I am in the final stage of writing my Ph.D. thesis on a case study whether Acupuncture in conjunction with conventional medicine (i.e. antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drug) has an impact on Lyme arthritis. I hope in general with regular Acupuncture treatment, the arthritic pain will be minimized and under control without or with minimum intake of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. I want to find out the TCM treatment plan of invigorating blood circulation and removing the stasis is working on Lyme arthritis. Since the acupuncture treatment is a holistic treatment, I am expecting the treatment will enhance patient’s immune system and improve fatigue. From Chinese medicine perspective, when Wei qi (defensive qi or immune system) had been weakened, a pathogen (bacteria) was allowed to enter into the body. But the body was trying to protect the organs, therefore the pathogen was moved to the joints. Joint is considered the deepest part of the wei (exterior) level. When pathogen further weakened the fluids of the body, including blood, the patient started experiencing extreme pain. Although the results of this case study may be promising, they are very limited because of one case study. I hope this case study will open up a tremendous opportunity for research trials concerning acupuncture treatment for Lyme arthritis. I am also hoping this case study will add alternative protocol for treating chronic Lyme disease along with current conventional protocol.

The following is a link to an interview I had with the founder of Lyme Disease Research Database talking about Acupuncture for healing Lyme.

http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com/lyme_disease_blog_files/acupuncture-for-healing-lyme.html

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine have received much attention as an adjunctive therapy in cancer treatments because they address many of the unpleasant symptoms and side effects that come up during and after chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy and surgery.
Some of the issues acupuncture can help with include:

• Pain Management
• Nausea
• Stress
• Fatigue
• Depression and Anxiety
• Dry Mouth
• Night Sweats and Hot Flashes
• Fluid Retention
• Weight Maintenance

Acupuncture takes a holistic approach to health care and is particularly useful in providing pain relief, reducing the impact of side effects, accelerating recovery and improving overall quality of life.

Clinical trials have examined the effects of acupuncture on cancer as a disease, as well as the symptoms caused by cancer treatments. Results have shown that, for many patients, treatment with acupuncture relieves symptoms or keeps them from getting worse.

Relief for Nausea and Vomiting:
The strongest evidence of the beneficial effect of acupuncture has come from clinical trials that investigated its use for relieving nausea and vomiting. Several types of clinical trials using different acupuncture methods showed acupuncture reduced nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and surgery.

Boosts the Immune System:
Human studies on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response, including an increase in the number of white blood cells.

Improves Pain Management:
In clinical studies, acupuncture reduced pain levels for some cancer patients. In one study, most of the patients treated with acupuncture were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or to reduce their doses.

Relieves Pain and Stiffness during Hormone Therapy:
In 2010, The Journal of Clinical Oncology published the results of a small study that concluded that acupuncture helped relieve pain and stiffness in breast cancer patients who were simultaneously being treated with hormone therapies.

Minimizes Dry Mouth:
In 2009, the medical journal Head and Neck reported the results of a pilot study done at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The subjects were people suffering from head and neck cancer. The authors concluded that the pilot study demonstrated that acupuncture can improve the subjective symptoms of radiation-induced dry mouth as early as two weeks after starting treatment. They found that benefits can last for one month after treatment ends.

Reduces Pain and Shoulder Dysfunction:
In 2008, Dr. David Pfister, chief of the head and neck medical oncology service at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, reported that patients found significant reductions in both dry mouth and pain and shoulder dysfunction after neck dissection with the help of acupuncture. Dr. Pfister highlighted the potential role of acupuncture in oncology.

Reduces Hot Flashes:
In 2011 A Yale University/University of Pittsburgh study of women with hot flashes brought on by conventional breast cancer treatment found that women who received acupuncture had a 30 percent reduction in hot flashes.

A handful of Goji berry a day from back yard 🙂

What Are the Benefits of Goji Berries?

Goji berries are rich in nutrients.

Some studies using goji berry juice found possible benefits in mental well-being and calmness, athletic performance, happiness, quality of sleep, and feelings of good health. But those were preliminary studies that need to be repeated before drawing conclusions. All berries are good for you. It’s not clear if goji berries are better than other types of berries, or if goji berry supplement have the same health benefits as the actual berries.

Do Goji Berries Have Side Effects?

Goji berries could interact with some drugs. If you take warfarins (a blood thinner), you may want to avoid goji berries. Goji berries may also interact with diabetes drugs and blood pressure drugs, so talk with your doctor first.

Otherwise, it’s probably safe to eat goji berries in moderation.

Before taking diet supplements, let your doctor know.

Source from webmd.com

Tea is a name given to a lot of brews, but green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and pu-erh tea are major types of teas in China. They are all derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, a shrub native to China and contain unique antioxidants called flavonoids. The most potent of these, known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), may help against free radicals that can contribute to cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries.

The more processed the tea leaves, usually the less polyphenol content. Polyphenols include flavonoids. Oolong and black teas are oxidized or fermented, so they have lower concentrations of polyphenols than green tea; but their autoxidizing power is still high.

• Green tea: Unfermented, has the highest concentration of EGCG. Green tea’s antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers; prevent clogging of the arteries, burn fat, counteract oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, reduce risk of stroke, and improve cholesterol levels.
• Black tea: Mostly fermented, has the highest caffeine. Studies have shown that black tea may reduce risk of skin cancer. It also may reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Black tea protects stomach, best for people who have stomach issues.
• White tea: Uncured, partially fermented and least processed. One study showed that white tea has the most potent anticancer properties compared to more processed teas.
• Oolong tea: Half fermented. In an animal study, those given antioxidants from oolong tea were found to have lower bad cholesterol levels. One variety of oolong, Wuyi, is heavily marketed as a weight loss supplement, but science hasn’t backed the claims.
• Pu-erh tea: Made from fermented and aged leaves. Its leaves are pressed into cakes. One animal study showed that animals given pu-erh had less weight gain and reduced LDL cholesterol.

We always have a pot of tea of the week in our lobby ready for your enjoyment. To your health!

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-10/acupuncture-relieves-pain-in-largest-study-of-treatment