Posted onMay 25, 2018|Comments Off on Acupuncture in the Community: ACTCM at CIIS
From a very early age, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor. Um, I just wasn’t quite clear on what kind of doctor. Moreover, ACTCM has enabled me to fulfill that purpose in a way that I could never have dreamed of. It combined what I wanted, which was acupuncture training, diagnostic training, and herbology. ACTCM has always been very community-oriented, and it’s one of the reasons I have chosen to study there now twice in my career.
We treat hundreds of vets a year with acupuncture that they can’t get anyplace else. So, how are you doing? I am doing pretty good. I, uh, it’s, you know, a little anxiety. Yeah, I can feel in your pulse it’s a little bit whirly. I was enlisted for six years, three years of active, and three years of inactive. I had done acupuncture in the past, but it never dawned on me that it might help with the stress of PTSD.
♪This is a clinic set up by Acupuncturists Without Borders. ACTCM has been very generous in working with me as a program director at Acupuncturists Without Borders. They use an ancient medical tradition as an effective, low-cost, and safe therapy for pain control and the prevention of post-traumatic stress. Our clinical work in these settings has enabled us to really learn how to work with challenging, um, clinical situations and social situations, as well as provide service to the community. I still bring… an attitude of, um, of awe to acupuncture. I’m amazed at what it does for me. Like anything you love and you have a passion for, and you know that it’s why you’re on the planet, I can go to this– into the zone with my patient…
or with the group that I’m in, and this is like no other experience. So, I’m lucky I get to do that every day. Okay, good. Good.
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Posted onMay 25, 2018|Comments Off on How to Become an Acupuncturist
Did you know that the World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as an effective treatment for over 150 different health conditions?
Hi, my name is Christina Bjergo, I’m an acupuncture practitioner and I’m going to speak to you today about how to become an acupuncturist. But first, what is acupuncture? Acupuncture is modality development from China about 5,000 years ago, with the insertion of a few very thin, fine needles into certain points of the body. It’s about balancing the energy in the body and what results is health and wellness. So, what does acupuncture treat? Well, it treats a variety of conditions, that’s one of the reasons I got into acupuncture.
You can treat pain, digestive difficulties, women health issues, help with fertility, boost the immune system, also help with mental health issues, anxiety, depression, stress, the list just goes on and on. So, how do you become an acupuncturist? Well, you need a high school diploma degree. An associates is often required by the state and that can be done through community college in preparation for a degree. The requirements will differ state by state, so it’s good to do the research and then it could also be another career choice. Somebody may come in at any age you may become an acupuncturist and go to acupuncture school. So, it could be a complete career change and just maybe they need some requirements or it could be that you’re already in the medical profession looking for a change. There’s a number of nurses, physical therapists, for example, that were in my school when I was studying oriental medicine.
So, one of the things I would recommend for somebody interested is to do a little research. First off, go and get a treatment yourself. How does it feel to be the client? Ask questions of the acupuncturist who’s treating you. All good information that’ll help you access if it’s the right career for you. The other thing is to research about different schools. There’s a variety of schools around the nation. Find out what program is a good match for you. Some will have a very strong Western medicine background, others will focus on other modalities such as herbal medicine, body health, body work such as shiatsu, Japanese massage or twina…
Posted onMay 25, 2018|Comments Off on 1 Year of Tennis Elbow Relieved Before Your Eyes!
Alright, Mike tell me what’s going on with your elbow. So pain in this left elbow down towards the back of the joint down my forearm and kind up the back of my tricep, a little bit difficult with extension. Trouble gripping. Gripping So I had the shot and the symptoms pretty much cleared up but some residual pain and tightness? Tightness and a little bit of weakness.
How much pain from 0 to 10 at worse Now is probably a 2 or 3, it was as high as an 8 And what is difficult for you to do because of the tightness? Mostly twisting, any kind of sports movement, golf Swinging, twisting lifting things like this how long has your elbow pain been going on? Mainly about a year for about a year, this is my second shot have you had any other treatment other than the shot? No is there anything else with this elbow? No, And you said you had rotator cuff tear? Yes, And how did you do that? A freak accident landed on my shoulder 5 or 6 years ago.
I didn’t have the surgery just because Do you have any issue with your shoulder is it ok? Just limited? Yeah, I mean I feel a little weakness every once in a while, but it’s fine, but your elbow is worse? Ok, so we are going to work on your tennis elbow/Tennisalbue and make sure it’s not painful. We are going to do some motion and see how you are doing with this motion. Ok, so this is painful here? I can feel it, tight. Is that painful when I do that? That one really bothered me 0 to 10 how much? 2 maybe now Does that? Probably a one here Ok let me move you, how about now? No Turn it around, that painful?
A little 2 or 3 here Is that painful? This? No Alright so, let me know if you feel pain when I’m done ok you feel this bump here this one yeah I think I’ve gotten used to it though thats the scar tissue actually, that bumpy area I thought this looked better, but it still seems to me that it looks inflamed yeah thats the scar tissue you better not feel the rest of my body doc yeah well if you did not have ASTR treatment, I’m sure you will have scar tissue everywhere you know it’s easy with ASTR to assess the scar tissue and treat it. That bump, thats scar tissue too yeah, and you can see the redness here too you see that redness? that’s the scar tissue. You see everything like normal skin color, I feel it with the instrument, and I’m sure you feel it with the instrument nice and smooth that’s what actually causes restriction and range of motion the scar tissue could compress a nerve and artery and cause nerve pain symptoms Is that too much here? No, that’s okay, So it seems to be more here, That’s probably might be from your accident sure Is that painful? No, It’s like a tissue massage you know? Make sure it’s not painful okay?
