The Lungs From The Viewpoint of Chinese Medicine
From the perspective of Chinese medicine, the Lung is the organ most likely to have energetic functions that overlap with its Western functions. The lungs actually have the most access to the world outside our bodies if one visualizes where they are located in the body. These organs are the only ones that are in direct contact with the environment. Because of this, they are responsible for the body’s separation and protection against both harmful emotional and physical pathogens. The Lungs are responsible for what is known in Chinese medicine as “wei qi.” From the Western medical viewpoint the wei qi would equate to our immune system. In Chinese medicine the wei qi is believed to shield our body with a protective layer acting as a barrier against the environment. A weak wei qi may mean that you are always sick. Your wei qi is slacking off If you frequently catch a flu or a cold or you seem to be prone to infectious diseases or always feel run-down. The good news is the Chinese herbs and acupuncture can strengthen your wei qi, enabling it to form a wall of protection around your body against those harmful pathogens.
One other sign of a weak wei qi is allergies. If your body has no external barrier, allergens such as pollen or animal dander can enter it easily, causing all the miserable symptoms that affect your lungs the most: runny nose, coughing, sneezing. (In Chinese medicine, the Lungs also control the nose).
The skin it is affected by weakness of the lungs since it is also controlled by the Lung and is the outermost layer of the body. All skin issues, dry skin, rashes, eczema, are related to an imbalance of the Lung.
In terms of emotions the lungs can be significantly affected by grief. You can notice this connection when a person who can’t let go of a loss seems to get sick quite often. The energy of the Lung can be considerably weakened by constant sadness, resulting in a weak protective function. It will be very hard for a person to let go of sadness and go forward in a healthy way, that is, if his Lung qi is weak from the start.
According to TCM, each individual person is believed to possess a constitution of one organ system that is predominant over the other organ systems. A person tends to be controlling, regimented, and more rigid if he/she has a “livery” constitution. A nurturing overdoer who tends to obsess over situations and over-thinks would be a “spleeny” person. Someone who exudes a general air of sadness, worries a lot, is timid, and/or soft-spoken has a dominant Lung constitution. One can usually, identify a Lung person from his posture which is slightly hunched over, as if his body was always preparing to protect itself.
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The Benefits of Battlefield Acupuncture for Soldiers Fighting In War Zones
Currently, painkillers and psychiatric medicines are the most prescribed treatments across the US military. Sadly, these drugs have increased the number of violent suicides to levels never before seen in history. Treatments using mind-altering psychiatric medications that lead to very serious side effects that promote violence are frequently prescribed to soldiers suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). The number of soldiers who have been diagnosed with TBI is 200,000, a staggering figure.
Those lethal medications recklessly prescribed by doctors often come with detrimental effects, more so when the patient has a history of substance abuse and a preexisting PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) condition. One glaring example of the consequences of this would be the massacre in Afghanistan by a US officer of 16 civilians. The officer has a history of treatment of psychiatric medications.
To its credit, the U.S. military has initiated research into the use of battlefield acupuncture as a safer alternative to several lethal drugs rather than to keep on relying on those toxic pharmaceutical products (that overly priced, as well), to help alleviate the conditions of the soldiers.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical procedure that is so effective and simple to use. Our military has recognized the urgency of knowing how to harness its power. United States Air Force doctors being deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq are learning how to use battlefield acupuncture. As expected this 5,000 year-old treatment has produced wonderful results.
Now, all USAF physicians utilize acupuncture as one of their tools for emergency care not just on bases back home but also in frontline hospitals.
What Is Battlefield Acupuncture?
Battlefield acupuncture is a term that was first coined by Col. Richard MD, PhD, in 2001. Dr. Niemtzow currently works as a consultant to the Surgeon General of the Air for Force alternative and complementary medicine. He also serves a U.S. Air Force military medical doctor who practices acupuncture on a full-time basis.
Acupuncture utilizes fiilform needles inserted into five specific acupoints located at the external ear; within five minutes of the needle insertion, the pain vanishes. Its effects can last up to a week or even longer. Each patient responds differently to the treatment and treatment can go on for twice a week to a month or longer. In some instances, longer treatment may be needed.
In the US military, gold semi-permanent needles are used in battlefield acupuncture treatment. They are inserted into specific acupoints of the outer ear and within a day or two are left to fall out on their own. Oftentimes after the needles are inserted, they are manipulated in certain ways for around 10 minutes to enhance stimulation. This procedure is the same as that of traditional ear acupuncture although the former makes use of short needles designed to fit under the soldier’s combat helmet so that the soldier can continue with his missions while the needles are stuck to his ears to alleviate pain.
