Acupuncture Services of Central NY

There are many Master Tung points that I personally have found to be more effective than traditional meridian acupuncture points and Wu Hu (Five Tigers) is in that category. Wu Hu is a set of five acupuncture points located on the radial aspect of the proximal segment of the thumb on the border of the red and white skin. The points are numbered sequentially, one thru five, with Wu Hu 1 being the most distal point and Wu Hu 5 the most proximal.

Wu Hu 1 is selected for finger pain, palmer pain and tenosynovitis. Wu Hu 3 is selected for toe pain. Wu Hu 2 is added to strengthen the effect of Wu Hu 1 or 3. Wu Hu 4 is needled for instep or dorsal foot pain and Wu Hu 5 is very effective for heel pain (in combination with points on the heel of the palm and PC 7 on the pericardium meridian). As with most Master Tung points used to treat painful conditions, points are needled contralaterally to the pain and the patient is asked to move the affected part of the body while the needles are stimulated.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 11:08 AM | Master Tung Five Tiger Points For Finger and Toe Pain

Master Tung passed away in 1975 leaving behind only one book documenting his acupuncture points. Today there are only three direct disciples of Master Tung living in the US. Dr. Wei-Chieh Young is one of them. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Young for sharing his experience with Master Tung’s points via his lectures, seminars and recently published books.

Xiaojie is a point that Dr. Young discovered based on Master Tung’s holographic imaging of the body and contralateral needling technique. This point is located at the base of the ball of the thumb and needled for an inch and a half thru the thenar eminance of the palm. This acupuncture point alone is amazingly effective for sprained or strained ankle and I have had occasion to use it several times in my clinic.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 05:23 AM | Acupuncture Point Xiaojie for Ankle Pain

Last weekend I attended a NIA workshop at the Kripalu Yoga Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts. Carlos Rosas, co-founder of the technique, led our “Dancing Through Life” workshop. NIA, an acronym for Neuromuscular Integrative Action, is an amazing mind, body and spirit approach to fitness.

You may think that a website devoted to acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an odd place to be discussing a fitness technique, but if you consider that TCM also focuses on keeping the body in balance to maintain health by addressing the mind, body and spirit of each individual, you will see that there is a definite correlation.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 04:54 PM | Mind Body Spirit Fitness - The NIA Technique

Tongue diagnosis is an integral part of taking a medical history in Chinese medicine. Giavanni Macciocia, a renowned acupuncturist and herbalist from the United Kingdom, in my opinion, has compiled the most complete reference available to English speaking practitioners with his book "Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine".His book was one of the first that I purchased as an acupuncture student and remains an invaluable reference in my practice today.

In Chinese medicine, disease is explained by an imbalance of yin and yang and heat and cold in the human body. Chinese medicine believes that chronic imbalances will have a definite impact on the color and shape of the tongue body and the color and thickness of the tongue coating.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 09:41 AM | Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine

April, 2006
Cathe – New Hartford, NY

In the late fall of 2004, as I was trying to do the endless chopping that accompanies making a holiday dinner, I was having severe pain in my right hand. I had an adverse reaction to my Hepatitis B injections earlier in the year, and it had thrown me into a rheumatoid arthritis type of reaction. I had been seeing an area rheumatologist who had prescribed short term steroids, Methotrexate, and finally Enbrel injections to relieve the symptoms and try to prevent its exacerbation. All of these treatments left me severely nauseous and weak and without relief from the pain. It was impacting my ability to concentrate on my work and leaving me feeling hopeless. After developing hives following my Enbrel injections, I knew I needed to do something else or I would lose the use of my right hand.

When my husband, Bob suggested a year ago that I make an appointment to come in and talk to Joyce about acupuncture, I will admit I was highly skeptical that it would help me. As a nurse, I was certainly aware of the benefits of acupuncture for anesthesia and pain relief, but I had not found evidence that it would help me with rheumatoid arthritis. He was so desperate to find a solution that I agreed to “try a few sessions”.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 09:00 PM | Patient Testimonial for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Allergies

The World Health Organization has recognized over 40 common health problems that acupuncture can effectively treat. Most people are aware that acupuncture treats pain, but many do not know the wide range of painful conditions that are commonly improved with acupuncture. Acupuncture treats pain anywhere in the body, including but not limited to: back pain, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ, trigeminal neuralgia, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, shingles pain and migraines.

But acupuncture can also treat digestive disorders such as nausea, acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome. It is commonly used to treat asthma and sinus problems. Acupuncture is very powerful to treat gynecological problems including PMS, menopausal symptoms, endometriosis and even infertility.

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Posted by Webmaster at 04:00 PM | What Can Acupuncture Treat?

With the recent controversy over the safety of the cox-2 inhibiting prescription pain medications Vioxx and Celebrex and most recently, the over the counter medication Naproxin (Aleve), people are beginning to ask themselves which is worse – living with the pain or living with the risk of cardiovascular problems as a side effect of the drugs?

For many, there may be another option. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes acupuncture’s ability to treat over 43 common disorders including arthritis, back, neck and shoulder pain, neuralgia and migraines. Independent research studies have also shown acupuncture to be effective in treating sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, trigeminal neuralgia, TMJ and post surgical pain. Although acupuncture has only been practiced in this country for three decades, it has been an integral part of Chinese medicine for over three thousand years. Today acupuncture remains a completely safe and effective alternative to pharmaceutical medication for both acute and chronic pain.

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Posted by Webmaster at 12:27 AM | Drug Free Pain Relief