As a practitioner of acupuncture and shiatsu in Portland, I frequently see clients who are suffering from some form of arthritis. Arthritis is a syndrome which describes a number of different diseases affecting the joints of the body.   Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common types of arthritis affecting over 20 million people in the U.S.  Osteoarthritis usually involves the weight bearing joints and results from the gradual deterioration of joint cartilage.  Rheumatoid arthritis can come on more suddenly and can affect any of the joints of the body.  While the exact cause is unknown, the conventional medical view is that a malfunction of the immune system is at the root of many forms of arthritis.

From the perspective of ancient medicine of India and China, arthritis is considered an invasion from an outside pathogen or internal toxicity. In our modern society, the most common cause is diet and poor digestion.  There is an old saying that applies in this regard; “Food which is not digested becomes poison.”  Among the patients that I routinely see, food allergies, food intolerance and poor digestion play a significant role in joint disease.

Acupuncture and shiatsu, combined with herbal therapy, can definitely help to reduce pain and swelling, strengthen the digestion and assist the body to overcome outside pathogens.  But in most cases, the key to effective treatment is exercise and proper diet.

Below is a general guideline which I find to be helpful for most types of arthritis.  If these suggestions do not help, I suggest that you visit a specialist and consider a long term cleansing diet with short intervals of fasting.  But I want to emphasize that fasting and elimination diets should be done under the supervision of a trained professional.

General Guidelines for Arthritis

1) Keep weight in proper range for height and frame.

2) Avoid foods that cause inflammation for many people with arthritis. The most common problem foods are:

• sugar
• salt
• red meat
• dairy products
• wheat flour
• nightshade vegetables: eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes
• tobacco
• hydrogenated fats, i.e., margarine, shortening, most baked goods, etc.

Experiment by eliminating one of these foods at a time, for 14 days, to find out if any are a problem for you.

3) Exercise – Exercise daily for at least 20 minutes.  If exercise is not part of your daily routine, begin slowly and be careful to not over do it.  If vigorous exercise feels good to you, then favor bicycling, jogging, or other aerobic exercises.  Best to alternate with exercises that move all the joints of the body.  Bicycling, rowing and swimming are excellent “non-impact” exercises.

4) Avoid steroids and try to minimize use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication.

5) Drink plenty of luke warm or room temperature water between meals.  Body weight divided by 2.5 = ounces of pure water per day.  Try to drink water mostly between meals and not with meals.  Avoid cold drinks.

6) Important Supplements:

- Multi Vitamin – any one a day type is fine or as you preference dictates

- Vitamin C – 500 mg. twice per day with largest protein meal, if well tolerated

- Vitamin E – 400 I.U. per day

- Glucosamine Sulfate. Best product is Syn-Flex liquid at  www.activexamerica.com

- MSM crystals – Start with ¼ teaspoon and gradually work up to ½ teaspoon, one to two times per day

- EFA/Flax seed oil blend – 1 tablespoons per day taken plain or as a garnish on salads or vegetables

- Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil – 1 teaspoon or 5 capsules per day. Order at 1-800-662-2544 or www.nordicnaturals.com

- Helpful herbs: Boswellia, Turmeric and Ginger. See your herbalist or your health care professional for specific compounds containing these herbs.

* Caution: If you are pregnant, currently taking blood thinning medication, have diabetes or a bleeding disorder, consult with your health care professional before taking fish oil supplements.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

Often my patients ask for advice to lose weight.  Although acupuncture and herbal medicine can be supportive, I tell my patients to pay more attention to their eating and lifestyle habits during the rest of the week.  The following recommendations aren’t magic, but if followed, they are very effective.

1. If our digestion is poor, we have to eat more in order to feel satisfied.  Here are a few tips to improve digestion and reduce food intake, without going hungry. If followed, these simple rules can improve ones health and well being dramatically.

a.  Eat slowly and chew your food well.  This simple rule will greatly enhance your sense of fullness and satisfaction.

b.  Stop eating before you are completely full.  There is a 15-minute lag between the time we eat something and the time the brain registers the sensation of fullness.

c. Try to eat your main meal in the middle of the day and when you are genuinely hungry and can better burn the calories.

