Can Acupuncture Help Your Tween or Teen?
Can Acupuncture Help Your Tween or Teen? Since we are deep in ‘back to school’, we thought it would be a great idea to spotlight the work that we do with young people. Many people don’t realize that we work with all ages, in fact the youngest person in our practice was only 3 days old, thanks to acupuncture she quickly healed from Erb’s Palsy, an injury to the brachial plexus nerve while coming out of the canal during birth. We love working with children of all ages, but a particular age that we love to see the most are your teens and tweens! How do children respond to acupuncture? Younger people respond incredibly and get results quickly. Chinese medicine identifies children as ‘pure Yang’; warm, activating, transforming, moving. It’s not until we start becoming an adult that the Yin nature becomes more apparent or at choice perhaps; cooling, stillness, nourishing. We can literally see the Yang nature in our kids, children are transforming and changing daily, it’s hard for the rest of us to keep up. That’s Yang at work. Another reason why acupuncture is the perfect support for your tween and teen, is because it’s self regulating. It knows what to do, it will shift, harmonize, energize, or relax, whatever it needs to get the body back to equilibrium or balance. This can be magic for a young person who might be a little shy or awkward during those hormonally driven years, maybe they just don’t feel comfortable talking about what’s going on for them, but they’re getting stomachaches and can’t sleep and no one can figure out why. We don’t need to talk about it, we can get more than enough information from their symptomatology and tongue and pulse diagnosis. We just let the needles and the body do the talking. What are the most common things we treat in kids? Think of young people and their Yang nature as a kettle on the stove, the water is just simmering and simmering and at some point starts to boil, but there’s no way to turn the heat off or move the kettle off the burner. Acupuncture is that tool that can turn the heat down, let off some steam and release the tension or stagnation. Headaches Stress and tension can cause headaches, but also over thinking, over studying, not enough sleep and being dehydrated. Stomach Pain and Constipation The gastrointestinal system is all about transforming food, transporting it for energy and allowing the system to let go. The digestive system is so closely linked to emotions and when things aren’t flowing freely, things get stuck, physically and emotionally. Trouble Sleeping Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night, during a growth spurt, maybe 12 hours. anything less than that is inadequate and can cause other issues like poor eating habits, difficulty learning and focusing which causes increased stress and a whole slew of other symptoms. Difficult Emotions like Depression and Anxiety There’s been quite a bit of research testing the efficacy of acupuncture in regards to depression and anxiety in teens, the results are favorable. Remember hormones are going through so much fluctuation day to day effecting your teen’s moods, one day they’re up and the next they’re down, and they don’t know why. Acupuncture is brilliant for regulating hormones and brain chemistry. Pain Management Physical activity can be a life saver for young people, it allows pent up energy and stress to move! And sometimes with the growth spurts that are happening on an almost daily basis, add intense after school sports this can sometimes cause problems on a musculoskeletal level. PMS and Menstrual Cramps Similarly with all of the hormone fluctuation, teens girls can feel challenged and tense. We can help facilitate a smoother menstrual time, with less painful periods and less mood swings. Boosting immunity When everyone else at school is getting sick and they can’t miss the track meet this weekend, we can help support here too. What can I expect during an acupuncture treatment for my child? With teens we let them take the lead, we don’t push, we let them talk as much or as little as they’d like. We’ll get plenty of information from their tongue and pulse and also the simple logistics of their symptomatology. From there, they will lay down on the treatment table and we will gently insert needles, usually a parent prefers to stay in the room the entire time, which is just fine with us. What is the treatment plan like? Very similar to an adult plan, we like to see your tween or teen 1 to 2 times a week, depending on what’s happening for them and the frequency of their symptoms. As their body shifts and symptoms become less frequent, we decrease the treatment little by little until they are on a bi-monthly maintenance schedule.
