As an acupuncturist, I hear this all the time : "My arthritis really acts up in the winter" or "My fibromyalgia always seems so much worse during the winter."  I even hear from dog owners that their furry friends seem stiffer during the colder months!

So why is it that body pains tend to be worsened by the cold, blustery winter months?

In Chinese medicine, many cases of body pain are due to what we call "Cold Bi Syndrome," which loosely translates to "body pain that is aggravated by the cold."

Here's how I like to think about it:  We all know that as things get colder, the molecules which make up said items slow down. So imagine that the molecules in your body slow down a bit in the winter months.   In Chinese medicine, pain is caused by energy not moving properly through the body, and cold can be the cause of this improper flow.

So how does one keep the cold from affecting them?  

• Acupuncture can help keep your Qi flowing properly.
• Chinese herbs can be prescribed to help warm your Qi to counteract the cold and to keep it moving at a proper pace.
• Take warm baths to ease aching joints and bring heat deep into your core.
• Dress warmer!  Don't let yourself get cold!
• Avoid cold drinks as they will cool your Qi too much.  Drink warm drinks such as tea throughout the day to bring heat into your core.

Chinese medicine is really effective at keeping the cold at bay, and teaching our bodies how to keep themselves warm!  Isn't that what we would all like most - to be pain-free not because we took a medication, but because our bodies have relearned how to be pain-free?

One of the most common complaints that I see in my practice is that of pain.  It could be acute pain (I fell off my bike last week and sprained my shoulder), or chronic pain (I've had arthritis in my hands for years now and I'm fed up).  There have been lots and LOTS of studies (do a search for "acupuncture" and "pain" on Medline and see what I mean! ) showing the efficacy of acupuncture in treating pain, so it's very common for people to think of acupuncture when they think of managing their pain.

Pain, in Chinese medicine, is due to a blockage to the regular flow of Qi.  Imagine your body as a series of freeways with the cars travelling along these freeways smoothly.  The freeways are the pathways through which Qi flows, called meridians.  The cars are the Qi itself.  Now, imagine that there is an accident on the freeway and traffic is getting backed up and it's not moving how it's supposed to.  The site of the accident is like the site of pain.  A bottleneck is created and the cars (or the Qi) can't move through the area correctly, wreaking havoc on traffic, or your body.

In Chinese medicine we use acupuncture and herbs to clear that traffic jam out of the way so that proper flow can be restored to the area.  In the case of acute pain, it may only take a few treatments for the proper flow of Qi to continue.  In the case of chronic pain it may take longer.  Why is this?  Well, chronic pain is quite a bit more complex.  This type of pain often has one or more underlying issues that need to be addressed in order for the body to be able to keep proper Qi and blood flow to the area.  For example, arthritis may have developed from an old injury, or it may be genetic, or it could be that the person has spent their life not eating properly, staying stress-free and exercising.  If these issues aren't addressed, then proper flow may be restored temporarily, but will often reduce again because of the health issues that allowed improper flow in the first place.

Needles used in pain management may be placed at the site of pain, but they may also be placed far away from the site, depending on the style of acupuncture that your practitioner uses.

Chinese herbs are often VERY useful in helping speed the process of healing.  Depending on the nature of your pain, you may be prescribed herbs to take orally short term to speed the healing of an acute injury, you may be given herbs to place on the painful area, or you may be given an herbal formula to take orally to treat issues underlying your pain symptoms (or some combination of the above!).

The most important thing to know is that the quicker you get treatment for pain, the quicker you'll be relieved of that pain.  Pain symptoms that have gone on for years tend to get a larger traffic build-up that just takes longer to clear.

Arthritis in dogs is one of the main health concerns that I see.  As pet owners, we’ve all been there.  We’ve had a long, lovely life with our dog, and they’re getting a bit older.  They’re starting to have difficulties getting up from lying down, especially in the morning after lying there for a while.  They have trouble getting in the car to go to the park.  They don’t run like they used to at the park, and then that evening they’re super stiff.

I see this scene play out on a regular basis, and very often, the owner/friend/treat-hander-outer has brought them to me as a last resort.  Is there anything that can be done to keep our beloved dog comfortable just a bit longer?  I always get excited at this point, because yes!  Almost without fail (there have been a few cases where we just couldn’t make enough of a difference in the pup’s pain levels) we can get that old dog moving more smoothly again.