2. In the brain, the hunger signal and the thirst signal can easily get crossed.  As a result, when we feel hungry, our bodies are often crying out for water and not food.  So, staying well hydrated is an important key for appetite control.  The next time you have a hunger attack, try drinking one or two glasses of lukewarm water.  After about 15 minutes, you may find that your hunger has disappeared completely.

3. When it comes to exercise, there are two important factors to weight loss: muscle tone and walking.  If we can build up our muscle mass, we will burn considerably more calories in our normal daily activity.  For three days a week, do 30 minutes of weight training, under the guidance of a professional trainer to start with.  During the other four days of the week, begin a walking program, gradually working up to 2 or 3 miles per day.  If you have a health concern, it is important to discuss exercise with your doctor in order to design a program that is best suited for you.

4. Soothing the mind and the emotions will often reduce our craving for food. Nothing is more effective than deep breathing in order to increase the body’s energy and release blocked emotions.  Try to be more aware of your breathing all during the day and take extra deep breaths as often as possible.

5. If you follow the above recommendations, you may eat what you want, in moderation.  Except, you should strictly avoid junk foods, fried foods, butter, margarine and pork.  Also, avoid alcohol or at least reduce to one glass of wine each day, with your main meal.

Final Note: Above all, relax and try to be happy with your body type.  Very few of us are meant to look like fashion models, even though the advertising media would like us to believe otherwise.  Strive for moderation in all things.  If we maintain good health, we will very likely achieve the correct weight for our unique body type.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

Most people who come to my acupuncture clinic in Portland, are expecting to be treated with needles. Most people don’t realize that there are several non-needle techniques, which are frequently used in Japanese acupuncture. In fact, a Japanese style acupuncturist will sometimes do a complete treatment without using a single needle.

One of the most common of these “non-needle” techniques is moxibustion, a form of heat therapy in which the dried herb Mugwort (artemisia vulgaris), is burned on, or near, the skin in order to stimulate and warm specific points and to trigger a number of healing reactions. Moxibustion is at least as old as acupuncture, with records of the practice dating back many centuries B.C. Although it may sound painful, moxibustion actually feels very comfortable for most patients and the therapeutic effects are significant.

Japanese scientists have found that stimulation from moxibustion, at specific points, can dramatically boost the body’s immunity and trigger other profound healing effects. In clinical practice, we find that moxibustion is effective for painful or stiff muscles and joints, arthritis and certain auto-immune disorders. In addition, I have found that moxibustion lifts the spirits and is very effective for many types of depression or fatigue.

Another important tool of the acupuncturist is cupping: the application of suction or vacuum cups to the surface of the body. Like moxibustion, cupping goes back thousands of years.  Cups are small glass bowls (1″ to 3″ in diameter) which are applied to the body with vacuum suction.  The vacuum is created either by means of heating the air inside the cup or by mechanical pump.  The suction from the cup causes the blood to gather at a particular site near the surface of the body, thus affecting circulation.

Nothing helps to relax stiff and tight muscles faster and more deeply than cupping. Also, cupping influences the function of the internal organs and is indicated for a wide array of digestive or gynecological problems which are caused by blood stagnation. For example, if a patient is suffering from congestion in the lungs or abdominal cramps, cupping will bring almost immediate relief.

Finally, shiatsu is perhaps the most common non-needle technique used my acupuncturists. Many people think shiatsu is a form of massage, but actually it’s quite different. Shiatsu consists of rhythmic, single point pressure applied with the hands and fingers, along the traditional “Qi” energy meridians of the body. Shiatsu is simple, safe, non-invasive and at the same time, very helpful in the treatment of many common disorders of our modern society.

