Total Acupuncture Calgary

Dr. Mandy Liu has successfully treated many patients with acupuncture. She would like to share her experience with people who are interested in acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

If you are wondering if acupuncture might work for you or you want to ask for more information, please contact us anytime! Or visit Total Acupuncture Calgary clinic in Kensington. We look forward to hearing from you!

Case 1

Acupuncture for Infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome

Female,  35 years old, Calgary

This patient had been trying to conceive for about 3 years without success. She is overweight, has low energy, an irregular period, mostly delayed for 2 to 3 months, sometimes even 4 to 5 months. Her blood test suggested that she does not ovulate.

For this patient, the treatment focused on soothing the liver energy, strengthening the spleen and kidney energy. She came for acupuncture once a week for 3 months. The points in the lower abdomen (Ren4, Ren3, Zigong) were the key acupuncture points. She also took Chinese herbal medicine regularly. The modification of  Xiao yao San was the principle formula.  

She got pregnant after 3 months of treatment. She gave birth to a health boy after 9 months of pregnancy.

Case 2

Acupuncture for Infertility, recurrent miscarriage

Female,  37 years old, Calgary

This patient had been trying to have children for the last 2 years without any success. She had 2 miscarriages within the last year which both occurred around 6 weeks of pregnancy. The reasons were unknown.

During both former early pregnancies she felt very tired, had cramps in the lower abdomen and pain in the lower back and sacrum area. She also had insomnia and heartburn. Her tongue was pale with tooth marks. Her pulse was thin and the kidney pulse position was deep and weak, which suggested that she had low kidney energy and blood deficiency.      

She received acupuncture treatments 1-2 times per week and took Chinese Herbal medicine for 3 months to get herself ready for her third pregnancy. She developed similar but milder symptoms during the 3rd  pregnancy. The acupuncture treatment focused on releasing her stress and helping her relax. The herbal formula Shou Tai Wan modification was used to strengthen the kidney energy to hold the fetus until she reached 10 weeks.  By then, her symptoms were almost gone and the ultrasound showed the fetus heart beat was normal. She gave birth to a healthy girl after 9 months.

Case 3

Acupuncture for Male Infertility,

sperm morphology: abnormal heads 99%

Male, 31 years old, Calgary

This patient was diagnosed by his medical doctor with male infertility because of abnormal sperm morphology. His total sperm count was  slightly lower than normal. He had low energy and a cold body temperature. He also had anxiety, mild headache and lower back pain. He had loose bowl movements quite often.

For this patient, the treatment was focused on increasing the kidney and spleen Yang energy. Acupuncture treatment was given once a week. Main acupuncture points included UB20, UB23, Du4, Ren6, Ren4, St36, KI3. A modification of Chinese herbal formula of You Gui Wan and Shen Ling Bai Zhu San was used.  After six weeks of treatment, his wife became pregnant. At her 25th week of pregnancy, he sent the good news to our clinic that they were having a baby boy and all the tests came back normal.

Case 4

Acupuncture for Migraine headache

Female, 49 years old, Calgary

This patient had severe migraine headaches for more than 20 years, getting progressively worse the last 2 years. Her headaches were triggered by weather change or stress and also got worse around her period. The headache was in the left forehead and temporal area. She also developed some pre-menopausal syndromes the last 2 years. Her tongue color was dark red and her pulse was wiry and tense. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnoses for her was liver Yang rising headache and energy blockage in the GB meridian. The treatment strategy is to tranquilize liver and anchor Yang. The major acupuncture points for her were points on the head to unblock the energy blockage, such as GB8, GB13, GB20, Taiyang, UB2. Also some points on her hands and feet to treat liver Yang rising, such as  LI4, TW5, LV3, and SP6. Ear acupuncture was also used.

After 4 acupuncture treatments, her headache was gone. She came for maintenance treatments about once per week for another 2 months. She hasn’t had a migraine attack since. She continues the acupuncture treatment once per month to maintain her energy balance. She found herself calmer, and healthier overall. It has been over 1 year and she hasn’t had any headaches. 

Case 5

Acupuncture for weight loss

Female, 23 years old, Calgary

This patient came to lose weight.  She was 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 168 pounds. Her appetite was normal but she would eat sweets when stressed. Her period was very irregular with strong PMS symptoms before each period. She felt tired and bloated in the afternoons. Her tongue was light red with thin white coating. Her pulse was soft.  Her diagnose was liver energy stagnation with spleen energy (digestive energy) deficiency causing dampness pathogen (fat) retention in her system, which caused the weight gain. The treatment strategy was to sooth the liver energy, strengthen the spleen energy (increase metabolism) and eliminate the excessive dampness pathogen (fat) out of her system.  A Chinese formula Xiao Yao San plus herbs such as He Ye, Shan Zha, Huang Qi, Ze Xie were used for 2 months. Also Acupuncture points on the abdomen with electrical stimulation once a week were used for 10 weeks. She lost 13 pounds after 10 weeks. Ear acupuncture (needleless) was also used. Her energy has been better and her period has been regular. Both her stress level and the craving for sweets have been reduced.  She is still coming for treatment about once a month to maintain the energy balance.

