Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome With Acupuncture
There are studies that show that one in five adults suffer from chornic fatigue syndrome. This kind of medical and health condition intervenes with a person’s daily life. It is because of a person’s inability to function well. In fact, it even affects his personal and work life. With this, it is important to resolve and treat chornic fatigue as soon as it strucks as person. Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS is actually known as the Crohn’s Disease. It is evident that a person has chronic fatigue syndrome when for at least six consecutive months, he feels tired or fatigued all the time.
CFS or Chronic fatigue syndrome impacts young and adult alike. The different types of symptoms that person may experienced recur from time to time. Presently, there has been no direct and actual medication for chronic fatigue. Prescription drugs and pills may have temporary relief but in the long run they caused more harm than good to a person. Hence, the treatment is not a long lasting relief. However, there are some people who choose Traditional Chinese Medicine such as acupuncture treatment for a faster and more effective relief.
Before understanding the benefits of acupuncture, it is vital to recognize the different signs and symtoms of CFS or chronic fatigue. Among them include sudden and extreme exhaustion due to fever and flu, low grade fever and chills, sore throat, swollen lymph glands in the neck and armpit areas of the body, muscle and joint pains that occur without any swelling, headaches, insomnia, poor memory or inability to focus, concentrate or remember and even mood swings.
The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome vary from one person to another. However, the most common reason as to why CFS occur is due to a person’s weak immune system. His immune system’s reaction to a virus triggers this chornic fatigue syndrome. That is why, there are times that a person experiences flu-like illnesses that do not easily disappear. In addition, a person suffering from CFS also has a loss of appetite which triggers him to obtain poor eating habit and consequently makes him weak and fragile. Depression has also a big role to play when a person suffers from CFS.
Fortunately, acupuncture as part of the Traditional Chinese Medicine treat chronic fatigue syndrome. A number of benefits include less pain, better sleep, enhanced immune system, relaxation and better overall health condition. Acupuncture provides positive results to patients. There is even a study that shows major signs of improvements to patients suffering from chronic fatigue. The major improvement lasted for three months due to discontinuance of acupuncture treatment. That is why, patients who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome incorporate acupuncture therapy to their daily lifestyle in order to prevent recurring effects of CFS.
For more information check out out Denver Acupuncture Clinic website!
Denver Acupuncture: Liver Detoxification
Liver Detoxification
By Luke Terry
Why Detoxify?
Recent studies have shown that the average American comes into contact with over 100,000 industrial chemicals on a daily basis, less than 10% of which has been tested for safety on any level, much less long-term safety. Each one of these chemicals adds to our toxic load. Common household items are treated with flame-retardants that have been found to be carcinogenic. Much of the ocean’s fish are contaminated with mercury, pesticides, and PCB’s.
Crops are sprayed with hundreds of chemicals many times over during the process of growing our food. The average apple is sprayed 12 times. For every pound of coffee produced, 12 pounds of chemicals were used to grow it. Pesticides are a major source of illness for those occupationally exposed, and research shows that even in small amounts, pesticides.
Simply put, our environment, our homes, our food, water and air are as toxic as they have ever been, and becoming more toxic all the time. Even own hormones, both sex hormones and stress hormones, become toxic when they are present in our bodies in inappropriate amounts or at inappropriate times.
Toxicity is a major cause of disease. Mercury toxicity can cause neurological degeneration, loss of fine motor co-ordination, and even death. Cancerous tumors have been found to have much higher levels of toxic chemicals from the environment than normal tissues in the body. Cancer is now the number one cause of death in the US.
Toxins often mimic our hormones, disrupting endocrine balance.
Therefore the need to detoxify our bodies is urgent. Detoxification must be done correctly to prevent side effect, which are covered below.
The major organ of detoxification is the liver. It is a massive blood filter, and its job never ceases, 24/7/365. The liver processes much more blood at night. When we lay down to go to sleep, the liver dilates, accepting much more blood into it for processing.
There are two phases of liver detoxification. Simply put, the first phase is to convert toxic substances to less toxic fat-soluble substances. The second phase involves making these substances more water-soluble, and excreting them as bile.
How Do We Detoxify?
Detoxification can be accomplished in a number of ways. The most traditional method is fasting. This method can offer dramatic results and with it come dramatic side effects. More modern approaches include calorie-restriction, or cleanses. This approach is gentler, takes longer, and usually yields less complete.
The most effective approach available is what a medical detoxification, in which a mild caloric restriction program is applied in conjunction with specific nutrients to up-regulate both phases of liver detoxification, along with nutritional supplements to assist in the excretion of those toxins.
