by Lynn Jaffee

If you have ever suffered from dizziness, you know how profoundly it can affect your life. Whether from Meniere’s disease, auditory nerve damage, high or low blood pressure, or an inner ear infection, severe dizziness can leave you pinned to one spot due to a fear of falling or aggravating your symptoms.

While a number of health condition may cause you to be dizzy, not all dizziness is the same.  The severity of symptoms can run the whole gamut from disabling to mildly annoying.  People who suffer from vestibular (inner ear) problems may describe their dizziness as the sensation of the whole room spinning, or vertigo, accompanied by severe balance problems.  However, someone who has low blood pressure may feel temporarily light headed when they stand up. To make things worse, dizziness may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sweating, and even fainting.

According to the principles of Chinese medicine, dizziness is usually classified as some kind of wind.  Wind is a tricky pathogen, in that it tends to move around (making you dizzy).  It usually affects the upper part of your body, much like the wind outdside, and its effects are intermittant, just like strong gusts on a windy day.  In Chinese medicine, wind is frequently the diagnosis not only in cases of dizziness, but also with tremors, some headaches, numbness, high or low blood pressure, and even itchy skin conditions.

The root cause of wind is almost always a deficiency of some vital substance in your body, such as Qi, Blood, or Yin.  For example, anemia is considered a Blood deficiency in Chinese medicine and is a common cause of mild dizziness or light-headedness. Another example is a depletion of your body’s moistening and nourishing Yin, which can cause dizziness.  In this case, your body is like a farmer’s field that has dried out to the point where the smallest breeze will make the dust rise.

Whatever the root cause or depletion, Chinese medicine has a lot to offer to effectively treat dizziness.  The best known treatment is acupuncture, which involves the insertion of tiny needles into your body to stimulate healing.  Also effective for dizziness is scalp acupuncture, Like it sounds, scalp acupuncture entails needling acupuncture points on your scalp to affect brain function, and can be used for neurological conditions.  In many cases, Chinese herbal medicine—the use of a specific formula for a specific condition—can be effective, too. 

Some dietary and lifestyle changes that you may try to help your dizziness include:

-Skip the cocktails.  Alcohol is a neurotoxin, is dehydrating, and can aggravate your symptoms.

-Avoid hot, spicy foods, as the heat can actually make your dizziness worse.

-Avoid caffeine for the same reason.

- While you’re avoiding alcoholic drinks, be sure to drink enough water, especially in hot and dry climates or in dry indoor heating.

-Try mild physical activity to relieve your symptoms.

-When you’re dizzy, focus on a single fixed point.  This gives your brain more visual information to calm the dizziness and help you keep your balance.

-Get up slowly.  This is helpful for those of you with low blood pressure, as well as those who suffer from inner ear problems.  By rising slowly, you give your body and brain time to catch up with the change of position

-Review your medications.  Dizziness or light headedness can be a side effect of a wide variety of drugs.  Talk with your doctor or pharmacist to see if any of the meds you’re taking could be causing your dizziness.

-In all cases, see your doctor if your dizziness is accompanied by chest pain, rapid heart beat, numbness, or blurred vision.

by Lynn Jaffee

There is nothing worse than a shower drain full of hair, especially if it’s yours and it’s falling out fast. Or perhaps you run your fingers through your hair and come up with a handful. Your hairbrush is full and you’re finding stray hairs – lots of them – on your pillowcase. What’s going on?

Your hair is constantly falling out and regrowing, and most people lose an average of 50 to 100 hairs a day. However, if you’re noticing an increase in shedding or if your hair is noticeably thinning, you’re probably losing more.

Your hair grows in cycles during which it actively grows for about two to three years and then rests for a couple of months. During the growth phase, a hair generally grows about 1/2 inch per month. At the end of the resting phase, the strand of hair falls out and a new strand begins to grow. Noticeable thinning of your hair is due to an above average number of hairs resting at the same time.

