Some pain symptoms which acupuncture may effectively treat are:

• Injuries
• Low back pain
  
• Arthritis, osteoarthritis
  
• Muscle sprains and strains
• Back pain
• Neck pain, stiffness neck
  
• Shoulder pain
  
• Foot pain
  
• Hip pain
  
• Knee pain
  
• Numbness
• Tingling in the arms or hands
• Tendinitis
  
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
  

Auto-immune System Diseases:

• Recurrent infections
• Supportive treatment for cancer patients
• Support treatment for AIDS patients
• Fibromyalgia
  
• Multiple sclerosis
  

Muscular and Nervous System Disorders:

• Migraine headaches
  
• Regular headaches
• Tension
• Fatigue
• Body pains
• Certain facial paralysis or nerve pain
• Inflammation of joints and nerve endings
• Frozen shoulder
  
• Sciatica
  
• Tennis elbow
  
• Bed wetting
• Post-stroke recovery
• Bell’s Palsy
  
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
  
• Movement disorders

Disorders of the Ear, Nose and Throat:

• Toothaches
• Pain after having a tooth pulled
• Dizziness
• Earaches
• Sinus inflammation
• Nasal inflammation
• Dryness in the ear
• Nose or throat area
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
  
• Meniere’s disease
  

Respiratory Disorders:

• Uncomplicated cases of bronchial asthma in children and adults
• Allergies
• Bronchitis
  
• Sinusitis
  
• Sore throat
• Laryngitis
  
• Colds and flu

Gastrointestinal Disorders:

• Digestive tract problems
• Colitis (inflammation of the colon)
  
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Heartburn
• Acid reflux
• Irritable bowel syndrome
  
• Gastritis
  
• Heartburn
• Food allergies
  
• Ulcers
  

Gynecological Disorders:

• PMS
  
• Abdominal cramps
• Irritability
• Food cravings
• Menopause (Menopausal symptoms)
  
• Irregular menstrual flow
• Cystitis
  
• Irregular or heavy periods
• Urinary disorders

Emotional disorders Addictions:

• Depression
  
• Anxiety
  
• Stress
  
• Weight loss
• Insomnia
  
• Nervousness
• Addictions to nicotine, alcohol and drugs
• Smoking cessation

And much, much more….
 

Acupuncture with digestive system

There’s good news for the more than 95 million Americans who suffer from digestive problems, including constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as well as more serious disorders, such as acid reflux (GERD), ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease. Treatment with acupuncture and herbal medicine, described as early as 3 AD in medical literature, can be an effective, healthy, and reasonable alternative or adjunct to conventional treatment.

According to Oriental medicine, most digestive problems occur when the spleen and stomach are not in balance, and the spleen cannot effectively convert digested food from the stomach into nutrients and energy (Qi). The goal of Oriental medicine is to restore the harmony and strengthen the functioning of the digestive system. After examining a person’s constitution and symptoms, a customized treatment plan is developed that may include acupuncture, lifestyle/dietary recommendations, herbal medicine, and exercise.

Acupuncture to the Rescue

Acupuncture and herbal medicine have proven effective in treating a wide range of digestive disorders, from troublesome and temporary to serious and chronic.

Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting the lining of the large intestine. It occurs when the body mistakes food or other substances as a danger. While medical researchers don’t know the exact cause of the disease, they do know that flare-ups can be caused by stress, infections and even some anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. The symptoms and their duration vary: many patients’ symptoms are minimal or moderate but others’ can be life-threatening, such as severe dehydration and extreme bleeding from the colon.

A research team at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine published a study comparing the use of acupuncture versus a pharmaceutical for treating IBD in the 2013 issue of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (a peer-reviewed medical journal covering alternative medicine). After analyzing various trials, researchers concluded that acupuncture and moxibustion (an herbal treatment) were more effective than the pharmaceutical in treating IBD. Many of these trials were specific for ulcerative colitis.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Affecting 10 to 20 percent of adults at some point in their lives, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) used to be referred to as “spastic colon.” Its symptoms, which vary and change over time, may include constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, fatigue, and headaches. Triggers include some foods, stress, and other irritants.

Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s Disease can cause chronic inflammation anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the rectum tissue is found in the end of the small intestine and the beginning of the colon.

Because it’s so difficult to cure Crohn’s, treatment focuses on managing its symptoms, usually with medication, special diet, and some times surgery. Like ulcerative colitis and IBS, symptoms are not constant – there are flare-ups. Its many symptoms can include persistent diarrhea, anal bleeding, constipation, abdominal cramping or pain, loss of appetite and/or weight, fatigue, mental and physical developmental delays, fever, night sweats, or irregular menstrual cycle. Crohn’s disease can be life-threatening, especially when there are ruptures in the lining of the rectum and fistulas.