A Safe, Quick, and Effective Pain-Relieving Treatment
The Acupuncture Today magazine featured an interesting article written by John Amaro, a licensed US acupuncturist. This article discussed the first use of battlefield acupuncture at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany in 2008.
Amaro wrote about one of the pain specialists at the medical center who said that he experienced a 50% decrease in pain of his chronic upper back and shoulder pain that he had been suffering for several years. Because of this groundbreaking success, the specialist utilized the treatment to his most challenging patients who experienced little relief from conventional pain therapies. Within minutes of the insertion of the needles, several of these patients reported a 75% decrease of their pain. Normally, a 25% mitigation of pain would be considered satisfactory with conventional painkillers; therefore we can see that battlefield acupuncture can be oftentimes a superior treatment for pain compared to conventional painkilling medications.
Long been known to be quite a potent treatment for alleviating acute pains, auriculotherapy or ear acupuncture has proven more effective than body acupuncture for the relief of pain. Amaro and other qualified acupuncturists have witnessed significant results when electronic and low-level laser stimulation is directly applied to the points. The acupuncture needles are usually stimulated with these two stimulation-boosting techniques for around 10 minutes.
The acupoints used to treat chronic and acute pains can also be used effectively for the relief of stress- related and psychological-related conditions such as neurasthenia, neurosis, and anxiety.
The Importance of These Statistics to the U.S. military
According to the PBS Frontline documentary The Wounded Platoon, before the US invasion of Iraq, US soldiers in war zones did not take psychiatric drugs. Then around 2007, the number of deployed troops taking sleeping pills and antidepressants rose dramatically to more than 20,000. Those medications enabled PTSD soldiers to stay in combat when they otherwise could not.
The side effects of the most commonly prescribed painkillers include stroke, heart attack, drowsiness, vomiting, dizziness, constipation, nausea, and abdominal bleeding besides the fact that addiction to these drugs can be a deadly disease.
Battlefield acupuncture has the power to aid in the alleviation of pain and often make the need to take pain killing drugs for chronic and acute pain totally unnecessary which helps the patient avoid the side effects of these drugs, not to mention acupuncture being simple and safe to use, and cost-effective, as well. That being said, battlefield acupuncture was not designed to totally replace standard medical care for war-related injuries.
Military personnel, veterans, and soldiers suffering from physical injuries, depression, TBIs, PTSD, and other ailments now have the option of using an alternative therapy capable of managing their pain without the harmful side effects of pharmaceutical and psychiatric medications. Patients are subjected to no or little discomfort besides experiencing virtually zero complications.
Not only is battlefield acupuncture very easy to learn, it can be taught to anyone in a very short period of time. It is a treatment where the patient is guaranteed good results within minutes after its completion.
Using Acupressure and Acupuncture To Relieve Problems Related to Pregnancy
Acupressure and acupuncture procedures for the inducement of labor in Miami can be utilized to naturally and safely start your labor if you are concerned about the adverse effects of drugs. These two therapeutic techniques have been used for over 4,000 years and have proven to safely aid in the induction of labor within two days for more than 80% of women who use them.
A growing number of women are deciding to receive acupressure or acupuncture therapies throughout their pregnancy because of their safety and effectiveness. Both techniques are grounded in the idea of stimulation of selected pressure points or acupoints in certain parts of the body to relieve ailments and balance the flow of natural energy. Acupressure practitioners use their elbows, thumbs, fingers, and hands to stimulate the acupoints by applying pressure to them. Practitioners of acupuncture insert tiny needles into the skin and manipulate the acupoints.
Relieving Morning Sickness
One of the most problematic symptoms of early pregnancy is morning sickness. It can literally suck the happiness right out of your pregnancy. If you are one of those who feel the oppression of severe morning sickness, you may want to consider acupressure or acupuncture to assist you through your nausea. The best and simplest treatment for morning sickness is acupressure. In acupressure, you won’t need anybody to perform this technique on you. You can learn and apply this treatment on yourself whenever you start to feel nauseous.
Reducing Edema (Water Retention)
Acupuncture practitioners stimulate the acupoint known as Hsusanli which is located right above the knee. When activated, this point can aid in digestion and help decrease edema.
Labor Inducement
Acupuncture and acupressure both can help induce labor without the need for potentially harmful strenuous exercise or drugs.
