Acid Reflux & Acupuncture

6 Jun 2017 Your Overall Health , ,

What is acid reflux?

Also commonly known as heartburn, acid reflux can range from mild and infrequent to severe and constant.  There are many causes of this painful problem.  Some cases are diet sensitive, meaning the issue is caused or exacerbated by the intake of specific foods and drinks.  Some common culprits are coffee, alcohol (especially red wine), citrus fruit and juices, eggs, chocolate, and spicy foods.

Other cases involve structural problems such as a hiatal hernia.  This is when a portion of the stomach pushes up above the diaphragm.  Other people might suffer from overproduction of stomach acid.  This is also a common issue during pregnancy especially during the later months as the uterus takes up more space in the abdomen and creates upward pressure on the stomach.  Also, during pregnancy, the hormones relax the valve separating the stomach from the esophagus, allowing acid to move up out of the stomach.

Not only is heartburn unpleasant and painful, it can also cause damage to the lining of your esophagus if left untreated.  You can read about the long-term effects of untreated heartburn here: http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/untreated-heartburn#1

How does Traditional Chinese Medicine help?

From a TCM perspective, acid reflux is diagnosed as Rebellious Stomach Qi.  The flow of the 12 main channels in the body all have a specific direction they follow.  The stomach channel flows from the face down to the feet.  This makes sense when you think about digestion in general.  We want the food to move down and out.  When the flow of qi is disrupted for whatever reason, the natural direction can be reversed which can cause belching, hiccuping, vomiting, and reflux. Think about when you have experienced indigestion.  Instead of food moving through your digestive tract as it should, it feels like it won’t go down and you may feel that upward movement of gas or food for several hours as your stomach and other digestive organs work hard to move it through.

Acupuncture redirects the qi in the stomach channel by opening blockages along the channel and restoring the channel’s natural downward movement.  Herbs are also extremely helpful, especially in cases of chronic heartburn.  Herbs can replace your over-the-counter heartburn medications such as Tums, Zantac, or Pepto Bismol as a natural alternative with fewer side effects and issues with long-term use.

What else can I do to lessen my discomfort?

Here are some simple tips for beating the burn:

  1. Sleep with your upper body slightly elevated.
  2. Don’t eat late at night.  Try to eat several hours before going to bed to give your body time to digest before laying flat.
  3. Try peppermint or ginger to aid general digestion.
  4. Take probiotics to ensure proper gut health.
  5. Reduce intake of exacerbating foods.  Pay attention to what flares your heartburn and remove it from your diet.
    Iris Martin, Light & Joy Acupuncture Inc.

TMJ and Acupuncture

6 Feb 2017 Pain, Your Overall Health , ,

TMJ and Acupuncture

What is TMJ/TMD?

TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint.  The actual disorders associated with this joint are more appropriately termed TMD and refer to issues in the muscles and bones around the jaw.  Often patients report pain, clicking, lock jaw, headaches, and neck pain associated with TMJ dysfunction.

What causes TMJ/TMD?

The patient might have a history of clenching or grinding their teeth or inflammation in the joint itself.  This could be from an injury in the area or chronic muscle tightness in the neck that affects the jaw. Dental work can also contribute to TMJ pain.  The patient may feel jaw pain following a root canal, implant work, wisdom teeth extraction, amalgam removal etc.  Other possible issues that can contribute to or exacerbate pain in the jaw are fibromyalgia, stress, systemic imbalances, and sinus problems.

What can I do to relieve TMJ/TMD pain?Acupuncture can work wonders!

We look at patterns in the body and use needles and/or massage to open the channels and bring balance to the affected area.  Acupuncture helps to move qi and blood thereby reducing inflammation, increasing circulation and relieving pain.  Other specialists can help in conjunction with acupuncture such as chiropractors and physical therapists. We recommend seeking practitioners who look at the body as a whole to identify stress/injury patterns. Please ask for referrals if needed!

Case Study

A 48 year old male presents with TMJ pain after having several amalgams replaced by his dentist.  He was experiencing acute pain in his jaw accompanied by neck and shoulder pain, headaches, and sinus congestion. The range of motion in his jaw was limited. He had a chiropractic treatment to address the alignment and spacing in the jaw area and felt that after being adjusted, the pain remained and the range of motion had not improved. He had also tried physical therapy and diligently did the recommended stretches and strengthening exercises.  With this treatment, he felt some improvement but the issue was still unresolved.  The patient had been dealing with high levels of work-related stress for the past 6 months.

Outcome: After 6 acupuncture treatments, the TMJ pain had completely resolved and the range of motion returned to normal. The patient reported improved sleep as well!

