SOHMA Integrative Medicine

We offer the best of Eastern & Western medicine without using drugs or surgery

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Can Cupping Help with Anxiety?

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Undergoing cupping therapy has additional benefits for both the body and mind.

In recent years the importance of mental health has been made clear. Every day more and more people are being diagnosed with some kind of mental health condition like anxiety. Today we want to share with you how cupping therapy can help reduce anxiety and alleviate some of the stress that comes with it.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety has many forms of manifesting itself and acts differently depending on each person. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. It is normal for most people to have feelings of anxiety, it is the brain’s way of reacting to things that can be stressful. It is meant to alert you if there is any potential danger near. It is okay to feel anxious before making important decisions, when facing difficult work problems, or for students about to take a difficult test.

When anxiety becomes a mental health disorder is when you feel the symptoms of anxiety more regularly and more intensely. Excessive and constant worry and fear about everyday situations. Higher heart rates, hyperventilating, tension, exhaustion, and sweating can occur. Often causing panic attacks. You should seek your primary care provider if you can not work, complete daily tasks, find it difficult to maintain relationships, or are abusing substances. It’s important for us to know the degree of anxiety to properly treat each individual patient.

What is Cupping Therapy?

Cupping therapy is a Chinese traditional medicine when a small vacuum is formed within a cup whether by heating the cup or using a pump and placed atop the skin. The vacuum formed then sucks the skin into the cup along with the fascia, muscle, and other soft tissues. The cupping process causes vasodilation, which increases blood circulation to the treated areas. Removing stagnant toxins and circulating fresh oxygenated blood to the affected area. 

When performed by a well-trained practitioner such as the ones staffed at SOHMA Integrative Medicine in Lakewood and Long Beach CA, the risks and side effects are minimal. The only thing left behind is round marks left by the cup which can give an insight into how well the therapy is working. Darker marks may require more treatment in that area than lighter marks.

Cupping Therapy and Mental Health

You may be wondering how getting your skin and soft tissue pulled into a cup can help with anxiety. Cupping therapy helps indirectly by activating your parasympathetic nervous system as the cups glide over your body. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for lowering your heart rate and helping with digestion. When active the parasympathetic nervous system produces a calm and relaxing feeling in your body and mind. This reaction can loosen tension in your body which may result in a reduction in stress and anxiety.

Additionally cupping therapy promotes better sleep quality by reducing pain and removing toxins from the body. Allowing for longer consistent sleep helps with mental and physical recovery. It is well documented that there is a correlation between the lack of sleep and people who are prone to suffering from anxiety. As well as people suffering from anxiety have a hard time staying asleep. Without the rejuvenating effects of a good night’s sleep, it is possible for people to spiral into an unhealthy cycle that can be dangerous for their mental health.

Is Cupping Therapy Right for You?

Cupping therapy is a safe practice although there are some exceptions. If you have bleeding disorders like Hemophilia or blood clotting issues like deep vein thrombosis. If you have a history of strokes or seizures you should ask about your condition before receiving cupping therapy. If you have skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema your skin may become irritated when having cupping therapy.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

Joint Injections for Knee Injuries

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Joint injections in knees can help increase recovery from injury and even improve ailments without surgery.

Your knees are some of the most important joints in your body. We use them to walk, run and jump. Keeping your knees healthy is one of the best ways to maintain mobility. Unfortunately as we age the risk of injuring our knees becomes greater. Knee injuries go farther than just a simple sprain where you can recover with some rest. 

In today’s article we’re going to go over what joint injections we offer at SOHMA of Long Beach and Lakewood CA, and what they can do to help you recover from knee injuries.

Knee Injuries that Joint Injections can Treat

Let me preface this by saying that joint injections do not treat all injuries. If there is a fracture or a severe tear you may require surgery however, post surgery joint injections have been shown to help recovery times. PRP therapy has been used by doctors to help patients heal faster after surgical procedures. It has been shown to shorten recovery times by days, in some cases even weeks.

Your knees are a major joint in the body, making it a common area to sustain injury. Some of the more common injuries that have been treated with HCTPs or PRP include:

  • Arthritis
  • Trauma
  • Ligament or Muscle Tear
  • Ligament or Muscle Strain
  • Muscle Pain
  • Inflammation
  • Chronic Knee Pain

Relatively minor accidents can result in knee injury. For older adults a slip or fall can cause life altering fractures or dislocation.

What are Joint Injections?

Starting off with the basics, joint injections are as the name suggests, they are injections that are used to help in recovery from joint conditions. At SOHMA we offer both Human Cellular Tissue Products (HCTPs) or Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). HCTP injections can aid the body in healing damage on its own without the need for surgeries. Tissue can be regrown to its former strength and recover the functions in highly used areas of the body such the spine, hips, shoulder, knees and other major joints. In PRP therapy, blood is drawn from the patient into a vial and separated in a centrifuge. Once separated, we draw the PRP from the vail and use it in the treatment. Meaning its the patient’s own platelets being used in areas that need healing support like  muscles and joints.

