Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) causes several debilitating symptoms that make daily life difficult. Victims of TBI can experience symptoms ranging from migraines to a loss of balance. This can make everyday tasks, like driving and walking, difficult, if not impossible.

Read on if you want to learn more about TBI and how acupuncture might be the treatment you've been seeking!

What is TBI and How Does it Impact Your Life? 

TBI stands for Traumatic Brain Injury. TBI is usually caused by a severe shock to the skull resulting from a physical strike to the crown or body. Usually, TBI develops after a large or heavy object hits the head, but other physical ailments can cause it.

For example, TBi can develop after a car accident even if you didn't receive any direct strikes to the head. If your body is badly shaken during the crash, it can cause brain damage if the brain is shaken inside the skull.

TBI can also result from something passing through the brain, like a bullet. These injuries can cause a variety of physical and emotional symptoms, including the following:

• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Difficulty speaking
• Trouble focusing
• Issues with balance
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Passing out/fainting
• Light sensitivity
• Extreme fatigue
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Emotional ups and downs

These symptoms aren't unique to TBI, but when coupled with a recent injury, they can indicate a lingering issue. Symptoms of this nature can disrupt your everyday life and result in more severe problems. Treatment is essential, and if you suspect you might have seriously injured your brain or skull, seek medical attention immediately.

What Are the Common Treatments for TBI?

Treatment for TBI varies depending on the injury's cause and severity. Severe damage to the skull and brain can be deadly and does not have a cure. Although, most injuries can be treated and possibly healed if addressed promptly.

Most mainstream treatments consist of a combination of medication and rest. Minor abrasions aren't severe and can usually be treated with rest and by avoiding strenuous activity. Painful headaches are common side effects of mild TBI and are typically treated with painkillers like ibuprofen.

However, severe TBI needs to be stabilized by medical professionals before starting any therapy. Many severe TBI cases are life-threatening or can cause prolonged issues when left untreated. After stabilizing the injury, medical professionals will provide you with rehabilitation and medication.

While these treatments are usually effective at addressing specific symptoms, they fall short of providing full healing. Often symptoms will persist for years after the injury, which is where alternative treatments can help.

Are There Any Alternative Treatments for TBI?

There are many ways to address, treat, and improve your well-being after a traumatic brain injury. Mainstream treatments are essential to healing but don't offer complete recovery. Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can help your mind recover and heal after a severe injury.

Acupuncture stimulates blood flow and encourages the body to release hormones that help relieve pain. Blood stimulation helps promote the connectivity of the brain. Many people suffer slowed response times and memory loss due to brain injuries or low blood oxygen levels.

Acupuncture has been shown in several clinical trials to improve cognitive abilities. Even patients suffering from degenerative brain diseases like dementia experienced significant improvements. This is because acupuncture treats the symptoms and aids the body in repairing physical damage.

However, acupuncture also lowers stress and anxiety. While this might seem unrelated, it's an integral part of the healing process. While acupuncture alone can't heal head injuries, it can help patients regain lost mobility, recover from memory loss, and improve eyesight. Patients often experience a quicker recovery time than those who only use standard medical treatments.

How Acupuncture and TCM Can Help You Recover From TBI

Traumatic Brain Injury and concussion can be debilitating experiences. Since your brain regulates almost every aspect of your body, including mood, hormone production, and balance, damage to the brain can impact every aspect of life.

Don't fret, though! Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture can help you start the recovery journey. While not a cure for brain damage, acupuncture can help you regain control of your life and well-being!

Fast Relief Acupuncture offers services to treat all manner of symptoms for TBI, including migraines and eye sensitivity! Contact John, and he can help you regain well-being and stability!

The brain is a vital organ. It regulates mood, balances emotions, and originates thoughts and ideas. However, the brain is also a very soft organ.

Even though the skull does act as a form of protection, it's not invincible. When the head experiences trauma, it can crack the bone, rattle the brain, and upset the neurons. While skull fractures are dangerous, trauma to the brain is the most severe issue.

Keep reading to learn how acupuncture can help you heal from a past or recent brain injury and find focus and balance.

