Acupuncture another option when facing depression

Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120903/entlife/709039967
Last week, I had an interesting discussion with several friends. The topic was "depression.” The questions asked were do antidepressants really work, what are the alternatives to prescription medications and do they work as well as medications. Depression has become so widespread that antidepressants are now the most commonly prescribed class of medication in the U.S. Over the past 20 years, the percent of Americans taking antidepressants doubled. Currently, 1 in 10 Americans is taking one or more antidepressants.
Depression is believed to be the result of chemical imbalances in the brain, especially low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Depression is commonly divided into three subdivisions: mild, moderate and severe. Recent published medical research has demonstrated that prescription antidepressants work best for those who have severe depression but for mild to moderate depression, antidepressants do not seem to be any more effective than a "sugar pill” or placebo. That does not mean that antidepressants are not effective, but it does suggest that there are many factors that contribute to depression, not just changes in brain neurotransmitters. For many, antidepressant medications may not be the best option.
A recent study in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry suggests that acupuncture, as a stand-alone therapy, may be quite effective for mild to moderate depression. This particular study was a compilation of several different studies looking at the effectiveness of acupuncture at relieving the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. These studies looked at many different kinds of acupuncture including traditional acupuncture with needles, electro-acupuncture as well as laser acupuncture.
It also included a wide segment of the population from very young to very old. Putting all these studies together they found that acupuncture is at least as effective as antidepressant medications and when used in conjunction with antidepressants, acupuncture may also reduce many of the medication side effects.
How acupuncture works is a topic of much conjecture. From a Western medicine perspective, acupuncture can increase the levels of a number of different neurotransmitters and, theoretically, changes in neurotransmitter levels influence the length and duration of a depressive episode.
According to traditional Chinese medicine however, depression may be the result of a "dysregulation” of the seven emotions — joy, anger, worry, contemplation, grief, fear and shock. If acupuncture is able to reestablish a balance among these emotions, the symptoms of depression are relieved. Either way, the current medical literature suggests that acupuncture is an effective therapy for mild to moderate depression.
Although the medical research is compelling, the weight of medical research on acupuncture and depression is not conclusive. However, medical research has also demonstrated that other simple approaches such as relaxing exercise, stress reduction, meditation and yoga can be beneficial in mild to moderate depression.
An ancient Chinese curse is "May you live in interesting times.” These certainly are interesting times and it is not surprising that mild to moderate depression is increasingly seen in many medical practices (including mine). It is good to have effective alternatives to more medication.

TREATING PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHIES WITH ACUPUNCTURE

Peripheral Neuropathies, also called Polyneuropathies include all disorders in which nerve structures outside the spinal cord are affected. With more than 100 types of Peripheral neuropathies in existence, each with its own characteristic set of  symptoms, pattern of development, and prognosis, the symptoms can vary as much as the cause.

In most cases, Peripheral neuropathy is secondary to other conditions such as, diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, alcoholism, nutritional deficiencies, AIDS, chemotherapy, and various drugs.

Other causes include compression or entrapment (carpal tunnel syndrome), direct physical injury to a nerve (trauma), fractures or dislocated bones, tumors, radiation and even exposure to cold.

For some people it is experienced as the uncomfortable sensation of “ pins and needles” or burning pain (especially at night) of their hands and/or feet, a loss of feeling, others may suffer more extreme symptoms such as muscle wasting, paralyses, or organ dysfunction.

Sensory symptoms:

Sensory symptoms arte the most common presentation of peripheral neuropathy and can be considered as positive ( tingling, burning and pain) or negative (loss of touch and temperature) in general feet and legs are involved before hands and arms.

 Motor symptoms:

Motor symptoms such as weakness are less common than sensory symptoms. Most motor symptoms begin as gait and balance difficulties. When weakness becomes significant, people tend to develop loss of dorsiflexion (dropfoot).

