Health for all

Time flies!

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:01:00 +0000

There is a time for doing and a time for simply just being.

Let's begin with I'm so sorry I have been unable to be reached by bloggers and occasionally by my own family and friends while in the outback, farm, bush or jungle.

Honestly, I regret not updating my blog when I could of easily popped in some internet cafe and bunged my memory stick with work from my laptop like some a eager beaver but really I was just a lazy slag livin' la vida loca!

As I turned my focus on being and blowing where the wind breezed for a while I discovered new things.

By chance on my journey to over seven countries, as a part-time doctor and most of the time traveller, I did encounter ill people:) So, I was inclined to be of help with maybe some ear magnets, acupuncture needles and other tools of the trade in some randomn places like supermarket check out lines, a public bathroom, farmer's markets or makeshift clinics.

I will happily give you an account of my many clinical experiences since travelling abroad as I regain a foothold on how to help more people.

I've turned a new leaf. Allowing the past of blogging inactivity over various constraints, hyper crtical editing and plain old laziness to be forgiven and gone...

Well, I'd really like to know who is still interested?

If you read this blog post, kindly let me know what you would like to read:

What is ear acupuncture? Acu-detox? Why birds are similar to jumpy menopausal women? How acupuncture is in the news? Hmm.

I guess..I'll start with that and see who is out there:)

Oh baby: The future of parenthood

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:13:00 +0000

Babies are everywhere! Though the international decline in population recently has been dramatic, I can't imagine how. The number of strollers I almost get run down by within a day, I can't tell ya. But aren't they so adorable...

Do I hear a biological clock ticking away?

I'm turning 30, so some people wonder where my children are, and then tell me "honey, you ain't getting any younger". Thanks for the update, I say, is that a fact? How long can you wait to have children I wonder? Can you believe women in their fifties are having babies???

I like the idea of being an older mom. Women for the first time in history have had more babies in the age group of 30-35. A friend of mine recently had a baby, she was 41. Wow, that's old, right? Not really. Check out this hot mama at 66 yrs of age?!?

But what about the birth defects?

Against popular belief, most children with Down’s syndrome, a complication believed due to age of the mother, are born to younger mothers: 51% to mothers under 30, 72% to women under 35. Older women are more likely to have complications during pregnancy like high blood pressure. But there is no reason why a fit and healthy woman in her forties should not have a successful pregnancy.

What if I'm not getting pregnant?

Technology is almost Sci-Fi, combined with ancient wisdom, its almost miraculous. Acupuncture actually improves I.V.F fertility treatments by 50%. How phenomenal! To me this means more options for women today who want to conceive later than traditional standards. Women in their 30's are having their eggs frozen so that they conceive later in life.

But then again, is parenthood really for me?

Good question.

Parenthood has lost its charm they say. Europe's plunging birthrate has hit new lows. A clinic in east Germany used to deliver around 2,500 babies a year, now the number has fallen to 880.

"The problem is that some people have become less tolerant of children. They see them as loud, stressful and a bit of a pain," Dr Schulz from the clinic, said. "They'd rather have a cat or a dog."

For myself, children seem way too much to handle. Maybe later, maybe never. But hopefully, not now.

Fat???: TCM's take on the bulge

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 10:15:00 +0000

Everywhere around the world, people are getting really fat. Even the Chinese!

You have finally made the decision to lose weight. You know it won't be easy but not impossible. You also know how you'll go about the diet and excercise part but won't know if its the best way until it works. Others you know have lost weight maybe doing Atkins or Slimfast and may have fallen into that sorry 95% of people who just gain it right back!

Have you ever wondered why people are not getting it right. Today, the dogma of calories in vs. calories out dominates weight loss thoery, but maybe we're losing sight of the bigger picture?

Similar to the modern understanding of weight loss, Traditional Chinese Medicine showed around 200 B.C that bad eating habits and lack of excercise are the main culprits of obesity. However, much emphasis was placed on your underlying body condition and how it can contribute to weight gain. Contrary to the one size fits all approach to slimming down nowadays.

The proper function of your Liver, Spleen, Kidney and Urinary Bladder lead to weight loss. T.C.M focuses on getting these in good working condition to elimante fat effectively. You may be wondering, how effectively?

Does Guiness World record breaking effective sound good?

A hospital in Tianjin City, north China, has set a world record for its weight loss treatment program for obese patients. The Aimin Fat Reduction Hospital has successfully helped over a thousand extremely overweight people to slim down.

Two patients, have set records for losing high amounts of weight within short periods of time. In one case, a man who weighed 265 kg(585 lbs) lost 80 kg(176 lbs) in 100 days.

Check out some great before and after weight loss photos of China's little emperor's.

Skin care: beauty is skin deep but ugly is to the bone...

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 11:57:00 +0000

So, like most women, I dread the thought of one day...I'll be wrinkled and old.

I do try little things that go a long way to delay the aging process.

1. Applying sun screen everyday, mineral based.
2. Sleeping on my back with my face up (never wake up that way but it's worth a try!)
3. Rubbing facial expression lines before bed to smooth out the wrinkles so to speak.
4. Always reminding myself to drink more water to keep hydrated.
5. Sleeping well and trying not to wait till I'm completley exhausted to go to bed.

In the west, creams, serums and surgery are the main defense against aging. Unlike the east, women understand that their internal harmony of health keeps aging at bay and beauty blossoming.

However, recently, there has been a rise in 'cosmeceuticals' in the west. A term used for cosmetics with drug-like effects. Cosmeceuticals work at a deeper level. For example, increasing collagen at the skin's cellular level. Check out a good article by the FDA on the current trend of using medicine to improve beauty.

For thousands of years, medicine has been used to enhance beauty in the Orient. Proving that medicine can bring beauty from the inside out.

