A new study performed by Henry Ford Clinic in Michigan discovered that acupuncture provides even more health benefits than previously considered for patients with breast cancer. In addition to decreasing hot flashes far better than drug remedies, acupuncture is beneficial in increasing the sex drive and general sense of well-being in women undergoing intensive breast cancer therapy.

Published in the Journal of Oncology, the analysis illustrates the superiority of acupuncture in increasing the quality of life for breast cancer subjects without imposing adverse side effects like drug treatments do. Dr. Eleanor Walker, lead author of the study and department director of breast services in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Henry Ford, affirmed this to be true when highlighting the particulars of the study.

Two groups, one experiencing acupuncture for their symptoms and the other receiving Venlafaxine drug treatment, were watched over a Twelve week time period. At first, all the women experienced a Fifty percent decrease in hot flash and night sweat signs and symptoms. At the conclusion of the therapy phase, however, the group that received Venlafaxine experienced an immediate increase in symptoms whilst the acupuncture group did not.

The objective of the analysis was to focus on alternate treatments to Venlafaxine that might better ease the adverse side effects of breast cancer therapy and eventually motivate women to continue partaking in it.

According to the National Cancer Institute, Thirteen percent of women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Because conventional treatment is prolonged and challenging, researchers hope to minimize some of the associated anguish with approaches other than drug therapies that simply make the scenario more challenging.

Again, another convincing scientific study clinically shows the power of acupuncture to produce authentic, measurable enhancements in the health and lives of individuals.

It really is no surprise, of course: Acupuncture has been used safely and effectively for over six thousand years in Conventional Chinese Medicine, and literally thousands of clinical trials performed over the past twenty years have demonstrated it to be very safe and efficacious in dealing with a variety of health issues from back pain to sexual disorders.

Acupuncture is effective mainly because the human body responds to stimulation with a healing response and adampts to the subtle changes in energy flow in the body. Pedram Shojai, our Acupuncture director, can initiate a healing response in the patient that no drug, no surgery and no medical intervention could ever accomplish.

That is what is  genuinely intriguing about acupuncture: It does not do any specific healing. Instead, acupuncture induces the system to heal itself. This particular concept fails to be acknowledged at all in conventional medicine, which proceeds to follow the antiquated belief that the physician heals the patient and that, sadly, that the individual has no role in their personal transformation.

Masters of acupuncture knew thousands of years ago what several traditional western medical doctors still have not realized in our day: The particular individual is the healer. The doctor is simply an initiator of the patient’s personal self-healing capacity.

Please visit www.taoistpath.com and check out Pedram Shojai’s new 3 DVD set on Qi Gong (the ancient Chinese system of energy cultivation).  This healing system is a true healthcare gem and will help practitioners STAY healthy.

Tata is releasing a hybrid version of its Nano vehicle which is currently selling in India for around $2000 and gets over 51 MPG.  We are excited to see what the cleaner hybrid version better fuel efficiency will be able to do.

For more details on green vehicles please refer to:

http://www.lohas.com/articles/102462.html

Neck pain is incredibly difficult to live with.  Most people who first experience it are amazed at how often the neck is involved in our daily affairs.  A stiff neck can easily tighten up the shoulders, refer down into arm pain, lead to general stiffness, aching, and/or pinching in the region.

Some people experience this because they have herniated a disk in their neck and are experiencing a pinched nerve condition which is extremely painful at times.  Others are experiencing arthritis or a muscle spasm.  I see these cases every day.  Referred pain from an acute disk herniation is a challenge for anyone in the medical field.  This can lead to arm pain and or numbness.  Epidurals work but not all the time.  Acupuncture helps many people with this condition but not all- it’s certainly worth a try though because there are no side effects.

I’ll tell you what Acupuncture is EXCELLENT for though and that’s stiff necks due to muscle spasms.  I see dozens of these per week and almost everyone gets significantly better.  I have yet to see a treatment that matches acupuncture in efficacy in relieving a tight trapezius muscle.  I have worked side by side with orthopedic surgeons, physiatrists, physical therapists ,and chiropractors and we are all amazed at how effective acupuncture is for this type of neck pain.

