First of all, we have to separate our Western compunction for immediate results against the better course of addressing the multitude of issues that have lead to our current state of deterioration.  That’s right, I’m saying that our bodies, our hair, our face and our sexual organs are responding to numerous affronts that are presenting themselves in these symptoms.

The question today is, whether we can incorporate alternative medicines as a means to alleviate these symptoms.  The short answer is – Yes!  The long answer is, it takes study.

The human body responds to many forces.  Things like stress can deplete our energy, put strain upon our heart or, at the very least, lead to ulcers.  Prior to these major events occurring, however, our bodies provide indications that “not all is going well.”

Stress has been labeled the culprit responsible for everything from hair loss to hypertension, heart disease, and loss of libido.  There is actually supporting documentation from medical professionals for each of these events!

What are we to think?  That the medical profession is in a conspiracy to get us to succumb to additional medical treatments?  How about we relax for a minute and look at the facts.

A body in stress tenses.  Tensed muscles create an additional need for glucose or glycogen – the sugars that provide energy for muscle contraction and release.  Sugar that is used to energize tensed muscles is no longer available for use in other body functions such as artery contraction.  Wow!  Converted sugars, then, are assigned to perform myriads of bodily tasks.  When they become unavailable those organs do not perform well. 

Ever feel like you lacked mental energy – that your mind felt muddled? Chances are, important chemicals are not reaching your brain.  Have you ever experienced the feeling of tiredness after eating a meal?  Oftentimes that is because your body is busy sending converted food chemicals to body organs that are crying out for assistance.  Your body is going to protect life first.  It will therefore attempt to send operational assistance to your internal organs, first.  Even then however, it can become diverted. If you muscles are tensed, it has to respond! At this point, your body has a limited amount of energy to spend, according to what you have provided it.  In the Western World, when our bodies send this signal, we push through the temporary lassitude, drink something caffeinated and cause further distress to our over-taxed system that now has to make a chemical adjustment.  It is no wonder there is nothing left with which to rejuvenate hair, make our skin glow or give us abounding energy

Alternative medicines, including Traditional Chinese Medicine , can tell a lot about what is going on inside your body by observing the condition of your skin tone, your face color and your body posture.  By the time you seek help, your body is usually in crisis.  At that point, they have to address the most pressing issues in order to stabilize your system. The same would be true if you were in a medical physician’s office.  They too would be taking emergency measures to stabilize you.  At this point, your body’s adrenal system may be taxed from attempting to rid your body of toxins that your liver, skin and/or kidneys can no longer respond to, because they are so over-worked.  Thus, an alternative medicine practitioner’s choice of an herbal remedy to ward off the crisis is not  going to be the herb that can help address hair loss.  It will be the one that prevents your liver or other internal organs from failing!

Ever since we in the Western World realized that alternative medicines had tapped into nature’s capacity to heal naturally, we have been attempting to self-medicate with herbs that treat our most annoying symptoms, or that will make us cosmetically more appealing.  Sadly, we have not studied well enough to realize that most alternative medicinal practices are based on solid research that, when applied as intended, can address the whole person and thus help us build health, layer upon layer.

When you realize that the body completely rebuilds tissues, bone and cell structure every seven years, you begin to appreciate the opportunity this truly provides. That’s a great gift! With the assistance of educated practitioners in Traditional Chinese Medicine, holistic medicine and other soundly-based alternative approaches that, when applied correctly, can help us understand and appreciate the workings of our body, mind and spirit, we could soon be on the road to the kind of healing that will last a lifetime. 

It is time we took the opportunity to find out why some have dedicated their entire lives to these methodologies, and to appreciate the knowledge they so freely offer to share.  If we followed their instruction, more than just libido and hair loss might be alleviated.  Mental clarity and an abundance of energy might follow, as well.

This simplified synopsis cannot begin to address the subtle interactions at play.  But by examining one aspect of these techniques, that of reading faces, we might begin to understand. 

I’m sure you have heard the comment…  “Lines of worry are showing on her face.”

