Category: Uncategorized

http://www.today.com/popculture/hoda-acupuncture-left-me-feeling-zen-led-great-nights-sleep-t52706

According to the World Health Organization the following conditions are treated by Acupuncture:

The World Health Organization (WHO), who is the international authority concerning health-related matters, has compiled a list of symptoms, syndromes, disease processes, pathologies, traumas and conditions that have definitely been proven as effectively treated by acupuncture. The WHO has also compiled a list of diseases, symptoms and conditions for which acupuncture has shown definite therapeutic effects, but more proof is needed to establish acupuncture as a mainstream form of treatment. Should a curious patient, insurance company or colleague require proof of acupuncture’s effectiveness, the following list is something you will want to keep on file. Its use will be inevitable.

In an official report, Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, the WHO (WHO) has listed the following symptoms, diseases and conditions that have been shown through controlled trials to be treated effectively by acupuncture:

• low back pain
• neck pain
• sciatica
• tennis elbow
• knee pain
• periarthritis of the shoulder
• sprains
• facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
• headache
• dental pain
• tempromandibular (TMJ) dysfunction
• rheumatoid arthritis
• induction of labor
• correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation)
• morning sickness
• nausea and vomiting
• postoperative pain
• stroke
• essential hypertension
• primary hypotension
• renal colic
• leucopenia
• adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy
• allergic rhinitis, including hay fever
• biliary colic
• depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
• acute bacillary dysentery
• primary dysmenorrhea
• acute epigastralgia
• peptic ulcer
• acute and chronic gastritis
• The foregoing list is absolute concerning acupuncture’s effectiveness; however the report continues with three more categories:

1. Diseases, symptoms and conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown, but further proof is needed (68 specific conditions). These conditions are effectively treated as in the first category; it’s just that more trials are necessary to establish the proof scientifically.
2. Diseases, symptoms and conditions reporting some therapeutic effects for which acupuncture is worth trying (nine conditions).
3. Diseases, symptoms and conditions in which acupuncture may be tried, provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment (eight conditions).

A Chinese proverb says, “ if one could laugh three times a day he would live longer” This means, if one can always keep himself in a pleasant mood, it is one way to preserve health and promote health. When a person is in a pleasant mood the body is relaxed. Relaxation removes the inhibition of nerve supply to the organs and promotes the functions of the organs. When people smile there is lower blood pressure, decreased heart rate, easier breathing and less muscle tension. Therefore, a healthy mind and a healthy body are the greatest blessings of mankind.

The female reproductive hormone estrogen and progesterone can dramatically affect the brain’s biochemistry. Women’s brains are different Why is it women have so many unique psychiatric and medical needs? Why are they more likely to become depressed or anxious or even psychotic? Certainly our hormones play an important part.