I believe women should understand that buying a $570, 2 ounce tube of cream will probably not do as much in terms of anti-aging as getting in the habit of a good night's sleep.

A popular line of skin care that offers this ridiculously expensive product is, author of the New York Times best seller book, The Wrinkle Cure...the amazing Dr. Perricone.

I do applaud his efforts in introducing cosmeceuticals into mainstream awareness.
He advises a healthy diet and lifestyle to achieve best results, and, of course, along with his supplements and creams.

The only bone I have to pick with Dr. Perricone is that he uses mostly vitamins instead of herbs to promote health and beauty. Being an herbalist and obviously bias, the fact still remains that synthetic vitamins are pale and ugly in comparison to mother nature's home brew. The spectrum of natural vitamin C and its isolated processed form differ greatly. The herbs he does offer are isolated and not in a synergistic formula with other herbs which is key.

Alas, if women cannot see the true connection of health and beauty in the their day to day lives and insist on buying it in a bottle...Hopefully, they will spend it on something that really works. But, I would rather see women not smoking instead of wasting their money on snail spit beauty creams for their wrinkles.

This is a great example of what it's about.. Its an incredible study of aging on twins, see how these sets of twins look drastically different due to the impact of their lifestyle choices.

Yin-Yang: The down low

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 10:56:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered what Yin-Yang is all about?

Well, lets just say its about everything.

The concept spans to every corner in Oriental culture, philosphy, art, and even medicine.

Its like putting on yin-yang glasses and seeing things in a differnt light.

Many people believe Oriental medicine to be of no scientific value since the explanations about Oriental Medical principles are expressed in non-modern terms such as Yin-Yang.

However, its concepts should not be rejected just because people do not understand them.

The concept of Yin-Yang is radically different from Western logic which is based upon the opposition of contraries. According to Aristotelian logic, which has dominated Western thought for thousands of years, contraries (such as "the sky is blue" and "the sky is not blue" cannot both be true.

The theory of Yin-Yang holds everything has two opposite aspects. Each thing could be itself and its opposite. The Yin-Yang nature of a phenomenon is not absolute but relative. This lack of concrete objectiveness allows an individual to observe and interpret phenomena in a constant state of change.

This differentiation is the approach Oriental medicine uses to conceptualize the human body to explain its physiology and pathology and to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Unlike Western medicine, which uniformly categorizes disease and follows universal protocols in its treatments, not one human body is believed to be the same as the next. By clearly classifying physical constitutions and individual differences, treatment methods are established based solely on the individual.

In Oriental medicine, the theory of Yin-Yang serves to explain everything in yin and yang qualities. From the organic structure of the human body as well as the nature of its functional activities, to the pathogenic factors which cause disease.

Disease results from the loss of relative balance between yin and yang, being in excess or deficiency of either.

The following is a descriptions of the physiological manifestations of yin and yang. See if you can pick up a pattern...

Excess Yang (Deficiency Yin):
1. High body temperature, likes coolness
2. Red face
3. Red Tongue
4. Restless and fidgets
5. Demands lots of water, especially cold
6. Likes plain and cool food
7. Urine is dark, scanty, and infrequent
8. Becomes easily constipated
9. Loud voice, likes to talk
10. Strong exhalation
11. Likes cold season
12. More tired after sunrise
13. Feels refreshed after sunset
14. Body is comfortable on cloudy days
15. Dislikes bright light
16. Feels worse around three o'clock in the afternoon
17. Insomnia
18. Throws off bed sheets
19. Likes to lie stretched out
20. Intense emotional activity and has difficulty staying calm

Excess Yin ( Deficiency Yang):
1. Low body temperature, likes warmth
2. Pale face
3. Pale tongue
4. Slow to move, lethargic
5. Has little thirst and likes warm water
6. Likes warm and spicy food
7. Urine is clear, copious and frequent
8. Tends to have diarrhea or loose stools
9. Weak voice, likes to stay quiet
10. Strong inhalation
11. Likes warm season
12. More refreshed after sunrise
13. Has no energy after sunset
14. Body is comfortable during clear days
15. Likes bright light
16. Feels worse around five o' clock in the morning
17. Tends to be sleepy
18. Likes to be covered
19. Likes to be curled up
20. Timid and has difficulty asserting oneself

Since the distinctions of Yin-Yang can be found in the physical constitution, in the conditions of a disease and in the properties of a herb, naturally the disease can be eliminated by applying these Yin-Yang principles to regain balance and health.

By using the concept of Yin-Yang, this is how T.C.M achieves health. It's all about balancing Yin-Yang.

Modern v.s Ancient medicine: Who's right?

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 14:30:00 +0000

Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M) is based on invisble energy. According to conventional thinking, it is undeniably irrational. The terminology of energy, Qi, sounds "nonmedical". The spirit seems superstitious, and unscientific. Concepts like wind attack or heart fire are unfamiliar to Western medicine and thus illogical.

Are thousands of years of T.C.M practice on a quater of the global population a placebo effect?

Western medicine focuses on the body, as opposed to the mind, believing the two to be seperate. I believe having a scientific approach is vital yet with such a narrow focus one can easily lose sight of the whole picture.

Ah...the differences between western and eastern medicine.

Medical angst: Surgery, sorcery, and some slapping.

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Wed, 24 May 2006 21:08:00 +0000

Today, is just one of those bad days!!!!

You can't believe how many people find what I do most mysterious...

A woman walked in today asking if I could read her tarot cards.

A month ago a teenager asked me to dust off my crystal ball and demanded that I tell her whether she'd pass her driving exam. I went with it a bit and told her....I see you passing, if you...study!!!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, one symptom belongs to a pattern. You can 'fortune tell' symptoms, so to speak. Like being a dectective, I find clues that go with this and that and it all comes together magically.

