Optimal Health

Acupuncture for Chronic Prostate Problems

This research verifies what I have seen in my practice:  That acupuncture is extremely effective for prostate problems.  In fact, when combined with Chinese herbs, and the correct homeopathic remedy, I have had incredible success in curing prostate problems in men.  This includes chronic prostatitis, as well as sexual issues, including low sex drive, and low sperm counts.  There are also specific diets that will benefit and help cure prostate problems.   If the man in your life is having any uro-genital issues, send them on over.

Here is the link to the research article:

Chronic Prostatitis Research Article

Summer Holistic Weight Loss Help

by Dr. Randy Martin, OMD, LAc, PhD

By now you may have probably tried many diets.  Some have worked and some may not have.  The difference with this program is that it is holistic.  Holistic in this sense means:  body, mind and spirit.  Holistic also means that you take the primary responsibility for your weight loss and that we concern ourselves with your overall long-term health and not just in some crash diet fad.  The program we work out together will be an individual program you can live with and not just a short-term weight loss scheme.

For many of you, losing weight means simply getting rid of that extra five pounds in order to fit into the latest fashions.  But for others, it is more a matter of heath and good nutrition.  Still for others, you may have 40-50 or more pounds you need to lose.

For everyone, the question arises:  Which diet is best for me?  Perhaps you have already tried vegetarianism, macrobiotics, the all-liquid protein diet, low carb diet, or an all fruit fast.  And perhaps you have wondered why your best friend is able to lose weight eating pastries and pasta, while you have only to “look” at sweets to gain an extra five pounds.

Or have you noticed that not everyone craves the same foods?  Have you considered the possibility that you have food allergies? Or have you wondered why weight loss has not miraculously occurred by diligently sticking to a low caloric or low carbohydrate diet?  The reality is that not all people lose weight on the same diet.

In other words, everyone needs a diet based on their own individual physiological and biological strengths and weaknesses, and on their brain chemistry imbalances and metabolic strengths and weaknesses.

 Scientists have discovered that different people have specific weaknesses in different glands in their body.  These biological differences are partly inherited and partly created through lifestyle and eating habits.  And these differences account for two important factors in weight loss.

 First, individual biological weaknesses are the cause for what foods we each individually crave.  And second, these differences also account for what part of our body tends to accumulate extra pounds. 

Doctors have shown that people with a weak pituitary gland, for example, tend to crave dairy products rather than sweets, and that they will more often than not accumulate “baby fat” all over their body.  In contrast, people with a weak thyroid will crave sugar, caffeine and carbohydrates and gain weight mostly in the stomach, upper arms and thighs.  People with weak adrenal glands crave salt, meat, potatoes and butter and tend to be stocky with big bones and a pot belly.  These types of people are usually very yang.  The type of person with an imbalance in their ovaries may crave fats and spicy foods and gain most of their weight around the hips and thighs.  To reverse these cravings and the accompanying weight gains, we must reverse the genetic imbalances and weaknesses.

 In the Orient, medical science has also identified these biological individualities and has a long history of effectively treating people in accordance with these differences. According to the Oriental theory of health, when our body energy, or Chi, becomes blocked or depleted, we experience ill health or dis-ease.

Herbs and acupuncture work to unblock the stagnant chi to allow for the return of free-flowing chi, and thereby allowing the body to achieve a healthy equilibrium.

The specific effect acupuncture has on weight loss is twofold:  First, it acts to relax the nervous system and lessen the anxiety and compulsiveness associated with overeating.  This is accomplished by stimulation of specific acupuncture points in the ears and on the body, which cause the release of endorphins.  Endorphins are the bodies own naturally occurring opiates, or “relaxers”.

Second, acupuncture acts to stimulate those organs and glands, which are the weak ones; this works to actually decrease the food cravings, which are so hard to control.  In terms of the Five Element Theory of Oriental Medicine, long-term obesity or weight problems are usually a sign of weakness in the earth element or fire element. 

