Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Interview with Dr. Nader Soliman 9:00 p.m. to 10:00p.m. (EST) http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/acu_info/interviews/soliman.html Nader Soliman, M.D., is a practicing anesthesiologist specializing in integrated pain medicine. Dr. Soliman has his own private practice and is a member of the American Association of Medical Acupuncture. lifetime_host: Welcome to our chat, Dr. Soliman. Dr. Nader Soliman: Thank you and thank you for having me...I'll be glad to answer any questions. Acupuncture is an extremely safe method of treatment. Some complications or side effects can be seen occasionally. The most common of them is bleeding at the site of the insertion of the needle. That happens usually in those people who are prone to bleeding. In general, this is extremely rare. Some people are afraid of infections that could result from the needle. Again, this is extremely rare as the needles are always sterilized. Another fear about the needles is the transmission of diseases from one person to another. However, this cannot happen as long as the needles are sterilized and used only once. shakenherthang asks: Could acupuncture help menstrual cramps? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupuncture is, in fact, an effective method of treatment for menstrual cramps. And as we know this is a common problem with many female patients and results from a variety of reasons that are mostly hormonal imbalance. Acupuncture is known for its effectiveness in regulating the female hormones. As a result it can effectively decrease the menstrual cramps that are resulting from such imbalance. In addition, this also will help in decreasing the amount of bleeding that could also be resulting from such hormonal imbalance. dgeeee asks: Can acupuncture get rid of a psoriases skin rash? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes, acupuncture could help a lot, not only in psoriases but also many varieties of skin problems. In alternative medicine in general, as well as in acupuncture in particular, the aim of the treatment is to eradicate the cause of the problem, rather than treating just the symptoms. In the ma ty of cases, any skin problem is in fact a projection of a deeper imbalance in the body and acupuncture in its way tries to balance such energetic disturbance and as a result all symptoms of this energetic disturbance that might include skin problems will be corrected. jdguay asks: How successful is acupuncture for weight loss? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupuncture has been used in the treatment of weight loss. This could be done either through regular body acupuncture or occasionally through inserting needles in the ear. This is called ear acupuncture. This could be effective in cutting down in the desire to eat but in general we have to understand that excessive eating, or increase in body weight, could result from other problems such as possible thyroid problems or other imbalances in the hormones that have something to do with regulating the desire to eat or the blood sugar. Acupuncture, when given, will try to stabilize such hormonal imbalances and as a result this hormonal imbalance will return to normal preventing an increase in body weight. good_hearted_woman40 asks: How effective is acupuncture for Multiple Sclerosis? Dr. Nader Soliman: Having acupuncture as a treatment for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in addition to traditional treatment as acupuncture will help in strengthening the immune system of the patient. Adding an effective measure to minimize the symptoms or even helping stop the progression of the disease. brownbeauty2709 asks: Is acupuncture covered by most insurances? Dr. Nader Soliman: This will depend on different areas. But the tendency now is that many insurance companies do add acupuncture as a coverage. And even some HMOs do cover acupuncture currently. giraffegal2000 asks: How does acupuncture work? Dr. Nader Soliman: There have been many studies in the West since the 1970s aiming at finding out how acupuncture [works]. And many of these studies have shown that acupuncture stimulates the immune system in the patient, especially those who have a weak immune system. Also studies have shown that acupuncture increases the amount of endorphins, which is a natural pain killer produced by the body. This is a reason acupuncture is effective in controlling pain. In general, all the studies seem to suggest that the needles work on the central nervous system by stimulating the nerve endings in the skin where they are inserted. Chic_Hoosier asks: I recently had two sessions of acupuncture to stop smoking. Both times, I was totally relaxed for two hours and then the urge was so strong for hours. Any explanation for this? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupuncture treatment for cessation of smoking is something that has to be done many times over a period of two weeks. So we don't expect immediate results from the first few treatments. But with the continuation of treatment acupuncture would be stimulating the body to have less reaction to the withdrawal symptoms. giraffegal2000 asks: Can acupuncture be done on children? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupuncture could be done on children. Obviously if they are babies they are not going to be objecting! However, it would be a difficult method to treat children who are toddlers, or even sometimes teenagers, by inserting needles in their skin. However, acupuncture could be done in a different way on such patients in which electrical stimulation of the acupuncture points could be replacing the actual insertion of needles. And in most of the cases, this electrical stimulation is rather painless. But the method is a replacement to actual needling of the skin and could be equally effective. giraffegal2000 asks: Someone told me acupuncture can help carpal tunnel syndrome and tendentious. Is that true? Dr. Nader Soliman: That's quite possible, especially if acupuncture is introduced early enough in the disease. And in more than half the cases, the symptoms will disappear after two treatments. However, if they do not disappear within six to eight treatments, other intervention methods should be sought. lowspark95 asks: Has acupuncture ever been used successfully to treat endometriosis? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes acupuncture could be used for endometriosis, unless the [it's] not severe or extensive. So it is certainly an alternative method to try before seeking surgical intervention. lookin4therightman asks: I have fibromyalgia. Is acupuncture the right remedy for me? Dr. Nader Soliman: I am a personally a pain management specialist and I see a lot of patients with fibromyalgia. From my own experience acupuncture is certainly one of the most effective methods of decreasing the pain and induce muscular relaxation without resorting to a lot of the pain medications that these patients are put on. In fact, acupuncture can effectively decrease the flare-ups of the disease compared to those who are on medications alone. giraffegal2000 asks: How can I find a qualified acupuncturist? Dr. Nader Soliman: They could either be physicians or non- physicians, and it will be necessary to look for the certifying boards in every state in order to obtain the names of some of the practitioners in these areas. In addition, there is the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture that has members who are physicians only who practice medical acupuncture. And the Academy could be contacted to find out the name of the physicians wherever the patient is residing. You can reach them on the Web site, www.medicalacupuncture.org. From there you can find the practitioners in your area. sugarbabe48146 asks: Can acupuncture really be effective for [treating] asthma? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes, in many cases but not all of them. Again, I would advise people who have asthma problems to seek acupuncture treatment in addition to their regular medical treatment and try it for from six to eight treatments and judge if that is going to help them to feel better and even decrease their medication. And if that is the case, I would advise that they will continue having acupuncture on an intermittent basis to minimize the symptoms and minimize the amount of medication needed. toobusytothink2001 asks: Does acupuncture hurt? Dr. Nader Soliman: No! Most people think that acupuncture hurts because it is done by needles. But we have to understand that we think of needles having in mind the needles we are used to in hospitals or doctors' offices. But there is a big difference between those needles and acupuncture needles. The regular needles have a cutting edge because they have to transmit the injected medication into the patient. And because they have a cutting edge they do hurt as they cut the skin. However, the acupuncture needles do not have a cutting edge, and they have an extremely thin and pointed end. And as they are inserted they simply push the fibers of the skin away and do not cut them. As a result they don't cause any pain. In the majority of cases patients don't feel anything at all as the needles are inserted or removed. However, a very small percentage might experience some discomfort. But it doesn't reach the level of pain. giraffegal2000 asks: What conditions respond best to acupuncture? That is, what conditions are most successfully treated by acupuncture? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupuncture, in general, can treat a large number of medical problems. But mostly we know that treatment of pain is one of the most common indications for acupuncture and that has been recently supported by the NIH [National Institutes of Health]. However, it is known that acupuncture can treat a wide variety of problems apart from pain, and that is supported by the World Health Organization who advise having acupuncture for other problems, like muscular problems, gastrointestinal problems, as well urinary problems and problems related the genitals and reproductive organs. So in fact acupuncture could be used essentially for any medical problem, except for those cases that need surgical intervention. giraffegal2000 asks: Can acupuncture help your sex life? For example, impotence? Or libido problems in women? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes, I think as I mentioned in answering one of the above questions, some of the libido problems in women are usually resulting from hormonal imbalances. And acupuncture being capable of regulating these hormones is a good tool to seek in the treatment of these conditions. Also libido problems in men and women could result from some psychological problems, as in depression, and acupuncture can be extremely effecting in treating or minimizing depression and as a result correcting the impotence or libido problems. lowspark95 asks: Can pregnant women get acupuncture? Dr. Nader Soliman: They can get acupuncture, but we have to understand that certain points, if needled, might cause miscarriage or pre-term labor. So it is advisable that if a woman is pregnant to seek real good medical advise before attempting acupuncture. And if she is having acupuncture that the physician is well aware of the points he has to avoid. hilgartb asks: How effective is acupuncture in treating tension and/or migraine headaches? Dr. Nader Soliman: As a matter of fact a large percentage of my patients have migraine headaches, and I see them after they have gone through all the regular medical channels seeking treatment. And I would say that about 70% of them would respond very satisfactorily to acupuncture treatment in the sense that their attacks might be diminished medically and the attacks become less severe and more