In an effort to give back to our devoted patient base, the Oriental Medicine Department is offering a new summer special!
As one of our patients, you understand the value of great health. We would like to encourage you to offer that same value to your friends and family.
Our Friends Helping Friends Program will help you do just that! Tell them about us, and they will receive a 50% discount on their New Patient Visit with one of our experienced acupuncturists. And, for referring your friends and family, you will receive 50% off your next visit with your acupuncturist.
Let your friend know which acupuncturist you want him or her to schedule with. When they call to set their appointment, have them mention your name as the referral source and the Friends Helping Friends Program. After their first scheduled visit, which includes a one-hour consultation, exam and discussion of findings, you will get 50% off your next visit!
Enjoy a happy, healthy summer!
Don Hockersmith
Acupuncture Dept. Administration
* This offer is only applicable with the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Dept. of the Advanced Wellness Center.
Healing Tip of the Week
Make sure that when your friends or loved ones call to schedule the first appointment, they mention our Friends Helping Friends Program and your name. We want to make sure to thank you for the referral with 50% off your next visit!
When your child is sick, you typically do what your doctor tells you. When my 10-year-old daughter, Laurel, was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (a digestive disorder) her doctor suggested a regimen of 16 pills a day, including strong steroids and antibiotics. We followed his orders, but nothing seemed to help. She was weak and quickly losing weight. It seemed we had no choice but to admit her to the hospital.
Luckily, a friend told me about the Advanced Wellness Center one day over lunch. Although we’d never tried “alternative” medicine, we figured it really couldn’t get any worse. We soon made an appointment for her to see Dr. Mark deDubovay.
When Dr. Mark saw Laurel, he confirmed what we had feared – she was starving to death. He began her on natural supplements and told us we should see results in the next few days. Just as he had said, her appetite returned, she could keep her food down and she began to gain weight. What prescription medications couldn’t do, Dr. Mark did with natural therapies. Laurel’s father and I decided to stop her medications and stick with Dr. Mark’s plan.
Today, five years later, Laurel is a happy, healthy teenager. She still sees Dr. Mark from time-to-time to work on her diet (sometimes she gets a little off track, as most teens do). Most recently, she’s been working with him to fine-tune her regimen of healthy eating and exercise for a trip she’s taking this summer to study with the prestigious New York City Ballet.
I am grateful to Dr. Mark for giving my daughter a naturally healthy life. For parents hesitant about getting an “alternative” opinion, I suggest you call the Advanced Wellness Center. Their team is professional and knowledgeable. Dr. Mark cured my daughter.
At the Advanced Wellness Center, we believe in a team approach to patient care. It is this philosophy that has allowed us to partner with a number of physicians and physical therapists to ensure the most comprehensive care for our shared patients. Take a look below to find out what our colleagues are saying about the AWC.
“The Advanced Wellness Center provides the high quality and professionalism that my patients expect and deserve. My patients have been particularly impressed with the nutritional assessments and consultation that the team, led by Dr. deDubovay and Rebecca Rebmann, provide. I plan on continuing to refer my patients who are interested in alternative and complementary services to them.”
Gretchen Hetzler, MD
“I have collaborated in patient care with Drs. deDubovay and Shur at the Advanced Wellness Center. I’ve been very satisfied, as have my patients, with their professionalism, quality of care and outcomes. I would not hesitate in recommending AWC to any of my colleagues for their alternative medicine needs.”
Peter R. Kurzweil, MD
“As a holistic practitioner and a foot and ankle specialist, I have been working with Advanced Wellness Center for well over 10 years. I have sent numerous patients to the Center with holistic health needs. Many of those patients had very challenging health concerns and Advanced Wellness Center has taken care of them extremely well over the years.
The Advanced Wellness Center has a tremendous amount of experience and expertise in nutrition, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture and many other natural healing modalities. We are in a healthcare crisis right now and need more medical facilities like Advanced Wellness Center to handle our difficult and challenging patients. I highly recommend Advanced Wellness Center to any patient without reservation.”