Traditional Chinese medicine takes into account both external and internal factors in the creation of an individual’s diagnosis. The current emotional state of the patient is one internal factor that traditional Chinese medicine believes to be very important. In fact, emotions are believed to directly correlate to specific organs and their states of being. Traditional Chinese medical theory believes the body is in the control of the Five Elements: Earth, Wood, Fire, Water, and Metal. Each element corresponds to a specific organ as well as a specific emotion. The emotions are not believed to always be the direct cause of an ailment, but have an undeniable connection with the progress and condition of the problem.
The Suwen, or Book of Plain Questions states “The five yin-organs of the human body produce five kinds of essential qi, which bring forth joy, anger, grief, worry, and fear.” According to the Five-Element school of thought, anger is associated with Wood; joy is associated with Fire, pensiveness with Earth, grief with Metal, and fear with Water. The liver is associated with Wood and therefore with anger, the heart with Fire and joy, the spleen with Earth and pensiveness, the lung with Metal, and grief and the kidney with Water and fear. This is not to say that to experience any of these emotions means that the related organ is out of balance but, rather, that any extreme case or fluctuation of these emotions may be related to a problem with that organ.
Emotions in TCM have slightly different meanings than their Western interpretations. In TCM joy, for example, refers to a state of agitation or over-excitement, rather than elation. Related to the heart, this emotion is correlated with heart palpitations, repeated agitation, and insomnia. Anger in TCM is considered to represent resentment, frustration, and irritability. An excess of rich blood is believed to make one prone to anger, and can affect the liver, causing this organ’s energy to rise to the head and result in headaches or dizziness. Pensiveness is thought to be an excess of mental stimulation that can affect the spleen (which rules over vital energy). This can result in fatigue, lethargy, and difficulty concentrating. Lungs are associated with the feeling of grief. Unresolved grief can lead to problems with general energy and one’s qi (life force) because the lungs are thought to distribute this throughout the body. Like the other emotions, fear is considered a normal and at times, inevitabe e emotion. However, if it becomes chronic, or settles as a deep anxiety, the kidneys can be affected. The kidney’s ability to hold qi may be impaired, and involuntary urination can also occur.
Traditional Chinese medicine is unique in its belief that cause and effect are not linear, but circular. This means that the cause of an ailment may be an emotion, but also that an ailment can lead to an emotion. By striving to balance the organ related to the person’s emotional state, the emotion can be balanced as well, and visa versa. Acupuncture is one way to accomplish this re-alignment. Acupuncture is the practice of gently inserting needles into specific points on the body to benefit a person’s qi, or life force. There are certain points used in acupuncture that accord with specific organs, and treating these points is how feelings and acupuncture can interplay.
Emotions are considered to be normal and healthy, it is only when they become extreme or uncontrollable that they can open the door to disease. TCM believes them to be the major internal cause of disease within the body, but also the most easily influenced – meaning, that with the right attention and treatment, emotions and their corresponding ailments can change.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can treat menopause effectively and naturally. Every woman should go through menopause with no signs or symptoms. The symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, insomnia, depression, and dryness are all symptoms of the body being out of balance. Acupuncture and herbs can help bring the body back to balance and relieve symptoms completely naturally with no side effects.

The female system is an incredibly beautiful, complex balance. It is an individual module of the creative universe. A woman is usually a marvelous thing to be, but the intricacies of her body are delicately tuned and can become unbalanced or obstructed easily, causing pain, and poor function. A woman is such a wholly bound together person that imbalances often cause lack of union between mind and body. She loses the accustomed oneness with herself, resulting in physiological and emotional problems.

All of Chinese Medicine is about the restoration of balance in the human body.
Yin: Nourishment of the body (feminine, rest, coolness)
Yang: Functions of the body (masculine, activity, heat)

Vital Substances:
Blood: Renewable substance
Essence: Genetic dosage that is gradually used up

Men depend on Qi (activity/Yang)
Women depend on Blood/Essence (nourishment, Yin) as the foundation of reproduction cycle: includes fertility, childbirth, and lactation. Blood is more than just the menses.

Organs & Their Functions:
Chinese organs have the same names but have additional functions of Western Organs

Kidney: excretes urine/ holds the Essence (incontinence)
Spleen/Stomach digests food/creates blood
Liver holds the Blood
Heart moves the Blood

Emotions:
Lung–Grief
Kidney – fear (I was so frightened I almost peed in my pants)
Liver: I was so angry I saw red, stress & frustration;
Spleen is worry; loss of appetite
Heart: anxiety & nervousness; heart palpitations

Women’s physiology and pathology during different time of life in TCM:
Adolescents the Kidneys (Essence) is immature
Child bearing years: Liver & Spleen
Peri-menopause/menopause: Kidney Yin & Yang deficiency & imbalance

According to Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, we use treatment that will stimulate the body’s own ability to heal itself. We look at patient’s mental and emotional state as well, not just their physical health. We view the patients as a physical, emotional and spiritual whole, not as a collection of ailing body parts to be treated separately.
Acupuncture can alleviate many menopausal symptoms by rebalancing the hormonal system, especially headaches and migraines, hot flushing, heavy flooding periods, back pain and sagging skin tone. Heavy and erratic menstrual bleeding in perimenopausal women can be relieved by this technique. It also relieves the pain and headache associated with menstruation. Acupuncture also has positive effects on insomnia and stress. Treatment can also improve the mobilization of Qi (chi) to the nervous system to aid poor memory and concentration.

