Most people, to some extent, experience some muscle ache after a long day of work or work out. There are different ways to address this common condition to experience fewer and less occurrences. Acupuncture, an ancient healing part of Chinese medicine, has been practiced for thousands of years. Combined with massage, cupping, and gua sha techniques, acupuncture can provide great relief to our modern day accumulation of this muscle tension.

Compared to Chinese medicine, medicinal injections are a part of an extremely popular Western model known as pain management therapy. With depths of research to back each pharmaceutical, it can sometimes relieve pain down to zero within no time. However, the understanding of where the pain came from is lost and never addressed.

“Acupuncture, when compared with trigger point injection, provided similar pain relief and improvement in quality of life measures at 4 weeks,” according to the Pain Practice journal article, Comparison of Acupuncture to Injection for Myofascial Trigger Point Pain.

Acupuncture and injections are approaching pain and healing from completely different starting points. Acupuncture dives into the causes rather than simply blocking the pain.  Understanding the individual in pain in relation to daily lifestyle, amount or type of exercise, and mental-emotional factors become a large part of acupuncture treatment.  The ancient Chinese believed that pain is often an obstruction of blood flow and the vital energy, known as qi. Hence, treatment is designed around removing this obstruction.

The medicinal injections regulate the nervous system, aiding our immune system and producing pain-killing biochemicals, such as endorphins. The difference is that acupuncture increases the circulation of natural chemicals to remove inflammation, while injections block our body’s ability to recognize inflammatory responses.

Vincent Koeller, LAc
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week

• Take Epsom or mineral salt baths to relieve minor aches and pains.
• Practice yoga, tai chi, walking outside or other gentle aerobic exercises. These exercises do not outpace the body’s ability to supply oxygen to the heart and muscles, which creates less waste products like lactic acid.
• Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

That being said, there are some general acupuncture techniques that have worked for countless women during the past 3,000 years or so. To keep things simple, I’m going to provide a list of statistics and thoughts on acupuncture and fertility that you may find helpful:

• Acupuncture can boost fertility by helping your body function more efficiently. It boosts your immune system and your circulation. When your body functions more efficiently, it allows other treatments, like IVF, to work more efficiently.
• In a study published in April 2002 in the reproductive journal, Fertility and Sterility, researchers found that acupuncture with IVF significantly increased pregnancy success. Of 160 women, 80 received two, 25-minute acupuncture treatments – one 25 minutes prior to having fertilized embryos transferred into their uterus and one directly afterwards. The other 80 received no acupuncture treatment with the transfers. In the acupuncture group, there were 34 pregnancies, while only 21 pregnancies in the IVF alone group.
• Acupuncture can help stimulate egg production in women who don’t wish to use fertility medications. However, it generally only stimulates the body’s natural process of the growth and release of one egg, while IVF allows for the production of multiple eggs.
• Also noted in the 2002 study, acupuncture increases the production of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel good” chemical, which also plays a role in regulating the menstrual cycle.
• Acupuncture may also help when the lining of the uterus is too weak to maintain a pregnancy.

The bottom line is that acupuncture (sometimes with the help of Chinese medicinal herbs) helps the body function as efficiently as possible within your unique lifestyle. I often suggest modifications to some of those lifestyle habits to further increase your chances of success. I recommend regular acupuncture treatments for a minimum of three months prior to starting an IVF protocol. Remember, the more efficient your body is functioning, the more efficient fertility treatments may work. And, the more efficient your body is functioning, the greater chance of pregnancy without other medicinal intervention.

Source: WebMD, “The Ancient Art of Infertility Treatment”

Amy LeSage, LAc
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week
If you’ve been struggling with fertility, please call the Advanced Wellness Center today, and set up an appointment for a Complimentary 15-Minute Consultation. Find out how acupuncture can help you with a natural or medically assisted pregnancy.

Some oils are better to cook with, and other oils are better to eat without heating. Oils that are highly processed and very perishable easily become rancid when heated. Rancid oils may contribute to oxidative stress and damaging free radicals in your body. Vegetable oils, including soybean oil, canola oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil and corn oil, amongst others, fall in this category. Thus, they’re not generally the best choice for eating or heating.

Sesame oil, on the other hand, is stable and filled with antioxidants. It can be heated to a fairly high temperature without damaging the oil. Extra virgin olive oil, like sesame oil, is mostly monounsaturated fats, and it’s been shown to increase good (HDL) cholesterol. However, olive oil is extremely perishable, so it’s not good for cooking. Instead, it’s best when drizzled on salads, cold dishes and for dipping. One school of thought says it’s OK to cook with basic olive oil, but not extra virgin olive oil. Personally, I prefer to avoid cooking with olive oil at all, since there are other readily available and delicious oils to cook with. I stick to keeping my olive oil in a glass container in a cool, dry place, and I eat it when it’s cool.

So, what about coconut oil? Coconut oil is a saturated fat, which is why it has a bad rep. However, it’s very stable, and it contains a type of saturated fat called medium-chain triglycerides. These medium chain fats are great for the immune system, intestinal health and may support weight management. And, it won’t get damaged during the heating process. Some fat is actually good for us.

Those are the main oils generally in question. If there are others you’re concerned about, do a little research or comment on this blog, and I’ll check it out for you.

