Acupuncturefor sexual health

An Often Under Managed ProblemSexuality is a complex process and behavior.

It is coordinated not only by various systems of our bodies such as the endocrine, nervous, vascular and others.

It is also related to personal experience, social, cultural beliefs, and changes with age. Sexuality is also much affected by interpersonal relationships or lack thereof. Each partner brings different needs and response to the sexual relationship. Any disturbance in any of these areas can potentially lead to sexual dysfunction.
For centuries, in many old cultures as well as new cultures, the society tends to focus on the needs and the problems of male sexual dysfunction. During the last 40 years in the West, feminine rights, liberation and sexuality have gone through dramatic changes.

Coupled with increased aging and menopause of American female baby boomers, prevalence of female sexual dysfunction complaints, awareness has surged.

The creation of Viagra was immediately followed by intense pharmaceutical inquiry into a female version of Viagra.

The popular press has now spent much of their efforts in educating the public about Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD).

These sexual problems are not new. In fact, thousands of years ago, Taoists in China believed that a healthy sexual life style could lead to good health and minimize illness. Some Taoists even believe that cultivating great sexual health and habits can lead to longevity and immortality.

The famous Taoist text, "The Tao of Sex" is one of the earliest texts in the world addressing issues of sexuality ranging from specific sexual positions to usage of herbs for sexual dysfunctions.

There are four areas of Female Sexual Dysfunction­ desire, arousal, orgasmic, and pain disorders.

They frequently overlap and need to be ascertained properly. Many medical conditions are a source of direct or indirect sexual problems.

Diabetes, incontinence, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and mood disorders are just some the conditions that may disturb normal sexuality.

Medications such as antidepressants and antihypertensives can suppress sexual desire.

Gynecologic conditions can also contribute to sexual difficulties. For example, chronic recurrent bladder infection can diminish desire. Chronic vaginal or cervical infections can make sexual intercourse less desirable. Normal progression through menopause can also exhibit vaginal dryness and decreased libido. Psychological conditions from past sexual molestation and rape can create physical problems. Current relationship problems can also dampen desire and arousal.

Chinese Medicine offers many tools for addressing these issues. Acupuncture, which has proven neurological and endocrinal effects, can be used in vaginismus-a condition where the outer vaginal muscle contracts to prevent entering of any foreign objects. It is also frequently used in sexual pains especially due to endometriosis, and chronic bladder infection. Acupuncture can also relax one's mood, enhance sensuality and arousal. Herbal medicine is frequently used in combination or alone, especially for hormone regulation. It can also be used in chronic bladder infections associated with sex. Herbs are frequently stimulating to the sex drive as well.
The key to good sexual health is to eradicate problems right away when they arise. Inform your gynecologist and your Tao of Wellness practitioners if you feel you might suffer from these issues.

Acupuncture sexual health

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been used to strengthen and promote optimal sexual health for centuries.
Chinese Emperors took their sexual health quite seriously and would consult with a team of physicians if they experienced any difficulties in the bedroom.
While Oriental medicine is well know for improving men’s sexual performance; in fact, there have been medical textbooks devoted to the subject; acupuncture can quickly increase male and female libido and restore sexual desire.
1. How can acupuncture improve a lagging libido?To understand how acupuncture can improve a lagging libido, you have to know the underlying factor that is causing the problem. Causes of waning sexual interest include emotional issues, post-childbirth, breastfeeding, onset of menopause, drug reactions, stress, weight gain, relationship conflicts, hormonal imbalances and physical responses, such as pain or inability to reach orgasm.
With Chinese medicine, a low libido is seen as an imbalance of Qi (energy) within the organ systems, specifically the Kidney and Heart system.
Once the cause of the problem is discovered, specific points are stimulated to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to strengthen both the mind and body to bring you back to prime sexual health. Chinese herbs are chosen that will enhance the treatment by increasing vaginal lubrication, calm the mind and regulate hormone imbalances. Ginseng, for instance, can balance the glandular system, which effects mood and sexual desire.
Hormonal precursors, such as Horny Goat Weed, boost natural levels of testosterone to arouse sexual drive and libido. Other herbal extracts combine synergistically to awaken and enhance female sexual pleasure as well as increase orgasmic strength.
2. Are there other benefits for sexual health that can be garnered through acupuncture?Acupuncture is not only for a lagging libido, it can be used for numerous sexual health conditions for both men and women. Here is a brief list of Sexual Health problems that Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture can help:
Diminished Libido
Vaginal Dryness ,Infertility ,Menopause ,Premature Ejaculation ,Low Sperm Count
Diminished Sperm Motility ,Impotence ,Male Climacteric (men-opause)
3. How does acupuncture compare to conventional medicine to improve sexual health?
One of the most appealing qualities of acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine is the low risk of adverse reaction or side effects. While conventional medicine may treat some symptoms of lowered libido it can also increase the risk of certain types of cancer and have a number of significant side-effects.
Another benefit is that acupuncture treatments work synergistically to treat the whole person. In Chinese medicine, due to our diagnostic system, we are able to assess a persons whole constitution (the health of their whole body) and treat the root (or cause) of a health concern along with a branch (or the symptoms) of a health concern. It is in this way that we are able to treat a person’s whole body and mind, rather than just a symptom.

