Welcome to Balance Point Acupuncture's first newsletter!
I am so happy to bring you information and insights on health that will foster great things for you. It is the knowledge of
health gathered from both the ancient world and modern science that keeps us living happy and productive lives free from disease
and illness. There is a lot of genuinely valuable information out there, but, sadly, there is a lot of misinformation too.
I will do my best to deliver the most valid information available so that you can make important and knowledgeable decisions
about your health.
When you feel empowered to make good decisions, you not only positively influence your own
health but also the health of those around you. Word-of-mouth is powerful. When something works for you, it is human nature
to pass that piece of information or advise on to others. This is the spirit in which I write my newsletters, and I hope it
is the same spirit in which they are received...So, pass them along to friends via the "forward to a friend" link
to the left!
Food for Warmth What You Eat Affects How You Feel
The cold season has arrived! Although
it is not officially winter until the winter solstice on December 22, it has become a bit chilly here in Austin, well at least
every few days or so. That means it is time to bundle up, eat nice warm foods, and cuddle up next to a fire.
The
tradition of Oriental medicine regards winter as a time of reflection, meditation, and receptivity. Being the last season
of the year, this makes sense because we are bringing things to a close and preparing to start anew in the spring. The winter
season corresponds to the water element and the kidney organs.
Salty and bitter foods are appropriate for winter,
as they promote a centering aspect. In the winter, these flavors have great benefits and are conducive to the inward or reflective
characteristics of the season. Salty and bitter foods work in slightly different ways, but both cool the exterior of the body
and focus on bringing the body heat deeper and lower into the body, creating core warmth. Maintaining a cooler surface, a
temperature that is closer to the environment's temperature, the body is less adverse to the colder temperatures; and,
with a concentration on warming the core, the body's energy is preserved to perform essential metabolic and energetic
duties.
Some common examples of good foods for cold winter days include seaweeds, dark colored beans, and, of course, those great
winter greens (slightly steamed). Bitter flavors are found in foods that also have a slightly sweet flavor, including turnips,
carrots, celery, asparagus, rye, oats, quinoa, and amaranth. During the winter, we naturally tend to eat heavier foods and
store a little more than other seasons because we utilize the extra weight to protect our core body temperature. However,
we should not go overboard on these foods because large amounts actually diminish the internal heat of the core; small regular
amounts are the key.
Now, if eating small amounts of these foods doesn't seem to be making you feel warmer,
and you tend to be cold all the time, have a pale complexion, sore or weak low back and knees, edema, asthma, lack of will
power or drive, and/or frequent urination, then you may suffer from a yang deficiency, and additions of a different class
of foods may be what you need. Yin and yang energies in the body must be balanced in order to create optimal health. If yang
is deficient, increasing yang energy will diminish cold symptoms, maintain balance, and strengthen your immune system.
To balance yang, incorporate the following foods into two or three meals per day: black peppercorns, garlic, onions,
ginger, lamb, cinnamon, cloves, and fennel. Also, limit your intake of raw foods, replacing them with steamed foods and fermented
foods such as Kim Chee and Kombucha. In general, cook foods a little longer and at lower temperatures in the winter. Exercise
is also a potent source of yang energy and will greatly assist in elevating and sustaining a higher body temperature
The holiday season is approaching. Many of us scramble at the last
moment (some later than others) to find gifts for those we love. You have likely heard the phrase "Give the gift that
keeps on giving." So this year, why not give the gift of wellness? When our friend and loved ones feel good and make
health and wellness priorities, they acquire sounder minds, bodies, and spirits and are able to make decisions that better
their lives for the long term. Balance Point Acupuncture Gift Certificates are always available, and during the holiday season
you can purchase them for 10% off their value!
Acupuncture
and Surgery Operations with Less Pain and Side
Effects
Receiving acupuncture treatments before and even during a surgery can drastically
decrease pain as well as the amount of pain medication one needs. This fact was verified by a study presented at the October
2007 meeting of the American Society for Anesthesiology. Researchers found that not only does the quality of analgesia (reduction
of pain sensation) and the control of pain increase, but the side effects of the anesthetics are lessened along with the pain.
Specifically, the study found that the addition of acupuncture could: · Reduce
post-op itchiness by 30% · Reduce nausea by 50% · Reduce dizziness
by 60%
These are significant findings due to the fact that 80% of patients will experience these side effects from
postoperative morphine, one of the most common anesthetic.
In this study, when given a choice to receive acupuncture,
very few people declined. Those that did decline treatments did so because they had little knowledge of acupuncture and its
benefits.
Researchers also found that when the proper acupoints are used, acupuncture can effectively and dramatically
reduce urinary retention in the bladder. This allows more comfort for patients in long surgeries and for people with small
or weak bladders. According to Dr. Levey at the New York University School of Medicine, it is also a "huge risk reduction"
in the age of hospital "superbugs" because the risk of infections and related complications increases when catheters
are used to relieve bladder pressure.
Pre-surgery treatments are beneficial even without operating room needling.
One or two treatments before a surgery can strengthen your body by: · Decreasing your sensitivity
to pain, therefore allowing less pain medicine to be used. · Increasing your immune system for
defense against infection. · Diminishing stress around the event. In addition, treatments
following an operation will increase your rate of recovery by optimizing your body's healing resources.
Your
doctor or anesthesiologist may very well be briefed on this study. Talk to them about pre-op and post-op acupuncture, and
urge them to include acupuncture in the operating room.
Sources: Tong J. Gan, M.D., professor and vice chairman,
department of anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; David P. Martin, M.D., department of anesthesiology,
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn; Kenneth Levey M.D., director, New York Center for Pelvic Pain and Minimally Invasive Surgery,
and clinical assistant professor, obstetrics and gynecology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City; Oct. 17,
2007, presentation, meeting, American Society for Anesthesiology, San Francisco
May your holidays be warm and cozy.
Sincerely,
Michael Meuth Balance Point Acupuncture
When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself. - Wayne Dyer
