Arthritis being helped at Eastern Medical Center!

If you live with arthritis, you can manage and heal your body with self education, lifestyle and dietary changes.

How do we bring you relief?

Our joints are the dumping ground of toxins when it doesn’t know where to eliminate certain molecules, peptides, or proteins. Over time inflammation can lead to fusion of the vertebrae and loss of mobility of the spine, as well as pain. Acupuncture increases blood circulation and helps with relaxation of the tissues and increased mobility: Local effect or vasodilation (blood circulation activation and immune response); Spinal segmental mechanism; Endogenous opioid circuit which disrupts the pain circuit mechanism; Central nervous system activation; Neuromuscular activation...This may all sound technical, but to simplify, the brain is the most powerful pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world, with as many neurons as stars in the sky, all firing together to signal your body to repair itself. (4)

When a tiny filiform needle is inserted into the skin several mechanisms are activated in the body via the spinal cord. This is why Adrienne Dooling L.Ac, works on the back, especially on contracted muscles which are usually visible.

Acupuncture has the ability to strengthen your body, increase blood circulation and allow for the free movement of energy in the body. Let’s take a look at some of the causes of arthritis to better understand how acupuncture and lifestyle changes can help this problem.

Most of us have heard of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammation of a joint usually accompanied by pain, swelling and stiffness can result from infection, trauma, degenerative changes with aging, metabolic disturbances, or even genetic weakness.

Did you know that fibromyalgia is also classified as a form of arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, SLE or lupus are associated with an autoimmune dysfunction but for the sake of this discussion we will focus on the more common form called Osteoarthritis, which is associated with degenerative joint disease and can be understood with a little knowledge of how the body functions: Deterioration of cartilage causes bone to rub on bone which results in inflammation and pain; repetitive use, damp cold climates, and diet speed up this process as does distortion of the skeletal structure.

This is an important point to consider. If you can imagine one side of your pelvis being higher than the other, your center of gravity would be tilted downward and to the right. Now the weight bearing joints are also leaning on one another with less joint space. Over time this wears down the protective cushioning, and the body in it’s infinite intelligence, decides to create calcium deposits known as a bone spurs or osteophytes which press on nerves.

Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain and affects the muscles and attachments to the bones. Fatigue and sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression affect 1.75% or 3.94m people in the United States. (3) The pain suffered in these patients can be reduced significantly over time with continued treatments.
Additionally, when one’s correct posture is restored there are numerous positive effects on the body, including recovery from disease. (2)

Structural acupuncture helps to reduce inflammation and begin repair of soft tissues. We have been amazed at how patients can recover when they decide that they are ready to heal. Changes can happen in as little as one week by making simple lifestyle changes such as cutting back on sugar and that nightly glass of wine.

Eastern Medical Center
5933 Coronado Ln Suite 100
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 847-8889

1. CDC: Arthritis-Related Statistics
2. Seitai Shinpo acupuncture for musculoskeletal disease, MaekawaCJ. Ch 1.2 pg.5.
3. The prevalence and characteristics of Fibromyalgia in the 2012 National health interview survey. WalittB, NahinRL, KatzRS, BergmanMJ, WolfeF. 2015 Sept 17.
4. Neuropuncture.org Dr. Corradino, L.Ac., DAOM, MTOM.