A study called Acupuncture Helps Crohn’s Disease Patients, published in the journal World of Gastroenterology, concluded that “acupuncture provided significant therapeutic benefits in patients with active Crohn’s Disease beyond the placebo effect and is therefore an effective and safe treatment.” Researchers also reported an improvement in both lab and quality of life scores indicating that acupuncture and herbal medicine help manage the disease’s symptoms, both physical and emotional.

Acid Reflux

According to some estimates, more than 20% of the general population suffers from acid reflux, once called heartburn. Asthmatic children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. Symptoms range from a burning pain in the chest to a sour taste in the mouth and even difficulty swallowing. Severe symptoms can feel like a heart attack, and the disease can cause bleeding in the stomach.

Treating Autoimmune Disease with Acupuncture

Over 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease; an autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue. Autoimmune disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, thyroid disease, Addison’s disease, pernicious anemia, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and Guillain–Barré syndrome. Due to the complexity of treating autoimmune disorders, integrative medicine solutions including acupuncture and Oriental medicine have received much attention as successful therapies in their treatment. Acupuncture is specifically noted for its use in pain relief, regulating the immune system, managing symptoms and improving quality of life.

What Causes Autoimmune Disease?

Under normal conditions, an immune response cannot be triggered against the cells of one’s own body. In certain cases, however, immune cells make a mistake and attack the very cells that they are meant to protect. This can lead to a variety of autoimmune diseases. They encompass a broad category of over 100 diseases in which the person’s immune system attacks his or her own cells and tissue.

The exact mechanisms causing these changes are not completely understood, but bacteria, viruses, toxins, and some drugs may play a role in triggering an autoimmune process in someone who already has a genetic (inherited) predisposition to develop such a disorder. It is theorized that the inflammation initiated by these agents, toxic or infectious, somehow provokes in the body a “sensitization” (autoimmune reaction) in the involved tissues.