As many as 60-90% of diabetics suffer from peripheral neuropathy, however, western medicine does not have a truly effective treatment for this condition.

One of the most common treatments for  peripheral neuropathy is the administration of amitriptyline (An antidepressant). Some of its side effects are headaches, dizziness, skin rashes, hepatitis, fluctuations in blood sugar levels, palpitations and even Peripheral neuritis! Clearly not the best treatment option.

Other treatments tend to concentrate on pain management and include analgesics such as Aspirin, paracetemol and NSAIDS.

Chinese medicine approach:

As I have written many times before, in Chinese medicine, no matter what the disease, a patient will be treated according to his or her specific pattern of disharmony. We treat a person with a disorder, not the disorder the person has.

Common patterns of disharmony in Peripheral neuropathy are obstruction of Qi and blood and dampness in the limbs. This can be due to irregular eating, wrong diet, too much alcohol, excessive tiredness or chronic diseases.

Acupuncture helps peripheral Neuropathy by improving the circulation and moving Qi and blood to the extremities. The nerve tissue can be nourished and nerve function improved. Chinese herbs quite often form part of the standard treatment.

In a study involving 46 diabetic patients with Peripheral neuropathy, 34 of them reported significant improvement in their symptoms after a series of acupuncture treatments.

A larger study of 250 patients with HIV related Peripheral neuropathy (PN) found similar results.

If you suffer from PN, maybe you should give  Chinese medicine a go. It may help you or it may not. At least there are no significant side effects!

Chinese medicine and research

Over the last twenty five years there has been a lot of research on the effects of Acupuncture, Chinese herbs and even disciplines like ¨Qi Gong¨. Some of the research tells us the things that we in the Chinese Medicine community want to hear, that it works for a given condition.

Other times, the research does not support the time tested approaches that have arrived here from the East.

It should be noted however that research has also been going on in the East over the past 2.000 years in the form of time testing and the wisdom of the marketplace. There are many therapeutic approaches that have fallen out of favour over the past 2.000 years because they simply did not produce the intended results. In some ways, this long-term approach is actually more scientific than the unnatural short-term placebo-controlled research made famous by the pharmaceutical companies.

This kind of research of long-term research is really closer to economics or Darwinian evolution than biomedicine.  Essentially, over the past 2.000 years, the therapies that worked withstood the test of time. If they did not work, we wouldn’t get any patients, colleges would have no students and the therapy would simply disappear.

When we give an Acupuncture treatment that is designed only to stimulate the movement of Qi (energy) in the body, many aches and pains will be ameliorated. When modern Western medicine attempts to determine when to take away the pain they’ll look towards the brain’s release of endorphins, the body’s own painkillers. They’ll take pictures of more active areas of the brain during an Acupuncture treatment, they’ll chemically block certain pain relieving tracts in the spinal cord or on a cell’s surface to see if that effects the Acupuncture treatment. What is really strange for them is that wherever they look, they find something! There is seemingly no end to the scientific mechanism of Acupuncture.

I believe that this is consistent with the holistic idea that maintains the coherence of Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture’s effect is not limited to any given system, whether we are talking about the nervous system, cardiovascular, hormonal or any other. Acupuncture affects them all at the same time! Again, that is because Chinese Medicine doesn’t act exclusively on the tiniest of human structures, but the larger whole person.

Chinese Medicine also has a great deal to offer the Western discipline of internal medicine. In fact, a whole lot more than the ¨pain control¨ applications that have been accepted over the last 25 years or so in the Western Medical community. Bearing in mind that 32 years ago when I started practicing that was even looked at as silly. Hopefully, in another 10 years we will see greater acceptance of Chinese Medicine’s true genius, and that is in the area of internal medicine.

Within both Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine there is an enormous amount of time tested information that has its own logic and usefulness. Both Western and Chinese Medicine have their place. Some believe that the greatest strength of Western Medicine is in it’s trauma care and treating acute conditions, where as Chinese Medicine excels in the area of chronic conditions and preventative medicine.

