Acupuncture and Nutrition Clinic – Houston

I have a number of patients who come to my clinic to get help with managing the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Without a doubt, the treatments required to battle cancer are strong and can be debilitating to quality of life. The diagnosis is emotionally devastating and then coping with the treatments which are physically challenging becomes a double whammy.

I was pleased to read the article below because for those of us who treat patients going through the rigors of cancer treatment, we know that acupucnture is a wonderful option. One of my patients came to me after her chemotherapy, radiation and surgery was finshed. She was exhausted, anxious, not sleeping, having hot flashes and night sweats. These symptoms were a result of the post surgery medications as well as finally connecting to the emotional trauma of the battle to fight cancer. What many people on the outside don’t understand, is that the healing only begins once the treatment and surgery is over. Most patients are just too busy and preoccupied with surviving the process of fighting cancer rather than really processing what it all means.

Another patient came to me after her second diagnosis with cancer. She had been diagnosed many years earlier, had gone through chemotherapy and surgery and had been in remission for ten years. Suddenly she was faced with the diagnosis once again. She remembered what the treatment did to her physically and emotionally and had heard that acupuncture could be an option to help her get through it better. As she started her chemotherapy, she came to me with the information given to her by her doctor about what side effects to expect from the drugs she would be receiving.

As would be expected these patients were nervous. Anxious about what would be. So much unknown but at the same time aware that they would be feeling worse than horrible as the chemotherapy progressed. All I can share with you is what not only these two but numerous patients have told me during the course of their various cancer treatments.

“I feel calmer now”
“My nausea and vomitting is less”
“My stomach doesn’t hurt”
“My bowel movements are better”
“I am sleeping deeper”
“My energy is improving”
“I feel I can get through this”
“I don’t ache as much all over”
“I’m not getting as many headaches”
“My anxiety is better”
“My hot flashes are less frequent and/or less intense”

If any of these sound familiar for yourself or your friends and loved ones, it’s helpful to know that acupuncture helps. Based on what patients say, the tongue and pulse and an assessment, acupoints are chosen to address the constitiution of the patient as well as the symptoms. Please feel free to read this article that describes what many hospitals are now encouraging for their patients.

During my recent training in China, I was surprised to see many Chinese women going for acupuncture in order to lose weight. The passion for thinness has reached China where most of the women are thin and might even be considered very thin by American standards. Nonetheless, the doctors were quite amenable to helping these women try to acheive weight loss through acupuncture.

The Chinese diet is not what I expected. We often refer to the Chinese diet in the US as a healthy diet. A diet that it is more plant based rather than the focus being on protein. That basically means that the protein portion of the meal is smaller than the amount of rice and vegetables (and certainly less than the average American intake of protein). My observations were in accord with that perception. However, I was also very aware that Chinese food preparation uses significant amounts of oil-either peanut or another plant oil and/or pork oil. Food was either deep fried or very oily stir fried and the most common protein used is pork. One of the doctors commented that pork is a very fatty meat and contributes to excess dampness (heaviness, slows movement) in the body and therefore hinders weight loss. In addition, the diet is extremely high in sodium due to the use of soy sauce, salt and MSG and may also cause fluid retention.

The most common treatment for weight loss includes using points on the abdomen. Needles are placed along the stomach, spleen and kidney channel to strengthen and stimulate the digestive system and along the midline to work on the basic constitution of the patient. Acupoints are also included on the leg and arms to support the overall treatment and keep the patient in balance. I did learn some pearls of wisdom regarding new uses of some points. One of these is a point on the leg which the doctor said helps reduce appetite.

The standard course of treatment in China is three times a week for ten treatments. After the ten treatments the doctor said he changes the points around until sufficient weight has been lost. I did think it was interesting that there was little conversation of dietary changes. Although the diet seems to be high in fat from a cultural perspective, perhaps there is little thought given to modifying cooking techniques to reduce fat and sodium. My guess is that since McDonalds and fast food eateries are not the usual source of meals and that walking or riding a bicycle are common modes of transportation, that patients and doctors alike focus on the acupuncture.

In our country where we have abundant choices of where to eat and how to cook, paying attention to what and how much we eat is a significant aspect of weight loss. In addition, since there are few places in Houston where we can actually walk, exercise becomes an important part of the lifestyle modifications that we need to consider when embarking on weight loss goals. Of interest is a problem we see here in the US but that appearred to be a non-issue in China. That problem is frequency of non-hunger or emotional eating. It was not common place to see people snacking in cars, walking and eating or stopping by fast food to pick up sugary foods or drink. It appeared overall that most of the Chinese population ate three meals a day with green tea after meals.

My approach to weight loss includes focusing on healthy lifestyle as well as exploring whether or not non-hunger eating is an issue. Clearly what, how, where and why we eat plays a role in how food serves a purpose for us and whether it is working toward our benefit or detriment healthwise. One might also suggest that using food for emotional reasons, might at some level work toward our benefit if it is a protective mechanism.

Regardless of your relationship to food right now, acupuncture can help work on your digestion, metabolism and especially your stress. When you are calmer in your world, you can then begin to look at the emotional reasons for eating.

What to do when someone has multiple areas of pain? Fibromyalgia is a good example of pain, aches and muscle soreness all over the body and/or at multiple joints. I recently had a patient come in with back pain, sciatica pain, knee pain, hip pain and neck and shoulder pain. The frequent question being is can more than one area of pain be treated at one time?

Another patient recently reported “I tried acupuncture many, many years ago. It’s probably about 15 years ago. It didn’t seem to do much for me at that time. Since then I’ve tried chiropractic, physical therapy, including epidurals. Epidurals helped me for about a year, but when I took it the second time around it wasn’t much help. So I was wondering if there had been any change in the treatments which could help the pain.”

