Real outcomes
This case was written by Dr. Laura Cowburn, Doctor of TCM and Registered Acupuncturist in Alberta.
The cases on this page are real patient encounters from Dr. Laura Cowburn’s private practice in Calgary, AB. Dr. Cowburn is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, trained at the Alberta College of Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACATCM), and registered with the College of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAA).
48 cases
Mental Health & Sleep
Over three weeks, her sleep rebuilt itself in stages — first two hours of straight sleep in a night, then three, then five, and finally a full seven to eight…
Read the full caseRespiratory Disorders
The inflammation and phlegm in his lungs cleared. The wheezing and coughing stopped, and — after his family doctor verified the improvement — he was able to stop using his…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The swelling and inflammation resolved. As healing progressed, the pain began to move around the foot — a sign of returning circulation — before fading completely. The tight muscles and…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The patient grew steadily stronger until his body had enough energy to support the spine itself. The vertebrae moved back toward a centred position, and as the structure recentred, the…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The pain eased after each treatment, and once the full course was complete it did not return. With the deficiency strengthened and the local congestion cleared, her knee was free…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The pain eased after each treatment, and once the full course was complete it did not come back. With the joint warmed, cleared, and supported, she regained comfortable use of…
Read the full caseRespiratory Disorders
Her nose opened during the treatment itself, and the stuffiness lifted. By the time she went home she could smell and taste her food again — the senses she had…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
In many cases the headache disappears instantly and completely the moment the needle reaches the right point. With a course of TCM herbs and continued acupuncture, the headaches then come…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The pain was completely gone after each treatment and the relief lasted for several days at a time. Gradually the pain-free stretches grew longer and longer until the pain stopped…
Read the full caseRespiratory Disorders
The snoring stopped, and the sleep apnea resolved — he no longer needed to wear the machine at night. With quiet, uninterrupted sleep restored, both he and his wife could…
Read the full caseOther Conditions
She gradually reduced her smoking, coughed less, and produced less mucus. Along the way she changed both her lifestyle and her attitude toward smoking — and finally quit completely.
Read the full caseAllergies & Immune Support
All symptoms were gone after one month. With Lung and Kidney Qi strengthened, the daily morning sneezing and runny nose that had defined his allergy season simply stopped.
Read the full caseAllergies & Immune Support
The symptoms at her nose, sinuses, and throat cleared, and her energy level returned to normal. Most importantly, she did not go on to develop any of the further flu…
Read the full caseHeart & Circulation
Her blood pressure gradually dropped to a safe level — the top number that medication alone couldn’t move finally came down once the underlying patterns were treated and the home-care…
Read the full caseHeart & Circulation
Her blood pressure gradually reduced to a normal range. The dangerous spikes settled as the underlying patterns — including the sleep apnea driving the night-time oxygen drops — were treated.…
Read the full caseMental Health & Sleep
After taking the herbal formula for the Zang Zao pattern, her anxiety and insomnia resolved. For the constipation, she keeps herbal pills on hand to take whenever needed. After a…
Read the full caseMental Health & Sleep
The hot flashes resolved after the herbal formula tonified Kidney Yin and cleared the deficient heat. The depression lifted — she no longer needed her medication — and the sleep…
Read the full caseHeart & Circulation
His hands and feet changed colour — from bluish-purple, to red as circulation returned, and finally to a normal colour at a normal temperature. With the trapped Yang freed and…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
All of the pain resolved after treatment. With the channels rebalanced and the blood stasis cleared, the sharp pain under his shoulder blade and along his flank let go —…
Read the full caseSkin Issues
All of the pain resolved, and the blisters shrank, dried out, and disappeared. By treating both the channel blockage and the virus, the outbreak cleared and the severe pain that…
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The pulse signs of inflammation resolved, and urination returned to a normal, comfortable rhythm. With the underlying heat cleared, the constant urgency that had been organising her days simply lifted.