Based on research in Japan, it has been documented that shiatsu helps to calm the sympathetic nervous system and improve the function of the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, lymph nodes, endocrine glands and internal organs. In addition, it has been shown that shiatsu assists the body in eliminating toxins and metabolic waste.

So, for readers who might be attracted to acupuncture but are nervous about needles, moxibustion and cupping are some of the alternative methods that an acupuncturist might use. And who knows?  After you experience some of the benefits of these ancient techniques, you may want to try the needles.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

As an acupuncturist in Portland, Oregon, I am constantly reminded of the fact that the healthcare system in the U.S. is badly broken. Currently, the U.S. has per-capita health care costs many times higher than other industrialized countries. At the same time, the general health of our citizens is declining. We rank 6th in infant mortality and 1st in obesity. The answer is not in universal health insurance or reducing doctors compensation or capping malpractice liability. The answer lies in public education and a return to public responsibility. We as citizens must take a greater role in our own health.

My whole philosophy is to teach and support my clients to become more independent regarding their health care. I spend a lot of time emphasizing diet, lifestyle, home remedies and physical therapy that my clients can do on their own in order to improve their overall health and well being.

Over the last 40 years, westerners, and Americans in particular, have become lazy with regard to their health care. They’ve become dependent on practitioners and pharmaceutical drugs to solve all their problems. And the Naturopathic movement that has emerged over the last 25 years, seems to have fallen into this same established rut, merely substituting herbs and supplements for pharmaceutical drugs. The underlying belief is that we don’t really need to change the way we live and our relationship with our bodies. All we need to do is to take a bunch of pills and we can continue with the same self destructive patterns to which we’ve become accustomed.

For these same reasons, I’ve become increasingly skeptical of the supplements as a way to address health issues. Supplements are now approaching a trillion $$ industry and the mark up on many products is indefensible. In spite of all this huge amount of money and energy going into “Natural Healing”, I don’t see people getting any better. True herbal medicine certainly has a place in health care, as do pharmaceutical drugs. But these are for short term application, in order to correct a specific imbalance. Not for long term use, or a substitute for proper lifestyle and nutrition.

If we are to create a sustainable public health program, it will depend on mass education about health maintenance and disease prevention. This means understanding about proper nutrition and the importance of exercise as well as learning to avoid things that we now know are toxic such as tobacco, drugs, excessive alcohol, trans fats and sugars.

But education alone is not enough. Health care professionals will have to change the way they provide care. They’ll have to spend more time with their patients and not rely on expensive tests to take the place of old fashion physical examination and diagnosis.

Government and health care administrators will have to find more ways to incorporate alternative and complimentary medicine such as acupuncture, herbal medicine and naturopathic modalities. These natural methods have been used for centuries to address many health problems and are very cost effective. Greater use of alternative medicine, where it has proven to be effective, could save billions $$ every year.

Congress will have to get involved and tackle the difficult task of rationing medicine, allocating our resources where it best serves the public interest. From a legal perspective, we need a no-fault liability system so that people are adequately compensated for medical mistakes without putting undue stress on the providers.

All of us as citizens and health care professionals have to collectively take responsibility to see that our health care dollars are spent wisely. As a nation, we don’t have the resources to administer health care as we have in the past.

Whether a sustainable model can emerge in the next decade is anyone’s guess. But the consequences of failure are enormous and will impact our freedom and well being as a nation.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

In Portland, we have some of the finest practitioners of natural healing along with some of the most advanced western medicine available in the U.S. For example, Japanese acupuncture and shiatsu are readily available in Portland and are often used side-by-side with conventional western modalities. From this perspective, Portland is really where East meets West and represents the best of both worlds.

In an article titled, “Acupuncture, a Powerful Integrative Oncology Tool“, researcher Jack Bleeker shows how acupuncture and other natural healing modalities are becoming mainstream as complimentary treatments along with conventional western medicine in the treatment of cancer. Below is a segment of his article.

