Saturday, May 8th, 2010
Category Favorite, Google, acupuncture, baltimore | Tags:
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
Have you ever wonder why it is so easy for all of us to feel out of our element, out of control and far too often out of our minds. We have become a society which invents and invites new sources of stress. We log more hours at work than any other nation, yet are much less productive. When we do relax, many of us do so watching the news or dramas on TV. The newscasters trying to sensationalize even the most mundane of stories to have you fearing for your life or enraged at the world we live in, while the dramas try to top their last gruesome tale with more trauma, violence and criminal genius. Your mind doesn’t get a break. All this stress can leave you with your heart beating out of your chest worrying about things that you can’t control and if looked at rationally, probably won’t ever be an issue for you.
Category Anxiety, acupuncture, depression, fight or flight, mental health, nervous, sadness, stress | Tags:
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Campaign For Wellness
As many of you know my wife and I are currently expecting our first child this December. Knowing that we will be caring for an infant, I became very aware of the need for my wife and me to take care of ourselves so we can better care for our child. During these next few months we are working to establish healthier habits for our growing family. We have sat down together and came up with a list of small things we can add to our routines, substitute with a better choice or make small improvements to our environment.
Since health extends to our community as well as ourselves, I’d like to announce our Campaign for Wellness; to help our patients live a healthier lifestyle along with us.
Please read the following tips below and by implementing any of these few small tips you will start on your path to wellness.
Campaign For Wellness
1. Take your Vitamins. Even with the best diets nearly 92% of Americans as suffering from a Vitamin deficiency. Taking a good quality Multi-Vitamin will help make sure you get all the building blocks your body needs to continue to function properly. Try getting a gender specific formula and add additional supplements based on family history or your specific needs.
2. Take a Hike. Try adding an additional 15-20 minutes of walking to your routine. Not only will this help burn more calories, but will help with circulation and may also help you relax. At the very least try taking the stairs instead of the elevator each day.
3. Drink more Water. Everyone’s heard 8 glasses a day. Increasing water consumption helps with everything from easing headaches to staving off hunger. Try swapping just one soda, juice or coffee with a glass of water.
4. Early to bed, early to rise. Well, not necessarily early, but aim for regular sleeping and waking times. Establishing a sleeping a normal sleep cycle has been shown to keep energy levels more consistent throughout the day.
5. Setup a regular eating schedule. Normal small meals keep the metabolism running. Having irregular meals, or eating few larger meals put extra stress on the digestive system, causing food to sit around and your body to improperly break down nutrients.
6. Keep Regular Health Care Appointments! This one may be the most important thing you do. Make sure you are taking care of all aspects of your health, including regular checkups, dental care and wellness visits (especially your acupuncture treatments).
Follow these steps and you can, with minimal effort improve your health for years to come.
Category acupuncture, appointments, baltimore, exercise, wellness | Tags:
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Campaign For Wellness
As many of you know my wife and I are currently expecting our first child this December. Knowing that we will be caring for an infant, I became very aware of the need for my wife and me to take care of ourselves so we can better care for our child. During these next few months we are working to establish healthier habits for our growing family. We have sat down together and came up with a list of small things we can add to our routines, substitute with a better choice or make small improvements to our environment.
Since health extends to our community as well as ourselves, I’d like to announce our Campaign for Wellness; to help our patients live a healthier lifestyle along with us.
Please read the following tips below and by implementing any of these few small tips you will start on your path to wellness.
Campaign For Wellness
1. Take your Vitamins. Even with the best diets nearly 92% of Americans as suffering from a Vitamin deficiency. Taking a good quality Multi-Vitamin will help make sure you get all the building blocks your body needs to continue to function properly. Try getting a gender specific formula and add additional supplements based on family history or your specific needs.
2. Take a Hike. Try adding an additional 15-20 minutes of walking to your routine. Not only will this help burn more calories, but will help with circulation and may also help you relax. At the very least try taking the stairs instead of the elevator each day.
