Many people ask, “How do I select an acupuncturist?” “Aren’t they all the same?” The fact is that each acupuncturist is unique and, like in any other profession, there are acupuncturists who are great, some who are good, some mediocre and some who should never be allowed to work! 

First, your might want to call a L.Ac. (“licensed As an acupuncturist”) who is a full-time acupuncturist and has had years of experience. Why? The answer is simple: You can relax and rest assured that your acupuncturist had the superior training and experience (instead of a recent graduate) to do what it takes. You want to make sure your acupuncture is done right. That it solves your health problem instead of creating another one.

Then there is the issue of patients going to so-called ‘medical acupuncturists’ instead of selecting treatment by fully licensed acupuncture practitioners. The 4 year L.Ac (Licensed Acupuncturist) qualification requires over 3,000 hours of intense study and research. The ‘medical’ acupuncturists are ‘certified’ after only 220 hours of study, some of which is home study without the benefit of the tutoring of experienced acupuncturists. Indeed, in some US states, medical acupuncturists require as little as 100 hours of training before practicing acupuncture.

Zhu Dan Xi, a spokesperson for MedicalAcupunctureFacts.com said the value of the L.Ac qualification should not be underestimated, and patients should be aware of the potential dangers of receiving treatment from an unlicensed practitioner.

“We hear horror stories on a daily basis from patients undergoing treatment from medical acupuncturists, which just further underpins our belief that 100-200 hours of training simply isn’t enough. In the same way you wouldn’t trust a so-called doctor with 100 hours training, we believe you shouldn’t trust so-called medical acupuncturists either. These practices create a negative perception of acupuncture, and destroy the confidence of patients in what is truly a remarkable healing practice.”

“As a result of the lack of training of ‘medical’ acupuncturists, we’ve seen a rise in recent years in the levels of bad feeling towards acupuncture, with frequent claims of painful and uncomfortable treatments which have little healing effect. As any L.Ac licensed practitioner will testify, this couldn’t be further from the truth with well-executed acupuncture treatments, which can have a dramatic impact on health and wellbeing.”

Make sure your acupuncturist has experience treating your specific problem. You wouldn’t go to a fertility expert to treat your chronic pain. Go to www.orientalmedcare.com to review the many health problems we treat at our Minneapolis clinic.

Kidney patients who took these drugs frequently (at least twice a week for 2 months) were two to three times more likely to have the beginning stages of chronic kidney failure than those who do not regularly use pain medication, according to researchers.  Individuals who took either aspirin or acetaminophen regularly were 250% more likely to be diagnosed with chronic renal failure, compared with individuals who did not use these painkillers.  The researchers found that the risk increased with the amount of either drug taken over a lifetime.  This study and others have found that the risk of kidney failure linked to pain medication is minimal in those without pre-existing kidney disease.

Many people are wanting to be pain free without the side effects of drugs. If you are looking for effective, natural pain relief, try acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Visit www.orientalmedcare.com . Or call our Minneapolis clinic at 612-866-4000 for your first appointment for optimal health.

Join us to learn a wealth of information about how acupressure points stimulate energy, blood circulation and improve internal organ functioning.

Here’s a brief sample of the tools you’ll get:

• Special points that rejuvenate the face and body.
• How to relieve stress, sinus pressure, headaches, jaw tension and tired eyes.
• Powerful breathing techniques that intensify the effects of Acupressure.
• Flush out toxins and improve facial tone.
• Discover a natural, professional treatment that will magnify the anti-aging effects by 300%.

Attend this class to acquire the power of looking younger naturally without surgery.

Dates & Times: Wed, June 17, 2009
7-9 pm.
Price $19
Location: Diamondhead Education Center
200 W. Burnsville Parkway, lower level
Burnsville, MN 55337
To register call: 952-707-4110
Or visit http://www.orientalmedcare.com/acupressure_facelift_class.html 

Steven Sonmore, L.Ac., OBT has 20 years professional experience in the healing arts, and is a licensed acupuncturist, an Oriental bodywork therapist, and herbalist. He was recently interviewed by the New York Times and Mpls/St. Paul Magazine about his Facial Rejuvenation program.

June 7-13 marks National Headache Awareness Week. Headaches obviously are complex, with a wide range of causes from sinus problems, to eyestrain, stress, lack of sleep or even drinking too much caffeine.

