Ready to start a family but not sure what your first step should be?
By now I’m sure you know all about the birds and the bees but there may be a few minor details that were left out of the story.
Here are a few things that couples can do on their own to prepare their bodies for optimal fertility.
Now that I got your attention I am going to tell you that there is no magic pill for weight loss. Believe me, I would have found it by now if there was one. There is no magic diet, no magic exercise routine, nor a magic surgery. I wish I could tell you that acupuncture is the magical missing link but alas, it is not the answer either.
Over the years I have heard many experts preach what they have read in a text book or the latest research that proves their beliefs around weight loss. Eat less exercise more, or calories in must not exceed calories burned. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong!
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A lot of people ask me if acupuncture can help treat depression. The short answer is yes but each individual has a unique set of symptoms that are clues into to the root cause of those symptoms. Here is a general description of how Chinese Medicine works for depression.
The genius of Chinese Medicine is that it is based on finding balance between opposites. Balance your yin and yang. If you have too much of something then get rid of the excess, if you are deficient in a vital nutrient then supplement it to make it stronger. If something is too hot then cool it down and if too cold, then warm it up! Find the medium in everything, or as Buddha would have said it, choose the middle path!
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Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation is a great and natural way to improve one’s appearance. It is generally a very safe and painless procedure with little or no side effects. When done correctly by a trained professional the treatment improves circulation by harmonizing the body, bringing blood and oxygen flow to the face, and reducing inflammation.
What can Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation do for me?
Suffering from dry skin? How about an itchy dry throat? The recent weather changes in Southern California have been a great conversation starter but have left me (and I’m sure some of you) with dry and irritated skin.
In Chinese Medicine Fall is the time of the metal element which rules the Lung and Large Intestine meridians. To keep things simple, these meridians are in charge of the dispersion of body fluids, or in other words they help to keep the body properly moisturized. During fall dryness dominates, irritating the lungs causing us to have problems with hydration. Our skin, hair, and eyes can becomes dry, the throat can become itchy, and respiratory problems like asthma can emerge. If the large intestine becomes dry we could suffer from constipation.
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Then why not try acupuncture? Recent studies have shown that acupuncture can significantly help to decrease back pain and improve mobility in some people.
Not only can acupuncture decrease your back pain but it could also help you to sleep better, be happier, and even give you more energy!
How can acupuncture do all this in just one session? The answer is simple. Chinese Medicine brings the body into balance, or in other words, homeostasis.
Once balanced circulation improves, tension melts away, and your body is able to heal allowing you to enjoy a new sense of well being.
So why not come in and see what all the buzz is about. ACUPUNCTURE WORKS!
Book online to schedule the next available appointment with Dawna Ara, L.Ac.
Most if not all of us have experienced neck pain at some point in our lives. For some it is short lived acute pain lasting only a day or two, for others the pain becomes chronic and unbearable lasting months, even years if left untreated.
Neck pain is defined as pain or discomfort in the region above your shoulders and below your head. It could result from many reasons including physical abnormalities, poor posture, emotional stress, vascular diseases, vertebral compression or subluxations, thyroid disease, esophageal disease, and nerve pain.
Medical doctors will diagnose neck pain by asking the patient questions about the pain and possibly palpating the region.
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Most people at some point in their life will suffer from a headache. The pain could be as mild as slight tension or an annoying throb, to as severe as feeling like your brain is being stabbed over and over again with a knife. For some people the headache may last just a few minutes, and for others, it could lasts weeks or even months.
A headache is defined as pain or discomfort in the head, neck, or scalp. Western medicine recognizes 2 main types of headaches, primary and secondary. Primary headaches are headaches independent of other diseases. Primary headaches include migraine, cluster, and tension headaches. Secondary headaches are headaches that are caused by another disease or are symptoms of another pathology. Secondary headaches can be caused by an infection, substance induced, trauma, facial or cranial, emotional disturbance, or vascular changes.
In my clinic we use natural methods like acupuncture, Chinese medical herbs, massage, and dietary therapies to relieve headaches. Headaches are usually a symptom of an underlying condition. Most people will treat their headache with over the counter or prescription medication given to them by their doctors. The pain may temporally subside but will often return hours or even days later. Many patients have told me that their migraine medication that used to provide relief has stopped working for them. This is because the pattern of disease that is causing the headache has not been addressed.