S. Don Kim, DPM, QME, FACFAS
“Over the course of five years, I’ve collaborated with The Advanced Wellness Center in treatment of patients. The combination of physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care means that we can maximize our efforts to restore mobility as well as function so that patients can resume their activities of daily living.
The staff at AWC is extremely helpful in facilitating reports as needed, as well as assisting in the scheduling of patients. Without hesitation, we strongly and with the highest enthusiasm recommend the collaborative care offered by the Advanced Wellness Center.”
Kim Marshall, PT
“I am writing to thank you for your excellent therapy and management of my numerous musculoskeletal issues involving my neck, shoulders and back. As you may remember, my brother suggested tat I visit you a few years ago since your therapy has helped him. Since then, each time I visit my brother in California, I visit you for an adjustment.
After years of high school and college varsity athletics and a continuing active lifestyle, my issues have been chronic and with acute exacerbation. Therefore, I’ve visited a number of chiropractors throughout the country during the past few years. I’ve come to realize that there is not only a broad spectrum of chiropractic training, but also chiropractic skill and practice.
The therapy I’ve received in your office, from massage therapists, to the ultrasound therapy, to the multi-modality minimally manipulative adjustments, has truly been the best I’ve experienced. Your management is comprehensive, not only balancing the entire body from a mechanical/kinesiologic perspective, but providing a full spectrum of supportive therapies for optimal health including dietary supplements.
I’ve walked out of many chiropractors’ offices still feeling residual issues; each time I walk out of your office I truly feel in balance without any significant residual pains or discomfort. Your therapy has allowed me not only to feel better, but has allowed me to perform better in my daily sport and exercise routine, which has been a great benefit to my quality of life.”
Vasum Peiris, MD, MPH
“I have known Dr. Arnette for 10 years and referred numerous patients to him during that time. Dr. Arnette is a highly qualified practitioner of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. He has helped many of my patients over the years often with a variety of problems.
His treatment goes beyond using acupuncture and herbs and when appropriate may use his skills as a chiropractor. He also uses nutrition counseling and other lifestyle recommendations to help patients. I often think of him as a life coach for my patients discussing exercise, relaxations techniques and even spirituality to help people achieve their goals towards optimal health.”
I initially went to Dr. Mark DeDubovay to get my foot checked out. After injuring myself on a ski trip, my sister recommended that I go to the Advanced Wellness Center. Although I was a bit skeptical about chiropractors, I decided to make an appointment.
Everyone in the building was extremely friendly, they truly made me feel like I was the only person there. So, I didn’t hesitate to make my first appointment with Dr. Mark. Three months later I was skiing again!
That was 10 years ago, and that first appointment has changed my life.
Dr. Mark took the opportunity to address other health issues and has been my health counselor ever since. He has helped me with everything from allergies to minor aches and pains. Among his most impactful recommendations, he prescribed a dog as a treatment for stress levels. Today I am stress free alongside my 8-year-old golden retriever, Sierra.
As if that was not enough, Dr. Mark did more for my Colitis than any pill or treatment ever could. Now that he has helped me identify which foods cause the inflammation, I no longer need to rely on a prescription for my illness.
Under Dr. Mark’s treatment and supervision, the quality of my health and of my life has improved more than I ever could have imagined.
It’s never too late to start. Research is showing that working out with weights may strengthen the heart muscle, reduce depression, lower the risk of diabetes, improve cognitive performance and more.
Studies are finding that strengthening muscles has a ripple effect throughout the body. For example, during resistance training, muscles generate more force than what’s generated during endurance exercises. The heart, being a muscle, is strengthened as well. During strength training, the heart’s muscle tissue contracts forcefully to push the blood out. Like all muscles, stress causes small tears in the muscle fibers. When the body repairs those tears, it’s building muscle. The result is a stronger heart that is also more efficient at pumping.