“Integrative Oncology is the combination of “mainstream” care and evidenced-based complimentary therapies to control cancer-related pain and symptoms [source: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Integrative Medicine]. Complementary therapies, while not given the attention that more traditional cancer therapies may receive, are perhaps equally important while undergoing treatment for certain types of cancer. Patients diagnosed with difficult to treat malignancies will often use these types of therapies in conjunction with traditional treatment options, which include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiology, to form a more comprehensive and effective treatment regimen. Among the most effective alternative therapies utilized by those diagnosed with cancer is acupuncture.

Acupuncture has long been utilized as a general pain reduction method for thousands of years, originating in the Far East and gradually being utilized throughout the world. Effective cancer treatment often depends on the patient’s ability to not only defeat the cancer through various methods but to also maintain their health and mental spirit throughout the course of treatment.

Often, the symptoms and effects of the cancer itself on the body are insignificant compared to the pain and other side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation are often fatigued, experience a lack of appetite and weight loss, and may become depressed.  For cancer patients experiencing these and other side effects, acupuncture is extremely beneficial. According to the ancient theories of Chinese medicine, “qi,” or “life energy,” flows through energy channels within the body known as meridians. These channels connect the body’s internal organs, and if these meridians become “blocked,” or an individual’s qi cannot flow properly, disease will set in. Acupuncture is said to relieve blockages and restore the natural flow of qi, and ultimately restoring one’s health.

Cancers such as mesothelioma, which are often unable to be removed by surgical means, are often treated with some combination of chemotherapy and radiation [the combination of chemo drug Alimta® and anti-cancer drug Cisplatin® is a popular treatment for cancer patients with mesothelioma]. While these potent drugs can be effective in eliminating some of the tumor mass and growth, they also profoundly affect the health of the surrounding tissue. Symptoms experienced by those undergoing mainstream cancer treatments include fever, nausea, and debilitating pain.

Patients who undergo acupuncture in conjunction with mainstream cancer therapies have experienced dramatic reductions in pain and feel that their energy and mental wellbeing was restored. Cancer patients who feel energized, are pain-free and have a solid state of mind are more likely to withstand traditional methods of cancer treatment and have an increased survival rate. Acupuncture is said to be so effective, in fact, that the World Health Organization [WHO] has recognized acupuncture as a successful intervention for adverse reactions to radiation and chemotherapy. The National Institute of Health [NIH] also agreed that acupuncture may relieve nausea and pain experienced by cancer sufferers, and the organization supports acupuncture clinical trials.”

Jack Bleeker, Research Coordinator
June 17, 2009

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

As a Japanese acupuncture and shiatsu practitioner in Portland, people often ask if acupuncture and shiatsu will help with this or that particular problem. The answer is usually “yes…but”. The “but” is that while acupuncture and shiatsu are excellent treatments for a wide range of specific health issues, they are also extremely beneficial for overall health maintenance.

Medical studies in Japan have shown that acupuncture and shiatsu help to balance the autonomic nervous system because they specifically calm the sympathetic nerves.  During acupuncture and shiatsu, the entire autonomic system relaxes, allowing the peripheral blood vessels to expand and nourish the body on a deep cellular level. At the same time, toxins are released and flushed from the cells throughout the body. This effect alone allows the body to release stress and make hundreds of corrections on a chemical and cellular level.

In this country, people understand the benefits of having their car serviced on a routine basis, even if there are no particular problems. It’s called routine maintenance. But what most people don’t understand is that the body too needs routine maintenance in order to reduce stress, eliminate toxins and correct imbalances in the circulation of qi energy and blood. And these benefits are cumulative with regular treatment.

So, yes, acupuncture and shiatsu are very effective for specific disorders such as headache, anxiety, depression, acute or chronic pain, insomnia, stomach or intestinal problems, fatigue and fibromyalgia, just to name a few. But in my opinion, the most important benefit of acupuncture and shiatsu is the overall relaxation and balancing of the autonomic nervous system. This is why I recommend regular acupuncture and shiatsu as part of everyone’s routine health care program.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

Acupuncture is rapidly becoming a common alternative therapy for various physical disorders. But most people may not realize is that acupuncture has been used for centuries as a method to calm the spirit, balance the emotions.

