Acupuncture Clinic Amit

Acupuncture after Disasters

2011-11-17T19:51:00.001-05:00

Oh! And this is a link to a film shown at the NADA conference, about acupuncture being given to people in an area of Chile, following a devastating earthquake.

the 2011 NADA conference

2011-11-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

So, the 3rd weekend of May I attended the 22nd Annual NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) conference in Kansas City, MO. This year's conference theme was "NADA Communities of Recovery & Psychological First Aid" which theme its panels and other sessions explored over 2 days.

NADA is anon-profit organization which promotes training and advocacy for the5-needle auricular acupuncture protocol and its uses. Originallydeveloped for and seen in the field of substance abuse treatment, theNADA protocol has been widely used in treatment facilities all acrossthe U.S., as well as internationally. Recently, the benefits of thisdeeply calming natured protocol have been recognized and used inother settings including mental health treatment sites and indisaster response (for example by Acupuncturists without Borders inNew Orleans, Haiti and elsewhere) to forestall PTSD. Only
about 40% of the membership are acupuncture professionals, with the rest of the membership being psychiatrists, nurses, chemical dependency counselors, social workers, etc. Although it the NADA protocol is an acupuncture technique, employing acupuncture needles, it is also performed (actually largely performed in public-health settings) by non-acupuncture professionals, and most particularly by NADA-certified trainees. About 21 states permit these trainees to perform NADA (usually under supervision of licensed acupuncturists).

The conference keynote speaker was Robert Whitaker, investigative journalist and author of several books. He wrote Anatomy of An Epidemic about the history of mental illness in the "age pf psychopharmacology". I am currently reading this book, and plan to write up a book review later when I've finished (yes, I am just that geeky!). Some small tidbits from his talks:
* the "anti" (e.g. "antibiotic") disease model of mental illness began in 1955 with the introduction of Thorazine; from that point we have had a "profound leap forward" to psycharmaceutical drug spending of 40 billion dollars a year. (The mind more than boggles at such a figure -- it leaps free from its moorings & does a series of manic pirouettes!)
* Whitaker's central, simple query is: if these medications are so effective, shouldn't the mental illness disability rate drop? Or at least stabilize? One would think so, yes? Instead, the numbers indicate an ever-increasing rise in both mental illness diagnoses and the numbers of people who are determined to be so disabled by their diagnoses that they are classified as unable to be productive members of society. Surprisingly our disability rates are being swelled not by psychotic diagnoses, but by the "less severe", more transient affective disorders. Bipolar disease -- once a rare occurrence in the not-so-distant past -- is now appearing in society at the rate of 1 of every 50 adults.
* Although the biological basis for mental illness istill not definitively known (even the beloved serotonin "deficiency" theory doesn't hold water), it is still being "treated."

Otherpresentations at the conference included the use of a modified NADAprotocol in a pilot program at Walter Reed military Hospital inBethseda, which was targeted towards medical caretaker personnel; arough draft of a documentary film by Brian Lindstrom which exploredthe implementation of the NADA protocol in psychiatric treatmentcenters in Eruope, and a report from “Acupuncturists WithoutBorders” Haiti Operations Manager, Julia Ranieri, about AWBoperations in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake.

(Justafter the conference ended, a deadly tornado hit Joplin in southernMissouri, and volunteer practitioners from both NADA and AWB mobilized to offer affected populations auricular acupuncturetreatments.)

Mypersonal relationship with NADA started as a student with my NADAtraining in 2000, which was a required part of my AOM education, andcontinued with my professional experience in a substance abusetreatment center. In my opinion, the existence of NADA & ADS'esbenefit acupuncture physicians & our profession, both directly &indirectly. Directly with job creation (when professionalacupuncturists supervise ADS'es) and as a source of referrals to“real” acupuncture for clients who have been introduced to theNADA treatments; and indirectly because the bulk of acupuncturetreatments in the publichealth forum is occurring in NADA-centered clinics, and theirexistence helps to influence & expand the general public's viewof the usefulness of our medicine. Additionally, the NADAorganization has been compiling & organizing a treasure trove ofoutcomes-based research on acupuncture care for decades.

