Chinese Nutritional Techniques For Solving The Health Crisis In America
Learning Chinese Nutritional Techniques
Oneof the most puzzling dilemma the Western world faces today is how to eat healthy. Despite the fact that every few months we hear in the news the latest diet trend, a lot of people continue to gain weight.Moreand more health problems occur that are directly related to bad eating habits. This is quite possibly the reason some people are relying on Eastern holistic systems to curb their diet and weight.
The Main Concept of Chinese Nutrition
The principle of yin and yang is at the core of Chinese nutritional therapy in Fort Lauderdale. Yin and yang are two opposing complementary forces that are often depicted in Tai chi as a swirling black and white circle that are harmoniously combined while simultaneously exhibiting stark differences. In Taoist philosophy, the feminine principle is represented by yin while yang represents the masculine principle. Good health arises when these forces are in balance and harmony.
Theyin and yang is an indispensable aspect of Chinese nutrition.
Yin and Yang’s Role in Chinese Nutrition
In Chinese nutrition, balance between yin and yang is very much desired just as it is desired in other aspects of life. Because of this, Chinese food is categorized as one or the other of these dualities. For instance, yin is associated with fruits and vegetables while yang is affiliated with meat.
The best way to eat healthily is to consume a proper balance of both yin and yang dishes. You can go online and visit websites where there are articles written by some Chinese medicine practitioners listing all the foods that are classified either as yin or yang.
If you want to have proper harmony and balance in your diet, then learning these classifications is a must.
The Effects of an Imbalanced Diet
In China, people consider most health problems to be the result of a diet lacking in balance. For instance, if you’re tired too much and feeling weak, this may indicate that you’re consuming excess amounts of yin foods.
On the other hand, eating too much yin foods can lead to rheumatism and overconsumption of yang foods that can lead to ulcers. ‘Heatiness,’is the Chinese term for this.
InChina, this concept is taken very seriously, more so when a family member gets sick. Soups made from yin and yang ingredients are usually cooked and fed to a person who is suffering. The Chinese people are often concerned with what they’re eating even when they are healthy. This is why they maintain this healthy balance in their diet.
Chinese Medicine And Preventing Colon Cancer
I want to read to you a headline of an article I found this morning. It’s from the Science Daily from Penn State. It says, “Medical marijuana has gained attention in recent years for its potential to relieve pain and short-term anxiety and depression.” The researchers say, “Some cannabinoid compounds may actually inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells in the lab.”
That means the medical marijuana can slow down the growth of cancer cells. I don’t know way that would be, and I would advise you that if you’re going to smoke cannabis, don’t smoke it unless it’s rare, eat it, because if you’re getting high every weekend, you don’t want to be adding hot gases to your upper body because the hot gases 1could damage it.
But really, all we want to talk about in this article is colon cancer, which is a terrible problem. Just like everything else, this type of cancer is a combination of genes and lifestyle. If you have the gene that causes colon cancer and it gets switched on, then you need to be lean and clean on the inside since, more often than not, a lot of people tend to overeat. It’s not eating the wrong food that’s the problem, it’s eating too much. Eating too many calories will make you fat and along with that fat comes a cesspool of toxins in the colon.
In other words, half processed foods will cause what in Chinese medicine in Maitland, is called food stagnation. If you’re eating too much food, and you don’t exercise, food and other materials will stagnate in the body in the body, which will build the pressure in your body. By nature, the food should be trying to get out but it can’t because it’s not being processed and it’s overloaded.
The digestive apparatus is unable to process the food and so the food just sits there and becomes toxic. If those toxins stay there in the body or a while, the body could experience all kinds of problems. Issues such as sinus problems and skin problems would be the first indication. Over time, the toxins can cause the development of nasty little tumors and polyps, which thrive and grow because of the environment and eventually they become a big problem.
Hunger is your meter from being clean and lean, especially if you’re overweight or obese. So it’s worth it to back off food for a while. Whatever it takes, stay off the food. In Chinese medicine, prevention is the most important factor to good health. So, time and time again, Chinese medicine encourage you to eat the right foods, eat them in moderation, get a good night’s sleep and exercise every day.
