China has been using herbs to treat diseases for thousands of years. While there are many current studies that show the benefits of using Chinese herbs and acupuncture, it is hard to argue with thousands of years of trial and error. Many of the formulas that we turn to today are still the original ones that were used in ancient times. The use of multiple herbs comprise a formula. The formulas are developed to treat diseases by treating the whole pattern. It is very rare that a single herb is recommended by itself. The reason for this is to prevent any single herb from "over doing it". For example: you are phlegmy and you want the phlegm to go away, but you do not want to become dried out. There may be three herbs in a formula that focus on phlegm but one or two that are going to prevent you from becoming too dried out as a balance to the primary function of the formula.
Chinese herbs are all natural and are essentially berries, roots, twigs, nuts, and seeds. The herbs help to enhance the effects of the acupuncture treatment. They also treat the presentation on a deeper level, and often help a person to heal faster. Herbs/ formulas can be taken in the form of raw (which have to be cooked then the strained liquid drank), granules (powdered herbs dissolved in warm water and drank), pills, or tinctures (herbs steeped in wine or alcohol).
Many patients often ask why they must take so many pills. In order to receive the highest therapeutic effect from the pills you must take the equivalent amount to that of a raw formula. So, that means that you are often taking 12+ pills a day in order to achieve an effective dosage. The reason for this is because raw herbs are the most potent followed by granules and tinctures, then pills. The pills that we carry are 10:1 or 5:1 in ratio, which equates to a higher dose of pills. Recently, people began to believe that all ingestable therapeutics are supposed to taste pleasant. However, this just isn't the case. Depending on the formula, raw herbs and granules can taste somewhat bitter. Pills are often less expensive and don't taste nearly as bad. The down side to taking pills (besides taking so many) is that there are just some things that only a raw or granule formula can have an effect on. We will soon be carrying granules in our pharmacy for better efficacy and to eliminate high pill doses.
Another common question is, "Are herbs safe to be taking with my already prescribed medications?". Chinese herbs have been around for a long time. When a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, that has been well taught in Chinese Herbs, recommends a formula to someone we generally know what kind of reaction to look for and are already three steps ahead on how to prevent it if it does happen. We are trained in what reactions to look for with each individual formula, as well as education on conventional medications. You should not have adverse reactions on any formula. If you do, it means that it is not the right formula for you, or that it needs to be adjusted to your needs. When taking formulas in combination with your other medications be sure to take them two hours prior or two hours after your medication dose in order to avoid potential herb-drug reactions. This is done for precautionary measures. Unfortunately, there are not many studies out there that show herb vs. drug interactions. However, because we know what our formulas do, and because we are treating underlying conditions, we can take into account what your medications do and build a formula around your current medications. The benefits of taking formulas while on medications is that often times the patient is able to eliminate or decrease the medications that they are taking. (All dose changes of drugs are decided by you and your primary physician. NOT YOUR ACUPUNCTURIST) For those on multiple prescriptions, we will work with you and your medical practitioner to ensure the highest quality of health care.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine are thousands of years old and are still the primary medicines of China. Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete medical system for diagnosis and treatment. The individual is seen as an integrated whole. Every part, process, thought, and emotion within the individual is considered in terms of its contribution to the healthy functioning of the whole person. Each disease and disorder is not seen as an isolated event but as an outward manifestation of the whole person being out of balance.
As the weather turns cold and Chicagoans battle the fluctuating temperatures and wind, it is important to protect yourself. Stress can also have an effect on the immune system and general health.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have been shown to boost the immune system and decrease stress levels. Acupuncture is able to influence health and sickness by stimulating certain meridians or, “energy pathways” along the body. These “energy pathways” are activated using single use needles that are as thin as a hair. The goal of acupuncture is to put your body into a state that allows it to heal itself.
The fall and winter seasons are the perfect time to start treatments for your spring and summer allergies!
As the weather turns cold and Chicagoans battle the fluctuating temperatures and wind, it is important to protect yourself. Stress can also have an effect on the immune system and general health.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have been shown to boost the immune system and decrease stress levels. Acupuncture is able to influence health and sickness by stimulating certain meridians or, “energy pathways” along the body. These “energy pathways” are activated using single use needles that are as thin as a hair. The goal of acupuncture is to put your body into a state that allows it to heal itself.
