Ancient Medicine: Healing the Modern World!

by admin on September 6, 2011

Ancient Medicine: Healing the Modern World!

Acupuncture & Chinese medicine have been a primary health care system in China for over 3,000 years. It is a complete & comprehensive medical system that has emerged through empirical study & observation of the dynamics of our body’s energy life force, or “Qi,” (chee). When this energy flows through the body without obstruction, it carries nourishment (blood, oxygen, food) to the cells, as well as eliminating cellular toxins. This proper flow of Qi will manifest in a healthy & balanced state of wellness.

Acupuncture & Chinese medicine is used to strengthen the body’s natural defense system which serves to prevent disease, control pain, and increase both the ability to function and the quality of one’s own life. The ultimate goal of the TCM practitioner to treat the whole person, not just their symptoms.

Research has indicated that acupuncture affects the central & peripheral nervous system. Acupuncture releases hormones that facilitate the healing response. Other responses have been observed in blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Functioning of gastrointestinal & endocrine system activity has also been well documented.

Essential Fatty Acids, Blood Sugar, and Your Eyes

Today, there is a lot of talk about the nutritional benefits of certain essential oils like Omega-3 (fish oils) and Omega-6 (flax seed oil), to name a few. No oil is better than the other but there are certain fatty acids that are more beneficial for certain people with certain conditions.

Generally speaking if a person with degenerative eye disease like diabetic retinopathy, or a person with an eye disease has high blood sugar, I usually recommend Omega-3 fish oils. People with low blood sugar can benefit from Flax seed oils or other Omega-6 oils.

If you are not sure if your blood sugar is high or low, simply get the results of your last fasting blood test. If the serum Glucose levels are below 85, you most likely have low blood sugar or reactive hypoglycemia. Omega-6 oils will stabilize your low blood sugar.

Therapeutic dosages for oils are 6000 – 10,000 iu/ day. Maintenance dosage is about 3000 iu/ day. In my clinical experience

I have observed that at least 90% of ALL eye patients that I have worked with have some level of blood sugar imbalances. Fatty acids work by stabilizing your blood sugar and therefore reducing the oxidative stress which result from fluctuating blood sugar levels. The eyes are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress and inflammation.

Are your Supplements Working for You?

Body-chemistry analysis is a comprehensive means of evaluating your vital internal functions. Your blood, saliva & urine are utilized for specific analysis and tests. Using this system we can measure your adrenal stress/fatigue, mineral status, free radical oxidation, digestive digestion/ absorption, thyroid function, electrolyte balance, and overall metabolic and hormonal function. In my experience, I have found this system to be the most effective means towards determining specific functional and nutritional imbalances for a healthy & strong body. This program is a superior means of achieving wellness and optimal health.

Can Acupuncture Help with Infertility?

Infertility is a major issue for many young couples these days. Conventional options include hormone therapy, IVF and IUI fertility treatment. The cost of these kinds of treatments can be in the tens of thousands whereas according to research, the chances for success are still very small.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine offer a safe, natural and cost effective way to help couples facing fertility issues. In addition to understanding the relationship of hormonal balance as it related to reproductive health. The practitioner of Chinese medicine seeks out the underlying cause for lack of conception. Once diagnosed, acupuncture, herbs, diet, exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle changes may be recommended to promote fertility and conception. In my experience our therapies clearly dominate conventional therapies in term of obtaining better results. Many women are diagnoses with idiopathic infertility which basically means that they have no idea what the problem is. I have found that many of these “idiopathic” conditions involve sub-clinical hyper and/ or hypo-thyroid issues, circulation problems, anemia’s, blood-sugar imbalances, and undiagnosed chronic infections.

Acupuncture At Work and Play

by admin on September 6, 2011

Acupuncture At Work and Play:

Research on Acupuncture Shows It Can Help Sport & Office InjuriesAcupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical therapy which works to encourage the body to heal itself. In providing treatment an acupuncturist uses small needles on parts of the body.

Acupuncture can be used in two ways to treat injuries, either by treating the injured area only, or by following the principles of traditional Chinese medicine where the patient’s complete picture of health is taken into account.

Acupuncture works at different levels to treat musculoskeletal injuries. It works on the whole body, as following an acupuncture treatment a variety of substances are released including endorphins, serotonin, and neuropeptides/neurotransmitters to aid pain relief and relaxation.

Acupuncture also has local effects. There is evidence that acupuncture can aid healing and resolution of injuries, including reducing pain, increasing local microcirculation and attracting white blood cells to the area, both of which speed the healing rate, and aid dispersal of swelling and bruising. Acupuncture releases chemicals which increase the healing rate of soft tissues, and speed nerve regeneration.

Acupuncture & Sport

There are 29 million sports injuries in Britain each year. One third of these injuries are serious enough to result in medical treatment or to affect normal day-to-day activities. The most common injuries are leg sprains or strains, and half of all tennis players develop tennis elbow.

Acupuncture is one treatment that is increasingly used by top sports players and athletes to treat musculoskeletal problems. It is used both on its own and in conjunction with other therapies such as physiotherapy and osteopathy. Professional sports teams are also now offering acupuncture to their players both to treat an injury and to keep them performing at their peak. Many high profile teams have dedicated acupuncturists on board, including the British Rugby team, many Premiership football teams and the British Olympic team.

There are physical and psychological barriers to peak performance. Musculo-skeletal pain or dysfunction can have an inhibiting effect on training and results. Acupuncture addresses these. It also encourages clear headedness through its relaxing effects on brain waves, and can alleviate anxiety contributing to a better mental state, allowing sports people to perform at their highest level. In 2000 German researchers found that acupuncture increased strength in the quadriceps by 10 per cent.

Recent Research

Several recent studies highlight the effectiveness of acupuncture on various conditions.

Shin splints

Athletes with shin splints were treated with either acupuncture alone, acupuncture and sports medicine or sports medicine. Those treated with either acupuncture or acupuncture in combination with sports medicine felt the greatest pain relief.

Tennis elbow

Sufferers treated with acupuncture had significant reductions in pain and improvements in arm function in comparison to those treated with sham acupuncture. In another study acupuncture was found to be significantly more effective in reducing pain than ultra sound in tennis elbow sufferers.

Stress

Acupuncture was found to combat the increased stress levels suffered by athletes following exercise. It was also found to reduce muscle tension and fatigue.

Neck pain

New research has found that office workers who suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain felt the benefits for 3 years following a course of acupuncture treatment.

Norwegian researchers from the University of Oslo took a group of 24 women office workers who had suffered for several years with chronic neck and shoulder pain with related headaches. Half were treated with acupuncture and half became the control group, who received a sham acupuncture.

The 12 women who had acupuncture received it ten times in a three to four week period, and had fewer headaches and greatly reduced neck and shoulder pain. These improvements were still noticeable three years on.

 

Acupuncture – No Longer a Pain in the Neck

September 6, 2011

Acupuncture – No Longer a Pain in the Neck A study by a team of researchers at the University of Southampton has revealed that Western style acupuncture can be effective in treating chronic neck pain. Moreover, its beneficial effects may be as much to do with the non-specific but powerful effects of the treatment process [...]

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