This is one way to prevent colon cancer and any type of cancer from developing in your body, even if you have a predisposition to cancer.
Chinese Herbal Medicine Si Wu Tang, The Four Substance Decoction
Si Wu Tang is a basic formula that is often prescribed for women in China. By basic, I mean that the four herbs will be the principal herbs of the final prescription indicated for the patient together with other herbs specific for the patient’s condition. I think this formula is a good starting point for appreciating Chinese herbal medicine.
Students of Chinese medicine usually start by learning Ma Huang Tang and Wei Ju Tang, formulas, which are more difficult to understand and can easily be misunderstood. These formulas are commonly used to treat painful menstruation or dysmenorrhea. It is also used for amenorrhea or scanty menstruation. Chinese doctors have always paid attention to menstruation as an important indicator of women’s health and fertility.
Most texts state that Si Wu Tang was first noted in a 12th century Song Dynasty text in the pharmacopeia of the Taiping Welfare Dispensary Bureau.But it may well originally be derived from the third century formula, XiongGui Jiao Ai Tang, which appears from the Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet, written by Zhang Zhongjing.
This version of the formula has indications in line with currently accepted opinions on the actions of Si Wu Tang. Si Wu Tang has always been a popular formula and was very often prescribed by ancient Chinese doctors.
What category of formula is Si Wu Tang?
Chinese herbal medicine formulas are arranged in categories and Si Wu Tang is classified under the category of tonifying or nourishing formulas. Within the category of tonifying formulas, there are six subcategories, according to which aspect of the body will be nourished. Specifically, Si Wu Tang is a blood tonifying formula.
Si Wu Tang or the Four Substance Decoction is probably the most prosaic name of all Chinese formulas. Si means four. Wu just means a thing, substance or matter. Tang means decoction but it also means soup and indeed, a decoction is very much a soup made out of herbs that are boiled in water for a certain amount of time.
The actions of this formula are acknowledged:
1. To nourish and regulate the blood.
2. To regulate menstruation and remove stagnation.
Composition of Si Wu Tang
The formula consists of four herbs: dang gui or Chinese Angelica root, shu di huang or cooked rehmannia root, bai shao or white peony root and chuanxiong or cnidium rhizome. In China, prescriptions were written out using Chinese characters. Outside China, there is a strong movement to use the unique Latin name, which would avoid confusion, but the names tend to be very much longer.
As a matter of principle, when writing out a prescription, it is certainly better to avoid the common English name, as some common names can vary by region or apply to different plants. A typical dosage for Si Wu Tang’s 9 g each of dang gui and bai shao, 12 g of shu di huang and 6 g of chuanxiong. In general, the amount stated in formulas are indicative and it is the ratio of the ingredients that it is of the greatest importance.
Different people will respond to different decoction strengths, and experience and feedback are important in determining dosage appropriate for your patient. Once we learn the properties of the herbs, we can determine how to vary the dosages of each individual herb, depending on the patient’s condition. It is useful to note that we are using the roots and rhizomes of these plants.
This is indicative of herbs that nourish. For information, rhizome is actually an underground stem and not a root. Three herbs in this formula dang gui, bai shao and shu di huang are considered to be blood tonifying. It’s worth noting that the Chinese term buxue has been translated in a number of ways, that is to tonify, nourish, enrich, supplement, reinforce or strengthen.
It should be emphasized that we’re not talking about a direct chemical problem in the composition of the blood. Chinese medicine is not based on laboratory tests but on the sensations perceived by the doctors when they palpate the patient’s pulse. The pulse may indicate that something appears to be lacking in the blood and these herbs provide that something.
This notion of lacking is termed blood deficiency of blood vacuity and it can be determined from the pulse and the pallor of the patient’s features. This is not necessarily synonymous with anemia, as recognized in Western blood tests, although these two conditions may coincide.
Chuanxiong is considered to be a blood invigorating herb. Huoxue is often translated as invigorating, moving or quickening the blood or improving blood circulation. These herbs treats blood stagnation. This can mainly be seen from the patient’s tongue and pulse. On a cultural note, this is how Chinese students learn formulas and herbs.
