Clinic Cases

TMJ Disorders and Bruxism

Acupuncture treats TMJ jaw pains and bruxism (tooth grinding)

Patients: common issues for many patients
Chief Complains: TMJ joint area pains, grinding of teeth during sleep
Diagnosis: Qi blockage and muscle tension around TMJ joints
Treatment: Linggu, LI4, and sometimes modified Linggu
Treatment results: TMJ joint areas don't feel tense and sore anymore, improved range of movement of jaws, stop tooth grinding

Extremely Heavy Period

TMJ Disorders and Bruxism

Patient: Female, 35
Chief Complains: extremely heavy bleeding during period, was sent to hospital several times
Diagnosis: SP Qi def -> not holding blood
Treatment: a) acupuncture: SP1,2. b) ear seeds: Dr. Lichun Huang's stop bleeding combo for uterus. c) herb formula to tonify SP Qi
Treatment results: quantity of blood became normal during period

Clinic Cases

Neck & Shoulder Pains

Acupuncture treats neck and shoulder pains

Patient: Female, 32
Chief Complains: neck and shoulder pains with pain levels at 6-8
Diagnosis: stress caused Qi blockage on UB, GB, TW meridians
Treatment: a) acupuncture: HT4,7, LU8,9, SP6, SP5-6A. b) ears seeds to relieve stress and calm the mind
Treatment results: all pains disappeared after the needles were inserted. After a treatment course, pains don't come back anymore

Irregular Heart Beats

Neck & Shoulder Pains

Patient: Female, 58
Chief Complains: heart beats were very irregular with missed beats, dripping sweat on hands and arms. Her family doctor had concerns for her life
Diagnosis: HT Qi & Yang def
Treatment: a) acupuncture: RN14, [GB25,ST25,SP16]. b) herb formula to strengthen HT Qi & Yang
Treatment results: Here is the testimonial from this patient: "Laura I saw my family dr today. He listened to my heart and is sending me to a cardiologist to figure out what is going on. He listened and said he could not hear the problem that showed up twice previously on EKG. I told him I was having Chinese acupuncture and that you were working on my heart. He looked quite surprised and somewhat bemused and raised his brows like it never occurred to him that it could help the heart. Never occurred to me either until I met you."

Clinic Cases

Knee Pains after Surgery

Frequent and Urgent Urination

Acupuncture improves knee surgery recovery

Patient: Female, 78
Chief Complain: swelling and pains around left knee area after knee surgery
Diagnosis: blood stasis and Qi blockage at knee area
Treatment: needled combo named Knee Five, plus SP10
Treatment Results: pains and swelling are gone, doctors were surprised for the patient's quick and full recovery, and her gym instructor was amazed at all the movements she can do with her knees

Frequent and Urgent Urination

Patient: Female, 55
Chief Complain: urgent and frequent urination
Diagnosis: urinary bladder and lungs are inflamed
Treatment: needled RN3, RN4 (pointing to RN3), LU1,10, earth [ST34], wood [LR2]
Treatment Results: pulse for inflammation disappeared, and urination became normal

Clinic Cases

Severe Insomnia - Barely Sleep

Insomnia - Wake up Too Many Times

Patient: Female, 51
Chief Complains: could barely sleep in the whole night ->brain and body couldn't function properly during daytime
Diagnosis: 1) long-term heavy period -> severe blood deficiency -> not enough yin to anchor yang in the night -> couldn't fall asleep in teh night. 2) SP Qi deficiency -> poor digestion -> food stuck in stomach & intestines -> result in restless night
Treatment: 1) acupuncture and ear seeds to stop abnormal uterus bleeding. 2) herb formula, acupuncture, and ear seeds to tonify SP & blood and improve sleep.
Treatment results: in 3 weeks, patient could get 2 hours, 3 hours, 5 hours, and finally 7-8 hours' straight sleep in the night.

Insomnia - Wake up Too Many Times

Patient: Female, 56
Chief Complains: 1) it took hours to fall asleep; 2) woke up too many times to pee and couldn't get enough deep & REM sleep
Diagnosis: 1) stress -> LR Qi stagnation; 2) KD Yang def -> frequent urination
Treatment: 1) herb formula and aerobic exercise to tonify KD Yang; 2) acupuncture, ear seeds and life attitude change to release stress & smooth LR Qi
Treatment results: after a month, patient could fall asleep easily and stay asleep throughout the night

