Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Be a Quitter!!



If you're ready to call it quits when it comes to smoking (or any other addiction for that matter), consider acupuncture. When other methods used fail, many people turn to acupuncture. Increasingly, acupuncture has become the first approach chosen, as more people desire a non-drug, non-chemical approach to quitting. In some states, acupuncture is a treatment that is court mandated for drug addicts because it helps alleviate withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, irritability, anger, anxiety, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. This reduces the recidivism rate (rate at which they resume smoking or drugs again), therefore reducing the re-arrest rate.

Of the estimated 50 million Americans who smoke, 70 percent report that they want to quit smoking, but have failed. Nicotine is reportedly as powerful of an addiction as heroin, cocaine or alcohol. That's pretty powerful!

Why quit? There are many reasons why smokers wish to quit. It may be because they want to protect the health of their family, or themselves, or because it has become more difficult to smoke in public. Some desire to quit because they've heard that cigarettes have about 4,000 chemicals, 43 of which are known carcinogens, as well as other toxins such as tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, acetone, DDT, formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene and Freon.

Whatever the reason, there are things you can do to help to quit. Exercise is helpful because it contributes to a sense of wellbeing and can be calming. Drinking herbal teas, such as lobelia or valerian due to their anti-anxiety and calming effects, can be helpful. Finding a way to relax, such as yoga, meditating, or martial arts such as Tai Chi or Qi Gong can be advantageous.

Detoxifying is also efficacious. This can be accomplished by acupuncture, detoxification programs or even simply juicing. If juicing, mostly green leafy vegetables are best. Juicing alone is probably not strong enough, but simply an adjunct. Drinking water and eating a diet high in fresh veggies and some fruit can help too.

Of course, my favorite is acupuncture. Acupuncture is successful because of the many different factors it is able to help balance. Acupuncture helps reduce the feelings of stress, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, quick to anger, and the jumpiness many addicts feel. It also helps in restoring energy, yet helping the individual feel more relaxed and be able to handle stresses better. For some odd reason, after acupuncture, cigarettes taste terrible! They no longer have the mouth-satisfaction factor.

Acupuncturists use needles that are one-time use, hair-thin, surgical stainless steel. They are superficially inserted into points in the body and ear to produce effective results. Between treatments, they may use ear pellets or tiny ear "tacks," which enable the person to give themselves "mini-acupuncture" stimulus in times of duress. This also helps their success. If you're ready to call it quits to the cigarettes or other addictions, call an acupuncturist today.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Acupuncture Changes our Brain's Perception of Pain

Functional magnetic resonance (fMR) images showing brain activity during electrical pain stimulation at the left ankle. Parts of the so-called "pain matrix" are activated: (a) primary somatosensory cortex (S1), (b) right insula, (c) precuneus, (d) left insula.
Credit: Image courtesy of Radiological Society of North America


Acupuncture induces lasting pain relief. Doctors using MRI neuroradiology scans captured images showing how acupuncture accomplishes enduring analgesia. 

The researchers state that the MRI images reveal that “acupuncture and pain mobilize overlapping brain regions and the same intrinsic networks.” They add that “acupuncture consists of specific brain activation–modulating patterns that outlast the needling period….” 

The new MRI findings demonstrate that the effective actions exerted by true acupuncture points are specific to certain brain networks. A great deal of research on the brain pathways and biochemical mechanisms relating to acupuncture treatments has been published within the last two years. One of the more intriguing studies demonstrates that a biochemical responsible for pain reduction is activated by acupuncture.

Prior to this research, it was known that acupuncture caused opioid peptide releases in the spinal cord, brain and peripheral nervous system. The new research extends “these findings by demonstrating that electroacupuncture stimulated the increased numbers of leukocytes (macrophages) containing the three opioid peptides END, ENK, and DYN and that all three opioid peptides mediated antinociception to thermal and mechanical stimuli….”




Refereneces:

Theysohn, Nina, Kyung-Eun Choi, Elke R. Gizewski, Ming Wen, Thomas Rampp, Thomas Gasser, Gustav J. Dobos, Michael Forsting, and Frauke Musial. "Acupuncture-Related Modulation of Pain-Associated Brain Networks During Electrical Pain Stimulation: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study." The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2014).
Author affiliations:
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
University Clinic of Neuroradiology, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health
Science, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.

