Yearly Archives: 2018

Challenge Your Brain

Challenge Your Brain Keep your mind active and challenged. Brain function decreases with age. Studies show that cognitive exercise can improve blood flow to the brain. Spend at least 15 minutes each day on a mental exercise such as a crossword puzzle, journaling or learning a new language in order to slow memory loss. However you choose to exercise your brain, acupuncture can help. Numerous studies suggest that acupuncture can help improve memory, mental clarity, concentration and cognitive function. One recently published study showed how acupuncture can be used to help patients with vascular dementia. Cerebral functional imaging before and after acupuncture treatments showed a significant increase in the cerebral glucose metabolism of the brain, which is associated with improved cognitive function. Other studies have looked at how acupuncture affects the performance of students taking an exam or those with Alzheimer's disease and memory impairment induced by diabetes and cerebral ischemia. All results, thus far, have been positive.

Continue ReadingChallenge Your Brain

Challenge Your Brain – Acupuncture Increases Brain Function for Patients with MCI

Challenge Your Brain Acupuncture Increases Brain Function for Patients with MCI   There has been a push in recent years to study mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which causes issues with memory, cognition and learning. MCI occurs prior to the onset of Alzheimer's disease and symptoms go beyond normal, age-related changes. There are no pharmacological drugs available to treat MCI in the long-run, so researchers set out to discover if acupuncture could provide substantial medical benefits. The results of their efforts appear in the study "Modulatory effects of acupuncture on brain networks in mild cognitive impairment patients" published in the February 2017 issue of Neural Regeneration Research. Half of the study participants received real acupuncture treatments specifically designed to improve cognitive functions in the brain. The other half of the patients received sham acupuncture which did not specifically treat MCI or increase cognitive function. All of the study participants had five acupuncture sessions per week for one month. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers tracked the lines of communications between different areas of the brain…

Continue ReadingChallenge Your Brain – Acupuncture Increases Brain Function for Patients with MCI

Exercises to Improve Concentration

Exercises to Improve Concentration Trouble focusing on your work or losing steam mid-way? Oriental medicine has innovative approaches to restoring concentration, based on an interpretation of Qi, the energy which powers the body and the mind. According to Oriental Medicine, Qi stems from four main components of diet, exercise, rest and mental activity, each of which tend to vary in terms of quality, quantity, frequency, and duration. Looking at these components, you may realize you need to make adjustments to your diet, fitness, and relaxation strategies in order to make them more sustainable and conducive to improved brain function and overall health. If you are bloated or tired after meals or struggling to fall asleep after turning off the computer, you already know what actions you need to take to nourish your Qi and mind! Meditation and Tai Chi can also help calm and focus the mind. Try integrating these exercises, to nourish and improve your concentration. Eye Exercise for Concentration Prolonged focus on a fixed location can cause eyestrain as well as…

Continue ReadingExercises to Improve Concentration

Boost Your Mental Energy, Recall, and Focus

Boost Your Mental Energy, Recall, and Focus Are you having difficulties recalling what you ate for dinner last night, or do you tend to forget what you are talking about in mid conversation? Do you have trouble coming up with new ideas or find yourself having to study twice as much to retain half the information? Fuzzy thinking can muddle our words as much as our thoughts. It can drain our creative juices, zap our confidence and make us question our intelligence. Here are a few acupressure exercises to improve your mental function: Mental Energy Boost For a quick boost of mental energy, press point Shuigou. It is located between the bottom of your nose and your upper lip, in the vertical groove that is technically called the philtrum. Simply tap the area with moderate force for about 30 seconds to help revitalize your mind and bring your awareness back to the present moment. Memory Recall Boost When you're struggling to recall information and can't quite do it, try applying pressure to point…

Continue ReadingBoost Your Mental Energy, Recall, and Focus

Nourish, Stimulate, and Calm Your Brain

Nourish, Stimulate, and Calm Your Brain Having difficulties focusing, remembering tasks or organizing your thoughts? It may sound strange to learn that cognitive function is not solely the job of the brain alone; other parts and organs of the body are involved--the heart and kidneys both partner with the brain to nurture a healthy and attentive mind. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help optimize your brain power through a treatment approach that incorporates different modalities, including nutritional support. One reason why the heart needs constant attention is because it must constantly pump blood throughout the body via the blood vessels. Oxygen and vital substances are delivered to the brain in this manner to stimulate or calm it. The heart also has another important responsibility relating to the sustainability of the brain: to house the Shen. The concept of the Shen can be described as the spirit or mind of a person. According to acupuncture and Oriental medicine, the spirit, or Shen, embodies consciousness, emotions and thought. Shen influences long-term memory and the ability to think clearly, contributes to wisdom,…