Decrease of Pain during Delivery
When the correct pressure points are stimulated, this triggers the production and release of the body’s own feel-good chemicals known as endorphins. Both acupressure and acupuncture immediately lessen the pain during delivery and in certain cases, even make the taking of painkilling medications totally unnecessary.
Both acupressure and acupuncture can give you healthy and safe treatments for other concerns related to pregnancy. If bruising and pain is what scares you the most about acupuncture, you can choose acupressure as your sole treatment; if you are unable to find an acupressure practitioner near your area, you may want to teach yourself about the procedure so you may perform it on yourself instead. By learning many of the techniques of acupressure you can use them anytime to help manage better your pregnancy.
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture Can Put A Stop to Tinea Fungal Infections Once And For All
Caused by dermatophytes, tinea is a superficial fungal disorder that’s commonly referred to as ringworm. This tinea fungus can only survive in nails, hair, and the topmost layer of skin cells. An infection of this fungus may look similar several other skin conditions, and therefore an appropriate differential diagnosis is required. One marked difference between tinea fungal infections and other fungal skin infections is that in tinea infections, the skin rashes are asymmetrical.
The most common complaint I hear from my patients suffering from ringworm (tinea fungal) infections with regards to Western drugs, is that their condition often recurs once they stop using those drugs. In Chinese herbal treatment and acupuncture however, the infection is not only resolved but the body and skin are strengthened as well making recurrence highly unlikely. Because of this, I recommend to my patients after their symptoms go away, to continue treatment for a few weeks more to ensure that they are in overall good health and that the healing of the infection is consolidated. The body is less susceptible to infections if it is healthy and strong. Of course, the patient also has to make certain lifestyle changes like, instead of walking bare feet, to wear flip-flops in the locker room, in order to avoid coming into contact with the tinea-causing fungus.
The different types of tinea fungal infections include:
1. Jock itch (Tinea of the groin) – Tinea of the groin or tinea cruris is most common during summer. One can also acquire this type of infection in winter when wearing heavy warm clothing causing sweating. In summertime, continuing to wear wet clothes after swimming or sweating can lead to jock itch. Men are very prone to this type of infection, women rarely experience it. Tinea of the groin manifest as plaques shaped like a half-moon. Some sufferers may also experience some scaling. Commonly, a rash with a vesicular border can develop if the infection spreads out of the groin which may also result in small blisters. The buttocks can be affected although the scrotum rarely is.
2. Tinea unguium (Tinea of the nails) – Typically an after effect of tinea of the feet or hands, tinea of the nails usually develops when the nails are damaged. Difficult to treat, tinea infection of the nails will require adherence to treatment protocols and a lot of patience.
3. Tinea corporis (Tinea of the body) – As the name suggests, this ringworm infection affects the body, as well as the limbs and face. Tinea corporis thrives in warm climates and during summer. Raised borders around the rings and annular lesions (ring-shaped rash) are the distinguishing signs of tinea corporis. These rashes may grow together to make new shapes. The raised borders usually expand and can develop into odd shapes. This type of infection can generate a lot of Itching.
4. Athlete’s Foot, Tinea pedis and Tinea manuum (Tinea of the foot and hand) – This type of tinea is usually acquired from communal showers and locker rooms. It affects the hands and feet. The webs between the toes and fingers are where the rash first appears. It eventually spreads to the rest of the hand or foot. Redness, scaling and peeling often develop, and in certain instances, blistering of the skin can also occur. In some individuals, itching may be felt. In severe cases of athlete’s foot, the skin can crack causing pain.
How does Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture in Austin treat tinea infections?
Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture treat ringworm (tinea infections) in a few ways. These two treatments set about doing this by first restoring balance in the patent’s body and strengthening the patient. Most health conditions develop secondary to a specific type of imbalance. Some herbal medications are applied to the area of infection and some are taken internally. Various types of herbs possess anti-fungal qualities so healing is taking place both internally and externally. Some practitioners prescribe topical washes and herbal soaks to provide a potent treatment directly to the sites of the infection.
There are individuals who may not opt for herbal medicine along with acupuncture. This is fine for most skin conditions, but they should expect healing to take considerably longer as their symptoms may take a longer time to disappear. By itself, acupuncture is unlikely to resolve infections when it comes to treating tinea fungal infections. The key to attaining significant and enduring results is by using Chinese herbal medicine. However, the patient should know that if he wants a complete resolution of his symptoms, even when using herbal medicine, he should still strictly adhere to treatment protocols.
