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Wrist and Hand Pain can be for many different reasons Repetitive strain injury (RSI) – often from computer work Arthritis, mostly rheumatoid Ganglions cysts Tendonitis Fracture Carpal tunnel Sprains, acute injury Gout Problems with Neck, Shoulder or Back – can refer down to hand and wrist Chronic pain Symptoms of Wrist Pain Depending on what’s causing your wrist pain, it may be accompanied by the following symptoms: Swollen fingers Difficulty making a fist or gripping objects Numbness or tingling sensation Pain, numbness, or tingling Sudden, sharp pain Swelling or redness around the wrist Heat in a wrist joint, hands and fingers Call your doctor immediately if your wrist is warm and red and if you have a temperature over (38°C). These symptoms could signal Septic arthritis, which is a serious illness. Acupuncture Help Acupuncture can help in recovery and reducing pain of long term conditions. When you damage your hands or wrists Acupuncture can help you recover from the injury and help prevent long term effects of injury. If you have a chronic condition Acupuncture can help with the pain and inflammation and slow down the disease process. Reducing flare ups, helping with stress and anxiety of your condition. TCM Acupuncture treats the whole person, helping you manage your condition and life challenges.

Symptoms like bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, cramping, and abdominal pain are an indication that things are not moving through the digestive tract efficiently. The root cause of many digestive issues is often chronic stress, improper diet, poor sleep habits, and other lifestyle issues. Acupuncture helps by balancing the gut-brain axis and the nervous system to reduce stress, which in turn improves digestive function. One of the side effects of an overactive sympathetic nervous system is decreased digestive function. Acupuncture also help reduce pain and inflammation which helps regulate stomach acid and promote peristalsis. Chinese herbs are often used for digestive issues, either alone or in conjunction with acupuncture treatments. They are taken internally and work to adjust digestion like food supplements or diet modification. Common herbs like ginger and liquorice can help improve digestion and have been used for hundreds of years by many cultures around the world. Together, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help with the following digestive issues (and others): Bloating Constipation Diarrhea Nausea and vomiting Abdominal pain IBS Crohn’s disease Acid reflux Ulcerative colitis More Information For more information or to schedule a free phone consultation please call 01387 951187

The physiological wonders of our microbiome is fascinating. But now research is showing how important they are for our psychological health and wellbeing. We are starting to find many mechanisms for this. Currently we know that neurotransmitters are part of the communication method between host and microbiome (although the microbiome also influences the endocrine system), the creation of these neurotransmitters are influenced by the microbiome as is the release of them. In other words the microbiome makes and releases of molecules that are the main communication tool of the brain and nervous system. Grasping this is huge. In a groundbreaking piece of research on rats, whose DNA is not far from ours, it was discovered that by switching a microbiome of stressed rats to non-stressed rats and vice-versa, their behavioural and emotional propensities would match those of the microbiome they host! We have yet to fully map the microbiome and all of its complexities, mainly because it is so vastly complex. However, we do know that there are distinct patterns in gut communities in those that suffer from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and even autism. It has even been discovered that the microbiome can affect empathy and behavioural propensities in humans. Some of the mechanisms for this include neuropeptide synthesis and release, but also; Inflammation Nutrient absorption Leaky gut Hormone imbalances Nutrient deficiency Of the above issues, stress, diet and exercise are a factor, but the microbiome is also directly involved in all of them and can make issues persist even once stressors are removed or diet and exercise improved. The more research that goes into the gut, the more amazing results we are finding. Interestingly, the most healthy and diverse gut communities tend to be in nomadic tribes who have a much wider diet that we do, more like 200 ‘staples’, compared to 5 main vegetable crops we rely on. For ‘civilised’ communities, those with plant-based diets showed the most healthy microbiome. I even once saw an ad that was paying £40 to vegans for a stool sample. The main takeaway here is that diverse low fat, low sugar, high fibre diets are the best for the microbiome. Ultimately we are wholly reliant on our internal environment, which in turn, is wholly reliant on our external environment. The more we trash our planetary ecology, the more we seem to be affecting our internal ecology. We cannot separate the two and must begin to realise how connected we are and how we must begin to look after our planet in order to look after ourselves.

