Acupuncture and seasonal allergies

Articles - acupuncture, allergy, health, needle, therapy - March 2, 2018

Symptoms of running nose, sneezing, and watery itchy eyes that recur during specific parts of the year are a cause of much suffering of a large segment of the Canadian and U.S. population. Millions of dollars are spent on medications and the allergy shots for the treatment of seasonal allergies.

Western medicine views seasonal allergies as a form of immediate hypersensitivity reaction which occurs when anti-bodies produced by lymphocytes interact with airborne particles such as pollen. Western medicine describes the locations of lymphocytes in addition to being in the blood stream as also in Peyer’s patches in the gastrointestinal tract, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow.

Interestingly in practice of acupuncture the Spleen, Stomach, and Large Intestine meridians are utilized to treat seasonal allergies a great deal. One can clearly see an overlap of Western and Chinese medical thought. Also, Chinese medical thought views sweets as being harmful to the Spleen function. Sweets are often a major factor in the persistence and intensity of seasonal allergy symptoms.

There is often a quick response when treating seasonal allergies with acupuncture. Often patients get some relief during the first visit while lying on the exam table with their acupuncture needles in place. Patients are asked to score their nose stuffiness on a zero to ten scale. Zero meaning no stuffiness at all and 10 being the worst possible stuffiness for the patient. A score may be determined before and after the acupuncture treatment. Patients can also determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment by tracking the number of sneezes per day and the number of itching episodes around their eyes. After an initial series of treatments, patients come in for further treatments on an as needed basis. Some patients come back in once or twice a year for a booster while others may come more often. In general, patients do better if they avoid sugar and milk in their diets. They have better and longer lasting responses. A lot of patients who failed medication and allergy shots respond to acupuncture. Patients continue with whatever standard treatments they are currently undergoing while getting acupuncture treatments. Most patients end up significantly reducing or eliminating their dependence on allergy medications.

There are many different ways of performing acupuncture, for example Traditional Chinese Medicine, Japanese, Korean, French Energetics, Worsley 5 Elements, etc. In choosing an acupuncturist the specific style a practitioner uses is not as important as the success rate a practitioner obtains with whatever style they use. Prospective patients should speak with the acupuncturist and inquire about past experience in treating seasonal allergies and their success rate.

Proper Sleep Ergonomics

Articles - health, mattress, pillow, sleep - March 2, 2018

“Sleep ergonomics” refers to our postures and positions during sleep. They either help us rest in safe mechanical positions for joints or they stress joints to the point that we wake up with more aches and pains than we fell asleep with. Sleeping position matters. Poor-quality sleep is proven to negatively affect overall health.

Sleeping Positions to Reduce Back Pain
It is possible and desirable to take strain off your back by making simple changes in sleeping posture. The healthiest sleeping position is on your side. If that’s how you sleep, draw your legs up slightly toward your chest and put a pillow between your legs. Some people even use a full-length body pillow to help maintain balance. Try not to put weight on your arms. This causes circulatory problems and a related pins-and needles sensation. Instead, try crossing them in a braced position.

If you sleep on your back, it is best to place a pillow under your knees to help maintain the normal lower back curvature. You might also try placing a small rolled towel under the small of the back for more support. Be aware that sleeping on your stomach is generally bad for your back and your neck. In this position, the neck spine undergoes considerable strain, which can cause nerve compression, muscular imbalance and muscle pain. Many people who sleep on their stomach wake up with pain and/or spasms in their neck.

Mattresses and Pillows
Your mattress and pillow should support your body in its natural position, allowing it to rest and recover from the day’s activities. The best mattresses are designed to conform to the spine’s natural curves and keep the spine in alignment. Some sleep experts recommend supportive memory-foam mattresses for this purpose.

A recent study investigated how spine support affects sleep in healthy subjects. It found that the relationship between bedding and sleep quality is affected by individual physical features, dimensions, and sleep posture. In particular, results indicated that a sagging sleep system negatively affects sleep quality.

Maintain your mattress
Remember to turn your mattress over every few months. If possible, replace the mattress after five to seven years of regular use. If you feel springs or bumps beneath the surface when you’re lying on the bed, or you and your partner unintentionally roll toward the middle of the bed, it’s time to go shopping for a new mattress. A worn-out mattress can reduce the quality of sleep and make back problems worse. You may also find that the mattress is to blame for insomnia if you notice yourself sleeping better in another bed—in a hotel, for example.

