The Advantage of Continuing Education: Case Study Using Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture
Shellie Goldstein, DAPM, AP, LAc
As graduates of acupuncture school, we proudly display our new diplomas on office walls to assure patients of our academic education and professional proficiency. But although graduation from acupuncture school marks a milestone, it is only the beginning of our professional career.
Experts agree learning should be a lifelong process, and devoting time to continuing education can be a journey toward financial growth, professional development and personal satisfaction. Continuing education offers exposure to new treatment styles, approaches, techniques, and modalities. Postgraduate courses also provide the opportunity for advanced study and education in specialty fields such as fertility, pediatrics and yes, cosmetic facial acupuncture.
A Way to Expand Your Treatment Modalities
Seasoned acupuncturists, and those trained in a specialized field of acupuncture, routinely draw upon a wide array of treatment modalities mastered from years of training and experience. For example, specialists in cosmetic facial acupuncture are trained to recognize the subtleties of the face and facial patterning, and integrate them with Eastern root/branch diagnosis and biomedically oriented treatment strategies. This therapeutic treatment requires understanding of the anatomical layers of the face, along with knowledge of vessel and nerve locations.
Skilled needling technique involves awareness of appropriate angles and depths of insertion. Skin, superficial fascia, and adipose disharmonies are resolved when needling at a shallow angle into the integumentary tissue layer. Needling into the muscle at a medium angle restores superficial / deeper muscle and deep fascia integrity. For facial pain and other disorders, deeper perpendicular needling may be required.
Additionally, cosmetic facial acupuncturists must learn to recognize and address patients' emotional and psychodynamic concerns. In our youth-driven culture, when faced with the realization one is getting older and will eventually die, it is common to experience emotional instability and psychological upheaval. During this time, many turn to acupuncture to erase the visible signs of aging. The healing, however, lies in their deep-seated yearning for self-realization, personal acceptance and spiritual renewal.
CE Applied to Clinical Practice: A Case Study
Take, for example, the case of Stuart. Athletically built with robust muscles and thick, firm skin, he had recently turned 50 when he came to see me. Stuart didn't like the way his face was aging. He immediately started to complain about the wrinkles across his forehead and the fine lines surrounding his eyes.
What bothered him the most was the deep crease between his eyebrows that was giving him a permanent scowl. He swore he wasn't vain, but was just too bothered by his appearance to ignore it.
However, what Stuart didn't notice was his periodic headaches, twitching eye and chronic frustration, characterized by angry outbursts at work. After completing his intake, it was clear Stuart's wrinkles were more than what meets the eyes.
I began treating Stuart for his LV qi and blood stagnation with congestion in the gallbladder meridian. After his third treatment, he began to confess that not only was he concerned about this forehead creasing; he was also upset about his recent 50th birthday. He felt "over the hill" and his forehead wrinkles reminded him of how his recently deceased father looked in his aging years.
After 10 weekly treatments, Stuart's wrinkles had significantly decreased. He was headache-free, his eye twitching abated, and he expressed he much calmer about "aging." Although still frustrated by his work life, he was able to deal with the obstacles in a calmer manner.
TCM Pattern Diagnosis: LV qi and blood stagnation with congestion in the gallbladder meridian. Tongue: Sl, red and narrow, with scalloped edges, red tip. Pulse: Sl, rapid, full.
TCM Treatment Principle: Harmonize liver qi and blood, ease congestion in the GB meridian, ease psychoemotional congestion.
Acupuncture Treatment Plan: The treatment plan was to address the root patterns of disharmony with body points and treat the branch symptoms with face points; 10 weekly treatments.
Primary Acupuncture Points: Body: LV 2, 3, GB 40-41, SP 6, ST 36; LI 4,10-11; TH 5. Face: TH 17, ST 3-4, 7-8, SI 18, GB 1, 13-14-15, BL 2-3, Yin Tang, YuYao. Auricular: Face, Occiput, LV, GB, Shen Men, Sympathetic, Pt. 0.
Point prescription varied with each treatment. Needle depth and angle of insertion varied with treatment intention.
For Your Patients ... and You
In our internet-driven world, today's patients are more educated and inquisitive. They ask more questions, expect informed answers and demand a higher level of quality care. Knowing their health care professional is properly trained, proficient and competent to treat their specific problems gives them confidence and a sense of personal safety and security. Enhancing patient care, financial gain and personal interest can all be provided by continuing education.
As modern medical standardization continues, the field of traditional Chinese medicine has the advantage of comprehensive personalization. For rare or complex cases, deeper consideration of constitution is invaluable. Proper constitutional assessment, especially with first-time clients, can guide desirable and predictable outcomes. This leads to a higher rate of return, and greater trust between you and your patient.Â
Though the creation of a financially sustainable, health-promoting model feels far away today, we are casting a vision for a full return on health, believing that this compels us to keep one foot firmly rooted in caring for the sick and the other foot firmly founded in maintaining health. Shifting from a fee-for-service model to value-based care using a phased approach is paramount.
Laser therapy has emerged as a powerful tool in the realm of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This new modality fits beautifully into the toolbox of the modern acupuncturist, as it can be used as a hybrid form of stimulation to acupuncture points, meridians, organs, nerves, and symptomatic areas in a new way that blends both moxa and energetic needle-like responses.
