Research Update: Chronic Pain

Research Update: Chronic Pain 

In May 2018, a team of researchers from the Acupuncture Trialists Collaboration published an update to previous chronic pain research in the Journal of Pain, the journal associated with the American Pain Society. The new article updates a study first released in 2008 that looked at acupuncture as a treatment for four chronic pain conditions. The updated study now includes data from nearly 21,000 patients.



The new study confirms what was shown in the researchers’ previous work: acupuncture relieved pain and improved function when compared with sham acupuncture and not receiving any acupuncture. The researchers also showed that the effects persisted over at least a 12-month period. This study adds to the body of literature that suggests acupuncture can be a viable treatment for chronic pain, and the findings cannot be explained solely by placebo effects since they did not observe significant changes in the group that received sham acupuncture.



Chronic pain affects approximately 50 million Americans or just over 20 percent of the adult population, according to a study from the Center for Disease Control released in September 2018. That statistic, when combined with the growing opioid epidemic in the United States led one of the country’s largest health-insurance providers, Blue Cross Blue Shield, to start covering acupuncture as an alternative to opioids. The change went into effect January 1, 2019.



Acupuncture relieves pain by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural pain-killing chemicals, at the acupoints in which the needles are inserted. Licensed acupuncturists can access the specific areas of their patients’ bodies that are causing them pain by inserting needles at acupoints connected to those painful areas. Acupuncture may also help relieve pain by affecting the area of the brain that governs serotonin, a chemical in the brain involved in regulating our moods.



According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture meridian points activate the body’s innate healing abilities acupuncturists call Qi (chee). According to TCM, Qi is the vital energy that animates the body and protects it from illness. Qi flows through pathways called meridians and provides nourishment to the body’s cells, tissues, muscles, organs, and glands. When there is an imbalance or blockage in the flow of Qi, symptoms such as chronic pain may appear.



If you or someone you know suffers from chronic pain, suffer no more! Contact a licensed acupuncturist in your area to learn how they may be able to help you find relief in an all-natural way with no risk of harmful side effects. 

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2018/9/13/cdc-50-million-americans-have-chronic-pain

http://americanpainsociety.org/education/e-news/2018/may/summaries

https://dailymemphian.com/article/2059/BlueCross-removes-Oxycontin-adds-acupuncture-amid-opioid-crisis

Research Update – Acupuncture and the Liver

Research Update – Acupuncture and the Liver

A study published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine looked at how acupuncture might be able to inhibit injury to the liver caused by the prescription combination of morphine and acetaminophen. The study was conducted on rats that had been fed morphine and acetaminophen. Then, acupuncture was applied once daily to the rats. The researchers discovered the rats who received acupuncture also had less damage to their livers. This occurs because of the antioxidant-stimulating effects of acupuncture treatments. The researchers concluded acupuncture may provide a safe alternative detox method for people chronically taking morphine or acetaminophen.


Traditional Chinese Medicine, a medical system that has been around for thousands of years, views the human body quite differently from Western medicine. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are energetic pathways are associated with specific organs in the body. When these pathways, or meridians, and the energy flowing through them, are out of balance, then the body may become diseased.


In TCM, the liver and its corresponding pathway are responsible for the smooth flow of qi (pronounced “chee”) or energy, blood and emotions. The liver is easily affected by excess stress and uncontrolled emotions. The liver is paired with the gallbladder and the two work very closely as a unit. When one is imbalanced, the other may display the symptoms. For example, if a person is consistently stressed, this may cause the liver energy to become blocked. When this happens, the gallbladder may become affected. It is not uncommon for people in high stress jobs to end up with gallstones. The liver becomes blocked and the emotions remain bottled up inside, which then manifests in pain and possibly stones.


Anger is the emotion commonly associated with the liver and gallbladder. If a person gets angered easily, frequently feels frustrated, has difficulty relaxing or letting things go, and is unreasonable, it is safe to guess their liver energy isn’t flowing smoothly. There are many methods of balancing liver energy and returning proper flow throughout the body. Learning to stay calm and channel one’s anger appropriately is a good place to start. Practice some deep breathing, meditation, yoga or even take a walk. All of these things are great for balancing stagnant liver energy.


Another way to smooth liver energy is a technique known as dry brushing. Using a hairbrush with rounded bristles or a soft bristle brush, one can lightly brush down along the liver energetic meridian, which runs along the inner thighs and inner calves, all the way down to the inside corner of the big toe. This can be done for about five minutes per leg. Dry brushing gently stimulates the liver meridian, allowing the blood and energy to flow more freely and relaxing not only the liver, but the whole body.