The goals of National Headache Awareness Week are:
• to attract recognition that headache pain is a real and legitimate condition,
• to encourage sufferers to see a licensed health professional for proper diagnosis and treatment
• to let headache sufferers know that there are treatments for their condition that works.

Taking a pain reliever for a headache, while effective in relieving the symptoms of the headache, just suppresses the symptoms and doesn’t address the root cause one bit.  The imbalance will continue to manifest as a headache or other physical symptoms.

Imagine finally being rid of your migraines; without the drugs, without days in bed, without trips to the ER and without worry of when the next one might strike. Imagine finally being free from your migraines and enjoying life the way it’s meant to be.

Headaches are not normal. This is a sign that something is wrong. Your body was designed to be pain free. Even an occasional headache is a sign of something not functioning right.

At our Minneapolis clinic we help people enjoy life without the excruciating pain of headaches naturally. If you have not been to our clinic before, stop by during the week of June 8-12th and we will give you a free packet of information on how to prevent headaches. Or set up an appointment to be pain free. Just call 612-866-4000. You’ll be glad you did.

About the author: For more than 20 years Steven Sonmore helped people transform health problems into solutions for attaining better health. Steven is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and a certified instructor by Health Preservation Association. He is licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Visit www.orientalmedcare.com.

The most respected method of diagnosis in Chinese Medicine is “Pulse Diagnosis.” This method is a lost art with very few practitioners competent in its immense subtlety. Steven Sonmore, L.Ac. is personally trained in this lost art. Used correctly, the pulse can reveal anatomical problems such as soft tissue damage, allergies, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, ovarian cysts, bone spurs, gall stones, sinus infections, gastric ulcers and a host of other physical aliments. At the Complete Oriental Medical Care, LLC this method of pulse diagnosis is used daily in our treatment protocol.

P.S. We will also be giving a free Qigong demostration. Don’t miss this one!

For more than 20 years Steven Sonmore helped people transform health problems into solutions for attaining better health. Steven is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and Oriental bodywork therapist. He is licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Visit http://www.orientalmedcare.com

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, May 30th 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.

Tai Chi is perhaps the lowest impact exercise one can do, and is gentle and easy enough to do in business clothes at the office. Yet, recent studies show that Tai Chi can provide much the same cardiovascular benefit as moderate impact aerobics. In fact, a study from the Journal of American Geriatrics reported by Reuters found that Tai Chi lowered high blood pressure in older adults even more than regular aerobics. The fact that Tai Chi can do this without speeding up their heart rates, changes the way medicine looks at cardio vascular physical therapies. Dr. Deborah Rohm Young, of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland (a researcher in this study) said that these findings “suggest that exercise intensity may be less important than other factors” when it comes to lowering high blood pressure.

Learn how these dynamic exercises will enhance your life energy according to Chinese medicine principles. Join us at Burnsville High School, 600 Highway 13 E., Burnsville, MN 55337 on Saturday, May 30th at 11am. Cost is only $15.

Call 952-707-4110 today to register. Or see http://www.orientalmedcare.com/qigong.html

About the Instructor: For more than 20 years Steven Sonmore helped people transform health problems into solutions for attaining better health. Steven is a licensed acupuncturist, Qi Gong instructor, herbalist and Oriental bodywork therapist. He is licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Read new articles at www.orientalmedcare.com about how Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will enhance your life. We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times by getting them feeling better fast!  We are also here to help you STAY feeling better and looking younger!  Don’t be a stranger.  Call us, and we will assist you in putting together a customized preventative maintenance plan. It’s not an expensive luxury anymore! With our affordable fees, it’s less expensive than you think! You really can afford Acupuncture care!

The Chinese medicine practitioner treats with acupuncture and prescribes Chinese herbal formulas, but also counsels the patient with dietary therapy and ways to lead a healthy lifestyle. Our medicine is personalized to balance each individual and customized based on specific diagnoses. In other words, we devise the best plan for you to attain optimal health and longevity.

Pain Be Gone

Acupuncture plays a vital role in the reduction or elimination of pain by reducing recovery time and preventing a chronic condition from developing. Here’s an example: A new patient comes to our clinic with lower back pain. On a scale of 0-10 with 10 representing the worst pain and 0 representing no pain, his pain level is at an excruciating 9. After a careful diagnosis, a treatment plan is devised. Acupuncture points on only his arms and legs (none on his area of pain) are needled. After several minutes, his pain is reduced by 60%.

