Some surgical operations or injuries can leave unsightly scars.  These scars can be discoloured and made of tough, rubbery, inflexible material that may feel sensitive to the touch years after the surgery is completed.

Acupuncture can reduce the appearance of the scar.  Acupuncture promotes the local production of cortisol, a natural hormone that acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps to break down scar tissue.  Clients may notice the colour of the scar change from a purplish dark red to their natural skin colour.  The quality of the scar tissue changes from tough and rubbery to soft and supple.  By the end of the series of treatments, the scar will be considerably less noticeable.

The person may also find themselves in chronic pain for many years after the surgery due to the scar tissue and adhesions that built up on the tissues, muscles and ligaments below the skin surface.  These scar tissues and adhesions can grab and pull at other muscles creating pain with movement.

Acupuncture can help reduce chronic pain that may result from surgery by helping to break down the scar tissue that was formed on the muscles and ligaments as the body was trying to “knit” itself back together after the surgery.  Combining acupuncture with fascial work like Active Release Technique or Myofascial Release Technique can greatly increase the effectiveness of the treatment.

Acupuncture has several advantages for the treatment of scars:

• Acupuncture is relatively pain free.  The client may feel  a slight prick as the needle is inserted, but after that, the client will feel nothing for the rest of the treatment.  It is a more comfortable experience than laser therapy.
• Acupuncture is the safest form of scar removal.  It is much safer than surgery with none of the possible side effects.
• Acupuncture is comletely natural.  It works by promoting the body’s natural healing powers.
• Acupuncture is convenient.  After a half hour acupuncture session, there are no bandages or creams.  You don’t need to avoid sunlight or certain activities.  There is no wound or stitches.  You can shower with freedom.
• The experience can be far more comfortable than further surgery or laser.

These simple exercises can help you look younger. They are a completely natural way to tone and firm up the muscles that support and shape the face. When these facial muscles are well toned and firm, they lift and pull the skin tighter smoothing out wrinkles and adding body to your face. They are an excellent addition to a series of cosmetic acupuncture treatments.

The exercises are safe if performed in private. Believe me, you do not want to do this in public, on the subway or on the street. Yes, they look a bit goofy but they are all uniquely designed to strengthen certain facial muscles that are not strengthened normally. The same way that running gives you stronger, younger looking legs, or bench presses give you a stronger pectoral muscles and lift your breasts, these exercises tone and strengthen your facial muscles making you look younger.

The first set of facial exercises are designed to reduce eye wrinkles:

This set of facial exercises are designed to tone and lift cheeks:

This set of yoga facial exercises help to give you full lips:

This last set of yoga facial exercises help to firm your neck:

Here is an article that I have been working on since my trip to Cuba in January. I am embarrassed it took me so long to write. This article is based on information I gathered from an interview with an acupuncturist on January 4, 2010.

After receiving numerous massages (the things I do for work, sheesh;-)) at the hotel, the massage therapist gave me some names and addresses of people I could interview about how acupuncture is incorporated into the Cuban health care system. My articles would finally start taking shape. As luck would have it, unclear directions, missed bus stops and a dozy bus driver turned the half hour trip into a 2 hour ordeal. 2 hours of getting lost in Cuba is not exactly a horrible experience though.

My host was a nurse at the hospital that performed acupuncture. He was generous with his time.

He explained to me that he was a nurse that was licensed to practise acupuncture after completing a 2 month acupuncture course. It was an intensive course that taught 4 hours of theory and 4 hours of practical work daily for 5 days per week. The course was actually more thorough than the courses available to health care practitioners in Ontario. While our practitioners need a 100 or 200 hour course (depending on whether they are a chiropractor, RMT, or physiotherapist) to be qualified to practise acupuncture, his course was over 300 hours. There were only 20 students in his class. I was envious of this as my course had over a hundred students in it. He was trained in the theory of Tao, the 5 elements, and yin and yang. The course covered the location, indications, cautions and contra-indications for the 80 most common acupuncture points.

