It’s been a little less than a week since my first acupuncture appointment and I must say… I am a believer. I had a very positive and welcoming first experience with acupuncture and will be going back at least once a week. I given Chinese herbs called Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan, which help endometriosis, abdominal masses and menstrual irregularities. So far, so good. I still have minor pain but it has gone down considerably compared to what it was at.
I also spoke with my acupuncturist about some of my other concerns such as anxiety, sleep problems and the plantar fasciitis in my foot. All of the issues I discussed have been reduced dramatically. I went on a little walk the other night, to try to get my blood moving and get my heart rate up a little bit. Unfortunately I couldn’t keep a very fast pace since I’m *still* limping… but it was a start.
I am diving into a new yoga routine, being more diligent with my diet and continuing acupuncture as treatment, per my doctor’s orders. I am pleasantly surprised that my Kaiser doctor is so supportive of alternative medicines and is actually the one that suggested them in the first place. I hope I have a wonderful report for her come February when we meet again. I feel like it’s my last option before Lupron, so I am putting all my energy into making it count.
My next task is to remain calm and focused through the next semester and I almost wonder if that won’t be the most difficult of the last few years. I am tackling a full-time school schedule while working 40+ hours a week. I am already overwhelmed about this. I am finally working on my major, Psychology.
Christmas was amazing. I feel very lucky to have three families to spend Christmas with. I got to spend quality time with the Alliger’s, my Mom and the Righetti’s. Sadly, it was my first Christmas without my father, ever. He was in Arizona with my Step-Mother and Grandparents.
So there’s the last week in a nut shell. I am looking forward to focusing on getting better and finishing this chapter of school.
Acupuncture is the age-old Chinese adjustment of application tiny all-overs to activate specific areas or meridians of the anatomy and to rebalance the body’s energy or chi. Because acupuncture is abnormally able for abiding conditions abounding abundant women pregnancy homeopathy are axis to acupuncture to accommodate drug-free abatement from abounding of the abhorrent Pregnancy Remedy affection of pregnancy.
An Australian abstraction showed that women who accustomed acupuncture treatments consistently afore their th anniversary of abundance had beneath abhorrence and beneath bouts of morning affection than women who Pregnancy Cures did not accept the treatment. Acupuncture has additionally been acclimated to amusement the added austere action hyperemesis gravidarum which causes austere airsickness that persists throughout pregnancy.
During the additional trimester acupuncture Pregnancy Homeopathy has been acclimated to auspiciously amusement annoyance and hemorrhoids. In the third trimester acupuncture can accommodate abatement from Pregnancy Remedy sciatica collective affliction and carpal adit syndrome which abounding women advance backward in pregnancy. Acupuncture has alike been acclimated to abate affliction during activity and delivery.
Pregnant women gluttonous to use acupuncture to amusement altitude developed during abundance should be Pregnancy Cures abiding to appointment a accountant and accomplished acupuncturist. For example although acupuncture can be acclimated to amusement edema or abscess of the ankles edema can be an indicator of a austere Pregnancy Cures problem. An acupuncturist accomplished in alleviative abundant women would be added acceptable to admit this botheration and accredit the accommodating aback to her obstetrician.
The best austere accident of application acupuncture during abundance is that it may activate activity if it is break applied. Choosing an accomplished practitioner reduces this accident to about negligible levels. In fact abounding women accept angry to Pregnancy Homeopathy acupuncture to agilely activate activity back their babyish is overdue. Some women accept begin that activity induced by acupuncture is gentler than activity Pregnancy Homeopathy induced by drugs such as Pitocin.
In accession to allowances during pregnancy activity and delivery acupuncture has been acclimated to advance abundance Pregnancy Homeopathy and to amusement infertility. In a baby German study women who acclimated acupuncture in affiliation with in vitro fertilization had a . success amount compared to . in women who acclimated in vitro fertilization alone. Abundance specialists aspect this to the all-embracing advance of bloom that comes from Pregnancy Homeopathy accepting approved acupuncture treatments.
Finally acupuncture may accept some allowances in alleviative post-partum depression. Although no analysis has been done to abutment the ability of acupuncture treatments Pregnancy Remedy on post-partum depression anecdotal affirmation shows that some women do account from its use. Because acupuncture does not account adverse biologic interactions Pregnancy Remedy it can be a pregnancy homeopathy advantageous adulatory therapy.
I want to talk about what the word “Health” means. Chinese medicine is much more of a physical science where as Western medicine is much more of a chemical science. They have two very different vantage points, and I want to explain that of Chinese medicine as I understand it.
I see patients all the time that come in with complaints of heart palpitations, restless sleep, frequent urination, irregular menstrual cycles or fatigue (you name the random symptom, it happens) that DON’T want to be put on a pill indefinitely by their MD, or have already done that and gotten no relief. Generally by the time a patient comes through my door they have [unfortunately] exhausted all other medical resources and have come back with either a clean slate of health or no solutions. “My MD says my heart is fine, but I know something isn’t right, I’m scared”… this happens a lot. Using Chinese medicine diagnostic methods we are able to determine if the heart is beginning to weaken or if there is some other imbalance at play. Often times these are all symptoms of a weakened heart- the heart’s energy is low. We talk about yin and yang in Chinese medicine a lot, and basically these concepts can be taken to mean here Yin= structure and Yang=function. When the Heart Yang is weak, it doesn’t mean that the heart is diseased, but that the strength with which the heart pumps is beginning to lessen.
The body’s temperature is a product of the heart’s continuous pumping action which generates a huge amount of thermal energy. This thermal energy is distributed throughout the body in a very specific way to ensure that each organ and structure of the body has an adequate amount of energy and an appropriate environment to perform its function harmoniously. This temperature distribution starts with the lungs- if you look at the placement of the lungs, they are situated above and behind the heart. Essentially the lungs work as a kind of radiator to cool the heat by forcing it to descend from the heart (the engine) as it would naturally rise to the upper body. This immediately prevents the body from overheating as the lungs force this thermal energy downward from the heart directly along a pathway into the small intestine. Because Chinese Medicine loves its analogies (and I do too!), we speak in terms of the 5 elements-the heart’s element is Fire. Once the lungs have sent a sufficient amount of thermal energy (fire) to the small intestine we now have two main sources of fire in the body, the heart its self (like the fire of the sun), and the small intestine (like the core of the earth). These fires are responsible for heating their respective halves of the body- upper and lower. Having an adequate fire element is first and foremost in maintaining health. When this begins to diminish an entire world of health problems begin.
