Laurel Acupuncture News and Views

Vascular Disease: A Holistic Endeavor

2009-12-09T09:15:00.001-08:00

The term Holistic Medicine refers to the view that the whole body system must be analyzed in order to properly address any one particular concern. Much in the mainstream theory of medicine works to cut the focus of treatment down to the one key factor believed to be the major player in the problem. Millions of dollars are spent finding this one key factor. Eventually someone will indeed find what they believe to be the one key factor. Usually they are the ones that have the bigger budget. But our bodies don't really work in that way. Life is complex. It is a mish mash of millions of contributing factors. We can't just look at health as a coexisting bundle of singular systems. I feel that doing so is missing the point of our wonderful complexity. Indeed we need to take account for the many variables involved in any given system and how they interplay and depend on one another. When it comes to vascular disease, we can't just blame the dreaded cholesterol. Just like every other system in our body the vascular system depends upon many different variables to remain healthy. I hope through this short article to describe other players involved in vascular disease and help the reader gain more information to protect both themselves and the people in their lives.

So what goes into creating vascular disease? The basic story goes like this... Plaque begins to build up in along the artery walls which gets to a critical point and then rips off causing a downstream blockage. This leads to death of the blood starved tissues and you have your heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, peripheral vascular disease, or something of the like. This is not good. Major debility and death often result. For the most part the mainstream focus has been on lowering cholesterol since cholesterol in part makes up the plaque in our arteries. (So does Calcium mind you, but we aren't told to lower Calcium intake now are we?) But one thing that they don't really address is why the plaque is building up in the first place! The key here is inflammation of the arterial wall. If the lining of the arteries are smooth and slippery the cholesterol will slip right on by without bothering anything. I really don't care if you have a total cholesterol of 150 or 250. If you are not inflamed you probably will not develop vascular disease.

So what then leads to inflamed arteries? The process usually begins when there is poor blood sugar balance. This sets in motion a large cascade of inflammatory processes which works to inflame not only the arteries, but the entire body. The once slick and smooth artery soon becomes rough and abrasive. At some point a small tear opens in the lining of the artery and a small pocket is formed. It is here where cholesterol begins to collect and form a plaque. But that's not all. This plaque stays there and as it builds it becomes rancid and subject to oxidative stress (damage from free radicals) which weakens it and makes for a very dangerous condition. It isn't long until that clot, or a piece thereof breaks free and blocks something downstream. The more free radical damage, or oxidative stress you have, the more likely that you will end up intimately aware of the fallout of vascular disease. So that's the short story. Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the U.S. despite the ever increasing amounts of cholesterol lowering medications. Not much is really being done to address the increasing oxidative stress our bodies are being forced to manage, or the raging blood sugar epidemic we are witnessing in our country. Statin therapy, as much as they want you to believe, does not address the inflammation in any significant way. Much better to stick to good old fish oil and a well balanced blood sugar!

So what then can be done? How should we be managing these vascular health concerns if we decide to rethink our "need" for medication? Well to do it right you need to consider all of the factors involved:
• Blood sugar regulation
• Oxidative stress (or free radical damage)
• Inflammation
• Cholesterol (both total cholesterol and ratios)
• Hormone balance
• Poor diet/lifestyle
• Lack of cardio exercise
• And yeah, there's more

Considering all of these different pathways associated with vascular disease together makes for a much more powerful treatment protocol than treating just one alone as is seen with Statin drug therapy. For this I turn to the practitioner only formula Triplichol from a leading Nutraceutical company called Ortho Molecular Products. Triplichol contains different compounds like pharmaceutical grade fish oil, niacin and plant sterols which work to balance the cholesterol. It contains the compounds Quercetin and Grape Seed Extract to address blood vessel health. And it contains the compounds Resveratrol and Green Tea Extract which are powerful antioxidants to address any oxidative damage. You just don't find that kind of broad spectrum therapy in many other products. Along with proper diet and lifestyle modifications as well as a cardio exercise program I am confident that this approach will blow the doors off of the mainstream therapies. Remember, according to the Centers for Disease Control roughly 52% of the people who die of heart disease die with normal to low cholesterol. A lot is getting missed if you ask me. I think the numbers speak for themselves.

So call me today and ask me more about how I can help you manage your cardiovascular health and avoid the harsh medications aimed solely on lowering only one type of cholesterol. There are certainly a lot of alternatives out there for you and I look forward to helping you understand ALL of your options. Remember, you are in charge of your own health. I urge you to gather all the information that you can and make the most educated decisions possible.

Wind Invasions and Other Funny Business

2009-12-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what in the world us acupuncturists are thinking when we tell you that you have some kind damp heat accumulation in your lower jiao, or that your liver qi is attacking your spleen? Well how about a wind invasion?

I hope to help you understand a bit better where we are coming from by talking today about wind invasions. After all, it is the time of year for them. By wind invasion I am really talking about colds and flu. So how does what we do for a cold differ from what you might otherwise accomplish at the drug store? Simply put, the methods and herbs prescribed for these illnesses work to both address the symptom as well as fight off the infection. And it does this with specificity in mind as to the particular type of infection. A cold pill only gets you through the week.

Now we all know the basic symptoms of a cold or flu, but not every infection will present the same. Take for example what we call a wind heat invasion. This is the type of cold that creates hot type symptoms such as fever, cough, red/swollen throat, sweats and perhaps a thick green or yellow mucus. This is in sharp contrast to the type of cold that produces chills, headache, stiff neck, and a clear runny nose as seen in a wind cold invasion. Therapy for the two in our system would be different.

Now the over-the-counter treatment for all this would generally be the same. You might reach for a cold pill containing acetaminophen for a pain killer and fever reducer, a cough suppressant even though you may not even have a cough, an expectorant to clear out the mucus and an antihistamine to help you sleep. Everything here is strictly symptom based, and often treats symptoms that you do not even have.

Now something like a flu shot is designed to build immunity to the influenza virus responsible for giving you the flu. But unless you want to inject mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, and other nasty stuff into yourself when you are trying to stay healthy, I would advise against going that route. There is just too much evidence indicating that flu shots are more dangerous than they are worth. There may be a time for them, but probably not about 95% of the time. But that is really another article.

From the Chinese Medical perspective we reach for herbs that address the particular condition of the patient. For example if there are the cold type symptoms we would prescribe warming herbs like ginger, cinnamon, and some other fun Chinese named herbs that not only warm the system, but have anti-viral properties to address the infection. If there is a heat type infection we would reach for herbs that are cooling in nature like mint for example. We can effectively treat the symptoms by balancing out heat and cold and address the infection by mixing in herbs that have anti viral and/or bacterial properties.

Overall Chinese herbal formulas are a very well balanced and safe way to address many medical conditions. The beauty of such an approach is that it allows the practitioner to take into account not only the patient, but the environment in which the patient is living. The more we can relate to what is affecting us the better we can exist harmoniously with our environment and allow for a healthier experience. Now let me be the first to admit here that it is important to look specifically and scientifically into some issues, but let me also suggest that it is equally as important to be willing and able to take a step back and simplify things a bit. Sometimes it is just easier to call it a wind invasion and treat it with acupuncture points and herbs indicated for wind invasions. There is a lot of wisdom in the Traditional Chinese approach to medicine. The actual science is wrapped up in the symbolism. You would be surprised to know all the things we can treat effectively, even when we do call them something a little odd like "Phlegm Fire Misting the Orifices," for example.

Allow yourself to have an open mind and the world becomes a much bigger place. Allow yourself to contact me and who knows how much better you may feel!

Breakfast: Why The Morning Meal Is So Important

2009-10-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” Really… no kidding. Then why is it that for so many of us breakfast is perhaps the least respected? As our daily life stresses mount with work projects, getting the kids to school, and trying to squeeze in that last minute of sleep the most important meal quickly becomes a questionable meal at best. Yet we still expect the same success out of our days and thedays of our children. So why is this age old adage so accurate and what should we be feeding ourselves and our kids so that we all can get the most out of our day? I hope to answer these questions for you and perhaps inspire you to take breakfast perhaps just a little more seriously.

To understand the importance of breakfast you must first understand that our brains need a steady supply of blood sugar to work optimally. As we fast, such as when we sleep, our brains require a tremendous amount of sugar to keep us going. Since we are not eating in our sleep (hopefully!) we produce the hormone cortisol to keep our blood sugar stable. Cortisol allows us to liberate the stored sugars which we have put away from our daytime eating and use them when we aren’t getting new food. When our cortisol levels are low so is our blood sugar. And when our blood sugar is low so is our energy, and brain power! Just ask any teacher which children she thinks ate a good breakfast that morning. It is usually apparent. Many problems in the classroom (and work place?) can be traced back to the quality of the morning meal. The rub is that if we continue to disregard a stable blood sugar our cortisol levels will decline making the whole business of being awake a real mess! So how can we help to ensure that we start our day off on the right foot?

In the morning our stored sugars are at their lowest and need to be restocked. Certain foods do this better than others. The easy things to reach for are the simple carbs. They are usually quick, easy, and yummy! They can be found in most breakfast cereals, bagels, pancakes and heaven forbid doughnuts! These types of things are BAD for your day. Carbs like this create an immediate spike in the blood sugar which rapidly triggers a spike in the hormone insulin. Insulin then crashes your blood sugar down to very low levels leaving you in a low blood sugar state all over again. Often times this leaves you lower than before the meal. I’m sure you have witnessed a sugar crash. Halloween is coming guys! This kind of thing leaves your brain short on fuel and can have a tiring or foggy headed result. Not at all good for schoolwork or breadwinning!

If on the other hand you serve some ham and eggs with a side of whole grain toast you are allowing for a slow and steady raise in blood sugar with a much longer duration. This gives the brain plenty of blood sugar to work efficiently throughout longer periods of the day. Productivity and attention span go up dramatically. And there have been studies on kids who have eaten protein for breakfast vs. simple carbs having higher test scores. Long term this can lead to better schools and better opportunity for your children. And think of performance in the work place. Will promotions go to the guy who is on top of his game or the guy playing spider solitaire all day? Remember promotions mean more security for your family so this little concept is very important.