For more information on NADA, includingspecific details on upcoming trainings, I urge you to please contactNADA, via their website: www.acudetox.com.

Acupuncture in the Media

2011-10-20T07:52:00.000-04:00

I'm no media watch-dog, but I find it interesting to see how the media depicts my profession.

The facts are that there is a growing number of acupuncture professionals in the U.S. (about 30,000), with a concomitant growing number of people who access acupuncture services each year. Health insurance companies provide coverage for acupuncture treatments (depending on the state), and acupuncture providers are licensed as independent health professionals in the majority of states (44 or more), and as primary care providers in some (like Florida). Acupuncture services have been offered (by volunteers) & utilized in disaster situations (NYC after 9-11, post-Katrina NOLA, post-earthquake Haiti and other places).

A (very) casual reading of the New York Times this week reveals 2 articles about acupuncture.

On Sunday, the Times Style magazine had a brief article about a high-priced acupuncturist in the New York area and his facial rejuvenation treatments. The article featured a pretty model with about 2 dozen needles sticking out of her face.

On Monday, there was an article about postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which affects a small percentage of children (~1%), and causes them to feel tired, achy and have racing heartbeats with the slightest exertion. The article presented a specific case of a teenager in South Carolina and his 2-year bout with the problem, and a list of suggested treatments (salt, sleep, water, medications, exercise). At the very end of the article (the penultimate paragraph), the author notes almost off-handedly that the teenager in question was helped by acupuncture treatments.

So, what's UP with that? Are we more media-palatable when our treatments are used for stress relief and wrinkles than for actual health care?

NEW & IMPROVED online scheduling!

2011-10-17T19:42:00.000-04:00

We're working with a different program now -- which is cross-platform, so not just available to Google calendar-users, but to ANYONE on a web-browser.
To book an appointment, just go to our homepage & click the little orange button that says "BOOK NOW!". You can choose your time & your practitioner -- this option is even available to first-time patients!

Our Back to School Special

2011-09-11T23:04:00.000-04:00

For the month of September, we are offering special discounted fees to all current students, teachers & school staffers.

We treasure education as an important part of human society, and we're happy to add our small support!

Moxa use in Japan

2011-06-23T15:16:00.000-04:00

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2010/07/27/picture-japan-summer-smoke/

NEW Online Scheduling

2011-06-19T08:53:00.000-04:00

NEW Online Booking Tool using Google calendar. For our current patients who have Gmail accounts, you can now book your appointments with us online. The link to this is on our homepage. You can choose your practitioner and time, however for a same day appointment please email or call us.

JUNE special!

2011-06-07T21:37:00.003-04:00

Just a shout-out to all y'all that this month we are offering a new patient special: until the end of this month, ALL NEW PATIENTS can schedule for only a $45 fee.

Drop in (722 2nd Street North, St Pete 33701), call (727-471-8747) or email (clinicamit@gmail.com) to take advantage of our open-door policy!

Community Service, with Pins & Needles

2011-04-24T20:14:00.005-04:00

As might be expected, people who enter our field are usually community-oriented, and hope to use their skills for the greater good. This goal is one of the motivations that Eran & I share in our work and outlook on life.

As many of you know, we established a weekly free drop-in acupuncture clinic at the downtown Senior Center -- now chugging along for more than a year. This is similar to many other of our colleagues all over the world who volunteer in both formal & informal service venues, on an occasional or regular basis.

Additionally, in the future, as our practice supports it, we would like to hold "community day clinics" at our clinic on 2nd street. Although we created our modest fees with the idea in mind of reducing the financial barrier to our form of health-care, we know that even these fees are still too high for some folks. Our future plan is to offer special clinics 2-4x/month of our regular services but at very discounted prices to folks living with incomes around the federal poverty level (FPL). Stay tuned for more details!