Clinical evidence has shown that acupuncture is effective for regulating hormone levels, promoting ovulation, and attenuating insulin resistance in patients with PCOS Acupuncture may affect the production of β-endorphin, which may lead to gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion and then affect ovulation, menstrual cycle, and fertility.

‘From the available evidence, acupuncture may have beneficial effects on improving dependency, global neurological deficiency, and some specific neurological impairments for people with stroke in the convalescent stage, with no obvious serious adverse events.’ We see many stroke patients within our clinic, but why not show some hard facts on how acupuncture can help! As we all a little scientifically geeky in our clinic, we did some research and found some really promising evidenced based medical articles for Acupuncture and Stroke Rehab.. Lets see what we found! A Cochrane Review!! All scholars know that a Cochrane review sits high up there for reliability and thoroughness in reviewing research. The objective of the review was to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy in people with subacute and chronic stroke. They tested the following hypotheses: 1) acupuncture can reduce the risk of death or dependency in people with subacute and chronic stroke at the end of treatment and at follow‐up; 2) acupuncture can improve neurological deficit and quality of life after treatment and at the end of follow‐up; 3) acupuncture can reduce the number of people requiring institutional care; and 4) acupuncture is not associated with any intolerable adverse effects. And the conclusion ‘From the available evidence, acupuncture may have beneficial effects on improving dependency, global neurological deficiency, and some specific neurological impairments for people with stroke in the convalescent stage, with no obvious serious adverse events.’ That’s great, but we decide to look more specifically at some research… the results of RCT’s (Randomised Control Trials) were great! Here are a few more snippets… Johansson et al. included 78 patients (median age was 76 years) with severe hemiparesis due to stroke of either side, hospitalised in Sweden. Patients had to be able to co-operate during the examination and tests, but unable to walk without support or eat and dress without help. Motor function, balance, and Barthel ADL were assessed before the start of treatment and at 1 and 3 months after the acute stroke; ADL was also assessed after 12 months. They also measured the quality of life (QoL) using the NHP 3, 6, and 12 months after stroke onset. Patients given acupuncture recovered faster and to a greater ex- tent than the controls, with a significant difference for balance, walking, ADL, QoL in terms of energy, mobility, emotional reaction and sociality, and days spent at hospitals/nursing homes. That’s great…lets see some more… Sallström et al. investigated whether acupuncture treatment, if given to stroke patients in the subacute phase in addition to routine rehabilitation, would influence motor function, ADL and QoL. The patients were divided into acupuncture and control groups. The improvement was significantly greater in the acupuncture trial group compared to the control group in terms of MAS and NHP. Wait, there is still more Duan et al. included 92 acute stroke patients in a Chinese hospital suffering from cerebral infarction con- firmed by CT . The subjects were randomised into acupuncture and control groups according to the location of infarction. Manual acupuncture was performed once a day for 30 days. The therapeutic effect was assessed by using CSRM. The result suggested a significant improvement in the acupuncture group compared with the control group. So there is the science… stay tuned to see how we work within a stroke rehabilitation team and what we do in our Dumfries Acupuncture clinic! https://www.facebook.com/theacuhub1 https://www.cochranelibrary.com/.../14651858.../full

Hello July! This month we are going to be looking at neurological disorders and how Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help! There is some phenomenal research which backs and supports the effect of acupuncture on conditions from strokes to epilepsy. Watch out for our posts here and on our social media pages https://www.facebook.com/theacuhub1 Based in Dumfries in Scotland, we always here to chat

Acupuncture & IVF! Whilst many were out celebrating the Jubilee last week, acupuncturists around the UK were in clinic treating our clients for pre and post embryo transfers. We are going to have a series of posts explaining the effectiveness of acupuncture leading up to the IVF cycle, through the cycle and pre and post embryo transfers. Stay tuned and watch this space! #dumfries #dng #dumfriesandgalloway #dumfriesscotland #thecrichton #acupuncture #chinesemedicine #dumfrieswellbeing #dumfriesholistichealth #holistichealth #scotland #castledouglas #stirling #dumfriesyoga #dumfriesmums #dumfriesphysio #dumfriesosteo #pain #chronicpain #dumfriesfertility #IBS #moffat #lockerbie #dgwgo #acupuncturedumfries #acupuncturewellbeing #ivfdumfries #fertilitydumfries #glasgowivf