Case 6

Acupuncture for Chronic lower back pain

Female, 29 years old, Calgary

This patient came to the clinic because of lower back pain.  She sprained the left side of her lower back 2 years ago. The pain was severe. She had been receiving anti-inflammatory drugs and regular chiropractic treatment for the last 2 years. The pain was lessened but still affecting her daily activity. Sometimes it also caused sciatic pain down her left leg. She also had insomnia and her energy was very low. Her tongue was pale and her pulse was thin and weak.

The principle treatment was to remove the blockage in the UB meridian, increase the energy (Qi and blood) which nourishes the UB meridian and promote healing of the muscle. The major points were UB17, UB20, UB23, UB25, UB54, UB30, UB40, LI4, and SP6. She also took one week of herbal formula “Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang” in the beginning of the treatment.

After 10 treatments, the pain was 90% better. She continued with a maintenance treatment once a week for another 4 weeks. The pain was gone, her energy has increased, and sleep has improved.

Case 7

Acupuncture for Chronic hives

Male, 31 years old, Calgary

This patient had chronic hives for about 2 years. The cause was unknown. He took antihistamines everyday to control the skin rashes and itchiness. Other than the skin condition, he was generally healthy.

The treatment focused on regulating his immune system and strengthening the lung energy.  He came for acupuncture treatments once a week . The major points are UB17, UB25, LI 11 and SP10. He also took Chinese herbal medicines such as Xiao Feng San and Yu Ping Feng San.

After 8 treatments he was able to stop taking antihistamines and hasn't had any new skin rashes or itchiness since then.

Case 8

Acupuncture for Quitting smoking

Male, 54 years old, Calgary

This patient came to the clinic to quit smoking. He had been smoking for 30 years, about 20 cigarettes per day. He had been trying to quit for about 3 months with no success. He had dry cough and cough with yellowish phlegm each morning. His tongue was red with a yellow, greasy coating. This showed that the long-term smoking has damaged his lungs' yin energy and retained toxins in his system. 

For this patient, the treatment focused on calming the mind, and reducing the craving for smoking. The acupuncture also regulated the sympathetic/parasympathetic nerve system to reduce the symptoms followed by quitting smoking, such as an uneasy or agitated feeling, lack of concentration, shaking, sweating, etc.

Acupuncture points for this patient include Du20, Yintang, Ht7, Sp6 and the special point "Tianmeixue" for quitting smoking. Points to detoxify the body were also added, such as Li11 and Sp9. 

He stopped smoking after 1 month and has not relapsed since. His cough subsided and his tongue coating was normal, indicating that the toxin had been cleared out of his system.

Testimonials from patients:

• "My name is Carla and I want to share my success story.  I had sciatica for over 2 weeks and was going for message & chiropractic treatments and was still desperate for relief.  I could not stand without pain and spent most of my time laying down.  I sent out an e-mail at work and was referred to Dr. Mandy Liu at Total Acupuncture. After my 3rd treatment I was starting to feel myself again. I was more relaxed and had better sleeps at night.  For over 10 years I've had chronic back and body muscle pain because of 2 serious car accidents.  Since I've had acupuncture my overall body feels better and I have more flexibility.  My acupuncture experience is one that I will continue."

             Carla, 2011

• "I came to see Dr. Liu approximately a month and a half ago.  My reason for my visit was to discuss my skin texture - lumpy bumpy skin around my hips and butt area.  We discussed and agreed to start with six sessions (one session per week) of acupuncture combined with cupping.  I have now completed my six sessions and this is what I now notice looking at my skin from all angles and all forms of light…the lumpy bumpy skin has diminished.  It is smoother.   The area below my butt cheeks have smoothed out and I believe that I have lost weight in that area.  I feel that I have lost a bit of the bulge.  I do not have a lot of extra weight on my body and wouldn’t be considered overweight.  I did not change my diet or exercise program during the six weeks, so can only say that it is due to the acupuncture and cupping from Dr. Liu.  I intend to continue with a few more weekly sessions and then move to a monthly session."

           Jody, 2011

• "I got Bell's Palsy two weeks ago. After five visits, I am fully recovered. Thank you Doctor Liu."                                     

            Frank, 2011

• Treatment for back pain and allergies -  "I have had a bad back ever since I started taking martial arts in the early 90's. It flares up every once in a while after strenuous exercise or heavy lifting. When I do feel pain, I go see Dr. Mandy to make it feel better. The atmosphere at her clinic is calm and relaxing and the procedure of having the needles stuck in my back is quite painless. A heat lamp is used with the needles. The pain usually subsides a few hours after the treatment. The results from the back treatments have been so good that I have started to see Dr. Mandy to treat my seasonal allergies. This involves herbal treatments and acupuncture needles placed beside my nose, on my forehead and in my hands. Herbal powder is also placed on certain points on my upper back. I find that if I have the treatments in early spring, my allergy attacks in the summer are not as severe. All in all, I have had good results from acupuncture and I recommend seeing Dr. Mandy if you have muscle or joint pain or suffer from allergies."

            Richard, 2009