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In-Office Visits, currently accepting new patients. Available to give consultation on a wide variety of topics related to Eastern Medicine and the integration of Eastern and Western Medicine, the Benefits of Acupuncture, and Acupuncture for a variety of conditions such as all sorts of pains, stress, depression, smoking and drug addictions, chronicle allergies, and all sorts of difficult cases.
Treatment Methods Employed:
Many other methods included in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Healing are TuiNa (Chinese Massage), GuaSha, Moxibustion, Electro-Acupuncture, Heat Therapy, and Chinese Nutritional advice. All of these are customized for treatment to each individual person.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture originated in China over 5,000 years ago. It is based on the belief that health is determined by a balanced flow of Qi, the vital life energy present in all living organisms. According to acupuncture theory, Qi is circulated in the body along fourteen energy pathways, called meridians, each linked to specific internal organs and organ systems. There are over one thousand acupoints within the meridian system that can be stimulated to enhance the flow of Qi. When special needles are inserted into these acupoints (just under the skin), they help correct and rebalance the flow of energy and consequently restore health.
In the United States, acupuncture has gained popularity more quickly than any other alternative therapies. The first recognition came in 1971, when New York Times foreign correspondent James Teston first reported his experience with acupuncture following his emergency appendectomy in China. Today, acupuncture in America is in full swing. Last year alone, Americans made some 9-12 million visits to acupuncturists for ailments as diverse as arthritis, bladder infections, back pain, and morning sickness.
The World Health Organization of the United Nations (WHO) has cited 104 different conditions that acupuncture can treat; including, migraines, sinusitis, the common cold, tonsillitis, asthma, eye inflammation, addictions, myopia, duodenal ulcer (and other gastrointestinal disorders), trigeminal neuralgia, Meniere's disease, tennis elbow, paralysis from stroke, speech aphasia, sciatica, and osteoarthritis. Acupuncture has also been found to be effective in the treatment of a variety of rheumatoid conditions, and brings relief in 80% of those who suffer from arthritis. There is also evidence to suggest that acupuncture is valuable in treating enviromentally-induced illness due to radiation, pesticide poisoning, enviromentally toxic compounds, and air pollution.
In addition, acupuncture has been popularly used for weight control, quitting smoking, substance abuse, stress, depression, anxiety relief, cosmetic care, women's health, and even immune support.
Acupressure Massage
Acupressure Massage is an ancient healing art that uses the fingers to press key points on the surface of the skin to stimulate the body's natural self-curative abilities. When these points are pressed, they release muscular tension and promote the circulation of blood and the body's life force energy to aid healing. Acupuncture and acupressure use the same points, but acupuncture employs needles, while acupressure uses gentle but firm pressure.
Have you ever had a Shiatsu massage? Acupressure and Shiatsu are almost identical. They are both meridian therapies, which means they both work with the body¡¯s own energy pathways, the pathways which are the foundation of Chinese medicine. Acupressure works on the acu-points and meridians, similar but not exactly like, Acupuncture without needles!
In an Acupressure treatment, pressure is applied along the meridians to improve the circulation of energy and harmonize the functions of the internal organs. Pressure is applied with the hands, arms, elbows, and occasionally the feet of the practitioner. In addition to the application of pressure to the meridians, acupressure will involve the application of pressure to other muscles and ligaments throughout the body. This component of acupressure is similar to the technique of Swedish massage. Acupressure also involves placing the hand on a part of the body, passively, without any significant pressure exerted, to facilitate energy flow.
The combination of acupressure with muscle massage will act on the whole body to facilitate deep relaxation, relieve discomfort and pain, and increase the regenerative capacity of the body by unblocking the flow of energy.
Chinese Herbology
Chinese Herbs, or Herbal Medicines (also known as botanical medicines) utilize certain plants or plant parts to make medicines, aromatic oils for soaps or fragrances, or flavor foods (spices). An herb can be a leaf, bark, or any other part of a certain plant used for its medicinal, food flavoring, or aromatic properties. Herbs have provided humankind with medicine from the earliest beginnings of civilization. Throughout history, various cultures have handed down their accumulated knowledge of the medicinal use of herbs to successive generations. This vast body of knowledge serves as the basis for much of traditional medicine today.