Acupuncture with some proper rehabilitation together is even better.  In my experience, most patients with neck pain need some muscular retraining because of poor posture.  These few exercises are easy to do and they help ensure that the neck pain does not come back.  In fact, when a new patient comes in with a stiff neck, I tell them that they will never need to see me again after a small handful of visits if they do their homework.  A few simple exercises can go a long way!

So if you are suffering from a stiff neck, make sure you find a local acupuncturist who can help you.  Pinching and aching in the region are things you don’t have to live with anymore.  Many of these patients also complain about wrap-around headaches that start in the occiput (or base of the neck) and radiate upward into the head and even around the eyes.  A simple treatment in the neck has often relieved years of suffering in patients in my clinics.

Irritable bowel syndrome and stomach pain issues have become incredibly common in today’s fast-paced society.  Stress and irregular diet often lead to indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, and pain in the gut/abdomen region.  The traditions of Chinese medicine and acupuncture teach us how to balance lifestyle and diet in order to avoid such issues but they also provide us with effective treatments for them.

Acupuncture has been shown to be an excellent remedy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) because it helps:

1- relax the nerves and pacify “nervous stomach” which often leads to abdominal pain

2- regulate peristalsis which is the healthy activity of the smooth muscles of the gut

3- regulate blood sugar and insulin cycles

4- move the bowel and promote healthy defecation for constipation

5- control spastic activity which leads to diarrhea and loose stools

It is important to understand that healing the gut is a process and it requires some basic lifestyle modifications to really work effectively.  Many people are suffering from hidden food allergies which are what are causing inflammatory cascades in the gut.  This often leads to a condition called “Leaky Gut Syndrome” wherein bigger molecules seep through the gut lining which has been compromised over the years.  These people often complain of bloating, gas, fatigue, abdominal pain, and can even suffer from signs of malnutrition.  There is some good research now which points to a compromise in the healthy flora (or good bacteria) in the gut as being a major contributing factor in this as well.

Here is how I typically treat patients with these syndromes:

1- a full lifestyle and medical history interview to determine the scope and causality of the problem

2- food allergy testing and other relevant diagnostic tests to properly establish the diagnosis

3- Herbal remedies often accompanied by probiotics and diet modification

4- Acupuncture!  This really helps relieve the symptoms as well as treat the root cause of the problem

5-  Re-assessment and review for further treatment

In mild cases, people’s lives begin to really change within a couple of weeks.  I’ve also had very severe cases where it has taken over a year to bring them back online.  That all depends on the patient’s history but one thing is for sure- the sooner you start treating IBS, the better off you are.

Back pain sufferers often display symptoms of sciatica which usually presents as either pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness down one or both legs.  Sciatica is a condition wherein the sciatic nerve is being pinched or pressed on by something in the spine.  This can often be a herniated disc, a bone fragment, or a simple narrowing of the foramen which is the hole the nerve exits out of.

Acupuncture has proven to be an excellent remedy for this condition.  Over the years, I have seen thousands of patients with low back pain and have had an excellent success rate with it.  Why?  Because Acupuncture helps relax muscle spasms while it simultaneously calms the signals coming from the pinched nerve.

Back Pain and Sciatica relief with Acupuncture

Back pain has reached epidemic proportions in our country and a secondary problem has become dependence issues with narcotics and other pain killers amongst patients with chronic back issues.  A large part of my practice has been to work with other physicians to reduce and/or eliminate dependence on these drugs for the patients and bring them back to health in a natural and safe way.  Again, as the former president of a medical group, I have not seen anything work as well as acupuncture for long-term benefits and relief.

There are certain cases where surgery is indicated immediately but the majority of patients should try non-invasive approaches first.  A combined approach using acupuncture, physical therapy, nutrition, and pain management (for acute patients in severe pain) has proven to work best in my clinic and we are extremely happy with the results.  The patients are even happier!

Patients who suffer from back pain which does not come from sciatica can also be in extreme pain and need help.  One of the benefits of acupuncture is that we can effectively release deeper muscle groups with relative ease which is something that thousands of hours of massage work will probably not be able to do.  In fact, several studies have shown that “dry needle” techniques such as Acupuncture are just as effective in releasing trigger points as are the more invasive “wet needle” one which inject pain killers or steroids.  So before you elect to have more drugs put into your body, give acupuncture a try and see if we could help get you back in action as soon as possible.

Chances are, you’ll be happy you did!