Pillows matter
An ergonomic pillow is designed to accommodate the user’s sleeping position and to minimize any associated tension that may result from prolonged time spent in one position. Ergonomic pillows are shaped differently from regular pillows. They are often made of foam or similar form-retaining material that offers greater support. Most ergonomic pillows are used for sleep, although some are used for lower back support while sitting. They vary in size from small neck pillows used for long car trips or flights to very large full-body pillows meant to cradle the entire body during sleep.

A healthful pillow is designed to keep the spine in natural alignment, which minimizes stress on the body. Most people do not maintain neutral positions while they sleep. This creates tension at problem spots like the neck and the lower back, resulting in pain in either or both of these areas. An ergonomic pillow can often correct such problems. A pillow of the wrong size can cause or aggravate neck and shoulder problems. When you sleep on your side, the pillow should fill the space between the head and mattress so that the cervical spine is in line with, and an extension of, the spine. The pillow should support the head, neck and shoulders and adapt to the contours of these areas. This will optimize your sleeping position throughout the night. A pillow also should be hypo-allergenic.

Keeogo for Parkinson’s Disease

Articles - health, keeogo, mobility, muscle, parkinson - March 2, 2018

Parkinson’s disease (PD) was first described by Dr. James Parkinson in 1817 as a “shaking palsy.” It is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by both motor and non-motor features.

The disease has a significant clinical impact on patients, families, and caregivers through its progressive degenerative effects on mobility and muscle control. The motor symptoms of PD are attributed to the loss of striatal dopaminergic neurons, although the presence of non-motor symptoms supports neuronal loss in non-dopaminergic areas as well. The term parkinsonism is a symptom complex used to describe the motor features of PD, which include resting tremor, bradykinesia, and muscular rigidity. PD is the most common cause of parkinsonism, although a number of secondary causes also exist, including diseases that mimic PD and drug-induced causes.

Although it is primarily a disease of the elderly, individuals have developed PD in their 30s and 40s. Gender differences pertaining to the incidence of PD are reflected in a 3:2 ratio of males to females, with a delayed onset in females attributed to the neuroprotective effects of estrogen on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system.

PD’s variable but pronounced progression has a significant impact on patients, families, and society. Advanced and end-stage disease may lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, which are often associated with death. Current treatment is focused on symptomatic management. Evidence suggests that PD patients may also benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to care that includes movement specialists, social workers, pharmacists, and other health care practitioners.

A recent technological breakthrough has allowed patients with PD to achieve a remarkable improvement in their lifestyle. Without the KeegoTM device, patients walked slowly, had to stop when taking stairs from exhaustion, had a difficult time picking up objects from the floor, exerted strenuous effort, when getting up from a chair to walk down the hall. Patients with PD wearing a KeegoTM device were able to achieve healthy movement patterns during several clinical trials. The same patients were able to walk about quickly, had no trouble walking up or down the stairs, picked up objects from the floor with little effort, and were able to easily sit down, and get up from the seat without propping themselves up with their hands.

Chiropractic for Fibromyalgia

Articles - chiropractic, fibromyalgia, health, massage, therapy - March 2, 2018

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disorder involving widespread pain and sensitivity in the entire musculoskeletal system. To be diagnosed with FM, a patient will typically possess a minimum of 11 out of 18 specific tender points on the body. In addition to pain, patients will also report long-term fatigue, and/or disturbed sleep and mood. Other disorders commonly associated with FM may include: irritable bowel syndrome, TMJ pain and dysfunction, psychological conditions and some autoimmune diseases.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?
Medical science is yet to discover the cause for this condition. Because there are so many different symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, there are just as many theories for what causes it. Since those with FM often experience an altered mood, such as depression, many medical experts focus on the psychological aspect of the disease. Others feel that FM is more a physiological entity, and has its origins in physical trauma or chronic postural alterations. Some suggest that FM is a central nervous system disorder, with imbalances in neurochemicals, since those with FM are hypersensitive to even the slightest stimuli. They often have a pain response to normally non-painful pressure or activity. It’s not out of the question that a combination of psychological and physical triggers can result in the onset of many of FM symptoms.

Chiropractors often offer their skills to FM patients, hoping to relieve some of their symptoms. In fact, evidence suggests that those with FM consult with chiropractors quite regularly. According to a study conducted at a tertiary Mayo Clinic, 37% of the 300+ FM patients surveyed had visited a chiropractor in the previous 6 months.

But does chiropractic work for them? Some recent studies indicate it does. In one example, chiropractors surveyed FM patients before, during and after a series of treatments to see if they responded favorably to chiropractic adjustments combined with a specific soft tissue technique known as ischemic compression. In this preliminary study, 60% of the subjects who were treated with this protocol experienced a significant improvement with respect to pain reduction, improved sleep and decreased fatigue. What was especially encouraging was the improvements were reported to be maintained in a 1-month follow up. Chiropractors are trained as neuromusculoskeletal specialists, and one of the main focuses of chiropractic care is the positive effects it can have on a person’s nervous system. Since all information from the outside world is collected and analyzed by the nervous system, it’s logical to assume that if a person with FM is sensitive to a stimulus that others are not, there may be something wrong with this system.