The practice of Chinese herbal medicine stretches back more than 5,000 years, embracing all the domains of nature - earth and sea, seasons and weather, plants and animals, and all the elements that constitute the universe. Contemporary Chinese medicine represents the cumulative clinical experience and time-tested theories of five millennia of continuous practice by traditional Chinese physicians. It remains the world's oldest, safest, and most comprehensive system of medical care, developing as dynamically today as it has throughout its long history.
The World Health Organization of the United Nations (WHO) notes that of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74% are used in modern medicine in ways that correlate directly with their traditional uses as plant medicine by native cultures. Herbal medicine is the most ancient form of health care known to mankind. Herbs have been used in all cultures throughout history. Extensive scientific documentation now exists concerning their use for health conditions, including premenstrual syndrome, indigestion, insomnia, heart disease, liver disease, cancer, and HIV.
Swedish Massage is now known as "traditional" massage. In the 1820s, a Swedish doctor, Dr. Per Henrik Ling, developed the first modern method of massage through his study of physiology, gymnastics, and the massage techniques borrowed from China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Swedish massage includes long gliding strokes, kneading, friction, tapping, and shaking motions. It is effective for most ailments, because massaging the skin, the body's largest organ, sets up a chain reaction that produces a positive effect on all layers and systems of the body. It affects the nerves, muscles, glands, and circulation, and promotes health and wellbeing.
The term "Swedish Massage" refers to a variety of techniques specifically designed to relax muscles by applying pressure to them against deeper muscles and bones, and rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart.
The main purpose of Swedish massage is to increase the oxygen flow in the blood and release toxins from the muscles. Swedish massage also stimulates the skin and nervous system and soothes the nerves themselves at the same time. It reduces both emotional and physical stress, and is suggested in a regular program for stress management. It also has many specific medical uses.
Our clinic has three Swedish Massage Therapists. Each therapist has many years of rich experience, and each has his or her own unique approach to natural therapy. The prices for treatment charged by each Massage Therapist also vary. If interested, please contact each of them to make appointment:
Female Massage Therapists Betty Garza Phone: (956) 458-2508
Iris B Garcia (956) 739-3769Male Massage Therapist Dr. Xiang Fang Phone: (956) 682-4885
Cupping
Cupping is one of the oldest methods in Traditional Chinese Medicine, dating back to the fourth century B.C. The cups were originally made from hollowed out animal horns or from bamboo. Today the cups are made of thick glass. The cups stay on by vacuum suction which is created by briefly holding a flame inside the cups to burn up all the oxygen, creating a vacuum. The flame is held inside the cup so briefly that it doesn't warm the glass at all, so there is no risk of burns. (But it is important that cupping is done only by a licensed Acupuncturist.) The cups usually stay on anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending on the patient's condition.
Cupping is usually done for conditions such as bronchitis, asthma, congestion, arthritis, and certain types of pain, usually chronic pain. It is also done to treat depression and often times to reduce certain types of swelling.
Cupping is generally safe and painless. It is safe as long as it is done by a licensed Acupuncturist. It may, however, leave bruises. These are created from the suction and usually look like hickys. The bruises can often be tender, but are not usually painful, and they disappear within a few days. Cupping should not be performed on people with inflammed, irritated, or infected skin. It is also usually avoided on elderly people with very thin, delicate skin.
Moxibustion is another ancient Chinese medicine technique which involves the burning of mugwort to facilitate healing. The Chinese character for acupuncture, translated literally, means "acupuncture-moxibustion. Moxibustion is used to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi, and maintain general health. The sensation that moxa produces is a pleasant heat that penetrates deep into the skin. In traditional Chinese medicine, moxibustion is used on people who have a cold or stagnant condition. The burning of moxa expels cold and warms the meridians, which leads to smoother flow of blood and qi. Moxibustion has successfully been used to turn breech babies into a normal head-down position prior to childbirth. A study published in JAMA in 1998 found that up to 75% of women suffering from breech presentations before childbirth had fetuses that rotated to the normal position after receiving moxibustion at an acupuncture point on the small toe.
Mugwort, the herb which is used for moxibustion, also known as artemesia vulgaris or ai ye in Chinese, increases circulation to the pelvic area and uterus and stimulates menstruation It can also be used to help eliminate menstrual cramps.It is frequently used alongside acupuncture for conditions ranging from bronchial asthma to arthritis with amazing success. In moxibustion, the leaves of the Chinese herb mugwort are dried and then burned using one of several methods.The ’moxa stick’ is the most common form in which moxibustion is used to promote healing. Here the dried mugwort is rolled up tightly and wrapped in paper forming a cigar-like stick. It is then waved over the area to be warmed for a few minutes.