The menopause, defined as the end of the last menstrual period, occurs at a median age of 53 years (Hardy 2005). The change in hormone levels during the perimenopause and menopause, particularly the decline in levels of oestrogen, can cause acute menopausal symptoms; for example, about 30-70% of women in Western countries will experience vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats (Freeman 2007; Melby 2005). Some women also report vaginal dryness and psychological symptoms, including tiredness, sleep disturbances, mood swings, forgetfulness and loss of libido (Melby 2005; Bachmann 1999). The median duration of menopausal vasomotor symptoms is about 4 years but, in around 10% of women, they last longer than 12 years (Polity 2008). The most commonly used conventional medical treatment for such symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), comprising an oestrogen alone (in women who have had a hysterectomy) or in combination with a progestogen. HRT is now only indicated for short-term treatment of menopausal symptoms in the UK (MHRA 2007). Acupuncture may help reduce symptoms of the menopause and perimenopause by: regulating serum estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone and luteotrophic hormone (Xia 2008); increasing relaxation and reducing tension (Samuels 2008). Acupuncture can alter the brain’s mood chemistry, reducing serotonin levels (Zhou 2008) and increasing endorphins (Han, 2004) and neuropeptide Y levels (Lee 2009), which can help to combat negative affective states. stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues, which leads to release of endorphins and other neurohumoral factors, and changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord (Pomeranz, 1987, Zijlstra 2003, Cheng 2009).

Digestion begins in the mouth once food is taken in. Chewing and saliva begin the breakdown of food and prepare it to move through the digestive (gastrointestinal) tract. It passes through the pharynx and esophagus where peristalsis moves food further downward into the stomach. The stomach releases acid to break down food, begins absorbing nutrients, and prepares it to move on to the small and large intestines. Absorption primarily happens in the small intestine, so this is where nutrients are extracted and byproducts are sent onwards to the large intestines for defecation. Accessory organs that play a secondary role in digestion are the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The liver secretes bile which allows for the breakdown of lipids (fats) and also detoxifies chemicals. The gallbladder works with the liver by storing and secreting bile as needed. The pancreas produces digestive enzymes that aid in digestion and also regulates blood sugar. Digestion ends by excreting waste products via urine and stool. How Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Can Help Digestive Issues Symptoms like bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, cramping, and abdominal pain are an indication that things are not moving through the digestive tract efficiently. The root cause of many digestive issues is often chronic stress, improper diet, poor sleep habits, and other lifestyle issues. Acupuncture helps by balancing the gut-brain axis and the nervous system to reduce stress, which in turn improves digestive function. One of the side effects of an overactive sympathetic nervous system is decreased digestive function. Acupuncture also help reduce pain and inflammation which helps regulate stomach acid and promote peristalsis. Chinese herbs are often used for digestive issues, either alone or in conjunction with acupuncture treatments. They are taken internally and work to adjust digestion like food supplements or diet modification. Common herbs like ginger and liquorice can help improve digestion and have been used for hundreds of years by many cultures around the world. Together, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help with the following digestive issues (and others): Bloating Constipation Diarrhea Nausea and vomiting Abdominal pain IBS Crohn’s disease Acid reflux Ulcerative colitis More Information For more information or to schedule a free phone consultation please contact us on 07903 749 754 Sources: Zhishun Liu, Shiyan Yan, Jiani Wu, et al. Acupuncture for chronic severe functional constipation: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2016; 6: 155: 761–769. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27618593 Sung JJ. Acupuncture for gastrointestinal disorders: myth or magic. Gut. 2002;51:617–619. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1773431/ Chao G.-Q., Zhang S. Effectiveness of acupuncture to treat irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2014;20(7):1871–1877. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i7.1871. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3930986/ Jing Yan, et al., Acupuncture plus Chinese Herbal Medicine for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019; 2019: 7680963. Published online 2019 Apr 14. doi: 10.1155/2019/7680963. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6487118/