responsive to simple pain killers after receiving acupuncture. Once the symptoms are controlled, they might just come for acupuncture on an infrequent basis to make sure that there will be no recurrence of their symptoms. Dangie515 asks: How expensive is a treatment? Dr. Nader Soliman: Again, that really will vary according to the geographical area that individual is living in. My advice is that if you are seeking acupuncture you might shop around and find out what the prices are in your area. jdguay asks: Are the needles reused? Dr. Nader Soliman: The needles could be reused, [but] I think there are a very small number of practitioners who use reusable needles. And I believe that more than 95% of them use only needles that are used once. ramblin_too asks: Can acupuncture help my feet? I've been to several doctors over 10 + years for calluses on the ball of my right foot. No relief. Would your methods help me? Dr. Nader Soliman: I think acupuncture is certainly worth trying. We have to understand that we use our feet all the time and because of that we injure them quite frequently. If there is a problem in the feet, it is usually difficult to treat because of that. However, if the regular medical treatment has failed to reduce the pain, I would advise giving acupuncture a trial of something like six to eight treatments to see if that is going to help in reducing the pain. And if it does, the patient should continue with that for awhile until the pain is reduced to the maximum. However, if acupuncture does not give results within the six to eight treatments, it is unlikely that it will help. cherish1955 asks: Who discovered acupuncture? Dr. Nader Soliman: It is not really a discovery in that sense. It has developed throughout the centuries, about 4,000 years ago in China. We believe that this is the first place to use acupuncture. It is something that people have gathered knowledge about by experience, by watching and by treating. And finally we have the system that we have today. youngcdldriver asks: What is the difference in acupuncture and acupressure? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupressure is simply using the fingers or other machinery to produce pressure at the site of what we call acupuncture points. But acupuncture itself, as the name implies, means that we use a needle to puncture that area. So the difference is simply putting in a needle versus simply putting pressure on that area. And even though acupressure is helpful, putting needles in is certainly the method to get the maximum benefit. toobusytothink2001 asks: What is " medical " acupuncture? Is it just that it is administered by an M.D.? Dr. Nader Soliman: The term " medical acupuncture " refers to acupuncture performed by physicians in order to identify them from non-physicians acupuncture. youngcdldriver asks: Can acupuncture work on a pinched nerve in a foot? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes, generally with any pinched nerve, if there no great mechanical pressure causing the pinching. Acupuncture would be one of the methods to consider in treating that nerve. However, if considerable mechanical pressure is suspected, surgical intervention would be preferred. giraffegal2000 asks: Is acupuncture ever used for vision problems? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupuncture has been used but I do not think it is quite effective in treating conditions like glaucoma and cataracts, or improving the visual acuity. Other methods should be sought for such treatment. txpeech asks: How effective [is acupuncture] on allergies in general? Dr. Nader Soliman: There are certain techniques in acupuncture that could be very effective in treating allergies. And if patients are seeking such treatment, they should really ask for people specializing in the treatment of allergies. And generally it will give them a very good result if you go to the right people. toudi_tank asks: Can you briefly explain any of the theories of the science in laymans terms? Dr. Nader Soliman: Acupuncture, in general, is a balancing technique. And I would like persons who would like to imagine how acupuncture works to visualize a simple canal full of water and all of a sudden we have obstructed the flow of water in this canal. The result of that will be that one side of the canal will have too much water and the other side will have none. This is basically how the Chinese have visualized acupuncture. Considering that there are channels of energy flowing in the body and obstructing them will cause the energy to either increase on one side of the blockage and decrease on the other side. And either one of them will cause symptoms because they result imbalance of the energy flow. And acupuncture in these cases will help to allow the flow of energy to go back to normal as much as possible. By doing so, the symptoms resulting from the imbalance will start to disappear. So in effect, acupuncture treats the cause of the disease rather than just treating the symptoms, as is the case in traditional Western medicine. lowbug64 asks: Are the needles applied in the area where the pain exists or are they applied to a different area as a form of pain deferment? Dr. Nader Soliman: As a matter of fact, it is usual to insert the needles away from the site of pain with just a few needles to where the pain is. corinnacj asks: Could acupuncture help arthritis? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes. I would very much recommend that patients with arthritis, regardless of the kind of arthritis they suffer from, seek acupuncture treatment as a complementary method of treatment in addition to their usual medication. It does help tremendously in decreasing the severity of the pain and does help in decreasing the swelling of the joints, naturally without resorting to much of the medication that they are on. So it is certainly something that patients should seek, number one to minimize their symptoms, and to improve their functional abilities, and at the same time decreasing the amount of medication that they are on. slacker_95926 asks: I developed tendentious...while backpacking last summer. Can acupuncture help me? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes. I would very much recommend using acupuncture for this problem. As it's usually very successful in treatment such conditions. lilbit_islandgirl asks: What about acupuncture and the treatment of fungal sinusitis? Dr. Nader Soliman: Fungal sinusitis is a major problem affecting the sinuses. And doing acupuncture is certainly advisable in those patients, as it does improve the drainage from the sinuses and it does improve the immune system, allowing the body to fight the fungus. In contrast to regular medical treatment that tends to surpress the secretions and thus aggravating the condition in the long term. So I would advise people to seek acupuncture treatment for their sinus problems and by doing so their sinus problems will decrease in both intensity and frequency and might even disappear. mdcowherd asks: How long have you been an acupuncturist? Dr. Nader Soliman: I have been an acupuncturist for the past 10 years. lowspark95 asks: Can acupuncture help migraines? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes, we discussed that earlier. And it is certainly a method that should be tried by every patient who has migraines. In the majority of cases their symptoms will decrease, their need for regular medical treatment will also decrease. ITeachGr3 asks: Last year I started acupuncture for RSD [reflex sympathetic dystrophyin] my left foot. It worked wonderfully at first, but since another recent trauma to my foot, it hasn't done anything. Can you possibly explain why? I am SO frustrated! Dr. Nader Soliman: RSD is really a very complicated problem that involves many parts of the central nervous system and acupuncture may help with such conditions. But not necessarily at all times. My advice is to continue for a longer period of time doing acupuncture to assure that it will help at least to some extent. As traditional medical treatments are usually also ineffective. outlaw393 asks: Does acupuncture stimulate certain nerves or what? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes. The theory that we hold right now is that by inserting the needles at certain points in the body which we call acupuncture points, certain nerves or certain nerve endings at these points seem to respond to either putting pressure on these areas, which we call acupressure, or respond to the insertion of needles in these area. As a result the central nervous system is stimulated. And accordingly will respond to the problems that the patient is having. lowspark95 asks: Can anyone get acupuncture? Are there any restrictions? Dr. Nader Soliman: There are certain restrictions, and as we mentioned earlier, one of them is pregnancy. Another one is patients who are on anti-coagulant medications. Also patients who might be having such electrical equipment in their body - like pacemakers for example. If you have acupuncture in these situations, we should avoid stimulating these needles electrically. But acupuncture itself is not contraindicated in patients with pacemakers. Finally, obviously, in patients who have a fear of needles, acupuncture is not recommended. nuttydevil asks: Is acupuncture good for stress? Dr. Nader Soliman: Oh, certainly! This is a very good method in reducing stress and anxiety. It is quite effective with immediate results after the treatment. vinoo2k2001 asks: My brother's son [is] 18 years old [and] has [neurological] problems. He's [been] in coma [for] the last 16 months. We are giving him acupuncture treatment [and consulting a doctor]. Please guide us. Dr. Nader Soliman: My advice is certainly to continue giving him acupuncture as this is a method of stimulating the central nervous system. And it is a known fact that patients in comas need to be continuously stimulated by various methods. In order to keep their brain function working at a high level. Acupuncture, no doubt, is an excellent way of stimulating the brain. dreaming_in_tx asks: Can acupuncture help with depression? Dr. Nader Soliman: I personally have treated many patients who suffered from depression and they have improved to a great extent and have been able to cut down their medications, even stopping them. So I would again recommend acupuncture for patients with depression at least as a complementary therapy. rndebra asks: What are the chances of getting [Hepatitis] B or C or HIV from the reused needles? Dr. Nader Soliman: Equipment and instruments are sterilized after each patient. However, in order to avoid any fear about transmission of diseases, you may ask the practitioner doing the acupuncture to use needles that are not reusable. nuttydevil asks: Is it possible to have too much acupuncture? Dr. Nader Soliman: Yes, you can have too much acupuncture which is not recommended. Acupuncture is a method of treatment that works on and manipulates energy in the body. If it's used excessively, it could have some reverse effects by depleting the energy of the body rather than stimulating it. So it has to be done at a frequency suitable for the patient and that will defer from one patient to the next and it should not be used excessively. lifetime_host: Thank you for joining us, doctor. Dr. Nader Soliman: Thank you very much. It was my pleasure! lifetime_host: Our time is up. Thank you for all of your questions. We're sorry we couldn't answer all of them, but please check the " Strong Medicine " Web site for more medical information and resources at www.lifetimetv.com/shows/strongmedicine/patientfiles. Thank you for joining us! ### _________________ JoAnn Guest mrsjoguest DietaryTipsForHBP http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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