Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Acupuncture Points

At my Acupuncture practice in Orange, I often get questions about the different types of points people have heard of. What's the difference between an Acupuncture point, a Trigger point, and a Motor point? They are quite similar in many ways, but there are important differences that should be noted.

A trigger point is a very sensitive section of muscle tissue that is painful to touch. This is often the result of nerve irritation causing stagnation in the muscle that creates inflammation. Many different modalities can effectively treat these trigger points, such as massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture. Often injections are given into these points to reduce inflammation, but the results are often short lived, and too many of these injections can cause more problems.

An Acupuncture point is a location on the body, often along the pathways of nerves and blood vessels, that when stimulated, increases blood flow and regulates nervous function. The effects of Acupuncture points are not just limited to muscles and treating pain, and they can regulate circulation, effect brain function, balance hormones, and improve digestive function, just to name a few things.

Motor points are a newly discovered type of point, and motor point therapy is a cutting edge style of Acupuncture used to manage pain and injuries, old and new alike. Motor points are a very dense section of nerves within a muscle, that when activated with Acupuncture, will cause the muscle to reset, just like doing a reboot on your computer. After the point has been activated, the strength of the muscle will increase, and the range of motion of the joint will improve.

To learn more about Acupuncture and my practice in Orange, California, visit www.OCAcupunctureSpecialist.com, or visit and like my page on Facebook.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Why Do I check the Pulses in Acupuncture Treatment?

Often times when I see a patient for the first time at my acupuncture clinic in Orange, I will spend some time checking the pulses on both wrists in 3 different positions. Most people assume I'm checking to see how fast it is, but that is only part of it. You see, the pulse is checked on the radial artery, which is just another blood vessel. Blood vessels are made out of muscle, and while it is not exactly like the muscles that move your arms and legs, it responds to the nervous system in a similar way. Like when we get stressed out the muscles in your neck and shoulders tighten up, the pulse can do the same thing. Depending on how your body is working, I can detect up to 33 different types of pulse qualities!

And by checking the pulses in 3 different positions on each wrist, I can get information about how the internal organs of the body are working. I can detect sleep problems, heart problems, digestive disorders, adrenal burnout, even if you are getting a cold! That's a lot of information to get just from a pulse.

All of this information helps me decide which acupuncture points are most appropriate to give you the best treatment possible. Since an acupuncturist, unlike many physicians, is responsible for the examination, diagnosis, AND treatment of a patient, it's important to get it right!

If  you want to learn more about pulse examination, or have a problem you want to know if acupuncture can help, visit www.OCAcupunctureSpecialist.com or call 714-997-4861.

Sports Injuries and Acupuncture

With the beginning of the summer here in Orange County, many people are getting outside, getting to the beach, and getting involved in sports. And while people try their best to avoid getting hurt, jumping into an exercise regimen or a new sport and being a "weekend warrior" can often leave us overly motivated and under prepared for the rigors of these activities. Especially in the summertime, the heat can dehydrate us, and leave our muscles tight due to loss of electrolytes.

Luckily, we can minimize the likelihood of injuries occurring by ensuring that our muscles and joints are properly balanced using stretching, proper body mechanics, and getting regular acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture relaxes muscles, improves strength, and increases range of motion of joints. This will not only reduce the likelihood of injury, but it will improve your performance. Often people only turn to acupuncture once they have been injured, but the smartest and most effective usage of acupuncture is in health maintenance and injury prevention. We all know it is better to tune up your car regularly than to wait until it breaks down. I have worked with a local minor league baseball team in Temecula that regularly utilizes chiropractic, massage therapy, and acupuncture to improve their performance and reduce their injuries, and they are professional athletes. Obviously we should emulate athletes of this caliber if we wish to have success in our own athletic endeavors.

Many people have insurance benefits that cover this routine maintenance for their whole family. If you are making your personal health and fitness your priority this summer, be sure to include acupuncture in your plan to ensure your continued success. Call my office today at 714-997-4861 to make an appointment or visit www.OCAcupunctureSpecialist.com!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

New Location in Orange California

I am pleased to announce the opening of the Orange County Acupuncture Specialist in Orange, CA. I am very happy to have the opportunity to practice Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal medicine, massage therapy, cupping, and a host of other healing modalities out of this beautiful new space.

I will continue to specialize in treating Chronic pain, especially low back pain, neck pain, migraine headaches, sports injuries, and of course, the side effects from cancer treatments for which I am so well known.

I have noticed in particular a greater number of patients coming in for treatment for chronic pain due to their office environment. Typically these patients work long hours behind a desk with very few breaks, and compromise their posture for a large part of this time due to fatigue and distraction. After so many hours in a slumped position, or with their shoulders raised, their bodies are misaligned and their muscles go into spasm. Often they will have numbness and tingling in their arms or hands from compression of their nerves by their tight muscles.

In addition to giving acupuncture treatment, I also counsel the patient on the need for proper posture, and teach them techniques to tune into their bodies and be more aware of times they are not using proper posture. In this case an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure.