East vs. West Medicine The Acupuncture Story

by Debra Arko Novotny | Sep 25, 2015 | Acupuncture

Hand drawing scale with Western versus alternative medicine.

How To Treat Migraines Or Back Pain

Do you like your eggs over easy or scrambled? Country music or jazz? A trip to the Bahamas or skiing in the Colorado mountains? Each example falls into the same category within its genre and are choices depending on a person’s taste or preference. Eastern and Western medicine treat the same ailments but with a different philosophy. Eastern medicine including acupuncture seeks to help a patient heal. Western medicine provides relief from symptoms like pain through drugs or surgery. A patient with back pain using western medicine may be prescribed drugs or surgery.

These are excellent methods for short-term relief. Surgery is ideal when there are no other options; first try all your options as surgical procedures are permanent and can’t be reversed if you don’t like the results.

Using Acupuncture A Good Idea

This same patient if they decide to try eastern medicine would experience acupuncture to reduce pain and inflammation. Acupuncture would improve circulation of blood so the tissues can heal and it relaxes muscles so they stop hurting.

Eastern medicine and acupuncture focus on whole food formulas enhancing natural healing. Western medicine uses forced actions with laboratory medications.

Shorten Your Healing With Eastern Medicine and Acupuncture

Acupuncture focuses on the Yin and Yang of Eastern Medicine with an emphasis on the flow of Qi. Qi is the flow of energy that sustains living beings. Acupuncture dramatically reduces the amount of time for injury and illness healing than traditional Western medicine treatment of the same injury or disease. For instance, a repetitive migraine problem can be resolved within twelve to fifteen acupuncture treatments and western medicine will treat the same ailment with medications ongoing forever.

While we can compare east vs. west medicine, the truth is most conditions respond well when you combine the best of both for yourself. See your Western physician and let them know you want to use natural medicine. Only use western drugs for a short time o when you have no other option.

Natural Medicine A Great Bridge Between East and West

Denver Acupuncture Health owner Debra Novotny is also a certified health coach specializing in nutrition and fitness. These are natural medicines and bridge east vs. west medicine. Many people with pain especially migraine or back pain simply give up without looking for options in natural medicine or eastern medicine to have long-term health without pain.

Let me also make a case for fertility, women’s health and men’s health too. I see many people with arthritis or other autoimmune diseases who successfully use natural medicine to build a bridge between Eastern and Western medicine improving their success for a happy, healthy life!

Your health care should really be just about you not where or what you use. Whether you work with Debra or someone else, make sure the treatment is centered on you.

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Littleton Acupuncture For Back Pain – A Patient’s Story

by denvacuhea | Jan 8, 2015 | Acupuncture

You Can Recover From Back Pain

back pain

A new patient phoned today and asked me if I do acupuncture for back pain. His sciatica had become worse and was disturbing his snow skiing and sitting down. It was crucial to his recovery that we began acupuncture treatment immediately. Sciatica or lower back pain is something most acupuncturists have treated at least once. I’ve found nearly every patient that visits my Littleton acupuncture clinic mentions they’ve experienced lumbar pain of some nature.

Littleton Acupuncture For Back Pain

Concerned his pain would become chronic or require surgery he was motivated to invest in improving his health. I assured him that he could do many things to prevent the situation from becoming chronic. As for surgery, always try everything you can before you do this. Surgical procedures are permanent.

Acupuncture is one of the most effective treatments for pain, especially in the back. Most cases are soft tissue or muscle tension. Chinese medicine has a long history of working to relax tight muscles even spasms.

The gentleman’s sigh of relief was almost audible over the phone as he scheduled for the next day.

Types of Back Pain

Littleton Acupuncture

His name was Sam, and when he arrived, he walked a bit stooped forward. He explained it hurt more to stand straight up to his full 6 foot height. He’d had the same pain some dozen years ago, and it had gone away by itself.

The problem began four weeks ago and felt different. His pain was dull and radiated down the side of his leg. It started in his waistline as he called it. The area was the sacroiliac joint [SI joint] or the bony spot at the waist on the back of the body. It hurt more when pressure was applied to the gluteal muscles confirming it was sciatica. This pressure on the buttock muscle caused the side of his leg to go numb, tingle, and then began to ache. All signs of nerve impingement, which is what sciatic pain, is.

It had started shoving snow just like last time after a big storm. Sam [not his real name], was an active man who wanted to go skiing with all the great snow, but knew that was out of the question.

His medical doctor had done testing. It showed only a minor bulging of a lumbar disc. The doc had told him to take it easy and gave him a muscle relaxer. The pills made Sam sleepy and worse he could not work when taking them.

He decided to try something that would help him heal and stay on the job. His career complicated the problem. He worked in finance and sat at a desk all day, right on the pinched nerve putting pressure on the SI joint.

Littleton Acupuncture And Healthy Habits

healthy habits

Sam began acupuncture treatment twice a week for a few weeks, then once a week, and then bi-monthly for a few more weeks. He was motivated to not cause the bulging disc to displace further and be able to resume skiing next season.

He knew that some healthy habits would need to change. First he would use an alarm on his work computer to signal that he should get out of his chair and stretch. He did this every 30 minutes at first. The plan was to move to every 60 minutes once his back healed.

Also, he started eating inflammation reducing foods. These are alkaline not acidic which cause inflammation in the tissues. He crowded out tomatoes by adding root vegetables like yams. Sam loved fruit, so we concentrated on balancing acidic fruit with alkaline fruits. If he ate an orange [acidic], he added a banana [alkaline].

He loved apple juice every morning. It is a very alkaline food and creates an acid imbalance in the digestion. This was leading to joint inflammation. Using food to heal is natural and free. Sam loved the simple changes.

Next habit, we enhanced, was drinking more water. Sam was not a big water drinker choosing soda more often. After reviewing studies on sugar in pop, he wanted reduce his sodas by one a week and drinking more water. It took him a month to get off diet soda. By then his pain level was down 75%, and he was sleeping better at night a bonus he did not expect.

Acupuncture for back pain alone could have helped Sam. He wanted to learn healthy habits to be at his best too. He’d had a wake-up call about taking better care of himself.

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Back Pain Remedies For Quick Relief

by Debra Arko Novotny | Dec 18, 2014 | Acupuncture, Fitness

How To Stop Back Pain Quick

Back Pain Littleton Acupuncture An update: In 2010, I wrote an article for my previous Littleton Acupuncture website about back pain. The stretches in the video started me on a path to doing more Yoga on a daily basis. This practice has changed my life for the second time.

Physically I feel healthier than when in my 30’s and 40’s. I sleep great because exercise helps you be able to relax. Yoga something I do not teach but recommend it daily. My health coaching clients know ‘recommend’ is a strong word for me. Everyone is intuitive. I coach people to listen better to this inner voice. If you suffer from back pain, stretches will help you.

Using Yoga and Acupuncture To Heal

You choose if you want to move into doing Yoga. When I learned it from Swami Rama over thirty-five years ago we did not’ do ‘hot’ Yoga, and many of the pop-yoga practices were not around.

Acupuncture is also important. Not just for pain but many other health problems. It also is one of the best ways to stay young and healthy. See an acupuncturist. If not me, then someone else making sure they have a L.Ac. Don’t go to a someone who got a different degree and ‘added’ acupuncture in weekend classes. This is your body and health, take care of it. Stress can also contribute to problems

The video shows basic movement that is all exercise is, moving. Whatever name you put on it, just do it. If you are not in pain, use this video to prevent problems down the road. Here is what I wrote back in September 2010.

Back then, I wrote…Recently I tweaked my back causing severe back pain. Even an acupuncturist can have pain and hurt. I took my advice especially when it came to getting acupuncture and doing some simple yet effective stretches. I made a video for my patients and friends.

Coming Back From Back Pain

Pain is no laughing matter, and it is the most common problem I see in my office. We hope you found this video on back pain exercises helpful! It can take a number of things combined to get you back to enjoying life again. Littleton acupuncture Don’t rush your recovery is the first thing. Be patient and look at your age, weight and eating habits since some foods increase inflammation. Be sure to get acupuncture and chose a stretching program that can help with stiffness and tight muscles between visits. Don’t skimp on the water it is essential for healing. The more committed you are, the higher your return to health.

In this video, you will learn that anxiety can happen when you have stiffness, aching discomfort. Solving back pain sometimes takes more that home care. You may need to work with someone to keep your body at it’s best. You’ll learn how the acupuncture meridians can be worked on at home doing simple Yoga and that your home program will promote acupuncture healing.

Warmly,

Dr. Deb

images copyrighted: Fotolia, and PresenterMedia

Stress Can Lead to Back Pain – A Patient Testimonial

by denvacuhea | Dec 18, 2014 | Testimonials

Some years ago, a single dad came into my office desperate; he was experiencing back pain. He lived a life full of stress. Feeling overwhelmed he also complained about sinus problems keeping him from a solid night of sleep.

He worked all day, then came home needing to care for his children. Being in pain wasn’t part of the plan. He’d heard Littleton Acupuncture could help him. He didn’t know a cause for his pain it started as his life got complicated, could it be stress?

back pain at Littleton Acupuncture When we get stressed our muscles tighten. If this continues it can begin to cause spasms. All it takes then is sitting too long at the office staring at a computer all day, bending rapidly to pick up a toy, or throwing a quick football with your child.

Back Pain Relief Helped By Littleton Acupuncture

Then he started having sinus problems. A single dad, with sinus congestion and lumbar pain he needed help.

Acupuncture Helps Sinus Problems

There is a relationship between lower back problems and sinus problems in Chinese Medicine. It wasn’t a surprise to me that Jim’s problems had progressed to sinus problems. It’s a common problem we’ve see if lumbar pain isn’t treated.

I hope you enjoy this video. It’s old and of course done in the office, not professionally.

Denver Acupuncture Is Experts In Back Pain and Sinus Problems

Sinus Pain While Jim’s discomfort was in his lower pain many people experience upper back problems too. Types of pain vary too. It can be sharp, aching, or dull for instance. Many people have a radiating sensation down there legs. In addition he suffered from sinus problems. Acupuncture is excellent for allergies and nasal congestion. Relief of sinus problems may include affordable herbs if you live in a dry climate like Colorado

Recently I had a woman with it radiating up her back and into her shoulder blade. A Botox injection for another condition caused the problem. In this case, it led to horrific back problems. She also suffered from sinus problems something she didn’t have prior to the injection at your medical doctor.

Thank you for taking a moment to watch this video, I know the video isn’t the best. It’s the message that’s important. Please don’t suffer pain especially in your back. In addition, if you have sinus problems think about herbal medicine and acupuncture together; we offer both. Remember surgery is permanent, try everything else first – especially Littleton acupuncture.

images courtesy of DreamsTime

Does Acupuncture Help Scoliosis Pain?

by Debra Arko Novotny | Dec 12, 2014 | Testimonials

Scoliosis Pain And Acupuncture

I know that a chiropractor once tried to tell me I had scoliosis. It was a few years ago and I found it odd since I have used acupuncture treatment for scoliosis back pain with many patients and knew I didn’t have it. Occasionally a client shares someone told them they’re back pain is caused by a curved spine. Their spine seemed fine. The truth be told we all have a slight bend in our spine.

Curvature Of The Spine

There are many names for Scoliosis another being curvature of the spine. In most people it is not a problem. For some though it can mean death or end their ability to walk. Usually it starts in childhood. Some adults develop Scoliosis due to sports or their career too.

That’s the problem; it doesn’t always start in childhood, and we all have curve to our spine especially by the time you hit your 40’s. It’s usually due to bending or being active. This is my case normal wear n’ tear. Not everyone is so lucky scoliosis is a serious problem. It often evolves surgeries to fix the problem.

In all this time, 22 years I have been honored to help some of the nicest people with back pain of curvature of the spine and yes true scoliosis cases. I am blessed to have this wonderful patient who wanted to share her remarkable story of growing up a child with scoliosis and surgeries to stand strong and tall.

Can You Still Enjoy Normal Things If You Have Scoliosis?

Scoliosis doesn’t have to slow you down. It doesn’t have to end your ability to enjoy things like walking, hiking, or riding a bicycle. With natural medicine like acupuncture you can reduce pain and increase flexibility. Even general back pain from muscle tightness or disc problems benefit from acupuncture.
I look forward to hearing from you and finding out more about your story and how acupuncture can help your curvature of the spine or other back pain.