Texas goes with acupuncture to get pitcher Yu Darvish back
in the Rangers lineup. Scratched from baseball due to neck pain and stiffness,
Darvish used acupuncture to get back on the mound. Recent research sheds a
little light on why acupuncture is so popular amoung professional
athletes.
A study of 60 patients with cervical spondylosis responded
with a 98.3% total effective rate as a result of acupuncture treatment.
Electroacupuncture was applied to the neck of each patient at the Hua Tou Jia
Ji acupoints using continuous wave stimulation. A total of 43 of the 60
patients were completely cured. Another 16 patients demonstrated significant
improvement. There was one patient that did not respond to care. The
researchers concluded that electroacupuncture is effective for the treatment of
cervical spondylosis and is both “reliable” and “worthy of promotion.”
Acupuncture has been found to improve muscle mass. Research
demonstrates that acupuncture “recovered the skeletal muscle mass” and
“ameliorated skeletal muscle atrophy by reducing mRNA expressions of the E3
ubiquitin ligases atrogin-1 and MuRF1.” Acupuncture also “increased the mRNA
expressions of Akt1 and TRPV4.” Researchers note that the ability of
acupuncture to prevent muscle degradation may “be due to an increase in protein
synthesis and a decrease in protein degradation.”
Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is following a time honored
sports tradition and is staying ahead of the competition by using the most
appropriate medicine possible to keep his arm in shape. He is not the only
pitcher to get the acupuncture advantage. A.J. Burnett waited to sign with the
New York Yankees until they agreed to hire a team acupuncturist. Burnett knows
how to protect an investment - his arm!
San Francisco Giants pitcher Randy Johnson had one of the
longest baseball careers in history and received acupuncture from the team
acupuncturist. Morten Anderson, former field goal kicker for the Atlanta
Falcons, received two acupuncture treatments per week as part of his ongoing
healthcare program. He retired from professional football at age 48 as the
NFL’s leading scorer. How many people can last that long in the NFL?
Acupuncture helped to maintain the integrity of his priceless foot. He lasted
such a long time in the NFL that teammates would joke that he saw a movie that
reminded him of the way things were growing up in his childhood days - Jurassic
Park.
Gymnast Nastia Liukin took home a gymnastics women’s
all-around Olympic gold medal after using acupuncture for the treatment of an
ankle injury. Other athletes using acupuncture during their professional
careers include: Joe Montana, Michael Strahan, Dwayne Wade, Shaquille O’Neal,
Jason Kidd, Vladimir Radmonovic, Fred Couples, Gary Player, Kevin Johnson,
Steve Nash, Charles Barkley, Hot Rod Williams, Jeff Hornacek and Grant Hill.
Tony Burris, L.Ac., is an 18-year
practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is an expert in safe and
effective acupuncture therapy and herbal remedies. He is the only practitioner
in the United States that offers a “Painless Acupuncture- Or Your Money Back!”
Guarantee. Tony helps frustrated and injured athletes and chronic pain sufferers
discover a unique therapy system that often provides long-lasting or even
permanent pain relief. His patients include members of the San Diego Chargers,
Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. Tony also
treats members of the Seattle Mariners, Olympic medalists, mixed martial
artists and NCAA competitors.
References:
India Song-Jie. "Analysis acupuncture shoulder and neck
muscles to treating the starting and ending point." Clinical research 6
(2014).
Li. "Vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis
clinical observation 60 cases electro-acupuncture treatment." TCM Clinical
Research 7 (2014).
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. Volume
410, Issue 3, 8 July 2011, Pages 434–439. Acupuncture ameliorated skeletal
muscle atrophy induced by hindlimb suspension in mice. A. Ondaa, Q. Jiaob, Y.
Naganoc, T. Akimotod, T, Miyamotoe, S. Minamisawab, T. Fukubayashia.
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