But, in a small rural town like this, if you offer donations only services and shock people with knowing their intimate bodily symptoms, you become a witch doctor!!

I realized this and fought the urge to slap everyone awake today, and say HEY! I undertook formal training, studied for years, passed the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine...But, I've learned to accept, I'm just the witch doctor here.

I was discussing whether surgery is the best solution for a patient of mine, I soon became disgruntled. I knew she was being sheepishly misled like the many victims of modern medicine who undergo unnecessary surgery.

But the patient was convinced as much as the physician and as sure as the whole health care system, removing her thyroid was the ONLY solution.

It bugs me how society thinks...so many people go the pharmacist and get a quick fix. They say to me, 'Why get acupuncture when I can just pop a pill, have this chopped off or just live with the pain in a heavily medicated daze?

Alas, I am only a witch doctor, who will take me seriously?

In twenty years, I hope things will be different.

But, I guess, only time will tell. Till then, I can at least blog about it and let out all my medical angst. Thanks for listening...

Watch Out: Early Signs of High Cholesterol

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Tue, 23 May 2006 22:32:00 +0000

It's lame to think about heart disease when you're still in your 20's but maybe later when trips to the hospital become a not so fun saturday night thing, you'll thank yourself for it.

Recently, researchers have discovered a link between Heel pain and cholesterol.

Why should this matter to you. Well, people who experience pain in their Achilles tendon are six times more likely to be at risk for the most common inherited defect that can bring on early death. 1 out of 500 people could be you?

What makes this study such a gem is that Achilles tendonitis can occur far in advance, like in your 20's and 30's before any symptoms of heart disease.

With early treatment, some may be able to avoid cardiovascular trouble for many years, if not altogether.

High cholesterol levels in the blood can lead to the yucky deposits of cholesterol on tendons as well as in the arteries, leading to pain and inflammation - in other words, tendonitis.

This widely recognized study also shows how very weird health connections can sometimes be spot on...

Medicine should take advantage of the many early warning signs the body develops.

Like ear lobe creases indicating heart disease and frozen shoulder pain signaling diabetes.

With over four thousand years of experience and observation, Chinese medicine has lots of weird connections to share.

Help: Heard of the Falun death camps?

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Mon, 15 May 2006 21:03:00 +0000

What I'll remember most about a recent trip to London isn't the street performers in Convent Gardens or the trendy bars in soho but the tears I fought back in the crowds of Trafalgar Square.

The grace of the lovely Falun Gong performers and the gore of blood splattered photographs of the tortured was undeniably gripping. Helping to gather support, volunteers passed out handmade paper flowers from behind tables overflowing with signed petitions.

Since 1999, Chinese officials banned 100 million people in China from practicing Falun Gong. What's happening to the Falun Gong is like what happened to the Jews in the Holocaust. The world has gone mad once again...They are good people. Categorized as felons, they practice meditation and gentle excercises believing in the cultivation of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

I had heard about them a few years ago like they were some crazy cult. I remember filling out this form to study in China. They had a check box by which you swear you wouldn't get involved in the Falun Gong. Naturally, I thought they must be dangerous.

Later, I found out they were nothing like that, but the officials had feared them simply because they outnumbered the Chinese goverment.

A United Nations report confirms their torture. Men, women, young and old are imprisoned, tortured, and murdered for organs. Being sent to death camps, they are regarded as raw materials to be handled in any financially beneficial way without penalty.

Sadly, China International organ translplant center is still open for business...

Cornea: $30,000
Lung: $150,000-$170,000
Kidney: $62,000
Liver: $98,000-$130,000
Heart: $130,000-$160,000

Today, the Chinese Goverment can trample on humanity in their part of their world.

Tommorow, will it be us?

Springtime: How seasons can affect you

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Thu, 04 May 2006 20:54:00 +0000

Keeping in harmony with the movements of nature brings health and happiness.

Spring is full of life, with birds singing and flowers blooming.

Its movement tends to go upwards and outwards, expansion is the idea. Unlike the movement of winter with its freezing and cold contraction.

One should be aware of how certain organs are affected during particular times of the year.

During Spring, the liver, one of the five vital organs, reigns supreme. It's abundant with energy. If your liver is out of wack then problems will begin. Common complaints during springtime are mostly depression, digestive problems, pain symptoms, and menstruation problems.

The most important thing to keep in harmony is to eat well. Save feasting for the fall and winter...

The liver detoxifies blood, so, eating fresh greens, and less junk will help the liver in its time of glory. More pungent foods like garlic and onions aid perspiration and promote Qi movement upwards and outwards.

Avoid overeating foods with a sour taste and cold nature. They tend to act like an astringent and suppress upward movement of Qi. Cold foods include watermelon and pears while sour taste foods include lemon and grapefruit.

Check out some more best foods for spring...

The Heart is King: Heart patterns

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Wed, 03 May 2006 15:02:00 +0000

Lots of people die of heart disease. Coming close are doctors as the third leading cause of death.

No surprise really. But let's stick with one tantalizing topic at a time.

Let's discuss the heart according to Chinese medicine. Hopefully, by realizing some signs, you can do something about your ticker before ending up needing help from some doctor, who might actually kill you quicker.

The number one sign of heart problems is palpitations. Any sudden fluttering, pounding, or irregular beating, means the heart is definetly affected.

I know lots of things can make your heart go tick, like coffee, physical exertion, nervousness, etc. But the key is knowing when it's abnormal.

Please remember that every heart beat is like a mile you put on a car. If you put alot of miles on it, the sooner it'll give out.

Do you have a good make? Were you born with a strong heart?

Well, T.C.M. looks at the outside for clues to the inside. The most revealing is the tongue. If your tongue has a long vertical midline crack down the middle, then heart disease is probably gonna kill you. Hey, we all die. Don't freak out, its good to know what you have to fight against.

