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In today’s busy world, it’s easy to push caring for your health to the side. Sure, maybe you try to eat healthier and get a workout in, but gradually stress and poor health catch up to you. When that happens, you begin to care for the sickness, not to protect your health. Acupuncture can help you break that cycle. It's an integrative, medical specialty that we're proud to offer at The WellBridge Clinic.
It's important to choose an acupuncturist that has completed a three to four year medical degree that includes 4,000 hours of training devoted to acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. There are some health care providers that take weekend trainings for a few hours and start performing acupuncture or "dry needling." It is important to know from the beginning that your acupuncturists at The WellBridge Clinic are highly-trained medical specialists.
Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years as a part of Chinese and east Asian medical practices. Historically, Chinese medical doctors have explained that acupuncture helps to smooth and balance the "energy flow" in the body by placing pins at specific points (also referred to as acupuncture points). Nowadays, research has shown that this "energy flow" is actually several types of electrical circulation and changes in ion gradients in the body. When these changes happen, blood vessels dilate to improve circulation, respiration slows and expands, nerve function improves, and there are measurable changes in our hormones.
Acupuncture methods and treatments have been perfected, offering patients pain relief, healthy immune support, improved digestion, and better sleep (among other things). These days, acupuncture is an important part of modern medicine. Acupuncture has been recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective treatment for over 70 conditions, symptoms, or diseases.
Our acupuncturists are also functional medicine experts. We believe your best health comes when all of your doctors work together. The WellBridge Clinic is a first-line of health care defense and that way we reduce some of the burden on primary care doctors. We are able to devote more time to listen to our patients and that’s how we create successful treatment strategies.
During treatment we use sterilized, surgical grade acupuncture pins that are the width of a hair. They are placed in specific areas depending upon each patient’s health concerns. These pins activate and connect with your autonomic nervous system, which does a few important things.
It's divided into two parts:
Our acupuncturists at The WellBridge Clinic take the time to listen to every patient’s health problems, experiences, concerns, and health goals. From there, we are able to diagnose the root cause of healthcare issues, identify health goals for the patient, and create a successful treatment strategy.
Treatment plans often include:
Recent research illustrates acupuncture’s effectiveness for a variety of health issues. It's most frequently used for the following conditions:
Let's look at some of the recent research behind these benefits.
In a review of studies that included over 20,000 patients, acupuncture was found to be effective at relieving chronic pain in both short- and long-term cases. These patients got better and stayed better when compared to the patients that followed the current "standard of care."
Chronic pain conditions included in this study were:
Researchers used PET scans of the brain after acupuncture and found that opioid receptors were more open, or receptive, to the body’s natural pain-fighting chemicals.
Acupuncture is as effective as medications in treating digestive issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome and abdominal pain.
While patients in the study found relief just under 89% of the time with prescription drugs for asthma, acupuncture achieved over 93% effective rate without the side effects of steroid inhalers.
In a study of over 400 people with seasonal allergies, the group receiving acupuncture (as opposed to “sham” acupuncture or no treatment) found more relief of symptoms over an eight-week period.
From depressive disorder after pregnancy to anxiety to insomnia to PTSD, acupuncture has been proven effective in treating a wide variety of mood disorders. The U.S. Department of Defense integrates acupuncture for its active and retired military personnel. Regardless of how it’s used, one of the unique benefits of acupuncture is that it has no complications and no side effects. This makes it easier to include acupuncture in a balanced treatment plan for chronic conditions and general health maintenance.
At The WellBridge Clinic in Portland, we welcome patients at all stages of health. Our purpose is to work with you so you can achieve your long- and short-term health goals.
We start by addressing any acute symptoms you are experiencing. Our Portland acupuncture team incorporates functional medicine to get you relief and recover. Our comprehensive approach is shown to correct any underlying tension, dysfunction, or imbalance that may have led to your health concerns.
Once your health stabilizes and your life is no longer interrupted by health problems, our focus switches to maintaining your good health. We know that keeping you tuned up is crucial. After all, the human body is the most magnificent machine and all machines need maintenance. The rewards are so much greater when we take care of ourselves.
We welcome patients of all ages and backgrounds to our clinic.
Phone: (503) 544-9611
Fax: (971) 339-3897
4511 SE Hawthorne Blvd. #103
Portland Oregon 97215
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