The bottom line here is that what we eat can have a dramatic affect on how we behave throughout the day. Take my advice and forget the simple carbs for breakfast. Incorporate higher protein and fiber containing foods first thing and you will be creating favorable conditions for optimum performance. Leave some sweet stuff in the mix for treats and rewards, but not as a mainstay for your morning.

Good luck, good health and happy eating!

Food Sensitivities: Humbling Yet Empowering!

2009-09-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have been in private practice now for more than six years and I can’t avoid it any longer. For a long time now I have been helping people streamline their diets to suit particular disharmonies in their body based upon the nutrition of the foods, but I have done very little to screen for foods that might be contributing to the problem at hand. I have recently teamed up with Immuno-Laboratories who are leaders in food sensitivity testing. I believe this new addition to my spractice will launch me to the next level in patient care. Read on and learn some basic concepts in food sensitivity and how it is an important consideration for all health concerns.

When talking about reacting to a food it is important to understand the difference between food allergy and food sensitivity. I am primarily talking today about sensitivity. A food allergy will produce an immediate reaction which can be mild like numb lips, or mild itchiness to sever as in your throat is closing and you may die without immediate medical intervention. Peanuts and shellfish are known for these types of reactions, and people who are in this category are usually already aware of this personal reality. Sensitivity on the other hand is a much more common problem than you might think. It is thought that up to 95% of the population has some amount of food sensitivity. These types of reactions are delayed. You can literally eat something one day and not notice anything for many days later. But there is a cumulative effect that goes on with sensitivity. The idea is that more you eat of an offending food the more you will notice and suffer chronic and seemingly unrelated medical conditions.

Consider this list of potential symptoms that are directly associated with food sensitivities:

Digestion: nausea, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, belching, passing of gas,
Emotions: mood swings, anxiety, anger, depression, binge eating
Energy: fatigue, sluggishness, drowsiness, apathy, hyperactivity, restlessness
Eyes, Ears & Nose: watery/itchy eyes, ear infections, sinus problems
Heart & Lungs: irregular heartbeat, chest pain, asthma, bronchitis, congestion
Mind: poor memory/concentration, speech problems, learning disability, ADD
Muscles & Joints: general weakness, muscle/joint pain, stiffness
Skin: hives, rashes, dry skin, acne, hair loss, irritation around the eyes
Throat & Mouth: coughing, sore throat, hoarseness, sores on tongue/gums/lips
Other: excess weight, dizziness, water retention, insomnia, headaches, genital itch

Any of these sound familiar? Can you add them up and come up with one or more in each category? If so there is quite easily a food sensitivity concern for you. Finding out which foods you are sensitive to is the first step in feeling much better. If you are suffering any chronic condition I urge you to consider taking the steps to finding out what you are sensitive to in your diet. It could make a huge difference in your quality of life and may just be that one thing that finally gets you over the hump with your pain and suffering.

From my point of view as a clinician I see all kinds of chronic problems where some sort of stress on the body is contributing to the root of the problem. I often write about the interaction of the adrenal glands and the stress hormone cortisol with other systems of the body such as sex hormones. Indeed when the body is stressed all kinds of nasty things can happen with your hormones for example. Chronic pain is another mainstay in an acupuncture clinic and often has its root in chronic stress to the system. It is my obligation as a practitioner of Functional Medicine to find the hidden sources of this underlying stress and fix them so that the hormone problem or the pain can be fixed as well. Without finding the source of the stress success of the therapy will often be diminished and treatment ends up being a matter of chasing the symptoms. That becomes expensive and draining and ultimately leads to failure.

The above title mentions feeling both humbled and empowered through this process. It is humbling to find out that wheat for example may be causing you harm. Our reward centers in our brain kick in and say things like, “But I love my bagels, and my muffins! What will I do without them?” But it is important to know that when we eat these foods we release natural opiates in our brain. The poison is actually rewarding the drug addict within us. So yes, it is humbling to overcome an addiction. We are addicted to the foods that make us sick. How’s that for tough luck? But this process is also empowering because it is important for us to take control of our lives. There is power in that ability. And once you start to feel the benefits there is more enjoyment in life. This is the type of thing that can change your daily experience. You will be more inclined to exercise and spend time with your family, take vacations, etc. All it takes is the courage and follow through to create the change. Allow me to help you through this process and let’s see what changes we can make happen for you!

Swine Flu: Is it really worth the worry? Or is it just a cool name?

2009-09-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well another flu season is coming and we get a whole new opportunity to be told how this will be the year that thousands of people are going to come down with Swine Flu and potentially die from its deleterious effects. It is therefore vital to go and get immunized! Or is it? Haven’t we heard this one before? Could there be better alternatives to this extremely new and untested vaccine? This health care professional thinks so.

If you really look at the numbers of people who are coming down with Swine Flu and how many of those are actually dieing from it, it is all rather unimpressive. The normal flu still kills many more people than the Swine Flu variety of virus. But of course it is new and sounds cool, and makes good news that we could potentially be killed by something that makes pigs sick for heavens sake! But the reality is that Swine Flu is just the flu. And Chinese Medicine has had safe and effective remedies for things like the flu for millennia. These remedies are tried and true and come without the potentially life threatening side effects of the flu vaccines.

New developments have surfaced recently in the UK from their government Health Protection Agency that has strongly link the new Swine Flue Vaccine to a deadly nerve disease called Guillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS attacks the lining of nerve cells causing problems like paralysis, inability to breathe and death. In fact in 1976 there was a similar Swine Flu scare which resulted in the mass vaccination of the American population. This resulted in more people dying from the vaccine itself than the Swine Flu “epidemic.” There was also an eight fold increase in contracting GBS in those who were vaccinated than in those people who did not get the vaccine.

So what can you do to avoid the Swine Flu? Or any other flu strain for that matter? Follow these simple steps and you will be way ahead of the dangers people are so worried about:

1)Get good rest. Sleep is when we heal ourselves. Poor sleep can lead to many different health concerns including a lowered immune system.

2)Eat well. Stay away from excess sugar. It has been shown that a diet high in sugar and simple carbohydrates results in a lowered immune system.

3)Wash your hands often! This is one of the most important concepts for avoiding infectious diseases. I wash mine at least ten times per day.

4)Take immune building herbs and nutrients. The Chinese Herbal Pharmacopia has a lot of herbs for building the immune system during times of wellness. This is where the preventative medicine concept comes in. We know it is the flu season coming so build your immune system up before the flu season arrives! I carry herbal formulas for this purpose in my clinic and would be happy to ship them to where ever in the country you are located.

The bottom line here is that the media will definitely want to chase this Swine Flu story as long as they can. It is sensational! There are people getting infected by it all the time now, but in general people are not suffering any major health concerns as a result. The people who are actually dying are the very young and very old, and even then they usually have some sort of debilitating condition already. They certainly do not represent the general population. Really, the vast majority of us are going to be just fine even if we do catch the dreaded H1N1 virus. And if taking the basic precautions that I described above the chances of contracting any flu will be minimal.

And when in doubt, please consider me a valuable resource. I am happy to help you in what ever way that I can. Do not hesitate to call or write with your questions or concerns.

The Estrogen / Thyroid Connection

2009-08-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

I want to describe to you a rather obscure tidbit pertaining to estrogen and its relationship to thyroid function. Low thyroid function is something that I talk a lot about because it affects a great many people weather they know it or not. Indeed the thyroid gland is very misunderstood and is certainly mistreated through the mainstream approach. But the thyroid gland itself aside, this article is focused on how thyroid hormone activity (not thyroid hormone production) can be hindered due to imbalances in the sex hormone estrogen.

When looking at thyroid hormones, or any hormones really, it is important to differentiate between the protein bound and free forms of the hormone. When a hormone is created by a gland it is immediately bound up with a carrier protein who's job it is to get that hormone to where it needs to go without being destroyed or lost along the way. Once the hormone is where it needs to be that carrier protein is removed and the hormone is "free" to do its job. That is why these hormones are called "free fraction" or "free hormones."

In the case of thyroid hormones there is a specific carrier protein called Thyroid Binding Globulin. It just so happens that when there are elevated levels of estrogen the amount of Thyroid Binding Globulin in the blood also goes up. This increased number of binding proteins hold onto more of the thyroid hormone which works to hinder them from doing their job. Remember, protein bound hormones can't bind to their receptor. They just float around in the blood. So if you were to do a basic thyroid screen you would usually be looking for the protein bound form (generally due to the lower cost of the test) and everything might look fine. The Thyroid is producing plenty of hormone and the paperwork all looks great. But why then is this woman still having trouble losing weight, losing her hair, struggling with low energy, and not pooping very often? These are all low thyroid symptoms which exist even though the actual hormone levels are normal. "Go home, there is nothing wrong with you." Right? Hmmm....

The reason that these symptoms persist is because the elevated estrogen induces a low thyroid state by stopping the free form of the hormone from binding to the receptor. For all intensive purposes this person is low thyroid. The unfortunate part is that the average blood work up won't account for the interplay between estrogen and thyroid Binding Globulin.

A careful history looking for high estrogen conditions like breast cancer, breast cysts, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or hormone replacement therapy for example should all come into play when considering complaints of low thyroid function. This is thinking outside the box of mainstream medicine. These cases are missed all the time which is unfortunate. It is also of course a great idea to have a look at estrogen levels and there is even a test for Thyroid Binding Globulin. These are tests that I can order if your primary physician is unable or unwilling to order them for you. Be prepared for such a response.

