I am a gay acupuncturist. First and foremost, I am a skilled acupuncturist with almost 10 years of experience treating muscular pain, frozen shoulders, headaches, gastro-intestinal distress, sexual function and related issues. I also have a lot of experience treating anxiety, depression, high blood pressure and psycho-spiritual issues. Many of my clients are gay men who come to me with specific problems with sexual/urinary function issues including ED and prostatitis, enlarged prostate gland and prostate cancer. Men with erection challenges, low libido and sexual addiction issues also are my patients. It can be reassuring and even comforting to the patient to see a gay acupuncturist who can better understand the gay patient’s issues and challenges.

Men often have a hard time talking about problems they are having with their body, especially if it has to do with sexual function. Gay men seeking treatment can often talk to a gay acupuncturist more easily. There is a common understanding and a high degree of empathy. Add the experience and expertise of a gay acupuncturist like myself and there is a greater chance of effective and lasting solutions for specific issues. These include sexually transmitted diseases, sexual expression and addictive behavior and the familial pressures that often accompany being gay in our society.

Aging is another big and often looming issue for gay men. It is a subject that is a loaded and sensitive one. As a gay acupuncturist, I have specific approaches that address the issues of aging. It is important to honor the individual and help them with greater acceptance of the specifics of the aging process.

As a gay acupuncturist I offer an empathic and a less “clinical” approach when taking a history from the patient.. Shame, fear and uncertainty are all issues that most gay people grapple with. There is clearly less support in the society at large for these gay issues. Body-image, aging, sexual function as well as issues related to self esteem and general well-being are often more complex in the gay community. An honest, frank conversation that gives the patient room to express his feelings is a good start to a practitioner-patient relationship. Trust is the basis for all relationships—and as a gay acupuncturist, I know that trust is essential to the patient’s commitment and motivation in the healing process.

Trigger point Therapy is a common condition that produces muscle pain which can occur almost anywhere in the body. People may also refer to this kind of pain as ‘knots’ or ‘spasms’. In the medical field one might hear the term ‘myofascial pain’. This means that the pain may be present in the muscle tissue and/or in the connective tissue that surrounds the muscles.

Relief for trigger point pain can easily be achieved by releasing the ‘knots’ with acupuncture needles causing an unwinding or relaxation of the muscle fibers which sometimes presents as involuntary twitches in the muscle when it releases.

Trigger point pain can be chronic if left untreated. If left untreated for long enough, this pain can progress to a diminishing of the range of motion of a joint or limb. This stage is commonly referred to as “frozen”. Even at this stage, acupuncture is very effective in increasing the range of motion of a join or a limb.

Another way to relieve pain caused by trigger points is by using Dr. Richard Tan’s “Balance Method”. This method is based on the ancient numerological system called the Ba Gua. This method does not release the trigger point locally, but, rather uses complimentary meridians that are often distal or far away from the site of the pain. This method is a highly effective method for reducing pain and for increasing range of motion. It is recommended if the acupuncturist does not want to insert needles into the muscle tissue itself because it is too painful.

Trigger Point Therapy with Acupuncture is a quicker and, often more effective way to treat pain syndromes than manual therapy or massage therapy. The healing effects tend to last longer and the acupuncturist can often go into deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue.

I use both methods to treat trigger points – Direct needling into the site of the pain and Dr. Richard Tan’s “Balance” method. I do find that Dr. Tan’s method tends to be more effective in treating “frozen shoulders, hands, and other range of motion problems. Treatments range from once to three times per week in order to produce lasting results. I always teach my patients stretching exercises after the trigger points have been released in order to keep the muscles loose and flexible.

If you have shooting pain radiating down your leg, you may have a condition called Sciatica. Most commonly, it comes from tightness in the piriformis muscle that pushes against the sciatic nerve. This muscle tightness usually starts in the gluteal muscles. As a result, you are in pain – ranging from annoying to extreme. From my experience as a practitioner, this pain can become chronic if not treated. Most often, the pain is felt down the inside or the outside of the leg.  The good news is that Adam’s Trigger-Point Acupuncture technique releases the trigger-point in the piriformis muscle – freeing the sciatic nerve. This one-needle technique works almost every single time.

Pain management is the Acupuncturist’s Expertise. Don’t waste time with doctors who may not have experience with pain management. A word to the wise: Try trigger-point acupuncture first!

Once the piriformis muscle is released, the sciatic nerve pain will subside. Adam also teaches his patients the appropriate piriformis muscle stretches to be continued after acupuncture treatment to keep the muscle from tightening up again. Relief can be immediate!

Acupuncture treatment is a simple, effective way to treat stress incontinence. I have had great success treating stress incontinence with acupuncture with lasting results and no side effects!

Stress incontinence is most often found in older people, and it is more common in women than in men. When the bladder tone gets weaker with age, sometimes mild jolts to the body by sneezing, coughing or slightly strenuous movements – like lifting – can cause some urine to leak out of the bladder.

A common remedy used with people who experience this problem is using “Kiegel” exercises or mild squeezing of the muscles in the anus and/or perineum area. This can strengthen the bladder tone. The big drawback with only using this method is that people have to remember to do the exercises and do them consistently.

The most effective acupuncture treatment I have used is an easy 2-needle combination of GV 20 and BL 4. These 2 points needled simultaneously helps ‘lift the Qi’ in the bladder by using these 2 points on the Governing Vessel Channel, thereby tonifying the bladder itself. “Lifting chi” is a common treatment practice for mood elevation and issues of prolapsed organs.

In sharing an anecdotal report of one client whom I have treated for Stress Incontinence for the past year is a good example of using these two points exclusively. She is an 91-year-old woman who used to wear pads wherever she went in case she had an “accident”. She never went out without a pad. Sometimes she would use up to 5 pads a day. She did “Kiegel” exercises whenever she remembered, but she did not find that they helped all that much.

Since getting weekly acupuncture treatment with the aforementioned 2 points, she has not had the need for any pads at all. She feels confident that she will not have “accidents” anymore. Her bladder function has returned to 95-100% normal. She does not have to use the “Kiegel” exercises anymore.