Acupuncture is another great way to balance the liver energies. Regular acupuncture treatments help balance the body holistically and without any real side effects. Acupuncture can increase the flow of energy throughout the body, remove blockages and stagnation and allow the liver to function properly, which will ultimately allow the body to detox more effectively.


If you deal with anger, stress or have a history of gallstones, it might be a good idea to give acupuncture a try. Be sure to give us a call to help guide you through balancing the energy of the liver meridian. Over time, your body will most likely respond favorably.



New York Sports Acupuncture, P.C.

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S187638201530072X

Eating Well for Springtime

Eating Well for Springtime

Traditional Chinese medicine says aligning your diet with the seasons is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Mother Nature provides exactly what we need to be healthy. Paying attention to the fruits, vegetables and herbs that grow during different seasons in the region where you live is a great way to incorporate the philosophies of traditional Chinese medicine into your own life and access greater healing.


In the spring, TCM suggests eating cooling foods to balance out the effect of warmer temperatures outside.


TCM also suggests taking the time to be mindful about the environment and energy around you when you eat. If you are stressed out or rushing when you eat, that will affect how your body is able to process the nutrients you’re consuming. Breathe deeply, chew well and take the time to digest your food.


For more spring in your step, here are four specific foods that can support your health and wellbeing this spring.


Lemon: In traditional Chinese medicine, the organ associated with spring is the liver and the flavor associated with the liver is sour. Sour foods, like lemons, help flush toxins from the liver. Adding fresh lemon to a cup of warm water each morning is a great, simple, practice that will do wonders for your liver.


Greens: Fresh leafy greens are most plentiful during the spring, and eating them is associated with cleansing and building. The bright green color of leaves comes from chlorophyll, which is a wonderful healing agent. Any greens, but especially those darker in color, like spinach or wild greens such as dandelion greens, are very beneficial.


Asparagus: Asparagus is a finicky plant with a short growing season: spring. Make a point to catch this plant powerhouse. Asparagus is full of vitamins A, C and K as well as folate and fiber. According to TCM, asparagus builds the nourishing fluids in the body, meaning it soothes irritation and helps fertility. It also promotes healthy lungs, clearing congestion and conditions like bronchitis.


Fruits and vegetables: In general, spring is the time of year when more fruits and vegetables become available locally. Peruse your local farmer’s market or take note of any produce in the grocery store that’s labeled “local.” Incorporate these items into your diet in abundance!


Try incorporating these foods and cleansing principles with this delicious spring salad!

Asparagus, snap pea and quinoa salad

Feeds 4-6


Ingredients:

● 1 cup quinoa

● 1 cup fresh snap peas, strings removed and cut into small diagonals

● 1 bunch asparagus, cut into small diagonals

● 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

● Fresh mixed greens

● Sliced avocado


Dressing:

● Juice of 1 lemon

● ⅓ cup olive oil

● 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

● ⅓ cup cilantro, chopped

● Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


Boil two cups of water in a small pan. Add the quinoa and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.


Bring another pot of water to a boil and add the asparagus. Cook the asparagus in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes until just tender. Quickly drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.


In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cilantro. Then, mix in the snap peas, asparagus and chickpeas. Serve over the mixed greens and top with sliced avocado. 

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

4 Lifestyle Tweaks to Thrive this Spring

4 Lifestyle Tweaks to Thrive this Spring

In traditional Chinese medical theory, one of the best ways to stay healthy is to live in balance with the seasons. Balance, in this context, means mindfully crafting your diet and certain aspects of your lifestyle based on what season it is.


An easy way to think about this is with fruits and vegetables: we are lucky these days to have grocery stores stocked year round with fruits and vegetables from every corner of the globe at all times of year. That makes it possible to enjoy asparagus into the winter months in northern climates where asparagus would never naturally grow at that time of year if at all. Chinese medical thought prescribes realigning our diets with what would be available to us in the region where we live and at each time of year. In this way, we’re aligning ourselves with the rhythms of the earth. Not only that, but eating fresh, local fruits and vegetables probably means they’re going to be better tasting fruits and vegetables in the first place, because they’re fresh off the vine and ripened close by. Living in balance with the seasons helps to keep us healthy and free of disease, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).


Each season is also connected to one of the main organ networks and a related element, both based on associations with what is happening in our bodies and in the natural world. In spring, Chinese medicine says we should be attentive to our livers. Springtime is all about new life and life-giving processes. The liver provides essential support to our lungs, heart and circulation system – in other words, all the life-giving systems in our bodies. The liver also stores and distributes nourishment to the whole body. It also filters toxins from the blood and breaks them down for elimination.


When the liver is functioning properly, there is functionality throughout the whole body, and we feel a physical and emotional freedom and expansiveness that allow us to take on the essence of springtime.


