Tell Your Story To A Reporter: I Am Suffering Because of Lack of Access to Alternative (non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical) Treatments

 Human Rights Watch is investigating inadequate treatment of pain
in the United States as a human rights issue. They are looking for
stories of patients suffering because of lack of access to
alternative (non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical) treatments.

Deadline is 7:00 p.m. EST March 30, 2018!

Contact 
Cindy Perlin 
Human Rights Watch
query-7u4l@helpareporter.net 

Tell them Eagle Acupuncture sent you!

Traditional Chinese Medicine Could Help Treat Cardiac Diseases, Study Says

  
Shi Wing Wong measures herbs for packaging at Wing Kong Tong Herbes de Chine on Clarke avenue in Chinatown. A recent study shows traditional Chinese medicine may effectively treat cardiac diseases.

Presse Canadienne More from Presse Canadienne Published on: June 13, 2017 | Last Updated: June 13, 2017 4:31 PM EDT PHIL CARPENTER / Montreal Gazette 

Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, may help treat patients with cardiac diseases, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers analyzed a random set of studies conducted over the last 10 years on the use of traditional Chinese medicine in treating such illnesses as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and chronic heart failure. All the studies concluded that traditional Chinese medicine performed as the researchers expected when treating these diseases. Many Chinese products, for example, seemed to effectively treat hypertension. These results offer interesting alternatives for patients who cannot use or are unable to afford Western medicine. Further long-term studies are necessary to determine whether these treatments are beneficial in the long term. The author of the study noted that products used in traditional Chinese medicine are often complex mixtures that are then adjusted to suit each individual patient.

Tony Burris, L.Ac.,  is an 20+-year practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is an expert in safe and effective acupuncture therapy and herbal remedies. He is the only practitioner in the United States that offers a “Painless Acupuncture- Or Your Money Back!” Guarantee. Tony helps frustrated and injured athletes and chronic pain sufferers discover a unique therapy system that often provides long-lasting or even permanent pain relief. His patients include members of the San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. Tony also treats members of the Seattle Mariners, Olympic medalists, mixed martial artists and NCAA competitors. Call Tony's office at 208-938-1277 for more information and all interview requests, or visit EagleAcupuncture.com.

Benefits of Lemongrass Oil in Massage Cream (Tony Burris, L.Ac. Cited in Massage Magazine Article)

When choosing a massage cream, consider one containing lemongrass, for benefits including muscle relaxation and stress relief.

What is Lemongrass?

Lemongrass is “a grassy perennial native to tropical and subtropical environments,” according to

healthline.com. Once it is harvested, it is added to some Asian-inspired food dishes and certain medicines. You may also find it in personal hygiene products such as deodorant, perfume, body oil—and massage cream. A standout feature of lemongrass is its pleasant, citrusy scent.
Lemongrass is sold in health food stores and at farmers’ markets, and it can also be grown at home. That makes this perennial readily accessible, whether you choose to use it on a personal or professional basis, or both.

Lemongrass and Massage Therapy

When speaking of lemongrass in relation to massage therapy, Schreiber says it has many valuable uses. They include “muscle relaxing, helping with muscle cramps and fighting fatigue.” He also says it is a protective agent for both the therapist and the client, helping to keep skin infections from passing from one to the other.

Darshi Shah, Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach agrees and further explains that lemongrass is very beneficial to clients that are struggling with “stress, anxiety and insomnia.” Additionally, if the client is dealing with some type of sprain, injury, or back pain, its muscle relieving properties can often help ease the discomfort.

Self-care with Lemongrass

Lemongrass has practical self-care uses too. Lemongrass is well recognized for its antibacterial properties, which clinical nutrition specialist Scott Schrieber, D.C., says “are due to the citral and limonene components” found within it. These two substances provide lemongrass citrusy aroma, and also help prevent and address various infections “such as ringworm, athlete’s foot, or other types of fungus.”

One study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine found that lemongrass was such a powerful antibacterial agent that it was deemed “effective against drug resistant organisms,” and research published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology found it is an effective microbial against certain types of salmonella.

Shah says ingested lemongrass can also provide benefits for those who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and other gut disorders, thanks largely to its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties.