Supplementing the Thyroid for Optimal Function
Supplementing the Thyroid for Optimal Function Written by Emily Edmonds, L.Ac There’s a hummingbird in the garden in front of the office. She has in the space of a week created a nest and laid two eggs. I’ve never seen such tiny eggs! She watches carefully for intruders that would disturb her babies, and flies away every time the door opens. But she comes back, determined to make it work and take care of her responsibility as a new mom. I admire her tenacity, and am filled with so much gratitude to be able to witness this miracle of nature. Now, I was puzzled as to how could I possibly segway this into an article about thyroid nutrition. Maybe she was trying to tell me that humming and chanting are said to activate the throat chakra, at the center of which is the human thyroid gland. Until this hummingbird came into the garden, I knew already that the humming sound came from the rapid flapping of their wings. What I did not know is that they could also sing. And it’s beautiful to listen to! But I was already writing this article, and this hummingbird and her nest came into presence. The hummingbird doesn’t need medications, supplements or surgeries to tell it what to do. There is an intelligence there, an evolutionary process that tells the hummingbird it’s time to make a nest. To lay an egg. To keep the egg warm until it hatches. The hummingbird has no awareness of this. Like our glands and our endocrine system, it has an intelligence that tells it what to do without our conscious awareness or effort. We talked previously about thyroid hormones and their importance in human metabolic function. (Previous Article) Today, we are going to discuss nutrients for the thyroid to be at its optimal function. The thyroid gland utilizes several key nutrients that are needed for healthy thyroid function. These nutrients are selenium, zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, and Essential Fatty Acids. These nutrients are needed not just for good thyroid function, but for proper absorption, conversion and assimilation of thyroid hormone and also to protect the thyroid gland from damage. Selenium Selenium is a very key nutrient for healthy thyroid function. Selenium plays a role in conversion of thyroid hormone from its inactive form to its active form. Selenium also contributes to glutathione formation, which protects the thyroid from damage and inflammation. Selenium also has been shown to reduce thyroid peroxidase antibodies, which contribute to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. One of the best sources of selenium is Brazil nuts. But in most cases, I recommend supplementing with selenium b/c the amount of selenium in Brazil nuts can be inconsistent. Zinc Zinc is also needed for thyroid hormone conversion from T4 to T3, as it is a component of the enzyme deiodinase. Zinc is also needed for healthy hair, skin and nails. If you have a thyroid condition and you have alopecia (hair loss), hair breakage, or thin, brittle nails, you may need an increase in zinc intake. Good sources of zinc include shellfish, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lentils, flaxseeds and pine nuts. I typically recommend taking a zinc and selenium supplement. I really like this product because it contains the recommended doses of both zinc and selenium as well as other minerals and nutrients. Iodine Iodine is needed for the thyroid to produce thyroid hormone, as thyroid hormone has iodine as part of its molecular structure. The inactive form of thyroid hormone, T4, thyroxine has four iodine molecules and the active form, T3, has three. But the thyroid needs a specific amount of iodine for proper function. Unfortunately, it is possible to get too much of it and many of us are getting far more than we actually need. Iodine is in many of our foods, products and cosmetics in prolific amounts. So while it is important to be aware that iodine is important for thyroid function, too much of it or too little of it is going to cause problems with thyroid function. If you have an autoimmune condition such as Hashimoto’s or Grave’s disease, I would recommend avoiding iodine. Excessive amounts of iodine contribute to free radical formation in the thyroid and trigger an immune response in the thyroid that will cause more inflammation and worsen the progress of the disease. We will talk more about iodine and how it actually compromises thyroid function when we get too much of it in a future article. Sources of iodine include iodized salts, sea vegetables, Himalayan salt, egg yolks, seaweed, seafood and dairy products. Iron Iron is used as a catalyst in the formation of thyroid hormone T4, and it also plays a role in converting T4 to T3 through the enzyme deiodinase. Iron also plays a role in making heme proteins such as thyroid peroxidase, which is needed to bond iodine to thyroglobulin proteins to make thyroid hormone. If your iron levels are low, you may not be producing enough thyroid hormone and may not be able to convert thyroid hormone to its active form. Symptoms of low iron levels include pallor, shortness of breath, dry hair or skin, swollen tongue, brittle nails, palpitations, dizziness, and restless leg syndrome. I do not recommend supplementing with iron without consulting a practitioner first. Most practitioners are going to order a CBC panel and a ferritin test to measure of how much iron is being stored. Iron can accumulate in the body to toxic levels if supplemented inappropriately, so if you have normal iron and ferritin levels it is not safe to supplement with iron. For getting adequate stores of iron, I recommend focusing on dietary sources. If you do have to supplement with iron, ensure your supplement also contains Vitamin C or take it with a food rich in Vitamin C (oranges, kiwis, berries) so that you will be able to absorb the iron. Good sources of iron include red