To a Chinese practitioner, those lines are a roadmap.  Our faces, it turns out, contain regions that can actually alert us to current or compiling afflictions within our body/mind/spirit.

The five Chinese elements, (fire, earth, water, metal and wood), correspond to different organs in our body.  The organs are associated with emotional indicators. Thus, the five regions in our face direct us toward clues that can alert us to current or impending issues.

The forehead region represents the fire element.  Strongly affiliated with the mind and spirit – its bodily manifestation naturally lies within the heart and small intestines.  But understanding this correlation is not enough.  There are things to watch for.  For example, if your forehead changes to a bright red and you can see the small blood vessels more prominently than normal, something is going on with either your physical or emotional heart.  Have you recently weathered a highly-charged emotional event?  If so, it is time to treat yourself with kindness and let the healing process begin.  If you have been feeling a bit weak while your forehead is communicating these symptoms, it may be time to have your heart checked.  In either case, your heart is the organ that is responding to these two corresponding pathways, so addressing both your emotions and maintaining a heart-healthy diet would be advisable. 

Another tell-tale sign is a furrowing between your eyebrows.  These occur most often when events in your life have caused you constant worry or stress.  Practice letting  go of repetitive negative thoughts.  If their intrusion is overwhelming, watch for a subtle bluish-green hue on your forehead.  If the discoloration is accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat or any of the other well-known symptoms of a heart attack, seek medical help immediately.

Our nose knows a lot about us as well.  It is an earth element.  It is the body’s clarifier. It resides between what the earth offers us and what our body gives back to the earth.  Its purpose is to balance yin and yang.  Besides becoming clogged when overloaded in its attempt to maintain this balance, it is connected to the stomach, spleen and pancreas network.

Our nose knows therefore, when we are experiencing internal discord.  We may get a simple pimple on the tip or side of our nose.  This responsive organ is telling on us.  Did we eat something too rich, too greasy or too spicy the previous day?  Did we hold back our emotions?  In either event, we may soon suffer indigestion, constipation, diarrhea or other stomach discomforts.

If we suffer excessive worry or use alcohol or other toxic substances in excess, broken capillaries and redness across the bridge of the nose may occur.  Untreated, we may soon be the victim of stomach ulcers.  Our nose is telling us to seek other ways of de-stressing.

Keeping our chin up may actually be good advice.  Our chin represents the water element and is directly associated with kidneys, bladder and the hormonal system.  Did you know that if you constantly tuck in your chin it may indicate you are allowing another to dominate you?  In the case of acquiescing to someone that we know and trust, we are devising for them a humble elevation.  In the case of having to accept unfair remarks by others, tilting the chin and/or irregular physical appearances on the chin may manifest because we have become too timid to act.  Discoloration around the chin, accompanied by blemishes may attest to kidney or bladder problems.  Recurrent blemishes may be indicative of a hormonal imbalance.  The area just above the lips, the indentation called the philtrum, relates to the reproductive organs in both men and women.  If horizontal lines, blemishes and discoloration occur in this area, it may be best to have these internal organs checked.

The fourth region on the face is the right cheek. This zone is linked to the element metal and its corresponding body parts are the lung and large intestine.  A healthy-colored right cheek person is someone who is happy in social situations.  They do not lose their identity in the face of other, stronger personalities.  When we shield ourselves emotionally from social situations, we shut down our metal. It is as if we are constantly holding our breath. If our lungs and intestinal network are presenting signs of illness, we may see discoloration, blemishes, eczema or patchiness in this area. 

Oftentimes people who suffer from allergies or asthma will show either flushing or eczema on their right cheek prior to an attack.  During an attack, this area of the face may present a rash or change color toward a blue-green hue – and indication that the lungs are not receiving enough oxygen.

Our left cheek is associated with wood.  The emotions associated with this element are affected by how well we maintain balance in our daily life.  Pent-up anger may occur if we don’t assess the day’s issues and work toward resolution.  The internal organs correlating to wood are those within the liver and gallbladder network.  The liver is one of the body’s most formidable detoxifiers. The presence of toxins in the liver shows up as broken capillaries on the left cheek, extending to the bridge of the nose.  Redness on this side of the face can indicate heat, and would suggest that this organ is inflamed or septic.  Bulging veins, redness and rash can denote high blood pressure, or co-existing pent-up anger or depression.

