Acupuncture and Wellness Center, Dr. Frank Ly and Dr. Orlando Ly
Dr. Frank and Dr. Orlando Ly, Traditional Chinese Medicine Dr. Frank Ly, DOM, C.A., brings his rare experience to the field of acupuncture.
Dr. Ly is a 4th generation acupuncturist trained in the ancient art from his father and grandfather as well as many other Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners. Consequently, Dr. Ly brings a deep and abiding cultural wisdom with his skills.
07/04/2025
Happy Fourth of July!
We hope you enjoy the time with your family this holiday and throughout the warm summertime. We look forward to hearing about your family’s memories as our Huntsville, Nashville, Memphis, and Jackson offices re-open next week!
07/01/2025
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05/07/2025
5 Ways Acupuncture Can Help With Pregnancy and Labor
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acupuncture dupont circle for pregnancy and childbirth
We've covered in previous blogs how acupuncture can help couples conceive - increasing the conception rate to 51% when administered before and after IVF transfers (as compared to only 36% for IVF without acupuncture). But acupuncture can also be very helpful after conception during both pregnancy and childbirth. There is strong evidence to support that acupuncture is highly effective at treating some of the most common problems experienced during pregnancy including morning sickness, heartburn, and sciatica. Acupuncture is also helpful with delivery for turning breech babies and inducing labor.
1. Treating Morning Sickness with Acupuncture
According to a study of 600 women, even 20 minutes of acupuncture showed marked improvements in morning sickness symptoms.* "We found that traditional acupuncture reduced nausea throughout the trial, with dry retching being reduced from the second week," according to Dr. Smith of Adelaide University in Australia. Doctors have found acupuncture to be very effective for nausea and vomiting.
2. Treating Heartburn with Acupuncture
Most patients who are treated for heartburn are giving a protein pump inhibitor (PPI) to reduce stomach acid production. Some of these may be prescribed during pregnancy. And they can be effective for some patients. When it doesn't work, the dosage is often doubled. But this doubled dose only helps 20-25% of people. And studies have shown that, for those it doesn't help, acid production is often normal. This means that the symptoms for these patients are due to something other than too much stomach acid. For patients like these acupuncture can be a great solution. In fact, a recent study showed that, for those who didn't improve with a doubled dose of PPI, acupuncture provided significant improvement.
3. Treating Sciatica with Acupuncture
Sciatica is pain in the back, hip, or leg caused by compression of the nerves in the lower back- a common complaint of pregnant women. In fact, it is estimated that 50% of women experience low-back pack during pregnancy or after delivery.** Taking pain medication is not advisable during pregnancy, so alternate forms of treatment of this common complaint are important. Acupuncture has been shown in a recent study to be "more effective than drugs" for patients with sciatica.
4. Turning Breech Babies with Acupuncture
As a baby develops, the amount of room in the uterus for it to move decreases. At about 32-34 weeks, Western medical practitioners start to be concerned if the baby hasn't naturally turned to a head-down position. If the baby doesn't turn, it is called a breech presentation. Breech presentations limit a woman's options for delivery of her child.
At Earley Wellness Group, we have had enormous success with turning breech presentations over the years. We recommend the following weekly regimen, starting at week 32, to help a baby to turn naturally. Usually treatments have to be done before week 38 so that the baby has enough room in the uterus to move.
Visit a chiropractor for an adjustment to help open your pelvis.
Have an acupuncture visit. This is a very relaxing session which includes moxibustion (or "moxa") near your baby toe to stimulate your baby to move. Moxibustion is a therapy of burning dried mugwort near particular points to warm regions of the body and stimulate circulation.
Visit your Western medical practitioner to determine if the baby has turned by ultrasound or belly palpitation.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been shown in clinical trials to be effective at turning a breech baby naturally. Western medicine can't explain why acupuncture is so effective at turning breech presentations, but it has been working for over 3000 years.
