Health Conditions Archives - Page 6 of 8

Healing Sprains with Acupuncture

If you’ve ever sprained your ankle, you’re well aware of the pain, swelling, and bruising that goes with the territory. Recovery from sprains can be long and painful, and many people will tell you that they would have been better off if they had broken their ankle instead.

In Chinese medicine, sprains are considered damage to your sinews, which is an old-fashioned word for anything to do with your tendons, ligaments, cartilage, or joint capsules. A sprain can occur at almost any joint, and is the result from taking a hit, over extending, twisting, wrenching, or any other trauma. A sprain causes pain, dark purple bruising, swelling, and loss of range of motion. And pain. Did I mention how much a sprain hurts? A sprain is painful because you have either pulled the tendons or ligaments beyond their capacity, or damaged the cartilage or joint in some way that’s not good.

In Chinese medicine, this kind of injury is considered a blockage of energy and blood. Essentially, nothing is moving through the injured area, and you can see the stagnation in the swelling and purple bruising around the joint.

The first order of business in Chinese medicine is to get the energy and blood moving, relieve the pain, and soothe the injured tissues, so they can heal. If a sprain doesn’t heal properly, over time wind, cold, and dampness can move into the joint. You will know if this has happened if the injured joint feels chronically sore, or if that joint feels achy whenever it rains, gets cold and damp outside, or when the weather changes in general.

Your acupuncturist may use a number of methods to heal a sprain. They will likely start with acupuncture, possibly inserting needles into something called A-Shi points, which are spots that are tender when they’re touched. Don’t worry—inserting a needle into those points isn’t necessarily painful, it just gives your acupuncturist a good idea of where to start. Your practitioner may also ask you to move the injured joint or he may warm the area while the needles are in place.

Your body works like a hologram in that there is a map of your entire body in each individual part. Think about the DNA in each of your cells which contains the building instructions for your entire body, or foot reflexology, in which all your organs are represented on the sole of your foot. In a similar vein, if the injured area is too inflamed or painful to needle, your acupuncturist may choose to needle the same joint on the opposite side of your body. For example, if your right ankle is sprained and looks like a big purple grapefruit, your acupuncturist may work on the left ankle, which can be just as effective.

Your acupuncturist may also perform ear acupuncture to help heal a sprain. Like foot reflexology, your ears also contain a map of your entire body, and are easier and less painful to needle than the bottoms of your feet. An herbal formula may also be used to move or quicken the blood and relieve the pain. Once the initial trauma of a sprain has passed, Tui Na massage can also be effective in decreasing swelling and improving the range of motion in the injured joint.

Some self-care tips for a sprain that you can do at home include:

Right after the injury has occurred and for the first 24 hours or so, apply ice to the area to control the swelling. Be careful not to put ice packs directly on your skin, as it may burn the area. While heat is generally used in Chinese medicine, it’s used later in the healing process to increase circulation to the area.
Wrap the area with an ace bandage, but not so tightly that you cut off the circulation. By applying compression in this way, you’re limiting how much the area can swell, which in turn limits the pain. Also, wrapping the area immobilizes it, which also helps decrease the pain.
Elevate the injured area–also a way to limit the swelling.
While you may have figured this out for yourself, quit using the injured joint until you can do so without causing yourself serious pain and further damage.
If the pain is excruciating, don’t be a martyr, take something like ibuprofen or Tylenol.

Eating Disorders and Chinese Medicine

From time to time we’re asked whether acupuncture can help someone with an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia, or obsessive overeating. As with any condition, there is no one size fits all—everyone is different and heals at their own pace and in their own way. That said, at Acupuncture in the Park, we have worked with a number of patients who have suffered with eating disorders and who have been helped—sometimes dramatically so—from acupuncture.

Each person with an eating disorder comes with a unique set of circumstances, and can have one (or more) of a variety of imbalances in Chinese medicine. However, whether the condition is anorexia, bulimia, overeating, pathological food restriction, or night eating, in Chinese medicine the following organs are affected by eating disorders:

Heart. While you tend to think of your Heart as something that primarily pumps blood and is prone to heart attacks as you get older, the Heart organ system in Chinese medicine houses something called the Shen. The Shen is the home to your mind, memory, consciousness, and spirit. While these functions are attributed to the brain in Western medicine, we tend to intuitively know that the Heart is also an organ of feeling. (Think valentines, having a “broken heart” or heartfelt thanks.)

