Happy New Year!

How Acupuncture Works

This article was posted Dec 30, 2008  and is from MADISON (MedStar)


For more than four thousand years, the Chinese have used acupuncture to treat many ailments, like pain, stress, and even, addiction. Today, many doctors continue that practice because it works for many people.

Here's one success story.
 

Gaylon Jones knew that getting his strength back after surgery for cancer of the esophagus would be tough. "You then begin the process of rebuilding," he said. But he was not prepared for the intense nausea and vomiting that developed after the operation. Jones added, "mild to extreme nausea. Even dry heaving. Basically I was nauseated from the first thing in the morning to late at night, and it was completely debilitating. I struggled to keep my weight up."
Gaylon's life was being controlled by the nausea. Neither diet nor medications could stop it.

That's when he turned to a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic who, in addition to surgery, also practices the ancient Chinese art of acupuncture. Doctor Ronald Reimer traveled to China to study acupuncture. He describes it as working in this fashion: needles in the skin stimulate pathways that travel through meridians and peripheral nerves to the spinal cord and brain. This is also often coupled with low frequency electrical stimulation. This causes endorphin levels to rise and other chemicals to change, unblocking trapped energy and restoring its flow. "It is a science that is trying to rebalance the flow of qi, or energy in the body," Doctor Reimer said.

Acupuncture releived the nausea for Gaylon. He said, "I went from probably 12 hours a day of nausea, from mild to extreme, to maybe two to three hours a day. It was life changing." Gaylon started out having two acupuncture sessions a week. Now he has one every month or so. He is working out with a trainer and has regained the weight he lost after surgery.

Why This Chicago Acupuncturist Loves Ginger

"Drink Ginger tea" this is one of the most common suggestions I make in my Chicago practice.

Don’t underestimate ginger just because it isn’t the fancy favorite of TV Chefs. Gingerroot is a common herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (the Chinese name is Sheng Jiang). Ginger is also used as a spice for cooking, particularly in Asian food.

Ginger’s rhizome (the underground stem) is highly spicy and widely touted to aid digestion. That is why ginger tea is very popular. In addition to a lovely flavor, it is anti inflammatory and eases digestion. Consider drinking ginger tea (try Traditional Medicinals) after meals. Another benefit from ginger is its ability to combat nausea from various causes including morning sickness, motion sickness, chemotherapy,and food contamination. Many people use ginger to treat coughs, influenzas, and colds. I also reccommend it to my patients to improve fertility and ease PMS symptoms.

One Japanese study brought ginger into the experimental lab. The study, led by Dr. Hiroshi Ochiai at the Department of Human Science, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharaceutical University, Japan, was published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2006:34(1):157-69, and reported in the Chinese Medical Times, concludes that they were able to inhibit the growth of influenza virus using ginger extract.

To read more about Ginger check out my previous post 5 Fabulous Foods

My Thoughts on The New Year and Being a "Thelmette"

When I was little, my family used to visit Grandma Chickie and Poppa Jack in North Bergen, New Jersey. For me, it was heaven. My grandmother served my favorite foods (during one visit I gained 7 pounds) and Uncle Benny made houses out of playing cards with me.

To make it even sweeter, my great Aunt Thelma lived upstairs and would lure me to her home with the promise that I could look through the “Jewelry Drawer” The jewelry drawer was a magical place filled with her cast off bits and pieces of glittery costume rings, necklaces and pins. I could handle each one, examine the shiny stones in the necklaces, try on the rings that slipped off my fingers, marvel at the designs, and, as if examining treasure wasn’t enough, Aunt Thelma always had a present for me to keep. The truth is, they spoiled me rotton and I loved every moment!

Aunt Thelma recently celebrated her 90th birthday and my mother, sister and I flew down to Florida to join her and become the back-up dancers for her daughter’s specially written birthday song. We happily took on the group name, "The Thelmettes." Perhaps I’ll post a photo, but seeing as we didn't come close to a coordinated performance, perhaps not.

It’s fun to remember the exotic landscape of the Jewelry Drawer, and the anticipation I always had about what treasure I could take away. I am grateful to have been able to create more memories this year. Last year I said it was "The year to make things happen." Well, I feel a lot has happened this past year, all over the world.

As the beginning of a brand new year approaches, when the world feels like a very shaky place, I share with you a determination to continue my career






as a "Thelmette" : )

AND
to create more good memories based on kindness, compassion, and lots of fun!