Research Confirms the Superiority of Acupuncture Over Standard Medical Care in the Treatment of Osteoarthritic Knee Pain
New studies confirm earlier studies revealing acupuncture’s superior ability to treat osteoarthritic knee pain compared to Western biomedicine treatment.
The website of the Healthcare Medicine Institute posted a study involving a meta-analysis of 14 random, separate clinical trials. It concluded that “Acupuncture provided a larger improvement in function and gave relief for osteoarthritis knee pain that was significantly better than waiting for further treatment or conventional care treatment.” This study involved 3835 participants all suffering from osteoarthritic knee pain.
The study also observed that osteoarthritic knee pain treatment led to “the restoration of function and a much better relief of the pain” compared to conventional biomedical treatment and sham acupuncture.
The HMI said that following the publication of research by the NIH (National Institutes of Health), interest in acupuncture treatment in Bellingham for knee pain sprang. This research, which started in 2006, involved also a meta-analysis of 13 separate studies, “that dealt with adults suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee or chronic knee pain who were randomly chosen for treatment with either placebo acupuncture (sham acupuncture), other sham therapies, active intervention, the usual care, or real acupuncture treatment.”
In the end, the analysis showed that “Acupuncture following the criteria for adequate therapy led to significant improvements in function and pain relief in patients with chronic knee pain compared to no additional intervention and sham acupuncture.”
For thousands of years, acupuncture has been the go to treatment for countless numbers of people suffering from knee pain.
Studies done throughout the years, have demonstrated acupuncture’s value in the treatment of osteoarthritic knee pain in terms of efficacy and cost; furthermore, acupuncture is deemed to be a much better alternative to knee surgery.
The Acupuncture in Medicine journal, in 2008 published a study noting that this ancient form of Chinese medicine was administered for two years on 90 individuals whose ages averaged 71 years old.
The Counsel & Heal reported that the patients, at first, were treated with acupuncture once each week for four weeks and later, the number of treatments was scaled down to once every one and a half months. After a year, 41 of these individuals were still getting treatments and after two more years, 31 were.
Physicians observed that even after the first month, the patients manifested marked improvements in their levels of pain.
Instructed to examine two factors were nurses who were specifically trained to provide acupuncture treatment care; these factors were whether acupuncture was a valid alternative to costly knee replacement surgeries or whether the treatment led to improvements whilst minimizing cost of care.
The study observed that while pundits see knee operations as worth the cost since they’re typically successful, they’re not for everyone, which made searching for alternative options imperative. The reason for this: At that time, it was reported that in one in seven patients were still in constant pain and they were unable to walk far.
These limitations seem to be transcended by acupuncture. While relieving pain, acupuncture led to a reduction in medical cost in the tens of millions in the U.S. each year.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
It may seem a bit strange at first, to those who have never tried acupuncture, but this very old healing technique has survived for thousands of years precisely due to its efficacy in treating certain illnesses.
Filiform or filamentous, sterile needles are stuck just below the surface of the skin in specific parts of the body, based on the condition the patient requires treatment from. (gastrointestinal problems, back pain, sore knees, allergies, etc.).
The acupuncture points or acupoints are where the needles are inserted are controlled by what energy channels called meridians. These channels are where the Chinese believe the vital energy of the body flowed. There are several specific spots along these meridians that regulate levels of health and various parts of the body. The human body has a dozen primary meridians and eight secondary meridians.
If you have stomach problems, this does not necessarily mean that’s where the needles go. A few of the acupoints that are commonly used include:
Stomach – The acupoint that’s situated on the leg’s front below the knee.
Lungs – The acupoint found on the inside of the arm above the wrist.
The Large Intestine – The acupoint found between the thumb and index finger on the back of the hand.
Research Confirms Acupuncture’s Ability to Ameliorate Pain
Research shows that acupuncture reduces pain following C-section surgery (and other surgeries) and the use of painkillers in a significant way.
Researchers in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Medical University did a study that was published in the 2009 edition of the Chinese Medical Journal. In the study, 60 women who had C-section surgery were randomly assigned to either a group that would receive with electro-acupuncture or acupuncture treatment or to a control group for the relief of postsurgical pain. They found that the group treated with acupuncture or electro-acupuncture showed much lower pain scores within a full 24 hours following C-section, used an average 32.5% less morphine, requested morphine treatment an average of 10 minutes later and experienced lesser side-effects related to morphine compared to the control group.