Clinic Cases

Heel Pains Caused by Bone Spur

Patient: Female, 57
Chief Complains: severe pains, swollen, and inflammation at left heel caused by bone spur, foot couldn't touch the floor
Diagnosis: Qi blockage, phlegm dampness, inflammation/heat
Treatment: a) acupuncture: alternate scalp and palm points to relieve pains, and [UB58,KD3], KD4/5 (pointing to heel bone); b) soak the foot with Dr. Haixia Ni's herb formula to reduce swollen and inflammation
Treatment results: swollen and inflammation are gone, pains began to move around the foot and finally completely gone, and tight muscles & sinews at legs are loosened to normal state

Asthma for 20 Years

Heel Pains Caused by Bone Spur

Patient: Male, 73
Chief Complains: started asthma symptoms 20 years ago, began to use inhalers 10 years ago, body temperature became hotter than normal caused by the side effects of the inhaler
Diagnosis: LU Qi def, inflammation/LU heat, and phlegm in lungs
Treatment: a) acupuncture: LU1,10, earth [ST36,SP9], wood [LR3]. b) herb combo to clear phlegm and inflammation from lungs
Treatment results: inflammation and phlegm in lungs are gone, no more wheezing and coughing, stopped using inhaler after verified by family doctor

Clinic Cases

Knee Pains Caused by Bone Spur

Pains & Tightness Caused by Scoliosis

Patient: Female, 32
Chief Complains: right knee painful caused by a bone spur under patella
Diagnosis: KD and SP deficiency, severe phlegm dampness, and blood stasis
Treatment: a) acupuncture: He Ding, Nei & Wai Xi Yian, LR7, GB34. b) herb medicine to tonify deficiency, improve digestion, expel phlegm dampness, and break blood stasis
Treatment results: pains are gone after each treatment. After a treatment course, pains don't come back anymore.

Pains & Tightness Caused by Scoliosis

Patient: Male, 34
Chief Complains: due to scoliosis, patient has whole body tightness, middle back, lower back, and hip pains. Note: C7 curved to right, T5-T9 curved to right, L2-4 curved to left
Diagnosis: 1) Qi, blood, and yang def. 2) Qi stagnation
Treatment: a) acupuncture to tonify Qi & Yang and strengthen spine: DU14, DU20. b) scalp acupuncture to treat pains, at the same time tonifying Qi & Yang. c) acupuncture to adjust spine structure: reducing for tight side and tonifying for weak side. d) herb medicine to tonify Qi, blood, and yang and break stagnation. Note: 1) even though the patient looks young and strong, his body doesn't have enough energy, so each acupuncture treatment needs to use minimum needles and minimum stimulation, and let the patient take tonifying herbs 30 minutes before each acupuncture treatment. 2) strengthen the spine and surrounding muscles with acupuncture and herbs so that the treatment effect will be long-lasting.
Treatment results: patient gradually became stronger and stronger and his body has enough energy to support the spine. The bones of the spine moved back to the centre position, and the pains & tightness are gone accordingly.

Clinic Cases

Shoulder Pains Caused by Aging

Stuffy Nose, Cannot Sell & Taste

Acupuncture and TCM treat shoulder pains, 50 shoulder

Patient: Female, 54
Chief Complains: right shoulder has lots of pains at the shoulder joint and muscles on the upper arm.
Diagnosis: KD and SP deficiency, severe phlegm damp cold, and light blood stasis. Note: it's commonly called "50 shoulder". The pains are on LI, TW, SI meridians, and between these meridians.
Treatment: a) acupuncture - Dr.Tan's balance method: KD3 -> UB60, KD5. b) acupuncture - local points: LI15, TW14, LI15-TW14A, LI14, TW13, SI10. c) herb medicine to tonify deficiency, expel phlegm damp cold, and break blood stasis
Treatment results: pains are gone after each treatment. After a treatment course, pains don't come back anymore.

Stuffy Nose, Cannot Sell & Taste

Acupuncture and TCM treat stuffy nose, and cannot smell and taste

Patient: Female, 47
Chief Complains: nose feels stuffy, clear mucus coming out of the nose from time to time, and cannot smell and taste
Diagnosis: LU Qi def, inflammation in respiratory system (detected through pulse diagnosis), LR Qi stag, and internal coldness
Treatment: a) acupuncture: UB2, Bitong, LU1,10, earth [ST36,SP9], wood [T's LR8*]. Note: LU10 can clear inflammation in respiratory system. b) herb mixture to open up the nose, and strengthen & warm the respiratory system.
Treatment results: patient's nose opened up and didn't feel stuffy during the treatment time. She could smell and taste food after going home.

