Frequently Asked Questions--

Can acupuncture help back pain?  R.B., West Ashley

Most back pain is caused by an imbalance in the muscles and strain to the lower back.  Acupuncture helps balance the muscles and reduce the spasm while relieving the pain.  Often people feel better after just one treatment.  Acupuncture can be especially effective for both severe and nagging pain.  Even the pain from ruptured discs can be helped by acupuncture.

Is it true that Oriental medicine can cure A.D.D.?  L. H., Mt. Pleasant

ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder responds well to Oriental medicine in children and youth much more readily than in adults.  Through a combination of therapies, including acupuncture and some modern technology, we have seen excellent results in young people.  The young people, who have some concern about needles, quickly find that the hair thin needles used in acupuncture don't hurt.  Typically they become quite nonchalant about the needles after the first or second appointment.  They often become well attuned to the changes they experience and will tell their parents when they feel it is time for a return appointment.

My mother has high blood pressure.  Can acupuncture offer an alternative to the medication she is on?  C.S., Sullivan's Island

High blood pressure is potentially a serious problem.  And acupuncture and Chinese herbs can bring down high blood pressure.  But pharmaceutical medications have done a much more reliable and predictable job of regulating blood pressure.  Without knowing more about why your mother wants to stop taking her prescription I would have to recommend that she continue her medication.  If she is experiencing anything unpleasant or of concern due to her medications she should discuss this with her medical doctor.  If she does decide to seek the help of an acupuncturist she should do so with the knowledge and full attention of her medical doctor.

I have heard that acupuncture can even help with emotional disorders.  I get panic attacks.  Would you recommend a course of treatments for me?  C.C., Mt. Pleasant

Acupuncture can be excellent for treating a variety of emotional problems.  Examples include depression, anxiety and panic attacks.  One of the advantages of acupuncture is that you will not have to deal with the adverse side effects that often accompany Western medication.  In fact, acupuncture has a tendency to produce desirable side effects, such as a better sleep, normal bowels, better periods, etc.  Again, if your are on medications you would want to have your medical doctor follow your progress with acupuncture and reduce your medications accordingly. 

I have heard that acupuncture can help relieve the pain and nausea associated with cancer and chemotherapy.  Is this true?  K.S., Awendaw

Yes.  This is an area where acupuncture is used quite a bit because it is so effective.  In fact, in other parts of the country many oncology practices (cancer doctors) are incorporating acupuncture in their offices as part of the course of treatment for cancer patients.  Patients find that they are particularly pleased with the results of acupuncture when they schedule an acupuncture treatment to immediately follow their chemo treatment.  In addition to acupuncture, Chinese herbs are often called for as well.

I have a friend who has had so many physical complaints of such diverse nature that we always tease him about being a hypochondriac.  He has recently received a few acupuncture treatments and says that everything feels better--he feels like a "new person." We think this is the "placebo Effect" or something lit it and that he's still a little nutty.  Care to comment?  B.W., Charleston

Although your friend may be a little nutty, his diverse symptoms are probably all real.  We see this all the time, and it is totally consistent with acupuncture to see resolution of many problems at once.  I tell my patients that they may easily see improvements in their sleep, mood, digestion, energy level, etc. before getting relief of their main problem.  This is because Chinese medicine sees the body as one system whereas western medicine sees the body as many distinct systems.  And the two medicines treat the patient accordingly.

I am prone to headaches and migraines.  I already know that acupuncture is supposed to help both.  I want to know how long I would have to get treatments to get results?  A.W. Mount Pleasant

Let  me start with a real life example.  I saw a young woman who had had 5-6 headaches a week since puberty.  She had a long list of things she knew triggered them.  She saw me once a week for 4 weeks, with the headaches getting progressively better.  After the fourth treatment I suggested she call me on an as needed basis.  Five months later she returned reporting she had had 2 headaches in the past week but none before that even when doing the things that had previously triggered the headaches.  Migraines also respond very well to acupuncture, but generally requiring more regular follow-up treatments than this case has.  Everybody responds differently to acupuncture, so I don't know how your course of treatment would go.  I encourage anyone who battles headaches and migraines to give acupuncture a try.  It is rare to see a patient with these problems who is not significantly pleased with the results.

I have tennis elbow and my boyfriend has what seems to be tendonitis in his hand from playing the guitar.  Can acupuncture help either one of these?  B.D., Wild Dunes

Yes.  Repetitive stress syndrome is something that responds well to acupuncture.  In just a few treatments (sometimes even the first) most patients feel significant relief.  If the patient continues with the aggravating activity the likelihood is the condition will return.  I recently treated a professional guitarist with tendonitis in both hands.  In the past the condition required him to stop playing for weeks or months.  He has continued playing and practicing up to 10 hours a day with a minimal discomfort.

I really, really don't like needles.  Is there any way to treat me?  N.S., Charleston

Yes, both with and without needles.  Acupuncture is nothing like getting an injection because the main reason for pain from an injection is the large diameter, hollow needle and the forcing of medication into the tissue.  Acupuncture needles are so thin that they are flexible, much like a human hair.  (If you know needle gauges, we use 36-40 gauge needles.)  One of my patients, a 9-year-old girl, was nervous about being treated.  She now says that acupuncture, "is a piece of cake."  If you are one of the few who cannot take even acupuncture needles, there are other, non-invasive ways to stimulate the acupuncture points.  Your treatment would then take longer than the normal treatment, but be just as effective.

Weight loss--what about that?  I need to loose about 30 pounds. S.G., West Ashley

Results with weight loss are variable.  I never advertise acupuncture for weight loss because it is rather unpredictable who will benefit and who will not.  Some patients do extremely well and some have no results at all.  Like other weight loss therapies the patient has to be committed and willing to do his/her share of lifestyle changing to see best results.  However, unlike other weight loss therapies, acupuncture helps take the edge off the process.  Unfortunately, acupuncture is not the magic bullet so many are looking for…

With acupuncture, does the patient have to get regular treatments for a long period of time?  J.D., Mt. Pleasant

No, and yes.  Occasionally a patient will experience a one-treatment "miracle cure."  But this is the exception rather than the rule.  Generally, a course of treatments is appropriate.  This can range from four to fifteen treatments, depending on the patient's condition.  A goal is to have the treatments become less and less frequent.  (Some patients call 3-6 months to take care of a symptoms, like headaches, that used to occur 5 times a week.)  n serious cases a patient may continue to come regularly for an indefinite period of time.  Patients who put a priority on maintaining balanced health may elect to come monthly or quarterly when they are experiencing no symptomatic problems.
(843) 270-2228