As an organ of emotion and spirituality, there is always some level of Shen imbalance in people who are struggling with an eating disorder. We believe that your approach to eating mirrors your approach to life, and if you’re binging, vomiting, not eating, or unhealthily restricting your food intake, your heart and spirit are as out of balance as your physical body. In Chinese medicine, an eating disorder would be considered a Shen disturbance.

Liver. Your Chinese Liver system is also concerned with emotions. The Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of everything in your body, including your emotions. When what you desire is very different from the reality of your life, it can evoke strong feelings of anger, frustration, and low self-worth. When those feelings are constantly suppressed, Liver energy becomes stuck and can show up as irritability, angry outbursts, and yes, pathological eating. In some people, especially those with eating disorders, strong emotions are turned inward and may also become depression and anxiety. In the patients we’ve treated with eating disorders, there is always some element of Liver stagnation.

Spleen. The organ system most damaged by eating disorders is your Chinese Spleen. Paired with the Stomach, your Spleen is responsible for the process of taking in food, digesting it, and converting it into the energy and nutrients your body needs to function on an everyday basis. Your Spleen is also in charge of holding things in and up in your body.

An eating disorder can damage your Spleen in a couple of ways. First, the digestive process can be impaired, even years after an eating disorder, causing symptoms such as stomachaches, gas, heartburn, constipation or loose stools, and even lack of energy or fatigue.

In addition, we have seen in a couple of women in our clinic who have recovered from their eating disorder, but who have damaged the holding function of their Spleen. This has shown up in an ability to become pregnant, but a tendency towards miscarriages (an inability to “hold” the fetus). Another sign of damage to the Spleen is easy bruising, as the blood isn’t being “held” in the vessels very well, and chronic diarrhea as…well, you get the point.

Kidney. Your Chinese Kidney is the home to all the vital substances in your body—Yin and Yang, Qi and Blood, and Essence, which is kind of like your DNA and body constitution all wrapped into one. Your body constitution is a gauge of how healthy you are, and it’s affected by how you live your life. For example, you may be a big, strong and healthy person who damages your health by partying, eating poorly and skimping on sleep—all things that can deplete your body constitution. In contrast, you may be smaller and not be as strong, but if you guard your health by eating well, sleeping, etc. you may live to reach a ripe old age.

My point is this—eating disorders damage your body constitution, and as a result, the health of your Chinese Kidney.

The good news is that if you are suffering from an eating disorder or have a history of an eating disorder, all is not lost. First, you need help from a mental health professional who is skilled in treating people with eating disorders. Then, when you are ready to get your body back into balance and repair the damage, Chinese medicine, through the use of acupuncture and herbs, can help by calming your Shen, soothing your Liver, strengthening your Spleen, and rebuilding and strengthening your Kidney.

Twitches, Tremors, and Dizziness and Chinese Medicine

One of the best things about practicing Chinese medicine is explaining how it works to people who have never had acupuncture. Most people understand my explanations about Qi and Yin and Yang, stagnation and depletion. However, a couple of times in the past week I have tried to explain the pathogen called wind, only to be met with very blank stares. And to make matters worse, the more I tried to explain, the blanker the stare.

It’s hard to understand how a weather condition could be causing such misery. But it’s true, in Chinese medicine wind can be the evil force behind tremors, dizziness, numbness, and twitches. It can also cause seasonal allergies, colds or even the current flu that’s going around.

Let me explain.

First of all, wind is considered a pathogen, or something that makes you sick. Many of the concepts of Chinese medicine are based on the natural world, and what makes you sick is no exception. Pathogens are a little bit like bad weather in your body. When you have a fever or inflammation, you have heat; when your arthritis flares up during the cold weather, you have a cold pathogen; and when you retain lots of water, you have dampness. (This is a very simplified explanation.)

Wind is considered movement where there should be stillness. As a pathogen, wind is dry, light and active. It tends to be Yang in nature—like the sunny side of the hill—it’s slightly warm, and it generally moves upward and outward.

There are actually two kinds of wind—internal and external. Internal wind tends to affect your body on a deeper level. It’s frequently associated with a malfunction of the Liver system to control the smooth flow of energy in your body, and can cause symptoms associated with movement—vertigo, tremors, twitches, and seizures. Wind is usually the dark cocktail behind illnesses such as Meniere’s and Parkinson’s.

While frequently related to a Liver system malfunction, internal wind can also be caused by systemic dryness or malnourishment. Much like a dry tree, the brittle leaves at the top rattle in the wind.

