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It’s estimated that more than 37 million people in the United States suffer from migraines. Migraines are characterized by recurrent headaches with moderate-to-severe pain, usually occurring in a specific area of the head. While most headaches are minor and short-lived, migraines are more debilitating, often forcing the individual to miss work and/or reschedule his or her activities.
To make matters worse, however, many doctors and physicians prescribe harsh drugs for migraine sufferers that do more harm than good. A better solution is to first try one of the following drug-free ways to fight your migraines.
Foods can trigger up to half of the migraine sufferers. So, keep a journal in which you write down every food you eat, every beverage you drink, and every time you experience a migraine. The goal in doing so is to identify a connection between a specific food and your migraines. Gluten, for instance, may trigger a migraine if you have celiac disease, or perhaps the presence of artificial food coloring is triggering your migraines.
Acupuncture has been used to treat headaches and migraines for hundreds of years, and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down anytime soon. The American Headache Society has even recommended the use of acupuncture for treating migraines, attesting to its positive effects on this condition.
How exactly does acupuncture work? The practice involves the placement of thin needles in specific areas of the body with the goal of stimulating the individual’s Qi (Chee). The general belief is that stagnant Qi leads to illness, including migraines; therefore, correcting these blockages and restoring the Qi to its normal working order will treat migraines.
According to one study cited by Prevention, migraine sufferers who took 400 mg of riboflavin (a type of vitamin B2) reported fewer migraines after just 3 months. This water-soluble vitamin also plays a key role in maintaining energy levels and fighting fatigue.
Low-quality indoor air has been linked to an increased prevalence of migraines. Not long ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced indoor air pollution as being one of the top five environmental hazards. You can improve the air quality in your home or workplace, however, by cleaning the ductwork, changing the air filter on a regular basis, opening the windows, and adding plants.
If you are interested in becoming free of your migraines, call today and schedule your appointment.
Heart health is extremely important. Without a healthy heart, the body does not function properly. The same can be said for a healthy state of mind. This is where Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can be extremely beneficial. TCM, a medical system that dates back nearly 3,000 years, uses multiple modalities to treat illnesses and conditions of the mind and body.
When the heart is strong, circulation will be sufficient, the body will be well-nourished, and the pulse will reflect that by being full and regular. Both TCM and conventional medicine agree a weak heart can manifest as palpitations, chest pain, and even heart disease or a heart attack. Where the two medical systems diverge is this: Traditional Chinese Medicine also acknowledges that the heart “houses the mind.”
In TCM, the heart and the mind are virtually inseparable. The heart governs the ability to think clearly and sleep soundly. Our emotional state is strongly influenced by how healthy or unhealthy our hearts may be. A weak and deficient heart may create feelings of anxiety and mania, while also contributing to insomnia, forgetfulness, and lack of concentration. And conversely, a weak mind or uncontrolled emotions can lead to a sick heart.
Heart health can be reflected in the facial complexion also. A nice rosy complexion indicates a strong, healthy heart, while a pale or sallow complexion is indicative of a deficient, weak heart. If the heart blood becomes stagnant, the complexion may have a purplish tint. When the complexion is reddish, this may indicate heart heat. This is one of the diagnostic tools that TCM practitioners use to determine the disease pattern of their patients.
Looking at some of the different modalities incorporated into TCM, there are many ways a person can manage their heart health. Here are some ways that TCM can help.
Acupuncture for Heart Health: Inserting hair-thin, solid, filiform needles into acupressure points along the body can help tremendously to keep your heart healthy. Acupuncture has been shown to lower blood pressure, calm the mind, relieve stress, and decrease any pain that might be occurring. Acupuncture also stimulates blood flow, making circulation more effective.
Acupuncture Points for Heart Health:
Chinese Herbs and Formulas for Heart Health: Another important component of TCM is the use of herbs and herbal formulas. Many times, the herbs can be used alone, but there will be a more synergistic effect when single herbs are combined to make a formula. One such herb is San Qi. San Qi invigorates the blood, removing blockages, and it is also known to lower blood pressure. One of the most popular herbal formulas is Suan Zao Ren Tang. This formula nourishes the blood, calms the spirit, and clears heat, which are all symptoms that can be associated with an imbalanced heart.
