Striving4Zen

Signs and Symptoms of Blood Deficiency

Typical signs and symptoms of blood deficiency include:

-history of irregular periods

-light and short menstrual bleeding

-amenorrhea (complete cessation of periods)

-fatigue especially during and after periods

-dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss

-thin body constitution

-tingling and numbness in extremities, muscle tension

-tendency toward constipation and dry stools

-pale complexion, pale tongue, thin and weak pulse

How is Blood Deficiency Treated?

Blood deficiency responds well to dietary changes and usage of blood building herbal tonics. To enrich blood with nutrition there are two general approaches: improving digestive function and absorption of nutrients and adding blood building foods. General guidelines for improving overall digestive function include:

-remove processed and denatured foods from your diet

-reduce or completely avoid sugar

-include fresh vegetables on daily basis

-eat fruit when in season

-consume only best quality organic meats

-regularly consume fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, miso,

-drink only room temperature water and herbal tea, avoid fruit juices, coffee (especially decaf), sodas, energy drinks

Foods that are specifically used to build blood include:

-animal protein: chicken/beef liver, lamb,beef, chicken, turkey, gelatin, mussels, oysters, sardines, eggs

-grains: rice, oats, wheat, bran flakes, millet

-legumes: lentils, beans (black, kidney, navy, pinto), garbanzo beans, mung beans,

-vegetables: green leafy veggies (swiss chard, spinach, kale), beets, seaweed, sprouts, artichokes, mushrooms, cabbage, celery, watercress

-fruits: cherries, all berries (blackberry, raspberry…), grapes, dried apricots, dried figs, prunes

-nuts and seeds: almond, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, cashew

-herbs/other: nettles, wheat grass, spirulina, royal jelly, mugwort, white peony root, angelica root, rhemannia root, blackstrap molasses

General suggestions:

-chew your food properly

-sit down when you eat and avoid watching TV, reading, talking on the phone while eating

-try to rest as much as possible during your period and keep you body well dressed and warm

-don’t exercise to the point of exhaustion

-use meditation or any other mind calming exercises that help you relax

Red Peony

Labels: acupuncture, blood building foods, fertility

The Pentagon is seeking new ways to treat troops suffering from combat stress or brain damage by researching such alternative methods as acupuncture, meditation, yoga and the use of animals as therapy, military officials said.

"This new theme is a big departure for our cautious culture," Dr. S. Ward Casscells, the Pentagon's assistant secretary for health affairs, told USA TODAY.

So far this year, the Pentagon is spending $5 million to study the therapies. In the previous two years, the Pentagon had not spent any money on similar research, records show.

Some military hospitals and installations already use alternative therapies, such as acupuncture as stress relievers for patients. The research will see whether the alternatives work so the Pentagon can use them more, said Army Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, head of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Many of the treatments have been used for centuries, Sutton said, "so it just makes sense to bring all potential therapies to bear."

Her office issued a request for research proposals this year on therapies ranging from art and dance, to the ancient Chinese healing art of qigong or a therapy of hands-on touching known as Reiki.

Friedl said research will include how meditation can improve emotional resilience; how holding and petting an animal can treat PTSD and how acupuncture pain relief can relieve headaches created by mild brain damage from blasts.

Some soldiers who suffer from PTSD are reluctant to share their experiences in traditional psychiatric therapy, said Col. Charles Engel, an Army psychiatric epidemiologist. He said those soldiers may be more willing to use acupuncture and other alternatives if they are effective.

Initial research this summer with combat veterans showed that acupuncture relieved PTSD symptoms and eased pain and depression, Engel said. "Improvements were relatively rapid and clinically significant," he said.

About one third of sailors and Marines use some types of alternative therapies, mostly herbal remedies, according to a survey conducted last year. A recent Army study shows that one in four soldiers with combat-caused PTSD turned to herbs, chiropractors, acupuncture or megavitamins for relief.

Full article...

Labels: acupuncture, alternative treatments, benefits of yoga, Pentagon, PTSD, Reiki, stress, study

Whether it is called facial rejuvenation, acupuncture face-lift or cosmetic acupuncture, the aim is to tackle wrinkles, muscle tension that may be causing unsightly lines, as well as systematic issues standing between you and glowing skin. Just as with traditional needling, putting needles on acupuncture points stimulates the body’s natural energies, called qi, but with added benefits.

Whether cosmetic acupuncture works has yet to be proved. Some randomized, controlled studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective adjunctive treatment for hypertension, chronic pain, headaches and back pain. But there is no peer-reviewed research demonstrating that acupuncture diminishes wrinkles.

Still, an industry devoted to needling for youthful skin has grown in recent years.

Read more....

Labels: acupuncture, botox, face lift, living holistically

Call it the conception conundrum. As women, it seems like we spend much of our adult lives trying NOT to get pregnant, and if we have trouble conceiving when we do decide to start a family, it feels like an evil cosmic joke. Getting pregnant when you finally decide you are ready to become a mom can be more complicated than just forgoing the birth control.
In these situations, there is the medical route, which can be very expensive, invasive and doesn’t always work. Since people think of these practices (like IVF) as the last resort, many want-to-be moms are turning to alternative practices to optimize their chances of getting prego, such as acupuncture and Fertility Yoga classes.
Is there scientific proof or research that these alternative therapies work? To find out
There's really no hard scientific evidence that these methods are effective, but if you had your heart set on having a baby, wouldn't you try anything and everything? After talking to many of my mom friends, I would say that there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that supports these alternative routes. Some women have had great success, and doctors think it may have to do with how these practices stimulate reproductive organs and increase blood flow to their hips and pelvis.
Yoga and acupuncture also help to reduce stress. If a person is worried or anxious, it can have an effect on your hormones and ovulation - remember how stress can affect your period? Plus these hopeful women are constantly being bombarded by questions from friends and relatives asking "What's wrong? When are you having a baby?" Yoga classes and acupuncture sessions can give them a break from thinking about it, and the relaxation can hopefully have a positive affect on their bodies.

Labels: acupuncture, fertility, yoga

Touro College Acupuncture Clinic
33 W 23rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, lower level (212-463-0400, ext 313)

What is it?
Part of Touro’s Oriental Medicine program, the clinic offers discounted treatments—$10 for the first visit, $25 for subsequent visits—performed by grad students working toward a masters of science in acupuncture. In the tradition of Chinese medicine, a diagnosis is made by asking specific questions about a patient’s health, taking a pulse and examining the tongue.

Worth the risk?
Before this experience, the thought of anyone poking us—professional or otherwise—was frightening. But in these hands and at this price, we’d be willing to give it another go.

Labels: acupuncture, bargain, on the cheap