What Exactly Does Acupuncture Do?

Have you been considering acupuncture in Clearwater, Florida? Wondering what exactly acupuncture is? Concerned about how acupuncture may feel? Curious as to how it affects the body? Today, Dawn Potter Acupuncture is discussing what exactly acupuncture does. Have additional questions? Interested in scheduling acupuncture treatment nearby? Feel free to reach out, we’d be delighted to help with any of your needs.

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine which utilizes thin, solid, sterile needles which are used to penetrate the skin. These needles stimulate specific points on the body. Various studies have shown that acupuncture can be a wonderful treatment option for many conditions.

How Does Acupuncture Feel?

As mentioned above, acupuncture is done using thin, solid, sterile, metallic needles which are penetrated into the skin. Most patients report very limited pain as the needle is inserted, however, there is a sensation of pressure. Quite a few patients report feeling energized after treatment, others say they are more relaxed.

How Does Acupuncture Affect The Body?

When acupuncture needles are inserted into acupuncture points in the body, from a western scientific viewpoint, it is shown that they stimulate the peripheral nervous system, stimulate digestion, release endorphins, trigger the "relaxation response" and trigger the release of feel-good chemicals into the spinal cord, brain and even muscles. This in return helps to stimulate the natural healing abilities of the body and promote well-being. Research has shown acupuncture to be effective for a range of conditions from asthma and headaches to cancer-related nausea and addiction.

Schedule Clearwater Acupuncture Today

Ready to schedule your acupuncture in Clearwater, Florida? Dawn Potter Acupuncture would be happy to help, simply reach out, let us know what is going on and we’ll get you added to our schedule for an appointment.

Acupuncture For Depression-Related Coronary Heart Disease

Did you know that depression has been associated with cardiovascular disease & coronary heart disease due to physiological mechanisms and lifestyle? Patients who suffer from depression are more likely to suffer from sleep problems, have poor exercise habits and tend to eat more poorly, among other things.

Elevated heart rate and blood pressure along with reduced blood flow to the heart and increased cortisol production has also been noticed. Luckily, newer research has shown that acupuncture treatment can actually lower the risk of coronary heart disease (a common form of cardiovascular disease) in patients that suffer from depression.

A recent study by Chia-Yu Huang, et al. has found that patients who have been diagnosed with depression and received acupuncture treatment actually have a lower risk of coronary heart disease in comparison to patients diagnosed with depression that didn’t receive acupuncture at all. The results of this study were independent of medication use, comorbidities, sex and even age.

The study conducted by Chia-Yu Huang, et al. involved more than 43,000 patients and were divided into two groups, an acupuncture group and a non-acupuncture group. During the study, manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture were both used. Manual acupuncture was far more common (including 88% of patients), while 9% of patients received both and 3% only received electroacupuncture.

On average patients suffering from depression received about 9 acupuncture treatments each, with treatment occurring more than 3.5 years after the diagnosis of depression.

At Dawn Potter Acupuncture we proudly offer acupuncture treatment along with a variety of other treatment options that can help with a range of conditions, including depression.

Contact Dawn Potter Acupuncture in Clearwater Today

Do you suffer from depression? Worried about coronary heart disease? Considering Clearwater acupuncture treatments? Dawn Potter Acupuncture would be delighted to help. Simply reach out, let us know what is going on and we’ll get you added to our schedule for an appointment.

Acupuncture & Herbs for Long-Covid Syndrome

One of the more insidious things about Covid-19 is that even if you don’t have a very severe case of the illness, you could end up with long-term symptoms such as cough, fatigue, easy to tire, shortness of breath, decreased stamina (all of which resemble Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)…even digestive symptoms, heart palpitations, blood pressure issues or exacerbation of existing health problems.

There are several reasons posited in the medical community about why and how this could happen, but no clear answers or solutions are yet pinned down.

Fortunately, Traditional Chinese Medicine can help. It approached the body and its functioning differently; it doesn’t need a reductionist picture of the biochemistry of what is happening in order to improve the situation. Because it is about optimizing the balance of energetic systems in the body, this can be addressed whether the exact mechanism of the origin of the disharmony is determined or not.

In Dr. Dawn’s practice, she has now treated three Long-Covid cases. And all of them responded well to acupuncture and herbs: Within a few weeks, their coughs were gone, and their stamina improved. They no longer needed daytime naps, and could do more walking outside without feeling exhausted for the rest of the day. Within a couple of months, they were nearly or completely back to normal.

If you are suffering with Long-Covid, please contact Dawn Potter Acupuncture to see how we can help you.