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 Q:  Is acupuncture covered by Alberta Health Care?
A:  No.But many insurance companies , WCB,MVA，blue cross and other organizations can covered acupuncture. Many patient come to see me first use the coverage,later pay themselves for several times because they find it effective and affordable,such as chronic pain,obesity and mental problems.

The treatment fee for acupuncture is about 40-70 dollars every time. Herbal,lifestyle and diet consultation is cheaper than acupuncture.

WHAT CAN ACUPUNCTURE DO TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
Roughly thirty-one percent of Americans, that's about sixty-five million, are considered to be obese. In terms of the scientific/health standards obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of thirty percent higher. To calculate you BMI take your weight in pounds, multiply it by 703, then divide it twice by your height in inches. A healthy or average BMI falls in the range of 20-24%, anything below that is considered underweight, and anything about is regarded as overweight. With the exception of professional athletes, weightlifters, and those who generally are heavier due to a surplus of body fat stored in the body.；

When it comess to understanding inner alchemy, Traditional Chinese Medicince and Acupuncture offer insight and practices that just aren't found in workout tapes and diet pills. Obesity has no singular cause. Genetic, age, lifestyle, constitution, emotion,diet ,medications,endocrine problem such as diabetes,menopause,hypothyroidism,etc are all factors tht contribute to the likihood of obesity.


Acupuncture can help normalize the system, and aid weight loss when accompanied by proper diet and exercise through the following functions：
1． Increase metabolic rate：
Acupuncture can enhanced the function of both the SNS system and the HPA axis；
2. Acupuncture regulate satiety center and feeding center in our brain； Suppression of appetite and cravings for certain food such as sugar，etc；
3.Decreased psychological symptoms such as irritability，depression；
4.Balance of autonomic system (has a positive effect on psychological and physiological state) ：
we are an electrical being. Without electricity your body would die. The heart and brain are driven by electricity. Acupuncture balances the electrical forces and allows the body and all its organs to function properly.
5.Support of detoxification process during the fat burning state (most toxic substances are deposited in the fat tissue)

Q: I have pain from lumbar area down to the bottom of my leg , I do not know what is wrong with me?Is acupuncture help?
A: It is sciatica. Sciatica is pain, tingling, or numbness produced by an irritation of the nerve roots that lead to the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is formed by the nerve roots coming out of the spinal cord into the lower back. Branches of the sciatic nerve extend through the buttocks and down the back of each leg to the ankle and foot.
Spinal Nerve Root Pain (Radiculopathy) can arise when nerves become pinched or trapped within the bony spinal canal or vertebral column:-
C4 to T1 nerves in the neck cause Brachialgia in the shoulder and arm.
L1 to S1 nerves in the low back cause Sciatica in the buttock and leg.
T2 to T12 nerves in the thoracic spine (mid / upper back) cause referred pain in the chest and abdomen.

What causes sciatica?
The most common causes of sciatica is a bulging or ruptured disc (herniated disc) in the spine pressing against the nerve roots that lead to the sciatic nerve. But sciatica also can be a symptom of other conditions that affect the spine, such as narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis), bone spurs (small, bony growths that form along joints) caused by arthritis, or nerve root compression (pinched nerve) caused by injury. In rare cases, sciatica can also be caused by conditions that do not involve the spine, such as tumors or pregnancy. You can find exact cause chart as follows:
The causes of the irritation are:-
Within the spine
Annular Tear (small disc tear)
Disc Prolapse (herniation)
Spinal Stenosis (narrowing of the internal diameter of the spinal canal)
Foraminal Stenosis (narrowing of the spinal nerve exit holes)
Spondylolisthesis (spinal slip most often seen in the lumbar spine)
Epidural Adhesions (following spinal surgery, and infections like epidural abscesses and discitis)
Syringomyelia (fluid filled cavity in the spinal cord most commonly found in the neck)
Spinal Tumours (rarely Primary tumours of the spine, more commonly secondary cancer spread to the spine)

