New Acupuncture Research -> Rats Experience Stress Reduction

With more research on acupuncture, the evidence of it's ability to reduce stress grows. Scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have concluded that "acupuncture reduces the levels of a protein-like substance in rats linked to chronic stress."

The implications are wonderful; it could mean advances in treating stress with acupuncture. As I learn more about this protein-like substance, I will post the information here. You can read the article here.

Acupuncture Blog Chicago: Top 5 Posts of 2011

1. Celine Dion Used Acupuncture To Improve Her Chances Of Getting Pregnant. I was happy to see that CNN reported she used acupuncture to improve her chances of getting pregnant. Not only a wonderful singer but also a smart lady!

2. Yin and Yang. The basic premise of yin and yang is the notion that the only constant factor in the universe is change. Nothing remains the same; no disease, no condition, no emotion, no treatment or diagnosis. Everything is constantly changing.

Yin represents that which endures, nourishes and supports growth. It also refers to something contracting and moving inward, such as calm rather than activity. Yang, on the other hand, is all that is creative and generating; it develops and expands.

3. Eat Black Beans for Fertility and a Big Dose of Antioxidants. From an Eastern perspective, black beans are warming in nature. They are thought to tonify the Kidney Qi and nourish Yin and Blood. From a Western perspective, black beans are an excellent source of protein, folate, iron and fiber and are rich in antioxidants.

4. Kate Middleton + Brussel Sprouts = Pregnant Princess? Kate and William are back from their honeymoon and the paparazzi are probably combing their garbage in the Seychelles because it has already been reported that, among the various foods consumed during the trip, they ordered brussel sprouts. Poor princess - I’m glad nobody reports on the foods I ate during this week.

Brussel sprouts is a food that is high in folic acid, a vitamin that is suggested for women who are or want to become pregnant. A cup of Brussels sprouts supplies 93.6 mg of folic acid (also called folate). The human body needs folate to synthesize and repair DNA.  Folic acid aids the fetus' nervous system cells to divide properly.

5. Celebrity Chinese Medicine Enthusiasts. When you and I have a great acupuncture treatment, we tell a couple of friends or family members. When celebrities have success with this ancient technique, their publicists tweet thousands of fans and the media writes article about it. Just to keep you up to date, here are some of the celebrity enthusiasts.

Basketball greats Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Hot Rod Williams, Jeff Hornacek,  Steve Nash and Grant Hill all get acupuncture treatments to offset the pounding that their bodies suffer on the basketball court. Houston Rockets’ superstar, 7 foot 6 inch basketball center, Yao Ming, an amazing Chinese import, used Chinese medicine to help him recover after undergoing surgery on his ankle in 2007.

*I'd love your suggestions, please let me know if you have any topics you would like me to write about in 2012.
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Acupuncture Can Improve Your Mental Health

*This article is from acufinder.com

At some point in life everyone deals with major upheavals or emotional distress. These events can trigger a host of unexpected feelings and behaviors from depression and panic attacks to major disruptions in sleep and eating. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can alleviate symptoms associated with mental health issues in treating the root cause of the problem by helping to re balance the body's internal environment.

Mental health disorders are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning which result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. The good news about mental disorders is that recovery is often possible. Affecting persons of any age, race, religion, or income mental health disorders have been found to be common and experts estimate almost a third of the population report sufficient qualifying criteria at some point in their life. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.

From an Oriental medicine perspective mental health disorders can cause a disruption in the flow of vital energy, or qi, through the body. These energetic imbalances can throw off the immune system or cause symptoms of pain, sleep disturbances, abnormal digestion, headaches, and menstrual irregularities, and, over time, more serious illnesses can develop. Acupuncture treatments can correct these imbalances and directly affect the way your body manages your mental health.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Disorders

Oriental Medicine does not recognize any mental disorder as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques including acupuncture, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 100 patients are treated with acupuncture and Oriental medicine for anxiety, each of these 100 people will receive a unique, customized treatment with different acupuncture points, and different lifestyle and diet recommendations.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine have the ability to detect energetic changes that occur in the body and relieve symptoms by restoring equilibrium. The physical and emotional symptoms that you are experiencing will help create a clear picture on which a treatment plan can be created specifically for you.

Here are just a few acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help with:

Depressive Disorders - Common symptoms of depressive disorders include: a decreased interest in most activities, insomnia, fatigue, and feeling empty and worthless. Even when depression is sub-clinical, the body's immune system is compromised and the symptoms reduce functioning and impair work performance and social relationships. Acupuncture treatments can correct these imbalances, support the immune system, and directly affect the way your body manages stress and your mental health.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) - a condition of the brain that makes it difficult to concentrate or control impulsive behavior ADD/ADHD does not just occur during childhood. Acupuncture can help enhance concentration, reduce fidgeting, augment mood management techniques, reduce hyperactivity and enhance concentration.

