Relaxation & Healing

November 20, 2010  |  Leave a Comment

Holiday activities have you feeling wired and exhausted? Allow your body to remember relaxation. Bodies heal in the relaxed state.

TREATMENTS OF INTEREST

1) Low back and sciatic pain

Example: A bulging disk/degeneration somewhere between lumbar-2 and sacral-1 vertebrae was causing extreme pain to a 73 year old woman. She had received an epideral anesthetic injection into her right sciatic nerve every 4-6 months to be able to live in some comfort. Vicodin was used daily as well. After 7 treatments with low level laser and some needling, she is able to stop taking painkillers and cancelled her next appointment for an epideral.

If you have pain in any joint or tendon, low level laser treatment (LL laser) is highly effective. Most cartilage injury heals much faster with a few LL laser treatments. (If you have a tear of the cartilage that is jagged, it may need to be smoothed surgically before this treatment works.)

2) Cancer chemo support

Example: A 41 year old breast cancer patient had a severe depression reaction to chemo by day 3 after an infusion. Needling of Liver, Gallbladder and Heart points cleared the depression and also her associated abdominal cramping.

Chemo chemicals are very toxic to the Liver and Gallbladder. When Liver & Gallbladder systems are unable to move the energy of the body smoothly, severe depression and fatigue can be experienced even if no emotional reason is present.

Example: A 64 year old colon cancer patient had heartburn 4-5 days after chemo infusion. If he takes the herbal formula I give him, he does not get heartburn.

Chemo chemicals are very dehydrating to the tissues that they target. Herbs can restore the fluids to these tissues and speed healing.

3) Depression

Example: A 48 year old woman experiences bouts of depression like some people experience migraine headaches: feel it “coming on” for a day, the next day is debilitating depression. I gave her an herbal formula and she is feeling “happy” without the bouts of depression.

Some migraines and some depression will respond to herbs that get the energy of the Liver system to flow smoothly. There is no dividing line between the physical and the emotional in Chinese medicine.

4) Hypo- or hyperthyroidism

Example: A 49 year old woman had severe fatigue, slight weight gain, and some hair loss due to hypothyroid function. She has had this imbalance for over 20 years. I gave her 15 LL laser treatments. Also she took herbs that improve digestion and Liver system function. She tapered off the levoxyl and is stable. The levoxyl was giving her headaches and dry skin.

Digestive and liver imbalances almost always precede hypo- and hyper-thyroid symptoms. Some aspect of the thyroid problem is usually autoimmune. Autoimmunity responds very well to LL laser treatment.

Fall and winter are the best seasons to take care of your health for benefit the rest of the year!

Category: Treatments

Media on Health Topics

June 16, 2010  |  Leave a Comment

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful summer. I’m writing this letter to let you know about new programs I’m developing and treatments that have been especially effective. Also, I want to comment on some of the media coverage of health topics recently.

I specialize in pain relief and internal medicine. By internal medicine I mean: nutrition, acupuncture, herbal medicine and exercises used to treat symptoms of: fatigue, infertility, menopause, high Prostate Specific Antigen scores, thyroid imbalances, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, post-chemotherapy & radiation and others.

HERBS

The biggest news is how well custom herbal formulas are working for these various complaints. I am starting my third year of weekly private sessions with a Chinese master herbalist trained in both western and Oriental medicine. Each week we discuss any patient’s case that is not progressing as I would expect. My teacher gives me suggestions for a different approach or different herbs to use from his over 50 years of experience. I currently use 220 herbs in my pharmacy. I make custom formulas for each patient. This gives me a lot of subtlety for treating each person with their individual complexities.

Part of the reason herbs work so well is that herbs are absorbed by the body like food. In fact, without herbs in our diet, we are missing some of nature’s nutrition. These herbs are especially easy to take. Even my busiest patients can manage to put powdered herbs in hot water and drink it in the morning. If you need the herbs in capsules, we can do that too.

FOOD THERAPY

Nutritional or food therapy is another way we have gained very positive results recently. If you have any food cravings, weight gain or weight loss, your body is telling you that there is some nutrition that you are missing. When we figure out what is missing, you will feel calmer and well nourished without overeating. This method has allowed recovery for many patients from severe fatigue, weight gain, and allergies. Sinus congestion is usually related to a diet that is in some way not best for you.

NEW TOOL: ENERGIZING OVERWORKED SYSTEMS

My new electrical moxa machine warms acupuncture points with infra red light. This energizes weak systems in your body, while relaxing you. It treats fatigue, pain, cold, digestive weakness, and phlegm. Results happen much more quickly than with only acupuncture and/or herbs. The mid-section weight gain that doesn’t respond to calorie restricition or increased exercise responds to the moxa machine. Osteomyelitis and fibromyalgia are two complaints that have responded very well also.

HOT TOPICS

Heart disease and strokes are referred to in the media as if they pop up out of nowhere. Actually, there is usually a build up of arterial plaque over at least a 10 to 15 year period of time. Your pulse reveals this gradual change. This gives us plenty of time to use herbs and other gentle supplements to decrease the thickening of the blood that leads to plaque deposition. We have seen choresterol levels decrease dramatically with this approach.

Cancer tumors also usually develop over 5 to 10 years. There are some immune markers of tumor formation now available through blood tests. Herbal treatment of symptoms related to tumor formation are highly developed in China and almost unknown in the US.