Steve is 59 and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015. He shares how daily acupuncture helps him manage his symptoms. 'By the time I visited my GP, my handwriting had become smaller and smaller. I was also noticing my muscles felt stiffer, especially getting out of bed in the morning and when I walked, my arms weren’t swinging as much. When my doctor saw me walk, he went from jovial and happy to very intense. He thought he had seen signs of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and he arranged an urgent referral for me. Over the next year I clambered in and out of some wondrous machinery for various tests and scans. When the needles are in, I can feel a tingling sensation, but nothing too unpleasant! At home, I’m not just lucky that my wife, RongRong, is wonderful, but she is also trained in acupuncture and acupressure and began giving me this treatment daily. But as a diagnosis of MND became less certain, I was given levodopa. I felt like I could fly - it had an immediate effect. I didn’t want the acupuncture to mask the effects of the medication so I did take a break for a couple of weeks. Since that short break, I’ve not been brave enough to stop daily sessions. For me, I feel that the overall benefit builds up. I will usually have needles inserted on my head, forearm, lower legs and feet. Sometimes I have them on my back too. A session will normally last about 30 to 45 minutes depending on how many needles I have inserted. It’s usually between 10 or 20, but can vary if I’m having a Parkinson’s ‘on’ day or an ‘off’ day. When the needles are in, I can feel a tingling sensation, but nothing too unpleasant! 25 years ago, I had a bad back and I had some acupuncture at the time, but my general thoughts on the therapy were similar to my ideas on spiritualist meetings. That is, I had a healthy scepticism, combined with being open to - and receptive of - new, previously untried ideas which may be of great benefit. After an acupuncture session, I’m definitely not as rigid. I mostly have sessions in the evening before bed, so it helps me to relax and I find I sleep much better. A good night’s sleep also really helps me with my energy levels the next day. For me, acupuncture is nothing ventured, nothing gained!' Read Steves Story here

It is now well known that acupuncture is an excellent treatment for back pain. Interestingly, this study found a link between chronic low back pain and disorganised brain activity. Acupuncture was able to reduce the back pain while also creating more connectivity in brain networks associated with thinking/daydreaming. "Less connectivity within the DMN was found in patients with cLBP than in healthy controls, mainly in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus. After acupuncture, patients’ connectivities were restored almost to the levels seen in healthy controls." Acupuncture Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain Reverses An Abnormal Brain Default Mode Network in Correlation with Clinical Pain Relief https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1136/acupmed-2013-010423

Allergic Rhinitis(AR) is one of the most common conditions in Ireland. It is caused by an allergen e.g. dust mites, pollen, dander which your bodys' immune system reacts to (immunological disorder) and you get swelling and inflammation of the mucous membranes inside your nose. The symptoms people can experience are sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, blocked nose and itchy eyes or throat. Symptoms arise soon after you breath in the allergen. Hayfever is type of allergic rhinitis. For some people the symptoms are mild and seasonal, lasting a specific period of time. For others it's a year round nuciance. If your symptoms are more moderate, it becomes more of an issue, because it impacts your life negatively. for example it can impact sleep quality and quantity. According to Prof Russell Foster, a neuroscientist from the University of Oxford, chronic insomnia is as detrimental to health as smoking. Now you can see how it can have a cumulative impact on your health, if you are that person. For others it can interfere with daily life. If, for example, your job involves exposure to allergens, and you love your job or you have a hobby you absolutely and develop an allergy to what you are using you have choices to make that you don't necessarily want to make. Can Acupuncture help and is there evidence to support that? If you have read previous posts, you will probably know the answer already. Yes it helps and yes there is evidence. A meta analysis done in 2020 comparing the effectiveness of diverse (different styles) acupuncture methods for AR treatment found that all acupuncture methods are effective and safe. They found acupuncture methods were equally effective as pharmacological (medications) treatments, without any side effects. Exactly 39 studies with 3433 participants were covered in this meta-analysis. One of the many advantages of acupuncture is that it does not come with negative side effects. Instead, it has many positive side effects. One of those powerful effects, is that it deeply relaxes people. Life during a lockdown situation, we can all agree is stressful. If you decide to have acupuncture for your allergic rhinitis, you will experience symptom relief at your first visit, but you will need several treatments. Discuss with your acupuncturists how many visits you will need. Written by Sinead Dee Practice Nurse, Acupuncturist, Herbalist. On the Pulse Clinic Reference Yin Z, Geng G, Xu G, Zhao L, Liang F. Acupuncture methods for allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and bayesian meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Chin Med. 2020 Oct 12;15:109. doi: 10.1186/s13020-020-00389-9. PMID: 33062045; PMCID: PMC7552548