This is just another example of how hormone imbalance can have a negative affect on sexual function and health in general. Let's face it... Someone who is experiencing low thyroid symptoms for any reason is generally low energy. And I think that we all know how great sex can be when one or more of the people involved is, "too tired!" Let's be proactive here. Healthy sexual function can translate into great overall health and lend itself to a positive outlook on life. It is as natural as breathing, sleeping and pooping! And when it comes to thyroid health all of the above can be involved. The solution may be a simple as just looking for the right thing.

Human Sexuality: A TCM Perspective

2009-08-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) approach to sexual function lends a fascinating perspective on many of the issues facing us today. There are certainly plenty of different problems surrounding sex and reproduction, and a lot of different ways of looking at and treating the problem at hand. Though TCM describes and treats disharmonies in a very different way than we are used to in the mainstream, it can have dramatic benefits when used correctly. I hope through this short article to describe a couple of ways that we can look at sexual dysfunction and offer a few tips on how to strengthen this part of your life naturally.

When looking at any condition in the body the Traditional Chinese approach is to look for disharmony or imbalance in one or more energetic systems. TCM not only considers the problem area, but the entire body qualifying it as a true Holistic modality. But when it comes to anything relating to the reproductive system we generally look towards the kidney energetic system. By now you should be well informed about the concept of Qi flowing through our bodies. Indeed the manipulation of Qi is how acupuncture does what it does. But more specifically a type of Kidney Qi or Jing is where we want to focus our attention here.

Jing is the energy that propels us through life. It blossoms during puberty and wanes in our older age. When our Jing is all used up, so are we. It is natural aging so to speak. It is quite natural when talking about sexual function that some of these energies will weaken as we age. But what about younger people out there who are experiencing declines in sexual energy? What about the ever growing number of young couples who are having trouble conceiving? And what if you are just not happy having good sex over for you in your later years? How does the Traditional Chinese approach address these problems? The first thing to do is to recognize the stressors.

There are some really quick ways of using up Kidney Qi or Jing. The first of which is inadequate nutrition and rest. Both of these are an ever increasing problem in our culture. Our food supply is ever diminishing in nutritional quality, and we are pushing ourselves harder all the time. Our culture's idea of rest is watching television or playing video games. This is not true rest as the body requires. Add to that our addiction to stimulants and sugar and I have detailed a scenario that will gradually tap the Qi of the Kidneys and may lead to a decline in sexual health. The rock star lifestyle just isn't sustainable... nor the life of a couch potato for that matter!

The bottom line here is that you get what you get at birth when it comes to kidney Qi. You cannot build more, but only chip away at your reserves. In order to preserve kidney Qi it is essential that you support a healthy lifestyle to manage your daily Qi needs. If the daily stuff falls short you have no choice than to tap into your reserves which will hinder your sexual energies among other aspects of a healthy life.

The kidney energetic system is only one way to look at sexual dysfunction, and usually relates low function symptoms like low libido, poor erectile function in men, premature ejaculation and low fertility in both sexes. But other disharmonies can of course be involved. For example there could be what we call damp heat conditions which would be indicative of many types of STD's. There could also be blood deficiency or blood stagnation which could affect fertility in women, lubrication, menstrual cycles, etc. Indeed, there are a lot of ways to assess the underlying patterns leading to compromised sexual energy. It is important to sort out which disharmony you may have and address it directly.

The good news is that acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine as a whole can be very effective in helping with many of the conditions I have mentioned. There are some very powerful herbal remedies, and good old acupuncture is always there to help urge your body to thrive. Regaining proper balance within the system is key to enjoying a happy and healthy sex life (and of course an eager and willing partner helps too!). I hope that you will consider acupuncture as a first approach over the more drastic alternatives out there in the medical world. And if you are looking for an understanding, non-judgmental, and truly caring acupuncturist I'm your man. Rest assured I will take the best care of you that I can.

Please do not hesitate to call with your questions or concerns whatever they may be.

The Unheard Thyroid

2009-04-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

More and more I am developing an interest in helping those people who suffer from Thyroid conditions. In particular my interest lies with Hypo-Thyroid or low thyroid conditions. Believe me, these people are everywhere. It is my sincere opinion that these people are not getting their needs met by the mainstream approach. My goal in working with these people is to offer a well rounded approach to understanding the problem at hand as well as offering a scientifically backed treatment regimen. The bulk of this article will detail how mainstream medicine often times misses the intricacies of Hypo-Thyroidism how the condition could be approached to better address the underlying cause.

The Symptoms

Low energy
Difficulty losing weight
Weight gain even with high levels of exercise
Constipation
Hair loss (particularly of the outer third of eyebrow)
Get sick easily and/or often
Low libido (in both men and women)
Infertility
Cold hands and feet (or just plain feeling cold!)
Currently taking Thyroid medications but still feel crummy

Do any of these sound familiar? All of these symptoms can be related to low Thyroid function. Many of these are extremely common complaints in my practice and affect a large portion of the population.

The Problem with the Mainstream Approach

The general ways that a person is diagnosed with a Thyroid condition is through a routine blood screen. There are several particular markers which can indicate either high or low Thyroid function. The most common marker is thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). Typically this has a laboratory reference range of 0.35 - 5.50. If you are out of this reference range you are indeed clinically diagnosable as either Hyper- or Hypo-Thyroid. And chances are that you feel awful! The unfortunate part of working in these reference ranges is that they are extremely broad and do not pick up sub-clinical dis harmonies which might otherwise be causing any or all of the symptoms described above. The message here is that in order to be helped by the mainstream approach you need to have blood work that is way out of normal. As I will describe later I use both the Laboratory ranges and what are called Functional ranges. The Functional range for TSH is 1.8 - 3.0. As you can see, the Functional range is a much smaller range and its use allows the practitioner to detect dis harmonies that may otherwise be hiding or can be addressed before they become serious. But believe me, there are plenty of subjective complaints from people who are just outside of these Functional ranges who slip through the cracks of mainstream medicine. These people need help but are generally not getting it. This is simply due to how the mainstream medical approach looks at illness. The other really important thing that gets missed in a great number of known Hypo-Thyroid patients is the Auto-immune connection. That means that the immune system is actually attacking the Thyroid tissue. The way this gets diagnosed is to look for antibodies against Thyroid tissue. (Antibodies normally help the immune cells target and destroy foreign invaders in the body. In this case the Thyroid is seen as foreign and worthy of destruction.) If there are antibodies against Thyroid it is important to realize that you have an immune disorder first and a Thyroid disorder second. Recently I had two different women come into my clinic with known Hypo-Thyroid conditions. Both have been medicated for many years for these low Thyroid conditions. Neither felt particularly good with their Thyroid medication. I ordered a test for Thyroid antibodies and of a normal reference range of 0 - 40 one woman came up with over 800, and the other came up with over 11,000! Unfortunately, their doctors never thought it necessary to look. Treating an Auto-immune thyroid like a normal Hypo-Thyroid not only doesn't work, it is just not good medical practice. I find this to be really troublesome and scary stuff! I hope that you find this a point of concern as well.

The Good News

The good news is that there is help out there. When I work up a Thyroid patient I make sure to utilize both Functional and Laboratory ranges not only for the Thyroid but for all other markers in the body to look for other contributing factors. Also, knowing that between 50 - 80% of all Hypo-Thyroid patients are actually Auto-Immune Thyroid (Hashimoto's) in nature, I most definitely order an antibody test to rule out this leading cause of low thyroid. If you have Hyper-Thyroid or high Thyroid you definitely have an Auto-Immune problem. The real take home message about Auto-Immune Thyroid is that even though it is the Thyroid symptoms that are making you feel crummy, your primary problem does not reside with the Thyroid itself. The problem is the immune system. Supporting the thyroid itself with pharmaceutical drugs or natural herbal/nutritional formulas simply will not work. And taking some basic thyroid supplements like Iodine will actually make your Auto-Immune Thyroid condition worse! Not until you focus your attempts squarely on balancing out the immune response can you see any significant results with the vast majority of Hypo-thyroid conditions. I will work with you to understand your particular condition and help you successfully treat the core of the problem.

The Unfortunate Reality

Yep, there is an unfortunate reality here... I am an acupuncturist telling you this. Not only do I have to challenge what your doctor might have said, but I have to negotiate the image or expectations of what an acupuncturist knows, or put another way, is allowed to know. I encounter this conundrum all of the time. People generally don't understand my training or ability to manage serious conditions like Auto-Immune Thyroid. And in many instances to do a better job at it than the mainstream approach! Just the other day I was talking with a Pharmacist who after sharing with him about the antibody tests I ran on those two women asked me very sternly, "So once you find that you must immediately refer them to their medical doctor! Right?" It noticeably shook him that I was managing these types of patients. The unfortunate part of this interaction is really two fold. One, my medical degree has been once again misunderstood, disrespected and disregarded. And two, a highly educated person thought it essential to refer back to the very institution which more times than not will miss the true diagnosis, allow for extreme reference ranges to be out of range before treatment, and who's treatment protocol involves replacement hormones (which don't work in Auto-Immune conditions). Or in the case of a known Auto-Immune condition involves either surgically removing or chemically killing Thyroid tissue or chemically suppressing the Immune system which can leave the patient open to much worse illnesses than low thyroid function.

Either way you look at it the mainstream approach is quite severe and in my opinion lacks the sensitivity to manage the core of the condition. But putting my ego aside for a moment, we as medical practitioners must at all times keep the best interest of our patients in mind. I feel very confident in my diagnostic approach and treatment protocols to effectively, and probably for the first time in that person's life, finally address the core of the problem. If people like me don't do it, then who will? It is time that we take a closer look at our options. Just because the mainstream approach is going strong doesn't mean that it is practicing the most up to date medicine. These things that I am handing down here come right out of the very same highly prestigious medical journals that doctors read. Contrary to what my medical degree might imply to the mainstream world, I am only providing information based upon the most cutting edge and up to date research available. And it is my privilege and joy to do so.