Long Term Effects of Knee Injuries

As stated previously there are many different types of injuries one can sustain in the knees. Depending on the type of injury sustained, as well as how long the patient went without treatment, long term effects can vary. If left untreated, knee injuries can lead to many mobility problems, pain, and early onset of arthritis.

A decrease in range of motion of the knees can make you unable to bend the knee fully or completely straighten the knee out. When you lose mobility in your knees the decreased mobility makes running nearly impossible and walking becomes difficult and puts you at risk of further injury due to loss of balance. Sitting and standing from chairs can also become uncomfortable and difficult.

Arthritis usually is thought of as something that affects older adults. Due to it being associated with aging and natural wear and tear. Injury suffered at a young age has been shown to increase the risk of early onset osteoarthritis. Sport related injuries like ACL or meniscus tears are often associated with a form of post-traumatic form of osteoarthritis.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

Can You do Your Own Spinal Decompression at Home?

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Most of our waking hours are spent standing or sitting vertically. This means that your spine is regularly working against the force of gravity in order to keep posture upright. This pressure puts constant strain on your spine and causes it to become compressed. The compression on the vertebrae can put pressure on our spinal cord and its associated muscles. Which can cause discomfort and pain.

Today we’ll go over what spinal decompression is and if you should attempt to decompress your spine at home.

What is Spinal Decompression?

Spinal decompression is a non-surgical procedure that is used to relieve pressure that may be accumulated on the spinal cord. Including pressure that may be compressing nerve roots passing through or exiting from the spinal column. Ideally we would recommend coming into SOHMA of Long Beach and Lakewood CA where we offer Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression using a specialized decompression table called a spinal traction. You are fitted with a harness around your pelvis and abdomen. The Spinal Traction table is used to take pressure off of your spinal cord and vertebrae. It can also reposition those vertebrae naturally. For optimal benefits some patients may require as many as a couple months of treatment.

Can you decompress at home?

Of course there are ways to do spinal decompression at home, though your results may vary. There are exercises and stretches that you can do which work on the concept of spinal decompression to help give your lower back some relief. At SOHMA we recommend consulting with a healthcare professional before beginning any at home exercise routine. If these exercises and stretches are not suitable for you they may end up causing more pain.

At Home Spinal Decompression Stretches

There are many stretches that can be used to decompress your spine, below are 3 examples of simple stretches that can be done at home without the need of special equipment.

Overhead Stretches

A very simple exercise that can be done by most people. 

  1. Stand on even ground with your legs at shoulder’s length apart.
  2. Reach both of your arms over your head and interlock your fingers and straighten your elbows.
  3. While holding this position pretend to reach up and touch the sky.
  4. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, determined by your comfort level.

Do this as needed throughout the day.

Child Pose

This stretch has provided many people lower back pain relief but it is more advanced. This will be performed on the floor so we recommend a yoga mat to make it more comfortable, though it is not necessary.

  1. Go onto your hands and knees to begin this stretch.
  2. Keep going down until your glutes touch your feet while on your knees.
  3. Bend over at your hips and reach forward with your hands on the floor.
  4. Based on your comfort levels, hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.
  5. Repeat after a minute of rest between stretches.

The further forward you reach with your hands while stretching the more decompression you will feel.

Using Your Bed or Couch

You can use the edge of your bed or the hand rest of your couch to decompress your lower back.

  1. Using an additional pillow for extra comfort, lay it flat on your bed or couch. Making sure your knees are slightly off the ground.
  2. Your weight should be on your toes in order to relax your back and core muscles.
  3. Tuck your chin towards your chest and straighten your arms at the elbow.
  4. Reach forward with your hands and hold onto the surface of the couch or bed and try to pull yourself forward.
  5. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds depending on your comfort levels.
  6. After resting for a minute try to reach further than you did previously.

You’re going to feel a great stretch into your upper back that makes its way down to your tailbone. Also due to your position, you will feel a stretch from your hip to your knees.

There are many other factors that go into decompressing your spine. If you feel that the stretches are not relieving enough pain. You may require the use of a Spinal Traction table for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

Cupping Therapy and How it Can Help with Back and Neck Pain

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With athletes and celebrities popularizing Cupping Therapy in the mainstream, many people are beginning to ask more about what Cupping Therapy is and whether it can help them with their physical or mental problems. 

Cupping Therapy is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been around for thousands of years. In the west it is seen as a form of alternative medicine in which a cup is placed on the skin and air is pumped out of it. This will cause the soft tissue to get sucked into the cup, stretching the skin, muscle and fascia. Promoting circulation and aiding the recovery process.

You may be wondering how this is beneficial? Today we are going to talk about how this process helps with back pain and neck pain.

Increased Blood Circulation

Many people may not understand how important proper blood circulation is when it comes to recovery. As we need good circulation to remove toxins from our body and sometimes the organs designated to do this job need a little bit of help. Through no fault of our own sometimes our lifestyle will burden the lymphatic system just by living in a big city. Where we are constantly being exposed to smoke, chemicals and heavy metals.