Lemongrass in Practice

Michelle Vargas, L.M.T., owner of The Welltree in Rhinebeck, New York, uses lemongrass in her creams and oils for “clients who feel achy, unwell or in pain [as it helps the pain] subside rather quickly.”

Vargas says her clients benefit from lemongrass “when the winter blues creep up,” because it helps ease depression and anxiety.

Tony Burris, L.Ac., an acupuncturist at Eagle Acupuncture in Eagle, Idaho, is a 20-year practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, which includes offering his clients tui na massage therapy. He’s used lemongrass and other essential and medicinal oils to help “injured athletes and chronic pain sufferers discover … long-lasting or even permanent relief.”

Some of his clients include members of the San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Seattle Mariners, as well as Olympic medalists.

Adding lemongrass creams and oils can provide benefits to therapists and clients alike, making it a great complement to your current massage therapy products and services.

How Diet And Herbs Alleviate Arthritis (An Interview With Tony Burris, L.Ac.)

by Ada Kulesza

on July 18, 2015

More than 20 percent of American adults suffer from arthritis. Joint inflammation is painful and sometimes debilitating. Most people looking for relief from doctors get medicines that temporarily stop the pain, but don’t really address the cause — or stop the disease progression.

Arthritis is a condition that shows the flaws in the American medical system, and the standard American lifestyle. On the personal level, it starts with choices at grocery stores, kitchens and restaurants, and on the collective level, with toxic environments and harmful farming practices.

Chronic pain leads to stress, weakness, and depression. Does one-fifth of America have to suffer with pain, immobility, and the frustration that comes with arthritis? Are one in five people doomed to take painkillers every day, or get steroid injections to manage the condition?

Reset.Me interviewed five natural health experts about treating the most common types of arthritis, rheumatoid (or gout) and osteoarthritis. We’ve compiled natural and gentle treatment options that alleviate pain and swelling without the side effects of chemical meds.

More importantly, the experts share herbs, supplements, and lifestyle changes that can halt, and possibly reverse, the disease progression.

A Behind-The-Scenes Disease

Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis share joint inflammation and pain in common. Osteoarthritis often affects older people, where the cartilage between bones deteriorates and eventually bone meets bone, limiting movement and creating pain. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, can be caused by an injury, or as a result of an autoimmune condition.

Scientific literature shows that both types of arthritis are linked with lifestyle. Diet is a big factor when it comes to arthritis onset and progression. Once someone has arthritis, a healthy diet becomes the most important and effective way to alleviate pain and slow down the disease.

“The first thing I look at is diet,” says Dr. Matthew Brennecke, a naturopath based in Colorado. “I always give patients a diet diary to keep track of everything they eat for a year. It’s very important to get a real idea of what patients actually put into their mouths every day.”

Food allergies often cause inflammation because the immune system flares up to fight what it mistakes as a harmful substance. Brennecke tests for allergies with food allergy panels to get “a lab result of what foods we should take out of the diet and what we should add. Most people have problems with dairy, wheat, and eggs.” Meat is also known to create inflammation.

“Then we increase anti-inflammatory foods, such as heavy vegetables, and dark leafy greens,” he says. “By eating an anti-inflammatory diet, we see pretty good improvements.”

The Standard American Diet (SAD) compromises health in a number of ways. Often, it lacks the vitamins and minerals needed to keep bodies in balance. Too much meat, starch and processed food also result in weight gain, which makes arthritis worse.

Much food is produced with chemicals that create health problems. Nearly all corn, soy and cotton fields in the United States are sprayed with herbicides, namely Roundup, which contains glyphosate, a chemical shown to have a serious impact on health. Its use has outpaced research, but the World Health Organization says it’s likely carcinogenic.

Common cosmetics such as shampoo, lotions, and soap often contain chemicals such as parabens and phthalates, preservatives that may interfere with the body’s hormones. Although these chemicals are commonly found in products millions of people use everyday, their long-term effects haven’t been extensively studied.

How Modern Medicine Treats Arthritis

As we age, our bodies get stiffer. Circulation slows. We get weaker, and cartilage degenerates. Skin loses elasticity, muscles deteriorate, and hair turns gray. It’s a natural process.