In Chinese Medicine we treat the underlying condition, not just the symptom which will provide longer lasting, and often permanent relief from the pain. Patients who originally came in to see me for a headache will often report feeling less anxious, more relaxed, and being able to sleep better after the acupuncture treatment. This is because the same pattern that has been causing you that annoying headache, could be causing your anxiety and insomnia too.
I know that I can help make acupuncture and health-care affordable enough for you to come in and get help you deserve without having to worry about finances. In the meantime, here are a few helpful things that you can do at home to help alleviate your headache:
As always consult your primary care physician before making any major health decisions.
Book online to schedule the next available appointment with Dawna Ara, L.Ac.
If you are a new patient, please download and fill out the New Patient Form
About the author: Dawna Ara is a Licensed Practitioner of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in the state of California. She has over 10 years experience in the health field and practices Acupuncture in Pasadena and Los Angeles.
Ever wonder why you are so tired all of the time? Do you have trouble concentrating? Are you cold and achy? Are you finding that you do not enjoy the things that used to make you happy? Why they heck have you been gaining weight even though you eat right and exercise daily? Are you depressed?
If you are having these feelings it is important to know that you are not alone. There are literally thousands of people with symptoms of hypothyroidism with blood tests that do not reveal anything out of the ordinary. Why is this happening to so many people and what can be done for those who have no explanation for their symptoms?
The thyroid gland resides in the neck just in front of the larynx. It produces hormones that play a role in just about every bodily function. One of the reasons why it is so hard to diagnose a thyroid condition is because it is only a small part of a complex and intricate matrix called the endocrine system. The endocrine system consists of 8 main glands and secondary sex glands.
The hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal, thyroid, parathyroid, pancreas, pineal, thymus, ovaries in women, testes in men, and the placenta in pregnant women are all apart of the endocrine matrix. The endocrine system is responsible for regulating hormones. If there is a shift in balance in any part of the endocrine system, then all of the endocrine structures will be affected. The key is targeting where the glitch in the system lies.
Hypothyroidism is defined as the circumstance of having inadequate thyroid function. Persons with hypothyroidism have a slow or under active thyroid gland in which little or no hormones are produced. The thyroid produces 2 main hormones, Thyroxine T4 and Triiodothyronine T3. Both T4 and T3 direct cellular metabolism (4. p18). T4 is the most abundant thyroid hormone in the blood stream. It is large and slow acting. It is broken down in the liver to T3.
T3 is faster acting and smaller so it can easily pass through the nuclear pores and bind to DNA (4. p34). Thyroid hormones regulate how your cells use oxygen as an energy source. Other important hormones include Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). TRH is released from the hypothalamus, which directs the pituitary gland to release TSH.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism are high cholesterol, fatigue, lethargy, headaches, moodiness, slow weight gain, feelings of cold, and memory and cognition difficulties. A regular allopathic western doctor will use a thyroid panel that includes anywhere from 1 – 10 thyroid related hormone test. Proper western drug therapies include administration of synthetic or natural hormone replacement therapies. Hypothyroidism is not easy to diagnose because most patients will not have all of the symptoms.
What makes it even harder to diagnose is that some people have symptoms but their blood test do not reveal an under active thyroid. In fact so many people are wrongly diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia who actually have a thyroid imbalance. Doctors call this “subclinical disease” in which there are no detectable clinical characteristics of the disease.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, symptoms of a thyroid imbalance are indications of an imbalance of yin & yang in the body. Yin qualities are darker, heavy, night, moon, feminine, inactive, slow, moist, cold, and receptive. Yang qualities are lighter, warmer, daytime, masculine, fast, active, and dry. What makes the Chinese Medical system work so well is that it’s the entire person that is being treated, not just the disease. An oriental medical doctor does not need to read lab tests in order to diagnose a patient. Instead, the patient’s color, tongue, pulse, scent, signs, and symptoms are all carefully observed by the practitioner. In general, hypothyroidism can be diagnosed as an over abundance of Yin with Yang Deficiency.
According to diagnosis, we would use formulas such as Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan to warm the yang and tonify qi, Si Ni Tang which warms the interior, Zhen Wu Tang to tonifiy kidney yang, or Tou Gui Wan to nourish kidney yang. In laboratory studies, certain yang tonic herbs were proven to the raise body temperature of mice (3.). Using tonification technique and or moxibustion, points on the San Jiao and Pericardium channel are commonly used for hypothyroidism. Herbs and acupuncture are particularly useful for symptoms such as feelings of cold, cold hands & feet, fatigue, body aches, poor memory & concentration, foggy thinking, melancholy, depression, insomnia, trouble waking up in the morning, weight gain, constipation, and dryness.
