The Acupuncture Face lift: Fact or Fiction

By Charles Yarborough, L.Ac.

Have you read the service menu at your favorite spa lately? If so, you may have noticed a new and intriguing addition: cosmetic acupuncture. Cosmetic acupuncture – also known as acupuncture facial rejuvenation or acupuncture facelift - is finding its way into an increasing number of full-service spas, and for good reason. This new modality can enhance not only your physical appearance but also your overall health, giving you a glow that radiates from deep within. While cosmetic acupuncture as a spa feature is a somewhat new phenomenon, there are nevertheless centuries-old records of it being used in the service of beauty. What’s more, acupuncture’s ability to improve a variety of skin conditions has now been documented in legitimate clinical studies. Its effectiveness is no longer a question of hearsay or testimonials. Before signing up for a course of facial acupuncture treatments, however, there are a few things you should consider.

Is it really a facelift? The answer is an unequivocal no. Nor is it intended to replace a facelift. Cosmetic acupuncture entails no incisions, sutures or acid peels and it will not produce sudden, drastic changes in underlying structures. In fact, the American Cosmetic Acupuncture Association discourages the use of the term, “facelift” in connection with acupuncture, as this creates unrealistic expectations and, ultimately, disappointment. Remember, it took decades of stress, sun damage and exposure to environmental toxins for your skin to reach a state of crisis, and the damage will not be instantly undone. The remedy cosmetic acupuncture may offer is the reduction or erasure of fine lines and the softening of deeper ones. Additionally, patients may experience the firming of jowls and a reduction in the size of under-eye bags. It is not unusual for clients to report enhanced skin tone, increased energy and eyes that sparkle.

But it doesn’t stop there. Since facial acupuncture is based on time-tested principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a person’s overall health may also benefit. Insomnia may be corrected and weight gain may be controlled. Cosmetic acupuncture is, after all, a whole-body treatment. In the Traditional Chinese Medicine view, a person’s face is affected selectively by his or her internal organs. Facial features reflect organic strengths, and as internal organs are fortified, one’s face reflects the improvement. Besides addressing a patient’s condition holistically, the practitioner will probably work locally, inserting painless, ultra-fine needles into--and around--specific wrinkles, acu-points or muscle points, depending on the technique employed. Techniques can be Spartan or luxuriant, and practitioners will often incorporate herbal poultices, moisturizers, pulsed light or essential oils into a treatment. An imperceptible electrical current may also be passed among the needles.

Finding a Practitioner

Finding certified practitioners may be easier than you think. They are listed by region at the website of The American Cosmetic Acupuncture Association (www.AmericanCosmeticAcupuncture.com). Membership in the ACAA assures you the acupuncturist is licensed and has studied facial cosmetic technique with a qualified teacher (not all of them have). You might want to avoid cosmetic acupuncture practitioners and teachers who claim their technique is better than all others (they may offer testimonials). There are simply too many talented practitioners in the field for anyone to make such a claim ethically.

The practitioner you choose should be willing to provide you with a free fifteen-minute consultation as well as an estimate of the cost and the number of treatments required. A course of ten treatments is standard, with periodic follow-up visits as needed. These sessions are labor intensive and will be priced differently than customary acupuncture treatments. Not surprisingly, if you are a smoker or sun-worshipper, you will need to make a longer commitment in order to achieve results. Depending on the technique used, there is a slight chance of minor temporary bruising, although your practitioner may lessen the possibility by starting your session with a homeopathic remedy.

If your features are tired, your eyes are baggy and your skin is without luster, yet you do not feel the need for cosmetic surgery, then facial acupuncture may be for you. The freedom from post-treatment downtime and the experience of enhanced vitality contribute to the ever-increasing popularity of this Asian art. If you are willing to try something different and new, you may find that facial acupuncture is the perfect partner in your quest for rejuvenation and renewal.

Charles Yarborough, L.Ac. is director of the American Cosmetic Acupuncture Association (www.AmericanCosmeticAcupuncture.com) and of Hamptons Health Circle in Pasadena, CA.

Whole Food signatures

A stupendous insight of civilizations past has been confirmed by today's investigative, nutritional sciences. They have shown that what was once called "The Doctrine of Signatures" was astoundingly correct.

