August 4th, 2011 by Julie Silver

Both Endometriosis and Fibroids are influenced by hormones. Endometriosis is the result of abnormal growth of endometrial tissue outside of
the endometrium (the inner wall of the uterus). Uterine Fibroids are muscular tumors that grow in the walls of the uterus. Although these tumors are benign,
they, as well as endometriosis can cause many problematic symptoms for women throughout the menstrual cycle.  The most common symptoms include:  painful
cramping, excessive menstrual bleeding and clotting, painful intercourse and infertility. These symptoms can dramatically impact a women’s quality of life.

There are a number of theoretical causes of endometriosis and fibroids.  Read the rest of this entry »

June 18th, 2011 by Julie Silver

As women, we are pressured to stay slim, a desire encouraged by the world around us, by advertising, by magazines, by popular culture.. And
yet, our bodies change as we age – mostly beyond our control.

Midlife hormonal changes require new eating and exercise habits if we are to maintain current weight and shape. Mind and body conflict with
no sense of balance between the two. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, balance means a harmonious way of feeling, being and thinking.
Everybody (and every body) has their own natural state of balance.

There is a concept in TCM called the eight perimeters.  When a body is in balance, we feel good. By observing how we feel and making comparisons,
we determine areas in our body where we need strengthening as well as areas where we can eliminate and “let out steam”. Read the rest of this entry »

March 16th, 2011 by Monica Mae Leibson

Acupressure can be a great way to help your child heal quickly from illness.  Choose a time of day when your child is most calm, be it after a bath or just before bedtime.  Kindly let them know that this will feel good and help them to get better. Gently put pressure on the acupuncture point/channel.  Use as much pressure as your child tolerates and watch for signs of discomfort.  Acupressure (as opposed to massage) can cause slight irritability when you hit the right point.  Don’t continue with that point once your child feels “the qi”.

As far as the acupressure point locations, please refer to www.acupuncture.com

There you can click on “Acupuncture point location”.  You choose which meridian (which is the organ name, for example Stomach).  Then click on the point number and you will be directed to a picture as well as a written location.

Constipation

Acupressure Treatment: Stomach 36, Spleen 6, Bladder 20

Other suggestions:

Regular feeding (avoid snacks & avoid overfeeding)

Easily digested foods (avoid bananas, cows milk, peanuts)

Increase fish oils

Increase water

Diarrhea

Acupressure Treatment:  Stomach 36, Large Intestine 11, Bladder 20/21/25, Stomach 44, Spleen 9, DU 10, Spleen 4

Other suggestions:  BRAT (green bananas are better than ripe) & Vitamin Water

Teething

Acupressure Treatment:  Large Intestine 4, Stomach 44

Other suggestions:  Homeopathic teething tablets

Fever

Acupressure Treatment:  DU 14, Large Intestine 4, Gallbladder 20, Lung 7, San Jiao 5, Stomach 36

Other suggestions:  Chinese Medicine recommends keeping a child warm and encouraging sweating.  A child can sustain a fever of 104 if it rises slowly (or only at night).  Febrile convulsions occur when the temp goes up rapidly.  Drink warm lemon and honey to stay hydrated.  Do not make children with fevers eat.  They are not hungry because their body is trying to heal.  Also, it is recommended to keep children home for as long as they had their fever.

Cough

Acupresure Treatment:  Ren 17, Ren 22 (note:  these can bring up a lot of phlegm so do these points AFTER they wake and see how much phlegm they encourage.)

Lung 5, Lung 7, Lung 10, Large Intestine 4, Bladder 12/13

Other suggestions:

Honey for DRY cough, not as much for a wet cough

Cough with phlegm: avoid cows mlik, cheese, peanuts, peanut butter, sugar, bitter oranges

Acupuncture successfully treats in children:

Digestive dysfunctions, Respiratory dysfunctions, Infectious diseases, Insomnia

Eczema, Failure to thrive, Learning difficulties, Enuresis, Urinary Tract Infection

Puberty/growth concerns, Mononucleosis, Anemia, Anxiety/depression

January 27th, 2010 by Julie Silver

In the western model of medicine, a cold is transmitted from person to person through a virus or bacteria.  This leaves us with the feeling that we are always “exposed” and have no means of self defense.  In the Traditional Chinese Medicine model, we can do things to prevent and release disease.  This is because disease can only manifest in the correct climate.  Therefore, if our immune systems are healthy, we will be much less likely to get sick.  This explains why some people get colds twice a season while others get colds very rarely.

The immune system is managed by the nervous system.  The immune system can be impaired by what’s called Allostatic Load.  Allostatis is our body’s ability to maintain balance when under stress.  Thus, Allostatic Load is our bodies immune response to stress. When our body ‘fights’ off’ an illness, it creates an acute stress situation.  Acute stress actually helps the immune system handle a pathogen by causing immune cells to move out of the bloodstream and into tissues where they are needed. Acute stress actually strengthens our immune system.  It is chronic stress that impairs our immune system.  Chronic stress comes from overwork, lack of sleep/exercise, poor diet, etc.  Acupuncture actually causes acute stress by creating tiny sterile wounds all along the body’s surface.  As mentioned, acute stress helps the immune system handle a pathogen by causing immune cells to move out of the bloodstream and into tissues where they are needed.  Acupuncture also “resets” the Allostatic Load.  After acupuncture, the body is relieved from acute & chronic stress and regains its ability to recognize and respond to pathogens. Read the rest of this entry »

January 27th, 2010 by Julie Silver

Over the last 20 years, we have become more aware of the many challenges couples face in getting pregnant. Individuals are marrying later in age and couples are waiting longer to have children. In addition,  Environmental toxins and our own diet can have direct impact on our health and trying to conceive. From a western medical viewpoint, advanced age and ovulatory dysfunction, PCOS, thyroid issues as well as male fertility can all play a part in having difficult conceiving.

