Mr. Alfred Thieme, L.AC., DIPL. AC.

You should schedule with an acupuncturist instead of trying some unproven novelty products.

Yes, it is safe to do acupuncture every day.

Al Thieme, LAc, MAOM, MSEE

Assuming the medical provider completed a full intake interview with you and made an appropriate diagnosis, you have with the first visit begun the therapy to bring your body into balance, and thereby beginning to shift your depression symptoms. Acupuncture is a therapy and one visit is just the start, so I would speak with your provider to talk about the plan of how many months it will take to resolve so you have a realistic view of how long it takes to reverse conditions that you may have had for many years or months. Traditional (Chinese) medicine thrives when the diagnosis system is used appropriately and patients understand that herbal medicine is also an important component of resolving chronic issues. Some patients expect miracles in a few treatments, and while that can be possible by very experienced practitioners in a small number of cases, many patients need an overall plan to bring their body back into harmony and balance.

Al Thieme, LAc, MAOM, MSEE

Assuming the medical provider completed a full intake interview with you and made an appropriate diagnosis, you have, with the first visit, the therapy begins to bring your body into balance, and thereby begins to shift your symptoms. Acupuncture is a therapy, and one visit is just the start, so I would speak with your provider to talk about the plan of how many months it will take to resolve chronic issues like so you have a realistic view of how long it takes to reverse conditions that you may have had for many years or months. Traditional (Chinese) medicine thrives when the diagnosis system is used appropriately and patients understand that herbal medicine is also an important component of resolving chronic issues. Some patients expect miracles in a few treatments, and while that can be possible by very experienced practitioners in a small number of cases, many patients need an overall plan to bring their body back into harmony and balance.

Yes of course. Drinking water throughout the day is always a great idea. Acupuncture treatments are no exception to this rule. :-)

Yes it does by affecting chemicals that regulate your mood such as serotonin. Of course, identifying the root to the stress is always important. And you want to ensure that your gut flora is in balance since 95% of your serotonin is regulated in your gut in relationship to the probiotics that exist there.

Assuming the medical provider completed a full intake interview with you and made an appropriate diagnosis, you have, with the first visit begun the therapy to bring your body into balance, and thereby beginning to shift your depression symptoms. Generally with depression, there can be digestive issues related to the Spleen, Stomach, and Small Intestine, which will need to be alleviated with the appropriate prescription herbal formula and ensuring that your gut flora is in balance, particularly if you have taken a number of antibiotics at any time in your life. Acupuncture is a therapy and one visit is just the start, so I would speak with your provider to talk about the plan of how many months it will take to resolve chronic issues like depression so you have a realistic view of how long it takes to reverse conditions that you may have had for many years or months. Traditional (Chinese) medicine thrives when the diagnosis system is used appropriately and patients understand that herbal medicine is also an important component of resolving chronic issues. Some patients expect miracles in a few treatments, and while that can be possible by very experience practitioners in a small number of cases, many patients need an overall plan to bring their body back into harmony and balance.

Al Thieme, LAc, MAOM, MSEE

Yes, of course. There are many nodes or points on the head that provide biochemical responses in the body related the specific organs in the body as well as for neurological conditions.

Hello,

The needles are placed in specific acupuncture points located all over the body on interconnected networks or webs that are linked to the different organs in the body, the vascular system, the nervous system, the hormonal system, and the lymphatic system. So acupuncture needling (which is also called dry needling in other professions) has specific chemical and physiological effects on all aspects of the body. In the US, many people learn about acupuncture simply for their pain relief in the beginning until they realize through direct experience that acupuncture stimulates all aspects of the body depending on how it is used, and the needs of the patient.

Al Thieme, LAc, MAOM, MSEE

Traditional Medicine or Traditional Asian Medicine is the medical system of which acupuncture is an aspect of that system. This system includes plant medical formulas and nutritional supplements. The plant formulas from Traditional Medicine would be more appropriate for anemia or blood generation as we would say in TM. It would be important for the patient to have a full initial intake interview with me so I could complete a diagnosis to see if there are any root causes that may be causing anemia. Even smoking cigarettes can effect the lung's capacity to generate blood as research in the last two years indicates that the lung produces a certain amount of blood cells in the human body.

Good question. It depends on various factors, particularly the skill of the provider with accurate diagnosis. Acupuncture is a branch of traditional medicine with its roots in Asia. The power of traditional medicine is the diagnosis system that looks at many symptoms to synthesize an accurate diagnosis. With headaches for instance, the patient may also have underlying digestive symptoms due to taking too many antibiotics or the patient may have difficulty with fluid transformation and the headache could be a manifestation of that. So, as with most concepts in the medical field, the treatment needs to be patient specific. Is traditional medicine and acupuncture successful? Yes, it is. Unfortunately, it creates unrealistic expectations to respond to your basic question with a didactic response. Knowing all your symptoms is a great starting place for a skilled practitioner and even yourself to start building your awareness of the complexity of how your organ systems interact. That said, headaches can respond well to acupuncture in the first treatment with significant reduction in pain that lasts 2 to 4 days after the first treatment. Follow-up treatments would be required depending on the length of time the condition has existed.

Depending on the underlying structural condition of the back (ie. the possibility of a herniated disc), 4 to 12 sessions can provide excellent relief for back pain.
For conditions such as a herniated disc, topical plasters from Wei Labs will need to be used over a period of 1 month to 3 months to resolve the pain and heal the disc herniation.

Yes, acupuncture stimulates your internal pain relief to help with many issues related to pain. However, if your beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal system are reduced due to excessive antibiotic use or other causes, your internal pain relief may be diminished since the bacteria in your gut assist with the production of internal pain relievers such as endorphins or dynorphins. Acupuncture also stimulates the blood circulation to the areas of the body where the needles are placed. There can also be inflammation in the body that presents as pain in different joints related to different foods that the patient is sensitive to. Additionally, pain in the joints of the hand could also be related to exposure to chemicals, if for instance, the patient utilizes cleaning materials for their job or employment.

Al Thieme, LAc, MAOM, MSEE

Acupuncture can help with the symptoms, but you will also need herbal formulas to cure certain allergies.

Yes of course.

Hello, typically the effect of acupuncture varies from patient to patient depending on the condition the patient is experiencing. Initially, I complete an intake with the patient where I ask them many detailed questions regarding the symptoms they are having. On the basis of these responses and other diagnostic methods, I develop a Traditional Medicine diagnosis from all the symptoms. In addition, to acupuncture, I provide the patient with functional medicine perspective including specific nutritional supplements and herbal formulas. If you live in a different state I can complete the diagnosis online through Skype or telephone, and then refer you to a local acupuncturist for the acupuncture portion of the treatment. You can schedule an intake on my website at Portland-Acupuncture.com on the Contact Us page. Let me know if you have other specific questions as well. Be well, Dr. Al