Research has shown that acupuncture causes the body to produce natural steroids and endorphins. Steroids decrease inflammation, while endorphins are produced by the body to kill pain. Both substances can play an integral part in the breaking up of the pain cycle.
By reducing acute pain, acupuncture can also reduce the occurrence of chronic pain. It can prevent the need for costlier and more invasive surgical procedures. And if back pain can be significantly reduced with acupuncture, it also lowers the need for painkillers or other medications that can either cause unwanted side-effects or prolong a patient’s condition.

In a 2004 study published in Acupuncture in Medicine, researchers looked at the cost effectiveness of acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee compared to the cost effectiveness of pain killers. 75% of the test patients received at least a 45% reduction in their knee pain with acupuncture, and the pain relief lasted past the one-year follow-up. Many of those who experienced that minimum 45% pain relief decided to quit their prescription pain medication completely after receiving the acupuncture.

Save Big Money

When the doctors did a cost analysis comparing the cost of acupuncture therapy (which was up to 15 treatment sessions) to the cost of pain medication and doctor office visits, they saw a drastic reduction in subsequent medical costs, dropping from $1.10 per day to 21 cents per day after treatment. That represents a $325 savings per patient the first year (even after factoring in the cost of the acupuncture treatments). The conclusion was that patients saved money, were free of the inconvenience of taking a pill several times each day, and had significantly less pain than those who took drugs alone.
In an independent 1992 study in Scandinavia, 25% of the patients who were awaiting knee replacement surgery canceled their scheduled surgery after receiving acupuncture, saving $9,000 per patient.

Beyond Treating Pain

Acupuncture research proves that acupuncture treats more than just pain. We are general practitioners. Many people know we can relieve your aches and pains, but did you know we can also help you get over colds and flu faster, help you with digestive and bowel problems, and more? Acupuncture treats many internal problems like urinary frequency, acid reflux, chronic fatigue and IBS.

Prevention of Infectious Disease

There is a saying in Chinese medicine: “Superior medicine prevents disease, and inferior medicine treats disease.” Now, with concern about the H1N1 swine flu virus traveling around the world, you may want to get your immune system boosted. The truth is that bacteria and viruses tend to adversely affect people who have weakened or compromised immune systems. Many Chinese herbs and formulas have been shown to significantly boost the immune system. One of the main benefits of Chinese herbs is their wide spectrum antibiotic effect for both bacterial and viral infections. Most of these herbs are extremely safe and do not have the same unpleasant side effects as drugs. In fact, the hospitals in China that did the best against SARS combined both western and Chinese medicine.

Balancing Mind, Body, & Spirit

Stress is common in our very fast-paced American lifestyle. Many of us worry about keeping our jobs and having enough money. When we’re in a constant state of stress, we suffer from “fight or flight syndrome,” which is destructive to your body and can lead to serious health problems. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will help you mentally and emotionally. It is very effective for depression, anxiety, and stress.

Acupuncture Works and is Safe

Acupuncture is based on a complete system of healthcare that includes diagnosis, prevention, Chinese herbal formulas, exercise, and food cures. Research explains in detail how acupuncture works via the nervous system, immune system, and blood system. A licensed, seasoned practitioner can offer you health solutions without the kind of worries caused by pharmaceuticals and invasive medical procedures. The best thing about acupuncture is that it treats the entire body without serious adverse effects, and it promotes optimal physical, mental, and emotional health.

For more than 20 years Steven Sonmore helped people transform health problems into solutions for attaining better health. Steven is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, & certified Health Preservation Association instructor. His clinic, Complete Oriental Medical Care, LLC, is in Minneapolis. To schedule an appointment for better health call 612-866-4000 or www.orientalmedcare.com .

Have you sometimes gone to bed, not be able to sleep and then wake up in the morning just as tired as the night before?

Are you irritable to your loved one(s), maybe a little “down” too often? Do you experience mood swings? If you do these are signs that you may be suffering from stress.

Following are some other facts about stress:

• 1/3 of Americans are living with extreme stress and nearly half believe their stress has increased during the past five years. (American Psychological Association)

• Acupuncture can lower your blood pressure. Throughout time, lowered blood pressure can add six years to your life.

