By December, I notice a good deal of tiredness afoot among my patients: the days are shorter, giving us a subtle yet powerful cue to slow down, expend less energy, and sleep longer. Despite this, what happens in our modern culture? People instead seem to have to work ever harder through that month: . . . → Read More: Self-Care in Winter : Our Joints]]>

By December, I notice a good deal of tiredness afoot among my patients: the days are shorter, giving us a subtle yet powerful cue to slow down, expend less energy, and sleep longer. Despite this, what happens in our modern culture? People instead seem to have to work ever harder through that month: projects at work have to be finished before the Christmas holidays, and we have preparations to be made in our own lives at the same time. Life actually gets relentlessly busier!

Up until the time of writing this in mid-January, we have enjoyed an extremely mild winter. Although the camelias and spring bulbs are beginning to blossom very early, we should remain prepared for cold snaps, in which the air can be cold, damp and still; this is a combination which can chill us to the bone if we are inadequately dressed.

In Chinese medicine, it is particularly important to protect your lower back (considered the seat of your warming Yang Qi), and your joints (considered vulnerable to adverse climatic factors). In Britain, rheumatic aches and pains are unfortunately very common: I treat a lot of people who can categorically state that their troublesome joints are more uncomfortable when the weather is cold and/or damp.

The Chinese recognised this pattern centuries ago, and gave it the name “Bi”; it is described in a medical text dating from 610AD. Sometimes, but not always, there is evidence of osteoarthritis in the affected joint(s); other times, it may instead be an old injury which plays up in unfavourable weather. What can you do to help yourself if this sounds like you or someone you know? When I am treating this condition, I recommend that my patients wear additional warm layers over the joint concerned, that they avoid the damp eg kneeling on damp ground if the knee is affected, that they have an appropriate diet of warm cooked foods, and that they take up the right kinds of exercise. Acupuncture and self-help can mean that winter need no longer herald in the dreaded rheumatism.

Here, I offer you a brief insight into ancient Chinese wisdom, and show with the aid of some examples, how well it resonates with the results of modern medical reearch. If you take away a flavour of this short article and change just one thing in your life as a result, then your . . . → Read More: Longevity and Health Preservation]]>

Here, I offer you a brief insight into ancient Chinese wisdom, and show with the aid of some examples, how well it resonates with the results of modern medical reearch. If you take away a flavour of this short article and change just one thing in your life as a result, then your time reading it will have been well spent.

The Chinese have long been interested in lengthening life and maintaining youth, and this has informed medical practice since ancient times. “Chang shou” or long life, is considered a blessing of heaven: it is a reward to be reaped for following the teachings of traditional Chinese medicine, about work, rest, diet, dress etc. (For some specific examples of these teachings, please read some of my Seasonal Tips.)

The idea of such preventative medicine appears in the classic texts of two millenia ago: “To wait for the battle before forging the weapons, to wait until one is thirsty before digging the well, is this not too late?” It is often said that people in those days, would therefore attend for acupuncture and advice at regular intervals during the year, most usually at the change of seasons, because that is when we are more vulnerable to imbalance.

Now we shall look at just two categories from a long list which the Chinese refer to as the causes of disease: these will be our emotional life, and our diet/eating habits.

Emotions are considered in Chinese medicine, to harm us when we experience them too intensely or for too long: to be annoyed about a speeding ticket the day you have opened the envelope, would be alright; to be completely enraged or to still be angry six months later, would not! “When faced with something exasperating, one should calmly consider which is more important, anger or health.” (Cao Tong, Qing dynasty AD 1644-1912). Indeed modern research shows a bout of intense anger increases the risk of a stroke within 2 hours, by a factor of 14 (Neurology Journal 2004), and increases by a factor of 17, the likelihood of a potentially fatal heart rhythm disturbance (Circulation Journal 2004). By comparison, “Laughing makes you ten years younger.” (Chinese saying)

For good health and a sense of well being, we need to promote a harmonious flow of Qi in the body. This is achieved by meditation, relaxation, exercise, happiness, and by cultivating a free flow of all our emotions, such that particular ones do not significantly linger or predominate. “Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centred by accepting whatever you are doing.” (Chuang Tzu c. BC369-286)

A lack of the more positive feelings, is seen as equally unhelpful: “People have illness because they do not have love in their life and are not cherished.” (Sun Simiao AD581-682) From the modern medical profession,”Those who feel lonely, depressed or isolated, are 3 to 5 times more likely to suffer premature death or disease. I don’t know of anything else across medicine that has such a broad and powerful impact.” (Dr Dean Ornish, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California.) In the UK nowadays, depression is one of the top five conditions people seek acupuncture treatment for.

