91射区

Katy visited our center with a seemingly disparate collection of symptoms that were causing her distress. She described a pattern that was episodic in nature and involved abdominal bloating, belching, acid reflux, loose stools, shallow breathing, and palpitations. A cardiologist had ruled out serious heart disease and she鈥檇 been offered beta-blockers for what had been diagnosed as pre-ventricular contractions (PVCs) and occasional tachycardia.

We are presently experiencing a quantum evolution in our perceptions of the aging process, which involves the elimination of outmoded ideas about what it means to be elderly. This paradigm shift has been facilitated by half a billion Baby Boomers1 worldwide who have provided a powerful stimulus for a collective change to the 鈥榝ace of aging鈥�. This is not the previous silent generation, but an outspoken, entitled demographic, which, by force of their sheer numbers, is amending existing conscious and unconscious social contracts.

Acupuncture and aromatherapy are two individual modalities that have been used for thousands of years to successfully treat a gamut of conditions and diseases. But what happens when they are combined together in one treatment? Is the treatment session more effective? Is there no difference at all? Does it increase patient satisfaction and comfort? I set out to answer these questions in 2011 while obtaining a doctoral degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Here I will share with you what I discovered and suggest that yes, combining aromatherapy with acupuncture can make a treatment more effective.

One of the four categories of examination in Chinese medicine is the 鈥渓ooking diagnosis鈥�. Observing the patient’s skin tone, the Shen in the eyes, and checking the tongue are all elements of creating a clear, effective diagnosis. Observing posture can add a layer to the examination that is insightful, especially given the frequent occurrence of postural distortion in modern times. We can start looking at our patients as soon as we greet them in the waiting room. How do they sit, stand, and walk? What kind of posture do they have? Instinctively, many of us sense that a slouching or hunching patient has a qi deficiency.

The classical Chinese medical system views health and disease through the 鈥渆ight-principle and six-syndrome鈥� differentiation methods. In ancient times, Chinese medical experts identified groups of symptoms as patterns, and associated them with specific formulas. Eventually, with repeated clinical success they recorded these patterns as 鈥渇ormula patterns鈥�. Later, during the Eastern Han Dynasty between 40 to 200 AD, Zhang Zhongjing recorded all of this clinical experience handed down from generations in theShang Han Za Bing Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases), which was later edited and separated into the Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage) and the Jin Gui Yao L眉e (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet).

Tendonitis is the single most diagnosed chronic connective tissue disease in Western medicine. It affects every major joint within the body and can make the most well conditioned athlete limp to the sidelines, as the pain can be overwhelming. Whether it afflicts a professional golfer or weekend tennis player, tendon pain is a huge problem affecting all sports. In our everyday lives, tendon pain also creates major problems. According to statistics of Workers Compensation injuries in California, repetitive motion disease (aka tendonitis) is the leading diagnosis for claims and disability in the state.

I would describe Five Element or Five Phases theory as both a context and a lens, applied with intent to diagnose and treat a patient. 鈥淔ive elements鈥� and 鈥渇ive phases鈥� are terms that have been used interchangeably, with slightly different meanings. 鈥淔ive elements鈥� describes five compository forces occurring in Nature, namely, earth, wood, metal, water and fire. Some scholars prefer to use the term 鈥減hases鈥� rather than 鈥渆lements,鈥� in order to convey the morphing and co-affecting properties of the elements, and avoid portraying them as being static.

Our health landscape is changing rapidly and we find ourselves in a new era. An era of degrading food supply, systemic inflammation, and overuse of drugs, including antibiotics. Living in our modern world takes its toll and we see it in our practices everyday. Antibiotics are failing, superbugs are on the rise, and digestive health is compromised by food and lifestyle choices. Society is at a new crossroads. On one side, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are currently killing approximately 23,000 people every year and the number of antibiotic resistant superbugs is climbing. On the contrary, long-standing and pervasive over-prescribing of antibiotics is at an all time high.

It is true that acupuncture has a relative risk that is low. The reporting of adverse events in clinical trials as well as safety surveys has helped establish a positive safety record in the West (White 2004; MacPherson et al. 2001), China (Birch et al. 2013; He et al. 2012), and Japan (Yamashita et al. 2001); in the treatment of children (Adams et al. 2011; Jindal et al. 2008) as well as for pregnant women (Park et al. 2014). Patients may experience minor side effects such as feeling relaxed, elated, tired, or having point sensation or itching etc. (MacPherson and Thomas 2005) or slight bleeding and hematoma on needle withdrawal (Witt et al. 2009).

February is one of the most common times of year for people to get sick. Kids go back to school and parents get back in the swing of a busy work schedule after the holidays. Our minds and bodies are synched and often when our minds are overwhelmed, it鈥檚 our bodies that take the beating. Sore throats, stuffy noses, body aches, and even the flu are all common symptoms of a mid-winter slump. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a ready remedy鈥攇ive your body the right fuel and it will run smoothly.