November 2009 Archives

Excellent article on diabetes by Clinton J. Choate, L. Ac. published in Acupuncture.com.

November is National Diabetes Month.

Diabetes, Biomedical and TCM Perspectives and Treatments (Part 1)

Part 1 covers the biomedical treatment of diabetes; the nutritional therapy section is helpful.

Diabetes Mellitus From Western and TCM Perspectives - Part 2

Diabetes was discussed in all the earliest ancient TCM tests, including Neijing. According to TCM overconsumption of fatty and greasy food, sweets, emotional disturbances, and a constitution that is too yin is related to developing diabetes. Clinton Choate then analyzes diabetes according to TCM theory, explains treatment according to the Three Burners, giving acupuncture protocol. He explains diabetic complications according to TCM  including cataracts and night blindness, edema, skin infectins, neuropathy and strokes. He describes food remedies for diabetes.

This article is helpful to anyone suffering from diabetes who wants to understand it better, and helpful forTCM practitioners.

Basic TCM Knowledge regarding Osteoarthritis of the Knee In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease) is mostly related to Fixed Bi and Painful Bi.

Fixed Bi Syndrome: The chief manifestations include pain and heavy sensation in the relatively fixed areas of body limbs or joints, numbness of the muscles, aggravation of the condition in rainy days, white greasy tongue coating, and soft slow pulse.

Painful Bi Syndrome: The chief manifestations include severe pain in the limbs and joints as if being stabbed or pricked. In the worst cases, there is fixed pain that is alleviated by warmth but aggravated by cold, better in the daytime but worse at night, limited movements of the joints, no local redness nor feverish sensation, cold sensation in the affected parts, thin white tongue coating, wiry tense pulse.

Pathogenesis

Wind, cold and dampness invasion causes the blockage of the Qi and blood in the meridian. In modern medicine, it is related to aging, endocrine disorder as well as trauma and improper posture.

Clinical manifestations
 
The onset of osteoarthritis of the knee is insidious. Initially, there is articular stiffness, seldom lasting more than 15 minutes; this develops later into pain on motion of the affected joint(s) and is made worse by activity or weight bearing and relieved by rest. Deformity may be absent or minimal; however, varus deformity of the knee is not unusual.

Imaging

Radiographs may reveal narrowing of the joint space, sharpened articular margin, osteophyte formation and lipping of the marginal bone, and thickened, dense subchondral bone. Bone cysts may also be present.

Major pattern differentiation

Fixed Bi:
Pain fixed in the knee joint accompanied by heaviness, stiffness and numbness, sometimes slight swelling.

Painful Bi:
Severe pain in the knee joint, aggravated by cold and alleviated by heat.

Treatment Principle:
Expel wind, Cold and dampness, improve the meridian circulation and regulate Qi and blood.

Major Acupuncture points and needle techniques

Acupuncture points for knee:
Xiyan (Ex.), Dubi (ST35), Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34)

Alternative Therapies:

Auricular therapy
Corresponding area (Knee), Sympathetic, Shenmen


Subcutaneous needling therapy
Select local point or tender points
Seven-star needle tapping and cupping

Read paper on Osteoarthritis of the Knee for Rachel Peterman's Clinical Acupuncture Practice II class at New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Mineola, NY.

She gives an overview of Osteoarthritis of the knee, and Western and TCM treatment approaches.

Rachel H. Peterman, M.S., DHEd(c), J.D.

Osteoarthritis of the Knee.pdf

This author (Rachel Peterman, a student at NYCTCM) believes that the "sham" acupuncture (non-specific needling), would also have the tendency to stimulate Qi (albeit not as effectively as well-placed and executed needling), therefore the acupuncture treatments would appear to provide less clinically significant benefits, as opposed to studies where acupuncture is compared with a "pure" control group.  "Sham" acupuncture is not analogous to placebo.  "Sham" acupuncture is more analogous to giving a half dose of medication.  A drug would not appear to be as efficacious if it was compared to a half-dose, that's why a placebo, with no pharmacologic activity is used as a control in pharmaceutical clinical trials.  A proper control in an acupuncture study would involve no actual needling and consequently no stimulation of Qi. 

It is unclear whether "sham" acupuncture has been implemented in some studies in order to intentionally skew the results of the statistical analysis, or whether it merely reflects an ill-considered and fatally flawed study design.  It is also significant that the study does not provide the exact acupuncture points used in each study, although the authors admit that there was not consistency between the studies.  The usual criterion for meta-analysis is that the studies be identical or extremely close to identical in design.  It is impossible to determine, based upon the information disclosed in this analysis, whether the studies were appropriate for meta-analysis.

