Posts Tagged ‘side effects’

Do you get headaches or migraines? Is there anything worse? Headaches can ruin your quality of life. Not only do they suck, but the medications that ‘fix’ them don’t always work and can have drastic side effects.

Has your doctor still not figured out why you have them? “Take a pill” is probably their response.

Have they ruled out all these potential causes?

* Dehydration- most people are dehydrated
* Hormonal imbalances
* Food allergies
* Stress
* Neck tension & misalignment
* Mercury/heavy metal poisoning
* Adverse reaction to medications
* Tumors
* Head colds and sinus infections
* High blood pressure

How Chinese medicine can help

Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and proper diet can all relieve or fix any of the above causes. How? Chinese medicine is able to regulate hormonal imbalances, detoxify the body, relieve stress, lower blood pressure, improve the immune system, reduce pain & inflammation, and minimize tumor size & growth. Pretty amazing, right?

Have you been living with headaches or migraines for years? It’s time to give Chinese medicine a try.

Live natural. Live well.

Heather

I’ve had so many patients ask about the potential side effects of radiation hitting the West Coast. This gives me a chance to talk about my favorite subject- FOOD.

Whole Grains & Legumes

Brown rice should be lightly roasted to increase your protection against radiation.

Adzuki beans- little red beans used in soups and stews- are great for improving kidney function, which is necessary for removing toxins.

Other delicious grains to help protect you include: buckwheat, millet, and quinoa.

Sea Vegetables

Most sea vegetables contain a polysaccharide that binds to radioactive strontium and other pollutants. This helps to eliminate them from the body.

Kombu, a common kelp, can be used when cooking beans or vegetables. Add to your soup or salad a few tablespoons of sea vegetables, such as nori (used in sushi rolls), hiziki, alaria, arame, or wakame.

Miso Soup

1 or 2 bowls of unpasteurized miso soup every day, preferably prepared with kombu seaweed and root vegetables.

Miso broth with root vegetables (like carrots, beets, yams, onions, turnips and radishes) stimulates digestive enzymes and supports the elimination of pollutants and toxins from the blood.

Eat Your Veggies

Any dark, leafy greens will promote detoxification, including: dandelion, kale, cilantro, and chard. Other veggies to alkaline the body and reduce inflammation are: pumpkin, squash, garlic, avocado, and broccoli.

Root vegetables are a great source of antioxidants and support your kidneys.

Add tumeric- the spice that makes curry yellow- to your veggies to reduce inflammation and support your immune system.

Adding lemon to your filtered water supports the liver’s function to eliminate toxins. It also stimulates your metabolism. Who wouldn’t want that? I recommend drinking lemon water all the time, but especially first thing in the morning to jumpstart your day. No matter what the circumstances.

Supplements

The Iodide Question

There are many conflicting studies about the benefits and efficacy of taking iodine to protect your thyroid from radiation. So I’m hesitant to say anything about it. I personally think taking a low dose potassium iodide pill is usually safe as long as you don’t have a thyroid condition already. Short-term use should be fine, but please consult your physician first. According to the CDC, a single dose is all you need. Should radioactive iodine remain in the environment for more than 24 hours, another dose might be required. You shouldn’t take any at all unless you know that there is an immediate radiation hazard.

Other Steps to Take

Reishi and Cordyceps mushrooms protects your bone marrow from radiation and other toxins.

Spirulina and chlorella help the liver to flush on toxins, including radiation.

If you don’t like to or don’t know how to cook with tumeric, as suggested above, you can take it as supplement. 2-4 grams per day is should be enough.

Some homeopathic remedies to treat radiation: radium bromatum, uranium nitricum, plutonium nitricum, x-ray and plumbum. Please consult a qualified physician or homeopath before taking.

Taking a bath in Epsom salts, sea salt, bentonite clay, and/or baking soda to support your body’s ability to release toxins.

Acupuncture has long been established as great for detoxification and supporting the thyroid & immune system.

Foods To Avoid

You want to make sure your body can easily eliminate toxins, especially radiation. The healthier you are, the better your organs can do their job. So you want to avoid acidic foods and foods that slow down your body’s ability to detoxify. It is important to avoid coffee, sodas, refined sugars, dairy, and ‘white’ (bread, rice, etc…) and processed foods

All of these tips should be incorporated in to your daily lives, whether or not you’re directly affected by nuclear fall out in Japan. Eating a plant based, alkalizing diet will help protect you from almost any disease or pollution.

Live natural. Live well.

Heather

Chinese medicine offers relief from the symptoms and side effects related to cancer and cancer treatments. Acupuncture causes physical responses in nerves cells, the pituitary gland, and various parts of the brain, which in turn affects blood pressure and body temperature. In addition, Acupuncture boosts the immune system, relieves stress and anxiety, and causes the body’s natural painkillers to be released.

It is the side effects related to chemotherapy and radiation that often cause extreme distress for the cancer patient. Some of the side effects that Chinese medicine helps alleviate, include, but are not limited to: nausea/vomiting, fatigue, weakened immunity, stress, anxiety, pain, bruising, post operative swelling, hair loss, anemia, skin issues, hot flashes, digestive disorders, loss of appetite, and detoxification/elevated liver enzymes.

Chinese medicine also reduces many cancer-related symptoms. Acupuncture treatments add to a patient’s sense of wellbeing and decrease the malaise associated with any chronic disease, especially cancer.

