Acupuncture Can Help Patients Going Through Cancer Treatments

Not only is it tough to get a diagnosis of Cancer but the treatment for it can be difficult and painful. Acupuncture is a wonderful complementary therapy; it can help ease many of the side effects caused by chemotherapy, as well as reduce pain, stress and improve your quality of life.

Acupuncture Shows Promise in Cancer Treatment
By: Acufinder.com

There have been many advances in the early detection and treatment of cancer. While the standard medical care for cancer is effective, the treatments are aggressive and cause numerous unwanted side effects as well as a lowered immune system. Acupuncture has received much attention as an adjunctive therapy in cancer treatments for its use in pain relief, reducing side effects, accelerating recovery and improving quality of life.

What Acupuncture is used for during Cancer Treatment

Acupuncture provides a total approach to health care for people with cancer. It can be used to address many of the concerns that come up during and after chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy and surgery.

According to the National Cancer Institute, acupuncture may cause physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure and body temperature, boosts immune system activity, and causes the body's natural painkillers, such as endorphins, to be released.

Areas that acupuncture has shown the most promise include:

* Nausea and Vomiting
* Dry Mouth, Night Sweats and Hot Flashes
* Stress, Anxiety and Fatigue
* Pain Management
* Increasing White Blood Cell Count

Nausea and Vomiting

The strongest evidence of the effect of acupuncture has come from clinical trials on the use of acupuncture to relieve nausea and vomiting. Several types of clinical trials using different acupuncture methods showed acupuncture reduced nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, surgery, and morning sickness. It appears to be more effective in preventing vomiting than in reducing nausea.

Other symptoms caused by cancer treatment

Clinical trials are studying the effects of acupuncture on cancer and symptoms caused by cancer treatment, including weight loss, cough, chest pain, fever, anxiety, depression, night sweats, hot flashes, dry mouth, speech problems, and fluid in the arms or legs. Studies have shown that, for many patients, treatment with acupuncture either relieves symptoms or keeps them from getting worse.

Boosting the Immune System

Human studies on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response, including increasing the number of white blood cells.

Pain Management

In clinical studies, acupuncture reduced the amount of pain in some cancer patients. In one study, most of the patients treated with acupuncture were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or to take smaller doses.

Acupuncture is also very useful for support if you are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or hormonal therapy. Because chemotherapy and radiation therapy weaken the body's immune system, a strict clean needle method must be used when acupuncture treatment is given to cancer patients.

Source: National Cancer Institute. www.cancer.org

Herbal Coolers To Quench Your Thirst This Summer

It has been very hot and humid here in Chicago as in many other parts of the country. We can't change the weather but we can change what we put in our bodies. In this post Cathy offers up two great cooling drinks which are healthier than your average sports drink or lemonade.

From Pacherbs
By Cathy Margolin

Summertime is upon us and it’s heating up out there. Forget the lemonade and the passion fruit ice tea, here's two recipes with natural herbs for real thirst quenching. These are great for anyone who wants a cool, refreshing drink that’s packed with vitamins and heat relieving properties. These thirst quencher ice teas are healthier than sports drinks and vitamin waters and yet still taste good.

This tea is also greener!! Instead of buying and tossing those plastic (BPA ridden) bottles into landfills, you’re making a healthy fitness beverage. You may not know these Chinese herbs but you can easily find them in Asian markets or on the Internet. These teas have cooling properties to help keep you comfortable on those hot and humid summer days. If you’re exercising in the heat these teas are perfect to rehydrate the minerals you’re losing. It’s what you need in your water bottle for a bike ride, after a workout and in the refrigerator all summer long.

Regarding sweeteners, we know high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar is not so good for us. High fructose corn syrup is prevalent in juice drinks, sports drinks and processed foods so here’s some natural herbal options to sweeten these teas. These sweeteners will help diabetics control their blood sugar and won’t contribute to your kid’s cavities.

Naturals Sweeteners:

I love how easy it is to use Lo Han Sweet. Add a few teaspoons to a pitcher of tea for a healthy, low calorie sweetener. It’s made from ½ Xilitol and ½ Chinese herb extract called Longevity fruit. It looks a little like Splenda's consistency but much safer. You can read more about Lo Han Sweet here. My other sweetener choices would be Stevia or pure Xylitol. Be sure to buy Xylitol, a sugar extract, that is made from non-gmo corn. It resembles sugar but has a third less calories and is great for diabetics. Another option is boiling 1 Longevity fruit, (lou han guo) in a quart of water. The water will be super sweet and you can add this to your tea to taste.

