Acupuncture for Ischemia

The patient came with necrosis on her fingers. Pain started on the fingers after an injury of the shoulder and elbow. In a couple of months, the index finger turned into purple and slowly it spread to the middle finger within two months.  

The pain was extreme (10/10) when she first came. She couldn’t sleep well because of the burning pain and sometimes she had to scream when the pain is too much. The doctor first wanted to give blood thinner to the patient but discovered her blood was already thin. Another solution by Western medicine is amputation. However, the patient had a trust in Traditional Chinese Medicine and other natural healing methods. 

In TCM, the disease is often caused by Yang deficiency (not enough Yang energy to push the blood to the extremities). The patient often feels cold in her hands and feet but at the same time a strong burning sensation in the fingers, which are caused by the dying nerve cells. In some situations, the pain could make some patients suicidal. It is a very difficult situation to Western Medicine. If the dead tissues are not cleared, they may poison the blood thus the whole body. If they are amputated, the surgery won’t guarantee to stop the ischemia (inadequate blood flow). Thus, it is possible that more amputations may be needed. Some patients may feel the continuation of pain even after surgery (phantom pain). The root cause, which is Yang deficiency must be dealt with. 

The picture shows a progression from the 1st to the 8th treatment with acupuncture. During the treatments, the patient felt tremendous energy movement (Chi), which is key to the success. After the third treatment, pain medication was reduced by 50%. In six treatments, the old skins started peeling off and pain continued to lessen. In eight treatments, there were almost no pain and burning sensation. The patient came for 2 treatments per week for the first 8 treatments. Now she only comes for one treatment every 2-3 weeks, which is not ideal. Her condition remains at the last picture. 

The condition could be cured with the dead tissues felt out if the patient follows the treatment plan.

Acupuncture for Vertigo

Vertigo is a sensation of feeling off balance. The patient might feel like he/she is spinning or that the world around him/her is spinning. Other symptoms that may accompany vertigo may include nausea, vomiting, jerky eye movement, headache and tinnitus. Symptoms can last from a few minutes to a few hours or more and may come and go. Vertigo may be associated with high blood pressure, cerebral arteriosclerosis, anemia, neurosis and Meniere disease.

In Chinese medicine, the disease can be classified into two types, which are excessive type and deficient type. The excessive type is attributed to the Chinese element of wind (related to the liver), which can manifest in the body as spasm, shaking and/or poor coordination. The deficient type is attributed to the invisible phlegm, which is caused by stomach, spleen and kidney energy deficiency. Bloating stomach, poor digestion/appetite, feeling heavy, pale skin and lack of energy often accompany the deficient type.

Acupuncture is proven very effective for vertigo. Depending on the severity and stages of the condition, it is usually recommended to come once or twice a week for five times as one course of treatment. Improvement can usually be seen in 1 to 2 treatments. The longer the treatment, the better the result. An acute condition may be improved right away. One to two courses of treatment may be needed to be symptom free with a great prognosis, which means the patient will feel normal for a long period of time though maintenance may be needed every once in a while. There is a 95% total effective rate with a 75% symptom free rate within 10 treatments. Treatment modalities may include body acupuncture, ear acupuncture, bleeding and cupping therapy. In Duncan Wellness Center, we combine the necessary modality to achieve optimal result.

Meniere disease falls into this disease category therefore it is treated the same way with a similar effective rate.

Come before April 1 2017 and receive 20% off!

Acupuncture for Eczema

Eczema, in western medicinal perspective, is a skin condition in which patches of skin become rough and inflamed, with blisters that cause itching and bleeding, sometimes resulting from a reaction to irritation but more typically having no obvious external cause.

In Chinese medicine, eczema is called “damp rash” as there are body fluid (dampness) discharges in the later stage of the disease. Besides dampness, heat and wind are the other pathological factors which are manifested as redness, burning sensation, irritation (heat signs) and itchiness moving around the body (wind signs).

These pathological factors, especially dampness and heat, can come from a few external sources, including allergens in the air, cold air, sunlight, food and stress. Foods, such as seafood, alcohol, hot and greasy food need to be avoided.

Though there is no cure for eczema in western medicine, acupuncture is proven quite effective. Depending on the severity and duration of the condition, it is usually recommended to come twice a week for five times as one course of treatment. Improvement can be usually seen in 1 to 2 treatments. The longer the treatment, the better result. There is a 90% total effective rate with a 50% symptom free rate. Treatment modalities may include body acupuncture, ear acupuncture, bleeding and cupping therapy. Each modality can be used as a stand-alone method. In Duncan Wellness Center, we combine them to receive optimal result.

Book your appointment before March 15, 2017 to receive 20% off your Eczema Acupuncture appointment!

