Eastern Medical Center offers a number of complimentary acupuncture brochures both in the office and right here in this post, which can be downloaded and printed:

‘Your First Visit’ Acupuncture Brochure

Download: (Acupuncture brochure – Your First Visit)

It’s easy for us in California’s Bay Area to forget that acupuncture is still a mystery (or even a scary unknown) to some. But once a person understands what to expect from their first visit, things are quickly demystified and comfortable. From there, newbies often get quite excited about the benefits and possibilities of acupuncture.

Here’s an excerpt from the “Your First Visit” Acupuncture Brochure:

Initial visits generally last from 30 to 90 minutes. Your acupuncturist will take a detailed health history and a physical exam and will provide you with your unique treatment plan.

During the first exam, your acupuncturist will spend time getting to know you and your health concerns. You may be asked a wide range of questions about your symptoms, eating, exercise, sleep habits and emotional states — anything that may offer insight into your health. Once your acupuncturist has gathered enough information, you’ll receive a comprehensive diagnosis and a treatment plan that will explain:

• Your underlying imbalances
• Your timeline of care
• What types of treatment you will receive

‘Acupuncture Questions & Answers’ Brochure

(Click here to download)

What is acupuncture? What will my acupuncturist do? What is cupping? Will my insurance cover this? This “Questions & Answers” acupuncture brochure will put your mind at ease — quickly answering the most common acupuncture questions on people’s minds.

Here’s an excerpt from “Acupuncture Questions & Answers”:

How safe is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is extremely safe. It is an all-natural, drug-free therapy, yielding no side effects except for feelings of relaxation and well-being. There is little danger of infection from acupuncture needles because they are sterile, used once, and then discarded.

‘Acupuncture & Sports’ Brochure

(Click here to download)

More and more recreational to professional athletes are utilizing the benefits of acupuncture to heal faster and perform better. If there’s an athlete in your life, he or she should take five minutes to read this “Acupuncture & Sports” brochure. It could change their life — or at least get them back to the sport they love far faster.

Here’s an excerpt from “Acupuncture & Sports”:

In today’s hectic lifestyle, we often don’t allow adequate time to heal. We use painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications to dull the aches and pains and reduce inflammation. It’s a quick and easy approach, but only a temporary fix … Acupuncture can provide a competitive edge, leading to improved performance. It is also a viable therapy in the treatment of acute sprains, strains and pains. This ancient and effective form of health care can reduce swelling, improve range of motion, strengthen your body, speed recovery time and address any underlying problems that could contribute to a future injury. Acupuncture can help create a healthier, strong, faster and more agile You.

Fortunately for them, they have a whole staff of physicians and practitioners taking care of them and keeping them in peak performing condition — including acupuncturists.

Acupuncture, acupressure and cupping already have a long history of helping Olympic athletes reach the best possible conditioning pre-Olympics and pre-event, as well as helping them recover faster and feel better following rugged competition.

As described in the AP article, Athletes in Nagano Using Acupuncture to Cure Their Ills, Canadian speedskater Kevin Overland used acupuncture to recover from an injured hip and went home with a bronze medal. Hockey superstar Jaromir Jagr was able to overcome chronic groin injuries in time to represent the Czech Republic in Japan. The list goes on and on.

Athletes utilizing acupuncture recover from soreness and fatigue faster, feel stronger, are less emotionally stressed and feel more balanced, just to name a few benefits. Focus and balance (both energetically and physically) are as important and physical performance in so many Olympic sports.

Acupuncture & The Beijing Olympic Games

Chinese Olympic swimmer Wang Qun warms up for a race following a cupping treatment.

Acupuncture was highlighted prominently during NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. That was in part because of how totally integrated sports medicine and acupuncture are for that host nation and in part because acupuncture was offered free to athletes and officials in the Olympic Village throughout the Games.

NBC’s Olympic coverage that summer also featured the well-documented story of New York Times reporter James Reston, who in 1971 was in China for President Nixon’s famous trip and while there needed an emergency appendectomy. For his post-operative pain he received acupuncture rather than intense painkillers, which was a revelation for Reston in its approach and effectiveness. Once Reston returned to the States, he wrote in The Times about his experiences, and that reporting became one of the primary gateways for acupuncture into Western society.

Now the presence of acupuncture is being felt across Canada as part of host Vancouver’s Winter Games. Photos are popping up on Flickr and articles are being written for local and national publications with athletes raving about the benefits of acupuncture treatments. Let’s hope that “The True North Strong and Free” is feeling the positive effects of acupuncture long after the Games leave.

After one acupuncture treatment, the pain was gone he could walk normally again. He was at first in disbelief, and he probably was wishing he had come in sooner, knowing two years were lost to this injury. He wouldn’t have even come in at all if not for the urging of his wife to try something different in order to get a better result. But at least he came in when he did, still with years left to on some level enjoy playing the sport he loved.

This isn’t an isolated story; it happens here all the time.

Most professional athletes are now aware of the benefits of acupuncture and most pro teams either have an acupuncturist on staff or on a short call list for both new and repetitive injuries. But many recreational athletes—especially men—just don’t think to try acupuncture to recover faster (or recover at all) from sports-related injuries.

Maybe it’s a cultural thing, or maybe they’ve never had an opportunity to learn and understand what acupuncture and acupressure are all about. Whatever the case, too many athletes are in unnecessary pain and paying far more for other care that isn’t working.

What I would wish is for the club soccer players, the recreational football players, the pickup-game baseball guys and gals, the golf enthusiasts and even the ultimate Frisbee stars to THINK to come in for acupuncture RIGHT AFTER they suffer an injury or notice something “nagging.”

The sooner they get in, the faster they’ll heal. And often, all it takes is a single session—especially when caught early. So, we’re calling all sprained toes, sore shoulders, kinked necks, wrenched backs, damaged knees, “tennis elbows” and “dead” arms!

If you hurt it on the field, court, diamond, ice, slopes or track … make acupuncture your first resort instead of the last. And if you’ve already had a positive acupuncture experience, please spread the word. We want more play and less pain among our athletic friends in the Bay Area.