The nine (9) aspects that go to make up an effective weight loss program are as follows:

1 - Food Journal:  time, day, food, reason, feelings, after effects both physically and emotionally;

2 - Identify Problem Foods (allergies, addictions, cravings, aversions);

     Identify Problem Situations (restaurants, social situations, etc.);

     Identity Problems in terms of time of day (biological clock);

3 - Develop strategies to cope with #2 above;

4 - Assess your weak glands and organs - correct through use of nutritional supplements, acupuncture and homeopathy;

5 - Utilize specific weight loss herbal formulas to help metabolism, strengthen the weak glands and organs in the body, work on the weak meridians and elements and to balance the nervous system and digestive organs of assimilation;

6 - Typical Acupuncture Treatment Schedule:

      2X/week for the first 4 weeks, followed by;

      1X/week for the next 4 weeks, followed by;

      2X/month for the next 2 months, followed by;

      1X/month for the remaining time you are on the program, followed by;

      Periodic maintenance, usually 1X per month.

7 - Exercise:  Some type of aerobic exercise to be determined with you doctor. This is important to increase the heartbeat and burn up calories and should be done 3X per week.  The other days of the week you will need to walk and do some simple stretching or yoga-type exercises.

8 – Take a urine/saliva test to determine which brain neurotransmitters are weak or too strong and take the appropriate supplements to correct this problem.   This will almost immediately help with emotional or binge eating.

9 – Take the appropriate homeopathic remedy for your imbalances and cravings.

If all nine of the above are hard for you, then just pick which you are most comfortable with, and we can personally design the program that is right for you!

But there is much more to the effective loss of weight that still needs to be considered: For people serious about a holistic approach to weight loss, a thorough examination of one’s reasons for over-eating and motivation for wanting to lose weight is essential.  Often, over or under eating is an old protection and defense mechanism that is being restimulated by current stress and emotional hurts or environmental or situational triggers.

In our culture, there tends to be an over-emphasis on the virtues of slenderness.  Anorexia nervosa (self imposed starvation) and bulimia (the binge-purge syndrome) are both occurring in alarming proportions.  In fact, many people are actually healthier - emotionally and physically - at a weight that is five to ten pounds greater than what our popular media presents as the ideal. 

On the other hand, some people are honestly confused and do not know what their optimum weight really is. For many, short-term psychological counseling may work well in conjunction with a weight loss program.  Therapy helps to help clarify weight loss goals and to provide emotional support for changes in eating and exercising habits.  Therapy also helps to adjust to what can be a personally and socially threatening change of self-image.

For others, the program of Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and the Curves Program have proven very effective in providing support and helping people adjust to the physical, psychological and social aspects that weight loss inevitably confronts.

Weight loss is possible even for those who have experienced past failures.  Identifying the causes of past failures, either spiritual, psychological or physiological, is the first step toward insuring greater success in the future.

It is important for an effective weight loss program to include recognition of biological individuality and the use of natural means to strengthen and rebuild those weak organs and glands in the body.  Treatment can include acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional counseling, homeopathy, psychological counseling, and exercise.

With an honest, gut level desire to change old behavior, weight loss can be achieved and the road to optimum health can be yours!

This article from the LA Times is frightening.   It outlines some of the hazards of living in Los Angeles, and especially of living near a freeway.

What can we do?  Besides getting politically involved to force our legislators to tighten up the standards on auto and industrial emissions, we can take care of our own individual health by increasing our daily doses of antioxidants.   Some of the ones I recommend we all take are:

Vitamin E, Vitamin C, CoQ10, Selenium, Lutein, Bilberry, Beta Carotene.

Also increase your daily intake of fruits and veggies - especially green leafy vegetables.  And try to get organic whenever possible.  The more we can buy organic, the lower the prices will become, due to economies of scale.

If you can’t eat right, than take extra supplements of dried and dehydrated fruits and veggies.   Also keep your system flushed with enough water each day — your urine should be almost clear.

You can also take Chinese herbs to help your overall metabolism, in order to help break down the toxins in the liver and kidneys.

The following options are discussed to help you decide if any holistic methods might be right for you, either to treat a problem you are having, or just to help you acheive the emotional and physical health goals you are currently working on.

