Optimal Health

Patients often ask me to diagnose their problem. And in Chinese medicine the diagnosis is much more complicated than in Western medicine. For instance, the diagnosis of headache in Chinese medicine can be sub-divided into many different categories, and each category needs a completely different type of treatment.Acupuncture and Oriental medicine evolved in a culture with an entirely different view of the world and of the human body. It views the human body as a whole and uses terminology that reflects this different worldview. These categories are also discussed in my book, Optimal Health: How To Get It, How To Keep It.1. Wind Cold: This type of headache is usually encountered in winter, or when you are exposed to a cold draft or air conditioning. Symptoms usually include aversion to cold, shivering, possible fever, cough, sneezing, a blocked or runny nose, and pale urine. Often the neck and shoulders are very tight and the headache is worse in the back of the head. One of the best ways to avoid this type of headache is to use a scarf to protect the back of the neck from the cold. The primary herbal formula for this type of headache is Yin Chiao and the points used are GB 20, 21, 2, and 43.2. Wind Heat: This second of type of headache feels as if the head is too full and is usuallyaccompanied by a fever, thirst, sore throat, red eyes, dark urine, constipation, rapid pulse and re-tipped tongue. The most common herbal formulas for this type are Gan Mao Ling and Gentianna Formula and the acupuncture points used include GV 20, 4 Gates, and St 45.3. Internal Dampness: This is most frequent in damp areas when the individual is prone todampness from a damp spleen condition. Common symptoms include a swollen tongue with teeth marks, bloating, dull headaches with a heavy feeling in the head, a feeling of being in a fog mentally, runny nose, lack of appetite or nausea, craving for sweets and a sticky tongue coating. The most common Chinese herbal formula for this type of headache is Ginseng and Cardamom Formula or Prosperous Farmer Formula. Acupuncture points used might include Sp 4, 6, St 36, CV 12.4. Blood Stasis: This type of headache will have a stabbing type of pain and be long-term, and chronic. They may come from an injury like a whiplash or a chronic muscle-spasm in the neck and shoulder that was never completely dealt with. Other sources might be from chronic allergies or chronic sinus problems. The pain will be stabbing, or boring, as if a nail were being driven into the head and there may also be painful menses with dark-clotted blood or pain in the lower left portion of the abdomen. The tongue might have a purple spot or have a purple tinge throughout. Formulas for this type of headache include Corydalis, Oophiopagon and Assarum and Meridian Passage. Acupuncture points used include GB 21, 2, 43, St 30, 28, and Yin Tang.This is just a small sampling of diagnostic categories for headaches and their treatments. There are many more types of headaches according to Chinese medicine and also many other Chinese herbal formulas and acupuncture points that I might use in treatment of the headache depending on the severity and longevity.The recommended herbs mentioned above are NOT just painkillers. Rather, they will work to change and get rid of the underlying condition that is causing the headache. In addition to these formulas, I also recommend using herbal and natural pain relievers as much as possible. These have no side effects, cause no toxicity to your liver or kidneys, and are preferable to the use of drugs. The companies whose products I sell are constantly updating their formulas based on the latest research. These pain formulas will help with the pain and / or inflammation. Some herbs are also designed to help you to get to sleep.In addition to Chinese herbs and acupuncture, I will usually recommend a homeopathic remedy and a dietary change of one type or another. Often headaches are caused by an allergy to certain foods, or by low blood sugar, or blood sugar swings. Diet can play an important role in regulating and treating headaches.Finally, exercise is critical in the treatment of headaches. It’s important to keep the energy, or Chi, flowing smoothly, keep the thyroid functioning well, and the adrenal glands working optimally. Exercise can go a long way to helping in thi

According to Chinese Medicine, diseases are always an indication of an imbalance on a deeper level. Colitis and Crohn’s both relate to other body functions and processes. It is when we have an understanding of the interconnectedness of all these body processes, that we have a better idea of how to treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s from the holistic perspective.