Dietary Recommendations for Heart Health: Nutrition can also be very important in keeping the heart-healthy. Berries are loaded with antioxidants that can reduce the risk of heart disease. Chia seeds and flax seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids that can help lower blood pressure. Other foods like asparagus, nuts, dark chocolate, beans, and green tea can also help to maintain a healthy heart.
If you want to help your heart be healthier, call us today and schedule an appointment. If you are experiencing any chest pains or stroke symptoms, it is best to go to urgent care first, just to make sure there is no serious damage.
Nearly 30% of American adults struggle with chronic insomnia, and that percentage increases with age. [1] Standard treatment includes sleeping pills and cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy shows a lot of promise as an effective treatment and sleeping pills, though presenting some risks, can be helpful in the short term. It is a condition, however, according to standard approaches, that can be treated, but unfortunately, not cured. And while many Americans don’t meet the criteria of a ‘chronic insomnia’ label, anyone who lacks proper sleep on a regular basis will eventually suffer physical, mental, and emotional health consequences. Besides the obvious fatigue that comes along with many types of insomnia, there can be accompanying effects such as headaches, dizziness, sore muscles, and mood issues. One large study found that those with insomnia were five times more likely to suffer from depression than those who got adequate sleep.[2] This is in addition to other associated effects on brain health, cardiovascular health, immunity, and weight.
Acupuncturists typically always ask about the quantity and quality of sleep no matter the initial complaint or reason for seeking treatment. This is because as holistic health practitioners, we recognize the enormous impact sleep has on the overall health experience. If there are any deficits when it comes to sleep, this will usually be part of the focus of treatment. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), nighttime is yin time, a time for rest, healing, and recovery. It needs to be in balance with yang time (daytime) activity levels. This harmony of yin and yang is central to the TCM understanding of health.
Acupuncture takes an individualized approach to insomnia, as everyone is different, and there can be many reasons why someone is out of balance. In addition to external factors such as trauma or stress, a person’s internal environment will be looked at. A pattern assessment is done to evaluate both the abundance and flow of blood and energy (qi) in the body, excess hot or cold type disorders, and any organ imbalances. But is it effective?
In a review of randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture for insomnia, acupuncture was found superior to medications in its ability to increase sleep duration for >3 hours. Also, acupuncture plus medications showed better effects than medications alone on total sleep duration. And finally, acupuncture plus herbs was significantly better than herbs alone on increase of sleep rates. Worthwhile to note that there were no serious adverse effects of acupuncture observed in any of the trials.[3]
According to Western physiology, acupuncture affects our ability to sleep by triggering the release of our sleep hormone: melatonin, and various other mechanisms still being studied, such as the activation of specific brain pathways involved in sensory processing [4]. Acupuncture is also known to stimulate the vagus nerve, which helps shift the whole body into a more relaxed state. When the body goes into this relaxed state, not only does sleep quality improve, but the body also turns on the immune and repair systems, cutting down oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. [5]
Given the interrelationship of sleep and overall health, if all acupuncture did was improve sleep, it would still merit recognition as a valuable health system. But Acupuncture is prescribed for so much more! Call today to set up a sleep and overall health improving series of treatments and start feeling the benefits right away!
[1] https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/sleep-facts-statistics
[2] https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-21/slideshow-chronic-insomnia-health-impacts
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156618/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4265683/
[5] https://www.morningsideacupuncturenyc.com/blog/acupuncture-and-the-vagus-nerve
When acupuncturists treat back pain in Chinese Medicine, we often focus on 2 aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): the Kidney system and the concept of ‘qi (energy) & Blood Stagnation’. The low back is the ‘mansion of the kidneys’ and relies on good stores of kidney qi for proper function while qi & blood stagnation is a major contributor to low back pain. Qi and blood stagnation can be due to external factors such as pathogens or trauma, or internal weakness of qi and blood flow related to diet and lifestyle. Many of the bad habits we develop that can induce back pain are repeated poor choices in our everyday lives that cause qi and blood stagnation and/or tax our kidney system.
Let’s look at some of the common problem areas:
We spend about one-third of our lives sleeping so it makes sense that how we sleep is going to have a huge impact on how we feel in our bodies. A major factor that can make or break our backs is our sleep position. The idea is to keep the spine in alignment by sleeping on your back or using a pillow between your legs. Sleeping on the wrong mattress is another common mistake. Finding the right one can be a challenge as there isn’t one type of mattress that’s best for everyone. The best mattress to keep your spine aligned depends on your body type, hip size, etc., so shop around! The right mattress and sleeping position are crucial in keeping proper qi and blood flow in the body.
