Moxibustion as a Treatment for Hot Flashes?

Hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms of menopause. In one study of 638 menopausal women ages 45 to 54, approximately 75 percent reported experiencing hot flashes (1). Another study shows that loss of sleep due to hot flashes may lead to daytime fatigue and irritability (2).

Now, a study published in the July-August 2009 issue of Menopause may have a solution (3). Moxibustion therapy has been used to treat other obstetric/gynecologic conditions such as ovulation problems, breech presentations and dysmennorhea (4-6). According to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine in Seoul, it can also alleviate menopausal hot flashes.

The researchers divided a group of 51 women, ages 45 to 60 with at least five moderate to severe hot flashes every 24 hours, into three groups. The first group received a moxibustion based upon evidence from clinical experts (Moxa 1). The second group received their moxibustion treatment based upon published literature (Moxa 2). The third was a wait-list control group. Both moxibustion groups received 14 treatments over the course of four weeks. Outcomes were measured by the frequency and severity of hot flashes for one week, as well as the Menopausal-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL) and the Menopause Rating Scale.

At the end of the four-week period, the frequency of hot flashes was reduced significantly; 60 percent in the Moxa 1 group and 59 percent in the Moxa 2 group. In the control group, however, the frequency increased slightly at the second week before returning back to baseline at the fourth week. There was no significant difference in frequency of hot flashes between the two moxa groups.

In terms of severity of hot flashes, both moxibustion groups also showed significant reductions at the end of four weeks. The Moxa 1 group reported a 50 percent reduction, and the Moxa 2 group reported a 43 percent reduction. The control subjects, however, showed only a minor reduction in severity.

The researchers concluded, “Our study explored the efficacy of moxibustion in reducing menopausal hot flashes. In our study, participants who received moxibustion treatment exhibited a stronger reduction in both hot flash frequency and severity. Furthermore, we investigated the point-specific effects of moxibustion by using different acupuncture points based on clinical expert opinions (Moxa 1) and published literature (Moxa 2). Moxa 1 was found to be no different from Moxa 2 in reducing hot flash frequency and severity … Our results suggest that moxibustion improves menopausal hot flash symptoms in terms of both frequency and severity, as compared with a control group.”

Commentary: Although Moxibustion can be used to hot flashes, there are natural medicines and herbs which are equally as effective without the risk of burns. Please See You Can Beat Menopause Symptoms…NOW on this blog. As an acupuncturist I do use moxa, but I prefer treatments that can be used by the patient on a long term basis eliminating the need for subsequent treatments. Dr. D

Please click on the following link to see an overview or our unique anti-aging protocols which are part of our system for treating menopausal symptoms.

http://www.drscottdenny.com/Anti-Aging-Program.htm

Contact our award winning practice today!

Call for more information: 954-473-8925

Scott Denny, PhD, AP, DOM, FAAIM

Integrative Hospital Associates

2215 S. University Dr.

Davie,  FL 33324

Scott Denny, PhD, AP, DOM, FAAIM

Integrative Hospital Associates

4711-A N. Dixie Hwy.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334

www.drscottdenny.com

www.naturalclinics.net

References

1. McKinlay SM, Jefferys M. The menopausal syndrome. Br J Prev Soc Med 1974;28:108-15.

2. Kronenberg F. Hot flashes: phenomenology, quality of life, and search for treatment options. Exp Gerontol 1994 May-Aug;29(3-4):319-36.

3. Park JE, Lee MS, Jung S, et al. Moxibustion for treating menopausal hot flashes: a randomized clinical trial. Menopause 2009 Jul-Aug;16(4):660-5.

4. Peng Y, Hou LH, Wu XK. Advances of modern studies of acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of ovulation disorders. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2006;26:756-9.

5. van den Berg I, Bosch JL, Jacobs B, et al. Effectiveness of acupuncture-type interventions versus expectant management to correct breech presentation: a systematic review. Complement Ther Med 2008;16:92-100.

6. Kim SO, Cho SH. The effect of hand acupuncture therapy and moxibustion heat therapy on dysmenorrhea. Korean Acad Womens Health Nurs 2001;7:610-21.

[Via http://sdacudoc.wordpress.com]

Michigan Lawmakers Pass Smoking Ban

The Michigan Legislature passed a long-delayed smoking ban Thursday, with exceptions for three Detroit casinos that have to compete with tribal casinos not affected by the ban.  The ban will take effect in May 2010. It applies to all bars, restaurants and work places, except for the Detroit casinos, cigar bars, tobacco specialty stores, home offices and motor vehicles.

In September I posted information here about acupuncture as an alternative approach to smoking cessation.  With the new year and the new state law, now is the perfect time to consider this effective method to quit smoking.

[Via http://springwoodacupuncture.wordpress.com]

29 women got prognant after our acupuncture treatments since 2007

Last Saturdy, one patient came to our office for treating her stress and low back pain, she is in 38 weeks pregancy.

She reported to us, she got nature pregant in second month after our 8 sessions’ acupuncture last year.

This is our 29 pregant reports in 35 months, we don’t know exactly how many women actually got prognant because some of patients forgot to report, and they moved.

[Via http://arthuryinfan.wordpress.com]

I'm wood!

I had my second appointment with Pascal the acupuncturist on Tuesday night and boy did I learn a lot!

Before I tell you all about it, I think he looks a little like the Scottish actor Gray O’Brien )

Handsome or what?

It’s no real hardship!! )

Anyhooo….

Apparently in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) everyone has a constitution;  metal, wood, water, fire or earth. Pascal thinks I’m a wood person and having read more about it I tend to agree. I found this site quite good.

He also says my Liver Qi is stagnant/flat. He found this by only taking my pulse too! He said that at CD16 (which I was on Tues) it shouldn’t have been for that stage of my cycle. I’ve found this website which says the Liver Qi plays an important role in a womans menstrual cycle.

He also reckons my fertility problems are emotional ones. He couldn’t find anything that would suggest it’s an anatomical issue. Again I agree, that’s why I listened to hypnosis CD’s and under took EFT classes (which I’m thinking I’ll need to start doing again).

He said that if there are things that bother me or if someone annoys me I should let them know (in a non-confrontational way) as this will help me. He reckons me bottling things up are affecting my health.

When I came out I felt like a weight had been lifted, he seemed to know me. And best of all… he can FIX me (fingers crossed)!!

When I asked him how long I should see him, he said that he’d seen good results after 2 months. I thought asking him to sign a contract saying I’d be pregnant in 2 months might be going too far… tempting though!! )

Looking forward to my next appointment on the 18th.

PS I haven’t told DH any of this as he thinks I’m crazy as it is for even going to see an acupuncturist, so it’s our secret! ;o)

John Wayne Syndrome

 

John Wayne - The Great American Cowboy

 

 

It seems that lately I’ve been encountering more people that suffer from what I call “JWS” or “John Wayne Syndrome.”   For those of you not familiar with the term, I’d like to just take a moment an expound on this phenomenon.