This article is too short to go into specific diagnostic techniques, but I can share with you some of the general aspects of diagnosis from a holistic perspective. First I use Chinese tongue and pulse diagnosis. After this I perform a hair analysis, blood tests and diagnose according to “body type”. I also take a complete history, consisting of about eight pages of information, from infancy to the present, including your family. From all this information, I diagnose and treat your unique imbalances.

To treat the imbalances, I use acupuncture, Chinese herbs, constitutional homeopathic medicine, diet, and nutritional supplements. Some of the specific supplements and foods that have been shown to be effective for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s are listed below. Note that you should check with your doctor before trying anything new on your own.

Please be sure to never take yourself off any prescribed medications without your doctor’s supervision. The quantities for supplements and herbs vary with each individual. Not all supplements work for everyone. This holistic program should be individually prescribed by your doctor to meet your particular needs.

Sample Therapeutic Foods: potato broth, cooked carrots, okra, parsnips, squash, pumpkin, flax tea, papaya, rice porridge, miso soup, slippery elm gruel, cold water fish, evening primrose oil, black current seed oil, raw cabbage juice, celery juice.

Avoid the following: wheat containing foods, corn, dairy products, peanuts, red meat, sugar containing foods, coffee, caffeine, oranges, alcohol, spicy foods, fried foods, salty foods.

Supplements: beta carotene, zinc picolinate, magnesium, folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, B, C, lactobacillus acidophilus, liquid chlorophyll, alfalfa tabs, chlorella, quercetin, permeability factors, DGL, digestive enzymes, probiotics, parasite and yeast killers.

I came across a really great article the other day in the May/June ‘06 issue of Utne Magazine, reprinted from Science and Spirti (Jan/Feb ‘06).  In the article, scientists and Buddhists faced off on a discussion of the definitions of craving, suffering, happiness and well-being.

The Buddists explained that they feel that craving “is a kind of desire in which one falsely superimposes agreeable qualitied upon an object, cognitively screening out it’s disagreeable  qualities, and then desiring the object as a true source of pleasure and well-being”.  The most common things we might crave include wealth, sensuality, sex, food, praise, power, or the esteem of others.

The problem, says the Buddist, is that true happiness or well-being, does not come from an outside stimulus, but from “a healthy and balanced mind”.  The challenge:  learning to cultivate desire that leads to genuine well-being for oneself and others, while at the same time minimizing cravings.

In contrast, the scientist defines craving by what happens in the brain cells when there is a motivation to reach a goal.  The scientist would say that the neurobiological view is that cravings arise from chemical changes in the brain that lead to activity in neurons that are connected to the sense organs and muscles.  The various activity of groups of these neurons  can lead  to unhealthy actions or cravings for drinking alcohol, using tobacco, addictive drugs, overeating or sexual addictions.

In the Tibetan language, the Dalai Lama says that the word for craving is “an afflicted state of desire.”  The Dalai Lama says it is not desire iitself that is wrong, nor is it an affliction.  Desire can be a neutral state of mind, even a virtuous state.  For example, a desiire to improve others life by alleviating suffering, would be considered virtuous.

Scientists and Buddhists agree that the type of craving that leads to an unhealthy life is a mis-apprehension of reality — desire taken to the extreme of destructive behavior is obviously unhealthy for anyone.

Buddhist believe that the correct view of reality comes through meditation, contemplation and introspection.   Scientists believe that the correct view of reality can be created by identifying and localizing the specific brain activity associated with various desires and behaviors, and then manipulating these specific brain functions.  It is not quite as simple as meditation versus medication.  In fact, many people use both as tools in their lives.

According to Mathiew Ricard, a Buddist monk and the Dalai Lama’s private secretary, suffering has may causes, some of which can be controlled and some which cannot, and that unhappiness is the way in which humans experience this suffering.

In other words, according to the Buddist, unhappiness is often due to physical or moral pain inflicted by external condition, but unhappiness is not always directly linked to it.  Sometimes the mind creates unhappiness by interpreting suffering and discomfort as bad or negative.  But in reality, it’s the mind’s responsibility to master it’s perception and interpretation of the data coming into it’s field.

