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If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you've heard me discuss the difficulties with doing placebo-controlled research on acupuncture.  Here's one such post.


I came across this article today which very beautifully describes some of the issues that arise when we try to put acupuncture into the standard biomedical model of research.  It also explains how studies designed to test acupuncture against standard biomedical care show the reality - acupuncture is a viable treatment method that can compete against medications without the side effects!
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Fall Foods 10/07/2010
 
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My personal favorite Fall Food
There are few things better than cooking the first Fall Food meal of the season.  Stews and Stuffed Acorn Squash are wintery staples around my house.  

In the Chinese medical world, it comes as no surprise that many people start craving certain foods during certain seasons.  Those who do crave with the seasons are merely listening to their bodies and going with the flow of human evolution; eat foods when they're naturally available.

Some tips for eating in the Fall and Winter are:
  • Eat foods that have been warmed. I know it's tempting to eat that raw salad, but try to avoid it during the cooler months - they're difficult to digest and can cause symptoms such as gas and bloating.
  • Eat foods that are "in season."  Apples, Pears, Winter Squashes, etc. are all foods that will help strengthen our bodies for the upcoming winter.
  • Stews are your best friend.  The foods in stews have already been cooked, making it super easy to digest, plus there's nothing better to warm you up on those cooler nights than a steamy bowl of soup. Num!
Here is a basic, easy recipe for Stuffed Acorn Squash (and don't forget to get creative and add your own ingredients to the filling!)
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon (you can save the seeds and toast them, or feed them to your dog if you have one - they'll thank you!)
  3. Place the halves of squash cut side up in a baking pan filled with 1/2" of water and bake for about 1 hour, or until the flesh is easily pricked with a fork.
  4. While the squash is baking, prepare the filling
  5. Boil rice as per instructions.
  6. Once rice is cooked, add desired ingredients.  Our last stuffed acorn squash was made with a bunch of stuff we found in our refrigerator that needed to be used before it went bad - andouille sausage, mushrooms, spinach and cheese.
  7. I like to scoop some of the flesh of the squash out and mix it with the filling, then put the filling mix back in the squash.
  8. Top the whole thing with cheese and place in the oven until the cheese is melty.
  9. Enjoy this tasty and healthy meal!

What are your favorite Fall Foods recipes?
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Moxibustion 09/02/2010
 
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This post comes to you on the suggestion from this post earlier this week.

I don't believe I've talked about Moxibustion in this blog, which is a bit of an oversight.  See, I'm allergic to the smoke associated with the burning of moxa (mugwort) and so didn't even think about writing about it!

Thanks, Carolyn, for bringing it up as a topic!

As I mentioned in passing above, Moxibustion is the burning of the herb Moxa.  Moxa is the western herb mugwort.  The fluffy herb can be burned several different ways:
  • Loose Moxa can be pressed into a little ball shape and placed on the handle of the needle and burned.
  • Loose Moxa can be pressed into a little cone shape and placed on a patch of ointment directly on the skin.  The cone is then allowed to burn until the patient begins to feel heat and then quickly removed.  In China they will allow the moxa cone to burn to the point of blistering, creating a scar.  This is called scarring moxa, and for, hopefully, obvious reasons isn't practiced in the US.
  • Moxa can be purchased in a cigar-shaped stick which is then burned and held over the skin.  There are two forms of moxa sticks: green moxa, where the herb is pressed together and rolled into the cigar; and a moxa stick where the moxa has been made into a charcoal cigar.
  • Loose Moxa can be burned inside a special box (a moxabox) with holes in the sides to allow smoke to exit, which is then held over the skin.

So what is the purpose of burning moxa?  Moxa is an extremely warming and moving herb so it can be used for many reasons:
  • Body Aches - Pain is caused, in Chinese medical theory, by a lack of proper movement of energy.  Moxa, when burned over the area will get that energy moving and decrease the pain.
  • Skin Rashes - Some skin rashes are also caused by Qi not moving properly, so moxibustion may be indicated.
  • Turning a breech baby - When burned on certain points, moxa can be very successful in turning breech babies.  Many nurses and midwives even know of this technique and will recommend that their patients find an acupuncturist to get that baby in the proper position!
  • Cold conditions - Okay, so this reason for using moxa doesn't have a singular biomedical equivalent, so we'll discuss it a little bit.  In Chinese medical theory, the quality of something being cold will cause its energy to move more slowly.  If that cold is inside our bodies, it will cause our Qi to move more slowly, often causing pain.  Cold can be one of the contributing factors to pain.  There are many conditions where cold can be a factor, such as menstrual cramps, digestive troubles, infertility, diarrhea and more.  Moxa, because it is both warming and moving, is perfect for counteracting the effects of cold in the body.
So, while I don't use Moxibustion in my practice because I'm allergic to the smoke, I have sent moxa sticks home with patients who could really use a little warming over their abdomens.  Sometimes there's nothing better than a hot stick of moxa in the morning!
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Apologies 08/30/2010
 
I know it's been a LONG time since I posted to my blog.  I'd like to apologize.

