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

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

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

A migraine headache is defined is a severe, pulsating, one-sided headache, lasting from 4 to 72 hours and which is aggravated by routine physical activity. Migraines are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and/or sensitivity to light and sound. In addition, visual disturbances (auras) lasting from 4 to 60 minutes, may occur either before or during a migraine headache.

Migraines are sometimes called vascular headaches because they involve a restriction in blood flow to the brain. Stress, or some other trigger, causes muscle tension and spasm at the base of the skull, restricting the blood supply to the brain. In response, blood vessels in and around the brain dilate in order to compensate for the reduced oxygen. The pressure of these dilating arteries on cranial nerves causes the severe throbbing pain associated with migraine headaches.

One of the best alternative therapies for a migraine headache is Japanese acupuncture combined with the ancient practice or “cupping”. Cups are round vessels, 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 a mechanical pump. The local area of low pressure causes the blood to gather under the cup near the surface of the body, creating an immediate improvement in circulation. In particular, cupping helps to reset or regulate the tension in the arteries… helping to relax overly tense arteries and tighten those that are too lax. Cupping certain areas on the back can produce this regulating effect throughout the entire body.

In addition to acupuncture and cupping, dietary and lifestyle changes can often help to reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. In this regard, the following suggestions may be helpful.

1) Experiment avoiding foods that are known to trigger migraines for some people. The most common problem foods, in order of importance, are:

• tannins in tea, red wine and apple cider
• chocolate
• aged cheese
• other dairy products
• peanuts
• poultry, including eggs
• caffeine in coffee, tea and cola drinks
• sulfites in processed meats and seafood
• beef
• wheat
• food additives such as MSG, artificial sweeteners (especially those containing Aspartame) and food colorings
• heavily processed or packaged foods

To find out if any of these foods are a trigger for you, experiment by eliminating one at a time for a couple of weeks and observe any change in the frequency or severity of your headaches. In addition, a number of prescription medications can cause migraine headaches in some people. Read the information sheet which comes with your medication and if headaches are a possible side effect, consult with your doctor to see if an alternative medication can be prescribed.

2) Feverfew herbal capsules – 125 mg. per day and containing at least 0.2% parthenolide. Check the label to make sure it contains standardized 0.2% parthenolide. This herb works best as a preventative and may be taken every day in the above dose. If a migraine occurs, take 500 mg. in one dose and do not take any more Feverfew that day.

3) Magnesium (Citrate or Amino Acid Chelate) – begin with 200 to 250 mg per day and gradually increase your dose up to 400 mg. If your stools become loose, back down the dosage to a comfortable level.

4) Exercise moderately, but every day. Exercise helps to regulate blood chemistry as well as vascular tension. It’s best to alternate with different exercises which move the major muscle groups of the body. Bicycling, rowing and swimming are excellent “non-impact” exercises.

5) Drink plenty of water. Your body weight divided by 2.5 equates to the minimum number of ounces of pure water (including juice) you should drink every day. It’s best to drink water mostly between meals.

6) Take flaxseed + borage oil complex – 1 to 2 tablespoons per day.

7) Two or three times each week, drink celery juice alone or combined with carrot, cucumber, spinach and/or parsley. Or, two 8-ounce glasses of this juice per day can be taken as a preventative, instead of Feverfew capsules.

Precautionary Note
Persistent headaches can be a sign of a serious health problem. If you have frequent or persistent headaches, it is recommended that you consult with your health care professional.

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

I recently lifted a large bucket of water incorrectly and felt a painless “pop” in my lower back. I assumed that I had pulled a muscle. Over the next 3 weeks, I tried to stretch it out and applied several healing techniques but my symptoms progressively got worse. Finally, I had severe pain in my right leg, a symptom known as sciatica. Then, I knew that I had herniated a disc.

A herniated, or bulging disc is when the soft tissue between the vertebra becomes injured and swollen and begins to exert pressure on one of the spinal nerves. In some cases, the tough outer surface of the disc can tear or break, allowing the soft inner nucleus to be extruded out of the disc and into the vertebral recess and the spinal canal. It’s a very painful condition but in 90% of the cases, a herniated disc will heal on it’s own, over 6 to 8 weeks of conservative treatment. During that period, the body’s natural healing energy goes to work, dissolving the herniated tissue and repairing the disc that remains in tact, a process called resorption.

To help reduce pain and buy time while the body heals, a steroidal epidural injection can be very helpful. This is a process of injecting a small amount of steroidal anti-inflammatory into the injured area to reduce inflammation and swelling and make the healing process considerably more comfortable.

Japanese acupuncture can also help to speed the process of resorption. In the case of an acute injury like this, I recommend treatments every 3 or 4 days. When applied correctly, acupuncture will ease the pain and help to direct the body’s healing energy to the affected area in the back. In Japanese style acupuncture, after an injury like this, we treat the Kidney and Liver channels as well as local points along the lumbar spine.

Other important healing techniques are cold packs to reduce inflammation, and complete bed rest for the first 2 or 3 days. After about 3 days, it’s best to resume a reduced schedule and try to stay vertical as much as possible. Walking is the exercise of choice (lots of it) and sitting is to be kept to a minimum. After 2 or 3 weeks, a gentle stretching program is recommended. After 6 to 8 weeks, it’s important to begin a strengthening program to prevent recurrance. In most cases, injury to the spinal discs is due to weak back muscles.

For a health care practitioner, an injury like this is very humbling. It reminds us that we really don’t know as much as we thought. And it helps to make us more compassionate with the suffering of others. Pain is a great teacher and helps to bring us down to earth and come face to face with our mortality and the frailness of the human condition. At times, we all have illness or injury which serve as an important “reality check” for us all.