“Arthritis has basically three stages,” says Brennecke. “Stage one is breakdown of cartilage. Stage two is abnormal cartilage repair. But at stage three, the breakdown products in stage two induce inflammation, and then you get joint degeneration.”

Symptoms arise when arthritis has progressed far enough to make reversal difficult. Often patients

visit a medical doctor and get a prescription or injection for the pain and inflammation.

“Modern medicine uses anti-inflammatories and steroids, drugs that slow down the immune system, so people are more likely to develop infections,” says David Foreman, a pharmacist and author. 

“With decreased immunity, you’re more likely to get colds, flu and infections.”

 “With non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs we have the potential for gastrointestinal upset, negative effects of liver and kidneys, and sodium retention,” he says. “Steroids have the same effects, but will often contribute to problems with the adrenal system, so you’re more likely to burn your body’s energy out. Fatigue, altered mood, and depression result. They also negatively affect the blood sugar, so weight gain is a big thing. Bones become thin and brittle.”

“Steroids are significantly more evil to the body than non-steroid anti-inflammatories,” he says. “You just can’t keep taking cortisone for the rest of your life.”

Foreman says that undernourished people develop arthritis when the body takes minerals out of bones and those minerals deposit in joints, creating a situation akin to fine sandpaper rubbing slowly over time.

“Too much refined food, such as pasta and bread, alter the pH of your body, and so the body will take minerals out of bones to adjust the body’s pH. Too much or too little protein will make this happen,” he says.

Green vegetables are essential to preventing, and slowing, arthritis, by nourishing the body with minerals and stabilizing the body’s pH.

“Eat a rainbow every day — a food from every color of the rainbow. Colorful food is rich in antioxidants, and antioxidants go a long way in preventing all diseases,” Foreman says. “Make your food your medicine. And add more omega-3, such as chia seeds. Omega-6 can cause more inflammation.”

Immunity And Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis has the stiffness, pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis, but is caused by injury or an autoimmune condition.

“When people come in, I address the immune system and stabilize it, until we can boost it,” says Dr. Jennifer Burns, a naturopath based in Arizona. “So first, I use herbs that are a little weaker. After we build up immunity, we use stronger ones. I use Myers’ Cocktail intravenous nutrients.”

The gentle herbs Burns recommends for the immune system include Siberian ginseng and elderberry. She also uses licorice in combination with other herbs, as an immune booster and anti-inflammatory. Echinacea also helps the immune system.

“Echinacea has cannabinoids for pain,” she says, “but it’s also anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral. And licorice supports the adrenals.”

She also recommends adaptogens, herbs which stabilize the whole system, such as oats, rosemary, and Chinese astragalus.

For rheumatoid arthritis, devil’s claw in a cream or salve works well to alleviate inflammation and pain topically. For osteoarthritis, salves containing capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne peppers, also bring fast relief.

Toxicity And Arthritis

Dr. Susan Kolb is a plastic surgeon and author of the book The Naked Truth About Breast Implants: From Harm to Healing. Most of her patients develop arthritis as a result of toxicity from ruptured or leaking breast implants, but she says that for most people, allergies and toxicity contribute to arthritis.

She uses kinesiology, a somewhat controversial method of diagnosis, to test for allergies and reactions to such things as wheat, intracellular infections, and toxicity. Then she treats symptoms with supplements like curcumin, green-lipped mussel extract, and evening primrose oil.

Most importantly, patients need to remove the cause of the arthritis, whether that’s a food sensitivity or infection. She also uses artificial joint injections to rebuild cartilage.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

“Chinese medicine views the body, our vitality and our health, as measured in qi. It’s not a thing —

Tony Burris, L.Ac.

you can’t see it. It’s a representational term for vitality in the body,” says Tony Burris, an acupuncturist and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner. “As we age, qi diminishes.”

Traditional Chinese medicine is a philosophical system that views the human body as part of its environment, and sees the systems and organs as intrinsically interlinked. As the body ages and qi diminishes, outer forces can invade more easily. “Cold, wind, damp and heat cause arthritis when they get into your joints,” Burris says. “They block the flow of nutrients.”

