Reiki 1 Class January 2015

I've been teaching Reiki since 1993 and have had the honor of teaching hundreds of people in NE Ohio.  I will be offering a Reiki 1 seminar 

Saturday, January 3, 2015  from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM 

Sunday, January 4, 2015  from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Learning Reiki was the impetus for me to change directions in my life from music teacher to healing arts. I still feel it is the foundation in my work as an acupuncturist and massage therapist. It is truly a gift.

What initially attracted me was the possibility of doing self treatment. Little did I know it would become a powerful force for many wonderful avenues of growth in my life.

A new year is coming up.  I can't think of a better way to start it than with adding a wonderful energy to support all aspects of your growth.

Reiki (pronounced ray’-key) is a Japanese word meaning Universal Life Energy. The Usui System of Reiki was born out of the experience and dedication of Dr. Mikao Usui in the late 1800’s. It provides a means of accessing and focusing this energy for personal well-being and growth.

Reiki helps balance physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy. It is a powerful tool for health and wellness, stress reduction and self-care. This natural healing art supports the body’s ability to heal physical ailments and may open the mind to the root causes of disease and pain.

Reiki can be effectively incorporated into the healing arts practiced by massage therapists, nurses, counselors and physicians. Anyone can easily learn to use this holistic tool to create balanced wellness in life.

In the First Degree weekend seminar you will learn the history of Reiki, how to treat yourself and others, and the five precepts of Reiki. This is a relaxed, experiential workshop with time practicing and sharing your experience.

Course fee is $250 and may qualify for CEU's for health professionals. 

Give me a call at 330-477-0777 for more info.

Auriculotherapy

The good folks at Miridia Technology do excellent client education.  Here is a reprint from their Auriculotherapy series.

What is Auriculotherapy?

Auriculotherapy gets its name from the "Auricle" which is the anatomic name for the external ear.

Auriculotherapy techniques use special locations, or points, on the skin of the ear to diagnose and treat pain and medical conditions of the body. This method is used world wide by tens of thousands of practitioners to bring effective relief for a wide variety of conditions, including pain, dysfunction, injuries, addictions, and internal disorders.

Depending on the country and practitioner, Auriculotherapy is sometimes also referred to as Auricular Medicine, or Auricular Acupuncture.  Whether used in conjunction with another treatment or by itself, auriculotherapy is often effective when other treatments have failed, or in conjunction with other treatment types. Best of all, auriculotherapy is safe, non-invasive and has no side effects.

Where did it come from?

Auriculotherapy has been used as a form of health care for thousands of years all over the world. Ancient records from China, Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia all indicate treatments applied to the ear for a variety of problems. In fact, the world-wide custom of wearing decorative ear rings may have originated as an early form of auricular health care.

Modern auriculotherapy got its start in the early 1950's when a French neurologist named Dr. Paul Nogier observed the occurrence of scars on the ears of patients who were successfully treated by French lay practitioners for back pain. He investigated these ear scars and found this type of treatment had a very high success rate.

Dr. Nogier then spent his career researching and developing the map of reflex points on the ear, based upon the concept of an Inverted Fetus arrangement. He eventually discovered over 200 auricular points and their corresponding effects.

Today Auriculotherapy research continues, with major advancements in the study and placement of ear reflex points, as well as scientific documentation of this technique's effectiveness. Auriculotherapy is now accepted worldwide as a valuable and effective procedure for many conditions.

Facts about Auriculotherapy

As research has uncovered more information about this amazing therapy, certain interesting facts have emerged. Let's look at a few examples:

Stimulation of certain points on the ear changes the cardiac pulse within a few seconds.
Auriculotherapy tends to not only eliminate pain, but also stimulate healing of the affected body part.
It is possible to locate problems in the body with up to 75% accuracy, merely by examining the ear.
Experienced practitioners report an 86% success rate using auriculotherapy to help patients quit smoking.
Auriculotherapy treatment for drug addiction provides a substantially lower relapse rate than non-auricular addiction treatments.

Auriculotherapy is a natural complement to many types of healthcare, including acupuncture, chiropractic, western medicine, naturopathy, physical therapy and even psychotherapy. Auriculotherapy is often helpful for many health conditions, both physical and mental and nearly any body part can be treated from the ear.

Some of the most successful uses of Auriculotherapy include the areas of addiction, pain management, musculoskeletal injuries, mental health, and internal disorders, though it has been successfully applied to nearly any problem imaginable. Published protocols are available for several hundred specific problems.

What should I expect?

Your auriculotherapy treatment will begin with your practitioner's examination of one or both of your ears. Examination techniques include probing for tender areas or testing with an electronic device. Specific charts of common points related to your condition will likely also be consulted and compared with your exam findings.
When your practitioner has identified the reflex points applicable to your condition, treatment will begin.

Possible treatment techniques, include acupressure, acupuncture with tiny needles, laser stimulation, electrical stimulation, colored light therapy, or even heat therapy. Most types of treatment are relatively comfortable and brief. If your practitioner opts to use acupuncture needles, they will be small, sterile, and usually painless.
Regardless of the treatment technique used, auriculotherapy is extremely safe and natural. The only known side effects of auriculotherapy are all positive and include enhanced mood, better sleep, and even decreases in non-related symptoms.