Infra-red thermal imaging has been shown to reveal areas of heat on the skin that can be predictive of tumor formation 5 to 10 years in advance. This method is particularly good for breast cancer prevention.

I have developed a progream of methods for decreasing the risk of breast tumor formation. It involves exercise, dietary modifications, herbs and acupuncture. This program has decreased thermal imaging markers indicating increasing risk of breast tumor formation after being used for 2 months.

The possibilities for preventing the symptoms of these and other diseases using herbs, acupuncture, and nutrition are exciting and very much within our reach!

To maintain good health, most of us need to balance the yin and yang in our lives. (Restorative yoga does wonders!) The balance for stress and activity, is rest and beauty or enjoyment. Peace and harmony are at the core of what we all desire.

Category: Treatments

New Developments & Effective Treatments

April 2, 2010  |  Leave a Comment

Spring has come early this year! Thank you for all your support during the winter season. I’m busy and I appreciate seeing you.

I’m writing this post to tell you about new developments and effective treatments. First, I want to encourage you to call me about any health condition you might be experiencing, to get the Alternative Medicine perspective. Whatever the problem, Alternative and Oriental Medicine view the meaning of symptoms quite differently from the mainstream assumptions that we usually make in our culture.

The holistic nature of Oriental and Alternative Medicines, can often offer clues that specialists might miss. Since October, I have been learning from a master herbalist trained in both western and Oriental medicine. The results of this experience have been very positive. I have been able to successfully treat many complaints. I may be able to offer you another option, or save you from unnecessary surgery.

Saved from Surgery

A patient had one salivary gland removed surgically because it had become swollen and did not reduce with antibiotics. Recently, the gland on the other side became swollen. I was able to give the patient an herb formula that reduced the swelling. We are now treating the underlying cause for such blockage of fluid drainage.

The following cases are examples of health problems that I approach in a manner that differs from the mainstream.

Muscle Pain Related to Drug-induced Tissue Dehydration

A patient came to me complaining of pain in her arm muscle that did not respond to massage, physical therapy, or cortisone shots. The site of the pain was on the Large Intestine meridian. She had previously been treated with an anti-fungal medication that had severely dehydrated her intestinal tissues. Acupuncture and herbs were used to return hydration to her digestive tract, and the pain in her arm disappeared.

Dehydration is a common side effect of many western medications. Since dehydration is a major factor associated with aging, it is best to not ignore it. Herbal supplements provide an inexpensive, highly individualized source for treatment of most side effects.

Allergies, Nutrition, & Weight Loss

Symptoms of allergies are often related to sinus congestion. There are a group of acupuncture points in the lower body, which specifically treat sinusitis and digestive complaints. Many patients have gained long term relief from these symptoms after a few treatments using these points. To maintain this relief, nutritional changes are the next step. With such nutritional changes, weight loss, if appropriate, is usually a result.

Chemotherapy Recovery

Since the nature of chemo drugs is extremely toxic, it is no surprise that the body needs some assistance in clearing itself of this toxicity. One patient experienced fluid retention and yellowing of her skin. I used detoxifying acupuncture and a custom herbal formula to reduce both of these symptoms. From her pulse and tongue analysis, there are aspects of detoxification with no visible symptoms to address as well. Further herbs and acupuncture are capable of completing this process.

Herbal Hormone Replacement Therapy

There are herbs that contain the precursors of the three estrogens and progesterone. I have experience using these herbs to replace the class of hormones that are not bio-identical with human hormones, such as Premarin. I have also used these herbs to replace the human bio-identical progesterone found in yam cream. The result in both kinds of cases, was less water retention, decrease in upper body weight, and softening of breast tissue.

These results are associated with a better prognosis for avoiding breast cancer. My impression from these cases is that an herbal source of hormones is more easily integrated into the body metabolism. This may be because the cofactors that carry out the integration have not been removed from the hormones. The lower incidence of breast cancer in Asian women consuming a traditional diet may be related to the herbal/nutritional source of their hormones.

Thyroid Imbalances

Many women experience hypothyroid symptoms – low energy, feeling cold, weight gain. Some have these symptoms without thyroid hormone levels in the blood being below “normal” range. Some given thyroid hormone supplementation, begin to experience hyperthyroid symptoms. All three scenarios have responded well to individualized treatment with herbs and acupuncture.

Tendency to Fungal Growth in the Body

I have seen many patients with yeast or fungal infections at many sites in their bodies. If we think of the body as an ecological environment, cold and damp conditions encourage fungal growth. We live in a climate that is mostly cold and damp. Antibiotic use creates further cold and damp. Herbs and acupuncture are capable of changing the cold and damp environment in the body by strengthening the sources of warmth and drying that we naturally possess.

Injury Migraine Responds to Herbal Clearing of “Old Blood”

Concussion injury to the head usually produces bruises concentric to the eyes. This indicates that blood is present outside arteries and veins inside the skull. When this blood coagulates, it is particularly difficult for the body to remove and can cause severe “stabbing” pain. A patient who sustained such an injury 25 years ago, had “stabbing” pain migraines that began within 2 years of the injury. Osteopathic/chiropractic realignment and hypnosis helped. The stabbing pain remained. After 2.5 weeks of herbs specific for clearing “old blood” and targeted to the head, the patient experienced a migraine-like episode without stabbing pain.

I hope this information can be helpful to you or someone you know. Best wishes for the spring and summer seasons!

Category: Treatments