The small intestine is in contact with the bladder, in close proximity to the kidneys, and in women- the ovaries and uterus, in men- the prostate. This is only part of the picture, but an important part. When there is an adequate fire in the small intestine, not only does this mean that the Yang is sufficient (remember yang= heat, movement, function) which allows for healthy intestinal motility > regular bowel movements, but as the small intestine also contacts the bladder it heats the urine to such a degree that it actually creates an effect of evaporation within the bladder. The bladder has approximately a 400 cc capacity and if there is inadequate heat within the bladder you will end up having a small amount of urine weigh on the bottom of the bladder frequently giving the sensation of pressure and needing to urinate before the bladder has become full. But because of the heat, the urine is essentially turned to steam which allows it to expand and float lightly creating an evenly distributed pressure that tells you that you need to urinate only once it is completely full. This allows you to have force and volume when urinating, and also lets you hold it if you need to, because remember yang= heat and function. If the temperature is too low, your urination will be frequent and with little force due to a small amount of “cold“ urine accumulating at the bottom of the bladder giving you the sensation of pressure and urgency, but with inadequate volume.
[I’m not sure how long one blog entry is supposed to be- I think I am threading topics together here, but that’s the thing about Chinese Medicine- EVERYTHING is connected to everything else in the body! Let me know if this is too long please and I’ll break it up next time! I’m going to keep going. ]
Having a normal temperature in the small intestine will also lead to cold in the ovaries and uterus in women. Cold= lack of movement. Think ice in a river. To have a healthy menstrual cycle there MUST be a good amount of fire from the heart > small intestine to warm to reproductive organs to make sure that blood is able to flow. When there is cold, you end up with blood stasis- during menstruation that means blood clots, amenorrhea or delayed and irregular periods, PAIN and even over time the accumulation to such a degree that cysts, fibroids and tumors can develop. I’m not going to talk about cancer in this post, that gets an entire article of its own, but it often times begins with cold and stagnation. I’ll go into more depth in gynecological disorders in its own article too.
This same principle applies to the prostate in men. When there is enough heat from the small intestine, the prostate is healthy, but when there is not, fluid accumulates around the prostate, and eventually within the prostate causing it to enlarge. This is a very common problem and of course can lead to prostate cancer- again; cancer often thrives in cold, stagnant fluid.
Now the kidneys- they play an important role in all of this too. The kidneys and the heart have a very symbiotic relationship. The heart is fire, and the kidneys are water- two opposing elements, but they also need each other to flourish. When fire is strong enough, it keeps the kidneys warm enough (kidney Yang = movement, function) to perform their role of keeping the water metabolism in the body going. (Note: Chinese Medicine says the kidneys also control energy level, libido, bone density, memory, hair growth, anxiety/fear, and concentration/focus)). Obviously the kidneys have a lot to do with maintaining your health in the eyes of Chinese Medicine. When fire is too weak, the water will stagnate, accumulate and become cold- again- think ice in a body of water. The kidney function will diminish and the body begins to enter into what we call the Shao Yin disorder. This is where you see the majority of Cancer patients. Shao Yin basically means that the heart and kidney function is weak, and the body’s internal environment is full of stagnant cold fluid.
SO what on earth does all of this mean to you?! WELL. It means that now that you have a basic idea of how Chinese medicine views some of the vital processes of your body, you can learn to recognize the early signs of all of this getting out of balance. In addition to keeping in mind any of the specific symptoms I mentioned earlier- this is a general guide for you to keep in mind:
1) Warm hands and feet, and a cool face. This is because the fire from the heart will send heat to the furthest point of the upper body, if it is strong enough, that means your finger tips will be warm. The fire of the small intestine will send heat to the furthest point of your lower body- the tips of your toes will be nice and warm. And because the lungs function to push this heat DOWN instead of allowing it to ascend, your forehead should be cool. The palms of your hands and soles of your feet should be warm, but the backs of your hands and tops of your feet will still be cool.
2) Daily complete bowel movements. The temperature of the small intestine is just right and you have healthy intestinal motility. This is also very important to keep toxicity from building up in your body that will lead to all sorts of other problems I will discuss later.
3) Proper Urination. The color should be a light or pale yellow color, and should be about 5-7 times per day. It will be less often if you are doing a lot of physical work and sweating regularly. There should be strong force, and an adequate amount of urine each time with minimal urgency.
4) Good Sleep. You can fall asleep easily and stay asleep through the night. You should feel rested and energized upon waking in the morning.
5) A normal appetite. You should get hungry at normal meal times, have a good ability to taste, and be satisfied after an adequate amount of food.
There is a LOT more to the picture of health that Chinese Medicine paints, but I think this is a good place to start. In my next few articles I plan to talk about diet, Cancer, and Gynecology. Shao Yin is going to be a recurrent theme for a while; I’m finding this everywhere I turn lately and on my mind.
I am researching different practitioners in NYC. I will let you know what I come up with. Although I am leaning toward my friend’s recommendation, Patsy Roth.
This is one of the reasons that I love Portland so much! It is an absolute mecca for anyone in the alternative health care business; and not just alternative but anyone in health care. I may be a bit partial but I believe Portland is at the forefront of all things progressive in Medicine, intent on collaborating all types of Medicine to achieve the best possible outcomes for everyone. If you are in the area check out this new lecture series that the Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine is putting on. They have already held two seminars; one of which you can view on their website.
Did you know that Portland, Oregon might be the only city in the world to house a medical school, a naturopathic college, a chiropractic college and a college of oriental medicine? We are committed to enhancing health and health care by building upon this unique opportunity.
The Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine or OCIM is a collaborative formed between the National College of Natural Medicine, Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University and Western States Chiropractic College that aims to promote integrative health through education, research and patient care.
It feels really special to be so close to all these great minds in the Alternative and Complementary Medicine world of Oregon, and to be a part of a such an amazing paradigm shift in the health care arena. On their website, OCIM has resources for patients, practitioners and students and it looks like they will be expanding in the future. In October they started a lecture series which is open & free to the public. You can even access the video link to a lecture on the Swine Flu (their first integrative lecture) on their website. I haven’t been able to make one due to school constraints but hope to attend one soon! If you are in the Portland area, I highly recommend checking it out and seeing where the future of our Medicine is headed. If you are a student, they are in the process of setting up a grassroots platform for change; if you would like to be a part of it, there is a link to email them for more information! From the homepage click the ‘For Students’ link.
The next lecture will be held on January 13th, 2010 from 12 – 1:05 on the OHSU campus. The topic will be Hypothyroidism; for more information please visit the website: OCIM.org Other topics coming up include: ‘Managing Side Effects of Common Cancer Therapies’ & ‘Sports Medicine’ which will be held after the new year as well.
If you are on Facebook or Twitter, you can keep watch there too! Just scroll down to the bottom of the page here.
Stay tuned… this is only the beginning of an amazing collaboration between great minds in the health industry working together to promote healthy living and progress in the industry!
~be well~
Erin
Source: Oregon Collaboration for Integrative Medicine, Dec. 1st 2009
RICHMOND, Va. – In ancient times, acupuncture was a last resort medical treatment. Now people everywhere, including students at Virginia Commonwealth University, are using the Asian treatment to help everything from migraines to sports injuries.
Katherine Sammons, a VCU senior in social work, had acupuncture treatments because she said her lack of energy was interfering with schoolwork. After the four-month treatment, she noticed a difference.
“It was really beneficial to me so I definitely sing its praises,” said Sammons.
Acupuncture, along with acupressure, heat therapy, and nutrition, are traditional methods of Chinese medicine. According to Chinese philosophy, acupuncture helps to restore “qi,” or the flow of the body’s natural energy.
Keith Bell, a licensed acupuncturist and former VCU student, has been practicing acupuncture in Richmond for 10 years. He says the method of diagnosing a patient is more holistic than most Western practices.
“We look at the color of their skin; we actually smell the air around them, to see what they smell like,” said Bell.
After Bell consults with a patient, he begins a treatment by inserting needles into various pressure points on the body.
Monica Gittings is very familiar with the process, as she works in Bell’s office as a massage therapist and is also a regular acupuncture patient. She says the needles don’t hurt at all.
“Initially when he puts it in some spots I feel like a zing almost. Not always but sometimes a zing. Then after that I get a warming or kind of a fuzzy feeling that spreads out from certain points,” said Gittings.
But that zing costs up to $150 per session. A new bill, The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009, is currently being debated in congress to have insurance cover the costs.
The National Institutes of Health issued a statement in 1997 announcing acupuncture to be an effective treatment for certain medical conditions. While the process has been deemed safe, there are still some reported side effects: slight bleeding after needle removal, bruising, fainting, or feeling tired after a treatment.
And sometimes acupuncture isn’t the right treatment option.
“It’s good at treating nearly anything but emergency medicine, I mean I wouldn’t go to an acupuncturist if you have a car accident,” said Bell.
While more and more patients are turning to acupuncture, Bell says he also benefits from the interaction.
“The relationships with the patients, the relationships with my students, that’s my favorite. The ability to actually connect with people one on one and make a meaningful change in their lives,” said Bell.
This week, my life has resembled a whirlwind. I had so much to do. I taught a Reality Therapy class all week. Monday night, I taught an Empowerment Parenting class. Wednesday night it was Goal Attainment. Thursday night there was two group coaching calls. Friday, another coaching call. Then, Marcus and I went to the Rent performance.
Today, I went to the chiropractor’s for acupuncture and a massage. This is very relaxing and healthful for me. Thank God, I had that small reprieve. Because right after getting out of there, I went home to get ready for Marcus’ performance tonight with a singing group he performs with, The Notations. They began a week-long tour at a theater on the north side of Chicago. It was a packed house and a phenomenal show.
But you can believe after the week I had I was exhausted. I got home about 2 AM and went straight to bed. I am posting this post on Sunday after sleeping until 10 AM! That’s the latest I can remember sleeping in a very long time and it felt so good.
So yesterday had elements of health and adventure but mostly love. What did you do?
Acupressure is a completely non-invasive treatment option that has a high success rate among migraineurs (people who suffer from migraine headaches). It has a proven track record as a successful pain abatement technique. Acupressure is also efficacious in reducing both the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are over 800 vital energy points in the human body. These points lie along meridians that run throughout a person’s body. Chi, or life energy, flows along the meridians and through the energy points in healthy people. Chi that is blocked or overabundant near particular energy points causes illness and pain.
Acupressure massage applies pressure to these energy points in order to release chi and stimulate the body’s own healing mechanisms. The energy points are massaged with the fingers, thumb, or occasional blunt object with medium pressure in a circular pattern.
The simplest acupressure a migraineur can learn is an all-over head massage. This technique just requires the practitioner to massage the scalp as though they were washing their hair. Sit with the elbows resting on a table to prevent arm strain and the head resting lightly in the hands to perform head and neck acupressure.
Moderate pressure applied to the GB20 points offers the best relief for migraine pain. They are on either side of the neck, approximately one inch to each side of the spinal column just below where the skull and neck muscles connect. GB20 also goes by the more romantic-sounding Chinese name “The Gates of Consciousness”.
Migraineurs seeking to relieve their headache and neck pain should practice deep breathing while using the thumbs of both hands to press firmly on the GB20 points for one to two minutes. If this is painful at first, home practitioners can start out by pressing and releasing the points in five to fifteen second intervals.