Breaking Down PCOS
Breaking Down PCOS PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disturbances. Many women are not privy to the fact that they have PCOS until the endocrine disturbance becomes so problematic that their periods become non-existent, this is called amenorrhea and is brought on by anovulation. Diagnosing PCOS With PCOS, there are mandatory symptoms and then additional signs and symptoms that can further confirm the diagnosis. To qualify for a diagnosis of PCOS, a patient must only exhibit two of the following: Anovulation, hyperandrogenism or polycystic ovaries (an ovary with 12 or more follicles measuring 2-9mm). Other signs and symptoms which are less important are weight gain, menstrual cycle disturbances, hirsuitism, hyperinsulinemia (or other insulin issues), acne, alopecia or thinning hair, skin tags and acanthosis nigricans. A word about weight gain– research shows about 60% of women that have PCOS are overweight, in our experience at Tao to Wellness, that is not accurate. In our clinical experience, about 60% of women actually tend towards being on the leaner side. We wanted to share this finding because if you are not exhibiting classic text book symptoms, but are still wondering, don’t necessarily rule this diagnosis out just yet. Lab work is extremely valuable and usually provide the initial clue. Usually a patient comes to us with lab work from their OBGYN, but know that we are happy to order labs as well. The most common lab finding in PCOS patients is a high LH with a normal FSH in a 2:1 ratio. Whenever we see this in the clinic, even if the patient is having normal periods, this is a clue that PCOS is possibly in the beginning stages. Other lab findings: High LH (low or low/normal levels of FSH, 2:1) High Testosterone (especially Free T) High DHEA (high in half of women) Low SHBG (This is Sex Hormone Binding Globulin and is controlled by hormones. Testosterone inhibits SHBG and estrogen and thyroxine stimulate SHBG. Women with PCOS have a 50% reduction in circulating SHBG, which is a response to the increased Testosterone.) High Androgens High Prolactin (20% of women have high levels, because of increase pulsatility in gonadotropins) Possible High Estrogen (E2) High TSH False OPK’s (Ovulation Prediction Kits) Women with PCOS ovulate late in the cycle, if at all and when they do, the quality of the egg is compromised due to the late ovulation. Not always, but often, a woman may receive a false positive on an OPK test. This is due to excess androgens produced by the cyst entering the bloodstream and altering the HPO (Hypothalmic Pituitary Ovarian) axis. Usually estrogen is also high in relation to progesterone, which causes an increase in LH and testosterone. In turn, the hormonal cascade causes no ovulation. A woman may think they are ovulating because of the positive OPK, but she isn’t. The test is only detecting the LH surge. This results in a false positive. How Chinese medicine can help There are a few scenarios from a Chinese medicine point of view, but one that is usually consistent in PCOS is, there is always excessive damp. Dampness can wreak havoc in the body and throw the hormone system off which results in, as mentioned, anovulations and compromised egg quality. Acupuncture is wonderful for PCOS, it moves the damp, it communicates directly to the hypothalamus and resets the feedback loop between the brain and the ovaries. The hormones become regulated again, inflammation is decreased in the uterine environment, digestion and sleep are enhanced so that repair and rejuvenation can occur. Chinese herbal medicine is also an extremely effective modality in treating PCOS. By combining acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, patients achieve predictable cycles faster. At Tao to Wellness, we are proud to have a full granular Chinese herbal pharmacy, which grants us the freedom to customize formulas for each patient. In working with PCOS, we find that using many different herbs and formulas to mimic the different phases of the menstrual cycle gives us the best results. For example, if a patient has a four week follicular phase and a one week luteal phase. We would utilize different herbs to adjust the timing of that cycle. Chinese herbal medicine can also increase blood flow to the uterus to enhance the lining, regulate the hormones and relax the mind. And particularly for PCOS, Chinese medicine has specific herbs to dissolve the waxy capsule that make the ovaries polycystic. With PCOS, Chinese nutritional guidelines are also of the utmost importance in order to balance the communication between the brain and the ovaries. This is a delicate balance. There are many foods that claim to boost fertility, but in the case of PCOS, we often need to limit those foods because of it’s effect on estrogen. Instead, we rely on different foods to help regulate the right hormones, bring down inflammation and support blood flow.