Auriculotherapy treatment often takes effect within a few seconds or minutes, and may be effective for days, weeks, or even longer. Some conditions may respond to only one treatment, while others may require multiple treatments. Your practitioner will give you a better idea of how many treatments are expected for your particular condition.

Your practitioner may also attach temporary beads or tacks to your ear to provide continued stimulation over the course of several days. If so, you'll be given specific instructions about how to use these items and when to remove them.

How can I get more information?

Call Vahila Acupuncture and Massage Therapy at 330-477-0777

Chronic Pain and Aging

A good part of my acupuncture practice is patients over 60.  (I'm almost 60 myself!)  They often present with many complex conditions in addition to their pain. 

Diabetes, cancer, and other conditions are present and yet they need additional support for their pain.  Often I'm asked if there is evidence that acupuncture will help them.  Here is a study from PubMed to address that question.

J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2014 Nov 5. [Epub ahead of print]

Effective chronic low back pain and knee pain treatment with acupuncture in geriatric patients.

Cevik C1, An I L A2, Işeri SO3.

Author information

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The most common disease of the older age group in Turkey is degenerative articular disease and pain associated with the disease. Analgesics and physical therapy are preferred treatment for geriatric chronic pain but suffering from multiple medical and nutritional problems in old ages can limit treatment options with analgesics due to an increased risk of adverse effects and drug interactions.

OBJECTIVES:

We aim to show the effect of acupuncture on back-pain and knee-pain treatment of elderly people.

METHODS:

The study includes 34 patients, 24 female and 8 male. The mean age was 69.0417 ± 8.95 years for females and 73.12 ± 8.95.24 years for males. Every two days for a total of 10 sessions acupuncture treatment to Yintang, Ht 7 (Shenmen), LI 4 (Hegu), Ki 3 (Taixi) and Ki 6 were found to significantly reduce pain scores of patients.

RESULTS:

Mean back pain scores (8.8696 ± 1.546) and mean knee pain scores (9.1304 ± 1.4239) of patients were reduced significantly to 2.1739 ± 1.466 and 1.455 ± 0.7; p< 0.001 respectively after the acupuncture treatment.

CONCLUSION:

These are important results as they give rationale to use acupuncture treatment widely in chronic low back pain and knee pain in the geriatric group of patients to reduce the side effects of polypharmacy in elderly.

Acupuncture and Menopause

People often ask if there is any research to validate acupuncture.  There is an enormous volume of research.  Below is a study on acupuncture and menopause.

A comparison of acupuncture and oral estradiol treatment of vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Wyon Y, Wijma K, Nedstrand E, Hammar M.
Faculty of Health Sciences, University Hospital, Linkoping, Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of electro-acupuncture with oral estradiol and superficial needle insertion on hot flushes in postmenopausal women. 

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-five postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms were randomized to electro-acupuncture, superficial needle insertion or oral estradiol treatment during 12 weeks, with 6 months' follow-up. The number and severity of flushes were registered daily and the Kupperman index and a general estimate of climacteric symptoms were completed before, during and after therapy. 

RESULTS: In the electro-acupuncture group, the mean number of flushes/24 h decreased from 7.3 to 3.5 (ANOVA, p < 0.001). Eleven of the 15 women had at least a 50% decrease in number of flushes (with a mean decrease of 82%). 

Superficial needle insertion decreased the number of flushes/24 h from 8.1 to 3.8 (p < 0.001). In seven out of 13 women, the number of flushes decreased by at least 50% (mean decrease 83%). In the estrogen group, the number of flushes decreased from 8.4 to 0.8 (p < 0.001). The decrease in number of flushes persisted during the 24-week follow-up period in all treatment groups. 

The Kupperman index and the general climacteric symptom score decreased, and remained unchanged 24 weeks after treatment in all groups (p < 0.001).

Electro- acupuncture decreased the number of flushes/24 h significantly over time, but not to the same extent as the estrogen treatment. No significant difference in effect was found between electro-acupuncture and the superficial needle insertion. 

CONCLUSION: We suggest that acupuncture is a viable alternative treatment of vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women.
.
Publication Types:
* Clinical Trial
* Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 15497904 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 

Headaches: Acupuncture With Meds

Results of a published British study show that acupuncture combined with drugs works better than conventional medical treatment alone to treat chronic headaches, many of which are migraines. 

Researchers tested 401 patients who reported having headaches several days every week. 

They found that those who received the combination of acupuncture plus drugs reported fewer and less-intense headaches than those who were given drug treatment only. Those who participated in the acupuncture group had up to 12 treatments over three months.

At the end of the study, researchers noted that the patients who had acupuncture claimed 22 fewer days of headaches per year, used 15-percent less medication, made 25-percent fewer visits to their doctors, and lost fewer work days than the other group.

Results of the research were published in the March 15, 2004, online issue of the British Medical Journal. 

We use a multi-faceted approach to headaches using acupuncture, massage therapy and patient education.  For evaluation and treatment call 330-477-0777.