About Dr. katania
Dr. Katania Taylor is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and has been practicing for 18 years. She specializes in pain, gastro-intestinal health, women’s health, auto-immune and inflammatory diseases and emotional issues. In the past 7 years, Dr. Katania has incorporated Functional Medicine into her practice. This means that in addition to acupuncture, she addresses root cause treatment of a patient’s ailments using a combination of functional labs, objective diagnostics, and Oriental Medicine to arrive at a comprehensive treatment plan that includes diet, targeted supplements, herbs, movement and acupuncture to help the patient heal themselves.
Dr. Katania graduated in 2003 from Bastyr University. She has been practicing in Nevada as an Oriental Medical Doctor since 2009. She has studied under specialists in pain management, physical medicine, and Functional Medicine. She is trained and certified in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs, and has received ongoing training in Functional Medicine, western herbs, targeted supplement and nutrition.
The following is a list of mechanisms that have been identified so far and I borrowed this from one of my virtual mentors, Kris Kresser L.Ac, directly from his website because I LOVE the way he describes Acupuncture in a modern, Western, easy-to-understand way (thank you Chris!):
- Acupuncture promotes blood flow. This is significant because everything the body needs to heal is in the blood, including oxygen, nutrients we absorb from food, immune substances, hormones, analgesics (painkillers) and anti-inflammatories. Restoring proper blood flow is vital to promoting and maintaining health. For example if blood flow is diminished by as little as 3% in the breast area cancer may develop. Blood flow decreases as we age and can be impacted by trauma, injuries and certain diseases. Acupuncture has been shown to increase blood flow and vasodilation in several regions of the body.
- Acupuncture stimulates the body’s built-in healing mechanisms.Acupuncture creates “micro traumas” that stimulate the body’s ability to spontaneously heal injuries to the tissue through nervous, immune and endocrine system activation. As the body heals the micro traumas induced by acupuncture, it also heals any surrounding tissue damage left over from old injuries.
- Acupuncture releases natural painkillers. Inserting a needle sends a signal through the nervous system to the brain, where chemicals such as endorphins, norepinephrine and enkephalin are released. Some of these substances are 10-200 times more potent than morphine!
- Acupuncture reduces both the intensity and perception of chronic pain. It does this through a process called “descending control normalization”, which involves the serotonergic nervous system. 2 I will explain this process in further detail in the next post.
- Acupuncture relaxes shortened muscles. This in turn releases pressure on joint structures and nerves, and promotes blood flow.
- Acupuncture reduces stress. This is perhaps the most important systemic effect of acupuncture. Recent research suggests that acupuncture stimulates the release of oxytocin, a hormone and signaling substance that regulates the parasympathetic nervous system. You’ve probably heard of the “fight-or-flight” response that is governed by the sympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system has been called the “rest-and-digest” or “calm-and-connect” system, and in many ways is the opposite of the sympathetic system. Recent research has implicated impaired parasympathetic function in a wide range of autoimmune diseases, including arthritis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
What is Cupping?
Cupping therapy come from Ancient Chinese Medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. People get it for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage. Read this article on the benefits of cupping.
I use cupping regularly in clinic for unresponsive muscle tension, chronic muscle tension and other pain syndromes. I use it frequently in people who work out frequently and rigorously and are sore. Body-builders, martial artists, and anyone engaged in high-intensity sports can greatly benefit from cupping. So can many others, however, you may not AUTOMATICALLY be a candidate for cupping. Fibromyalgia, Auto-immune diseases and weaker or frail bodies and constitutions may react badly to cupping.
Who can do cupping?
Cupping is currently practiced by many manual therapists, including massage therapists, chiropractors and PTs. Fire Cupping, the use of a flame to vacuum suction the cups to the body should only be used by Acupuncturists or someone with many hours of practice. It can be very dangerous. Please ask your practitioner how much training they have had if they are NOT and OMD in Nevada. Massage Therapists in NV are not allowed to do fire cupping.
Dry Needling- what is it and who practices it?
Dry Needling (DN) is term used frequently by Physical Therapists for the practice of inserting acupuncture needles into their patients. DN IS acupuncture. Another word for the technique of DN is trigger point therapy or trigger point needling and Acupuncturists incorporate this technique daily. Although acupuncture STYLES vary and some L.Ac.s and OMD may use LESS of this style of treatment, it is a part of Acupuncture education and treatment protocols. Physical Therapists who practice DN are regulated by their state boards and states differ on standards and level of regulation. Nevada currently allows a very limited version of DN by PT’s.
I look forward to seeing you in my Clinic and working with you to achieve your health goals!
Dr. Katania
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Katania Taylor is not a Medical Doctor and does not give medical advice. She, nor anyone else who contributes to this website, does not give any advice without the expectation that you will first consult with your doctor.
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