I Wish Everyone a Very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Acupuncture and Menopause

By: Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM

Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health with Acupuncture.

With the right diet, attitude, and Oriental Medicine menopause can be a time of a revival of energy and an opportunity for personal growth--one that surpasses the hormonally driven period of adolescence.

What is Menopause?

Menopause is a transitional period marking the cessation of ovulation in a woman's body. This time of change may last a few months to several years. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and are brought on as our bodies try to adapt to decreasing amounts of estrogen. Symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, mood swings, memory loss, vaginal dryness, headaches, joint pain, and weight gain.

According to Chinese Medical theory, menopause occurs when a woman's body begins to preserve blood and energy in order to sustain her vitality and allow for the maximum available nourishment for her body, especially her kidneys. The kidney is the organ Chinese Medicine sees as the root of life and longevity. Therefore, the body, in its wisdom, reserves the flow of a channel in the center of the body which sends blood and energy down to the uterus. Instead, blood and essence from the kidneys are conserved and cycled through the body to nourish the woman's spirit and extend her longevity. Thus, in the Chinese Medicine, menopause is seen as true change in life from mother to enlightened and wise being.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Menopause

Few areas of women's health stir up as much confusion and debate as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which is normally started when the first symptoms of menopause appear. While they may alleviate hot flashes and prevent osteoporosis, they will also increase the risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancer, and have a number of significant side-effects. But HRT isn't the only solution. Menopause is an area in which Oriental Medicine shines. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have the ability to detect energetic changes that occur in the body and quickly relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, foggy mind, and irritability.

Evidence that Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine have been used for women's health can be found in early medical literature dating back to 3AD.

Traditional Chinese Medicine does not recognize menopause as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 10 women are treated with Oriental medicine for hot flashes, each of these 10 women will receive a unique, customized treatment with different acupuncture points, different herbs and different lifestyle and diet recommendations.

How Acupuncture Works

The mental and emotional symptoms that you are experiencing will help create a clear picture on which your practitioners can create a treatment plan specifically for you. The basic foundation for Oriental medicine is that there is a life energy flowing through the body which is termed Qi (pronounced chee).
This energy flows through the body on channels known as meridians that connect all of our major organs. According to Chinese medical theory, illness arises when the cyclical flow of Qi in the meridians becomes unbalanced. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points located near or on the surface of the skin which have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to achieve the desired effect.

The Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture points to treat the emotional and physical effects of menopause are located all over the body. During the acupuncture treatment, tiny needles will be placed along your legs, arms, shoulders, and perhaps even your little toe!

There seems to be little sensitivity to the insertion of acupuncture needles. They are so thin that several acupuncture needles can go into the middle of a hypodermic needle. Occasionally, there is a brief moment of discomfort as the needle penetrates the skin, but once the needles are in place, most people relax and even fall asleep for the duration of the treatment.

The length, number and frequency of treatments will vary. Typical treatments last from five to 30 minutes, with the patient being treated one or two times a week. Some symptoms are relieved after the first treatment, while more severe or chronic ailments often require multiple treatments.

Studies on Acupuncture and Menopause

Since the early seventies, studies around the globe have suggested that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are effective treatments for hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia, vaginal dryness and many other symptoms associated with menopause. Recent studies show extremely positive results:
From 1997 to 1999, one of the first studies in the United States to explore the effectiveness of acupuncture in alleviating hot flashes, insomnia and nervousness, conducted by Dr. Susan Cohen, D.S.N., APRN, associate professor of the University of Pittsburgh, it was found that during the course of acupuncture treatments, hot flashes decreased by 35% and insomnia decreased by 50%. A follow-up study revealed hot flashes significantly decreased in those receiving acupuncture, compared to those receiving routine care.

A 2002 pilot study in England found that acupuncture reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes in women being treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer.

While these results are promising and the United Nations World Health Organization has approved acupuncture as a treatment for symptoms associated with menopause, further clinical trials with larger samples are currently underway .

A 2003 study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, involves a larger number of participants than previous studies. Participants will be divided into three groups; one will receive menopause-specific acupuncture, one will receive non-menopause-specific acupuncture, and one will receive usual care. Stanford Medical Center researchers are now studying whether acupuncture can help alleviate hot flashes. During the one-year, placebo-controlled study at Stanford, volunteers may receive 10 treatments over an eight-week period.

