Oh my aching back...

Oh my aching back…

Back pain is one of the most common and costly conditions that motivates people to seek medical attention. Did you know that more than one million people in the USA are affected with back pain, costing an estimated 37 million dollars annually? This adds up to millions of hours of lost work and productivity, not to mention the pain and suffering of countless people.  

Half of all adults will experience some form of back pain in their lifetime, making this a significant source of inconvenience and suffering. This is also one of the most common reasons that many patients seek my help with acupuncture and herbal treatments. Back pain comes in many shapes and sizes, intensities, and durations, making the treatment of each patient an individualized one.

How Does Back Pain Present?

Common causes of back pain are sprains and strains that can occur from over-stretching or over-loading the muscles and ligaments. This can occur suddenly, as with a fall or accident, or over time through wear and tear from poor posture, improper use, or structural imbalances (like scoliosis, curative of the spine).

Other common ways back pains present are:

• Disc herniation or subluxation -- when a disc that is the inner cushioning between the vertebrae bulges out causing compression of the nerve root in some cases. This can cause referred pain to other areas of the body.

• Sciatica -- a nerve that begins at the spinal cord and goes to the hips, buttocks, and then branches down each leg. It is when the sciatica nerve is irritated or inflamed that one experiences pain, most often radiating into the buttocks or down the legs, causing pain, numbness, and muscle weakness. 

• Osteoarthritis -- when wear and tear on the joints causes the breakdown of cartilage that surrounds, protects, and cushions the bones at the joints.  This can cause pain, swelling and stiffness throughout the spine. This condition is commonly seen in the elderly.

Types of Pain

There are two types of common back pain: acute and chronic. 

Acute back pain occurs suddenly, making it impossible to walk, bend, or even conduct daily activity. Acute back spasm can induce a pain cycle that leads to muscles that are distorted, which in turn pull on discs and joints and compress nerves.  This is a very painful situation and demands immediate attention, usually a multi-faceted approach: acupuncture, massage, heat therapy, and sometimes medication and spinal adjustments. 

Back pain can also be chronic in nature -- a dull ache that never really seems to go away. This condition takes a little more time to resolve and requires an understanding of how to correct muscular imbalances and weaknesses with restorative exercises and physical therapy, as well as all the other modalities already listed.

95% of back pain cases will resolve with therapeutic treatments without the need of invasive surgeries. 

How Can Acupuncture Help Back Pain?

Acupuncture can play a major role in the reduction or elimination of back pain by promoting blood flow, reducing inflammation, and helping restoring normal function of the muscles, joint, ligaments, tendons and nerves.

Research studies have shown that acupuncture treatments cause the body to produce natural steroids and promote the production of natural endorphins. These natural steroids reduce inflammation and swelling, while the endorphins reduce pain levels in the body. This in turn can break the pain cycle, help improve activity levels, increase range of motion, promote faster recovery time, improve function of the musculoskeletal system, and reduce the chances of reoccurring back pain.  

Acupuncture and herbal remedies can also reduce the need for painkillers or other medications that can cause unwanted side effects or delay the healing process.

Chinese Medicine Patterns of Back Pain

In Chinese Medicine the patterns of disharmony are divided into several different types of back pain and whether the condition is acute or chronic:

• Deficiency type pain is usually dull, chronic and improves with rest. Back muscles are often weak and under conditioned.

• Qi and blood stagnation is often acute with severe and stabbing pain. Back muscles are stiff and tight and the patient feels worse with rest. This pattern is often related to an acute sprain or strain.

• Cold damp obstruction back pain is worse in cold and damp weather and there is often numbness, swelling, and a sense of heaviness in the muscles. This is often seen in arthritic conditions.

The treatment approach is different for each type of back pain. In the deficiency pattern the approach is to improve muscle function, promote blood flow and reduce pain. When there is stagnation of qi and blood, the approach is to move the blood and reduce pain and spasms of the muscles. In the cold damp obstruction, the approach is to move the fluid in the lymph system, improve circulation, and restore nerve function.

In all types of back conditions the goal is to improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, and increase the recovery time. Chinese Medicine has been shown to do just that, as well as provide long term benefits by addressing all the underlying health issues to prevent any reoccurrence of back pain.  

My patient Scotty is an example of how Chinese Medicine and lifestyle changes can keep back function at optimal levels.