What does this knowledge mean to you?  In Western Society it means that we can learn from the observations of this age-old medicine.  Then, we can consult with those who know the rest of the story, Chinese practitioners who have studied extensively issues such as whether and over-abundance or depletion of energy is affecting  us.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine they liken this situation to the story of a plant…a plant will die if it gets too much water.  It will die if it does not get enough.  It will burn if it gets too much light, and wilt if it does not get enough.  Learning these correlations takes dedication.  In the meantime, they share this knowledge with us in order that we might learn to protect ourselves in whatever way we currently comprehend.

Face Reading in Chinese Medicine

Mian Xiang Discover Face Reading- Your Guide to the Art of Chinese Face Reading

Although there are women who are physiologically or genetically incapable of childbirth, almost all women experience some period of infertility during their reproductive years. And for some, this infertile period may last a long time.

Fortunately, improvements in medical technology have allowed experts to thwart this all too natural trend. Infertility clinics are sprouting like mushrooms these days. The vast majority of these clinics recommend aggressive surgical, chemical and technological intervention to treat infertility.

But there is also a better, non-invasive way to deal with infertility. Jill Blakeway, a licensed Acupuncturist and Board Certified Herbalist, with a specialty in acupuncture infertility, has formulated natural ways to treat infertility in her latest book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility.

Making Babies discusses a novel three-month program that will help couples, especially women, condition their body for conceiving naturally. It is very informative in that it covers eye-opening facts about human reproduction, lifestyle factors that may increase or decrease fertility, and proper nutrition to enhance fertility.

The book is unique from other fertility guides because it not only educates the reader, but also aims to engage them to be interactive. Based on Chinese medicine categories, Jill comes up with five types of fertility in the book: Tired, Dry, Stuck, Pale, and Waterlogged. Readers can take a quiz to determine what their fertility type is—whether specific or combined—and scan following pages to discover possible reasons for their infertility, tailor-made lifestyle choices that optimize fertility, and other efficacious fertility strategies, like acupuncture .

Ridiculed in Western medicine for many decades, many experts are now recognizing the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating various ailments. Recently, scientific evidence that acupuncture can effectively relieve pain and depression has been demonstrated by separate studies conducted by British and American doctors.

But how does acupuncture work for infertility patients? It has been shown that acupuncture benefits women with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and chronic anovulation, two of the main causes of infertility among women. It promotes blood circulation in the pelvic cavity and enhances ovarian function. Acupuncture treatment has also been observed to promote factors essential for fertility, such as increase follicle production, uterine blood flow, and improve uterine lining thickness.

Get a copy of Making Babies now and learn more about Jill Blakeway’s natural techniques to treat infertility.

Jill Blakeway is founder and directory of Yinova, which is a New York acupuncture center specializing in fertility disorders.

Chinese physicians incorporated Western Medicine into their society early in the 20^th Century.  For a period of time, it appeared they would adopt the Western approach without concerning themselves with whether the knowledge they had preserved through so many generations was viable. Thank goodness they later ascertained its role. Just as Western Medicine has recently learned to assess the correlation between illness and things like stress factors, so too had the ancients of China. Thankfully, a dialogue has begun. Chinese medical students are now offered courses in both Western and Traditional medicine.

In Western Medicine, psychological conditions that interfered with a person’s life have always been addressed. But until recently, when it came to treating medical issues, physicians were called upon to assist. Western doctors have now begun to accept the premise that stress, emotional turmoil, and depression can affect a person’s physical health. 


The whole-person approach has always been at the crux of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The term illness in Chinese Medicine has as much to do with the term ill at ease as it does physical manifestations of discomfort. Their use of acupuncture and herbal treatments are applicable to this science in several ways. First, by applying negative and positive connotations to all the things that bombard us, both spiritually and physically, one can determine whether a person is too cold or too hot.  Herbs that address these conditions can be administered in order to gain a foothold on the most pressing issues. (Later, herbs that heal internal organs are also prescribed). In Chinese medicine it is believed that opposing forces have found pathways though the body that causes discomfort. By using acupuncture techniques, they can block this progression and thereby alleviate symptoms. But they don’t stop treatment when the symptoms desist.