In Chinese medicine, the Kidney organ system governs the hair on your head. The Kidney system is also responsible for body functions related to growth, fertility, menopause, and aging. As we get older, your Kidneys become weaker, and one way that weakness is reflected is through the health of your hair. Hair loss, gray hair, and unhealthy hair are all signs that your Kidneys could be a little stronger.

In addition, your Kidney system is one of the Chinese organs most deeply damaged by stress. The adrenal glands sit right on top of your Kidneys, and in Western medicine, adrenal fatigue is the direct result of unrelenting stress. Extreme levels of stress can cause your hair to prematurely go into its resting phase, causing hair loss and thinning.

Beyond stress, there are other reasons that your hair may be falling out. Among them:

Poor diet. Remember the season of Survivor (Australia) when Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s hair fell out by the handful? The contestants didn’t have anything to eat, and Elizabeth’s hair began to fall out as a result of poor nutrition. Extremely low calorie diets or a diet low in protein can cause your hair to fall out.

Hormones. Many women complain that once they went through menopause their hair became much thinner. The decrease in estrogen after menopause can be another culprit in hair loss. In addition, an imbalance in your thyroid hormones can raise the levels of a chemical called DHT, which causes your hair to fall out faster than normal.

Low iron. Iron deficiency is a common cause of hair loss. Low levels of iron decreases the level of red blood cells necessary for healthy hair follicles. Also, it’s possible to have low iron stores (ferritin), but not be anemic.

Medications. Some antidepressants, diuretics, and certainly chemotherapy can cause hair loss.

Health conditions. Scalp infections, frequently fungal in nature, can cause your hair to drop. In addition, diseases such as diabetes and lupus can be associated with hair loss.

Hair treatments. This one may seem like a no-brainer, but how you treat your hair can have a direct impact on the health of your mane. Harsh chemicals, tight braids or pigtails, and brushing too vigorously can damage your hair and scalp and cause your hair to fall out.

So what can you do if your hair is falling out? Make sure your diet is sufficient in protein and iron, to nourish your body and hair. Don’t supplement with iron unless you’re sure your levels are low. Check with your doctor if you think low iron or hormone imbalances might be to blame. Also ask your doctor about adjusting the dosage or changing your prescription if hair loss is a side effect of any medication you’re taking. If stress is the problem, work on coping using Yoga, meditation, visualization, acupuncture, and any other relaxation techniques that work for you.

A practitioner of Chinese medicine would deal with your hair loss by strengthening your Kidney system through acupuncture and the use of herbs. A common herbal formula for hair loss and premature graying is called Seven Treasure Formula for Beautiful Whiskers, which nourishes the Kidney and benefits the hair.

By Lynn Jaffee

Are you one of those people who learn that you’ve overdone it by receiving a special delivery notice from your knees?  Have you ever had a knee just go out and fold up like a card table?  Maybe you’ve had a knee lock up, blow up, blow out, or just plain hurt.  For knee pain sufferers everywhere, this blog’s for you.

Knee pain and problems are probably only second to back pain in incidence.  If you have knee pain, you’re not alone; over 50 million Americans suffer from knee issues. The causes of knee pain are varied, and can stem from overuse, overweight, weak leg muscles, trauma, or deterioration from wear and tear.

Acupuncture can be an effective treatment for knee pain. In Chinese medicine, knee pain is a sign of stagnant energy.  The Chinese believe that our body’s energy moves in pathways, and when there is pain of any kind, it means that the flow of energy is impeded.  Knee pain or weakness can also be a sign that the Chinese Kidney system is weak.  When this is the case, the pain in your knees is frequently accompanied by dull achy pain in your lower back.  For a full explanation on the Kidney system and Chinese medicine, go here.