De-fin-i-tions
(to be definite; to know; understanding)

1. Classical Homeopathy - the most effective, deepest acting treatment; uses minuscule amounts of plant, animal or mineral substances to stimulate the body to heal itself; the prescription is based on a complete evaluation of all physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual patterns in an individual. In Classical Homeopathy, we use the emotional symptoms to point us in the direction of where to treat the imbalance in the body. Symptoms become metaphors, or symbols, for where imbalances are, either emotionally or spiritually. For example, asthma might be used as an indication of some long-standing unresolved grief or loss; urinary tract infections, a symbol of suppressed anger or resentment; low back pain could be a sign of fear or feelings of being overwhelmed, etc.

Your physical symptoms will all eventually be cured using Classical Homeopathy, but as a part of the process, you will also feel much better and happier emotionally. This type of treatment will take from six months to two or more years. Training to become a Classical Homeopath takes many years of study and is highly specialized. Most good Classical Homeopaths study for at least five years before getting good results. Few homeopaths have the patience to dedicate their lives to this type of intensive in-depth study and discipline.

2. Constitutional Homeopathy - similar to Classical Homeopathy, but in some homeopathic circles, this term is used to describe a method where only one, single remedy is used throughout one’s lifetime. In reality, each person has many constitutional layers and requires many remedies in their life. Constitutional Homeopaths use only one dose of one remedy. In reality, as we evolve, we often need to move from one remedy to the next, (even though in some cases, we may need to stay on only one remedy for a number of years,) and may need to take the remedy daily.

3. Acute Homeopathy - in acute homeopathic prescribing, we don’t place an emphasis on the emotional factors involved in disease; rather, we directly treat, and place our emphasis on removing the physical symptoms as quickly as possible. We do, however, look at the causal factor, which in many cases does include an emotional component. For instance, did the cold or flu begin from the emotional stress of a broken relationship, when out in a cold rain or wind or was the cause from lack of sleep and reduced resistance to infection? Is the constipation caused from a difficulty in letting go, a craving for meat or from not drinking enough water. Acute homeopathy will treat every physical symptom known to man, and treat it quite effectively, and in most cases very quickly. But it won’t be a long-term cure as in Classical Homeopathy.
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4. Oriental Medicine - This encompasses many disciplines and treatment types, including acupressure massage, acupuncture, Chinese nutritional medicine, Chinese manipulation (similar to chiropractic) and Chinese herbal medicine. There are many different ways to practice Oriental Medicine, including Five Element Theory, Yin/Yang Theory, Acute prescribing and Korean constitutional prescribing. I use TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine most, and place an emphasis on the pulse and tongue diagnostic methods. I do not believe in the use of highly technical computer analysis, but use the more traditional techniques of facial observation and Five Element analysis which have been effectively used for thousands of years to diagnose and treat illness.

5. Chinese Herbal Medicine - This method of herbal medicine is based on the diagnostic methods described in the paragraph above on Oriental Medicine. In this case, however, we use herbs, in addition to or instead of acupuncture, to create the most dramatic and quick curative action that is possible. Chinese herbology usually utilizes formulas containing many different herbs rather than just the individual herbs used in the Western approach. This method is very effective in treating chronic illness and preventing future illness from occurring. There are wonderful Chinese herbal formulas for almost every type of illness, ranging from high blood pressure, menopausal symptoms, high cholesterol, migraine headaches, PMS, ADD, insomnia, colitis, allergies and many other illnesses that plague modern society and which have no know cure in Western medicine.

6. Western Herbal Medicine - This approach to herbal medicine uses herbs primarily found on the North American and European continents. This method generally uses single herbs in order to achieve very specific results. There are wonderful single herbs such as Vitex, Dong Quai, Echinacea, Astragalus, Goldenseal, White Willow Bark, Milk Thistle and others, which can be used to build immunity, balance hormones and eliminate many types of pain.

7. Five Element Acupuncture - This method of diagnosis and treatment utilizes the Five Elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Metal and Wood. The Five Elements are a metaphor for the five primary organ functions in the body: spleen/stomach, heart/small intestines, kidney/bladder, lung/large intestines, and gall bladder/liver. Each organ and grouping of organs has an emotional component as well. Utilizing this type of understanding, we can treat constitutionally as well as symptomatically.