According to one ancient Chinese medical text, there are three classes of acupuncture. The first and most basic class of pertains to earth and deals with the removal of painful symptoms. The second class pertains to humankind and deals with balancing the patient’s constitution and preventing future disease. The third and highest class pertains to heaven and deals with nourishing the individual’s destiny in order to prolong life in alignment with Divine Will.

The basic premise of Japanese acupuncture is that we are all born with a specific set of constitutional tendencies which include certain inherent weaknesses and strengths that manifest in all areas of life – the body, mind and personality. As physicians, our first job is to examine the patient and try to make a determination of his or her inherent weakness. We call this weakness the “sho” or the inherent pattern of imbalance. It may seem somewhat negative to just look for the weakness and ignore the strengths, but actually this makes perfect sense. In order to make a chain strong and lasting, we need to find and strengthen the weakest links. We don’t need to worry about the strong ones. Likewise, in dealing with the health of the person, if we can identify and strengthen the person’s weakest energy meridian, a whole array of symptoms will automatically be resolved and many future diseases will be avoided.

We find the “sho”, or pattern of imbalance, not so much by listening to the complaints of the patient but by listening to the body. Our tools for listening are our senses. We touch the abdomen, listen to the quality of the voice, feel the texture, moisture and temperature of the skin, look at the colors of the skin, nails and hair, palpate the pulses and even smell the skin. From these examinations, we can determine the underlying imbalance and proceed to treat it.

Often, the pattern of imbalance is hidden or complicated by overlying imbalances which obscure the core issue. This is where the experienced physician can look through all the confusing signs and symptoms and zero in on the underlying pattern of imbalance. And then, it is a simple procedure to strengthen the particular meridian that is weak and disperse the excess energy in any meridian that might be too strong. This is called the root treatment. A skilled physician will make the diagnosis and perform the root treatment in about 10 minutes.

After balancing the meridians, we are then ready to listen more closely to the patient’s complaints. This is the second phase of the treatment in which we address the branch of the imbalance, or the patient’s symptoms. If the patient is experiencing fatigue, depression, insomnia, or any other symptoms of spiritual imbalance, there are specific techniques to remove the symptoms quickly. Sometimes, several treatments are needed. But for the most part, these methods will give the patient some relief until the root treatments can begin to take effect. Both the root and the branch treatment are important in order to maximize the overall effect of the treatment.

Having strengthened the person at his or her foundation, the body and mind will respond, the spirit will again shine and destiny will be fulfilled.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

Insomnia is becoming a major health problem in our modern society. And here in the Portland, the problem is particularly pervasive in the summer when daylight arrives as early as 5:00 A.M.

There are many possible reasons for insomnia. But in all these cases, the common factor is too much activity in the brain at night, during sleep time. In traditional acupuncture terms, the heat in the body is not grounded and is rising to the head at night. In western medical terms, there is an over stimulation of the sympathetic nerves leading to an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system.

Japanese acupuncture and shiatsu work well together to balance and ground the body’s energy and often this is enough to restore a normal sleep pattern. But sometimes, a client will come to me after years of sleep disturbance and several other therapies. In cases like this, insomnia is usually more stubborn and in addition to acupuncture and shiatsu treatments, I will suggest diet and lifestyle changes and possibly herbal supplements for a brief period, to help correct the imbalance.

If you have difficulty getting a restful night’s sleep, here are a few home remedies that can be helpful.

1) Diet – For many people it’s important to avoid all stimulants, particularly after the noon meal. Aside from the obvious stimulants such as coffee, tea, chocolate and soft drinks, certain spices stimulate the nerves or create heat in the body, which can disturb our sleep. Try to avoid spicy foods or at least try to eat them in the middle of the day, so that by bedtime, their effect has diminished. In the evening, eat a lighter meal and avoid fried, broiled or greasy foods, alcohol, black pepper, cayenne, ginger, cloves and garlic. Also, try to keep salt to a minimum.

