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Q: My 74-year-old father has severe neuropathy in his lower legs, especially his right foot. He is being seen at Duke with Western medicine, gong through an extensive battery of tests, and so far nothing has been explained. I understand that with age comes neuromuscular breakdowns, especially of the myelin sheath, but I would like some information about acupuncture for this problem. A: Neuropathy means nerve damage. Usually it is described by location (peripheral means the hands or feet) or action (such as descending, moving down the body). The loss of myelin sheaths is like an electrical wire losing its insulation. If they are doing tests, the hope is to find a contributing disease and then treat that disease. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also looks at the major organs of the body and tries to repair damage there - often with herbs in formula form. In addition, acupuncture is used t move energy in blocked or weakened parts of the body. Tonification of the Kidney channel is very common for the treatment of neuropathy in older people. Often, other organ channels are included for strengthening, such as the Liver. Q: I am 29 years old and have recently been diagnosed with blocked tubes. The doctors would like to perform a laparoscopy to properly diagnose and correct this issue, but my aunt who uses acupuncture for migraine headaches says that I should try TCM. Can acupuncture help open blocked tubes? A: To the West, blocked tubes are seen as an organic dysfunction - that is something is blocked or broken. With acupuncture intervention, that can be repaired. TCM expands the scope of action to include the causes of the blockade. There are multiple organ systems that regulate a woman’s hormone cycles. If there are imbalances in these interacting organs, that can contribute to tubal blockages. There can be too much or too little energy, causing irregularity. In addition, emotions and poor nutritional decisions can interrupt normal balance. The TCM practitioner tries to identify these contributing factors and harmonize the imbalance. Multiple organ channels are often treated along with blockage clearing. Sometimes the spirit or shen is brought into consideration. About our Doctors: David Vescera is a licensed acupuncturist with a Masters of Science in Oriental medicine. He has a practice in West Los Angeles, CA. |
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July 2004
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