The practitioner focused on opening circulation in the face and jaw area.  Reducing stress and rebalancing the channels was also a major component of the treatment plan.  His high levels of stress were causing an underlying holding and tightening in the body and face that was preventing the release of pain. The chiropractic treatment addressed the misalignment of the jaw. Physical therapy worked to strengthen and balance the muscles in the face area. Acupuncture addressed the stress patterns so the body was able to relax and release the tension.

written by Iris Martin

Baby Mal-position (Breech) and Correction with Chiropractic

14 Oct 2014 Women & Pregnancy , , , , , , , , ,

What is Baby Mal-Position?

It’s when the baby’s head position isn’t engaging with the pelvis, by either turning around in a way or tipping asymmetrically so that birth and labor are not optimally positioned. OB/GYN’s and Midwives will typically notice and classify a baby as Mal-Positioned somewhere between weeks 32-37. This may seem late but prior to these weeks, the baby will be moving into different positions often and it doesn’t matter up until the end of pregnancy because the baby is small enough in comparison to the uterus and so has plenty of room to move.

What are the different Mal-Positions?

Breech – buttock down
Complete Breech –baby is sitting cross legged on the cervix
Footling Breech – is butt down with one foot on the cervix
Knee Breech – is one or both knees on the cervix (most rare)
Frank Breech – is baby folded up with the buttock on the cervix and feet up by the head
Transverse position
Posterior position – babies nose pointing toward mom’s belly button.
Oblique position
Extended baby head
Asynclitic position with baby head tilted to one side or the other causing the cervix not to open evenly.

What are some of the Causes of Baby Mal-Position?

Stress, Anxiety or Fear
Pelvic Mis-alignment – especially the tail bone
Bad Posture
Trauma even minor bumps and bangs
Tense Uterus due to muscle or any of the above issues

A patient may present with only one of the problems or she may have a combination of several causes leading to a baby in a less than optimal position.

How do you treat Mal-Position?

Chiropractic (Webster Technique)
Acupuncture or Acupressure
Positive Attitude
Pelvic tilts
Turning position exercises on my favorite Website: spinningbabies.com
Water Walking for 30 minutes daily
External Version (last resort – very uncomfortable and not a very good success rate)

What is Webster Technique?

A technique that is performed by chiropractors to align the sacrum, the pelvis and a series of very specific muscles. The doctor’s in our office use their hands, a tool and muscle release to restore normal pelvic alignment so it allows the baby to turn when normal neuro-biomechanics are restored to mom’s body. Literature has shown that normal neuro-biomechanics allow for achieving optimal fetal-uterine position will reduce the likelihood of dystocia (difficult labor). The procedure usually takes 4 office visits to our Chiropractor. If baby isn’t turning by visit number 3, we add simultaneous acupuncture treatments. While most visits take usually 4 treatments, we have seen stubborn little ones take up to 8 visits; so please realize your baby and your body may not follow the typical guidelines. The success rate for Webster is fairly high and our doctor’s have a low fail rate. When Webster does fail it is usually due to cord position, and if baby were to turn – it would put their life in danger. So sometimes a procedure needs to fail so that we have a healthy happy baby and this is our primary goal.

How do I prevent a mal-positioned baby?

Literature does state that proper pelvic alignment throughout pregnancy does significantly correlate with a decrease in dystocia (difficult labor), mal-position and stress on the baby’s body. Women while pregnant have a greater chance of sacral mis-alignment and neuro-biomechanical issues due to the change in hormones, rapid weight gain and postural changes. Seeing a chiropractor periodically throughout a pregnancy is recommended for both mom’s and babies health. Massage can also be a tool used to maintain correct muscle movement and prevent undue stress on baby or mom. In our office, we recommend the following adjustment schedule broken down by week. This can by modified anytime if back or pelvic pain develops because they are signals that a neuro-biomechanical issue is occurring. We want to correct this before we have a stressed or mal-positioned baby. During pregnancy, exercise regularly, walking, swimming or yoga can all help maintain a healthy pelvis and help with labor as well as keeping baby in a good position while In utero.

Adjustments:

Week 10-14 (or sooner if pain develops)
Week 18-21
Week 23-26
Week 29-32
Week 38
Week 39
Week 40 a day after due date.
(And always schedule an appointment for Acupuncture a couple days after your due date so they can naturally start encouraging labor.)
Is chiropractic care safe for pregnant women?

Chiropractic care is safe for most pregnant women. Here is a list of the exceptions. If you are already under chiropractic care, please inform your Chiropractor immediately if:

Contraindications to adjusting may include vaginal bleeding, ruptured amniotic membranes, cramping, sudden onset of pelvic pain, premature labor, placenta previa (not always a contraindication), placenta abruption, ectopic pregnancy, and moderate to severe toxemia.

Below are some References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647084/

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/chiropractic-care-during-pregnancy/

http://www.webmd.com/balance/alternative-therapies-in-pregnancy

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