A TCM practitioner would look at weak teeth, hair and bones as a deficiency of the kidneys, and degenerated cartilage a symptom of a poorly functioning liver. “The liver lubricates, nourishes and keeps muscles supple,” Burris says. “As we age they become more brittle and dry. Cartilage has less blood supply than muscle so it’s harder to keep plump and moist.”

Chinese medicine assigns different flavors different qualities, so people can easily discern what kinds of foods and herbs can offset certain conditions. Being a result of growing older, osteoarthritis is characterized by cold, so warmer, spicier foods and herbs help.

“Turmeric and cinnamon, which are warm and penetrating, are good for gnarled, closed-up fingers, and will help straighten them out,” Burris says.

Rheumatoid arthritis has a hot quality, so cooling foods and herbs would be more helpful.

“Food can have hot or cold qualities, but they also have flavor. Bitter is good for rheumatoid arthritis because it has a draining quality for edema. In the West we don’t eat a lot of bitter food, except perhaps coffee, which bears this out because it’s a diuretic and certainly does have a draining quality,” Burris says. Other bitter herbs and food include dandelion and bitter gourd.

Other helpful foods are acrid and pungent, such as garlic, onions, and ginger.

The Truth About Arthritis And Aging

Aging is inevitable and bodies deteriorate. Sadly, the American lifestyle quickens the process — stress, sedentary work, processed food heavy on meat, toxic environments, and a reliance on chemical pharmaceuticals to treat symptoms but mostly ignore the cause of illness.

In a catch-22, people who suffer from arthritis may find it difficult to exercise and stay active, but it’s essential for managing and slowing the disease. Overweight people are also more likely to have arthritis, so exercise is doubly important.

Arthritis also has links to depression, since losing range of motion can be disheartening and frustrating. Managing arthritic pain and removing the cause of inflammation can be key to maintaining happiness and ease in daily life. As Dr. Jennifer Burns says, “You’re okay. You’re still a whole person, even if you need help with simple things, even if you can’t open a jar.”

When it comes to emergencies, allopathic medicine is amazing. But when it comes to chronic diseases like arthritis, it’s woefully inadequate. “The word doctor means teacher,” says Brennecke. 

“When you go the conventional medicine route, you have seven minutes with a practitioner who writes you a prescription. As a naturopath, I spend over an hour trying to get at the root of the condition.”

Doctors are human beings, and the medical system is a business. People who suffer from arthritis can take their health back by changing the one habit that many people do without thinking — eating. As Brennecke points out, “If you take anything from me, it’s that 90 percent of all chronic illness is due to what you put in your mouth.”

For more information about acupuncture, herbs and Traditional Chinese Medicine, contact Tony Burris L.Ac. at Eagle Acupuncture in Boise, Idaho at (208) 938-1277 or mailbox@eagleacupuncture.com. Visit his website at EagleAcupuncture.com.

Your Phone vs. Your Heart

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSON

CAN you remember the last time you were in a public space in America and didn’t notice that half the people around you were bent over a digital screen, thumbing a connection to somewhere else?  Most of us are well aware of the convenience that instant electronic access provides. Less has been said about the costs.

Research that my colleagues and I have just completed, to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, suggests that one measurable toll may be on our biological capacity to connect with other people. Our ingrained habits change us. Neurons that fire together, wire together, neuroscientists like to say, reflecting the increasing evidence that experiences leave imprints on our neural pathways, a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. Any habit molds the very structure of your brain in ways that strengthen your proclivity for that habit.

Plasticity, the propensity to be shaped by experience, isn’t limited to the brain. You already know that when you lead a sedentary life, your muscles atrophy to diminish your physical strength. What you may not know is that your habits of social connection also leave their own physical imprint on you. How much time do you typically spend with others? And when you do, how connected and attuned to them do you feel? Your answers to these simple questions may well reveal your biological capacity to connect.

My research team and I conducted a longitudinal field experiment on the effects of learning skills for cultivating warmer interpersonal connections in daily life. Half the participants, chosen at random, attended a six-week workshop on an ancient mind-training practice known as metta, or “lovingkindness,” that teaches participants to develop more warmth and tenderness toward themselves and others. We discovered that the meditators not only felt more upbeat and socially connected; but they also altered a key part of their cardiovascular system called vagal tone. Scientists used to think vagal tone was largely stable, like your height in adulthood. Our data show that this part of you is plastic, too, and altered by your social habits.

