Traditional Medicine Patterns of Discrimination for Colon Cancer

Traditional Medicine Patterns of Discrimination for Colon Cancer

              

Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates 136,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017 and nearly 50,000 of those will actually die from the disease. At least half of the people who develop colon cancer have some sort of existing risk factor. The other half may get colon cancer due to unfavorable diet, lifestyle or habits.

Regardless of the reason, Western medicine typically treats each case the same way. Surgery is the first line of defense, followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. All of these tactics can be quite risky and have a multitude of adverse side effects.

Traditional Chinese Medicine treats each person on an individual basis. This means despite the Western medical diagnosis, the patient will receive special individualized care. TCM also differentiates the various causes of colon cancer based on the underlying contributing factors that have created the disease.  There are at least four possible different patterns of discrimination for colon cancer in the Chinese medicine world. Each pattern is associated with a specific energetic meridian and organ system, as well as some sort of causative factor, such as damp heat.

The first possible pattern involves the large intestine pathway being invaded by damp heat. With this pattern, the patient may have diarrhea, mucus or blood in the stools; foul smelling stools, a burning anus, fever, sweating, heaviness of the limbs and thirst without a desire to drink. This can be caused by ingesting too many hot and greasy foods, accompanied by excessive worry and anxiety over a long period of time. The treatment would involve clearing the heat and draining the dampness. The patient would also need to make some lifestyle changes.

The next possible pattern involves the spleen energetic pathway. The spleen system does not like cold.  Thus, when the system is invaded by constant cooling, the yang or fire becomes depleted. The pattern is known as spleen yang deficiency. Symptoms of spleen yang deficiency include lack of appetite, abdominal distention after eating, fatigue, loose stools with undigested food, cold limbs, chilliness and edema. The treatment would involve warming and boosting the spleen yang.

The third possible pattern involves the kidney system. As with the spleen, when the kidney system is exposed to excessive cold conditions or the yin (water) is excessive, the yang of the kidney system can be depleted. The symptoms of kidney yang deficiency include chills, aversion to cold, cold limbs, apathy, lethargy, weak or cold knees and soreness in the lumbar region. The treatment would involve warming and boosting the kidney yang energy.

The last possible pattern also involves the kidney system, but this time it is the opposite of the aforementioned pattern. Kidney yin deficiency occurs when there is too much fire and not enough water, which creates excess heat. Symptoms of this pattern include hot palms, night sweats, constipation, thirst, sore knees and dark urine. The treatment would involve cooling and sedating the kidney yang, while boosting the kidney yin energy.

No matter what the pattern, acupuncture and TCM can help, provided the diagnosis takes place early. This is why acupuncture should be used in a preventive fashion. 


New York Sports Acupuncture
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Five Foods To Avoid For A Healthy Colon

Five Foods To Avoid For A Healthy Colon

If you want to keep your colon clean it is important your diet reflects that. Optimal colon health is very dependent on what you are or are not putting into your body. There are specific foods that don’t help out your colon at all. Take a look at these five foods you should avoid to make sure your colon is healthy and functioning at its highest possible level.

1. Processed Meats

One of the most important things to avoid if wanting a healthy colon is processed meats, and this can be hard to do. In the food culture we are surrounded by, processed meats are on a regular display. Lots of restaurants and grocery stores are doing a better job of avoiding processed meats now, but it can still be hard to avoid them. You want to make sure you do though, as they have been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer.

2. Alcohol

Alcohol can be detrimental to your body if you so let it. An increased risk of colon cancer, damage to the digestive tract and liver damage are all risks you take when partaking in heavy consumption of alcohol. So do your colon a favor and limit your intake.

3. Burned or Charred Foods

It is best to utilize cooking methods that decrease the risk for colon injury or cancer. Burning or charring foods creates carcinogens, which can lead to an increased chance of colon cancer. Take care of your foods when barbecuing and avoid eating over blackened or charred areas.

4. Fast-Food

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Don’t eat fast-food. Just do yourself a favor and avoid these foods high in fat, sodium and cholesterol. Help out your colon, pass on the fast-food.

5.  Limit Sugar

Diets high in sugar have been shown to increase the chance of colon problems, such as Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. Sugar has yet to be directly linked to colon cancer, but it is linked to weight gain and obesity.  

New York Sports Acupuncture

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Acupuncture and colon cancer

Acupuncture and colon cancer

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States with about 60,000 deaths from it every year. Like all cancer, treatment can be long, uncomfortable and come with many side effects. Those getting chemotherapy may experience nausea, vomiting, postoperative pain, cancer related pain, insomnia and anxiety. The chronic pain can significantly impact quality of life. Most patients are prescribed medications such as opioids for pain that have side effects and are highly addictive.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is believed that colon cancer comes from a number of underlying factors such as spleen yang deficiency, kidney yang deficiency, kidney yin deficiency and liver yin deficiency. Acupuncture works by addressing these deficiencies to return the body back to balance. Using specific points on the body related to these organs, acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural energy flow, Qi, and blood flow to improve organ health.

Going through chemotherapy treatment can cause severe fatigue. One study showed that acupuncture resulted in a 30 percent improvement in a baseline fatigue score.

Insomnia and anxiety are one of the most common symptoms that cancer patients experience. Acupuncture has been proven in numerous studies to be just as effective, if not more, than prescription drugs in improving sleep and decreasing stress and anxiety levels. This alternative treatment has also been shown to improve overall mood.

Acupuncture can help boost the immune system. Chemotherapy can greatly lower the body’s immune defense, leaving one in a vulnerable state due to a decrease in white-blood cell count. By increasing blood flow and stimulating Qi, acupuncture is a great way to improve immune function.

Cancer and cancer treatment is nothing to take lightly. A diagnosis can drastically change one’s life not only physically but mentally as well. If you have been diagnosed with colon cancer and/or going through chemotherapy, it is important to remember that there are alternative, safe treatments that can help make the process easier. If a loved one is going through treatment, support is the best thing you can do for them. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and there is no better time to get tested and become educated on the facts.

New York Sports Acupuncture

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

https://coloncancerfoundation.org/treatment/complementary.html
http://bit.ly/1olvPDB

https://theory.yinyanghouse.com/conditions-treated/alternative-natural-options-for-colon-cancer
http://bit.ly/1Toqw3p

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642987/
http://1.usa.gov/1SQPl8h

The Master Cleanse

The Master Cleanse

Created by Stanley Burroughs, author of the book The Master Cleanser, the master cleanse is a great way to cleanse the body while giving the digestive system a much-needed rest. The master cleanse, usually used to achieve rapid weight loss, can also be used to heal and nourish the body.

The cleanse is a liquid diet, which some refer to as a juice fast. It effectively supplies all of the healthy and essential nutrients and calories the body needs to function. The beauty of the master cleanse is that in addition to being rewarding and beneficial for your body, it is also extremely easy to follow and enact.

There are three main parts of the master cleanse. You should utilize all three of these parts in order to extract all of the healing and fasting properties of the master cleanse. The three parts are the lemon drink, the salt drink and the herbal/laxative teas.

First, you need to make sure to six to 12 glasses of the lemon drink per day over the course of a 10-day period. The lemon drink consists of freshly squeezed lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne pepper, water and maple syrup. Balance out your intake of the lemon drink throughout the day with regular water if you still feel thirsty.

The salt drink part of the cleanse is a little bit different. The salt drink consists of just lukewarm water and natural sea salt. You should make sure to drink a quart every morning, all in one sitting.

The third and final part to the master cleanse is an herbal laxative or tea. Make sure to take a laxative or drink a laxative tea before bed each night in order to complete the steps of the master cleanse.

The master cleanse is an easy and extremely effective form of detox dieting, just follow the simple steps and figure out for yourself!

New York Sports Acupuncture

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

All About Moxibustion

All About Moxibustion

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a medical system that incorporates numerous methods for treating disease and illness. One of the tools found in the toolbox of the TCM practitioner is known as moxibustion.

          

Moxibustion is a technique that involves the burning of mugwort, known as moxa, which is an herb that facilitates healing. The purpose of moxibustion is to stimulate the flow of Qi (pronounced “chee”), strengthen the blood and maintain general health. Qi is translated as life energy. There are two types of moxibustion, direct and indirect. Direct moxibustion uses moxa shaped into a small cone and is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. This type of moxibustion has two subcategories, scarring and non-scarring. Scarring moxa burns until it distinguishes on its own. This may lead to localized scarring and blisters. Non-scarring moxa allows for the moxa to be placed on the acupuncture point, lit, extinguished and removed before it burns the skin.  

Non-scarring moxibustion creates a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deeply into the skin, but does not create a scar or any pain. Indirect moxibustion is the more popular of the forms. In indirect moxibustion, a practitioner lights one end of a stick of moxa and holds it close to the acupuncture point for several minutes until the area turns red.

          

Moxibustion is used to help people with cold or stagnant conditions. Burning moxa is believed to expel cold and warm the energetic meridians, which creates the smooth flow of Qi and blood. Moxibustion also supports the yang energy, which strengthens and increases the original Qi. Moxibustion can be used to treat many conditions including back pain, muscle stiffness, headaches, tendonitis, arthritis, digestive disorders, anxiety, menstrual cramps, irregular periods and infertility. Moxibustion is not recommended for diabetic patients, since they have decreased sensitivity to pain and compromised circulation.

          

Moxibustion is very effectively used in patients that have a cold constitution.  Many chronic conditions, even the ones that manifest as heat conditions, can have chronic cold as the underlying situation. A cold constitution is triggered or aggravated by over cooling the body systems. Because of technological advances, our bodies are exposed to cold at a much higher rate than in the past. Things like refrigeration, air-conditioning, iced beverages and even ice cream have created a society of people with cold constitutions. Also many pharmaceutical drugs including over-the-counter pain medications are known to decrease body temperature. Large consumption of fruits and raw vegetables and ongoing mental and emotional stress can also create cold constitutions. Therefore using moxibustion is frequently warranted in the treatment of many illnesses and diseases.

          

Moxibustion on the acupuncture point Stomach 36 also has the function of preventing diseases and maintaining health. In ancient China, this technique was known as reverse moxibustion. Even if a person is quite healthy, regular moxibustion on this point can invigorate healthy Qi and strengthen the immune system, thus increasing longevity.  Perhaps this is why the point has been nicknamed the “longevity point”.

          

As with acupuncture, only a licensed practitioner should be called upon for treatments such as moxibustion. If you believe that moxibustion may be helpful with your medical conditions, be sure to discuss it with your acupuncturist. 

Bishara WIlson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.54444