Turning to diet, Chinese medicine can guide not only what we eat, but how we eat it. The ancient Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, advised “The five cereals are staple food; the five fruits are auxiliary; the five meats are beneficial; the five vegetables should be taken in abundance.” 2500 years later, these priorities resonate strikingly with the UK’s “5-(portions of fruit & veg) a-Day” campaign. Over the centuries, subsequent texts reveal sophisticated developments in the use of food, including the transition to cooked food, made possible by drilling wood to create fire. Yi Yin in the Shang dynasty (BC1600-1046) emphasised that physicians should use the right kinds of food to help cure disease; food had now become equal to medicine.

Foods today are chosen to support the patient’s Qi, balance yin and yang, and to treat illness. So when recommending particular foods to a patient, an acupuncturist will take account of a host of factors, including the person’s complaint, age, constitution, living and working environment etc. You do not have to be unwell to benefit from advice on the most appropriate diet for you; we should all choose foods which help maintain our health.

Finally, there is how we eat. Never skip breakfast. “People who eat breakfast are significantly less likely to be obese and suffer from diabetes than those who usually do not.” (American Heart Association’s 43rd Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease & Prevention). Eat sitting and relaxed. Eat slowly and chew your food well. (“The stomach has no teeth”- Chinese saying.) Eat only to 7/10 full.

Below, you will find some modern medical research from which you might wish to take a few healthy living tips.

Musculoskeletal conditions encompass a very wide array of problems, but for simplicity I shall exclude under this category, both injuries and arthritis; for help with them, please look under their specific headings on my website. Under the musculoskeletal heading, I am going to give you an introduction to how acupuncture approaches conditions as . . . → Read More: Musculoskeletal Conditions]]>

Musculoskeletal conditions encompass a very wide array of problems, but for simplicity I shall exclude under this category, both injuries and arthritis; for help with them, please look under their specific headings on my website. Under the musculoskeletal heading, I am going to give you an introduction to how acupuncture approaches conditions as diverse as frozen shoulder, stiff neck, tight shoulders, trapped nerves and carpal tunnel syndrome.

In our first consultation, I need to establish when the problem began, whether you feel it was triggered by a particular event, or whether it has crept on gradually. Then there are some other things for you to think about. Do you feel pain all of the time, or only on certain movements? Is your range of movement restricted, and if so, how eg. a frozen shoulder might be preventing you from reaching into a back pocket or brushing your hair? Is the pain sharp or shooting, or does it feel more dull and heavy? Have you found it responds to movement, rest or warmth? Does the pain spread some distance from where you feel the focus of the problem lies eg. pain which radiates from your shoulder to your elbow or beyond?

Next I will gather information on your health and wellbeing more generally, and note any other medical conditions which you have, or have had, in the past. We will move on to a thorough physical examination of the affected area and its surroundings, including assessing your range of movement and checking for tender areas. I can then give you your first treatment, aimed not only at helping the problem directly, but also at assisting with any subtle underlying imbalances which may have been perpetuating it: even stress may be one such factor.

My treatments for musculoskeletal problems are likely to involve a combination of massage and acupuncture, with exercises for you to perform at home. Generally, the longer a condition has persisted, or the more severe it is, the more treatment will be required. Change is usually experienced after five or six treatments, but fairly recent problems treated early, can respond more quickly. I will usually suggest an initial number of sessions, after which we will review progress.

Do not worry if I have not listed your specific musculoskeletal problem (there exist a great many), or if you have not to date had a clear diagnosis. You are always welcome to telephone to discuss it.

Thirty patients (47% female and average age 48) with major depressive disorder, and partial or non-response to drug treatment after eight or more weeks, . . . → Read More: Acupuncture helps when Anti-Depressants do not]]> American researchers have completed a pilot study suggesting that acupuncture may be a useful adjunct to drug treatment in patients with depression, who are not responding to anti-depressant drugs alone.

Thirty patients (47% female and average age 48) with major depressive disorder, and partial or non-response to drug treatment after eight or more weeks, were given acupuncture for eight weeks, on either a weekly or twice-weekly basis. Twenty patients completed the study, and depression scores in both groups decreased significantly (18.5 to 11.5 on average). Response rates (defined as an improvement of 50% or more in depression score) were 47%. The authors concluded that acupuncture was safe, well-tolerated and effective, and may be useful in out-patient settings.

(A Pilot Study of Acupuncture Augmentation Therapy in Anti-Depressant Partial & Non-Responders with Major Depressive Disorder. Journal of Affect Disorders, April 2011.)