5. Inducing Labor with Acupuncture
For women who wish to avoid medical intervention to induce labor, but who near or over term, acupuncture can be effective in helping the mother and baby to reach the right level of energy and balance of hormones to induce labor. According to a small study at the University of North Carolina, women who got acupuncture were more likely to go into labor without medical induction. Those who used acupuncture were also less likely to need a C-section (an almost 50% reduction).
To help induce labor, we perform a daily acupuncture treatment which is very relaxing and also helps the mother prepare mentally for labor. We have a very high success rate after just 3 to 4 treatments, often inducing labor right in our office!
Getting Started with Acupuncture
Acupuncture has also been shown to help with insomnia, mood, water retention and swelling. To add acupuncture and Oriental medicine to your pregnancy regimen and learn more about how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can improve your health and well being, make an appointment today. If you know someone who is pregnant, please consider forwarding this newsletter to her.
* Birth Journal, Dr. Smith of Adelaide University in Australia
** US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Hippokratia Journal, Pregnancy-related low back pain
02/27/2025
Spring is approaching. If you are someone that experience issues with allergies. Acupuncture can help.
Acupuncture already helps to relieve pain in some patients, and the latest study hints that it might relieve sneezing and itchy eyes as well.
01/28/2025
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEARS
When is Lunar New Year in 2025? And why do people wear red as part of the celebrations? Answers to these questions and more as we say goodbye to the Dragon and enter the Year of the Snake.
Licensed acupuncturists Kendall Burleson and Tio Bustillo from Baylor Scott and White stopped by KVUE to explain how acupuncture works and how Chinese medici...
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The Acupuncture & Wellness Center has successfully treated a wide range of ailments including: addictions, allergies, arthritis, shingles, back and knee pain, bell’s palsy, bladder conditions, chronic fatigue, depression, digestive disorders, fatigue, fibromyalgia, impotence, infertility, lupus, menopause, migraines and headaches, neck, neuropathy, skin conditions, strokes, TMJ, and weight loss.
How Does It Work?
Acupuncture has such a high success rate due to the fact that it treats the cause of the condition. Since acupuncture allows the body to store itself to a balanced state naturally, this allows for many positive side benefits as the root of the problem is being addressed and not just masking the symptoms.
With such tremendous results patients and medical research institutions alike are finding themselves questioning this ancient practice. While most studies agree upon the healing benefits, there is no conclusive agreement as to the “how” the needles work. One of the western theories state that the insertion of the needles causes the central nervous system to release endorphins, a natural occurring chemical that fights pain and promotes healing.
Practitioners of Chinese medicine have discovered there are 12 pathways of energy, known as meridians, which run along the human body. Each meridian has a number of pressure points supporting different areas of the body. When stimulated, these points have been found to have healing benefits. There are thousands of pressure points on the body, with over two hundred points in the ears alone!
The use of needles is just a part of Chinese medicine. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine also use moxabustion, cupping therapies, and electrical stimulation to promote healing.
Moxabustion / Maxabustion
A procedure called moxabustion (or maxabustion) is often used in conjunction with needle treatments. During moxabustion an herbal stick is used to heat the needles. This provides additional stimulation to the pressure points allowing the patient to heal more quickly. Most patients find this procedure very soothing.
Cupping
Suction cups are often used for a procedure called, cupping, to promote better circulation to a particular area. When these round cups are placed on the skin, it will help bring new blood flow to the area in addition to freeing the meridian of any blocked energy. Sometimes patients will experience slight redness or bruising from this procedure. This is normal and will clear up within 3 to 5 days. Primarily used for pain conditions, patients usually see significant improvement with this procedure.
Electrical Stimulation
Electrical stimulation units are often hooked up to needles of key pressure points for additional stimulation. The electrical stimulation units are much like the ones used by physical therapists. Exciting the pressure points promotes healing and encourages the production of endorphins, a natural chemical which fights pain and promotes better health.
