City Acupuncture Blog Post

With the start of the school season, many teenagers are again feeling the increased effects of stress.  And while adults have many resources to help with stress, teenagers have few.  Their stress is high, but their ability to cope is low. Many schools are recognising this and taking steps to help their students.  Some schools have yoga programs or use therapy dogs.  Some teach Transcendental Meditation or Mindfulness Training.  More and more schools understand that teaching stress management is an essential part of preparing teenagers for life. If you have access to classes that help with stress, consider offering them to your teen.  But even without classes, there’s a lot you can do to help your stressed teen. Three Mile…

Eight weeks of ‘laser acupuncture’ can ease depression in adults, a small Australian trial finds. The therapy, which uses low-intensity infra-red beams in place of needles, led to significant reductions in scores on two depression scales, above and beyond that seen with placebo acupuncture. Eighty per cent of patients had a clinical response to laser acupuncture – defined as a more than 50% reduction on the Hamilton-Depression Rating Scale – compared with just 19% of those in the placebo group, the trial found. It included 47 Sydney adults with major depression, who received 12 acupuncture sessions over the eight-week study period. “This is the first adequately sized double-blind controlled trial of laser acupuncture in depression,” the University of NSW-led researchers…

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can originate from various causes ranging from aggression to violence or disasters. Any situation causing emotional, physical or mental trauma can result in PTSD. The use of acupuncture for PTSD has been scientifically proven to show reduced anxiety levels and stress in individuals. Through such Chinese forms of treatment, it is easier for affected individuals to regain composure in daily life activities. Typically acupuncture for PTSD is administered by stimulating specific auricular points in the body. These points of the body are responsible for controlling particular brain areas that help control nervous functioning as well as mitigate stress levels. Many soldiers who have been victims of PTSD after violent wars are being treated with acupuncture…

PTSD is a physiological disorder that can result from being exposed to a traumatic event.  The disorder results in several different symptoms, including anxiety, irritability, insomnia and flashbacks. The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder in someone’s life can be far-reaching.  Feelings of hopelessness, shame and despair, problems at work or relationships, serious health problems, depression, anxiety and drug or alcohol abuse are not uncommon. Getting help can be hard at first but can have a great impact on helping PTSD. A recent study into the efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has shown promising results. Researchers investigated the effects of acupuncture in adjunct to normal treatment approaches, and the results showed significant improvement. Studies have…

Acupuncture may be plausible treatment for depression One in four people experience depression at some point in their lives. But can acupuncture help with depression? According to recent studies, the answer is ‘YES’. Laser acupuncture is a plausible treatment for depression and other mental disorders, UNSW researchers have shown for the first time. Acupuncture produces significant changes in parts of the brain that regulate emotional states and is a biologically plausible treatment for depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders, UNSW researchers have shown for the first time. The scientists, from UNSW’s School of Psychiatry, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map the changes in the prefrontal cortex and subcortical nuclei brought about through the stimulation of the body’s acupoints by laser…

You are what you eat is an adage that holds more truth than you may realize. Unfortunately, many people today focus their diet around processed foods that are high in sugar, sodium and fat. Diets such as this can increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and more. You can protect your body and health against such illnesses, however, by eating lean meats, fresh vegetables, and by adding the following “superfoods” to your diet. #1) Broccoli This edible stalky plant of the cabbage family is loaded in potassium, vitamin B-6, vitamin C magnesium, and calcium. Scientists believes broccoli’s phytochemicals – organic chemical compounds which occur naturally – are able to aid in skin health, regulate blood sugar…