Here are a few other benefits of strength training:
Moderate to intense strength training builds skeletal muscle and increases bone density.
It improves glucose metabolism, which can reduce the risk of diabetes. Strength training boosts the number of proteins that take glucose out of the blood and transport it into the skeletal muscle, giving the muscles more energy and lowering blood-glucose levels.
Researchers found that kidney dialysis patients who had more lean muscle mass were 37% less likely to die than the patients who had the least.
Research in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women ages 65 to 75 who did resistance training sessions once or twice per week over the course of a year improved their cognitive performance, while those who focused on balance and tone training declined slightly.
More studies are showing that you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from strength training. All you need are some light weights, a little instruction, and persistence. The professionals at the Advanced Wellness Center are here to help!
Source: LA Times, “Pumping Iron Isn’t Just for Muscles,” Jeannine Stein
Healing Tip of the Week
Practice the 5-minute rule! If you’re not feeling like exercising, give yourself 5 minutes. Tell yourself you will exercise for 5 minutes. If at the end of 5 minutes, you’re not getting into it, you can stop. Most of the time getting started is the hardest part. Once you get going, chances are, you’ll keep going, because it just feels good! Smile at your strength!
As we make our shift into the spring season, a world of change takes place. From Mother Nature, to our own individual lives, we notice instant subtleties to the environment and how they affect our health. Spring brings more light and activity from the tranquil, shorter winter days. And, thoughts of cleaning out old and preparing for new can uplift our spirits and clear our minds.
In Chinese medicine, Spring is a time of “sprouting” as the yang energy (or sun) becomes more abundant during the day. This corresponds with the movement of growing upward and extending out. We see this in nature as the flowers begin to bud and vegetation starts to thrive. So yes, it is time to get outside and enjoy the environment around you. But, climate of spring is ‘windy’ and can stir up conditions like allergic rhinitis or asthma, skin rashes, frequent colds and arthritis.
The emotional component of the spring energy is related to the liver, which if disturbed can cause imbalance. Developing good life habits and regularity should be the focus during these months to ensure the stability of our emotions. An erratic lifestyle filled with rage, worry and anger will disturb the mind and hinder digestion. Therefore, regular nutritious meals, rest and physical/mind exercises (i.e. yoga, meditation, tai ji, walking with friends, etc.) will help cultivate energy as you move into the summer months.
Chinese medicine encompasses acupuncture, herbal medicine, food as medicine, as well as exercise and healthy lifestyle choices to create a peaceful approach for each individual.
Ask your acupuncturist how he or she can help guide you along your path and help with health concerns. Here is a list of common conditions related to spring:
I cannot go a day without eating an egg. I love them. But when I go to the grocery store, I never know which ones to buy. Which type of egg is the best choice?
The labels they put on eggs can be deceiving. When I first realized what all of them actually meant, I was shocked! There are 5 typical classifications: organic, vegetarian-fed, cage-free, free-range, and pastured (not pasteurized).
The first, organic, seemingly would be the best for you. However, this only means that the chicken’s food is free of harmful chemicals. It speaks nothing to how the chickens were raised. Vegetarian-fed chickens are only given grains for their diet. This seems like it would be healthy except for the fact that chickens need to get protein from grubs and bugs. So, this term also means that the chickens do not have access to the pasture. Next up are the cage-free hens, which sounds very humane. Unfortunately, these chickens are not confined to their cages, but usually are left in a dark barn. Not a very good place to roam and find nourishing things to eat. A step up from cage-free is the free-range chicken. These lucky birds not only get access to roam around the dark barn, but also can go out to the yard, where they can stand on a fenced-in piece of dirt or cement. This was definitely not what I thought free-range meant. Lastly, the pastured chicken makes its appearance. I didn’t even know this was an option until recently. Pastured means that the chickens are free to roam through the pasture, so they’re grass fed. They can eat the grubs and bugs they were meant to, in addition to the food they are given. This type of egg usually comes from small farms that sell their product at local farmer’s markets.