What are the effects of detoxification?
During uncontrolled detoxification processes such as fasting, people often experience fatigue, flu-like symptoms such as sinus congestion or post-nasal drip, joint aches, moodiness, fiver, gas, diarrhea, headaches, and rashes. Individuals with higher levels of toxicity will often experience more severe symptoms. In general, the greater an individuals’ toxic load, the more severe the symptoms and the longer it takes to adequately detoxify.
Fortunately, the methods used in the medical detox process include supplementing with nutrients that support and control the detoxification process. These methods include nutritional support and non-nutritional methods such as far-infrared saunas, lymphatic drainage, and exercise.
We use many nutraceuticals, herbs, vitamins, and dietary regimens to support and control the detoxification process. By carefully controlling the dose of the herbs and supplements, we can eliminate or minimize the major side effects of the detoxification.
Specific recommendations for Detoxification:
Lifestyle: Avoid toxicity in daily life. These common items are a source of toxic chemicals:
Detoxify Mentally, Spiritually, and Emotionally. Emotional and mental toxicity and stress are often the underlying cause of overall body toxicity, because they contribute to muddled thinking and poor decision-making, causing people to make poor lifestyle choices, and to rely upon stimulants and drugs.
Quiet Time. The detoxification process can tap our energy resources, so the detoxification process is a good time to take time for one’s self. Quiet contemplation, meditation, relaxing reading or music are all a great way to rest and maximize the detoxification process.
Eliminate Stress. Stress causes our body to produce its own toxins. We are in direct control of our stress. We can make choices that empower us. Choose to lower stress, decrease drama in your life, and to simplify.
Exercise. Exercise works in many ways to support the detoxification process. Exercise lowers stress, supports healthy mood and energy levels, and helps excrete toxins through sweat.
Drink Generously From a Pure Water Source: Tap and bottled water are sources of chemical toxins such as pthalates from plastic bottles, and chlorine and organohalides from domestic tap water. Use distilled water or reverse-osmosis purified water, or spring water from a verified source. Use steel or glass containers to carry water. Most people need 2 liters of water daily.
Toxic Items to Eliminate:
Coffee: one of the most heavily fumigated crops, and the roasting process leaves volatile coffee oils open to rancidity, which happens rapidly. Eliminate coffee because it is toxic, and is a diuretic.
Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic, it diminishes blood oxygen levels and depletes key liver detoxification enzymes, depletes minerals, raises blood sugar, and slows metabolism
Mainstream Personal Grooming Products. Products such as makeup, face creams, shampoos, lotions, deodorants, even toothpaste, contain toxic chemicals that are endocrine disruptors and liver congesting substances. Choose natural brands, and brands from Europe such as Weleda and Hauschka because the European laws are much more stringent than US laws.
Artificial Sweeteners. Products such as Aspartame, Nutrasweet, break down in the body to produce neurotoxins such as glutamic acid, and liver toxins such as methanol. A recent study showed that animals fed aspartame gained more weight because their fatty tissue became less vascular, less metabolic, making it harder to burn fat. Replace artificial sweetners with stevia or raw honey.
Dairy products: Dairy causes mucus production in the body, which congests the liver and the lymphatic system, slowing and complicating the detoxification process. Dairy also contains metabolites of pus from the inflamed cow’s udders, and hormones used to increase milk production. Avoid dairy during the detox process, and minimize dairy in general. Choose organic, raw dairy to minimize toxins and to maximize nutrition.
Pesticides: Eat organic food as much as possible. Wash your produce well. If you must eat conventional produce, avoid the 12 most highly fumigated produce items:
Strawberries, Bell peppers (green and red), Spinach, Cherries (grown in the United States), Peaches (grown in Chile), Cantaloupe (grown in Mexico), Celery, Apples, Apricots, Green beans, Grapes, and Cucumbers.
Foods to Include:
Vegetables and Fruit that support Detoxification: dandelion greens, burdock root, and artichoke are the first line of support. Garlic, onions, and scallions are also helpful. Secondarily, eating lots of fresh green foods, such as spinach, kale, chard, broccoli, rapini, cabbage, arugula, zucchini, eggpland, tomato, avocado, are all helpful.
Lean Protein: Protein is required for detoxification, because blood proteins are built from amino acids. Lean protein such as free range, 100% grass fed beef, free range, organic chicken, wild-caught fish, are all important to maintain adequate amino acid balance while detoxifying. Other source can be from whey protein, nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and brazil nuts. Nuts are excellent sources of fiber and minerals, especially magnesium and selenium, both vital for liver detoxification.