There is a correlation, the Chinese practitioners believe, between our internal organs and our emotional life.  They have found a way to identify these factors by incorporating their knowledge of the five elements of the earth.  Namely, earth, fire, water, metal and wood. 

Earth is an element that takes and gives in constant succession. It represents the balance we maintain in life between taking and giving. Its physical manifestation is the nose which is connected both spiritually and physically to the spleen, pancreas and stomach. Our nose becomes clogged when we over-do any substance. At that point, it cannot maintain the balance between what we put into our body and what we give back to the air and earth. People who hold things inside develop ulcers. Thus, the analogy.

Fire is a strong emotion and is related to the heart and small intestines. Likewise, in emotional terms, it indicates matters of the heart and spirit. A heart that is clogged with too much fat or too little oxygen cannot perform well. Neither can our emotional hearts, if they are prone to high ideals without the substance of living well among one another. 

The water element physically represents the bladder and kidneys. It also represents our tendency to need tears. But we will succumb to depression if we allow ourselves too many tears without moving forward and creating positive interactions. 

The metal element is interesting. A well-balanced person will interact well socially, in spite of the bombardment of stronger personalities. So too, will their lungs and large intestine function well, because they are not constantly holding their breath or clogging up their digestive system by holding back their contribution. 

Finally, wood. Wood is associated with the liver, the body’s greatest detoxifier. Spiritually, if we allow ourselves to accept negative commentary as absolute truth, we are incorporating toxins that destroy us both physically and mentally, and we become ill at ease with the world.

Although this dissertation provides a basic outline to the concepts apparent in Chinese Medicine, it cannot, in so short a space, build a picture of the delicate diagnostic tools that can weed out a person’s tendency to process certain types of emotions in multiple ways. Nor can it address the appreciation the Chinese Medical field holds for the Western medical approach. They admire the Western world for having so clearly defined the mechanisms of bacterial and viral forces that assail our bodies. They acquiesce that some of the Western World’s methodologies alleviate symptoms in a manner that is quick and certain. What they encourage, however, is that we incorporate into our view the possibility that some of these assaults would be less affrontive to our physical well-being if we would incorporate the philosophy of concerning ourselves with all aspects of a person’s well-being.

In Chinese Medicine, Winter is the season of the Kidney organ. The Kidneys house the root of our energy – the energetic fire that activates all our body’s functions. The cold weather drives this “fire” deeply inward, where the body can conserve this energy so it is important to protect ourselves from cold. Make sure to protect the lower back area where the Kidneys are located. Wear lots of layers- a scarf, hat, and gloves. Protect yourself from the wind, especially wind hitting the back of your neck and your lower back.

The foods to eat are the ones that naturally grow in the Winter. Squashes, root vegetables, winter greens, mushrooms, apples, pears and citrus fruits. Foods harvested in the fall and dried for the winter include nuts, beans and grains. Fermented vegetables are a naturally preserved food that are wonderful to add beneficial enzymes and healthy bacteria to our diet. In the Winter our body needs warm foods- so soups made from vegetables and rich stocks made from animal bones are nourishing in this season. Drink warm herbal teas throughout the day to keep warm. As for cooking methods, it is best to bake, roast, stew and slow-cook foods in the Winter. Warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom are delicious to add to recipes. In Traditional Chinese Medicine we don’t recommend very hot spicy food in the Winter because these foods create sweating, which is actually a cooling process. However, a small pinch of hot spice helps increase circulation, which is beneficial. So, add a small amount of pepper and other flavorful spices for taste, but avoid lots of hot spices.

