Chronic Pain

Dr. Ragsdale offers an alternative and effective way to deal with chronic pain.

Acupuncture works on the nervous and vascular systems, bringing more red blood cells to injured tissue or organ systems, releasing anti-inflammatory responses, and stimulating pain modulators in the nervous system. In summary, it has tremendous success in triggering the body’s ability to respond, repair, and heal.

At 1000 Folded Cranes Acupuncture and Family Health Clinic, our approach to chronic pain leverages a ‘root-and-branch’ perspective.

Where we feel pain may be the branch, confusing as to its source. Through our years of experience, we also focus on the underlying condition that has manifested into chronic pain. This aim is designed to treat and heal the ‘root’ of the condition. This dual approach to pain management has been highly successful for our patients. As anti-inflammatories, cortisone shots, and surgery become less and less attractive for the long-term pain sufferer, our treatments allow patients to heal quickly without the side effects associated with prolonged opioid use.

Chronic pain conditions we treat include:

Sciatica

Typically affecting just one side of the body (inflammation, pain, and sometimes numbness in the affected leg), Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, starting from the lower back through the hips and buttocks, then down the back of the leg. Nerve pain can linger, particularly if it results from disc herniation or other spinal conditions. Because acupuncture is effective with inflammation and nerve stimulation, relief is possible.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia can cause severe pain involving the lower face and jaw and sometimes the area around the nose and above the eye. It is an intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain caused by irritation of the trigeminal nerve. Our treatment, involving targeted acupuncture sessions, can relieve and treat trigeminal neuralgia without the side effects of medicine. Western practice resolves to use powerful, anti-convulsant drugs that may cause dizziness, double vision, drowsiness, nausea, confusion, and depression.

Fibromyalgia, Lupus, RA, and other Auto-Immune Conditions

Fibromyalgia is a neurologic, chronic health condition that causes pain all over the body. Patients express tenderness to touch, severe fatigue, non-restorative sleep, migraines, and even digestive problems. Because Fibromyalgia is derived from the central nervous system, acupuncture has the potential to correct the body’s energy imbalance and reduce fibromyalgia symptoms and the resulting chronic pain. After just one acupuncture session, some patients noticed that their hot flashes and headaches were less severe and that their body pain was greatly reduced on a 1 to 10 scale.

Arthritis

Acupuncture naturally relieves pain and inflammation because the methodology is based on accessing specific meridians that flow through the body. These meridians are like streams that nourish and supply the body and tissues. Inflammation affects these channels like a roadblock, stopping vital energy flow and causing pain and disease. Acupuncture helps in three ways:

1. It causes the body to produce endorphins, providing natural pain reduction.

2. It blocks pain signals through the nervous system without medication.

3. It turns off pain trigger points while reactivating critical soft tissues and relaxing the body.

Carpal Tunnel

When done with therapeutic intent, acupuncture can greatly reduce carpal tunnel symptoms. Independent studies confirm that acupuncture is more effective than anti-inflammatory medications, successfully alleviating pain, inflammation, and numbness and restoring motor dexterity. Electromyography confirms the results, including improvements in sensory and nerve response.

TMJ

Acupuncture is extremely helpful in relieving inflammation, pain, and tension commonly associated with TMJ. Over time, the symptoms of TMJ, which include migraines, neck and shoulder pain, earaches, dizziness, and pain involving chewing or opening the jaw, begin to subside. For patients, acupuncture serves as one of the most effective drug-free treatments available.

Neuropathies

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves of the extremities. The sensory nerves are most affected, causing pain, tingling, and numbness. The feet or hands tend to be affected first, with progression up the limb. Treatment for peripheral neuropathy is given on both sides of the body as well as the lumbar or cervical areas. Treating the peripherals and the spine helps reduce the sensitivity of the nerves and restore normal function. The treatment results are cumulative, requiring several treatments.

Painful Menstruation

Acupuncture can greatly reduce menstrual pain and irregularity. Our specialization in women’s health has allowed our patients to express significant improvement in their period pain intensity and related symptoms, improving their overall quality of life. Only recently have medical studies revealed what we have known and practiced for years.

When done correctly, acupuncture treatment, by pinpointing the correct channels of the body for the condition, significantly reduces the intensity and duration of period pain, including bloating, headaches, and nausea. Our patients have also indicated that these improvements have lasted up to a year or more after treatment, proving that the brain and body accept and maintain the hormonal changes resulting from treatment.