There is a short poem associated with each formula. In this case, the poem is as follows:
siwushudigui shao xiong
buxuetioaxue ci fang zong
yingxuaxuzhizhuduozheng
jiajianyunyongguibiantong
Chinese education emphasizes learning texts by heart and poems such as this are a big help to Chinese students to master hundreds of formulas. This poem gives both the ingredients of the formula, its actions and under which conditions should be used. As you can see, the Chinese language is very terse, which facilitates abbreviations and enable students to learn these properties more easily.
Properties of Ingredients
So now for some more detail in the individual herbs.
Dang Gui
Dang gui is Chinese Angelica root and has been known for a while in the West under a number of spellings. It has an oily texture and tends to be cut into longer thin strips. Its properties are sweet, acrid and warm. It is associated with the heart, liver and spleen channels. From the five transformation diagram, the sweet property is associated with the spleen channel.
The characteristics of dang gui are that it both tonifies and invigorates the blood with more emphasis on tonification. And it also regulates menstruation and alleviates or stops pain. You should be careful about using dang gui if the patient suffers from diarrhea or abdominal fullness. The patient may show a tongue with a thick coating, which would imply dampness.
You’ll also need to be careful about using dang gui if the patient is taking certain Western medicines are supplements.
Shu Di Huang
Shu di huang is Chinese foxglove root that is prepared by mixing with the rice wine and screaming until the roots are black and moist. The herbs are then dried in the sun. The herb is sweet and moist, slightly warm in nature and very cloying. It has a characteristic overbaked look and is associated with the heart, kidney and liver channels.
The characteristics of shu di wang are that it tonifies blood, enriches yin, generates essence and augments the marrow. It should be underlined that shu di wang is a very cloying and rich substance and can on the body like a heavy dessert. It can aggravate dampness and impede digestion. It should be used carefully in case of Chi stagnation and excessive phlegm.
Bai Shao
Bai shao is white peony root. It is produced from the roots of cultivated paeonialactea flora with the skin removed. It’s properties are bitter, sour and mildly cold and it is associated with the liver and spleen channels. From the five transformations diagram, the sour flavor is associated with the liver. The actions of bai shao are that it tonifies blood and regulates menstruation.
It conserves Yin and and stops sweat. It alleviates pain, nourishes and softens the liver and stabilizes liver yang. Because bai shao is called inhibiting, you should be careful about prescribing it to a patient who has a weak stomach or who suffers from diarrhea. It should not be prescribed for very long periods.
ChuanXiong
Chuanxiong is cnidium root or lovage root. Each one in its name is associated with the province Szechuan. It has a characteristic irregular shape with a darker margin. Its properties are acrid and warm and it is associated with the liver, gallbladder and pericardium channels. Its key characteristics are that it invigorates the blood, promotes the movement of Chi and expels wind.
It is very often used to treat headaches. Chuanxiong should be used with great care during pregnancy or if the patient bleeds easily or has profuse menses. It should not be used in cases of Yin deficiency where there is general dryness and the patient has a red dry tongue.
If we look at a summary of the herbs in the formula, we see that the mixture of herbs is mildly warming and has two herbs that are sweet and two that are acrid contributing to its blood nourishing and blood moving characteristics. If we look at the organs and channels associated with the herbs, we see that all the herbs are associated with the liver.
We can look at dang gui and chuanxiong as paired herbs. Dang gui is mainly associated with blood tonification and nourishment and chuanxiong is mainly associated with blood movement or invigoration. Dang gui is somewhat oily in texture and tends to moisturize. The dryness of chuanxiong balances the somewhat greasy texture of dang gui.
Actions and use of Si Wu Tang
Si Wu Tangis said to nourish and regulate or harmonize the blood. It also regulates menstruation and moves or transforms stagnation. We can look at this through the metaphor of a boat on a river that is running dry. The shallow water represents blood deficiency in this will impede the boat’s movement. Also, if the water does not flow, will not move easily.This represents blood stagnation.
