Revitalize Your Digestive Health With Acupuncture

Qi Mail™
The Acupuncture NewsletterOctober 2011

Julee Miller AP, DOM, BS, LMT
Health Pointe Jacksonville, LLC
3840 Belfort Road, Suite 305
Jacksonville, FL 32216
904-448-0046/www.hpjax.com



Revitalize Your Digestive Health With Acupuncture


More than 95 million Americans suffer from digestive disorders ranging from constipation, diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome to more serious conditions such as acid reflux (GERD), ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In fact, more than 35 million physician office visits a year are due to gastrointestinal complaints. Reports are confirming that acupuncture and Oriental medicine can offer relief from even the most complex digestive problems.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive Disorders

Evidence that Oriental medicine has been used for digestive disorders can be found in early medical literature dating back to 3 AD, where specific acupuncture points and herbal formulas for borborygmus (rumbling or gurgling in the intestines), abdominal pain and diarrhea with pain are discussed.

According to Oriental medical theory, most digestive disorders are due to disharmony in the spleen and stomach. The spleen plays a central part in the health and vitality of the body, taking a lead role in the assimilation of nutrients and maintenance of physical strength. It turns digested food from the stomach into usable nutrients and qi (energy). Many schools of thought have been formed around this organ; the premise being that the proper functioning of the"'middle" is the key to all aspects of vitality.

By taking into account a person's constitution and varied symptoms, a treatment plan is designed specifically for the individual to bring their "middle" back into harmony and optimize the proper functioning of the digestive system. A variety of techniques can be used during treatment including acupuncture, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore digestive health.

Is your digestive system functioning as well as it could? Acupuncture and Oriental medicine are extremely effective at treating a wide array of digestive disorders. Please call us for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Acupuncture Treats Food Poisoning
Food poisoning arises from eating contaminated foods containing a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites and is also known as food-borne illness, infectious diarrhea, or gastroenteritis. The most common bacteria to cause food poisoning are salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and shigella. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can relieve symptoms, hasten recovery and strengthen the digestive system to prevent future incidents of food poisoning, avert development of chronic immune deficiencies and increase energy levels.

Food poisoning is marked by severe diarrhea, fever, cramping, abdominal pain, flu-like symptoms, vomiting and diarrhea. Most cases of food poisoning clear up on their own within a week without any medical assistance; however, it can take several months before bowel habits return to normal. Often the digestive system is severely weakened after a bout of food poisoning, making the infected person more susceptible to food poisoning in the future. A small number of persons with food poisoning develop an autoimmune disease called Reiter's syndrome. It can last for months or years and can lead to chronic arthritis.

Treatment of food poisoning is rest and hydration to prevent fluid and electrolyte loss due to vomiting and diarrhea. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can be used to relieve nausea and vomiting, hasten recovery by assisting the body to eliminate the pathogen faster, and strengthen the digestive system to prevent any re-occurrences or development of a chronic immune disorder. After acute symptoms subside, acupuncture treatments focus on strengthening the digestive system and improving energy levels to bring about a full recovery


Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Acupuncture
A common disorder affecting 10 to 20 percent of adults at some point in their lives, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was once called “spastic colon” and has a combination of symptoms that may include constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, fatigue and headaches that can be worsened by certain foods, stress and other irritants. IBS is the end result of nervous interference with the normal function of the lower digestive tract. The symptoms are variable and change over time.

While other patterns may be present, IBS is typically considered a disharmony between the liver and the spleen in Oriental medicine. The liver is responsible for the smooth flow of qi and blood throughout the body. This flow can be upset by emotions or stress, causing stagnation of qi or blood. Oriental medicine views the spleen as being associated with the function of digestion and transforming food into energy (qi and blood). The spleen can be weakened by a number of factors including overeating unhealthy foods, overwork, stress, fatigue, and lack of exercise. When the spleen is weak and the liver is not moving smoothly, the liver overacts on the spleen and can manifest as symptoms of IBS. Symptoms can be managed by avoiding overeating, exercise, identifying trigger foods and reducing stress.

Do you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Call (904) 448-0046 today to see how Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can improve your quality of life!


Four simple steps to reducing the occurrence of food poisoning are to clean, separate, cook and chill.

Clean: Wash hands, surfaces, utensils and platters often. Rinse all produce in cold running water before peeling, cutting or eating.