Vickers AJ, Cronin AM, Maschino AC, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. Published online September 10, 2012. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3654.

Schiapparelli P, Allais G, Rolando S, et al. Acupuncture in
primary headache treatment. Neurol Sci 2011;32 Suppl
1:S15-18.

Wang, Ying, Rebekka Gehringer, Shaaban A. Mousa, Dagmar Hackel, Alexander Brack, and Heike L. Rittner. "CXCL10 Controls Inflammatory Pain via Opioid Peptide-Containing Macrophages in Electroacupuncture." PloS one 9, no. 4 (2014): e94696.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Acupuncture Summary- 4,000 year-old Approach

Eastern medicine

Americans largely became aware of acupuncture in the 1970’s when President Nixon sent diplomatic teams to China. Hundred of news exposes followed on what was then seen as a Chinese curiosity. Four decades later, western culture has largely accepted acupuncture. It’s not uncommon to hear an uncle who received acupuncture following a knee replacement or a mother who is using it to relieve pain from arthritis. Allina Health in Minneapolis and the Mayor Clinic in Rochester even have alternative sections in their facilities.
“When I first started most people came because of pain,” Halverson said. “Everyone has experienced pain, headache, back, joint pain, and that’s probably the highest percentage of clients I still see, but I also now see people who are treating autoimmune issues like rheumatoid arthritis, food allergies, and the common cold.”
Even though widely used, many are still unaware what acupuncture is all about.
“Acupuncture is a safe, effective, and natural healing technique and has been used by a quarter of the world’s population for 4,000 years,” she said.
In Chinese medicine the body is considered to have 12 meridians or pathways of energy that impact health.
“Pain is caused by a blockage of this chi, or energy, and what the acupuncture does is it stimulates the production of endorphins which are natural painkillers,” she said and added, “Acupuncture in Chinese medicine is about prevention and maintaining wellness. Taking care of your body before it gets sick and treating people before they have an illness.”
Over the years, Halverson’s practice has broadened.
“Now, I do see people come in with arthritis and gastrointestinal concerns, like irritable bowl, stomach pain. I recently treated a woman with gallstones. She was on a blood thinner and couldn’t undergo more surgery at the time she called and asked, ‘Can you do anything for that?’ and we started using a Chinese herbal formula and regiment of acupuncture. She goes to Arizona for the winter and when she left she was pain free.”
Halverson issues patented Chinese formulas and offers advice on diet and exercise.
“The first thing the ancient Chinese would change when you came to see them was your diet,” she said. “Then, when you came back to see them, they would use acupuncture and herbs. That’s how much emphasis they placed on the diet. My experience has been when people do the acupuncture and lifestyle changes, like diet and exercise, their response rate is much quicker.
One client with a sinus infection had come to her after using two to three rounds of antibiotics. Halverson treated her with acupuncture, Chinese herbal formula, and diet changes and the infection cleared up.
Another client who was told she needed surgery because of torn ligaments and tendon was treated at Healing Point for over three months.
“When she went back for another MRI, the surgeon was quite amazed at the healing that had taken place and now she is back to doing everything she had done on her ankle in the first place,” Halverson said.

Process

During the initial consult, clients discuss their health, including pain, and then Halverson asks about diet, sleep patterns, and takes a pulse but in a way different than in western medicine.
“In Chinese medicine we are not counting the rate and rhythm like western medicine,” she said. “I feel for three different pulses at three different levels in each wrist. Those relate to the meridians or pathways of energy.”
Halverson obtains a “pattern diagnosis” and develops a treatment plan that dictates where to place the needles.
“There are over 300 point locations for the needle placement along the 12 pathways of energy,” she said, “and they do different things. Some will move the chi. Some will drain damp. Some will clear heat. That’s how we describe what the needles are doing. That’s very different from western medicine in terms of how we make a diagnosis and what we plan to do for the treatment.
“A pain pattern occurs because the energy has become stagnated and we need to move that energy in order to alleviate the pain. We will do that by placing needles often times where you don’t expect. For example if someone has a knee pain, I may use his or her elbow to treat the knee pain and some needles may go in the knee as well,” she said.
Needles are thin as hair. The initial prick feels like a light mosquito bite to some and others don’t feel a thing, and any sensation dissipates. While receiving treatment, some feel a sense of calm and well-being, some a circuitry of energy, and others a warmth.
“I have people snoring, they are so relaxed,” she said.
People also use acupuncture to maintain a sense of well-being without a specific issue.
And because one needle may address several health issues, clients may come in for one reason and experience several other benefits.
“They will say, ‘I have never slept so well’ or ‘I have so much more energy,’ and it is those people who will come back for a monthly type of treatment for health and well being,” she said.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Is your New Year's Resolution to lose weight?