To appreciate why this matters, here’s a quick anatomy lesson. Your brain is tied to your heart by your vagus nerve. Subtle variations in your heart rate reveal the strength of this brain-heart connection, and as such, heart-rate variability provides an index of your vagal tone. By and large, the higher your vagal tone the better. It means your body is better able to regulate the internal systems that keep you healthy, like your cardiovascular, glucose and immune responses.

Beyond these health effects, the behavioral neuroscientist Stephen Porges has shown that vagal tone is central to things like facial expressivity and the ability to tune in to the frequency of the human voice. By increasing people’s vagal tone, we increase their capacity for connection, friendship and empathy. In short, the more attuned to others you become, the healthier you become, and vice versa. This mutual influence also explains how a lack of positive social contact diminishes people. Your heart’s capacity for friendship also obeys the biological law of “use it or lose it.” If you don’t regularly exercise your ability to connect face to face, you’ll eventually find yourself lacking some of the basic biological capacity to do so.

The human body — and thereby our human potential — is far more plastic or amenable to change than most of us realize. The new field of social genomics, made possible by the sequencing of the human genome, tells us that the ways our and our children’s genes are expressed at the cellular level is plastic, too, responsive to habitual experiences and actions. Work in social genomics reveals that our personal histories of social connection or loneliness, for instance, alter how our genes are expressed within the cells of our immune system.

New parents may need to worry less about genetic testing and more about how their own actions — like texting while breast-feeding or otherwise paying more attention to their phone than their child — leave life-limiting fingerprints on their and their children’s gene expression. When you share a smile or laugh with someone face to face, a discernible synchrony emerges between you, as your gestures and biochemistries, even your respective neural firings, come to mirror each other. It’s micro-moments like these, in which a wave of good feeling rolls through two brains and bodies at once, that build your capacity to empathize as well as to improve your health. If you don’t regularly exercise this capacity, it withers.

Lucky for us, connecting with others does good and feels good, and opportunities to do so abound. So the next time you see a friend, or a child, spending too much of their day facing a screen, extend a hand and invite him back to the world of real social encounters. You’ll not only build up his health and empathic skills, but yours as well. Friends don’t let friends lose their capacity for humanity.

 Barbara L. Fredrickson is a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the author of “Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become.”

Acupuncture improves quality of life for breast cancer patients using aromatase inhibitors

Posted By News On July 30, 2014 - 6:00am

PHILADELPHIA – Use of electroacupuncture (EA) – a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles – produces significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety and depression in as little as eight weeks for early stage breast cancer patients experiencing joint pain related to the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) to treat breast cancer. The results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial examining the intervention led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are published online this week in the journal Cancer. The study is the first demonstration of EA's efficacy for both joint pain relief, as well as these other common symptoms.

The results build upon earlier findings reported in November 2013, showing that EA can decrease the joint pain reported by roughly 50 percent of breast cancer patients taking AIs – the most-commonly prescribed medications to prevent disease recurrence among post-menopausal women with early-stage, hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Despite their efficacy, the joint pain associated with the use of AIs often leads to fatigue, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances for these patients, which researchers suggest may cause premature discontinuation of the drug. Previous studies have shown that nearly half of women taking AIs do not complete their recommended course of treatment, and that those who stop taking the drugs or don't take them as prescribed have a higher chance of dying of both breast cancer and other causes.

"Since many patients experience pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression simultaneously, our results provide an opportunity to offer patients one treatment that may target multiple symptoms," said lead author Jun Mao, MD MSCE, associate professor of Family Medicine and Community Health in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, who directs the Integrative Oncology program in the Abramson Cancer Center. "We see patients every day who are looking for ways to combat some of the side effects of their treatment. What is particularly significant about these new results is that we can now offer more evidence-based treatment and management solutions for these women."

In the eight-week trial, researchers evaluated the short-term effects and safety of EA for AI-related joint pain and other side effects, compared with sham acupuncture (SA – a non-electric, placebo acupuncture where the needles are not actually inserted into the skin), and usual care. The study participants, who were all receiving AI therapy and experiencing joint pain, were randomly assigned to receive EA, SA or usual care. Patient-reported experiences of fatigue and psychological distress, were measured prior to the study, and periodically throughout the duration, with additional follow-up four weeks after treatment.

