Scottsdale Acupuncture

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of medical problems. Dr. Ritchie has worked with hundreds of patients, tailoring his approach to each individual case. The following cases are just a few examples of the healing potential of TCM.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)

Fibromyalgia syndrome, (FMS)

Back pain with nerve damage

Asthma and chronic fatigue syndrome

Shoulder pain, prostate problems and high blood pressure

Side effects of radiation therapy for prostate cancer

Grief and Stress

Hearing impairment and asthma

Osteoporosis

Acute knee strain

Carpal tunnel syndrome, (CTS).

A young, athletic mother presented with severe CTS. Her CTS started about seven years earlier during her first pregnancy and had progressed rapidly following her second pregnancy. Upon arrival for her first appointment she reported minimal benefit from physical therapy and Western medications.

The pain and numbness which originally was limited to her hands had now progressed to above her elbows bilaterally. She was unable to sleep without wearing her wrist splints and almost any activity could exacerbate her condition. She was told surgery was her only remaining option, which she was reluctant to undergo.

In addition to the CTS she also had chronic allergic rhinitis, fatigue, PMS and what her endocrinologist felt was a hypothyroid problem.

The patient received acupuncture treatments twice a week for a total of six treatments. Beginning with the second and third treatment the patient noted a decrease in the pain and numbness in both arms. By the end of the third week she was able to sleep without her splints and remain symptom free. The only other intervention at this time was nutritional education regarding the cause and perpetuation of her CTS.

Acupuncture treatments improved her other problems as well, even though they were not the primary focus for her visits. Her PMS symptoms decreased in severity and frequency, her fatigue was gone and her allergic rhinitis symptoms improved noticeably. Acupuncture treatments were quickly decreased in frequency to once a month. Chinese herbal formulas were also started to further balance and strengthen her immune system.

A year after starting acupuncture treatments she remained essentially free of her CTS symptoms.

Fibromyalgia syndrome, (FMS).

This petite, elderly woman suffered with severe, chronic FMS for more than forty years. She had seen many doctors and had been given multiple different diagnoses and treatments before they finally determined she had FMS. At that time she was given analgesics, anti-inflammatories and physical therapy. Over the years her condition worsened steadily. Always described as ‘spirited’ she was able to maintain a full and active life despite the pain.

By the time she came to her first interview she was on a wide variety of pain medications prescribed by her rheumatologist and internist. Her medication list included: indocet; prednisone; oxycodone and a fentanyl patch. Each of these drugs were at very high doses due to the length of time she had been taking them and the severity of her pain.

She admitted later that she nearly did not come to her first appointment because she was tired of failed treatment plans and feeling as if she was living her life in doctor’s offices. She had two very specific goals for her treatments to attain. One was to minimize the pain so she could enjoy a better quality of life, and two, she wanted to get off all her medications, including her high blood pressure medications.

Initially, acupuncture was the only form of treatment utilized. She received treatments two to three times a week. After the second treatment the patient was aware of more energy and less pain. Over the next two weeks she continued to see further improvement. During one treatment she admitted that her initial reluctance to come in was due in part to her loss of hope, that she could not keep going if she had one more failure.

Acupuncture treatments were continued over the next three months on a weekly to biweekly basis. Herbal formulas were prescribed to further enhance the management of her pain and to help her regain better energy and stamina. As her pain decreased her pain medications were gradually reduced. After another two months of treatment both of her original goals were realized. First, the quality of her life had improved and second, she had eliminated all unnecessary medications, including her high blood pressure medications.

Back pain with nerve damage.

A middle-aged, somewhat skeptical patient, presented with back pain located primarily in the middle portion of his spine. The pain was described as moderate to severe and had persisted unchanged since it first began seven years ago as a result of the “bends” while scuba diving. He was partially paralyzed below the waist for several weeks before recovering from the partial paralysis. The pain from the accident did not resolve, however, and his neurologists stated they were unable to offer anything more at this time than pain medications for symptomatic relief.

Prior to the first treatment the patient stated the severity of his pain, on a pain score between 1-10, averaged between 6 to 7. While he was receiving his first treatment he was unaware of any changes in his pain or stiffness. He left the office, walked to the parking lot and got into his car. It was then that he suddenly realized the pain was gone.

He drove home and continued to wait for the pain to return. He stayed up well into the night, certain that his seven year ordeal could not possibly be over. The next morning the pain still had not returned. He returned for a followup treatment two days later and still none of his original pain had returned. He received two additional treatments which acted to solidify the effectiveness of the first treatment. Almost two years after his acupuncture treatment the patient reported no recurrence of his pain.

Asthma and chronic fatigue syndrome.

