What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient practice of medicine. It originated over 2,500 years ago in China making it one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world. The procedure of acupuncture has been used to treat and relieve symptoms of a wide range of diseases and conditions.
The topic of our health issue this week is about use of acupuncture in medical procedures and our health adviser Dr Azadeh invited Dr Jasmin Beste who is a specialist in Acupuncture procedures in medical practice.
Dr Beste, who is presently in The Gambia to high light the use of this chains medical treatment for quite a number of diseases as none surgical procedures for smoking, pain, stress and much more, is quite happy to advice everyone who is interested for now by text or email.
Health Matters: What is actually the definition of Acupuncture procedures?
Dr Beste: Acupuncture literally means to puncture with a needle.
Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that has been practiced for centuries. It’s based on the theory that energy, called Qi (say “chee”), flows through and around your body along pathways called meridians.
Acupuncturists believe that illness occurs when something blocks or unbalances your Qi. Acupuncture is a way to unblock or influence Qi and help it flow back into balance.
Acupuncture is done by putting very thin needles into your skin at certain points on your body. This is done to influence the energy flow. Sometimes heat, pressure, or mild electrical current is used along with needles.
What happens during Acupuncture?
Your acupuncture provider will give you an exam and ask questions about your pain and how well you are functioning. He or she will also ask about your overall health.
Then your provider will look for the places (called points) on your body to access the Qi that is blocked or not flowing right. Each of the points relates to certain health problems or body functions.
He/she will look for landmarks on your body-using certain muscles or bones, for example-to find the points so that he or she can place the needles.
In most cases treatment lasts for 15 minutes to an hour. You may have several visits to complete your treatment.
When to use Acupuncture?
There are up to 400 different acupuncture points, which are specific for different diseases and disorders. Acupuncture has been seen to be effective in over 40 diseases and disorders such as:
Musculoskeletal conditions (of the bones and muscles) and pain conditions, including:
•Headache and Migraine
•Chronic pain, including neck and back pain
• Joint pain
•Dental pain
•Post-operative pain
•Post-operative nausea and vomiting
• Allergies, including hay fever and eczema
• Fatigue
•Depression and Anxiety
• Digestive disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Insomnia
NON-SURGICAL MEDICAL COSMETIC PROCEDURES
If you want clearer, younger looking skin, non-surgical cosmetic treatments can achieve immediately visible and long-lasting results.
You don’t have to undergo cosmetic surgery to improve appearance and reduce the signs of ageing. You can choose non-surgical cosmetic treatments to reduce wrinkles, plump up your lips and smooth the surface of your skin.
Even subtle changes can make a big difference to how you feel about yourself. Non-surgical procedures such as Mesotherapy, Injectable Dermal Fillers and Botox help to give you beautiful skin and achieve the look you want without surgery.
What is Facial Mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy is a safe, non-surgical cosmetic procedure utilizing both pharmaceutical and homeopathic medications, vitamins and amino acids.
Mesotherapy is a technique invented in 1952 by Dr. Michel Pistor of France. The personalized formula is injected into the mesoderm, the layer of fat and connective tissue under the skin.
It can be used to treat aging skin and redundant (sagging) skin, and rejuvenate the face, the hands and neck by improving skin’s texture and tone.
“When you deposit vitamins directly into the skin with a needle, you’re giving the tissues exactly what they need, where they need it,” says Lionel Bissoon, DO, a NYC-based mesotherapist. “Neither oral nor topical vitamins can offer similar results.”
What are Mesotherapy’s anti-aging and skin rejuvenation uses?
Sub dermal vitamin injections rejuvenate the cells, making them more active, and thereby stimulating the production of collagen and elastin. You can begin anti-aging treatments in your mid twenties to prevent wrinkles from forming. Treatments for the face, neck, arms and hands are recommended several times each year.
Over the past 50 years, in excess of 15,000 physicians worldwide have used this treatment.
Is Mesotherapy Safe?