Here are four ways to tweak your lifestyle this spring in order to support balance in your liver.


1. Rise and shine. Make it a habit to wake up earlier in the spring than you were during winter. Notice if getting up earlier allows you to have more energy during the day.

2. Exercise more. Try to incorporate more movement into your daily life during the spring. Especially during spring, exercise is a great way to battle depression and anxiety that can creep in due to a liver imbalance.

3. Add sour foods to your diet. The flavor connected to the liver is sour. Adding lemon to your water is a simple way to do this that will help your digestive and emotional health.

4. Keep breathing. Be intentional about developing or maintaining habits that help you to de-stress during spring. Springtime can feel like a burst of energy compared to winter, but it is important to make space each for downtime and not get too busy too fast. 

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

Patient Helpsheet: Cleansing

Patient Helpsheet: Cleansing

Spring has a natural feeling of change and rebirth about it. In traditional Chinese medicine, one of the organs connected with springtime is the liver. Both of these reasons make spring a great time to try cleansing. Cleansing can be thought of as taking a rest from certain foods in order to rid any excess waste or toxins from the body. In many ancient philosophies and religions, including traditional Chinese medicine, cleansing is thought to be a vital part of achieving optimum health.


Cleansing can take many forms. These days, people often approach cleansing by committing to drink only fruit and vegetable juices for a period of five or 10 days. But that’s just one facet of cleansing and one way to look at it.


This is where Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help. TCM treats every individual holistically, taking into account their well-being, both physically and psychologically. TCM incorporates many different modalities to treat a patient, but the most common are acupuncture, Chinese herbs and nutrition.


Acupuncture for cleansing:
One of the major components of cleansing is making sure the body’s detoxifying and elimination processes are working right, meaning both nutrients are able to be absorbed and toxins are able to be processed and removed. Cleansing your diet simply helps to facilitate this process by not adding any more toxins into the mix, giving your liver and kidneys time to catch up. Acupuncture is all about facilitating the movement of nutrients and toxins in the body. Acupuncture can improve liver and kidney Qi quality and flow, meaning more detoxifying can happen. It can also improve the quality of sleep, which is where our bodies do most of our natural healing.


Acupuncture points for cleansing:

● Liver 3: This point is located on the top of each foot, in the webbing between the big and second toes, where the tendons meet. Alternately pressing this point on each foot helps to regulate and refresh the liver, which is the most important organ involved in detoxification.

● Kidney 27: This point is located in the depression just below the tip of each collarbone. Alternately pressing this point on each side flushes toxins from the kidney, another important organ involved in detoxification.

● Large Intestine 4: This point is located on each hand in the webbing between the thumb and forefinger. Stimulating this point helps to flush toxins through the digestive tract and bowels.


Dietary recommendations for cleansing:

In the spring, traditional Chinese medicine suggests eating cooling foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables. Foods packed with chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, are also strongly connected with supporting liver health, according to TCM. These foods are especially good to eat to cleanse the liver:

● Parsley

● Kale

● Chard

● Bean sprouts

● Seaweed

● Mung bean sprouts 

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

Potent Organs in Spring Time

Potent Organs in Spring Time

Spring is generally regarded as a happy season, especially for those that live in areas where winter is cold and dark. Spring brings with it longer, warmer days, more sunshine, the rebirth of plants and more activity. But for many, the months of spring can also bring irritability, anxiety, sinus issues, allergy flare-ups and colds.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been around for nearly 3,000 years, which gives the medical system, as a whole, a lot of credibility. TCM classifies things in many different ways. There are five seasonal associations in TCM - winter, spring, summer, late summer and fall. Each season has its own unique set of properties and associations. Spring is associated with the wood element. The wood element governs the liver and the gallbladder and their energetic pathways. The five seasons and their corresponding elements interact with one another daily, creating balance and harmony or complete chaos within the body.

Spring is a time of growth, which is evident by all the plants and flowers coming into bloom, as well as the wildlife awakening from winter slumber. Spring is the time of birth and regeneration. This season tends to be trademarked by optimism and opportunity.

Spring is linked to the wood element in TCM due to the prospects of growth and development. When a tree is nourished properly, it will grow and expand. This is very similar to what happens with the body and spirit within every living being. Just like the wood that makes up the trunk of the tree, we must be able to be flexible and bend, always changing and adapting to whatever comes our way. We need to remain strong and rooted, yet be able to give a little if needed.

According to TCM theory, the liver and gallbladder are associated with the tendons and are responsible for the smooth flow of energy and blood throughout the body. Our daily activities should reflect this. Being more active and spending more time outside can be great ways to strengthen the liver and gallbladder energies during the months of spring. Fresh air helps the liver and gallbladder function properly and decreases any stagnation being experienced in the body. We should imitate the budding trees and flowers and allow ourselves to grow and reach for bigger and better goals during the spring.