Pain Relief Using Acupuncture Treatment in New York
A traditional Chinese medical practice, acupuncture consists of sticking filform needles into certain areas of the body where energy channels called meridians are located as dictated by the health condition being addressed. An increasing amount of scientific research now validates acupuncture’s ability in addressing a wide variety of health issues, especially pain. Private insurance companies are now providing coverage for this type of treatment.
There have been earlier studies done than the Cesarean study discussed above that have connected acupuncture to lesser usage of painkilling drugs following surgery. In 2008, a Duke University research team did a study which was discussed in a conference of the American Society for Anesthesiology also on 2008. The conference reviewed the results of the study which involved 15 independent clinical trials on pre- and post-surgery acupuncture treatment. They outcome of the study revealed that acupuncture helped reduce the levels of pain in a significant way as well as helped decrease the use of painkilling drugs in patients after surgery regardless if it (acupuncture) was administered before and after surgery.
Because painkillers were used much less, it led to fewer side effects. The subjects who weren’t given acupuncture treatment were 3 ½ times likely to experience urinary retention problems, 1 ½ times more likely to suffer from nausea, 1 3/5 times likelier to experience dizziness, and 3 ½ times more likely to resort to painkillers.
For addressing all types of pain, including, of course, the above-mentioned post-surgical pain, acupuncture seems to be extremely effective. In 2008, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a study in which 1,162 adults all suffering from longstanding lower back pain were randomly divided into either a group that received Western conventional therapy of exercise and medications, a group treated with sham acupuncture or to a group that was given real acupuncture treatment. Results showed that only 27% of the patients who received Western conventional treatment experienced a 33% reduction of pain and betterment in their functional capabilities compared with the 48% and 44% of the ones treated with real acupuncture and sham acupuncture respectively.
In 2012, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a meta-analysis review, about data collated from 29 past studies in which a total of 18,000 individuals participated. The subjects in these studies all suffered from chronic (longstanding) pain caused by shoulder pain, neck pain, back pain, or headaches. The participants were assigned either to conventional Western therapies (physical therapy and medications), sham acupuncture, or real acupuncture. On a pain scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is the lowest score for pain felt and 100 being the highest, the researchers measured an average pain score of 60 at the start of any given study. At the end of the study the real acupuncture group scored an average 30, the score of the sham acupuncture registered 32, while that of the Western conventional treatment group scored an average of 43.
From these outcomes, some researchers theorize that the placebo effect accounts for much of the success of acupuncture’s pain-relieving abilities and that it does truly work; knowing why it works seems irrelevant, states University of California-San Francisco researcher Andrew Avins. He suggested in an article published in in 2012, in the Archives of Internal Medicine, that there is scientific evidence that now justifies acupuncture’s use for patients suffering from acute or chronic pain.
Believe It Or Not, Acupuncture Works For Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a condition many acupuncturists have had the opportunity of treating. Some of them were delighted that their scoliosis patients responded well to the treatment even if Western medicine sees this condition is a very hard spine disorder to resolve without surgery or the use of a brace. The condition, generally speaking, is usually caused by an imbalance in the strength of the back’s right side and left side. The hips can also suffer from an imbalance that the spine has to compensate for.
In treating scoliosis patients, the traditional way is to beef up the back’s weaker side, and to relax its stronger, tighter side. Acupuncturists use the acupoints along the Du Meridian, Huatuojiaji acupoints, and the meridian associated with the Urinary Bladder. A type of Japanese acupuncture that uses magnets to balance out both sides of the hip has been shown to work very well.
Some Chinese herbal formulas can be made to help strengthen the back. These herbs are designed to tonify Kidney energy and remove stagnation. In tincture form, a western herb known as Solomon’s Seal can very be helpful in balancing out the ligaments and tendons on both sides of the back while it strengthens the spine.
Some patients with S–shaped or C-shaped curvature have responded well to the treatment. Actually, in most patients, the curves do lessen over time, usually in a rapid way. Some acupuncturists have seen patients experience improvements in terms of alleviation of their discomfort and pain. Some acupuncturists, within a few weeks of treatment, have observed curves as extreme as 45 degrees improve. A few practitioners have frequently witnessed incredible improvements in the angle of curvature after just a single treatment.
In 2009, a study published in the Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine dealt with the effectiveness of acupuncture on the treatment of scoliosis. The researchers saw that after six weeks of treatment, the spine’s angle of curvature declined by ten degrees in a patient with a curvature of 35 degrees. The patient had two years of previous conventional treatment that failed to stop the curvature degradation of the patient.
