Acupuncture for Post-concussion Syndrome

Acupuncture for Post-concussion Syndrome

by Heiko Lade



Acupuncture can treat post-concussion syndrome

Post-concussion syndrome occurs after a head injury and can cause symptoms of headache, anxiety, concentration difficulty and depression. Often these symptoms occurring after the injury cause more distress than the actual injury. In particular, the symptom of memory loss can be a great problem to deal with not only from the patient but friends and family as well. There is little that western medicine can offer apart from anti-depressant medication. Acupuncture for post-concussion syndrome  is in fact covered by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), the New Zealand government owned and run insurance company.

There are over 500  members of the New Zealand Register of Acupuncturists Inc. throughout New Zealand who are accredited ACC acupuncture treatment providers all qualified to perform acupuncture for post-concussion syndrome.

Ancient Chinese physicians worked out that each major organ had an acupuncture  meridian which is like a special energy line connecting that organ with the limbs and other organs. These meridians run all over the body including the head and internal branches of some meridians even go into the brain.  Wherever there is an injury, the meridian gets damaged and blocked at the injury site which then prevents good energy circulating along its pathway. Head and neck injuries obviously hinder proper circulation of energy and blood in and out of the head which then cause headaches and other symptoms associated with post-concussion syndrome.

From an acupuncturist’s point of view, treating post-concussion syndrome is really no different to treating a back sprain or any other injury. Fundamentally, the acupuncturist aims to restore normal energy and blood circulation by stimulating the appropriate acupuncture points on the damaged and injured meridians.

Mr Alan Jansson, a well known acupuncturist on Queensland’s Gold Coast specializes in traditional Japanese acupuncture sees many sports people including members of the Brisbane Lions football team. He says “Footballers and boxers are more prone to head injuries causing post-concussion syndrome and the reality is that there is no western medical treatment for this. There are other symptoms of post-concussion like insomnia and irritability where the patient is merely advised that they just have to wait it out and in time the symptoms  will hopefully pass. But the word is slowly getting out there, that acupuncture for post-concussion syndrome can greatly accelerate the recovery rate. Many registered acupuncturists in Australia treat this condition, though it is not covered by Medicare. New Zealand is more fortunate as acupuncture is covered by their government owned accident insurance company“. Alan will be visiting Auckland in February 2014 to deliver a seminar on traditional Japanese acupuncture.

Acupuncture for post-concussion syndrome can treat  many symptoms associated with the injury including confusion, muscle weakness, lack of concentration, balance and co-ordination problems, vomiting and memory loss.