Clinic Cases

Migraine and Chinook Headaches

Neck, Shoulder, Back Pains Caused by Car Accident

Acupuncture and TCM herbs treat migraine and other headaches

Patients: many patients suffer from these headaches
Chief Complains: 1) Migraine: intense throbbing or pulsating headaches, usually on one side of the head. 2) chinook headaches: intense headaches caused by Calgary's Chinook
Diagnosis: Qi and blood blockage. Many patients have Qi and/or blood deficiency, too.
Treatment: a) acupuncture for headaches at temple areas: LR3. b) acupuncture for headaches at back of the head/neck: LU5-9A. c) acupuncture for headaches at & behind eyebrows: Mei Leng Xue. d) acupuncture for headaches at forehead: LI4. e) acupuncture for headaches between eyes and eyebrows: RN12. f) acupuncture for headaches behind the eyeballs: HT3. g) Chinese herbs to help Qi and blood flow at head. Tonifying herbs for patients with Qi and blood deficiency
Treatment results: headaches would instantly and completely disappear after the needle was inserted to the acupuncture point. Later on, the TCM herbs will stop the headache when it recurs at home

Neck, Shoulder, Back Pains Caused by Car Accident

Acupunccture and TCM herbs relieve pains caused by car accidents

Patient: Female, 45
Chief Complains: 1) severe pains at middle back; 2) less severe pains at upper and lower backs and on the scapulas; 3) sever pains at neck and shoulders
Diagnosis: Q stagnation at muscle level on UB, GB, TW, and SI meridians, and blood stasis
Treatment: a) treat middle back pains with acupuncture: ashi points in the middle of upper arm on the LU and HT meridians. b) treat pains on scapulas with acupuncture: LR4-5A. c) treat pains at upper and lower back with acupuncture: LU5-9A. d) treat pains at neck and shoulders: LU8,9, HT4,7, SP6. e) herb formula to break Qi stagnation & blood stasis and relieve pains
Treatment results: pains were completely gone after each treatment and could last for several days. Gradually no-pain days lasted longer and longer and finally no more pain came back anymore.
Note: this patient tried all kinds of treatments from medical doctors and other practitioners for 3-4 years but couldn't get much relief from her pains. When she walked into our clinic, she looked grumpy and didn't really believe we could help her. After the needles were inserted, her beautiful face broke into a smile. She signed up for several follow up treatments to completely get rid of all her pains.

Clinic Cases

Sleep Apnea & Severe Snoring

Patient: Male, 57
Chief Complains: 1) sleep apnea and had to wear machine to sleep. Every night was woken up by the noisy machine and couldn't get a good sleep. 2) severe snorning bothered his wife
Diagnosis: Yang def, and LU Qi def for this case. Note: some patients' sleep apnea and snorning are caused by Yin & Yang def, and sometimes phlegm in the lungs, not always yang def only.
Treatment: a) acupuncture - LU1,8, earth, wood. [KD6,LI5, LU8,ST41]. b) herb medicine to tonify yang. Note: for other patients, may add herbs to clear phlegm. For other patients, may use herbs to tonify both Yin and Yang.
Treatment results: snoring stopped. No sleep apnea anymore and no need to wear the machine anymore.

Quit Smoking

Sleep Apnea & Severe Snoring

Patient: Female, 53
Chief Complains: smoked lots of cigarettes since teenage time, coughed all the time, lots of mucus in the lungs, strong smell of cigarette. The coughing and mucus negatively affected work and social life
Diagnosis: LU Qi def, inflammation in lungs, phlegm dampness
Treatment: a) acupuncture: LU1,10, earth [ST36,SP9,8,6], wood [LR3] + LI6. b) Dr. Lichun Huang's ear seed combo for quitting smoking. c) Dr. Haixia Ni's herb mixture for quitting smoking, clearing junk from the respiratory system, clearing the smoke color & odor in the mouth, and regulating appetite. d) home care under the guidance of a personalized quit smoking plan.
Treatment results: gradually reduced smoking, coughed less, reduced mucus, changed lifestyle and life attitude, and finally completely quit smoking.

Clinic Cases

Quick Recovery from Flu

Patient: Female, 58
Chief Complain: patient began to feel flu symptoms including stuffy nose and sinuses and scratchy throat. She usually became severely ill for several months every time when she caught a cold or flu
Diagnosis: external pathogen invaded the body
Treatment: open nose and sinuses, moisten throat, strengthen immunity, and expel the pathogen with Yintang , [LU10,KD6], [PC6,ST36,SP6], LI4, [GB41, TW5]
Treatment Results: sick symptoms at nose, sinuses, and throat are gone, energy level normal, and patient didn't suffer from any other flu symptoms after the treatment

Seasonal Allergy

Quick Recovery from Flu

Patient: Male, 52
Chief Complain: sneezing and runny nose for 1-2 hours every morning, worse when certain allergen triggers
Diagnosis: LU and KD Qi deficiency, respiratory disorder
Treatment: needled LU1,8, earth [ST36,SP9], wood [LR3], KD2,4,7. Prescribed herb combos to tonify LU & KD Qi, and sooth LU & nose
Treatment Results: all symptoms are gone after 1 month