Lifestyle and Dietary Instructions

Menopause patients are encouraged lose that extra weight and to follow a diet with a high content of raw foods, fruits and vegetables to stabilize blood sugar. Some foods may exacerbate hot flashes or increase mood swings. Steer clear of dairy products, red meats, alcohol, sugar, spicy foods, caffeine, and don't smoke. Lastly, try to eliminate stress, tension and anxiety or learn techniques to cope with stress so that you can diminish the effects that it has on your body and mind.

For more information go to www.acufinder.com

Indigo Ointment May Help Treat Patients with Psoriasis

An ointment made from indigo naturalis, the Chinese name is qingdai. A dark blue plant-based powder used in traditional Chinese medicine, appears effective in treating plaque-type psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease for which you can get relief and remission but no cure. A report in the November issue of Archives of Dermatology says, "Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the most frequently chosen alternative therapies in China and Taiwan, and psoriasis has been treated for centuries with topical and oral herbal preparations.”

“Current steroid-based medication may cause side effects like thinning of the skin, but this (qingdai/indigo) has much less side effects,” said lead researcher Yin-Ku Lin of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University in Taoyuan, Taiwan, according to Reuters.

The authors do note that long-term use has been occasionally associated with irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and adverse hepatic effects."42 patients with resistant psoriasis were treated in 2004-2005. The indigo naturalis ointment was applied to a psoriatic plaque, usually on an arm, elbow, leg or knee, and then a placebo ointment was applied to a spot on the other side of their body.

After 12 weeks of treatment, the plaques treated with indigo naturalis ointment showed significant improvement in scaling, redness and in hardening when compared with the plaques treated with the placebo ointment. They report a 81% improvement with indigo naturalis as compared to a 26% percent improvement with the other ointment.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas!

New Government Survey, 38 Percent of Adults and 12 Percent of Children Use Alternative Medicine

On December 10th the The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine put out a press release. Stating that Approximately 38 percent of adults in the United States aged 18 years and over and nearly 12 percent of U.S. children aged 17 years and under use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a new nationwide government survey.

This survey marks the first time questions were included on children's use of CAM, which is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, and acupuncture that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine.

The 2007 survey results, released in a National Health Statistics Report by NCHS, are based on data from more than 23,300 interviews with American adults and more than 9,400 interviews with adults on behalf a child in their household.

click here to read the entire press release

Santa is Coming.....

Acupuncture Eases Low Back Pain

This important finding appeared on WebMD Health News on September 24, 2007 –

Acupuncture proved to be more effective than conventional lower back pain treatments in a new study, but it was no more effective than a sham needle procedure. The German study compared outcomes among 1,162 patients with chronic low back pain treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture; sham acupuncture; or a conventional approach to treating back pain using drugs, physical therapy, and exercise.

The study is the largest investigation of acupuncture vs. conventional nonsurgical treatment for lower back pain ever reported, researchers say.

"Acupuncture represents a highly promising and effective treatment option for chronic back pain," researcher Heinz Endres, MD, tells WebMD. "Patients experienced not only reduced pain intensity, but also reported improvements in the disability that often results from back pain -- and therefore in their quality of life."

for more healthy information go to WebMD

Moxabustion (Moxa)

Using Moxabustion (Moxa) in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a common practice. This technique involves burning the herb known as mugwort a safe distance from the skin to warm an acupuncture point. The Moxa plant, in Chinese is called Ai Ye and is made from the wool of the Mugwort plant.

Moxa creates a comfortable sensation of heat. It helps warm the meridians, opens channels, regulates Qi and blood flow in the body, expels cold and dampness and warms the uterus.

There are many forms of moxa. It can be a stick, used atop a needle or used in conjuntion with ginger or a moxa bowl. Moxa is Yang in nature and is therefore used mainly to restore deficient Yang conditions.

Some of the main disorders treated with Moxa include; asthma, diarrhea, rheumatic pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, certain gynecological disorders
(it is often used to improve fertility), and any kind of pain due to cold or deficiency.

In my Chicago practice I will often show my patients, whom I think would benefit from moxa, how to use it on their own so they can keep up their treatment at home.

Status of Acupuncture Research

NCCAM, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been responsible for grants to investigate acupuncture’s benefits. Universities and private clinics have been conducting research on the validity of the many anecdotal claims. They have studied acupuncture’s value for a wide range of conditions.

