Acupuncture can be an excellent treatment choice for that annoyingly persistent ganglion!

At Happy Body Acupuncture, we use a unique treatment technique in acupuncture called ‘Surround the Dragon’ to treat ganglion cysts (this essentially is surrounding the cyst itself). By doing this, blood flow is stimulated to the affected area; increasing the circulation and assisting with reducing inflammation and encouraging the body to repair.

I recently had a patient present for acupuncture treatment of a general musculoskeletal condition. During our consultation she mentioned she had suffered an irritating ganglion in her wrist that had been there for years. She didn’t feel hopeful that anything would remedy it except surgery. When I related to her that I had had a large Ganglion in my wrist some years ago, that I removed simply with self-administered Acupuncture, she was open to trying this, for as she explained “What do I have to lose?!”

We followed the same acupuncture technique described above, involving treated the local area of the ganglion, along with focusing on the condition she initially came in for. Our follow up appointment was a week later and the first thing she mentioned with utter shock was that her ganglion was gone!

She had woken the morning after the single acupuncture treatment to find it had disappeared, her comment was “I’m unsure what kind of witchcraft you do but I’m not complaining!”. I explained to her that simply by redirecting the body’s attention to the area of the ganglion, it ‘remedied’ the inflammation  and stimulated healing to finally take place. ​

Sharlene is able to be contacted or booked through City Osteopaths 044991439 or direct email: sharlene@happybodyacupuncture.co.nz 

A female patient very much wanting to get pregnant, presented with a history of two consecutive 'failed to respond to stimulation' IVF cycles. This meant that no eggs were able to be collected from the ovary, so no embryos resulted.

The female patient then came in for a fertility acupuncture appointment including treatment with our Registered Acupuncturist Sharlene McInness, just one week prior to undergoing her third cycle. Her case history revealed no underlying pathology affecting conception, except ‘advanced maternal age’. This unfortunately, is a far too common influencing factor for successful conception.

The acupuncture treatment became immediately focused on encouraging the development of healthy mature eggs during the stimulation phase of her IVF cycle. During this brief time, the acupuncture treatment was twice weekly with the addition of CoQ10 supplementation, which offers additional nutritional benefits for ovarian stimulation. Upon this third IVF attempt , a wonderful result of nineteen eggs were ready for collection with a total of twelve eggs fertilised. An embryo transfer to the hopeful female patient was performed with additional embryos able to be frozen.

A very happy patient, feeling hopeful and excited, approaching her first pregnancy confirmation. This is an extremely positive result in such a short time following two previously failed IVF cycles.

Acupuncture can be a very  effective treatment addition whilst you are undergoing IVF treatment or ovarian stimulation, to increase embryo receptivity and encourage development of mature healthy follicles.

For personal queries pertaining to your own Fertility treatment Sharlene is contactable through City Osteopaths 044991439 or direct email: sharlene@happybodyacupuncture.co.nz 


Best wishes in your Fertility journey 💜"

​Acupuncture can provide some much needed relief from the constant discomfort of OOS/RSI. This is achieved through stimulating the afferent nerve fibres in the tight restricted forearms, which makes them relax and release some of the tension.
Then the increase in fluid circulation, stimulated by an Acupuncture needle, works as a natural anti-inflammatory, assisting in breaking the cycle of chronic inflammation and lessening the destructive effect it has on tissues. The end result is more mobility and most importantly, a reduction in pain. This results in muscles becoming healthy and being able to open a jar or lift the kettle. Body movements which were difficult or painful become achievable again!

Research:
Branco, K & Naeser, M 1999,’ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Clinical Outcome After Low-Level Laser Acupuncture, Microamps Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, and Other Alternative Therapies – An Open Protocol Study’, The Journal of ALternative and Complementary Medicine, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 5 – 26,

Amirlak, B, Wolff, T, Ahmed, O, Upadhyaya, K, Tsai, T, Scheker, L & Tabbal, G 2016, ‘Median Nerve Entrapment – Anatomy’, Medscape Website, http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1242387-overview#a12,

Ho, C, Lin, H, Lee, Y, Chou, L, Kuo, T, Chang, H, Chen, Y & Lo, S 2014, ‘Clinical Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome’, The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 303 – 314,"

​Sharlene McInnes Dip. Tuina, Dip. Acupuncture. MNZRA. ACC Treatment Provider
http://www.cityosteopaths.co.nz/acupuncture.html
​www.happybodyacupuncture.co.nz
Phone City Osteopaths on 04 4991439

Like anything, if you give yourself enough time to do a spot of Internet exploring you’re going to find something that will deter you from trying acupuncture. The truth being, people react differently to their various experiences in life; while some might love one restaurant, another person might never step foot inside it again.
Take pharmaceuticals for example, some people respond fast and effectively to drugs, whilst it wont work for others as well. You’ll never know if Acupuncture will work well for you until you give it a try! *Please note: Traditional Acupuncture and ‘dry needling, ‘Trigger point needling’ are different things- which we will elaborate on later*
Acupuncture works- there’s no denying that. There are however plenty of myths surrounding the treatment which could be putting some of you off- and I wanted to clear a few of them up…

Myth number one: It’s painful!
Frightened of vaccinations? Acupuncture needles are absolutely nothing like those used for injections. In fact, they’re so fine (thinner than a human hair) you’ll hardly feel them when they penetrate the skin. The way the needles are inserted is with a gentle flick or tap; the majority of people feel that sensation on the skin then the needle going in itself. If you are not comfortable with that sensation at any point your Acupuncturist will always take the needle out. You might instead feel a slight tingling or awareness in certain areas of the body once the needles are in, but this just shows that the Acupuncture is correctly doing what it’s supposed to do. 