When the soft tissue is being pulled and stretched into the cup the body will respond by increasing blood circulation to the area being treated. The sudden increase in flow will flush out stagnated toxins and attract immune cells. The increase in oxygenated blood can help with cell repair and help form new connective tissues. An additional benefit is the reduction of inflammation which can help with pain management and cut down the time needed for a natural recovery.

Neck Pain

Many people suffer from neck pain, and for most neck pain is mild and often goes away on its own or with simple treatments. For those with chronic neck pain however, you may need something more than just “taking it easy”. 

Neck pain can be caused by a number of reasons, some more serious than others these include:

  • Poor Sleeping Position
  • Whiplash
  • Extended Periods of Time Arching Your Neck
  • Grinding/Gritting Your Teeth
  • Poor Posture
  • Repetitive Motion
  • Muscle Strain

As previously stated, Cupping causes vasodilation which increases flow of blood to the area that is being treated. When the soft tissues become stretched it loosens muscle knots relaxing the neck. The reduction in swelling due to the increased circulation makes Cupping Therapy an effective form of reducing chronic neck pain. 

Back Pain

Much like neck pains, back pain can be caused by a variety of reasons. Most common being Muscle strains and sprains. Back pain caused by sitting for extended periods of time has become more common in recent times.Due to the difference in size it is more common to injure your back doing everyday things like picking up your child. Or in some cases coughing or sneezing. 

Back pain may take longer to heal depending on the severity of the injury. Cupping Therapy is usually done as often as twice per week. Though depending on the color of the mark left by the cup, treatment may be adjusted.

Cupping Therapy can be used to treat pain, reduce scar tissue in muscles, and reduce swelling and muscle knots. We are here to aid you in recovering the natural way. Cupping Therapy is only one of many treatments we offer.

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

Is Spinal Decompression Good for Your Spine?

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What is Spinal Decompression? 

By definition, Spinal decompression is a non-surgical procedure which intends to relieve pressure that may be accumulated on the spinal cord or on compressed nerve roots passing through or exiting from the spinal column. 

What you may be wondering however, is whether or not it is good for your spine? 

Join me as we go over how Spinal Decompression is done and how removing pressure from your spine can help with pain and improve quality of life.

Spinal Cord Compression

Before talking about decompression first we need to talk about why spinal compression is bad. The spinal cord may be compressed by:

  • Bone
  • Hematomas
  • Abscesses
  • Tumors
  • Herniated Disk

Some of the symptoms and conditions that can be caused by spinal cord compression:

  • Back Pain
  • Neck, Back, Lower Back Pain
  • Numbness
  • Cramping
  • Muscle Weakness
  • Poor Hand Coordination
  • Sciatica
  • Herniated Discs
  • Bulging Discs
  • Degenerative Disc Disease

A very common way for people to suffer spinal compression is also sitting for too long. As your spine is being compressed about 30% more by sitting instead of standing. Which puts you at a higher risk of the conditions listed above.

There is a Dangerous condition called Increased Intracranial Pressure which can lead to headache. The pressure can further injure your spinal cord, this kind of headache is considered an emergency and requires immediate medical attention. An immediate response to an Intracranial Pressure headache will increase the likelihood of recovery.

How is Non Surgical Spinal Decompression Done?

For our patients who experience lower back and neck pain we at SOHMA Integrative Medicine in Long Beach and Lakewood CA offer non-surgical spinal decompression treatment. This kind of therapy stretches your spine using a device called a spinal traction. This is a specialized decompression table used to take pressure off your spine and discs. It also repositions your vertebrae naturally. People with radiating nerve pain that travels down the legs and arms benefit most from this type of non-invasive treatment.

During the treatment you are fully dressed, the doctor fits you into a harness around your abdomen and pelvis. The treatment is customized to each individual needs of the patient. Treatment only lasts about 30 to 45 minutes, and treatment may vary. Some may require as many as 20 to 30 treatments over a couple of months to see full results.

Benefits of Spinal Decompression

More and more we are finding out that non-surgical Spinal Decompression is an effective treatment which brings relief to patients with a wide variety of back and neck issues. Generally speaking the decompressive pressure from the spinal traction causes your disc protrusions and disc bulges to retract. This can take pressure off of nearby nerves and encourage the flow of blood, and oxygen to the spine in order to promote healing. As a result of this treatment many types of back and neck pains can be relieved with Spinal Decompression therapy. 

Many patients find that choosing a surgical procedure with no guarantees is not as adequate of an option as choosing a simpler yet safer type of therapy. Spinal Decompression surgery has virtually no downtime after treatment. No recovery time and no high risk side effects. Something that cannot be said about invasive spinal surgery. We have seen many patient cases that have proven that non-surgical Spinal Decompression is a safe, effective and alternative option to surgery.

If you have any further questions about Spinal Decompression Therapy feel free to ask the helpful staff at SOHMA. 

Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine

Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can reach out to us and ask us about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health. 

Located in Long Beach and Lakewood, CA we help individuals from the surrounding cities.

We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.

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