Wind can also be external, affecting the outer layers of your body, which is the pathogen behind everyday colds, flu, allergies, and viral infections. In addition, the cause comes from your inability to fight off outside “influences”, such as viruses, bacteria, and pollen. True to its nature, the wind associated with a cold tends to affect the upper part of your body and move around—first you have a sore throat, then your nose is stuffed up, and then your cold sinks into your chest. External wind can also cause itching, hives, and rashes.

External wind tends to be associated with your Lungs, which encompasses your respiratory system and skin. In Chinese medicine, your Lungs are considered the most external of your organs, because with every breath, you come into contact with the outside world. So, external wind tends to affect the outermost part of your body—your Lungs and skin.

External wind usually teams up with other pathogens, such as heat, cold, or dampness. For example, if you have the flu with an extremely sore throat and a high temperature, you have external wind plus heat. If you get a cold that makes you feel achy and chilled, you likely have external wind plus cold.

Treatment for wind conditions depends entirely on the circumstances. Is it internal or external wind? Has it paired with other pathogens? What’s causing the wind in the first place? Your acupuncturist needs to take all of these factors into consideration before developing a treatment.

Because internal wind conditions tend to be caused by depletion, a treatment plan would entail building up the depleted substance(s), such as Yin, Blood, or Qi (energy), which would ideally relieve the symptoms of wind. This would likely be done using acupuncture, Chinese herbs, choosing the right foods, and getting adequate rest.

If you’re suffering from external wind, acupuncture combined with herbs would be a likely treatment protocol. For early stage external wind, when you feel like you’re coming down with something, you can sometimes head it off with herbs you have at home. Boil grated ginger and chopped scallions in a cup of water. You can add a little broth or flavoring if you like. Drink it down, wrap yourself up, and go to bed. The idea is that these warm herbs open your pores, causing you to sweat, which expels external wind.

Chinese Medicine for Asthma

If you suffer from asthma, you’re no stranger to the shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing, and wheezing that go with this condition. Over 16 million adults and 7 million children in America suffer from asthma, and it kills about 5,000 people a year.

Asthma occurs because the airways in your lungs tighten, become inflamed, or become filled with mucous. Asthma symptoms may be frequent or occasional, and they may be mild, severe, or even life threatening.

In Chinese medicine, there is always some element of phlegm associated with a diagnosis of asthma. In fact, the Chinese use the term “abiding phlegm” in talking about asthma, meaning that even when you’re not having symptoms; phlegm is always an underlying cause of your condition. In Chinese medicine, asthma may be caused by the environment, strong emotions, poor diet, stress, overwork, and being depleted by chronic illness.

There are a number of underlying patterns, or Chinese medical diagnoses, that are associated with asthma. A couple can be by-products of a bad cold or flu, in that the asthma flares up when you’re is sick. The patterns include:

Wind/Cold. This is the kind of asthma you get when you have a cold and it sinks into your chest, making it hard for you to breathe. Typical symptoms include a headache, aches and pains, a low grade fever, mild chills, a sensation of feeling cold, chest tightness, and coughing of thin, white phlegm. While this pattern is usually associated with a cold or the flu, it can occur without your ever being sick. In that case, allergies, cold air, wind, or even exercise may be triggers.

Phlegm Heat. If you don’t get over your cold right away, your chest may remain congested and you may wheeze and cough up thick yellow phlegm. (Gross!) Inflammation or infection is a player in this pattern, so you will also feel hot and thirsty, you may run a fever, and feel dry and constipated. Again, this pattern doesn’t necessarily have to be the by-product of a cold or the flu. There are some people who have asthma that is hot and inflamed all the time whose asthma would also fall under this pattern.

Lung Deficiency. This tends to be a less severe form of asthma. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a weak voice, a forceless cough, wheezing, sweating (not necessarily associated with feeling hot), and thin white or clear phlegm. Lung deficiency sounds exactly like what it is—weak lungs.

Kidney Deficiency. How could your Kidney have anything to do with asthma? Well, your Chinese Kidney is associated with your body constitution, the strength of your health, how well you age, and the strength of your energetic reserves. A weak Kidney system is associated with an overall depletion of energy; you’re run down. This is the type of asthma that is frequently triggered by exercise, exertion, or cold. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, difficulty inhaling, fatigue, feeling cold to your core, and cold extremities.

Treatment for asthma, according to Chinese medicine is two-fold. During the acute stage (an asthma attack), the first order of business is to calm the attack and promote smooth respiration. This would be done using acupuncture and herbs. It needs to be said here that if your asthma is not under control, an attack is serious and could even be life-threatening. This means that you need to be under the care of a doctor who can prescribe medications, usually as an inhaler, for emergency attacks.