• Fatigue: Compared with usual care, patients receiving EA had a greater reduction in the fatigue score at week eight and the effect was maintained at week 12. On average, patients reported a 2.0 point reduction in fatigue on the Brief Fatigue Inventory, an instrument designed to assess fatigue severity on a numerical scale ranging from 0-10.
• Anxiety: By week 12, patients receiving EA reported a significant improvement in their anxiety score, whereas patients receiving SA did not. On average, patients in the EA group reported a 2.2 point reduction in anxiety on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) compared to the usual care group.
• Depression: Patients in both EA and SA groups reported a significant improvement in HADS-Depression scores (2.4 points and 2.0 points, respectively) compared with the usual care group by week eight. The effects of both EA and SA on depression were maintained at week 12.

"Our study provides a novel understanding of how fatigue, sleep and psychological distress relate to pain in patients with AI-related joint pain. More importantly, we found that acupuncture helped reduce these symptoms and the effects persisted for at least four weeks following treatment," said Mao. "There is a small but growing body of literature showing that acupuncture is effective for the management of pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression. However, studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to provide more in-depth knowledge about how these treatments, combined with usual care, are improving quality of life for our patients."

 

Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Katy Perry Feasts on Acupuncture-Treated Sushi

There is such a thing as acupuncture-treated sushi and Katy Perry is proud to say she’s tried it. It's an interesting way to spice up your average sushi meal.

Katy Perry took to Twitter on last Monday to reveal that she feasted on "acupuncture-treated fish" while dining with couple Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka at Park Restaurant in Montreal, Canada.

Chef Antonio Park, who prepared the tasty meal for the trio, shared a photo with his celebrity guests on Instagram, clearly elated by the A-list company.

"What a day!!!! I would like to thank my friend @instagranph & @davidburtka for coming together with @katyperry! It was an honour and pleasure to cook for you guys! #restaurantpark #parkrestaurant #fortheloveofthegame #famous #hollywood," the sushi master captioned the cute pic.

Perry, who was dressed in a fitted silk gown with a colorful Las Vegas-inspired pattern, was obviously impressed with the dinner and didn't hesitate to brag about her mouth-watering meal on social media.

"Had the best sushi/wagyu from @ChefAntonioPark. The wagyu was flown in this morning from JPN & the fish had previously had acupuncture #fancy," she wrote before adding, "Also foodie kings @ActuallyNPH & @Davidburtka brought me here so durh."

While acupuncture-treated fish may seem like an odd delicacy, the practice is actually more common than you may think, as it allows the freshest fish to be transported directly from Japan.

The technique is further detailed on the restaurant's website, which explains how  "fishermen insert needles so that the trauma of death is avoided, allowing the cut to remain exceptionally tender."

 And apparently, Perry felt inspired by the acupuncture-treated fish, as she opted to test out the practice, which involves the insertion of extremely thin needles throughout one's skin to target specific points on the body.

"Getting ready for you Montreal!" the 29-year-old pop star captioned her latest Instagram pic, in which she's lying face down, mid-treatment.

Acupuncture Lowers Blood Pressure

By HealthCMi, www.healthcmi.com | July 8, 2014

New research finds acupuncture effective for reducing high blood pressure and preventing damage to the kidneys. Acupoint LI11 LocationIn a controlled laboratory experiment, researchers applied two acupuncture points to laboratory rats with hypertension and renal interstitial fibrosis, a kidney disease characterized by destruction of the renal tubules and capillaries. Acupuncture “significantly decreased” blood pressure and decreased “damage of kidney morphology.”

 Three groups were compared. Group 1 received acupuncture. Group 2 was a control group and group 3 received pharmaceutical medication. The drug group received perindopril, an ACE inhibitor used for the treatment of high blood pressure and other forms of heart disease. The acupuncture group received electroacupuncture at LI11 (Quchi) and ST36 (Zusanli) for a period of 20 minutes, once per day. Blood pressure, kidney morphology, optical densities of kidney collagen with immunohistochemistry, and expression of TGF-beta1 mRNA with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method changes were measured.

