Oct 20 2005
Acupuncture Meridians
What are acupuncture meridians? Have a look at these comparative diagrams put together by Rogers and Rogers (UTS, 2002) which show the main channel pathways.
Click here to view TCM charts
Archive for October, 2005
Oct 13 2005
Treating Scars
By Carole Rogers
* Did you see the discussion in the Acupuncture Network Australasia forum about treating scars? If you want to learn more click here:
Oct 11 2005
Marketing Strategies for TCM practitioners
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Alternative Health Business Solutions have produced excellent resources including How To Make More Money & Help More People In Your Alternative Health Business.This book covers the fundamentals of business & marketing that all self-employed TCM practitioners should know. This shows you practical strategies to get more clients into your practice and earn good money as a practitioner.
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Oct 06 2005
TREATING SCARS – A PRACTICAL GUIDE
- Background
- Scar Therapy
- TCM Perspective of Scar Therapy
- Why treat scars?
- View Image
- Preliminary Study
- Case Studies
- About the author
Background
Classical Chinese medicine is based on a belief in relatively superficial pathways of energy that, for the most part, travel vertically up and down the body. These energy pathways or channels are interconnected and penetrate deep into the body to associated organs and centres of internal energy. Health is believed to stem not only from the balance of energy but also from a free flow of energy. This free flow of energy is said to maintain the vigour of the organs and the coordinated operation of all parts, internal and external, physical and psychological, in every individual.
It is therefore understandable that acceptance of the Chinese classical view of the physiology of energy, or qi, within the body, leads the practitioner of acupuncture to be concerned with any condition that blocks or impedes this free flow of qi. Scars due to accidental trauma or to medical surgery are frequently the cause of blockage in acupuncture channels and as such deserve close attention by the practitioner.
Scar Therapy
The treatment of scars does not appear to be part of the traditional body of information related to acupuncture. This is perhaps due to the relative unpopularity of surgery in ancient China but even so, naturally occurring scars due to war or accidents must have been familiar to Chinese practitioners. If survivable, such scars do not usually penetrate far into the body and, unlike surgical intervention, they do not involve internal organs - nevertheless, they may still block major channels. It may be that scar treatments are described in Chinese texts but that no one has yet considered them important enough to translate. Perhaps the main reason for the exclusion of this information is that it appears to be so obvious and simple that it hardly seems worth mentioning. The classical writers however, included many minute details of treatment and the apparent absence of particulars on scar therapy is one of the mysteries of TCM and modern writings on acupuncture. I have asked practitioners in China if they treat scars and the question is usually met with bewilderment so it is safe to say that it is not part of standard TCM education.
From the practitioner’s viewpoint, scar therapy is a very simple procedure. Usually a 1-inch needle is used and insertion is very superficial. Needles are placed at each extremity of the scar, in the junction of scar tissue and normal skin. No needle manipulating is used, but the needles are left in situ for 20 to 25 minutes.
One treatment is often sufficient to clear the blockage of energy within the scar, but in cases of severe scarring or if keloids or internal adhesions have formed, the treatment may have to be repeated several times. In any case, as energy blockages usually build up slowly over a number of years, patients should be advised to have the treatment repeated at yearly to 3-yearly intervals, depending on the severity of the scarring.
Scars should be treated as soon as post-operative healing has taken place as a preventative therapy. The very dramatic results that may occur with this form of acupuncture usually only occur in the treatment of old scar tissue where there has been a build-up of blocked energy over some time.
TCM Perspective of Scar Therapy
The effects of scar treatment can be immediately observed in the alteration of the qi in the 12 pulses. Even those who are not skilled in pulse diagnosis will be able to feel these obvious changes within a few minutes of needle insertion and before any additional treatment point are used. Pulses that have been full, tight, and bounding may suddenly empty, while a weak, thready pulse may strengthen and firm. This change may take place at only one or two pulse positions or the alteration in quality may affect all pulse positions.
Why treat scars?
There are three major reasons for treating scars.
1 Unless scars are treated it may be impossible to read the pulse picture accurately.
2 The patient’s presenting signs and symptoms may not coincide with the condition of the pulse causing diagnostic confusion.
3 The patient’s condition may not respond to treatment, causing concern to the practitioner and unnecessary suffering to the patient.
The effects of scar treatment can be immediately observed in the alteration of the qi in the 12 pulses. Even those who are not skilled in pulse diagnosis will be able to feel these obvious changes within a few minutes of needle insertion and before any additional treatment points are used. Pulses that have been full, tight, and bounding may suddenly empty, while a weak, thready pulse may strengthen and firm. This change may take place at only one or two pulse positions or the alteration in quality may affect all pulse positions.
The third consideration listed above: slow response or no improvement in health can best be explained by a simple example. The use of ST 36 and the lower he points ST 37 and St 39 to improve qi production may be quite ineffective if there is a horizontal scar across the lower abdomen that blocks the Stomach channel.
Observation of the scar itself shows that marked changes take place in the tissue during treatment. Jagged, lumpy, knotted, red or tight scars often soften and change colour to nearer normal, while lumps, knots and stretched areas relax and in some cases, disappear. Any local sensitivity will usually diminish as will pain and pulling from internal adhesions.