So it is important that there should be enough water or the patient’s case, blood in that it should be free to move. It’s interesting to compare the properties of Si Wu Tang as a formula with that of one of its constituent herbs, dang gui. Even though one of dang gui’s properties is to invigorate blood, this action is minor compared to its function of nourishment.
By looking at the functions of all the herbs in the formula, we can see that the other herbs help to modulate the nourishment and the integration of blood in this helps us to see that the formula is appropriate for a syndrome of blood deficiency and stagnation. The syndrome can be identified by the following signs and symptoms:
The patient complains of a feeling of weakness and fatigue and if the patient is a woman, she’ll be having menstrual problems.
Patient has pale features, which may include their face, eyes, lips, nails and especially their tongue.
Their pulse is thin and rough or thin and tight. Menstrual problems may include dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, irregular menstruation or spotting.
Other symptoms may include dizziness are blurred vision, heart palpitations and insomnia.
Western Evidence
One of the most respected forms of Western evidence are Cochrane reviews. Cochrane reviews are systematic of primary research in human health care and health policy and are internationally recognized as the highest standard of evidence-based health care resources. A 2008 Cochrane review supported the use of formulas based on Si Wu Tang on dysmenorrhea.
There are some circumstances when Si Wu Tang should not be used. This is especially the case when the patient has a body constitution that indicates dry heat or internal fire. This would be indicated by red eyes, dry mouth and tongue, swollen gums, a tendency to have acne and a feeling of being easily constipated.
To summarize, Si Wu Tang:
• Treats menstrual problems: dysmenorrhea
• Treats blood deficiency and stagnation syndrome
• Nourishes and regulates blood
• Regulates menstruation and moves stagnation
Blue Mountain Acupuncture
2200 Melrose St Suite 9
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Phone: (509) 876-4597
https://www.bluemountainacupuncture.com
Chinese Cupping Therapy For Hypotension And Hypertension
Treatment for Hypotension
The pathological area of senile hypotensive involves the kidney, spleen and heart. The condition is usually caused by sexual and physical overstrain, poor diet, weak constitution and old age. The pathogenic factors primarily involve healthy qi deficiency occasionally interspersed with pathogenic asthenia.
Targeted acupuncture points and techniques:
Acupoints selected:Bl 26 (Guanyuanshu), Bl23(Shenshu), Bl20(Pishu), Bl17 (Geshu), Ki 1 (Yongquan), (Shanzhong), Sp6(Sanyinjiao), St 36(Zusanli), Qihaiand Zhongwan.
Techniques: advise the patient to lie or sit down. Then apply cupping on the aforementioned acupoints using dry cupping or vacuum cups. It’s important to note that that you should keep the cups sucking for about 10 to 15 minutes over the acupoints once each day, and seven to ten days as one treatment course.
Treatment for Hypertension
In TCM, hypertension is similar to headache and dizziness and is usually brought about by constitutional defects, emotional factors, overstrain and poor diet resulting in Yin failing to control failing Yang, frequent asthenia of kidney Yin, phlegm disturbing the upper, or hyperactivity of liver fire. It may be due to depletion of yin involving yang and asthenia of yin and yang in length and illness.
Targeted acupuncture points and techniques:
Acupoints selected: group one, Bl 23 (Shenshu), Bl 20 (Pishu), Bl 15 (Xinshu), Bl 18 (Ganshu), Danzhui
group two, inside circulation line of 7thcervical vertebra to the sacroiliac of DU energy channel and cystis. Sanyinjiaoxue, Zsusanli or Quchi
Techniques:
Before applying cups on the acupoints for 10 to 15 minutes,use a dermal needle stick or a triangle-edged needle, and take only one set of acupoint through use of venesected cupping, leave the cup for 10 to 15 minutes. It’s important that that you do this once a set every other day.
Or else, you can take the second set of acupoints. You should first put massage oil lubricant on the back of the patient and move the cups on the skin surface until it turns purplish. Then cup on the acupoints of Sanyinjiao, Zusanlior Quchi, for 10 to 15 minutes. It’s important that you do this once every other day or once a day.