Continue ReadingNourish, Stimulate, and Calm Your Brain

Science Provides Proof of Acupuncture’s Helpful Role in Cancer Therapy

Clinical trials have examined the effects of acupuncture on cancer as a disease, as well as the symptoms caused by cancer treatments. Results have shown that, for many patients, treatment with acupuncture relieves symptoms or keeps them from getting worse. Relief for Nausea and Vomiting: The strongest evidence of the beneficial effect of acupuncture has come from clinical trials that investigated its use for relieving nausea and vomiting. Several types of clinical trials using different acupuncture methods showed acupuncture reduced nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and surgery. Boosts the Immune System: Human studies on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response, including an increase in the number of white blood cells. Improves Pain Management: In clinical studies, acupuncture reduced pain levels for some cancer patients. In one study, most of the patients treated with acupuncture were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or to reduce their doses. Relieves Pain and Stiffness during Hormone Therapy: In 2010, the Journal of…

Continue ReadingScience Provides Proof of Acupuncture’s Helpful Role in Cancer Therapy

Injury Prevention and Healing

Fitness clubs across the country are full of enthusiastic individuals giving it their all to get fit or drop a few pounds. Unfortunately, trying to do too much too quickly can result in a painful price. Common sports injuries treated by acupuncture and Oriental medicine include pulled muscles, neck pain, shoulder impingement, tennis elbow, lower back strain, pulled groin, hamstring strain, runner's knee, shin splints, ankle sprain, tendinitis, and foot pain. Treatment for a sports injury with acupuncture and Oriental medicine has two objectives: 1. Reduce pain and inflammation of the injured area. There is evidence that acupuncture can aid healing and resolution of injuries, including reducing pain, increasing local micro-circulation and attracting white blood cells to the area (both of which speed the healing rate), and aid dispersal of swelling and bruising. 2. Prevent further injuries and enhance athletic performance. The best way to approach a fitness program without causing injury is to avoid diving in. Instead, take it slow and get the joints and muscles you haven't used in a while…

Continue ReadingInjury Prevention and Healing

Acupuncture Enhances Endurance Athletics Performance

Many people realize the value of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine to treat sports injuries, but did you know that it can enhance athletic performance? In 2010, a German practitioner of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine specializing in sports injuries conducted a scientific study to measure how acupuncture affects a runner’s performance. The research paper "Improved Performance in Endurance Sports through Acupuncture" appeared in the German medical publication Sportverletz Sportschaden. The study included 3 groups of participants, all of whom were runners. One group received acupuncture, another received placebo acupuncture treatments, while the last group did not undergo any treatment at all. For the trial, all the participants ran a distance of 5 kilometers once a week for a total of 4 weeks. At the start of the study the maximum pulse rates were taken for each runner. Their pulse rates were taken again right after finishing the run and 1, 2 and 5 minutes later. The pulse rates for each runner were then multiplied with their respective maximum rate. This new figure is what…

Continue ReadingAcupuncture Enhances Endurance Athletics Performance

Strengthening Exercises to Reduce Chance of Injury

One of the best ways to wake up is by giving your arms a great big stretch in the morning, and if you can get on your feet and throw your whole body into it, all the better. Deep stretches are an excellent way to stimulate blood flow and invigorate your body and mind. Not only do they feel good, but they can also be performed as strengthening exercises and help reduce the chance of repetitive stress injuries. Repetitive stress injuries come in many different forms. A soccer player may contend with tendonitis in the knee from relentlessly kicking the ball across the field. A janitor may feel the pain of bursitis in the shoulders from mopping floors all day. Even sitting in an office for eight hours and typing may cause a person discomfort in the hands and arms, plus pain in the lower back from being sedentary for extended periods of time. There are many benefits to stretching, even before a problem sets in. One may expect an improvement in posture,…

Continue ReadingStrengthening Exercises to Reduce Chance of Injury

Boost Your Fitness and Sports Performance

When a top athlete like Kobe Bryant tweets a picture of acupuncture needles in his leg, you know it's time to consider how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help improve your sports performance. All athletes and coaches are involved in an ongoing search for ways to improve performance and gain a competitive edge over their rivals. Many are finding that acupuncture can often provide that edge. From moving more fluidly to recovering from an injury, acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help you to stay active, boost your fitness level, and recover more quickly. By following the principles of Oriental medicine, an acupuncture treatment can strengthen body function and restore internal harmony and balance. Professional sports teams and top athletes often have an acupuncturist on staff to treat injuries and keep them performing at their peak. Practitioners of Oriental medicine can help athletes, or even the amateur "weekend warrior," in many ways. In addition to acupuncture, tight, stiff muscles may be helped by manual techniques such as cupping, a suction-based massage, and Gua Sha,…

Continue ReadingBoost Your Fitness and Sports Performance