 

Although I did not have a name for it early on, I most certainly grew up in a culture plagued by it.  In rural Wyoming, the Code of the West and a cowboy mentality rule.  Now please do not misunderstand me, I am not bashing the Code of the West here.  There is much to be said about the honesty and integrity that comes from living by the Code of the West.  However,  JWS stems from the cowboy mentality of toughness.

When a cowboy suffers an injury, he does not go see a doctor.  He walks it off and continues doing what he’s doing.  This is where we get the old adage “Cowboy Up!”  This is a gritting of the teeth and toughing it out.  No complaining.  It is exemplary in many of the characters that John Wayne played.  And this is why I have dubbed the behavior “John Wayne Syndrome.”  This sort of mentality by no means affects just those that live in rural areas.  John Wayne is an American icon.  His influence has spread throughout our country.  There are just as many people that live in urban settings who suffer from JWS as opposed to their rural cohorts.  It also effects both men and women, though I believe men exhibit the lion’s share of JWS.

The sheer tenacity of this cowboy mentality is undeniably admirable.  However, there is a special kind of lunacy that accompanies it.  When one is injured, one should do their best to take care of themselves so that they can continue  to maintain living and working with certain youthful exuberance.  This is the logical thing to do.  Instead, those that suffer from JWS do just the opposite and create for themselves a life of constant and continual pain.

Take for example the man who accidentally bashes his finger while hammering.  Instead of receiving proper medical care for it, he slowly nurses the injury by himself over a period of several weeks.  The finger does not receive correct or effective treatment, and the joints freeze up and become arthritic.  Now for the rest of his life, he can only bend his finger a fraction of what it used to.  It hampers his work and causes him pain each time the weather changes, but he continues to “cowboy up.”  If, after the accident ocurred, this poor fellow with JWS had gone to see his health care professionals, the finger would have been given proper treatment.  He would have gained the majority, if not all, of  his range of motion back, and arthritis would not have set in until much later in his life.

I do have to admit that I am a little ambivalent in my feelings toward JWS.  For one, having grown up in the heart of cowboy culture, I do recognize that I have acquired some of this mentality.  I struggle against it in order to keep myself healthy.  This is my own personal battle, and it is one of the reasons why I have decided to blog about this specific subject.

Second, I must also admit that folks with JWS help keep me in business.  Not when they’re young, of course, but once they have gotten older and their doctors tell them that surgery or drugs is the only answer to their various problems.  Then Traditional Chinese Medicine becomes their last bastion of hope that will not be forever tied to the doctors that they despise.  I love treating these folks because they generally become my staunchest advocates.  They find that TCM works and they express regret in not knowing about it earlier in their lives.

It is quite likely that you or someone you know has John Wayne Syndrome.  If so, I would love to hear from you about your trials and tribulations concerning JWS.   Please feel free to leave a comment here on the blog or send me an email.  In return, it would be my pleasure to personally educate you on how Traditional Chinese Medicine can be a great benefit in regard to this often debilitating condition.

Acupuncture + IVF

As you may or may not know, I did acupuncture every other week for a year. I stopped back in April of this year and have only been back once. Now that I’m about to embark on IVF, I did a little research on the effectiveness of IVF success rates when combined with acupuncture. The studies are pretty mixed. Some doctors say it helps, but that it might only be the placebo effect. Women are more positive about the IVF cycle when they think they’re doing something that will improve the success rate. Some doctors don’t think it helps at all.

When the nurse called with my beta results on Friday, I asked her what the doctor’s perspective was on acupuncture. She told me he doesn’t believe it in, but if you ask her she’d say she does. Case in point: there’s not a right answer.

I was considering going to one of those infertility-focused acupuncture places but honestly since we’re paying for all of this out-of-pocket (including IVF), I feel like those specialists totally rip you off. My acupuncturist is still expensive ($90/visit) but that’s significantly cheaper than the IF acupuncture specialists in my area.

If the research isn’t there to back it up (if you know of any, please send it my way!), I think I’ll stick with the acupuncturist that I know and trust. She might not be a specialist, but if the “improved” success rates are rooted in feeling positive with less anxiety and stress, then I’m in great hands. The plan is to go every other week until we start stims, and then go every week.

I’ve always wanted to do one of those poll things … So, what do you think? Does acupuncture help?

View This Poll
answers

Crick in the Neck

Come see us at www.EliteHealthWellness.com for specials, rates, and contact info.

What Is a ‘Crick in the Neck? What if it last longer than a week?  How long do I need to wait to see someone before I seek help.

We have all been here waking up with a painful “crick in my neck”, perhaps after a sleepless night? Is it anything to worry about?

A “crick in the neck” is not an official medical diagnosis, and therefore the term means different things to different people. For many, a “crick in my neck” is something they wake up with after a night of lillow tossing or sleeping the wrong way.  But what ever the case having a “crick” in your neck is no fun.  Or as Hispanics would say, NO BUENO!  So what if you do wake up with a “Crick”?  What do I do?  How long will it last?  What if it wont go away?  Am I being to impatient if I wanna go see a doctor when I wake up, or do I need to wait a certain amount of time?
As many questions there are even more answers to all these questions.  First and foremost it all depends on the person.  Pain is a subjective thing.  What is a “bad crick” may not be for another person.  One pain that should not be ignored and all people should take to a health professional as soon as possible is radiating and or burning pain.  Anything that tingles or does the former should be taken with great seriousness.  Although these are very rare and uncommon occurrences while sleeping we know nothing is impossible these days.  Well maybe passing a CA State Budget may fall into that category but that’s a different blog all together.

So lets break it down from a conservative chiropractors point of view.  My rule of thumb for my patients is, “If it last more than a week” then you should have it checked out.

Checklist of what to do if you wake up with a “Crick” in your neck.