Case Study

Scotty, a dapper, articulate man of 64 with a soft southern accent, came to me with the complaint of lower back pain that radiated down into his left leg.  His massage therapist had given him my name and encouraged him to try acupuncture along with his ongoing massage and physical therapy.

Scotty had been experiencing back pain for the past year.  His health profile revealed that he was diabetic, hypertensive (controlled with medication), overweight, undernourished, chronically dehydrated, and suffered from depression and seizures. His weighed 201 pounds and before his gastric bypass seven years ago he was weighing in at 355. This is a great accomplishment but he needed to learn better eating habits to help control his blood sugar, and to further reduce his weight. We would need to address his current unhealthy diet as well as his lower back pain.

The first order of business was to tackle his chronic back pain. His occupation as a hair- dresser required long periods of standing on his feet without rest. His spine from the upper cervical area down to his lumbar and sacral iliac joint suffered from the many years of standing and working with his arms elevated. The excess weight in is mid-section only exacerbated the situation. 

His back pain had been so acute six months prior to seeing me that he had been hospitalized for a week to determine what was causing all his discomfort. He was experiencing numbness, tingling, and a dull ache that had come on gradually, starting from his waist and running down to his toes and feet. He had extreme weakness in his left leg with a feeling that his leg could not support him at times when he was standing and walking. He had not had an accident or an injury that had caused this painful condition. 

While at the hospital he had been seen by three neurosurgeons, two neurologists, an osteopath, and a physiatrist all who could not determine why he was suffering with pain and numbness. The neurosurgeon recommended surgery, which was not something that Scotty was inclined to do at this point. He “gave up” on all the doctors and went to a massage therapist to “relax.” It was after taking the advice of his massage therapist that he came for acupuncture and herbal and nutritional advice. 

We started with acupuncture treatments that focused on reducing the numbness down his leg, while reducing swelling and nerve inflammation in his low back/sacral area.  His Chinese diagnosis was cold damp deficiency type low back pain. He felt better with rest and warmth and his low back and sacral area were swollen and cold to the touch.  The needles were placed from the cervical spine (neck) down to his ankles to increase circulation and help improve nerve and muscle function. The majority of needles were placed in the lumbar and sacral areas of the spine, while also using moxabustion to warm and improve blood flow, and electric stimulation to improve nerve function and to break the pain cycle.

In the last 5 months of every other week acupuncture and massage he is 95% symptom free.

The numbness in his left leg and foot are barley noticeable while the strength in his spine and legs have increased to the point that he is pain free and back to his daily activities without limitation. His energy is at a record high due to all the dietary changes that he has made. 

Due to the gastric bypass, it was very difficult for him to digest his foods, so I suggested that he puree and blend much of his foods. The morning anti-oxidant smoothie helped him get the nutrients in the morning to sustain him through his 12-hour workday, and his vegetable soup purees helped him get the vegetables that he so needed in his diet. He started eating on schedule and avoided sugary and fatty foods that he often ate while working. 

Scotty kept himself hydrated and avoided the diet sodas and coffee. He also started taking flax oil and herbal tonics, which helped in the healing of his muscular skeletal system.  He is always working at improving his diet and fitness level.

Scotty is always asking questions and has a renewed interest in learning about healthy living and it shows. His colleagues and clients notice the renewed bounce in his step and that his quick wit and joyous personality have returned. He has told me that I have saved his life!!  He saved his own life by taking the steps that he needed to take to change a lifetime not exercising and eating regularly and properly.  This has all changed as now he is in his “second spring” as they say in China.

We now are working together to cure his type two diabetes with diet, exercise and Chinese Medicine.

The journey continues…

The Infertile Patient, isn't…and becomes pregnant.

The Distraught patient…fertility and Chinese Medicine

When studying Chinese Medicine in school I was never prepared for the emotional roller coaster ride of treating an infertility patient. I studied acupuncture point prescription and herbal protocol for enhancing the endocrine system, but there was never a mention of assisted reproduction with drugs and surgery. When I opened my own practice, I found myself integrating ancient medicine with modern cutting-edge fertility treatments. You have to be a quick study to keep up with this new approach in treating the many patients that come knocking at the doors of Chinese Medicine clinics!

“Fertility enhancement” is the term I like to use with my patients -- from my point of view “infertility” sounds so doomed and final.  These patients need hope, understanding, and a treatment plan that can increase the chances for becoming pregnant with a healthy baby! Happily, Chinese Medicine is effective in doing just that.

