by Teresa Buechel, L.Ac., Ma.OM.
I’ve worked with numerous patients over the years for all different kinds of ailments. My work history in office management in alternative medical clinics (naturopathic and chiropractic) led me to Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) School in 2004.
TCM is a complete medical system that originated in China. It has successfully treated billions of people for thousands of years. I love that the medicine has the potential to help just about any condition. I don’t mean to say that it cures everything, but just about any condition can be helped with TCM.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine are the methods I utilize the most to help patients. I’ll share a few of these experiences I have seen in patients over the years.
As a Chinese Medical student, we were required to have multiple internships. One of my internships was at a facility for patients with brain and spinal cord injuries.
Many of these patients had suffered strokes. Acupuncture was offered to them, and if they choose to participate, received weekly acupuncture treatments. At the end of the internship, there was a clear correlation with the patients who choose to receive acupuncture, and their progress. Those who didn’t, generally didn’t recover as quickly, despite having other therapies.
“Bill” was a gentleman in his 70’s who was struggling with digestive issues. This was complicated by his ALS diagnosis. ALS is sometimes called Lou Gehrig's Disease, after the famous baseball player who had the condition. It is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine. ALS affects the control of the muscles that are needed for every function the body performs: moving, speaking, eating, and even breathing. Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for this debilitating condition. Bill was having digestive issues, like bloating and gas, making him uncomfortable. Acupuncture helped ease his discomfort, and his appetite improved as a result. This led to increased energy, despite his muscle deterioration.
“Kim” was in her 50’s when she came in with intense back pain, caused by a herniated disc. She had surgery scheduled in a month. I saw her twice weekly for the next 4 weeks. Her back pain decreased so much that she cancelled her scheduled surgery. I felt confident that acupuncture would help her pain levels decrease, but was pleasantly surprised when her doctor told her it wasn’t ethical to do surgery when her pain was so much better!
These are just a few examples of patient cases that were positively influenced by Chinese Medicine. There are many, many more!
Some patients come in only while they’re struggling with their main health complaint. Others continue to come in for treatments, because they like the way acupuncture makes them feel, which is relaxed, happy and calm.
This is a result of the endorphin release from
the brain, similar to the “runner's high”
athletes experience.
Keep in mind that TCM can help just about any condition! It has shown to be helpful for allergies, hormonal issues (PMS and menopausal symptoms, for example), stress, including PTSD, and side effects from traditional cancer treatments.
Teresa can be reached at 928-214-2557 or by email, click here.