• Move it around:  Babying it will only prolong the pain and lack of motion.  The more you “loosen it up”  the faster it will recover.
• Apply heat: Many people say apply ice withing the 1st 72hrs, while this is usually true, in this case heat is what you need to aid in the relaxation and heating of the tendons, ligaments and muscles to increase your range of motion.
• Try OTC meds.  I usually don’t recommend these unless is serious but they can help with inflammation and or relaxing the muscle as well.  For many people with mild to moderate neck or back pain, the medicine chest is their first stop. As far as strength goes, an over-the-counter pain medication will do the job most of the time. The dosage of an OTC drug is less than what you would get with a prescription drug, still doctors generally suggest starting there. OTC pain medications come in two types — acetaminophen and NSAIDs (such as Motrin and Aleve). NSAIDs have an advantage over acetaminophen in that they also help control the inflammatory process  that is contributing to the pain. Both types of OTCs may have side effects, so read the label before taking any drug for your back or neck pain.
• Apply Ice: Applying ice to the painful area for up to 48 to 72 hours after it starts is another way to control inflammation. The inflammation causes pain and, left unchecked, can contribute to a chronic problem in your neck or shoulders.  There are a number of ways to give yourself ice, as suggested by doctors and physical therapists. For example, consider this method from the American Physical Therapy Association: fill a plastic bag with crushed ice, place a towel around the area of your neck that has the pain, and put the homemade ice bag on the towel. Ice for 15 to 20 minutes, take a 40 minute break, then repeat. (Never apply ice directly to your skin.)
• Dr. Wilchek also recommends massage for muscle spams that are attributed to a “crick in the neck.” For neck and low back pain, the massage should be very gentle during the first few days to avoid making it worse. You may even choose to wait until the acute phase of the injury has past. Massage moves fluid around, which may help to prevent scar tissue.   After the first few days, massage can help work out tension and knots in your muscles. At this point, there are even a few moves you can do on yourself.
• Stay Active: Years ago, doctors advised people with back pain or injury to lay down and become immobile. Medical research has shown that patients with acute low back pain who stop activity actually have more pain than those who don’t. Sometimes laying on your back with your knees bent and legs resting on a chair or bed can temporarily relieve the pain, making it a good thing to do periodically. But in general, researchers and doctors now know that staying active within your pain limits is the most effective way to deal with pain,  it is as effective as bed rest for back pain accompanied by sciatica.
• Know When to go see Doctor: Technically speaking, there are no established guidelines for when to see a doctor about mild back or neck pain. But according to Thomas, if the pain persists for a week or longer and especially if it interrupts your daily functioning, it is time to get it checked. Sometimes pain you think may be due to a simple “crick in the neck” or low back strain can indicate something more serious, such as an infection or tumor. A medical doctor has the diagnostic skills to determine if your pain indicates a serious problem not directly related to the pain. Thomas also says that sometimes conditions such as disc herniation or spinal stenosis can mimic the symptoms of a “crick in the neck” — another reason to get it checked.

I asked two different physiatrists, doctors who specialize in physical rehabilitation, what a crick in the neck is in medical terms. Both of them said about 75% of “cricks in the neck” are due to a muscle spasm. Other causes cited were:

• arthritis
• myofascial pain syndrome and/or trigger points
• cervical radiculopathy, which is pain that radiates from the neck
• disk related pain

Two Views on a Diagnosis for ‘Crick in the Neck’
The one thing that is certain when it comes to understanding a crick in your neck is that health professionals from different fields (and also lay people) don’t agree on what it is.

For example at Virginia Commonwealth University, says that while consensus is lacking, many times it can be attributed to a problem in the facet joint. But Dr. Santhos Thomas, physiatrist and medical director at the Westlake Spine Center at the Cleveland Clinic says “the only way to really tell if the ‘crick in your neck’ is due to a facet joint problem is to perform a diagnostic injection into the area to confirm or rule out the facet joint as the origination of the pain.”

Dr. Thomas says that in general, “cricks in the necks” of younger patients tend to be muscle spasms. Riddle agrees that muscle spasm is often present in “cases” of “crick in the neck”, but that they may be a result of a problem in the facet joint.

Older patients, Dr. Thomas says, tend to describe the problem as a creak in the neck, and it is usually due to arthritis (another joint problem), not muscle spasm. In older people, he adds, a decreased range of motion that may also contribute to the pain.

If you go to Midus you’ll get a muffler” That’s what my dad used to always say and its not till being an adult i realized what that obscure and weird comment meant.  If you have a crick in the neck and go to a pain doctor, he is going to want to inject you.  If you go got a Chiropractor he is going to want to adjust you. If you got to an Acupuncturist he is going to want to still needles in you.  So take control of you’re own health and make the proper choice.  Never hurts to get a second opinion as well.  Maybe not for something as simple as a crick in the neck but certainly for other serious conditions.

New scientific breakthrough proves why acupuncture works

New scientific breakthrough proves why acupuncture works
Acupuncture scientific breakthrough

 

New groundbreaking research shows that the insertion of an acupuncture needle into the skin disrupts the branching point of nerves called C fibres. These C fibres transmit low-grade sensory information over very long distances by using Merkel cells as intermediaries. Dr. Morry Silberstein of the Curtin University of Technology will publish his research in the Journal of Theoretical Biology later this year.

We have never really had a scientific explanation for how acupuncture actually works,” he said. In the absence of a scientific rationale, acupuncture has not been widely used in the mainstream medical community. If we can explain the process scientifically, we can open it to full scientific scrutiny and develop ways to use it as a part of medical treatments.”

Dr. Silberstein mentions that they have known, for some time, that the acupuncture points show lower electrical resistance than other nearby areas of the skin. His research specifically pinpoints that the C fibres actually branch exactly at acupuncture points. Scientists don’t know exactly what role C fibres play in the nervous system, but Dr. Silverstein theorizes that the bundle of nerves exists to maintain arousal or wakefulness. The insertion of the acupuncture needle disrupts this circuit and numbs our sensitivity to pain.”

Acupuncture for pain relief is actually being taught to American Air Force physicians deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan (2009) by Dr. Richard Niemtzow MD, PhD, MPH and editor of Medical Acupuncture. His technique called “Battlefield Acupuncture” relieves severe pain for several days and is a variation of acupuncture, which inserts very tiny semi-permanent needles at specific acupoints on the skin of the ear that blocks pain signals from reaching the brain.

“This is one of the fastest pain attenuators in existence,” said Dr. Niemtzow, who is the Consultant for complementary and alternative medicine for the Surgeon General of the Air Force, and is affiliated with Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda. “The pain can be gone in five minutes.”

It has taken quite a long time for Western medicine to embrace acupuncture even though it was introduced in the early 1970’s after contacts with China improved.

Professor Tsuei mentions: “In 1972 the respected New York Times columnist James Reston underwent an emergency appendectomy while in China. He later wrote about acupuncture treatment for post-operative pain that was very successful. This report attracted attention and many American physicians and researchers went to China to observe and learn acupuncture techniques.”

Since then, only a few controlled studies were done in the West. Yale researchers proved its effectiveness for cocaine addiction in 2000 and published their findings in the August 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A North Korean researcher, Kim Bonghan, published papers in the early 1960’s and his research was confirmed by the Japanese researchers Fujiwara and Yu in 1967. Unfortunately his research took almost 40 years to be confirmed through studies done on rats, rabbit and pigs with Stereo-microscope photographs and electron microsopy.

The amazing photo shows the stereomicroscopic image of acupuncture meridians:

“Assemblies of tubular structures 30 to 100 mm wide (red blood cells are 6-8 mm in diameter). Apparently these structures have remained undiscovered for so long because they are almost transparent and so thin that they are barely visible with low-magnification surgical microscopes. They are also easily confused with fibrin, which coagulates and obscures these structures when there is bleeding in dissected tissues. Now that they have been rediscovered, researchers are investigating their composition and function. The tubular structures that make up Bonghan channels contain a flowing liquid that includes abundant hyaluronic acid, a substance that cushions and lubricates the joints, eyes, skin and even heart valves. Also visible in the photographs are small granules of DNA or microcells about 1-2 mm in diameter that contain chromosomal material highly reactive to stem-cell antibody stains. When these cells were isolated and then induced to differentiate, they grew into cells of all three germ layers. These may be our body’s natural source of pluripotent adult stem cells, with the potential to develop into any cell in the body”

Russian researchers in 1991 at The Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Novosibirsk, USSR, in a research project lasting several years, discovered how the human body conducts light. They found that the light conducting ability of the human body exists only along the meridians, and can enter and exit only along the acupuncture points. Dr. Kaznachejew, a professor of physics said:

“This seems to prove that we have a light transferal system in our body somewhat like optical fiber. It appears that the light can even travel when the light canal is bent, or totally twisted. The light appears to be reflected from the inner surface, appearing to go in some sort of zigzag track. You can explain this through traditional electromagnetic light theory as it is used in optical fiber communications.”