For some alternative treatment methods, Visit Here
I’m waiting. Waiting…. waiting. We have prayed. We have cried. We have grieved. August turned into September, turned into October, and here we are. During these months, I’ve done much acupuncture, changed my diet completely, rested and relaxed, attended adoption seminars… Somewhere, in the midst of this, we felt this pull, this call, towards foster care. So many children out there needing a safe place, a secure place, a place to be while their parents are learning how to be parents again and be reunified with their children. This felt good, felt right. We were the last couple to get into the foster care class. We’ve been meeting once a week for 3 hours and it is intense. We would open our home to younger children (infant to 5) because that is where all of my training and experience is… We are willing to take a small sibling group so that brothers and sisters could stay together. We have the room, we have the time, we have the love to give. Sometimes, children in foster care do not get reunified with their birth parents and are then available for adoption. As foster parents, we would be eligible to adopt these children. We are so excited about this!
In our need to move forward towards fostering, we decided to move up my appointment with my RE. We were anticipating bad news and wanted to get it over with… we were ready to move on. We moved my appointment to October 7th. I woke up that morning to the great surprise of having gotten my period. The feelings of dread prevailed. We met with Dr. P and recapped our journey so far. We talked about egg donors and embryo adoption. We talked and talked. He wanted to do a quick ultrasound to check my ovaries, to see if there had been changes. This would give an indication as to what exactly might be happening… and if any changes had occurred. I told him that it might not be possible to do the ultrasound check because I had just gotten my period. Dr. P said that was actually perfect. Down the hall we went to an exam room and got ready for the ultrasound.
There, on the screen, was my uterus. Healthy and lined well. There were my ovaries… each with developing follicles. Each, with developing follicles. 10 in all. We counted them together with Dr. P. We counted them three times. A miracle? My ovaries were working! Dr. P instructed me to get dressed and meet him in his office.
Back in Dr. P’s office, he smiled and said that these changes were beyond great. Way better then he could have anticipated. He then told us that they were to begin IVF cycles that same day for two other women, and they had both came in this morning to find cysts on their baseline ultrasounds. And now, here I was, on my day 1, perfect baseline, 10 follicles growing, ready to go. He asked if we wanted to fill one of those slots… We talked and debated the pros and cons briefly, before jumping in and saying we wanted to go for it. A whirlwind of finding a nurse to do a calendar/medication class… paying our huge bill…. ordering meds…. and we got it all done. The car I follow on the highway on the way home has this license plate: CGODDOIT. See God do it. I do see!
October 8th I began lupron shots, twice a day. On October 10, I added the lupron along with follistim to menopur. I then did these injections twice a day. On October 14 I had an ultrasound that showed I had seven developing follicles. More ultrasounds on the mornings of October 15th, 16th, 17th…. On the 17th I was cleared to administer HCG injections (2 shots of ovidrel) to myself that evening. On the 18th I started a 5 day course of antibiotics (z-pack). I pray and pray for a sign that we’re on the right path. I find, on my closet floor, (the middle of my closet floor), my long missing necklace that I had lost hope of finding. The pendant, ‘BELIEVE,’ is face up.
My egg retrieval was at 8:30 on the morning of October 19th. My stomach was empty of food, but full of butterflies! The anesthetist hooked me up to an IV while my husband went to do his collection. I was taken to the retrieval room and the doctor asked if I felt sleepy, I said ‘no’… and then don’t remember anything else. I woke up to murmurings of ‘five,’ ‘five eggs,’ ’there were five.’ All I knew was that that was very different from 7. I was groggy and couldn’t find my words and started to cry. Dr. P was found and explained that five was good, five was fine. I slowly came out of my fog and we went home. I spent the day in bed with percoset and anti-nausea medicine.
On October 20th, the embryologist called and said that using ICSI, 4 of the 5 eggs were able to be fertilized. Because of the low number of fertilized eggs, the embryologist and Dr. P both recommended a day 3 transfer. I started progesterone shots, one shot each evening administered into one of my hips by my husband. Ouch.
On October 22nd, we arrived at the clinic for our transfer. We learned that 2 of the 4 embryo’s had evolved into a textbook perfect 8 cells. One of the other ones was a 4 cell and the fourth was a 6 cell. The two 8-celled embryos were transfered. No anesthesia this time — this one was easy. Acupuncture before and after while listening to guided imagery. We went home and I spent the rest of the day, and the next morning on the sofa. Progesterone shots continue every night until pregnancy is confirmed… or not.
And so, we wait. Today, (October 25), the embryologist called and told us that our other 2 embryos did not make it to the blastocyst stage and were therefore, not frozen. We had been really hoping and praying that these two would make it so that we could have one more chance if this one doesn’t work… or to be able to have additional biological children if this cycle did work. That is not an option anymore. It scares me. If those two didn’t make it to day 5, who’s to say what is happening to the two that were placed back into my uterus.
We continue on with our foster care classes. We are getting our two extra rooms ready for children. We pray. Tonight, I was baptized at our church. We’re not sure what we’re doing… but it all feels right. Somewhere in this, God has a plan, and while we don’t understand it, we know that it’s there. We wait to see it unfold. I wait.
If your name is Marika or Marita, then today is your day!
Weather turned rainy on wednesday. Today is foggy and misty. And cold!! It is 39F now. And with the strong winds it feels much much colder. The sky looked like snow. Western Kansas had 3-4 inches of snow. Eastern Colorado had 8-12 inches of snow.
Had lunch with a friend at Applbee’s on wednesday. Good eats – good conversation.
I ventured into Vita Villa and stocked up on all the suggestions of what to take to help prevent H1N1. Most likely I will not be able to get a shot against it.
In the rain I drove through a park and took some cool photos. The photo at the top looks like the goose had water spraying out his ears!
Today I had breakfast with a friend in Assaria at a great place. It is located in an old school house. It is full of old photos, travel posters, and antiques. Great place.
I went to my acupuncturist for her patient open house. Got a free treatment. She has a new med that is to help with weight loss and energy. Took one when I got home. Later I felt really strange. Thought it was my blood sugar but it was fine. Got ok later. I had bought now vitamin water and drank some with supper. Felt strange again. Maybe the water?? Water in trash. Will try pill on sunday. Too busy to experiment until then.
