When exploring detoxification and cleansing options, one can find themself at a fork in the road: one path has the very popular “Pills, Powders, and Potions,”(3P) approach and another is the Whole Foods/lifestyle approach. Although both can be effective in the short run, I prefer to inspire my patients through the most natural options available for cleansing the body and mind thus creating a sustainable approach. This method aids in the improvement of medical conditions, as well as providing for the development of lifelong habits for wellness and longevity. The problem with “diets” (including “detox diets”) is that they end with no developed habits for sustaining health in the future.

The goal of any detoxification and cleansing program should always be a long-term lifestyle change, as opposed to an “event” every now and again. The main problem with the 3P approach is that one cannot take pills, powders and potions forever. However, eating whole foods is sustainable. Eating in a way that balances the body’s internal functions sets a foundation for health today as well as in the future.

The purpose of any program is to encourage the body’s tendency for an acidic (and phlegmy) state to balance towards a more alkaline state; the acid/base balance in the blood is dynamic and not static. Your body’s pH levels are affected by many internal and external factors. It is important to take a holistic approach when seeking balance. No single act (3P) will restore the pH permanently. Only sustained efforts towards balance will set the stage for the body’s natural corrective mechanisms to do their job efficiently.

Researchers will tell you that the pH is always taking care of itself and therefore needs no specialized approach to balance it. This, however philosophically compelling, is untrue in the clinical setting. EVERY filter in the world needs cleaning. So, in turn, internal bodily filters and organs of elimination do too.

Clinically, organs need to be addressed in a full-body detoxification in the following order:

• Bowels
• Kidney
• Liver
• Gallbladder
• Lungs
• Lymph
• Skin
• Mind

Many people often consider cleaning the bowels to be a complete detoxification, but however helpful it may be, moving the bowels barely scratches the surface. Your body requires a deep tissue cleansing, so it is vital to address all of the above listed organs to successfully accomplish detoxification and cleansing for the purpose of health and vitality.

Timing is also a very important factor to consider when beginning a program. Both your body and mind must be prepared to handle the change. Beginning a program when you are feeling sick, or under a lot of stress, may very well make things worse. When properly scheduled and fully executed, a detoxification and cleansing program can bring unprecedented health benefits that go beyond a patient’s expectations. Below are some real-life examples from past program participants:

• Dropped 53 points in Triglyceride levels in three weeks.
• A previous migraines sufferer successfully eliminated migraines (symptoms and medicines).
• A patient who suffered from osteoarthritis claims that the only “medicine” that was effective for ridding the pain from her body was cleansing with whole foods.
• A hypoglycemic patient reverted back to normal sugar levels after four cycles (two years) of detoxification.
• Several allergy sufferers eliminated their allergies altogether and have sustained that status over the ensuing years.

I do what I teach. I have been cleansing and detoxifying since I was a child growing up with open-minded parents. There is very little in this field that I have not personally tried myself over the decades. Truth in health transcends cultural beliefs, barriers and biases. The techniques used in cleansing are tried and true from years of testing on humans throughout the world. Be wary of “new” findings as they have not been tested for safety over the test of time. As Hippocrates (the Father of Western medicine) says “let food be thy medicine.” By the way, the Chinese and East Indians agree on this statement.

At the Advanced Wellness Center, we create treatment programs to address each individual’s needs for cleansing and detoxification. We offer complementary approaches with Western medicine for the patient who wishes to combine philosophies. We also offer “alternative” approaches for the patient who wants a completely natural method for the restoration and management of health, vitality and longevity.

We invite you to come in for a free 15-minute consultation so that we can discuss what we can do for you.

Dr. Allene Arnette. DC, LAc

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!

A case of a really sore thumb made me look into Acupuncture. It had really gotten to a point where I couldn’t even use my left hand, and the cortisone shots that my primary doctor prescribed were only temporary cures. After the second cortisone shot failed to relieve my pain, I decided to pursue another cure for my thumb.

I took the time to educate myself about Acupuncture and I was convinced that it would help me. I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted a bunch of needles being pierced into my skin. But I knew it was the right move to make and after meeting Dhannel I decided to just go for it!

She was very professional, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I was definitely impressed!

I began going in for treatment two days a week for the first month. After those first 30 days, the pain was 50 percent improved. I felt so much better. After the second month, I began to go in weekly, bi-weekly and now monthly. Even now that I am only going in on a monthly basis, I feel like 90 percent of the pain in my thumb is completely gone.

I have also noticed another astonishing effect of the treatment. Since I began going in, I no longer get hot flashes. Its great!

Acupuncture heals. It is completely worth giving it a try, no matter what type of pain you suffer. Go see the practitioners at the Advanced Wellness Center.

-Leslie Noel

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!

To me, liver disease seemed much more important than a “lose some weight and see me in six months.” And at my young age (early 30s), there was no way I was going to begin a lifetime of popping daily pills. I was sure there had to be an alternative. So, I fought it the way any young person would. I Googled it.

I went home and did some research. I quickly found the Advanced Wellness Center (AWC) in the rankings for my local search. After checking out the website, I had no reason not to give them a shot. I called and made an appointment with Sese Novas, DC.

Dr. Novas asked me a lot about my lifestyle and developed an in-depth grasp of my health issues. She also went over my lab exams and gave me a better understanding of what the results showed.

She really woke me up and made me realize what I was doing to myself. Her advice made me want to better my life. And this was all within the first couple of minutes of my consultation. Even before any treatment.

Dr. Novas made several chiropractic adjustments to help alleviate some pains I had been having. Her advice and treatment really helped me get to the root of the problem and showed me how to cure myself through my everyday life. Also, she referred me to Dhannel, an acupuncturist at the AWC, and she helped immensely!

Four months after I began treatment at the Advanced Wellness Center, I went back to my physician for a “progress report.” The results were amazing!

I had lost 35 lbs.
My blood pressure was normal.
My cholesterol was well balanced.
And best of all, my liver enzymes were back to normal and there was no sign of disease.

My physician was absolutely astonished and said she had never seen such an amazing turnaround.

Thanks to Dr. Novas and the Advanced Wellness Center, I am now living a much healthier, happier life. She inspired me to get back into running and now I am back to being fit and running 5-6 days a week.

The Advanced Wellness Center helped me help myself. They helped me save my life.

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