Chronic Lyme Disease: Treatment with Acupuncture

[This article is a work in progress]

Lyme Disease has long been a problem in the United States but Chronic Lyme Disease is beginning to be recognized as an even greater and more insidious threat to the qualities of American lives. And with climate change expanding the range of the disease carrying tick, the numbers of people affected by both chronic and acute Lyme are expected to rise dramatically.

Symptoms can be highly invdividualized, may persist for years or indefinitely, and may include:

• fatigue
• restless sleep
• pain
• aching joints or muscles
• pain or swelling in the knees, shoulders, elbows, and other large joints
• decreased short-term memory or ability to concentrate
• speech problems
• temperature regulation issues
• depression
• anxiety
• sense of body heaviness

 While most of my Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD) clients are well aware of the cause, symptomatology, progression and Western approaches to this disease they are usually very pleased to learn that traditional Chinese medicine has a lot to offer speeding up recovery. Acupuncture and Chinese herbology work simultaneously to boost the imnune system and elimate any lingering infection which may be sapping the body's strength.

Plantar Fasciitis Responds Well to Acupuncture

One of the more frequent athletic injuries treated in our clinic is plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the fascia which runs from the heel to the toes at the bottom of the foot. This pain ranges from nagging to excruciating and often interferes with the athlete's ability to train or exercise.

Happily it almost always responds to acupuncture and it is a very satisfying condition to treat. In this situation, acupuncture works by:

• Dramatically reducing inflammation at the source – in the fascia.
• Elongating overly contracted muscles which have lead to or are exacerbating the issue.
• Increasing blood supply to the injured region.
• Speeding the healing and recovery time to the injured region, which not only leads to rapid recovery but also reduces the likelihood of the problem returning once it has been cured.

TMJ Facial Pain Responds Well to Acupuncture

Temperomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) is a condition that we treat a lot in clinic, almost always with remarkable results.

A recent US study, published in the journal, Pain and which can be read about here, corroborated the fact that acupuncture treated Temperomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) quite well:

The short-term phase of a comparative effectiveness study suggests that a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs is a safe and effective treatment for chronic facial pain caused by temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The US-based study allocated 168 participants with TMD to a stepped-care protocol. All patients first received TMD self care education (SC). At weeks two and 10, patients receiving SC whose worst facial pain was above predetermined levels were reallocated to either SC or TCM administered by experienced practitioners. The TCM protocol was designed to optimise individualised care within the confines of a research study, and included acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbs, tuina and lifestyle/nutrition counselling. Participants were allocated a total of 20 acupuncture visits and 20 weeks of herbs within a one-year period, with six to ten sessions during the initial eight-week treatment period.

Acupuncturists have been successfully treating TMJ and other facial pain disorders for thousands of years and at our clinic this is common condition which we treat.

Bedwetting Effectively Treated with Acupuncture

Acupuncture found as Effective as Drug for Overactive Bladder (but without side effects)

My clinic treats many cases of overactive bladder and intractable interstitial cystitis, with often stunning success. Over the years, many studies have been done which have found that acupuncture and Chinese medicine are as, or more effective as the leading pharmaceuticals in treating an overactive bladder. Some of those I have excerpted below.

An article about the study, which can be read here, found that there was almost perfect (90%) resolution of bladder symptoms. These symptoms include frequent urination, nocturia, a sensation of incomplete emptying, incontinence, loss of urine and urge incontinence.

This is very good news for those suffering from bladder issues who have previously thought that there only option was drug therapy. The pharmaceuticals used to treat these symptoms have many side effects, including dry mouth, dry eyes, constipation, stomach pain, burning urination, extreme thirst, nausea, vomiting, painful urination, difficulty breathing, blurry vision and extreme exhaustion. Happily, acupuncture does not have side effects and so may be preferable for those who wish to avoid potential side effects as well as those for whom the drug is contraindicated: people with pernicious glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, severe liver disease and for those undergoing kidney dialysis.

Other studies have found much the same effect, an example being one which specifically looked at refractory interstitial cystis and found that,

...acupuncture needling combined with moxibustion improves the condition of patients with refractory interstitial cystitis, a urination bladder disorder. Interstitial cystitis involves chronic bladder region pain that is often accompanied by urinary urgency, frequency and the need to wake at night to urination. Moxa needles were applied to acupuncture points over the sacrum and patients experienced significant improvement in the condition.

 A Japanese study found that there was a dramatic difference between patients with interstitial cystitis receiving western care versus acupuncture treatment, concluding:

This therapy is traditional and relatively noninvasive. Although its precise mechanism of action is unclear, this study suggests that acupuncture and moxibustion treatment may be a complementary and alternative therapeutic option for refractory IC.

Another study, published in the British Journal of Urology, found that:

79% of patients in the study showed clinically significant improvements. The researchers conclude that acupuncture is an effective treatment modality for patients with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) and “is well tolerated with no side effects or complications.” As a result, the research team notes that acupuncture “should be considered as a potential alternative to our current therapeutic regimes” for patients with OAB.