Acupuncture for Frozen Shoulder

Jet Li’s November Feature

Frozen shoulder is experienced with pain, feeling of coldness on the shoulder and limited shoulder movement. It often happens to people of 50+ years old. Females are more prone to the disease than males. From the western medical point of view, the disease can be attributed to soft tissue deterioration, inflammation, overuse of shoulder and trauma. In Chinese medicine, frozen shoulder, besides the physical damage, can also be caused by wind and cold temperature which obstruct the circulation of Chi and Blood in the shoulder area. At the beginning of the disease, pain is often the dominant symptom. The pain is worse at sleep and becomes better with movements in the day. In the later stage, pain will become less but movement will be limited due to tissue adhesion. The limited movement may further lead to atrophy of the muscle if left untreated. Few people may recover on their own.

Acupuncture is proven very effective for frozen shoulder. In Duncan Wellness Center, we will not only use acupuncture, but also cupping, scraping, ear seeding, and Tui Na, which are also treatment modalities belonging to the scope of Chinese Medicine Practice. The combined and individualized treatments make the result more powerful and prominent. The responses to treatment vary among individuals. Depending on the severity and stage of the disease, 1 to 3 treatments may be needed to see improvement. Patients are recommended to come 1 to 2 times a week with 5 times as one course of treatment. Frozen shoulder can be fully recovered. There is a 60% total recovering rate and a 95% total effective rate. The earlier the treatment, the better the result. Please let us help you.

 

Come in before December 15 for 20% off your appointment!

Acupuncture for Insomnia

Jet Li’s October Feature

Insomnia is experienced with difficult falling asleep, easy to wake up, hard to fall back to sleep and dreamful. Some even stay awake for the whole night. Insomnia affects social function, cognitive ability, causing tiredness, anxiety or depression, and difficult concentration. Besides the side effects of certain medications, Insomnia is usually the result of depression, neurosis or menopausal syndrome. It occurs often in people with mental work. Therefore, professors, students, counsellors and even doctors are prone to insomnia. In general, it is getting more prevalent in today’s “informative” world and any one can be affected.

Though chronic insomnia is difficult to treat in conventional medicine, acupuncture is proven effective without the side effects of drugs. Depending on the severity of the conditions, 1 to 2 times of treatment per week, and 8 times as one course of treatment is recommended. Acupuncture provides accumulative effects on the body and mind, which means the more frequent the treatment, the faster and better result. The responses to treatment vary among individuals. Most patients feel improvement right away after one or two treatments. Some may need five treatments to see improvement. The bottom line is don’t wait till it becomes chronic (3 months up). In one course of treatment (8 times of treatment), the “symptom free” rate from acupuncture is 50%, and total effective rate is 90% (Symptom free means the person is able to sleep more than 6 hours without disturbance). Most clients fall asleep or feel relaxed during treatment and wake up restful afterwards.

Possible signs that accompany insomnia: pale face, low energy, dizziness, palpitation, forgetful, low appetite, tinnitus, knees and back soreness, hot hands and feet, night sweat and spermatorrhea for men (nocturnal emission), irritable, headache, chest and ribs tightness and bloating, bitter and dry mouth, bloating in stomach, and bad breath.

Acupuncture for Insomnia. Come in for the month of October and receive 20% off your appointment.

Welcome to the Duncan Wellness Centre!

Helping you stay well, for the whole journey

At Duncan Wellness Centre our desire is to help you achieve your health and wellness goals. We offer both treatments and education through Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, Somatics, Tai Chi Gong, and Yoga. We encourage clients to explore these gentle methods of keeping the body comfortable, supple, strong and functional.

Whether you are recovering from an injury, suffering from stiffness or chronic pain, or just want to improve your health, we can help.

Our practitioners provide professional, caring services to help you feel better. They look forward to working with you! Our practitioners are listed below:

  • Heather Fergus
    RMT since 2011 and is currently studying to become an Acupuncturist.
  • Jet Li
    A traditional Acupuncturist and Tai Chi Instructor. He has been studying the field for 10 years and has focused his practice on utilizing the body’s natural energy system to optimize health.
  • Kyla Mortil
    She has been an RMT since 1993 and wishes to help clients improve their heath by incorporating Applied Somatics with Massage Therapy in individual sessions.
  • Violet Reynolds
    RMT since 1996. She is a Certified Applied Somatics Educator and a Yoga Teacher RDYT 500 hours. Violet teaches classes in our movement room and sees clients for individual appointments.
  • Andrew Teufel
    RMT since 1992. Andrew a former RN, has trained as a Hanna Somatic Educator, RDYT500, and Somatic Yoga Teacher. He offers private sessions for clients and teaches in our movement room.

Our services can help people manage pain and improve strength, balance, posture, mobility and flexibility. We offer Acupuncture, Massage Therapy and Clinical Somatics. Our class schedule includes Somatics, Somatic Yoga, and Tai Chi Gong Classes. We host educational group workshops on a variety of wellness topics.

We stock a selection of books on Somatics and Yoga. We also have our own Pain Management CDs which are designed to be gentle enough for anyone to use.

Our practitioners are looking forward to working with you and helping you heal yourself.

Call 250-748-6600 to book your appointment today!