Yeah we can see remains of scar tissue Yeah thanks I think if you grab the other arm we could be here all night yeah I’m not going to do that My back to I don’t know no I didn’t even tell you about my back Well I’ll pass So, whats going on with your back? I got a bulging disk, So you have issues with walking or standing? Sitting mostly I don’t know if the disk has been out of place for that long, but I’ve had back trouble since I was young kid When this calms down, we can work on it This will help dissolve the scar tissue? We actually break it down with the instrument. So as long as you avoid further strain because that’s how we did it, you know with lifting and stuff like that. So I should just be resting for a while? Yes, we will go over what you have to do after this. But yeah we will go over the rest of it and the exercises I want you to do after this. But as long as you don’t re-injure this again, there is no reason to form more scar tissue. Then we will go over what could cause injury so that you will know what to avoid. Is that too much? No, it’s okay Well the good news is that the scar tissue is breaking down very quickly. Some patients take a little bit longer to break it down. Okay Alright so let’s move your elbow. It feels better, And you feel no scar? No, And your range of motion? The range of motion feels much better. Now straight, any discomfort? No Alright what do you think about ASTR treatment? Wonderful everybody come! Alright, awesome thank you so much..
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Posted onMay 25, 2018|Comments Off on Scientific Reasons Why Your Back Hurts
I don’t think ancient humans were complaining about pains from how they “slept funny,” so if we’re the same species, what’s wrong with us? Aches and pains are just part of life, but do you think our cave, tree or grassland dwelling ancestors gave a crap about little aches? Maybe they just didn’t get them as much. A story making the rounds this week claims to have an answer — our posture is bad; like, really bad. A California acupuncturist with chronic back pain travelled the world exploring cultures where chronic back pain wasn’t common and attempted to reverse engineer their lifestyle choices. She observed cultures where women and men spent their days working in fields, carrying heavy objects on their heads, or quote “hunched over weaving, for hours,” and noted that none of them had back pain, even though many were very old.
Her explanation? Posture. Based on her observations, the spine shouldn’t form an S, but a J. Looking at these people, late 19th century medical texts, and statues from ancient cultures, all told her we were messing with our spines! This is a totally plausible reason for pain, evolution guided us to the proper posture — and our social culture has altered it — but this wasn’t a scientific study, just a number of case studies. That being said, there are a number of studies saying we Americans (and many others) probably ARE doing things wrong. There’s a TON of talk around the office about how we sit in hairs, and my mom used to yell at me about slouching.
If the acupuncturist I mentioned is right, then sitting up straight COULD help, but if non-science isn’t enough, studies from San Francisco State University have found keeping up straight when seated correlates with generating more positive memories, whereas walking slumped decreases your energy levels. So listen to my mother, and fix your posture! You’d think something you do once a day (or maybe more!) you’d be good at, but you might want to sit down for this one: you’re pooping wrong.
Evolution didn’t involve toilets, or pressure points in the back. Not even once. Instead, humans would, like other animals, squat! Our human anatomy isn’t made to push out a half-pound (120g) of waste while sitting down, instead, we’re supposed to be squatting with the thighs running parallel to the abdomen! A 2003 study in Digestive Diseases and Sciences found people who squatted pooped faster, and with less effort than those on a toilet! A separate study from 2010 x-rayed people while they pooped out a fluid that had been put INTO their colons and they found abdominal strain was way lower for squatting than sitting! I love science.
You don’t have to rip the porcelain throne out of the bathroom though, just get a shorter one, or even put a stool underfoot to help align your legs and abs! Since the late 1500s when the flush toilet swirled into our midst, we’ve been pooping wrong — and now we’re having problems with our our bowels. Pooping wrong creates all sorts of problems with constipation and, more seriously, the abdominal strain causes painful swelling and bleeding of the veins around your anus — that is hemorrhoids! In the US, eighty percent of the population will have a sleep-related back problem at some point in our lives, and yet… we treat the symptom not the disease. We spend one third of our lives asleep, but we’re terrible at that too.
Sleeping on our stomachs is bad for the spine, the fetal position hunches the back and leads to neck AND back pain. Sleeping on medium-firm to firm mattresses FAR better for the alignment of the back than too soft or too hard. And if you don’t want to swap mattresses, at least switch to sleeping on your back; it’s supposed to be the best for a natural spine position. Again, think about our evolution, we didn’t evolve to sleep on a pillowtop, but on a thinly cushioned patch of grass or dirt. Today, about one-third of Americans in their 50s have some kind of chronic pain in their neck or back; another quarter have pain in their knees or legs, and another 18 percent reported more general pain. According to a Gallup poll, chronic pain increases from age 25 to 60 before it levels out.
There are a number of correlations to obesity, lower income, but overall — enjoy your early 20s, because after that you start FALLING APART. Regardless, with a few simple tweaks, we can all sleep, walk, sit and poop better. Thanks science..