8. Acute Acupuncture - This method utilize specific acupuncture formulas which are designed to treat the acute problems you want to treat. This is the type of acupuncture that most medical doctors study, since it only requires a few weekends of study. It requires many years of concentrated study to practice the deeper-acting Five Element and Constitutional acupuncture.

9. Constitutional Acupuncture - This method utilizes the tongue and pulse diagnosis to assess and then design a treatment plan to treat from a deeper, more holistic framework than the Acute Acupuncture approach. Many very serious and even life-threatening health problems can be totally cured using this method.

10. Bio-chemical Nutritional Analysis - This method of analysis utilizes the Health Equations Program to assess the functional status of your electrolytes and minerals. We start from a Chem Panel and CBC and then do a comprehensive analysis utilizing the basic data from your blood tests.

11. Body-Type Nutritional Analysis - There are many types of Body-Type Analysis. Just a few of the possibilities are Yin/Yang and Five Element Analysis, Endocrine Organ Analysis and Metabolic Typing, among others.

12. Five Element Nutritional Analysis - This is based on the Five Element Analysis discussed above.

13. Yin/Yang Nutritional Analysis - This is based on assessing your balance of Yin and Yang and working with the diet to change the imbalance in Yin and Yang. If your Yin and Yang is in proper balance, it’s very hard for you to become ill. Balanced Yin and Yang is the foundation and cornerstone of balance and Optimal Health.

14. Vitamin/Mineral Supplementation - In our culture, most people need vitamin and mineral Supplementation because very few of us eat properly. In addition, most of us operate on such a high level of stress that we need more of certain vitamins and minerals than in times past. The soil our food is grown on is also almost totally depleted of organic minerals and because of this we need to supplement our diets. Even most organic food is not as complete as in times past.

15. Neurotransmitter Testing & You take a test kit home and obtain samples of your urine and saliva. These samples will tell the lab which of your neurotransmitters are either high or low. The types of problems that will respond very well to this type of testing include anxiety, insomnia, ADD, ADHD, depression, fear, worry, nervous disorders, headaches, chronic pain, PMS, Irritable Bowel, Panic Attacks, Bulimia, OCD, and substance abuse. The test results will be returned to you with a very specific list of which amino acid supplements to take to increase the neurotransmitters you are low in and to decrease the ones you are too high in.

16. Stool Tests and other Saliva Testing for Hormones & There are an assortment of other tests, which include stool, hair testing, blood testing, and others. These may also be useful in helping to determine where you are out of balance and which treatments will work best to put you into balance.

You Decide:

Educating yourself, knowing which modalities (types of treatments) you want and are most interested in, defining your treatment goals, and knowing what you are willing to do to get there, is all an invaluable portion of becoming healthier and overcoming the obstacles to loosing weight, exercising, eating right and joining in partnership with your health care team. You decide which treatment options are right for you after a discussion with Dr. Martin.

Food allergies can be sudden. Most patients who come to me complaining of allergies have never experienced them before. They come in disbelief, thinking it must be something more serious. But in reality, food allergies are one of the most common causes of many health problems.

Symptoms can range from fuzzy thinking, fatigue, upset stomach, neck pain, headaches, pains in the stomach area, diarrhea, burning pains, skin rashes, eczema, asthma, difficult breathing and even fainting. Testing for food allergies can be expensive; many patients believe they have severe Candida, or parasites, which may in fact be the case. But the least expensive way of dealing with the problem is to choose to just eliminate the more common foods which can cause an allergy.

The most common foods which cause the symptoms are nuts, and especially peanuts, eggs, milk and milk products, shellfish, wheat, gluten containing products, soy, chocolate, and some fish.

Eliminating these foods for about 60 days and adding specific, targeted nutritional supplements, will often take care of the problems. Often the patient can eat the problem foods, once the allergy symptoms are gone. What we have found is that adding in the problem foods on a rotational basis will usually be fine, and not re-create the symptoms. But first you must eliminate the food completely, for about 60 days, in order to re-build your digestive and immune systems.

