March 2014 Newsletter
Special
during March only… three visits
for just sixty dollars! That’s only
$20 per visit, but you need to use them all in March.
East meets west… in physicians who are trained in both eastern and western medical approaches and combine them in order to help their patients. One familiar eastern approach is acupuncture, which is just one part of a system of evaluating sickness and disease and deciding how to treat it. This system is called Asian Healing Arts, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or The Five Element System. Historians say that this type of healing art originated in China at least six thousand years ago, and there are versions of it in Japan and Korea. It was developed using extensive case study research, and included noting patterns that corresponded with the seasons. All of the treatment methods are based on the evaluation of the flow of energy in the body, and there are multiple facets to doing this. For example, there are periods of time that are two hours long within a twenty-four hour day during which certain organ systems ‘recharge’. Here’s a practical example. An asthmatic patient reporting that almost every night between three and four in the morning, she would suffer a coughing attack. Did you know that seventy percent of all deaths from asthma occur between midnight and eight AM? The lung meridian ‘charges’ itself between the hours of three and five AM. While the body produces cortisol, levels drop to their lowest near midnight. The same happens to adrenaline levels. If this patient takes an asthmatic medication in the late afternoon or evening, I would recommend taking it instead at a time when it would have its peak effect, at about three AM, when the lungs are just starting to ‘recharge’. I would also instruct the patient on locating and self- treating the main lung points with acupressure. Bringing in the west, I would also perform a thorough chiropractic adjustment, giving particular attention to the first, second, and third thoracic vertebrae, which are the levels of the spine related to the nerves of the pulmonary system. Looking back to the east, I would teach them a breathing technique commonly used by the Chinese, called, “The Breath of Fire”. I would also recommend Aloe Vera juice because it nurtures the lungs and large intestine. While all these efforts may not completely vanquish the pre-dawn asthma attacks, they usually are successful in at least improving the situation. These techniques require some discipline on the part of the patient. Flavors that stimulate the lungs are spicy /hot. Foods that help the lung meridian are rice, horsemeat, and rabbit (not typical meat for us). When fighting a cold, eastern medicine recommends pear juice, rather than citrus. The emotion that “hinders” your lungs is grief; however, crying can be therapeutic. During a ‘good cry’, there is some very odd rapid inhaling and exhaling along with sobbing noises that slow the exhale. When finished, most people breathe a couple of deep breaths. This is one example of how the Chinese observed and noted patterns in human health and were then able to draw conclusions about them. The color white is considered therapeutic for the lung system. Autumn, because it is so dry, is looked at as a challenging season for the lung meridian. The line of energy flow for the lung meridian starts at the shoulder and goes to the thumb. Chronic problems in the shoulder, elbow or thumb are thought to be related to blockage of the lung meridian in Chinese medicine.
Let me put it together in a fictional scenario. A young male patient reports shoulder pain, symptoms of insomnia related to asthma attacks, and being mildly depressed since his parents divorced. He also happens to have a nose-piercing. Can a typical doctor in the U.S. connect these factors? No, they would not. In my office, the first thing I would do would be a thorough chiropractic adjustment. If his symptoms are eliminated after two or three adjustments, no further treatment would be necessary. But if the shoulder pain persists or goes into his thumb, I would start talking Chinese wisdom to him. I would show him the charts and advise him to think about wearing white, eating rice with salsa, and drinking Aloe Vera juice. I might even recommend a ‘good cry’. I think of Asian medicine like a big watermelon, with each of the varying alternative therapies like a slice. Reflexology is one slice, while essential oils borrow small slices from several areas of the ‘watermelon’. Currently there seem to be a lot of people using essential oils. Personally, I am delighted to hear stories about people taking charge of their health without the use of drugs. There are times and places for drugs and surgery, but hearing that patients can seek and find alternatives that work is a positive thing.