Amy LeSage, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week
Here is a quick list of cooking oils from www.livingpaleo.com:
High heat/frying/browning: Coconut oil, palm oil, ghee (clarified butter)
Medium heat/light sautéing: Olive oil (not extra virgin), sesame seed oil, hazelnut nut oil, pistachio nut oil
Low heat/baking: Pumpkin oil, sunflower oil
No heat: Fish oil, flax seed oil, cod liver oil, hemp seed oil, oils mentioned above

Where hormones, emotional mood swings, cramps and the menstrual cycle are involved, acupuncture and herbal medicine helped balance my emotional and physical health.  There was a noticeable difference the first month after receiving acupuncture treatments and being on herbs.  My cramps and menstrual issues were completely gone, and I’ve never had another bad period since. It’s been 15 years!

Dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain), PMS, PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), irregular cycles, endometriosis, and other gynecological conditions and their associated symptoms are characterized by different patterns of imbalances and energetic pathologies in traditional Chinese medicine. A few needles, which are relatively painless, are placed in strategic locations to balance these disharmonies. It can make a world of difference in how you feel and may positively affect the quality of your life. In my practice, many women have had the same benefits I experienced through the treatments without any side effects.

Dhanell Azada, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week
If you are experiencing abdominal cramping during your periods, avoid drinking or eating cold or icy foods (iced cold drinks, etc.). This may cause more cramping and pain. Instead, try sipping some hot tea, which will help to relax the muscles and ease the pain.

Your gut hosts upwards of 100 trillion bacteria, yeast and other microbes with over 500 strains of the microflora. There are only about 75 trillion of your own cells in the human body.

Take a moment to let that sink in. There is an entire living ecosystem within your body that has a population greater than yourself! Much like our own planet’s ecosystem, the gut’s ecosystem works in a very balanced and symbiotic manner if left unfettered. In fact, these organisms are vital in affecting blood-sugar balance, cholesterol metabolism, making vitamins and many other functions. And, between 50-75% of your body’s immune system is associated with your gut.

Most Americans do not have a healthy gut. The 2^nd and 5^th most prescribed medications in 2008 were the heartburn drugs Nexium and Prevacid.

There are many reasons why you may be having gut issues. These can include food allergies, abnormal amounts of certain bacteria, parasites, antibiotic use, low amounts of acid or enzymes, or damage caused by many factors. Gut health is crucial for overall health. If your body is unable to digest and absorb the nutrients in your food, your whole body suffers. Taking an antacid for your heartburn or a laxative, unfortunately, doesn’t fix the underlying causes.

Paul Fuhrman, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
Try making homemade sauerkraut (fermented cabbage). Cabbage, which is the starting material for sauerkraut, is high in glutamine, which is essential for gut repair. Homemade sauerkraut also contains large amounts of bacteria known to be good for gut health. Not to mention it tastes great on a bratwurst!

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!

An increased sense of awareness is a great start to more clearly understand the causes of an anxious state. Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, stated, “When one is depressed they are living in the past, and when one is anxious, one is living in the future”. Here we can see how the busy mind and feelings of increased needs can cause the body’s nervous system to react. Moving away from this state and being more still with ones own self can guide one to more peace.

Through Chinese medicine, we can further understand how our emotions have a direct affect on our physical body. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, food and lifestyle cultivation are great ways to calm anxiety and provide relaxation for the mind and body.

Vincent Koeller, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week
Here are some helpful tips when experiencing anxiety:

• Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• Evaluate your to-do list. Overwhelming to-do lists can create a great deal of anxiety.
• Exercise:
  
  • Light yoga
  • Even breathing
  • Goal oriented workout routines
  • Moving the body and feeling fluid
• Increase quiet time:
  
  • Baths
  • Meditation
  • Walking in nature
  • Watching a movie

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

Amy LeSage, LAc, Dipl. OM
Licensed Acupuncturist, Diplomate in Oriental Medicine

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!

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:

• Allergies (asthma, rhinitis, foods)
• Arthritis
• Frequent colds
• Headaches
• Tension in the body
• Anxiety/depression
• Skin conditions
• Indigestion (bloating, constipation, acid reflux)
• Muscle tension

Vincent Koeller, LAc
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week

• Sleep later but wake up earlier
• Practice moderate outdoor exercise
• Wear comfortable clothes that keep you warm – the cold of the winter is still in the air
• Find relaxed environments
• Consume fruits and vegetables dark green in color

A regular cycle is considered 28 days, plus or minus 3 days. The duration of the actual period ranges anywhere from 3-7 days, depending on the individual. Paying attention to these cycles and qualities has a direct correlation on overall women’s health. Balanced hormone levels early on are essential for a healthy pregnancy and easy transition into menopause.

Practicing good habits are a vital component to find regularity and ease from month to month. Chinese medicine teaches us this is a fragile state, as interior fluids are shed and the body is exposed to the exterior, leaving the body vulnerable. Vulnerability, in this case, means the body’s vulnerability when exposed to environmental factors, both emotional and climate. Through Chinese medicine, we learn ways to cultivate our life through common daily practices as they are listed below. The focus is on prevention  rather than emergency care.

Ask your acupuncturist how he or she can help you in all areas of women’s health.

Vincent Koeller, LAc
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week
Here are some helpful tips of things to avoid or incorporate during your menstruation:

• Avoid heavy physical work
• Avoid emotional stress
• Avoid overexposure to damp and cold conditions
• Avoid working with your hands in cold water
• Avoid constipation
• Get plenty of rest
• Abstain from sexual intercourse