Acupuncture for Weight Loss


Frustrated woman with scale
Is your New Year’s resolution to lose weight? Year after year, weight loss is the top New Year’s resolution, so you’re not alone. In her guest post, licensed acupuncturist Meret Bainbridge explains the role that acupuncture can play in helping people lose their extra pounds.
While people seek out acupuncture for a variety of health problems and often come in with a long list of complex issues they want to address, many of them will ask if acupuncture can also help them lose weight. Some secretly hope for a magical fix – that the right combination of acupuncture points will induce weight loss without changes in diet and exercise. I wish it were this easy!

The difficulties with losing weight

Obesity and diabetes and the associated increased risk for stroke and heart disease are a world-wide problem. Obesity affects over one-third of adults in the US now and childhood obesity is on the rise.
Metabolic syndrome, according to the NIH, is defined as having three out of five metabolic risk factors, including a large waistline or “apple shape,” high triglycerides, low HDL “good” cholesterol, high blood pressure and high fasting blood sugar.
Dr. Mark Hyman, in his book “The Blood Sugar Solution” has nicknamed this epidemic “diabesity” – the spectrum of obesity, insulin-resistance, pre-diabetes and eventually diabetes. Insulin-resistance – high levels of insulin circulating in the blood stream caused by excessive consumption of sugar, combined with reduced ability of the cell’s receptor sites to absorb the insulin, which then leads to sugars being stored as fat, is at the core of this pathology.
Dr. Hyman describes the complex causes that lead to being overweight and keep people from losing weight despite dieting and exercise. They include poor nutrition and food addiction to sugar, sodas and highly processed industrialized foods, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, poor digestive function, toxins, sluggish metabolism, and stress.
The old myths of weight loss – eating a calorie-reduced, low-fat diet, using highly processed meal replacement products and exercising yourself to exhaustion – have been tossed out by now, because they only lead to a yo-yo diet effect with greater weight gain following each weight-loss cycle.
Weight loss is a complex process that must address the various underlying causes.
According to Dr. Hyman the “Seven Steps to Ultrawellness” include:
  1. Boost your nutrition – eat unprocessed, natural, whole, primarily plant-based foods cooked from scratch
  2. Regulate your hormones – improve thyroid function, reduce stress hormones, balance sex hormones
  3. Reduce inflammation – address food sensitivities, hidden infections and toxins
  4. Improve your digestion – heal your gut, regulate elimination
  5. Maximize detoxification – identify and eliminate hidden toxins
  6. Enhance energy metabolism – boost mitochondrial function – and
  7. Soothe your mind – reduce stress, and adrenal fatigue.
Dr. Hyman’s books give detailed guidance on how to identify what is at the root of your own weight gain and inability to lose weight, and create your own individualized weight-loss program. I highly recommend delving into his approach.

Meret Bainbridge performing acupuncture 9-2014

Where does acupuncture fit into a weight loss plan?