NIH’s statement on early research, prior to 1997, said that results were hard to interpret because of problems with the size and design of the studies.

In the years since, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has funded extensive research to advance scientific understanding of acupuncture. Some recent NCCAM-supported studies have looked at important questions:

1. Whether acupuncture is effective for specific health conditions such as chronic low-back pain, headache, and osteoarthritis of the knee.

2. How acupuncture might work physiologically, such as what happens in the brain during an acupuncture treatment.

3. Ways to better identify and understand the potential neurological properties of meridians and acupuncture points.

4. Methods and instruments for improving the quality of acupuncture research.

These are important and fascinating questions to be researched. I will keep my eyes open for results on any and all of the topics.

The First Night of Chanukah

When I was a child, we hung up a homemade blue banner every Chanukah. It read, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.” The quote came from the Old Testament.

At this time of the year, partly because of the holidays, but also because our world (global and personal) is mired in economic, health and environmental crises, I am thinking about spirit.

It reminds me that although some of the people at the top are selling senate seats, making wars, supporting maniacal dictators, and others at the bottom are behaving badly and acting like narcissistic grade school bullies, the rest of us – which is most of us – get up in the morning, go to work, pay our bills, treat each other fairly, practice kindness and generally move forward with quiet courage. During this season and throughout the year, I hope that all of us can hold on to the spirit that will allow us to build a world that is safe, kind and peaceful for all of us.

Happy Chanukah!

US Air Force to use 'battlefield acupuncture' for pain relief

This article is from Asian News International/DailyIndia.com
From ANI

Washington, Dec 19

With the rise in the popularity of acupuncture as a pain-relief therapy, the U.S. Air Force is showing interest in the treatment.

The air force has plans to teach acupuncture early next year to the doctors who will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.Dr. Richard Niemtzow, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Medical Acupuncture, is the man behind the development of 'battlefield acupuncture'.

He describes this therapy as a variation of acupuncture that involves inserting very tiny semi-permanent needles into very specific acupoints in the skin on the ear to block pain signals from reaching the brain.'Battlefield Acupuncture' can relieve severe pain lasting several days.

This method can reduce the need for pain medications that may cause adverse or allergic reactions or addiction."This is one of the fastest pain attenuators in existence. The pain can be gone in five minutes," said Dr. Niemtzow.

Yin and Yang

The concept of Yin and Yang is said to date back nearly 6,000 years and has been attributed to a philosopher named Fu Shi. It is a familiar symbol that expresses constantly changing interactions.

Yin and yang have no fixed, precise definition. Instead, they refer to two complementary concepts which include the relationships of: positive and negative; dynamic and inert; creative and destructive; obvious and subtle; and kinetic and potential.

It reminds us that seemingly opposing forces are bound together and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn. The concept lies at the heart of many branches of classic Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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.

Here are a few examples:

Yin:
Earth
Autumn
Dark
Female
Left
Low
Moisture

Yang:
Heaven
Spring
Light
Male
Right
High
Dryness

It is believed that yin and yang exists in everything.

Yin and yang are not static concepts. They are constantly influencing each other. There is always some element of yin within yang and vice versa. Look closely at the picture of the Yin and Yang symbol and you will see the dot of Yin within Yang and the dot of Yang with Yin.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, yin and yang refer to energies and functioning modes of organs and body functions. Your healthy state is created by the right balance of yin and yang. Therefore, it is advisable to make choices that contribute to balance in our lives.

De-Stress this Winter with Acupuncture

Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM does it again!

While optimal health and well-being in the winter season calls for rest, energy conservation and the revitalization of body and spirit, your holiday activities may have a different agenda. This year can be filled with a mad scramble of visitors, family get-togethers and frantic shopping trips. Compound the usual seasonal pressures with the constant barrage of bad economic news and you may find this to be one of the most stressful times of the year.

Stress, frustration and unresolved anger can cause a disruption in the flow of qi or energy through the body. These energetic imbalances can throw off the immune system or cause symptoms of pain, sleep disturbances, mood changes, abnormal digestion, headaches, and menstrual irregularities, and, over time, more serious illnesses can develop. Acupuncture treatments can correct these imbalances and directly effect the way you manage stress.

