Nervous
System

Neurological diseases cover a vast array of disorders affecting the nervous system, from the more complex Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s diseases to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Sciatica.

Acupuncture can help alleviate symptoms, reduce pain, increase function and slow degenerative processes and accelerate recovery.   It can also help reduce dosages or alleviate the side effects of associated medication.

Best results are achieved when Acupuncture treatments are started SOON after the initial onset of symptoms.

Bell’s Palsy

Bell’s Palsy is paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face.  This results from damage to the facial nerve and it also may affect your sense of taste and how you make tears and saliva.

It often occurs suddenly and although the exact cause isn’t clear it is often linked to a viral infection.  The infection causes swelling and inflammation affecting the facial nerve.

Bell’s Palsy is commonly treated in the clinic and responds extremely well to Acupuncture treatments initiated as soon as signs and symptoms occur.

Treatments should be twice a week to prevent it from becoming too entrenched.  You are also provided with the tools and skills to self treat at home between visits.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia is a type of chronic nerve pain that affects the trigeminal nerve that carries sensation from your face to your brain.  It affects the side of the face and typically is extremely painful.  Pain can be triggered by the lightest touch such as encountering a breeze, shaving or brushing your teethe.

There are several causes for trigeminal neuralgia, often it is caused by pressure on the nerve such as a blood vessel.  It can occur as a result of aging or from disorders that damage the myelin sheath protecting the nerve, such as multiple sclerosis.

Trigeminal neuralgia is commonly treated in the clinic, providing significant pain relief.  Research found Acupuncture to have a greater cure rate than Carbamazepine, an anticonvulsant drug commonly used to treat trigeminal neuralgia.

Herpes Zoster (Shingles)

Herpes Zoster is a viral infection that causes a very painful rash, most often on one side of the torso.  The virus (varicella-zoster) is the same virus that causes chickenpox.

After you have had chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in nerves of your spinal cord or brain.  Years later, often when you have a weakened immune system, the virus may reactivate and travel along nerve pathways to your skin.

Acupuncture is excellent for the relief of acute pain from shingles.  Acupuncture treatment and Chinese herbs should be started as soon as possible to alleviate the pain and significantly reduce the risk of scarring and post-herpetic neuralgia (nerve pain that lasts long after the rash has disappeared) which is more difficult to treat.

Daily treatments for the first week is highly recommended even if you are taking a prescribed antiviral drug.

Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease

Acupuncture will not cure Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease just as it does not cure many other devastating illnesses, but quality of life can be improved in people living with neurological conditions.

Multiple Sclerosis patients benefit from Acupuncture to; relieve symptoms (tingling, numbness, pain), slow the progression of the disease, reduce the number of relapses and help take a patient to remission.

In Parkinson’s Disease Acupuncture can be effective to treat extreme fatigue and muscle tension.  Evidence based research show the wide therapeutic effects of Acupuncture in patients with Parkinson’s Disease, strongly indicating Acupuncture should be considered as a combination treatment.

Almost every person with a Neurological disorder will have some relevant underlying imbalance.  Traditional Chinese Medicine’s holistic approach will also diagnose and treat any imbalance.

Acupuncture treatments are not limited to just treating the main problem (e.g. pins and needles to the hands).  This holistic approach is how Acupuncture can help slow the progression of a disease and improve one’s quality of life.