Anxiety and Stress Disorders - Anxiety comes in a wide range of manifestations, from mild worrying to more physical responses such as nausea, insomnia, shortness of breath and panic attacks. Some anxiety is a healthy response to the stress of daily life and new situations; however, anxiety that occurs randomly or excessively is a sign to take notice. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help balance both the mental and physical symptoms of anxiety and help to create harmony and spaciousness.

Mental health issues are best managed when health professionals work together to meet the unique needs of each individual. Acupuncture is an excellent addition to any treatment plan as it is used to help the body restore balance, treating the root of the disorder, while also diminishing symptoms.

Merry Christmas

Acupuncture, Anxiety and Memory

Anyone who has ever experienced a situation of high anxiety (think public speaking, important test, new social situation) knows that memory slips away. The answers to the test disappear, people's names fade, and memorized speeches are forgotten. As anxiety goes up, memory goes down. A new study has reported that acupuncture can help memory in situations of stress. To read the report, click here.

Hanukkah Reminds Us That Miracles Exist

Happy Hanukkah

Want To Get the Most Out Of Your Acupuncture Treatment? Follow These 9 Tips

A useful post with great suggestions from my fellow Chinese Medicine blogger  Diane M. Lowry, L.Ac..

Interested in maximizing the benefit from your acupuncture and Oriental medicine sessions? Check out these 9 tips below. Feel free to let me know what you think and add more tips in the comments section!

1) Fill out intake forms. Completely.

Although some of the questions may seem unrelated to your condition, these details allow the practitioner to create your customized treatment plan based on overall constitution, health history, and current symptoms. This can be frustrating for some folks. Did that car accident happen in ’86 or ’87? Don’t worry. As a practitioner, I am less concerned with figuring out which of those two years it actually happened and more concerned that it did happen and how it affected your health. Is that the year your migraines started? Bingo. Now we’re getting somewhere.

There are a couple of sections on the intake form that I would consider critical. Make sure to list any prescription medications, vitamins and/or herbal medications, significant medical history (such as low blood sugar, hepatitis, or seizures), and allergies – including to foods. Not knowing you are allergic to cats during the treatment probably won’t ruin your day. Not knowing you are allergic to shellfish when I prescribe certain Chinese herbs will.

2) Eat a light snack one to two hours before your appointment.

Ideally, you don’t want to be too hungry or too full.

3) Skip brushing/scraping your tongue before your appointment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners observe the tongue coating to determine the condition of the Stomach, whether your pattern is Excess or Deficient, Hot or Cold, and to evaluate the level of body fluids.

4) Show up on time.

In my office, the treatment time is reserved especially for that patient. In order to honor the treatment time for each of my patients, late arrivals may have their treatment time reduced by the amount of time they are late.

What part of the treatment gets cut when a treatment time is shortened? It depends. But if I need to give you 20-30 minutes with the needles, there may not be time for bodywork. I don’t know about you but if someone is going to work the kinks out of my back, I want to be there for that.

5) Silence your cell phone.

This is your time to relax and rejuvenate. Nothing ruins a quiet nap or brief meditation faster than your Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” ringtone. All joking aside, research has shown that constant multi-tasking actually makes you more unproductive AND unhappier. (Click here to check out the research by Stanford University professor Clifford Nass and here for Boston University’s research on how mindfulness affects anxiety and depression).

6) Follow-up with your practitioner.

Be sure to tell your practitioner how you felt after your last session and report any changes or new symptoms so that the treatment can be adjusted accordingly.

7) Schedule and keep regular appointments.

This is especially important if you are dealing with a chronic condition. You may feel some benefit after the first treatment but don’t stop there or your problem will likely return. Acupuncture has a cumulative effect. Several appointments scheduled at regular intervals can help you achieve more progress than sporadic appointments scheduled only when symptoms are at their worst.

8 ) Take herbal and/or nutritional supplements EXACTLY as prescribed.

Two key points here – Dosage is important. And more is not always better. Your practitioner has selected a specific dosing schedule to minimize interactions with other medications and/or herbs and to maximize the benefit. Follow the dosing schedule and report any concerns to your practitioner immediately.

And don’t forget tip #1. Inform your practitioner of any and all substances to which you have had allergic reactions. And be sure to let your practitioner know if you are pregnant because some herbs are inappropriate during pregnancy.

9) Practice the lifestyle recommendations.

During the course of your treatments, your practitioner may recommend adjustments to your diet, exercise routine, or even provide you with meditation techniques. Do your best to incorporate some (or all) of these suggestions into your life. Give your practitioner feedback on which ones worked and which ones didn’t.

All of these tips require a level of commitment and involvement on the part of the patient. But for me, the last tip is where the patient really becomes empowered to take charge of their health and happiness. It is all of the little things we do day in and day out to honor our health and well-being that allow us to lead the life we choose.

Best health to you!

*To read more from Diane check out her blog Health Focus Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

It's Possible

"It always seems impossible until its done." 