Treating The Lab Report And Not The Person

2009-03-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

Interesting concept don’t you think? Perhaps a bit provocative, but it is something that I am becoming increasingly concerned with over time as I pour through more blood chemistry and patient histories. My hope for this article is that it leaves the reader a little uneasy about what they are being told is “normal” about their current state of health. The fact is that you should be uneasy. Don’t be afraid, but be interested in knowing more. Things are going unchecked and you are allowed to feel like you are getting the whole story and that everything is under control. I want to detail for you two different medical problems that I see quite often in my clinic and explain to you exactly what I mean by stating that in many cases people only end up successfully treating their lab report and not their actual medical concern.

Most of the time when I order blood tests for a patient the very first thing they ask about is their cholesterol. Perhaps that is the only part of the test people know anything about. No one has ever taken the time to explain the rest to them. But nevertheless, let’s just say that someone has high total cholesterol of 225. The doctor wants to put them on cholesterol lowering Statin therapy immediately. They do as they are told because if they didn’t they fear death, or worse… A terrible golf game. The follow up test showed a marked improvement in their total cholesterol. It is now 185! Yay!! Problem solved right? By all mainstream thinking heart disease is now under control because the paper showed that the cholesterol is within the “normal” ranges. Well, don’t get too comfortable. That’s not the whole story.

What the doctor didn’t tell you is that not all cholesterol is the same. The “Bad Cholesterol” called LDL is actually made up of different sized particles. The large LDL particles tend to not be dangerous to your arteries/heart in that they do not lead to plaque formation and subsequent poor health. But the small, dense LDL particles tend to be very likely to promote heart disease. The rub here is that Statin drugs are very good at lowering LDL cholesterol, but they lower the wrong kind of LDL. They are great at lowering the large “safe” type and terrible at lowering the small “dangerous” type. So here you have a scenario where someone was told they were in danger without the doctor looking into what size LDL particles there are (any many other important factors such as hsCRP, homocysteine, RLP, Lp(a), and more), and then giving a drug which quite a lot of research has shown to have rather suspect safety records. This then lowers the overall cholesterol by lowering the not-so-dangerous type of LDL while leaving the more dangerous type intact, and leads people to believe that they did the right thing and are now protected!

Well according to the Centers for Disease Control, only 50% of the people who die of heart disease die with high cholesterol. The other 50% have either normal or even low cholesterol! Wouldn’t you, a thinking person, rather compare yourself to the most up to date scientific standards and look into the true markers for heart disease rather than just settling on going the faith based path of doing what you are told by your doctor? And who do you think teaches the doctor? There are several rather large companies behind that one for sure. So the bottom line here is that just making the number smaller on the lab report does nothing to your overall health. This is especially true if you got it that way through the cunning use of medications and not by proper diet and exercise. Aerobic exercise by the way is one of the only things that actually lowers the more dangerous type of cholesterol.

One more concern that I have is pertaining to hormone replacement therapy. I specialize in hormone conditions so I see a significant amount of lab reports and see a lot of hormone replacement therapy going on. This story lends itself to treating a lab report and not the person quite well. It usually goes like this… A person goes into a doctor complaining about various mid-life problems and ends up on hormone replacement. Follow up tests show that the hormone levels are normal and the doctor and patient feel that the proper treatment was given. There is only one thing wrong though. Given six months or so the patient starts feeling the same symptoms returning, but the labs still show normal hormones. When was the last time you heard of anyone on replacement hormone therapy that was actually happy with the results 6 months to a year after starting? What gives?

Quite simply put hormone testing when done in a typical medical office does not look at what are called “free fraction” hormones. These are the ones that are actually doing the work. They are the active form of the hormone. It is much cheaper to look at the “serum” hormones. These are easy to find in the blood and happen to be in the inactive state. Two problems come from this depending upon what hormones were given.

Most commonly synthetic hormones are given. There is currently no test that looks for levels of synthetic hormones in the blood. Synthetic estrogen simply isn’t estrogen. I once asked the Head of Endocrinology (hormones) at the VA hospital in Portland how they monitor synthetic hormone levels and he said quite sharply and with contempt, “we don’t, we monitor symptoms.” If that doesn’t scare the hell out of you it should! So if they do test for hormones they can only test for your own natural hormones which are not representative of what is going on now that there are synthetic hormones in the mix. It is totally bass ackwards thinking!

The other increasingly common thing to see is someone who is tying to do the right thing and take “bio-identical” hormones. Now these are better because they are natural and can be tracked, but for some reason, probably expense, serum hormone levels are what are tested for and not the more expensive free fraction levels. It is important to know that bio-identical hormones are delivered usually through the skin via a cream and enter the blood only in the free fraction state. So looking at serum levels will look normal or even low when in fact the active free fraction levels are usually quite high. This little concept gets missed almost every time. So once again what we see on the report might look great, but the actual state of the person could still be a mess! In fact worse than before starting on the hormones in the first place.

I write this article partly out of anger and frustration I’ll admit. I see so much in the current medical system that is dangerously misguided and unsustainable. Change needs to happen. But I write it more for you, the reader. You deserve to know about your choices. To be fully aware of what you are being told you “need” to do. It is very easy to roll over and submit when it comes to our medical experience. I urge you not to. I urge you to pay attention, to be curious, and to question what you are being told. Hold your doctors accountable for what they say. And above all learn as much as you can about everything that you can. That is what I try to do, and that is what I try to pass along to the people in my life.

Please consider me a powerful resource, and in the mean time, be happy, be empowered and enjoy great health!

I'm officially famous!

2009-02-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

Ok... Not really famous, but I did get a nice video posted on You Tube about my services. A patient and friend of mine started a website last year called SingleDad.com. It is an informational site for fathers who are single for one reason or another. It is a great site full of really good resources. Articles, recipes, tips/hints for good parenting, etc. Basically it is all about supporting each other. Really it is a site that is great for anyone to browse. I have submitted several articles to this site and will continue to be a part as a resource.

So check out my my video at the link below and see first hand what an average acupuncture session looks and fees like. Enjoy!

http://www.singledad.com/health-and-fitness/how-to/Acupuncture_Anyone_1234041647.php

The Misunderstood Prostate

2009-02-10T14:21:00.001-08:00

If there is one thing that us men have to look forward to as we get older it is the fear of our prostate glands swelling up like apples and wreaking havoc on our urination and sex lives. And of course then there is the matter of prostate cancer. But for most old guys it is usually safe to say that there will be at least some discomfort around the concept of peeing freely. We all know about enlarged prostates, but do we really understand why it happens and how to protect ourselves against it? I hope through this article to shed some light on that pondering. And offer some food for thought.

The primary reason for an enlarged prostate would certainly have to be elevations in the hormone DHT. DHT is an extremely potent form of Testosterone and is what is also responsible for male balding for the most part. When there is an over abundance of DHT the tissues of the prostate become enlarged and give us the problems men either already know and love, or will know at some point in our lives. It is for conditions like this that the herb Saw Palmetto is so well known. Many men already know this and sales for such supplements are soaring! That’s the easy scenario. That’s the one the docs all lean towards. It is the easy diagnosis. Most of the time hormone testing isn’t even done. It is a simple description of symptoms, a finger in the rear end, and wammo, a basic diagnosis is made. But what if there is more to the equation?

And what do you know, there certainly is more to the equation. A little known fact, and one that is never considered in mainstream medicine, is the role that Estrogen plays in prostate health. Why look at Estrogen in a man? We men certainly don’t want to hear about it if there is any female hormone floating around in our bodies! But it just so happens to play a major role in prostate health. Not to mention, breast tissue growth, depression, low sex drive/performance. Hell it can even affect your golf game! Did I get your attention yet?

It works like this… Estrogen acts to lock the DHT hormone into the prostate tissues longer than normal therefore promoting more stimulation to the prostate tissues with less DHT hormone needed. So in essence you can have normal or even low DHT and still have prostate problems! You see, hormones are supposed to bind to receptors in the target tissue, do their thing and then move along. Elevated Estrogen in men stops DHT from leaving the tissue and there is nothing Saw Palmetto can do about that. Perhaps these are the men who end up under the knife because they “have tried everything” without success. If only they were told the whole story perhaps there would be more healthy prostates out there doing what they do best! And if you don’t know what prostates do best… Well, they produce semen! And men would probably prefer to have their ability to produce semen intact if given the opportunity, wouldn’t you say?

The good news is that this is a classic Functional Medicine problem. Considering variables like elevated Estrogen in men and going after the root of the problem is how people get better without the harsh medications, hormone replacement therapy and/or tricky surgeries which very often lead to erectile problems. No knifes near my prostate please! And believe it or not, another female type hormone Progesterone also plays a role here, but that is another article. The bottom line is that prostate health isn’t all that simple. It deserves a lot of care and consideration to get the proper results.

If you or the man in your life is experiencing these discomforts please call and book a free consultation. There really is no time like the present. Seriously, if left too long there is no other option than surgery. Once these tissues get too big there is no turning back. Prevention is your best friend. Don’t let that strong male ego stop you from peeing freely or having the perfect orgasm. Because what is more manly than that? Seek out knowledge and act! Your prostate will thank you.

I'm Leaking From Where Now? - Part 2

2008-12-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Back in September of last year I wrote an article about Leaky Gut Syndrome. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading about leaky guts you should do so now. You can find it in the archive section for 2007. Not only is it good fun reading, it is incredibly important for our conversation today… Leaky Brain Syndrome. I don’t necessarily mean that we all have poop for brains, but if left long enough leaky brain syndrome might as well mean poop for brains! Read on and I will explain myself.

Much like the way that it sounds, leaky brain syndrome is a situation where the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) has become compromised and substances that are not meant to cross this barrier are able to pass either in or out unchecked. This barrier was discovered in the 19th century by the bacteriologist Ehrlich. He found that when he injected animals with staining chemicals every part of the animal took the stain but the brain. And subsequently when he injected the stain directly into the central nervous system nothing outside the brain took the color. The scientist therefore demonstrated that there was something that was stopping the transport of chemicals into and out of the brain. And this was for a good reason. The brain is of course a highly important organ for every function in our body and needs a high level of protection from harmful substances. When this barrier system becomes compromised the brain becomes susceptible to damage by invading substances and pathogens. The bottom line is you want a nice and tight, non-leaky blood-brain-barrier!