2) Supplements – People with insomnia often have a calcium and/or magnesium imbalance. First, I suggest magnesium citrate (200 mg in the morning and 200 mg before bed). If magnesium alone does not help after a few days, add 200 to 400 mg calcium at bedtime, either in the form of coral calcium or calcium citrate.

3) Exercise – Of all the self-help advice, nothing is more effective than daily exercise in order to balance the body’s energy, improve the circulation and assist in the elimination of toxins.  If you have a serious health condition, it is important to exercise carefully and not over do it.  Discuss exercise with your health care professional in order to design a program that is best suited for your particular body type and condition. But for sleep problems, avoid exercise after 6:00 P.M.

4) Hot Footbath – Soak the feet and ankles in a bucket or tub of hot water for 20 minutes before bed.

5) Foot Rubbing – Before bed, sit cross-legged, or in a chair, and stroke one foot at a time (with the opposite hand) lengthwise and with medium to strong pressure, at least 200 strokes.  Use two drops of sesame oil on each foot during this process.  Then put on some old socks and go to bed.

6) Avoid napping during the day, avoid eating after 7:00 P.M., avoid exercise after 6:00 P.M. and avoid hot baths. (Warm baths are fine but hot baths are counter productive)

7) Above all, if you can’t sleep for a few nights, don’t worry. No one ever died from insomnia. Even if you just lay quietly in a dark room for 6 to 8 hours, you are getting more rest than you might imagine. And the next day, you’ll probably function better than you think.

If you have tried these suggestions and still can’t sleep, a series of acupuncture and/or shiatsu treatments can be very helpful. Or consult with an Ayurvedic or Chinese herbalist.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

Indirect Moxibustion

Although not well known in the west, the art of moxibustion plays an important role in traditional medicine of Japan. Moxibustion is a form of heat therapy in which the dried herb “mugwort” (artemisia vulgaris) is burned near the surface of the skin in order to stimulate specific acupuncture points and to trigger natural healing responses in the body. The use of moxibustion is at least as old as acupuncture, with records of the practice dating back many centuries B.C. In China and Japan, the word (or characters) for acupuncture actually includes the word for moxibustion, thus illustrating how closely linked are these two modalities.  According to the classical texts, moxibustion and acupuncture are complimentary, each one enhancing the effects of the other.

The mugwort plant grows wild here in the Northwest and is often seen as an ornamental plant in front yards. The herb is considered “Yang” in Chinese medicine and as such, it is both warming and moving.  When the dried leaves are ground and sifted, a fine wool is produced (commonly referred to as “moxa”) which can easily be rolled into various shapes for burning.  The most common shapes are cones and sticks.

In Japan, scientists have studied moxibustion under laboratory conditions and have found that the infrared radiation from burning moxibustion is almost exactly the same wavelength as the infrared radiation in the human body.  And, the warming qualities of the dried mugwort itself enhances the warming effects of the combustion.  The result is that the heat from moxibustion penetrates deeply into the body, giving both an immediate warming effect and a continuing warming effect, which lasts for several days after the treatment.

From a western medical perspective, we know that when we sustain a significant burn, all the biological systems of the body join together in a defensive response to protect the body from further damage and begin production of new blood and tissues.  Over two thousand years ago, the physician sages of China discovered that many of these profound healing reactions will occur even if the body sustains only a very small burn.

The very idea of burning the skin to produce a beneficial effect seems primitive and outrageous to most people in the West. But let’s put the concept into perspective. First, we are talking about a very mild burn, about as severe as a sunburn. Second, we are talking about very small areas of the skin, no larger than 2 – 4 millimeters in diameter. Japanese scientists have found that a small and mild burn from moxibustion, at specific points, can dramatically boost the body’s immunity and trigger a cascade of profound healing effects. These effects include a significant increase in white blood cell production, an increase in platelet count, a reduction in blood coagulation time, increased activity of the adrenal glands and many other biochemical reactions that assist the body in healing.