The good news with knee pain is that there are things that you can do to alleviate that pain and even prevent episodes in the future.  Among them:

-Strengthen your leg muscles.  The muscle groups that move your knees include your quadriceps on the front of your thigh, and your hamstrings on the back.  To strengthen your quadriceps, start with some simple leg lifts:  lie flat on the floor, keeping your legs straight, turn your right foot outward about 20 degrees.  Lift your right leg off the floor a few inches, hold for the count of three and bring it down.  Start with 20 repetitions and work up to 50.  Repeat with the left leg. For your hamstrings, you can do simple leg curls:  begin either lying face down on the floor or standing, attach an ankle weight (start with one pound and work up) to your right ankle.  Slowly bend your right leg at the knee 90 degrees hold for three seconds then slowly lower your leg back to your starting position.  Repeat the set with your left leg. Start with 20 repetitions and work up to 50.

-Go easy on the activities that are hard on your knees.  Activities such as running, hilly hiking, and stair climbing aggravate knee pain because the movements involved forcibly push your kneecap against your thigh bone.  Avoid any activities that aggravate your knee pain until you have strengthened your leg muscles and your pain has calmed down.

-Check out your shoes.  Make sure you’re wearing the right shoes for you and your sport.  In addition, look for signs of wear on the soles of your shoes and replace sports shoes frequently.  Sales people at a good athletic shoe store can look at your gait and help you choose the right shoe for you—it’s worth spending a little more to not have knee pain.

-Lose a little weight.  This is pretty self-explanatory – if you’re sporting some excess weight, it’s hard on your knees.

-Know when to brace and when not to brace.  Wearing a knee brace can help stabilize your knee early on in the injury cycle.  However, if you depend on a knee brace too long, you won’t build up the muscles that support your knee.  Once you’re on a healing track, give the knee brace a rest so you can build up knee strength.

-Know when to check with your doctor. If you have injured your knee, if you notice swelling, your knee locking, giving out, or pain that goes beyond mildly achy, it’s time to get your knee assessed by your doctor.  While these symptoms may be garden-variety knee pain, they can also be signs of serious internal damage to your knee.

by Lynn Jaffee

I have seen people in my clinic before complaining of a lump in their throat, but Alan’s symptoms were the most severe I had every encountered.  Alan was a 42 year old realtor and father of three.  He came to me because he had the feeling of a lump in his throat, which was making it difficult for him to eat solid food.  Every time he tried to eat, he was unable to get the food down past the lump.  By the time he came to me, he was only able to drink liquids and was rapidly losing weight.

In my clinic, I see a number of people who are looking for relief from stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.  Many of my patients who are struggling with their emotional health also report feeling something like a lump caught in their throat.

These patients describe this lump as the feeling of something being caught at the bottom of their throat, and it won’t go away no matter what they do.  The lump can be mild, and mentioned only when I ask, or it can be so severe, like Alan’s, that it will limit a patient’s diet.  For some people, certain foods seem to aggravate the feeling, among them meat, onions, acidic foods, and alcohol.

So what is this lump and where does it come from?  In most cases, this lump sensation is a spasm of one of the muscles of the esophagus.  It can physically be caused by a throat infection such as strep, being overweight or esophageal reflux.   Difficulty swallowing can be the sign of more serious conditions, and should be checked out by your doctor if it lasts for more than a week or two.

In Chinese medicine, this lump is called Plum Pit Qi because it feels like a plum pit is caught in your throat.  The Chinese believe that Plum Pit Qi is the result of a situation that is figuratively too hard to swallow, so it gets caught in your throat.  That’s why all of the patients I have seen with this condition also are struggling with some kind of life stress or mental health issue.

Plum Pit Qi is a diagnosis that encompasses a Liver and Spleen disharmony combined with phlegm.  A disharmony between the Chinese Liver and Spleen, in general, means that your energy is stagnating (usually emotional energy) and beginning to mess up your digestion.  In Chinese medicine, phlegm can be both visible (what you see when you blow your nose or cough) and invisible.  Invisible phlegm can be the result of energy stagnating combined with poor fluid metabolism, and is the cause of many lumps and bumps in your body.  Things like goiters, tumors, and cysts can be considered invisible phlegm.