To describe the use of needle acupuncture and microcurrent therapy for treatment of blepharospasm.
KEY WORDS
Blepharospasm, Microcurrent Therapy, Acupuncture
INTRODUCTION
Blepharospasm is an ocular condition in which involuntary spasms or closure of the orbicularis occulimuscles may cause frequent eye blinking or even the inability to open the eye. Various treatments have been recommended, including botulinum toxin injections,1-4 myectomy,1 and drug therapy.1 Each therapy has its own success and limitations. For example, serious cases of necrotizing fasciitis5 and ptosis have been reported with botulinum toxin injections.
Blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, Parkinson’s disease,6 and other dyskinesic-dystonic movement disorders may share pathways through basal ganglia structures. Acupuncture may offer an important avenue to approach blepharospasm7 and other movement disorders.8 A case of essential blepharospasm that did not respond to conventional ophthalmologic treatments is presented herein.
History
The patient was a 51-year-old woman who developed facial and eye twitches which gradually increased over 1 year. Gabapentin, propranolol, and cyclobenzaprine were ineffective; spasms worsened. An ophthalmologist injected botulinum toxin 4 times. Her symptoms improved mildly, but then the twitches became more significant. Her eye blinks and facial twitches worsened, and she lost peripheral vision.
Clinical Information
Findings of the physical examination were within normal limits. Results of laboratory testing were in the normal range, including com-
plete blood cell count, urinalysis, thyroid profile, and muscle enzymes. Tourette’s disorder was ruled out. The patient was not taking any preparations such as methylphenidate, amphetamines, antipsychotics, or illicit drugs (which can cause tics). The neurologic examination revealed ocular and some facial twitches. The patient’s cranial nerves were intact and Bell’s palsy was ruled out.
TREATMENT
Treatment included needle acupuncture of ST 2, 3; SI 18; TE 22; LI 3; GB 34; and Extra Meridian points (Yin-Tang, GV 20 + shishenkong). Microcurrent therapy was administered on the right side of her face at 5 and 80 Hz, working with certain groups of facial muscles. Kidney channel tonification also was performed.9,10
Outcome
Patient consent was obtained and the patient tolerated all procedures well. There were no adverse effects. Total time span of treatment was slightly less than 2 months. The patient showed >95% improvement, sustained after 3 months of no further treatments.
CONCLUSION
Acupuncture can be an effective treatment in difficult cases of blepharospasm, particularly when partial paralysis of ocular muscles due to botulinum toxins is responsible for continuation of blepharospasm. Acupuncture may offer an important avenue for the treatment of certain movement disorders. Further research is necessary and desirable into the effectiveness of acupuncture for this condition.
REFERENCES
Anderson RL, Patel BC, Holds JB, Jordan DR. Blepharospasm: past, present, and future. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998;14:305-317.
Carruthers A. Update on botulinum toxin. Skin Therapy Lett. 1999;4:1-2.
Mezaki T, Kaji R, Brin MF, et al. Combined use of type A and F botulinum toxins for blepharospasm: a double-blind controlled trial. Mov Disord. 1999;14:1017-1020.
Latimer PR, Hodgkins PR, Vakalis AN, Butler RE, Evans AR, Zaki GA. Necrotising fasciitis as a complication of botulinum toxin injection. Eye. 1998;
12(pt 1):51-53.
Young R. Update on Parkinson’s disease. Am Fam Physician. 1999;59:2155-2167, 2169-2170.
. Nepp J, Wenzel T, Kuchar A, Steinkogler FJ. Blepharospasm and acupuncture: initial results of a treatment trial [in German]. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1998;148:457-458.
Jayasuriya A. Clinical Acupuncture. 7th ed. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers Ltd; 1998:458, 477.
Helms JM. Acupuncture Energetics: A Clinical Approach for Physicians. Berkeley, Calif: Medical Acupuncture Publishers; 1995.
Helms JM. Acupuncture for Physicians Course and Handbook. Bethesda, Md; January 1999.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Dr Mahesh Dave specializes in Adult and Child Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, and Forensic Psychiatry in Bryan, Texas.
At LCTA, there is no age limit on studying as one third year acupuncture student who is 74 years old will testify:
I worked in a variety of jobs when I was younger. I’ve always tried to keep busy and when we retired my husband and I decided to move to Mallorca. We bought a ruin and restored it over the next few years and because my brain constantly needs to be working, I learnt Spanish at the same time.
I decided to begin studying again because I thought I would become brain-dead if I didn’t do something. The last bit of serious studying I had done was in 1994 when I did a counselling and psychotherapy course. The course was a great way to train my listening skills and I really enjoyed it, but ten years later I needed a new challenge.
I was trying to work out what I wanted to do and looked at a variety of options. I had always been interested in healing and having grown up in the West Indies I was used to the concept of having someone at home who was involved in healing in some way. Where I grew up, you never just went to the doctor. My grandmother and my father were both healers and part of a strong tradition of people looking after each other. So I decided to look into how I could develop my own skills in healing and became really interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
As well as being accessible, LCTA was the friendliest of all the colleges I looked at and I liked the sound of the course. Everyone was charming at the Presentation Day and they really put me at ease during my interview. Although I hadn’t done any serious studying for a while, when I began the course, it wasn’t too much of a shock to the system, but the essays and exams are hard. Everyone else is in the same boat though, so we help each other through it.
I’d like to practise in Mallorca and I have to look into all the legalities of setting up over there and make sure that I have the correct qualifications. I will only practise part time but definitely plan to practise over there. You are never too old to study or change career. Lots of people think it’s daunting to do something like this at my age – they think it’s quite amazing. But it’s not such a bad idea and it’s certainly not particularly unusual.
I’m thoroughly enjoying the course, it’s really interesting. The whole concept of TCM fascinates me – it hasn’t lost any of its appeal over the millennia. The course has pulled my brain together again – it definitely sharpens you up. You constantly have to meet deadlines and those grey cells that have been mouldering away in the corner have to pick themselves back up again and get back to serious work.
