The Michael J. Fox Foundation Is Funding An Acupuncture Study

Another reason to be inspired by Michael J. Fox! The actor, has received a lot of press for having Parkinson's Disease and for his attempts to raise money and bring attention to finding a cure. His Foundation has awarded a $350,000 grant to a study that seeks to learn whether acupuncture can help patients sleep better and reduce their symptoms. The research is being led by Dr. Benzi Kluger, assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Colorado Hospital. As I learn about the study's results, I'll let you know. To read more click here.

The Lesson Of Autumn

Let it go! How many times a day do you say that aloud or silently to yourself? Quite often, I bet. I certainly do. Letting go is not easy, but at least in Autumn you have nature on your side. According to Chinese Medicine, the Fall season is the time to let go. In this season, nature releases its abundant creations of the past year and marks the end of the growing season. The harvest has passed and leaves turn brilliant colors before falling to the ground; everything is laid bare. Nature is constantly showing us about the cycle of creation and letting go: yet so many of us try to defy the cycle and hold onto what we’ve collected. So take a look and see what you no longer need or want in your life and release it now. The time is right!

This season, teaches us an important lesson; we have to release the waste, harsh attitudes, and fears in order to uncover all that is meaningful and possible.

So I challenge all of you reading this blog (and myself) to make a daily practice, of asking yourself/myself ;), “What am I unnecessarily holding on to?” or “What can I let go of today?”.

Let me know how it goes.
~

Jessica Simpson "Loves" Cupping

I Just found this article US magazine did last year about Jessica Simpson. Apparently she  spent some time doing a "clean" diet (yes that sounds suspect to me too, but it's what SHE said). During this period she experienced cupping therapy and loved it, so whatever her diet I am glad Chinese Medicine has another Celebrity fan. Check out the article here.

5 Fellow Chinese Medicine Bloggers I Follow

All of the blogs listed below regularly provide great health tips and are written by Licensed acupuncturists from around the country. These bloggers provide interesting and useful information about Traditional Chinese Medicine and it's many health benefits. Be sure to check them out.

*Cultivating Health With Chinese Medicine ~ Kath Bartlett, LAc

*HealthFocus Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine ~ Diane Lowry L.A.c.

*Acupuncture Health Insights ~ Lynne Jaffe L.A.c.

*From the Heart of the Spring ~ Terry Fox L.A.c.

*Portland Acupuncture Blog ~ Amy Chitwood Burslem L.A.c.

*Are You Ready To Thrive? ~ Becca Seitz L.A.c.
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Chicago Acupuncture ;)

"If you don’t think you have power as 1 person trying to make a powerful change, then you’ve never tried to fall asleep with a single mosquito in the room."

Chicago Acupuncture

Feeling Irritable? Acupuncture Can Help

*This article is from acufinder.com

Everyone suffers from irritability and moodiness from time to time, but if you find that a short temper and frustration are becoming a constant issue for you, then acupuncture may be able to help.

Often irritability and moodiness are the consequence of chronic stress in your life. Over time these emotions can progress into more serious emotional conditions such as anxiety and depression as well as other health conditions such as digestive problems, trouble sleeping and the tendency to get sick more frequently.

Liver Qi Stagnation and Emotions

Emotional disorders can be associated with a number of different patterns of disharmony within Oriental medicine however, anger, irritability, and frustration are all signs that our qi (life force) is not flowing smoothly. The liver is responsible for the smooth flowing of qi (life force) throughout the body and for smoothing our emotions. When the liver’s function of moving qi is disrupted, qi can become stuck. This is referred to as liver qi stagnation.

Liver qi stagnation is one of the most common patterns of disharmony seen in today’s patients. In addition to irritability and moodiness, signs and symptoms may include: distending pain in the area below the ribs, stuffiness of the chest, sighing, abdominal distention, nausea, sour regurgitation, belching, diarrhea or constipation, feeling of a lump in the throat, irregular periods, painful periods and distention of the breasts prior to periods. Liver qi stagnation is commonly associated with PMS.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is excellent at relieving liver qi stagnation. Treatment for irritability and moodiness associated with liver qi stagnation focuses on moving qi and supporting the liver and spleen organ systems with acupuncture, lifestyle and dietary recommendations.

Electro-Acupuncture to Treat Parkinson's disease

Here is an interesting study from China that reports electro-acupuncture, on the acupuncture points Spleen 6 and Stomach 36, has a neuroprotective effect on the brain because it is antioxidant. This is particularly useful in treating Parkinson's because evidence shows that oxidative stress contributes to the progression of Parkinson’s disease.  Read more here.