There is now current research that demonstrates to us the things that can both help and hurt this barrier system. Just several of the ones that harm the barrier should sound familiar to many of you. I see them in my practice all of the time. Increased oxidation due to free radical exposure, elevated Homocysteine (also a heart disease risk), stress of any kind (physical, mental/emotional, chemical), alcohol, and elevated blood sugar all work to destroy the BBB. If there is any one thing that I see the most of it is poor blood sugar regulation. Controlling all of these things as well as taking in Alpha-Lipoic Acid, antioxidants and simply using your brain all work to help maintain and rebuild the BBB.

This all becomes very important when considering the treatment and better yet, the prevention of many of the modern medical problems facing our society today. Loss of BBB integrity has been linked to several disease processes including meningitis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease. These studies can be found in highly respected medical journals like the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Neurotoxicology, Journal of Leukocyte Biology, Brain Research and more.

If you are interested in seeing if you might have a leaky brain condition there is a simple field test that you can perform on yourself. At the health food store you can purchase a supplement called GABA. GABA is a neurotransmitter found in the brain which elicits a relaxed state. People who are low in GABA tend to have anxiety type disorders. This substance should not be able to cross the BBB. (Which makes you wonder why it is being sold at all!) The test is to take 1000mg of GABA and see if you feel any enhanced state of relaxation. If you do then this substance has crossed the BBB and you have a “leaky brain!” Bad news. You need to fix that pronto! Oral GABA should not induce relaxation. If it does I can help you with this.

Believe me, there are a lot of things out there that if they get into your brain can lead to serious damage. Our brains are not supposed to have foreign substances in contact with it so when that happens the response is severe. Quite literally our immune system can go on a killing spree in a last ditch effort to save our brain from damage and in doing so will wipe out everything in its path including brain tissue! Counter productive, yes, but it is what we have, and it is good to know about.

Don’t let this happen to you. There are simple steps that you can take to protect yourself from a leaky brain. I am happy to be your guide in proper brain health. This is seriously one area of medicine both mainstream and alternative alike that is consistently overlooked time and time again. And in the meantime neurological disorders are continuously on the rise. Call to day for a consultation and request a free Brain Health Questioner.

A Body Fighting Against Itself

2008-10-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Probably one of the most up and coming of serious medical problems facing Americans today is auto-immunity. An auto-immune condition is one in which the immune system works to attack a particular tissue in the body. This problem can lead to a huge variety of disorders including Type I Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s (auto-immune thyroid), and many many more. The title of this article is actually two fold. It points out that not only are our bodies fighting against themselves, but the medical establishment, and the population as a whole is also caught up in a system that is working towards self destruction.

Let me use the example of a recent patient of mine who came in with concerns about “feeling terrible.” She has been on Thyroid medication for a long time but does not feel that it is helping. After a simple blood test we discovered that she was not classically hypothyroid (low thyroid) as her doctors diagnosed her, but auto-immune thyroid. Her immune system is attacking her thyroid gland which of course led to deficiencies in her thyroid output. One particular antibody specific to her thyroid tissue was over 11,000. It should not be above 40! This indicates that her immune system is attacking her thyroid gland in a big way. Her doctors never caught this fact. It took going to an acupuncturist that she was referred to in order to find this information out. And it was an out-of-pocket expense. So in this case, and millions of others, the patient’s needs were not being met by the system. Therefore, the root of the problem is not being treated. Hence a medical system which has mechanisms in place that work to weaken and disable the people it is trying to help. I consider this an auto-immune condition of society at large.

The reason that these tests are not run on a routine basis in the mainstream is that the therapy would not really change either way. The mainstream medical model is very much a “replacement” model. By this I mean that if there is anything wrong with you hormonally they will prescribe for you replacement hormones. End of story. This most often ends up working against us, and usually does not help the symptoms of the problem for very long. When was the last time you heard of anyone taking thyroid medications that felt “great” about it? It just never happens. In fact in cases of auto-immune thyroid the antibodies that attack the thyroid gland also block the thyroid hormone receptors. It is the hormone/receptor interaction that allows hormones to act on our body. Without a good hormone/receptor interaction you have nothing! So this means that even with supplemental hormone therapy the person won’t feel better because the hormones won’t bind and stimulate the receptor like they are supposed to! It is a self defeating concept to give thyroid hormones to an auto-immune thyroid patient. And it beomes an important concept because 50 - 80% of all hypothyroid patients are estimated to be auto-immune thyroid!

Medical doctors do have some methods for treating auto-immune conditions which involves suppressing the immune system either chemically or by removing certain immune system glands. This lends itself to infectious diseases and a lifetime of worry over contracting a serious illness. In fact a common flu could kill you this way. There may be a time for this, but how about looking into safer and more effective alternatives first? Ones which work at the root of the problem. They are out there, and I can help you with them.

One basic concept is important to understand about all auto-immune conditions… No matter what problem you think you have, like the thyroid problem I mentioned above, it is now an immune system problem and not a problem with the particular organ or gland being affected. You can throw all the support that you want toward the effected organ and you will not get anywhere. You will continue to struggle and feel sick until the root of the problem is dealt with. Moderating the immune system is the only way to take back your health from conditions like these. Only once you have the immune system under control can you begin to effectively support the effected organ or gland.

Allow me the opportunity to help you or the people around you with these problems. Treating auto-immune conditions requires very specific analysis of the immune system. These tests simply are not being done in the mainstream medical system. And remember… Don’t let where you live stop you from contacting me. I can work long distance with great success. Call or email me today and set up a consultation. Let’s start the process of getting you back to feeling good again!

Don't Like Fish... Well They Like You!

2008-08-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, perhaps my title is a little misleading since the fish actually have to give up their lives in sacrifice of your good health. But nevertheless, a diet lacking in fish is a great way to spiral headlong into the many depths of poor health. Like fish or not, they are really good for you. More specifically the Omega-3 Fatty Acids found in fish are what I am taking about. You simply must include a diet rich in these fatty acids if you want to avoid illness and injury, and here’s why.

The Omega-3 Fatty Acids found in fish oil (EPA and DHA) are not only an essential part of our cell’s structure, but are extremely anti-inflammatory in nature. Americans are overly inflamed as a general rule due to our over ingestion of grain which are heavy in Omega-6 Fatty Acids and our disturbing addiction to foods that spike our blood sugar. Omega-3’s are anti-inflammatory while Omega-6’s are pro-inflammatory. It is vital to balance out this Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio in order to maintain the stability of our health.

Inflammation can be linked to almost all of the current killers in our society today. Conditions like Heart Disease, Stroke, Alzheimer’s, Depression, Cancer, Arthritis, Chronic Pain, Type II Diabetes, and even Obesity can all be associated with lower than optimal levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acid intake such as those found in fish oils, and subsequent inflammation. Without the anti-inflammatory properties of fish oil these conditions are allowed to run wild and ruin lives.

The basic rundown of how this works is as follows. There are little hormones produced by our bodies called eicosanoids. Unlike most all other hormones which are produced in glands, eicosanoids are produced by every cell in the body and can therefore act on every cell of the body very directly. We have approximately 60 trillion eicosanoid glands in our bodies! Depending upon the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 in our cells, these hormones can go in one of two directions. They can either be pro- or anti-inflammatory. There needs to be a balance of both to maintain proper health. The “good” ones work to prevent clotting, they open blood vessels, reduce pain, decrease cell division (good for fighting tumors), enhance the immune system, and improve brain function. The “bad” eicosanoids do exactly the opposite. They promote clotting, constrict blood vessels, promote pain, promote cell division, depress the immune system, and depress brain function. Which would you prefer? Do you like fish now?

There are two ways in which to improve the ratio of “good” to “bad” eicosanoids in the body. The first way is to improve your blood sugar and therefore produce less of the hormone Insulin. High levels of Insulin work to promote “bad” eicosanoid production. The second way is to take high doses of pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Taking a highly purified pharmaceutical grade fish oil allows you to take higher doses without the stomach upset, fishy burps, and heavy metal threat that are found in other less purified oils. This is one supplement that you want to spend more on to ensure quality. But the more you get your diet in line the less fish oil you have to take to achieve the same goal.

There are several tests that I can order to see exactly how inflamed you really are. I can order these tests anywhere in the country and drop ship you the high quality fish oil to boot. It is time for you to take a different path on your journey towards wellness. Believe me, the current medical model isn’t working. Standard treatment is focused upon subduing symptoms and not at all on fixing the problem. Call or email my clinic any time and let’s help you change your life!

So What Good Is An Erection Anyway?

2008-07-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

As an acupuncturist we were trained to consider the whole person when working on a particular problem. We ask lots of questions and look at rather strange parts of the body, like the tongue for example, in determining a person’s health. In women we ask a lot of questions and can gain a lot of information about their health by inquiring about her menses. But in men, we have the penis--and thank god for that. But in having a penis we have to constantly worry about how well it is functioning. It is true that Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is on the rise, but is it really a problem with our penises themselves, or like a woman’s period, are our penises really just little, or excuse me, large and monolithic health meters that are trying to tell us something about our underlying health? More times than not it is the latter, believe me.

To drive this point home further I will share with you a story that my father told to me. My father recently underwent a liver transplant operation and was surrounded by other men in the same situation. In getting to know one man at the hospital it became known that this man hadn’t had an erection for many years since becoming ill. Sure enough the first thing that this man came to realize when waking up in the recovery room after his transplant was that he had one of the fullest erections of his life. Good for that guy! So, he didn’t have a problem with his penis, but rather a problem with his health. In this case, it was a new liver that did the trick, but most of the time it is much more subtle. This is a concept that we need to embrace. Far too often we try and override the basic necessity of good health by taking little blue pills. They can be good in a pinch, but it is sure no way to live.