But the scientist says that suffering is “an activation of the neural subsystems that trigger emotions associated with distress, whether that is pain, fear, sadness, depression, anxiety, etc.  These neural subsystems in the body can be stimulated by external sensory stimuli and made worse by reverberating circuits involving internal stimuli, such as anxiety or depression.

The scientist would say that suffering stems from either external input or from the brain mechanisms that perpetuate and reverberate with the external input.  This suffering would be labeled as pain, depression, anxiety, etc.

The Western scientific approach to eliminating pain and suffering and unhappiness is to either remove the external “causes” or “inputs” or to block the inputs as they enter and reverberate through the nervous system.  But even the scientists will acknowledge that there are more neuronal connections in one person’s brain than there are stars in the universe and that focusing on compassion, love, or equanimity, for instanse, as the Buddhist would encourage us to do, might make it possible for those connections to “reset” the brain.  The scientist will acknowledge that it is possible to change the neural pathways, connections, and to reset the brain so to speak, by practicing this “reset” behavior.

The method for how those circuits get “reset”, as it where, is where Buddism and Science differ.

Dr. Martin’s comments:

It would seem to me that Science and Buddhism come together in Holistic Medicine.  What I see in my patients, is that by using amino acid supplements, taking Chinese herbs to stabilize the mood, and receiving acupuncture and homeopathic treatments, that is very possible to create balance and a greater sense of happiness and serenity.

So practice your meditation when you have time, do your exercise to increase your endorphins, take your herbs and natural supplements, get your acupuncture!!!!  You will feel better for it.

A patient said yesterday after her acupuncture:  “I feel like I’m floating up and off the table”.  Another woman said:  “Do I have to get up now?”

It’s important to NEVER stop taking any prescription medications without the advice and support of your Medical Doctor.  The reasons are explained below:

Many times, patients come to me with the primary desire to stop taking their prescription medications or recreational drugs.  Other times, patients see themselves getting healthier and more balanced after receiving holistic treatments, and they ask me if they can get off one of their prescription medications.  Still other people, may have inadvertently become accustomed to taking a medication for the side effects of a surgery or an accident or trauma in their lives, and then they want to get off the medication after their life becomes more stable.

The medication could be an anti-depressant, hypertension medication, anti-histamine, pain medications, hyper-acidity medications, diet pill, prescription hormones, marijuana, alcohol, or any number of other prescription medications or self-medications, such as sugar, carbohydrate addiction, caffeine addiction or hard drugs.

I would like to quickly outline below the most common mistakes I see my patients making when they try to get themselves off their medications, independent of their doctor’s advice:

1.  They do not first discuss their plan with their Medical Doctor.  It’s really, really important to not only discuss your plan with your Medical Doctor first, but to also get his or her approval for your plan.  This is because your Medical Doctor is in the best position to help you develop a rational plan for how to withdrawal off your medications.   Your Doctor knows your medical history, and also the pharmaceutical effects of the medication you are taking.  He or she is in the best position to help you develop a strategy for exactly how to stop the medication, and in exactly what increments it will be best to do it.

2.  Going too fast.  Many people start feeling really good after they start acupuncture or homeopathy and then they just stop their other medications, or stop them too fast.  This usually leads to having to go back onto their medications.  However, the best way is to actually go a lot slower then you might want to.  Thus you can head off any negative effects and catch yourself before you start feeling bad or your symptoms come back.   If you think you might want to stop over a period of three months, then extend it to six months.  The longer you take to do this, the more success you will probably have in the end.

3.  Not taking the right natural supplements as you taper off your prescription medications.  The body acclimates or even becomes addicted to some prescription medications.  When on a medication, your metabolism or hormones or neurotransmitters may have completely changed.   So if you are going to stop taking that medication, or significantly reduce it, it’s important to feed your body and mind with the nutrients needed to begin to work correctly without the medication.   Without taking natural supplements to replace your body’s dependance on the medications, it is much, much harder to go off any prescription medications.  Obviously, it can be done, but it’s a lot more challenging.