• By 2020, the top five diseases will all have the underlying contributing factor of stress. (World Health Organization)

Dealing with your stress today can help prevent stress-related illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke and depression tomorrow. “There’s quite a bit you can learn …to help reduce stress,” says Brent Bauer, MD, director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “Things like meditation, acupuncture, massage and guided imagery–the right answer is to find what fits for you and incorporate it on a regular basis.” 

http://www.orientalmedcare.com/acupuncture_stress_relief.html

How To Give Stress The Boot

Acupuncture treatments are not about luxury, they are about boosting your body to optimal health. Complete Oriental Medical Care, LLC is a place where people can get tangible results and work on overall well-being. Our clinic is offering great ways to help you manage your stress that it’s easy and fits into your budget.

In our attempt to keep you feeling healthy, we are offering some wonderful incentives to keep you coming in this spring. We’ve put together some great packages to save you money and help you acheive your health goals.

Now remember, acupuncture makes your entire body work better.  It’s like going to the gym; but for your insides as well as your outsides. Just as going to the gym once isn’t quite enough, one acupuncture treatment just isn’t enough. A short series is needed to make the changes stick. So that’s why were offering this.

We’re doing this because we want you to be healthy this season and want you to make sure you get enough acupuncture for it to be effective. That’s why we want you to come in. Be honest; you remember how great you felt when you were coming in regularly. Why not extend that feeling?

Many in America have found acupuncture as a cost effective addition to their healthy lifestyle in building a strong immune system, strengthen vital internal organ function and increase overall health, longevity and sense of well being.

We’re doing that because we want you to act quickly and prepare your bodies before you go out and do something relatively stupid like lifting an air conditioner by yourself! 

For thousands and thousands of people, Acupuncture has been the “secret” that solved their back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, fibromyalgia, auto/work injury, and arthritis pain and given them a much healthier, happier pain-free life.

Regular Acupuncture Care Is The
Key That Unlocks The Vault That Contains
The “Secret” To A Healthy Pain-Free Life.

Remember; Call 612-866-4000 quickly.  And don’t forget: “knowing how to stay healthy is not a luxury. It is a basic skill for the millennium.”  www.orientalmedcare.com

Tai Chi/ Qigong Class

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.

Tai Chi is perhaps the lowest impact exercise one can do, and is gentle and easy enough to do in business clothes at the office. Yet, recent studies show that Tai Chi can provide much the same cardiovascular benefit as moderate impact aerobics. In fact, a study from the Journal of American Geriatrics reported by Reuters found that Tai Chi lowered high blood pressure in older adults even more than regular aerobics. The fact that Tai Chi can do this without speeding up their heart rates, changes the way medicine looks at cardio vascular physical therapies. Dr. Deborah Rohm Young, of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland (a researcher in this study) said that these findings “suggest that exercise intensity may be less important than other factors” when it comes to lowering high blood pressure.

Learn how these dynamic exercises will enhance your life energy according to Chinese medicine principles. Join us at Diamondhead Education Center, 200 W Burnsville Parkway, Burnsville, MN 55337 on Saturday, March 7th at 11am. Cost is only $15.

Call 952-707-4110 today to register. Or see http://www.orientalmedcare.com/qigong.html
About the Instructor: For more than 20 years Steven Sonmore helped people transform health problems into solutions for attaining better health. Steven is a licensed acupuncturist, Qi Gong instructor, herbalist and Oriental bodywork therapist. He is licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Read new articles at www.orientalmedcare.com about how Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will enhance your life.
We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times by getting them feeling better fast!  We are also here to help you STAY feeling better and looking younger!  Don’t be a stranger.  Call us, and we will assist you in putting together a customized preventative maintenance plan. It’s not an expensive luxury anymore! With our affordable fees, it’s less expensive than you think! You really can afford Acupuncture care!

Here’s a brief sample of the tools you’ll get:
• Special points that rejuvenate the face and body.
• How to relieve stress, sinus pressure, headaches, jaw tension and tired eyes.
• Powerful breathing techniques that intensify the effects of Acupressure.
• Flush out toxins and improve facial tone.
• Discover a natural, professional treatment that will magnify the anti-aging effects by 300%.

Attend this class to acquire the power of looking younger naturally without surgery.
Steven Sonmore, L.Ac., OBT has 20 years professional experience in the healing arts, and is a licensed acupuncturist, an Oriental bodywork therapist, and herbalist. He was recently interviewed by the New York Times and Mpls/St. Paul Magazine about his Facial Rejuvenation program.

Date & Time: Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009
7-9 pm.
Price: $19
Location: Diamondhead Education Center
200 W. Burnsville Parkway, lower level
Burnsville, MN 55337
To register call: 952-707-4110
Or register on line at http://www.communityed191.org/