Last week an art teacher came into my office with tendinitis (tendonitis), seeking relief for pain in her hand. She had just cancelled surgery, scheduled for that same day, because a friend convinced her to try acupuncture first. The injury to her hand had hampered her abilities to work and impacted the quality of her sleep. She had received a cortisone shot in February that helped temporarily, but its effects had worn off and she was again in pain. Her orthopedist then recommended and scheduled surgery. Inflamed tendons are often caused by constricted muscles. Imagine the muscle as a rub ..read more

I often treat patients for specific injuries or conditions (such as tinnitus or TMJ to name just two), but at times acupuncture treatments can also help to relieve other ailments such as anxiety along the way. Anxiety, whether short term or chronic in form, is a widespread mental health concern affecting many people in this country—40 million American adults, or 18% of the population, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Although acupuncture is not a replacement for anxiety therapy, it can be a helpful adjunct to primary therapy. It can at times also offer a drug-fre ..read more

I employ a variety of techniques to treat patients at Rivertown Acupuncture, including the use of electric stimulation with acupuncture needles. Here is a brief overview of the range of conditions e-stim can help to alleviate. Electric stimulation, or e-stim, is very effective for augmenting trigger point therapy, which is by definition intramuscular stimulation. Instead of the practitioner inserting needles into ‘motor points’ (i.e., areas of constriction within the muscle) and manually stimulating to initiate fasciculation, the needles are instead connected to cables that conduct electricity ..read more

Migraine headaches are one of the most painful conditions people can suffer, even disabling people for days at a time. Unfortunately they’re not uncommon, affecting 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men in the United States. A migraine can involve a throbbing sensation, usually on one side of the head or in a certain location on the head. Sometimes migraine sufferers also experience nausea, vomiting, and severe sensitivity to light. Finding an effective solution can be challenging, but new research indicates that acupuncture may reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of migraines. Ac ..read more

Living in our technologically advanced society, it’s easy to think that the solution to a problem is just a screen tap away. However, when it comes to our health, finding the answer can sometimes be challenging. And when a health condition begins to limit the capacity to live a full life, it’s not hard to understand why some of us may try anything to regain our well-being. As the New York Times reports in its review of Susannah Meadows’ new book The Other Side of Impossible, some people facing seemingly insoluble health burdens such as rheumatoid arthritis, severe food allergies, or even ADHD ..read more

Spring is finally here, and doesn’t it feel good after a long winter spent hibernating? It’s an ideal occasion for paying greater attention to self-care and balanced well being in all its forms. We recently explored this topic on the blog, explaining how acupuncture is especially helpful during the changing seasons since we’re more prone to suffer from colds or allergies at those moments of transition. Acupuncture can help fortify our immune systems at those intervals, to be sure, but it can also be valuable as a regular wellness treatment. People who’ve never experienced acupuncture treatment ..read more

Here in New York, we are excited to welcome spring in all its glory. As temperatures climb and the sunny days lengthen, it’s a breath of fresh air to see green leaves and flowers returning. It’s a moment to pause and appreciate the beauty of the natural world, to be sure, but it can also be a time when our bodies are more vulnerable than usual to seasonal colds and illnesses. Our immune systems can find it difficult to keep up with the changing environment, and it’s at this time of the year that we are more likely to become sick or fall out of balance. For this reason, acupuncture can be espec ..read more

If you’ve never received acupuncture treatment before, or perhaps even if you have, you may be curious to know how this ancient form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) originated. Acupuncture was first developed for medical use in China over 2,500 years ago. It is believed that the first detailed written description of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment appears in a document known as Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine), which is dated at about 100 BCE. After becoming established practice in China, acupuncture soon spread to neighboring countries. It’s though ..read more

Palliative care, which aims to provide patients suffering from serious illnesses with meaningful relief from the symptoms and stress they are experiencing, is becoming a more prominent aspect of medical care today. Ultimately, palliative care is a holistic approach designed to improve the quality of life for both the patient and their loved ones. In this respect, it is quite well aligned with acupuncture’s holistic approach to treating illness, since acupuncture also aims to reduce stress and address symptoms in such a way that strengthens the body’s immune response and gives the patient renew ..read more

Acupuncture can be a powerful treatment for a wide range of health concerns. Some patients come to me for help with everyday ailments brought on by our stressful modern lifestyle such as fatigue, headaches, and insomnia. Others consult me for expert care with serious issues like gastrointestinal disorders, back pain, and side effects of cancer and its treatment.  Often, people turn to acupuncture after countless visits to other doctors and practitioners. Whatever the reason behind their decision to seek acupuncture treatment, however, patients should understand beforehand how they can get ..read more