3. Drink more Water. Everyone’s heard 8 glasses a day. Increasing water consumption helps with everything from easing headaches to staving off hunger. Try swapping just one soda, juice or coffee with a glass of water.
4. Early to bed, early to rise. Well, not necessarily early, but aim for regular sleeping and waking times. Establishing a sleeping a normal sleep cycle has been shown to keep energy levels more consistent throughout the day.
5. Setup a regular eating schedule. Normal small meals keep the metabolism running. Having irregular meals, or eating few larger meals put extra stress on the digestive system, causing food to sit around and your body to improperly break down nutrients.
6. Keep Regular Health Care Appointments! This one may be the most important thing you do. Make sure you are taking care of all aspects of your health, including regular checkups, dental care and wellness visits (especially your acupuncture treatments).
Follow these steps and you can, with minimal effort improve your health for years to come.
Category acupuncture, appointments, baltimore, exercise, wellness | Tags:
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
My little clinic in Baltimore is growing and growing… along with the bellies of many of my patients.
Acupuncture is amazing for a great variety of problems, but the one that always seems to impress me is it’s great success rate with infertility. Over the years I’ve treated many women with various issues leading to infertility. In my last blog entry, “I’m in the Business of turning babies,” I briefly mentioned how stress reduction and increased circulation greatly improve success at conception both naturally and with artificial insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Studies have shown that women undergoing in vitro fertilization and receive acupuncture nearly double the success rate of women undergoing IVF alone. With that said, we can also help increase the chances of women getting pregnant without going through IUI and IVF.
As I stated before the reduction in stress is probably the biggest factor in dealing with conception. Stress can greatly influence a woman’s menstrual cycle to the point of throwing off ovulation or even stopping menses completely. With acupuncture your body enters it’s parasympathetic mode, which is similar to a deep sleep or meditative state. During this time your body lets go of stress, hormone levels can normalize, and circulation to the uterus can improve. All big bonuses for the trying parent. If you don’t think stress is a big factor, I’d like to share to anecdotal situations which seem to occur with frequency. One situation many people have heard of is when a women “accidentally” get pregnant when drinking. It seems that alcohol not only removes inhibitions, but also reduces stress levels (at most temporarily). The second seems to happen when a couple “gives up” on trying natural conception and adopts a child. When the pressure of having a child is removed, within a short period of time that adopted child will have a brother or sister. While I don’t have any hard facts about these situations, I can say that I’ve heard these stories from many parents.
The next factor affecting fertility is of course gynecological problems. Many women come in to my office because of dysmenorrhia/ amenorrhia, which are irregular periods or not having periods at all. In oriental medicine we would say that there are two main reasons for this. The first would be “blood deficiency.” This would be indicated by patients who are generally weak, small framed, pale, have spotting or very short periods and may tire easily. If we were to perform a western blood test more than likely results would come back normal, but the signs and symptoms would be an indicator for acupuncture.
Patients may also have these conditions due to “blood stasis.” Signs that oriental medical practitioners would look for is pain in lower abdomen, dark circles under the eyes, and menstruation with heavy clotting or dark blood.
Some patients may exhibit signs of both “blood stasis” and ” blood deficiency,” even so, acupuncture and oriental medicine can be of great help. Normally I tell patients to expect to come in for weekly treatments for three months. This allows the body to build and move blood properly and within that time frame most woman have regular cycles. Once the regular cycle returns, conception occurs much more easily.
Other conditions that inhibit conception are conditions like uterine fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and endometriosis. These conditions are improved greatly with acupuncture and oriental medicine. On several occasions I’ve had patients who were coming in for these conditions for a month or so only to tell me they hadn’t gotten their period. Sometimes, they assume they condition is coming back, but within a few weeks a simple test reveals that they are indeed pregnant.
I would suggest that all women who feel that they are having difficulty conceiving take three steps:
1) Relax, getting stressed out will not help.
2) Consult with your gynecologist, in most cases there is nothing “physically” wrong, or at least nothing that your body can’t work around.
3) Consult an acupuncturist. Infertility is such a big issue and many acupuncturists are very experienced dealing with it. Even if you end up needing IFV starting acupuncture can greatly improve your results.
