Allendale Acupuncture & Nutrition Clinic

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Spiritual Alignment First

Posted by on in Anxiety and Depression, Self-Will, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As an alternative medical practitioner with over 20 years of clinical experiences, I strongly believe the key in protecting ourselves against this virus is not so much dependent on new drugs or vaccines. Rather, the key is to boost our natural immune capacities, as best as we can. 

Just like everything else in the  universe, we are made up of three aspects: body, mind, and spirit. Normally, I would start off recommending physical healing materials first. However, this pandemic has caused such an upheaval in our energetic fields that a more potent and direct approach is called for.

Quantum biology says when we tap into a higher level of vibration frequency, our brains start producing  powerful neurological signals that will induce a rapid recovery in all aspects of our being, including IMMUNITY. So, let’s try to raise our vibration frequency first by re-aligning (from chaos) and augmenting our spiritual aspects. 

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Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Fortunately, spiritual healing is very easy to practice. Spend 10-15 minutes a day, breathing slowly in and out, gently calming your mind first. Think that with each inhalation, you bring in the most pristine and strongest healing energy into you; with each exhalation, you release all stagnant, distorted imbalances from your energy field. When you start feeling calmer, pay attention to the eternal life force doing its job at every corner of the universe. When we were busy worrying about the virus, the rest of the universe was flowing, flourishing, continuously evolving all the time.

If you feel a deep sense of peace, know that you just completed a session of spiritual healing. You can replace this part with deep prayers, reciting mantras, or whatever you wish, as long as your intent is clear and strong: You’re tuning into the highest vibratory frequency of the entire universe.

Chinese Medicine in Treating Anxiety and Depression

Posted by on in Anxiety and Depression

Chinese Medicine views that we human beings (just like all other living organisms) are made of three different aspects: body, mind, and spirit. Physical symptoms may stem from mental/emotional/spiritual disorders; emotional issues are often being displayed as physical ailments as the body and mind are seamlessly woven together in one energy field. Therefore, treating emotional/mental issues only with medications, without addressing inter-related   physiological counterparts, is not only ineffective, but may exacerbate the conditions.

In Chinese medicine, the underlying causes of anxieties/depression differ drastically from one patient to another. Typically, Chinese medical practitioners look for “pattern disharmonies” in treating depression/anxiety patients. The most prominent pattern disharmonies in depression disorders are:

* Heart and Spleen Qi deficiency – Physical symptoms may include palpitations, insomnia, poor memory, lack of appetite, fatigue, poor digestion, and a pale tongue. Emotional symptoms include excessive worry and feeling timid.
* Heart Yin deficiency – Physical symptoms may include absentmindedness, dizziness, insomnia, low back soreness, dryness, sensations of heat, tinnitus, and a red tongue with little coating. Emotional symptoms include sensitivity and irritability. Yin deficiency is commonly seen during menopause.
* Excessive Phlegm – Physical symptoms may include obesity, feeling weighted down, congestion, dizziness, fatigue and a swollen tongue. Emotional symptoms include depression and feeling cloudy or experiencing dullness of thought.
* Liver Qi stagnation – Physical symptoms may include nausea, bloating, premenstrual symptoms, rib-side pain, belching and possibly insomnia. Emotional stress affects the liver and includes irritability, frustration, and anger.
* Liver and/or Heart fire – Fire is often caused by prolonged Liver Qi stagnation. Symptoms include a bitter taste in the mouth, headaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness, sores in the mouth, red eyes, red face and a quick temper.

Depending on pattern diagnosis, acupuncture protocols are determined to address the underlying causes. Generally, results with acupuncture and herbs are cumulative, improving week by week. Treatment begins with one or two sessions per week and tapers off as the condition improves.

Acupuncture and herbs are not only safe, but also effectively used together with anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications. Many patients find these medications to be inadequate at completely resolving their symptoms. Others, together with their doctors, would like to wean themselves to lower dosages in order to decrease the occurrence of side effects. Most patients turn to acupuncture and herbs for a variety of reasons – mostly because of their clinical success.

Overcoming Addiction with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

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Any addiction, whether to drugs, alcohol, food, work, or other activity or substance, effectively blocks intelligence and suppresses healing abilities. Through these behaviors we choose to rely on the demands of addiction to dictate our lives, rather than taking responsibility to conduct ourselves in a healthy, life-affirming way.

addiction

Is there a body/mind connection to willpower? According to the principles of Chinese Medicine, there is. The zhi (志) represents willpower, drive, and determination. It manifests as the urge to persist in one’s efforts and, when in deficiency, feelings of defeat, pessimism, and depression may occur. Without strong willpower, or zhi, one may easily succumb to the temptations of addiction.

In acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, several approaches may be used when treating addictions, generally starting with therapies that help cleanse and balance. Sometimes a vague, uneasy sensation takes over after or during the process of releasing an addiction. Perhaps for the workaholic patient, it is strange and alarming to experience leisure time. Addicts require fortitude to find replacements for the dependence on substances or addictive behaviors. This is why willpower, or zhi, needs treatment, to provide support and determination to discover the power within oneself–a universal necessity for overcoming any addiction.

To aid your transformation from addiction and addictive behaviors to healthier practices, try focusing on routine. Routine provides stability, and a new routine is necessary to break old habits. If your first thought in the morning is to reach for a cigarette, replace that action with another, healthier ritual.

The replacement ritual could be anything from reaching for warm water with lemon and a pinch of cayenne to refresh your system, or singing your favorite song or stating out loud your plans for the day. As long as the action is positive and consistent, it will serve your new routine and changing thought processes.

Deep breathing with visualization can also strengthen willpower and be used as a tool to curb hunger and cravings. Most patients report a marked decline in appetite and cravings with acupuncture treatment alone, but special herbs, healing foods, and exercises can definitely enhance the efficacy of the treatments.

Remembering the power of zhi, how much do you have it, and how much you are willing to augment it are the keys in overcoming any addiction.

Are there cravings or an addiction you are working to overcome?

Call today to learn how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help you reach optimum health!

How to Detoxify Our Bodies Fast and Easy

Posted by on in Detox Your Body

The more I research about human health issues, I am dumbfounded to realize how toxicity affects every aspects of our being.

Let’s face it: The environment we live in getting increasingly toxic, and our immune functions have deteriorated to an alarming rate.

Actually, we consume a lot of toxic food from GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) that directly impact our DNA structures, let alone high amount of preservatives and chemicals found in so many food items. We drink highly contaminated water filled with fluoride and chlorine, medical wastes, and other heavy metals.

The air we breathe contains hundreds of toxic particles. Furthermore, we have no idea how radiation from Fukushima, nearby nuclear plants, or even microwave ovens affect us. Then, every now and then, we are confronted with new epidemic scares like Zika virus, Ebola, or SARS.

I will cut to the chase and offer my personal opinions on how to defend ourselves from this crazy onslaught of toxic overload. By the way, there are three golden rules I must emphasize before I go on.

  1. Please minimize your consumption of wheat, sugar, and dairies. Most ideal will be cut them out entirely except organic butter and yogurt.
  2. Try to eat organic raw food as much as possible, even though your grocery bill will go higher.
  3. Minimize prescription drugs.

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Here are some inexpensive, effective, and powerful detox protocols designed to remove toxic materials buried in their organs, blood streams, and cellular structures. If interested, please do your own research. Expect some Herxheimer reactions (short-lived initial reactions such as nausea, headaches, and extreme fatigue) when you embark on any of these detox protocols.

  1. Bentonite Clay and Psyllium Husks—incredibly cheap and easy procedure to get rid of heavy metals, chemicals, medical wastes, hormonal debris, and radiation exposure. This procedure is refuted to be effective in dealing with IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, Lyme, Lupus, chronic headaches and migraines, high triglycerides, arthritis, and high blood pressure. Bentonite clay removes old dead fecal matters (called mucoid plaque) attached to your intestines.
  2. Fulvic Acid and Humic Acid—similar to Bentonite Clay and Psyllium detox, but this one goes a little deeper. This is extremely powerful detox protocol for people who went through chemotherapy or radiation therapies. Effects are similar to Bentonite Clay, although this Acid typically provides a feeling of high energy.
  3. Parasite Removal—there are a number of cheap and highly effective ways to get rid of parasites, yeast, and harmful bacteria, and viruses that float inside our bodies. One of the most effective way dealing with hundreds of insects residing in our bodies is called Diamaterous. Bentonite clay and/or Fulvic acid must be done prior to, or concurrently with parasite removal.
  4. Liver/Gallbladder cleansing—our liver is responsible for cleansing our blood. When our blood stream is clean, there can’t be any disease, period. Please refer to Dr. Clark’s liver cleansing protocols.

