|
Healthy Skin Month | |
Acupuncture can be very effective at treating skin conditions. Treatments can provide quick relief for acute symptoms and can provide significant and lasting relief from recurrent or chronic skin conditions.
The skin reflects and reacts to imbalances within the body's internal landscape and the effects of the environment. Internal disharmonies caused by strong emotions, diet, and your constitution as well as environmental influences, such as wind, dryness, dampness, and heat can all contribute to the development of a skin disorder. To keep your skin healthy and beautiful on the outside, you must work on the inside of your body as well. Increasing the flow of energy, blood and lymph circulation improves the skin's natural healthy color.
Promotion of collagen production increases muscle tone and elasticity helping to firm the skin. Stimulating the formation of body fluids nourishes the skin and encourages it to be moister, softer, smoother and more lustrous.
General skin conditions that can be treated with acupuncture include acne, dermatitis, eczema, pruritus, psoriasis, rosacea, shingles and urticaria (hives). Oriental medicine does not recognize skin problems as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques with acupuncture such as herbal medicine, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 10 patients are treated with Oriental medicine for eczema, each patient will receive a unique, customized treatment with different lifestyle and dietary recommendations.
| |
#####
|
|
Healthy Food Choices for Those with Diabetes
Knowing what to eat can be confusing. Here are some guidelines to follow:
Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety.
Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories. If you're trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes. | |
Courtesy of www.diabetes.org
##### | |
|
|
Get the Latest Updates On Our
Facebook Page
| | ##### | |
|
|
|
TREATING DIABETES WITH ACUPUNCTURE
It is estimated that 25.8 million men, women and children in the United States have diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the risk for death is approximately twice that of persons of similar age without diabetes.
The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. Complications of diabetes include heart disease, hypertension, eye problems, kidney disease, nervous system disease, periodontal disease, amputation, fatigue, depression, and complications during pregnancy.
In order to manage diabetes, it is essential for people to make healthy lifestyle choices in diet, exercise, and other health habits. Another important factor when treating diabetes is creating a support team of health care professionals. This support team may include your primary doctor, an eye doctor, nurses, a dietitian, and a licensed acupuncturist.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used to treat diabetes for over 2000 years. A patient with "Xiao Ke" or "wasting and thirsting disease" (the Traditional Chinese medical term for diabetes) is discussed in detail in the Nei Jing, a classic Chinese medical book written about 2,500 years ago. The patient is described as having symptoms of excessive hunger and thirst, frequent urination and rapid weight loss; all symptoms of diabetes.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, diabetes is caused by an imbalance of the cyclical flow of Qi within the meridians and organ systems.
This particular imbalance produces heat that depletes the body's fluids and Qi causing symptoms such as:
Fatigue
Lethargy
Unexplained Weight Loss
Excessive Thirst (Polydipsia)
Excessive Urination (Polyuria)
Excessive Eating (Polyphagia)
Poor Wound Healing
Infections
Irritability
Blurry Vision
In treating diabetes, Oriental medicine offers a way to address each patient individually to eliminate the symptoms associated with diabetes and reduce the need for insulin. The practitioner may choose to use a variety of techniques during treatment including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises. The treatment for diabetes will focus on regulating the circulation of blood and Qi and balancing the organ systems to improve pancreatic function and address internal heat and the depletion of fluids.
The acupuncture points used to treat diabetes are all over the body and on several meridians. A point on the back, called 'Yishu' (located on the back, lateral to thoracic vertebrae 8) is often used and has proven effective in recent studies published by the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine for controlling the function of the pancreas and blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
When treating diabetes, acupuncture and Oriental medicine can assist the body to regain its normal healthy functioning. Add acupuncture and Chinese medicine to your arsenal when fighting diabetes!
Courtesy of www.acufinder.com
#####
|
|
Gan Mao Ling has been formulated to assist the body's abilities to cope with the discomfort during the cold seasons, and maintain our body's well-being.
Use in the early stages of cold or flu. It is purported to alleviate the symptoms and shorten the duration of a cold or flu.
Ask your practitioner about Gan Mai Ling!
|
|
Massage Therapy Study Shows Benefits to Those Suffering from Back Pain
Massage therapy helped reduce pain and improve function more rapidly than usual medical care in people with chronic low-back pain, according to researchers at Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington in Seattle, the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and the University of Vermont in Burlington. The purpose of the NCCAM-funded trial-published in the Annals of Internal Medicine-was to compare the short-term and long-term effects of structural massage, relaxation massage, and usual care for people with chronic low-back pain. Back pain is an important health problem that affects millions of Americans and is the most common medical condition for which people use complementary and alternative medicine practices, such as massage therapy.
The trial enrolled just over 400 Group Health patients who had low-back pain with no identified cause for at least 3 months. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: structural massage, relaxation massage, or usual care (standard medical care). Study personnel who assessed outcomes were blinded to treatment assignment. It was not possible to blind participants or massage therapists. Structural massage is intended to address musculoskeletal causes of back pain through myofascial, neuromuscular, and various soft-tissue techniques. Relaxation massage (similar to Swedish massage) is intended to promote a sense of relaxation through techniques, such as long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, or vibration. Usual care for low-back pain may include medication, other forms of physical therapy, back exercises, and education.
Participants assigned to the massage groups received 1 hour of massage once a week for 10 weeks. The participants' symptoms, medication use, and ability to perform daily functions were measured after completion of the 10 treatments, then at 6 months, and again after 1 year.
Significantly greater improvements in disability and bothersomeness of symptoms were seen at 10 weeks in both massage groups compared to those who received usual care. For example, at 10 weeks massage recipients were better able to perform daily activities, were more active, spent fewer days in bed, and used less anti-inflammatory medication than those who received usual care.
CALL OUR TOWSON OFFICE AND BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH OUR MASSAGE THERAPIST - AND START FEELING BETTER TODAY!
|
|