Let’s face it, modern-day life has most of us sitting more than ever in history. Whether we are at a computer, commuting, or just sitting for long periods of time, the mechanics of too much sitting can increase muscle stiffness and put pressure on the discs of the spine. Simple standing stretches or short walks to break up these routines can get that qi and blood moving again and prevent further stagnation in the lower back.
Even if we aren’t living a sedentary lifestyle and are standing and moving more, we need to pay attention to our posture. For many of us, slouching is one of the hardest habits to break. It takes constant awareness to reset a hunched position to one with our shoulders back, chest lifted, and our center of gravity stabilized. It’s a worthwhile effort though as it opens our breathing, delivers oxygen to our cells, and allows for a rejuvenating flow of qi and blood.
We’ve all heard the expression: “Lift with the knees, not with the back”, but when in a rush many of us make the near-fatal mistake of bending at the waist to lift a heavy item and end up putting tremendous pressure on the lower spine and back muscles. Remember to pause, get help when needed, or use tools if necessary. Slow down and practice martial artist-like awareness when your body needs to maneuver with strength and stability.
If your feet hurt at the end of the day, you should look at your shoes. Are they really supporting your feet? Do they fit right? You may even want to consider orthopedic shoes depending on your foot shape and how ‘on your feet’ you are from day today. If our feet are not positioned right, it can cause the hip and lower back to become misaligned.
Another reason this is important is that the kidney channel begins at the bottom of the foot and travels up the legs. We need to make sure that energy in that channel is not impeded as it is a direct source of low back support.
Bad nutritional habits that can directly affect our low backs include eating kidney-depleting foods such as overly salted processed snacks and not drinking enough water. Overeating is another bad habit that can tax not just the kidney qi, but all organ systems and affect back muscles by pulling weight forward.
For additional assistance in changing unhealthy behaviors, moving qi and blood stagnation, and supporting your kidneys for back pain relief and better overall health, get in for some re-balancing acupuncture treatments!
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used for thousands of years and it includes different modalities of healing including, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Cupping, Chinese Medicinal Massage (Tui Na), Exercises (including Tai Chi and Qi Gong), and Chinese Nutrition. The basis of TCM is the concept of qi, the body’s vital energy.
TCM treatments promote the movement of qi throughout the body to help bring balance back to the body. The goal of acupuncture is to correct this imbalance which can cause a variety of ailments and conditions that you may currently have.
Acupuncture uses very thin needles (which have been compared to being as small as cat whiskers) that stimulate pressure points and other areas of your body. It stimulates qi by placing needles in specific spots, often along meridians. Meridians are the channels that Qi travels in the body.
Acupuncture can help with many health conditions, including:
Below are the top five ways that acupuncture can help:
Today we have access to more things to help us heal than at any other time in history, one of the first and most important steps to healing is making sure you’re getting enough quality sleep every night for the body to do its internal restorative work. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) yang qi is what keeps our minds and bodies busy during the day and at night it goes internal to help a deeper detox and repair the systems of the body while the yin qi takes over externally to rest our conscious minds and shut down muscle activity. This yin/yang trade-off, when working in balance, is the very foundation of good health according to TCM.
The nature of yin is cool and calm. It’s associated with calm, darkness, and stillness…all the relaxing sensations you get when you’re genuinely resting. A body in a yin state will slow down its heart rate and metabolism. In Biomedicine (Western Medicine), this relates to the parasympathetic nervous system. Its main purpose aligns with yin qi: to keep us calm and conserve energy. While the sympathetic nervous system is what switches on our fight or flight response and is more correlated with Yang qi. Yang is expansive, stimulating, warming, and gets us moving. In general, yang qi is more accessible during the day, while yin qi dominates the nighttime.
Sleep disturbances are one of the main manifestations of too much yang and/ or not enough yin. To correct issues like insomnia we need to look at how we are living in accordance with that natural balance.
1) Ingesting Too Much Yang: Before bed, or in general, spicy food, alcohol, or stimulants can disturb sleep. Spicy food and alcohol causes heat in the system, which creates excess yang in the body. Too much coffee also keeps yang qi stuck at the surface to be available for activity. Even just having a large meal before bed can block the yang energy from going deep in the body at night.