This patient had a history of childhood asthma and allergies. The year prior to starting Chinese medicine treatments she was diagnosed successively with mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr syndrome and Chronic fatigue syndrome. She complained of extreme fatigue even though she slept a great deal more than usual. During this year she noted an increase dependency on her asthma/allergy medications and an increase in the number of bronchitis infections, which all required antibiotic treatments.

Initially she received biweekly acupuncture treatments and was prescribed an herbal formula. The dual treatment plan was employed to more completely address the more complex nature of her problems. After the first week of treatment she was surprised to notice a gradual improvement in her energy. She also noted fewer symptoms related to her allergies.

After the second week of treatment the frequency of asthma attacks decreased dramatically and her energy and endurance continued to improve. About a month later the patient’s herbal formulas were discontinued. Her followup treatments were designed primarily to boost her immune system and prevent her original problems from recurring. A year later her fatigue and excess sleep pattern had not returned and her recurrent bronchitis and sinus infections had also resolved.

Earlier allergy skin tests showed she had strong allergic reactions to many substances, among these were horse hair and and dust. She could now ride and groom horses all day without breathing problems or the need to use any of her medications.

Shoulder pain, prostate problems
and high blood pressure.

An older gentleman came in with left shoulder pain incurred in a car accident a year and a half previously. X-rays taken several months after the accident revealed extensive muscle and tendon damage. His orthopedist determined surgery was very unlikely to improve his shoulder pain or its function, partially due to the age of the injury and partially in light of the patient’s age.

He arrived for his first appointment seeking relief from the pain, especially the nighttime pain. He had to sleep propped up in bed in an attempt to avoid aggravating his shoulder. Even with this precaution, he typically slept only. three to four hours each night before the pain would become so severe that he could not return to sleep. His medical history also included benign prostatic hypertrophy, chronic hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia's, arthritis and acid reflux. The prostate problem was causing urine retention, urgency and frequency. The medications prescribed for hypertension maintained his blood pressure in the 140-150 systolic range. His arrhythmia was adequately controlled.

The patient received acupuncture treatments on Monday and Friday the first week. When he arrived for his third appointment on Tuesday, he was happy to report that his pain had stopped. For the first time in weeks he slept the entire night.

The treatment plan expanded to include improving his hypertension and prostate problems. He was started on herbal formulas in addition to acupuncture to correct these imbalances. (Chronic diseases develop slowly and represent a more complicated problem that typically requires a longer duration of treatment.) The frequency and urgency problems he experienced steadily returned to normal. His blood pressure decreased to an average systolic reading of about 120.

These two problems improved over a period of approximately three months. During this time he took the herbal formulas daily and returned for acupuncture treatments two to three times per month. A follow up report, nine months after starting acupuncture treatments, revealed his shoulder pain had not returned, his prostate/bladder problems were minimal, and his blood pressure remained well controlled.

Side effects of radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

An adult male, in his seventies, was diagnosed with a high grade malignant prostate cancer. He opted to have experimental, external radiation beam treatments. The treatment consisted of five days of radiation each week for three months. Frequent testing was performed to monitor the number, type, severity, and frequency of the side effects of this very aggressive treatment protocol. His medical history was notable for a cardiac arrhythmia treated with a permanent pace maker. He took coumadin, a blood thinner, because of the pace maker.

Herbal therapy was the only form of treatment used. It was implemented during the two weeks prior to starting therapy and continued for one month after the radiation treatments stopped. The formula was designed to support his immune system during the course of treatment and to mitigate the adverse effects associated with the radiation.

The patient reported he experienced essentially no adverse reactions or health problems throughout the course of his radiation treatments. He stated he felt no decline in his energy, no loss of appetite or weight and no unusual aches or pains. The researchers who monitored the patients were very surprised he showed none of the side effects from which the other patients suffered. Many in the study complained of feeling extremely fatigued while others experienced flu-like symptoms. These side effects were reported by patients both during the treatment phase and the post treatment phase. This patient’s ability to retain his normal energy level and health was even more remarkable in light of his added travel burden. He made a daily six hour round trip by car, by himself, in order to receive his treatments.

One year later he continued to experience good health and remained cancer free. The patient’s herbal formula did not interfere with his blood thinner medication nor did it cause him any other side effects.

Grief and stress.

A middle aged business woman sought help coping with the stresses in her life. She recently suffered a death in her family and, at work, the demands of her job had steadily increased as well. The symptoms she developed were insomnia, anxiety, increased sinus congestion and gastrointestinal upset related to her irritable bowel syndrome. She had been to several other doctors and counselors for help but none had substantially alleviated her emotional and physical problems.

Acupuncture treatments were limited to an average of two to three treatments a month because of her job demands. After the seventh treatment she felt her original problems of grief and anxiety were resolved. Her sleep, sinus congestion and irregular bowel problems had all returned to normal. More importantly the patient realized she felt stronger emotionally and spiritually.

