With over six years of experience working at UNC Dental Faculty Practice in Chapel Hill, Michelle has successfully treated patients with trigeminal neuralgia, temporomandibular joint disorder, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and iatrogenic orofacial pain as a result of dental surgery or procedure.
Acupuncture is very effective in reducing orofacial pain, both acute and chronic. Other measures to speed up the healing of tissues include cupping, moxibustion, massage, and electrical stimulation.
Auriculotherapy for ADHD and Memory Improvement: Ear Stimulation Techniques
Ear seeds and ear massage can help with pain, immune system regulation, vision, hearing, and more. One of the most fascinating and unknown uses for auriculotherapy is for a range of issues that affect neurological and psychological pathways, like memory loss, ADD/ADHD, seizures, depression, aphasia, and sensory issues. Auricular pathways and their link to the…
Alzheimer’s Disease Herbal Warriors
There is a need for more support for Alzheimer’s sufferers to help manage symptoms. The same holds true for other neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis. These are systemic disorders that typically involve immune and circulatory dysfunction and lead to compromised mental and physical functions. Herbal therapies that have long-standing clinical…
Acupuncture for Orofacial and Craniofacial Pain Syndromes
I have spent many years treating pain in the face and head, which has led me to delve into many facets to expand upon my knowledge base including structural and postural considerations, auricular (ear) acupressure/acupuncture strategies, and emotional stress. This post focuses on yet another tack – neurological correlations for chronic pain. The upper neck…
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia is marked by severe and recalcitrant pain that is often resistant to medications. Acupuncture improves microcirculation to the tiny capillaries and compartments of the body in the areas of the face, head, neck, and jaw. Neuropathic pain from TN is caused by damage or obstruction of one or more branches of the trigeminal…
Natural Headache Cures Using Chinese Herbs & Acupuncture
The means of identifying headache type is a challenge for physicians who specialize in head pain, not to mention those who suffer from this condition. A headache can have a migrainous quality without actually fitting all the criteria to be classified strictly as a migraine. Although quite different in terms of severity and location, tension-type…
Trigeminal Neuralgia Case
Acupuncture has been recognized by the National Institute of Health to be effective as a stand-alone or adjunctive treatment modality for patients with various types of pain. One of the worst types of pain involves the head, jaw, and face. TN is a neuropathic type of pain that can become chronic and recalcitrant to standard…
The Treatment of Circulatory Disorders with Chinese Medicine
Many health conditions can predispose someone to poor circulation – the most common ones are high blood pressure, diabetes, polycythemia (sticky blood), fibromyalgia, and atherosclerosis. While it is true that problems of blood circulating freely in vessels is a problem that comes with aging, any issue that impedes blood flow can lead to ischemia. This…
Neuralgia and Acupuncture
Over the years, I have learned that pain syndromes offer cross over into soft tissue, joint, fascia, and in more severe cases, nerves. When the nerves are activated, the pain is usually worse and more difficult to manage. Examples include trigeminal neuralgia, post herpetic neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, pelvic nerve pain, and neuropathy secondary to muscle…
Channel Acupuncture & Herbs 