When you’re an acupuncturist, there’s nothing better than coming across a positive acupuncture article in mainstream media.  Psychology Today recently published, “6 Lessons We Can Learn From Eastern Chinese Medicine”.  This superb post sums up exactly why I decided to become an acupuncturist.  I highly suggest you read the entire article found here for a deeper understanding of holistic medical care.  Here are the 6 lessons a Harvard-trained doctor learned during a research trip to China:
#1. Listen—really listen.
#2. Focus on the diagnosis.
#3. Treat the whole person.
#4. Health is not just about disease, but also about wellness.
#5. Medicine is a life-long practice.
#6. Evidence is in the eyes of the beholder.

What do stress, dehydration, lack of sleep, allergies and screaming at a club all night have in common?  They can all cause you to wake up with a hoarse or no voice the next day!  Uh oh, no voice!  How am I going to work/ put on a presentation/ take care of my kids today?  Never fear!  I have the answer for you.
 
Located on the back and center of the neck, just inside the hairline is an acupuncture point known as DU 15 Yamen.  The English translation of this point is Mute's Gate.  This is your sweet spot.  When you visit me in the office with your hoarse and scratchy voice, what I'll do is put massage oil on the area and vigorously rub the point with a tool known as gwa-sha.  Gwa-sha is generally made from jade, which when rubbed against an area, facilitates the circulation of blood.  If you don't have time to visit me in the office and are stuck in a jam, have someone rub your DU 15 with the back of a spoon.  Don't forget the oil and don't be shy!  You want to really press and dig into the area just inside the hairline.  You may continue rubbing for 15-30 minutes, depending upon how fast you wish your voice to return.  I have found that 15 minutes generally will return the voice the next day, while 30 plus minutes can return your voice as fast as in a few hours.   

I've successfully used this technique on a patient with laryngitis for 2 months, to a patient who stressed the voice right out of herself, to another patient who lost her voice coming down off of a week of parties and no sleep.  Every time I'm in awe of it's effectiveness!  So next time you wake up sounding froggy, don't wait 2 weeks for your voice to come back, stop by the office and we'll have you chatting it up in no time!  

One of the funny things about being an acupuncturist is that I know this stuff works, but I just don't know exactly how it works!  Yes, of course I know how if I explain it in Chinese medicine terms ...  any disease is caused by blockages and imbalances of chi flowing through the body, and needles will release stagnations and balance the energy.  But how does that translate into modern terms?  What exactly is going on inside the body that those teeny tiny needles set off in order to treat depression, help heal broken bones, end constipation, etc, etc, etc? 

Therefore, it's always exciting when there's new information out explaining the effects acupuncture has on our body.  In this study from Wenjing Huang of Charité University Medical Center, Berlin, Germany, he mapped the effects of 18 acupuncture points on the brain.  Through over 100 studies, the same certain areas of the brain were activated and deactivated upon the insertion of these 18 points.  For instance, vision related acupuncture points GB 37 and UB60, both found around the ankle, activated vision centers of the brain.  Just fascinating!  I don't know exactly how acupuncture works quite yet, but I'm pretty sure within my lifetime we're going to have an answer.