What is a Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury? 

Concussions are a type of severe brain injury or traumatic brain damage. Most concussions occur because of a sports accident or other physical trauma to the skull or brain. Car accidents are a common cause of concussions as well as work-related injuries.

Football players are especially susceptible to concussions caused by constant reinjury of sensitive skull areas. The continual smashing of the skull on the heads and bodies of fellow players causes many micro-injuries in the skull, which can develop into severe damage after continuous impact.

People involved in car or mechanical accidents are also more likely to experience a concussion. Workers who use heavy automatic machinery must undergo special training because this equipment can cause severe brain and bodily injury if misused.

Concussions are challenging to diagnose because no blood test or brain scan can locate the damage. Most doctors use symptoms and behavioral intricacies to diagnose concussions.

Some signs of a concussion include:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Balance issues
• Vision issues
• Seeing blotches of light
• Dearness in one or both ears
• Trouble focusing or understanding speech
• Difficulty writing
• Fluid escaping the ears or nose

Doctors check for these symptoms after patients experience a traumatic injury to determine if someone has a concussion. If these symptoms persist, you may have a chronic trauma that continues for years.

Can Acupuncture Help Heal A Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Acupuncture has been shown to alleviate several of the symptoms of concussion. While it can't reverse the damage to the brain, it can help improve memory, decrease inflammation, and help alleviate pain. Since the symptoms of concussion are multifaceted, acupuncture is a powerful treatment.

It can help prevent many of the uncomfortable and irritating conditions of concussions and help people regain their abilities. If you suffer from memory loss, painful headaches, and vision impairments, acupuncture can help alleviate your condition.

Acupuncture is a form of invasive therapy. Invasive means this therapy utilizes thin needles to break the skin and stimulate the flow of Chi energy in the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Chi energy can get blocked in the body, causing the organs and various parts to break down or operate slower.

Can Brain Damage From a Concussion Be Reversed?

While the physical damage to the brain and skull cannot be reversed, symptoms can be alleviated. Whether you're suffering from memory loss, painful headaches, or vision and hearing loss, there are ways to improve these conditions.

With the proper care and treatment, many concussions sufferers can regain their previous abilities.

Heal Your Brain Today With Acupuncture and TCM

Chinese and other Asian cultures have used acupuncture and TCM for thousands of years. The therapy was demonstrated as an effective treatment for various conditions in several clinical trials. These conditions include many of the symptoms of concussions, like memory issues (both short and long-term), headaches, vision impairments, and inflammation.

If you or a person you know experienced an accident that damaged their brain recently or in the past, don't worry! Acupuncture can help you return to your previous state of well-being and balance. But to feel well again, you must get the best care. John at Fast Relief Acupuncture is fully licensed with years of experience. Contact John, and he can help you on the road to recovery!

Everyone ages. It's one of the main certainties of life, but it doesn't have to be a hardship. Properly caring for our bodies as we age can help prevent decay and the slowing of our system functions.

Many of us know that we must work out and eat properly to keep our bodies healthy, but we often overlook our minds. Brain health is one of the most essential parts of our body's well-being, which can suffer as we age.

This article will discuss the signs of cognitive decline and how acupuncture can help address the many causes and symptoms.

What is Brain Health?

The brain is still less understood than other aspects of our bodies. Unlike the heart, liver, kidney, and other organs, it's hard to identify what the brain does and how it accomplishes its many tasks. In some ancient cultures (such as ancient Egypt), embalmers did not include the brain in burial rites and were removed unceremoniously from the body.

However, these ancestors were entirely wrong in this assumption. Our brains still aren't well understood, but we know they regulate our behavior and are the source of our many thoughts and ideas. They help us navigate the world safely and are hardwired to protect us from the many things that can kill us.

Although experts still need to establish how the brain works and what makes a healthy brain. The general definition consists of the following signs of a fully functioning brain:

• Focus
• Clarity
• Positive sleep patterns
• Balanced emotions
• Keen memory
• Quick reflexes

Not every person is the same, and just because you're not as sharp or quick as others doesn't mean your brain's unhealthy. However, it could mean you have underlying stress factors or an emotional imbalance impacting your cognitive abilities.