Other good indicators include a horizontal crack on the bridge of the nose, a vertical crack in the earlobe but back to the tongue...

If you have any redness, cracks, indentions, or anything unusual at the very tip of your tongue your heart is affected. The sooner you find out in which way, the better.

The following are heart patterns according to T.C.M.

Deficiency patterns

Excess Patterns

Mixed Pattern

Deficiency Patterns

Heart Qi Deficiency
Occasional light palpitations on exertion, pale looking, and generally feeling tired.

Heart Yang Deficiency
Same as Heart Qi Deficiency PLUS: Sweating, an uncomfortable stuffy chest, cold hands, and a bright-pale, almost ghost like, face.

Heart-yang Collapse
Same as Heart Yang Deficiency PLUS: purple lips and symptoms are more severe.

(Notice the progression of the symptoms. Can you see how the condition is evolving?)

Heart Blood Deficiency
Palpitations that occur sometimes when you are just sitting there, uncomforatable feeling in the chest with some anxiety, tend to feel light headed, dizziness, hard to fall asleep at night, disturbing dreams, easily startled, pale lips and a dull pale face like someone hungover.

Heart Yin Deficiency
Similar to Heart Blood Defciency PLUS: Heat signs like red cheeks, night sweats, dry mouth and throat, feeling of heat especially at night, difficulty falling asleep as well as waking up many times during the night.

Excess Patterns

Heart-Fire Blazing
Similar to Heart yin deficinecy PLUS: More restless, agitated, feeling hot and bothered, the whole face is red, and tongue ulcers which is the most common symptom for this condition.

Phelgm-Fire Harrasing the Heart
Similar to Heart-Fire Blazing with more mental symptoms: Incoherent speech, Confusion, rash behaviour, tendency to hit, shout, cry uncontrollably, muttering to oneself, and in severe cases coma.

Phelgm Misting the Mind
mental confusion, stupor, rattling sound in the throat, aphasia, unconsciousness.

Mixed Pattern

Heart Blood Stagnant
Palptiations, pain in the heart region which radiated to the left arm or to the shoulder, chest oppression, purple lips, and cold hands.

Along with these symptoms, the tongue and pulse give an accurate diagnosis of what
heart pattern a patient has.

Chinese medicine is valuable in preventing and treating the progression of heart disease.

Make sure you begin taking care of your heart early on before things go south.
Heart disease can begin in adults as young as 25 years old.

Start out by developing healthy eating habits for your heart.

All dried out: Yin deficiency

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Tue, 02 May 2006 17:42:00 +0000

Life can be real hard.

Busy being a mother of six, a farmer and dealing with the death of her elderly parents, Miss M.'s health has greatly deteriorated.

Mentally, she feels unhappy, depressed, and tired all the time. Physically, she says her body has turned to dust.

When she walked in I noticed she looked very blushed, a bit dry and seemed she had been depressed for years.

She first mentioned she has constant ringing in her ears, dizziness, and neck pain. The Classic symptoms of Meniere's disease, which her doctor didn't inform her of having. Tinnitus, vertigo, hearing loss, double vision, lack of coordination, recruitment, disequilibrium, or "brain fog" is how bad it can get. She stopped taking medications he gave her since they weren't working and gave her stomach pains which aggravated her acid reflux condition.

Meniere's disease is a western diagnosis for what is particularly similar to kidney and liver yin deficiency in T.C.M. Its signs include dull occipital and vertical headaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness, blurry vision, dry eyes, dry mouth, rosey cheeks, numbness of hands, lower back pain, difficult-dry stools, feeling of overwhelming heat at night, difficulty to fall asleep and waking up many times during the night.

I asked her about depression and her daughter attested it always came on in the springtime. In T.C.M, organs are connected to specific seasons. Liver dominates in the spring. Liver controls emotions and dominates in depression pathologies. She felt low and anxious. She also has some heart yin deficient signs since she complains of shortness of breath upon slight exertions, palpitations, chest oppression, anxiety.

These are signs of yin deficiency. Yin is what I like to consider all the cooling liquids that keep your body from overheating. Yin deficiency embodies blood deficiency and blood is the first thing that is evaporated. A good example-growing old is a slow depletion of yin...

You basically dry out.

Miss. M is 57 and recently had an intense emotional upset with her parents dying which "burns off" lots of yin so to speak.

What's really contradictory is that she also presents with cold signs which indicate a lack of warming Kidney yang function. I noticed her swollen belly with excess fluids in her abdomen and pittting arm edema.

So, I took an eager glance at her tongue for some clues. It was very small indicating it was a long time she had suffered from yin deficiency, tending to shrink even the tongue size. The tip of it was red indicating heat in the heart which makes sense since she suffers from palpitations and insomnia. The tongue coating was thick and had a slight yellow tinge...

Her abdomen was filled like a balloon with fluids. Her arms and hands when pressed even left indentions. She has some dampness that wasn't totally burned off so I couldn't diagnose her with being completely yin deficient.

Kidney yang deficiency is when there isn't enough heat to transform fluids. She only unrinates once a day which is hardly at all and the reason why she is retaining so much fluid. Kidney-yang transforms fluids, when it is deficient it fails to transform fluids which accumulate under the skin and form edema. Her palpitaions, breathlessness, and cold hands could be due to water overflowing to the heart.

Diagnosis is a challenge when you have so many things going wrong. Do not wait till everything is so wacked out to get help.

After her "surprisingly calming" acupuncture treatment, she jumped up from the table. I've noticed people who are yin deficient tend do this. I asked her if that's how she got from her bed in the morning and she sheepishly said yes.

I explained to her, one of the most contributing factors to her poor health was her always feeling rushed and on the go. She wasn't suprised and promised to take it slow.