For best acupuncture scoliosis treatment outcomes, in order to ease built-in tension, it is important to reinforce the back’s weaker side by using it for activities involving weight bearing, and to stretch out the back’s stronger side regularly. Over time, the spine’s capacity to correct itself to a great degree will take effect which eventually helps the body develop greater symmetry.
Three Ancient Chinese Wisdoms Deemed Solutions To Everyday Wellness Concerns
Occasionally, an issue that develops in one part of the body can be a sign of an illness elsewhere in the spirit, mind, or body. This basically mirrors the Chinese perspective of balance, the notion that everything in life is connected. Do positive modification in one area, and you can see desired changes affect other aspects facets of your world, life, or body. What a refreshing and powerful concept!
Chinese medicine tends to be sensitive and gentle with intentions of maintaining or restoring balance and boosting vital energy flow or qi flow, at its core; that is, without the adverse side effects that oftentimes come with more invasive therapies. The important albeit small methodologies as well as diet and lifestyle changes that have been practiced by the ancients are easy to implement and sensible indeed.
To put this venerable knowledge to work, we will mention three ancient Chinese wisdoms deemed solutions to everyday wellness concerns.
1. Your Aim: to have Smooth Digestion – if after eating, you feel uncomfortable, unsettled, or bloated, even when meals are properly portioned and healthful the cause of the problem might not be the food. What can cause imbalances in your ability to digest, absorb, and burn nutrients is the manner in which you eat.
The Chinese medicine Treatment: Key to a more relaxed digestive system is to be proactive in seeking ways to stop worrying. The body’s ability to get what it needs from foods can be interrupted by anxiety. This interruption can also cause water retention (edema) in your body. Eating and working at the same time may reduce digestive qi and disrupt the healthy normal functioning of your abdomen. By separating these activities, you can smooth the digestive process. Make sure you your eat meals in a quiet environment and manner and avoid noise and distractions. Also, as too much cold can slow down the digestive process, so do not drink ice water.
Acupressure treatment: Press above the web between the second and third toes on the top of your foot.
Some patients appreciate the Chinese way of healing as it is quite effective; it does not require radical changes to attain significant improvements to your own wellbeing.
2. Your Aim: to Have Strong Bones and Teeth – For those suffering from frequent tooth decay or fragile bones, your condition may not only be discomforting, it can also affect you daily life in a huge way.
The Chinese Medicine Treatment: Your skeletal system’s and teeth’s health can mirror the health of your Kidney Qi; therefore, to remedy bone and dental problems, optimizing the kidney meridian is needed. To strengthen this pathway, take small amounts of salty foods. Also, eating, squash, mushrooms, seaweed, melons, and grapes can emphasize self-compassion and minimize fear both of which can bring back balance in your body.
Acupressure Treatment
Press the acupoint located on the region next to your inside ankle bone.
3. Your Aim: to Become Thin – A body /mind strategy that no one diet can deliver is needed in order to shed those pounds. If you have the tendency to go straight for comfort foods when bored, during times of emotional distress, when you feel annoyed or nervous, then you need to take hold of your emotions. You may want to look and feel your best, but emotions result in overeating or mindless munching. Your distress will only increase if you pack in too much pounds.
Your Chinese Medicine Treatment
Greasy, fatty, and sugary foods can weaken the function of your Spleen Meridian. Consuming these foods when you are emotionally down might be a quick fix to your emotional needs, but their effect on your health can be dramatic and long-term. Junk foods can compromise your overall wellness by weakening your natural immunity and depriving you of energy not to mention taking you further from your aim of losing weight. But you also need to carefully choose seemingly healthful substitutions to eat. Avoid eating raw cold foods that require a lot of qi to digest. Instead, go for steamed items. Also, carry out activities that can relieve and calm the feeling of being overburdened as this can help your qi to circulate freely.
Acupressure treatment
Press your lower inner leg, four finger widths from above your inner ankle bone.
If you believe that the time has come for you to try Chinese medicine, remember to put those three sensible and simple aforementioned solutions to the test. Overall wellness and greater balance will be your reward.
The Importance of De Qi In Acupuncture Treatment
A new Chinese study comparing standard acupuncture to a more intensive form of the treatment saw that the latter led to greater improvements in function for facial paralysis-stricken patients.