This finding has been confirmed by a 1992 study in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a 2005 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine where moxibustion and infrared thermography were used to trace meridian pathways.

There might be a “light body” after all.

See also: Fiber optics under New York City (short fiber optic tutorial and video in article)

Resources:

via Professor Hex’s blog

Meridians conduct light by Dr. Sergei Pankratov, Moskow, Published by Raum and Zeit, Germany, 1991.Translated from the German by Wolfgang Mitschrich

Bonghan Channels in Acupuncture By David Milbradt, LAc, Acupunture Today

Bonghan Duct and Acupuncture Meridian as Optical Channel of Biophoton

Curtin University of Technology

Scientific Evidence in Support of Acupuncture and Meridian Theory Professor Julia J. Tsuei M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

Medical acupuncture gaining acceptance by the US Air Force

Acupuncture is promising treatment for cocaine addiction, Yale researchers find

Photo Credit: Acupuncture Today: A stereomicroscopic image of the lymphatic vessel around the caudal vena cava of a rat. The photograph (left) and its illustration (right) show the novel threadlike structure (solid arrow) that passes throw the lymphatic valve (open arrow). The photograph was taken in vivo and in situ, and a piece of black paper was put under the lymphatic vessel to exhibit the target clearly. The scale bar is 100 mm.

Wikimedia Commons: Physican inserting needle

 

More About: Health · Alternative Medicine · Medicine · Science · Discoveries · Acupuncture via examiner.com

 

Maple Leafs

Today was the first truly chilly fall day when I wished I had dressed warmer every time I stepped outside. Makes for a bit of shivering, but with the heater on and warm blankets, it’s awfully cozy in our little apartment.

My alarm once again failed to go off this morning. Maybe it was worn out from all the snooze-ing I did yesterday, but Eli served as my alarm at 7 am (I had intended to get up an hour earlier and get in double whammy workout). As it was, I only had time for SYTYCD Tone (review still coming, I promise) and then rushed out the door to meet Nikki at Marco’s (who would’ve guessed?

She was just getting off the night shift but our schedules are so wacky we figured it would be good to catch each other as I’m starting my day and she’s eating her “dinner” before going to bed for the rest of the day.

I ordered the nonfat Cafe Brian, which is basically a mocha with some vanilla flavoring thrown in for good measure. Too sweet for some, but right up my alley.

I decided to splurge on breakfast and get the bacon and brie scramble (plus mushrooms and chives). A little heavier than I’ve ordered lately but it is soooo amazingly delicious. I substituted fresh fruit for the potatoes and had two slices of hazelnut toast.

It was a blast catching up with Nikki. Hi Nikki! Hope Night #2 is going well.

I headed home, hopped in the shower and then headed to a meeting about an upcoming presentation for my leadership class. A very productive 45 minutes later, I was back in my car and on my way home.

Lunch was a mini-smorgasbord. ‘Still wasn’t very hungry after my huge breakfast, so I made half a “BB n J” (BB for Barney Butter), on toasted TJ’s flaxseed bread.

On the side, a few carrots and mini bell peppers, with a dollop of garlic hummus for dipping.

And a box of vanilla soy milk…gotta have milk with my BB n J!

Plus two Kashi TLC crackers and two slices of cheddar that Steve snuck into my bowl.

I wasn’t feeling very good after lunch. I got hit with a little wave of nausea and was still exhausted from my Fall “Break”, so I ended up dozing for a little while. I dizzily got up and headed out to Starbucks to view an NCLEX review lecture, only to find out their wireless was down. Grrr!

I did a few housekeeping items while I was there and sipped on a tall nonfat mocha. I also ordered one of their lowfat raspberry muffins but was really disappointed. It tasted dry and completely un-flavorful, so I decided to toss most of it.

Then I ran a couple errands on the way home and came home to finish up my studying for the day. I’m still behind after last week, but making headway.

Steve is really sore after his second acupuncture appointment…it seems like all the tension that had been building up in his body is releasing but that it’s causing some discomfort along the way. Almost like post-workout soreness. I had something similar happen along the way, but I am a fervent believer in acupuncture and what it can do for your body. After only four sessions, my back pain was completely fixed and hasn’t come back since, unless I sit funny.

Since the boy was hurtin’ and worn out (acupuncture also makes you really doze-y and drowsy), I put together dinner.

Featuring the peanut sauce I promised you’d see again, I sauteed up some shrimp and TJ’s stir fry veggies, then mixed in the sauce and served atop brown rice. It was DELISH!

Dessert was two TJ’s maple leaf cookies.

I’m all about the fall-themed flavors this year!

Tomorrow I am volunteering to give H1N1 flu shots to fellow nursing students. They had originally planned three clinics for the entire campus community, but there is such a shortage that those had to be cancelled and the small stock that is available is being offered to nursing students first, since we’re on the front lines. I figured it was a very public health-y thing for me to do…plus volunteers get first priority for the vaccines.

Nighty nite!

Topanga Canyon.

The grey-haired woman looked startled like a young boy caught checking out porn. She had a short grandma haircut, which led me to immediately distrust her, was wearing a bastardized version of the tribal garb from somewhere she’d surely never visited and nondescript world music blared softly throughout the office.

A friend had surprised me with a visit earlier that day, and we had taken a drive into Topanga Canyon. Brandon had posited the idea simply: “Fuck it. We’ve got nothing better to do. I’ve heard it’s cool, but that was coming from hippies. We might be screwed.” I couldn’t argue with that.

We had entered the office of the New Age faith healer because of her large “ACUPUNCTURE” sign. We were both curious about the rates she had to charge to afford such incongruously blunt advertising. If it was cheap, I figured I might even go ahead and have her jab some needles in my ass.

Our interest waned quickly when she acted skittish upon our arrival. I didn’t give a shit if she was passing a slow day at work with her drug of choice, but I wasn’t going sticking pins in my stomach to cure the beer shits while her whole body was vibrating because I was convinced she’d misfire and impale my penis.

“What can I do for you?” Her eyes darted back and forth between Brandon and me. Right as she asked, an embarrassed-looking bald man with a tool box rushed out of the back room and out the front door without so much as a word. Brandon and I held back laughs. Smoking meth and fucking the local handyman on a massage table at noon on a Tuesday would make anyone act sketchy.

Brandon took the lead. “Well, we’re not really sure what you offer, but we’re interested in your acupuncture services.”

“Hmm. Do you have health insurance it’s usually one hundred dollars a session I usually do different parts of your body to target your ailments but I can do a comprehensive treatment it depends on what you want.” The woman had completely given up the use of periods. She kept wringing her hands and shifting back and forth.