The Science behind Fertility Treatments

Many studies have been published and books have been written that show the profound benefits of acupuncture and herbal medicine for enhancing fertility. One recent study from Israel showed a 42.5% pregnancy rate when acupuncture treatment was used in conjunction with assisted reproduction, as compared to the 21.3% of assisted reproduction without acupuncture treatment. This gives a huge leg up to the fertility patient.

These exciting studies and books have piqued the interest of fertility doctors, clinics, and patients seeking additional help in achieving their dreams of becoming parents.  It is commonplace for fertility clinics to also recommend acupuncture treatment alongside the IUI (Intrauterine insemination fertilization) and IVF (In vitro fertilization) protocols for their patients. These studies have actually altered the number of fertility patients that are seen weekly in my practice.

Now I find myself catapulted into a new world of drugs, IUI, and IVF protocols while learning how to assist and support my patient every step of the way in this gut wrenching, anxiety producing journey.

The Challenge

Now this is where the challenges really begin for me. Most of these fertility patients would never have chosen or sought out the expertise of an acupuncturist or herbalist before arriving at this difficult place in their lives. My fertility patients come from all walks of life, backgrounds, and cultures and with their own unique history and health issues. In these situations, not only are we treating the physical health of the patient but also their emotional health, which most often can be precarious at best.

Often I must follow and support the already established high-tech assisted reproduction treatment plan. These patients come from fertility doctors armed with their hormone injections, dates and times, and numerous step-by-step procedures. I am the backup, the cheerleader, the voice of reason, and a place of refuge from the cold and clinical fertility clinics.

Why Infertility?

Women are now waiting longer and longer to start families, and in NYC this is the rule rather than the exception. The older patient has a greater challenge at becoming pregnant due to a reduced egg reserve as well as a reduction in the quality of the eggs. This makes assisted reproduction commonplace as well as a huge moneymaker for doctors, clinics, and hospitals.

But age isn’t the only factor -- fertility is also being affected by the high levels of chemicals and toxins that are in our environment, our food, and our water supplies. Reduced sperm counts, increased miscarriages, and reduced fertility are on the rise due to the overexposure of environmental toxins and chemicals. This is the very reason that I stress a cleansing diet that is organic plant based, with lean organic meats and wild mercury free fish, along with herbs and acupuncture.

How does Acupuncture Work for Fertility?

Let me count the ways:
·      it increases blood flow to the ovaries and uterus
·      improves the endocrine system by regulating the function of the thyroid, adrenals and the reproductive hormones
·      stimulates follicle quality and growth
·      builds healthy lining
·      increases ovulatory function
·      reduces the FSH
·      reduces the side effects of the high doses of drugs used in assisted reproductive protocols
·      and reduces stress and anxiety.
Chinese Medicine can help cultivate a healthy fertility environment both physically and mentally with herbal and acupuncture treatments for patients undergoing assisted reproduction protocols.

But what about the patients that don’t respond to aggressive reproductive procedures? Many reproductive clinics and hospitals give up and suggest adoption or egg donors as the next step towards becoming a parent. In some cases these are the only options, and in some cases this could not be further from the truth.

Case Study

I’ll always remember the very first fertility patient that came to my newly opened practice more than 10 years ago. I had such a vested interest in helping her reach her dream, and I so wanted Chinese Medicine to come to the rescue.

Her name was Lorna, and she was not the typical fertility patient as she was only 34 -- quite young to have already started down this path. She was from Chile and had moved to NYC with her husband when he was transferred for his job.

Lorna had gotten my name from her insurance company and I was now number three on the list of acupuncturists that she had visited. The previous acupuncturist had asked her to chant during her treatment that it was not her fault that she had not become pregnant. I had to assure her that this was not how it was going to be while we were working together.  She was skeptical at best.

She was without a strong support system and felt lost, distraught and downright depressed.  During the lengthy intake process I learned that she had had under gone three IUI and two IVF cycles, and all had failed.  The doctor over seeing her case had told her that her only options for becoming pregnant were through an egg donor program. He even had egg donor profiles in his office that she could choose from.

I thought this strange and a conflict of interest, but she told me she was done with him, the drugs, and all the rest of assisted reproduction. After all, there was no hard medical evidence to support his recommendation. After this ordeal, she was open to a completely holistic, natural approach to becoming pregnant.