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The pain and swelling resolved. Her doctors were surprised by how quickly and completely she recovered, and her gym instructor was amazed at the full range of movement she regained…
Read the full caseMental Health & Sleep
Within a month, the patient could fall asleep easily and stay asleep through the night. With the bladder settled and the mind unwound, her sleep became deep and unbroken again…
Read the full caseWomen's Health
The quantity of menstrual blood returned to a normal, manageable level, and the cycle of hospital visits came to an end. With the Spleen’s holding function restored, her periods were…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The jaw joint stops feeling tense and sore, range of movement through the jaw improves, and the night-time tooth grinding settles. With the underlying tension released, patients are able to…
Read the full caseHeart & Circulation
After a course of treatment, the patient returned to her family doctor for follow-up. In her own words: “Laura — I saw my family doctor today. He listened to my…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The patient reported that her neck and shoulder pain began to lift almost immediately on the acupuncture table during her first session — dropping from a 7 to a 0…
Read the full caseDigestive Disorders
After two weeks the diarrhea stopped and her bowel movements returned to normal. She was able to enjoy her social life again.
Read the full caseDigestive Disorders
She regained the sensation and strength for daily bowel movements, so the severe constipation changed to normal daily bowel movements. She also no longer needs a cane to walk, and…
Read the full caseDigestive Disorders
The acid reflux stopped completely and she was able to sleep through the night without interruption.
Read the full caseMental Health & Sleep
She became happy and positive, and had the energy to get up in the morning to attend classes and co-op jobs. She even began organizing social gatherings with her friends…
Read the full caseMental Health & Sleep
The time it took to fall asleep dropped from over an hour to under 15 minutes Sleep changed from waking many times a night to sleeping through She went from…
Read the full caseMental Health & Sleep
She now stays in a stable mood (euthymia) most of the time, and swings into manic or depressive episodes much less often than before.
Read the full caseWomen's Health
All of the pain went away immediately after the three needles were inserted.
Read the full caseWomen's Health
The bleeding stopped the day after the treatment.
Read the full caseWomen's Health
The hot flashes and night sweats stopped after two weeks. The insomnia and mood swings improved gradually and had stopped by the seventh session. The skipped periods weren’t treated, as…
Read the full caseSkin Issues
After just a few sessions the itching and flare-ups were significantly reduced, and as treatment continued the hives cleared completely. By the time her dermatology appointment came up, she no…
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The rashes cleared from her face and neck after the first herbal formula, then from her abdomen and lower back after the second, and finally from her elbows, palms and…
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None of the nodules are painful any more, and all of the large nodules have disappeared.
Read the full caseSkin Issues
The patches became smaller and smaller with fewer scales, their colour changed from red to normal skin tone, and they gradually returned to normal skin with no scaly patches.
Read the full caseSkin Issues
First the bulging veins stopped being hot and painful. Then the affected areas became smaller, flatter and less red and purple, and finally returned to normal-looking skin. Her uterus also…
Read the full caseOther Conditions
Her legs calmed down and she can now sleep peacefully at night. Without herbs to clear the phlegm dampness and blood stasis, though, the problem can come back.
Read the full caseOther Conditions
Her legs felt normal after two weeks. Then the shoulder pain went away, and then the varicose veins disappeared. Even though the RLS was mild, it took time to clear…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The older sister’s shoulder pain went away the moment the needles were inserted between KD-3 and KD-7, and it didn’t come back. The older sister’s foot pain was completely gone…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
All of the pain was gone once the needles were inserted at the first treatment. The pain had returned at a much lower level by the second appointment, and after…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
The hip pain was completely gone once the needle was inserted at HT-1 The headaches were gone after needling KD-9 and KD-10 The jaw stopped clicking after needling Linggu and…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
Once the needles were inserted in the corresponding toes, the fingers could move freely. The problem came back at a milder level after each treatment and gradually stopped coming back.…
Read the full casePain Relief & Injury Recovery
At first she didn’t want to stop the warming decoction, so although the pain eased during each acupuncture treatment, it came back. Once she stopped the decoction and started the…
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Each case is personally written by Dr. Laura Cowburn, Doctor of TCM and Registered Acupuncturist in Alberta, from her own diagnostic notes and treatment records and reflects her direct clinical reasoning for that patient. Before we publish a case, we ask the patient’s permission to share their story; names are shortened to initials and identifying details are removed to protect their privacy.
These are individual patient experiences, not clinical trial data.
Results vary from person to person depending on the condition, its severity, and how an individual responds to treatment. TCM and acupuncture are not a substitute for care from your physician or another regulated health professional. If you’re dealing with a serious or urgent symptom, please see a doctor first.
New patients welcome. Book online or text to schedule your appointment.