There are many ways to take care of our bodies and support a successful pregnancy.  During these times, many couples turn to holistic medicine as an alternative or in complement with western medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

January 27th, 2010 by Julie Silver

As the dark nights and short days of winter are upon is, it is not uncommon to feel more tired, lower energy, and a desire to stay inside a warm house and cozy up with a good book. For many of us, this is a passing experience that can be cured by a weekend getaway or a few sunny days. However, for some, these symptoms can be indicative of a form of depression called Season Affective Disorder. According to the web site familydoctor.org, as many as ½ a million people have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It is not surprising that SAD is more common in the Northern part of the country. Symptoms of winter-onset Seasonal Affective Disorder include: loss of energy, depression, anxiety, oversleeping, changes in appetite and difficulty concentrating. There are a number of natural ways to treat SAD.
Melatonin
Shorter days and longer nights can cause in increase in Melatonin; a hormone which helps us to sleep. During the winter months, our body produces an increase in melatonin which can cause us to feel sleepy and lethargic. Melatonins main function is to induce sleep by traveling through the bloodstream during our deepest sleep time. Typically, melatonin secretion peaks in the middle of the night. However, according to a 1994 study by the Russian Academy of Medical Science, SAD patients had higher daytime levels of melatonin during the winter months. Research has shown that taking melatonin supplements at 9-10pm to induce sleep will help your sleep cycle shift back to normal and allow you to wake earlier in the morning. In essence, melatonin can help reset the body’s internal clock. Read the rest of this entry »

May 6th, 2009 by Julie Silver

Soy and Breast Cancer Update

Written by Dr. Jen Green, Naturopathic Doctor

For nine years I’ve been wondering whether soy is safe in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors who were hormone receptor positive. The study I’ve been waiting for was finally published last month!

1,954 breast cancer survivors were followed over 6.3 years and their soy consumption was monitored along with their risk of recurrence. Postmenopausal women taking Tamoxifen who consumed the highest levels of soy had a 60% reduction in breast cancer recurrence risk compared to the lowest soy consumption group.  Women who had never used tamoxifen had no apparent benefit. Women with hormone receptor negative tumors who had the highest soy intake had a non-significant trend towards increased risk of recurrence. Overall, there was a non-statistically significant trend of reduced risk with soy consumption in all women.

From my perspective, the take home messages are as follows;

• Women taking tamoxifen should include liberal amounts of fermented organic soy in their diet (up to daily). Tamoxifen and soy seem to work synergistically.
• We are still unsure about how Arimidex and soy interact, so moderation is advised (eg. organic fermented soy no more than a few times weekly).
• Women with hormone receptor positive tumors can safely include organic fermented soy in their diet in moderation (a few times weekly). Although their may be no direct risk reduction, they do not need to be afraid of it.
• Women with hormone receptor negative tumors should limit soy to no more than twice weekly.

The new burning question remains, “How does soy interact with Arimidex/the newest class of aromatase inhibitors?”. Hopefully we won’t need to wait so many years next time to find out!

Reference:

Guha N, Kwan ML, Quesenberry CP Jr, Weltzien EK, Castillo AL, Caan BJ “Soy isoflavones and risk of cancer recurrence in a cohort of breast cancer survivors: the Life After Cancer Epidemiology study.”.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009 Feb 17

February 25th, 2009 by Julie Silver

ADD/ADHD by Dr. Jen Green

It can be overwhelming to hear that your child has concentration, learning or behavior challenges. Thankfully, natural medicine has many options for treating ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). These include nutrition, supplements, herbs, craniosacral therapy, lifestyle changes and homeopathy. It’s important to individualize treatment because every child is so different.

According to Dr Amen, a holistic psychiatrist who has written the Book “Healing ADD”, and has successfully treated thousands of cases, there are six subtypes of ADD. Each subtype needs different herbal and nutritional support. At our clinic we use his subtyping technique to prescribe specific nutritional supplements such as grapeseed extract, carnitine, B6, magnesium, phosphatidyl serine, zinc, and stronger nutrients such as GABA, inositol, taurine, 5HTP, and L-tyrosine.

One supplement that is used for all types of ADD is cod liver oil 3-4 grams (1-2 tsp) daily. This is because it is high in natural vitamin A, and the essential fatty acids literally help our brain cells to connect. Many parents and teachers notice a difference within two weeks of fish oil supplementation. It is vital, however, to get a brand that is molecularly distilled because otherwise fish oil can be contaminated with heavy metals and PCB’s. Good brands include Nordic Naturals (strawberry, peach, orange), Carlson’s (lemon) and Designs for Health.

Read the rest of this entry »