Using both Western and Chinese Medicine complimentary provides for better clinical outcomes then using either of them separately.

Acne in Chinese medicine

General information:

Acne is an unpleasant disorder of the skin that usually occurs during adolescence. It begins at puberty when, due to hormonal changes, the oil-secreting glands in the skin increase in size and become more active. The oil released by the glands helps remove old skin and keeps your skin soft.

Some of these glands become blocked, and the normal secretion (sebum) is trapped inside. It becomes thick and hard as it dries out and may also become infected. The gland, along with the surrounding tissue becomes swollen, red and itchy or painful and develops a pus- filled ¨head¨ This is the typical whitehead.

The other type is the blackhead , which is usually smaller and is simply the swollen outer opening of the gland filled with dried sebum.

Acne usually occurs on the face, neck and shoulders and tends to clear up during late adolescence or early adulthood.

Acne tends to run in families. It may be triggered by:

Greasy or  oily cosmetics and hair products, certain drugs like steroids,estrogen and phenytoin and humidity and sweating.

 Some other aggravating factors include: Food allergies, other diseases, cortisone therapy, vitamin deficiency, ingestion of halogens (chlorine, fluorine, or iodine), contact with various chemicals (such as tar or chlorinated hydrocarbons) and psychological factors such as stress, worry and depression.

Traditional Chinese perspective:

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are several different types of Acne; it is not simply a single disease that requires a uniform treatment. Two major factors are taken into consideration: one is the person’s body type or constitution, and the other includes all of the different external influences which affect the development of the disorder such as diet, environment, climate, life-style, mental and emotional state and medications.

Each individual’s body has different strengths and weaknesses and different tendencies towards imbalance. Often two people will react in completely different ways to the same thing, e.g. eating a bar of chocolate or being exposed to hot humid conditions like we sometimes have here. Therefore the TCM practitioner aims to understand the root of the problem (which is the individual’s basic constitutional make-up) as well as to distinguish which particular type of Acne the patient has.

In terms of TCM, Acne develops usually because of an excessive build up of internal heat. This heat may arise due to a combination of internal and external factors. Those who suffer most from acne generally have a constitution which predisposes them to become “overheated”. This may show itself in different ways, e.g. a low tolerance for hot temperatures, strong reaction to certain foods (such as hot spices, seafood or chocolate), or often having high temperatures when ill.

TCM treatment addresses both the Acne and the person’s underlying constitution, concentrating mainly on the symptoms in the beginning. Later on, once the symptoms have been relieved, treatment is aimed mainly at correcting the underlying constitutional imbalance and preventing recurrence.

The time it takes for successful treatment varies from person to person, but, like all skin conditions takes time and patience. In my practice I treat this condition with a combination of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine.

ACUPUNCTURE  DURING PREGNANCY AND LABOUR:

You may be thinking of falling pregnant, are pregnant, or know someone special who is pregnant. This is an extremely exciting period during which the body undergoes major changes, nurtures a precious life and prepares for a healthy delivery of a baby. Research has shown that Acupuncture can be very beneficial during pregnancy and labour. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Acupuncture has been found useful for nausea, vomiting and significantly reduces the duration of labour  and labour pains. There is also strong evidence that Acupuncture can help with a breached birth.

The most common complaints pregnant women present to our clinic are:

-          Morning sickness                             - Recurrent miscarriage

-          Heartburn                                           - Threatened miscarriage

-          Haemorrhoids                                   - Oedema (fluid retention)

-          Sinus and mucosal congestion    - Hypertension

-          Anxiety, depression                       - Insomnia

-          Musculoskeletal conditions         - Constipation

(low back pain, sciatica, pubic symphysis pain etc.)

ACUPUNCTURE DURING PREGNANCY:

During the first trimester, the focus of the treatment is to reduce the likelihood of miscarriage and to address any early pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, morning sickness and fatigue.