Acid-blocking drugs and fractures... such as the “proton pump-inhibiting” drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium are used to treat gastric reflux and heart burn. But they also interfere with nutrients absorption; especially magnesium, vitamin B-12, calcium, iron and vitamin C. A study done by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School looked at eighty-thousand women to see if there is a relationship between these drugs and risk of hip fractures. According to this study, “Women who had used these drugs for at least two years were thirty-five percent more likely to suffer a hip fracture.” This risk increased to fifty percent for current and former smokers who also used these drugs. A nutritional remedy for mild heartburn is to eat six almonds, chewed thoroughly. Some also claim that peppermint essential oils, a few drops under the tongue or in some water, will help this problem.
GERMS and fitness centers... go together, but not ‘well’. Here are some tips I got at a recent Weight Watcher’s meeting to keep from picking up any nasty ‘bugs’ during your workout. 1) Before you go, bandage any cuts or scrapes to protect them. 2) Shave at home. 3) Wipe down handles/bars/weights/ etc., before and after you use it. Gyms have squirt bottles and towels available all over the gym for this purpose. 4) Bring your own towel with a label on one side so you can have a clean side to wipe your face with and the other side to drape over things like the weight bench, handle bars etc. 5) Bring your own mat to classes that require mats. 6) Use footwear in the locker room shower. 7) Don’t set your gym bag on the floor.
Kitchen remedies… like mustard and soy sauce for burns and muscle cramps, can be both effective and inexpensive. For a muscle cramp, eat a about a tablespoon of plain yellow mustard. It can also be spread onto a burn to alleviate the pain and prevent blistering. Soy sauce can also take away the pain of a burn. Black pepper can be used to treat a minor cut or scrape that is bleeding. Pour some pepper on it, apply pressure and the bleeding usually stops. Castor oil is a good remedy for bites, bruises and sore joints. Meat tenderizer helps wasp stings
An American Cancer Society Fundraiser… will be the focus of this month’s fundraising event that we are holding on the last Saturday of every month throughout this winter. An adjustment or meridian balancing treatment will be offered for a donation of your choosing. Our January fundraiser raised one hundred dollars for Help the Needy. Please stop by and see us this month on Saturday, the 29th to help a cause that is near and dear to my heart. Thank you for your support!
East meets west… in physicians who are trained in both eastern and western medical approaches and combine them in order to help their patients. One familiar eastern approach is acupuncture, which is just one part of a system of evaluating sickness and disease and deciding how to treat it. This system is called Asian Healing Arts, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or The Five Element System. Historians say that this type of healing art originated in China at least six thousand years ago, and there are versions of it in Japan and Korea. It was developed using extensive case study research, and included noting patterns that corresponded with the seasons. All of the treatment methods are based on the evaluation of the flow of energy in the body, and there are multiple facets to doing this. For example, there are periods of time that are two hours long within a twenty-four hour day during which certain organ systems ‘recharge’. Here’s a practical example. An asthmatic patient reporting that almost every night between three and four in the morning, she would suffer a coughing attack. Did you know that seventy percent of all deaths from asthma occur between midnight and eight AM? The lung meridian ‘charges’ itself between the hours of three and five AM. While the body produces cortisol, levels drop to their lowest near midnight. The same happens to adrenaline levels. If this patient takes an asthmatic medication in the late afternoon or evening, I would recommend taking it instead at a time when it would have its peak effect, at about three AM, when the lungs are just starting to ‘recharge’. I would also instruct the patient on locating and self- treating the main lung points with acupressure. Bringing in the west, I would also perform a thorough chiropractic adjustment, giving particular attention to the first, second, and third thoracic vertebrae, which are the levels of the spine related to the nerves of the pulmonary system. Looking back to the east, I would teach them a breathing technique commonly used by the Chinese, called, “The Breath of Fire”. I would also recommend Aloe Vera juice because it nurtures the lungs and large intestine. While all these efforts may not completely vanquish the pre-dawn asthma attacks, they usually are successful in at least improving the situation. These techniques require some discipline on the part of the patient. Flavors that stimulate the lungs are spicy /hot. Foods that help the lung meridian are rice, horsemeat, and rabbit (not typical meat for us). When fighting a cold, eastern medicine recommends pear juice, rather than citrus. The emotion that “hinders” your lungs is grief; however, crying can be therapeutic. During a ‘good cry’, there is some very odd rapid inhaling and exhaling along with sobbing noises that slow the exhale. When finished, most people breathe a couple of deep breaths. This is one example of how the Chinese observed and noted patterns in human health and were then able to draw conclusions about them. The color white is considered therapeutic for the lung system. Autumn, because it is so dry, is looked at as a challenging season for the lung meridian. The line of energy flow for the lung meridian starts at the shoulder and goes to the thumb. Chronic problems in the shoulder, elbow or thumb are thought to be related to blockage of the lung meridian in Chinese medicine.