Outside the spine
Piriformis Syndrome (Sciatic nerve compression caused by piriformis muscle spasm in the buttock)
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (Cervical nerve compression by a cervical rib / scalene muscle spasm in the neck)
Medial superior cluneal nerve entrapment in its fibro-osseous canal medial to the iliac crest.
Superior gluteal nerve injury caused by a fall or damage after hip surgery causes pain and tingling in the buttock and outer hip.
Pelvic tumours (Bladder / Rectum / Cervix / Uterus / Ovary)
Retroperitoneal tumour (rare)
Iliopsoas muscle abscess / tumour (rare)

Non-Nerve Root Pain
Local Pain
Somatic pain arising from joints, muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments in the arm and leg which can be mis-diagnosed as sciatica or brachialgia.

Referred Pain from structures other than discs/nerves.
Spinal Paravertebral Muscles, Facet Joints, Spinal Ligaments, Shoulder and Hip Muscles, Sacroiliac Joint.
The pain is often associated with a vague deep ache in the limb, sometimes mild tingling, but rarely numbness or weakness. It occurs because the affected structure shares the same nerve supply as the part of the limb.

Treatment
Look at the table below and the menu above for appropriate treatment links for different types of nerve root pain in the pain clinic. Try Analgesia Flow Chart for analgesia advice.
Pain Diagnosis Treatments Links:

Nerve Root Pain
Acute Sciatica or Brachialgia: Exercises, Manipulation, Epidural Injections, Nerve Root Blocks, Surgery
Chronic Sciatica or Brachialgia: :Exercises, Manipulation, Epidural Injections, Nerve Root Blocks, Surgery, IDET, Epiduroscopy, Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal Stenosis :Exercises, Manipulation, Epidural Injections, Surgery
Foraminal Stenosis: Exercises, Manipulation, Epidural Injections, Nerve Root Blocks, Surgery
Spondylolisthesis: Exercises, Epidural Injections, Prolotherapy, Nerve Root Blocks, Facet Joint Injections, Surgery
Piriformis Syndrome: Acupuncture, TENS, Exercises, Trigger Point Injections
Failed Back Surgery :Acupuncture, TENS, Exercises, Manipulation, Facet Joint Injections, Prolotherapy, Epidural Injections, Nerve Root Blocks, Epiduroscopy, IDET, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Intrathecal Morphine Pump

Non-Nerve Root Pain:
Spinal Muscle Spasm :Acupuncture, TENS, Exercises, Manipulation, Trigger Point Injections, Facet Joint Injections
Facet Joint Syndrome: Acupuncture, TENS, Exercises, Manipulation, Facet Joint Injections
Spinal Ligaments: Acupuncture, TENS, Exercises, Prolotherapy
Shoulder and Hip Muscles :Acupuncture, TENS, Exercises, Trigger Point Injections
Sacroiliac Joint :Acupuncture, TENS, Prolotherapy, SIJ Injections ;

I suggest you to make an accurate diagnosis first and then consult some therapists, you need to be very careful to choose surgery because it is high of risk and it is the last choice.Before it, you need to try many conservative therapy first. Chiropractor often do the manipulation for the patient, the physiotherapist often do the TENS and other physical therapy, Registered Acupuncturist often do the Acupuncture,acupressure and herb.So there are many method .Some cases need to combine several therapist together.

A: In my experience ,first, it is a must to diagnose that it is lower motor neuron lesion or upper motor neuron lesion(UMN). although the most common cause of facial paralysis is Bell's palsy,we need to rule out other causative factors for facial paralysis including those that affect the central nervous system such as cerebrovascular accidents (stroke) and intracranial tumours. This can be determined through my physical exam and brain CT or MRI.