Next week, I'll be prescribing her a herbal formula to drain some of her accumulated fluids. I want to eliminate any excessive conditions before tonifying any of her deficiencies.

Placenta: Tree of life

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 02:56:00 +0000

From Tom cruise's recent placenta plans, the grossy placenta has been 'pushed out' to main stream attention once again. Recipes for placenta are endless from placenta pizza to polenta. To many its like eating booger pie. Is it really worth it?

Placenta: Chinese Herbal Medicine

Zi He Che (Placenta Hominis) is a Chinese herbal medicine. Considered an excellent tonic in strengthening Yang, reinforcing essence and Qi and nourishing blood. A treasure for tonifying essence in conditions like infertility and aging.

The placenta in western medicne is also greatly valued particularly in stem cell research. They use the cord blood stem cells which are derived from the blood of the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. They believe that stem cell research has the potential to change the face of human disease and alleviate suffering. Even to treat cancer, spinal cord injuries, and muscle damage, amongst a number of other diseases, impairments and conditions.

PLACENTA: One big puzzle

Is it right to eat placenta?

Who knows? I doubt its particularily tasty, but honestly, I haven't tried. I did once brave an attempt at preparing my sister's gorrilla sized placenta for her though.

I hacked at it with my dull kitchen knife and made big clumpy strips planning to then powder and encapuslate it.

Was I crazy? No. Almost driven mad by the blood and gore yet I found beauty in the Placenta. The knotty umbilical cord twisted like a tree of tissues and blood vessels. The tree of life was awesome yet the act was awful. How can anyone not appreciate what can be so miraculous to medicine and science.

People think you are either a witch or a wilderbeast if you consider eating the placenta. Why is it so taboo if some consider it the holiest meat to eat? It has given life and not taken one...

But some still shake their heads.

I thought I could save some money on a very expensive chinese medicinal herb for my sis by processing placenta myself, but its an enterprise i didn't know much about.

To tell you the truth, it was great in theory but I abandoned the strips once they made a god awful smell to every corner of my house. Like cat food rotting in a summer afternoon...whew.

Next, time I'll be more prepared a super sharp knife in hand and a dehydrator in the garage.

Sexy Cellulite

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:23:00 +0000

An estimated 90 percent of all women are afflicted with cellulite, even Kylie Minogue has cellulite. Yes, I know that feels good to hear.

Many women will go to great lengths to get rid of it. From a $20 jar of vanishing cellulite cream to thousands of dollars for risky liposuction.

But what really works?

Well, let's first start out by finding out, what exactly is it?

Oddly, it depends on who you ask. There is no conventional medical definition for cellulite. The term was first coined in the 70's by European beauty spas.

The beauty industry will say its toxins and fat that build up in the body while scientists have carried out their experiments and say its just plain old fat.

Both also have different opinions on whether cellulite can be cured. In a nutshell, nothing can claim to "dramatically reduce" the appearance of cellulite except liposuction and to some extent vacuum massage.

My patient who I've treated for mental depression (phelgm qi) asks if I can help her get rid of some cellulite. I say "maybe..."

Chinese Medicine utilzes the technique cupping which acts like vaccum massage to combat cellulite. Fat cells that make up cellulite look like "bunches of grapes" which have clumped up together inhibiting blood flow and lymphatic drainage.

Cellulite cupping causes an increase in blood circulation, a rise in skin temperature, the promotion of metabolism within the skin tissue, better functioning of sweat and sebaceous glands, and thus reduces the appearance of cellulite.

So, we gave cupping a go. I first started with Gua Sha to warm up and promote circulation. I then hooked her up to some electrodes that send out small electrical impulses for more stimulation to her most dimpled areas. Afterwards, I did cupping and then ended with 10 minutes under the infared heat lamp.

I gave it at least five sessions before she'd see any results. I did tell her frankly, the best way to get rid of her cellulite was to lose weight. I could help her food cravings with some ear acupuncture, prescribe some herbs to reduce water retention and improve sluggish cell action in the tops of her legs...

But only if she promised to work out at least 3 times a week.

Phlegm Fatale

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:56:00 +0000

Female, farm worker, age 30 but looks she could be 45, big dark circles under her eyes...

Under her left arm is a nodule that pops out when her arm is down. It hurts when moving it and especially when mopping the floor.

I was very concerned when she told me it had been there for over eight years. I told her she has to get some tests done. I think I scared her a bit when I told her she needs to be careful, 1 out of 8 women develop breast cancer.

It wasn't her only nodule. She showed me two on her abdomen's midline as well. The western specialists and doctors only offered to remove them.

"Did they recommend any dietary or lifestyle advice to prevent them from growing or forming more?" I asked.

"No!" she replied, not surprisingly.

I reckon her condition is a phlegm accumulation. The excessive consumption of dairy products, fats and sweets leads to this pattern of lumps.

She has gained 17 kilos in the last 3 1/2 years after the birth of her third child.

Most likely due to blood loss from the delivery, she developed dull vertex headaches like cold drops of water dripping down. She began taking pills for her pain on a daily basis afterwards.

The damaging effect of her daily dose of pain relief medication has ignited some stomach fire causing her to have an insatiable appetite. This can partially explain her extreme weight gain. Ironically, she feeds herself plenty of food but lacks nutrition and feels tired.

First, she said she had "no problem" sleeping but wakes up 2-3 times a night just to pee...
No wonder she has dark circles under her eyes. She is showing serious kidney imbalance signs.

Her feet feel hot at night and she complains of weekly episodes of lower back pain. She gets regular urinary tract infections every season when picking and working hard outside in the sun.

Her tongue is pale, swollen with teeth marks indicating spleen qi deficiency with accumulation of dampness and phelgm. The pale, curled-up edges indicate liver qi stagnation and liver blood deficiency. In the center was a long vertical crack with light yellow dry coating indicating accumulation of phelgm with slight heat developing in the Yang Ming channel.