The second level of treatment is to alleviate the underlying cause of your asthma when you’re not having symptoms. For example, if Phlegm/Heat is causing your asthma, then treatment would focus on reducing or drying the phlegm and clearing your heat. Again, a combination of acupuncture and herbs, combined with food therapy and lifestyle changes would be used.

A few tips that may be helpful in controlling and alleviating your symptoms include:

-Avoid triggers that cause your symptoms. These may include cold, exercise, allergens, and certain foods.

-Stay out of smoky rooms.

-If you also suffer from heartburn, know that a flare up can aggravate your asthma. Deal with the heartburn to help your asthma.

-Keep your neck and chest warm, especially if cold is a trigger for you. Wear a scarf; they’re fashionable even if it’s not winter.

-Take it easy on the dairy products. They tend to produce phlegm.

-Try breathing exercises. Take a Yoga, Tai Qi, or Qi Gong class. Otherwise, breathe to a 4-7-8 count. Inhale to the count of 4, hold to the count of 7, and exhale to the count of 8. Do a set of 4 a couple of times a day. Personal note: Breathing exercises completely alleviated my exercise-induced asthma.

-It’s great to go the alternative medicine route, but don’t be stupid. Use your inhaler if you’re having an attack.

-If you get caught without your inhaler, try some caffeine. It acts like the asthma drug Theophylline. Also, a cup of coffee or tea before your workout may also keep exercise-induced symptoms under control.

-Try some Vitamin B6. 50 mg. a day may help with the severity of your symptoms.

-Keep in touch with your lungs. This is so touchy-feely, but it’s important to recognize patterns so you can head off an attack. (Like pain, it’s much easier to manage if you try to control it early.) See your doctor if your symptoms seem to be getting worse or harder to control.

Seven Steps to Faster Healing

A twisted knee, a blown out back, or an unexpected illness are all it takes to put your life on hold and abruptly curtail you activities. Whether your recovery takes days, weeks, or even months, there are things that you can do to help or hinder how well or quickly you will heal.

More than once, I have treated patients who have had illnesses or injuries, in which they slowed or actually reversed the healing process. One that comes to mind is a woman who was an ultra-distance runner. She came to me because she was training for a 100-mile race while nursing a foot injury. She was healing just fine with a little acupuncture and rest, but felt compelled to test the foot out with a 50-mile training run, just to see how it was holding up. The results were predictable—on race day, she started out well, but was ultimately hobbled by her injury and had to drop out of the race.

While it may seem fairly simple to just get out of the way and let your body heal, there are actually a few things you can do (or not do) to help the healing process along. Among them:

Listen to your body. With its incredible wisdom, your body has everything it needs to heal, and will let you know when you’re good to go. If you’re still feeling fatigued, in pain, or just not quite right, you’re still in the healing process, so don’t push too hard. Let your body do its thing.
Get enough rest. Your body heals while you rest and sleep. In fact, you may feel deeply fatigued after an illness or surgery. So grab a book, watch TV, sleep, and allow your body to use its energy to heal.
Let the glue dry. Allow your injury or illness to heal completely. Resist the urge to “test” your injured limb or your ability to function at 100 percent. You’ll be back soon enough.
Realize that the older you are, the longer it takes to heal. Children tend to heal before your eyes due to their expansive nature and the fact that they are growing very quickly. As you get older, your body will still heal completely, but it takes a little longer. Don’t compare yourself to your 12-year-old with a broken arm.
Eat to heal. While you’re healing, it’s even more important to eat as healthfully as possible. Your body is using building blocks to heal based on the food you eat. Make sure you’re getting enough protein, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. At the same time, if you’re laid up and worried about gaining a few extra pounds, realize that once you’re up and around, that weight will come off fairly quickly.
Heal your spirit. Stress, depression, boredom, fear, and frustration are all common feelings associated with illness and injury. Recognize that these feelings are normal under the circumstances. Talking to friends, family members, or a health professional can be extremely helpful. In addition, finding activities that are relaxing and enjoyable (reading, old movies, learning something new) can help, too.
Get some acupuncture. Acupuncture can speed up the healing process, alleviate pain, and is excellent for treating stress and mood disorders. It works by affecting brain chemistry in a number of positive ways, as well as increasing the concentration of white blood cells locally where the needles have been inserted. While you’re healing, let your acupuncturist help—you’ll feel better and heal faster.