Acupuncture Can Stop You From Aging
Acupuncture Can Stop You From Aging In the world of scientific longevity research, we don’t calculate age by what’s on your driver’s license, and we pay no attention to the youth-obsessed culture that ascribes to the notion that ’50 is the new 30′. Scientists now calculate age on a cellular level, by the length of your telomeres. Telomeres are the “caps” at the ends of our chromosomes that naturally shorten as we age, they are similar to the plastic caps at the end of a shoelace. As the plastic ends shred, and the shoelace becomes frayed and damaged, so too the shortening of our telomeres can leave our cells and chromosomes vulnerable to damage. Telomere shortening means the cell’s lifespan is shortening. Telomeres become shorter with each cell division, at some point can no longer divide which leads to senescence (aging) and ultimately, cell death. Recent research shows that telomere shortening plays an important role in human disease and mortality. More than 20 studies, from top universities around the world, have shown associations between shorter telomere length and various types of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Shorter telomeres have also been associated with cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive function, dementia, and arthritis. On the flip-side, long telomeres are related to healthy aging and overall longevity. The longer and more stable the telomere, the longer we live. What causes telomere shortening Stress Poor diet Lack of exercise Too much exercise Unresolved emotions Toxins (industrial, environmental and food) Smoking and other recreational substances including alcohol Anything that creates free radicals It’s not surprising that this shortening or aging can be accelerated by an unhealthy lifestyle. However, there’s hope that we can actually turn back our cellular clocks. How to lengthen telomeres Researchers report that lengthening your telomeres isn’t directly related to healthy eating and exercise. Numerous studies, from Harvard University to UCSF, have shown the primary contributor to cellular aging isn’t fast food or a sedentary lifestyle, it’s actually stress. Accelerated cell aging has now been associated with many stress-related conditions, including trauma exposure, major depression and other psychiatric disorders. In Chinese medicine we believe that almost every symptom the body experiences primarily comes from stress. Stress wreaks havoc on the organ systems and creates stagnation and disharmony of Qi, blood and other important substances. So, logics will tell us that if acupuncture treats stress and balances the body overall, then it must lengthen telomeres. And we are happy to report that evidence based studies confirm that acupuncture, in fact, is effective in lengthening telomeres. Our Recommendation If you aren’t experiencing any symptomatology and are ‘healthy’, we recommend receiving acupuncture at least once a month. This will help de-stress the body overall, thereby creating the enzyme telomerase to protect and bring stability to the already present telomere. As a positive side effect, it will also do the following: Decrease inflammation Build immunity Strengthen the gastro-intestinal system Enhance circulation Regulate brain chemistry and hormones Relax the nervous system Clear trauma in the body memory Open the meridians and create a clear connection to the associated organ system hereby eradicating stress and free radicals. And lengthen telomeres. We are your support system for anti-aging and longevity.