Studies on Acupuncture and Stress

Numerous studies have demonstrated the substantial benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of stress. A 2008 study published in Anesthesia & Analgesia found that acupuncture point alleviated preoperative anxiety in children while a 2003 study conducted at Yale University showed that ear acupuncture significantly lowered the stress level of the mothers of children that were scheduled for surgery.

A German study published in Circulation found that acupuncture significantly lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The extent of the blood pressure reductions by acupuncture treatments was comparable to those seen with antihypertensive medication or aggressive lifestyle changes, including radical salt restrictions.

Another study from the University of New Mexico measured the affects of acupuncture on 73 men and women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The researchers found the acupuncture treatments to be as helpful as the standard treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Needless to say, if the stress in your life is throwing you off balance, consider acupuncture therapy to regain peace of mind, regulate your immune system and stay healthy.

This article is taken from acufinder.com

To read more about acupuncture and stress relief click here

More Celebrity Gossip and Acupuncture

Last week, I wrote about love and acupuncture a la Kate Moss. Today, it’s “acupuncture mends a broken heart.”

Jo Wood, wife of the Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, was devastated when he recently ran off with a 20-year-old Russian cocktail waitress but she has a plan on getting over him.

The UK TimesOnline wrote that Jo went off to Buchinger clinic in Marbella to heal. “It was just what I needed. We went hiking, we walked by the beach every day, we had massages, acupuncture, the special diet . . . It was a good lesson in how to look after yourself.”

Add Some Lemons

In my Chicago acupuncture practice I often recommend my patients drink tea with lemon. Lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is vital to the function of a strong immune system. Unlike oranges (which are also rich in vitamin C) lemons do not increase phlegm production. So they are a particularly good choice for people who are prone to allergies,colds,flu's, ear and sinus infections.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant

Vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals can interact with the healthy cells of the body, damaging them and their membranes, and also cause a lot of inflammation, or painful swelling, in the body. This is one of the reasons that vitamin C has been shown to be helpful for reducing some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Place thinly sliced lemons, peel and all, underneath and around fish before cooking. Baking or broiling will soften the slices so that they can be eaten along with the fish.

Combine lemon juice with olive or flax oil, freshly crushed garlic and pepper to make a light and refreshing salad dressing.

If you are watching your salt intake (and even if you are not), serve lemon wedges with meals as their tartness makes a great salt substitute.

Add to tea - for a delicious immune booster try astragalus tea with lemon and honey.

Some of the above information was taken from the the Worlds Healthiest Foods

Acupuncture: The Basics

Dr. Oz first introduced acupuncturist Daniel Hsu on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Mr. Hsu says acupuncture has been shown to treat many common ailments and chronic diseases more effectively than modern Western medicine practices. In the following paragraphs, Mr. Hsu notes a few of the health benefits of acupuncture

*This interview with Daniel Hsu is taken from www.oprah.com

Acupuncture provides relief for chronic pains such as lower back pain and migraines

Daniel says acupuncture not only causes the body to release natural pain killers, it can also change a patient's perception of the pain, thereby relieving their symptoms. For example, 2 people can have the same X-rays and the same MRIs, yet one person feels absolutely no pain and the other person feels a lot of pain. It's just unexplainable. “What acupuncture does is just alter that perception—and it's quite effective," he says.

Acupuncture relieves stress and anxiety

Daniel says acupuncture treatments geared toward different parts of the body can relieve different types of stress. For example, he says that if a patient complains of palpitations and is upset and unhappy, he will use acupuncture to trigger points that help the heart. If a patient is irritable, stressed-out and quick to lose their temper, he will treat trigger points that help the liver. "Every organ has corresponding signs and symptoms," he says.

Acupuncture may help women dealing with infertility

Daniel says acupuncture can be used in conjunction with medical care to help women dealing with infertility, depending on the presumed causes. He says he will often administer acupuncture to women before and after they undergo in vitro fertilization because it decreases uterine contractions (which can cause the IVF to fail), and it can also increase blood flow to the uterus, which may help the embryo take hold.

Acupuncture improves overall health and wellness

Rather than going for a massage or a trip to the spa, Daniel says he has many patients who use acupuncture to improve their overall well-being and as a preventative health measure. "It boosts your immune system and it also just gives you a sense of wellness, and it helps people in a stressful time, with work and with family, to continue with their week and actually enjoy life better," he says.

