Your Guide To Good Health: Getting To The Point

Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, it began its rise in popularity in the United States in the 1970s, after a reporter from The New York Times wrote about doctors in China who used needles to ease his pain following surgery. In March 1996, the United States Food and Drug Administration classified acupuncture needles as medical devices for general use by trained professionals.

Acupuncture works by stimulating or repressing the autonomic nervous system in various ways. The nervous system, once stimulated, releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. Acupuncture releases natural pain relieving chemicals, called “endorphins,” as well as stimulates the pituitary gland, which in turn, stimulates the adrenal gland to release antiinflammatory chemicals.

Deidre K. Braun, MS, LAc, is an acupuncturist and herbalist who has been practicing at Eisenhower Medical Center since 1999. Braun also provides acupuncture services to chemotherapy patients to reduce nausea and other side effects, as well as to post-operative patients to reduce pain and promote healing. In addition, Braun offers pain management consulting to physicians and their patients.

HEALING APPLICATIONS OF ACUPUNCTURE Some of the conditions recommended for acupuncture by the World Health Organization (WHO) Neurologic Disorders Headache/Migraine Trigeminal neuralgia Facial paralysis Peripheral neuropathy Gastrointestinal Disorders Acute and chronic gastritis Gastric hyperacidity Chronic duodenal ulcer Acute and chronic colitis Acute bacterial dysentery Respiratory Diseases Acute sinusitis Acute rhinitis Common cold Bronchopulmonary Diseases Acute bronchitis Bronchial asthma Orthopedic Disorders Tennis elbow Sciatica Low back pain Rheumatoid arthritis

For more information about acupuncture at Eisenhower, call 760-568-2684