Some of the supplements which work well are herbal anti-histamines, digestive enzymes, pro-biotics, Chinese herbs to build and strengthen digestion, and other herbs and supplements targeted to increase overall health and energy.

We have found that it’s important for patients to ask questions when eating out, to determine the ingredients in the foods. Also it’s important to read food labels carefully, and to learn “code” words for certain ingredients, which may contain harmful derivatives of the problem food. In any case, it’s a great idea to start reading labels of the foods you eat, and to ask to see the packaging list of ingredients used in fast foods.

Testing is available for those who like the more scientific approach, including saliva tests, blood tests, and stool tests, but these are expensive and often unnecessary, if the patient is willing to just stop eating the problem foods without testing. But the good thing about testing is that you can really see, in black and white, the changes in the tests over time, as your body recovers.

Many medical doctors are now prescribing homeopathic Arnica before and after facial cosmetic surgery. In this article, published in the January/February 2006 Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, Arnica was shown to be very effective in reducing bruising due to the surgery.

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 29 face-lift surgery patients, the patients who were given the Arnica, instead of the placebo, began improving after the first post-operative day, while the placebo patients got worse before improving.

The Arnica was given in a 1M potency and was taken three times per day, once before and twice after the surgery. It was then taken in a 12C dose, three times per day for the three days following the surgery.

Comment: It always amazes me when I see a patient who says their M.D. has prescribed for them a homeopathic remedy or Chinese herbs. I love it. I absolutely love it. My dream, even before I entered this field, was to see our healthcare system evolve into an integrated model, where we could go to one place and choose which healing modalities we wanted, in tandem with the help and advice of our M.D. and other health practitioners. In many ways, we are getting closer and closer to this.

Today, I was listening to a local talk radio show, and a commercial came on for headache control using over the counter pain medications. While I’m a big proponent of taking Western pharmaceuticals and using surgery on an as needed basis, I feel that many of us use medications due to laziness or lack of knowledge.

Almost all headaches, including migraine types of headaches, can be successfully treated without the use of Western medications. In my mind, the goal should always be to first try and treat pain problems without the use of Western medications. Then, if it doesn’t work, we can always go the easy way out, and take a pill. But in almost all the cases of headaches that I see in an average year, there are only a few that don’t respond to complementary healing methods.

This short article will discuss the four most common types of headaches, and the treatments that work almost all the time:

The first type is a migraine headache. I won’t discuss the Western physiology behind the migraine, because if you get them, you most likely already know all about the aura that precedes the headache, and that you feel better in a dark room, etc., etc.

I treat migraine headaches very successfully. As with all headache treatments, I first look at diet. The important factors are to reduce sodium, or salt, and increase protein to three or four times per day. Blood sugar and allergies often set off a migraine, so it’s important to eliminate dairy, gluten, oranges, citrus, chocolate, nuts and to stay out of the direct sun.

I use a liver detoxification and colon detoxification pills for about one month to balance and regulate the body and to throw off many of the accumulated toxins. Supplements are very important, and include magnesium, calcium, potassium, chromium, and a well-rounded multi-vitamin.

Acupuncture is indispensable and is done once weekly for 10 weeks, or stopped earlier once improvement is seen. The homeopathic remedies most often seen to be effective in migraine headaches are Natrum Mur, Lachesis, and Magnesium Phosphoricum.

The second type of headache is the common stress headache, also called neck and shoulder tension headaches. This type is usually caused either from poor diet, ineffective coping mechanisms when under stress, or poor ergonomics at work. If your neck is tilted, and your arms are too high at your computer, this will throw out the spine and cause the muscles in the back and neck to contract, causing poor blood flow.

I use the same liver detoxification and colon detoxification program as with the migraine headache for the first month of treatment. The supplement program consists of double the magnesium to calcium ratio and I also always do a blood lab analysis to see if the minerals, protein and red blood cells are balanced.

Acupuncture is performed once weekly, until the desired results are achieved. This is usually from four to eight weeks. I sometimes use a homeopathic remedy for stress and muscle tension such at Kali phos, Avena sativa or Magnesium phos.