Happiness is Contagious: Study Finds

This is a portion of an article From Reuters, Fri Dec 5, 2008

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "Happiness is contagious, researchers reported on Thursday. The same team that demonstrated obesity and smoking spread in networks has shown that the more happy people you know, the more likely you are yourself to be happy. And getting connected to happy people improves a person's own happiness, they reported in the British Medical Journal. "What we are dealing with is an emotional stampede," Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a telephone interview.

Christakis and James Fowler, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego, have been using data from 4,700 children of volunteers in the Framingham Heart Study, a giant health study begun in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1948.They have been analyzing a trove of facts from tracking sheets dating back to 1971, following births, marriages, death, and divorces. Volunteers also listed contact information for their closest friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

They assessed happiness using a simple, four-question test. "People are asked how often during the past week, one, I enjoyed life, two, I was happy, three, I felt hopeful about the future, and four, I felt that I was just as good as other people," Fowler said. The 60 percent of people who scored highly on all four questions were rated as happy, while the rest were designated unhappy.

CONNECTIONS EQUAL HAPPINESS

People with the most social connections -- friends, spouses, neighbors, relatives -- were also the happiest, the data showed. "Each additional happy person makes you happier," Christakis said. "Imagine that I am connected to you and you are connected to others and others are connected to still others. It is this fabric of humanity, like an American patch quilt."

Each person sits on a different-colored patch. "Imagine that these patches are happy and unhappy patches. Your happiness depends on what is going on in the patch around you," Christakis said. "It is not just happy people connecting with happy people, which they do. Above and beyond, there is this contagious process going on." And happiness is more contagious than unhappiness, they discovered.

"If a social contact is happy, it increases the likelihood that you are happy by 15 percent," Fowler said. "A friend of a friend, or the friend of a spouse or a sibling, if they are happy, increases your chances by 10 percent," he added. A happy third-degree friend -- the friend or a friend of a friend -- increases a person's chances of being happy by 6 percent. "But every extra unhappy friend increases the likelihood that you'll be unhappy by 7 percent," Fowler said.

"A happy friend is worth about $20,000," Christakis said."

Top 10 Ways Acupuncture Can Help You

Acupuncture relieves:
1. Stress
2. Muscle Tension
3. Aches and Pains
4. Insomnia
5. Headaches
6. PMS
7. Jaw pain/ TMJ pain
8. Nausea
9. Allergies, sinus infections
10. Arthritis and joint pain

And acupuncture boosts:
1. Energy
2. Digestive processes
3. Your immune system
4. Fertility

Acupuncture works for all of them.

Acupuncture can be of benefit to almost anyone, even if it is just a tune up to keep you functioning at an optimal level. The problems listed above are among the most common, but there are dozens of conditions that TCM treats.

More on Chinese Medicine Tongue Diagnosis

Why Do You Keep On Asking Me to Stick My Tongue Out?

By Daoshing Ni

My question to you is why do you keep closing your eyes when you stick your tongue out? The tongue is an important useful organ for many animals. It is used by birds and frogs to catch insects. Dogs and cats stick their tongues out to show affection. It is helpful in chewing and swallowing our food. It plays an important part in forming the sounds we speak. It is also the chief organ of taste. It helps us to determine what and how much food to eat (for some people). Of course, our sense of smell also determines how the food tastes.

But the tongue is more than that to a Chinese Medicine practitioner. Since it is highly vascular and contains many important taste receptor cells, it is richly supplied by both the nervous system and circulatory system. It is also constantly nourished or “bathed in” saliva. Saliva is secreted by our salivary glands and controlled by our autonomic nervous system. It contains water, electrolytes, mucus, and enzymes. It serves many functions and can change the appearance of the tongue. Therefore the tongue is a very sensitive organ and its appearance can change with many physiological changes in the body. By observing the tongue we can see how our whole body is functioning and able to detect imbalances in different systems in our body. When we ask you to stick your tongue out, we are observing the appearance of the tongue in three distinct areas.

The first area is the tongue proper.

We may evaluate the size of the tongue compared to the opening of the mouth or observe any teeth marks on the sides. This may indicate edema or swelling in your body. We may search for any ulcerations or lacerations of the tongue. It may indicate a body that is prone or having some form of inflammation. The color of tongue can give us ideas of the strength of one’s health. The normal tongue is pinkish red with a certain shine. When the tongue appears pale, it may be a sign of anemia or weakened body. When it is red, it may be exhibiting hyperactivity in different systems of the body. When the tongue color has a tinge of purple, this might be an indication of pain, congestion and blockages in the body. In general, the tongue proper exhibits the strength of your body’s own immunity and functioning.