Myth number two: Acupuncture is only for Injuries!
Again being a myth, majority of conditions Acupuncture can be beneficial with (not just injuries!) Common conditions we can help with:

• Infertility 
• Mental/Emotional conditions
• Digestive complaints
• Insomnia
• Sinusitis/ respiratory problem
• And the common cold!

Myth Number three: It’s unsafe if you’re pregnant!
This is a major myth (to note always inform your Acupuncturist of potential pregnancy) We will avoid certain Acupuncture points during pregnancy, Acupuncture is 100% safe (ensuring your with a qualified/ registered Acupuncturist) We can actually assist with common pregnancy complaints such as:

• Morning sickness
• Muscular aches & pains
• Headaches
• From 35 weeks assist with encouraging a natural efficient labour
• Breech babies
• Induction treatment (if you’ve gone over your due date)

Myth number four: It doesn’t work!
At this stage in New Zealand ACC will fund Acupuncture services, private insurers will also subsidise treatments. This would not occur if ‘Acupuncture didn’t work’. Acupuncture is currently being carried out at IVF centres throughout the world and here in Wellington- again this would not be happening if there was no evidence to show effectiveness. 

• Pooled results of 29 studies involving nearly 18,000 participants; overall, acupuncture relieved pain by about 50% = pain levels halved

• An article examined the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating chronic shoulder pain (CSP). Participants were comprised of 424 patients with CSP. Random assignment placed each patient into traditional acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or conventional orthopaedic treatment. Directly following treatment analysis revealed that the traditional acupuncture group yielded a 68% improvement, sham acupuncture 24%, and conventional orthopedic treatment 28%.

• In 2010, Manber et al. (N=150) found a significantly 50% decrease in depressive symptoms amongst pregnant patients with Major depressive disorder.
• A study of 160 women, published April 2002 in the reproductive journal Fertility and Sterility, a group of German researchers found that adding acupuncture to the traditional IVF treatment protocols substantially increased pregnancy success by 61%. 

• An observation study by Betts and Lenox in 2004 looked at the effect of using pre-birth acupuncture on 169 women as part of their routine antenatal care. In the acupuncture group there was an overall 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for women having their first baby this was a 43% reduction) and a 31% reduction in the epidural rate when compared to the local population. When comparing midwifery only care there was a 32% reduction in emergency caesarean delivery and a 9% increase in normal vaginal births.

Myth number five: You need no training to be an Acupuncturist
Acupuncturists in New Zealand complete four years University level training to be qualified and registered. Completing at least 500 clinical hours and passing a final exam for registration, as well as completing yearly continued development hours for registration.

Myth Number six: It’s not entirely safe
As long as you a being treated by a qualified/ registered practitioner rate of adverse events requiring specific treatment after Acupuncture are 2.2% (4963 incidents among 229 230 subjects), worst case scenario!
Most common side effects with rates are as follows:

• Small bleedings (2,9%), 
• Hematoma (Bruising) (2,2%), 
• Dizziness (1 %)

*Please Note: I have been asked and there is no ‘Death point’ or ‘Kiss of the Dragon” point- apologies to martial arts fans!*

Myth number seven: It Can’t Make You Look Better
While most people use acupuncture to help rid themselves of pain, some swear by it for the benefits it brings to their skin – and it’s a myth that the technique can’t make you look better.
Facial acupuncture or beauty acupuncture as it’s more commonly known stimulates the skin’s ability to regenerate and restructure itself. In accelerating anti-inflammatory activity it can remove accumulative toxins from the skin and encourage new collagen and elastin production. This can be particularly beneficial for anyone with acne scarring or for those who’d like to add a youthful glow to their complexion

Myth number eight: Acupuncture & Dry needling are the same thing
Again this is false- Dry needling was established by Physiotherapists who saw the excellent results Acupuncturists were getting treating Muscular-Skeletal conditions. So an element of this was taken and adapted to their modality. When dry needling is performed and stimulated in a different means to a Traditional Acupuncturist, we generally do not stimulate needles to the point where it elicits such a strong nerve response.

Myth number nine: I shouldn’t go to my Acupuncture appointment if I have a Cold/ Flu
We appreciate your consideration of not spreading your cold- but Acupuncture can be very beneficial at supplementing the immune system and helping your body throw off any winter chills you may catch in the colder weather. 


So there you have it. Nine acupuncture myths all cleared up. Time to book yourself in for better health, immunity and energy!
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For more information please see www.happybodyacupuncture.co.nz and 
 http://www.cityosteopaths.co.nz/acupuncture.html

Call our reception staff at City Osteopaths Healthcare on 044991439 to make an appointment.