Prevention and Self-Help
Three main principles
1. Keep your emotional balance: daily relaxation
2. Exercise, Taichi, Qigong, yoga, meditation
3. Helping yourself through diet
9 food steps
1. Eat more tofu and soy
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables
3. Eat beans more often
4. Eat more of the right fats
5. Choose your beverages wisely; Drink lots of water, a grass or two of milk, and a grass of orange (or other citrus), carrot, or purple grape juice every day; Limit coffee and caffeinated beverages, soda, and alcohol
6. Don’t eat at night
7. Eat calcium –rich foods every day
8. Avoid high fat/high sugar foods to minimize calories
9. Add flaxseed to your diet

The Estrogen Food List

Legumes
Alfalfa, black-eyed peas, chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Green or French beans, green peas, lentils, mung bean sprouts, navy beans, peanuts, red beans (adzuki beans), red clover, soybeans, soy sprouts, split or field peas.
Oils
Corn, flaxseed, olive, sesame, soybean, sunflower & canola oils
Vegetables
Beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, green peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, pumpkin, rhubarb, seaweeds, squash, sweet potatoes, yams
Spices & Herbs
Black cohosh, cloves, dong gui, fennel, ginger, hops, licorice, sage, tea, thyme, turmeric
Seeds
Flaxseed, sesame seed, anise seed, pumpkinseed, sunflower
Fruits
Apple, cherries, grapes, olives, papaya, pears, plums, pomegranates, prunes
Cereals/Grains
Barley, corn, oats, rice, rye, wheat

A letter from one of Dr. Hu’s patient….
Dear Dr. Hu, Beginning at about 12 years of age, I had to deal with unwanted and serious weight gain along with irregular and horrible menstrual cycles. It was not until my mid 20s that a doctor finally told me why: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
The day that I learned this was both a blessing and a curse. I was happy to finally know why I could never lose weight despite every diet and exercise regime known to man. On the other hand, I was devastated when my doctor told me that there was no cure, that I would most likely always have serious weight issues, and it would be difficult to impossible for me to have children. I was put on medication and told to diet. This of course resulted in me gaining about 50 more pounds over the course of the next couple of years, despite the medications.

Finally, one day I faced my problems and began to read every single article or book published on PCOS. There was surprisingly little out there. And what was published all said the same thing that my doctors told me thereby giving me very little hope of change. One book however, mentioned acupuncture treatments that some women claimed to help with their symptoms but not cure them. So I did more research on acupuncture. About that same time, I was working as a psychologist with veterans dealing with chronic pain and decided to invite a guest speaker to one of my groups. He was a wonderful man who specialized in acupuncture.

During the talk, I volunteered myself as the pin cushion for his demonstration. He put one needle in my hand, looked at me and said, “Hm. You have a metabolic disorder and would really respond to treatment.? This was, understandably, quite shocking to me. I spoke with him after class and he suggested that I go find a specialist. A couple of months later, I was browsing on the internet and found you.I remember sitting in your office for the first time and all the things you said to me.
I felt honestly hopeful for the first time in a long time. I decided that day to trust in whatever brought me there to you, whether it was fate or luck. Those few months that I saw you were wonderful and to me, exotically different with the pills, tea, incense burning, cupping, and millions of needles. I always walked out of your office feeling rested and peaceful, and more than that, I felt like I was doing something for the first time to fight my PCOS.
After about three months of seeing you, I went to see yet another doctor about my PCOS. He decided that I needed to repeat some of my tests that I did so many years before. So I had pictures of my ovaries taken again, and to my doctor’s utter disbelief and to my great joy, I had only one small cyst! He could not understand why I came to see him claiming that I had been diagnosed with PCOS when it was clear that I did not have the cysts characteristic of this medical disorder.
I made him go back over my old test results so that he could see that I used to have rings of cysts around both ovaries. I remember him sitting there not knowing what to say. I told him that I had undergone acupuncture treatment over the last several months and that my doctor said that she could help me.To this day, I do not think my doctor believes that this is possible, but I am the proof! I no longer qualify for the diagnosis of PCOS. My ovaries are normal and healthy and my doctor said that there should be no reason that I could not lose weight or become pregnant. I do not think that it would be possible to express my happiness at hearing this. I had a renewed hope of having a better quality of life.
That day I started an intense weight loss program under his supervision. It was my hope that I could finally lose weight. And after much hard work, I lost over 100 pounds and am finally working on losing the last 30 pounds now. What before was never possible, suddenly was. I was losing weight, getting into great shape, and looking good! Additionally, the last time I saw you, you told me that I should go off my birth control pills to monitor my periods. Well, I am still off birth control and have had an unbelievably regular period every single month since then!
I do not know how else to say this but that you saved me. You changed my life. Because of you, I was given the chance of a better life. And I took it. Finally, I was able to lose weight, to feel good about myself, and to just feel normal. I am doing things that I never before would have tried. I am taking yoga, training for a triathlon, and don’t feel weird having people looking at me. I enjoy life so much more and I just want to know how much you were a part of making that happen.
These past two years since I last saw you have truly been a blessing.Now I apologize for the long letter, but I just wanted to tell you my story. It is my hope that in doing so, I am able to find a way to express to you the impact you have had in my life. You are my miracle. I will forever be truly thankful to you and will always keep you close to my heart.