The third type is the sinus, hay fever, or allergy headache. This headache is often accompanied by a sinus infection, dizziness, and other flu-like symptoms. I use the same detoxification pills for this type, but also emphasize digestion and the colon more than in the previous two types.

Supplements include a good pro-biotic and digestive enzyme to assure assimilation and breakdown of food. Magnolia flower Chinese herbal, or Pe Min Kan Wan, or another such Chinese herbal formula is used, depending on the exact symptoms.

Acupuncture is done mainly on the face, for the sinuses, and on the back of the neck to help relax the muscles of the upper back, neck and head. And homeopathy is not usually used, unless hay fever symptoms are prevalent, and then I use Allium cepa, Pulsatilla or Kali Mur for the congestion. If there is vertigo, or dizziness, I may also use Cocculus.

And the fourth type of headache that I most commonly see is related to hormones and is usually called the Pre-menstrual Syndrome type of headache. This is by far the easiest type of headache to cure. I use the same two detoxification pills that I use for the previous three types of headaches, in addition to the Chinese herbal formula Bupleurum and Dong Quai.

Acupuncture is used twice per month, just after the menstrual period has ended and then again, just before the period starts. The homeopathic remedies that have proven most helpful for the PMS types of headaches are Sepia, Natrum Mur, Lachesis and Nux vomica, depending on the specific symptoms.

Note that treatments for all four types of headaches may vary, depending on individual symptoms, and that the length of time it takes to cure a headache will also vary, from about one to four months. Generally, the shorter time you’ve had the headache, the easier it is to cure it. The best time to treat headaches is when you are not actually in pain. Occasionally, headaches will resolve and never return after just one acupuncture treatment or one dose of the correct homeopathic remedy.

Often I’ll have a desperate patient call my office who has a throbbing headache and wants an immediate cure with acupuncture. Traditionally, the superior Doctor of Chinese medicine would only use acupuncture as a last resort. First he would use nutrition, diet, Chinese herbal treatments, and massage, and then only if none of these worked, would he resort to acupuncture. Sometimes these desperate patients leave my office with relief of their headache. But the importance of preventive treatment cannot be overemphasized.

Headaches are one type of problem that almost all of us have at one time or another, and fortunately, most health insurance companies will pay for your treatment. If you have health insurance, whether an HMO or PPO, you are most likely covered for acupuncture treatment, which is nice.

We all suffer from occasional insomnia. The causes are many, but for the most part, most of us are under quite a bit of stress, and whether it’s the mind that won’t shut off, or the restlessness of the body, the effect is the same: Sleepless nights, and a subsequent day of feeling foggy and “out of it”. My thanks to Amy Rothenberg, ND for the inspiration for this brief article on homeopathy for insomnia.

For most of my patients, there are generally two types of insomnia. The first type is when you can’t fall asleep, and the second type is when you wake up in the middle of the night. My recommendation is to try taking the homeopathic remedy upon falling asleep. But if you awake in the middle of the night, you may need to take another dose at that time. Also, please don’t drink a lot of liquids before bed if you tend to wake up to go to the bathroom. Get your liquids in throughout the day instead.

Our first remedy is Arsenicum album. This one is useful for people who have a lot of anxiety, agitation and restlessness. This one works great during a cold or flu when you also can’t get to sleep. Patients who need this remedy are generally tidy, chilly and feel most restless just after midnight. More of the controlling personality types.

Our next remedy is quite a bit different from Arsenicum album. It’s called Calcarea carbonica and is useful when a person feels overwhelmed with life and just can’t calm down and turn off after work. The person’s type is usually sweaty, with wet palms of hands, might be a bit overweight, tends to be shy, and is often constipated. This is the responsible type who is supporting a family and doing more than their fair share. Dependable types.

One of the more common homeopathic remedies for sleepless nights is actually one called Coffea cruda. This remedy works great when you can’t turn off the mind and feel agitated, as if you have just drank a lot of caffeine before bedtime. This person will be the nervous type and easily excited. They may have no trouble getting to sleep, but might wake up around 3 am and have trouble getting back to sleep.

Gelsemium is a great remedy for people who keep thinking about some event coming up, like a performance or exam, or big date of some type. Usually thought of as a flu and cold remedy, this one also works great when the eyes are drooping and tired, and you just cannot get fully to sleep. Especially good when you have chills up and down the spine and feel like you lack the courage to continue.

Ingatia amara is the first remedy to think of when sleeplessness is due to grief or loss. I can’t tell you how often I’ve given this remedy successfully to people who are experiencing grief, like the loss of a spouse or pet. It works amazingly well, when the reason for laying awake is from grief or sadness. There may be sighing, sobbing or a lot of yawning. The mood is changeable and they may be lots of tears.

There are many other homeopathic remedies for insomnia, but this should give you a good start. For occasional insomnia, just take a few pills of 12C potency before bed or when you wake in the middle of the night. If you have insomnia all the time, it’s best to consult with me, so we can pick a remedy that better matches, and also run a test of your various blood, hormones and neurotransmitters levels. This way we can more scientifically choose the right products for you.

There are some wonderful Chinese herbal products for insomnia as well, and I just want to touch a few of them now:

Schizzandra ZZZ
Grandma’s Sleep Formula
CH34

The best way to deal with insomnia is to take the saliva test to determine exactly which neurotransmitters in the brain are either overstimulated or lacking. This way we can choose the right products and homeopathics more quickly.

Best of luck on your path to wellness.

Acupuncture for Childbirth and Labor by Dr. Randy Martin, OMD

Q - I have heard that Acupuncture can be used to induce labor and to reduce the pain of labor, but I’m so afraid of needles, I’m not sure I can handle even more pain from the acupuncture needles — should I try it?

A - To be quite honest, needles give me the creeps too!  I don’t like them either, and I hate blood tests.  But the needles used for acupuncture are so tiny that you can even put one in the hole of a regular needle used for injections or blood tests.  They are about the size of a strand of hair actually.  And you hardly even feel them.

Q - What is your experience in the use of acupuncture during labor?

A - In my experience, it is not uncommon for the entire labor to be extremely quick and easy when acupuncture is used.

Q - How could you ever possibly convince me that I would want to let someone poke LOTS of needles into me?

A - I know that acupuncture seems odd to our Westernized mind, but there is actually a lot of scientific research that supports its use during labor.  Many studies show that those little needles increase endorphins, and it’s your endorphins that actually help you to relax.  So if you want to calm down and feel a bit more relaxed and less stressed during the whole birthing process, acupuncture is actually the best and safest way to go.

Q  - Are there any studies that acupuncture works to help birthing?

A - Yes.  There are many such studies.  Your labor can be significantly shortened if you use acupuncture while giving birth.  One such research study published in “Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation” and reported in Natural Health Magazine stated that out of 120 women, those who received acupuncture treatment during the first stage of labor reduced their labor time from an average of 321 minutes, down to 96 minutes.  In other words, the women in this study who received acupuncture reduced their labor by more than one-third!

Q – In your experience, does acupuncture shorten the time for the labor?

A – Yes, definitely.  The women who I’ve needled during their labor had their babies very quickly.  Everyone was very happy and the doctors were really surprised!

Here is one personal experience:  My office got a call from a very pregnant woman who was referred to us by her obstetrician.  “Anna” was one week overdue and her doctor was going to induce labor if contractions didn’t start within 10 days.  This was Anna’s third pregnancy and the other two had been late as well.

Her doctor had heard of my practice, and me and since another of our mutual patients had experienced great success with acupuncture during her pregnancy and birthing process.  So he told Anna to give me a call and try some acupuncture to induce the labor, before resorting to traditional Western methods.  He figured that she had nothing to lose by trying.

He was right!!!  She came to my office and was very uncomfortable in her body.  It was hard for us to find a comfortable position for her acupuncture treatment.  We settled for having her sit up on the massage table, propped up by pillows.  This worked for her, and also gave me access to all the points on her body that I needed.

We treated Anna three times.  Her fourth appointment was scheduled for the day before her doctor was going to induce the labor and delivery, but she didn’t show up.  My secretary jokingly said, “Well, she probably went into labor after the last acupuncture treatment and is back at home already with the baby!”