Brandon got a pamphlet and we left. I couldn’t stop thinking about the look on the guy’s face.

“Do you think we interrupted the local midday nookie right there?”

He grabbed my shoulder. “No chance in hell were they getting down. Did you see that guy’s face? He was legitimately frightened. He was running out of there.”

“Shit, that would explain why she was acting so nervous. Probably was about to steal his organs or something. And it looks like he’s not local, the company listed on his truck is from Venice.” This last point was hard to confirm as the man was racing out of the parking lot.

We wandered into a bunch of shops, all with the same tourist Bohemian feel, same music and same overpowering scent of old incense. Groundhog Day at the hippie retirement home is a truly special kind of hell.

“You know what I just realized?” Brandon said as we left yet another “One Earth Shoppe.” “There hasn’t been a single item on sale for a man. Come to think of it, I haven’t even seen another man since we’ve been here.”

“Aside from that guy with the tool box. No wonder he was scared as shit. They don’t like men in this town. That crazy old bird was probably trying to kill him right as we walked in.”

“This is basically The Wicker Man. Hang on, I’m going to use the bathroom.” The door was locked. “Damn, should have seen that coming.”

“No shit. That’s where they hide all of the bodies. I bet there’s a hundred guys in there shivering completely naked, waiting to be eaten.”

Suddenly we realized that the little man on the bathroom sign had his head ripped clean off.

We walked by a pair of teenagers on a bench sharing a pair of headphones. They sat there catatonically, unblinking and unmoving with the tinny shrill of pop metal leaking into the silence of the parking lot.

We came across an old house converted into a costume shop. The inside lit solely by cobweb-covered Christmas lights. The house was soaked with the unmistakable musty smell off the throwaway clothes that lined every open space. We walked through a few rooms and couldn’t find anyone else.

“Can a help you guys?” We both jumped as a marginally attractive tall blond appeared seemingly from behind a rack of pleather pants. She was wearing a porn star’s clear plastic heels, oddly shaped green satin spandex shorts that made her ass look it had given up on life and a gold sequin tube top that still managed to be tight despite her gaunt frame. Her protruding hip bones wiggled at us menacingly.

“Do you have any men’s clothing?”

“We might have some stuff over there.” She waved in the vague direction of coats hanging next to a rusty suit of armor and disappeared.

The coats were mostly fur-rimmed and all buttoned the wrong way. Neither of us was interested in looking like a fat mob wife, and thus decided to continue our search for any sign of manhood somewhere else. In the front room we found the girl laughing while she dressed a giggling 16 year old boy in a silver cocktail dress. Figuring he was already a goner, we hurried out, jumped in the car and sped off.

“Hot flying fuck! All the jokes are true! There’s no men in this town, they’ve killed them all! Drive, you sonofabitch, drive!”

“I’m trying! Oh man, this is the male apocalypse! Did you see that girl licking her chops staring at that poor kid in the god damned dress?”

Speeding upward through the canyon, we eventually calmed down and started laughing. We were obviously being jackasses. Surely we hadn’t just narrowly escaped the clutches of a man-hating cult of female cannibals that rivals the floppy-titted Italian women in the ‘70s soft-core Vampiros Lesbos. Our point was proven when we passed a sign advertising “Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum.”

“Hey, look! Will!  That’s a guy’s name! There’s a dude in this God forsaken hell hole. Let’s go say hi.”

After flipping around and cutting off yet another crazy-eyed old woman – this time with blond dreadlocks – in a VW camper van, we drove down a narrow brush- and tree-lined path. The road suddenly opened up into a large dirt parking lot. Surrounding a run-down wooden building were numerous water-starved decorative gardens.

We parked and stayed in the car to see if anyone would appear. When everything was still quiet after a few minutes, I started to get out. Brandon grabbed my arm.

“Wait a second. Look at this woman.”

I turned around and watched a pale brunette slowly walk barefoot across the grounds in a long white cotton dress. As she passed behind our car she turned her head slowly to give us a long, unmoving stare. She didn’t say a word.

I’m pretty sure she blinked when she was sprayed with gravel as we hauled ass out of there.

Cresting a mountain as we exited the canyon, we descended into the comforting cloud of smut that permanently hangs over the Valley. Passing the mansions and sports cars paid for with porn profits, we cheered and high fived. Somehow we had escaped the acrylic-nailed claws of bloodthirsty women. Finally, thankfully, we were back in a land that appreciates men.

Blepharospasm and acupuncture--initial results of a treatment trial--Abstract from www.PubMed.gov

Wien Med Wochenschr. 1998;148(19):457-8.[Article in German]

Nepp J, Wenzel T, Kuchar A, Steinkogler FJ.

Universitätsklinik für Augenheilkunde und Optometrie, Wien. johannes.nepp@akh-wien.ac.at

Blepharospasm is a dystonia of the orbicularis muscle. The background is still unknown, but it appears together with organic and psychic diseases. The therapy with botulinum toxine is symptomatically but efficient. Because of the relaxing effect on the psychological and autonomous nervous disorders we performed a pilot study with acupuncture. There was a neurological observation first, then a ophthalmologic examination of the ocular surface. Blepharospasm was measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the social disorders by the Elston-Score. We performed acupuncture treatment 10 times once weekly. The used points were local points with higher sensitivity, and points with empiric relaxation effect. 5 patients were included. The mean of Elston score was 3 before acupuncture and 4 after acupuncture. The VAS increased from 33.3 to 69/100 points. But there were fluctuations of dystonias. In conclusion acupuncture maybe a good method for this difficult disease additionally.

DPO9 (boring but where I am right now)

It’s DPO9. I feel like last cycle’s DPO9 was just yesterday. I feel like it’s too soon to be preparing myself for the eventuality of failure yet again. I feel like I don’t have the energy or stamina to be doing this yet again.

I also feel less hopeful and less worried. As usually is the case with me, anxiety ebbs and depression flows. When the nervous energy of my anxiety is all used up I’m left exhausted and hopeless, feeling depressed instead of worried. That is where I am right now. Last cycle was all about hope and the anxiety that accompanies it. This cycle is all about hopelessness and the depression that feeds off it. Part of me, a big part of me, just wants it to be DPO14 so I can get my period and DPO14 can morph seamlessly into CD1 of yet another cycle and I can deal with the emotional fallout that goes with that transition.

I got my progesterone checked this cycle. I’ve been a little concerned that my temps have not been as high as they were pre- ectopic pregnancy. When I tried to get my progesterone test the cycle after my ectopic, I got confused about my O date (actually FF got me confused) and I actually ended up testing two days before AF. It was really low then, but since I was pretty sure I had pushed my O date back and had really tested on DPO12, I wasn’t too worried. Still, I like to know, I like to be sure. I missed last cycle because I had friends flying into town DPO7 and just didn’t think I could sneak away to Kaiser’s lab.

