Pain

Pain - Chinese Medicine

Selected Syndromes

Pain - Chinese Medicine

Is pain is a problem or just the messenger? Why is there an (emotional) heart-ache? And what does Chinese medicine do for both? What can you find out from the sign or symptom of pain? Why are pain killers so harmful?

Why do we have a pain mechanism in our bodies? Some thought on the matter usually leads to the recognition that pain is intended to serve as an alarm device. Everyone agrees that the pain itself is not the problem and is only the messenger warning and alarming that there is something under the surface that is not balanced and is unwell. The pain is actually a symptom of a problem, a friend who wants to help us, or a messenger wanting to convey a message. The message is: Do not use the painful area, do whatever it takes to solve the underlying problem that causes pain and then I will let you go.

However, as is customary in allopathic medicine, usually we ignore the alarm and we prefer to "kill" the messenger. Not for nothing are painkillers called PAIN KILLERS. For example, even though the headache symptom or back pain appears to be solved by using painkillers, the problem that caused the pain is not resolved and continues to deepen and hurt. Chinese medicine differentiates between 7 causes of headache. If we only take painkillers for the headache the pain in the future will become stronger and the problem will only worsen and become a chronic problem – much more difficult to cure.

Two ancient aphorisms illustrate the points of view of Chinese medicine in relation to pain. One, "No blockage is without pain, no pain is without an obstruction". All pain is actually an energetic blockage or stagnation, moving the obstruction allows the relief of pain.

Imagine a river whose waters flow slowly and one day a tree falls into the water. The fallen trunk begins to gather around itself twigs and dirt until it becomes a dam. The water is standing still. Only the removal of the blockage will allow the water to move anew and there will be a better flow of water in the stream as was before.

Acupuncture does just that. Energy transports blood to the painful obstruction, open the blockage and pain is naturally relieved. Chinese medicine sees pain relief not as the ultimate goal, but as a step towards solving the problem that the pain brings to our awareness.

The second aphorism "Pain should be treated through pain" can be understood on several levels. First, sometimes pain treatment may be painful in itself, because when we want to remove a blockage the action needed is relatively strong. Additional understanding of the aphorism is focused on the emotional and mental level. People struggling with pain and grief, for example, often find comfort by being occupied at charity and voluntary associations. By contrast, people who have suffered abuse as children, tend to cause pain to others as adults or even in childhood. In both cases, dealing with the pain of others or the distortion of it by causing pain allows some relief from their own pain.

Today there are no pain clinics that do not use the benefits of Chinese medicine. A complaint of pain can lead to the early detection of systemic problems. For example often low back pain will reveal that there are problems in the digestive tract and in the kidneys which in turn will cause sexual dysfunction. And innocent menstrual pain can indicate one of a few different diagnostic possibilities. Then an early treatment will prevent the development of serious chronic problem which can easily be solved today.

From these understandings the Chinese medicine practitioner can offer his patients the perfect treatment for physical and mental pain. Both in the immediate and acute systemic holistic level, by deciding the differential diagnosis and root cause which is manifesting as pain.

As for mental pain, the Chinese physician would do well to offer acupuncture treatment to his patients as complementary to Chinese herbs and suggest working within social organizations or communally, or at least refer them to counseling. This will be a way to change awareness to understand that pain is an obstruction and that pain should be treated through pain.

Therefore, Chinese medicine uses acupuncture and herbs to move blockages successfully. Chinese treatments are effective for many different types of pain. The routine treatments at the clinic include back pain, menstrual cramps, migraines, joint pain, pain resulting from accidents, musculoskeletal pain, sports injuries, neuropathic pain, plantar facsiatis and pain resulting from emotional problems.

Do you suffer from pain? Are you tired of medications and pain killers? Have you been referred to surgery as a last resort? Contact me today for an initial consultation and you’ll be presented with more options for solving problems of pain, naturally...

Press here to see a presentation regarding Arthritis and Back pain.

Phone - 054-4804538

Email - effikfir@yahoo.com

Website - www.kfir.net

I was born in Israel, in the city of Tel Aviv, where I was raised and educated. I served in the army in the Nachal unit as a tank commander and studied in Tel Aviv University at the Social Science Faculty, receiving a B.A. degree in Economics and Accounting.

During my studies I established a company for T.V. and Film Productions and in the next few years I took part in some feature films, T.V. news, and documentaries in Israel and Europe. Within that exciting period I became very interested in other cultures. Eventually I went for a 2 years journey to South East Asia and Australia. The Asian part of the journey went through India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Japan. It was a very special, free and educating period of time for me in which people from different walks of life shared their humanity and experiences with the strange and curious traveler that I was (and probably still am...). One of those "coincidences" was meeting with Dr. Yoshiharu Ikeda in Shodo Shima (an island off the Japanese Sea and Shikoku). Dr. Ikeda is a veteran practitioner of Chinese Medicine. He became the sole responsible for my unexpected exposure to Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine at his home.

That meeting was rather dramatic by its effect and led to a few major events in the years that followed. First, 4 years of studying Chinese Medicine in San Francisco at "ACTCM" - "The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine", where I’d completed a Master Program of Traditional Chinese Medicine (while working for a living as a diamond dealer...). The college, probably one of the best in the nation, had given us a very deep level of qualification in Acupuncture, but mainly in the much more sophisticated field of Chinese Herbal medicine.