2) Too Much Activity/Excitement: The yang qi is needed deep on the inside of the body at night, don’t hold it hostage with outward energy requirements. Stop exercising at least 90 minutes before bedtime. This allows for endorphin levels and body temperature to return to levels that are conducive to sleep. Try not to argue before bed, or even get too excited. Give yourself time to wind down & transition.
3) You need to Cool Down: Literally. Yin is associated with coolness. To invite your yin qi to come out at night keep the bedroom temperature between 60-67℉.
4) Too Much External Stimulation: Lights, especially blue light from tv’s, phones and computer screens prevent melatonin release in the body, making it harder to fall asleep. If you need to finish work on a computer, wear blue blocker glasses or get a blue light blocking screen cover for your computer. Also, yin time should be quiet time, it’s recommended that all electronics should be turned off about half an hour before bed to help calm the mind before bed.
5) Too Much Stress, Not Enough Rest: We live in a yang-obsessed world. This creates stress as many of us are over-worked and over-stimulated, while not always having time for a healthy self-care practice (meditation, Tai Ch, etc.). This leaves us with a restless mind (‘disturbed shen’ in TCM terms), and can keep us lying in bed exhausted, but unable to sleep. The challenge is to resist the modern-day pressure to keep up and create more self-care time to support a more balanced lifestyle.
6) Feng Shui of the bedroom: A Feng Shui specialist can analyze the yin yang balance in your bedroom. For instance, the bed should be opposite the room’s door, but not directly in line with it (this is called the command position in feng shui). The headboard should be against a solid wall with balanced night tables on each side. It is also important to keep the area under the bed clear, not for storage. Many people find simple feng shui adjustments can have a perceptible effect on things like sleep and wake cycles.
In addition to these considerations for improving sleep, don’t forget the value of relaxing into a healing state on the acupuncture table. Acupuncture is a cost-effective self-care tool and can help reset your yin-yang balance for better sleep and overall health, call us today so we can help you get better sleep!
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Yes, but… there are a few things to consider when relying on our ‘natural propensity towards health’. The most important of which is entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, a disorderly force we must contend with. It runs counter to the organizational efforts of nature, but also works in balance with them, in yet another dynamic expression of yin and yang.
Entropy is played out in living systems as the natural deterioration of the body. As we age past mid-life our body tissues and physiological systems gradually lose their vibrance. Structure and function suffer, as entropy takes over in the process of decay necessary to the cycle of life. So, where we are in the stages of development/decline in life is a big determining factor for the ability to self-heal.
Imbalances have a much better chance of resolving themselves while we are young and more in the yang (growth) phase of our life versus the yin (decline) phase. The severity of disease or injury also dictates the level of counter-entropy efforts needed.
Regardless of age, however, and even the severity of our condition, we can still tap into our innate healing energy under certain conditions. And yes, some of those conditions can be practically effortless, depending on how you look at it.
One condition is: to stop doing the things that are pushing your body into a state of entropy. Don’t keep eating toxic food, don’t keep putting yourself in overly stressful situations (as much as you can control it), in other words: don’t keep banging your head against the wall.
The other condition is that your qi must be strong. In TCM terms, qi (chee) is that natural healing force. It is that spark of life that organizes chaos into form and function. Qi can be supported by even minimal efforts such as adequate sleep, meditation, or simply sitting quietly in a restful but conscious state.
While some of us call it qi, others think of it as the inborn system of self-preservation. Zhigou Wang, a biomedicine researcher from China, breaks down the ways the human body resists entropy into 4 processes[1]: self-organization, self-defense, self-healing, and anti-wear and tear.
Self-organization can be witnessed in the miracle of development, the way a single cell matures into a full-grown organism. Scientists at Tufts University looked at this miracle in the early stages of tadpole development. In doing so they documented a perfect physical representation of the organizing power of qi: patterns of visible bioelectrical signals outlining and directing the development of the embryo.[2]
Self-defense includes our immune system, inflammatory response, endogenous antioxidants, stress response, autophagy, and apoptosis (the destruction and removal of sick cells).