Let me put it together in a fictional scenario. A young male patient reports shoulder pain, symptoms of insomnia related to asthma attacks, and being mildly depressed since his parents divorced. He also happens to have a nose-piercing. Can a typical doctor in the U.S. connect these factors? No, they would not. In my office, the first thing I would do would be a thorough chiropractic adjustment. If his symptoms are eliminated after two or three adjustments, no further treatment would be necessary. But if the shoulder pain persists or goes into his thumb, I would start talking Chinese wisdom to him. I would show him the charts and advise him to think about wearing white, eating rice with salsa, and drinking Aloe Vera juice. I might even recommend a ‘good cry’. I think of Asian medicine like a big watermelon, with each of the varying alternative therapies like a slice. Reflexology is one slice, while essential oils borrow small slices from several areas of the ‘watermelon’. Currently there seem to be a lot of people using essential oils. Personally, I am delighted to hear stories about people taking charge of their health without the use of drugs. There are times and places for drugs and surgery, but hearing that patients can seek and find alternatives that work is a positive thing.
Acid-blocking drugs and fractures... such as the “proton pump-inhibiting” drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium are used to treat gastric reflux and heart burn. But they also interfere with nutrients absorption; especially magnesium, vitamin B-12, calcium, iron and vitamin C. A study done by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School looked at eighty-thousand women to see if there is a relationship between these drugs and risk of hip fractures. According to this study, “Women who had used these drugs for at least two years were thirty-five percent more likely to suffer a hip fracture.” This risk increased to fifty percent for current and former smokers who also used these drugs. A nutritional remedy for mild heartburn is to eat six almonds, chewed thoroughly. Some also claim that peppermint essential oils, a few drops under the tongue or in some water, will help this problem.
GERMS and fitness centers... go together, but not ‘well’. Here are some tips I got at a recent Weight Watcher’s meeting to keep from picking up any nasty ‘bugs’ during your workout. 1) Before you go, bandage any cuts or scrapes to protect them. 2) Shave at home. 3) Wipe down handles/bars/weights/ etc., before and after you use it. Gyms have squirt bottles and towels available all over the gym for this purpose. 4) Bring your own towel with a label on one side so you can have a clean side to wipe your face with and the other side to drape over things like the weight bench, handle bars etc. 5) Bring your own mat to classes that require mats. 6) Use footwear in the locker room shower. 7) Don’t set your gym bag on the floor.
Kitchen remedies… like mustard and soy sauce for burns and muscle cramps, can be both effective and inexpensive. For a muscle cramp, eat a about a tablespoon of plain yellow mustard. It can also be spread onto a burn to alleviate the pain and prevent blistering. Soy sauce can also take away the pain of a burn. Black pepper can be used to treat a minor cut or scrape that is bleeding. Pour some pepper on it, apply pressure and the bleeding usually stops. Castor oil is a good remedy for bites, bruises and sore joints. Meat tenderizer helps wasp stings
An American Cancer Society Fundraiser… will be the focus of this month’s fundraising event that we are holding on the last Saturday of every month throughout this winter. An adjustment or meridian balancing treatment will be offered for a donation of your choosing. Our January fundraiser raised one hundred dollars for Help the Needy. Please stop by and see us this month on Saturday, the 29th to help a cause that is near and dear to my heart. Thank you for your support!