Specific foods to nourish and warm the Kidneys include black beans, kidney beans, bone broths, lamb, chicken, walnuts, chestnuts, black sesame seeds and dark leafy greens. A small amount of unrefined sea salt added to home-cooked foods is also helpful since the taste associated with the Kidney organ is “salty.” Choose Celtic sea salt, french fleur de sel, and himalayan salt which contain beneficial minerals. Seaweeds also provide a salty quality when cooked in soups, grains and beans. Remember that we are always looking for balance. If we eat overly salty, high sodium foods from packaged, canned and restaurant foods, we will damage the kidneys from excess salt. So, we need to maintain moderation.

In the Winter it is healthiest to consume very little raw foods and definitely avoid cold temperature foods. The Winter is not the time for smoothies with frozen fruit and ice or for cold milk with cereal in the morning. Instead, eat warm grain porridges, eggs when available, toasted bread, and even warm soups. Iced foods and drinks are best avoided. Instead of cold, raw salads make delicious cooked salads with greens, roasted vegetables, and a flavorful dressing. My personal favorite is a salad of roasted kabocha squash slices on a bed of sauteed dino kale. I eat this warm topped with a homemade lemony tahini dressing. Instead of sugary cold ice cream for dessert, I suggest baked apples and pears with cinnamon. You can add a drizzle of raw honey if you need some more sweetness.

Satisfy Winter cravings for fats by eating healthy fats instead of fried and packaged/processed foods. Eat fattier cuts of meat from local, grass-fed animals which contain a healthier balance of Omega 3 fats than grain-fed animals. Add whole fat organic coconut milk to soups, stews and curries. Organic butter, ghee, olive oil, and coconut oil are stable fats to include in the diet. Ghee is clarified butter which is made by gently heating butter to separate protein solids from fat. This process removes the lactose and casein and leaves just butter fat, so it works well for most dairy-sensitive individuals. Ghee is a healing food in Ayurvedic medicine and is wonderful to cook with and add to recipes. Make sure your butter and ghee are from cows that have been grass-fed in order for these fats to be healthful. To help digest fats, eat sauerkraut (eat this at room temperature instead of straight from the refrigerator) or other fermented vegetable with your food. Bitter leafy greens also help in the digestion of these heavier foods.

Winter is a time to slow down in all aspects of life. It is healthy to respect our need for more sleep. “Early to bed and late to rise” is the key to Winter. Winter is a time for introspection and planning, but not thinking too much. It’s a time to replenish our reserves through rest. Spring is the time for new ideas and manifesting our ideas into action. Winter is a time for staying home and resting- a time for our social life to be less active. It is recommended for physical activity to be less strenuous and intense. If you enjoy outdoor physical activity, wear layers, and protect yourself from the cold air. In Chinese Medicine, we always think about balance. If we stop moving completely, we can cause stagnation in which our energy doesn’t move properly. To prevent stagnation, we need to maintain balance. Social connections, activity and exercise are still important. If you are feeling overly tired and unmotivated, I suggest scheduling a Chinese Medicine consultation and acupuncture treatment to help move stagnant energy.

In order to experience the lively, dynamic energy of the spring (the time of re-birth), it is important for our bodies to slow down and experience our roots in winter (the metaphorical death). When we are in harmony with the seasons, we are naturally healthier.

Verbiage is the single largest hurdle to overcome when trying to get people to accept acupuncture. What makes acupuncture difficult for Western minds to understand is that it is full of Chinese folklore and language.

The term for the vital energy/force that moves throughout the body is Qi (pronounced Chi). Historically, in fact, Soulie de Morant, a Frenchman, who was the first person to translate Qi as energy actually mistranslated the term. He over simplified the Chinese understanding and application for the body and how it works as well as meaning of the word. It turned out to be way more complicated than that. The phenomena that infuses life and movement into beings is referred to as Qi. This refers to a life force, but that is also misleading, since Qi, in various different contexts, can mean various different things.