Improve Your Memory with Chinese Medicine

Do you sometimes walk into a room and forget what you went there for? Have you ever drawn a blank on a close friend’s name? Do you routinely forget common words? If you worry that your memory is going, join the club. These little episodes are embarrassing and frustrating, but are you on the fast track to Alzheimer’s? Probably not.

Memory loss can the result of a number of factors, the most common of which is your age. However, hormonal changes, diet, stress, and simply trying to do too many things at once can also mess with your memory.

There are a couple of organ systems in Chinese medicine that are related to memory. The first (that I can remember) is your Heart. The Chinese Heart is home to your consciousness, spirit, feelings, thoughts, and…yes, your memory. Memory loss is one of the hallmark signs of a Heart disharmony.

Your Chinese Spleen is the organ closely related to digestion. Good digestion helps something called clear Yang to rise upward allowing for mental clarity. When your digestion is funky, you may experience fuzzy thinking and memory problems, along with digestive symptoms, such as heartburn, stomachaches, low blood sugar, gas, bloating, poor absorption of foods, and diarrhea or constipation.

The Kidney system is also a player in memory. One of the important functions of your Chinese Kidney system is how well and healthfully you will age. As you get older, your Kidney gets weaker as a matter of course, affecting everything from your hearing to the strength of your bones, and your mental function/memory. Along with aging, your Kidney also controls things like growth, sexuality, and reproduction. When women go through menopause, their Kidney system is affected, which is why memory seems to take an additional hit during this time.

So the question is: Can Chinese medicine and acupuncture help with memory loss? There is no simple yes or no, depending on the source of the problem. However, in many instances, Chinese medicine can help. For some people, memory problems are directly related to the amount of stress they’re experiencing, and in others, the memory issues began as part of menopause. For older adults who are beginning to show the signs of senile dementia, it may be too late to reverse their memory loss.

According to Chinese medicine, there are some things that you can do to safeguard your memory. This includes:

-Simplify your life. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, your brain is full. At a certain point, you just can’t hold onto any more details, so you start to forget them.

-Jettison the stress. Stressful situations cause you to be preoccupied, making it difficult for you to remember anything except details about what’s stressing you out. Do whatever it takes, whether it’s steps to resolve the stressful situation, or a Yoga class, meditation, taking up a hobby, or carving out quiet time to yourself.

-Eat good food. It sounds simple, but it’s not always so easy when you’re running from meeting to meeting or getting your kids from one activity to another. Sometimes the only solution seems to be something quick—and not so good for you. Take the time to plan what you’ll eat, and bring it with you if necessary. Good food is whole food, unprocessed, whole grains, lots of vegetables, and a little protein, with very small amounts of red meat, if any. Ditch the sugar, as it messes with your blood sugar levels and can be a direct contributor to fuzzy thinking. Remember the Twinkie defense?

-Digest that good food you’ve eaten. Take the time to sit down and eat. Chew your food and sit up straight. In addition, cooked foods tend to be easier to digest, and ice cold foods and drinks bring your digestion to a halt.

-Protect your Chinese Kidney. How? Well, slow down, for one. Overwork can be a direct cause of illness and depletion in Chinese medicine. Also, excessive partying, while fun, weakens your Kidney system and sends you into your senior years in less than optimal health.

In addition to Chinese medicine, Western doctors and scientists are looking for ways to protect memory as we age. They have been conducting research on memory and the various factors that may help slow memory loss. Among them:

-Get moving. Data from a study that began in the 1930’s shows that moderate exercise (as little as two times a week!) can lower your chances of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

-If you’re a smoker, quit now. While you can’t completely undo the damage in terms of degeneration to your brain, the sooner you quit the better.

-Drink green tea. Results from a 2006 study indicate that as little as a cup or two a day of green tea, which is packed full of antioxidants, can cut your risk of cognitive problems by 50 percent.

-Make lists. Memory lapses can be the by-product of simply trying to do too many things at once. At a certain point, your brain just can’t hold any more details. Make lists of the things you want to do or remember to get rid of some of that brain clutter.

-Play mind games. Crossword puzzles, soduku, trivia quizzes, or even learning a new skill or language can keep your brain exercised and can slow memory loss.

The good news here is that small changes can be enough to yield big results as long as you keep them up. A few cups of green tea, acupuncture to relieve stress, exercising a couple days a week, and moderate changes in your diet can be enough to lower your risk of age related memory problems.