Amy-SuiQun Lui, L.Ac. is a Board Certified and Licensed Acupuncturist in Cleveland, OH.
Birth-Control Pills Increase The Risk Of Autoimmune Diseases And Thyroid Conditions
The topic of this article will deal with thyroid dysfunction and estrogen dominance in traditional Chinese medicine or TCM. The thyroid is in charge of energy metabolism. For the past 17 years, I have treated many young ladies between the ages of 13 to 18 years old and I have noticed that a lot of them were diagnosed with hypothyroid conditions. They started taking Synthoid, a drug that treats hypothyroidism. I was kind of wondering what has caused their early onset of thyroid dysfunction.
I tried to trace the medical history of these girls and they all took birth-control pills for acne, to avoid pregnancy, to regulate their periods and for other reasons. Many of them have irregular period as teenagers, which is normal and then I read some books related to thyroid dysfunction.
One book was written by Dr. Steven Hertz and another book by a gynecologist named Dr. Carolyn Dean. They cast this word called estrogen dominance, which means that when you don’t ovulate or when your ovary function is not sufficient, you won’t produce enough progestin which causes the estrogen to be out of balance with progesterone.
In that condition, even if you have normal thyroid hormones, the body, particularly the liver, produces a kind of protein that binds with the thyroid hormones. This means that even though you can have normal blood tests, the thyroid hormone is actually not working.That is how the teenagers were observed to experience lower energy levels, weight gain and their periods to become even more irregular.
If they can find another way to reduce their acne or avoid pregnancy by using a condom, then I think their thyroid function will be much better. At this young age, I just think their body can fix or repair themselves if they eat right and sleep at the right time at the right hours. There is also a link about how birth-control increases the risk of autoimmune diseases and thyroid cancer.
Autoimmune disease is linked with an imbalance of the hormones, especially estrogen dominance condition, and the hyperactive immune function produces more antibody to attack different areas. In some people, the area affected would be the thyroid, which can lead to a variety of diseases such as Hashimoto’s disease or hypothyroid. Some people may suffer from colitis or Crohn’s disease. This will depend on what is the weakest point in your body.
For the young girls’ parents, I think at that young age, I don’t think Synthoid is the best treatment for their hypothyroid condition. I think if you really need to take that, you should take the lowest dosage and use other holistic methods such as acupuncture in Walla Walla and diet modification therapies to improve their thyroid function.
Actually, Dr. Steven Hertz thinks that thyroid hormone can be very low and even zero, which don’t necessarily lead to death. But if you put a patient on Synthoid and the dosage is a little bit higher than it should be, then the patient can have heart problems and suffer from metabolic abnormality. Hyper is always dangerous while in hypo, you don’t feel well but it’s not going to be life-threatening.
Another point is to take low dosage or avoid Synthoid altogether. At this early age, the thyroid has a lot of potential so if you use low dosage to supplement or compensate the thyroid function, then your thyroid gland can still work normally. If you run out of medications, then you can stop anytime. But if you are on a high dosage, your thyroid gland can completely shut down and that’s the time you will solely rely on medication, which is a dangerous thing.
Basic Suggestions Advocated In Chinese Nutritional Therapy
For thousands of years, Chinese nutritional therapy has used as a means way to boost wellbeing and health just as much as therapeutic plants. Food was utilized for the prevention and treatment of disease. Hence the human species was preserved and guaranteed continuance for perpetuity.
A holistic and qualitative concept of individually prescribed foods, Chinese nutritional therapy, focuses on the taste and thermal nature of foods and their energetic attributes. It’s effective in that its foundation is rooted in the laws of nature, and is the reasonable diet that’s easy to follow since it involves the foods we commonly eat anyway. The premise is simple: to cool the heat, to heat the cold, to increase where there is too little, and to decrease where there is too much, energetically.