Acupuncture during the second semester aims to maintain the balance and address  many of the common complaints of pregnancy mentioned above.

Acupuncture during the third trimester prepares the body for labour and delivery by relaxing and softening ligaments, aiding cervical dilation, nourishing the body’s ‘’Qi’’ and blood, as well as relieving any muscular pain or discomfort. This is also the time where Acupuncture is used to turn breach babies.

It is recommended to start this treatment as soon as you learn that the baby is in breach position (around 33-36 weeks)

During the whole pregnancy, special attention will be given at diet and lifestyle.

ACUPUNCTURE  FOR LABOUR INDUCTION:

Treatment for labour induction can be given any time after 39 weeks if there are no complications with the pregnancy.

Acupuncture for delayed labour has been used in China for at least 2300 years, but Acupuncture for labour pain was rarely used because, according to Chinese culture and oriental tradition, women were expected to experience the pain of childbirth! The first occurrence in Chinese medical literature was in 1970 in ‘A barefoot doctor’s manual’ (my first book on Acupuncture),

The manual drew on the practical expertise of local health workers, often self-taught, who went from house to house to administer medical attention in the form of Acupuncture and herbal medicine.

It was around the same time the interest in Acupuncture Analgesia became the focus of much research in Europe and the western world in general.

In 1972 Christian Ehrstroem performed the first Acupuncture delivery in the west in Stockholm.

In 1974 Darras in France reported 20 electro-acupuncture deliveries by  primiparea and multiparea.

Since then, Acupuncture has rapidly become more popular for women in childbirth, mainly because it is a natural pain-reliever with no harmful side effects for mother or baby. Moreover, women like to feel in control during their labour and delivery, a feeling of which they may be deprived by some of the more potent conventional analgesic techniques used in today’s maternity units.

ACUPUNCTURE FOR DIFFICULT LABOUR

Acupuncture  is also used in difficult labour. Difficult labour can result from abnormality of the uterine contractions, cephalo-pelvic disproportion (that is imbalance between the size of the maternal pelvis and the baby’s head), or malposition and malpresentation of the baby.

Acupuncture can be of help in the first of these, but not the others. It is important to note that ‘malposition’ of the baby should not be confused with ‘malpresentation’, the latter occurs  when the baby’s bottom (breach), shoulder, face or brows present first, as opposed to the head as in normal cephalic presentation. ‘malposition’ means incorrect positioning of the head, which includes occipito-posterior position and deflection of the head. Acupuncture can help in ‘malpresentation’, but not ‘malposition’!!

Acupuncture marginalized by Western medicine?

Acupuncture has proven itself useful yet again in a study in Sydney, Australia, that focussed on the use of a single acupuncture point for treating post-operative nausea. The study showed that those who received the acupuncture treatment on that point were less likely to feel nauseous or sick than patients who did not receive the treatment, or who received sham treatment, such as the use of a different point.

There are a couple of interesting points to note about this study. First, this is yet another study showing the usefulness of Acupuncture. But the really interesting thing about the study is only obvious when we look at the big picture here. This study was conducted using a single needle at a single point. That is nothing an Acupuncturist would normally do. Acupuncture is not so rigid as to be limited to a one point treatment.

When Acupuncture is applied in the traditional way, it is as much a form of art as it is a science. A traditionally trained Acupuncturist like myself will insert a number of needles at different points and is not controlled by a rigid set of guidelines prescribing a certain set of points. That is ‘cookbook acupuncture’ like some doctors do. Acupuncture does not work in that way. You can’t say that because a patient presents with symptoms A+B+C, you should use point 1-2-3 and so on.

Acupuncture is much more complicated than that. We may insert as many as 20 needles at different points, and those points may vary from one patient to the next even if they showed the exact same symptoms. That is because each patient is unique in his/her make up and we say in Chinese ‘we treat the person who has a disorder, not the disorder the patient has’. There are so many factors involved that it would be impossible to try and quantify them.