Category acupuncture, baltimore, fertility, infertility, mt. vernon, pregnancy | Tags:
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
My little clinic in Baltimore is growing and growing… along with the bellies of many of my patients.
Acupuncture is amazing for a great variety of problems, but the one that always seems to impress me is it’s great success rate with infertility. Over the years I’ve treated many women with various issues leading to infertility. In my last blog entry, “I’m in the Business of turning babies,” I briefly mentioned how stress reduction and increased circulation greatly improve success at conception both naturally and with artificial insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Studies have shown that women undergoing in vitro fertilization and receive acupuncture nearly double the success rate of women undergoing IVF alone. With that said, we can also help increase the chances of women getting pregnant without going through IUI and IVF.
As I stated before the reduction in stress is probably the biggest factor in dealing with conception. Stress can greatly influence a woman’s menstrual cycle to the point of throwing off ovulation or even stopping menses completely. With acupuncture your body enters it’s parasympathetic mode, which is similar to a deep sleep or meditative state. During this time your body lets go of stress, hormone levels can normalize, and circulation to the uterus can improve. All big bonuses for the trying parent. If you don’t think stress is a big factor, I’d like to share to anecdotal situations which seem to occur with frequency. One situation many people have heard of is when a women “accidentally” get pregnant when drinking. It seems that alcohol not only removes inhibitions, but also reduces stress levels (at most temporarily). The second seems to happen when a couple “gives up” on trying natural conception and adopts a child. When the pressure of having a child is removed, within a short period of time that adopted child will have a brother or sister. While I don’t have any hard facts about these situations, I can say that I’ve heard these stories from many parents.
The next factor affecting fertility is of course gynecological problems. Many women come in to my office because of dysmenorrhia/ amenorrhia, which are irregular periods or not having periods at all. In oriental medicine we would say that there are two main reasons for this. The first would be “blood deficiency.” This would be indicated by patients who are generally weak, small framed, pale, have spotting or very short periods and may tire easily. If we were to perform a western blood test more than likely results would come back normal, but the signs and symptoms would be an indicator for acupuncture.
Patients may also have these conditions due to “blood stasis.” Signs that oriental medical practitioners would look for is pain in lower abdomen, dark circles under the eyes, and menstruation with heavy clotting or dark blood.
Some patients may exhibit signs of both “blood stasis” and ” blood deficiency,” even so, acupuncture and oriental medicine can be of great help. Normally I tell patients to expect to come in for weekly treatments for three months. This allows the body to build and move blood properly and within that time frame most woman have regular cycles. Once the regular cycle returns, conception occurs much more easily.
Other conditions that inhibit conception are conditions like uterine fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and endometriosis. These conditions are improved greatly with acupuncture and oriental medicine. On several occasions I’ve had patients who were coming in for these conditions for a month or so only to tell me they hadn’t gotten their period. Sometimes, they assume they condition is coming back, but within a few weeks a simple test reveals that they are indeed pregnant.
I would suggest that all women who feel that they are having difficulty conceiving take three steps:
1) Relax, getting stressed out will not help.
2) Consult with your gynecologist, in most cases there is nothing “physically” wrong, or at least nothing that your body can’t work around.
3) Consult an acupuncturist. Infertility is such a big issue and many acupuncturists are very experienced dealing with it. Even if you end up needing IFV starting acupuncture can greatly improve your results.
Category acupuncture, baltimore, fertility, infertility, mt. vernon, pregnancy | Tags:
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Since my wife and I made it public that we were expecting our first child this December, it seems like I’m seeing pregnant women everywhere. Especially in my clinic! For nearly a decade I’ve been helping couples with fertility issues conceive naturally as well as help improve rates for IUI and IVF protocols. These conditions respond amazingly to acupuncture because of main effects of acupuncture. The first being acupuncture’s ability to relax a person both physically and mentally. Back in 1978 Harvard did a study on stress management and infertility and found that when women who were labeled “infertile” found outlets like meditation yoga and stretching, 57% of them were able to conceive naturally. Acupuncture can perform the same stress relieving function as it helps the body shift from a Sympathetic Nervous System response ( Fight or Flight) to a Parasympathetic Nervous System Response ( Rest and Digest). For more information on acupuncture and mental health, please see here.