Green is the color of spring in TCM. During these months, fresh greens are abundant. It is highly recommended that we incorporate more fresh greens into our daily diets. Greens have been shown to be very beneficial for helping the liver detoxify the blood. Dandelion greens, in particular, are a good source for detoxification, which ultimately strengthens the liver and gallbladder meridians.

Sour drinks and foods are believed to stimulate the liver’s healing abilities. Adding lemon slices in your drinking water or using vinegar and oil as a salad dressing are some good examples. However, if you are a person that has anger issues, sour tastes should be avoided, as this can send the liver into overdrive.

It is also recommended to avoid excessive stimulants during the spring months. Things like coffee are considered expansive and energizing, which can be somewhat helpful during the cold winter months. But during the spring, when life is abounding, excess energy can actually be harmful to the body. It can create headaches, insomnia, anger and more.

As with any seasonal change, adding acupuncture treatments can be a huge asset, but especially in the transition from winter to spring. Due to the winds picking up and the weather becoming warmer, things like bell’s palsy, allergies or sinus infections can become more prevalent. Using acupuncture as preventive medicine can vastly improve your chances of remaining healthy throughout the transition. Call us for a Seasonal Health Free Evaluation to get on the health track. You won’t regret it. 

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444

Spring Cleansing and Clearing

Spring Cleansing and Clearing

Springtime has a natural feeling of rejuvenation and rebirth. The days get visibly longer, little green buds start to appear on the trees and hibernating animals come out of their winter slumber. For us, as humans, the lengthening days bring with them a natural urge to shed winter layers and move into new beginnings. Cleansing, either by eliminating things from your diet, introducing new things or clearing our spaces of unnecessary clutter, can be a supportive way to move into spring.



Cleansing by eliminating certain parts of your diet can be a great way to rid the body of any toxins that may have built up over the winter months, healing and resetting our bodies for the new season. Cleansing can look very different depending on what your goals are, but the idea is to spend a chunk of time consuming a “cleaner” diet, meaning more whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts.



The natural availability of more fruits and vegetables during the spring presents the perfect opportunity to cleanse by only consuming raw fruits and vegetables or fruit and vegetable juices. This might feel dramatic. Cleansing can also mean eliminating just one part of your diet for a week or 10 days, which could be sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, etc. There is a spectrum of cleansing, but based on what your needs are this spring, practicing some sort of elimination diet can be incredibly rejuvenating and healing.



Incorporating a cleanse into your spring could also be introducing certain elements into your diet to support healthy digestive and immune system function. As mentioned before, consuming a diet based around only whole foods is very healing for the body, and spring is a great time to add more of those elements into your diet simply because more fruits and vegetables are in season once the weather improves. Incorporating vitamins or supplements into your diet can also support your overall health and have a rejuvenating effect. Adding local honey into your diet can also be a great way to boost your immune system and fight allergic reactions, because it is made from local flower pollens.



Dandelions, which pop up in huge numbers during spring, can also be incorporated into a springtime cleanse. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is the time of year to attend to the liver and gallbladder, and dandelion is very cleansing and strengthening for both organs. The dandelion greens can be used in a salad or tea and are very nourishing.



In conjunction with dietary cleansing, spring is a time to incorporate more regular exercise and movement into your life. As the weather improves and it’s easier to get outside, our bodies come out of a type of hibernation themselves and crave more movement each day. Consider taking your bike to work instead of driving your car if that’s possible in your city, or incorporate movement into your day in other ways. Take walks after dinner or during your lunch break, up the intensity of your workouts or stretch in the mornings or evenings to facilitate more movement throughout your day. Bodywork, such as acupuncture or massage, can also be very beneficial and cleansing practices this time of year. Both acupuncture and massage will support your other cleansing efforts as well as your muscles and tendons for healthier exercise and physical activity.



Lastly, spring cleansing can extend beyond your physical body and into the spaces you inhabit. Taking some time this spring to clear out clutter from your home can be a great way to enter the new season feeling lighter and refreshed. Creating a clean, tidy space in your bedroom can be especially helpful, because it creates a restful atmosphere that invites relaxation and sleep. One simple way to incorporate more tidiness is to clear off any clutter from your bedside table. It is also a good time of year to go through your wardrobe and get rid of or donate anything you no longer wear. Creating a peaceful bedroom will support the rest you need to tackle any changes or opportunities that may present themselves this spring. 

New York Sports Acupuncture

Bishara Wilson, DACM, L.Ac.

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

888.375.5444