Mint & Chrysanthemum Tea - Makes 10-15 cups

1 cup – Mint leaves – Dried or fresh. In Traditional Chinese Medicine mint is used to clear heat from the head and eyes. It’s cool nature helps relieve heat rashes and headaches. This Chinese herb you are sure to know and recognize but you probably didn’t know it also relieves irritability and but not recommended for nursing mothers.

1 cup – Dried Chrysanthemum flowers (Chinese grocery stores sell this or buy on line.) Chrysanthemum, another popular Chinese herb, has been used throughout Asia for centuries to reduce fevers, headaches and red swollen dry eyes.

Directions:

Boil 4 cups of water. Remove from heat and place herbs in water to steep for at least 10 minutes. Strain out herbs and add a few extra mint leaves for taste. Add additional 6 cups of water or ice. Use above sweetener to your desired taste. You may want to use 1 cup of the Longevity fruit sweetener water to taste.

Pink Berry Cooler Tea - Makes 10-15 cups

1 cup – Gou Ji Berries and/or Red dates - Both of these can be found at most Chinese markets and now some health food stores. Use about 1 cup of either or ½ cup of both. Both are great blood tonics , packed with vitamins and minerals and add a nice natural sweet flavor to any tea.

1-2 cups Watermelon – You can use both the melon and the white rind. But what you really need here is only the white rind. But, don’t cut too close to the green skin because the taste will get more bitter the closer you get. You’ll want to puree the watermelon with a little of the warm from cooked berries above, before adding it to the other ingredients. Watermelon rind has the best cooling properties of just about any melon and has been used in Chinese medicine for generations.

2 cups – Aloe Vera Juice – Buy it by the gallon. It’s cheaper and goes a long way. This is an herb used for centuries and is well known for it’s cooling properties. It’s great for constipation, irritability and red eyes. Add the Aloe to the mixture at the end. I find aloe to be fairly bland tasting so it can be hidden with other flavors easily.

Directions:

Boil 3 cups of water. Turn to a simmer and add Gou Ji berries and red dates. Simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Allow to cool. Strain out herbs. Add Aloe juice and watermelon juice. Add additional 5 cups of water or ice. Use above sweetener to your desired taste.

For a little zing add some sparking water before drinking to either tea or a splash of rose water. (You can usually find rose water in glass bottles in most ethnic markets as well as the Chinese herbs listed above.)

You can see Chinese herbs are not really all that exotic and foreign. 5 out of 6 Chinese herbs mentioned here you have probably heard of before. A little understanding about what to eat and drink when the weather is too cold or too hot can make a big difference in your health. For more info on Chinese herbs "as food" check out this post.

Enjoy

Happy Couple Credit Acupuncture For Helping Them To Conceive

I often write about the benefits of Chinese Medicine for fertility. Both Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture can have a profound effect on improving fertility. I was happy to read this story of a very happy couple who have conceived twice despite the odds with the help of acupuncture.

From NBC Miami
By Sharon Lawson

Acupuncture the Answer for Woman's Infertility

"Danielle and Gavin Smith now have the family they had prayed for, with a two year old son named Isaiah and his sister on the way.

But it was an emotional and grueling four-year journey for the South Florida couple. After being diagnosed with endometriosis and going through surgery, Danielle's endometriosis came back.

"I had completely given up on getting pregnant because I wasn't willing to make it a science project," said Danielle. "With all the fertility treatments that we had tried, we just accepted the fact that it was not meant to be for me."

Determined not to go through anymore trauma, Danielle met with Dr. Farrar Celada a licensed Acupuncturist and was introduced to acupuncture. After three months of treatment, Dr. Celada gave her the news she was hoping for: she was pregnant."

"Acupuncture is now becoming more mainstream. A scientific study showed that overall, women who got the treatment were 65-percent more successful in getting pregnant than women who did not.

A calming and less invasive procedure that Danielle now swears by after conceiving twice."

to see the video and read the entire article click here

Where is Your Mind Today?

"Where the mind goes, the Qi goes. Where is your mind today?"

The Chicago Sunday Tribune Featured My Acupuncture Practice

Acupuncture jobs on point: Chicago acupuncturist strongly believes in ancient approach

By Christopher Nelson, Tribune Media Services
July 12, 2010

Most professions don't let you stick sharp objects into others. Some exceptions to this rule would be tattoo artists, would-be assassins and those doctors who give rich, older women Botox injections. But there's one profession that can takes people's pain away after they've been stuck: acupuncture.

People, like Chicago's very own Jennifer Dubowsky, are still practicing this ancient Chinese technique today.

After getting her master's degree in Oriental Medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College in Boulder, Colo., and passing a national test given by the NCCAOM, the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Dubowsky finished an internship at the Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital in Beijing, China. She entered a field that is relatively unfamiliar to most people.