Bell's palsy is an idiopathic "viral" attack on the facial nerve occurring in approximately 11 persons out of 10,000. The virus most commonly associated with Bell's palsy is the Herpes Simplex-1 Virus (known as HS1)。

Symptoms including, but not limited to:
Lack of wrinkling on forehead of paralyzed side
• Inability to close eye> Tearing or dry eye, Abnormal blink
• Frozen nasalis muscle in area of nostrils
• Buccinator paralysis (food caught in cheek of paralyzed side), inability to "puff" one's cheeks
• Inability to whistle or pucker lips
• Drooling of liquids from corner of paralyzed muscle.
• Weakened facial musculature
• Asymmetrical Smile,
skynesis
• Hyperacussis (perceiving sounds as unduly loud) : a suggestive of a lesion proximal to the middle ear, affecting the nerve to the stapedius.
• Excessive perspiration
• Change in taste : anterior two-thirds of the tongue.cranial nerve VIII lesion proximal to the middle ear will cause loss of taste.
Changes in speech
• Tightness / swelling of facial muscle
• Facial pain
• Acoustic pain

Treatment therapies involve the use of acyclovir or Valtrex (an anti-viral drug for targeting the herpes viruses), prednisone (which blocks immune function to prevent inflammation of the affected nerve and surrounding tissue), and corticosteroids (for reducing inflammation around the nerve and any pain associated with the inflammation). The prognosis for Bell's palsy ranges from complete recovery within a few weeks (85% of patients) to chronic symptoms of facial paralysis (15% of patients)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this condition is due to pathogenic wind-cold attacking the Shaoyang (Liver, Gall Bladder) and Yangming (Stomach, Large Intestine) channels as well as the tendons and muscles. This can occur when a patient is exposed to wind (e.g.sleeping near an open window, driving with the windows down, going on a boat when the winds are strong) and is more common in the spring and autumn months. Often people with Bell's palsy have a deficient immune system (possibly due to genetics, unresolved or chronic illness, improper diet, rest, exposure to toxic chemicals or drugs, or undue physical and emotional stress). As a result, they are more vulnerable to outside sources such as further exposure to physical and emotional stress factors or viral and bacterial pathogens. The exposure to the external source causes the immune system to produce an inflammatory response in the affected region resulting in swelling of the surrounding tissues. This swelling can then obstruct the normal function of the nerves and vessels (ie. the facial nerve). As a result, there is an obstruction of qi (vital energy) and blood in these areas that leads to malnourishment of the tendons and muscles and thus a propensity for the facial muscles to become lax or paralyzed. The lack of nourishment to the local area can therefore cause symptoms of numbness and tingling, which are common signs of qi and/or blood deficiency in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Acupuncture can help to move the blood circulation and energy to the affected site to help restore function, strengthen the muscle strength and also has immune enhancing effects, it is really good in the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis for a faster and complete recovery.

Is acupuncture effective for lumbar pain?

At first ,I need to make an accurate diagnosis according to the symptom, physical exam of spine and x-ray, CT scan or MRI;lumbar pain are often caused by lumbar Sprain and contusion,Lumbar strain,The third lumbar transverse process syndrome,Sciatica,Herniation of lumbar intervertebral disc;Spinal Stenosis, Sacroiliac Joint problems, etc;

Acupuncture can stop pain by helping the body releases endorphins and opioids, the body’s natural painkillers, and immune system cells as well as neurotransmitters and eurohormones in the brain.

Acupuncture can remove the obstruction to the flow of Chi ,improve the blood supply, relieve spasm, relieving inflammation and stop pain so as to solve the problem as mentioned above.I met lots of cases of lumbar pain , some have acute lumbar sprain, they only need 1-3 times of acupuncture treatment;some have severe chronic lumbar pain because of herniation of lumbar intervertebral disc, some even the prolapse of disc, they choose conservative treatments such as acupuncture combined with physiotherapy ,after 1-6months , their symptom greatly improved. You will be astonished about how the acupuncture help the body to deal with the problem and the body eventually find a pathway in the spinal column although it is some blocked by the herniated disc or not enough space due to Spinal Stenosis;