Here is a list of some of some of the more common natural supplements I sometimes recommend my patients take during this most difficult time.

*Homeopathic Kali phos - to support the nerves

*Carry Protein Bars with you throughout the day to stop a sudden drop in blood sugar before it occurs.

Exercise and breath are also key ingredients.  Exercise, even just daily walking, really will help. And if you cannot get out and exercise daily, try and remember to do breathing exercises, or Tai Chi, or some other centering exercise with breathing.

One really relaxing exercise is called “Cupping” or “Palming”.   Here is a web link for how to do it:

http://community.livejournal.com/holistic_vision/tag/yoga

By relaxing your eyes, your brain will also stop repeating the same thoughts over and over again.  The eyes are a window to how the mind works.

For women, it’s important to regulate the hormones.  If you are menstruating, then regulating and balancing your periods is critical to success.  There are many herbal formulas, and acupuncture, to aid in doing this.  If you are in menopause, it’s critical to balance your hormones, as any additional stress might throw your hormones off and cause another layer of symptoms.

In my experience, the people who have the greatest success in withdrawing off prescription medications, stopping an addictive behavior or substance, or stopping recreational drugs have one quality in common:  They don’t give up!

Time and time again, I see people stopping treatments or stopping their natural supplements, only to return 6 months latter, back on their medications, or addicted again to a drug or harmful behavior.  They say “it didn’t work.”  But actually it did work, but they didn’t stick to the natural program long enough to see the results really take root.  The people who are really successful have follow-through.

In general, it’s a good idea to really think through your choice before getting off any prescription medication and to discuss it with your Medical Doctor before making any decisions.  The worst thing you can do is to just go off it on your own without any support.    Your Medical Doctor should be the lead doctor in this decision, and remember to do it very, very slowly, if you really want to succeed.

Lastly, anyone who has received acupuncture knows the relaxing effects.  So if you are not phobic of needles, and it’s convenient to get into an acupuncturist’s office, then regular treatments will really help at this transition time.  Even daily treatments for the first week are a good idea, or at least weekly or every other week.  Health insurance usually covers a percentage of the acupuncture treatments as well.

According to Chinese Medicine, diseases are always an indication of an imbalance on a deeper level.  Colitis and Crohn’s both  relate to other body functions and processes.  It is when we have an understanding of the interconnectedness of all these body processes, that we have a better idea of how to treat ulcerative colitis and crohn’s from the holistic perspective.This article is too short to go into specific diagnostic techniques, but I can share with you some of the general aspects of diagnosis from a holistic perspective.  First I use Chinese tongue and pulse diagnosis.  After this I perform a hair analysis, blood tests and diagnose according to “body type”.  I also take a complete history, consisting of about eight pages of information, from infancy to the present, including your family.   From all this information, I diagnose and treat your unique imbalances.To treat the imbalances, I use acupuncture, Chinese herbs, constitutional homeopathic medicine, diet, and nutritional supplements.   Some of the specific supplements and foods that have been shown to be effective for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s are listed below.  Note that you should check with your doctor before trying anything new on your own.Please be sure to never take yourself off any prescribed medications without your doctor’s supervision.  The quantities for supplements and herbs vary with each individual.  Not all supplements work for everyone.  This holistic program should be individually prescribed by your doctor to meet your particular needs.Sample Therapeutic Foods:  potato broth, cooked carrots, okra, parsnips, squash, pumpkin, flax tea, papaya, rice porridge, miso soup, slippery elm gruel, cold water fish, evening primrose oil, black current seed oil, raw cabbage juice, celery juice.  Eat small, more frequent meals.Avoid the following:  wheat containing foods, corn, dairy products, peanuts, red meat, sugar containing foods, coffee, caffeine, oranges, alcohol, spicy foods, fried foods, salty foods.Supplements:  beta carotene, zinc picolinate, magnesium, folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, B, C, lactobacillus acidophilus, liquid chlorophyll, alfalfa tabs, chlorella, quercetin, digestive enzymes, permeability factors.The primary goal of treatment is to strengthen the gall bladder function, the liver, stomach, pancreas and spleen, all having to do with digestion, according to Chinese medicine.  Acupuncture and Chinese herbs work magnificently for this.