The brain's not an independent entity floating around in your skull. It's an interactive organ that your emotional state can influence. If your hormonal levels are unbalanced or you're dealing with stress, it can give you brain fog and issues focusing. However, your brain can also slow down as you age, which we'll discuss in detail below.

How Can Age Impact Brain Health?

As we age, our organs start to slow down and lose their capability, and our brains are not excluded from this issue. While the causes of our brain's decreased capabilities are multifaceted, heart health and blood pressure are important factors. Brains need a steady supply of blood flow to work optimally.

If you suffer from a heart condition, blood pressure issues, or low oxygen in your blood, it can impede brain function. If anything restricts the blood supply to the brain, it can cause the brain to slow down and lose its cognitive abilities. Since many people's hearts lose potency as they age, so does the brain.

However, other triggers can also cause you to lose brain power as you age. These include stress, poor diet, improper sleep patterns, and injury. As you age, your body receives more damage, which can decrease its ability to function and work. These factors combined can make people seem slower and less cognitively aware as they age.

Signs of cognitive decline as you age include:

• Decreased reaction time
• Slowed reflexes
• Continence issues
• Depression
• Memory loss

How Do You Combat Symptoms of Cognitive Decline?

There are several ways to slow, prevent, and reverse cognitive decline as you age. While the precise method varies depending on your condition, most of the treatments we'll discuss will help regardless of the ailment. While conventional medicine can help, adding acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine can help further alleviate your symptoms. Acupuncture is a treatment where a trained practitioner inserts thin needles into the skin at specific points. These points are known as meridians, vital energy storage and distribution centers. By inserting acupuncture needles into these spots, the therapist can balance and stimulate the flow of Chi (Qi) energy.

Chi is an essential source of vitality and power in traditional Chinese medicine. When the energy is blocked or flowing improperly, it can impact the rest of the mind and body. Medical research verifies many of the therapeutic and health benefits of acupuncture. Acupuncture doesn't just relieve pain and decrease inflammation, but it also helps improve blood flow. This aspect of acupuncture can significantly increase cognitive abilities and slow the effects of aging.

When combined with other therapy, such as meditation and herbal medicine, acupuncture can alleviate many symptoms of cognitive decline.

How Acupuncture Can Help Improve Your Brain Function As You Age

Acupuncture can significantly improve well-being and helps keep people sharp and active as they age. Stimulating Chi's energy and improving blood flow helps prevent cognitive decay and keeps people engaged and alert. However, acupuncture also helps lower stress and improve sleep patterns, greatly enhancing brain power and focus.

Adding acupuncture to your treatment can help you reclaim your brain and feel present in the moment. Although, not all therapists are the same, and you don't want a mediocre acupuncturist treating you.

Here at Fast Relief Acupuncture, John is fully trained with years of experience treating patients. You can trust that you'll receive the very best treatment. Contact John today to start your healing journey.

As we age, we start experiencing bodily and emotional shifts in our bodies. Our energy levels drop, we lose interest in things we once loved, and we have difficulty recalling simple memories.

We often feel embarrassed whenever we experience these glitches in our cognitive performance. And for many people, these mental struggles can impede our ability to function and may manifest as Alzheimer's and dementia.

The good news is, Acupuncture has been shown in several clinical trials to improve memory and cognitive function. If you're tired of forgetting the obvious and struggling to make it through the day, keep reading to learn how Acupuncture can help and where to get the best service!

What Causes Memory Loss and Cognitive Decline?

Memory loss and cognitive decline can be connected to age, infection, or a side effect of medication. Some cognitive impairments can be reversed or cured, while others, like Alzheimer's disease, can't be cured. Some treatments can stall or slow the progression of dementia and Alzheimer's, significantly improving your well-being.