So why eat pastured eggs? What difference can there really be? Well, Mother Earth News conducted an egg experiment in 2007 to see what the differences really were. In comparison to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data for commercial eggs, pastured eggs contained: ⅓ less cholesterol, ¼ less saturated fat, ⅔ more vitamin A, 3 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E, and 7 times more beta-carotene.
Personally, I’d rather get more bang for my buck. I’ll be making my next egg purchase at my local farmer’s market.
Healing Tip of the Week
Pastured eggs are a healthier, more humane choice. If you love eggs like I love eggs, try pastured eggs. You can usually find them at local farmer’s markets. And, while you’re there, you can pick up some fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruits.
After the holidays, most people worry about how to take off the extra pounds they gained. They feel bloated, congested, and tired. Boosting your metabolism is one way to help burn off the extra weight and get your energy back. Here are some tips for boosting your metabolism:
Interval Training
Here’s an example: Walk at your normal pace for 1 to 2 minutes, then speed-walk for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat the sequence 10 to 15 times. According to an Australian study, women who did intervals while they were biking lost three times as much fat as those who worked out at a steady pace.
Build Muscle
Adding just 5 pounds of muscle to your body can burn up to 150 more calories per day without even working out those muscles, according to Kristin McGee, a trainer and Pilates instructor.
Eat a Big Breakfast
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. A couple of tips for breakfast: Take your first bite of food within the first 30 minutes of waking up and make your first food of the day protein and vegetables – not a carbohydrate. This will help maintain your blood sugar. The more balanced your blood sugar, the more balanced your energy throughout the day and the less you crave carbohydrates. That could lead to healthier eating habits. Try it.
Water, Water, Water
Drink about half your body weight in ounces of water per day. While some report that drinking COLD water will cause a slight surge in metabolic rate, the increase is just that, slight. In the Chinese medicine world, it is more likely that ice or ice water, or anything cold, will slow down the digestive system. So, as a compromise, just drinking the right amount of room-temp water for your body weight will hydrate you and help your body function more efficiently.
Healing Tip of the Week
Take your first bite of food within the first 30 minutes of waking up, and make your first food of the day protein and vegetables – not a carbohydrate. This will help keep your blood sugar more balanced throughout the day.
People with Type II Diabetes can significantly lower their blood sugar with an exercise program that combines aerobics and weight lifting, a study reports. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and states that the combined program offers greater benefits than aerobics or weight lifting alone.
The study involved 262 inactive diabetic individuals. After nine months, participants who did the combination training lowered the blood level of the glucose marker HbA1c to 7.3 percent from 7.7 percent, on average; a drop that corresponds to a significantly reduced risk of heart disease.
*Excerpted from the New York Times “Health and Science” section.
Many of my patients have been choosing to replace coffee and energy drinks with green tea. That’s an awesome way to minimize congestion in the body, boost antioxidants and maintain a more balanced level of energy throughout the day. Of course, food also affects those things, but small steps add up over time. While green tea is excellent, during the Fall, an even better tea choice is Oolong.
The main reason for this is fermentation. The more heavily fermented Oolong tea is usually roasted, which imparts “fire” to the tea, making it more warming. Warming can also mean improved circulation in Chinese medicine terms. Green tea is not fermented, while Oolong tea comes in a variety of levels of fermentation. For best results, Oolong tea should be lightly infused, not strongly steeped. Its healing benefits include: brightening the eyes, clearing the voice, invigorating the constitution, removing flatulence, illuminating the spirit, relieving thirst, and improving digestion. It also helps cut fats and oils from meals.
Healing Tip of the Week
Choose Oolong tea, and be sure to steep it for a short time; less than one minute for higher quality tea. Pay attention to how you feel and how it tastes as you sip it. Be present and enjoy a relaxing, healthy moment with tea made especially for the Fall season.
