighted acupuncture’s efficacy in treating Bell’s Palsy. A review published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine found that patients receiving acupuncture experienced faster recovery and improved facial nerve function compared to those receiving standard treatments alone. Another study in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine demonstrated that acupuncture combined with conventional therapy significantly increased the recovery rate for Bell’s Palsy patients.
What to Expect During Treatment
Acupuncture sessions for Bell’s Palsy are tailored to each individual’s specific needs. A practitioner will typically focus on acupuncture points on the face, neck, and body to target the facial nerve, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. Treatments are generally painless, with many patients finding the sessions relaxing.
Most patients begin to notice improvements after a few sessions, though the duration of treatment varies depending on the severity of the condition and how quickly the body responds to therapy.
Why Choose Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a safe, non-invasive, and drug-free approach to managing Bell’s Palsy. It works well alongside conventional treatments and can accelerate recovery while minimizing potential side effects associated with medications. Moreover, it addresses not just the symptoms but the underlying imbalances in the body, offering a holistic path to healing.
Conclusion
Bell’s Palsy can be a distressing condition, but acupuncture offers a highly effective and natural solution to support recovery. By reducing inflammation, improving nerve function, and restoring muscle balance, acupuncture helps patients regain facial mobility and confidence. If you’re facing the challenges of Bell’s Palsy, consider acupuncture as part of your treatment plan to enhance your healing journey and restore balance to your life.
For more information on how acupuncture can help with Bell’s Palsy, or to schedule a consultation, contact our clinic today 615-939-2787 or visit us at www.affinityacupuncture.com
by William Alexander | Feb 25, 2020 | Acupuncture for Skin and Vitality
There are many natural effects of aging. Our metabolisms begin to slow, our ability to recover isn’t as effective as it once was, and — possibly the most apparent — our skin begins to sag. But just because these wrinkles are a natural and inevitable fact of life, that doesn’t stop people from finding various methods of mitigating their effects.
The desire to avoid the appearance of wrinkles has resulted in a vast industry of creams, supplements, and surgeries. Botox is probably the most well-known of these methods. Botox is short for botulinum toxin and it has various positive effects. A smoothing of wrinkles on the face is the most sought-after outcome of using Botox.
However, many people are uncomfortable with the idea of injecting a toxin into their face. This has led them to search out more natural methods controlling the appearance of wrinkles. And this is where Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture comes in.
Let’s look into the specifics of Mei Zen and why so many people are seeking it out.
What Is Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture?
Mei Zen is a form of acupuncture that focuses on improving the appearance and vitality of the skin of the face. In fact, it is frequently referred to as the “acupuncture facelift” since it can have similar effects to more invasive surgeries.
Mei Zen translates to “beautiful person” in Chinese. This is a great name for the practice because that is the ultimate goal — to make the patient both look and feel beautiful.
Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that has been around for thousands of years. The practice has been used to treat a variety of ailments and problems.
How Does It Work?
As with other forms of acupuncture, Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture centers around the strategic placement of needles on various parts of the face and neck. These needles are used for various methods with the ultimate goal of stimulating proper health in the patient’s body.
A central idea is that our skin reflects our health. And if a person is more healthy on the inside, they will show it on the outside. This is why acupuncture seeks to address all forms of the patient’s health.
Wrinkles can be the result of a few different factors. Prolonged sun exposure can lead to wrinkles, for example. But stress, remaining tense, and a general reduction in naturally-occurring collagen are all tied to wrinkles as well.
Acupuncture is well-known for its ability to reduce stress. This reduction alone can help reduce the appearance of fine lines in our faces. Stimulation of collagen is a proposed theory as to why Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture works, although this hasn’t been scientifically proven.
What is the Process?
Affinity Acupuncture offers a complete Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture Package. It includes two treatments per week over the course of five weeks. This amount of time is necessary because that’s how long it takes to stimulate regrowth in the patient’s body.
The procedure removes dead skin cells and toxins from the body. It also aims to resolve underlying factors that contribute to the aging process, and increase the circulation of blood, oxygen, and nutrients.
