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Pain Management

Pain Relief with Acupuncture

Healing art of acupuncture has been used in Asia for centuries to treat various conditions, including pain relief. It is now being used more often than before in the United States to ease lower back pain, nerve pain such as sciatica, headaches and migraines, fibromyalgia, and menstrual cramps and many more pain related issues.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of extremely fine needles into the skin at specific “acupoints.” This relieves pain by releasing endorphins which are chemicals produced naturally by the nervous system to cope with pain or stres and serotonin which is an important chemical and neurotransmitter in the human body that is believed to help regulate mood and social behavior.

During the acupuncture session, Acupuncturist may choose to use different techniques by applying heat or electrical stimulation to intensify the effect of treatment.
Acupuncture needles are extremely thin, most patients don’t even feel the insertion. Due to some points being more sensitive, patients at times feel a very tiny pinch that’s nothing more than mosquito bite. Acupuncture needles are stainless steel and used only once and disposed after each treatment.

 

How to Find Your Best Acupuncturist

What to consider when searching good Acupuncture Clinic Near You:

 

Like anything else you search on or offline, finding a good or the best acupuncturist near you, has its own challenges. Below are some tips we always recommend our own clients, family and friends:

 

1.     Get Referrals from family and friends. The best way to know that an acupuncturist and the acupuncture clinic will be a caring one is to get referrals from family and friends. Their experience will take many questions out of your mind and will give you the confidence you need before you walk into a new clinic.

 

2.     Acupuncture License: Verify that the acupuncturist you will see is licensed. While only licensed acupuncturists in New York State can practice by law, it is a good idea to ask whether he or she has acupuncture license. We always remind our patients that.

 

3.     Expertise: Ask around and check online what kind of conditions are treated by your acupuncturists. Acupuncture is great for many conditions such as lower back pain, sciatica, head ache, migraines, pediatric acupuncture, knee pain, digestive issues, Bell ’s palsy, upper back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, foot pain, arthritis, infertility, insomnia, anxiety, stress, weight loss and great for a preventive care.  

 

4.     Clean and Relax Office Settings: Make sure that the clinic you are being treated is clean and relaxing.

 

5.     Convenience: Your practitioner’s location and schedule are of primary importance, especially for time intensive therapies.

 

 

Fun Facts about Acupuncture

Did You Know That?

 

  • Acupuncture needles DON’T HURT as much as people fear or imagine. Thin acupuncture needles are almost same or less felt than a mosquito bites in most cases.

 

  • Before stainless steel needles that used in today’s acupuncture practices, very first acupuncturist used to work with thorns, bamboo slivers, and sharpened bone to stimulate acupuncture points.

 

  • The oldest acupuncture needles were made of bronze, copper, tin, gold and silver. Oldest needles found date back to A.D. 600.

 

  • Stainless steel was discovered in 4th Century A.D in China and became the most commonly used material since steel was strong and could make very thin needles.

 

  • Waichi Sugiyama – a gifted blind Japanese acupuncturist invented the guide tube in 17th This was the biggest step in the development of much finer needles

 

  • Today’s acupuncture are made of stainless steel of a very fine diameter (approximately 0.015″). These are prepackaged, sterilized, disposable and one time use only.

 

  • Acupuncture needles were accepted by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995 as medical instruments, stating their safety and effectiveness.

 

  • Acupuncturists look at your body as a whole and treat root cause of the complain rather than masking the symptoms.

 

  • Acupuncturists can assess your  overall health by checking your pulse and look at your tongue.

 

  • Acupuncture treatments are different for each individual. Every person will have their own treatment plan based on complete diagnosis performed by their acupuncturists.

 

  • The World Health Organization endorsed acupuncture for over two hundred symptoms and diseases – low back pain, seasonal allergies, headache, nausea, vomiting, allergic rhinitis, depression, anxiety, side effects of chemotherapy and induction of labor to name a few.

How Acupuncture Helps with Back Pain

Almost eight out of every 10 Americans report low back pain at some point in their life. That’s 80% of population’s complain.  Back pain is one of the most chronic conditions people will look for treatment. Back pain happens to be the biggest reason for people to look for acupuncture treatments.  Great news is that acupuncture is one of the most effective treatments for lower back pain.

 

Acupuncture for back pain involves inserting very thin needles to various depths into strategic points on your body. Acupuncturists work on balancing the energy pathways called Qi. By Inserting needles to well defined points, acupuncturists stimulate the central nervous system. This in turn triggers the release of useful chemicals and hormones into the muscles, spinal cord and brain.

 

To put in more western terms, acupuncturists provide body the power to heal itself. Insertion of needles by a licensed acupuncturist releases endorphin hormones that kill pain in the body. Acupuncture causes body to produce natural opioids chemicals in brain that lessen or get rid of pain.

 

No Fault and Acupuncture

What Is No-Fault Insurance and What Does it Cover?

Updated: December 2016

Beginning in the 1970s, many U.S. states passed legislation to introduce “no-fault” auto insurance. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), the goal was to simplify the process of determining which driver is responsible for an accident.

As of 2014, 12 states have some type of no-fault car insurance law, according to the III.

  • No-fault insurance required. This type of coverage is mandatory in Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota and Utah.
  • No-fault insurance optional. Kentucky, New Jersey and Pennsylvania allow drivers to choose to buy either no-fault or traditional auto insurance.

How Does No-Fault Coverage Work?

In states without no-fault coverage, typical insurance claims may be paid out as follows:

  • If you’re injured in an accident caused by another driver: The at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability coverage may help reimburse your medical expenses, up to the the policy limits.
  • If you’re injured in an accident you cause:Your medical payments coverage (if you’ve opted for it) may help reimburse your medical expenses, up to the limits you selected.

In states with no-fault coverage, if you’re injured in an accident, your personal injury protection (PIP) may help pay for associated costs:

  • Regardless of who’s at fault
  • Up to a certain threshold set by your state’s laws

What Does No-Fault Insurance Cover?

According to the III, personal injury protection (PIP) may help cover:

  • Your and your passengers’ medical bills related to a car accident
  • Expenses such as lost income, childcare and household services if your injuries prevent you from returning to work or doing necessary tasks for a period of time

Lost-wage benefits vary by state, however, and aren’t necessarily guaranteed, so it’s a good idea to read your policy or ask your agent to make sure you know what coverages your policy provides.

What’s Not Covered by No-Fault Insurance?

  • Damage to your vehicle. Collision coverage (if you’ve opted for it) may help pay to repair your car if it’s damaged in a crash with another vehicle.
  • Damage to other people’s property. If you’re responsible for a car accident that damages someone else’s car or property (such as a fence or building), your property damage liability coverage may help pay for the damages, according to the III.
  • Excess medical expenses. No-fault PIP coverage typically has limits. Medical bills or lost wages that exceed those limits won’t be reimbursed. However, Nolo.com says some no-fault insurance states offer an exception. You may be able to file personal-injury lawsuits against other drivers if they’re responsible for seriously hurting you or someone else in your car, or if your medical bills exceed a certain dollar limit.

Source: https://www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/car-insurance/no-fault-insurance-cover.aspx