Ten Things to Know About Butt Pain

That agony in your butt–it’s not just any pain; it can be sharp, electric, and stabbing, and it can be accompanied by numbness and tingling. If you’ve ever experienced sciatic pain, you’re on first name terms with the kind of pain that starts in your butt and travels down the back or side of your leg. It may keep you up nights, bench you completely, and make you feel like yuo’re 100 years old.

My brush with butt pain happened about three days into a week long kayaking trip in the middle of nowhere. I woke up one morning and tried to walk down to the beach to wash my face, but my leg, or more accurately, my butt wouldn’t cooperate. I could walk, but just barely, because a nagging pain on the right side of my low back and butt was causing my leg to fold up like a card table.

I managed to get through the kayaking trip—surprisingly; I was able to paddle without much pain, but once I got out of my kayak, I was pretty well hobbled. It wasn’t until a week or two later that I learned that I had something called Piriformis syndrome.

Since then, I have made it my business to know as much as possible about sciatic nerve pain. If you suffer from this kind of pain, here are some things you should know:

Not all pain that begins in your butt and radiates down your leg is sciatica. True sciatica is due pressure on your sciatic nerve from compressed lumbar disks, trauma, or degeneration in your lower back.
Piriformis syndrome often feels just like sciatica, but the cause is from a spasm in the Piriformis muscle. Your Piriformis is a core stabilizing muscle that runs deep from your sacrum (at the base of your spine) to your hip (the bone on the outside top of your thigh.) Your sciatic nerve runs under, and for some people, through the Piriformis muscle. When your Piriformis is injured, it can compress the sciatic nerve where it passes through the pelvis. Beyond pain deep in your butt, Piriformis syndrome usually causes pain that radiates down the back or side of your leg, and can travel through your knee and into your foot. The pain can be achy and dull, sharp, nagging, and even cause numbness and tingling.
It can be tough to tell the difference between true sciatica and Piriformis syndrome, because the symptoms tend to mimic each other, but there are a few clues. With sciatica, you will usually have pain radiating all the way into your lower leg and foot, but with Piriformis syndrome, the pain often radiates only as far as your knee. Areas of complete numbness along the pathway of the nerve indicate sciatica. Also, Piriformis syndrome is associated with some very tender trigger points in your butt. For a definitive diagnosis, your doc will need to rule in or out disk problems as the source of your pain.
Overuse is a common cause of Piriformis syndrome, and it can be a common injury that sidelines athletes. Prolonged sitting and trauma can also aggravate the Piriformis muscle, causing it to swell or go into spasms, which causes the sciatic nerve to be pinched.
I have found in my acupuncture practice that Piriformis syndrome is frequently caused by cold. It seems to be more prevalent in the winter or after a patient has been outdoors in the cold. I believe that my kayaking debacle was caused by sitting in a cold, wet kayak for hours on end. (No pun intended.)
In my experience, Piriformis syndrome is far more common than true sciatica. The good news is that I find that my patients with Piriformis syndrome respond far more quickly to treatment than those with sciatica.
Treatment for butt pain in Chinese medicine would include acupuncture, heat, body work, stretching, and at home care. Acupuncture speeds healing by promoting circulation to the area of injury. In addition, research has documented that acupuncture works by increasing the release of pain-relieving chemicals in the brain.
I have found that electro acupuncture, in which the inserted needles are hooked up to a small machine that painlessly contracts or “vibrates” the muscle is especially effective in relieving pain and speeds up the healing process. Electro acupuncture works by relaxing the muscles that are tight or in spasm.
Western treatments for butt pain may include rest, physical therapy, injections of local anesthetics or steroids, and prescription medications for pain or to relax the muscles. For difficult or chronic cases, your doctor may recommend surgery.
At home treatments include heating the painful area, rolling on a tennis ball to release trigger points (points that are especially tender), and gentle stretching. A simple stretch for the Piriformis muscle: Sit in a chair with both feet on the floor. To stretch the right side, place your right ankle across the top of your left knee. Then gently lean forward until you feel the stretch in your butt. Repeat on the other side by reversing the action.

As for my own butt injury, once I was out of the wilderness, I enlisted the help of an acupuncturist to relieve my pain. I was lucky; it took about a week before I stopped limping, and a few more before I was completely pain-free. Combined with some daily stretching and strengthening exercises from a physical therapist, I haven’t had a recurrence. My butt’s just fine, thank you.

Acupuncture for Dizziness

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.

Help for Hair Loss

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.

Knock Out Knee Pain

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.

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