To read the rest click here.

Acupuncture Can Improve Exercise Tolerance in Patients With Heart Failure

A German study has found that acupuncture can improve exercise tolerance in patients suffering from chronic heart failure. Dr. Johannes Backs, is the study director at Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany. Dr. Backs said: ‘ This is the first indication that acupuncture may improve exercise tolerance in CHF patients- when given in addition to optimised standard heart failure medication.’

It was a small study, that included 17 stable patients with chronic heart failure receiving conventional medication. The patients in the acupuncture group were given ten acupuncture treatments using acupuncture points which boost general strength according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. From a Western medical perspective these points are also known to influence the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and inflammation markers. The control group was treated with special placebo needles that simulate a needle prick but do not break the skin. The patients who received acupuncture increased their six-minute walk test by an average distance of 32 meters. They recovered more quickly and tended to feel less exhausted.

This study is published in the medical journal Heart.

I Don't Miss High School

Soon I will be talking to students from the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The topic is Chinese Medicine as a career option. What I find particularly funny is that when I was in high school I didn't even know it was an option! I'm lucky I figured it out! To learn more about this program that "Introduces outstanding high school students to the world of medicine," click here.

U.S. Department of Defense Gives $1.2 Million Grant To The New England School Of Acupuncture For Research

Great News From Acufinder.com

$1.2 Million Grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to Study Acupuncture
By: New England School of Acupuncture

NEWTON, MA (June 23, 2010) - The New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) is the recipient of a $1.2 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to fund a first-of-its-kind clinical trial: the Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Gulf War Illness (GWI).

In the first treatment trial ever performed to research the effectiveness of acupuncture on GWI, NESA's researchers will study how acupuncture affects sufferers of this complex syndrome, which is characterized by many symptoms, including fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, headaches, dizziness, memory problems, indigestion, skin problems, shortness of breath, and mood disorders.

More than 100,000 of the 700,000 Gulf War veterans report chronic multi-symptom illnesses which persist for years after seeking treatment. "Many veterans have received treatment directed towards their symptoms, but reports from five- and 10-year follow-ups show that symptoms remain, including some which are severe and disabling," says Lisa Conboy MA, MS, ScD, Co-director of the Research Department and Chair of the Biomedical Department at NESA, and Principal Investigator for NESA's upcoming clinical trial. Conboy continues, "Clearly, an effective treatment for these conditions could be of great benefit to those suffering from Gulf War Illness."

The trial's participants will include 120 veterans from the Boston/New England area suffering from GWI. They will be treated by licensed acupuncturists, who have a master's degree in acupuncture, and who have at least five years of clinical experience as well as extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of the symptoms of GWI.

Veterans will receive care directed specifically to their most distressing symptom. Although the specific etiology of GWI is unknown, previous research suggests that acupuncture is effective in the treatment of many of the symptoms of GWI. Acupuncture is already commonly used in the West and preliminary evidence from clinical research supports its use for many of the symptoms associated with this syndrome including fatigue and depression. Acupuncture has also demonstrated efficacy for a variety of painful musculoskeletal disorders, and as a treatment for both acute and chronic pain after amputation in military contexts. Further, there is evidence that acupuncture treatments may affect important mechanisms of healing such as stress mediation.

"NESA is excited to have the opportunity to research the effectiveness of acupuncture on Gulf War Illness and hopefully provide veterans with a validated treatment option for GWI and much needed relief," comments Katherine Tallman, President of the New England School of Acupuncture. "Research has demonstrated that acupuncture is effective in treating fatigue, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and pain-many of the key symptoms of GWI­. Since each acupuncture treatment is customized to address an individual's most distressing symptoms, it is particularly well-suited for treating the myriad of symptoms included in a GWI diagnosis."

The cause of GWI is unknown, and the symptoms cannot be explained by routine physical and laboratory examinations. Ongoing investigations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), suggest that the symptoms reflect a range of injuries to the nervous system. Researchers hypothesize that the factors leading to these injuries are not specific to the Persian Gulf region, and that veterans and active duty personnel of the current wars in Iraq and are being exposed to similar stressors and will benefit from an investigation of GWI and its treatment.

Established 1975, the New England School of Acupuncture (www.nesa.edu) is the first accredited educational institution for acupuncture & Oriental medicine in the nation. NESA offers master's degree programs in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine as well as a dual graduate degree program with Tufts University School of Medicine. NESA is recognized for its academically rigorous programs, state-of-the-art clinical facilities, satellite clinical opportunities and federally funded research. The institution is also a military and veteran friendly school that is approved to offer veteran benefits under the GI Bill.

Happy 4th of July !

Have a safe and happy Independence Day