“Good lunch with Vidhea with a rare (for me here) ham and pineapple pizza at the roadhouse in thamel – a meat-eaters delight after all this veg food.
Vidhea is an adventurer and i love it that she shares some measure of her adventure and local contacts with me on this passage. Today we went to see Fatima – a Chinese physician, acupuncturist and reputedly the best foot massage in the country! I wanted a perspective on chinese alternative medical healing and treatments here.”
“The building was on a quiet side street, calm, with lots of foot traffic of patients coming and going and a pleasant inviting drive with lots of flowers. “
The following is an article published in the Wall Street Journal by Shirley S. Wang
Acupuncture designed to treat depression appears to improve symptoms in pregnant women, suggesting it as an alternative to antidepressant medication during pregnancy, a study found.
The study, published Monday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, is the largest to date examining the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat depression in pregnant women. It was funded by a grant from the government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. “Acupuncture that we have tested works for pregnant, depressed women,” said Rachel Manber, a study author and professor at Stanford University. However, “no single study is enough to make policy recommendations,” she said.
Depression in pregnancy is a risk factor for postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is associated in some studies with poorer cognitive and emotional development in children. Some have linked depression in pregnancy and low birth weight.
As many as 14% of pregnant women are thought to develop a significant depression at some point during their pregnancy, according to the study authors, comparable to numbers who suffer from postpartum depression. Antidepressants are generally considered safe for use in pregnancy, but research has been limited and concerns continue to grow, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. One study showed that the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension, a potentially serious lung condition, is significantly greater in newborns whose mother took antidepressants later in pregnancy. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that patients and physicians “carefully consider and discuss together” the benefits and risks taking antidepressants during pregnancy.”Antidepressants are not an attractive option for many women,” said Dr. Manber. “Many women are concerned about using antidepressant medication during pregnancy.”
Acupuncture, based on ancient Chinese medicine, attempts to treat conditions by stimulating points on the body, most often with needles stuck in the skin and moved by hand or electrical stimulation, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
In the study, 150 clinically depressed pregnant women who weren’t previously taking antidepressants were randomly assigned to get either acupuncture for depression, acupuncture not specifically designed for depression, or massage for eight weeks. Those who got acupuncture targeting depression had a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms, compared with the other women. Some 63% of women in the acupuncture-for-depression group responded to treatment, compared with 44% in the other groups.
There wasn’t a difference between the groups in full recovery from the depression. Though this study didn’t compare acupuncture for depression with another active treatment, the response rates are comparable to those rates from other depression treatments in studies of non-pregnant individuals, Dr. Manber said. And future work needs to examine how acupuncture for depression compares with standard treatment like antidepressants or psychotherapy, as well as who responds to treatment and what the optimal dose of the acupuncture treatment should be.
An Ortho-Bionomy therapist, Rolfer and massage therapist, and medical acupuncture educator will present their healing arts on Saturday, February 20 from 2-4 p.m. at Berkeley Public Central Library in downtown Berkeley. This is the third author panel in the free series Get Well! Alternative Practitioners Talk With You About Healing, sponsored by North Atlantic Books and Berkeley Public Library.
Moderator for the February panel is Kathy Kain.
The panelists:
- Art Riggs, Rolfer and Massage Therapist, author of Deep Tissue Massage: A Visual Guide to Techniques
- Kathy Kain, Ortho-Bionomy therapist, author of Ortho-Bionomy: A Manual of Practice
- Joseph Helms, M.D., medical educator, acupuncturist, author of Getting To Know You: A Physician Explains How Acupuncture Helps You Be the Best YOU
Authors will explain their modalities and read from their books. Audience questions will be followed by a book signing.
“We hope to further the public discourse, and thus the readership, about alternative health, or complementary medicine,” Lindy Hough said. “A wider demographic should be able to use these kinds of medicine, know their history, and see how effective they are in healing many conditions inexpensively, without recourse to drugs or surgery.”
“The Berkeley Public Library is excited to be working in partnership with North Atlantic Books to better serve the interest in mind/body/spirit their readers are seeking,” said Douglas Smith, Deputy Director of the Library. “We’re pleased to be expanding our programming, outreach, and collections in these important directions.”
An Afternoon on Rolfing, Trauma, and Medical Acupuncture
Get Well! Alternative Practitioners Answer Your Questions About Healing series
Saturday, February 20, 2010
2pm-4pm
Berkeley Public Central Library
3rd Floor Community Meeting Room
2090 Kittredge Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
Do you plan to attend this event?
Wheelchair accessible. To request a sign language interpreter, real-time captioning, materials in large print or Braille, or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6107 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs.
The ancient form of Chinese medicine that has been known to man for over two thousand five hundred years is now a very popular means of treating pain, especially back pain. The basics of acupuncture teach us that there is an energy called chi or qi that flows within the body along the meridians that are pathways in the body. When the flow of this energy is interrupted, you will experience pain as well as illness. Using acupuncture for pain is a means to correct the flow of this energy and thus get much needed relief.