Acupuncture is much more than just taking a needle and using one point, and yet, even doing so appears to work quite well in some clinical trials! Imagine how much stronger the effect of Acupuncture would be if the study allowed experienced Acupuncture practitioners to take part.

There’s another thing worth noting here: until recently, western medicine was very uncomfortable with the idea of integrating Acupuncture at all. In fact, there are still many old school doctors who still feel that way, completely unaware of the research proving its efficacy. The western system of medicine simply isn’t comfortable with the idea that physicians from 3000 years ago in ancient China knew more about health than doctors do today, and yet this is most certainly the case. If you read the classical Chinese Medical texts, as I have, you will find that the doctors of that time in China knew far more about the human body and how health really operates than most doctors do today. So for many years western medicine fought the idea that Acupuncture could work at all and there’s still a lot of denial that Acupuncture has any use whatsoever. Strangely enough, now a lot of western doctors are using some form of Acupuncture in their practice. They tend to call it medical acupuncture, for one of a better word. We call it what I mentioned before ‘cookbook acupuncture’, because most of them have very little or no training in Acupuncture whatsoever. And you would think that if they had the patients welfare at heart, they would send their patient to a proper acupuncturist no? So why don’t they? I leave that answer to you.

Getting back to the study mentioned in the beginning, a surgical procedure was performed on patients, and then Acupuncture was only allowed to be used to treat that patient’s nausea following the procedure. That use of acupuncture fits very well in the current model of how western medicine views Acupuncture. Western medicine thinks that only prescription drugs and surgery can do the ‘real work’ of healing, and that Acupuncture should only be used to treat secondary symptoms, such as pain or nausea.

This is rather blatant marginalization of acupuncture, and it is the only way in which modern medicine feels comfortable to discuss Acupuncture at all. If they can keep Acupuncture trapped in a small box called ‘approved uses,’ they can effectively marginalize this entire field of medicine and continue to rely on drugs and surgery. But the reality is that Acupuncture has far greater potential than this. Acupuncture can treat most conditions western medicine treats, and I refer you to a list published by the World Health Organisations of conditions amenable to Acupuncture. The great forte of acupuncture lies in preventive medicine and treatment of chronic disorders.

Another day at the office at Vall de Cavall

It is a scortcher, 32 degrees, but it's got to be done! 11 year old mare with a shoulder problem and 7 year old big stalion with hormonal problems!!

What you may not know about Chinese Medicine

As more and more people look beyond the confines of western medicine to treat their ails, the popularity of Chinese medicine continues to grow.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been around for at least 5000 years, and it is still relevant today because the system has adapted and evolved over time to take into account modern circumstances.

Most people tend to associate Acupuncture and herbal medicine with Chinese Medicine, but in fact, it encompasses much more. It is a range of therapeutic interventions that include Tui Na (A sort of remedial massage and manipulative therapy), exercise therapy, food therapy, diet and lifestyle advise and preventative healthcare.

People can use it to treat ailments from migraine, colds and muscle pain, to gastritis and depression.

It is also used to maintain the body’s normal functioning, regulate general immune function and assist with disease prevention.

It’s all about balance:

The Chinese believed that every living thing is sustained by a balance of two opposing yet complementary forces of energy called yin and Yang.

The natural interaction between these two forces make up life essence, or Qi, a type of energy that flows through numerous channels in the body called meridians.

If the flow of Qi in the meridians becomes blocked or there is an inadequate supply, then the body fails to maintain harmony and balance, leaving you potentially vulnerable to illness or disease.

Stress, overwork, poor diet, disease pathogens, environmental and lifestyle factors can all disrupt the balance and flow of Qi.

Chinese Medicine works to restore your body’s natural balance by removing the cause of any blockage, correcting any abnormal function and normalizing the flow of Qi.

