Three Treasures Health Center
119 Central Ave., Athens, OH 45701
740-593-7915

Acupuncture
A 3,000-Year Old Treatment Modality Comes Of Age In America

Frances Gander is licensed by the State Medical Board of Ohio, the State Acupuncture Board of Maryland, and is a nationally board-certified diplomate (NCCAOM). She brings a blend of five element acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, enriched by techniques and theories from other traditions to her practice. A graduate of the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Columbia, Maryland, she has been in practice since 1993. Her healing arts are enhanced by nearly 30 years internal arts practice (taijiquan and qigong). Although too seldom mentioned, one would do well to select a practitioner who cultivates their own qi. There are many precedents and obvious reasons for this important integration, and Frances is happy to be part of this long tradition in Asian medicine.

TO START ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT: Call the office 740-593-7915 to set up your appointment or to schedule a brief free consultation.

*Ohio Governor Ted Strickland signed SB245 in May 2008. This legislative bill lifts the need for the physician referral note for patients seeking acupuncture in the state of Ohio. Now Ohio joins Maryland and most other states in giving people the right to see an acupuncturist without having to first see their physicians to obtain the referral. As before, acupuncturists will continue to maintain communications between patients and their physicians in the interests of providing safe, thorough, and effective care.*

An acupuncturist forms a diagnosis in a holistic way: through seeing, hearing, asking, and feeling. It involves the practitioner's senses and intellect. A practitioner evaluates a patient's overall balance of qi [chi] while considering corresponding Western disease categories, mental as well as physical symptoms. The body and mind are linked; one area affects another.

SOME OF THE ILLNESSES ACUPUNCTURE CAN HELP
Because acupuncture balances and harmonizes the whole self, it is useful in treating many conditions as well as preventing illness and maintaining health. For those conditions that require the special tools of Western medicine (surgery for broken bones and antibiotics for pneumonia, for example), acupuncture treatment supports and hastens healing. These are some of the conditions in which acupuncture facilitates the healing process:

  • Breathing and lung problems such as asthma, chronic breathlessness, bronchitis, coughs, hay fever.
  • Circulatory problems such as angina, chronic heart conditions, high or low blood pressure, palpitations, poor circulation, stroke, thrombosis, varicose veins.
  • Digestive and bowel complaints such as inflamed gall bladder, gall stones, indigestion, nausea, ulcers, vomiting, colitis, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome.
  • Ear, eye, nose, mouth and throat disorders such as blurred vision, chronic catarrh, conjunctivitis, deafness, dry eyes, gum problems, nosebleeds, sore throats, tinnitus.
  • Emotional and mental conditions such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, insomnia, panic attacks.
  • Gynecological disorders such as heavy periods, hot flushes and other menopausal problems, irregular periods, morning sickness, period pain, premenstrual tension, scanty or no periods, postnatal depression, vaginal discharge.
  • Joint problems and pain such as back problems, joint injuries or inflammation, headaches, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, sciatica, Stills disease.
  • Sudden acute disorders such as the common cold, food poisoning, stomach upsets, influenza, mumps. Skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, urticaria.
  • Urinary and reproductive problems such as cystitis, incontinence, infertility, kidney stones, prostate conditions.


    • Angela Hicks, a practitioner of acupuncture for over 20 years, is joint-principal of the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine in Reading, England. The above information is adapted from material in two of her books, Chinese Medicine and Principles of Acupuncture. These books give both new and experienced patients a clear, helpful introduction to acupuncture and other aspects of Chinese medicine.
    Other books which will help you understand the Chinese medical concepts and theories of acupuncture include: Between Heaven and Earth by Beinfield and Korngold and Acupuncture: How it works, How it cures by Firebrace and Hill.
     

    Moxibustion

    Frances uses moxa as an adjunct in some acupuncture treatments. This is involves the burning of mugwort, an herbal agent that is useful for warming acupuncture points. It is applied with either over a protective layer or applied indirectly. In either case, the skin is protected from blistering. From Chinese Acupuncture and Moxabustion: "Due to mugwort leaf's warming nature, it is able to rouse and support qi and yang. Also, because of its acrid and strong qi and aroma, it is able to pass through all the channels and regulate qi and blood. The acrid aroma/flavor governs scattering cold. The bitter flavor governs drying dampness. Therefore, it is used as the fuel for applying moxibustion... It expels and scatters wind evils and perfuses the blood vessels." The use of moxibustion along with needling of acupuncture points will often make a treatment more efficacious and help the treatment's beneficial effects to be more enduring.

    Beneficial Effects of Acupuncture

    Acupuncture graphic
    • 76% noted that they felt better most of the time
    • 58% stated that they were more focused most of the time
    • 71% stated they miss fewer days of work
    • 84% said they were seeing their M.D. less often
    • 78.9% said they had reduced their use of prescription drugs
    • 70.1% of those who had been scheduled for surgery prior to acupuncture said they had avoided surgery

     In a study in six clinics in five states, researcher Claire Cassidey, Ph.D., documented the above positive results of acupuncture in "Health Vision 2000," Meridians, Vol. 3, No. 2, Tai Sophia Institute

    Learn More!

    Read the article: "The Dynamic Evolution of Pulse Diagnosis" By Feng Ye and Eric Brand

    		 Pulse Diagnosis Graphic

    Please call 740-593-7915 or email Three Treasures for more information



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