Omega 3 Fatty Acids

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elimination Diet

Okay, so an elimination diet doesn't really fit into the realm of Acupuncture & Chinese medicine. However, it is something that I occasionally recommend some of my patients to do.

What is an elimination diet? An elimination diet is a diagnostic tool to determine if someone reacts unhealthfully to a certain food or foods. Here are some instructions on how to do it. I'll give you the short version here. Basically, you eat only non-allergenic foods including rice, turkey, and certain fruits and vegetables. You eat only these foods until your symptoms have gone away. Once you are symptom-free, gradually add in one of the allergenic foods at a time and see if you react. If you do - BINGO. If not - on to the next allergenic food.

Once you have found which foods you are sensitive to, you now have some decisions to make. How important is it to your health that you completely avoid this food forever from now on? Are your reactions minor? Are the reactions that you have to the particular food worth suffering through for the food?

Here are a couple of examples:

Female patient in her early twenties has been nauseous, vomiting and experiencing explosive diarrhea non-stop for three years. She and her doctor did all of the biomedical tests and exams to determine the cause. No cause was found. Because of her desperation, she was willing to try ANYTHING at this point and started receiving acupuncture and herbal treatments. She had some limited results - a decrease in the episodes of vomiting and her nausea. At this time, it was recommended that she consider trying an elimination diet. She agreed. She found that she was sensitive to dairy and wheat. Once she discontinued eating these foods, her symptoms disappeared completely within two weeks. After some experimentation with her diet, she discovered that she could have small amounts of wheat if it was organic and preservative-free.

Female patient also in her early twenties has difficulty breathing, with a sensation of being "stuck under a blanket and unable to absorb enough oxygen." She had seen several doctors who determined that it wasn't asthma, but offered no other explanations. She was advised to take benadryl every day, thinking that it was some sort of allergic reaction. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs brought some relief, but only for a a few days at a time. At this time it was recommended that she try an elimination diet and she too found that she was sensitive to gluten and dairy. Each food caused different symptoms in her. Gluten was the culprit behind the difficulty breathing. Dairy was behind a chronic post-nasal drip. After some experimentation with her diet, she decided that it was never worth eating gluten - even the slightest of contamination would lead to a week of symptoms. Dairy was okay as occasional treats for holidays, but she would know to expect her post-nasal drip to return for a couple days.

The most exciting part about elimination diets is the amount of knowledge that is gained! To all of a sudden understand where your symptoms are coming from, and to have the power to control when, if at all, you'll experience them!

Elimination diets aren't the answer for everyone, but what if it IS the answer for you? Talk with your acupuncturist or naturopath to see if it's right for you!

Acupuncture as treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries

The study "Acupuncture's Effects in Treating the Sequelae of Acute and Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries: A Review of Allopathic and Traditional Chinese Medicine Literature" has shown that electro-acupuncture can be useful in mitigating many of the symptoms associated with a spinal cord injury. The studies that were reviewed included studies that looked at all Spinal Cord Injury problems, bladder problems, pain issues and dysreflexia (spasms that can cause high blood pressure).

Electro-acupuncture is the application of a small electric pulse through acupuncture needles. Electro-acupuncture typically is very mild, and has been described as causing a "tapping" sensation. When electro-acupuncture is applied to the site of the Spinal Cord injury, relief from many of the above mentioned symptoms are lessened.

There have also been some studies from China showing some nerve regrowth in rodents with Spinal Cord Injuries. The regrowth is still slow, but quicker than the natural regrowth that does occur. This could potentially be very useful in patients with incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries.

What might this mean?

In terms of money, the medical costs over the lifetime of a person with quadriplegia totals more than three million dollars. For a person with an incomplete spinal cord injury, one in which they likely retain some motor functions, the total is still a staggering $680,000! This is if we're only talking about the medical costs. If you factor in lost wages, decreases in productivity on the job, and fringe benefits, the totals can be an additional $62,000 per year. That's a LOT of money! If some of the medical costs are reduced due to fewer infections and less pain, how much could be saved?

In terms of life improvement, medical problem occurrences are reduced. Can you imagine being in constant pain? How about frequent bladder infections because you have to be catheterized? What if these can each be reduced? Fewer infections and less pain could mean a very different outlook for many!

From a Chinese medical standpoint, a Spinal Cord Injury is just another stagnation of the flow of Qi. Remember the car accident on the freeway analogy? A Spinal Cord Injury is a MAJOR blockage to the flow of Qi, but small improvements CAN be made, which may mean BIG improvements in quality of life for someone living with such an injury.

Chinese Medicine and Cancer

You're sitting in the doctor's office and they've just said it. The "C" word. Cancer. How can a single word represent such a devastating and life-altering diagnosis?

I want you to know that your acupuncturist is there to help get you through this incredibly difficult time in your life. Cancer treatments are often radical and rarely without extreme side effects. It's not uncommon for someone with cancer to be unable to even get through these potentially life-saving treatments because they can be so harsh. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help you get through your biomedical treatments by reducing such side effects as nausea, dry-mouth, decreased energy and so many more.

I've had people ask if it's safe to do acupuncture while someone is going through cancer treatments. The answer is yes. Acupuncture alone will not interfere with radiation or chemotherapy.

When it comes to Chinese herbal medicine, the answer is a little more gray. To be honest, there isn't enough research on Chinese herbal medicine, particularly in combination with chemo or radiation to make a statement. It is thought that some herbs may interfere with radiation treatments. The most important thing is to ask your oncologist what they feel comfortable with. Feel free to have them speak with your acupuncturist about Chinese herbs and the potential for interactions as well as relief from side effects.

If you or a loved one has just been diagnosed, give yourself the best shot at survival and recovery. Consider acupuncture and Chinese medicine to help get you through your cancer treatments.