Unfortunately, there is no one thing that causes ED. In fact, there are probably too many to count. However, the biggest contributing factor to ED that I see in my practice is due to the side effects of medications. Blood pressure medications can make erections nearly impossible at times. High blood sugar and Diabetes is another quick path to ED. Hormone imbalance due to hormone replacement therapy can eventually lead to ED as well because it hinders the sensitivity between the sex hormone and the receptor. This will eventually lead to "lazy sex hormone receptors," so to speak. Depression is another good example of why a man might come down with ED.

Whatever the reason for the ED, the goal should be to find out how to fix the problem. We as a society need to demand that our bodies remain functional without all the added medication complicating matters further. In doing so we can avoid many of the current health problems, fix many of the health concerns where they start and of course have better erections as a result! The answers are out there. And given the opportunity I would love to tell you about them.

An Interesting Twist on Thyroid Health

2008-06-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

All too often people are walking around “not feeling like they used to,” and wonder, “what happened and how did I get this way.” Perhaps this sounds like you or someone that you know. The answer is not always a simple one, but is a perfect fit for the functional approach to medicine. I want to describe to you through this blog entry one not too well known factor that might contribute to this type of situation. One in fact that you probably will not be told about by your primary care provider but is all too common.

When it comes to energy and your everyday experience, there is nothing much more influential than the Thyroid gland. The thyroid controls the body’s metabolism and when low functioning (hypo-thyroid) there can be many different uncomfortable symptoms including lethargy, weight gain or trouble losing weight, hair loss, constipation, and that’s just to name a few. An overly functioning (hyper-thyroid) can lead to feelings of anxiety, heart palpitations, restlessness and other more serious health concerns.

There are several different conditions in thyroid pathology that are good to differentiate between. You can have primary hypothyroid where the thyroid itself does not work well. You can have secondary hypothyroid where the thyroid is not getting the proper signals from the brain and therefore will not produce adequate amounts of hormone. You can have an overactive thyroid. Or you can have an autoimmune thyroid where the body is attacking itself. But for the sake of this article you can have problems with the proteins that bind to and carry the thyroid hormones in the blood. The reasons for this can vary considerably.

Problems with the binding of thyroid hormones are very often overlooked in mainstream medicine. Depending upon how much of the hormone is bound to these carrier proteins the overall daily experience for the person can be totally different. Quite literally you could have a normal looking blood test for your thyroid but still feel either high or low. T3 is active thyroid hormone and the more of it that there is bound to carrier proteins the less that there is to stimulate the receptors and allow you to feel normal. The clinical pearl that I want to share with you here is that elevations in the hormone Estrogen will work to increase thyroid hormone binding protein and therefore create a situation where less active hormone can do it’s job. This will actually mimic a hypo-thyroid condition. The unfortunate part is that it will not show up on a basic routine thyroid screen. You have to know what other things to look for.

So from a functional medicine perspective it is important to take other hormone influences into account when creating a plan for each patient. In this case there really isn’t a thyroid problem even though the thyroid system is what is being affected. The problem lies with the elevated estrogen. Focus the energy on lowering estrogen and you will not only see an improvement in thyroid function but you will also be helping to avoid certain cancers associated with elevated estrogen. We are currently seeing in this country an alarming increase in elevated estrogen in both men and women. Women are told to take hormone replacement therapy and men are actually creating their own estrogen by being overweight and having high blood sugar & insulin.

The management of thyroid conditions, in my opinion, is unfortunately a misunderstood and therefore mismanaged part of mainstream medicine. Like most other hormonal conditions, treatment is aimed squarely on the prescribing of hormone replacement. Not much care is given to the harmonizing of the body’s various other associated systems. The functional approach allows the patient and practitioner a chance to pick apart each system and determine what is the root cause of the problem. I urge you to take a stand and demand a more thorough look into why you are feeling the way you do these days. Perhaps it is low energy or difficulty losing weight. It is time to figure out and unwind the different stressors keeping you from optimal health and wellbeing.

Call me today or email me and let’s get started!

Much A'Do About Headaches

2008-06-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

As a headache sufferer myself I have personal experience with this particular topic. My contributing factors include head trauma from bike accidents (and 7 years of Ju-Jitsu), sinus problems, and I’ll admit it, stress from starting a practice and raising two children.

From a main stream medical point of view headaches are usually just dosed with over the counter pain medications and allowed to go basically untreated. Covering up the symptoms of the headache is where the treatment is focused. The beauty of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that we have the ability and interest to not only help with the immediate pain of the headache, but the underlying root cause as well. In the following blog entry I want to briefly describe for you some of the ways an acupuncturist looks at a headache.

As with many different problems that acupuncture deals with it is of major importance to observe where on the head the pain is located. Qi, or our body energy, travels along distinct channels and there are several that run along the surface of the head. Any one, or all of these channels traveling over the head can lead to pain causing headaches. For example if your headache is primarily frontal or a sinus type headache it corresponds to the Large Intestine channel. If the pain is more over the temples it can be attributed to the Gall Bladder channel. If the pain is at the back of the head it can be either Urinary or Gall Bladder channels. So the point that I am trying to make here is that depending upon where the pain is on the head the treatment will differ from patient to patient. The channel affected dictates the treatment. This makes for a unique treatment for each individual contrary to the mainstream approach of blasting the body with a broad spectrum of pain killers that everyone can take for any problem.

When there is stagnation some where in any particular channel there is going to be pain or injury. This stagnation can come about for many different reasons. You can be depleted in qi which can lead to a stagnation and therefore pain. This is usually the dull and achy type and comes about with exhaustion or overwork. Or you could have a stagnation of qi due to emotions which will usually be a pounding type headache relating to the temples and back of the head. Or you could have stagnation anywhere on the head due to an old (or new) trauma.

In choosing a proper treatment for each of my patients I will take all of these things into consideration and more to create a personalized treatment plan. Certain acupuncture points will work better for each type of problem. But besides acupuncture, which in our society people are rather limited as to frequency, the use of herbal remedies are important to continue the treatment while at home. Taking a course of herbs can have dramatic effects on the frequency and severity of most headaches and still stay in line with the particular root condition at hand.

So why use acupuncture for headache care? The answer is simply that by doing so you will be getting at the root cause of the headaches and will not suffer from them like you used to. Simply taking pain medications to cover up the symptoms of what is causing the headache only buys you time until your next headache. And for some people who suffer from migraines that next headache might mean more time out of work, and an often crippling experience all around. But besides that, over the counter pain killers have been shown to contribute quite considerably to both liver and kidney failure when taken long term. The number of transplants due to these medications is staggering!

So consider trying something a little different if you suffer from headaches. I find through my own personal experience that acupuncture and Chinese herbs have had a dramatic impact on my headache experience. I strongly encourage you to give it a try.

The Cost of Convenience

2008-06-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

There are few things better out there than spontaneous sex with the one that you love. Unfortunately there is often a price to pay for such spontaneity. Birth control pills, shots, patches and rings can often leave you with a lot of trouble on your hands. So I ask those of you currently using the pill, what price are you willing to pay for such convenience?

My goal for this blog entry is not to make anyone feel bad for their choices, but to help you better understand the choices that you have made. As a practitioner who deals quite a lot with hormone related problems, and fertility in particular I feel it is only right to tell you what I see come through my door.

To start I want to go over some basic physiology which describe how birth control pills work. Before a woman actually produces her sex hormones the ovaries must first be stimulated by the pituitary or “master gland.” The major stimulating hormones which are affected here are Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Lutenizing Hormone (LH). Without these two hormones the ovaries would be dysfunctional and there would be no menses, among other problems. In essence, the pill works to shut down these stimulating hormones and replace the hormones which would have otherwise been produced by the ovaries. By controlling exactly what hormones are working on the body the pill can stop the eggs from maturing and a period from occurring.

The first thing that you should know about taking hormones like the pill is that it can work to make a woman’s natural hormone system “lazy” so to speak. Once off of the pill it can take up to 5 years sometimes for her natural cycle to return to normal. And in some women a normal cycle may not return at all, though this is rare. But it isn’t uncommon for true fertility to return a year or so after stopping the pill. This is actually a known syndrome called “Birth Control Syndrome.” It is due to the pituitary gland not being able to recover from being suppressed while on the hormones. Treatment needs to be aimed squarely at stimulating the pituitary to secrete FSH and LH again to stimulate the ovaries to do their job. Once proper pituitary/ovary communication is regained normal periods should start again and fertility is now possible.

Lastly there is a known drug/nutrient interaction with birth control pills and what are called methyl donors. These methyl donors are vital for proper detox pathways to occur in the liver. If there isn’t a clear detoxification pathway all kinds of problems can start such as acne, PMS, painful and erratic periods for example. And then let’s go a step further with increased cancer risk and neurological decline. Breast cancer risk goes up 2% per year while a woman is on birth control pills. So if you have been on the pill for 10 years you can enjoy a 20% increased risk of breast cancer.

If you must use birth control please consider supplementing with methyl donors like folic acid and B-12 for example. These compounds will help keep your detox pathways running smoother while on the hormone.

As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news when it comes to people’s sex lives I feel obligated to do so here. Infertility, cancer, and general ill health are certainly on the rise and we need to be armed with everything that we can to keep healthy. If you are using birth control pills or exogenous hormones of any kind perhaps it is time to reconsider. I would be more than happy to help you detect and/or avoid any risk factors that you are not aware about. Believe me, hormones are powerful things and can make your life a living hell. And if that ends up being the case, you might end up asking yourself if the convenience was worth the cost?

Why Does Sweet Hate Us So Much?

2008-04-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have written quite a bit so far about how dangerous and damaging a high intake of sugar can be which might lead people to reach for the other alternatives to sugar. And the most common artificial sweetener would have to be aspartame. You can find aspartame in sodas, chewing gum, candies, breath mints, and you name it, it’s there. Aspartame is a mainstay in our culture and it appears to be here for good. So it is up to you to make the choice to avoid it.