In Chinese medicine, our Kidneys play a huge role in the aging process.  I’m not talking about the biomedical kidneys here, so if I say your dog has weak kidneys, there’s no need to panic.  I’m talking about the Chinese medical Kidneys.  These are the jobs that are attributed to the Kidneys in Chinese Medicine:  bone health, aging, some aspects of the urinary tract, menstruation in women – just to name a few.

When our dogs (and us, for that matter!) get older, their Kidney’s ability to manage all of the jobs mentioned above starts to decline.  This is when we start seeing arthritis, graying of hair, and incontinence (and in human women – menopause).  The process for treating arthritis in dogs involves strengthening the Kidneys, and making sure that their Qi flows smoothly throughout their bodies.

It’s always exciting to see that dog who previously hobbled into my office come bounding up the stairs to give me a kiss hello before their next treatment.  Yep, there’s no better reward than that!

My dog suffers from hip dysplasia -- will acupuncture help her?

In acupuncture, the body is like a freeway system, with Qi flowing through energy pathways called Meridians.  In this analogy, the cars are the Qi and the freeways themselves are the Meridians.  Pain is kind of like a car accident on the freeway.  When there is an accident on the freeway, the rest of the cars trying to travel through aren’t able to, which makes drivers cranky.  In your body, when there is a blockage to the natural flow of Qi, energy can’t travel through the Meridians properly, and the result is a cranky body - pain.

While acupuncture can’t fix the fact that a dog with hip dysplasia has a malformed hip socket, it can reduce the amount of pain associated with this disorder by removing the blockages to the flow of Qi.  Acupuncture relaxes muscle tension that has accumulated through chronic compensation for this loose joint, easing a lot of the aches and pains that a dog will experience.

I often find that after seeing a dog for 3-10 visits (depending on the severity of their condition and how their bodies respond to acupuncture) that they are pain-free and only require “tune-ups” every couple of months to maintain their pain-free status!

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a disorder that is thought to be due to the impingement of the nerves, specifically the median nerve, running through the wrist. Symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling and weakness in the hand or wrist. It's not uncommon for this group of symptoms to be due to other causes, such as nerve or blood vessel impingement in the neck, shoulders or other parts of the arm.

According to Chinese medical theory, these symptoms are due to a lack of proper flow of Qi and Blood to the area, causing the area to be malnourished.
From a biomedical point of view, acupuncture can be extremely useful in treating the inflammation that's often associated with such symptoms, as well as helping to relax any muscles that may be the cause of the impingement.

Vitamin B6 has also been found to be helpful in treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and related nerve disorders. Ask your doctor or natural health care provider if this is a possible treatment for you and your symptoms.

Go Ahead and Swear! A study published in NeuroReport shows that uttering your favorite curse word helps ease pain. In this study, the participants held their hand in an ice water bath while repeating a curse word. They then held their hand in the water a second time while repeating an everyday neutral word. They reported their pain levels for each "bathing," and it was found that the participants reported a lesser pain experience while being allowed to repeat a curse word.

In Chinese medical theory this makes a certain amount of sense. Pain is caused by our Qi not flowing smoothly. Stress is caused by our Liver Qi not moving properly (Liver being related to the emotion of anger or frustration). Swearing can help release our Liver Qi, freeing it. Perhaps swearing also has an effect on not just our Liver Qi, but all of the Qi in our body. Free Qi movement equals reduced pain!

So, if you bang your thumb with a hammer, or are a pregnant woman going through labor, feel free to mutter (or scream!) that favorite curse word. You'll feel better for it!



*I'd like to apologize for the lack of posts lately, the kiddo has ceased taking naps recently, making me reconfigure our schedule and trying to figure out when to get some writing done. I hope to get back on the writing wagon now that things have settled down a bit! Thanks for being patient with us!

Benny is a LOVELY guy. A giant, big-hearted teddy bear of a pup. Benny came to see me after rupturing his cruxiate ligament. Poor guy hurt his knee and was hobbling around like an old man! (Benny's only 7 years-old, by the way, he's got a LONG time left of playing with his pet and human family!) You see, Benny had done what MANY other dogs do during this time of year. It's FINALLY nice outside and when you get the chance to run after a long, shut-in winter, you RUN. Benny was going to have to wait with hurting knee for a month for his surgery because of all the other dogs ahead of him in line!