The fall and winter seasons are the perfect time to start treatments for your spring and summer allergies!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Direct From The Centers for Disease Control
With seasonal flu, we know that seasons vary in terms of timing, duration and severity. Seasonal influenza can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Each year in the United States, on average 36,000 people die from flu-related complications and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related causes. Of those hospitalized, 20,000 are children younger than 5 years old. Over 90% of deaths and about 60 percent of hospitalizations occur in people older than 65.
The 2009 H1N1 flu has caused greater disease burden in people younger than 25 years of age than in older people. At this time, there are relatively fewer cases and deaths reported in people 65 years and older, which is unusual when compared with seasonal flu. However, pregnancy and other previously recognized high risk medical conditions from seasonal influenza appear to be associated with increased risk of complications from 2009 H1N1. These underlying conditions include asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, heart disease, kidney disease, neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders and pregnancy cough.
People infected with seasonal flu or the 2009 H1N1 flu shed virus may be able to infect others between1 day before getting sick and 5 to 7 days after. This can be longer in some people, especially children and people with weakened immune systems and in people infected with the new H1N1 virus.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from getting others sick.
The best prevention of spreading the virus is to cover your mouth when sneezing/coughing, throw out tissues, and wash your hands!
All information has been provided by http://www.cdc.gov.
Their site is constantly being updated, and includes further information on how to stay healthy.
The 2009 H1N1 flu has caused greater disease burden in people younger than 25 years of age than in older people. At this time, there are relatively fewer cases and deaths reported in people 65 years and older, which is unusual when compared with seasonal flu. However, pregnancy and other previously recognized high risk medical conditions from seasonal influenza appear to be associated with increased risk of complications from 2009 H1N1. These underlying conditions include asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, heart disease, kidney disease, neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders and pregnancy cough.
People infected with seasonal flu or the 2009 H1N1 flu shed virus may be able to infect others between1 day before getting sick and 5 to 7 days after. This can be longer in some people, especially children and people with weakened immune systems and in people infected with the new H1N1 virus.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from getting others sick.
The best prevention of spreading the virus is to cover your mouth when sneezing/coughing, throw out tissues, and wash your hands!
All information has been provided by http://www.cdc.gov.
Their site is constantly being updated, and includes further information on how to stay healthy.
Why Stay Sick Longer Than You Have To?
During these financially hard times, many people are worried about using their sick days. With such concerns as losing your job if you are sick too often or not getting paid because you haven’t put the time in, who can blame you for going to work sick even though you realize that you could make yourself worse, and are putting your associates at risk. So what can you do?
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help you to stay healthy, and to combat most illness that you may encounter this cold/flu season.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) does not treat the viruses that cause the common cold or the flu. TCM takes each symptom and categorizes it into different patterns. We are able to treat your symptoms effectively and efficiently. Since we are able to treat the pattern and not the disease (common cold) no two patients will be treated exactly the same.
For example, if you find that before you are sick you are constantly tired, you get sick easily, and take a long time to recover, we would treat you differently than someone that is generally healthy and suddenly comes down with fever and chills, and a phlegmy wet cough.
Both are caused by what we call an “external invasion”. Each one has an underlying pattern that needs to be treated on an individual basis. External invasions can be caused due to deficiencies, wind, cold, heat, damp, or any combination of these factors. This can make living in the “Windy City”, which can have all four seasons in one day, difficult.
By taking each symptom into consideration and treating the individual and not the disease, acupuncture and Chinese Herbs can be very effective at boosting the immune system and helping you to get better faster.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help you to stay healthy, and to combat most illness that you may encounter this cold/flu season.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) does not treat the viruses that cause the common cold or the flu. TCM takes each symptom and categorizes it into different patterns. We are able to treat your symptoms effectively and efficiently. Since we are able to treat the pattern and not the disease (common cold) no two patients will be treated exactly the same.