The Yang Ming channel corresponds to the Stomach and Large Intestine channels. Upon examination, her most tender spots were along the Large Intestine channel down her arm indicating a problem with the channel itself. From her tongue diagnosis, it confirms there is a problem in the Yang Ming channel as well.

So, I'll begin treatment with clearing heat while tonifying a bit of spleen qi and liver blood. I would like to get her off the pain meds so that her appetite becomes normal as well. First I have to take care of the headaches...

Neck Stiffness: Combating the first signs of Cold and Flu with Gua Sha

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 20:42:00 +0000

I know it looks quite scarey. But truthfully it was worth every scrape.

This is GUA SHA, a technique where by blood circulation is promoted and pain disappears.

In addition to resolving musculo skeletal pain, Gua Sha is used to treat as well as prevent common cold and flu.

According to Chinese medicine it expels "Evil Qi" that aches in your muscles and joints, usually the first sign you are coming down with something.

After a day of surprisingly strong wind, my neck and shoulders began to feel incredibly tense, achey, and tender.

Typical of Taiyang syndrome, the first stage of disease according to the Shang Han Lun ( the oldest medical textbook in world history), I experienced the symptoms of severe neck stiffness, runny nose and chills caused when the body's defensive qi is invaded by exogenous pathogenic wind.

Wind is the biggest evil qi out of the six evil qi pathogens that threatens health in Chinese medicine. It can attack the tissues directly or carry all sorts of illnesses with it.

But luckily all I got was a stiff neck and the sniffles.

Gua Sha effectively prevented the progression of illness of what could have easily become cold and flu.

The Chinese have used Gua Sha in their own homes over the centuries with the simplest of tools, the kitchen Spoon.

Try it Out!

First, put a few drops of oil on the skin. Then, take any blunt object, a coin, soupspoon, or metal cap and slowly and continously make long strokes from the neck down.

You'll start to see a few red spots that will guide you where to concentrate on...

You won't believe it until you actually apply Gua Sha how amazing it is. You'll only get red spots exactly where it hurts. Trust me, it is not just skin being scraped off that makes it red.

It is safe, simple and easy to do. The ugly red spots will only last a few days.

Better Gua Sha than another prescription of anitbiotics for your next cold and flu!

Hot women: Menopause and hot flashes

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 20:50:00 +0000

Many women in the West have hot flashes while women in the East don't. Why?

Genetics?

I don't think so...

Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) has been the ideal treatment for menopause in the east for thousands of years.

It has some wisdom to share.

Americans consume 80% of the world's pharmaceuticals. Yet women in the U.S. experience severe symptoms of menopause compared to those in the East.

Hey! We can't let all our Asian sisters have the goods here!

First, lets admit they've got something that works. TCM makes sense of it by using theories tested by time.

Take for example how western medicine looks at menopause:

Researchers have studied the physiology of hot flashes for more than 30 years but still don't know exactly how or why they occur. Scientist Robert R. Freedman and his colleagues at Detroit's Wayne State University School of Medicine have measured skin temperature, blood flow, heart rate and sweating in menopausal women before, during and after hot flashes. They've found that women who experience hot flashes have a much lower tolerance for small increases in the body's core temperature.

Scientist can take tests and analyze but if they don't know how or why hot flashes occur it'll be a big problem in finding a solution.

Conventional doctors in Japan, Korea, China, and other Asian cultures prescribe herbal medicines to combat menopause when pharmaceuticals are so readily available.

Why?

Well, TCM treats the human body as an energetic whole. Therein lies the crucial difference. Western medicine is divisive, often looking at one part of the body without seeing its relation to the whole. It focuses on symptom management. Its allopathic medicine's weak spot. Making it second best to prevent and treat chronic disease like menopause.

Oriental Medicine puts together all the diverse signs and symptoms of ill health to form a basic pattern of disharmony. It seeks to treat the cause and not only the symptom. It doesn't get technical with neurochemical lab results, but rather it understands the significance of a red tongue, dry hair and bad moods. The symptoms are not regarded as problems in themselves to be eliminated, but as warning signs, pointers to deeper, more general causes of the condition.

Take another look at what western scientists say about menopause:

"The decline in estrogen during menopause may somehow affect norepinephrine levels. Brain norepinephrine levels may be higher in women who have hot flashes than in those who don't. In animal experiments, increased brain norepinephrine narrows the thermoneutral zone. Conversely, the antihypertensive drug clonidine, which lowers norepinephrine, widens the zone in women with hot flashes. Estrogen and certain antidepressants also widen the zone, though scientists don't understand the exact mechanisms."

Scientist are not sure of how the whole picture fits but they may have other pharmaceuticals with which they can experiment on you!

But why risk it with more meds and their side effect soggy solutions?

In clinic, this woman finally found relief from nightsweats after years of hormone replacement therapy that were so bad she actually used those ice sheets you stick in coolers on her body!!!

Hot flashes are damn miserable for many women in the west with many of their doctors advising them this:

"Since hot flashes are triggered by increases in core body temperature, try to stay cool—literally. Drink cold drinks, use air conditioners (especially at night), carry a fan and dress in layers that you can shed. The best medical treatment is estrogen, though many women can't or don't want to take it. A good alternative is deep, controlled breathing: inhale and exhale slowly, allowing your abdomen to expand and contract, at a rate of six or seven full breaths per minute. You can often stop a hot flash with a few deep breaths.

Schatz and Robb-Nicholson are the editor and editor in chief of the Harvard Women's Health Watch. For more info on hot flashes, go to www.health.harvard.edu/menopause_hot_flashes.htm."

That is not cool - 'take a deep breath'!!

Harvard Hotair...