So Wednesday night I went in and got my arm stuck for the umpteenth time. There is an air of melancholy to that lab, at least for me. The only experiences I’ve had there were beta’s draws after my ectopic as I waited for my hCG levels to reach <2. I can look around the room and remember every chair where I stifled tears, every corner where I covered my face with tissues hoping desperately that people wouldn’t notice. I hate that lab waiting room. I hate the stations and the blue pillow where you place your arm and how they always ask for your name, even though they can see you match your photo I.D. and how you never know if it’s going to hurt or not until it already has. Going in there yesterday just reminded me that I’m still not pregnant, I’m still struggling to pick up the pieces after my lost pregnancy, I’m still not successful.

Anyway, getting past the pity party, my progesterone was 12.3. I remember my first level was 11.1 and I was told that was “okay”. So I guess 12.3 is also “okay.” Nothing special, but okay. I guess I should appreciate that I still seem to be ovulating and that my progesterone level is normal. Sometimes you have to be grateful for the little things.

Anyway, this was supposed to be a crazy weekend, with four people at the house and an insane football game. But Cal got trampled last Saturday and none of my friends wanted to come up and watch the same happen in person, so it’s just my good friend at the apartment, and my sister who’s seeing a concert in the park. I’m so thankful that this weekend was deflated. I’m so happy I’m not hosting so many drunk and desolate boys mourning the loss of yet another season of Cal Football. I’m so glad that I can get some grad school work done on Sunday. I’m so glad that Monday I won’t be a wreck.

I have an acupuncture appointment today. I’ll be asking her about the new development of constantly sore boobs starting at DPO2. I do not like this at all. Sore boobs drive me crazy (when they aren’t a pregnancy symptom) and I’ve been told they signal hormone imbalance so I guess my acupuncturist will be earning her keep again. I hope she’ll have something productive to say. I’ve felt lately like it’s all kind of pointless.

Well I know this hasn’t been a very upbeat post, but I promised I’d end every post with some Buenas Noticias so here goes…

Buenas Noticias – I was able to get to the lunch room relatively early and a mom had made my favorite baked treat – Golden Gram squares with chocolate and marshmallows. I had enough time to eat, chat, do my dishes and get back to my classroom without feeling rushed. That is always to be appreciated.

Acupuncture and the treatment of Obesity

One of the methods for natural weight loss is acupuncture, which does not require the use of medication and is proven. Acupuncture works for restoring the perfect balance of electric currents in the body.

This technique started more than 5 thousand years in China, and today is highly developed, even with the use of electronic equipment. Because of their high efficacy, acupuncture has spread in several countries.

Acupuncture has two basic strategies to assist in weight loss. The method of most traditional treatment is to regard obesity as a result of bad eating habits, and can be compared to smoking. This method uses the auriculoacupuncture.

Treatment of obesity by auriculoacupuncture, is to deploy ear conventional needles, fastened with tape specific, which are changed weekly (ideally be changed every 4 days).

Alternatively, we can apply removable needles, using as an aid in the treatment acupressure, which involves the application of small metal pellets or seeds, fixed by tape on the ear. The alternative method uses a set of points on the body, carefully selected, according to the therapeutic needs of the patient.

The treatment involves the application of removable needles at specific points of the body, according to individual needs. After this therapy, can be used to supplement therapy, the moa.

These treatments should be performed once or twice a week, according to the evolution of therapy. People with a tendency to obesity may experience weight gain after completion of treatment with acupuncture, because of its incorrect eating habits, there is great chance to return to the status of initial weight.

Thus, every patient should thoroughly review their lifestyle, eating habits, to resume the practice of physical exercises and provides for the re-treatment a few times a year.

Acupuncture: Another shot worth taking this flu season?

The flu shot isn’t for everyone. And we’re not talking about the inoculation’s limited availability, but rather about the practices of natural-health-leaning New Yorkers who’d prefer to prevent illness more holistically.

So we asked Noah Rubinstein (pictured here), a former professor at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and leading practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine with an office in Union Square, what acupuncture can do this to keep us healthy this flu season. Do thirty little acupuncture needles equal one shot in arm?

What can acupuncture do to combat N1H1?
Some studies being done on the 1918 plague (a chemical version of which has been injected into mice) have shown that our own immune response may play a role in making us sick by attacking both the virus and the host. This is a simplified answer, but the thinking is that a well-regulated response can be as important as a strong one.

How does acupuncture help regulate the immune system’s response to a virus?
A healthy immune system is like a defending army that needs to be strong, but it must also respond to threats appropriately—it’s the difference between targeting the bad guys versus everything in sight. One thing we see with acupuncture, which works with the body’s qi or energetic system, including nerve pathways and hormonal signals, is that it boosts one’s natural defenses and plays a vital role in regulating them, so the bug is what the body targets, not you.

Are you a fan of all the hand-washing that’s being advocated? Yes, wash your hands often. Not like Lady MacBeth, but frequently and appropriately. And be cognizant of contact—wash after riding the subway or coming out of a meeting. Keep your hands moisturized with a non-petroleum-based lotion. This might seem irrelevant, but it’s important for the integrity of your hands to prevent dryness. Where there’s a crack in the skin, there’s an opening into your system.

What if you’re sick?
Plan ahead. Not in a hysterical way. But it eases stress to prepare, and that makes healing easier for the body. So I’d recommend to have a few organic soups and broths in the cupboard, as well as Pedialyte, which will keep you hydrated. Yes, even adults. Keep paper masks sealed in a baggie in your bag. These are to keep others away from you when you’re ill and your immunity is low. No one wants to sit next to Mask Lady on the train.

For acupuncture appointments and rates, contact Noah Rubinstein, 80 E. 11th St., at Broadway, Ste. 410; 212-387-8788 ; www.noahrubinstein.com

Have you tried acupuncture for colds or other health reasons? Tell us, here!

Migraine Relief

Migraines can be a debilitating condition that can affect you for hours and sometimes, up to days leaving you in excruciating pain.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Migraines can be relieved with several acupuncture points in the skull, ears and face.

Although nothing can really be done in the midst of a migraine, this type of treatment is excellent for preventing future episodes.  Keep in mind that a mere single treatment won’t eliminate migraines – this is a type of treatment that needs to be repeated over a period of time at least once a week.  It also depends on what has caused your migraine.  Things like a  sudden change in air pressure, changes in hormone levels, diet, dehydration and stress can effect when you get your migraine and how severe it is.

If you find yourself getting a migraine, here are some things that you can do to alleviate the pain:

1)  Apply a cold compress to your neck and forehead, with the application of hot compresses to your hands and feet, keeping your head above your heart – this brings your blood flow away from your head and into your extremities;

2)  Apply pressure with your fingertips to your temples, earlobes, eyebrows and the vortex (the very top) of your skull – these are key acupuncture points

3)  Of course, rest in a dark room with absolutely no light and complete silence.

I realize that the thought of putting needles in your skull, face and ears sounds a little creepy, but there are evidence-based medical journals that have been published to prove that this treatment works, and is more effective than taking harsh medications.  Remember…..taking ANY type of medication is a bandaide solution; it’s not the answer.