The acupuncturist will begin by taking an inventory of the patient’s personal health and needs. Once the needs are assessed, specific points of contact will be decided, and the needles will be set.
Does It Really Work?
There are numerous positive reviews from happy customers after Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture that have reported a plethora of benefits:
Faded age spots
Smoother cheeks
Softer, more vibrant skin
Lifting of drooping eyelids
Even, consistent skin tone
Softening/leveling of deeper lines
Improvement in acne and rosacea
Reduction of “hard spots” on the face
A reduction (or even disappearance) of fine lines
Defined jawline, minimizing the beginning of jowls
Reversal of wrinkles on the decollete caused by sun damage
However, scientific studies have yet to definitively prove the efficacy of the practice. The studies that do exist are quite promising, but as stated in the Journal of Acupuncture Research, more studies are needed.
Where Can I Find Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture in the Nashville Area?
William Alexander at Affinity Acupuncture in Nashville, TN is the only Preferred Provider of the Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture protocol in the state. Affinity Acupuncture offers Mei Zen as well as traditional acupuncture along with other services to provide their patients with all the tools they need to look and feel their best.
Visit Affinity Acupuncture in Nashville to feel and look your best today!
by William Alexander | May 17, 2016 | Acupuncture Nashville TN
New CT scan technology reveals acupuncture points. Click the following to read the story: Acupuncture Point Discovery.
Researchers have discovered how to measure and validate the existence of acupuncture points and their meridians. MRI studies and oxygen sensor studies come from some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Today, I want to start with remarkable research from investigators at one of the most prestigious universities in Korea.
Sungkyunkwan University (Seoul) was founded in 1398. Yes, over 600 years ago! It was recently acquired by the Samsung Group in 1996, which has helped preserve its legacy of excellence with substantial financial support. The university is a leader in many fields including nanotechnology and natural sciences, features a dual degree program with Ohio State University and has a collaborative program with the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Sloan School of Management.
Two researchers from Sungkunkwan Univeristy worked with another researcher from the Department of Chemistry and Nano Science at Ewha Womans University on this ground breaking research. Notably, Ewha Womans University is considered one of the most prestigious schools in Korea and produced Korea’s first female doctor, lawyer, justice on the Constitutional Court and the first female prime minister of Korea.
Why all the fuss about researchers and the schools they hail from? In the many years I have worked in Chinese and Oriental Medicine, I have uniformly come across skepticism and resistance to valuable, peer reviewed research. I want to give a little background before going forward with something as important as this research. For some it seems, no research institute or study is sufficient so long as it says something positive about acupuncture and herbal medicine. Ethnocentrism abound, I wanted to stave off imperious pans decrying putative proofs and to assuage presumptive skepticism and concomitant guetapens. Perhaps establishing the authenticity and seriousness of the institutions from which the research emanates helps equanimity to mollify incredulity and for rapprochement to exist between the skeptic and modern scientists whose works demonstrate the existence of acupuncture points and their functions.
The research from Sungkyunkwan University and Ewha Woman University is entitled Heterogeneity of Skin Surface Oxygen Level of Wrist in Relation to Acupuncture Point.[1] The study used an amperometric oxygen microsensor to detect partial oxygen pressure variations at different locations on the anterior aspect of the left wrist. The researchers concluded that partial oxygen pressure is significantly higher at acupuncture points.
Below are two images from the study measuring the increase of partial oxygen pressure combined with an overlay of the local acupuncture point locations. The images are representative of typical readings found in the study and remarkably map the Lung Hand Taiyin, Pericardium Hand Jueyin and Heart Shaoyin channels and their associated local points. Depicted are P7 and P6 clearly showing high oxygen pressure levels. The same is true for LU9, LU8, HT7, HT6, HT5 and HT4. Note that non-acupuncture point regions do not show higher oxygen pressure levels. These measurements are not needled points but are natural resting states of acupuncture points absent stimulation. This biomedical research gives us insight into the structural makeup of acupuncture points. This type of basic research is not isolated and numerous studies from multitudes of the top research centers and universities demonstrate specific properties and physiological actions of acupuncture points.