Chinese medicine, for example, identifies particular types of Qi, which then refer to very specific phenomenon in the body or the environment. Qi is not simply one thing. What Qi describes is really quite ordinary. Everyone has and feels Qi. Have you ever felt pain or pleasure? Sad or Happy? Cold or Hot? This is experiencing the Qi in your environment and body. Qi contains this general meaning as well as more exact meanings for specific types of Qi. Qing Qi, for example, refers to the clean fresh air that the lungs inhale and is then transferred by the blood, oxygen being the clear reference. Shui Gu Zhi Qi, translates literally into water and grain Qi, or the Qi that is contained in food and drink, which is the essence of what is extracted by the spleen and stomach, is distributed by the blood, and nourishes the various tissues of the body. Wei Qi, translates to Defensive Qi, which serves to protect the body from pathogens which are external. This is the Qi of the immune system.

If you take every acupuncture point and dissect it to its component in the nervous system, you can trace the route the stimulus takes. The acupuncture needles stimulate the nervous system either directly by tapping a nerve or directly by causing a local reaction that stimulates the nerve. The nerves translate that information to the higher centers in the higher and lower centers of the brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots. The brain and higher centers process the information and then send out restorative signals that return us to normalcy. What we don’t understand is exactly how the brain translates that information to bring about the correction. If, for example, you have a colic where you have a lack of intestinal mobility, needles can be inserted at points # 21, 22…27 and track any or all points that affect the intestinal tract. That information goes to the brain and the brain sends signals to speed up the intestines. Problem solved.

The opposite is also true. If the intestinal tract is moving too fast, needles can be inserted at identical points which will result in the brain transmitting the information which causes the intestinal tract to slow down. Acupuncture is also very effective at reducing pain. There isn’t much available in the way of pain medication for horses. We expect horses to perform and most horses are agreeable and willing to perform, even to the point of performing while feeling discomfort. An effective and safe way to alleviate this discomfort it with acupuncture. It is safer for the rider and the horse and will improve the horse’s longevity. Also, It has no harmful side effects. There is a relationship between pain relief and muscle physiology. If, for example, you have a hurt joint, you will still try to use it as best you can, but you will compensate by putting more weight on the sound joint. Over time, you will under develop the sore joint, over develop the sound joint, and become out of balance as a result.

Acupuncture restores the body’s balance by relieving the pain. Acupuncture should preserve the length of the horse’s performance life and make him/her happier. Everyone uses horses for purposes for which they are not built. We ask them to do things they may not be anatomically designed to do. So, as a result, we inadvertently cause some of the damage. Much of that damage can be overcome through the use of acupuncture which decreases pain, increases joint flexibility, improves muscle function, and facilitates overall movement. Before inserting the needles, a diagnostic check of the horse’s body should be run to see where there are tender or sore areas are. Using a smooth dowel or a pen diagnostic lines should be traced along the horse that pick up the positive acupuncture points and muscle trigger points. By the way, the insertion of the acupuncture needles is quite literally painless for those who are squeamish about needles.

If you watch the procedure while it is being done on a horse who has sore muscles, you will witness a transformation from tenseness and flinching from touch, to a relaxed state of seeming pleasure. Two types of needles are generally used, neither of which penetrates the body further than 1 to 1 1/2 centimeters. Silicon coated needles are used on the back and stainless needles on other parts of the body. The first three needles are inserted in the relaxation channel, which is located on the front of the shoulder. These are one gall bladder point and two large intestine points.The pins go in until it feels like the body grabs the needle. When you feel the collagen grab hold of the needle you stop inserting the needle. Usually, the needles stay in up to 25 minutes. The Chinese say it takes about 20 minutes for Qi to make one revolution in the body. For horses who don’t accept it so well, the needles can be removed after about 10 minutes.

Other horses will stand for hours with the needles in. Acupuncture is not a replacement therapy for other kinds of medicine, but rather an augmenter and works in times when traditional medicine fails. The ultimate goal is for acupuncture to become recognized as a medical specialty that can be practiced with a consistent approach.

The American Cancer Society marks the 34th Great American Smokeout on November 19 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk and increasing life span.

“We want to show our support for the Smokeout by offering free treatments to anyone wishing to quit smoking”, says Lars Nielsen, L.Ac., co-founder of Harmony Community Wellness Center. “We believe that it’s important to be a part of grass roots movements in our community like this.”