View Image
Preliminary Study
To isolate the efficacy of scar treatment from the rest of acupuncture therapy is a difficult task. To do so in a controlled clinical trial requires the researcher to withhold any additional acupuncture treatment – something that may not be in the best interests of the patient. Below is a table of a preliminary investigation I undertook in the 70s. In no way can the results be seen as anything but anecdotal; however they do indicate a potential research area that may be undertaken at some future time.
There were 25 female subjects aged between 22 and 74 years. Presenting problems were various but the common presenting factor was a lower abdominal operative scar (midline, transverse or diagonal). The interval between scarring and treatment was between 3 and 30 years. In no case were the presenting symptoms evident before scarring. Individualised acupuncture treatment with scar therapy was carried out at weekly intervals. Results of the study are listed as:
Satisfactory - presenting symptom no longer evident at the conclusion of treatment and the patient remained symptom free for a period of at least 6 months.
Improved - presenting problem responded well to treatment but the patient still suffered some tendency toward the condition.
No change – (case 19) the 70 year-old patient had been deaf for 15 years and this condition did not improve, however secondary problems of arthritis and recurrent bronchitis responded well.
Case Studies
Case 1 Insomnia
Number of treatments=4
Total number of scars=4
Scar position= transverse
Result= satisfactory
Case 2 Tension headache
Number of treatments=6
Total number of scars=6
Scar position= vertical
Result= satisfactory
Case 3 Backache
Number of treatments=4
Total number of scars=4
Scar position= trans./vert. & diag.
Result= satisfactory
Case 4 Overweight
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=6
Scar position= transverse
Result= improved
Case 5 Backache
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=5
Scar position= transverse
Result= satisfactory
Case 6* Menopausal problems
Number of treatments=2
Total number of scars=6
Scar position= vertical
Result= satisfactory
Case 7 Menopausal problems
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=4
Scar position= transverse
Result= satisfactory
Case 8* Excessive fatigue
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=6
Scar position= transverse/vertical
Result= satisfactory
Case 9 Deafness
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=12
Scar position= vertical
Result= improved
Case 10* Overweight
Number of treatments=2
Total number of scars=8
Scar position= transverse/vertical
Result= improved
Case 11 Weakness of legs
Number of treatments=1
Total number of scars=3
Scar position= transverse
Result= satisfactory
Case 12* Excessive fatigue
Number of treatments=2
Total number of scars=5
Scar position= vertical
Result= satisfactory
Case 13 Menopausal problems
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=6
Scar position= transverse
Result= improved
Case 14 Incontinence
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=8
Scar position= transverse
Result= improved
Case 15* Nervous tensions
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=8
Scar position= vertical
Result= satisfactory
Case 16 Chronic gastritis
Number of treatments=1
Total number of scars=3
Scar position= vertical
Result= satisfactory
Case 17 Nervous tension
Number of treatments=2
Total number of scars=4
Scar position= transverse
Result= satisfactory
Case 18 Arthritic knee
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=3
Scar position= transverse
Result= improved
Case 19 Deafness
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=6
Scar position= transverse/vertical
Result= no change
Case 20 Incontinence
Number of treatments=4
Total number of scars=5
Scar position= transverse/vertical
Result= improved
Case 21 Varicose veins
Number of treatments=3
Total number of scars=5
Scar position= transverse/vertical
Result= improved
Case 22 Menstrual problems
Number of treatments=1
Total number of scars=3
Scar position= vertical
Result= satisfactory
Case 23 Internal adhesions
Number of treatments=4
Total number of scars=5
Scar position= transverse/diagonal
Result= satisfactory
Case 24 Backache
Number of treatments=1
Total number of scars=3
Scar position= transverse
Result= satisfactory
Case 25 Gastritis
Number of treatments=2
Total number of scars=3
Scar position= vertical
Result= satisfactory
* Indicates patients who had previously been treated with acupuncture for the presenting problem without success.
Since this study was carried out, laser technology has become available. Low powered lasers can be very effective for treating recent scars, inflamed or weeping areas, ulceration, and burns. The area is simply irradiated with the laser light for 5 to 10 minutes depending on severity and extent. This treatment will usually help healing as well as easing irritation and/or discomfort.
About the author
Dr Carole Rogers trained at Acupuncture Colleges (Australia) in Sydney in 1973 completing both the Acupuncture Diploma and the International College of Oriental Medicine degree. She joined the College as a teacher in 1976 and subsequently became Director of Studies. In 1984 she was appointed Vice Principal, and Principal in 1987 on the retirement of Russel Jewell, the College’s founder and Principal.
Carole was central to the accreditation of the ACA Diploma of Acupuncture in 1986 by the NSW Higher Education Board - the first program in complementary medicine to receive Governemnt recognition - and in 1990 the Diploma was enlarged and accreditedas a Bachelor of Acupuncture - only the second degree program in NSW to be accredited in a private college. In 1994 ACA transferred their degree into the University of Technology, Sydney. Carole was appointed Associated Professor and Head of the UTS College of Acupuncture (now TCM).
During her years at the College and at UTS, Carole continued with her own studies gaining her Doctorate of Health Science Education and a Grad Cert in Learning and Technology in Higher Education. She has presented papers in the USA, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and China as well as being appointed as a consultant to WHO and to a number of governemnt departments both here and overseas. Throughout her career in Chinese Medicine Carole has always been a committed practitioner and has acquired wide ranging clinical experience. She retired in 2001 but still plays an active role in research, education and consultation - she is an Adjunct Professor at UTS.