Check out this study that was done in May, 2008:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/572382

If you suffer from periodic migraines, or even chronic headaches the important thing is to find out why your migraines and headaches are occuring.  Speaking with a healthcare professional like your Massage Therapist or Chiropractor will help us narrow down what the root of the problem is.  From there we can devise a treatment plan that is right for you.

alternative medicine: moxa is popular among young people!

a couple years ago, at the recommendation of my sister, acupuncturist and moxibustion enthusiast, i got into burning moxa to help with pain. i use pre-packaged moxa; just stick and burn.

i usually use moxa on my arms:

trying a new insomnia therapy:

it’s a little tricky to pull off, and i think i need to give myself a strong pedicure before i’ll feel the full effect. but i do enjoy the effects of moxa, if not for the thrill of applying burning stickers to myself, then for the marijuana-esque aroma that has passersby wondering, “where’s the party?”

you can find moxa at alternative medicine and Asian markets. highly recommended!

Acupuncture alleviates chronic health problems

The following was taken directly from www.rodale.com.  Enjoy!

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—In all this talk about health-care reform, most of the conversation has focused on who’s paying and what myths are being spread about legislation that hasn’t been written yet. Unfortunately, people aren’t talking about measures that would vastly improve the population’s health, such as ending obesity, or about alternative therapies that could wean people off expensive medication. Part of the reason that alternative treatments get short shrift is that doctors are generally unaware of the science showing that they really are effective alternatives to drugs and medication.

Here are six scientifically studied ways that acupuncture therapy, one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine, can alleviate chronic health problems:

#1: Eases your aching back. Using acupuncture therapy to successfully relieve chronic back pain is well documented in scientific literature, and acupuncturists say that it’s the leading reason that people visit their clinics. A study published in May’s issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine even found that people who were given “simulated acupuncture,” where pressure was place on certain acupuncture points but no needles were actually used, saw as much as a 15 percent greater improvement in their symptoms (equal to the improvements seen in people who were receiving true acupuncture) than people who were taking medications and undergoing standard chiropractic care.

#2: Boosts the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals. A study from China, published in the August issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that a low-dose of fluoxetine (Prozac) combined with acupuncture therapy was just as effective at reducing anxiety in patients being treated for depression as full-dose medication. Cutting the dose and adding acupuncture also reduced the drug’s side effects, which can include nausea, weight gain, and a decreased sex drive.

#3: Soothes the burning in your stomach. This June, Brazilian researchers published research finding that acupuncture therapy alleviated heartburn and indigestion in pregnant women. One group of pregnant women was given a combination of acupuncture and medications, and another group was counseled on dietary changes and given medications if needed. Over the course of the study, 75 percent of the women in the acupuncture group saw heartburn intensity, and antacid use, decline, while only 44 percent of women in the standard-treatment group saw those same effects.

#4: Counteracts the effects of radiation. Cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment are likely to suffer a variety of side effects, depending on the part of the body being treated. However, acupuncture therapy has been found to have some effect on the perception of how bad those effects can be, particularly for nausea and dry mouth, common in patients receiving radiation to the head and neck. A review of studies published in CA, a journal of the American Cancer Society, found that people undergoing radiation treatment perceived fewer negative side effects of radiation even though the side effects may still be there. For instance, in one study, patients who wore acupressure bands during treatment said they felt less nausea, although they still had the same occurrence of vomiting as they did before wearing the band, and in another study, people said they had less of a problem with dry mouth, even though measures of their saliva showed that levels remained the same. The acupuncture didn’t actually alleviate the symptoms, but it did help improve patients’ quality of life after treatment.

#5: Dulls persistent headaches. A review of 22 studies involving acupuncture therapy, migraines, and tension headaches found that regular acupuncture therapy was effective at preventing tension headaches and migraines from becoming a problem, and that it was an effective treatment for existing headaches.

#6: Ends obesity? The influence of acupuncture therapy on obesity isn’t as well-documented as the other examples we’ve listed, but there’s enough evidence to suggest that it could be an effective weight-loss treatment. Researchers from Korea analyzed 31 studies on a total of 3,013 people, and found that acupuncture therapy led to greater decreases in body weight than lifestyle changes or medications. However, they note in their findings, published February in the journal Obesity, that flaws in many of the studies made it difficult to see how effective acupuncture therapy would be on obesity in the long run. But for people willing to try it, adding a weekly acupuncture session to daily exercise and a smart diet could lead to healthy gains.

Walking into Autumn

Lime Tree Avenue

Originally uploaded by D-Kav

Hey Everyone!

Fall is just around the corner (I know,I know that doesn’t mean we won’t be in the high 90’s this weekend!) and it made me want to review what the philosophy of the 5 elements observed about this time of year.

5 element acupuncture is a philosophy of understanding of the interconnected relationships of things in the world and their relation to humans based on hundreds of years of observation. It grew out of a time when more humans were more intimately connected to the natural world. In other words, someone sat around long enough to realize there are certain connections between certain things and people that create special relationships between these things and people. Acupuncturists use the knowledge of these relationships to help diagnose and treat their patients but the information can be used by everyone to better understand themselves and to also lead a more harmonious life.

For each of the five elements there is a long laundry list of these connections. The element of fall is metal. Metal represents functions in a declining state much like fall is the decline of the energy of the year’s growing season. Or, as we sometimes say as we get older, that we are in the autumn of our years. The ancient Chinese observed that the character of metal is to descend and be clear. Within the human body the metal element is concerned with the balance of the lungs and large intestine. Imbalance of respiratory health or large intestine health would be diagnosed as an imbalance of the metal element. The following is a fairly complete list of the other observed items of connection to this element taken from the Student Manual on the Differentiation and Treatment of the Zang Fu Syndromes by Tyme L.Ac. How best to use this information? Start with seeing if there are there any that stand out for you. Do any play significant roles in the story of you or you in connection to the world around you? Think about it!

Color-white

Flourishes-body hair

Tissue-skin and mucous membranes

Physiognomy-cheeks and nostrils

Eye- the sclera (the white part!)

Tongue-posterior of tip

Orifice-nose

Secretion-mucous

Pulse- floating

Emotion-sorrow, grief

Odor-rotten, as in fishy

Flavor-pungent and spicy

Metal is strained by- lying

Metal’s sound in relation to an emotion-weeping or wailing

Sound emitted in relation to an illness-coughing

Metal’s sense is smell

Instinct-health

Thought-energetic

Development-decline

Motion-cough

Heavens-zodiac

Direction-west

Climate-dryness and cold

Season-fall

Planet-Venus

Numbers- 9 and 4

Tendency- down

Ministries- justice

Classes- mammals

Instruments- t-square

Covering- hairy

Wild animal- bird

Grain- rice, oats

Veggie- tall green ones

Fruit- peach

Cooking- to bake

Happy fall!

Tis the season for sneezin'!

Wow!  We haven’t even quite made it to Fall yet and already my little one has brought home a cold.  And not only that, he gave it to Dad!  Usually I wouldn’t catch a cold that easily, however, I had had little to no sleep for the past two nights trying to keep my poor little boy quiet so that his mommy could sleep.