Self-healing includes compensatory mechanisms like the increase in heart rate that occurs to compensate for slow circulation due to heart damage. This is also the category of cell/tissue renewal. Think of a wound healing or a broken bone that seems to magically repair itself over time. When a large number of cells are destroyed, surrounding cells replicate to make new ones. Self-healing also happens on a molecular level with DNA repair. There is a natural editing process at work correcting damaged or mutated DNA. Finally, anti-wear and tear is simply the daily process of upkeep necessary to mend minor internal injuries that arise from continued use of the body’s tissues.
And while these self-preservation mechanisms can help to slow or even reverse the degradation of our living system, there are no guarantees (well, except eventual death).
Effortless repair and renewal do happen, even in seemingly miraculous ways, but every little effort to support this process gives us a better shot at healing and a better chance at enjoying the best quality of life. Acupuncture is one of the best tools for supporting all aspects of this self-preservation system. It has been shown to strengthen immunity and regulate inflammation[3], aid in tissue renewal[4], and even DNA repair[5]. It does this because it supports the driving force of this self-preservation system, that spark of life, that intelligent bio-electrical energy that organizes and directs our growth and healing: or as practitioners of Chinese medicine have called it for millennia: qi.
Yes, it takes effort to call and make an appointment but once you are on the table you can relax and allow your acupuncturist to support your own effortless healing abilities. The gentle placement of needles at various acupuncture points will free up the flow of your own qi-driven self-preservation system.
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095809921003866#!
[2] https://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/face-frog-time-lapse-video-reveals-never-seen
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540978/
[4] https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1939-acupuncture-muscle-regeneration-discovery-2
[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19873920/
The food we consume and the oxygen we breathe provide us with recharging energy (postnatal qi). It is critical to provide enough postnatal qi to the body in order to avoid depleting our reserve essence, which is required for good kidney function. Kidneys govern growth and development and promote the health of our brains, bones, bladder, ears, and reproductive system, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our low back and knees are likewise governed by them.
Signs and symptoms of kidney deficiency or depletion include:
Developmental disorders, congenital issues in children (essence deficiency)
Premature aging: graying
Deafness
Weak brittle bones, hair/teeth loss
Infertility
Low Back Pain, weak knees
Extreme fatigue (can happen when both the rechargeable energy is depleted, and the battery is low)
Winter is the time to be very mindful of our kidneys as it is when our energy can be most easily depleted. Winter is the ultimate yin time, and calls for rest, reflection, conservation, and storage. Days are shorter while nights are longer. This is nature telling us to get more sleep. Your body responds to less sunlight by producing more melatonin in the winter, the hormone that helps us rest. If we do not adjust to the season, we can easily get burnt out. Consider your adrenal health when thinking about avoiding burnout, as those little glands that sit on top of your kidneys are, in part, responsible for what TCM considers kidney qi. The cold of winter presents an additional challenge too, as the adrenal glands, together with your kidneys must work extra hard in helping to regulate body temperature.
The bottom line when it comes to kidney health in winter is to recognize the need for rest (and don’t just disguise it with stimulants like coffee!). Extreme exercise and activity are contraindicated. With the cold of winter slowing things down to a near halt, gentle exercise like yoga, stretching, tai chi, and qi gong are perfect movement therapies to prevent winter stagnation.
Don’t be afraid to get some fresh air and sunlight, when possible, too! The morning is the ideal time to get out and go for a walk when winter weather permits. Dress appropriately but soak up as much Vitamin D as you can. It is essential for immunity, mood, bone health, etc. And if you are looking to slim down, take note that exercising in cold weather helps to transform white fat (belly and thigh fat) into calorie-burning brown fat. [1]
If you can’t get outside in the morning start your day with this simple qi gong exercise: (you can gently awaken your qi with a stretch session first)
~with feet hip-length apart and knees slightly bent
~slowly swing torso left to right, letting the head follow
~let arms/ hands percuss the front lower abdomen and lower back as you let the natural momentum take over
~can finish with a stimulating rub on the low back to send some love into those kidneys.
Let your acupuncturist give your kidneys some love this winter too! With treatments to support kidney function and preserve essence, your acupuncturist can help you relax into the specific balance you need to thrive in the colder months.
[1] https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/what-you-need-to-know-about-brown-fat-and-exercising-in-the-cold/663420#:~:text=%22Brown%20fat%20could%20be%20activated,than%20during%20the%20warmer%20months.
