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Family Acupuncture Log
with Kay Madsen, Licensed Acupuncturist
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The three months of Spring,
These are the months when things begin to manifest.
Heaven and Earth are being born.
Living things are thriving.
Lie down to sleep during the night and rise early in the morning,
Take many steps through the courtyard,
Cover your hair and keep a leisurely manner and appearance.
In this way, allow one's Nature to be generated.
Focus on generation and do no killing!
Be generous and do not contend for things,
Be rewarding and do not oppress.
This is in accord with the Qi of Spring,
It is the path of nourishing generation.
Living contrary to this will harm the Liver.
In Summer this will become substantial cold disturbance.
offered towards the process of growth.
Neijing Su Wen, Chapter 2
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Q & A With Kay
In each issue of the Family Acupuncture Log, I will answer a question from a reader. Submit your question here.Q: "I found your description of acupuncture and pain relief very enlightening. No one ever explained it to me! Years ago I got acupuncture treatment by an M.D. for pain from a shoulder injury. The doctor attached electricity to the needles. He just told me that it was stimulating my neurotransmitters. What is your take on that?"
Thanks
Celia M.
A: Hi Celia,
Ahhh! Where do I even start? Yes, doctors can and do give acupuncture without separate licensing or training and most use electrical stimulation. Because M.D.s are typically not comprehensively trained in Chinese medical theory, most of them don't hold much stock in the notion of "Qi." It is much more in their comfort zone to think of it as a biochemical reaction. That "explanation" only belies that they are not so much practicing acupuncture (which is part of Chinese medicine) as they are just poking people with needles and hoping for the best. Their treatments probably only work because of the electrical stimulation that they add. Many acupuncturists, myself included, may add electrical stimulation, especially when treating pain. The short version of why that works is that electricity is a form of energy and Qi is a form of energy, so it can be a good tool of communication. When I am using just a needle, I am actually funneling my own Qi through the needle to connect with your Qi at the acupuncture point. As a practitioner, I have to cultivate that rather special skill to be effective. Wouldn't work if I didn't even believe the Qi was there!
That being said, I can't say that neurotransmitters AREN'T stimulated by acupuncture. Maybe. Maybe not. For all I know, neurotransmitters may, in this case, be the physically embodied expression of Qi. My experience in the treatment room and feedback from patients, tells me that it's probably something a bit more than that!
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Monthly Testimonial
"I feel so fortunate to know Kay. The combined depth of her knowledge, kind generosity, and passion for teaching clients about Chinese medicine and self-care have absolutely been fundamental in my recovery from both serious challenges (facial shingles and a wound infection) and more "ordinary" things like bronchitis. Results have always been significant for me, often startlingly swift. I have the highest regard for her care and guidance on every health topic, whether physical and emotional, acute or chronic, or just for a wellness "tune-up."
Wendy Child
Have something good you'd like to share about your treatment with Kay? Submit your testimonial here.
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Greetings!
Is spring actually upon us yet? Every year about this time, I find myself getting pretty antsy for the full arrival of spring. I grew up in northern Idaho, where the winter was harsh and long, rudely encroaching upon the spring months. It seemed to drag on and on forever, so nothing gave me greater joy than to see spring finally thrust itself back into life. Whether we believe it or not, the herky jerky weather will ultimately abate and spring will emerge victorious over winter. Happens every year.
As I embrace spring, I will engage in my traditional rituals. First, my daughter and I will spend her spring break in Arizona with my mother. It chases away those winter blues and gives us a cherished visit with Grandma. My second important ritual is spring cleaning. Sounds less exciting than basking in the Arizona sunshine, but I find it invigorating nonetheless. I'll be busy clearing out the dead growth in my gardens and cleaning my closets and other places of icky accumulations. On the health front, it is also a great time to think about performing the same service for the body. So, this month's featured article focuses on a healthy spring cleaning for our insides.
Enjoy and Happy Spring!  |
How to Detox Without Hunger or Headache  s Somewhere along the way in my study of Chinese herbs, I remember a story about how the ancients used to scoff at the so-called longevity tonics, like ginseng. Ridiculous and expensive indulgences of the nobility they were, for, as everybody knew, it isn't the deficiencies that will kill you, rather the "accumulations." Indeed, the diseases we have come to know as causing premature death, such as cancer, are viewed in Chinese medicine as some form of accumulations combined with "fire toxins." Preventive care means periodically purging the body of our nasty accumulations - a kind of internal house keeping measure, if you will. In keeping with the nature of the seasonal energies, spring is a perfect time to clear your internal dust bunnies before they hang around long enough to become a fire hazard.