Mesotherapy is a safe technique using all FDA approved pharmacological agents, vitamins, amino acids and natural plant extracts. The medications have been used successfully in France since 1952
What are dermal fillers and how do they work?
Dermal fillers are used for facial aesthetic treatments and are injected into the skin. They are designed to effectively reduce the appearance of unwanted wrinkles, contour and create volume, and to revitalise the skin. Dermal fillers are based on Hyaluronic acid which is a substance that naturally exists in your body. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that exists naturally in almost all living organisms. It binds water and can act as a lubricant and shock absorber in movable parts of the body such as joints. It is also important for the transport of nutrients and in regulating water balance in skin.
In Non Surgical Cosmetic Procedures Dermal fillers work by boosting the skin’s supply of hyaluronic acid, they revitalise and add volume to the skin, instantly diminishing the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and giving a natural softer look. Dermal fillers are a soft injectable gel consisting of stabilized, non-animal hyaluronic acid. The gel is tissue-friendly and closely resembles the hyaluronic acid that exists naturally in the body. It is long-lasting but not permanent.
Dermal filler injections provide an easy way to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, smooth the skin and give a more youthful appearance. The result of a single treatment can be seen instantly and can last for around 6 to 9 months. Dermal filler injections can give a natural looking result that does not affect facial expression.
The most common areas treated are:
• Nose to mouth lines (the nasolabial folds)
• between the eyebrows (the glabella lines)
• Lips (adding volume and shape)
Dermal fillers can also be used to enhance the lips giving fuller, more shapely and defined lips. The lips can be enhanced by:
Defining the lip line
Dermal fillers can be injected along borders of the lips and into the cupids bow to accentuate the lip line giving a more shapely and youthful appearance.
Correcting marionette lines
Marionette lines are lines that are present just below the corners of the mouth and occur with loss of volume associated with ageing. They can give the appearance of pulling the mouth downwards giving a sad and unhappy facial expression. Dermal filler can be injected just below the corner of the mouth to soften these lines by adding volume to the area and giving shape to the lips.
Reducing smoker’s lines around the mouth
Smoker’s lines are vertical lines mainly at the top lip can be effectively reduced by dermal filler treatment into the lips.
What is Botox?
Botulinum toxin (Botox, onabotulinumtoxinA) is a material that has been known for over a century and used for medical purposes for more than 50 years. Its initial uses were for lazy eye (strabismus), blepharospasm (inability to move the eyelids in certain ways), and wry neck (cervical dystonia).
Botulinum toxin injections block certain chemical signals from nerves, mostly signals that cause muscles to contract. The most common use in Cosmetic Botox Injections is to temporarily relax the facial muscles that underlie and cause wrinkles, such as:
• Frown lines between the eyebrows
• Crow’s-feet, the lines that fan out from the corners of the eyes
Forehead furrows, the horizontal lines that form when you raise your eyebrows
In 2011, it was the top nonsurgical cosmetic procedure in the U.S.
How Botox is injected:
Your doctor uses a thin needle to inject tiny amounts of botulinum toxin into your skin or muscles. The number of injections needed depends on many factors, including the extent of the area being treated. The injections take about 10 minutes, and you should have no downtime afterward.
Normally you would see improvement within a few days. Botox requires two to four days for it to attach to the nerve ending that would normally stimulate the muscle to contract. The maximum effect usually occurs at about 10-14 days. Therefore, whatever effect is obtained two weeks after the injections should be considered the maximum effect that is going to occur.
Botox injections are usually done in a doctor’s office.
How Long Does a Botox Injection Last?
The effects from Botox will last four to six months. As muscle action gradually returns, the lines and wrinkles begin to reappear and need to be treated again.
The lines and wrinkles often appear less severe with time because the muscles are being trained to relax.
For further information you can send email to jasminbeste@hotmail.com or send text to 7859927 or 3785992 or to azadehhassan@yahoo.co.uk or text to 7774469.