If you are looking for a quick fix, a magic needle – acupuncture will disappoint you. Acupuncture by itself will do very little to help you lose weight.
Successful weight loss takes nothing short of a complete life style change including a nutrient-dense diet, nutritional supplementation, smart efficient exercise, sufficient sleep and stress reduction.
But acupuncture can address just about every one of these aspects and greatly improve the results of a multi-faceted weight loss program. Let’s take a closer look at what acupuncture has to offer.
1. Acupuncture reduces food cravings and regulates appetite
Ear acupuncture is one of the most successful methods for addiction treatment, including food addiction and emotional eating where bingeing or constant nibbling serves to stuff down difficult emotions like sadness, anger, boredom and loneliness; or where sensations like pain, fatigue and thirst are mistaken for hunger.
Ear acupuncture stimulates the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve that is part of the involuntary nervous system and controls such automatic functions as regular heart rate and digestion.
In a randomized study by Sabina Lim and others (Graduate College of Basic Korean Medical Science at Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea), 91 obese persons were randomly assigned to a group receiving stimulation of a five-needle protocol on the outer ear, a group receiving a single ear acupuncture point, or sham (fake) acupuncture. The five-needle group achieved the largest drop in waist circumference, as well as drop in body fat, followed by the one-needle group, and no change in the control group. The study was published in Acupuncture in Medicine on Dec 16, 2013.
2. Acupuncture regulates hormones
Acupuncture’s balancing effect on overall body chemistry, including hormones, is well-established. Acupuncture lowers stress hormones. It regulates sexual and reproductive hormones and is widely used in addressing menstrual, fertility and menopausal concerns.
An area of particular interest is the effect of acupuncture on obesity hormones.
Hunger and satisfaction are regulated by two hormones: grehlin stimulates hunger and initiates eating, while leptin suppresses food intake. Surprisingly, in obese people leptin in the bloodstream is increased, while grehlin is decreased. Obese people are considered not only insulin-resistant, but also grehlin-resistant. (Obesity Review, Jan 2007)
In a Turkish study reported in Acupuncture in Medicine, September 2012, 40 obese women were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture on five common points twice weekly for five weeks for a total of 10 sessions. The results showed that acupuncture lowered insulin and leptin levels and increased plasma grehlin in the treatment group, compared with a control group receiving sham acupuncture. Acupuncture also reduced the BMI (basic metabolic index).
The conclusion is that acupuncture can help normalize obesity hormones and the hunger response and contribute to improving metabolism.
3. Acupuncture reduces inflammation
Acupuncture is mostly known for – and researched for – its ability to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and heal injuries.
Acupuncture promotes blood flow, which brings oxygen, nutrients, immune substances, hormones, pain killers and anti-inflammatories to the compromised area. Acupuncture needles create “micro traumas” that stimulate the body’s natural healing response. Acupuncture releases natural painkillers such as endorphins and enkephalins. Acupuncture relaxes tense muscles that put pressure on joints and impinge nerves.
Chris Kresser, in his blog series “Chinese Medicine Demystified: How Acupuncture Works,” explains the mechanisms of acupuncture in medical terms. For a listing of the vast research in this field, see Freek Zijlstra et.al.,”Anti-inflammatory Actions of Acupuncture.”
4. Acupuncture improves digestion and metabolism
Acupuncture addresses many digestive problems, including GERD, reflux, stomach ulcers, IBS, diverticulitis and colitis. Acupuncture can help regulate digestion and elimination of toxins.
Chinese medicine describes the digestive process as a function of the stomach, which breaks food down, and the “spleen,” which transforms the nutrients from food into usable energy. What is termed the “spleen” here includes functions of the pancreas, the small intestine and the metabolic process on a cellular level. The Western medical equivalent of this spleen function are the mitochondria or the “powerhouses” of the cell that break down glucose and fatty acid for ATP, an energy-carrying molecule. Remember High School biology and the Krebs cycle? People with insulin-resistance have compromised mitochondrial function.
Acupuncture can help restore the body’s homeostasis, bringing back its optimal functioning.
In acupuncture lingo, we call it “Restoring the Qi” or the body’s vital energy.
5. Acupuncture reduces stress and increases relaxation
Stress-reduction and increased relaxation are probably the biggest all-encompassing effects of acupuncture. The effects of stress, especially chronic, long-term stress, on lowered immunity, increased depression and anxiety, lack of sleep, and overall compromised health have been well-established.
Increased stress and lack of sleep lead to increased release of the stress hormone cortisol from the adrenal glands. Cortisol makes us feel hungry even when we are full. Loss of sleep also decreases levels of growth hormone, which regulates the proportion of fat to muscle. And lack of sleep interferes with carbohydrate metabolism. Plus, tired people tend to eat more for the short-term energy boost they gain, especially from carbohydrate-rich foods.
As we’ve seen, there are many factors that interfere with successful weight loss. The causes leading to obesity and the difficulties with losing weight are complex. A successful weight maintenance plan must address all these aspects.

So – can acupuncture help you lose weight?

The answer is not a simple “yes” or “no”. But acupuncture can address many of the deeper-rooted issues with weight problems. There is definitely a place for acupuncture in a multi-faceted weight loss program. In fact, it can be a determining factor of its success.