In the clinic, Plum Pit Qi can be successfully and naturally treated.  I like to combine acupuncture with Chinese herbs for this condition.  The formula Ban Xia Hou Po Tang is formulated specifically for Plum Pit Qi, is safe, and works incredibly well.  Self care for Plum Pit Qi includes tracking the foods that aggravate your symptoms, and working on resolving stress, anxiety, and the situations in your life that are too difficult to swallow.

For more information on Qi stagnation, specific action steps for a Liver and Spleen disharmony, resolving phlegm, and foods for your particular body constitution, check out  Simple Steps: The Chinese Way to Better Health.

by Lynn Jaffee

We’ve all been there, hunkered down over the toilet with an upset stomach.  Whether from the stomach flu, something you ate, or a few too many cocktails, an upset stomach is no fun.  Most of us have almost funny stories of vomiting in inappropriate places or at the wrong time.  This includes my kid, who has never been able to make it to the toilet in time.  The one time he made it to the toilet; he failed to lift the lid, so it doesn’t count as a home run.

There is nothing funny, however, about chronic nausea, whether due to morning sickness or as the result of chemotherapy treatments.  It can result in dehydration, exhaustion, weight loss, and may aggravate already existing health conditions.

In Chinese medicine, nausea and vomiting are the result of something called counterflow Qi, or energy moving in the wrong direction.  Ideally, stomach energy moves downward, but under certain circumstances, it can move in the wrong direction.  Other examples of counterflow Qi include the hiccups, heartburn, coughing, and in some instances, diarrhea.  Nausea and vomiting can have a number of underlying causes in Chinese medicine, including a Liver/Stomach disharmony, food stagnation, an external pathogen (the flu), and even phlegm and dampness.

Chinese medicine has much to offer to relieve nausea and vomiting.  One of the best known remedies for nausea is ginger root.  Ginger was found to be effective in relieving chemotherapy related nausea in a recent study at the University of Rochester.  The results of the study indicated that ginger capsules taken prior to the administration of chemotherapy drugs were effective in decreasing nausea in cancer patients.  Ginger can also be taken in the form of tea, or can be grated into food or taken with hot water.  In addition to ginger, there are a number of Chinese herbal formulas that effectively calm an upset stomach. 

Acupuncture treatments can also successfully treat nausea and vomiting.  An acupuncturist would determine the underlying pattern causing your nausea, and develop a treatment to relieve the symptoms and deal with the cause.  One point that you can use at home with acupressure is called Pericardium 6.  It’s found on the palm side of your wrist about two inches from your wrist crease (in the direction of your elbow), right between the tendons.  Feel around in the area for a slightly tender spot, and stimulate that point by applying pressure for a few minutes with your finger or thumb.

 by Lynn Jaffee

We’ve all heard the figurative term that something is a pain in the neck, but the reality of neck pain can cause sleepless nights, limited range of motion, and make your life miserable in general. There are a number of causes of neck pain, including trauma, turning and reaching at the same time, drafts, and bad ergonomics.

The most common cause of neck pain, however, is stress. Most people who are overwhelmed and under a lot of stress will tell you that they physically carry that stress in their neck. This has been the case since caveman times, when our furry ancestors raised the hackles on their neck in threatening situations. While a cranky boss, looming deadline, or a failing relationship isn’t the same as the threat of being eaten, your body still reacts in the same way, resulting in a tight, stiff neck.

In Chinese medicine, your stiff neck is a classic case of stagnation. The tightness in your upper back and neck create a slowdown in the circulation (stagnation) of blood and energy in the area. In addition, as that area becomes tight, it can move upward causing headaches, tooth grinding, and jaw pain; or move downward and cause back pain and tightness.