Based on an individual’s past symptoms and medical history and unique constitution, a dietary plan is formulated and food energetics is combined. It will be made up of foods to avoid and foods to eat, how to combine different tastes or flavors, and how to prepare food. If the patient has any current health conditions that need to be treated, the diet plan will specifically prescribe the exclusion of aggravating drinks and foods as well as the presentation foods that promote a natural homeostatic balance.
Basic suggestions include:
Eating foods that are seasonally appropriate
Drinking as few amounts of liquid as possible during large meals. Large meals weaken the digestive process and hinder proper absorption that can result in lack of vital energy and tiredness.
Not eating while at your desk, in front of the computer, or watching TV.
Taking time to eat your meal. Chew your food properly and avoid rushing your meals
Avoid eating when upset, angry, or stressed.
If possible, only eat organic, unprocessed or high quality foods
If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, it’s essential that you include energetically warming foods that will be prescribed by a reputable practitioner.
A proper diet should be made up of:
? 5 percent raw foods such as fruit and salads (except in summer)
? 5 percent fish, chicken, game, and lamb meat.
? 30 to 40 percent cooked vegetables such as fennel, lentils, cabbage, beans, carrots, and potatoes.
? 50 to 80 percent grains: wheat, spelt, rice, oats, millet, barley, corn.
? In general, eat at least one cooked meal a day and smaller portions of food. If your digestion is weak for any reason, it’s important that the food is easy to transport and convert (digest).
The most important aspect in devising a plan of treatment is a proper dietary plan for all patients.
There are a lot of changes that need to be made as Chinese nutritional therapy is different from the typical western consumption of foods, especially when it concerns cooked foods versus raw foods.
However, it’s important implement diet changes in small, attainable segments, in order for the body to completely adapt to the changes.
Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview St #2200
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 549-4322
http://www.overlandparkacupuncturist.com
Alleviating The Symptoms Of HCV Through Acupressure Therapy
A lot of people would love to offer their opinions and insights regarding the way they deal with the sometimes painful and uncomfortable symptoms of Hepatitis C. One very helpful treatment that has been shown to provide meaningful relief is an ancient healing modality called acupressure that relies on direct application of pressure on selected pressure points on the body to generate a desired outcome.
Having been practiced in China more than 5,000 year ago, acupressure was used to stimulate energy and alleviate pain in the body. Soon, medical scientists were able to observe that obstructions in the flow energy in the body were causing illness and pain and, by using certain acupressure procedures, they were able to lessen or completely heal many of the side effects of these conditions.
Acupressure has been shown to work against some of the symptoms of Hepatitis C (as well as side effects caused by conventional interferon therapy). These symptoms include nausea, headache, fatigue nausea and other flu-like symptoms. The most common manifesting symptom of HCV cited is fatigue; acupressure therapy targeting specific pressure points can activate the movement of energy in the body, which lowers the level of fatigue significantly. Besides helping alleviate those symptoms, acupressure also has shown to be effective in the process of detoxification. It also boosts blood circulation and helps in the removal of toxins in the body while stimulating energy flow within the body.
More and more people suffering from Hepatitis C these days are favoring alternative forms of treatment in lieu of conventional pharmaceutical therapies. Acupressure is an alternative type of therapy that has proven to work in relieving the painful and uncomfortable symptoms associated with HCV. It is a very useful form of treatment for those suffering from Hepatitis C, more so for people who are currently into conventional treatment. It requires no tools or equipment and is easy to learn (provided one learns from a qualified practitioner).
Revive Acupuncture
43353 Mission Blvd #B
Fremont, CA 94539
(510) 438-0128
http://www.reviveacupuncture.com/
Acupressure Treatment To Relieve Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) Pain
If you have symptoms of facial pain, clicking of the lower jaw, and sometimes your jaw join would be locked, even have migraine, these are the symptoms of TMJ. We have certain acupressure points that can gradually relieve those symptoms.
What causes these TMJ symptoms?
One big reason is stress. When you are stressed out, you are not sleeping in a very deep sleep, so you may clench your jaws and this can cause misalignment of the jaw. Also, if you have osteoporosis and are taking Fosamax for your condition, it can cause inflammation of the joint and that can also lead to arthritis.