As the disease develops, vague symptoms start to appear, such as joint and muscle pain, general muscle weakness, possible rashes or low-grade fever, trouble concentrating, or weight loss. The following symptoms may also indicate that something is wrong with the immune system: numbness and tingling in hands and feet, dry eyes, hair loss, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, or repeated miscarriages. Lower cholesterol
What is cholesterol and how is it bad? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in your body and many foods. Your body needs cholesterol to function normally and makes all that you need. Too much cholesterol can sometimes build up in your arteries. After a while, these deposits narrow your arteries, putting you at risk for heart disease and stroke.Since you can have high cholesterol without realizing it, it’s important to have your blood cholesterol levels checked. Most of the 65 million Americans with high cholesterol have no symptoms. All adults age 20 and older should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every five years, or more frequently if cholesterol levels are elevated.High cholesterol can also develop in early childhood and adolescence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the risk increases as weight increases. In the United States alone, more than twenty percent of youth aged 12–19 years have at least one abnormal lipid level. Children over the age of two should have their cholesterol checked if they are overweight or obese, have a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or certain chronic conditions such as kidney disease, inflammatory diseases, congenital heart disease, and childhood cancer.Research has clearly shown that lowering cholesterol can reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Whether you have heart disease already or want to prevent it, you can reduce your risk for having a heart attack by lowering your cholesterol level.According to the American Heart Association, exercise and a healthy, balanced diet low in cholesterol and saturated fats is important to lowering risk and improving your cardiovascular health. Speak to your health care providers to make sure your cholesterol is being monitored and find out how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help you stay healthy.Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can be used to treat many of the health conditions known to drastically increase the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol including smoking, high blood pressure, excess weight, and diabetes.The main goal in treating high cholesterol is to lower your LDL level. Studies have proven that lowering LDL can prevent heart attacks and reduce deaths from heart disease in both men and women.Being physically inactive contributes to overweight and can raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is known as the “bad” cholesterol. Inactivity lowers your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol. Regular physical activity can raise HDL and lower triglycerides, and can help you lose weight. In that way, activity can help lower your LDL. Participate in physical activity of moderate intensity—like brisk walking—for at least 30 minutes on most, and preferably all, days of the week. No time? Break the 30 minutes into three, 10-minute segments during the day.Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, contact our office to discuss ways in which acupuncture can help you quit.World Heart Day:Created by the World Heart Federation, September 29th is World Heart Day, which focuses on informing people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year, and the numbers are rising. According to the World Heart Federation, it is expected that by 2030, 23 million people will die from cardiovascular diseases each year. It is also predicted that at least 80 percent of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke will be avoided if the main risk factors–tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity–are controlled.Cardiovascular Disease can affect people of all ages and population groups, including women and children. In fact, one in three children in the United States is overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems–such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease–that were once seen only in adults. Reduce your family’s risk for heart disease and stroke by making basic lifestyle changes in these areas:Maintain a Healthy Weight:Obesity is associated with diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, all of which increase the risk of developing heart disease. Studies have shown that excess body weight itself (and not just the associated medical conditions) can also lead to heart failure. Even if you are entirely healthy otherwise, being overweight still places you at a greater risk for developing heart failure.Acupuncture and Oriental medicine are an excellent tool when it comes to losing weight. They can help to energize the body, maximize the absorption of nutrients, regulate elimination, control overeating, suppress the appetite, and reduce anxiety.Reduce Stress:Stress is a normal part of life, but if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or an irregular heart rate. Medical researchers aren’t exactly sure why stress increases the risk of heart disease. Stress itself might be a risk factor, or it could be that high levels of stress make other risk factors worse. For example, if you are under stress, your blood pressure goes up, you may overeat, you may exercise less, and you may be more likely to smoke.Numerous studies have demonstrated the substantial benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of stress, anxiety and mental health. In addition to acupuncture, Oriental medicine offers a whole gamut of tools and techniques that can be integrated into your life to keep stress in check. These tools include Tui Na, Qi Gong exercises, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, meditations and acupressure that you can administer at home.Improve Sleep:Poor sleep has been linked with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Researchers have shown that getting at least eight hours of sleep is needed for good heart health. Getting less than eight hours of sleep can put you at a greater risk for developing heart disease.Acupuncture can successfully treat a wide array of sleep problems without any of the side effects of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids. The acupuncture treatments for sleeping problems focus on the root disharmony within the body that is causing the insomnia. Therefore, those who receive acupuncture for insomnia achieve not only better sleep, but also an overall improvement of physical and mental health.
Diabetes
If you are receiving treatment for Diabetes and are under the care of a medical doctor (MD or DO) then you may qualify for free acupuncture treatment at Coral Gables Acupuncture.* Recent literature suggests that certain types of acupuncture treatment at specific intervals can help relieve the symptoms caused by Diabetes.
To see if you qualify ask your doctor if acupuncture is right for you. If in their professional judgment they think acupuncture treatment will help, then ask them to write you a prescription. Bring your doctor’s RX for acupuncture to our clinic and we will take care of the rest. After or during your course of treatment, return to your Doctor to discuss the results. Its that simple.

Acupuncture and herb medicine have a long history when it comes to enhancing reproductive health and fertility for both men and women. In fact, evidence that acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used to aid fertility can be found in early medical literature dating back to 3 AD.Statistics state that one in five couples over the age of 30 have difficulty conceiving after one year of trying. A combination of factors can contribute: delayed motherhood, toxins in the environment, and stressful lifestyles affect the balance of hormones. Many of these couples are turning to acupuncture and herbal medicine for a safe, effective and natural solution to have a healthy baby.How common is Acupuncture used to aid in fertility?  More often than you may think.  Celebrities such as Celine Dion and Mariah Carey have delivered healthy babies through the use of acupuncture and herb medicine . Click on the link below to watch a video of Mariah Carey speaking about her difficulties while trying to conceive and how Acupuncture played a part in helping her become pregnant:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbEWJ5TCP0
Popular television host Dr. Oz also recommends the use of acupuncture for women who are seeking fertility treatments.  Click on the link below to read an article from the Oprah.com website in which Dr. Oz writes about the benefits of Acupuncture for a variety of conditions, including infertility:http://www.oprah.com/health/Acupuncture-101
Some studies show that acupuncture can help fertility by reducing the effects of stress and balancing the hormones. It may increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, increase the uterine lining, prevent the uterus from contracting, lessen the side effects of drugs used in IVF, strengthen the immune system, decrease chances of miscarriage, and improve quality, quantity, and motility of sperm.A leading review article posted by Cornell University provides a summary of current research that supports acupuncture has potential benefits for fertility treatment, including the stimulation of increased uterine blood flow and fertility hormones. It reports that acupuncture treatment has the following potential fertility-boosting benefits:

• Increased blood flow to the uterus and therefore uterine wall thickness, an important marker for fertility
• Increased endorphin production, which, in turn, has been shown to effect the release of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (gnrh), a decapeptide involved in regulating reproduction
• Lower stress hormones responsible for infertility
• Impact on plasma levels of the fertility hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (fsh), luteinizing hormone (lh), estradiol (e2), and progesterone (p)
• Normalization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, a key process in fertility
• A positive effect for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, a hormonal imbalance present in three percent of adolescents and adults

Other benefits listed by similar researches include:

• Improved pregnancy rates during IVF treatment cycles, when acupuncture takes place on the day of embryo transfer
  
• Increased blood flow to the uterus, leading to an improved endometrial lining
• Reduced stress and anxiety levels
• Possible improvement in ovulation for women with PCOS and Anovulatory cycles
• Possible improvement in sperm count and quality in men with infertility
• Possible regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which in turn could help regulate ovulation
• Help those with thyroid problems because thyroid can lead to problems with fertility.
• Increased number of follicles produced during an IVF treatment.

Acupuncture is also commonly used to induce labor.Article from Fertility and Sterility was co-authored by Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, Dr. Pak H. Chung, and Dr. Raymond Chang of Weill Cornell. Published by Cornell University, via Cornell News website: http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/april03/fertility.html
Research on Acupuncture and Fertility
The earliest and perhaps most well known study was done in Germany in 2002 by Wolfgang E. Paulus. The pregnancy rates of two groups of women undergoing IVF were compared. The group receiving acupuncture 25 minutes before, and 25 minutes after embryo transfer had a pregnancy rate of 42.5% compared to 26% for the non-acupuncture group.Dieterle et al. Evaluated the effect of real acupuncture vs. Sham acupuncture. The real acupuncture group had significantly higher ongoing pregnancy rates: 28.4% vs. 13.8%.Regarding male factor infertility, acupuncture can improve sperm production and motility. In a study reported in 2005 researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture on the structural health of sperm in men with infertility of unknown cause. 28 infertile men received acupuncture 2 times a week for 5 weeks, and 12 men received no treatment. Sperm samples were analyzed at the beginning and end of the study.  Significant improvements in sperm quality in the acupuncture group were noted. Treatment was associated with fewer structural defects in sperm and an increase in the number of normal sperm.Fertility treatment approaches can vary from person to person, but are usually scheduled for at least three consecutive cycles (twelve weeks).Treatments can use acupuncture herb medicine and stress reduction dietary counseling.If you or a loved one are suffering from reproductive issues, we would like to help.  Contact us find out how acupuncture can help get you on the path to better reproductive health today.*

• Endometriosis
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
• Poor Ovarian Reserve
• High FSH
• Thin endometrial lining
• Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Amenorrhea
• Hormonal imbalance
• Stress, anxiety, and depression
• Advanced maternal age
• Unexplained infertility
• Recurrent miscarriage
• Male factor issues such as low sperm count, motility, or morphology

Looking good does not always mean you need to be sexy or slim. You need to love yourself for who you are. But if you are unsatisfied with the way you look, or are experiencing health issues because of weight problems, then at least you should choose the most natural, safe and most effective way to lose weight: A healthy diet, acupuncture and proper exercise. Those are the best ways to trim weight within a short period of time.In our clinic everybody is treated on a one-on-one basis and receives a customized treatment that fits their constitution. In Traditional Chinese Medicine every treatment is suited only for the person who receives it. Even if you come to us for the same reason as a friend, we might treat you both completely different. And that is because everyone’s body constitution is unique. Therefore even the nutritional aspect might be different from person to person. And this is the reason why we are so successful in our results.“When one approach is not working to reach the desired goal, that’s not a reason to abandon the goal. Instead, it is time to devise another approach.” Ralph MarstonAt our clinic we provide a gentle acupuncture treatment along with a healthy diet plan and an exercise program for effective weight loss.Various studies indicate that 95% of participants who received acupuncture experienced reduced appetite and lost 3x more weight than those who don’t.Acupuncture for weight loss stimulates different points in the body and influences weight loss by suppressing cravings, controlling appetite, enhancing metabolism and digestion, efficient utilization of nutrients and controlling the hormones that influence obesity.Furthermore, the body does not experience any kind of shock, as other more radical methods tend to do. Acupuncture and healthy diet complement each other perfectly and they can even be combined with other natural approaches of weight loss treatments. A healthy diet helps lessen carbohydrate and calorie intake daily with wise healthy food choices. Acupuncture on the other hand makes your body feel relaxed and helps increase body metabolism.