As many of you know, our little family grew to four last November, and sleep has been an extremely precious commodity.  Because of said sleep deprivation torture, I have been completely without ideas and energy for blog posts.

"But wait," you might ask, "What is this then?"  Well, this, my good friends, is the result of baby girl sleeping through the night TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!  Crazy, I know!

So, I'm feeling energetic today, and starting to feel the inklings of being able to write again, hopefully on a more regular basis.

This is where you come in.  While I wrestle with getting naps to line up, and getting better sleep at night, bring on your ideas for blog posts.  What questions do you have about acupuncture and Chinese herbs?  What conditions have you always wondered if Chinese medicine would help?

I'm ready to write and just need a little topical inspiration - BRING IT ON!

Leave your ideas as a comment and see your questions turned into blog gold!
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This week is National Headache Awareness Week.  Acupuncture can be used to both ease the pain of a current headache as well as prevent future headaches.

It doesn't matter what type of headache you experience, either.  Be it your run of the mill headache, tension headaches, migraines or cluster headaches.  They can be related to stress or hormones.  No matter the cause or type of headache, Chinese medicine has a way of getting them out of your life!

Below are some acupressure points that you can massage in order to ease your headache.  For best results, find a licensed acupuncturist who you can work with to determine your Chinese medical diagnosis and get to the bottom of your pain.
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Large Intestine 4 (LI4) is a point that strongly moves Qi in the body.  This point can also be used to specifically treat disorders of the head - perfect for headaches!  Do not massage this point if you are pregnant.
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Du 20 is a great point for treating many disorders of the head, based on its location.  This point will be especially effective if your headache is near the acupuncture point!
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Heart 7 (Ht7), as well as all of the rest of the points along the crease-lines of your wrist, are great for treating headaches that are located in the base of your neck.  There are several acupuncture micro-systems that portray the hand as your head, with the wrist crease representing the back of the neck where it meets your head.
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If your headaches are located at your temples, massage them!  Tai Yang is an acupuncture point located in your temples!
And, like massaging your temples, feel free to massage the areas where you experience pain.  We have many many acupuncture points on our heads, (which would make for a very long blog post!) so chances are you'll be massaging one or more!
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Portland Top Dog 06/07/2010
 
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Portland is one of the pet-friendliest cities in the US and Spot Magazine's Top Dog Competition helps highlight Portland's best pet-friendly businesses!  The competition is by popular vote, one vote per person, please.

You can do your part to help - vote Thrive Acupuncture as one of Portland's Top Dogs!

It's pretty easy, here's what you do:
  • Go to http://www.spotmagazine.net/top-dog-voting-form/
  • Enter "Thrive Acupuncture" in the "Holistic Wellness Practitioner" category
  • Enter your other favorite businesses under the appropriate categories
  • Click "submit"
  • Tell everyone you know to do the same!
Thanks for showing Portland that there is more to living than just surviving!
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Dogs Love it! 05/14/2010
 
This is video of Benny getting his bi-weekly acupuncture treatment.

Benny had knee surgery to repair a torn ACL.  Unfortunately for Benny, this isn't the first time he's required this surgery.  LAST spring he had the same injury and same surgery on his OTHER knee!  

With Acupuncture and Chinese herbs, Benny healed extremely quickly from his surgery last year.  He was walking on it with very little limping after only about a month.  The usual recovery time is around 3 months!

Here's what Bridget, Benny's treat-hander-outer, had to say about Benny's surgery recovery last year:

"Two of my dogs are prone to orthopedic injuries, and both of them have had to have major surgeries to their knees. I took them to Thrive
acupuncture because my human family has had great outcomes from Becca Seitz's acupuncture prowess.

I was concerned that my husky mix and my pit bull would both be weird about the acupuncture needles. Becca was able to put them at ease, and needle them without stressing them out. Imagine my surprise to watch my big dog just fall asleep right after the needles went in.  Both Benny (the husky mix) and Olive (the pit bull) experienced faster healing times and much less post-surgical pain than is typical. They were able to go off of their pain medications very quickly. I was expecting them to have long recoveries, and both of them were walking normally within a month of their surgeries. This is just unheard of.

Big thanks to Becca Seitz and Thrive Acupuncture for making my dogs' post-surgery experience much less painful for them.

You saved our summer!"

Hope you enjoy this video of Benny's latest treatment! (Provided by Bridget Pilloud, Benny's treat-hander-outer) 

PS I hope you don't fall asleep watching it - I promise you, there are no dog attack scenes! ;)
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Dog Acupuncture 05/14/2010
 
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This is Toby.  He's coming to see me for arthritis.  He's 16 years old - he looks GREAT for his age, right?