A recent German study published in the February, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology confirms that acupuncture can relieve a woman of her menstrual pain!

In the study, 201 women were randomly assigned to acupuncture or no treatment sub-groups.   All women had severe menstrual pain, severe cramps and generalized discomfort during her period. The majority of patients receiving acupuncture reported at least a 33 percent improvement in their pain level.

“Patients with chronic dysmenorrhea [menstrual pain] treated with acupuncture as an adjunct to routine care showed significant improvements in pain intensity and quality of life compared to patients who received routine care alone without the acupuncture” Dr. Claudia Witt of Charite University Medical Center in Berlin said.

This study is part of a large acupuncture research initiative of a group of social health insurance funds that provide coverage to approximately 10% of the German population.

“Our study showed that acupuncture was beneficial for women if offered as part of the health insurance system,” the researchers write in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Based on these findings, the researchers conclude that “acupuncture should be considered as a viable option in the management of patients who have menstrual pain.”

One of the problems of practicing medicine in Los Angeles is that the consumer has so many choices. Why is this a problem? Because the average person doesn’t stay long enough with any one practitioner to really see the results manifesting. In Los Angeles, most people tend to jump around from doctor to doctor. The net result is that most people don’t really get the kind of results they could potentially receive.

While there are many reasons to stop seeing your doctor and try someone else, it’s best to really think it over before making the change. Here are some of the reasons I’ve heard from new patients about their former doctors: He may keep you waiting too long in the reception room, may not return calls, may not be coming from a heart space, or may be a poor communicator. He might not welcome a teamwork approach with your other doctors and practitioners. Or you may decide you want to try another type of treatment. Maybe the office is not run efficiently.

Believe me, in my 25 years of medical practice I have heard every reason in the book, both from people stopping treatment with me and also people coming to me from another doctor. Oddly, the reasons for both are frequently the same.

This leads me to believe that part of the problem is with our basic human communication. For any of you who have experienced any amount of therapy, you might know that there is usually an implied contract with your therapist to have a session called “termination,” where you discuss your gains and what you have achieved, and what you hope to achieve by terminating your treatment and working with someone else.

But for some reason, patients don’t usually think of doing that with their doctor. In fact, most patients are too embarrassed for some reason to really be honest with their doctor about why they are terminating treatment.

But I would encourage everyone to try it. For one thing, possibly the very reasons that you are thinking of leaving, have more to do with your own projections onto the doctor than they do with the doctor’s actual shortcomings.

In any event, it’s best to air them in a civil way. No name-calling. No anger. But simply, “I was hoping to get more personalized service”, or “I was hoping the doctor would have spent more time with me,” or “I was hoping the doctor would come from a more feeling place for me.”

Whatever the expectation that was not met, this will give you as the patient, the ability to truly look at your own participation in having created the process that is occurring. This helps to insure it won’t happen again with the next doctor.

Your relationship with your doctor is like any other relationship. And you may have noticed that you keep repeating the same errors and creating the same problems in going from any relationship to the next relationship. This is because we all tend to repeat our negative patterns until we make them conscious. Making a commitment to work with your doctor over the long run and to communicate your frustrations and to try and see you part in creating the problems, will help you to heal.

Now, homeopathy has something special to say about this. In homeopathic treatment it is very common to become angry with your doctor. This is because the homeopathic treatment is specifically designed to dredge up and clear out your old patterns as it’s unpeeling the layers of the onion. In doing so, it is common to project onto the doctor the “bad guy”. You may feel depressed, or that migraine headache might come back. These are common occurrences with homeopathy, as the body-mind-spirit is cleansing and “back-tracking” over its old patterns.