So it was all on my shoulders to help her achieve her goal and I was up to the task. Lorna had gained over 40 pounds in the past two years with the overload of fertility drugs, bad eating habits, and lack of exercise. She felt bloated, exhausted, and wanted to sleep all the time. She was not working and had very few friends since she was new to this country. Her confidence and self -esteem was very low due to all the failed attempts at becoming pregnant. Her husband was supportive but very busy with his new job and away from home much of the time. She needed some social support and connections in her new city.

On the physical side, her menstrual cycle was irregular with very little flow, she did not ovulate, and she had very scant cervical mucus. Her thyroid was sluggish, although her reproductive hormones were all within normal ranges, even her FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). She had reason to believe that she could in fact become pregnant but need a little help from Chinese Medicine!

The Treatment Plan

The first step was to regulate her period, get her active and eating a balanced diet, reduce her stress and anxiety, and find ways to build her trust and confidence in acupuncture. I asked her to chart her cycle so we could see the improvements month to month and I recommended weekly acupuncture and herbal treatments.

Lorna joined a nearby gym to help regain her fitness and help with the weight loss.  Little by little she was taking steps to improve her body, life, and confidence. She started smiling and enjoying her new life here in NYC. This was such a joy to see!

Her Chinese Medicine diagnosis was spleen qi vacuity with damp accumulation and heart qi vacuity with liver blood vacuity. She had a stagnant condition that needed to be addressed before she could ever get pregnant.  For this condition she took herbal formulas twice daily which were precooked for her from raw herbs and had weekly acupuncture treatments for over eight months.

With each passing month her condition improved. Soon she had a 28 day cycle with good rich blood flow and she ovulated each month mid-cycle. To her delight, her weight returned to the 115 pounds that she had been before the fertility treatments. Her mood had improved and she felt positive again. She even returned to Chile for one month to visit her family and ground herself again. We sent her with a suitcase full of herbs to take while away.

Acupuncture Worked!

One month after her return from Chile and eight months after beginning acupuncture and herbal treatments she became pregnant. It was such a huge accomplishment for both of us. We had become a team working together. She was patient and trusted the process and in the end it paid off. Lorna gave birth to a healthy baby boy and went on the have another boy (without any help) two years later!

Lorna taught me many lessons about the inner strength that can be tapped when needed. She chose to tap into that place in the face of despair and unfounded medical advice, and come out a stronger and more resilient person. Her Christmas card this year showed two adorable boys that have her beautiful olive complexion and dark brown eyes with big bright smiles.

Lorna inspires us all with her strength and perseverance. 

The Desperate Patient

The Desperate Patient … who finds her way

As an acupuncturist, I frequently get desperate phone calls, e-mails, and texts from patients that have exhausted every avenue trying to cure their affliction and in a last ditch, “what the hell effort,” have decided to give acupuncture a try. OY!! These patients tend to be my hardest cases, as they are frustrated, scared, angry, mistrusting, and downright exhausted from seeking help and getting none.

Sometimes their expectations are high -- they want a miracle to occur and want to be healed in one to two treatments just like their friends, colleagues, or spouses. Other times their expectations are low -- they are total non-believers in Chinese Medicine, but there are no other choices left for them to try but this “voodoo” medicine. Starting a relationship with either too much or too little trust and unrealistic expectations is a tough way to begin.

It is a hard road working with and educating the so-called “difficult-to-treat patients” that are most often discarded from the western medical community. These patients are sometimes labeled “crazy,” “difficult,” “non-compliant,” “not listening,” “too demanding,” ”hysterical,” or  just plain “silly.” This may be so, but to get shuffled off to another expert while being left without answers and meaningful treatment plans seems unfair.

This is the very type patient that called me last year. The patient, Anita, was utterly distraught and very frightened about her health condition when we first spoke on the phone. She came for a consultation after getting my name from a very satisfied colleague.
Anita wanted to have a face-to-face meeting to discuss her health issues before committing to acupuncture or herbal treatment.

It was a fall day when Anita, a very sweet, pleasant, Caucasian, premenopausal woman of 49 years, came to my office for our first consultation. She was a professional, working in the financial sector for the past twenty-five years, and was surrounded by a supportive family and many friends. Her heritage was of Ecuadorian decent and her diet reflected this cultural background. Her primary care physician had been treating her for hypertension for the past five years.  It was when her hypertension was no longer under control with her current medication that all the major problems begin to unfold. Her physician had recently placed Anita on another hypertensive medication that seemed to have caused a severe allergic reaction.