When I chose to study acupuncture, I didn’t take the easy option. It’s proven to be a real challenge, a lot of hard work and a truly enlightening experience. Being a bit older doesn’t make any difference. It’s a fantastic experience; anyone who is interested in TCM should go for it – no matter what their age!
Babies who are exclusively breast-fed for at least the first 15 weeks of life have less respiratory illness during childhood. Those children tended to have lower blood pressure and were leaner than those who were started on solid food before four months of age.
The findings add to previous evidence of a link between adult disease and nutritional factors in the womb and during infancy.
As to weight, children who had been given solids before 15weeks were significantly heavier by age 7 than those given solids at 15 weeks or later, the researcher states. They also note that the percentage of body fat was greater among children who were started on solids earlier. British Medical Journal (1998;316:21-25)
A randomised controlled trial into the effects of acupuncture on cervical ripening was published by Rabl in 2001.[8]
Summary
The objective was to evaluate whether acupuncture at term can influence cervical ripening and thus reduce the need for postdates induction.
On their due dates 45 women were randomised into either an acupuncture group (25) or a control group (20). The acupuncture group received acupuncture every two days at the acupuncture points Hegu L.I.-4 and Sanyinjiao SP-6.
The women in both groups were examined every other day for cervical length (measured by vaginal trasonography, cervical mucus and cervical stasis according to Bishop’s score).
If women had not delivered after 10 days labour was induced by administering vaginal prostaglandin tablets.
The time from the woman’s due date to delivery was an average of 5 days in the acupuncture group compared to 7.9 days in the control group, and labour was medically induced in 20% of women in the acupuncture group compared to 35% in the control group.
There were no differences between overall duration of labour or of the first and second stages of labour.
Conclusion
Acupuncture at the points Hegu L.I.-4 and Sanyinjiao SP-6 supports cervical ripening and can shorten the time interval between the woman’s expected date of delivery and the actual time of delivery.
References
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Rabl M, Ahner R, Bitschnau M, Zeisler H, Husslein P. Acupuncture for cervical ripening and induction of labour at term – a randomised controlled trail. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2001; 113 (23-24): 942-6.
6 Year old Twins are Cured of their Asthmatic Symptoms
Women has her Fruit Allergy Symptoms Cured
Dr. Herman’s Comments:
I am very excited to announce the addition of The Bax 3000 to my clinic. After extensive research I will be offering these treatments to the people of Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.
For more information please call my office at 610-433-6190 or go to
There is new evidence that breast-feeding is associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer among a group of younger women who are at particularly high risk: those with breast cancer in the family.
Although several studies have found that lactation is protective against breast cancer, the new report found little effect for premenopausal women over all. But for women with an immediate relative, like a mother or a sister, who had breast cancer, those who breast-fed had a 59 percent lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer. That is closer in line with the risk for women who had no disease in the family, the study found.
“I was sort of stunned,” said Dr. Alison M. Stuebe, the first author of the study and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “It’s an impressive reduction in risk. Other studies either hadn’t looked at this or didn’t include enough women with a family history to find a statistically significant difference.”
The new study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, used information from 60,075 participants in the second Harvard Nurses’ Health Study. More research is needed to replicate the findings and to show that the reduced risk is the result of breast-feeding, rather than some other factor common to women who breast-feed. But Dr. Stuebe suggested that breast-feeding may prove just as effective a strategy for high-risk women as the use of Tamoxifen, a drug that interferes with estrogen activity and is often used in high-risk women to reduce breast cancer risk.
Though breast-feeding is promoted primarily because it is linked to better health in babies, mothers seem to accrue long-term advantages. Studies have found that women who breast-fed are less likely to develop osteoporosis and ovarian cancer, as well as high blood pressure and heart disease decades later.
Because women who breast-feed tend to be more educated and to have higher incomes than those who bottle-feed, disentangling the effects of lactation from those of other habits and behaviors can be difficult.
In the latest study, the data came from women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study from 1997 to 2005. The women had all given birth and provided detailed information about their habits and medical history, including breast-feeding, in 1997, before any had developed breast cancer. About 87 percent of the women had breast-fed for at least some period. By June 2005, premenopausal breast cancer had been diagnosed in 608 women. The women who had breast cancer in their immediate family but who had breast-fed had developed only 41 percent as many cancers as those who had an affected relative but refrained from breast-feeding.
But there was no greater benefit if women breast-fed exclusively or for longer periods of time, raising questions about the study’s conclusions, said Dr. Louise Brinton, chief of the National Cancer Institute’s hormonal and reproductive epidemiology branch.
“I would be cautious in interpreting this,” Dr. Brinton said. “You would expect to see a dose-response relationship with breast-feeding if it is a really causal protective factor.”
Interestingly, women who took drugs to prevent the formation of milk were at lower risk for breast cancer than those who refrained from breast-feeding but did not use lactation-suppressing drugs, the study found.
Acupuncture works to treat a wide range of conditions specific to women. While helping to balance the body so that it can regain physiological function, acupuncture also reduces stress and restores a sense of calm. This gentle, natural medicine focuses on treating the whole person, rather than the disease.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have proven effective in treating the following conditions relating to women’s health:
PMS
Menstrual Cramps and Irregularities
Breast tenderness and Fibrocystic breasts
Endometriosis
Uterine fibroids
Fertility-related conditions
Pregnancy-related conditions
Menopause-related conditions
Fertility
For women with fertility challenges, the use of acupuncture as a natural approach to pregnancy is well documented. A recent review of seven research trials of women undergoing in vitro fertilization found evidence of improved rates of pregnancy and live births among groups using acupuncture (University of Maryland School of Medicine, 2008).
Acupuncture helps to restore the body’s balance. From a Western perspective, studies show that acupuncture may:
Increase blood flow to the uterus to promote implantation.
Improve ovarian function, which may help produce better quality eggs and a larger number of follicles.
Reduce side effects of drugs used in assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures.
Decrease uterine contractions, intended to encourage implantation, and prevent early miscarriage.
Reduce stress hormones and anxiety.
