According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 80 percent of the general population in the United States will suffer from low back pain sometime during their lifetime. Low back pain is the second most frequent reason Americans visit a medical doctor for treatment. It is also, according to a widely publicized study, the most frequent reason that Americans visit a licensed acupuncturist for care.
A German study on chronic low back pain showed that acupuncture works twice as well as standard care (Haake et al 2007). Standard care is defined as using drugs and physical therapy.
A pilot study performed with assembly workers at the Ford Motor Company in Louisville, Kentucky using acupuncture and mind/body therapies in conjunction with conventional medicine reduced the use of pain medications among participants by 58%. The findings were published in a letter to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
In the study, one group received conventional pain management therapies, including pain medications. The second group utilized integrative therapies, including acupuncture and relaxation/meditation CDs. Both of the groups received treatments over a six-week period, with a 12-week follow-up.
Stiff Back and Shoulders? Low Energy and Fatigue? No Problem!
Do you suffer from fatigue, stress, and a stiff back? Then you might be excited to learn about a NEW introductory one hour class coming up very quickly.
On Saturday, Nov. 6th you will discover how to rejuvenate yourself easily on a daily basis with Tai Chi exercises and breathing movements that relieve back and neck pain.
Participants in a study on the health benefits of practicing Tai Chi observed a big increase in breathing capacity and a reduction or elimination of backaches and neck aches. Participants with high blood pressure claimed a drop of 10 to 15 mm Hg systolic at rest. All had more energy for their day to day work.
This ten year study on aging through Harvard, Yale and Emory University determined that Tai Chi was superior to more technological balance therapies and that Tai Chi reduced the risk of injury from falling by 48%. Complications from injuries by falling are the sixth leading cause of death in seniors in American and account for about $10 billion loss per year to our economy.
Are you suffering from chronic pain? If so, you may wonder what type of licensed health professional could help you. If you’re like a lot of people in your situation, you may have already tried pain medications, or you may be using prescriptions that only relieve your pain a little bit. You may be suffering from side effects as a result of these medications or the need to increase your dosage as you become immune to the effects of the pain killers. Unfortunately, this is the experience of many who take meds for pain. For some, it becomes so severe that they become addicted to the pain killers and must enter a rehabilitation facility to stop taking them.
That acupuncture benefits patients with pain would have come as no surprise to the father of modern medicine, Sir William Osler, who practiced acupuncture over half a century before Chairman Mao and the “new” Traditional Chinese Medicine. Near the end of the 19th century, Osler wrote in his most famous work, “The Principles and Practice of Medicine” (1892) that acupuncture for acute back pain provided “the most efficient treatment.” In addition to lumbago, Osler suggested acupuncture for sciatica and neuralgia.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical attention. It is one of the most frequent causes of missed workdays and one of the most expensive conditions in the United States; according to a recent government report nearly one million people in the U.S. took time away from work to treat and recover from some sort of back pain.
Back problems can be caused by an inordinately wide range of problems. It can exist alone, or it can be caused by a condition that occurs elsewhere in the body, with the pain being transmitted (referred) to areas of the back by the nervous system. The majority of backache sufferers complain of pain in the lower back; the second most common site of discomfort is the base of the neck.
Did you know that not all acupuncturists are not the same? Yes, it’s true. Selecting the right acupuncturist to treat your health problems is an important decision that can either make your acupuncture a success or turn it into a disaster. The sad fact is that there are people who go out and take a few weekend courses on acupuncture, buy some needles and themselves “acupuncturists.” This is like someone buying a stethoscope and calling himself a doctor! In the state of Minnesota it is sadly legal for chiropractors to take only 100 hours of training in acupuncture. (They are not allowed to used the term “acupuncturist”) Would you get brain surgery from someone who had just a weekend of training?
Stiff Back and Shoulders? Low Energy and Fatigue? No Problem!
Do you suffer from fatigue, stress, and a stiff back? Then you might be excited to learn about a NEW introductory one hour class coming up very quickly.
On Saturday, March 7th you will discover how to rejuvenate yourself easily on a daily basis with Tai Chi exercises and breathing movements that relieve back and neck pain.
When you think of exercise you might think of lifting weights or running. However Chinese exercise is different. It builds up your vital life energy naturally.
According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 80 percent of the general population in the United States will suffer from low back pain sometime during their lifetime. Low back pain is the second most frequent reason Americans visit a medical doctor for treatment. It is also, according to a widely publicized study, the most frequent reason that Americans visit a licensed acupuncturist for care.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical attention. It is one of the most frequent causes of missed workdays and one of the most expensive conditions in the United States; according to a recent government report nearly one million people in the U.S. took time away from work to treat and recover from some sort of back pain.
Steven Sonmore, LAc is a licensed acupuncturist in Minneapolis, Minnesota with over 20 years experience of health care and pain management.