It may take 3-4 months for healthy individuals, and 6 months to a year for those with health challenges. These detox protocols must be repeated at a regular interval, although Fulvic/Humid Acid can be taken permanently. If done properly, any combination of these protocols will assist you in getting off from many unnecessary medications, enjoying mental clarity, and a surge of energy.

Good luck and let me know about your experiments.

The Skin is Our Body’s Largest and Fastest –Growing Organ

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The skin is our body’s coat. It also is our largest and fastest-growing organ. The skin reflects and reacts to imbalances within the body’s internal landscape and the effects of the environment. Internal disharmonies caused by strong emotions, diet, and your constitution can contribute to the development of a skin disorder.

skin

Environmental influences, such as wind, dryness, dampness and heat can also trigger or exacerbate skin disorders.

General skin conditions that can be treated with Acupuncture/Chinese Medicine include acne, dermatitis, eczema, pruritus, psoriasis, rosacea, shingles and urticaria (hives).

Evidence that acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used for skin disorders, such as hives, can be found in early medical literature dating back to 3 AD.

Medicinal plants and stone needles were utilized to relieve and cure discomforts of the external areas of the body.

Treating Eczema

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Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a skin disorder resulting in rough, red and itchy patches on the body. In addition, there can be a host of other symptoms and complications that can greatly vary between individuals.

For some, small blisters may be present that when scratched, may bleed or ooze fluid and then crust over when dry. For others, a persistent need to scratch itchy skin may cause anxiety and sleep problems. Other symptoms of eczema include nighttime itching, red or brown skin discoloration, bumps that ooze fluid and harden when dry, scaly-looking, thick, cracked or dry skin, skin inflammation or sensitive, uncomfortable skin sensations.

Complications that may arise from the symptoms of eczema include asthma, allergies, skin infections, insomnia, emotional problems or eye problems.

Chinese Medicine largely defines this condition as one related to heat. This manifestation of heat on the skin may stem from an internal imbalance (e.g. a weakened immune system), an allergic reaction (e.g. peanut allergy) or a combination of both these internal and external factors.

There are many reasons why the body may succumb to a heat condition and lead to the manifestation of eczema symptoms. Strong or prolonged emotions such as anger, rage or jealousy may contribute to a pathological buildup of heat.

Overworking may also be a contributing factor, as this may interfere with other activities such as exercise and things that bring joy and pleasure into one’s life.

Each patient will have a different set of circumstances. At the time of your visit, mention any emotional or behavioral difficulties you feel may be related to your eczema. This way, a treatment plan can be developed that will address all of your symptoms.

Hives

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Hives (urticaria) are swollen and red bumps, patches or welts on the skin that appear suddenly. Itching is the most common symptom associated with hives, although some people report that hives cause a stinging or burning sensation.

Hives can occur anywhere on the body including the hands, face, lips, tongue, throat or ears. A sign that the whole body is experiencing a hypersensitivity reaction, a hives outbreak can occur due to a wide array of stimuli.

While intolerance to certain foods, additives, intense emotions, sunlight exposure and medications can all cause hives; in 70-75 percent of outbreaks, the exact cause of hives remains unknown.

hives

In Chinese medicine, an outbreak of hives is described as wind invading the skin and the meridians, causing itching and swelling. When the eruptions are red, it is an indication that wind and heat are involved. When the eruptions are a pale pink or white, it is likely that the diagnosis will be wind-cold invading the skin.

How the condition is diagnosed will determine what acupuncture points are used, what herbal medicines are prescribed and what lifestyle/dietary recommendations are made.

Nutrition and Skin Conditions

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Here at Allendale Acupuncture and Nutrition Clinic, we’ve treated a number of skin conditions including extremely dry skin, eczema, acnes, and hives.

With applied kinesiology, we’ve found that the deep causes of these conditions are usually the combination effects of toxins in the intestines, pathogens spread throughout the body, and food intolerance. Since each patient displays different pathological syndromes, it’s difficult to generalize.

However, the most important thing any patients with skin conditions must do is: stay away from wheat and sugar. Wheat produced by GMOs tends to create toxic-environments in both small and large intestines; sugar seems to be biggest culprit in helping yeast, fungus, and mold flourish.

Through a systemic approach integrating diet changes, food-based-natural supplements, and some homeopathic aids, most skin conditions demonstrate dramatic improvements.

food that look best

Infertility, Fertility and Acupuncture

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If you try to get pregnant, try acupuncture first. In 2014, we saw an amazing 90% success rate of pregnancy among our patients.