After several days on this new medication Anita developed facial pain in her left cheek, eye, and had pain radiating up to her forehead.  She had the feeling of “fireworks” going off on the top of her head as well as a dull throbbing on the entire left side of her face twenty-four hours a day. She was light and heat sensitive and felt best in a cool dark room.

When we spoke, she covered the left side of her face with her hands and asked me to lower the shades in the sundrenched room. She could go to work and function, but had to wear a hat and dark glasses when going outside in the daylight. The constant “fireworks” and throbbing had left her exhausted and frightened.

Her many doctors: her primary care physician, endocrinologist, neurologist, and cardiologist, all deemed her healthy and able to continue on with the new hypertensive medication in addition to steroids and anti-inflammatory and sleep medications. Anita felt that she was over-medicated and decided to stop all medication.

It was then that I took pause. This was going to be tricky. I can’t condone someone not taking lifesaving medication, but I felt there was another approach that had not been addressed. Even though the primary care physician said that the new hypersensitive medication would not cause the facial/ trigeminal nerve inflammation, I had to disagree. It seemed such a clear cause and effect reaction, especially when she was getting some relief after going off the new hypertensive medication.

When delving further into Anita’s health history, her blood work revealed elevated triglycerides, high cholesterol, pre-diabetic blood sugar levels, and a high A1C level. She also was obese, weighing in at 198 on a 5”5 foot frame. That was causing strain on her muscular skeletal system as well as on all her organs of her body.

We discussed that her diet, sedentary lifestyle, and lack of vigorous exercise were the root causes of many of her medical issues. It was clear that if she continued down this path she would be placed on many more medications for treating diabetes and high cholestorol, as well as diuretics, hormone replacement drugs, steroids to control her facial nerve condition, and of course more hypertensive medication.

Even though Anita was one of the most conscientious patients when following the advice of her medical doctors, she was never given lifestyle advice, up until now. Her diet and exercise was the first issue at hand. She was so motivated to control her own health without drugs that she was eager to do whatever it took to become healthy.

We started with taking all dairy, white flour, and sugar out of her diet and we added in three to five servings of vegetables, two fruit servings of apples or berries, and thirty minute walks every day.  She stopped eating all fast foods for lunch -- no more Pizza Hut, Subway, and McDonald’s for her -- now it was salad bars and soups for lunch. Her staple cultural diet of white rice, heavy meats, and surgery deserts where a thing of the past. She was eating lean proteins, quinoa, brown rice, healthy morning smoothies, and snacks of fruits and vegetables.

Her official Chinese Medicine diagnosis was “spleen qi vacuity with heart fire and uprising of liver heat,” not something that I would discuss with her primary care physician. She was treated with weekly acupuncture treatments for 3 months and when her blood pressure and facial pain were more under control, her treatments were then tapered down to every other week for the past year. Her treatments focused on reducing inflammation around her facial nerves, increasing her metabolic rate, regulating her thyroid and blood pressure, and reducing stress.

She was also treated with herbs and nutrition supplements. The formulas I used were Dan Shen Pian to improve her facial pain and circulation and Tian Ma Gou Tang Pian to help control her blood pressure. These combined treatments worked very well to improve her health crises.

I also had an arrangement with Anita that she was to see the office nurse for weekly blood pressure checkups and readings when she came to the office for her acupuncture treatments. Only if her blood pressure remained stable would I continue treating her while she was not taking western medications. I am not reckless with my patients’ health. This is all about integration of healthcare, not abandonment of all the advances of our modern day healthcare.

Anita’s motivation to be drug free propelled her into a new way of living. She is now in charge of her own health. Her weekly acupuncture treatments, herbal protocol, and exercise program enabled her to lose twenty-five pounds, control her blood pressure, and reduce her facial nerve pain to a barely noticeable level. She is still working on losing more weight and continues with her new healthy eating plan.

Anita and I have been working together for one year now and she continues to delight and surprise me with her dedication to continue on the path towards better health. At her annual checkup this past month, all her doctors were amazed at her improved blood work, blood pressure, reduction in facial pain, and her weight loss. She told me that when she told them that she was using herbs and acupuncture to control her facial pain and blood pressure, her doctors’ “mouths gapped wide open.”

Anita is still a work in progress, but aren’t we all? Taking personal responsibility is the reason Anita has had so much success towards improving her health and life, free of prescription drugs. If we all take responsibility of our own health, we might all be as healthy and successful as Anita -- and I hope to continue to help people on their personal journeys to well-being.

Chinese Medicine, The Kinder and Gentler Approach...

