Autoimmune Disease & Chronic Illness
In my west village practice I treat many patients with Autoimmune disease and chronic illness. It is common to turn to acupuncture for these conditions because western medicine is very limited in what they can do to help. I do find that balancing the immune system (instead of suppressing it) is very important, as well as finding the root cause or causes. Treating the patient holistically and exploring physical, mental and emotional triggers is part of the healing process.
Research increasingly supports acupuncture as a valuable treatment for autoimmune diseases and chronic illness. At the cellular level, studies in experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis have shown that acupuncture downregulates inflammatory cytokine expression, increases IL-10 expression, improves regulatory T cell differentiation, and modulates macrophage polarization — with its anti-inflammatory effects working through vagal-adrenal and cholinergic pathways. (1) One of acupuncture's strengths is its ability to regulate the immune system in a bidirectional way: in cases of immunosuppressive diseases like cancer, acupuncture enhances immunity, while in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, it has an immunosuppressive effect that helps restore normal immune tolerance.(2) Clinically, randomized controlled studies support the use of acupuncture in rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease, Sjögren's syndrome, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, psoriasis, chronic fatigue syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, and more.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39586390/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37318994/
“Lou Lou is an incredible acupuncturist - I have tried several different acupuncturists over the years and she is by far the best. Treatments are highly customized for each visit, and I always feel relieved knowing I am in good hands. She dedicates time understanding you and your ailments, and is in general just a great person to talk to. Highly recommend her - you’ll walk out feeling great every time!”