The antidote to neck pain in Chinese medicine is acupuncture, which works on two levels. It can help relieve the pain and tightness in your neck, and it can also help relieve stress.

You should check with your Western doc if your neck pain is accompanied by confusion, fever, or drowsiness. Also, if your neck pain radiates into your arms or hands, or if you feel numbness or tingling, it may be the sign of disk involvement and should also be checked out.

Some things you can do on your own to relieve neck pain include:

-Get some heat on it. Take a warm shower, use a heating pad, warm rice bag, or a towel soaked in hot water. By putting heat on your neck, you are increasing the circulation, loosening tight muscles, and enhancing your range of motion.

-Increase your flexibility. After you have warmed up your stiff neck, move your head up and down as if you were nodding yes. Then slowly move your head from side to side as if you were saying no. Tilt your head, moving your ear toward your shoulder on each side. These stretches will help increase your range of motion, but remember, don’t do anything that is intensely painful.

-Sleep on it. Sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees. This helps you maintain the natural curvature of your spine, and will help you avoid sleeping on your side, which can aggravate a stiff neck.

-Hold the phone. Keep the phone off of your shoulder. If you’re on the phone a lot at work, get a headset or hold the phone with your hand.

-Take a break. If you’re on your computer all day, make sure you take regular breaks to get up, stretch, and walk around.

-Eyes forward. Make sure that your work station is ergonomically correct. This means that you shouldn’t have to look sideways to see your computer screen, look downward all day long, or be sitting in an uncomfortable position.

-Stay away from drafts. Cold air blowing on your neck can be an underlying cause of a stiff neck. Avoid sleeping in a draft, and be sure to wear a scarf on cool, cold and windy days.

-Get some acupuncture. In most cases, your stiff neck will be gone in a few days. However, acupuncture can be extremely helpful in speeding up the healing process.

Are you the kind of person who can bump a corner of the coffee table and know that you’ll have a whopper of a bruise tomorrow?  Are you afraid of your neighbor’s dog jumping on you because you’ll have to marks to show for it?  Do you frequently sport some big bruises and don’t know where they came from?  If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then you’re an easy bruiser.

Bruising at the drop of a hat is the result of fragile blood vessels, and can come from a number of underlying causes.  In Chinese medicine, easy bruising is a sign that your body’s holding function is weak. 

Your Chinese Spleen is responsible for digesting the food you eat and converting it into energy, blood, and nutrients.  A secondary function of your Spleen is to hold things in place, including holding blood in the vessels.  Other signs that your body isn’t holding things well are chronic diarrhea, frequent miscarriages, heavy menstrual periods and prolapsed (falling) organs, like your uterus or bladder.  From a Chinese perspective, strengthening your Spleen can be accomplished through acupuncture, herbal formulas, and dietary modifications.

From a more Western viewpoint, easy bruising may be due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency.  The most common deficiencies involved in weak or fragile blood vessels are Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and copper.

One of the functions of Vitamin C is to help build collagen, which is important in holding body structures together, including connective tissue, tendons, and ligaments.  If you are deficient in Vitamin C, the ability of collagen to hold the connective tissue around your blood vessels may be impaired, allowing them to rupture and bruise more easily.  Good food sources of Vitamin C include most dark vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collard or turnip greens, and red or green peppers.

Another nutrient that plays a role in the synthesis of collagen is the copper.  Copper is a trace mineral found in oysters, most nuts and legumes (peas and beans).  A deficiency in copper can also be an underlying cause of easy bruising.

Vitamin K can also be a player if you’re a bruiser, however it’s role is different than that of copper or Vitamin C.  Vitamin K is important in making clotting factors, which are components necessary to stop bleeding and facilitate clotting.  Like Vitamin C, Vitamin K is found abundantly in dark leafy vegetables.  One word of caution, however, Vitamin K can alter the affects of Coumadin or Warfarin, so if you’re taking either of those anti clotting medications, steer clear of supplementing Vitamin K or taking any herbal formulas.