Chinese Herbal Medicine:

Herbal medicine is the oldest form of Chinese Medicine. Traditionally, practitioners would prescribe patients herbs based on their individual symptoms. Patients would take the herbs home, boil them and then drink it, much like drinking herbal tea.

Today there are more than 450 substances commonly used in herbal medicine that are available in different forms, depending on the herb and its intended use. They range from common garlic, ginger and cinnamon to the more obscure bupleurum, rehmania and astragalus.

Qualified herbal medicine practitioners understand that not all people with the same health condition will display the same symptoms. So your prescription will be formulated to match your individual health problem, and as your health condition changes, so too will your herbal treatment.

Are herbs safe?

Herbs, like pharmaceutical drugs, can have a powerful effect on our bodies and should be treated with the same caution and respect.

Chinese herbs have been tried and tested in the field for many thousands of years, but some herbs can be toxic in large doses or cause allergic reactions especially when taken with other drugs.

So it is important to seek advise from a qualified practitioner who has a complete understanding of how herbs work in isolation, in combination, and how they react with other western style drugs.

Acupuncture:

Acupuncture is by far the most well known of the Chinese medicine treatments and has received formal recognition from the World Health Organization as an effective form of healthcare.

It is a common misconception though that Acupuncture can only be used to relieve pain. In fact, Acupuncture can be used to treat most common ailments and especially chronic conditions.

Does it hurt?

If performed by a qualified practitioner, patients should experience minimal discomfort because the needles are very fine and have no cutting edge. Once they are inserted, you may feel a slight tingling around the acu-point, a sensation of warmth, heaviness or nothing at all.

Moxibustion:

This therapy is commonly used in conjunction with Acupuncture to treat chronic diseases and involves the use of the dried leaves of the mugwort plant – called moxa. The leaves are either rolled into sticks or made into tiny cones and burned on ointment or a slice of ginger.

There are two types of moxibustion – direct and indirect. During direct moxibustion, the cone-shaped moxa is placed on top of an Acupuncture point and burned over a slice of ginger. Indirect moxibustion involves a practitioner lighting the end of a moxa stick and holding it close to the area being treated until the skin heats up and turns red.

Cupping:

Cupping involves the use of suction cups made out of Pyrex glass or bamboo that are applied over larger areas of the boy like the back, shoulders or thighs to help ease chronic pain.

It can also be part of Acupuncture therapy to help treat colds and chest problems, sports injuries, musculoskeletal problems and neurological disorders.

Tuina:

Tuina is a form of remedial massage and manipulative therapy that treats muscles and joints by stimulating and facilitating the flow of Qi. After treatment, patients will often feel energized and happy, however as the massage can also release blockages, patient sometimes may feel very emotional.

Acupuncture increases IVF success with 65%

Women who undergo IVF increase their chances of pregnancy if they are also treated with acupuncture a new analysis suggests.
The benifits may be large — a 65% increase in the chance of becoming pregnant, and a 91% increase in the number of live births.
The results have emerged from a meta-analysis, a technique in which the results of many previous trials are pooled. A team led by Dr Eric Manheimer of the University of Maryland school of Medicine scanned medical literature for trials that attempted to measure the effect of acupuncture on IVF success.
They found 108 trials, but rejected all but seven because of defects of methodology — such as that acupuncture was not administered within a day of IVF or was used as a form of pain relief.
The seven they retained, all published since 2002 and carried out in four Western countries, involved 1,366 women. In all the trials the women were given acupuncture immediately before or after the test-tube embryo was transferred to their wombs. All the acupuncture sessions lasted 25 to 30 minutes.
In British Medical Journal online, the team reports that almost all these trials reported positive findings. Taken together they showed a 65% increase in establishment of pregnancy, an 87% increase in continuing pregnancy, and a 91% increase in live births.
All these results were statistically significant, measured by the criterion of odds of less than one in 20 of having come about by chance. But the team says that these figures overestimate the benefits, since success rates even without acupuncture are relatively high.
It is more realistic, the report says, to measure the results on a “number needed to treat” basis. This is the method that assesses how many women need to be treated to achieve a single extra pregnancy — and the answer is ten.
Even on this basis it is a striking result, especially as nobody has any idea why acupuncture should be having this effect.
Professor Edzard Ernst of PeninsulaMedical School in Plymouth said: “On the face of it these results sound fantastic. I would, however, be very cautious as much of the observed effect could be due to a placebo response. IVF may not seem to be ‘placebo-prone’ but it probably is: if women expect it to be helpful they are more relaxed which, in turn, would affect pregnancy rates.”
Success rates in IVF vary greatly from clinic to clinic, and the analysis found that where success rates were high the benefit of acupuncture was smaller and not statistically significant. That may mean that acupuncture was simply a “marker” for clinics where a lot of care is taken to see that women are calm and relaxed.
The team suggests that acupuncture may influence the menstrual cycle, stimulate blood flow to the womb, or produce mood chemicals that reduce the stress response to IVF.