Wrist acupuncture points including the Peridcardium channel and Lung channel. (Seen Above)
The nexus of most research on the physical existence of acupuncture points and acupuncture meridians is hemodynamic, MRI, oxygen pressure, histological, physiological, clinical and electroconductivity research. Researchers at the University of California School of Medicine (Irvine, California) noted, “Recent evidence shows that stimulation of different points on the body causes distinct responses in hemodynamic, fMRI and central neural electrophysiological responses.” The investigators reviewed MRI results and noted that “stimulation of different sets of acupoints leads to disease-specific neuronal responses, even when acupoints are located within the same spinal segment.” This summarizes research in the vanguard of technical documentation on acupuncture.[2][3]
University of California researchers Choi, Jiang and Longhurst note of acupuncture, “hemodynamic, functional magnetic resonance imaging and neurophysiological studies evaluating the responses to stimulation of multiple points on the body surface have shown that point-specific actions are present.”[4] Naturally, they are running into the difficulty of AhShi points and their specific actions. Perhaps they will discover new effective actions for AhShi points as a result of basic research. Other research shows point specificity in brain physiology and reflects the overall direction of scientific investigation in the field of acupuncture.
The Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging featured research on the neurophysiological effects of acupuncture points using MRI imaging noting that acupoint GB40 stimulation enhanced “connectivity between the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and anterior insula.” The investigators concluded, “The current study demonstrates that acupuncture at different acupoints could exert different modulatory effects on RSNs. Our findings may help to understand the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture specificity.”[5] Here, the researchers have validated acupuncture point specificity and suggest a possible physiological model of understanding acupuncture points.
HRV (Heart Rate Variability) is a measure of cardiovascular health. One study notes that, “HRV changes significantly during auricular acupuncture….” This research also notes that, “HRV total increases during auricular acupuncture….”[6] Another related study from the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience notes that acupuncture “causes the modulation of cardiac autonomic function.” These are but two examples of investigations citing specific medicinal actions of specific acupuncture points and is in no way exhaustive of the vast body of research demonstrating acupuncture point specificity for the treatment of hypertension, atrial fibrillation and other cardiovascular disorders.[7] Investigators from the University of California (Los Angeles and Irvine) “have shown that electroacupuncture stimulation activates neurons” in specific brain regions thereby reducing hypertension.[8]
Dr. Berman, M.D. served as a lead researcher in a University of Maryland School of Medicine investigation published in the prestigious Annals of Internal Medicine. The research concludes that, “Acupuncture seems to provide improvement in function and pain relief as an adjunctive therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee when compared with credible sham acupuncture and education control groups.”[9] What is interesting in this clinical trial is that it was an early study showing that sham acupuncture was not as effective as verum acupuncture. The study sought to isolate and address the placebo effect and found that it is not responsible for the medical benefits associated with acupuncture therapy. There are many papers showing the specific medical benefits of acupuncture on internal organs, tissues and towards the resolution of specific ailments. I thought I would highlight this investigation given its historical value.
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity initially did not catch on and was ridiculed before acceptance. The same is true for much of medicine both old and new. People’s presuppositions often circumvent equanimity and receptiveness to new insights. Backing up a bit, one might have thought that a basic neurologic test for the Babinski Sign was pure fiction. It may have seemed logical and self-evident that rubbing someone’s foot and looking for dorsiflexion of the great toe and fanning of the other toes could not possibly indicate brain or spinal cord damage. Yet, the great French neurologist of Polish origin, Babinski, discovered that this plantar reflex identifies central nervous system damage, which is now an accepted medical reality by medical doctors and is an effective diagnostic tool for central nervous system damage.