Though animal products provide rich supplies of complex proteins, they can also bring a toxic load, unless it’s meat from the most intelligently raised animal from the farmers and ranchers with irreproachable ethics.
It is important to note that all rich sources of protein and fat will slow the detoxification process. For those who seek the most effective detoxification process, minimizing protein temporarily for the duration of the detox will greatly increase the body’s utilization of stored and disorganized proteins such as scar tissue and plaques, increasing the effectiveness of the detoxification.
Herbs: Herbs such as turmeric, celandine, dandelion, bupleurum, burdock, milk thistle, all affect liver detoxification by increasing either Phase I or Phase II. Chlorella, spirulina, barley grass, wheat grass, and other fresh or freeze-dried green juices are also administered because of their powerful ability to upregulate detoxification pathways and to bind to toxicity, but especially for their mineral content which helps to alkalinize the body.
These plants also provide chlorophyll, which increases blood oxygen, greatly supporting the detoxification process.
With our unique protocol, you will be able to detoxify efficiently, comfortably, and easily. You can repeat this process as often as you like to detox more deeply into the body. Once you experience the ‘high’ of superb physiological functioning during and after the detox, you may want to schedule regular detoxes into your lifestyle. For example, detoxing 4 times a year, once during each season, will yield incredible, lasting, and deep results that just get better each time you do it.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be a great way to help cleanse the liver by freeing up any stagnation in the body and making sure that all the organs receive the nutrients they need to function well. Make sure you are seeing a licensed acupuncturists since they will be trained appropriately for best results.
Chinese Herbs
Chinese herbs offer a great solution to helping the liver detox. There are many different types of Chinese herbs with different degrees of detoxification.
For more information visit our Denver Acupuncture Clinic website to learn more about Chinese Medicine and how it can help you!
Denver Acupuncture and Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis
Symptoms may be very minor, like the loss of coordination in one hand or very severe, resulting in complete paralysis. Common symptoms include, loss of balance, muscle spasms, numbness, problems moving extremities, coordination issues, tremors, weakness, bowel and bladder issues, eye problems, cognitive defects, depression, hearing issues, sexual issues and speech problems.
Modern treatments are limited and may accompany side effects. The medications aim to slow the progression of the disease. Medications are often accompanied with steroids, muscle spasm medications, and anti-depressants.
Many people are searching for natural remedies for Multiple Sclerosis. Chinese acupuncture is a great therapy for multiple sclerosis.
Acupuncture views MS as a couple of different patterns observed by acupuncturist for hundreds of years. The first of these patterns is called phlegm heat internally brewing pattern. The disease generally starts internally, is only seen in obese individuals and reveals excessive amounts of phlegm. Treatment for this pattern usually involves an herbal combination combined with acupuncture to clear heat and transform phlegm clearing the vessels for strong qi and blood flow.
Another pattern often seen in those patients with MS is damp heat damaging the sinews. Damp heat cause damage to qi affecting primarily the meridians referred to as the sinew channels. Dampness and heat in this situation is almost always found to be cause by spleen vacuity and liver depression. Therefore treatments generally involve toning the live and spleen while clearing excess heat and eliminating dampness.
The next pattern seen in individuals diagnosed with MS is blood vacuity with wind hyperactivity. Blood vacuity causes wind to stir internally, creating the muscle spasms and weakness often accompanied with MS. Blood vacuity is often a result of an issue with the spleen not engendering and transforming the blood appropriately. Treatment would therefore involve toning the spleen, enriching the blood, and calming the yang, extinguishing any excess wind.
Liver blood-kidney yin vacuity is very similar to the blood vacuity pattern mentioned above, however it is absent of wind stirring internally and is treated by supplementing the kidneys and liver enriching both the blood and yin.
Lastly the pattern qi and yin dual vacuity involves both the yin blood insufficiency and spleen qi not contain or vacuity heat forcing intense blood movement. This pattern may cause very distinct symptoms involving either amenorrhea or heavy menstrual bleeding. Treatment involves fortifying the spleen and boosting the qi while enriching the yin of the kidneys.
Obviously MS is a very complicated disease, manifesting in a variety of ways. Each case varies from each individual, so it is important to consult a licensed acupuncturists to explore your treatment options. Chinese acupuncture is a great multiple sclerosis alternative treatment.
Go to our website denveracupuncturecenter.com to more on how acupuncture can help you live healthier and experience your greatest potential. Also download our free E- book: Easy Guide to Living Healthy with Chinese Medicine.
Author Sylvia Salcedo Rojas L.Ac