acupuncture – UofL News Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:45:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 UofL Trager Institute launch acupuncture services to address wellbeing of older adults, caregivers /post/uofltoday/uofl-trager-institute-launch-acupuncture-services-to-address-wellbeing-of-older-adults-caregivers/ Wed, 19 Aug 2020 19:30:55 +0000 http://www.uoflnews.com/?p=51094 The UofL Trager Institute now offers comprehensive acupuncture services at its Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic. These new acupuncture services are offered in partnership with .

“The UofL Trager Institute is thrilled to offer this new acupuncture set of services to our community,” said Anna Faul, executive director of the UofL Trager Institute. “These new services available at our Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic are part of a broader effort to provide a one-stop shop of comprehensive services that support long-term wellbeing.”

Acupuncture is the anchor of traditional Chinese medicine that involves the placement of fine, sterile needles into specific points on the body to heal disease, restore balance and promote health. AcuBalance providers say the services offered at the UofL Trager Institute can help address a wide range of both neuromusculoskeletal and internal/mental-emotional including:

  • acute and chronic pain
  • arthritis
  • fibromyalgia
  • addiction and recovery
  • autoimmune issues
  • cardiovascular health
  • indigestion and digestive health
  • cognition and brain health
  • reproductive and sexual health
  • hormone and thyroid health

These services are known as integrative treatments because they are to be used in conjunction with a primary care physician.

Colby Helton and Andrea Helton, offering services at the UofL Trager Institute, are fully licensed to practice acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine in Kentucky, having passed four National Board Exams through the . The providers have completed a four-year master’s degree in acupuncture and TCM that included over 3,000 hours of didactic education as well as 1,000-hour clinical residency programs. Colby Helton holds a doctorate in TCM, which required an additional 1,200 hours of didactic education, including additional training in gerontological acupuncture, clinical experience and a doctoral capstone project.

“We are elated to offer acupuncture services in partnership with the UofL Trager Institute at the Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic,” Helton said. “We bring a unique approach to our acupuncture and body therapies as we have extensive training specifically in providing acupuncture to older adults. Our services also will be a great resource for individuals needing pain management support and those looking for anxiety and stress relief. Utilizing an integrative approach and in collaboration with primary care, we can help patients with nearly any condition, from chronic pain and inflammatory conditions to hormonal and emotional imbalances.”

In addition to offering integrative services designed to help individuals achieve optimal health as they age, the new acupuncture services at the UofL Trager Institute may provide anxiety and stress relief specifically related to COVID-19.

“Over the past few months, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in anxiety, depression and stress among health care providers and caregivers, especially our frontline and long-term care workers. Without proper self-care, health care workers face a burnout like we’ve never seen before, which can turn into varying degrees of psychological crises and PTSD,” Helton said. “Integrative therapies like acupuncture help offer significant relief and reprieve by addressing the biological, mental and emotional components of stress and burnout. Specifically, we work to increase parasympathetic tone and reduce stress reactivity, which can balance the mood, sleep cycles, energy, cognition, digestion, cardiovascular health and even immunity. Essentially, we can help our fellow health care workers navigate the COVID landscape with a bit more ease and grace.”

Acupuncture services are available to any member of the community, with appointments available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1to 6 p.m. To make an appointment, visit the , or call 502-588-4340. Services are provided on a private payment structure.

]]> UofL child neurologist uses acupuncture to help patients /post/uofltoday/uofl-child-neurologist-uses-acupuncture-to-help-patients/ /post/uofltoday/uofl-child-neurologist-uses-acupuncture-to-help-patients/#respond Tue, 15 May 2018 19:02:07 +0000 http://uoflnews.com/?p=42035

Elizabeth S. Doll, M.D.

completed years of medical training to become a child neurologist, including earning her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2011. But what most people don’t know is she also spent hundreds of hours at Harvard University, training in the art of acupuncture.

“I’ve always been interested in integrative and alternative medicines,” said Doll, who cares for patients atand Norton Children’s Hospital. “Even with all the advancements in modern medicine, we still can learn a lot from ancient treatments.”

She’s recently combined her love of neurology and acupuncture. She offers acupuncture as a way to help with migraines and severe headaches in teens and children as young as 6 years old.

“Research shows that acupuncture, when done properly, is a great, noninvasive way to treat headaches and other pain conditions, often without the use of medicines,” Doll said. “Many patients I treat see relief quickly.”

Doll said when most people think of acupuncture, they picture someone lying down with hundreds of needles all over their body. That’s not the treatment she provides.

“My treatments are about 45 minutes and involve roughly 10 to 15 needles,” she said. “Those needles are usually placed at acupuncture points in distant areas, like the ears and feet.”

How can needles treat headaches?

“It’s about opening up pathways throughout the body,” Doll said. “You’d be amazed to see how different body parts are connected.”

She admits that most patients and families are skeptical or fearful at first, but once they try it, they become believers.

“People have a fear of needles, but it really doesn’t hurt,” Doll said. “And patients end up liking it when they feel the results.”

Doll said acupuncture isn’t going to replace modern treatments and medications, but rather it’s a good way to supplement care, especially in the hospital setting.

“It’s not a miracle cure,” she said. “Acupuncture can relieve pain quickly, but medicines and other forms of treatment are still important. Acupuncture can be effective long-term, but periodic treatments outside the hospital setting are needed.”

For those with severe headaches, acupuncture can make a big difference.

“I recently had a patient in the hospital and we were treating her with IV medication for her migraine,” Doll said. “After performing acupuncture, she didn’t need any more medications and went home the next day.”

Reprinted by permission from Norton Children’s Hospital.

]]> /post/uofltoday/uofl-child-neurologist-uses-acupuncture-to-help-patients/feed/ 0