acupuncture

THE FIVE ELEMENTS. Another basis of Chinese theory is that the world and body are made up of five main elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
These elements are all interconnected, and each element either generates or controls another element.
For instance, water controls fire and earth generates metal. Each organ is associated with one of the five elements.
The Chinese system uses elements and organs to describe and treat conditions.
For instance, the kidney is associated with water and the heart is associated with fire, and the two organs are related as water and fire are related.
If the kidney is weak, then there might be a corresponding fire problem in the heart, so treatment might be made by acupuncture or herbs to cool the heart system and/or increase energy in the kidney system.
The Chinese have developed an intricate system of how organs and elements are related to physical and mental symptoms, and the above example is a very simple one.
Although this system sounds suspect to Western scientists, some interesting parallels have been observed. For instance, Western medicine has observed that with severe heart problems, kidney failure often follows, but it still does not know exactly why.
In Chinese medicine, this connection between the two organs has long been established.
MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND ACUPUNCTURE.
In Chinese medicine, disease as seen as imbalances in the organ system or chi meridians, and the goal of any remedy or treatment is to assist the body in reestablishing its innate harmony.
Disease can be caused by internal factors like emotions, external factors like the environment and weather, and other factors like injuries, trauma, diet, and germs.
However, infection is seen not as primarily a problem with germs and viruses, but as a weakness in the energy of the body that is allowing a sickness to occur.
In Chinese medicine, no two illnesses are ever the same, as each body has its own characteristics of symptoms and balance.
Acupuncture is used to open or adjust the flow of chi throughout the organ system, which will strengthen the body and prompt it to heal itself.
A VISIT TO THE ACUPUNCTURIST.
The first thing an acupuncturist will do is get a thorough idea of a patient's medical history and symptoms, both physical and emotional.
This is done with a long questionnaire and interview.
Then the acupuncturist will examine the patient to find further symptoms, looking closely at the tongue, the pulse at various points in the body, the complexion, general behavior, and other signs like coughs or pains.
From this, the practitioner will be able to determine patterns of symptoms which indicate which organs and areas are imbalanced.
Depending on the problem, the acupuncturist will insert needles to manipulate chi on one or more of the twelve organ meridians.
On these twelve meridians, there are nearly 2,000 points that can be used in acupuncture, with around 200 points being most frequently used by traditional acupuncturists. During an individual treatment, one to 20 needles may be used, depending on which meridian points are chosen.
Acupuncture needles are always sterilized and acupuncture is a very safe procedure.
The depth of insertion of needles varies, depending on which chi channels are being treated. Some points barely go beyond superficial layers of skin, while some acupuncture points require a depth of 1-3 in (2.5-7.5 cm) of needle.
The needles generally do not cause pain. Patients sometimes report pinching sensations and often pleasant sensations, as the body experiences healing.
Depending on the problem, the acupuncturist might spin or move the needles, or even pass a slight electrical current through some of them.
Moxibustion may be sometimes used, in which an herbal mixture (moxa or mugwort) is either burned like incense on the acupuncture point or on the end of the needle, which is believed to stimulate chi in a particular way.
Also, acupuncturists sometimes use cupping, during which small suction cups are placed on meridian points to stimulate them.
How long the needles are inserted also varies. Some patients only require a quick in and out insertion to clear problems and provide tonification (strengthening of health), while some other conditions might require needles inserted up to an hour or more.
The average visit to an acupuncturist takes about 30 minutes.
The number of visits to the acupuncturist varies as well, with some conditions improved in one or two sessions and others requiring a series of six or more visits over the course of weeks or months.

Acupuncture Shoes

According to Chinese traditional medicine theory, body aging starts with the aging of feet!It is easy to judge a person healthy or not by just a glance at his walking steps: If he walks slowly or unsteadily, he must be weak or sick! If he walks fast and steadily, you can not help saying:" Oh, this guy is so energic and strong!" So when people want to keep strong and healthy, he should first keep his feet strong and healthy. On the baseboard of the feet, there are 68 acupuncture points which is in charge of the functions of different body organs. If people seldom move , the acupuncture points will age, so do the other body organs, then the whole body does! The massage slippers are developed based on this theory. It has wooden sole. The massage parts - 136 wooden nails with round top fixed on the sole. It can massage every acupuncture points of the baseboard, thus strengthens the functions of the body organs! It is very nice health care appliances. When you wear the slippers, you can do massage at the same time and keep healthy. Doing massage is so easy!

Acupuncture

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program was established in 1977 and is designed to assess health technology. The program organizes major conferences that produce consensus statements and technology assessment statements on controversial issues in medicine important to health care providers, patients, and the general public. The following statement is from the NIH Consensus Development Statement on Acupuncture on November 3-5, 1997.
Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. There have been many studies of its potential usefulness. However, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors. The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebo and sham acupuncture groups.
However, promising results have emerged, for example, efficacy of acupuncture in adult post-operative and chemotherap nausea and vomiting and in post-operative dental pain. There are other situations such as addiction, strok rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthriti, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma where acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program.
Findings from basic research have begun to elucidate the mechanisms of action of acupuncture, including the release of opioids and other peptides in the central nervous system and the periphery and changes in neuroendocrine function. Although much needs to be accomplished, the emergence of plausible mechanisms for the therapeutic effects of acupuncture is encouraging.
The introduction of acupuncture into the choice of treatment modalities that are readily available to the public is in its early stages. Issues of training, licensure, and reimbursement remain to be clarified. There is sufficient evidence, however, of acupuncture's value to expand its use into conventional medicine and to encourage further studies of its physiology and clinical value. This statement is representative of the opinions of current standard medical practice.

acupuncture

Description:

Pediatric Acupuncture. Kym Kleiman performs a

child's balancing treatment at Liferoot Acupuncture

Clinic in Tucson, AZ.

Description:

Kym Kleiman performing prenatal Acupuncture at the Liferoot Acupuncture Clinic in Tucson, AZ.

Acupuncture

After reviewing the existing body of knowledge, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed acupuncture needles from the category of "experimental medical devices."

The FDA now regulates acupuncture needles, just as it does other devices such as surgical scalpels and hypodermic syringes, under good manufacturing practices and single-use standards of sterility.
                                             The program organizes major conferences that produce consensus statements and technology assessment statements on controversial issues in medicine important to health care providers, patients, and the general public. The following statement is from the NIH Consensus Development Statement on Acupuncture on November 3-5, 1997.

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. There have been many studies of its potential usefulness.

However, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors.

The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebo and sham acupuncture groups.

Acupuncture

One of the major challenges in acupuncture research is in the design of an appropriate placebo control group

In trials of new drugs, double blinding is the accepted standard, but since acupuncture is a procedure rather than a pill, it is difficult to design studies in which both the acupuncturist and patient are blinded as to the treatment being given. The same problem arises in double-blinding procedures used in biomedicine, including virtually all surgical procedures, dentistry, physical therapy, etc.

Blinding of the practitioner in acupuncture remains challenging. One proposed solution to blinding patients has been the development of "sham acupuncture", i.e., needling performed superficially or at non-acupuncture sites. Controversy remains over whether, and under what conditions, sham acupuncture may function as a true placebo, particularly in studies on pain, in which insertion of needles anywhere near painful regions may elicit a beneficial response.

A review in 2007 noted several issues confounding sham acupuncture

Acupuncture therapy

Acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of illnesses for more than 2,000 years. Acupuncture is a component of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) system of medicine. As such, a diagnosis based on TCM is generally made prior to the administration of acupuncture needles. This TCM diagnosis, which is much different than diagnosis in Western medicine, is based on a practitioner's observation (of the pulse and tongue) and a thorough patient interview. The patient interview is useful for assessing the body's balance of yin and yang (hot or cold properties), for evaluating deficiency or excess patterns of disease, and for determining the state of the body's internal organs and channels. Once an assessment is made, a series of acupuncture points is selected to improve the balance of yin and yang, to harmonize a deficient or excess condition, and to nourish the organ or channel involved in the disease process. Stimulation of the selected acupoints (situated along 'meridians' in the body) by inserting needles is believed to promote the flow of energy through the system, and thereby restore the body's balance.

Acupuncture Therapy

The traditional acupuncture points are no more real than the black spots a drunkard sees in front of his eyes."
The meridians of acupuncture are no more real than the meridians of geography. If someone were to get a spade and tried to dig up the Greenwich meridian, he might end up in a lunatic asylum. Perhaps the same fate should await those doctors who believe in [acupuncture] meridians."
Felix Mann tried to join up his medical knowledge with that of Chinese theory.
In spite of his protestations about the theory, he was fascinated by it and trained many people in the west with the parts of it he borrowed. He also wrote many books on this subject. His legacy is that there is now a college in London and a system of needling that is known as "Medical Acupuncture". Today this college trains Doctors and western medical professionals only.
Medical acupuncture has caused much controversy amongst traditional practitioners; the British Acupuncture Council wished for it to be called 'treatment using needles', and removing from it the title 'Acupuncture', as it is so different to traditional methods but have had to retract this after pressure from the medical profession. Mann proposed that the acupuncture points related to the nerve endings and he reassigned the points different uses. He altered the theory so that the treatments given are no longer individual to each client, a central premise of traditional theory. Traditionally the needle combinations differ according to the age of the client, the length of time they had the condition, the type of pain they experience and their health history. In medical acupuncture none of this is addressed and the presenting symptom is treated using a set group of points.
A few Chinese scientists we met maintained that although Qi is merely a metaphor, it is still a useful physiological abstraction (e.g., that the related concepts of Yin and Yang parallel modern scientific notions of endocrinologic [sic] and metabolic feedback mechanisms).
They see this as a useful way to unite Eastern and Western medicine. Their more hard-nosed colleagues quietly dismissed Qi as only a philosophy, bearing no tangible relationship to modern physiology and medicine.
George A. Ulett, MD, PhD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Missouri School of Medicine states:
"Devoid of metaphysical thinking, acupuncture becomes a rather simple technique that can be useful as a nondrug method of pain control. He believes that the traditional Chinese variety is primarily a placebo treatment, but electrical stimulation of about 80 acupuncture points has been proven useful for pain control.
Ted J. Kaptchuk, author of The Web That Has No Weaver, refers to acupuncture as "prescientific." Regarding TCM theory, Kaptchuk states:
"These ideas are cultural and speculative constructs that provide orientation and direction for the practical patient situation. There are few secrets of Oriental wisdom buried here. When presented outside the context of Chinese civilization, or of practical diagnosis and therapeutics, these ideas are fragmented and without great significance. The "truth" of these ideas lies in the way the physician can use them to treat real people with real complaints.
According to the 1997 NIH consensus statement on acupuncture:
"Despite considerable efforts to understand the anatomy and physiology of the "acupuncture points", the definition and characterization of these points remains controversial. Even more elusive is the basis of some of the key traditional Eastern medical concepts such as the circulation of Qi, the meridian system, and the five phases theory, which are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture.
At least one study found that acupuncture "seems to alleviate pain just barely better than sticking needles into nonspecified parts of the body and concluded that some of acupuncture's effects may be due to the placebo effect.
According to The Straight Dope, a popular question-and-answer newspaper column published in the Chicago Reader:
Traditional acupuncture theory is a quaint patchwork of folklore with about as much relevance to current medical practice as medieval European notions about the four bodily humors. While it may be useful as a guide to future research, no scientist would regard it as satisfactory as it stands.