Acupuncture is most effective in treating acute and chronic pain conditions. According to the study conducted in 1997 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there is clear evidence in support of acupuncture¡¯s efficacy for the control of pain and inflammation, enhanced circulation, endocrine and immune function and the reduction of stress.
Specifically, we treat conditions listed as follows:
• Back/Neck Pain, Whiplash, Degenerative Discs
• Joint Pain, Arthritis, Osteoarthritis
• Migraine, Headaches
• Sports/Work/Auto Injuries
• Fibromyalgia, Myofascial Pain, Tennis Elbow
• Sciatica, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• TMJ
• Endometriosis, Menstrual Cramps
• Postoperative Pain
• Malignant PainAcupuncture is a holistic method of encouraging the body to promote its own natural healing and to improve overall functioning. The modern scientific explanation is that needling the acupuncture points stimulates the body to produce natural steroids and release endorphins. Steroids decrease inflammation, while endorphins inhibit pain. These substances are 50 to 100 times more potent in relieving pain than many prescription drugs, and play an integral part in the elimination of the pain cycle.
Specifically, Acupuncture works by
• quickly reducing pain and inflammation, and relaxing muscles
• increasing circulation to speed up recovery time
• reducing pain without the prolonged use of drugs and surgical intervention
• promoting physical and emotional well bein
• enhancing endocrine and immune function
• maintaining longer positive results and preventing recurrenceOur clinic has had many success stories of helping clients relieving different kinds of pains, and you may read samples of the testimonials in the referral section of our website.
We use Acupuncture, or Ear-Acupuncture, or Herbal Medicine to help you lose weight. Aside from suppressing your appetite and regulating your hormone system, balancing the Yin and Yang in your body, enhancing your metabolism, and helping you lose weight, these kinds of treatments can calm you down, ease your mind, relieve pain, eliminate sugar cravings and help with GastroIntestinal problems. So you simply don’t eat as much, you stress less than before, and you have more energy.
Acupuncture alone or with herbs can energize the body to process the leftover efficiently and thus lose the unwanted weight like mucus, water retention, toxins in lymphatic system, clients will detox and shrink through more gas or bowel movement.
1. How can Acupuncture help eliminate the habit of smoking?
Acupuncture treatment can help clients give up smoking. It helps in the following ways:
1) It hastens the elimination of toxins from the body, shortening the nicotine withdrawal period.
2) It stimulates energy flow to the lungs and bronchial system.
3) It lowers the appetite to reduce nervous overeating, which may occur after quit smoking.
4) Most importantly, it has a powerful calming effect, reducing nervousness and craving for cigarettes.2. How soon can Acupuncture take effect on smoking?
Depending on how sensitive clients are to Acupuncture treatment, the length of time may vary, but most people see effects just by one treatment, some need 2-3 times to stop the craving, nervousness, irritability and the discomforts of withdrawal.
Usually after the treatment, people who try to smoke report that the taste of cigarettes is bad, or even that smoking makes them sick, dizzy or nauseated. When a person feels no desire and no nervousness, the treatment is discontinued. A similar program is used to help people stop drinking and to relieve drug toxification symptoms.
Are you allergic to milk, meat, or fruit? If you are, there is an effective way to cure your allergy. No shots, nor pills are needed. Acupuncture techniques, developed by Dr. Nambudripad, are utilized for the treatment.
Dr. Fang is the first one in the Valley who is trained in using Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques, which have proven history of curing all types of allergies.
What are Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques?
Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques, also known as NAET®, are a non-invasive, drug free, natural solution to eliminating allergies of all types and intensities using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure. One allergen is treated at a time. If you are not severely immune deficient, you may need just one treatment to desensitize one allergen. A person with mild to moderate amount of allergies may take about 15-20 office visits to desensitize 15-20 food and environmental allergens. Basic essential nutrients are treated during the first few visits. Chemicals, environmental allergens, vaccinations, immunizations, etc. are treated after completing about ten basic essential nutrients. NAET® can successfully eliminate adverse reactions to egg, milk, peanuts, penicillin, aspirin, mushrooms, shellfish, latex, grass, ragweed, flowers, perfume, animal dander, animal epithelial, make-up, chemicals, cigarette smoke, pathogens, heat, cold, other environmental agents. NAET® was discovered by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad in November of 1983.