Aspartame is made up of three different chemicals, and once ingested, these chemicals separate from one another and are then exposed to the tissues of your body.

The first component is Aspartic acid and composes approximately 40% of the aspartame molecule. Aspartic acid leads to high levels of aspartate which acts as a potent neuro-stimulant. These chemicals are known as “exictotoxins” and when exposed to the neurons on the brain can literally stimulate the brain cells to death! No joke.

The second component is phenylalanine which comprises approximately 50% of the total molecule. It has been shown that consuming aspartame raises your blood levels of phenylalanine. If phenylalanine is exposed to your brain serotonin levels begin to decline which can lead to depression and other serious mental disorders.

The last component is methanol otherwise known as good old wood alcohol! This makes up about 10% of the molecule. Wood alcohol is a known deadly poison. This poison can wreak havoc on your nervous system and can cause blindness among other things. This is how people would go blind from drinking moon shine back in the day. Dirty distillation techniques led to methanol production and subsequent poisoning. Well methanol is alive and well today in the form of aspartame. Methanol also has a very slow excretion rate from the body and can begin to build up to serious levels in the body over time. And if the diet soda drinkers that you know are anything like the diet soda drinkers that I know, it is usually a daily intake. And quite often more than one per day too. The Environmental Protection Agency limits the consumption of methanol to 7.8 mg per day, but one large diet soda can contain as much as 50 mg of methanol! You can do the math for yourself to see the dangers involved in drinking diet soda.

For a final closing statement let me just say that feeding your soda addiction is just like feeding any other addiction. It offers you some immediate reward at the cost of your health. I urge you to lose the soda of any kind. It is full of really nasty things that are out to get you. I also recommend that you check out the online video Sweet Misery. This video will tell you much more than what I have had the opportunity to tell you here, and they do a much better job at scaring the holy hell out of you too!

The Cholesterol Misunderstanding

2008-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

In diagnosing any disease pattern it is first and foremost important to look for the right things. For example you wouldn’t get very far by examining how best to treat skid marks left on the road from a car accident. The skid marks are of course a symptom of events leading up to the accident. The same holds true with heart disease. Looking at cholesterol is like focusing on the skid marks. Cholesterol acts as a protective layer much like a band-aid which rushes to the site of injury (inflammation) in the arteries, and if left long enough can build up and cause plaque. Well that is the short story at least. But the bottom line with heart disease is that we need to look at what is causing the problem in the first place. The most current medical research states that cholesterol itself only plays a minor role in heart disease. How long do you think it will take the mainstream medical establishment to catch up to the current research? I for one don’t want to wait and find out. I want to do everything in my power to avoid heart disease in the first place!

Very simply put, HDL and LDL are not cholesterol like you have all been taught. Cholesterol is cholesterol. HDL and LDL are proteins that carry cholesterol around the body. HDL carries it from the blood vessels back to the liver to be recycled and LDL carries cholesterol to the blood vessels and tissues to be used in a huge number of very important bodily functions. Without adequate cholesterol we couldn’t make hormones, or have a healthy nervous system. In fact we couldn’t repair our cells effectively and we would grow old really quickly! Now who wants that? We should love our cholesterol! Cholesterol is our friend. It keeps us healthy and happy.

The current cholesterol screens are simply not effective in determining risk because they fail to examine the actual HDL and LDL particles themselves. They do in fact lead to monumental sales of cholesterol lowering medications. That they do quite well. But it is the size and number of the HDL/LDL particles as well as several other factors that determines accurate risk for heart disease. We all know LDL is “bad” cholesterol right? But in fact only the smaller denser type LDL particles wreak havoc on the arteries. The larger ones tend to pass on by without hurting anything. It is also possible and quite common for people to have empty LDL particles and appear to be healthy on a routine cholesterol screen but die of suddenly heart disease. This happens about 50% of the time in fact. If you look closer you would probably see that these people were loaded with a bunch of empty dense type LDL particles. Their cholesterol was low but their risk was high. They have been failed by the system in place to protect them.

For people with PPO insurance we can order these tests for $30.00. For a $30.00 co-pay you can blow away what your doctor ordered for you. You can gain proper insight into your actual heart disease risk. You can see first hand everything that would be on a normal cholesterol screen plus the breakdown of the particle size, as well as a handful of other significant emerging risk factors all noted by current medical research. Call me soon and let’s schedule an appointment and find out for sure where you stand on your heart disease risk.

The Menopause Pathology

2008-04-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is unfortunate but true that life’s most natural processes are quickly becoming institutionalized and medically managed. They are being treated as "pathology." There is nothing more natural for example than when a woman’s hormones begin to decline and she enters menopause. It is as natural as puberty. Men also go through a similar process. It is the natural way of things. More and more though we humans feel the need to fight against what is happening naturally. We feel that somehow we might just be able to reverse the millions of years of development through the cunning use of chemicals. Well, let me just say that when you really look at the situation critically, and not blindly, it becomes apparent that women are increasignly being injured by the very system that has pledged an oath to protect them.

The story goes like this… A middle aged woman goes in for her routine medical visit and discusses with her doctor that she is experiencing hot flashes and other various uncomfortable symptoms. Some tests are run and it is determined that she is indeed beginning menopause. She is then given replacement hormones to “fix” her problems.

What the doctor does not explain is that these hormones are doing nothing to actually fix anything but in fact are going to complicate matters in the future. So much of mainstream medicine is focused on the band-aid approach of covering up the symptoms of a root cause. Replacement hormone therapy, given to menopausal women, is often times really good at eliminating the undesirable side effects of menopause, but only prolongs the inevitable. Once on the replacement hormones a woman’s body becomes reliant upon them and eventually becomes weaker in the process. The systems that she will need in place once off of the hormones will by then be sluggish and unresponsive. And once the call is made to get off of the hormones she will experience symptoms like she has never felt before! And in the mean time she has increased her risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke considerably. No joke!

Perhaps supporting the woman’s whole body instead of weakening it would be more beneficial. The reality is that the uncomfortable experiences associated with menopause are easily managed naturally without the added threat of cancer, heart disease and strokes!

Perhaps the most beneficial thing to do for a woman entering menopause is to support not the ovaries but the adrenal glands. That’s a little tidbit that I picked up while looking into where female hormones come from after menopause. The whole concept of menopause is that the ovaries stop responding to the signals from the pituitary gland in the brain. The ovaries then no longer produce the sex hormones. The burden now lies upon the adrenal glands. And in this fast paced modern society, adrenal fatigue is at an all time high! It is no wonder why so many women are having a hard time with their midlife changes. Without the proper support they are experiencing full force what hormone withdraw can feel like and then are told that hormone replacement is their only option. Well shame shame to the medical system for pulling the wool over our eyes on this one!

Take it from me, clinically, and in my research I have seen more women on hormone replacement therapy in a dangerously out of balance hormone picture than not. This is especially true of the hormone creams that seem to be all the rage especially in the “alternative medicine” community. Please stay away from any topical hormone cream. And I mean all creams even if they say that they are all natural and bio-identical. If you must take replacement hormones try to take them under your tongue.

The dangers of hormone replacement therapy became very clear to me one day while speaking with a head of Endocrinology at a well respected hospital in Oregon. I asked him about how they monitor hormone levels in the replacement model and he told me that they don't. They don't! They go by symptoms. Does this give you comfort that your health is being valued? Well it scared the hell out of me that's for sure and opened my eyes a little wider than they were before!

But in the mean time please, women, consider the implications of your hormone replacement therapy. Educate yourself about all of your options. Invite me to do a lecture for you with your friends and families. Challenge your doctor with good and educated questions. And for god’s sake, call me for an appointment so that we can get a clear picture of your hormone status. It could very well save your life. Menopause is not a pathology that needs medicating. There are safe, effective and natural alternatives.

Red Meat - To Beware or Not To Beware?

2008-01-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

It is time to dispel yet another medical misconception that is repeated to us time after time and has no actual relevance. I’m talking about the supposed link between red meat and colon cancer. It seems to be a well known fact that the more red meat that you consume, the higher the incidences of colon cancer you can expect. All that you have to do is look at the studies more closely to see that it isn’t the meat itself but the way that you cook it that matters.

Many studies have shown that how you cook your meat can have dramatic effects upon your health. In fact people who like their meat well done have a 29% increase over people who eat the same amount of meat cooked rare. (According to a study of colorectal adenomas conducted at the National Naval Medical Center.) Very little evidence points towards any and all red meat leading to cancer. It is the meat that is cooked well and “burnt” that gives you the problems.

The reason for this difference comes in the nasty chemicals produced when cooking meat at high temperatures. Carcinogenic chemicals called heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are created at high temperatures and can lead to the formation of not only colon cancer but other cancers as well. Unfortunate as it is, grilling and high frying your meat leads to the formation of these nasty chemicals.

The most common come back that I get from people who cook their meat well done is their concern over E. Coli contamination. Though E. Coli can be a serious condition to acquire it is very uncommon in the actual meat of the animal. You might find this bacteria present in ground meat which comes from as many as 100 animals and is subject to less than optimal packing environments, but when talking about a nice porterhouse steak is it very unlikely to get sick from rare cooked meat. Actually more E. Coli infections are transmitted by dirty fruits and veggies than meat. How’s that for irony? Now compare that to the numbers of cancer in today’s society and it is easy to see which you should be more concerned about.

For those of you that might just be sickened by rare meat may I suggest fish instead. In this case there is no room for the squeamish. Take my advice and cook your meat rare or medium rare at best. You might just help keep cancer at bay and enjoy a great steak to boot!

