Acupuncture Holographic Mapping for Treating Body Pain

“Chinese medicine recognizes that the human body functions like a hologram because every microsystem found in different parts of the body contains the information needed to treat the whole body. In fact, studies… suggest that this information is stored in each and every part of the body.” – Steve Phillips, LAc

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Holographic Mapping in Auricular Acupuncture

Seeing and treating the body as a hologram is one of my favorite things about acupuncture. There are a number of well-known microsystems that allow acupuncturists to treat the whole of the body through holographic mapping at the face, ear, hands, etc. Of these, auricular acupuncture happens to be one of my favorite systems to use. Auricular acupuncture is the treating of the body through the holographic mapping on the ear. I love this system because there are so many maps for the body on the ear, with different ones not only coming from individual specialists within China, but also from France and Germany!

Acupuncture Holographic Mapping of the Hip

To see what I mean by “holographing mapping,” check out this excellent video put together by  Dean Mouscher, LAc. Here he shows how the hip maps to the face and the ear. I absolutely love the beauty of these body mirrors:

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[wproto_divider style=”gap”]What if you don’t like needles?

The best part to me about auricular acupuncture is you don’t need to use needles to stimulate these points. You can also use “ear seeds” (actual vaccaria seeds) or metal pellets held in place by a very small adhesive. The seed or pellet itself is about 2mm, and the adhesive not unlike a clear or colored bandaid (~4mm).

In the case of the seed, a person simply massages the point by pressing and rolling the seed against the acupoint. This gentle stimulation is enhanced when you move the affected body part at the same time. For the metals, the property of the metal itself is enough to stimulate the acupoint according to treatment principle. We often use gold for tonification, and silver for sedation. I’ve found just knowing which part of the ear matches what part of the body can be enough to help relieve a temporarily stiff neck or sore back. All it takes is a little ear massage with your own fingers!

Want to learn more? Come on in — I’d love to show you how using holographic mapping can help you!

Studies Show Electroacupuncture Stops Pain

MRI and biochemistry show electroacupuncture stops pain

In their latest Acupuncture News, Healthcare Medicine Institute (Health CMI) reports, “MRI and Biochemistry Confirm Acupuncture Stops Pain.” In the article, they cite a number of studies that examine the use of new imaging techniques that elucidate acupoints and electroacupuncture, the stimulation of those points with weak electrical current.

Cited in the article is a study just published in Anesthesiology – The Journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, in which researchers conclude:

“Electroacupuncture blocks pain by activating a variety of bioactive chemicals through peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms. These include opioids, which desensitize peripheral nociceptors and reduce proinflammatory cytokines peripherally and in the spinal cord, and serotonin and norepinephrine, which decrease spinal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit GluN1 phosphorylation.”

What is electroacupuncture?

While acupuncture, the needling of acupoints, has been around for thousands of years, electroacupuncture is a relatively new phenomenon; some folks date the treatment as early as the 1800s, while others place it as late as 1958. Today, we can send a weak current through two acupuncture points using a device and two alligator clip wires. Alternatively, we can use a device that will stimulate a point without the use of needles.

The treatment is comfortable and typically lasts a few minutes up to 45 minutes, depending on what’s being treated with which device. (Most folks report feeling a tingling sensation at the local site that can sometimes radiate down the channel.) Not only is electroacupuncture helpful for treating pain, but also for treating anxiety and depression.

‘Proof’ of Acupuncture Points

The imaging findings cited in the article are quite exciting as science has been struggling to confirm empirically what acupuncturists and their patients have known for millennia: acupuncture points are real. Now by way of CT scan, researchers have found higher densities of micro-vessels at acupoint locations. In their study published December 2013 in the Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena, they concluded, “there were large numbers of involutedly microvascular structure in the acupoint areas. Nevertheless, in non-acupoints area, the microvascular structure was relatively simple and flat.”

The adjacent image is from another imaging technology, an amperometric oxygen microsensor, that detects partial oxygen pressure variations at various locations. (I recommend reading Health CMI’s article in full to learn more.) Researchers found acupuncture points showed statistically-significant, relatively higher pO₂ levels as compared to other regions.

Feel you might be a good candidate for electroacupuncture treatment? Contact Melissa for an appointment today.

Meditation has ‘some benefit against anxiety, depression and pain’ (Systematic Review)

Medical News Today reports on JAMA’s systematic review of 47 randomized clinical trials involving 3515 participants, finding: Meditation has ‘some benefit against anxiety, depression and pain.’ Interestingly enough, they cite, “The positive response to depression was similar to that achieved by antidepressants, the researchers say, with the size of the effect through meditation being up to 52% greater compared with controls.”

There is a lot one could say on the subject of meditation; but I’ll start with simply saying there are a lot of varying approaches! Over the years in my own practice, I’ve encountered plenty of people (including myself) who thought meditation was the practice of emptying the mind. They would feel frustrated or defeated when a thought came up, their mind drifted, or they felt sleepy during the practice. However, in my opinion, this is not really the case.

If I could offer a suggestion, it would be not to see meditation as the practice of pushing away an experience, but to become aware of what is arising in your sense experience. This can be particularly important when working with depression, which may be arising due to suppressed grief, fear, anger or shame. Learning to stay with what’s happening can even help those during panic attacks, in understanding what’s occurring, listening to what’s needed, and acting accordingly.

Additionally, Chinese medicine has a number of great aids for treating anxiety, depression and pain–including acupuncture, estim, and Chinese herbal medicine (to read more on herbs and pain, see my earlier post: Chinese Poppy Plant, Corydalis, Works For Chronic Pain). Equally important is working with a good nutritionist and therapist you can trust and whose work you find helpful (there are so many different types!). Need guidance or care? Drop me an email!