Prof. Huijuan Cui

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
Chief Physician of the Sino-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China

Professor Cui will present a lecture on "Chinese Herbology Applied to Cancer Treatment" based on her 25 years of practical & research experience. Interpreter provided

6:30 - 9:30 PM, Saturday, December 5, 2009

NYCTCM, Room 106
155 First St.
Mineola, NY 11501

Free for NYCTCM Students
$25 for NYCTCM Alumni
$40 for practitioners

No pre-registration required; pay at the door.

See the NYCTCM CEU page for more information and CEU classes

Dear Friends,
 
Please cut and paste this and send this petition around. Any NYC
resident needs to check off YES in the second column "Ground Zero
Worker, Volunteer, NYC Resident"
 
Please add your comments if you feel acupuncture has helped you or if
you know it has helped people deal with stress, anxiety...and
increased sense of well-being! If you have already signed, please
pass it on.
 
Hope you are all well,
 
Wendy Z. Henry, LAc
Acupuncture Mobile Services
 
http://www.petitiononline.com/acu123/petition.html

To:  the NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene

Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
125 Worth St., 3rd Floor, room 331 cn38
New York, NY 10013

Dear Dr. Thomas Frieden,

We the undersigned implore you to include acupuncture as a covered benefit as part of the
�9-11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Benefit�.

The �9/11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Benefit� that was funded through Red Cross resources included auricular acupuncture as a covered benefit. Unfortunately this benefit ended Dec. 31, 2007. In addition other programs, which offered the auricular acupuncture in New York City, have been discontinued as funding has run out.

Acupuncture has been an important part of the healing process of many people directly impacted by the events of �9-11�. Many of us have discovered that acupuncture has been highly effective in helping us with improved sleep, reduction in anxiety, reduction in cravings for alcohol and other substances and has helped us feel calmer. Acupuncture has a long history in helping people with anxiety, depression, insomnia and substance abuse problems. It is being used internationally to address symptoms associated with PTSD. Many significant benefits have been noted. We have also noticed the positive changes in others who have received this treatment.

Having this benefit extended to include acupuncture coverage would enable us to utilize acupuncture as a treatment modality when we experience the need. Experiencing acupuncture, a non-verbal treatment method, has often prepared us to have more productive counseling sessions for those of us who have also chosen a more traditional counseling approach.

Please reconsider your decision and do include acupuncture as a covered benefit in the �9-11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Benefit.� You will be helping many people and New York City!

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

 

Photo by Charles Dharapak-AP

Read article at The Washington Post, Monday, Nov. 16

I entered NYCTCM in 2000 as a non-matriculated student, intending only to get a foundation in Chinese medicine as a first step to studying Tibetan medicine and naturopathy. Suffering an accident to my head and neck shortly after beginning study, I had to take a leave of absence while recuperating and receiving acupuncture treatments at NYCTCM's clinic. Once recovered, I decided to matriculate at NYCTCM: "The treatments allowed me to appreciate the real power of Chinese medicine and convinced me that TCM was the path of study that I needed to take."

 

I graduated from NYCTCM's acupuncture program in 2005 and began a successful practice specializing in internal and chronic disorders such as stroke, Parkinson's, and cancer treatment support. I gradually felt a need to supplement my knowledge of acupuncture with that of herbs, so returned to NYCTCM in 2007 to work towards my Oriental Medicine Degree.

 

Why did I choose NYCTCM? "Several main reasons - first, the teachers have a high level of training and experience gained in both China and the U.S. and this carries over in the interactions of the classroom and the clinic; second, the concentration is on authentic Chinese medicine as opposed to the mixture of techniques taught at most schools; and third, the whole complement of skills is taught - acupuncture, herbs, and tui na massage - which is extremely useful when it comes to building one's own practice."

Anthony

For Women With PCOS, Acupuncture And Exercise May Bring Relief, Reduce Risks

By: The American Physiological Society Study finds acupuncture and exercise decrease a key marker for disease

Exercise and electro-acupuncture treatments reduce sympathetic nerve activity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), according to a new study. The finding is important because women with PCOS often have elevated sympathetic nerve activity, which plays a role in hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, obesity and cardiovascular disease. 

The study also found that the electro-acupuncture treatments led to more regular menstrual cycles, reduced testosterone levels and reduced waist circumference.

The full article is reprinted at Acufinder.com

Resource:

Stener-Victorin et al. Low-frequency Electro-Acupuncture and Physical Exercise Decrease High Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2009; DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00197.2009

The study has some limitations, including a small sample size, so further research is necessary, the authors wrote. To find the full study, click here