~ Mandela

Chinese Medicine Relieves The Frustration Of Skin Conditions

I'm not sure if it's the weather, the indulgent diet during the holidays or the stress that comes along with all the merry making, but Hives and other skin disorders have been a popular complaint in my Chicago acupuncture office lately. So I'm re posting this article from Acufinder.com to give my readers some more information about how Chinese Medicine can be helpful for various skin concerns.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can be very effective at treating skin conditions. Treatments can provide quick relief for acute symptoms and can provide significant and lasting relief from recurrent or chronic skin conditions.

The skin reflects and reacts to imbalances within the body's internal landscape and the effects of the environment. Internal disharmonies caused by strong emotions, diet, and your constitution as well as environmental influences, such as wind, dryness, dampness, and heat can all contribute to the development of a skin disorder. To keep your skin healthy and beautiful on the outside, you must work on the inside of your body as well. Increasing the flow of energy, blood and lymph circulation improves the skin's natural healthy color.

Promotion of collagen production increases muscle tone and elasticity helping to firm the skin. Stimulating the formation of body fluids nourishes the skin and encourages it to be moister, softer, smoother and more lustrous.

General skin conditions that can be treated with acupuncture and Oriental medicine include acne, dermatitis, eczema, pruritus, psoriasis, rosacea, shingles and urticaria (hives). Oriental medicine does not recognize skin problems as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques with acupuncture such as herbal medicine, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 10 patients are treated with Oriental medicine for eczema, each patient will receive a unique, customized treatment with different lifestyle and dietary recommendations.
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Oprah's Dog Gets Acupuncture

Well, now we know for sure that Oprah believes in acupuncture!!  She took her beloved cocker spaniel Sadie in for an acupuncture treatment.  Thank you for your vote of confidence, Oprah. Do you want to bring Steadman in next?  Read the story in the Mail...

Children and Acupuncture

One question that I am asked occasionally is, "Is acupuncture safe for children?" The simple answer is 'yes', but you certainly want to take your child (and yourself) to a well trained practitioner and someone who has experience working with children.

Here is a small study that examined acupuncture with children, investigated the cases in which the treatment did not work, and concluded that acupuncture is safe and works when performed by qualified practitioners. Read the review here.

Anger Lessons

Anger is just another emotion - sure...  It is a very uncomfortable, sometimes unacceptable emotion, especially when the anger is directed at those we love (or ourselves). When we are angry, we not only have an emotional response, but there can be a strong physical response. Anger was hard wired into us a long, long time ago and has its beginnings in a primitive, reactive animal instinct that developed to help us stay alive. Called the flight or fight response. Thousands of years ago we were threatened by wild animals who wanted to eat us or just tear us limb from limb. It isn’t surprising that we developed a ‘fight or flight’ response.

You will recognize the components of fight or flight. Anger shoots signals to all parts of our body to help us prepare to either fight the enemy or flee from the danger. Either way, it energizes us and prepares us for action. Our blood pressure rises, we feel a rush of adrenaline, and our respiratory rate increases. Blood is directed into our muscles and limbs which might require extra energy for running or fighting. Our pupils dilate, and our awareness intensifies. Our impulses quicken (not your after yoga feeling). We are now on the lookout for the enemy.

These days, we more often feel threatened by other human beings than large animals, but it still feels like they want to “eat us”, more psychologically than physically. At those times, we are operating in the part of the brain that is not rational.  We may not be able to process decisions clearly and may make choices based on a temporary situation or a strong but fleeting emotion. An angry person often makes mistakes because anger causes a loss in self-awareness and objectivity. We also forget that we might feel differently in a couple of hours or days and come up with better solutions to our present predicament.

What to remember when you are angry

1. No emotion will last forever; not even anger although you might think so at the moment.

2. Think about Victor Frankl’s advice, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” Frankl believed that human dignity resided in the power that, no matter what the circumstances, we have choices that we can make.

3. Try not to be afraid of your anger but don’t get too fond of it either. Anger is a powerful emotion that you can harness and use productively or allow to run wild. You can use anger; it can lengthen or shorten our lives. Anger is like electricity which can run large machines or zzzzzzzz !
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Maggie Daley Helped Women With Breast Cancer Receive Treatment - Including Acupuncture

Chicago has been in mourning after the death of our former First Lady, Maggie Daley. The wife of our long-time Mayor had a good reputation in this city and made an effort to help others. Daley gave generously to help open the Maggie Daley Center for Women's Cancer Care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital last year. The center gives patients access to doctors, social workers, psychologists, massage, acupuncture and classes on beauty techniques.

Understanding The Yin Yang Symbol

The concept of yin and yang has been around for several thousand years and it lies at the heart of classic Chinese science and philosophy. It is also one of my favorite in Chinese Medicine.

This popular symbol (to the right) represents the ancient concept. It illustrates the ebb and flow of yin and yang, light and dark, activity and rest, creation and destruction, it reminds us that everything is constantly changing. Also notice the dark blue dot in the white and the dot of white in the blue. These dots represents how even in the most yang there is a little yin and vice versa. Yin and Yang are opposing forces that are bound together and give rise to each other in turn.

This amazing concept can be applied to everything and everyone in the universe. Pretty cool huh?
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Thinking About Revenge ?

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." ~ Confucius