Scientists discovered that when the acupuncture needles are wiggled after being inserted into the skin, it generated a sensation known as “de qi” which gave the patient a better chance of getting back his/her full facial function within half a year than if the needles were left alone after being inserted into the skin.
Wuhan, Hubei, Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education Dr, Wei Wang states that de qi “needs to be taken into consideration in acupuncture treatment clinical guidelines.”
The study failed to observe how well patients would have recovered without being given acupuncture, so there’s no way of telling whether the treatment worked any better than no therapy at all or Western conventional modalities.
Wang said that de qi can be a blend of feelings – including tingling, warmth, coolness, and achiness – which TCM or traditional Chinese medicine sees as a good sign that guarantees good therapeutic results.
Wang added that “although the belief about de qi has been held by TCM practitioners for thousands of years, it has not yet been confirmed by Western medicine.” He and his colleagues requested 317 adult Bell’s palsy patients to receive 30-minute acupuncture treatments for five days for a whole month to see whether de qi makes a difference to acupuncture therapy’s effectiveness.
Bell’s palsy usually lasts a few months and is a temporary facial paralysis that oftentimes affects side one of a person’s face. The condition is usually caused by a viral infection causing facial nerve inflammation. The most common treatment for it is the steroid prednisone. Also used for treatment are physical therapy, vitamins, and over-the-counter analgesics.
Based on statistics from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 40,000 people in the United States develop Bell’s palsy each year.
Since the recuperation of the facial nerves affected by Bell’s may seem not to be as susceptible to the placebo effect as pain and other nerve conditions, Wang and his group decided to focus on this condition.
Treatments that were meant to generate de qi were randomly assigned to half of the subjects. All the subjects were given prednisone. The treatment involved the twisting of the needles by the acupuncturist as well as moving the needles up and down many times during the procedure. The rest of the subjects were also treated with acupuncture without any manipulation of the needles while they were inserted into the subjects’ skin.
Neurologists measure the facial function score of the subjects on a scale of 200 with higher numbers corresponding to better movement. The neurologists were not told what type of treatment each subject was given.
Subjects In both groups started out with facial function scores around 130 – 135. Those in the de qi group showed improved facial function such as baring teeth, blinking, and raising the eyebrows after half a year of treatment. The acupuncture without de qi group scored 186, while the de qi group scored 195, on average.
Wang noted that it’s hard to know just what these numbers signify in terms of the performance of the facial muscles – say, whether the patient a person can fully smile or not – although a nine point difference can be readily noticeable to the subjects. Also, the researchers saw that 77% in the acupuncture group without de qi treatment showed complete facial function after six months, while 94% of the subjects given de qi treatment did. Despite acupuncture’s success, no one can explain how it is able to treat Bell’s palsy.
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School assistant professor Dr. Jian Kong explains that the acupuncture needles tend to boost the flow of blood in the face “therefore, doctors can provide more nutrition to the affected part and quickly lessen the inflammation in order for the person to recover. “
Like the researchers, Kong agreed that de qi is a key factor in acupuncture study, and unfortunately, it is usually ignored. Why is this so? Kong explained that clinical studies usually overlook de qi because acupuncturists practice different types of acupuncture with some giving greater importance on de qi than others.
De qi is also difficult to quantify, subjective and complex. Kong said that there are people who even think that, at times, the acupuncturist’s sensations may even be a stronger factor in generating de qi than the patient’s. He added that “a lot of clinical trials don’t measure de qi sensation so no one really knows how clinical results are connected to this sensation. The lack of testing standards when it comes to acupuncture treatment is perhaps the reason research has produced a mixed bag of results – sometimes not showing a benefit and other times producing one.” He said that “acupuncture’s effect can be significantly compromised when de qi is not elicited.”
Dr. Kong continued by saying that he and other researchers have been developing standard de qi scales in order to give uniformity across studies. He said that “we can hopefully, know hen, how de qi is related with the study’s results.”
Vickery Health & Wellness
18455 Burbank Blvd #306
Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 578-6730
http://www.vickeryhealth.com/
Overcoming Anxiety with More Natural and Safer Treatments
Do you live with severe anxiety on a daily basis? Has it become a daily part of your life? Have you always felt overwhelmed by life and have been unable to control it? There can be several signs of anxiety. It may manifest as apprehension, palpitations, obsessive thinking, and palpitations due to fear of future uncertainties.
If you are suffering from severe and/or chronic anxiety, I can help.
