Acupuncture and Nutrition Clinic – Houston

The price of Gold: Chinese athletes left with huge spots after ‘cupping’ therapy in quest for Olympic glory
By KATY HASTINGS

Wang Qun’s cupping marks are clear to see while she trains at the National Aquatics Centre with just a few days to the games to go.

It might look like a giant case of chicken pox but in fact this Olympic swimmer is hoping her spots will lead her to a place on the medal podium.

Chinese swimmer Wang Qun was doing some last minute training in Beijing with marks left by cupping – a Chinese medicine technique to relieve ailments including back neck and shoulder pain.

Wang Qun’s cupping marks are clear to see while she trains at the National Aquatics Centre with just a few days to the games to go.
The procedure is said to move the energy, or ‘qi’, in the body and is used widely in folk medicine in eastern European and Asia.
It is performed by placing cups onto the skin by way of either heat or suction.

The spots are a tell tale sign of the treatment.

The swimmer limbers up at the pool following her treatment. The technique is said to help shoulder pain which swimmers in particular can be susceptible to.
The technique works by creating a vacuum inside a cup by inserting a flame, removing it and quickly placing the cup on to the body before the vacuum is lost.

The suction anchors the cup to the body and the skin covered is drawn up into it by a few millimetres.

Cupping is an ancient therapy which is said to help back complaints and draw toxins from the skin.
The cups are left on the body while the area beneath is treated and the energy, or qi, is moved.
Mild reddening is common, however this disappears after a few days.

Gwyneth Paltrow includes cupping as one of the many alternative therapies she uses.
A number of celebrities are fans of this form of acupuncture including Geri Haliwell Paris Hilton and Gwyneth Paltrow – who have even been spotted sporting the tell-tale circular marks herself.
Miss Paltrow made no secret of her preference for the remedy when she appeared at a New York premiere several years ago covered in the large circular spots.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1041370/The-price-Gold-Chinese-athletes-left-huge-spots-cupping-therapy-quest-Olympic-glory.html#ixzz21pBudL6z

Over the past few months I have seen a significant number of patients with sciatica pain that radiates down either the back of the leg or the side of the leg. I have a pretty good success rate treating sciatica, either with or without accompanying low back pain. However, I can also usually tell within a few treatments whether acupuncture will solve the problem or manage the pain sufficiently. Quite frankly, people come to me to avoid back surgery and a common question is whether or not I think they will need surgery.  The type of acupuncture I do allows me pretty quickly to tell whether or not they need to go back to the neurologist for a re-evaluation.

If there is pain relief on the table and when walking out of the office, the chances are pretty good that acupuncture will work for them. If there is still pain at the next visit, but the intensity, duration, frequency or location of pain is less, then we are on the right track. The patient is usually already more energetic and hopeful due to better sleep and movement with less pain. However, if the pain returns to its original level with no change within 4-6 treatments, it usually means there is a ruptured disk or equivalent. Surgery will more than likely be required.  For those who are not surgical candidates, acupuncture might help reduce the pain to a more manageable level over an extended period of time.

Just this past week I had a man come in who has suffered with sciatica pain down the back of his leg for a few months. A friend suggested he try acupuncture. After the first treatment I was pretty sure he needed to see a medical doctor although the xrays he had were inconclusive. Because his pain was so intense with little relief after the treatment, I referred him to an orthopedic doctor and a neurologist and suggested he go to the one who could see him first. He called a few days later saying he indeed needed surgery for a ruptured disk.

The good news is that most of the patients who come in get relief.  One of my favorite sciatica stories is of a woman who had been plagued by leg pain down the side of her leg for twelve (12) years. She had stopped traveling, was unable to play with her grandchildren and was in chronic pain. After 5-6 treatments, her pain was significantly reduced and within a few months she was pain free. She has since traveled abroad and within the U.S., plays with her grandchildren and has a full life of movement without pain. She still comes in for maintenance treatment every few months. She has been virtually pain free for 4 years.