Strengthen the immune system and support general health, possibly helping to prevent miscarriage.
Pregnancy
Acupuncture is a safe, natural, effective treatment for many common problems that occur during pregnancy. Unlike many pharmaceuticals, it is not contraindicated, and will not cause harm to the mother or baby.
However, there are certain acupuncture points that need to be avoided during pregnancy, because they are considered too strong. If there is a chance you may be pregnant, tell your acupuncturist, so she can modify your treatment to make it effective and more gentle.
Acupuncture is famous for its success rate in turning breech babies. It has proven success in helping to induce labor near or past the due date. During labor, studies have shown that women having acupuncture have overall faster and less painful deliveries. A recent study demonstrated that among women nearing their due dates, the randomized acupuncture group went into labor an average of 62 hours sooner than the control group, and had shorter labor times by more than two hours.
Pregnancy-related conditions that may be treated using acupuncture include:
Psychological issues
Physical problems
Fatigue
Morning Sickness
Heartburn
Constipation
Hemorrhoids
Back Pain and Sciatica
Edema
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Postpartum moms also often face special problems that may be helped by acupuncture. These include:
Fatigue
Postpartum vaginal discharge
Postpartum Depression
Mastitis
Insufficient or Excessive Lactation
Post Operative Healing
Menopause
Acupuncture and herbal medicine often provide natural relief for symptoms associated with declining hormone levels.
The most widely researched menopause-related symptom is hot flashes. Western physicians commonly prescribe HRT (hormone replacement therapy) for menopausal symptoms. There is some controversy about this therapy, and acupuncture and chinese herbs are shown to be a safe and effective alternative. A recent Stanford study concluded that “acupuncture significantly reduced the severity of nocturnal hot flashes compared with placebo.”
Contact Us
Nicole Murray, L.Ac.
619.488.5515
www.beachcommunityacupuncture.com
info@beachcommunityacupuncture.com
Sources Cited:
Manheimer, E. et al. Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilization: systematic review and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal. 2008 Mar 8;336(7643):545-9. Epub 2008 Feb 7.
Gaudet L.M., et al. Effectiveness of acupuncture for the initiation of labor at term: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada. 2008 Dec 30(12):1118-23.
Huang, M.I., et al. A randomized controlled pilot study of acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes: effect on nocturnal hot flashes and sleep quality. Fertility and Sterility. 2006 Sep;86(3):700-10.
The Acupuncturist wanted to get my period from being a 26-27 day cycle to a 29 day cycle and today it’s the 28th day. YAY!! That’s good news.
I am back in Florida for good. I don’t want to lose the progress that I have gained from the Acupuncturist and massage in Seattle. I have found an Acupuncturist here in Florida that I will see tomorrow. She does some alternative healing work as well.
I wonder how long after I miss my period do I have to wait to see if I am pregnant? The test yesterday said negative but a friend told me she had a test that said negative and she was pregnant. Hmmm??? Do you know?
Well, I have just had my second acupuncture appointment. My allergies have behaved themselves very well this past week and I’ve felt much more relaxed than usual, so I’m actually looking forward to how my, ehm, ‘lower regions’ respond in a couple of weeks. And that’s not a time I’m accustomed to looking forward to!
The acupuncturist I’m seeing is a wonderful energetic and positive lady, who really knows her stuff. We’re having some great conversations, as she is very interested in the whole range of healing modalities including the soul/spirit healing I do as a shaman. I’ve been open with her about the soul healing I’ve started doing on myself, so she’s set me homework for that. Apparently, the energy in my heart/lung/solar plexus region is quite blocked up and she is keen for me to work on opening this area up.
This is great, and it’s lovely to work with a healer who can work with me. However, doing the actual work quite frankly terrifies me! I keep myself quite protected (probably over-protected) and while I am gradually learning to be more open about what I actually am/do/feel, I still mostly try to masquerade as a suburban mum. Exploring the reasons for my excessive self-protection is an extremely scary thing for me (yes, this is the woman who last week relived vivid past life memories of being raped and murdered – fears are funny things). I will do it – it’s becoming rapidly apparent that I can’t ‘not do’ this work. And in a way I’m looking forward to it, because I know the healing that happens through this process will be very powerful for me. But I’m still scared!
I started packing today! And I’m nearly done too, just a few more things to add in and I’m good to go! To the weigh in on Saturday that is. We are going to weigh our bags and then fill them up to 30kg with the gifts we have been given to take over, including blankets, toys and clothes. Hopefully it will all fit!
Finally finished cleaning my room today!!!! And my clothes are all organised and put away!
I would have been totally lost with-out my ToDo lists though! And my packing lists, and my to buy lists and all my other random little lists! Yes I know, I’m a list-a-holic! Speaking of lists, here’s tomorrow’s ToDo:
[] Get a blood test
[] Eat brekky!
[] Acupuncture appointment
[] Work (Buy ingredients for cookies)
[] Bunnings, buy gloves, trowel and powerpoint converter
[] Spotlight, buy flags
[] Do washers, aprons and pants
[] Charge travel phone
[] Empty 16gb SD card, 2gb SD card
[] Empty camcorder
[] Charge camcorder
[]Send Dad his wedding pics
You know what? I’m going to write another list, ’cause I can. It the remainder of things I have to pack:
[] Pens
[] Camera (obviously buy this one first!)
[] Hair brush
[] Cadbury (it’s a gift, not for me)
[] Remainder of medications
[] Smalls
[] Another pair of pants
[] Adjusted work pants
[] Powerpoint converter
[] Camcorder charger
[] Camera charger (again, buy it first)
[] Phone charger
Hopefully I havent forgotten anything there either!! Not with only 9 days to go!!!! Wh-hoo!! In just nine short days I’ll be on a plane leaving Australia for three weeks to go to Uganda with Mission Watoto to build a home for orphan children and a house mum. While over there I will also be doing a three day safari, a day of rafting on the Nile, and a trip to Gulu (Northern Uganda) to visit the Watoto centres up there. I’m EXCITED!!!!!
Oh, there were *way* too many exclamation points in this post!!