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 acupuncture and shiatsu practitioner in Portland, one question I am frequently asked is, “How does Japanese acupuncture differ from Chinese style?” The short answer is that they both share the same theoretical basis but they differ in their technique and application. The long answer could fill several volumes. But here are a few of the more basic differences.

In Japanese style acupuncture, we believe that the body’s most responsive “Qi” lies on, or just beneath, the skin surface. From this perspective, it is unnecessary to needle deeply or to produce a strong needle sensation. Also, in Japanese acupuncture thinner needles and fewer needles are used in a typical treatment. In short, Japanese style follows the premise that “less is more”. It is only necessary to offer a gentle reminder and the body’s own healing abilities will do the rest.

Another difference between Japanese and Chinese acupuncture involves the use of several other modalities such as moxibustion, shiatsu (acupressure massage), cupping, intradermal needles and ear seeds. While traditional Chinese acupuncture may include these modalities, they typically do not hold the same importance in day-to-day practice as they do in Japanese style treatment. In Japan, for instance, it’s commonly held that moxibustion and shiatsu share a synergistic relationship with acupuncture. Typically, one or both are included, along with acupuncture, in almost every treatment.

Another unique feature of Japanese style is the tradition of treating both the front and the back side of the body in the same treatment. In Japan, it is widely considered that both the yin and the yang sides of the body should be addressed in a complete treatment.

In Japanese style acupuncture, we apply “direct” moxibustion, by means of small “rice grain” size cones of mugwart (Artemisia Vulgaris). Traditionally, these small cones are burned directly on the skin and the heat is controlled with a bamboo tube. In Chinese style acupuncture, moxibustion is not as common and when it is used, it is applied as “indirect” moxibustion, by means of a moxa stick which is lit and held close to the skin.

Another modality which is very popular in Japanese style is the use of intradermal needles. These are small (almost microscopic) sterile needles which are inserted horozontally about 0.5mm – 1.0mm beneath the skin. A piece of tape is then placed over the needle and it is worn continuously for 2 or 3 days. Likewise, ear seeds are small grains, about 0.5mm in diameter, which are taped on specific acupuncture points in the ear in order to gently stimulate the points for a day or two.

These are just a few of the more basic differences between Chinese and Japanese acupuncture. If you are seeking a therapy in order to stimulate the body’s own healing potential, without harmful side effects, both styles are excellent. To learn more about Japanese style acupuncture and shiatsu in Portland, please visit my main web site, Japanese Acupuncture and Shiatsu.

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 in Portland offers a wide range of treatment applications. Japanese acupuncture to curb physical cravings is just one of many applications that are commonly used in my clinic.

While acupuncture itself is over 2,000 years old, the use of acupuncture to reduce physical cravings is a fairly recent development. In the early 1970′s, Dr. H. L. Wen, a neurosurgeon in Hong Kong, was studying the effects of acupuncture on post surgical pain. Coincidentally, he found that stimulation of certain points on the ear dramatically relieved withdrawal symptoms in one of his patients who was a long-term heroin user.

After learning about Dr. Wen’s discovery, the Lincoln Center in the South Bronx and the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco began using acupuncture as part of their standard treatment for addiction. Following the success of these two treatment facilities, the technique was further developed and eventually became known as the “5 Needle Protocol”, referring to the 5 main points used in the ear. In 1985, Michael O. Smith, M.D. founded the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) in order to promoted the use of this protocol as a cost effective treatment for drug and alcohol users.

More recently, acupuncturists in clinical settings have been using the same protocol to treat a wider variety of addictive behaviors. Whether the addiction is of a physical or so called psychological nature, there are certain common behavioral and biological mechanisms at work. For patients who are otherwise healthy but want to stop smoking or lose weight, the 5 Needle Protocol works equally well to stop the cravings and reduce the symptoms of withdrawal.

Exactly how acupuncture works to reduce cravings is still under study. But it appears that stimulation of certain points in the ear has a direct influence on the brain to calm the nervous system and break the neuro-biological connections between the substance and the behavior. The result is like pushing the re-start button on a computer. The person gets a break from the constant craving and experiences greater freedom to reestablish a new behavior pattern.

In the 5 Needle Protocol, the 5 basic points are used with other key points to direct the emphasis of the treatment. For example, for appetite control or food cravings, there is a special point that dramatically stops the craving for oral sensation, which helps to make the treatment more profound and longer lasting. Likewise, for smoking cessation, there is a special point that reduces craving for sensation in the lungs and nasal cavity.

In clinical practice, I have seen the 5 Needle Protocol work on hundreds of patients. From my experience, the key to dealing with an addiction, or any negative habit pattern, is to use two or three supporting therapies simultaneously. To stop smoking, I suggest a gradual reduction method combined with acupuncture and licorice root, both of which help reduce the cravings. Likewise, most weight loss cases respond very well to a course of acupuncture combined with appropriate exercise and a proven, gradual weight loss program such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.

Acupuncture for addiction, is not a magic bullet. Several follow up treatments may be required during the withdrawal period. And it is not a substitute for the desire and focus needed to change a well-established habit pattern. Nevertheless, over the course of several months, acupuncture can provide the extra support people often need to make important and life saving changes in their lives. If you have a serious addiction or simply want to curb your appetite or stop smoking, acupuncture can reduce the cravings and provide an important support to your new goals.

Precautionary Note
Licorice root can cause fluid retention and elevated blood pressure. The deglycyrrhizinated form of licorice will usually not cause these problems. In case of edema or high blood pressure or where estrogen is contraindicated, you should consult with your health care provider before using licorice.

Please visit my main site Japanese Acupuncture and Shiatsu for more information about acupuncture and shiatsu in Portland, Oregon.

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