More studies are needed to show the positive effects that chiropractors can have with FM patients. However, some studies already indicate that having chiropractic care alongside other traditional treatment methods including exercise, massage techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy is likely to give these patients a better chance for recovery.

It is also important to note that not all chiropractors are the same and treatment can be quite varied. This is the same with medical doctors to some extent. To put it in the proper context, if you tried one medical doctor and you didn’t like them or what they did would you never go back to another medical doctor again? Most would say no to that. However, many people try chiropractic, not chiropractors. So, if you have gone to only one or a few chiropractors and he or she didn’t help you, consider trying PRI Clinic. This is especially true with Fibromyalgia.

I have done extensive research with Fibromyalgia and one of the main things to consider in treating a patient is their capacity to accept treatment. If you do too much with a Fibromyalgia patient, either later that day or the next day they will feel like they have been run over by a truck. However, if you treat them within their capacity they will show continual improvement. Often I will have a patient come back in after their first treatment stating that they slept extremely well the night after their treatment. This is exciting to the patient because they are finally getting the rest they need and it is exciting to me because I know that their body is finally beginning to heal. At PRI clinic, we have chiropractors, massage therapists and psychologists that are specifically trained to offer you the techniques that will help your fibromyalgia condition that is individually tailored to your needs.

Massage Therapy and Thyroid Health

Articles - health, massage, therapy, thyroid - March 1, 2018

January is National Thyroid Awareness Month. In this article, we talk about how massage therapy can assist some thyroid conditions.

Hypothyroidism
The term hypothyroidism encompasses any condition witnessing the thyroid gland’s inability to produce adequate levels of hormones known as T3 and T4. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune inflammatory condition that destroys the thyroid gland, is the leading cause of hypothyroidism. The other major cause indicates a broad medical treatment term that includes surgical procedures to remove all or a portion of the thyroid. Removal of cancerous tissue in thyroid cancer patients is a prime example of this cause.

Major signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue; muscle weakness; fluctuations in weight without an obvious reason; dry, thinning hair; rough skin patching; cold intolerance; depression; abnormal menses; decreased libido; and cognitive challenges.

A patient may be difficult to diagnose by her physician due to not manifesting many of these symptoms initially. Insidious changes occur slowly, leaving a patient wondering why he feels off-balance. Most people will not think to consider their thyroid as the culprit, resulting in symptoms worsening slowly over time. Serious complications can occur, including heart failure, coma and severe depression.
Goiters, or enlarged thyroids, may be witnessed in hypothyroid patients. These result from an overproduction of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from the pituitary gland. The constant stimulation from TSH will cause the thyroid tissues to swell. If the thyroid gland still cannot produce adequate T3 and T4 hormones, the patient will be considered to have goitrous hypothyroidism.

It is important to note that the presence of a goiter does not always equate to hypothyroidism. Other conditions featuring the development of a goiter include dietary iodine deficiency, the patient taking lithium carbonate, infectious disease, postpartum complications or a rare fibrosis condition called Riedel’s thyroiditis.

Massage for Thyroid Patient Health
Massage therapy and related bodywork can benefit the hypothyroid patient in many profound ways. First, a significant reduction in the patient’s symptoms can be witnessed with the usage of acupressure. This benefit was demonstrated by a research study in Russia conducted in 2011. Reflexology and Gua Sha technique were also utilized in this study involving Chinese medicine theory in addressing hypothyroidism.

A second benefit of massage therapy for the hypothyroid patient is aiding improved blood and lymphatic circulation. Since proper blood and lymphatic flow is vital for all endocrine organs, the thyroid could benefit from improved circulation.

Reduced inflammation is a third benefit derived from massage therapy and related bodywork. Research through the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California, and McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, indicates that massage therapy may create a result similar to anti-inflammatory medications at a cellular level. This benefit will aid the hypothyroid patient with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or similar inflammatory concerns.

A fourth benefit of massage treatment is reduced stress within the body. This benefit can decrease cortisol and other stress hormones to help manage weight healthily.

Finally, increasing muscle strength will combat the fatigue and weakness often felt by the hypothyroid patient. A Swedish massage including a large percentage of petrissage strokes can enhance the size, strength and stamina of muscle tissue.
Please note that the information presented here is not intended to replace advice from a medical professional. If you are affected by hypothyroidism, please consult an MD.