Most Benefits Patients When Used Along With Other Treatments
Acupuncture and pain will benefit the patient most when it is used in combination with other treatments, and being a safe method of treating pain, there is also no known risk attached to this form of treatment provided you get your acupuncture treatment from a reputable acupuncturist. Use is made of sterilized needles when dealing with acupuncture and pain, and these needles are usually disposable and must be FDA approved.
Use of acupuncture for pain requires undergoing a treatment session in which one to twenty needles are inserted into various parts of the human body, with the needles either simply penetrating just beneath the skin, or at other times they may even have to penetrate the fat as well as muscles. Once inserted, the needles may be left for anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes and they may also be twisted and be removed and placed elsewhere in the body.
The beauty of acupuncture and pain is that the acupuncture treatment itself does not cause any pain; rather, it helps alleviate pain and is supposed to be very relaxing, and a patient may even drop off to sleep while the treatment is ongoing. It is also an enervating experience, which can be further enhanced by using acupuncture needles that are different from your normal hypodermic needles, being as fine as hair and solid as well.
Acupuncture and pain are well suited for one another as it enables the electromagnetic signals to be relayed much faster than is normal, which will increase the flow of pain relieving natural chemicals to areas that are injured, and where there is a lot of pain being felt. In fact, acupuncture for pain management has been successfully been used especially for fibromyalgia, chronic headaches, neck pain as a result of whiplash, knee as well as hip pain due to arthritis, as well as for chronic abdominal pain and asthma, as well as pain caused by shingles. http://www.myhealtharticles.org/acupuncture has other well-written and helpful articles not only related to acupuncture and sports injury help, but also other information and resources related to acupuncture.
This article may be used only in its entirety with all links included.
Article Source: Acupuncture And Pain – Needle Away Your Painful Conditions
Chronic pain, whether due to an injury, surgery, repetitive motion, or a medical condition such as arthritis, can make life difficult by limiting your physical body as well as your overall well-being and emotional outlook. Chronic pain is not limited to any group of people and can affect anyone, anytime. Having chronic pain can lead to job related and relationship stress, extra healthcare costs, missed work days, difficulty sleeping, increased irritability, and the inability to enjoy physical activities such as sports. How can acupuncture, herbal therapy, and Chinese medicine help with chronic pain and all of the associated symptoms?
Acupuncture can address the pain directly. No matter where on the body you are experiencing pain, there are acupuncture points that can help decrease the pain. Pain, in Chinese medicine, is unbalanced and stagnant Qi (energy). Using acupuncture will:
• Promote healthy blood circulation in the injured area
• Increase the body’s immune system response to the affected area
• Decrease inflammation in the tissues
• Improve the flow of Qi to the affected area
• Decrease the pain signals sent to the brain so you can relax easier
• Decrease swelling in the affected area
• Decrease spasms that can cause pain
Acupuncture can treat any symptoms associated with chronic pain. In addition to treating the pain directly, treatments can also include acupuncture points to help with:
• Sleeplessness or insomnia caused by the pain
• Emotional changes, such as irritability, anger, or frustration caused by chronic pain
• Improving your overall outlook about your condition
• Decreasing fatigue caused by the pain
• Improving muscle and motor function that may have been lost
• Restoring digestive functions which may have been affected
• Restoring any decreased immune system function
• Decreasing the side effects from long term medication use
Herbal therapy can increase the therapeutic effects. Chinese herbs may come in the form of liniments (oils) that can be massaged into a painful area, or a customized herbal formula that you drink as a tea. Both of these can continue the healing process after an acupuncture treatment.
Chronic pain can take a toll on your body, mind, and your emotions, making life very challenging and limiting. Acupuncture and herbal therapy can help restore the balance of your Qi, treat any associated symptoms, decrease the source of the pain, and allow you to return to the pain free life you desire.
If you are looking for a Centennial acupuncture clinic, please click the link to visit Nicholas’ website. Nicholas LaFasto is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist practicing in Centennial, Colorado, in the South Metro are of Denver.
Article Source: Treating Chronic Pain With Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Every so often, news outlets publish the comments of an ‘expert’ bringing into question either the safety or effectiveness, of so-called ‘natural’ medicines.
The most recent of these articles can be found on the ABC’s website: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/08/2813236.htm?site=news
As I was reading this article, I reflected on the products I sell in my own practice and thought it timely I share with you my thoughts on this subject as well.
Australia has a body which governs the safe manufacture and distribution of all therapeutic goods. This body is called the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The TGA is a division of the Department of Health and Ageing. You can visit their website here: http://www.tga.gov.au .
All herbal products sold in my practice are manufactured, safely, under TGA guidelines. Australia has a two-tiered regulatory system in place for complementary medicines. This system is based on ‘risk assessment’. Items are either “Listed” (which means the ingredients are deemed low risk) or “Registered” (which means the ingredients are considered high risk).