Well...taking a deep breath I agree is helpful but there is more you can do.

Ancient Eastern wisdom will help women in the west.

In our culture, many women, instead of believing in their capacity to remain strong, attractive, and vital throughout their lives, instead have come to expect their bodies and minds will deteriorate with age. Thus, society creates a pattern of thoughts, stigmas and fears - all the while pharmaceutical companies make lots of money.

I think menopause sounds great. No more visits from aunt flow.

Menopause, while itself a sign of aging, actually slows down the aging process by preventing the unnecessary loss of blood. Thus, the menopause allows a woman the possibility for another 20 to 30 years of relative good health with much slower decline as opposed to the case if menstruation continued.

Menopausal women need not believe that they are doomed. Premenopausal women need not dread the menopausal years.

It is up to women in the West to act upon that determination and get some good TCM herbal medicines.

World sadness has got her down, "What's the use in living healthy?"

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 19:10:00 +0000

51 Female quirky English tarot card reader with a sad outlook on the world complains of shoulder and clavicle pain.

A long history of heavy smoking and huge breasts could be the culprit! I know smoking and large breast are quite sexy sometimes but not so with Mrs. S.

Emotionally...Mrs S. is a romantic pessimist. Living at home raising foster children has given her a grand sense of accomplishment yet pity and loss that the world has run out of hope.

I asked her why she continues to smoke knowing her father died of lung cancer.

She said she has a 'death wish.' Through her experience of fostering neglected children she has seen the world we live in and doesn't like it a bit. Loss for the will to live could be a kidney deficiency sign. But Mrs S. came in for her shoulder pain and thats what I needed to fix first.

She is very much in pain with her left shoulder, which first started off with a slight discomfort she ignored around her upper shoulder, neck and inner arm. This represents the lung area in Chinese medicine, but after she courageously tried to lift an American sized fridge she might have done some other damage.

Her shoulder pains are exacerbated by her huge breasts. Mrs S. I had to point out needed a more accomadating Bra. I recomended a girdle in which a shoulder strap wouldn't dig into her most painful "Hot Spots."

She said quite enthusiatically "My husband would love me in one of those!"

Along with her other many complaints was her rather embarrasing lack of bladder discipline. She laughs but definietly doesn't think it's funny when she pees.

Physiologically, the bladder is directly connected to the small intestine from where it receives its waste.

In Chinese medicine, the bladder's function relies upon the energy recieved from the kidneys. Most of the time it's related to kidney-yang deficiency.

Mrs. S is rather large...over 50 lbs overweight. Being overweight is an accumulation of dampness which is the most common pathogen in bladder disharmony patterns.

Her clinical manifestations were frequent/pale/abundant urination, incontinence, a pale, wet tongue and a deep week pulse.

I believe it was caused by her unhealthy lifestyle habits and living in cold, damp places like England. Women are particularly vulnerable to invasion of cold to the lower burner (the lowest area of the three energy promoting portions body), particularly during menstruation.

I began with auricular (ear) therapy for her pain by placing a few needles in spots I detected in her ear with my pointoselecto (electronic detection device). On her painful shoulder areas, I started off with some electro-stimulated acupuncture but the position her arm was in was too uncomfortable. So, I switched to cupping and scraping which she liked. She felt amazing she said for eight hours but the pain came back again.

So, the next treatment, two days later, I gave her more cupping and scraping and gave it a go again with electric acupuncture.

Well..for a moment I thought I electrocuted Mrs. S. when she twinged with pain...Her intensity level I thought was tolerable while I set it intially but it somehow made some sort breakthrough tens minutes later out of the blue.

Her shoulder was visibly spasming quite violently while I scurried to shut the machine off.

Luckily, she was fine after a while. I continued with cupping and scaping which she liked. Thankfully, Mrs. S. booked in again next week.

Diagnosis: Old and Fat...Western Doctor loses his cool.

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:07:00 +0000

Like everyone else, getting old and fat is a terrifying situation to sit through.

Miss P. : 69 year old widow with major groin pain sits all day long in front of her blaring television wishing she had a life.

Her western doctor is probably right.

But Miss P. was angry and annoyed when her western doctor told her she was just too old and fat to expect any treatment successful for her many aches and pains.

So, she came to see me. And she's changing to another western doctor tommorow.

After having undergone countless operations, I think she is a lucky girl to have her stomach, pancreas and liver left after several years of treatment with this western doctor.

I was really shocked he didn't even look at her groin to be absolutely sure before prescribing some powerful medications for rheumatoid arthritis. Those can turn your liver into dust!

Miss P. may not be the most pleasing groin patient to examine. But under her thick black endless layers of clothing, below sweaty flaps of fat with an occasional wart winking at you, you will simply find a pulled groin muscle.

I can understand he is put off her. Every once in a while, she is shamesless with the local medical emergency care when she wants a nice tranquilizer fix. I can imagine he feels the need to give her any drug to stop her constant moaning.

But Miss P. is in need of hands on therapy for this condition that has kept her for two months from her much needed thursday market escape from the television.

O.k. I understand she can be a big pain herself.

But Miss P. is really in pain this time and more than anything what she truly needs is a little attention.

Telling her its her fault she's in pain cause she too old and fat is one slap across the face.

Prescribing rheumatoid medications along with her cholesterol, blood pressure, anti-anxiety, depression, osteoporosis, and sleeping pills without being wary of her total well-being sounds like this western doctor sucks as a health practioner!

She is so alone and depressed.

I bet he wasn't thinking 'Go bother a psychiatrist if you feel depressed and alone but let me poison you with unneccesary pharmaceuticals that will undoubtedly cause you to feel more depressed and alone and then if doesn't work I'll just blame it on your lifestyle.'

But that's how it happened.

Now Miss P. is alone and all in black having cried wolf one too many times.