We’ve probably all heard motherly advice at some point reminding us to bundle up in cold weather, so we don’t “catch a cold”, or hear grandpa accurately predict a storm when his hip starts aching. Or how about getting a case of the winter weather blues? Even in the western world, we recognize a relationship with nature in terms of environmental conditions. Changes in temperature, sunlight, barometric pressure, and humidity all play a role in this relationship.
When it comes to the weather and our health, many in the west automatically think of how season changes and extreme weather can aggravate symptoms of asthma and allergies, but weather-related health concerns go far beyond seasonal allergies and asthma. Changes in barometric pressure can affect joints (like Grandpa’s hip), and cause headaches.
Headaches can also be caused by heat and dehydration, so summer adventurers beware (bring lots of water!). High humidity can intensify heat too as it limits our ability to cool down through sweating, potentially leading to hyperthermia and heatstroke.
Cold weather can tighten muscles causing body pain. It also constricts blood vessels leading to an increase in blood pressure and increased risks of heart attack and stroke. While blood pressure tends to be higher in the winter, any temperature extreme, hot, or cold, can affect heart function.
Sunlight is another aspect of weather that has a lot of influence on our health. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is often associated with the colder, darker fall and winter months. The reduced sunlight alters our melatonin and serotonin levels, potentially leaving us with disruptions in sleep and mood.
Ancient Chinese Medical texts describe a similar relationship between humans and their environment, though the wording and understanding of the nature of the environmental conditions differ slightly.
In TCM there are 5 main “climates” or environmental influences related to our health.
These are: COLD, HEAT, WIND, DAMP, DRYNESS
(Summer heat, associated with late summer, is considered a 6th climate)
These potential causes of illness described in Chinese Medicine sound like weather patterns themselves and are considered external influences in origin but can penetrate to have effects on the body and create what we can think of as internal weather. We can also be more prone to their influence based on our constitution and lifestyle, (and can even manifest these ‘climates’ internally without external exposure).
Any extremes with these various conditions can allow pathogens to enter, if our self-protective energy and efforts are weak, and leave us vulnerable to infections, such as with colds/flu.
They can also go deeper in the body to directly affect the organs, with symptoms presenting throughout the body in the respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, nervous, musculoskeletal systems, and skin.
Wind is understood as the biggest troublemaker as it often combines with other influences to wreak havoc in the body. It can affect the joints, bring on skin rashes, or cause a spell of dizziness, among other issues. Cold can kill the digestive fire; combine that with a damp invasion and you can experience bloating and/or nausea. Heat and dryness, on the other hand, can injure the blood and yin fluids of the body causing symptoms such as fever, restlessness, scanty painful urination, brittle hair, and excessive thirst.
Chinese medicine takes a more preventative approach to these issues by addressing imbalances before they express more severe symptoms. There is also a focus on the integrity of the defensive energy of the body as well as the body’s ability to handle transitions with stability. Knowing our bodies will be continuously exposed to the challenge of seasonal weather changes and potential extremes of climate conditions, we can prepare accordingly.
Don’t wait for an internal weather emergency to call for an appointment, get in asap to strengthen your resilience to external weather conditions, balance out your internal climates and assist you in transitioning season to season with ease and well-being!
A resource to expand on climates: https://tcmwiki.com/wiki/six-climatic-factors
Diabetics today have many allies in fighting Diabetes. One of the least explored by many westerners is Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese.
It’s true…let me explain how an acupuncturist views the common condition.
Although Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine use different methods to treat common diseases, both approaches also agree on many things. Western medicine considers diabetes mellites as a disease of blood sugar metabolism.
Diabetes is caused by either a failure of the cell’s ability to accept insulin and dump toxins into the blood or the pancreas is not able to produce adequate insulin to lower blood glucose.
According to TCM, Xiao Ke translated as “wasting and thirsting disease” is divided by the patient’s symptoms into upper Jiao, middle Jiao, and lower Jiao. We’ll discuss more about this further in the article.
According to Western Medicine, diabetes can be divided into three categories (ADA, 2018):
According to TCM, Xiao Ke or “wasting and thirsting disease” is divided by the patient’s symptoms and divided into 3 general categories:
TCM physicians use the patient’s case history, looking at the patient’s tongue and feeling the patient’s “pulses”. “Reading” the pulse isn’t counting beats. The pulse shows nine organ and channel conditions– the “climate” of the body. The practitioner can feel such as heat, cold, dampness, excess, deficiency, and phlegm which indicate how to best treat the patient. TCM therapy has seven aspects. Treatment is specifically individualized to harmonize climate and imbalance.”