Holly L
Nov. 2006

Dealing with the debilitating, plight of Migraines

Follow one migraine sufferer as she navigates the path to relieving her pain.

Text by Karyn R. Millet Photography by Nayda Lebron

Many people complain of having a migraine, but those of us who have been diag­nosed know the difference between a true migraine and a really bad headache. As a sufferer of severe migraine headaches for years, I’ve wound up in the hospital emergency room on several occasions, where a morphine drip is the only thing that will dull the pain. These kinds of firsthand experiences, where a migraine takes you beyond a normal threshold of agony, make you realize that you want to be extremely pro-active on your road to recovery.

According to the Oxford American Dictionary, migraine is “a severe form of headache that tends to recur.” Indeed, like many sufferers, I’ve found that migraines have a reoccurring pattern of time and place, which only makes you wonder, “Why can’t these doctors figure this one out?” After all, we’re not talk­ing about a moving target here. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are as many approaches to dealing with migraines as there are diet plans to become slim and trim. And does anything really work?

Well, actually, there are quite a few hopeful approaches to quelling the pain of a migraine. However, it is necessary to take a participatory role in researching the best methods for dealing with this debilitating condition. My battle has been a personal one, integrating physicians, nutritionists, massage therapists, friends and family to find something that works for me.

Step one is realizing that you are in fact a migraine patient. For me, this was quickly accomplished with a visit to the neurologist. “I think all migraine suffer­ers deserve at least one MRI,” Dr. Carl Orfus of UCLA Medical Center told me after my exam. While this is an expensive procedure, it gives you confirmation that what you are experiencing is actually a migraine. At the very least, it was nice to know it wasn’t a tumor causing my pain. The MRI procedure, however, was a bit daunting. I never knew I was claustrophobic until I glided into the MRI chamber, and it became all too clear. I was simply overwhelmed by the sensation and immediately decided to wait my turn for the “open room” MRI, which although still extremely tight was do-able.

Knowing that the pain in your head is now officially a migraine, most migraine sufferers are encouraged to go the traditional medical route, which involves drugs—and potentially lots of them. I started with Zomig and switched to Imitrex. I then advanced to Maxalt and Relpax and have now settled with Frova. According the research, Frova actually helps stop the blood vessel dilation and relieve the pain you already feel. It sounded like a miracle cure, and for some, I’msure it just very well might be. Unfortunately, it is not a sure bet 100 percent of the time.

Tennis champion Serena Williams, who has been a long-time suf­ferer of menstrual migraines (the same that attack me twice a month), also takes Frova. With menstrual migraines, the pain typi­cally lasts from two to five days, only increasing in severity. It is hard to imagine how Williams has been able to achieve her status as a ten­nis star, knowing the pain she regularly experiences. I figured it this drug works for her, I’d be silly not to at least give it a try. However, I’ve found that my body gets used to one kind of drug, and the drug then become useless, at least for a period of time. And, as we all know by now, drugs are really just masking the problem anyway. Where is this horrific pain getting its start?