For those who want to quit smoking, acupuncture directed to selected points in the body may help curb the desire to smoke, according to a report in the journal Preventive Medicine (Vol. 33: 364-372). Acupuncture treatments are included as one of the alternative therapies recommended by the American Cancer Society for helping people to kick the habit.

Mark Twain said, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.”

Why is quitting and staying quit hard for so many people? Several different factors can affect how long it takes the body to remove nicotine and its by-products. In general, a regular smoker will have nicotine or its by-products, such as cotinine, in the body for about 3 to 4 days after stopping. A wide range of withdrawal symptoms can occur following smoking cessation, usually lasting 3 to 7 days, but may linger for weeks.

“Acupuncture works best when treatments are frequent and regular”, says Lars Nielsen, L.Ac. “Treatment effects are cumulative and acupuncture for smoking cessation is no different. Daily treatments for the first few days following cessation are recommended to reduce cravings and manage withdrawal symptoms. Acupuncture may help reduce cravings for nicotine and reduce the associated withdrawal symptoms that occur during this period.”

Research shows that people who stop smoking before age 50 can cut their risk of dying in the next 15 years in half compared with those who continue to smoke. Smokers who quit also reduce their risk of lung cancer – ten years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s. Some of the health effects of quitting are almost instant, too – heart rate and blood pressure drop 20 minutes after quitting. 1

The Great American Smokeout Web site (www.cancer.org/GreatAmericans) contains user-friendly tips and tools towards a smoke-free life.

Important facts about tobacco use: 2

- Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S.

- Cigarette smoking accounts for about 443,000 premature deaths – including 49,400 in nonsmokers.

- Thirty percent of cancer deaths, including 87 percent of lung cancer deaths, can be attributed to tobacco.

- Smoking also accounts for $193 billion in health care expenditures and productivity losses.

- Great progress is being made in reducing tobacco use in the U.S., with adult smoking rates in 2007 declining among all adults to 19.8 percent.

1 Taylor DH et al., Benefits of smoking cessation for longevity. American Journal of Public Health 92:990-996 (2002)

2 American Cancer Society -http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/greatamericans/Smokeout.asp

About Harmony Community Wellness Center:

Harmony Community Wellness Center (HCWC) was founded by a husband and wife team, Lars Nielsen, L.Ac., Dipl O.M., and Maki Tanaka Nielsen, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., with the mission to provide affordable care for the health of our community. We believe that acupuncture is a great, low cost alternative modality that can help many achieve wellness. HCWC also provides massage and a number of wellness classes, including yoga, tai chi and qigong. Additional information is found on our web site at http://www.hcwcenter.com.

About the American Cancer Society :

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, about 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Contact information:
Harmony Community Wellness Center
229 S Juniper Street
Escondido, CA 92025
760-294-1356
760-294-3159 Fax
http:/www.hcwcenter.com
info@hcwcenter.com
for Lars Nielsen, email is lars@hcwcenter.com

Acupuncture is widely acclaimed for relieving pain. However, many people would rather endure the crushing pain of migraine headaches than face their fear of needles. Nicholas C. Steadman, L.Ac., who practices acupuncture in New York City, claims to have erased that barrier with the use of cold laser acupuncture.

“Regular acupuncture is virtually painless, but there is still a needle,” Steadman, who uses it on his patients with pain and anxiety, said of the new method. “But with laser acupuncture, the patient doesn’t feel a thing.” 

Cold laser, or low-level laser, is a promising new technology already widely used by elite athletic teams and militaries such as the US Olympic team and the British Army for pain relief and accelerated healing of muscle injuries.  In 2002 the FDA approved a cold laser device for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, and there are currently several companies cleared by the FDA to market cold lasers in the US for the treatment of pain and muscle spasm. 

Does cold laser really stimulate acupuncture points?

Austrian and German scientists, reporting in the journal Medical Acupuncture asked this question, using fMRI on 231 healthy volunteers to compare the cerebral effects of both forms of acupuncture. Almost identical brain stimulation patterns and physiological responses were observed for both needle and laser acupuncture for the points tested. 

Has laser acupuncture been proven effective?

