Acupuncture Fights Fatigue along with Naturopathic Medicine

During the day most people have had their experience struggling with being tired. Causes often range as a minor bout with insomnia or career overload. These symptoms usually work themselves out and the body eventually re-adjusts back to its healthy energy cycle. It seems, however, that the more people you speak to, the more are having a difficult time shaking their exhaustion.

Common fatigue continues to rise. It accounts for slow production and an irritable, stressed out community. As a result, many societies, especially America, have become caught up in the cyclical, taxing habit of inducing energy highs through caffeine and other related energy products. This may cause the body to continually struggle with a variety of related as well as peripheral health challenges. As more and more people ignore, band-aid or do not understand the physical as well as mental signs of common fatigue, they could be setting themselves up for possible future, irreversible health problems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that approximately one in five hundred thousand people struggle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) per year. CFS is considered a disease by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) and carries symptoms that are vast and difficult to diagnose due to the myriad of so many other related conditions. These include: fatigue that does not improve with rest and/or increases with exercise or physical activity, sore throat, musculoskeletal pain, headaches, depression, anxiety and/or gastrointestinal difficulties.

Conventional medicine has attempted to alleviate fatigue through various synthetic medicinal approaches often missing the root cause and instead addressing surface issues. Traditional medicine often peers deeper into an individual’s history and how it may relate to their struggle with these conditions taking into account everything from misguided energy and stagnant blood to stress relation and challenged mental efforts.

Acupuncture: Push Back Fatigue
According to Medical Acupuncture: A Journal for Physicians by Physicians, part of the conclusion of an acupuncture study entitled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Adolescents: A Pilot Study, “Patients displayed improvement in energy levels and sleep. The duration of the reported effectiveness of the acupuncture treatments was lengthened as the treatments progressed.  Thus, acupuncture can be a useful tool for the management of chronic fatigue syndrome.”

Acupuncture is an excellent first step in opening the body’s possible closed pathways that may be blocking essential energy flow. This has been extremely helpful in those confronted with the symptoms associated with CFS related to chemo and radiation therapy. A study out of the University of Manchester, UK found that acupuncture improved CFS in patients dealing with these treatments. According to Alexander Molassiotis, professor of cancer and supportive care who led the work, he states, “People felt better and had more energy after the acupuncture.” He continues, “People had the energy to walk to the shops and socialize, so their quality of life improved significantly.”

Classical Chinese Medicine approaches fatigue and CFS through deficiencies related to meridians (pathways) associated with specific organ qi (chee) energy. These include Lack of firmness in Kidney Qi, Spleen Qi deficiency and/or a deficiency of the Liver-Blood. Elemental intrusion can also play a key role such as Wind-Damp or Wind-Cold that invades the body due to such things as a low immune system, insufficient covering of vulnerable points or stagnant energy related to other issues. Working specific acupuncture points can open some of these deficiencies to bring energy flow back to its optimal flow. These points include: Bladder Pi Shu and Shee Shu (BL20 & 23) and Spleen San Yin Jiao (SP6).

Adrenal Fatigue
The body is made up of many glands that regulate crucial functions known as the endocrine system. In some people, fatigue has been attributed to a malfunction of the adrenals, two walnut sized glands that sit on top of each kidney. They work in keeping essential stress hormones balanced maintaining our emotional, physical and psychological reactions to our outside environment. If you are bombarded with continued stress such as financial difficulties, dealing with the death of a loved one, physical pain, blood sugar imbalance or any number of other factors you could very well be dealing with adrenal fatigue. Renowned pioneer investigator of adrenal fatigue, Dr. Fuller Albright, found this condition to be a valid disease as far back as 1939 however, today, conventional medicine often overlooks this diagnoses and adheres to a prescribed protocol of such medicines as sleep and/or anxiety formulas.

Naturopathic medicine along with acupuncture has shown great promise in dealing with many symptoms of fatigue including an adrenal condition. A naturopathic doctor will check your adrenal output using a simple salivary cortisol test. Cortisol is an essential hormone, along with many others, released by the adrenals to help us wake in the morning, reduce inflammation and is decreased at night to help us sleep. However, when high stress is dealt with the adrenals become overtaxed causing them to secrete lower levels of cortisol resulting in fatigue, pain and/or inflammation. When low levels are detected here are some common naturopathic treatments that may be applied:

• Ginseng – American, Asian or Siberian ginseng has been used for centuries in combating stress and naturally increasing energy/stamina. It has recently been associated with assisting in the swelling of the male prostate so be sure and use this and any other natural remedy under the guidance of a capable naturopathic doctor.
• Rhodiola – A 2007 study from the Department of Neurology of the Armenian State Medical University found that compounds from this plant helped insomnia fatigue stating. “overall depression, together with insomnia, emotional instability and somatization…improved significantly”
• Clinical Nutrition – A diet rich in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables may reduce adrenal fatigue. Vitamin B and C along with the minerals zinc and magnesium plus healthy proteins all contribute to healthy adrenal glands.
• Homeopathy – The following homeopathic remedies may be recommended depending on your fatigue symptoms. They are: sulphur, pulsatilla, arsenicum and gelsemium.

Working with acupuncture and naturopathic medicine can often set you back on a steady, natural energy path, even when dealing with outside stress. There is a wide spectrum of other factors that play into common fatigue symptoms including anemia, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, a hidden urinary tract infection, diabetes, dehydration, heart disease, food allergies, fibromyalgia or circadian rhythm disruption. At Integrative Med Solutions, we will design an acupuncture and naturopathic treatment program that works for you.  In many cases, insurance covers portions of the acupuncture treatment. Allow us to support you to achieve optimal health.  To make an appointment or find out more about how acupuncture and naturopathic medicine can benefit you, please call our office at 914.337.2980 or click here to schedule an online appointment.

*Please CLICK HERE to see a current list of In-Network Insurance Companies for Acupuncture that we participate with as well as insurance companies that commonly have Out-of-Network benefits. Please call 914.337.2980 or securely email info@intmedsolutions.com to verify your specific benefits. If you are emailing, please include your full name, date of birth and insurance identification card number.