The vet gave him pain meds to help get him through the pain until surgery day, but his treat-hander-outer was hoping to keep him on lower doses of the medications. So we started doing acupuncture twice a week to keep his pain under control and to prepare him for his upcoming surgery. Benny also went home with an herbal formula that would do the same.

During the time prior to surgery, Benny's treat-hander-outer noticed that he was in good spirits! He was also in very little pain, which required lower doses of pain meds, just like they were hoping.

Benny's surgery day finally came and went and when I saw him for the first time after (a week after his surgery) I couldn't believe my eyes! Not only was he walking on his knee, he wasn't limping very much, either. On his second visit post-surgery, Benny waltzed right in with barely a hitch in his giddyup! The surgery that Benny had is pretty extensive, including reshaping of the bone in his knee. I've seen many pets who've had this surgery (while working at a vet clinic that performed such surgeries), and I've NEVER seen a dog with such a speedy recovery before!

I think this is a great case where biomedicine and natural medicine have worked together. While there was nothing that acupuncture could do to repair the torn ligament, acupuncture and Chinese herbs significantly reduced the amount of pain that was experienced, as well as prepared Benny's body for the surgery. His energy was already flowing smoothly pre-surgery, so it took very little to get back to that point.

Now, if only acupuncture could help keep this rearing-to-go pup calmer while his knee completely heals!

Omega 3 Fatty Acids (O3FAs) are an important nutrient that is somewhat overlooked. I find that there are several "types" of patients that I tend to strongly recommend O3FAs to.

• Anyone with allergies of any kind. Environmental (hayfever, trees, pets, etc.), Foods (including sensitivities, not just true allergies), and Skin allergies.
• Anyone with a skin condition of any sort. Eczema, psoriasis, contact dermatitis, etc.
• Anyone with arthritis.
• Anyone with heart disease/cholesterol problems.

O3FAs are great for breaking the cycle of inflammation. This is why they get recommended to so many of my patients! While they don't work quite like an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, over time they can be extremely useful for reducing the amount of inflammation in your system. They have even been used in higher doses as an anti-histamine to break the cycle of allergic inflammation often associated with hayfever!

O3FAs have also been found to be useful in reducing the inflammation associated with heart disease and in lower "bad" cholesterol levels.

So where does one get O3FAs. The best, of course is if you can get natural, whole food sources of O3FAs. Some common sources are:

• The flesh of fish - particularly the gray area between the skin and the "regular" flesh.
• Flax seeds
• Walnuts
• Soybeans - including, in lesser amounts, tofu

If you don't feel like it's doable, or enough to just eat a diet high in O3FA foods, you can take it in liquid or capsule form. There are vegetarian forms, usually made with flax seed oil, and fish sources. If you decide to take the fish-sourced oil, make sure to look for one that is certified heavy metal free (heavy metals would certainly counteract the whole point of taking the O3FAs in the first place!).

As always, talk with your acupuncturist or other health care provider about appropriate doses for you.

I'm very excited about a patient I've been treating lately. She's very pro-active in her treatments. She was in a horrible car accident a couple weeks ago and called me and her chiropractor FROM THE HOSPITAL to schedule her first post-car-accident appointments! She would have been fine waiting until she got home to call, but she figured she had some time to kill between x-rays and CT scans, why not? 

I saw pictures of her car. It was a very bad accident with the front half of her car being completely demolished. She was very lucky to have walked away from the scene. Thank goodness for seat belts and airbags, huh?

We began treatments the day following her accident and twice weekly since (she's following a similar schedule with her chiropractor). She wasn't sore the day after her accident, which is pretty normal - most people don't start experiencing pain for about a week after their accidents! But here's the more surprising part. Other than some back stiffness when she first wakes up in the morning, she's pain-free. Because she sought help early on from her acupuncturist and chiropractor, she is not suffering from the usual injuries that follow car accidents.

If you're in a car accident, consider seeking alternative medical care. There's so much that can be done to prevent the whiplash and back pain from setting in. If you're unable to see someone in time to prevent these injuries, there is still so much that can be done to speed the recovery process.