In Chinese medicine, when you grind your teeth at night, you might have a parasite in your gut. If this is the case, you need to check if you have parasites in your body and use herbs or other medications to treat the parasites. That will stop the tooth grinding while you are asleep. All of these causes can lead to muscle tightness around the joint or a misalignment of the joint.
How can we prevent TMJ?
First, you got to avoid excessive chewing gum or excessive yawning. You also need to reduce your stress with acupuncture or herbal teas. By doing acupuncture in Austin, we can instantly relax the muscles around the temporomandibular joint and one of the points I want to show you is called the Stomach 7 (St 7). If you find the angle of the lower jaw, you need to go straight upwards and then you will be able to feel the indentation at the same level of the lower border of the ear one and a half cun in front of your earlobe.
When you find the indentation, type the press that. That will instantly help relieve the muscle tension. So before you go to sleep, if you press the point for a minute, so when you clench your teeth, you will not experience any type of pain in your jaw. That will help relax the muscles around the jaw joint, so you won’t have the joint misaligned when you’re in a deep sleep.
Alternative Therapies To Help You Live A Longer And Healthier Life
If you’re ready to feel better than you have in years, then read on.
Alternative health treatments are actually safer than mainstream medical treatments as they do not use the adverse chemicals found in many prescription drugs. Most alternative treatments will not interact with anything you may be taking in to improve your health. Nor do they have any side or harmful effects such as loss of energy that’s related to prescription drugs.
We assure you that alternative therapy is not affiliated with any snake oil salesmen, hippies, or cults. We’re talking about something here that’s safe as well as natural and can be used as an adjunct to traditional therapies minus the side effects associated with pharmaceutical substances.
You’ll be able to make an educated analysis of your situation and approach your illnesses based on a clearer medical perspective. You’ll be able to talk to your physician about topics like herbal medicines, homeopathic medicine, reflexology, and acupuncture in Marlton when you have all the information.
Alternative therapies such as reiki, yoga, and meditation are spiritual practices aren’t just for generating a belief system, they have been connected to the enhancement of the immune system and helping increase the quality of your life.
When you learn and apply therapies such as massage therapy, rolfing, iridology, art therapy, Feng Shui, detoxification, light therapy, visualization, and aromatherapy in your life, which you can even do at the comfort of your own home, you’re guaranteed to enjoy a long and healthy life.
An Integrative Approach To Treating Shoulder Pain
There are many ways to treat shoulder pain. This is just one way that I treat shoulder pain. In this case study, my patient has developed chronic upper back and shoulder pain due to her intense, serious workout regimen. I’m going to integrate traditional Chinese medicine with myofascial release techniques to kick this pain in the butt.
I’m going to start this treatment with acupuncture in Orlando. On that note, I want to add something. Every practitioner and healer has their own style that they’ve developed over time and practice and it works for them and their patients. As an acupuncturist,my style is minimalist. I use as minimal amount of needles on a patient as I can while getting the required results.
If your acupuncturist uses more or less, it doesn’t mean they are wrong, it’s just their style. For my needling placement for this patient, I am using tenderness in the area as my guide. I’ll be hitting the muscle belly of the supraspinatus and linking through the rhomboids and adding some electrical stimulation. Pain, tenderness and spasm on one or more of the segments of the thoracic spine is pretty common.
I see a ton of this kind of back pathology in my clinic. The fascia can become glued down so my goal at this point is to mobilize and separate the fascia. I want to start loosening the fascia with some internal and external rotation to the traps (trapezoid muscles) and superior border of the scapula.
And now, heavy hot stones.
First, I go to work with my stones rubbing the neck and the levator scapulae. I just love to hit that erector spinae muscle group and then fanout towards the medial aspect of the shoulder blades and hit those rhomboids. I’ll wrap up this treatment with some cervical decompression techniques. I want those vertebral discs to suck in interstitial fluid and metabolic substrates.
I also want to create some joint play and cervical mobilization with some side bending.
That’s it. I hope this article will give you a better understanding of an integrative a medical approach to treating shoulder pain. This is just one approach.