Human studies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response. It was proven that acupuncture reduced the amount of pain in some cancer patients. In one study, most of the patients treated with acupuncture were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or to take smaller doses. Several types of clinical trials using different acupuncture methods showed acupuncture reduced nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and surgery.

Nutritional and herbal support aids in boosting immune response in cancer patients, along with minimizing the immune and white blood cell suppression that occurs with most chemotherapeutic agents. Kenneth Conklin, M.D., Ph.D., an anesthesiologist at UCLA working with the Oncology Department, reports gratifying results utilizing nutrition and supplements combined with acupuncture.

Fighting cancer might be one of the most challenging things a person has to deal with. Why not let Chinese medicine support you on the road to a full recovery?

Acupressure/acupuncture, herbs, and comprehensive nutrition are a safe, comfortable, and effective way to treat problems associated with autism. It is especially helpful in conjunction with Western therapies. Each person responds differently to treatment, but there is a decrease in symptoms and more fulfilling way of life as a result.

What Chinese medicine treats:

• Hyperactivity Increasing attention span
• Increasing immunity
• Improving verbal and non verbal communication
• Reducing temper & aggression
• Improving motor skills
• Regulating sensitivity to pain
• Detoxification Insomnia
• Decreasing side effects of medication

Is your child autistic?

The number of children with autism has gone from 1 in 10,00 in 1980 to 1 in 88 girls and 1 in 54 boys today. Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability with a growth rate of 1,148%.  The numbers are staggering. Some of this because of diagnosing has gotten better.  But most of the increase is due to the toxins to which we and our children are exposed.

Many parents come to me after their child has already been diagnosed. Most autistic  children develops at a healthy rate, and then ‘suddenly’, their behavior changes drastically.

Some of the symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Digestive issues
• Increased pain threshold
• Withdrawal
• Aggression
• Impulsiveness
• Lack of attention and difficulty making eye contact
• Issues with non-verbal communication
• Lacking in verbal communication skills
• Poor immune responses
• Problems with social relationships
• Obsessive attachments to certain objects
• Sensory integration problems
• Poor behavior, whining, or tantrums
• Insomnia

Common causes:

• Poor Detoxification
• Heavy Metal Toxicity
• Inflamed Gut and Microbial Imbalance
• Food Allergies
• Nutritional Deficiencies

What you can do

• Have your child tested for heavy metal poisoning, food allergies, and gut health.
• Put your child on an allergy elimination diet.
• Avoid vaccines, especially those containing mercury.
• Avoid amalgam/silver fillings, as these contain mercury.
• Avoid all toxic cleaning and beauty products.
• Feed your family organic, non-genetically modified foods.
• Receive acupuncture/acupressure treatments along with herbal medicine.
• Research what supplements will help your child.

I can help your autistic child with any of the above steps to have a healthier, more fulfilling life. There is hope.

Live natural. Live well.

Heather

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 percent of children aged    4 to 17 are diagnosed with ADHD.  Many of these cases are prescribed Ritalin.  For those  of you without kids, Ritalin is a drug made up of methylphenidate which is a stimulant affecting the central nervous system.

As more and more kids are being prescribed Ritalin, more and more parents wonder:  What am I giving my child?  Most can agree that the number of children under 17 that     are taking drugs to treat ADHD in this country is surprising.  However, Attention Deficit Disorder and hyperactivity is a real problem and parents feel a burning need to ensure the wellbeing of their children. I fervently believe that these mental health issues in children are real, and must be treated, but I would like to recommend acupuncture, herbs, and proper nutrition are safer, long lasting approaches.

While doctors will often refer to the drug as a “mild” stimulant, the fact is, Ritalin is a stimulant.  While some stimulants can indeed yield positive results in adults and children, it is important to understand what’s going on physiologically, and to be aware of potentially harmful side effects.  Here are some of the basics:
- Stimulants can raise heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure.
- Stimulants are often addictive.
- Stimulants can lower appetite thus compromising a child’s sense of proper nutrition.
- Prolonged use or abuse of stimulants can have mental side effects as well,
including anxiety, paranoia, and may cause aggression.

If your child is currently using Ritalin and experiencing unpleasant side effects, ask your physician about alternative treatments.  As a healthcare professional, I know that first and foremost is your child’s wellbeing.  Whenever using acupuncture for kids, I like to show them that it is safe by placing the needles on their parents.  This eases some of the worry that children may have when it comes to needles.  Any licensed acupuncturist will make sure to move slowly and adjust for a child’s comfort level.  Most kids feel triumphant after undergoing the treatments and their parents proudly report a new sense of calm that has swept over their household.

Acupuncture for kids (or acupressure as an equally effective no-needle alternative), has been growing and the results are incredible.  Over 150,000 kids received acupuncture treatments last year alone, and recent studies are showing that these treatments have been effective for almost two thirds of patients, according to the 2008 report published by the National Center for Health and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.

I have seen these results firsthand.  For the past decade of my practice I have been so inspired by the children who have come through my doors.  Children who could not sit still, had no interest in studying, and who’s mood swings were off the charts.  These are special, sometimes brilliant children whose hyperactivity has crippled their performance in school and put strain on their social development.  Chinese medicine has provided kids and parents with a working solution that is painless, and side effect free.

Please, if you have more questions about Attention Deficit Disorder or anxiety, do ask.  Because when it comes to the health of you and your children, communication is key.

Live natural.  Live well,

Heather