The second area is the tongue coating.

A normal tongue should have a very thin clear coating that exhibits proper enzymatic content and salivary secretions. When the coat becomes thick, it is frequently a sign of imbalance in the digestive system. When the coat turns thick and cruddy, it is frequently a sign of decreased immune system with Candida (yeast infection) presentation. When the coat peels, it is frequently a sign of damage or weakening to a certain systems of the body. When the coat turns yellow, it is frequently a sign of infection or inflammation in the body.

Read the rest of the article at Acupuncture.com

Seasonal Acupuncture for Optimal Health

Seasonal acupuncture treatments just four times a year serve to tonify the inner organ systems and can correct minor annoyances before they become serious problems.

Acupuncture is popularly known for correcting problems but Americans are less aware of the preventative properties of treatment, or "tune-ups". In China, acupuncture and herbal medicines are used in prevention of illness, an attitude that I would like to see more Americans adopt.

Our bodies must readjust to each season. When seasons change, people get colds and flus. Acupuncture helps boost your immune system to protect against these common problems. Also, when seasons change, allergies can be exacerbated, and chronic discomforts, such as muscle pain and headaches, flare up. Acupuncture and herbal medicine boost your energy and help relieve stress.

This is Chinese medicine at its best. It keeps you functioning at optimal levels.

Acupuncture Beats Aspirin for Chronic Headache

Here is more information on the recent study by Duke University showing how effective acupuncture is in treating headaches. Click here to read my first post on this exciting study .

This article is from Reuters

Mon Dec 1, 2008 10:27pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Acupuncture works better than drugs like aspirin to reduce the severity and frequency of chronic headaches, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

A review of studies involving nearly 4,000 patients with migraine, tension headache and other forms of chronic headache showed that that 62 percent of the acupuncture patients reported headache relief compared to 45 percent of people taking medications, the team at Duke University found.

"Acupuncture is becoming a favorable option for a variety of purposes, ranging from enhancing fertility to decreasing post-operative pain, because people experience significantly fewer side effects and it can be less expensive than other options," Dr. Tong Joo Gan, who led the study, said in a statement.
"This analysis reinforces that acupuncture also is a successful source of relief from chronic headaches."

Writing in Anesthesia and Analgesia, they said 53 percent of patients given true acupuncture were helped, compared to 45 percent receiving sham therapy involving needles inserted in non-medical positions.

"One of the barriers to treatment with acupuncture is getting people to understand that while needles are used, it is not a painful experience," Gan said. "It is a method for releasing your body's own natural painkillers."
They found it took on average five to six visits for patients to report headache relief.

Other studies have shown that acupuncture helped alleviate pain in patients who had surgery for head and neck cancer, can relieve hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms and can reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea.

Reporting by Maggie Fox
Editing by Julie Steenhuysen

Kate Moss has acupuncture sessions to quit smoking

This article is from the UK gossip magazine
http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/

Model on a health kick for boyfriend Jamie Hince
Monday, 1 December 2008

Kate Moss is said to have hired an alternative therapist to help her give up cigarettes. The model hopes the twice-weekly acupuncture sessions will help her quit her smoking habit for good.

Boyfriend Jamie Hince, 39, is said to have encouraged Kate, 34, to try the treatment. ‘At first it made Kate really queasy but she’s been told it could be the answer and she really wants to keep Jamie happy,’ a source tells the Sunday Express.

‘She knows her lifestyle was having a detrimental effect on their relationship. ‘He’s now having it too, so it’s something they can share. It’s really brought them closer together.’

Acupuncture For Stress Relief

These days, it feels like everybody is suffering from stress and anxiety. With the global economic concerns, we don’t know when things will get better and the uncertainty of the future increases anxiety.

Stress is real. It harms the body and exacerbates previously existing conditions. Oprah’s favorite doctor, Dr. Oz, says that the, "major agers," the activities that age us the quickest, include a diet high in fat and sugar, not getting enough exercise, lack of sleep and too much exposure to the sun. BUT, the number one “ager” is stress.

