Al Ladesic

About Al Ladesic

Posts by Al Ladesic:

August 14 2021

So what does acupuncture feel like anyhow?

A question I get quite often from new patients is – Does acupuncture hurt? And a lot of people have the misconception that acupuncture needles are the same as syringe needles – like the ones to administer a vaccine. Nothing could be further from the truth. Acupuncture needles are sterile, single use needles that are 100th the size of a syringe. Check out the graphic below to get a better idea of what I mean.

How could something this small be painful? That said, as the needle is inserted, a patient may feel a “pinch”, similar to a mosquito bite. Once the needle’s inserted it is common to feel signs of increased circulation such as warmth, heaviness or numbness. The sensations may vary based on a person’s constitution and could fluctuate during the course of treatment.

The needles are retained in the body for about 25 minutes each session. And this accomplishes three major things: 1) during the first 10 minutes, dramatic circulatory changes begin; 2) after about 15 minutes the body starts repairing function; and 3) the last 10 minutes or so, the body starts to enter a more relaxed state that engages the “rest & digest” aspect of our nervous system.

August 10 2021

How does acupuncture work?

Al Ladesic Acupuncture

Did you know you have access to the best pharmacy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s located right between your ears…your brain!

One of the age old ways to access it, is a 2,000-year-old medicine, called acupuncture. But does it work?

A recent article from TIME Magazine reported a study conducted by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center that compared acupuncture treatment to standard medical treatment (aka a doctor’s exam and drugs) for musculoskeletal pain, chronic headaches, and osteoarthritis. The comparison showed a statistically significant benefit to acupuncture. The researcher stated that, “If acupuncture were a drug, we’d say the drug works.”

Although acupuncture does rely partially on a placebo effect, the Center for Integrative Pain Neuroimaging at Harvard Medical School have conducted dozens of brain imaging studies on acupuncture to determine specifically how it works. They concluded that there are several possibilities depending on the type of condition that’s treated. They include:

Acupuncture stimulates the immune system to promote healing;
Acupuncture increases blood flow to help clear out accumulated cellular byproducts that trigger or worsen pain;
Acupuncture stimulates the nervous system and brain to promote the release of the body’s own natural painkillers.

Acupuncture may not cure cancer or treat a heart attack, but it can be an alternative for pain medications and surgery. You lose very little by trying acupuncture first, and you may gain a life-changing appreciation for holistic medicine.

August 4 2021

Acupuncture for Sciatica

Al Ladesic Acupuncture

Acupuncture – Effective for providing sciatica relief.

Research has confirmed, what I’ve witnessed for quite some time, that acupuncture is effective for treating and relieving sciatica pain.

What does current research tell us?

Sciatica, which if you’re unfamiliar, is pain that’s elicited when the sciatic nerve is being compressed. This results in pain that originates in the lower back and generally radiates down one or both of the legs.

The study conducted treatments that used electroacupuncture and warm needle acupuncture on specific points along the hip and leg. The study group that used a combination of electroacupuncture and warm needle therapy had a 96.15% effective rate.

How does acupuncture work to reduce sciatic pain?

Acupuncture can improve nerve transmission, and with the use of heat, can direct heat to the muscular layer and nerve. This improves blood circulation, reduces inflammation and promotes nerve repair.

How many treatments do I need to for my sciatica?

A typical course of treatment is twice a week for 3 weeks, and then we reassess your condition. Acupuncture is a cumulative medicine, so the frequency and consistency of treatments is critical to ensuring lasting results.

After 3 weeks of treatment if you are experiencing adequate improvement, we can start to space out the treatments to once per week. We would continue treatment at this pace as long as you are making consistent improvement from week to week.

Each patient responds differently, and, of course, your progress will depend on age, the length of history of pain, and the severity. In general, the longer and more severe the condition, the more treatments it will take to resolve.

Have questions? Send me an email at: al@restorativeacu.com

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Call (847) 607 9957 or click here to schedule online

References:
[1] Research on the clinical efficacy and security on warm acupuncture in treating sciatica, Ye Weihan, Zeng Weiquan, Shenzhen Journal of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, August 2020.
[2] Assessment of the clinical efficacy and security on warm acupuncture in treating sciatica, Hupeng, China Prac Med, December 2017.

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