Many over the counter pain relievers, such as Ibuprofen (Advil), Naproxen (Alleve), and aspirin (but not Tylenol), can also have an affect on bleeding. These medications make your platelets (necessary in clotting, too) less sticky and therefore less prone to clotting.  This is a good thing if you are at risk for cardiovascular disease or stroke, but taking these pain relievers for a period of time can make you more likely to bruise.  

There was an article in my local paper last week about the relationship between stress and weight gain.  The gist of the article was that during the current economic crisis many people who are stressed about their financial situation turn to food as a way to cope.

Medical experts know that stress and other strong negative emotions have an impact on your body’s hormonal balance, specifically the balance of adrenaline, cortisol, and insulin.  In addition, it’s known that hormonal changes caused by stress can be responsible for weight gain around your middle, and can increase your risk for certain cardiovascular health problems.  Your doctor may describe this phenomenon as the difference between being pear shaped (good) versus apple shaped (not so good).

In Chinese medicine, this same phenomenon would be described as a Liver/Spleen disharmony, or a case of your emotions upsetting your digestion.  Your Chinese Liver is the organ system that regulates the smooth movement of everything in your body, including your emotions, circulation, menstrual cycles, and digestion.  The function of the Spleen system is to efficiently turn food into nutrients, energy, and blood—in other words, all aspects of digestion.  You know your Spleen isn’t up to par when you have signs or symptoms related to your digestion, including food cravings or a loss of appetite, constipation or loose stools, stomachaches, nausea, and weight gain.  You might think that if you’re gaining weight your digestion is just fine, thank you very much, but in reality, weight gain is a signal that your digestion is impaired in some way.

How can acupuncture or Chinese medicine help?  There are a couple of answers.  First, acupuncture is an excellent way to soothe your emotions.  It can effectively help people who are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed.  It seems odd that the insertion of a couple of needles can affect your emotions or mood, but research has in fact documented that acupuncture alters brain chemistry in a good way.

Secondly, using a combination of acupuncture, herbs, and food therapy, a practitioner of Chinese medicine can help you get your weight under control.  Not only can it help you with food cravings, but Chinese medicine is an incredibly effective treatment for digestive problems.

 If stress is impacting your health or causing weight gain, think about acupuncture.  It’s safe, effective, and organic.

We’ve all heard the figurative term that something is a pain in the neck, but the reality of neck pain can cause sleepless nights, limited range of motion, and make your life miserable in general. There are a number of causes of neck pain, including trauma, turning and reaching at the same time, drafts, and bad ergonomics.

The most common cause of neck pain, however, is stress. Most people who are under a lot of stress will tell you that they carry that stress in their neck. This has been the case since caveman times, when our furry ancestors raised the hackles on their neck in threatening situations. While a cranky boss, looming deadline, or a failing relationship isn’t the same as the threat of being eaten, your body still reacts in the same way, resulting in a tight, stiff neck.

In Chinese medicine, your stiff neck is a classic case of stagnation. The tightness in your upper back and neck create a slowdown in the circulation (stagnation) of blood and energy in the area. In addition, as that area becomes tight, it can move upward causing headaches, tooth grinding, and jaw pain; or move downward and cause back pain and tightness.

The antidote to neck pain in Chinese medicine is acupuncture, which works on two levels. It can help relieve the pain and tightness in your neck, and it can also help relieve stress.

You should check with your Western doc if your neck pain is accompanied by confusion, fever, or drowsiness. Also, if your neck pain radiates into your arms or hands, or if you feel numbness or tingling, it may be the sign of disk involvement and should also be checked out.

Some things you can do on your own to relieve neck pain include:

-Get some heat on it. Take a warm shower, use a heating pad, warm rice bag, or a towel soaked in hot water. By putting heat on your neck, you are increasing the circulation, loosening tight muscles, and enhancing your range of motion.