Clinic Cases

High Blood Pressure/Hypertension - without Hypertension Medication

Treat High Blood Pressure/Hypertension with Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Patient: Female, 78
Chief Complain: dangerously high blood pressure - systolic blood pressure stays at 150-160 mmHg, and sometimes raises to 190-200 mmHg. Patient refuses to take medications even though I'm deeply concerned about her health and life.
Diagnosis: 1) phlegm dampness & Qi stagnation at pericardium; 2) severe sleep apnea significantly worsens hypertension by creating repeated drops in blood oxygen levels during the night sleep; 3) liver Qi stagnation; 4) blood stasis
Treatment: a) acupuncture: Dr.Tan's 12 magic combo plus Master Tung's San Sheng. b) Dr. Licun Li's ear seed combo for hypertension. c) herb mixture (eg. Gui Zhi Sheng Jiang Zhi Shi Tang to treat the problems at pericardium)
Treatment Results: blood pressure gradually reduced to normal range
Home care: a) change lifestyle and reduce stress. b) convinced the patient to IMMEDIATELY pursue medical care when this happens again or when alternative medicine doesn't work

High Blood Pressure/Hypertension - with Hypertension Medication

High Blood Pressure/Hypertension - without Hypertension Medication

Patient: Female, 73
Chief Complain: diastolic blood pressure is normal. Systolic blood pressure rises to 150-160 even after the patient's family doctor doubled her hypertension medication. Note: the patient has high cholesterol, too.
Diagnosis: 1) phlegm damp heat; 2) liver yang rising; 3) light blood stasis
Treatment: a) acupuncture: Dr.Tan's 12 magic combo plus Master Tung's San Sheng. b) Dr. Licun Li's ear seed combo for hypertension. c) herb mixture to clear phlegm damp heat, break blood stasis, and pull down the rising liver yang
Treatment Results: blood pressure gradually dropped to safe level
Home care: 1) diet change in order to minimize phlegm damp heat; 2) form the habit of proper exercise

Clinic Cases

Raynaud's Syndrome

Cosmetic Acupuncture - Remove Ages Spots & Wrinkles

Patient: Male, 20
Chief Complain: hands and feet are bluish purple and icy cold to touch, and the problem is spreading to distal side of legs and arms
Diagnosis: 1) Liver Qi stagnation is so severe that yang is stuck inside and cannot warm the extremities; 2) blood deficient
Treatment: a) acupuncture: HT9, PC9, LU11, SI1, TW3, LI1,4, UB67, GB41, ST36,45, KD3, LR1,3, SP1. b) herb formulas to break liver Qi stagnation, tonify blood, improve circulation and warm extremities
Home care: a) reduce stress; b) increase sweaty exercise and sunlight
Treatment Results: hands and feet began to change the color from bluish purple to red and then turn to normal color and normal temperature

Cosmetic Acupuncture - Remove Ages Spots & Wrinkles

Cosmetic Acupuncture: remove age spots and wrinkles, and help you relax and relieve stress

Patient: Female, 55
Chief Complain: 1) age spots on both cheeks; 2) two frown lines and wrinkles around eyes
Diagnosis: Qi and blood stagnation and deficiency
Treatment: 1) herb mixture to improve the Qi and blood supply & circulation on the face and for the body; 2) cosmetic acupuncture
Treatment Results: 1) all age spots are gone; 2) wrinkles are reduced enough not to be seen easily
Home care: Wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, eat antioxidants, limit sugar, Gua Sha, natural face masks, and manage stress.

Clinic Cases

Pains at Scapula and Flank

Shingles on Lower Back and Flank

Acupuncture treats scapula and flank pains

Patient: Male, 57
Chief Complain: severe pains under right scapula and on right flank causing restless nights
Diagnosis: Qi blockage on SI meridian under scapula and on GB meridian on flank, and blood stasis
Treatment: a) acupuncture: needled LR to balance SI meridian under tibula bone, and HT on forearm to balance GB meridian. b) herb formula Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang
Treatment Results: all pains are gone after treatment

Shingles on Lower Back and Flank

Acupuncture and Chinese herb treat shingle blisters and pains

Patient: Female, 49
Chief Complain: blisters and severe pains caused by shingles on lower back and flank on left side of body
Diagnosis: Qi blockage on UB and GB meridians causes pains, and shingle virus causes blisters and pains
Treatment: needled LU & HT to balance UB and GB on arm, and prescribed herbs for several weeks to clear virus
Treatment Results: all pains are gone, and blisters shrink, dry out, and disappear