You can tell if an item is recognised by the TGA as the product labelling will contain something like this “AUST L” and then a registration number.
What that number means is that the TGA is satisfied that the ingredients of the product are commonly used, tested for efficacy and that they have a body of evidence behind them which supports their use.
The TGA also monitors the manufacture of these products and also records any known reactions experienced by people taking these products.
So, reports like that listed above are not wrong – but they are not entirely right either.
When I was studying in China I often came across herbal medicine products which had been combined with steroids, antibiotics and a host of other pharmaceutical drugs. When not administered by a practitioner qualified in both pharmacology and herbology (the name the Chinese give to the practice and study of herbal medicine), these products could be very dangerous.
Similarly, I guess it is always possible that such products might find their way onto the shelves of some disreputable supplier somewhere in Australia. But if they had not passed the watchful eye of the TGA, they would be in breach of the act to be selling these items. I do not sell any such products in my clinic. I purchase my stock from recognised and reputable suppliers.
This is why it is ALWAYS a good idea to check the bona fides of your clinician who is selling you these products. Many of the herbal medicine products I sell in my clinic are designated “Practitioner Only” and to order and sell these I need to be a registered member of the Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association.
Most herbal medicine products I sell are manufactured in factories in China under the watchful eye of the TGA. Products are routinely tested for heavy metals and only the highest quality herbs are used.
It is true, however, that there are some Chinese herbal medicinal products which, if inappropriately administered, can be dangerous. While I don’t always agree with their rulings on these herbs, the TGA has banned the use of several commonly used herbs as they considered them to pose a risk to the community.
What’s more, it is my opinion that Chinese herbal medicine products should only ever be dispensed by an appropriately qualified practitioner – one who has the appropriate level of training to safely diagnose and prescribe. Again, this is an important part of your checking your clinician’s bona fides.
Thanks for reading and your comments, thoughts and reflections are most welcome….
Dr Hugh MacPherson was the founder of the Northern College of Acupuncture where I trained and I must say I say that with a feeling of pride. His high standards within research gives acupuncture the credibility it so richly deserves and yet so desperately needs to silence it’s critics. Understanding the mechanisms of acupunture completes an important piece of the jigsaw, somehow connecting ancient knowledge with modern understanding and linking east and west.
I’ve been on my milk thistle for a week now and am taking my acidophillus when I remember and am feeling much better. My face is still a little bit spotty, but NOTHING compared to what it was like last week. I’ve still got a big crack down the side of my nose, which I’m treating with Canestan cream – but I think I need to get a doctor’s opinion as to what is actually causing it. I’m a little concerned as to how my skin is going to react next week when I hit the slopes. I’m going to try and get another acupuncture session in before I go away, to stave off a regression back into leaky face!
We’re lucky enough to be going on a work trip to Champagny for four days and I can’t wait! I do hope my diet isn’t going to cause any issues. Not just on the food front, but on everyone chipping in their two cents worth as to what they think of my diet. It’s getting a little bit tiresome hearing what everyone thinks I should do. I know what I’m doing. We’ve got a chalet chef who has been briefed on my regime and I’m taking a whole load of food over in my suitcase too. I think my lunch up the mountain might consist of a bowl of fries, so I’ll pack loads of nuts and carob bars to stuff in my pockets.
Talking of carob bars. I’ve started developing an addiction to these little bars and need to knock them on the head after my ski trip. I’m also eating too many crisps and corn chips. If I want my weight to get down that last couple of kilos then I need to put them on the restricted list – not on my every day list as they currently are!
Acupuncturists from around the country are making plans to travel to Haiti to offer acupuncture to earthquake survivors. Much like the efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the program will offer free group-style acupuncture to help with pain, trauma, stress, sleep, and any other physical ailments.
Though acupuncturists had planned to wait until basic needs were met, such as water and food, sanitation, and emergency medical care, these plans have changed. As early as February 3rd, three acupuncturists will accompany a group of doctors to rural areas in Haiti. These doctors have stated clearly that they want acupuncturists’ help immediately for pain and trauma treatments and surgical anesthesia, as well as treating the doctors themselves, who will surely also be overwhelmed, exhausted, and traumatized.
Acupuncture is increasingly recognized as highly useful in emergency situations. Survivors in New Orleans frequently commented that acupuncture was the most helpful support they got as they tried to adjust to life after Katrina. Acupuncture has also been used more and more frequently by the military in combat situations, to treat pain and stress in injured soldiers even before they are transported to medical facilities. And, programs across the country are using acupuncture to treat post-traumatic stress in veterans.
The Haiti Disaster Recovery Project is a joint program of Acupuncturists Without Borders, and Pathways to Wellness in Boston. For more information, visit the AWB website: http://acuwithoutborders.org/haitiprogram.php