Hypothyroid patients will often have faint, slow, and weak pulses. Their tongues could be wet, swollen, and pale. Some research has shown that acupuncture can stimulate the release of TSH and ACTH and other pituitary hormones (4. p140). Other research has shown moxibustion was able to reduce antibodies in the peripheral blood of patients with Hashimoto’s disease and bring their thyroid back into balance (1. p14).
Hyperthyroidism, being the opposite of hypothyroidism, would generally be diagnosed as an overabundance of Yang with Yin Deficient Heat. According to diagnosis, good herbal remedies include Liu Wei Di Huang Wan to tonify liver and kidney yin, Zhi Zi Qing Gan Tang or, Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan to nourish heart and kidney yin. Using the dispersion technique, acupuncture is incredibly useful in treating hyperthyroid symptoms such as racing heart, palpitations, anxiety, feelings of heat, weight loss, and jumpy moods like anger and irritability. Hyperthyroid patients generally have red tongues with rapid and big or rapid and thin pulses.
The future of medicine will be a combination of both western and eastern medicine. Persons with clinical hypothyroidism in which their blood test reveal a thyroid imbalance would do best by taking a western thyroid supplement along with chinese herbs and a weekly acupuncture treatment (2.). Patients who have symptoms of a thyroid imbalance with normal blood results may not need to take a hormone replacement. These patients may improve just by using traditional Chinese medicine and alternative therapies.
A weekly acupuncture treatment can help balance hormones and alleviate stress. Alternative therapies such as herbs, acupuncture, dietary modifications, and engaging in stress relieving activities such as yoga, meditation, or exercise have already been proven to be beneficial.
Simple dietary habits that could improve the thyroid’s function include increasing your intake of selenium, including foods that contain iodine like fish and sea veggies, eating foods like meat and fish that contain the amino acid l-tyrosine, restricting raw cruciferous vegetable intake, taking a good multivitamin that includes A, C, D, E, Zinc, and the B vitamins, and of course eating plenty of fiber rich fruits, veggies, and whole unprocessed grains.
It is my belief that we must educate the patient on the importance of life long proper dietary habits, the importance of exercising daily and having good stress relieving tools, and most importantly the power of positive thinking. We must first educate the patient to take control of their own health by using preventative measures now to keep their bodies functioning optimally as long as possible, and to not leave their destinies up to a stranger in a cold and sterile operating room.
As always consult your primary care physician before making any major health decisions.
Book online to schedule the next available appointment with Dawna Ara, L.Ac.
If you are a new patient, please download and fill out the New Patient Form
About the author: Dawna Ara is a Licensed Practitioner of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in the state of California. She has over 10 years experience in the health field and practices Acupuncture in Pasadena and Los Angeles.
Autumn is here and the Santa Ana winds are blowing pollen, dust, and mold through the air causing peoples allergies to act up. An allergy attack can feel like a cold or flu leaving you feeling miserable.
Headaches from sinus pressure are common as well as runny nose, itching, sneezing, and coughing. Before you go to the drug store and purchase antihistamines here are 5 natural things you can do to keep your allergies in check this season:
When suffering from nasal allergies a netti pot can save your life. Use it twice daily to irrigate your nasal system and clear out unwanted allergens from your nose. A netti pot can wash away allergens, lessen mucus, and and relieve sinus pressure. They cost about $10 at your local drugstore.
These foods are natural decongestants. They cause your nose to run and therefore expel allergens. Add them to your diet by cooking them in your favorite dishes.
HEPA filters can trap dust and mold spores and stop them from circulating in your home. Use them with your vacuum and air conditioner system.
Acupuncture works by balancing the body and strengthening the immune system. A weekly acupuncture treatment will not only help keep allergy symptoms away but it can also help other symptoms not related to allergies. You may notice that after your treatment you can sleep better, you are less stressed, and the back pain that has been bothering you for weeks has practically disappeared!
When it comes to allergies and herbal medicine you have plenty of options. Here are just a few natural supplements you can take:
As always consult your primary care physician before making any major health decisions.
Book online to schedule the next available appointment with Dawna Ara, L.Ac.
If you are a new patient, please download and fill out the New Patient Form
About the author: Dawna Ara is a Licensed Practitioner of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in the state of California. She has over 10 years experience in the health field and practices Acupuncture in Pasadena and Los Angeles.
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