As a quick side note… I want to reiterate that just because rare meat is less cancer causing that is no reason to believe that the meat you are eating isn’t causing you harm! Unless you are buying good grass fed organic meat you are still getting plenty of hormones and antibiotics that have been given to the cattle. These chemicals do end up in your body as well. The bottom line is that when buying meat, be as picky as your budget allows. Stop giving your money to the mega chain coffee houses and give it to back to yourself in the form of good clean food!

Eat well and be happy and healthy!

Why High Blood Sugar is B-A-D...BAD!

2007-11-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

Over the years we are continuously being told different things about how to stay healthy. In the 80’s it was all about carbo loading. In the 90’s it was all about low fat. And now we are hearing about low carb diets as the best way to live. How do you make any sense of this? Do you just listen to your doctor? Do you read everything under the sun and come up with your own conclusions? Or better yet, do you go to school and study nutritional biochemistry for eight years? What ever you decide to do I would hope that you would take a long hard look at how blood sugar plays such an important role in your overall health. In fact, if I were to narrow it down to one major thing to consider about your health it would hands down be blood sugar!

So let’s talk about exactly why that is… If we just look at heart disease which is the number one killer and how it is impacted by high blood sugar you will see that consistently high blood sugar and insulin levels will lead directly to high blood pressure, decreased HDL (“good cholesterol”), increased risk for clotting, and elevated total cholesterol. So is it really the heart disease that is killing us or the blood sugar? Hmmm….

High blood sugar in women leads to the production of Testosterone which then leads to infertility and an obesity viscous cycle. That’s when you try as hard as you can but you still can’t loose the weight! Sound familiar? In men the opposite thing happens. Men with high blood sugar create more Estrogen, grow boobs, have prostate problems, and have trouble with getting erections. None of which is a picnic, wouldn’t you say?

Not only that, but people with high insulin/blood sugars can’t detoxify their livers well and can’t create the proper amounts of anti-inflammatory chemicals in their bodies. Both of which will lead in the long run to pain and illness. There is even evidence that colorectal and breast cancer can be linked to blood sugar imbalance. And all cancers love sugar. So once you do have cancer the more sugar in your system the more the cancer will grow.

If let to continue high blood sugar and high insulin levels will eventually turn into Type II Diabetes. This takes all of the things mentioned above and amplifies them! You DO NOT want diabetes! You may be doomed to a lifetime of hormone injections, vision loss, sores that won’t heal and possible loss of limbs!

Have I scared you enough yet? Well I hope so. Our current American lifestyle is doing wonders to drive us towards these problems. And the politicians sit and debate about how to save money in health care! Perhaps they aren’t thinking about the right concepts? Could it be that our current lifestyle is driving the country towards financial ruin? Do you think that it might be time that the government consider problems like this to be a problem of National Security and not just another way to fund the drug companies? I know what I think. You can make up your own decision.

So if you have an obese patient with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hormone problems, neuropathy in the feet, etc., would you be best to prescribe blood pressure lowering medication, cholesterol medication, hormone replacement, etc., or would you start by managing the blood sugar? I know what I would recommend. One school of thought covers up the effects of the problem and the other actually cures the problem! Once the blood sugar is under control the other problems go away. Fancy that! Unfortunately though people are being given drug regimens like that every day, and the problem is left to persist. The money just isn’t in the cure.

So in closing I want to leave you with a quick checklist of symptoms that you can check in with to see if you might be affected by a blood sugar imbalance. If you do then please call my clinic and lets get you going down the right path and not the wrong one! I don’t care if you live in Maine. Don’t let that stop you. We can do it all long distance.

Do any of these hold true for you?
Fatigue
Cravings for sugar (especially after meals)
Inability to loose weight
Fatigue after meals
Migrating aches and pains
Cranky or irritable between meals
Trouble waking up in the morning without that Vente Mocha Latte

If any of these fit your current situation then let’s get them corrected. There is no time like the present when it comes to saving a life! We could go chat over a yummy apple fritter! ;)

Healthy Backs From A TCM Perspective

2007-10-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

I recently gave a lecture at a Healthy Back Store location here in San Diego to help train the sales staff in ways to understand back pain from a broader perspective. I ended up teaching them about “Red Flags” in back pain. A red flag is some sign/symptom that hints towards a larger medical problem. For example how do you know if you have generalized low back pain due to a muscle strain or a kidney problem? I’ll leave it at that. Come to one of my lectures sometime to find out how.

But what I wanted to explore more with the team members and was short on time for was looking at “Healthy Backs from a TCM Perspective.” What is it in Chinese Medicine that makes for a healthy back? What basic concepts are involved? What types of problems arise from disharmony in the back? Read on to find out.

I think that most of you have seen those acupuncture charts with the man standing with all the lines and points all over his body. That model is the map of the “Meridian System.” The meridians are lines where the Qi flows and where the acupuncture points reside. If you look at the back you will see several lines extending all the way up the back. The most basic reason for there to be pain in the back, or anywhere in the body for that matter, is that there is some sort of stagnation of Qi somewhere along the meridian system. There is an old Chinese Saying which is also the motto of my acupuncture school, “Where there is stagnation there is pain… And where there is pain there will be stagnation.” (In Chinese pinyin: Pu tong su tong… Tong su pu tong.) But why you ask is there stagnation? Read on.

Perhaps the most common type of back pain and one which contributes significantly to the economy in the form of pain killers and muscle relaxants is that of the low grade, nagging low back pain. In the Chinese Medical system we say that the kidneys rule the low back. When the kidneys become deficient in Qi through overwork, stress, poor eating and sleeping habits, drug/alcohol use, and as the Chinese would have you believe too much sex (but I say , "make love not war!"), the low back also becomes weak and prone to injury. In order to avoid injury we need to have strong and flowing Qi coursing through our bodies. In states of deficiency this does not happen and we get sick and injured. The Qi becomes stagnated either slowly in chronic conditions or suddenly in injury states. We unfortunately live in a society where stress and stimulation is at a maximum. Even while “relaxing” on the couch we are playing shooter video games or watching high action violent television with amazing car chases, shouting and torture scenes. It is a far cry from sitting under a cherry blossom tree next to a babbling brook watching the flower petals blowing away in the wind. It is really no wonder why our backs hurt!

So now that we have set the stage for a deficiency in our kidneys and made ourselves prone to injury lets see what else affects our backs. Along with deficiency of Qi, deficiencies of other vital substances in the body like yin which moistens the tissues and tendons, and blood which nourishes the muscles can also leave us prone to injury. So when lifting that 80 pound bag of cement that we used to be able to throw around like it was a bean bag now just pulled something major and put you in bed on a load of soma and vicodin… Or better, in my clinic! Even things like osteoporosis leading to pain or even fractures are considered kidney deficiency cases. Besides ruling the low back, the kidneys are the influential organs of bone. A kidney deficiency leads to weak bones. Weak bones lead to injury and injury leads to pain and stagnation of Qi.

With all of these scenarios it is vital to address the underlying deficiencies as well as treat the acute pain affecting you at the moment. If I were to boil down the difference between mainstream medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine very quickly it is that mainstream medicine concerns itself primarily with the management of the manifestations of the problems and not with the problems themselves. It provides “relief” from symptoms while those symptoms reside on their own. It is Medical hand holding so to speak. TCM on the other hand both treats the symptoms and corrects the imbalance that led to the symptoms. After all, wouldn’t you rather not be laid up with back pain again next month? Vicodin and Soma just won’t help you in the long run.

In closing I want to leave you with a bit of clinical wisdom. I see clinically every day people with all kinds of medical problems. Deficiency of Qi, Yin, Yang, or Blood is at the core of most of them. These TCM concepts can lead to everything from low back pain as described here to impotence, to dizziness to high blood pressure. You name it. TCM can sort these patterns out very quickly and start you towards a path of healing the core problem.

A healthy back equals a healthy body. Listen to your body and call your acupuncturist today!

Why You Should Care About Genetically Modified Food

2007-09-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

There has certainly been quite a lot of talk over the last few years about genetically modified food (GMO). Some consumers are all for it, some are totally against the idea (like all of Europe and a lot of South America and Africa), and then there is the rest of us who don’t really know one way from another. After all, how bad could it be right?

From the July 1997 issue of Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition:”Genetically engineered potatoes and corn now on the market produce their own pesticide. These crops contain a foreign soil bacterial gene called bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, which creates a toxin in the plant to kill insects.”

Let’s look into how those genes are inserted into the crops. Remember I have a degree in Molecular Biology so this is something I am familiar with. In order to get a new gene into an existing strand of DNA you need a vector. A vector is something that you use to cut into the DNA and insert the gene you want. A very common vector is a virus or a bacterial DNA ring called a plasmid. These work so well as vectors because they are used in nature to share DNA between organisms. They already come equipped with the means to cut and splice DNA. Very convenient.

The problem comes when we ingest these newly designed foods. The bacteria that live in our guts (and there are more of them in number than we have cells in our body… By a lot!) have the ability to incorporate some of the DNA from these newly formed genes and take on some of their characteristics. So there is the potential for our gut bacteria to become in essence, billions of little pesticide factories! No kidding. Once our own gut bacteria incorporate the gene mentioned above it could be almost impossible to get rid of it without totally killing off all of the bacteria in our GI tract. And that would come with nasty consequences as well. What do you think are the detriments to our health of billions of cells producing pesticide within our guts 24/7? I shudder to think of the possibilities! It is a nasty thought indeed.
So forgive me if this all seems like scare tactics. But it should be really really scary to you. If more people knew what is going on perhaps we wouldn’t tolerate such bold faced pressure from big industry. In my opinion it is time that we start listening to the rest of the world and stop the use of GMO Foods in America. Believe it or not there are hungry villages in Africa that are currently refusing GMO food. That must mean something. There really is a major health concern here. I only mentioned one such genetic modification. There are many more going on than that. And if you don’t care all that much about your health and the health of your loved ones I urge you to do some research on the environmental impact these foods are having on the world. I highly recommend the documentary, “The Future of Foods.” Grab a bowl of organic popcorn and have a ball with that one. It is a must see for all Americans!