I told this man that there are variables that can affect outcome. The main variable is how long a patient has had a certain condition. The longer it’s been around, the longer it usually takes to resolve, especially if one wants to do it gently and naturally without the use of drugs or shots. Patients typically come to my office when Western medicine can no longer help beyond giving drugs to alleviate the pain. Many patients do not like the efffects that pain medication or steroids have on their bodies.

Also, with regard to prior experiences with acupuncture, outcomes can be influenced by frequency, proximity of repeat treatments and duration of treatments. For long standing problems, it may not be unusual to need 20 or more treatments. One of my teachers, Dr. Tan, explains acupuncture treatments this way. “Acupuncture is like a therapy. The treatments build on each other over time.” When my patients tell me they feel better after the first treament, I am honest with them and tell them it’s a very good sign they responded so quickly, but “what I can’t promise is how long this treatment is going to hold.” Like chemotherapy or psychotherapy, the treatments build on each other for maximum effectiveness.

Also, one much take into account their age, lifestyle, daily actitivies, exercise, diet and stress. These all affect how the body heals.

So, back to the issue of multiple areas of pain. When there are so many areas that have pain I can either chase the pain and put needles all over the areas of pain or try to come up with a strategy that can efficiently move energy all over while still targeting some areas of pain. So many areas of pain makes me think of Times Square in NYC at rush hour. All lanes in all directions are backed up, everyone’s honking and nothing is moving. My typical approach to this is to create energy flow all over the body and then see what pain is left over. It’s called a global treatment and moves energy at the various levels that it flows in the body.

Because the channel system is a closed circuit system, it’s easy to move all twelve channels with just a few needles. Once energy is moving smoothly, there is less pain and then I will be more inclined to do a targeted treatment of the pain that is left over.

In the previous blog, I gave a brief description of what Yin and Yang represent. In short, it’s about warming and cooling energy. This blog is taking you to another level of understanding in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This post will explore the concepts of Qi (chee) and Blood and how and why they are fundamental components in TCM.

The concept of energy in TCM, is referred to as Qi (chee). The Qi energizes the body, moves and warms. Therefore Qi has Yang energy. (See Yin and Yang from previous blog). Blood and body fluids are sustenance for the body. They nourish and moisten the whole of the body and therefore are Yin in nature.

The strength of our Qi comes from our Prenatal or Congenital Qi (our parents) and Acquired Qi from our food and air. Qi is the source of movement in all directions. Qi protects the body like a shield against pathogens (i.e. viruses) and allows for bodily functions to work efficiently. Qi warms the body and ensures the appropriate flowing/movement of substances in the body, like blood and body fluids.

Qi can be deficient as in infirmity of old age, chronic illness or malnutrition. It can collapse as in prolapse of organs (bladder, uterus). Stuck Qi (stagnant Qi) results in feeling deep, achey pain, a sense of distention and/or emotional upset. Qi can also flow in the wrong direction (rebellious Qi) manifesting as cough, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, dizziness and diarrhea.

Blood as we know it is a thick liquid and therefore one of the most dense forms of Qi (Yin in nature). In TCM like in Western medicine, Blood functions to nourish the body. In TCM it is understood to flow and circulate in the meridians. Blood flow in the meridians includes the organs and tissues of the body as well as body hair, tendons, ligaments, bones and viscera. It moistens and nourishes the whole body, especially the eyes and tendons. Hair growth is related to quality and amount of blood.

In TCM the three most important organs related to Blood are the Liver, Heart and Spleen:
-“Liver stores and regulates the blood; when the body moves, the blood will flow through the channels. When the body rests, the blood returns to the Liver and is stored.”
-“The Heart governs the blood, which means the Heart pumps the blood.”
-“The Spleen contains the blood which means the Spleen manages the blood by preventing the
blood from spilling out into the vessels, i.e.: hemorrhaging, bruising.”

Qi (energy, life force) moves the blood and keeps it circulating. Without strong Qi to move the blood, the blood will gather and get stuck. The areas where blood stagnates will result in pain and disease as a result of inadequate blood moving and nourishing the body. The interaction between Qi and Blood is significant. If our Qi is weak, it won’t be able to sufficiently move the blood. If our blood is deficient it won’t nourish and moisten the body and will also result in disease and pain.

Disorders of the Blood include blood deficiency, blood stagnation and heat in the blood. The reasons for this could be from blood loss, reduced blood production or the blood nourishing qualities being reduced. General signs of blood deficiency include dizziness, palpitations, lusterless complexion, pale lips, insomnia, dry skin and hair. It may not show up as anemia in Western medicine but would still be considered blood deficiency in TCM. Other problems related to blood deficiency include amenorrhea or shortened menstrual cycle, and dry, itchy skin.

Some of the causes of blood stagnation come from Qi deficiency not moving the blood, heat in the blood and impact trauma causing hemorrhage or bruising. The generals signs of blood stagnation include purplish lips and tongue and/or papules on the tongue. Local areas of blood stagnation would manifest in painful swelling or knife-like stabbing pain. Bleeding can occur when the blood vessels can no longer hold the pressure caused by the stagnation and the blood will be a dark purple-black. Western diseases that relate to blood stagnation would include a heart attack or stroke.

Heat in the blood is a result of heat toxins entering the blood. It is characterized by rapid blood movement, hemorrhage and/or deep red rashes, eruptions on the skin or hives, and dry mouth. Heart-Blood heat will cause anxiety, mental illness and mouth ulcers. Blood heat in the uterus will cause excessive bleeding during the menstrual cycle.