The second function of acupuncture that greatly enhances fertility is increased circulation. A common diagnosis for women in Oriental Medicine is “blood deficiency.” This does not mean that you are “a quart low” but more so that the energetic qualities of the blood are not circulating well enough and nourishing the tissues they come in contact with. Acupuncture helps build “better quality” blood and helps it circulate to the ovaries and uterus. This helps nourish the tissues and regulate hormone levels allow for easier conception. All of this is pretty amazing, and the reward is to see a child after the treatment process, but the real reason I’m writing today is to tell about a very simple and effective treatment which seems bizarre even by acupuncture standards.
That is helping invert a fetus in the breech position!
Odd, but true, this treatment is very old and very successful. Books going back nearly 1000 years state that a point on the little toe can be stimulated to change the position of a baby in the womb. We use moxibustion at this point and another on the leg and most patients report that the baby moves with some vigor anywhere from immediately after the treatment to several hours later. This can usually be accomplished in one treatment, but I have had some stubborn babies that have needed up to five.
Things that will improve the effect of this baby turning acupuncture treatment:
I have had good success with the treatment but here are some things to consider when you want to get this treatment.
As a final note about treating breach position babies, I would strongly recommend trying moxibustion prior to the physical manipulation method as it is must gentler on both the baby and the mother.
Other things we should mention, acupuncture and Oriental Medicine can be very helpful once your new bundle is finally out. We can also be very helpful in treating many post-partum problems such as fatigue, depression, and help promote lactation. Even babies can benefit from pediatric acupuncture which is a needle-less treatment consisting of tools used to massage channels and points on your babies body. These quick treatments can really help with many conditions like colic and help you baby sleep through the night.
If you’d like to receive a information card entitled Acupuncture & Pregnancy which give you some insight on how acupuncture can help with may common problems with pregnancy, please email me.
We also have information on how acupuncture can help infertility.
Category acupuncture, baltimore, breech birth, fertility, infertility, inverted fetus, moxibustion, pregnancy | Tags:
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Since my wife and I made it public that we were expecting our first child this December, it seems like I’m seeing pregnant women everywhere. Especially in my clinic! For nearly a decade I’ve been helping couples with fertility issues conceive naturally as well as help improve rates for IUI and IVF protocols. These conditions respond amazingly to acupuncture because of main effects of acupuncture. The first being acupuncture’s ability to relax a person both physically and mentally. Back in 1978 Harvard did a study on stress management and infertility and found that when women who were labeled “infertile” found outlets like meditation yoga and stretching, 57% of them were able to conceive naturally. Acupuncture can perform the same stress relieving function as it helps the body shift from a Sympathetic Nervous System response ( Fight or Flight) to a Parasympathetic Nervous System Response ( Rest and Digest). For more information on acupuncture and mental health, please see here.
The second function of acupuncture that greatly enhances fertility is increased circulation. A common diagnosis for women in Oriental Medicine is “blood deficiency.” This does not mean that you are “a quart low” but more so that the energetic qualities of the blood are not circulating well enough and nourishing the tissues they come in contact with. Acupuncture helps build “better quality” blood and helps it circulate to the ovaries and uterus. This helps nourish the tissues and regulate hormone levels allow for easier conception. All of this is pretty amazing, and the reward is to see a child after the treatment process, but the real reason I’m writing today is to tell about a very simple and effective treatment which seems bizarre even by acupuncture standards.
That is helping invert a fetus in the breech position!
Odd, but true, this treatment is very old and very successful. Books going back nearly 1000 years state that a point on the little toe can be stimulated to change the position of a baby in the womb. We use moxibustion at this point and another on the leg and most patients report that the baby moves with some vigor anywhere from immediately after the treatment to several hours later. This can usually be accomplished in one treatment, but I have had some stubborn babies that have needed up to five.