In traditional Asian medicine, moxibustion is indicated for any condition of pain, low energy or obstruction, where coldness or stagnation is a primary causative factor. Likewise, moxibustion is used for cases of blood deficiency or blood stagnation, since it is considered to move blood and stimulate blood production.

As an acupuncturist in Portland, I have found that moxibustion lifts the spirits and is very effective for many types of mild depression or fatigue. And for stiff or painful muscles and joints, acupuncture combined with moxibustion is one of the best treatments available.

Moxibustion is a powerful form of therapy which, when applied correctly, can stimulate the body’s own healing potential. If you are interested in the ancient medicine of Asia, you may want to receive a treatment in order to experience for yourself the wonderful healing effects of moxibustion. Moxibustion is also an effective and inexpensive home therapy, which is easy to learn from any licensed acupuncturist who has studied Japanese moxibustion therapy.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

As an acupuncturist in Portland, I am often asked what kinds of disorders respond well to Japanese acupuncture and shiatsu. I am usually forced to answer this question in a few words, which leaves many important points unaddressed. So I’d like to take this opportunity to answer this question more thoroughly and explain some of the finer points of the benefits of acupuncture.

As in most cities, there are many styles of acupuncture in Portland. I practice Japanese acupuncture and shiatsu. (More information about this particular style of acupuncture is discussed on other articles on this blog.)All styles of acupuncture are based on the classical Chinese theory that the body and spirit are made up of different forms of Life-energy, or “qi”, combined with the five elements. This “qi” energy nourishes the body and maintains proper health through a complex network of channels or meridians. In addition, we know from empirical observation that “qi” energy follows the blood. If the “qi” energy becomes stagnant, the blood will become stagnant and vice versa. When the “qi” energy and blood circulate freely through the meridians, we enjoy good health and a positive attitude. Disease occurs when the circulation of “qi” and blood are impaired due to stress, negative emotions, improper diet, insufficient rest, environmental toxins or seasonal changes.

Acupuncture evolved over the course of many centuries as a method to stimulate and regulate the circulation of “qi” and blood in the body. From this standpoint, it can be argued that acupuncture will help the body to resolve any imbalance or disorder. If we can improve the circulation of “qi” and blood, it stands to reason that the body will respond favorably. I have been continuously amazed to see how well people respond to acupuncture for a wide range of disorders from pain syndromes to infertility to digestive disorders.

From another perspective, it has been documented that acupuncture is effective in calming the sympathetic nervous system and improving the function of the endocrine glands and internal organs.

The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic functions. These two systems are designed to work together like two sides of a balance. The sympathetic system helps the body to function in states of stress or excitation. When the sympathetic system is dominant, the body’s attention is focused on the peripheral muscles and nerves in order to react appropriately in a “fight or flight” situation. When the parasympathetic system is dominant, the body’s attention shifts to the internal organs and in general, the body prepares to relax and replenish its energy. At any given point in time, either the sympathetic or parasympathetic mode is dominant. Our nervous systems are designed to shift back and forth between these two modes of functioning, several times a day.

Problems arise when we become stuck in one mode for too long. And in the stress of our modern society, the overwhelming tendency is to become stuck in the “fight or flight” or sympathetic mode. Over time, this chronic over stimulation of the sympathetic nerves can lead to problems such as hypertension, headaches, dizziness, irritable bowel syndrome, muscular or skeletal pain, insomnia, nausea, diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal disorders. Because of its profound calming effect on the sympathetic nerves, acupuncture is particularly effective in treating these kinds of disorders.

Finally, there are a few disorders that respond particularly well and very quickly to acupuncture. In this category, I would list liver/gallbladder imbalances, headaches, digestive disorders, hemorrhoids, stress, mild to moderate anxiety or depression and food or substance cravings.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805