Referred to in the classical period of Rome as the "Law of Similarities" it is now called by scientists, Teleological Nutritional Targeting".

It now contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or signs as to the benefit the food provides the eater.

For instance:

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All o f the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profoun d is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Heel Pain & Acupuncture

abstracted & translated by
Honora Lee Wolfe, Dipl. Ac., Lic. Ac., FNAAOM
Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture, heel pain
Heel pain may be due to a number of different causes. Calcaneal spur syndrome (a.k.a. plantar fasciitis) may cause pain on the plantar surface of the heel. Sever’s disease (a.k.a. epiphysitis of the calcaneus) can cause pain in the medial and lateral margins of the heel and is primarily seen in children. Haglund’s deformity (posterior Achilles tendon bursitis) results in pain posterior to the Achilles tendon. Pain in the retromalleolar space anterior to the Achilles tendon may be due to fracture of the posterolateral talar tubercle, bursitis, or posterior tibial neuralgia. Pain at the calcaneal insertion of the Achilles tendon may be due to overuse (as in athletes) and a tight heel cord secondary to abnormal foot structure and function. In Western medicine, these disorders are treated with everything from rest, stretching, night splinting, shoe protheses, and oral NSAIDs to corticosteroids and surgery. In issue #2, 2003 of Gan Su Zhong Yi (Gansu Chinese Medicine), Wang Xiu-zhen reports on the treatment of 40 cases of heel pain with acupuncture. The title of this report is “A Short Discussion of the Acupuncture Treatment of 40 Cases of Heel Pain.” This article appeared on page 39 of that journal and a summary is given below.
Cohort description:
All 40 patients in this study were examined with x-ray and those with osteotuberculosis, bone cancer, or rheumatoid arthritis were ruled out. Among these 40, there were eight males and 32 females aged 24-60 years who had suffered from heel pain for from two days to one year. All these patients had received prior medical treatment which had not been obviously effective. X-rays of these patients’ heels failed to show any pathological changes in the bones of the heel.
Treatment method:
The main acupoints used in this study were: Kun Lun (Bl 60), Shen Mai (Bl 62), Tai Xi (Ki 3), and Zhao Hai (Ki 6). Auxiliary points included: Jue Gu (GB 39), Pu Can (Bl 61), Shang Qiu (Sp 5), and Qiu Xu (GB 40). After disinfecting the skin in the affected area a one inch needle was used to perpendicularly puncture the main points to a depth of 0.5 inches. In addition, one auxiliary point was also chosen each time to be needled. Needles were left in place for 40 minutes and twisted and twirled once each 20 minutes. If the pattern was one of repletion, draining technique was used; if it was one of vacuity, supplementing technique was used. One treatment was given per day and 10 treatments equaled one course of therapy.
Treatment outcomes:
Cure was defined as complete disappearance of the heel pain. Marked effect was defined as marked improvement in heel pain and any associated swelling. Some effect meant that the heel and swelling improved somewhat, and no effect meant that there was basically no change in the clinical symptoms. Based on these criteria, 28 out of 40 patients were judged cured, four got a marked effect, six got some effect, and two got no effect. Therefore, the cure rate was 70% and the total effectiveness rate was 95%.
Discussion:
According to Dr. Wang, heel pain is due to either external evils entering and assailing or loss of regulation of the function of the viscera and bowels. In both cases, the movement and flow of qi and blood in the affected area loses its normalcy and the channels and vessels lose their nourishment. Thus there is aching and pain. Based on the saying, “If there is free flow, there is no pain,” Dr. Wang believes that the treatment principles for this condition are to course and free the flow of the channels and network vessels, regulate and harmonize the qi and blood, and regulate and balance the function of the viscera and bowels. Based on these principles, Dr. Wang has chosen points in the affected area. The foot tai yang bladder channel traverses the lateral part of the posterior of the foot, while the foot shao yin kidney channel traverses the medial part of the posterior of the foot. These two are interior-exterior channels, and their transport points are able to treat diseases on both the interior and exterior channels. In addition, Shen Mai and Zhao Hai are meeting points of the eight extraordinary vessels. One frees the flow of the yang qiao mai and the other frees the flow of the yin qiao mai. However, this protocol is contraindicated in pregnant women.
Copyright © Blue Poppy Press, 2003. All rights reserved.