Things that will improve the effect of this baby turning acupuncture treatment:
I have had good success with the treatment but here are some things to consider when you want to get this treatment.
As a final note about treating breach position babies, I would strongly recommend trying moxibustion prior to the physical manipulation method as it is must gentler on both the baby and the mother.
Other things we should mention, acupuncture and Oriental Medicine can be very helpful once your new bundle is finally out. We can also be very helpful in treating many post-partum problems such as fatigue, depression, and help promote lactation. Even babies can benefit from pediatric acupuncture which is a needle-less treatment consisting of tools used to massage channels and points on your babies body. These quick treatments can really help with many conditions like colic and help you baby sleep through the night.
If you’d like to receive a information card entitled Acupuncture & Pregnancy which give you some insight on how acupuncture can help with may common problems with pregnancy, please email me.
We also have information on how acupuncture can help infertility.
Category acupuncture, baltimore, breech birth, fertility, infertility, inverted fetus, moxibustion, pregnancy | Tags:
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
CONTACT CONGRESS NOW!!!
Send letters to your senators and representative using AAAOMs fast and easy letter-writing tool at http://www.aaaomonline.org/hr646
The AAAOM is issuing a call to action letter writing campaign in support of HR 646. We are at the forefront of a momentous change in U.S. healthcare, and acupuncture and Oriental medicine is an important part of this crucial transition. In supporting and passing HR646, we are creating a firm foundation for our profession to propel from alternative medicine to mainstream, and we need everyone’s voice to make it happen!
WHAT IS HR 646 AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
This is a decisive moment for acupuncture and Oriental medicine. HR 646, also known as “The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009,” amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of qualified acupuncturist services under part B of the Medicare Program, and to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for coverage of such services under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The passing of this bill will open acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) to many more patients who could benefit from its effectiveness. For practitioners and students, it will open the doors to new patients to serve. It will provide us all with more affordable healthcare choices and create a firm foundation for further integration into U.S. healthcare.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Write a letter to your Member of Congress. If you are a patient, practitioner, student or professional partner in the integrative health fields: Write a letter in support of HR 646! Ask each family member, friend, classmate, colleague, and, most important, each patient to write a letter to their Members of Congress.
CONTACT CONGRESS NOW!!!
To have your letter hand-delivered by AAAOM’s lobbyist in Washington, D.C., go to http://www.aaaomonline.org/hr646
Category Health Care, acupuncture, baltimore, benefits, insurance Blue Cross | Tags:
Saturday, May 30th, 2009
CONTACT CONGRESS NOW!!!
Send letters to your senators and representative using AAAOMs fast and easy letter-writing tool at http://www.aaaomonline.org/hr646
The AAAOM is issuing a call to action letter writing campaign in support of HR 646. We are at the forefront of a momentous change in U.S. healthcare, and acupuncture and Oriental medicine is an important part of this crucial transition. In supporting and passing HR646, we are creating a firm foundation for our profession to propel from alternative medicine to mainstream, and we need everyone’s voice to make it happen!
WHAT IS HR 646 AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
This is a decisive moment for acupuncture and Oriental medicine. HR 646, also known as “The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009,” amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of qualified acupuncturist services under part B of the Medicare Program, and to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for coverage of such services under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The passing of this bill will open acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) to many more patients who could benefit from its effectiveness. For practitioners and students, it will open the doors to new patients to serve. It will provide us all with more affordable healthcare choices and create a firm foundation for further integration into U.S. healthcare.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Write a letter to your Member of Congress. If you are a patient, practitioner, student or professional partner in the integrative health fields: Write a letter in support of HR 646! Ask each family member, friend, classmate, colleague, and, most important, each patient to write a letter to their Members of Congress.
CONTACT CONGRESS NOW!!!
To have your letter hand-delivered by AAAOM’s lobbyist in Washington, D.C., go to http://www.aaaomonline.org/hr646
Category Health Care, acupuncture, baltimore, benefits, insurance Blue Cross | Tags: