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Treatment Expectations and Preferences as Predicto… [Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010] – PubMed result

nkraft — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:13:23 +0000

A study of 477 patients with low back pain found that treatment expectations and preferences for acupuncture were not found predictive of treatment outcomes. That is to say, you don’t have to believe in acupuncture for it to work. I’m sure most of my patients have heard me say something like this at one time or another. Here’s the science perspective on it:

Treatment Expectations and Preferences as Predicto… [Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010] – PubMed result

Chinese Acupuncture Affects Brain’s Ability To Regulate Pain, UM Study Shows

nkraft — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:43:31 +0000

ScienceDaily (Aug. 11, 2009) — Acupuncture has been used in East-Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat pain, possibly by activating the body’s natural painkillers. But how it works at the cellular level is largely unknown.

Using brain imaging, a University of Michigan study provides novel evidence that traditional Chinese acupuncture affects the brain’s long-term ability to regulate pain.

Read the rest of this article here: Chinese Acupuncture Affects Brain’s Ability To Regulate Pain, UM Study Shows

Pulse – Acupuncture improves exercise tolerance

nkraft — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:32:59 +0000

Acupuncture can ‘remarkably’ improve exercise tolerance in patients with heart failure say German cardiology researchers. Their study included 17 patients with congestive heart failure with mild or marked limitation to their activity- all on optimised medication. They were randomised to receive acupuncture or placebo – a needle that simulates the procedure without piercing the skin. No improvement in cardiac ejection fraction or peak oxygen uptake was seen. But the six minute walk distance was ‘remarkably increased’ in the acupuncture group by 32m on average, compared to a drop of 1m in the placebo group. Post-exercise recovery and ventilatory efficiency were both improved in the acupuncture group but not in the placebo group. Study leader Dr Johannes Backs, head of the research group at the department of cardiology at Heidelberg University Hospital said: ‘This is the first indication that acupuncture may improve exercise tolerance in CHF patients- when given in addition to optimised standard heart failure medication.’

via Pulse – Acupuncture improves exercise tolerance

Natural Pain Relief for Osteoarthritis

nkraft — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:16:33 +0000

One of the most painful and crippling autoimmune diseases to affect the joints, osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the articular cartilage and the subchondral bones. Symptoms of this disease include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking and at times, effusion. There can be many different causes of osteoarthritis, like hereditary, developmental, metabolic etc. The basic pathophysiology of this condition lies in the fact that there is progressive loss of cartilage due to which the bone may be exposed and eventually damaged. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and is one of the leading causes of chronic disability in the United States, affecting nearly 27 million people. This is the reason why everyone is always trying to find natural pain relief for osteoarthritis, because as it is an autoimmune disease, there is no fixed cure for it. Rather than endlessly popping pain killers, it is better that people try out other measures to attain pain relief. Given below are a few natural measures to deal with osteoarthritis

Read the rest of this article here: Natural Pain Relief for Osteoarthritis

Brain Scans Show How Meditation Calms Pain

nkraft — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:01:55 +0000

TUESDAY, June 8 HealthDay News — People who routinely practice meditation may be better able to deal with pain because their brains are less focused on anticipating pain, a new British study suggests.The finding is a potential boon to the estimated 40 percent of people who are unable to adequately manage their chronic pain. It is based on an analysis involving people who practice a variety of meditation formats, and experience with meditation as a whole ranged from just a few months to several decades.

Read the rest of this article here: Brain Scans Show How Meditation Calms Pain: MedlinePlus

Polyphenols in red wine and green tea halt prostate cancer growth, study suggests

nkraft — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:08:38 +0000

Patients often ask me about the health effects of red wine and/or green tea. This is a great article about some of the new research into these powerful foods:

ScienceDaily (June 11, 2010) — In what could lead to a major advance in the treatment of prostate cancer, scientists now know exactly why polyphenols in red wine and green tea inhibit cancer growth. This new discovery, published online in The FASEB Journal, explains how antioxidants in red wine and green tea produce a combined effect to disrupt an important cell signaling pathway necessary for prostate cancer growth. This finding is important because it may lead to the development of drugs that could stop or slow cancer progression, or improve current treatments.

To read the rest of this article, click here: Polyphenols in red wine and green tea halt prostate cancer growth, study suggests

Stop Snoring and Save Your Life

nkraft — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:08:15 +0000

People who snore are at a higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. In itself, snoring is not a serious condition, but it can affect your quality of sleep and can be very disturbing to your loved ones. Snoring affects more men than women. There are several types of snoring that are associated with sleep disorders such as apnea, a condition in which a person may stop breathing for as long as ninety seconds. Symptoms of snoring include the wheezing, gurgling, and snorting noises made by the soft palate as air is forced through the oral and nasal cavity at high speeds. Obesity plays a major role in snoring. Losing just 5 percent of body weight can reduce snoring dramatically and help improve quality of sleep. Asthma and sinus problems like chronic allergic rhinitis are the most common medical conditions that can cause snoring. Smoking, alcohol use, being too tired, and poor diet can also instigate snoring. In Chinese medicine, snoring is considered energy stagnation…

Read the rest of this article at the Santa Monica Mirror

Acupuncture eases pain: Nature Neuroscience

nkraft — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:44:24 +0000

Acupuncture eases pain: Nature Neuroscience

English.news.cn 2010-05-31 09:00:04

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhuanet) — A study conducted by neuroscientists in the U.S. finds that acupuncture can ease pain by triggering a natural painkilling chemical called adenosine, according to the Nature Neuroscience Monday.

The ancient Chinese art, which involves sticking needles into the body's "pressure points," has been underestimated and doubted for a long time, media reports quoted the journal as saying.

Critics say that what the patients benefit from the process is all in the mind. The care, attention and the belief of the treatment result in "placebo effect" for them.

But Maiken Nedergaard, the leading neuroscientist of the research group, said his research revealed a physical mechanism through which acupuncture relieved pain.

The research group performed acupuncture on mice with sore paws. They mimicked a standard acupuncture treatment.

During and just after this operation, levels of adenosine in the tissues surrounding the needle surged 24-fold. The mouse's discomfort — measurable by the rodents' response time to touch and heat — was reduced by two-thirds.

Increasing levels of adenosine without acupuncture also had a soothing effect, the journal Nature Neuroscience reports.

via Acupuncture eases pain: Nature Neuroscience.

We have treatment space available for a massage therapist or two!

nkraft — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:37:26 +0000

The Salem Whole Health Center, a group practice, has space available in our quiet offices. Currently our group of health professionals includes acupuncture, massage and psychological counseling.

We have shared space available for another massage therapist or two.

Massage room at the Salem Whole Health Center

The massage room is large, open, and has two windows providing lots of light. There is a good table and shelving for therapist supplies. Given the size of the room, it is suitable for traditional massage, shiatsu, Thai massage and other modalities. At the moment, this room is available Monday through Friday, and possibly Sundays.

The office is in a quiet building. Reception area is shared. Rent depends on number of hours/days per week.

The Salem Whole Health Center is a health services boutique for body, mind and spirit. We are located at 19 Front Street in downtown Salem, MA. For more information call Norman Kraft, L.Ac. at 978-394-4490 or email nkraft@myacudoc.com

Fall Massage Special at ACS

nkraft — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:58:46 +0000

Who couldn’t use a bit of pampering as we are all back to school, back to work, back to everything. Book an acupuncture session between now and October 24, 2009 and receive 50% off a massage with Catie of Spirit Wellness. Coupon for discount available when you come for your acupuncture appointment. Don’t miss out!