Postural and Respiratory Modulation of Autonomic Function, Pain, and Health
John Lennon, BM, MM, C. Norman Sheeley, MD, Roger K. Cady, MD
William Matta, PhD, Richard Cox, PhD and William F. Simpson, PhD

AJPM 1994: 4:36-39 (American Journal of Pain Management)

Despite considerable evidence that posture affects physiology and function, the significant influence of posture on health is not addressed by most physicians. In fact, neither comprehensive postural nor structural evaluation is a routine part of training in physical diagnosis, and most osteopathic physicians do not describe postural/spinal mechanics in their usual patient evaluations.

Observation of the striking influence of postural mechanics on function and symptomatology have led to our hypothesis that posture affects and moderates every physiologic function from breathing to normal hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse, and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture.  The most significant influences of posture are upon respiration, oxygenation, and sympathetic function. Ultimately, it appears that homeostasis and autonomic regulation are intimately connected with posture.  The corollary that these observations that many symptoms, including pain, may be moderated or eliminated by improved posture.

1. Get enough rest. In acupuncture theory, during the winter months we should be getting more sleep than the rest of the year. This is because our bodies were meant to change with the seasons. Winter brings fewer hours of sunlight so we should adapt accordingly.

2. Gentle exercise. Daily walks or gentle stretching can help your body stay strong without overexertion during the colder months. Gentle exercises like Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong are also great stress relievers and we all know that the holidays can be stressful if we don’t prepare ourselves.

3. Frequent hand washing. We’ve all heard it before and know it to be true, so as the slogan goes “Just do it!”

4. Acupuncture treatments. Post-acupuncture blood draws have shown that acupuncture significantly boosts your body’s immune system to help protect you against any potential foreign invaders like viruses, bacteria and fungi. Acupuncture is also very effective in relieving stress, which can tax your immunity making you more susceptible to catching that dreaded cold.

If you aren’t able to protect yourself in advance and happen to catch a cold, here are some simple tips and hints to help you recover faster.

1. Miso soup with fresh ginger and scallions. It’s a very simple recipe that you can make at home using 1 tablespoon of miso paste (in the refrigerated section of the grocery store) with fresh grated ginger root (about 1/8 inch thick) and 1 chopped scallion. First smear the miso paste on the bottom of a bowl or mug, add boiling water and stir until the miso is suspended in the water. Add grated ginger, chopped scallion and drink until you break a sweat. Stay covered up and avoid drafts or going outside especially while sweating.

2. There are several patent herbal formulas that are very effective in treating many types of colds. Some treat a predominantly sore throat like Yin Qiao San, others with sniffles or runny nose might need Cang Er Zi San, or if you have chills and sweating with a headache and stiff neck Gui Zhi Tang may be the one for you.

3. The above herbal formulas are generally prescribed with a course of acupuncture treatments that can deal with the acute phase of the illness to help you recover more quickly. Yours in good health!

There was a study published in the British Journal of Rheumatology, Dec, 1994 in which a placebo controlled, single blind trial was completed by 48 patients.  After being examined, half of the patients were given “placebo” acupuncture in which needles never punctured the skin, and the other half were given needles in and around the knee joint, nowhere near the elbow pain.

Of the 24 patients who received “real” acupuncture in the knee, 19 patients or over 79% reported immediate pain relief of at least 50% where only 6 of the 24 patients receiving placebo acupuncture reported pain relief.  The average duration of pain relief was 20.2 hours for the real acupuncture as opposed to 1.4 hours for the placebo group.This is a very significant finding showing that there is an intrinsic pain relieving effect in the clinical treatment of tennis elbow pain with acupuncture, which exceeds that of a placebo.

Facial Rejuvenation using acupuncture is a safe, non-surgical face-lifting procedure for those who want to maintain beauty and radiance in the face as well as improve overall health and well-being. Fine sterile needles are inserted into specific points on the face, which increase the flow of energy, blood, and lymph circulation in the area. This improves facial color, diminishes deep wrinkles, and eliminates fine lines. The needle stimulation causes micro-trauma to the area of insertion, thereby boosting your body’s natural collagen production. This increases muscle tone and elasticity, which helps the skin to become firmer, tighter, and fuller.

Facial Rejuvenation is a very individualized procedure, however usually a typical course of treatment can range from 12-15 visits, with noticeable results after the first few sessions. Most people report feeling less stressed and an improved sense of well-being and energy immediately after a treatment.

What are the Benefits of Facial Acupuncture?

The most obvious benefits include those referring to the face and neck areas. However, the treatments can also focus on other problem areas at the same time. For example, many patients who initially come in for Facial Rejuvenation to treat the lines and wrinkles around their forehead, eyes, and mouth, but they also end up getting relief from their menopausal symptoms or digestive complaints as well. The reason for this is that acupuncture treats the person as a whole and many of the points found on the face also correlate to other systems in the body. You may find that as the dark circles or bags under your eyes improve, so does your mood and energy level. Acupuncture brings blood circulation to the local area, so you will notice your facial coloring will be much brighter as will your eyes. And yes, you may even see an improvement in your eyesight! What’s even more amazing is that while the treatments are working to strengthen your neck and chin muscles to prevent or treat sagging in the area, that stress that you carry in your upper back, neck, and shoulders will completely melt away. While the treatments will work to increase collagen production and muscle tone, which naturally declines during the aging process, the facial gym exercises you will be taught can be an everlasting tool for you to use whenever you feel those muscles start to weaken. Although we regularly work out our arms and legs, we tend to forget about the many muscles that make up our face and neck, and this in turn, contributes to a majority of the complaints regarding facial aging. These specific exercises are targeted at strengthening these muscle groups.

So whether your goal is to find a safe, alternative, anti-aging procedure or to experience relief from that nagging backache, acupuncture may be the holistic approach you’ve been looking for.

Pain is the body’s warning light that something is wrong.  If you ignore these warning lights for too long, serious damage can occur.  The next question is why are we out of alignment?  The answer is because our postural muscles (those responsible for holding our bodies correctly) have become too weak because of our sedentary lifestyles.  Any muscle that is not used in 24-72 hours will start to atrophy or weaken.  The best and longest lasting solution to this common problem is to use our postural muscles daily to strengthen them so they can do their jobs correctly.  If these muscles are not used regularly (and properly), other muscles will have to be recruited to do something they were not designed for.  This is called compensation.

Compensation causes our bodies to shift even more out of alignment and worsens the problem.  In my clinical experience treating thousands of patients, compensation is a MAJOR cause of pain and other bodily dysfunction.  We can easily understand how compensation can cause physical pain in muscles and joints, but improper posture also causes crowding of the organs.  When there is organ crowding, there is insufficient blood flow which leads to decreased organ function.

Our bodies are designed to be symmetrical so one side looks like a mirror image of the other.  We are also designed to have our major load bearing joints in a straight line from the ankle through the knee, hip, shoulder and ear so we can use our bones to fight gravity instead of incorporating the wrong muscles to pull us back into position. One of the best ways to take control of our postural misalignments is through the use of specific corrective exercises.  The exercises should not be chosen by symptoms alone, but by objective measurements of your body.  Only then can the root cause of your dysfunction be addressed.

Most times even if you ignore the chief complaint or symptom and use the patient’s skeleton as your guide, when their alignment changes for the better the symptoms decrease significantly or go away altogether.  Through the use of corrective exercises, the patient becomes empowered and starts to take control of their health.  Any therapy such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, etc. will be much more effective on a frame that is structurally sound.  A dysfunctional body is likely to keep breaking down until it is either fixed or beyond repair.