Diagnosing memory loss and cognitive decline can be tricky since many factors can impact and impair memory. However, some of the most common causes of memory loss and cognitive impairment include the following:

• Age
• Physical ailments
• Head injuries
• Infections
• Poor diet
• Drug abuse/alcohol abuse
• Medications
• Poor sleep quality

Memory is a complex part of our minds. Unlike when you have a broken bone, with a clear and defined cause and solution, memory is more complex and can have multiple causes. Anything that causes stress, anxiety, hormonal changes, or other chemical imbalances in the body can impact your brain's performance.

Therefore, treatments range widely depending on whether the cause is hormonal, physical, or an underlying disease. However, regardless of the reason, treating stress and inflation in the body helps improve cognitive performance. This is where treatments such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture have been shown to improve the mind's performance

Can Acupuncture Help With Memory Loss and Cognitive Decline?

Acupuncture can help address the underlying cause of several symptoms of memory loss and cognitive decline. Acupuncture helps stimulate blood flow, which can help alleviate cognitive issues by improving blood and oxygen to the brain. It also helps relieve stress and anxiety, which can impede the mind's ability to work and recollect events properly.

Acupuncture can help improve cognitive impairment by improving oxygen flow to the brain. Many studies indicate that low blood oxygen levels can seriously impact your brain's ability to work correctly.

As we age, our bodies lose their ability to function. This decline is connected to many factors, but one of the leading causes is a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream. Lack of oxygen can cause decreased bodily function, including the brain.

Acupuncture increases the flow of Chi (Qi) energy in the body. Increasing the body's energy flow helps improve the body's ability to move oxygen. The movement of oxygen enhances the mind's cognitive abilities and can help alleviate symptoms of cognitive decline and memory loss.

Acupuncture also helps alleviate stress and anxiety, which can help balance your body's hormonal levels. By lowering your stress levels and balancing your hormones, your brain can operate at its full potential more efficiently and with fewer limitations.

Can You Reverse Cognitive Decline?

You can reverse specific causes of cognitive decline, although there's no cure for Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Depending on the cause of your memory and cognitive issues, you may find that Acupuncture and TCM alleviate or reverse the symptoms. Even if your condition is irreversible, Acupuncture and TCM can improve your brain's performance and keep you active for longer.

Improve Cognitive Decline and Memory with the Best Acupuncture Service

Acupuncture is a potent tool for reversing many underlying causes of cognitive decline and memory loss. By alleviating stress and balancing your hormones, Acupuncture helps keep your body and brain working at their peak performance despite age and lifestyle changes.

When the condition is irreversible, Acupuncture can still improve your well-being. Acupuncture can alleviate and lessen the side effects of Alzheimer's and dementia and let you live a better life.

Fast Relief Acupuncture offers the best service to help improve your cognitive function and well-being. John is a trained acupuncturist who is fully trained and licensed and can help keep your brain and body active and healthy. Contact John today and start being well!

What Causes Fatigue?

Stress factors, strenuous activities, or other intense physical or emotional burdens usually cause fatigue. Carrying emotional, mental, or physical weights around with you can cause distress and pain in the body. Stress and anxiety can cause you to feel exhausted early in the day, disrupt your sleep, and manifest physically in your body.

Stress is one of the leading causes of fatigue and other health issues. Your body releases the hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol is helpful in a survival situation, but it's not useful for everyday life.

Cortisol helps people escape, overcome, or give the body strength to achieve a goal. However, you shouldn't live in constant fear or anxiety. Extended periods of stress can cause several issues, including the following:

• Weight gain
• Poor eating habits
• Decreased lifespan
• Digestive issues
• Decreased sex drive
• Loss of metabolism
• Depression
• Anxiety

If you are starting to exhibit symptoms of chronic stress, you should treat it as soon as possible. Sometimes stress is caused by poor lifestyle choices, such as heavy drinking, lack of exercise, etc. However, chronic stress can be caused by a bad work or living environment, and finding ways to address and relieve this stress is crucial.

Stress and poor lifestyle conditions can cause you to feel fatigued. It's not the only cause, though. Fortunately, acupuncture is an effective treatment for fatigue's underlying causes and symptoms. We'll discuss this in more detail below!

How Can Acupuncture Improve Energy Levels?

Acupuncture can help relieve stress and heal the underlying symptoms of fatigue. It encourages healing and relaxation and removes pressure from the body. Additionally, it helps the body release endorphins, which helps promote rest and makes you feel better in general.

Relieve Stress

Acupuncture is an effective tool for decreasing stress and stress hormones. Several studies indicate that acupuncture can lower heart rates even under stressful conditions. Acupuncture encourages the brain to release endorphins, which counteract the body's stress hormones. This can help your body become more relaxed and rest more completely.

Stimulate Blood Flow

Blood flow is essential for moving vitamins and minerals in the body. It also carries oxygen to and from the heart, which is vital for everyday functions. If you feel fatigued after working out or performing basic activities (walking, lifting items, etc.), acupuncture can help. Acupuncture moves the energy in your body and helps it flow more freely. Improving blood flow and stimulating energy flow will help you overcome your feelings of fatigue after activities.

Sleep Better

Endorphins help people get better quality of sleep. Acupuncture helps the body release these hormones and thus leads to a better night's sleep. However, acupuncture also encourages you to relax and improves your overall mood. This makes the body and mind less stressed and provides a healthier circadian rhythm.

Start Feeling More Energized Today!

Acupuncture can help you to overcome fatigue and gain your old energy back. It promotes the free flow of energy throughout the body and prevents the release of stress, causing Cortisol.

If you hope to regain some of your strength and energy, don't wait! Fast Relief Acupuncture can help you feel more energized. Contact us today to get your old energy back!

Menopause causes several discomforting and disruptive feelings for aging women. Not only do they suffer from irregular periods, but also headaches, mood swings, and hot flashes. These hot flashes cause women to wake up at night, feel irritable and disrupt daily activities.

You're in the right place if you're tired of feeling sluggish, weighed down, and irritable from these hot flashes. We'll help you understand what causes hot flashes and how acupuncture can help you feel well again!

What Causes Hot Flashes During Menopause?

Most hot flashes occur in women over 40 who have recently undergone hormonal changes. As a woman's reproductive system starts to change, her body's serotonin and estrogen levels become very imbalanced. This can cause the hypothalamus to struggle to regulate the body's temperatures, causing hot flashes.

When a girl's body goes through puberty, it increases estrogen production. This allows a girl's body to start her menstrual cycle and become fertile. However, after hitting 40 years, the female body starts to change. On average, a woman's body is only fertile for about 40-45 years. Just like the body prepares for fertility during puberty, it shifts hormonal production during menopause. As the body changes its fertility levels, it can cause some very uncomfortable symptoms.

How Can Acupuncture Treat Symptoms of Menopause?

Acupuncture can help rebalance the body's hormonal levels and improve your mood. This is achieved by increasing the body's endorphins and lowering stress hormones. It also helps improve mood and prevent feelings of anxiety.

Some of the most common symptoms caused by menopause include the following:

• Excessive sweat
• Chills
• Feeling very hot
• High blood pressure
• Anxiety
• Poor sleep

By stimulating the body's pressure points, acupuncture helps the body heal and overcome blockages. When these points are unblocked, it helps your body's systems work and function optimally.

Opening these systems will prevent your body from feeling sluggish. It will also release your body's natural pain-relieving hormone, endorphins. These endorphins improve your mood and give you a more balanced and optimistic outlook. These hormones help counteract the wild flow of emotions you feel while experiencing menopause. It will also help balance your hypothalamus and thus prevent hot and cold flashes. This will help you feel less stressed, lower anxiety, and sleep better.

Balancing Hormones With Acupuncture Therapy

One of the hardest parts of going through hot flashes is aging. No one likes to get older, and many of us assume that when we hit menopause that it's just downhill from here. That's not the cause, though!

According to traditional Chinese medicine, menopause is just another cycle of life. And treatments like acupuncture can help you get through the cycle with grace and strength. If you're tired of feeling irritable and constantly switching from hot to cold, we can help! Contact our staff at Fast Relief Acupuncture to start feeling well again today!