In Cuba, health care is free for all of its citizens. In addition to the standard western medical care, the system provides physiotherapy, massage and acupuncture for free. In fact, acupuncture is available at every hospital in Cuba and widely available of all 3 (national, provincial and municipal) levels of health care. Acupuncture is so common because it costs considerably less than pharmaceuticals or surgery. Medicine that we consider cheap costs a small fortune in Cuba due to the exchange rate and trade restrictions. Acupuncture also has considerably less side effects. With conservative, responsible needling techniques, acupuncture is completely safe. Simple acupuncture treatments are very cost effective and quick to administer helping the hospital avoid medicine shortages, surgery waiting lists and expensive procedures.

When a Cuban is experiencing musculoskeletal pain, he may visit an orthopedic doctor who will triage the case and send him on to receive x-rays, medication, physiotherapy or acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. In this system, not only is the patient referred to acupuncture by an MD, but often in many cases, the acupuncturist and MD will work in tandem providing a combination of western and eastern care in one comprehensive treatment plan.

The hospital did not use disposable single-use needles as is the practice in western countries. Instead, they would re-use the needles after sterilizing them. After use, the nurse washes the needles in soap and water then sends them to the sterilization facilities where they are sterilized along with surgical instruments in high pressure, high temperature chambers.

Acupuncture was administered in the hospital in his office. There were beds for 4 patients as he would see 4 patients an hour for a total of 25 to 30 patients per day. All of these receiving free treatment under the direction of an MD.

The biggest concern that people have with acupuncture is the needles.  We have an innate fear of needles from the time when we are young and experience our first round of booster shots.  I have the same painful memories that most people do.  The nurse that smelled like a hospital, that enormous needle that she held in her hand, and that otherworldly pain that I felt when she stuck that needle into my arm.  I remember when it was my cousin’s turn to be immunized, she was so terrified that her fear almost saved her.  Her muscles were so rigid with fear that the needle couldn’t penetrate enough for the injection.

Unfortunately these types of memories are what people think of when they think of acupuncture.  The greatest injustice is that these images have nothing to do with acupuncture and can prevent someone from getting the health care that they need.  It is time we take a second look at acupuncture needles and put things into perspective.

Thinner than a Human Hair

The standard acupuncture needles is .25mm thick.  That is thinner than a human hair!  You can fit 10 standard acupuncture needles into the needle of a typical syringe.  I use premium needles that are .16mm or .18mm thick.  You can fit around 40 of these into the needle of a syringe.

40 acupuncture needles (0.18mm gauge) can fit into a syringe needle

Flexible

My needles are so thin that they are flexible.   They can be bent, twisted, even tied into a knot if you really want.

Lubricated

I almost always use lubricated needles.  These needles are coated with a thin layer of a surgical silicone lubricant to ease entry.  The result is that the needles are practically “ouch less”.   This feature is especially important for clients that are trying acupuncture for the first time.

A split second

Most needles don’t hurt at all, but if you do feel any discomfort, it is only for a split second.  This is because most of the nerve endings are at the surface of the skin.  Once the needle is in, clients feel nothing

Instantaneous Healing

Healing from acupuncture is automatic.  As soon as the needle is removed, the acupuncture site has already closed up and healed itself.  Out of every ten needles, typically, only one will bleed.  Bleeding is usually limited to just one drop.

After a blood test or immunization, you may remember having to give direct pressure to the injection site for 15 minutes and leave a bandaid on the area for most of the day.  But with acupuncture, the healing is instantaneous.  This is because the needles are less than one tenth the size of syringes.  Also, while hypodermic needles are designed like a razor to cut its way into the body, acupuncture needles are so small that no cutting is required.  Acupuncture needles simply separate tissue and push through causing no damage.

Practically Not There

These needles are so thin and flexible that you forget they are there.  I know it sounds impossible, but remember that these needles are thinner than a human hair.

Give it a Try

Today’s premium acupuncture needles have nothing in common with hypodermic needles.  While receiving an injection can be a traumatic experience, receiving an acupuncture session is a peaceful, painless, healing experience.  Don’t let irrational preconceptions stand in the way of your health.  Most acupuncturists offer free initial consultations.