In other words, it’s best, if you want to break your negative patterns, to set aside the time, before moving on to your next doctor, to first schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss your current feelings, airing your complaints. By doing this, you can be more certain that in fact you are not projecting some of your own issues onto your doctor.

Doctors are human, not perfect, and not capable of always giving you what you want. But open and honest, non-blaming communication, will often go a long way to providing you with the services you are needing.

After all, if we can’t sit and speak openly with our own doctors and healers, whom can we do it with? It’s got to start somewhere. Better here than across nation states. If we can communicate with each other, one on one, that is a start for the new paradigm of relationships between nations, races, religions, and all the other differences we imagine with have. After a good talk, we often find our needs are not so different as we thought. But that we were just projecting a lot of our own fears, past rejections, emptiness, and desire, onto the other person. Most doctors just want to be loved, accepted, and acknowledged for who they are, the same way that the patient wants this.

Here are the most Typical Relationship Phases that Occur in the Relationships between Patient and Doctor: (note that these phases may not always occur in a linear fashion, and that they may skip or jump around or repeat at various points in your treatment.)

1. Honeymoon: This is the phase at the beginning where both doctor and patient are on their best behavior. The doctor may be doing his best to make a good impression and to create bonding. The “feel good” phase.

2. Testing Phase: This is usually the next phase, where the patient may miss an appointment, decide to skip some appointments because they are feeling so much better. The patient may not follow her diet plan, or not take her herbs or homeopathic remedy to test the doctor and see his reactions. The patient will test to see how long they can stop treatment and still have the same effects as during the honeymoon phase.

3. Fear of Rejection: After missing some appointments, becoming irregular in their treatment, or not following the doctors advice on taking their supplements, following their diet or doing the exercise they had committed to, the patient often is afraid the doctor will reject them and either not work with them, or tell them they are in some way not measuring up to the expectations he had or the patient had of themselves.

4. Compromise - both internal and external: At this stage the patient learns to not be so self-critical and critical of the doctor and his office. The doctor may have not measured up to your expectations in every way, perhaps he was late, rushed, or forgot something you told him at a previous visit. Or the patient may realize they cannot keep their commitment of weekly appointments or that the proposed diet plan or exercise plan was not realistic.

5. Adjustment of Expectations: This is an internal and external phase usually, with the patient deciding it’s ok that the doctor is only human and not perfect in every way they had wanted him to be. And that also, it’s normal and healthy to miss appointments, not keep to the proposed diet 100% of the time, etc. Expectations are re-calibrated, so that over the longer term, the relationship with the Greater Self and with Doctor, can have some longer-term stability.

6. Stability: Treatment may get boring; with the patient feeling he is not making much progress. The treatment effects may have reached a plateau, and stabilized. This stage often sees patients moving on to another doctor. But it’s the ability to hang in there and go through the boredom and seeming lack of progress that actually signifies a mature healing relationship and offers the greatest opportunity for healing. This is a necessary stage in any relationship with your doctor. It’s important to keep coming until the next break through is achieved.

7. Healing Phase: After the boredom of Phase 6 / Stability, is when the actual healing can occur. The healing that occurs before this phase is on a more superficial level. It’s during the long term Healing Phase, which follows the Stability Phase that deeper healing work can occur. Most true healing occurs after months or years of working with the same doctor / healer. And like life, it often occurs unexpectedly. It can sneak up on you. In fact, you might not actually realize you moved to the next level of health, until months or years later, when you look back in retrospect.

he simple and quick answer is — Yes !!!!

Health Insurance usually covers at least a part of the cost of acupuncture for the treatment of lower back pain.

