Runny nose, sneezing, itching, and watery eyes, are also known as symptoms of allergies. Seasonal allergies can be a pain. Nearly 50 million Americans are estimated to suffer from seasonal allergies yearly. And the amount of money spent on over-the-counter allergy medications is over $18 billion.  

But what if there was a way to combat seasonal allergies without medications' side effects and get to the root of the problem instead of just masking the symptoms? Well, there is a way to do this, and it's called acupuncture.

       

Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine offer a permanent solution to seasonal allergies with an all-natural approach that will save you money. Since traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) attacks allergies in a much different method than Western medicine, there is a good chance your allergies will cease to be a problem. Western medicine knows how allergies work and what happens to the body, but there is still no explanation. TCM looks at the body as a whole and uses an elemental system to determine where each person has excesses and deficiencies. So the TCM treatments are completely customized to each patient, thus making them much more effective than over-the-counter medications.

       

When using TCM to treat allergies, practitioners focus heavily on Wei Qi. Wei Qi is similar to the immune system in Western medicine. Wei Qi protects the body against foreign materials that can lead to inflammation and, eventually, allergies. People with lower immunity/Wei Qi are more susceptible to allergies and frequent colds. Acupuncture helps to boost the Wei Qi making it more difficult for allergens to attack the body.

       

Acupuncture will make a difference in fighting allergies, but adding herbs and essential oils will provide the most efficient treatment to eliminate allergies for good. Because each patient has different causes for their allergies, adding herbal formulas and oils can significantly increase the acupuncture treatments' efficacy by extending the needles' effect. For example, if a patient gets itchy or watery eyes when their allergies flare up, the practitioner would likely want to draw the excess energy/element down. In this case, the patient would have an excess of fire-creating wind. The practitioner would use acupuncture points to decrease fire and wind in the body. Then also, adding herbs and essential oils that do the same thing would create the most efficient treatment with longer-lasting, more permanent effects.

       

Ultimately, acupuncture boosts the Wei Qi/immune system while decreasing the inflammatory response in your body that occurs when an allergen is encountered. As stated earlier, the other aspect of treatment is to look at the patient as a whole versus just the symptoms. A good acupuncturist will also focus on dietary habits contributing to your allergies. Many times a person's Wei Qi is depleted from within due to the foods they eat. Things like sugar and dairy are often associated with a lower immune system. Eliminating or drastically reducing these items will allow the body to recover more quickly, making resolving allergy attacks easier.

       

A comprehensive plan, including acupuncture treatments, herbs, and dietary changes, will yield the best results when fighting allergies. Be sure to seek out a professional, fully trained, and adequately licensed acupuncturist, and you will be grateful year after year for the relief they provide when treating allergies.

Come see Marc Gian at Body Bank Fitness for Acupuncture and Massage. Marc brings over 20 years in the holistic medicine field, and you will be treated as a VIP!- Because you are!

Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), practiced in many different forms, including herbal remedies, cupping, and massage. The basis of TCM is the idea of qi, the body’s vital energy.

TCM treatments promote the movement of qi throughout the body to help bring balance back to the body. The goal of Acupuncture is to correct this imbalance which can cause a variety of ailments and conditions that you may currently have.

Acupuncture uses very thin needles (which have been compared to being as small as cat whiskers) that stimulate pressure points and other areas of your body. It stimulates qi by placing needles in specific spots, often along meridians. Meridians are the channels that qi travels in the body.

Acupuncture can help with many health conditions, including:

Arthritis

Chronic pain, including joint pain

Depression

Headaches and migraines

Trouble sleeping and insomnia

Nausea and digestive trouble

Back pain and sciatica

Stress and anxiety

Tinnitus (ringing ears)

Weight loss

 1. Relieves Pain

 Acupuncture can help alleviate many types of pain that may range from headaches and migraines to neck and back pain. These studies have shown its effectiveness in treating lower back pain, migraines, tension headaches, and knee pain. Acupuncture works differently for everybody. For some, a single treatment can alleviate symptoms for several months, while others need a more routine treatment schedule.

2. Improved Sleep

 Another thing that Acupuncture can help improve is sleep and insomnia. Scientists believe that Acupuncture increases the production of brain chemicals that promote relaxation, thus allowing for better sleep.

3. Uplift Mood

 Acupuncture can help with improving mood, including helping with depression, stress, and anxiety. The needles from acupuncture treatment release endorphins in the body. Endorphins are hormones that provide a boost in mood, encouraging happiness and relaxation.

4. Help the Heart

 Acupuncture is also good for your heart due to the relaxation and stress reduction that one achieves from the treatments, also known to reduce blood pressure. Stress and high blood pressure are commonly related to heart attacks and heart disease.

5. Support the Immune System

Research has shown that Acupuncture can boost immune system function. The placement of acupuncture needles can release immune-boosting cytokines. Cytokines are messenger cells that regulate the body’s immune response. Acupuncture can help fight infections or illnesses like colds and the flu by triggering the immune system.

If you deal with any of the above symptoms or think that Acupuncture may be right for you- schedule an appointment with us! We’d be happy to support you in achieving your health care goals!

Alleviate Back Pain with Acupuncture with Marc Gian at Body Bank Fitness, New City, NY

Back pain a prevalent and costly ailment, ranks as the 6th most expensive condition in the United States. It imposes a significant financial burden, costing Americans at least 50 billion in health care costs annually, not to mention the cost of missed work due to disability.  It is the third most common reason for a doctor's visit, following skin disorders and osteoarthritis joint issues.  For Acupuncturists, it is the #1 reason people seek their services.  

Yes, Acupuncture Works

Does it work? Those who turn to acupuncture can find comfort in the fact that they are increasing their odds of finding relief. Acupuncture is effective for chronic pain, including low back pain. Not only is acupuncture more clinically effective than no treatment at short-term follow-ups that looked at measures of pain relief and functional improvement, but it was also substantially better than standard care in a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that included around 20,000 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Acupuncture, a remarkably safe practice, offers a comforting alternative for those seeking relief from back pain. In a cumulative review of more than 1 million acupuncture treatments, the risk of a severe adverse event was estimated to be 0.05 per 10,000 treatments and 0.55 per 10,000 individual patients. The most common side effects were minor and included bleeding at the needle site and localized needling pain.

How? Move Qi - Alleviate Pain

So, how does gently inserting acupuncture needles in the various body points help alleviate back pain? According to Acupuncture theory, the explanation involves the movement of stuck energy (qi) and blood in the body. Points along various energy channels open pathways and redirect 'traffic' to promote a healthy flow of qi and blood. Western biomedical research examines acupuncture's effects on the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. It has been shown that the stimulation with acupuncture needles produces an analgesic effect through the release of endorphins, dopamine, endogenous cannabinoids (some of the body's natural painkillers), and anti-inflammatory substances, as well as the inhibition of pro-inflammatory factors.

Acupuncture's beneficial effects extend beyond the treatment period, providing a beacon of hope for lasting relief. In a meta-analysis of around 18,000 patients with chronic pain, 90% of the pain-relieving effects were maintained at one year out, demonstrating its long-term effectiveness.As far as cost-effectiveness, acupuncture scores again. In one study in Canada, low back pain patients divided into two groups (201 patients receiving acupuncture and 804 patients not receiving acupuncture) were evaluated for the number of medical doctor visits required for treatment of their low back pain. The acupuncture patients saw their doctors 49% less after having acupuncture compared with the year before having acupuncture. Non-acupuncture patients had a decrease of only 2%.  

Approved by the World health Organization

The WHO officially classifies acupuncture as a cost-effective treatment strategy in patients with chronic low back pain, according to their cost-effectiveness threshold values. Back pain, as many of us have experienced, can be an expensive threat to our quality of life. However, depending on the cause and severity of the back pain, acupuncture can be a safe and cost-effective alternative or complementary approach to treatment, providing much-needed relief. We encourage you to consider acupuncture a viable treatment option, empowering you to take control of your health and well-being!

Ready to live a more productive and pain free life?

Then it is time to set up an session with Marc J. Gian, a top acupuncturist with over 25 years experience tt Body Bank Fitness in New City NY!