Similarities: Both Western and Eastern focus on diet, weight loss, and exercise to treat diabetes. Both use medications, nutritional supplements, or herbs to reduce blood sugar and improve cellular respiration.
Differences:
Western medicine uses a “one size fits all” approach. Everyone with a diagnosis of adult-onset diabetes type 2 starts off with metformin. The A1C is measured after three months, then the medication is adjusted, or other medications are added. If the A1C isn’t within normal limits, insulin may be added. According to Western medicine, the pancreas is diseased.
TCM uses differential diagnosis developed over 3,000 years. Urinating sugar illness is called Tang Niao Bin. Diabetes is also called “Wasting and Thirsting” disease, “Xiao Ke”. Diabetes Mellitus is caused by heat, dampness, and phlegm. An acupuncturist will ask to see your tongue, feel the pulses in three positions and three levels. The TCM physician considers a detailed patient history, including past illness, emotional trauma, and injuries important to determine the best treatment. Treatment is specific to each person. Diabetes Mellitus can be caused by disharmony in the upper body, middle or lower body. Diabetes isn’t a “one size fits all”, but a symptom of a deeper problem (Guo, 2014).
Though there are many TCM patterns for this condition, which pattern below best describes your symptoms?
Upper Body:
Lung Heat Injuring Fluids. This can be caused by childhood exposure to secondhand smoke, recurrent lung infections caused by viral or bacterial pathogens, often the pathogen has not been eliminated. Cigarette smoking dries the lung mucosa, destroying delicate cilia, depositing carbon into lung tissue. The patient experiences asthma, excessive thirst, dry mouth, and tongue, hacking dry cough, sometimes producing sticky phlegm.
Treatment:
Cool the lung, descend lung qi. One formula is Bai Hu Ren Shen Tang (White tiger decoction).
Diet would include pears, rice, mei men dong, sha shen tea, asparagus, mulberry leaf, marshmallow root tea. Formulas may include Mai Wei Di Huang Wan and Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang.
Middle Body:
Excess Stomach Heat. Changes in diet and lifestyle usually clear this up. Excessive consumption of alcohol, too much hot and spicy food, over-eating, too much red meat, too much highly processed food, dairy, and food allergens. The person feels famished, has heartburn after eating or at night, experiences constipation and dry stools, and elevated blood sugar.
Diet: Pumpkin, avocados, one-half gallon of water per day, sha shen tea, and lots of green vegetables. Beef is neutral in temperature and consumed in moderation, thus reducing heat and nourishing yin. Formulas prescribed may include Bai Hu Jia Ren Shen Tang, Shen Ling Bai Zhu San, Zeng Ye Tang.
Liver qi deficiency (Hazlehurst, 2016): Blood sugar usually is higher with stress. Some of the other symptoms include flank and chest discomfort, hypertension, red eyes, visual disturbances, short temper, irritability, depression, migraines, heartburn. When liver qi is not flowing, the liver qi energy tends to rise.
Diet: Exclude fried, dairy, alcohol, sodas. Your diet should include green leafy vegetables, olive oil and lemon juice, lemon water, dandelion, chlorella, and beets. Formulas used to treat this pattern include Xiao Yao San, Yi Guan Jian, and Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang (Guo, 2014).
Lower Body
Kidney Yin Deficiency (Zheng, 2011): Yin is the body’s ability to “cool” itself, it is substance, anchoring, and grounding. Kidney energy is called Dan Tian “life force energy”. If the “Dan Tian fire” is too high, fluids are evaporated, blood thickens, and energy raises. The patient experienced low back achy pain, knee pain, unmeasurable low-grade feverish feeling in the afternoon. Often patients complain of night-time urinary frequency, elevated blood pressure, hearing difficulty, and elevated glucose.
Diet: fish, sea vegetables, dark green vegetables, pork, dark beans, bone broth, miso soup, vitamins and minerals, and one-half gallon of water per day is commonly prescribed. Herbal treatment includes Liu Di Huang Wan, Da Bu Yin Wan, and Zuo Gui Wan.
TCM offers many treatment options to control diabetes. This article details a few suggestions. Please contact your primary care physician and your acupuncturist to find what is best for you.
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