People who are prone to getting panic fits might be in a position to find help in acupuncture. Acupuncture On awakening in clinical studies to boost a selection of disorders, and even diseases. Its effect on panic fits is related to the way your body responds to fear.
If you are currently in midst of experiencing panic attack symptoms, your heart could be battering, you will feel short of breath, you may like you are choking – you could start sweating, shaking, losing control, or maybe feeling like you’re dying. Many people who are panicking feel like they need to flee the situation, but they are not in a position to do so.
There are awesome number of causes for these panic attacks too. For some people it is genetic. For others it is related to things happening in their lives at the time. For still others it is related to things like medicine or sicknesses. Diet is now thought of to be a reason for panic attacks for some folks as well – especially candida over-growth or poisonous metals.
When you start acupuncture, you’ll probably begin to debate your case with your acupuncturist. From there, they can assess where there are imbalances in your body. They may find that you’ve got a Qi chi deficiency. Anxiety Qi deficiency is generally in the kidney or spleen meridians. Your acupuncturist will diagnosis and identify where to treat you.
They will use needles in various points on your body. Depending on where these points are, they may release endorphins and balance your hormones. There are even certain relaxation points that will scale back your anxiety and make you are feeling better all around.
Many acupuncturists will also appraise your diet and exercise patterns, and make suggestions for change. Fundamentally , it is all about balancing your entire body so you can start to feel free from anxiety fits. They might prescribe herbs, exercise regimes, or dietary changes depending on the strength of the acupuncturist’s program.
Even if you’ve never considered acupuncture for panic attacks before, it is definitely a great holistic method try. Many acupuncturists will give you a free consultation so you can determine if it is suitable for you. Using acupuncture together with other holistic strategies can end your panic episodes for good. Prodcuts such as Linden Method can help get you started down the right path.
No matter which methods you try it is important that you do something as quickly as possible. There is no reason to live your life getting panic fits all the time. Gain control and change your life for the better!
Some patients complained their medical doctors (MDs) don’t suggest them to use acupuncture. This might be true for some MDs, especially the conservative MDs. In recent years, MDs actually are more and more interested in acupuncture and other alternative or complementary medical therapies, less likely to tell patient — “do not use acupuncture”.
Several big scale clinical trials have demonstrated acupuncture is an effective methods to treat low back pain, knee pain, migraine, etc. So, MDs may suggest patients who have such problems to use acupuncture. However, some of MDs may not so familiar to acupuncture, may advise their patients “do not see an acupuncturist” when patients have other conditions, such as infection, asthma, heart problems, even some other pain conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Actually, acupuncture has been effectively applied to treat many clinical conditions, World Health Organization (WHO) lists over 100 conditions as acupuncture treatment scope. Acupuncture activates patient’s own healing ability, which is useful and organic/less adverse effect.
In 2008, there were at least 15 MDs saw us and we used acupuncture (with or without herbology, etc) to help their own or their family members to recover from different clinical conditions, such as low back pain, neck pain, arm pain, various headache (migraine, tension headache, sinus infection, neck problems), allegy, asthma, gastrointestine problem, fertility and period issue, PMS, etc. although the effective levels are different–for some conditions, acupuncture could cure them; for other conditions, acupuncture could help either to decrease the chemical drug’s dose or to eliminate the adverse effect(s) of chemical drugs, etc. Sometime, acupuncture could improve patient’s energy level or improve patient’s qualityof life.
In our area, one MD even treats herself as an acupuncturist, most of her patients actually see her to do acupuncture, instead of getting a prescription for chemical drug.
By Emma Wilkinson
BBC News health reporter in Amsterdam
Daily ejaculation may be the best way to improve sperm quality
Having sex every day improves sperm quality and could boost the chances of getting pregnant, research suggests.
In a study of men with fertility problems, daily ejaculation for a week cut the amount of DNA damage seen in sperm samples.
Speaking at a fertility conference, the Australian researcher said general advice for couples had been to have sex every two or three days.
Early results from the trial had already shown promising results.
Perhaps we have been blaming the women as couples get older but perhaps there’s a contribution from the male because we’re not behaving as we should be
Dr David Greening
Sydney IVF
But 118 men have now been tested and the benefits for sperm have become clearer.
Dr David Greening, from Sydney IVF, told delegates at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting that eight in ten men taking part showed a 12% drop in sperm DNA damage after the seven days.
Although there was a big drop in sperm numbers from 180 million to 70 million over the week, men were still within the normal “fertile” range.
Sperm also became more active over the seven days with a small rise in motility, he added.
Damage
The theory is the longer sperm hang around in the testes the more likely they are to accumulate DNA damage and the warm environment could also make them more sluggish after a while.
Sperm come under attack by free radicals – small reactive molecules which can damage DNA and cause cell death – in the tube that stores and carries sperm away from the testes.
Further work is needed to work out if daily sex for men without fertility problems has the same benefits but Dr Greening believes it is likely to be the case.
He warns that having daily sex for too long – say a fortnight – would probably cut sperm numbers too much.
But recommended “lots of sex daily” around the time the woman is ovulating.
He said it was best to “keep the river flowing”.
As men age they may not have as much sex as they did when they were younger, adding to the problem of infertility, Dr Greening told delegates.
“We are designed to breed in our youth.
“Perhaps we have been blaming the women as couples get older but perhaps there’s a contribution from the male because we’re not behaving as we should be.”
The findings may also have implications for couples undergoing IVF as men are commonly told to abstain from sex for a couple of days to try and boost sperm numbers.
Dr Alan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, said the finding that daily ejaculation improved the chances of conception was interesting, but it would be wrong to apply the results to all men.
“For example, in cases where men have low sperm counts to start with, daily ejaculations may well reduce the sperm count still further and whilst sperm may be more healthy the reduced numbers could impede the chance of natural conception.
“The best general advice is that if couples are attempting to conceive naturally, intercourse every couple of days will make sure the sperm are as healthy as possible on each occasion.
“However, in preparation for IVF or ICSI treatment, this advice may well change in response to medical test results like DNA damage measurements.”