In my clinic, I have been treating quite a number of patients who believed they had tried everything (from drugs to counseling therapy) but have found no answer in the curing of their problem. A lot of these individuals only tried acupuncture because it’s the last thing they still haven’t tried. I now staunchly vouch for the extreme effectiveness of a treatment in Vancouver that combines acupuncture, aromatherapy, Chinese herbs, counseling, and yoga and meditation, and nutrition therapy in dealing with the signs of symptoms of anxiety and its underlying root causes based on my experience working with a lot of these anxiety-plagued patients. This type of approach is definitely a lot less invasive to the brain and a lot more comprehensive than the use of SSRI medicines. It not only influences the patient’s biochemical aspects, but also his/her energetic, spiritual, and nutritional dimensions, as well.
We live in a society full of neurotics. There are over 39 million Americans suffering long-term anxiety/ depression and the number just keeps on rising each year. Antidepressant drugs are taken by one out of eight adult Americans. While they (the drugs) do provide some benefits and help for some, a lot of people find that these drugs do not work for them. This may due to certain reasons:
1. A system of belief suggesting their anxiety condition is not the result of a chemical imbalance but rather of a condition that’s spiritual in nature
2. Too much sensitivity to the drug that makes the drug ineffectiveness and/or weakens its benefits.
3. A tolerance to the medicine causing a lessening of its potency.
4. Several unwanted side effects which make the benefits not worthwhile
Acupuncture:
Acupuncture has been used for more than 2,500 years. It is a branch of TCM or traditional Chinese medicine that addresses issues in the energetic level of a person’s body/mind. It may come as a surprise to some people that acupuncture is actually a treatment that generates a profoundly relaxing experience which promotes balance and a deep quality of restoration to the CNS (central nervous system). The patient comes out of the treatment feeling changed, sleepy, dreamy or relaxed and this feeling tends to linger for some time after the therapy; with frequent sessions, it becomes a more continuous experience. Acupuncture balances the body’s internal life work which is the flow of Qi in the body. In Chinese medicine the derivative of anxiety is a weak Qi in the kidneys or heart. Accompanying anxiety are the symptoms of nightmares, low back pain irritability, heart palpitations, and insomnia.
Essential Oil Therapy:
For anxiety disorders, there are several wonderful essential oils that can help. These include:
– Lavender
– Marjoram
– Chamomile
– Jasmine
– Neroli
– Rose
Be aware that these oils are of medical grade with intact active chemical ingredients.
Chinese Herbs:
For anxiety conditions, certain powerful Chinese herbal formulas can be used. Some of the most commonly used herbs for the treatment of anxiety include:
– Calm spirit
– Peaceful spirit formula
– Suan Hsiao ren tang
– Amber and salvia
– Free and easy wanderer
– Heavenly emperor’s formula
Some of the Western herbs used for treating and can be easily found in health food stores are:
– Kava
– Chamomile
– Passion flower
– Lemon balm
– Valerian
Yoga and Meditation
Yoga and meditation are the two most powerful allies of people who want to heal their anxiety problems. When practiced regularly, the various forms of posture and breathing techniques can help people gain better control of their anxiety to the point that it does not anymore affect their lives in a strong and profound way. These passive practices can lead to the restoration and relaxation of your nervous system. They can, on a deeper level, instill in us safety and an unshakable sense of trust in the workings of the universe by helping make a spiritual link with our lives.
Our symptoms are never random from a holistic point of view. When they creep in, there’s always a reason for that. When talking about anxiety, it can help to not attach ourselves from our own feelings about what’s causing the worry and instead see the bigger picture. Is our anxiety telling us something about our life that we probably need to change or understand? Whatever the answer is the abovementioned practices can give you some support in getting to the underlying reason of your problem and help you set a course towards insight and peace.
Nutrition
Stabilizing and maintaining your proper blood sugar levels throughout the day are some of the most important things you need to consider when dealing with anxiety. Hypoglycemia is a condition most of anxiety patients have in common. To start the day, these people often drink coffee and eat refined carbohydrates. Later on, they experience a sugar crash that tends to occur around 2pm to 4pm. Start the day right by eating a high protein breakfast consisting of turkey bacon, eggs, turkey bacon, whey, whole oats, or goat protein. Every two to three hours eat a low glycemic snack. Don’t drink coffee and other caffeine products. Your anxiety can improve by also not eating allergenic foods such as wheat, refined sugar, pasteurized dairy, and gluten.
For the treatment of anxiety below is a list of helpful nutritional supplements:
– 5HTP
– B vitamin complex
– Fish oil
– GABA