For example, if you find that before you are sick you are constantly tired, you get sick easily, and take a long time to recover, we would treat you differently than someone that is generally healthy and suddenly comes down with fever and chills, and a phlegmy wet cough.
Both are caused by what we call an “external invasion”. Each one has an underlying pattern that needs to be treated on an individual basis. External invasions can be caused due to deficiencies, wind, cold, heat, damp, or any combination of these factors. This can make living in the “Windy City”, which can have all four seasons in one day, difficult.
By taking each symptom into consideration and treating the individual and not the disease, acupuncture and Chinese Herbs can be very effective at boosting the immune system and helping you to get better faster.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
In Vitro Fertilization and Acupuncture
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Acupuncture
By: Teri Calandra, L.Ac & Kristine Ward, L.Ac
South Loop Acupuncture: Chicago, IL
Acupuncture has been the primary medical system in China for thousands of years. Many people are aware of the benefits of acupuncture for stress reduction, addictions, and pain management. However, most people are still in the dark about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an adjunct to woman’s health and infertility.
Traditional Chinese Medicine includes acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and Tui Na (a type of Chinese medical massage). For the purposes of IVF and TCM the most beneficial combination is acupuncture and Chinese herbs. In addition, diet and lifestyle changes may also be recommended by the TCM practitioner.
Infertility and Traditional Chinese Medicine
It is important to mention that the diagnoses of conventional pathologies (such as infertility and polycystic ovarian syndrome) are not within the scope of practice for a licensed acupuncturist. Chinese Medicine views the inability to become pregnant and sustain pregnancy as a symptom of a number of different patterns that can be treated.
The accepted statistic of infertility according to the World Health Organization is that one in seven couples has difficulty in getting pregnant. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be conducive for increasing your IVF success rates, sustaining pregnancy, decreasing aches and pains, decreasing stress, and easing labor and delivery.
Chinese Medicine is also able to help with male infertility. It is recommended to combine acupuncture and Chinese herbs to increase sex drive, and increase the quantity and viability of seminal fluid.
What is Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture?
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete medical system for diagnosis and treatment. The individual is seen as an integrated whole. Every part, process, thought, and emotion within the individual is considered in terms of its contribution to the healthy functioning of the whole person. Each disease and disorder is not seen as an isolated event but as an outward manifestation of the whole person being out of balance.
Acupuncture is able to influence health and sickness by stimulating certain meridians or, “energy pathways” along the body. These “energy pathways” are stimulated using single use needles that are as thin as a hair. The goal of acupuncture is to put your body into a state that allows it to heal itself.
TCM (acupuncture & Chinese herbs) can also utilize stress reduction techniques that can have an effect on subtle and non-mechanical reasons for infertility. Irregular ovulation, low sperm counts, or undiagnosed causes respond the best to a combination of TCM and IVF treatments. IVF is the best means to obtain pregnancy in cases of tube blockage. However, acupuncture is able to keep the body in a homeostatic state to maintain the body as nurturing environment for the embryo. (Lyttleton 379)
The following are just a few of the many articles and books that support acupuncture and IVF.
- W. Paulus, M.D., M. Zhang, M.D., I. El-Danasouri, Ph.D., E. Strehler , M.D., and K. Sterzik,M.D, “Influence of acupuncture on pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproduction therapy”, Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 77, No. 4, Apr. 2002
o “The analysis shows that the pregnancy rate for acupuncture group is considerably higher than for the control group (42.5% versus 26.3%”
- Johnson, D “Acupuncture prior to and at the embryo transfer in an assisted conception unit-a case series”, Acupuncture in Medicine: Journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp 23-8, Mar. 2006
o “This was a success rate of 57.7% compared with 45.3% for patients in the IVF unit not treated with acupuncture”
- Liang L. O.M.D., Ph.D, L.Ac. 2003 “Acupuncture and IVF” Blue Poppy Press, Boulder , CO
- Lyttleton J. 2004 “Treatment of Infertility with Chinese Medicine” Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, UK
- Zhi-Qiang C, Li-Yun L. 2008 “Male and Female Infertility” People’s Medical Publishing House, Beijing, China
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