Taking the long view: Chinese Medicine, the kinder and gentler approach

In Chinese Medicine we take a holistic approach to supporting health and treating disease. It is though the integration of mind, body, and spirit that health and longevity are allowed to thrive.

The model of promoting health and prevention of disease in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on the idea of maintaining a free flow of qi (our life force), blood, and fluids, as well as freeing and fostering an emotional equilibrium of the mind. These are all considered fundamental requirements for abundant health.

An important herbalist of ancient China, Zhu Danxi, stated that:

“So long as the qi and blood enjoy harmonious flow, none of the hundreds of diseases can arise.  Once qi and blood are depressed and suppressed, diseases are produced.”

This ancient philosophy underscores the view that a sound mind and abundant qi are the basis for health and longevity while a deficiency of qi and a weakness of the mind are the main causes of illness and aging. When life is irregular and lifestyle choices don’t support good health, the body is less resistant to disease.  Healthy living and a healthy mind create a strong, sound immune system that serves as a major player in preventing disease.

The book Yi Qing Xiao Lu states that “One should always enjoy simple pleasures such as sunshine in the winter or shade in summer, beautiful scenes on a bright day, walking cheerfully, singing in the woods, listening to birds…” In other words, one should enjoy activities that cultivate joy and relaxation as well as interest in life.

Preserving Balance

It is through the balance of yin (still) and yang (active), the cultivation and maintenance of qi, and the preservation and conservation of a tranquil mind that health and mental well-being can flourish. My patients are often reminded of an image of a scale -- when all is in balance health is abundant, but when the scale is tipped out of balance health is elusive or far from reach.  Keeping the health scale in balance by making wise daily health choices is one of the most important messages that can be taken away from TCM.

So often we live out of balance, creating many disharmonies in the body: sleep disorders, digestive distress, headaches, muscular skeletal imbalances, hormone imbalances, anxiety, and stress disorders.  The diseases of lifestyle irregularities in the country are on the rise with obesity, type two diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, cancers, and drug and alcohol abuse all major burdens and drains on our healthcare system and our country. This is where TCM can have an important impact on healthcare in our society.

TCM helps us all make healthy lifestyle choices that are more in alignment with living in moderation in diet, work, social commitments, and helps with finding deep meaning in life itself. TCM is a slow medicine that helps the body heal before having to use strong allopathic intervention such as powerful prescription drugs or surgery.

Western allopathic medicine is a very important piece in the health care system when there are life threating situations and serious diseases that need strong intervention.  But this medicine takes the near view and works to eradicate the disease without taking into consideration how and why the patient got to this point in the first place. In many cases, if patients simply lived in balance and adjusted their lifestyle choices, they could avoid many diseases all together.

The Long View

The practice of TCM embraces the entire essence of the patients’ body, mind and spirit when formulating a treatment plan. Taking the long view is looking at the whole, rather than merely focusing only on the symptom or the disease.  

The chief complaint that a patient presents is viewed within the context of the patient’s constitution, age, lifestyle, and mental state when considering treatments. The “ten questions” that are at the heart of the intake in Chinese Medicine take into consideration sleep patterns, digestive health, energy levels, reproductive health, emotional history, as well as the presenting health issue.  This information is woven into the overall patterns of disharmony to be addressed during treatment.

And acupuncture is only one aspect of TCM that is used in the treatment of diseases and disharmonies of the body and mind. The use of herbal medicine, massage called Tui Na (Chinese medical massage), meditation and breathing exercises, exercise such as Tai Qi and Qi Gong, dietary recommendations, and lifestyle changes that require the patient’s participation in their own healthcare are all important in the treatment and prevention of disease.

As a practitioner of TCM I feel like a detective looking for the root causes of the diseases or conditions that my patients present.  Each patient has their own unique history, and it is only by delving into the underlying causes that treatment can be fully effective. It is only when there is an integration of body, mind, and spirit, as well as the full participation of the patient’s responsibility for their own healthcare that deep healing can begin.

Chinese Medicine can be seen as a powerful tool that incorporates preventive healthcare within our present system, as well as to serving as a partner with western medicine to integrate the long and near view of disease -- for both viewpoints can help in the long term betterment of healthcare in our country.

Taking the preventive healthcare mindset has the invaluable reward of living with more radiant health throughout your life, and this is the path that Chinese Medicine leads you towards.

Some parting words from the wise ancients:
“If you do not make good use of this free and precious life, what good does it do to possess a human body?” Shabkar