Luckily for me, I know how to use Traditional Chinese Medicine to my advantage.  For those of you who are interested, I’ve posted up an article about Treating the Common Common Cold through TCM.  It will give you a little more detail about how TCM can help.

By the time I was actually able to get to my herbs, my cold had already progressed into a pretty strong Wind-Heat Invasion. Yin Qiao San was my first choice.  I took it for a day.  Unfortunately, this pathogenic Wind continued to progress and the Yin Qiao could not do the job.  So I upped the ante and chose Pu Ji Xiao Du Yin.  This formula is much stronger at clearing Wind Heat from the body but it can be hard on the digestion.  After taking Pu Ji Xiao Du Yin throughout the next two days and receiving some some lovely Gua Sha along my back and shoulders, my cold was gone.

Before I had learned about TCM, a cold like that would have stayed in my system for weeks.  And it generally would progress into a sinus infection.  But instead, $15 worth of herbs and a $40 Gua Sha session saved me a couple of weeks of misery, a doctor’s bill, and the cost of antibiotics.

Man, do I love Traditional Chinese Medicine!

AOM Visits Almost Triple From 1997 to 2007

Acupuncture Today 

September, 2009, Vol. 10, Issue 09
E-mail to a Friend –>

By Ramon G. McLeod, Editor-in-Chief

According to a recently released federal report, there was a very substantial increase in visits to acupuncturist between 1997 and 2007.

The number of patient visits per 1,000 people jumped from 27.2 visits in 1997 to 79.2 visits per 1,000 in 2007. Furthermore, median out-of-pocket patient payments to acupuncturists and massage therapists were more than twice what is typically paid to chiropractors and osteopaths, who were are among the lowest paid to complementary and alternative health care providers.

The study also included data on the median number of visits to a practitioner in the last 12 months. For acupuncture, the number of visits per year was 2.42, while for massage it was 2.16 visits. Because the report merged chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation therapies, it wasn’t clear what was the true number of visits to chiropractors. However, based on the data, the median number of patient visits for chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation was 3.45 times per year.

In commentary accompanying the spending report, the government reported that more than $34 billion was spent on out of pocket costs for visits to practitioners ($12 billion) and on self-care purchases of CAM products, classes and materials ($22 billion).

A Drop In CAM Patient Visits, Spending?

The most controversial element of the report was a statement in the commentary section that compared CAM spending in 2007 and the spending reported in a 1997 study in JAMA by David M. Eisenberg, MD.1

The authors of the 2007 report said that overall spending on self-care products and services had increased since 1997, while payments to all CAM practitioners had decreased from $16 billion to $12 billion two years ago. Practitioners included in the report ranged from chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists, to naturopaths, homeopaths, energy healers and others.

The commentary said visits to CAM therapists of all types had dropped 50 percent since 1997, a staggering decline. At least half of the overall decline was attributed to a decrease in visits to “practitioners of energy-healing therapies and various relaxation techniques.”

However, after including this dramatic material, the authors offered no data on the visit patterns for massage therapists and chiropractors. When pressed about this during presentation on the report, the authors said that direct comparisons on visits could not be made for those two professions due to the differing methods used by the 1997 and 2007 reports.

The full report can be downloaded at the NHIS Web site.

Reference

1. Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1569-75.

Acupuncture: Pokey Pokey

Seven years after the beginning of my downward spiral, and numerous doctors and treatments and even exhausted hiatuses, I am trying acupuncture. I have been since maybe February.

When I first went in, I didn’t know if I would get any relief or benefit, but I didn’t expect any miraculous response either. It was just one more thing I was going to give a shot, and if it helped great, and if it didn’t then I could ignore the advice/wisdom that says acupuncture is good for my condition.

The dangerous ground is when you get a little bit of effect but it is not worth the effort or consequences. That could be the cost, or side-effects, or excessive effort to get the treatment that could be used more efficiently of other areas to improve, if not ones condition, ones quality of life.

Where am I taking this? My acupuncture. Its been babysteps and up til now fairly worth it. Let me note how.

In my acupuncture, I can’t affort more than one treatement a month. And thats with a 20 dollar discount. However, acupuncture is more than just the needles in the back. It is also chinese herbs. The improvements I see with the treatment are not tremendous or quick, but it is clear they all stem from the herbal treatment. I’m sure the needled stimulation helps, but the needle stimulation on its own isn’t doing much.

The sleeping herbs, before being supplanted with the LDN, were helping me get my sleep under some control. The herbal drink (kind of like a gritty coffee) was helping me regain my appetite and make my bowels more regular (both critical), far more effectively fight yeast than anything else,  and after six months there was some light improvement of back pain that could have been attributed to my shiatsu massage therapy.

Before my latest treatment, I began to wonder if perhaps the greatest benefit I was getting of the actual needle treatment (not the herbs which clearly have an effect in their own right)  was psychological. I don’t mean a psycological treatment of physical symptoms. I mean a treatment of the psyche, which we all can use to soothe the consequences of human experience, let alone if one is dealing with the myriad consequences of chronic illness. I’m isolated, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. I am limited to a very small circle of people around me, which means I can’t go out and seek people who understand my perspective or even my language. Even without being sick, frequently I find people’s eyes glaze over when I start to talk….when my brain cooperates and my cognitive degeneration isn’t flaring up. That can make it even worse.

So I get to go once a month and socialize with someone who clearly shares spiritual and health beliefs and stimulates me to think on certain things I have missed. In that way it is most certainly soothing to the psyche. But was it doing anything for my body?

Thats a good question…I do believe its affecting my body at least in minor ways, and each time this comes when she tries something different. But overall, since my illness is a progressive remitting one (meaning it goes up and down all the time, but the peak after each dip over all is never as high as a few before it) it can be hard to know whether its making an over all dent until those little improvements have clearly taken hold AND remained over time.

But this is long, so I think what I actually experience during acupuncture deserves its own blog. What prompted this back ground fest, is that this last treatment really did a doozy on me and is giving me a strength in my hope it can help me when my hope was beginning to fade a little.

[Via http://gimpdiary.wordpress.com]

acupuncture

Had another acupuncture appointment today. I quite enjoy them now. The acupuncturist is from Switzerland so I can speak German to her which, funny enough, is sometimes harder than speaking English! What’s the German word for uterus lining?

She places the needles in different spots every time depending on where in my cycle I am. I’d love to know more about why and how she chooses the spots but maybe a bit of mystery is good. I’ll see her again on d-day which likely is Monday.

I also started taking herbs to support my body sorting my hormones out. Agnus Castus, Black Cohosh and Siberian Ginseng. Agnus Castus is balancing hormones, helping with progesterone in the second half of the cycle. Black Cohosh – who knows, it all reads quite vague - the most consistent information is improved blood circulation in the pelvic region (where I want it!), and Siberian Ginseng is to energise the body and lift the spirit! What a combination. I got it from a herbal remedy sold in the US which is extraordinarily expensive. If you buy the herbs on their own (tinctures) they are quite cheap.  I’ll post some links soon if anyone wants to read more about them.

[Via http://donorbaby.wordpress.com]