“Headaches are natural, but they’re not necessary,” states Dr. David Buchholz of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medi­cine in his book, “Heal Your Headache.” To reduce your chances of reoccurring migraines, Buchholz suggests reducing migraine trig­gers, which include such dietary catalysts as wine, chocolate, bananas, yogurt, nuts, oranges and a list of other culinary delights. Quite honestly, it was rather easy for me to eliminate these triggers from my diet, knowing these foods could be potentially causing the intense and long-lasting pain I regularly experience.

Another key point to Buchhoiz’s research is the rebound effect of certain popular headache drugs “…Rebound gradually promotes increased headache frequency and severity,” he States in his book. “It is rarely recognized—at least to its full extent—by the person caught in its vicious cycle. Each headache leads to another quick fix, and each quick fix leads to the next headache and so on.”

I followed Buchhoiz’s recommended dietary plan of attack for an entire year. Within the first five weeks, I did not have a migraine, which I considered a complete and utter breakthrough. However two weeks later, the migraine caught up with me and took out its wrath.

Unfortunately, there never seemed to be sure-fire plan for alleviating my problem.

There have been some migraine-curing success stories with chiro­practic care, homeopathic herbs and oils, as well as kinesiology. I tried all of these for test periods of at least one year without much success. But, I figured unless you try it, you don’t know if it works for you. Everybody is different, and the inherent stresses and strains we carry around each and every day all vary. I like to think that try­ing all of these methods of relief has widened my personal knowledge of my body and what it takes to keep it healthy. And, as I seek out new procedures, it gives my spirit hope that something will indeed be the answer for me.

Perhaps the latest neurofeedback technique is worth some investi­gation. The EEG Institute in Woodland Hills recommends reading “A Symphony in the Brain” by Jim Robbins. “Research shows that the brain’s electric signals are subject to change and that people can be taught to change them,” Robbins notes in his book. This innovative approach involves a series of sessions in which the brain is actually re-trained and strengthened in new ways. According to EEG Insti­tute spokespeople, the results have been very encouraging—not only for migraine sufferers but for those with such ailments as epilepsy, anxiety and depression.

I’ve also recently begun trying acupuncture. After seeing me suf­fer for far too long, a dear friend, Maria, gave me the name of her tried, true and trusted acupuncturist. Dr. Ji-ling Hu. While I must admit the thought of needles pricking the highly sensitive trigger points throughout my body did not sound inviting, after three recent visits to the ER involving morphine drips, I was ready for anything. A needle now or later, what difference does it really make?

Not only does Hu expertly position the acupuncture needles, she also had me try the ancient Chinese technique of cupping. Heated glass bottles are placed on your back in order to increase heat and

combat blood stagnation. Sure, it sounds a bit strange, but it all seems to make sense to me since migraines are in essence a blood flow issue. Gwyneth Paltrow recently made the news when she showed up on the red carpet with her cupping bruises proudly displayed in a backless dress. Mine might nor have seemed as glamorous as Paltrow’s, bur hopefully we both experienced positive results.

Hu also mixed up some some nasty-tasting tea for me ro rake home, which I am still drinking with a forced smile three times a day. And, just for good measure, she applied four tiny tacks to each ear, which I am to squeeze as pressure points throughout the week until my next visit. Well, if nothing else, it sure gives you something to talk about at the next cocktail party.

I must confess, however that my monthly bout with migraines less­ened in severity and length after Hu’s mix of ancient remedies. I’m now responding to the Frova medication and needed just one dose to get me through the worst of it on my last migraine bout.

My reacrion to acupuncture seems to go hand in hand with a study published in 2004 by the “British Medical Journal”stating, “Acupunc­ture can reduce the number of days of migraine a person has a year, as well as reducing the amount of medication needed.” This was, howev­er, challenged just a year larer in a report by the BBC claiming, “Fake acupuncture works just as well as the real thing in relieving migraines.” Narurally, one is to now wonder. However, as a friend told me just yesterday, “If it works for you and you feel berrer, then it is really working.”

These are just a few of the preventive measures that migraine suf­ferers like me are trying. It is a battle that can and will be won. Every day there are new roads to take, like Botox, Butterbur and rhe Tran-scranial Magnetic Stimulator Gun. Keep your ears and eyes open. Most of all, take time to relax, be still and take a deep breath. Live your life for those glorious momenrs when you are pain-free, and any­thing is possible. VM