1. Acute Asthma: Wheezing, tight chest, difficulty exhaling
*Begin with Open Air formula
*Add Chest Relief if needed - after first 24 hours
*Add Windbreaker if cathcing a cold
*Select the appropriate homeopathic, such as Aconite
*Assess for Acute emotional trauma: Rescue Remedy might be indicated

2. Chronic Asthma: Wheezing on exertion, tight chest, difficulty inhaling
*Begin with Deep Breath for more chronic wheezing problems
*Add Chest Relief if also has cough or phlegm
*Add Grow and Thrive to support the system and strengthen immunity
*Select the appropriate homeopathic, such as Phosphorus, Kali Phos or Phosphoric Acid
*Check for allergies, food and airborne

3. ADD/OCD or other Anxiety or Hyperactive Symptoms:
*Begin with Quiet Calm formula for sleep, hyperactivity and anxiety or phobia
*Add Grow and Thrive to strengthen the system - stay on this long term over time
*Add Fish Oils
*Perform urine test to determine which neurotransmitters are out of balance
*Consider homeopathic Mag phos, Kali phos, Coffea Crude or Igniata
*Consider 5HTP or GABA

4. ADD/ADHD - Inattentive type ADD - easily distracted and trouble with focus
*Use Quiet Calm to start - see how this works before adding others for 3-5 days
*Add Fish Oils and the correct constitutional homeopathic to help with focus
*Consider the Urine test to determine which neurotransmitters are off
*Find and follow up long term with the right homeopathic remedy - very important!

5. Allergies: Sneezing, stuffy and runny nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throat
*Begin with Windbreaker - note improvement within 24 hours???
*Add Chest Relief for cough or phlegm
*Add Open Air for wheezing or acute cold
*Try homeopathic Wyethia, Sulphur, Aconite or Allium Cepa
*Often Fish Oils, Zinc, Vitamin C will boost the immune system and help with allergies

6. Acute Cold or Flu
*Begin with Windbreaker and Phlogisticlean
*Use Phlogisticlean for ear infections
*Add Chest Relief for coughing
*Add Purge Heat for fever
*Use Chinese herbal ear drops
*Add homeopathic Belladona for high fever, or Aconite for sudden onset fever
*Supplement with Zinc and Vitamin C for immune balance

NOTE: MAKE IN-OFFICE APPOINTMENT FOR YOUR CHILD WHEN THEY ARE WELL! DO NOT WAIT FOR THEM TO BE SICK FOR THE DOCTOR TO SEE THEM.

THESE TREATMENTS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE IF YOU HAVE THEM ON HAND BEFORE THE PROBLEM OCCURS. STOCK UP YOUR MEDICINE CABINETS NOW SO YOU WILL HAVE THEM WHEN YOU WILL NEED THEM. YOU CANNOT BUY THESE FROM YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PHARMACY DURING AN EMERGENCY!

ALSO: DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD INTO THE OFFICE WHEN THEY HAVE A COMMUNICABLE DISEASE, COLD, FLU, COUGHING, ETC. WE DON’T WANT TO SPREAD THEIR GERMS TO OTHERS IN OUR OFFICE! BUT CALL US FOR A PHONE CONSULTATION AND COME PICK UP THE PRODUCTS OR WE CAN SEND TO YOU RIGHT AWAY!

Asthma and Fever at Midnight - Help!!!

Last night at about midnight I had a panic email from the mother of one of my patient’s.  She explained that her three year old son had a fever of 102 degrees and that he couldn’t breath.  He was restless, crying and very uncomfortable.

She asked me what to do.  I told her to use her Western medications prescribed by her doctor and then in the morning to take him to the doctor, and then call me.  She was confused.  She responded that she had brought her son to see me because she was trying NOT to use the drugs that he had previously been taking for the last three years of his life.

This is very common.  A patient comes to me because they want to STOP taking the medications prescribed by their Medical Doctor.

While I respect the desire of a patient to stop taking prescription medications, I have to emphasize that there is a time and place for both prescription medications and for alternatives like herbs or homeopathic remedies.

At midnight, when you have no alternative in your medicine chest, is definitely NOT the time to stop your Western medications.

Change occurs slowly, over time.  If you wish to stop your prescription medications, it must be done gradually, and under the supervision of your Medical Doctor.  Prescription medications can sometimes save your life, and at a minimum relieve a great deal of unnecessary suffering.

