5 Steps to a Healthy Heart with Acupuncture
Newsletter JulyFebruary is the American Heart Association’s Heart Health Awareness Month, emphasizing the dangers of heart disease and the importance of heart health.
Heart disease includes conditions affecting the heart, such as coronary heart disease, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease. Despite dramatic medical advances over the past fifty years, heart disease remains a leading cause of death globally and the number one cause of death in the United States.
By integrating acupuncture and Oriental medicine into your heart healthy lifestyle, you can dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease.
Taking small steps to improve your health can reduce your risk for heart disease by as much as eighty percent. Steps to prevention include managing high blood pressure, quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress and improved sleep – all of which can be helped with acupuncture.
1. Manage High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure makes the heart work harder, increasing its oxygen demands and contributing to angina. This excessive pressure can lead to an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly), as well as damage to blood vessels in the kidneys and brain. It increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and kidney disease.
Acupuncture has been found to be particularly helpful in lowering blood pressure. By applying acupuncture needles at specific sites along the wrist, inside the forearm or in the leg, researchers at the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, were able to stimulate the release of opioids, which decreases the heart’s activity and thus its need for oxygen. This, in turn, lowers blood pressure.
2. Quit Smoking
Most people associate cigarette smoking with breathing problems and lung cancer. But did you know that smoking is also a major cause of coronary artery disease? In fact, about twenty percent of all deaths from heart disease are directly related to cigarette smoking.
Acupuncture has shown to be an effective treatment for smoking. Acupuncture treatments for smoking cessation focus on jitters, cravings, irritability, and restlessness; symptoms that people commonly complain about when they quit. It also aids in relaxation and detoxification.
3. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Obesity is associated with diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, all of which increase the risk of developing heart disease, but studies have shown that excess body weight itself (and not just the associated medical conditions) can also lead to heart failure. Even if you are entirely healthy otherwise, being overweight still places you at a greater risk of developing heart failure.
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine are an excellent adjunctive tool when it comes to losing weight. They can help to energize the body, maximize the absorption of nutrients, regulate elimination, control overeating, suppress the appetite, and reduce anxiety.
4. Reduce Stress
Stress is a normal part of life. But if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or irregular heart beats. Medical researchers aren’t sure exactly how stress increases the risk of heart disease. Stress itself might be a risk factor, or it could be that high levels of stress make other risk factors worse. For example, if you are under stress, your blood pressure goes up, you may overeat, you may exercise less, and you may be more likely to smoke.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the substantial benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of stress, anxiety and mental health. In addition to acupuncture, Oriental medicine offers a whole gamut of tools and techniques that can be integrated into your life to keep stress in check. These tools include Tui Na, Qi Gong exercises, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, meditations and acupressure that you can administer at home.
5. Improve Sleep
Poor sleep has been linked with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Researchers have shown that getting at least eight hours of sleep is needed for good heart health and getting less than eight hours of sleep can put you at a greater risk for developing heart disease.
Acupuncture has shown great success treating a wide array of sleep problems without any of the side effects of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids. The acupuncture treatments for problems sleeping focus on the root disharmony within the body that is causing the insomnia. Therefore, those who use acupuncture for insomnia achieve not only better sleep, but also an overall improvement of physical and mental health.
Visit your acupuncturist during Heart Health Awareness Month to see how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can assist you with your heart health and help you to live a long, healthy life.
Tips for Finding an Acupuncturist
When seeking out a professional acupuncturist, it is important to ensure that the acupuncturist is licensed and certified. Sterilising procedures should be used and more often than not, your acupuncturist will likely use disposable needles. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of needles, an acupuncturist may provide alternatives such as herbal methods, magnetic needles and ear cups. These are thought to provide similar results although are not considered as effective as acupuncture that utilises needles.
Whatever path you take to treating your problem, you can be relieved to know that you have many options, particularly alternative ones such as acupuncture. Hopefully, you will find a qualified acupuncturist who can listen to your concerns about the problem and begin a treatment plan that provides effective relief.
If you would like to make an appointment please call us on (09) 5296185, or if you require more information you may e-mail us at hwenchuan@sina.com
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Began approx.1 year ago(Jan/2009)during hottest part of summertime.I was working hard at the time and under stress,initial symptoms were lack of appetite and not liking food.
Despite finishing that work in Feb,symptoms continued to worsen thoroughout the year 2009.appetite was not good and I started having problems urinating.eapecially inthe wintertime when it was cold,I had sudden desire to go to the toilet –like an emergence.iIf I could not go to the toilet immediately it would hurt very much in my penis.
Other symptoms that have developed over the past year:
* Not liking the tast of most foods(even things I used to love eating)
* Most food feels very “dry” in my mouth and difficult to chew and swallow.
* I can only eat very small meals at one time.
* about five minutes after eating ,I feel sore/sick in stomach.about 20 minutes after eating,Isuddenly feel very”empty”and “hollow”inside my stomach.
* Often Ifeel start to feel dizzy about 5-10 minutes after eating.
* When I feel hungry,it is very painful and sudeen.
* Wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat and have to urinate urgently.
* Feeling tired and low energy.
* Sometimes stools are very loose,sometimes Ok.Because I eat 5–6 small meal every day,I need to go to the toilet up to 5 times a day to pass stools.
Morning times are usually the worst.My appetite tends to improve in the afternoon and evening.
27/01/10 I went to see Dr Win Huang,whom was recommended to me by my chinese colleague,he did acupuncture and herbs. Next day I felt worse ,very unconfortable in all bady,I called Dr Huang to tell him what iI feel,in third day I felt very well,everythiong was fine close to normal.Today(30/01/10)it is my second acupuncture ,but I will boil the herbs at home every day.
I wrote down my condition description and feeling after treatments to Dr Win Huang ,let him knew my problem and my reation of treatment.and let more patients who have some priblem have a treatment of chinese medicine.
Stephen Mcintyre
Tags: accupuncture centre center, acupuncture clinic, acupuncture therapy, acupuncturist in auckland, Auckland Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, dizzy, frequent urination, hurtpenis, lack of appetite, newmarket acupuncture, sore/sick in stomach, speech and swallowing problems, sudden urinating, urinate urgently, X accupuncture centre center X acupuncture clinic X acupuncture therapy X acupuncturist in auckland X Auckland Acupuncture X Chinese Herbs X dizzy X frequent urination X hurtpenis X lack of appetite X, X lack of appetite X sore/sick in stomach X urinate urgently X dizzy X hurtpenis X sudden urinating X accupuncture centre center X acupuncture clinic X acupuncture therapy X acupuncturist in auckland
Facial nerve palsy
Facial nerve palsy is a nervous system disorder in which a damaged nerve in the skull affects the movement of the muscles of the face.
It is a form of cranial mononeuropathy VII.
Causes
Facial nerve palsy occurs when there is damage to the seventh cranial (facial) nerve. The seventh facial nerve is located in the skull. It controls movement of the muscles of the face. It also affects feeling in the ear canal and the sense of taste.
This type of nerve damage may occur with local growths, such as a tumor, that put pressure on the facial nerve.
It also may have no obvious cause.
Symptoms
• Change in the appearance of the face
o Difficulty closing one eye
o Difficulty making expressions, grimacing
o Difficulty with fine movements of the face
o Facial droops
o Paralysis of one side of the face
• Difficulty eating (items fall out of the weak corner of the mouth)
• Face feels pulled to one side
• Face feels stiff
• Headache
• Impairment of tast
• Increased loudness of sound in one ear
• Pain behind the ear (for Bell’s palsy)
• Sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis)
Exams and Tests
An examination will show facial drooping on one side of the face or just on the forehead, eyelid, or mouth. Examination of the eardrum may show fluid-filled sacs (vesicles).
Other tests may include:
Lumbar puncture
MIR of head
• Tests to rule out a stroke or other nervous system problems
Treatment
Finding and treating the cause (if it can be found) may relieve symptoms in some cases. The disorder may disappear on its own depending on the severity of nerve damage.
Powerful anti-inflammatory drugs (steroids) may be used if the condition is caught early enough. The drugs may be used in combination with an antiviral drug called acyclovir.
Your doctor may recommend lubricating eye drops or eye ointments to protect the eye if it doesn’t close completely. You may need to wear a patch over the eye while you sleep.
Your health care provider may recommend surgery to remove any tumors that are pressing on the facial nerve.
acupuncture can make fast improvement of facial palsy
Outlook (Prognosis)
The outlook varies. Some patients recover completely, while others permanently lose movement of the face.
Possible Complications
• Changes to the appearance of the face (disfigurement) from loss of movement
• Changes to taste
• Damage to the eye
• Nerves that grow back to the wrong structures (aberrant regeneration) — for example, smiling causes the eye to close
• Spasm of face muscles
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your health care provider if your face droops or you have other symptoms of facial nerve palsy.
Prevention
Quickly treating tumors or other growths that press down on the facial nerve may reduce the risk of facial nerve palsy in some cases.
Alternative Names
Neuropathy – facial; Cranial mononeuropathy VII; Seventh cranial nerve palsy
Tips for Finding an Acupuncturist
When seeking out a professional acupuncturist, it is important to ensure that the acupuncturist is licensed and certified. Sterilising procedures should be used and more often than not, your acupuncturist will likely use disposable needles. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of needles, an acupuncturist may provide alternatives such as herbal methods, magnetic needles and ear cups. These are thought to provide similar results although are not considered as effective as acupuncture that utilises needles.
Whatever path you take to treating your problem, you can be relieved to know that you have many options, particularly alternative ones such as acupuncture. Hopefully, you will find a qualified acupuncturist who can listen to your concerns about the problem and begin a treatment plan that provides effective relief.
If you would like to make an appointment please call us on (09) 5296185, or if you require more information you may e-mail us at hwenchuan@sina.com
Tags: Acupuncture, acupuncture auckland, acupuncture clinic, acupuncturist in auckland, Bell's palsy, Chinese Herbs, Facial droops, Facial nerve palsy, nerve, newmarket acupuncture, palsy, paralysis