After passing the Californian State Board Exam I received the Californian Physician’s license. Soon after, I passed the exam of "NCCAOM" - "The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine", and received a practitioner’s license Dipl. Ac in another 30 States in the U.S.

I felt that the end of formal studies in San Francisco, including 4 years of working with patients at the college public clinic, was only the beginning. It had called for more experience. So the natural move was to go to China and Japan for a specialization period of almost a year on the treatment of Internal Medicine disorders and with a special emphasize on Gynecological and Obstetric problems . The training occurred at two hospitals in China and one in Japan. In China, at the Chengdu #1 Hospital in the south - where the treatment consists mainly of Chinese Herbal Medicine & at the Tian Jin #1 Hospital in the north, near Beijing - where the treatment is based on Acupuncture (in the emergency rooms as well). In Japan it was the Tsukuba Hospital near Tokyo. There the treatment is given traditionally by blind doctors and is based on Japanese Medicine.

The exposure to the clinics at these three hospitals, treating so many patients with Chinese Medicine (1,700 beds in Chengdu #1 Hospital...) contributed greatly to my confidence in the qualities and scope of Chinese Medicine and to my expertise as a practitioner. Press here to see the Photo Gallery.

To seal off the qualification and learning period I finally went back to the island of Shodo Shima to study the unique Japanese Acupuncture techniques under the personal guidance of Dr. Ikeda... yes, the same one whom it had all begun with 5 years earlier at his home. These Japanese techniques differ very much from the stronger Chinese style Acupuncture. The Japanese, being smaller in size and relatively delicate people, developed a very gentle, pain-free and yet very powerful needling style, which I respect and use frequently.

After all that massive training period I was ready to work on my own at last. So I went back to California and started to work as a physician at the "ACTCM" public clinic in San Francisco. But the wish to share all that great knowledge and experience in my homeland got the upper hand. I decided to get back to Israel after years abroad. I’d established my clinic in Tel Aviv and started teaching Chinese Medicine at a local College and at a special course of Chinese Medicine for M.D. doctors given by the Bar-Ilan University. A year later, the need for a Hebrew textbook had pushed me to write and publish the book "Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine - Materia Medica" which is used as a textbook but also is welcomed by the general public. Later, I worked at the Tel Aviv Ichilov Hospital in the Department of Complimentary Medicine, known as "MALRAM". Press here to see Magazine Clips.

After a few years, I lived for a while at Moshav Sede Eliezer in the Upper Galilee near Rosh Pinna and established the second clinic in the Galilee. Not long after, I published my second book "Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine - Formulas" which is used as an advanced textbook by students and practitioners. The 2 books are sold by Amazon after they were accepted as the second Hebrew books to be sold there (after the Bible...). During the year 2014 these 2 books will be offered to practitioners and the general public in a digital app version.

The time had called for another big trip. I had started from France and down to the Basque Country in Spain and later to Portugal. The idea was to go from the colonial states and arrive in the "New World" - The South American continent, by the sail. This did not work out because I had not found the right sailboat in Tenerife where I had arrived mainly for this purpose. Instead I had taken a flight directly to Buenos Aires, Argentina. From there mainly by buses to Ushuaia at the tip of the continent and then to Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama.

After a few more years of working in my Tel Aviv clinic, I had taken on along a few years to work as a Chinese Medical International Specialist aboard 3 American Cruise Ships. The Celebrity "Solstice", The Royal Caribbean "Liberty of the Seas" and the Celebrity "Summit". This was a most demanding practice. I had treated guests, staff and crew from over 70 different nationalities for various conditions with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. If you wish to learn more about my life aboard the cruise ships, behind the scenes of the glamorous front, please press here and read my telenovela "Solstice my Love".

This period was by far a very interesting one and extremely challenging. To this day I keep receiving thank you letters and very positive testimonials from people I had treated onboard. They are to be seen at my clinic upon request. Press here to see onboard patients' Testimonials.

Back from the stormy oceans to Israel I practice now at my clinic in the heart of Tel Aviv close to Ichilov Hospital and Weitzman City Mall.

On this informative website you'll find a few common clinical problems and the unique Chinese medical view about them. The medical issues discussed are under the section of Syndromes. You may also find some very Useful Tips.

It is important to mention that the information offered in this website is not a substitute for a full face to face diagnosis done at a clinic of Effi Kfir L.Ac. A full body diagnosis is a very special process and its findings may prevent if treated right away many problems along one's life. The Diagnosis is very personal and unique to every person with his own private history and habits. Only after the diagnosing process is completed the treatment with Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Chinese Diet and Changes in Lifestyle can be determined and employed successfully.

As a service to the community Effi Kfir L.Ac is giving a special preventative treatment against CVA (Stroke) to anyone of his patients, regardless of the problem they come to treat.

Effi Kfir L.Ac will be happy to share with you his vast International clinical experience as well as his life experience while listening fully with his ears and heart to your health needs.

For appointments or for an initial consultation please call 054-4804538 and start feeling better today!

Email: effikfir@yahoo.com

Website: www.kfir.net