-Increase your flexibility. After you have warmed up your stiff neck, move your head up and down as if you were nodding yes. Then slowly move your head from side to side as if you were saying no. Tilt your head, moving your ear toward your shoulder on each side. These stretches will help increase your range of motion, but remember, don’t do anything that is intensely painful.

-Sleep on it. Sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees. This helps you maintain the natural curvature of your spine, and will help you avoid sleeping on your side, which can aggravate a stiff neck.

-Hold the phone. Keep the phone off of your shoulder. If you’re on the phone a lot at work, get a headset or hold the phone with your hand.

-Take a break. If you’re on your computer all day, make sure you take regular breaks to get up, stretch, and walk around.

-Eyes forward. Make sure that your work station is ergonomically correct. This means that you shouldn’t have to look sideways to see your computer screen, look downward all day long, or be sitting in an uncomfortable position.

-Stay away from drafts. Cold air blowing on your neck can be an underlying cause of a stiff neck. Avoid sleeping in a draft, and be sure to wear a scarf on cool, cold and windy days.

-Get some acupuncture. In most cases, your stiff neck will be gone in a few days. However, acupuncture can be extremely helpful in speeding up the healing process.

You’ve got what feels like a three-alarm fire under your ribcage or at the top of your chest.  Maybe you just overindulged in a gourmet meal or knocked down a chili dog with the works.  You belch; maybe drink a little water, but the fire burns on.  That after-dinner hell you’re experiencing is most likely heartburn.

What causes heartburn is actually a muscle in your lower esophagus falling down on the job.  That muscle, your esophageal sphincter, usually opens to let food you’ve eaten pass to your stomach, then closes to prevent food and stomach acid from flowing back upward. However, in the case of heartburn, or esophageal reflux, the sphincter hasn’t closed properly, allowing the contents of your stomach to irritate your esophagus causing that burning sensation.

There are a number of causes of heartburn, including eating the wrong foods, stress, overeating, and obesity.  In addition, the esophageal sphincter tends to get weaker with age, so just being on the wrong side of 40 can make you more prone to episodes of heartburn.

In Chinese medicine, heartburn is frequently caused by damage from emotions (stress and anger!), erratic or unhealthy eating or drinking, and overall depletion due to aging.  In most cases, a Chinese diagnosis of a Liver/Spleen disharmony will be evident. 

The Liver is the organ system that is responsible for the smooth and uninhibited movement of everything in your body.  However, the Liver system is that which is most damaged by anger, stress, and unfulfilled desires.  Damage to the Liver causes stagnation, and almost always overflows and affects digestion; in this case causing heartburn.

The good news, however, is that there are a number of things you can do to naturally quench the fires of heartburn.  Also good news is that the irritation and damage to our esophagus can heal within a month or two, once the symptoms have subsided.

Some natural suggestions to help cool down heartburn include:

-Determine which foods are likely to cause heartburn and eliminate them from your diet.  Some common offenders include onions (especially raw), coffee, spicy meals, alcohol, citrus fruits and strawberries, mint, chocolate, and fried or fatty foods.

-Eat smaller meals so your esophageal sphincter doesn’t have to work overtime.

-Respect the laws of gravity and sit up for a couple of hours after eating.

-If your heartburn symptoms seem to be worse at night, try sleeping with your head elevated.  You can do this by placing the head of your bed on blocks that are four to six inches high.

-Try 1/8 of a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a few tablespoons of water to quickly neutralize stomach acid.

It is also important to know when to check with your M.D.  If you have heartburn symptoms daily, suffer from a lot of belching or bloating, or if symptoms seem to be worse when your stomach is empty, get it checked out by your doc.  Also, if you have what feels like heartburn accompanied by difficulty or pain swallowing, chest pain or pain radiating to the neck and/or shoulder, vomiting, bloody or black stools, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness, get to your doctor right away.  Your symptoms may be more than simple heartburn and need to be evaluated by a doctor.