If you wish to make this transition for either yourself or your child, give yourself some time.  Come into my office, and schedule an appointment to discuss this. Then purchase the herbs and homeopathic remedies you may need to have on hand during this transition.  And remember that change is NOT linear.  It has ups and downs.  You may need to keep taking your prescription medication from time to time, when you are stressed out or in emergencies.

Try not to be hard on yourself.  We are only human.

And one other thing:  Changing diet will also help to strengthen your overall health and balance and allow you to feel better.  And regular yoga, stretching, and exercise is also really important.  This is especially true when you are working to decrease any medication you have been on for more than a few months.

It is also best to make an appointment with your Medical Doctor and explain exactly what your desire is, and ask his or her advice for the best way to transition off your medications.   Your Medical Doctor will be a key player in your success or failure.  Sometimes it’s possible to change your prescriptions to take a lower dosage, and other times you can split your pill in half.   Sometimes your Medical Doctor might also recommend just taking the medication every other day, or only when needed.

Whatever he or she says, please be very open and communicate clearly.  This will help in your success.

One last thought:  If you and your Medical Doctor decide you should continue taking your prescription medications, there is still a lot you can do to improve your overall health.  Exercise, basic dietary changes, and acupuncture can help a lot.  There are also Chinese herbs that can be added, that will not conflict with your medications, and homeopathic remedies.  The important thing is balance, and commitment to a long-term program of optimal health!!!  We can discuss which medications you are on and with your Medical Doctor, make a plan.  Best of luck!

Last night at about midnight I had a panic email from the mother of one of my patient’s.  She explained that her three year old son had a fever of 102 degrees and that he couldn’t breath.  He was restless, crying and very uncomfortable.

She asked me what to do.  I told her to use her Western medications prescribed by her doctor and then in the morning to take him to the doctor, and then call me.  She was confused.  She responded that she had brought her son to see me because she was trying NOT to use the drugs that he had previously been taking for the last three years of his life.

This is very common.  A patient comes to me because they want to STOP taking the medications prescribed by their Medical Doctor.

While I respect the desire of a patient to stop taking prescription medications, I have to emphasize that there is a time and place for both prescription medications and for alternatives like herbs or homeopathic remedies.

At midnight, when you have no alternative in your medicine chest, is definitely NOT the time to stop your Western medications.

Change occurs slowly, over time.  If you wish to stop your prescription medications, it must be done gradually, and under the supervision of your Medical Doctor.  Prescription medications can sometimes save your life, and at a minimum relieve a great deal of unnecessary suffering.

If you wish to make this transition for either yourself or your child, give yourself some time.  Come into my office, and schedule an appointment to discuss this. Then purchase the herbs and homeopathic remedies you may need to have on hand during this transition.  And remember that change is NOT linear.  It has ups and downs.  You may need to keep taking your prescription medication from time to time, when you are stressed out or in emergencies.

Try not to be hard on yourself.  We are only human.

And one other thing:  Changing diet will also help to strengthen your overall health and balance and allow you to feel better.  And regular yoga, stretching, and exercise is also really important.  This is especially true when you are working to decrease any medication you have been on for more than a few months.

It is also best to make an appointment with your Medical Doctor and explain exactly what your desire is, and ask his or her advice for the best way to transition off your medications.   Your Medical Doctor will be a key player in your success or failure.  Sometimes it’s possible to change your prescriptions to take a lower dosage, and other times you can split your pill in half.   Sometimes your Medical Doctor might also recommend just taking the medication every other day, or only when needed.

Whatever he or she says, please be very open and communicate clearly.  This will help in your success.

One last thought:  If you and your Medical Doctor decide you should continue taking your prescription medications, there is still a lot you can do to improve your overall health.  Exercise, basic dietary changes, and acupuncture can help a lot.  There are also Chinese herbs that can be added, that will not conflict with your medications, and homeopathic remedies.  The important thing is balance, and commitment to a long-term program of optimal health!!!  We can discuss which medications you are on and with your Medical Doctor, make a plan.  Best of luck!