I see the manifestations of stress every day in my Chicago practice. People come in worried, unsettled, unable to calm down or get a good night’s sleep. It is clear that stress lowers the body’s immune system and often causes neck and upper back pain as well as stomach aches, constipation and diarrhea.

The news about stress gets worse. Stress and certain emotions have an impact on cardiovascular disease. "You're talking about people who seem to experience high levels of anger very frequently," says Laura Kubzansky, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

For example, one large study published in Circulation in 2000 found that among 12,986 middle-aged African-American and white men and women, those who rated high in traits such as anger—but had normal blood pressure—were more prone to coronary artery disease (CAD) or heart attack. In fact, the angriest people faced roughly twice the risk of CAD and almost three times the risk of heart attack compared to subjects with the lowest levels of anger.

How can acupuncture help?

First and foremost, acupuncture can calm you down. Often after one session, patients feel better. Chinese herbal medicine is also very helpful, but herbs are not as instantaneous as acupuncture can be. The two together, over time, can have powerful, long lasting effects. Chinese Medicine is wonderful for treating all the conditions mentioned above and many other problems that are created by stressful circumstances.

When we are stressed and anxious, we do not feel whole or in balance. Traditional Chinese Medicine puts your body back in balance. Western medicine believes that TCM works because acupuncture releases endorphins (a naturally occuring chemical in the brain that regulates pleasure and mood). Chinese Medicine takes a different point of view. By placing needles in the appropriate spots, acupuncture allows your energy to flow freely which in turn relieves stress and reestablishes balance.

Quotes from Dr. Oz and Dr. Kubansky came from www.oprah.com

For more information on acupuncture and stress
click here

Astragalus May be a New Powerful Herb in the Fight Against HIV

This post is in honor of World AIDS Day

Astragalus is an herb that is well known to practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I often suggest it to my patients to boost immunity and for respiratory problems. Now, an exciting new UCLA study has found that a chemical from the astragalus root may be helpful in combating HIV.

The chemical is called TAT2 and can slow the progression of immune cell deterioration. If this turns out to be true, it has the potential to save HIV patients a great deal of money and avoid the side effects of the HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) if it can be used as a replacement. The researchers wrote, “ that this strategy (using TAT2 from astragalus) could be useful in treating HIV disease, as well as immunodeficiency and increased susceptibility to other viral infections associated with chronic diseases or aging.

If you are interested in reading the research paper, the study was published in the Nov. 15 print edition of the Journal of Immunology. (ANI).

In addition to the new use for astragalus, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center web site, (http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69128.cfm), reassures potential users with the following statement: “astragalus has no reported adverse effects. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to support and enhance the immune system and for heart disease."

Currently, the herb is widely used in China for chronic hepatitis, colds and upper respiratory infections and as an adjunctive therapy in cancer. The remarkable herbal therapy has also shown promise in animal experiments as a way to prevent dementia

For more information on Astragalus click here

Acupuncture Reduces Migraines

Duke University sent out a press release that states, “Acupuncture is more effective than medication in reducing the severity and frequency of chronic headaches, according to a new analysis conducted by Duke University Medical Center researchers.”

That is a pretty unequivocal statement from a prestigious institution. The National Institutes of Health recommended acupuncture as a viable treatment for chronic headaches a decade ago and, while research in this field has increased, there have been conflicting reports about its efficacy.

“We combed through the literature and conducted the most comprehensive review of available data done to date using only the most rigorously-executed trials,” says Tong Joo (T.J.) Gan, M.D., a Duke anesthesiologist who lead the analysis.

While everyone experiences an occasional headache, more than 45 million Americans (one in six) suffer from chronic headaches, 20 million of whom are women. Medication remains the mainstay of treatment with varying levels of success.

The Duke team looked at more than 30 studies (4000 patients) that compared traditional acupuncture to either medication or a control group who received sham acupuncture. Similar to traditional acupuncture, the sham therapy entails inserting needles into the skin but the acupuncturist avoids meridians or areas of the body that Chinese medicine teaches contains vital energy associated with achieving balance needed for good health.

The findings are published in the December 2008 issue of Anesthesia and Analgesia. “One of the barriers to treatment with acupuncture is getting people to understand that while needles are used it is not a painful experience,” Gan says. “It is a method for releasing your body’s own natural painkillers.”

Acupuncture therapy is becoming widely available nationwide and a typical course of treatment for chronic headaches requires 30-minute sessions. Many people begin experiencing relief following five to six visits.