Separate: Keep foods that won't be cooked separate from raw meat and poultry. Don't use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meats and poultry.

Cook: Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria.

Chill: Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers.

If you are ill with diarrhea or vomiting, do not prepare food for others, especially infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems since they are more vulnerable to infection.

Ginger for Intestinal Upset
Ginger has been found to increase the secretion of gastric juice and the production of hypochloride. This means that food is digested more quickly, creating an unfriendly environment for bacteria that could wreak havoc with your stomach and intestines.

Ginger works as well at treating the symptoms of food poisoning as it does preventing them. In fact, ginger can be used for most digestive upsets that involve nausea, vomiting, cramping, abdominal pain, indigestion or diarrhea.

Whether your digestive problem is due to eating contaminated food, stomach flu, pregnancy or motion sickness, ginger is one of the most effective agents around!

Acupuncture & OM Day- Open House 10/24/11

On Point for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Day

Have you ever had an acupuncture treatment? If not, October 24 is the perfect day to experience this wonderful form of healthcare. October 24th is the national day of observance of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) Day. The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) is a sponsor of AOM day. NCCAOM hopes its support will raise awareness of the benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine encompassed in this 3,000 year old medicine.

Health Pointe Jacksonville will be honoring this day by offering FREE 20minute stress relief auricular acupuncture treatments from 2-6pm on Monday 10/24/2011. We will be providing chair massages and serving detoxification teas and healthy refreshments. Please feel free to stop by, tour the facility and ask questions. To secure a 20minute stress busting acupuncture treatment contact our office @ (904) 448-0046 or email: info@hpjax.com

What makes this year’s AOM Day celebration unique? This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the founding of NCCAOM. NCCAOM is the only organization that certifies acupuncturists and practitioners of Oriental medicine in the United States. In addition to the founding of the NCCAOM, this anniversary is a special one for several other national acupuncture and Oriental medicine organizations, all of whom joined together in 1982 to establish national standards for the practice of acupuncture. The results of this collaborative effort, which occurred over twenty-five years ago, makes AOM Day a day to celebrate the profession itself and the advancements that have taken place since its beginnings in 1982.

What changes did occur during the past 25 years? Over the past 25 years, acupuncture and Oriental medicine has become increasingly popular in the United States. The phrase “Oriental medicine” is now important because it encompasses a variety of modalities, including acupuncture, Chinese herbology and Asian bodywork therapies such as acupressure, shiatsu, and Thai medical bodywork therapy. Healthcare consumers are often surprised to discover that an estimated 36% of U.S. adults use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a component of the National Institutes of Health. As evidenced by the increased number of NCCAOM certified practitioners in the U.S over just the past five years, acupuncture has become one of the most common forms of CAM.

How does acupuncture work? Acupuncture is a medical treatment that involves the stimulation of points on the body with the insertion of thin, disposable needles. It has become much more accepted in the U.S.; however, many healthcare consumers are still not aware of this relatively painless and effective treatment so useful in treating conditions such as migraines, stress, obesity, and addiction, to name but a few. Some consumers are apprehensive about acupuncture because of a fear of being “needled”. However, unlike the needles that are used to give shots or take blood, acupuncture needles are extremely thin. Most patients report that they feel no pain. In some cases, there might be a slight pricking or tingling sensation and in areas where the body has experienced pain, this pricking or tingling sensation may be more noticeable.

The absence of pain and effectiveness of this ancient medicine has helped acupuncture and Oriental medicine become more a part of mainstream healthcare. According to Bryn Clark, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM), former Chair of the NCCAOM Board of Commissioners who practices acupuncture in Massachusetts, several prestigious academic medical centers such as Northwestern, Georgetown, Duke, and Harvard Universities have opened up integrated medical centers in which Western medical physicians work with certified acupuncture practitioners use complementary therapies to treat patients. Every year more and more physicians are opting to combine Eastern and Western treatments for their patients’ well-being. Research from the National Institute of Health supports this movement showing that acupuncture is effective for use in pain management, osteoarthritis, postoperative or chemotherapy-related nausea, addiction, stroke rehabilitation, infertility and asthma, among others. The World Health Organization also lists acupuncture’s efficacy in relieving anxiety, panic disorders and insomnia along with forty-two other medical conditions.


Success for AOM Day will be measured by those that benefit from this time-proven medicine, not just on October 24th but on every day of the year.