Auto-Immune Disorders

In acupuncture and Chinese medicine, there is no such thing as a condition that is caused by the body attacking or destroying a part of itself. This system looks at these conditions in a completely different, much more constructive way. First of all, there is an understanding that the body has a strong self-preservation instinct and is always trying to survive, whatever the circumstances, even when they are less than ideal. Second, because they are essential to survival, there is this idea that the body prioritizes the functioning of the vital internal organs over everything else. What is often diagnosed as auto-immune disorders in western medicine is interpreted in Chinese medicine as the body sacrificing the health of one part to preserve as much of the whole as possible. In other words, they reflect the efforts of the body to sustain life, not destroy it.

 

In Chinese medicine, these types of conditions can be divided into two basic categories: those of deficiency and those of excess. With conditions of deficiency, there is simply not enough nourishment or energy to keep the whole system healthy. Because the internal organs are so vital to survival, the body prioritizes and distributes what it does have to these first, even if this means there is very little left over for anything else. One example of this type of deficiency is alopecia areata, which is characterized by hair loss. In Chinese medicine this is not happening because the body is destroying its hair follicles but because, after the internal organs are taken care of, there simply are not enough extra nutrients available to make hair. With conditions of excess, the system as a whole is overwhelmed by too much of something, unable to process it out fast enough, so it accumulates. Some common patterns of excess include inflammation, or what we call heat, and congestion, or what we call damp. One example of this is rheumatoid arthritis, where the body protects the vital internal organs by storing the excess heat in the joints, causing inflammation. Another example is Fibromyalgia Syndrome, where the body stores excess damp in the muscles, causing aches and pains.

 

Over the course of my practice, I have had the opportunity to treat quite a few different types of auto-immune disorders including eczema, psoriasis, vitiligo, alopecia areata, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Lyme disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and diseases of the endocrine system like Addison's, Grave's, and Hashimoto's.

 

Chinese medicine is so much more than just acupuncture. I am also trained in herbal medicine, 5 element nutrition, and different types of traditional hands-on techniques. I find that these complementary therapies can help enhance the effects of acupuncture. If they would be beneficial for your condition I will include them with your session at no extra charge. For example, there are multiple nourishing herbal formulas that treat conditions that are caused by deficiency, as well as multiple clearing formulas for conditions of excess. Nutritional adjustments can also be beneficial for these types of conditions, replenishing missing nutrients or detoxing the system to clear out inflammation, for example. Even hands-on techniques can help with conditions that are marked by pain, like Fibromyalgia Syndrome, helping move accumulations so the body can process them out. My toolbox includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, tui na (Chinese medical massage), zhi ya (acupressure), chi nei tsang (abdominal massage) ba guan (cupping), gua sha (massage with jade and horn tools), topical herbal formulas for pain, and 5 element nutrition.