“In some ways, the evidence may be even better than for regular acupuncture,” Steadman said, “The greatest thing about cold laser acupuncture research is that the patient can’t tell if the laser is on or not, which allows for clean double-blind placebo controlled studies.”  Controlling for placebo is a notoriously difficult problem with needle acupuncture because “sham acupuncture” still involves the insertion of needles, causing physiological effects beyond mere placebo.

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial concluded that “laser acupuncture can provide a significant benefit for children with headaches with active laser treatment being clearly more effective than placebo laser treatment” -Pain, July 2008

Bottom line:  There can be gain – without pain.
SOURCE  Steadman Acupuncture

Nicholas C. Steadman, L.Ac., of Steadman Acupuncture, +1-646-509-8963, or
Info@SteadmanClinic.com

Beach Community Acupuncture (BCA), community acupuncture studio in Ocean Beach, is offering San Diegans a chance to boost up their immunity during flu season…for only $15.

Acupuncture is well-known to be preventative medicine. While not promising to “cure” any condition or disease, acupuncture balances the body to help strengthen its resistance to pathogenic factors.

There have been many scientific studies that bear out acupuncture’s effectiveness in raising immunity. In a recent Japanese study, for example, researchers tested subjects’ blood before and after acupuncture. They measured different types of immunity cells, including T-cells, B-cells, macrophages and Natural killer (NK) cells, and they found a statistically significant increase in these cells after acupuncture. The researchers concluded that “…acupuncture may regulate the immune system and promote the activities of humoral and cellular immunity as well as NK cell activity.”1

Influenza is a highly contagious upper respiratory viral infection. According to MedLine Plus, tens of millions of people in the United States get the flu each year. Thousands of these people become sick enough to require hospitalization and, “about 36,000 people die each year from complications of the flu.”

Beach Community Acupuncture (BCA) is trying to help prevent people from getting sick. For the month of October, BCA if offering people $15 acupuncture treatments to boost immunity.

For those just getting sick, BCA’s owner and licensed acupuncturist Nicole Murray says, “It’s always better to try to balance the body to try to ward off illness. But if you are getting sick, come in for acupuncture right away. Acupuncture, and Chinese medicine, are proven to both shorten the duration and reduce the severity of illness.”

At BCA, located a block from the Ocean Beach pier, patients receive treatment in comfortable recliners. The regular fee for an acupuncture treatment is $20 (there is a one-time additional paperwork charge of $10 at the first visit). Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome.

BCA is one of a growing number of community acupuncture clinics in the country. People are treated in an open area, rather than in private treatment rooms.

“The community acupuncture movement is gaining momentum nationwide,” says Murray. “This business model is rooted in a value system that puts community first. We want as many people as possible to have access to this very effective form of health care.” She also says, “Many of us don’t have insurance. Many of us are not wealthy enough to pay for health care out-of-pocket. Yet we don’t have low enough income to qualify for state support. Low cost health clinics are designed to address this catch-22.”

Acupuncture is proven effective to treat pain, addictions, stress, anxiety, and much more, according to the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health. “Acupuncture works. It is usually prescribed as a course of treatment, for example, twice a week for a month,” says Murray. “People should be able to access acupuncture, if they want it. Often, if they need it.”

Nicole Murray, L.Ac. is licensed by the California Acupuncture Board. She and her family live in Ocean Beach.

For more information: http://www.beachcommunityacupuncture.com

1 Yamaguchi, N., et al. Acupuncture Regulates Leukocyte Subpopulations in Human Peripheral Blood. Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2007 Dec;4(4):447-453.

Contact:
Nicole Murray
info@beachcommunityacupuncture.com
619-488-5515 (w); 619-788-1460 (cell)

According to the study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology pregnant women who had pressure needles held with tape at three acupuncture points in their ears for one week are less likely to experience lower back and pelvic pain.

While the pain-free phase was confined to one or two weeks, these women reported an improved ability to function following the treatment course.

Temporary tenderness in the ear area was the only side effect reported in these women.

Scientists are optimistic that their findings will lead to the development of more sustained pain relief strategies in pregnant women in the near future.