The acupuncture group had similar results as the medication group in that TGF-beta1 mRNA expression was decreased. The acupuncture group showed significantly lower blood pressure and less pathological structural changes to the kidneys. The pathological depositional area of collagen in the acupuncture group also showed clinical benefits with a significant reduction of both type I and type III collagen. The researchers concluded that acupuncture at LI11 and ST36 “probably intervenes the process of RIF (renal interstitial fibrosis) by reducing synthesis of kidney type I, III collagen and restraining expression of TGF-beta1.”

This new research supports research released last month. Investigators measured the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of hypertension in a human clinical case study. Two acupuncture points were identical across both studies: ST36, LI11. Additionally, the human study included LI4, ST9, CV6, CV6 and SP6. The patient showed significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Another recent investigation conducted jointly at the University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Irvine uncovered how acupuncture lowers blood pressure. The investigators discovered that acupuncture reduces hypertension by stimulating brain neurons to decrease neural activity in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (rVLM) to stimulate a decrease in SNS activity thereby reducing blood pressure.

The UC (University of California) researchers “have shown that electroacupuncture stimulation activates neurons in the arcuate nucleus, ventrolateral gray, and nucleus raphe to inhibit the neural activity in the rVLM in a model of visceral reflex stimulation-induced hypertension.” The UC researchers concluded that acupuncture reduces hypertension through downregulation of excess sympathetic nerve activity.

Three acupuncture groups were compared. Group 1 received electroacupuncture at P5, P6, LI10 and LI11. Group 2 received LI4, LU7, ST36 and ST37 electroacupuncture stimulation. Both groups showed decreases in hypertension with group 1 showing the greatest reduction in blood pressure. Group 3 received electroacupuncture at LI6, LI7, K1, UB67. This group did not have the clinical benefits as in groups 1 and 2. As a result, the researchers conclude that electroacupuncture is effective in the reduction of hypertension and the effects are point specific.

Tony Burris, L.Ac., successfully treats high blood pressure using acupuncture techniques. Give him a call today!

VA Hospital Tries Alternatives To Pain Medications

The Veterans Hospital in White River Junction is trying out new programs designed to relieve pain without strong medications. VA doctors are now prescribing acupuncture, yoga and aquatic therapy as alternatives. 

 Acupuncture has not yet been fully integrated into the hospital’s menu of treatment options, but for about six months now, Dr. Freda Dreher has been inserting sterile needles not much thicker than a human hair into a few people looking for pain relief.

“So I will start with a needle right at the shoulder that’s been painful,” she said to Carol Hitchcock, Executive Assistant to the hospital Director.
Hitchcock is a veteran who has served in Afghanistan, but her excruciating shoulder injury resulted from a motorcycle accident many years ago.

“It just hurt so bad that I couldn’t do anything, and I tend to be pretty tolerant, but I couldn’t tolerate it any more,” Hitchcock recalled.

But she didn’t want to take powerful, potentially addicting pain killers either, especially since there is so much concern about opioids. So about once a month - it used to be once a week - she comes into this examining room and sits or lies down on a table to get non-medicinal relief.

After Dr. Dreher inserted about a half dozen micro-thin needles into her arm, the patient looked and sounded more relaxed.

“I sleep, which I hadn’t done for a number of years,” Hitchcock said. “I can actually sleep now because of this. The pain is not there. I guess it’s cyclical, right? So I feel better, so I am healthier, so I sleep better and my weight is under control now, so everything just aligns."
Sometimes, Hitchcock said, the pain disappears instantly. Other times, as on this day, it slowly wanes through the day.

“So right this second, I don’t feel any different, but the whole health approach is amazing. Changed my life,” Hitchcock said.

The VA is also trying to change lives and reduce opioid dependence with other techniques. Therapists say aquatic physical therapy is bringing results.

So is yoga.

In a large conference room, three Vietnam-era veterans sat cross-legged on rubber mats as instructor Brianna Renner—a former Marine--lead them through assorted poses.

“So welcome everybody, we’ll start by finding a comfortable seated position. Any there any areas you guys want to work on today?” Renner asked them.

