Comparison of Pain Levels:

Visual analogue scoring system (VAS) values were analyzed to compare pain levels between the two groups. Twelve hours after surgery, the electroacupuncture group reported lower pain scores for both rest and activity pain (6.13 ± 1.27 and 6.31 ± 1.25, respectively) compared to the drug control group (6.62 ± 1.13 and 6.98 ± 1.41). This distinction in pain levels remained evident up to 120 hours after surgery.

Improvement in Knee Motion:

The electroacupuncture group also exhibited greater active and passive knee motion ranges (87.68 ± 10.43 and 97.58 ± 11.03) compared to the drug control group (75.21 ± 8.97 and 91.94 ± 9.58). On the seventh day after the operation, both groups showed a significant decrease in PGE2 levels and a significant increase in β-endorphin levels. In the drug control group, the average PGE2 level was 207.11 ± 12.17, and the β-endorphin level was 237.11 ± 12.40. In contrast, the electroacupuncture group had an average PGE2 level of 173.23 ± 11.92 and β-endorphin level of 289.23 ± 11.52.

Study Methodology:

Between March 2017 and March 2019, a total of 90 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were included in the study. These patients were randomly assigned to either the drug control group or the electroacupuncture group, with 45 patients in each group. The inclusion criteria required patients to have degenerative knee osteoarthritis, undergo total knee arthroplasty on one side, and be over 50 years of age. Patients with a history of previous knee joint surgery, extreme obesity, or opioid use were excluded.

Surgical Procedure:

All patients underwent total knee arthroplasty performed by the same group of doctors using a medial parapatellar approach. The average procedure duration was 120 ± 20 minutes. A tourniquet was applied during the surgery and released after suturing the fascial layer. An electric cautery knife was used to control bleeding.

Postoperative Analgesia:

In the drug control group, an integrated analgesia method was employed. An epidural analgesia pump was used with 96 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. The choice of morphine, rooperaine, flopericaine, or haloperidol was based on the patient’s age and physical condition. The administration rate was set at 2 mL/h. Additionally, 200 mg of celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug and oxygenase inhibitor, was prescribed on the day of surgery.

For the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture was administered three and five days before surgery. No painkillers were used in this group after surgery. Sterilized needles (0.25 mm × 25 mm, 0.25 mm × 40 mm) were inserted at specific acupoints, including ST34 (Liangqiu), ST36 (Zusanli), GB34 (Yanglingquan), SP10 (Xuehai), ST40 (Fenglong), and GB40 (Qiuxu). Electroacupuncture was then applied with a disperse-dense wave at a frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz and an intensity of 2–5 mA for 30 minutes. Liangqiu and Xuehai were connected, as were Yanglingquan and Zusanli, and Fenglong and Qiuxu.

Combined Treatment Outcomes:

In a related study conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, researchers concluded that acupuncture, when combined with analgesic medications, improved pain relief outcomes in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Patients receiving the combined treatment protocol showed superior outcomes compared to those receiving only drugs.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study support the efficacy of electroacupuncture, particularly at the ST34 (Liangqiu) acupoint, in providing postoperative analgesia and promoting rapid recovery of knee motion. Further research and clinical studies are warranted to explore the potential of acupuncture as a complementary treatment for postoperative pain management.

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The researchers, who compared data from the 1996 and 1998 Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, believe long working hours are to blame. “The study highlights the growing number of Australian women entering the workforce and the effects on their ability to maintain a healthy weight,” Dr Nicole Au said. “Extended work hours may reduce the time spent preparing home-cooked meals, exercising and sleeping, which are risk factors for obesity.” With more than 60 percent of Australian adults considered overweight or obese, Dr Au says it’s a serious health concern.

Policies that assist women who work long hours to reduce the time costs of sustaining a healthy diet and their physical activity routine may have positive benefits,” she said. Women who work in excess of 49 hours per week were also found to be more likely to smoke, drink at risky levels and not engage in exercise.

The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity.

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Stress puts the body into a “fight or flight” mode, which increases the cortisol hormones and other neurochemicals and selectively redirects the blood flow to the brain, the eye, and the musculoskeletal system. The adaptive mechanism allows us to escape from danger. Our stress response may triggered by an endless mental pollution, emotional factors, worry, and so on. Far too many of us live with high stress levels most of the time.

Unfortunately, the stress response preferentially redistributes blood flow away from the gastrointestinal, endocrine, and reproductive systems, all of which are nonessential to the “fight or flight” response. Day in and day out, our bodies still need to eat, relax, and reproduce, but under stress these systems won’t get the blood flow they need to function efficiently. Blood flow quits flowing to the stomach; hence we get ulcers and wild range of digestive complaints. Blood over nourishes certain parts of the endocrine system and starves others, so we don’t produce the right balance of hormones needed for a healthy menstrual cycle. And poor uterus and ovaries are ignored altogether!

In addition, the hormone adrenaline, which is released by the adrenal glands during the conditions of stress, inhibits the utilization of progesterone, one of the key hormones of reproduction.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have been extremely effective in helping the body cope with stress and related issues; they can help bodies relaxing and Qi and blood circulation smoothly. The Chinese Medicine, there is no separation between mind, body and spirit. All the tree elements of the wellness are very important to your health regimen.

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Stressors can be physical or emotional events which disrupt our energy circulation, harm the balance of internal organs and weaken the immune system. This in turn may result in more than just physical illness including chronic diseases and repeated infections. Stress may result in unhappy relationships, loss of job, financial insecurity and lack of emotional support which also influences our health in the long run. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are a safe and effective way to bring you back to emotional, mental and physical balance and recover from stress disturbances. In my clinic, I use gentle therapies like Chinese herbs, Acupuncture, Cupping and Massage as well as vitamins and supplements, nutritional advices and life style changes to help my patients recover their ability to handle stress. They normally feel very relaxed, improve their eating habits and food digestion, improved sleep as well as increased energy. Many experience big improvements within their first few weekly treatments.