Most of these patients received medical fertility treatment along with acupuncture; some were treated only with acupuncture and nutrition programs.

Acupuncture and proper nutrition help the body to become balanced and healthy. Acupuncture can assist your body to be far more receptive to any medical fertility programs.

fertility and acupuncture

Numerous studies confirmed a dramatic increase of success rate when using acupuncture in combination with medical fertility treatments and on its own.

A well-known German study done in 2002 followed 160 women who underwent IVF, 80 of them received acupuncture as well and 34 of those women got pregnant: a success rate of 42.5%. Of the other 80 women, those who received IVF without any acupuncture treatments, only 21 women (26.3%) became pregnant.

Another study, American, of 114 women showed that 51% of the women who had acupuncture and IVF treatments became pregnant compared to 36% of women who had IVF alone. Further analysis of the data revealed a much lower rate of miscarriage for the women who had acupuncture as well as IVF.

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Primarily, acupuncture for infertility increases blood supply and flow to the reproductive organs, leading to increased egg follicles and elevated hormone levels around the ovaries. Increased blood flow causes thickening of the uterus lining which is essential in sustaining an implanted embryo, and reducing the chances of miscarriage.

In addition, acupuncture increases production of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel good” brain chemical that also plays a role in regulating the menstrual cycle, egg production and ovulation.

men's fertility

In male patients, acupuncture is found to be beneficial in increasing sperm counts and sperm motility.

Acupuncture for fertility patients takes into account imbalances in the whole body, not just reproductive organs. Depending on patients’ physiological and emotional markups, we focus on treating underlying imbalances in organs such as the liver, kidney, or spleen, along with the endocrine/reproductive organs.

What is Fibromyalgia Syndrome?

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Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) affects an estimated 2 percent of the population. It is diagnosed when there is a history of widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for at least three months, and pain in at least 11 of 18 designated tender points on the body.

What is Fibromyalgia Syndrome?

From the perspective of western medicine, Fibromyalgia is an enigma since there’s no medically explained syndrome. There are no laboratory tests that can confirm this diagnosis either.

While not all affected persons experience all associated symptoms, the following symptoms commonly occur together:

  • Chronic pain
  • Debilitating fatigue
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Joint stiffness
  • Chronic headaches
  • Dryness
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Inability to concentrate (called “fibro fog”)
  • Incontinence
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Numbness
  • Tingling or poor circulation in the hands and feet
  • Painful menstrual cramps
  • Restless legs syndrome

Symptoms often begin after a physical or emotional trauma, but in many cases there appears to be no triggering event. Women are more prone to develop the disorder than are men, and the risk of Fibromyalgia increases with age.

fibromyalsia

Research shows that up to 90 percent of people with Fibromyalgia have turned to complementary or alternative medicine to manage their symptoms. Acupuncture, in particular, has become a popular treatment choice and has been shown to be an effective treatment for FMS.

From A Chinese Medical Perspective

Chinese medicine does not recognize Fibromyalgia as one particular disease pattern. Instead, it aims to treat the symptoms unique to each individual depending on their constitution, emotional state, the intensity and location of their pain, digestive health, sleeping patterns and an array of other signs and symptoms.

Since symptoms of Fibromyalgia vary greatly from one person to another, a wide array of traditional and alternative treatments have been shown to be the most effective way of treating this difficult syndrome.

From a Chinese medical perspective, Fibromyalgia is viewed as a classical case of “Severe Stagnation of Qi and Blood.”

The theory of pain is expressed in this famous Chinese saying: “Bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong” which means “free flow: no pain, no free flow: pain.”—which means when the Qi (vital energy force) and blood flow smoothly, there can’t be any pain. The disruption of Qi that results in Fibromyalgia is usually associated with disharmonies of the Liver, Spleen, Kidney, and Heart systems.

Since pain is a hallmark symptom of Fibromyalgia, our treatment protocols focus on pain reduction primarily, along with stimulating the flow of Qi and blood in patients’ bodies. We also look into emotional/psychological components very seriously in treating Fibromyalgia.

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If you have Fibromyalgia, acupuncture and Chinese medicine may be what you’ve been looking for to ease your symptoms and reclaim your health and vitality.

Call us today – don’t delay, don’t live in pain – we are here to help you! Call us at 201-760-8811!