Acupuncturists and herbalists have faced acrimonious traducements and caluminiations towards substantiated supportive research. Often there is a predilection towards rejecting the efficacy of Chinese and Oriental Medicine that trumps the realities of hard evidence and smacks of ethnocentrism. The Flat Earth Society felt the same way about the infidels suggesting that the earth is round. Galileo had his fair share of troubles too. It cannot be underestimated how high the stakes really are for patient care and beneficial patient outcomes. At risk is non-integration of cost-effective medicine that roots out the source of suffering by healing illness. A time honored traditional clinical medicine history combined with supportive modern research data suggests that acupuncture is an effective modality of therapeutic care. Acupuncture seems impossible? Recall the words of Mark Twain, “Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.”
It may appear to some that it is self-evident and logical that acupuncture points exist only as part of some sort of chimerical hermeneutic system. However, extensive research has already been conducted at major universities worldwide demonstrating not only that acupuncture points and meridians exist but also how they physiologically function. There is a resistance to an enormous body of research. Cloaked in veil of mature skepticism and realism, naysayers grasp at piecemeal attack pieces to fight off what has already been measured, documented and peer reviewed both in individual studies and large scale meta-analyses. I suggest an era of open-mindedness towards the modern research documenting the efficacy of Chinese and Oriental medicine, acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Footnotes:
[1] Minyoung Hong, Sarah S. Park, Yejin Ha, et al., “Heterogeneity of Skin Surface Oxygen Level of Wrist in Relation to Acupuncture Point,” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2012, Article ID 106762, 7 pages, 2012. doi:10.1155/2012/10a6762.
[2] Point specificity in acupuncture. Chin Med. 2012 Feb 28;7:4. doi: 10.1186/1749-8546-7-4. Choi EM, Jiang F, Longhurst JC.
[3] Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine CA 92697-4075, USA.
[4] Point specificity in acupuncture. Chin Med. 2012 Feb 28;7:4. doi: 10.1186/1749-8546-7-4. Choi EM, Jiang F, Longhurst JC.
[5] Zhong, C., Bai, L., Dai, R., Xue, T., Wang, H., Feng, Y., Liu, Z., You, Y., Chen, S. and Tian, J. (2011), Modulatory effects of acupuncture on resting-state networks: A functional MRI study combining independent component analysis and multivariate granger causality analysis. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
[6] Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 817378, 7 pages. doi:10.1155/2012/817378. Sino-European Transcontinental Basic and Clinical High-Tech Acupuncture Studies—Part 1: Auricular Acupuncture Increases Heart Rate Variability in Anesthetized Rats. Xin-Yan Gao, Kun Liu, Bing Zhu and Gerhard Litscher.
[7] Kurono Y, Minagawa M, Ishigami T, Yamada A, Kakamu T, Hayano J. Auton Neurosci. Acupuncture to Danzhong but not to Zhongting increases the cardiac vagal component of heart rate variability. 2011 Apr 26;161(1-2):116-20. Epub 2011 Jan 7.
[8] Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 878673, 9 pages. doi:10.1155/2012/878673. Neuroendocrine Mechanisms of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Hypertension. Wei Zhou and John C. Longhurst. Department of Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA.
[9] Ann Intern Med, Berman, Lixing, Lagenberg, Lee, Gilpin, Hochberg. 2004; 141:901-910.
by William Alexander | Jan 22, 2015 | Uncategorized
During our first three years, we have truly enjoyed working with so many in the Nashville area to achieve their health care goals. Every time a client leaves with less pain, or experiences better sleep or digestion, we remember exactly why we opened Affinity Acupuncture in the first place. We are thrilled with the great results that so many of you are getting with facial rejuvenation acupuncture, and look forward to celebrating with many more of you after successful fertility treatments. Your referrals and reviews honor us, and we look forward to many years to come.
For those of you curious about trying acupuncture or dry needling for the first time, we are offering a limited time Anniversary Special for new clients – just $49 for your first visit. We hope to help you reach the same success that so many others have found. Call us at 615-939-2787 with any questions that you have about acupuncture, and to schedule your first appointment. Be sure to mention this promotion when you do. We look forward to seeing you soon.