TREATING PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHIES WITH ACUPUNCTURE

Peripheral Neuropathies, also called Polyneuropathies include all disorders in which nerve structures outside the spinal cord are affected. With more than 100 types of Peripheral neuropathies in existence, each with its own characteristic set of  symptoms, pattern of development, and prognosis, the symptoms can vary as much as the cause.

In most cases, Peripheral neuropathy is secondary to other conditions such as, diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, alcoholism, nutritional deficiencies, AIDS, chemotherapy, and various drugs.

Other causes include compression or entrapment (carpal tunnel syndrome), direct physical injury to a nerve (trauma), fractures or dislocated bones, tumors, radiation and even exposure to cold.

For some people it is experienced as the uncomfortable sensation of “ pins and needles” or burning pain (especially at night) of their hands and/or feet, a loss of feeling, others may suffer more extreme symptoms such as muscle wasting, paralyses, or organ dysfunction.

Sensory symptoms:

Sensory symptoms arte the most common presentation of peripheral neuropathy and can be considered as positive ( tingling, burning and pain) or negative (loss of touch and temperature) in general feet and legs are involved before hands and arms.

 Motor symptoms:

Motor symptoms such as weakness are less common than sensory symptoms. Most motor symptoms begin as gait and balance difficulties. When weakness becomes significant, people tend to develop loss of dorsiflexion (dropfoot).

As many as 60-90% of diabetics suffer from peripheral neuropathy, however, western medicine does not have a truly effective treatment for this condition.

One of the most common treatments for  peripheral neuropathy is the administration of amitriptyline (An antidepressant). Some of its side effects are headaches, dizziness, skin rashes, hepatitis, fluctuations in blood sugar levels, palpitations and even Peripheral neuritis! Clearly not the best treatment option.

Other treatments tend to concentrate on pain management and include analgesics such as Aspirin, paracetemol and NSAIDS.

Chinese medicine approach:

As I have written many times before, in Chinese medicine, no matter what the disease, a patient will be treated according to his or her specific pattern of disharmony. We treat a person with a disorder, not the disorder the person has.

Common patterns of disharmony in Peripheral neuropathy are obstruction of Qi and blood and dampness in the limbs. This can be due to irregular eating, wrong diet, too much alcohol, excessive tiredness or chronic diseases.

Acupuncture helps peripheral Neuropathy by improving the circulation and moving Qi and blood to the extremities. The nerve tissue can be nourished and nerve function improved. Chinese herbs quite often form part of the standard treatment.

In a study involving 46 diabetic patients with Peripheral neuropathy, 34 of them reported significant improvement in their symptoms after a series of acupuncture treatments.

A larger study of 250 patients with HIV related Peripheral neuropathy (PN) found similar results.

If you suffer from PN, maybe you should give  Chinese medicine a go. It may help you or it may not. At least there are no significant side effects!