And my secretary was right.  When Anna called us a few days latter, she said that contractions began immediately upon leaving the office and continued to get stronger and stronger as the hours went by.  A day later she was in the hospital, and the delivery of her baby began shortly thereafter.  All was a grand success!

Q – Does Acupuncture Help with Deliver of Breech Babies?

Yes it does.  In one study published in Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy (Nov-Dec 2003; 18(6):418-21, doctors demonstrated that of the 67 pregnant women studied who had babies in the fetal breech position, those who received acupuncture were far more likely to have the baby move to the proper delivery position.  This study showed a difference of 31% in the group that got acupuncture.   I have personally had excellent successes with my acupuncture fertility treatment and with turning the baby in the last few weeks and hours before delivery.

Q – Can Acupuncture also help emotionally if I feel depressed and am full of fear?

Yes – Acupuncture is very successful at increasing endorphins, or the body’s own, naturally occurring stress-relievers.  Because acupuncture works on the energy of the mom and baby, it not only affects the mom physically, but can also relax her and reduce her stress levels.

It’s really important to keep your body/mind/and spirit balanced during the time of birth, and acupuncture can be your friend and ally during this time.

Dr Randy Martin, OMD, LAc, PhD, QME, MUP, CCH

Doctor of Chinese Medicine

Certified Classical Homeopath

Chinese Herbs for Immunity by Dr. Randy Martin, OMD

There are many different Chinese herbs that are useful for treatment of various immune problems. The Doctor of Chinese Medicine generally will not, in fact, use single herbs for treatment of immune problems. This is because of the synergistic effects of using formulas. The herbs tend to complement each other and when used in a formula, they tend to be much more effective than when using the single herbs.

So that you can more effectively choose which formulas and herbs you might wish to take for immune problems, I’m offering this brief run-down on some of the more commonly used. I’d like to acknowledge Andrw Gaeddert for an article he wrote which was my inspiration to write this short summary. If you want to do your own research, just do an internet search. There is plenty of information on the net on these herbs.

Isatis - This plant is one of the more commonly used herbs for boosting the immune system. It is contained in many Chinese herbal formulas. It can be used for bacterial infections, for the flu, hepatitiis, mononucleosis and chronic fatigue syndrome. There are many studies on this herb.

Licorice - Many of us know this as a candy, or a tea, but it also is used to build immunity. It can fight cysts and other tumors and also helps to detoxify the liver. Because it is sweet, it supports the spleen. And in Chinese medicine, the Spleen is the organ in charge of immunity. Licorice can also be used to raise blood pressure and to support the adrenal glands. So if you have headaches or high blood pressure, this herb may make them worse. On the other hand, if your headaches are due to low blood sugar, then licorice may cure the problem.

Ligustrum - This herb tonifies the Yin in your body, so it will increase the production of white blood cells and can be used to treat leukopenia. It can be used with people who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation

Schizandra - This versatile herb is often seen in Chinese formulas for insomnia and anxiety, but it’s also good for the immune system. By helping to deal with stress and fatigue, it will have an indirect effect on the immune system. This is because if you are not sleeping well or you are stressed out, your system is ripe to get sick.

Astragalus - This herb is great for strengthening the lungs and the body’s defenses. It can fight fatigue and improve or tonify your body to help prevent illness.

Cordyceps - This is one of the many mushrooms that you can use for immunity. There are actually many mushrooms, or fungus’ for the immune system. This one is great to help relax you, to strengthen the nervous system and to help the cardiovascular system. It’s used commonly in Chinese hospitals for wheezing, asthma and to prevent colds.

Andrographis - This herb is used to treat infections, such as herpes, sore throat, pneumonia, and the common cold. It is used in many herbal formulas for colds and the flu, bronchitis and even strep.

There are so many herbs that can be used for the immune system. I always tell my patients that the best thing to do is to experiment to see which work best on them. After you have figured this out, then you will always know which one to use to prevent a cold, or to treat a bad flu.

Also be certain to take the appropriate vitamins and to eat a diet which will facilitate a healthy immune system.

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http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/oct/04/yehey/opinion/20061004opi6.html