By testing and treating with the Nambudripad’s Testing Techniques(NTT)! This revolutionary approach is particularly relevant for dealing with allergies, one of the most stubborn health problems facing mankind today. It is a natural, drugless, painless, non-invasive method that can be used safely on a newborn infant, on the elderly, even on a healthy person to treat hidden allergies that could cause disease in the future. It can be used on pets, invalids, children, even patients in a coma. NAET® can reduce or eliminate allergies to the items cleared by this method.
With this technique, allergens are cleared (treated) one at a time, in a specific order. The good news is that following the prescribed formula, allowing for the 25-hour avoidance of the treated substance, one session is all it usually takes to reduce/clear an allergy. Highly sensitive individuals may require additional ’combination’ clearings.
Acupuncture has had proven success in treating infertility among both men and women.
I. What Symptoms Can Acupuncture Treat?
For Women:
• Inability to conceive
• Thin uterine lining
• Menstrual irregularities/pain
• Endometriosis
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
• High FSH
• Undergoing IVF treatment (IUI, etc.)
• History of poor response to fertility medicinesFor Men:
• Male factor subfertility
• Low sperm count
• Poor morphology/motilityII. How Does Acupuncture Work to Treat Infertility?
Acupuncture treats infertility by working to restore the body's natural ability to reproduce, so the results are more natural, and there are no side effects. Specifically, acupuncture works in the following ways to treat infertility:
• Regulating menstrual cycles & ovulation
• Invigorating sperm and enhancing a man's sperm count and motility
• Enhancing general health
• Reducing stress, controlling anxiety, enhancing sleep and increasing energy levels
• Balancing endocrine systems
• Improving blood flow in pelvic cavity.
• Increasing the chances of pregnancy for women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF).III. Cited Research on Acupuncture and in-vitro fertilization
Acupuncture proves to be effective in increasing the chances of women becoming pregnant undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). A study, published in the April, 2002 edition of the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, reported an experimental study that found Acupuncture treatment having a positive impact on increasing the cases of pregnancy. The experiment included 160 patients undergoing IVF. The patients, who were all required to have good quality embryos, were evenly and randomly divided into two groups similar in age and diagnosis. When the patients were examined using ultrasound six weeks after their IVF procedures, the differences in pregnancy rates were notable. In the control group, 26 percent of the women, or 21 out of 80 patients, became pregnant. Of the patients who had received acupuncture treatments, 42 percent of the women, 34 out of 80, became pregnant. Most patients who receieve acupuncture prior and during their IVF cycles report a significant reduction in their stress, anxiety and depression while going through their cycle.
IV. Who is a good candidate for Acupuncture for infertility?
Good candidates for acupuncture are people who have a functional, rather than structural reason for infertility.
Infertility due to hormonal problems, immune disorders, amenorrhoea, irregular menstruation, stress and age related factors all fall into the category of functional infertility.
If used alone, acupuncture may not be as effective when treating infertility involving structural modifications, such as fallopian tube damage or severe endometriosis. Therefore, a complete medical evaluation is recommended to understand the exact nature of the problem. HOWEVER, you can still receive acupuncture in conjunction with western modalities such as IVF with structural causes for infertility.
Bell's facial paralysis is one of the most common peripheral facial paralyses which occurs suddenly and mostly after exposure to cold wind.
It often occurs in autumn and winter or between spring and summer, mostly in the middle-aged clients. The disease usually attacks one side of the face.
The attack comes all of a sudden. At the beginning the patient feels numb at one side of the face, pain around the ear and tenderness in the mastoidale region. The mouth becomes wry, the nasolabial groove no longer seen and the facio-buccal region relaxed and strengthless. It is impossible to have the cheeks blown up. The eyeballs are still exposed when the eyes are shut. It is difficult to frown and speak. Salivation comes down from the corners of the mouth. The sense of taste is lost but the sense of hearing is hypersensitive.
Acupuncture combined with the acupressure is most effective in treating this problem. Usually, the symptoms can be cured after only 3-5 times.
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