She sits for hours in front of her television forced to swallow tons of pills and the sad fact she is old and fat.

Today, I helped Miss P. with feeling pain free. Acupuncture on a few pain (ashi) points and some TLC did the trick.

I also suggested she stop wearing so much black. She wildly agreed to begin wearing a bit of white.

On a limb, I asked her about love in her life. She seemed almost offended to the idea of finding herself a boyfriend but I assured her if she couldn't find one she could always find something on tv.

Miss P. is only 69. Not too much older than a Beatle! She's still got something to offer I assured her.

Sex is still very important even for old and fat people. T.C.M. sex doctors would definetly agree...

Why the long face? Another case complicted by conventional medicine....

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:37:00 +0000

Miss V: a 62 year old, very British woman complains of frequent trips to the loo.

Complicated cases are very common in Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M.) practice.

And this for sure is one of them.

Miss V. went through years of heavy duty pharmaceuticals, surgeries, and cancer treatments.

Wearing her faith down in a system with way too many hiccups.

She remembers being told about how amazing acupuncture was and regrets not trying it before having two splints put in her heart years ago.

Miss V. seems sad about not talking to her children anymore, having wed three times and being alone but happily she enjoys her puppy English Setter and 3 cats.

What struck me was her grace. She seemed very proper and posh. Yet, I then started to feel this cold and finicky aire about her. She even made me feel a bit nervous too.

Maybe she's just English I thought.

But then she started to explain she was on serious medications for her heart condition.

Ahhh, of course.

The spirit (shen) resides in the heart and when it is disturbed or diseased it makes one feel nervous, anxious, and fidgety.

No wonder she was unsettling.

Her chief complaint is that she suffers embarassing, urgent and frequent episodes of rushing to the nearest goddamn bathroom.

This is one thing her western doctor said they could do nothing for.

So, now, she is giving T.C.M. a try finally!

I'm excited to tell Miss V. that T.C.M. is highly effective in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

And plan once the I.B.S is under control, we can slowly change her heart medications like aspirin to a herbal alternative.

I assure her of using only evidence based herbal medicine. Commonly used in hospitals in China where they have practiced conventional western and traditional Chinese medicine along side each other for many, many, years.

She thinks the heart medications, statins and beta blockers might be a good reason why she is suffering so much from her I.B.S. in particular.

She knows without a doubt, her thirteen years of hormone replacement therapy caused her breast cancer.

Miss V. also complains of occasional acid reflux, migraines, rheumatoid arthritis with slight deformation and nodules in her hands.

She says she really hates her feet cramping and feeling cold sometimes even all the way up her inner thighs.

She recently twisted both her ankles adding injury upon insult.

When examining her, I was shocked to see her small belly with two big angry looking, 5 inch long scars, reminding her to say to me 'oh yes!', 'I've also undergone surgery to remove my gallbladder.' How on earth this women had all these scars puzzled me.

'Whew', I thought...that's one radical hysterectomy, breast cancer surgery, throw in a couple of god knows what nips and tucks here and there and viola...a royal mess.

The Queen's National Health Service at hand.

After the interview, I ask Miss V. if she is nervous about acupuncture for the first time.

She said she didn't sleep hardly at all last night because she was a bit nervous about the acupuncture.

Yet she didn't wince or squirm once when I inserted the needles.

Am I getting good Or is Miss V. made of steel?

DIAGNOSIS

Tongue:

Overall shape: long and pointed: typical of heart disharmony patterns

Texture: Cracks in the center: Stomach heat and dryness
(from her medications like aspirin I suspect)

Tongue coating: Dry white thick moss covering whole tongue except center stomach area.

Pulse: Wiry

TREATMENT

1. A few laughs: about men and children.

2. Acupressure massage: to relax her, on the forehead, temples, ears, and scalp.

3. Acupuncture:

Due to her chief complaint: Diarrhea
Acupuncture points used: St25, sp6, sp9, st36 and lv3

other complaint: spirit (shen)
Yin tang, du 23, du 20, and ear points shen men (spirit's gate)

Miss V. didn't really complain about her spirit especially, though, I heard her screaming with spirit disharmony.

She said she was severely depressed on a certain form of beta blockers her western doctor did later change and now feels very happy.

"Manic-Happy?" I asked her.

Which she said was quite possible but added it was much preferrable to being totally depressed.

After 25 minutes of acupuncture, Miss V. looked quite peaceful.

Unfortunately, I did notice her belly was hot lobster red from the infared lamp. Yikes!

She said she was fine, thankfully. No adjustment knobs on a TDP lamp! A world's best invention prize winning heat lamp could of added adjustment knobs, don't ya think?

Anyways, I helped her up from the table gently and she glowed.

She seemed very calm even after paying me.

Miss V. unusually British ended her first treatment with a spanish goodbye, a kiss on each cheek.

Aww.....so very sweet.

The man and his mouse..

noreply@blogger.com (lapuracura) — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 18:11:00 +0000

Today, ways of making a living have changed quite a bit over a few thousand years.

Instead of working in the fields, madly chasing mice away from your hard working elephants...you may use one now to navigate through the wonderful world wide web.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M) uses the same treatment for you computer geeks as well as you ancient elephant handling freaks.

Mr. S: 34 year old male Italian computer whiz suffered from chronic tension in his shoulders and upper back.

Hunched over with his right hand extended on a mouse for hours at a time is no wonder he has discomfort.

I used bleeding cupping to slowly bring up stagnant blood to the surface to allow new blood to nourish those tight muscles and meridians.

Yes, it was a bit messy but worth the trouble.

I also did gua sha scraping on areas where I couldn't fit glass cups. Leaving behind a livid skin reaction, not painful at all i'll have you know. But very shocking at first sight.

After 3 treatments he said most triumphantly "Its better then I have felt in years!"