- ARE WE REALLY THAT TOXIC?
The fact is we live in a pretty toxic world - way more so than during ancient times. We eat, breathe, slather, and even purposefully inject ourselves with an amazing array of poisonous garbage that serves no healthful purpose whatsoever. Our food routinely contains a wide variety of known toxins, such as pesticides and inorganic fertilizers and non nutritive food additives, such as MSG, artificial sweeteners, and food dyes. On top of this, the soil and our waterways (even the oceans) are contaminated with mercury, lead and other heavy metals, largely from industrial pollutants. We have voluntarily "treated" our food and water with the toxic halides chlorine, bromine and fluoride, which displace precious and necessary iodine in our bodies. We wash our hair and moisturize our skin with known estrogen disruptors, such as parabens and pthalates (artificial scents). This doesn't even take into account the things we do for our enjoyment or our medical "benefit" (caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, OTC and prescription drugs, mercury in flu vaccines and amalgam dental fillings). I could go on, but I'm starting to sound alarmist and I hate that.
The point is that we get exposed to a lot of junk that our bodies, through the organs of detoxification and elimination, have to get rid of. When these organs are overwhelmed, these toxins get stored - either in the organs themselves or in fat tissue. In fact, one reason we can hit a dieting plateau is that we may have too many toxins stored in the adipose tissue and the body stubbornly holds on to its fat to keep from poisoning itself.
It's wise to not dump any additional poisons into your system while on a detox cleanse. This would include caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, food additives and dyes, any unnecessary OTC or prescription drugs. Shop at your health food store for natural ingredient shampoos, lotions, and soaps that have no parabens or artificial scents. Drink purified water. Distilled is best. Reverse osmosis filters are pretty good too.
From a Chinese medical perspective, the body must use Qi to efficiently purge itself of accumulations. Qi is made from food. Accordingly, I can't recommend detox programs that severely restrict food intake. The virtual starvation route is partly what leads to the weakness, headaches and other "flu like symptoms" that are written off as a good indicator that the detox is working. More likely those are signs that you're starving. The body doesn't like that. It makes you Qi deficient and messes with your metabolism and thyroid hormone production. Bad idea.
A better approach is to eat what we call a "clean" diet. That means eating a diet full of organically grown whole foods: grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, high quality protein (including meat), and fruit. Avoid "phlegmy" foods like sugar and other refined sweeteners, refined flour, dairy, or processed soy foods (e.g., soy milk, texturized vegetable protein or other soy based meat substitutes). Simply put, avoid processed foods, even the ones at the health food store.
- HOW TO DO A DETOX CLEANSE WITHOUT DISCOMFORT
Diet
Don't starve yourself, but don't overindulge. Eat three reasonable meals a day plus one or two small snacks using the "clean diet" described above. Avoid extra toxins. Drink plenty of purified water. Take a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to make sure you are completely nourished. (Join me on Facebook to see my specific supplement recommendations and favorite products.)
Detox Herbs and Supplements
The first part of the actual detoxification process is coaxing the toxins out of storage. There are a zillion prepackaged detox programs out there. This is a regimen I put together for myself:
milk thistle seed extract
dandelion root extract
Liver Care by Himalaya Herbal Co.
iodine/potassium iodide
n-acetyl cysteine
Toxin EliminationThe second and extremely crucial part of a detox program is assistance in toxin elimination. Without getting the released toxins out of the body, we have just stirred them up like a muddy pond. This is another reason we can get uncomfortable detox symptoms. To assist the elimination process, we have to target the main excretion mechanisms, namely the kidneys (through the urine) and the liver (through the feces). The following must be used for a successfully comfortable cleanse.
unrefined sea salt
fiber based supplement
Summing It Up In One Document
Click here to download a PDF format document detailing my Detoxification Cleansing Program, complete with dosages and purchasing sources. (Please note that, due to technical difficulties, the hyperlinks are not working. You can type the addresses into your browser.)
Because this is a non-stressful program that neither starves you nor uses addictive laxatives, you can use it for as little or as long as you like. I would recommend at least a week to ten days, but there would be nothing harmful in using it for the entire three months of spring (or any 12 week period you desire).
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Kay Madsen, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM)
Licensed Acupuncturist
13415 Connecticut Ave.
Suite 204
Silver Spring, MD 20906
(240) 393-5420
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Copyright © 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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