A challenge to her improved emotional strength came when a close friend died unexpectedly. The patient stated she was able to help the surviving family members through their ordeal without suffering a relapse into her own grieving. She felt the treatments helped give her a calm strength, which enabled her to support her friends, while also allowing her to express her own emotions in a healthy and positive way during this crisis. The patient continued monthly treatments as a way to maintain her health and well being.

Hearing impairment and asthma.

A woman came in for treatment of an eyelid infection. She had been treated with antibiotics but the irritated eye remained uncomfortable. Her acupuncture treatment addressed two aspects of her problem. The first part focused on decreasing her eye irritation. The second part determined the underlying health imbalances which made her susceptible to developing an eye infection in the first place. The next step in her treatment plan was the development of an appropriate acupuncture formula to treat both the eye problem and its contributing causes. After a twenty minute treatment the pain in her right eye had diminished. She also noted that during the treatment she felt a click in her head and experienced increased post nasal drainage in her throat.

Later the same afternoon she was stunned to realize she could hear out of her right ear. During her pretreatment interview she forgot to mention a loss of hearing as one of her past medical problems. Seven years ago a shotgun accidentally discharged near her ear and, according to her otolaryngologist’s exams, it had caused permanent damage to her hearing. (It is not uncommon for events like this to occur. Acupuncture unblocks and stimulates circulation and healing to occur throughout the body. Any injury, old or new, tends to heal if it is provided the proper stimuli and conditions.)

Treatments were then started for her chronic asthma and allergic rhinitis. Herbs were prescribed to strengthen her lungs and immune system. She also continued to receive acupuncture once a week for one month. At the end of the month she noted significant improvement in her breathing and fewer allergy symptoms. Prior to treatment she had used inhaled bronchodilators and steroids to control her asthma. About four times a year her asthma would be so severe that she required high dose steroid pills to control it. Her response to Chinese medicine treatments was so positive that she stopped all of her asthma medications. Two years later, with followup treatments about every six weeks, she had not suffered another asthma attack and her hearing had remained normal.

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Osteoporosis.

A fifty year old woman with mild arthritis was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis after a hand fracture failed to heal properly. A bone marrow density scan revealed severe osteoporosis in the spine and limbs. She was prescribed a parathyroid hormone medication to prevent further bone loss and a calcium supplement. She had unpleasant side effects to the hormone medication and only took a few doses before she stopped taking it.

She sought treatment with Chinese medicine as an alternative to the hormone medications. The patient was given an herbal formula, acupuncture and a nutrition plan in addition to the exercise program she had already started. Acupuncture treatments were given once to twice a week for a month. The frequency of the treatments were then decreased to once a month. Six months after the first bone scan her severe osteoporosis improved to mild osteoporosis. After another six months her bone scan had returned almost to normal, showing mild osteopenia. These results were quite dramatic. Her endocrinologist monitoring her bone scans had never seen such marked improvement. The patient’s overall health had also improved dramatically. She had better endurance and less arthritis pain.

Acute knee strain.

An older woman began a new exercise program in preparation for a vacation to Europe which would included hiking. She began using a new leg press machine with her personal trainer. During the session she felt something pop and suddenly developed severe pain, swelling and restricted range of motion in her right knee. The injury made walking without assistance almost impossible. Evaluation of her knee at the emergency clinic revealed soft tissue damage to the ligaments but no fractures. She was instructed to elevate the leg and use ice to control the swelling.

The patient arrived the following day for her first treatment aided by her husband and walking with great difficulty. The pain score at rest was a 3, (on a scale of 0-10). The pain score while standing or walking was a 9. The patient said her pain decreased slightly during the first acupuncture treatment. The treatment she received was a combination of traditional body acupuncture and auricular (ear) acupuncture.

The next day she came in walking slowly with crutches, but without her husband’s assistance. The swelling had improved and her pain score at rest was 0, and while walking her pain score had decreased to 3. The second acupuncture treatment was similar to the first and provided her additional pain relief and better range of motion.

When she came for her third treatment the following day she was walking without any aids and had only a slight limp. She reported less pain and almost normal range of motion with her knee. Her pain score at rest and with use was 0. There was still an area of focal tenderness on the medial aspect of the knee joint. The third treatment added a special Chinese massage technique called cupping. An herbal liniment was used with the sliding massage technique to further reduce the local swelling and pain.

The patient came back four days later walking normally and said the pain and swelling had resolved. The acupuncture treatment plan on her last visit addressed the knee joint as well as her overall health and well being. She was also interested in information regarding Chinese nutrition, especially for healthy bones and disease prevention.