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There are many symptoms during the pregnancy mainly due to deficiency of the qi and blood and Kidney, stagnation of Qi, and spleen deficiency and phlegm, such as: Hyperemesis gravidarum is a condition similar to a severe form of morning sickness; bleeding or spotting in the early months of pregnancy; exhaustion, migraine headaches, heartburn and many other symptoms associated with pregnancy; emotions; lower back pain, hip pain and leg pain during the pregnancy; and many others.

The Acupuncture treatment will focus on the following main principles during the pregnancy: nourishing blood and tonify the kidneys; Move the Qi and eliminate stagnation; tonify the spleen and resolve phlegm.

Well-trained professional acupuncturists should check your medical history, conditions and Pulse and Tongue carefully during the consultation. The points they are selecting are also important, since there are certain acupuncture points are forbidden in pregnancy. In addition to these, points below the umbilicus should not be used at any time during the pregnancy, while points above the umbilicus may be used during the first trimester but not after that.

Pregnant women should take particular care with their lifestyle. She should avoid overwork in the sense of working long hours without rest, rest enough, avoid physical over-excretion and lifting or jumping, avoid high-altitude places and have enough sleep. She should avoid too tight clothing. She should avoid emotional stress, worry and anger. She should eat nourishing but easily digestible food; avoid too hot, spicy, salty, greasy food.

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Yan Acupuncture Clinic uses specially designed very fine and painless acupuncture needles for children even as young as a day old. Letting your child undergo an acupuncture treatment could even be a lesson in open-mindedness, showing them that there is more than one way to tackle a problem and reminding them to be open to them. But before you set up an appointment with just any acupuncture practitioner, make sure that they’re registered with a professional medical body in your region. If you’re in Australia, you can check with the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia for clinics and/or practitioners registered to practice Chinese medicine.

Yan Acupuncture Clinic is registered under Dr. Yan Li, Chinese Medicine Registration number: CHR000172170.

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Cosmetic acupuncture on the other hand is an ancient Chinese practice that has been in existence since the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD) and was performed on the Empresses and Emperor’s concubines. It has its roots in Traditional Chinese medicine where the focus of treatment is the root of the symptom or illness which allows for an overall balance of body, mind and spirit.

HOW DO THEY WORK?
Facial acupuncture, also known as cosmetic acupuncture or acupuncture facelift, is a procedure involving the gentle insertion of thin needles into specific points on the face to induce the flow of blood and encourage the production of collagen, a protein in found in connective tissue that your body uses to keep your skin youthful and elastic. The increased blood flow rehydrates, nourishes, tones and reduces the appearance of facial wrinkles in addition to tightening pores and improving muscle tone. In advanced facial acupuncture, your body’s energy is further strengthened by the insertion of needles in the arms, legs and body helping to fulfil a complete treatment that which balances the improvement of the external beauty by strengthen the internal energies that influence it.

BENEFITS
Cosmetic acupuncture benefits both your internal and external being. If you have any other symptoms that present themselves, they are also normally addressed, leading to a more holistic treatment overall. The most visible of benefits are the improvement of muscle tone, elimination of fine lines, the reduction in sagging jowls, tightening of the neck, lifting drooping eyelids, tightening pores and improving facial colour, leaving your skin rejuvenated. It does not require anaesthesia.

DRAWBACKS AND SIDE EFFECTS
Cosmetic acupuncture’s biggest drawback is the number of sessions it takes to make collagen permanent. Each session can take up to 60 minutes, with a recommended 10 sessions of initial treatment recommended by the Cosmetic Acupuncture Association. This can make it a little costly with each session costing between $120 to $150. The side effects of acupuncture might include bruising and puffiness

CONCLUSIONS
Having looked at the two and seeing just how different one is from the other, the decision on which treatment to undergo is entirely up to you. It will most likely boil down to how quickly you want to see results and the permanence of said results.

Yan Acupuncture Clinic offers you facial rejuvenation acupuncture treatments as well as Chinese herbs, which can be combined with the acupuncture treatments. We welcome your questions in relation to the treatments we offer.

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Whatever manifests in a person does so with that type of Qi. Someone who is graceful, for instance, has harmonious Qi; weak people lack qi; those who have strong abundant Qi; people with pure, clean minds have “refined” as opposed to “confused” Qi. Thus Qi is not only the energy behind these states of being but the intrinsic energy/substance of these states. The Qi concept, then, provides a way to describe every aspect of life.

For therapeutic point of view, there are several functional aspects of Qi. It is warming and is the source of all movement; it protects the body, flows through the acupuncture channels, and maintains activity of the body systems and organs. Sources of Qi in the body are tree-fold: from food, from the air we breathe, and from the essence of the kidneys, some part of which we are born with.

How well we utilize qi from these sources depends on how we live and on our attitudes. Qi is also transferred between people in interactions of every kind. The Qi of the cook permeates the food. Exercise, herbal therapy, acupuncture, and awareness practices such as meditation are traditional ways of clearing obstructions and maximizing Qi flow.

Qi that stagnation causes accumulations resulting in obesity, tumors, cysts, cancers, and the multitude of viral and east-related diseases that plague those with sedentary lives and refined, rich diets.

The Qi of body can be accurately measured and regulated by the diagnostic and therapeutic methods of Chinese medicine.

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