My brief time at SOPHIA Natural Health Center has been inspiring, illuminating and satisfying! One category of people, however, is notably missing. “Where are our healthy patients?!” Traditional Chinese Medicine is historically designed as a preventative medicine. A doctor in ancient China was usually assigned or committed to a discrete village. The health of the village was his responsibility. Sick or decrepit villagers had no means to pay the Doctor. Hence: Healthy Villagers = Prosperous Doctor.
This historical reality and TCM’s efficacy as a preventative medicine, lead to one of my favorite sayings:
Getting Acupuncture after you’ve become sick is like digging a well after you’ve become thirsty…
The good practitioners of SOPHIA, as well as the 40,000 licensed acupuncturists in the US, have shown that acupuncture treatments can be successful as an adjunct, if not the main modality, for countless dysfunctions. Imagine how Traditional Chinese Medicine and functional medicine can add to someone’s already good health?!
Research on Chinese Medicine
A 2009 article in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine demonstrated that acupuncture helped university basketball players in Taiwan recover more quickly in terms of heart rate and oxygen consumption and had lower levels of lactic acid in their blood. “Effects of acupuncture stimulation on recovery ability of male elite basketball athletes.” Am J Chin Med. 2009;37(3):471-81. A 2010 review from the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research cited studies that demonstrated the association of a traditional acupuncture protocol and an increase of muscular strength and power. Other studies within the same review regarding endurance activities showed that acupuncture treatment improved hemodynamic parameters of participants. “Ergogenic effect of acupuncture in sport and exercise: a brief review.” J Strength Cond Res. 2010 May;24(5):1421-7. Finally, an article in the June 2018 Journal of Alternative & Complimentary Medicine highlights Acupressure’s ability to increase aerobic performance in healthy men by 10%. “Effect of meridian acupressure on aerobic performance of healthy young population.” J Altern Complement Med. 2018 Jun;24(6):589-595.
Sometime in my future, I would love to witness a Longitudinal research study that compared 40 year olds who received Traditional Chinese Medicine with 40 year olds who don’t. I know, in my heart, that over a 20, 30 or even 40 year period, the Cardiovascular, Neurological, Endocrine and Mental Health of the Acupuncture group would be superior!
Schedule an Appointment at SOPHIA
In the meantime, if you would like to see how Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine & Functional Medicine can help you, please contact us at SOPHIA Natural Health Center for a complimentary consultation: 203-740-9300.
Jim Fitzpatrick, L.Ac.
Resident Acupuncturist
*The effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment vary by patient and condition. Sophia Natural Health Center does not guarantee certain results.