People ask me, all the time, HOW I do acupuncture on pets.

Don't they move around?

Do they bite you?

Do you have to anesthetize them?

Nope!  Just look at Toby!  He hardly even notices that the needles are in!  Some dogs will lay down and fall asleep.  Some do move around (and this is fine!).  My main goal (aside from making them feel better via acupuncture and herbs, of course) is to make sure that they're comfortable and unstressed when they come visit me.

A stressed animal is preventing the acupuncture from working to its full potential, so keeping a relaxed environment is KEY to speedy healing.

Stay tuned for video of my buddy Benny who's being treated for post-surgical pain in his knee, and you'll see just how relaxed most dogs are during their treatments!
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It's about time that there's finally proof of what we acupuncturists already know - This medicine is a fine art, not one that can be learned in a mere 300 hours, and those attempting to practice acupuncture with so little working-knowledge of the system create dangerous situations for their patients.

Anyone practicing acupuncture should be required to complete a minimum number of hours of hands-on training as well as pass the same rigorous testing that licensed acupuncturists complete.  This is a matter of patient safety.

Press-Release - Wednesday, May 5, 2010- Acupuncture patients may suffer from unwanted side effects in the hands of non-licensed acupuncturists, according to a comprehensive study conducted by the Institute of Community Medicine in Norway. 

Acupuncture has been proven to be an effective form of therapy. Numerous scientific studies have proven the efficacy of acupuncture on treating various ailments. As a testament to the now scientifically recognized value of acupuncture, the Department of Essential Drugs and Medicine Policy of the World Health Organization (WHO) has published a list of diseases, symptoms, and conditions that acupuncture can treat. Headaches, depression, sprains, strokes, sciatica, and rheumatoid arthritis are among the conditions included in WHO’s 2003 publication. 

However, practitioners with minimal acupuncture training, such as Chiropractors and Medical Doctors who have logged about 300 hours of practice while attending several weekend acupuncture seminars, may pose a risk to patients seeking acupuncture therapy. 

A comprehensive decade long study of Norway’s Institute of Community Medicine validates the fact that acupuncture is not safe at the hands of untrained individuals. During the 14-year study, the institute have discovered that 193 patients have suffered from adverse side-effects. The bulk of the said patients may have consulted non-licensed acupuncturists. The study also found out that Medical Acupuncture treatment performed by doctors with minimal acupuncture training was the reason for the death of three patients as also reported by http://www.medicalacupuncturefacts.com. 

The most serious side-effect that may stem from consulting non-licensed acupuncturists is pneumothorax or the influx of unwanted air in the chest due to perforation of the lungs by incorrect needle insertion. One case involved a patient who died 90 minutes after suffering chest pains and dyspnea after medical acupuncture treatment, according to MEDLINE. 

Like other fields of conventional Western Medicine, acupuncture should be performed by a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) only. Qualification for an acupuncture license is rigid. It is required that graduate acupuncture students should have more than 3,000 credit hours of study and training before gaining a license. During training, students are required to master the human body and the various acupuncture points. Such extensive training would ensure the absolute safety of patients who seek the services of an L.Ac. Unwanted accidents, such as perforation of the lungs by an acupuncture needle, would not happen at the hands of an L.Ac. who knows by heart all insertion points in the body.

When it comes to seeking treatment, your well-being should be your top priority. To ensure your safety, it is advisable to only consult an L.Ac. who has graduated from accredited acupuncture schools from The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicinehttp://www.acaom.org/accprgs.asp. 

About Medical Acupuncture Facts: 

Medical acupuncture facts discusses the importance of seeking out a licensed acupuncturist over a doctor or chiropractor with minimal medical acupuncture training. For over 2 years Medical Acupuncture Facts has been informing the public of the dangers of going to non-licensed acupuncturists and shows common sense reasons of why to stick with licensed acupuncturists to ensure public safety. Visit http://www.medicalacupuncturefacts.com to learn more.
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Medical Acupucture facts 
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In a small study (200 women) it was found that acupuncture can be a great adjunctive therapy in place of some or all oxytocin used to help the uterus contract following a c-section.

But this isn't the exciting part of this story, believe it or not.  The exciting part is that this was "discovered" because of a shortage of drugs getting to the hospitals.  Adequate supplies aren't getting to the hospitals because of the war that has been raging for so many years now.

Doctors are opening their minds to other therapies in times of shortage and are finding great uses in them!  While I would rather that the doctors be open-minded in times of plenty as well, this sure is something!

Doctors and hospitals of the world, please take a look at what the Iraqis have done.  Please take note that you could decrease expenditures, decrease side effects and discover many more treatment options by accepting acupuncture as a powerful healing modality.
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