Eat To Beat Your Cold - Foods To Help With Cold Symptoms

*This Article is From Acupuncture.com

To help reduce the severity of a cold, the best foods to eat are ones that are packed with beta-carotene, vitamin C, and zinc. They boost immunity and help with cold symptoms. Especially around this time of year, these nutrients can also help prevent you from catching colds in the first place.

Foods such as horseradish, garlic, and chili peppers move mucus and help clear it, thus, alleviating congestion. Capsaicin is a substance in chili peppers that acts as a mucus-mover. Allyl isothiocyanate, a compound in horseradish, also helps to thin mucus.

Garlic
Naturally occurring chemicals (allin, allicin, and ajoene) in garlic are believed to regulate mucus flow, and may be helpful for reducing congestion caused by the common cold.

*Leading Food Sources of garlic: Garlic

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a superb immunity booster. If taken at the first signs of a cold, it may keep the cold from fully developing and may produce a faster recovery. However, taking vitamin C does not prevent colds.

*Leading Food Sources of vitamin C: Red Cabbage, Strawberries, Potatoes, Tangerines, Red Bell Peppers, Oranges, Kiwis

Zinc
When taken immediately at the first signs of catching a cold, zinc may weaken the cold virus, minimize the duration and the severity of a cold. Zinc is believed to promote a strong immune system by processing the essential fatty acids that encourage healing. Zinc lozenges are helpful for this purpose.

*Leading Food Sources of zinc: Barley, Chicken, Lamb, Wheat, Turkey, Oysters, Crab, Beef

Read the original article

Can Something In Dirt Kill Cancer Tumors??

I am always interested in treatments that are natural because the side effects and other complicating factors can be lower than using conventional drugs. This story seems a bit far out right now but I'm posting it because, if the line of research works out, we will see some wonderful results with cancerous tumors. Here's an excerpt ~

"Researcher Aleksandra Kubiak just presented the startling discovery at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference currently underway at the University of York in the UK. She and other members of a research team from the University of Nottingham and the University of Maastricht have found that a strain of harmless bacteria that is widespread in soil is actually deadly -- not to people but to cancerous tumors.

The researchers have developed a therapy using Clostridium sporogenes, a bacterium common in dirt. They found that when spores of the bacteria are injected into cancer patients, they only grow in solid tumors. Inside the cancerous growth, the bacteria produce a specific enzyme that activates a cancer drug. The results? Unlike current chemotherapy, the natural bacteria treatment causes only the cancer cells to be destroyed while healthy cells are left unharmed."

To read a report of the study, click here.

A Vaccine For Breast and Ovarian Cancer?

Treatment for breast and ovarian cancer improves every year and that is a reason to be grateful. But the goal for disease is always prevention and we may be getting one step closer.  The Mayo clinic has received FDA permission to begin clinical trials on a vaccine that could prevent breast and ovarian cancer recurrences. Read about the study here.

Have You Been Working Too Hard?

Have a Very Happy Labor Day Weekend!

A Short History of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used by the Chinese and other East Asian cultures as a system of healing for over 2500 years. Originally, needles were fashioned from stone or bone because these were available and could be fashioned into ‘needles’. These early implements are known as bian and are the origin of the acupuncture treatments used today. Eventually, needles made of bronze and iron were substituted for the stone and today, stainless steel is the most common form of needle.

The first written medical account of acupuncture is found in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, entitled  “The Nei Jing”. It was compiled around 305-204 B.C. and consists of two parts. The second part, The Ling Shu - Miraculous Pivot, Spiritual Axis, mainly focused on acupuncture and moxabustion, describing the meridians, their relation to the organs, needle types, functions of the acupuncture points, types of Qi, needling techniques, and the location of 160 points.

Acupuncture became more familiar to the Western world in the early 1900s in France. From there, it gradually spread to other European countries. Up until the early 1970s, most Americans had never heard of acupuncture. That all changed with Richard Nixon’s trip to China in 1972.  A reporter from The New York Times, James Reston, was traveling with Nixon. While in China, Reston had to undergo an emergency appendectomy. Following the surgery, he received acupuncture. Reston was so impressed with the post-operative pain relief he experienced from the procedure that he wrote about acupuncture upon returning to the United States. He was responsible, in great part, for finally informing America about this amazing medicine!

The first clinic, the Acupuncture Center of Washington, opened in 1972 and now there are several thousand practitioners all over the country as well as hundreds of clinical studies showing the benefits of acupuncture.