“Body and mind,” came a voice from the back.

“Body and mind - that narrows it down,” Renner chuckled.

Collectively, these men have been suffering from back injuries and surgeries, depression, and arthritis. Some are taking prescribed pain pills but they would like to take fewer - or none.
Those are laudable goals, says Julie Franklin, an anesthesiologist who practices pain management at the VA Hospital.

 

A 2012 article in the Journal of American Medicine concludes that veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health diagnoses, including PTSD, were especially likely to receive opioids for pain, even though that population is also at the highest risk for abusing those drugs.

“Patients who are addicted or who have problematic opioid use need to be helped to reduce or come off medication that actually may be providing more harm than good for that patient,” Franklin said.
A 2012 article in the Journal of American Medicine concludes that veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health diagnoses, including PTSD, were especially likely to receive opioids for pain, even though that population is also at the highest risk for abusing those drugs.

At the VA Hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock medical residents are observing the alternative therapies for possible use with civilians. They say no one sees acupuncture or yoga as overnight solutions, but they would like to see more patients give them a try.

Those who do will be tracked, so that the Hospital can determine whether alternative methods do a similar job as prescription medicines.

Read more on Eagle Acupuncture's website!

Acupuncture Helping Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The movie "The Hurt Locker," which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2008, helped portray what our veterans are being exposed to during wartime. It's easy to see, through the lens of a camera, why we see traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurring at such high rates. TBI is defined as a non-degenerative, non-congenital insult to the brain from an external mechanical force, leading to possible concussion, skull fractures, internal hemorrhage, or other internal injuries. This may result in permanent or temporary impairment of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functions, with an associated diminished or altered state of consciousness.

Tony Burris, L.Ac., of  Eagle Acupuncture, treats veterans for multiple conditions

Veterans are at high-risk for TBI, and blast-related concussions because of the frequent exposure to improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers, land mines, mortar rounds, and rocket-propelled grenades. These types of injuries account for upwards of 65 percent of combat injuries, and of these, 60 percent of theses vets have symptoms of TBI. Symptoms can be mild to severe. Mild symptoms include headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, lack of concentration, irritability, sleep problems, balance issues, and ringing in the ears. More severe symptoms include being easily confused, forgetful, and troubled with constant and intense headaches. Difficulty with speech and difficulty with decision making are also common symptoms that require ongoing rehabilitation. Many of these symptoms are debilitating.

Too often, these returning veterans are unemployable, and unable to attend school for re-training. This presents a tough challenge for a young veteran who has his or her whole life ahead of them upon returning. Medical treatment often consists of rehabilitation, mental health counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and group therapy. Patients can be on a long list of medications to treat the various symptoms. Common medications are antidepressant, sleep aides, migraine medications, anti-seizure medications, and narcotics.

At the George E. Whalen Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in Salt Lake City, Utah, acupuncture is being used to provide some relief to these patients. Acupuncture has become one component of the Integrative Medicine program being offered, under the umbrella of Holistic Medicine. Patients are seen on an outpatient basis, where they are being treated for a variety of health issues, including, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. With the use of even a few basic points, patients are reporting a decrease in the intensity of their headaches, better sleep, and an ability to cope on a daily basis.

One patient ("Jim") came to the acupuncture clinic for treatment of severe headaches and sleeplessness. Jim, a 27-year-old Iraq war vet, got caught in crossfire in 2003. A bullet entered his helmet, but did not penetrate his skull. The blast resulted in a blood clot located in the parietal area of his brain. For the first year, Jim's words were slurred and his concentration and short-term memory adversely affected. He reports developing severe, debilitating headaches, which he describes "helmet-like." He's haunted by nightmares. This combination causes him to lose a lot of time at work, which results in some depression and worry over financial issues. After staff worked with Jim over several weeks, he began to respond, reporting a decrease in his headaches, better sleep, relaxation, and an ability to cope better with his chronic pain. He was also taught to use several of the points while at home, and finds this helpful in diminishing his headaches before they get too severe.

Acupuncture will not be able to provide a cure for Veterans with TBI, but it will give them some relief when used in conjunction with other medical treatments.

SOURCE: George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs, Salt Lake City, UT