What follows is a short list of groups that deliver direct-care acupuncture services to various needy communities, and which always welcome donations!

Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB)
Created with the goal of providing PTSD relief in the aftermath of disasters, AWB has recruited licensed acupuncturists to travel to sites of disasters (New Orleans after hurrican Katrina, southern California after wildfire damage and Haiti after the earthquake). Volunteers focus on providing NADA ear acupuncture treatments. As one of its future plans, AWB hopes to train local health providers in Haiti in the NADA protocol. AWB welcomes volunteers and donations.

Alternative Healthcare Access Campaign (AHAC)
Co-founded by Chris in 1999, AHAC provides free treatments delivered by licensed acupuncturists (including both Chris & Eran in the past), massage therapists and naturopathic doctors provide free treatments services at homeless shelters & encampments and service venues (drop-in centers, etc.) in the Seattle area. AHAC welcomes volunteers and donations of money & treatment supplies.

Global Alternative Health care Project (GAHP)
GAHP sends professionals to remote communities to provide free Chinese medicine treatments. GAHP has has programs in Bali, Nepal, Navaho Nation-land, and Jackson Hole, WY. GAHP welcomes volunteers and donations of money & treatment supplies.

GUAMAP (Guatemala Acupuncture and Medical Aid Project)
In the true “barefoot doctor” tradition, GUAMAP recruits Spanish-speaking acupuncturists to train & monitor indigenous health promoters in rural Guatemala. Since the 1990’s, GUAMAP-trained health promoters have provided over 10,000 treatments to people in rural Guatemala. GUAMAP welcomes volunteers and donations of money & treatment supplies. (Little known fact: one of Chris' high school classmates is on the Board of this fine group!)

Kang Wen Community Clinic (KWCC)
Founded in 1987 by acupuncturists as one of the first complementary medicine to provide treatments to people with HIV & AIDS, KWCC later expanded its mission and outreach to offer quality AOM treatments at a real sliding-scale to the greater community. About 75% of its patients have incomes at or below the Federal Poverty Level and are able to access treatments at $10. Both Chris & Eran have volunteered their skills at this clinic. KWCC very much welcomes volunteers and donations of money & treatment supplies.

Mindful Medicine Worldwide
Founded in 2009, MMW seeks to bring long-term integrative health care to people of developing areas, domestically and internationally, by establishing and operating integrative health care clinics. Professional volunteer practitioners provide medical services and healthcare education to patients at 3 clinics in Nepal and on the Burmese-Thai border, as well as participate in educating local lay people to be integrative health workers within their communities. Mindful Medicine Worldwide is rooted in a practice of mindfulness, education, research and training. MMW welcomes volunteers and donations.

The Pan-African Acupuncture Project
Modeled after GUAMAP, this project was founded by acupuncturists in 2003, and focuses on training local health workers in acupuncture techniques. International acupuncturists are recruited to come to training sites in Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia and has created a training manual with special sections to address the care of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. The Project welcomes volunteers and donations.

OMMMMMMMMMMMM: Meditation and Pain Perception

2011-04-08T18:06:00.005-04:00

My father passed this neat article on, about the impact of even a small amount of meditation training on one's perception of pain. The study's results showed significant decreases in pain perception (40% less pain intensity & 57% less unpleasantness) -- which changes were also documented on MRI scans.

Brain scans have also been used to measure the effect of acupuncture on pain perception, as in this article, and this blog about acupuncture and carpal tunnel syndrome pain.

Sleep & Calories

2011-04-01T17:48:00.005-04:00

A new Columbia University study investigated the link between sleep deprivation & overeating. It's a small study (26 participants) but resulted in an average caloric intake increase of about 300 calories. (Approximately an 11-15% increase over an average daily caloric intake!)

"Sleep-deprived People eat 300 more calories a day."

The Incredible Voyage (2010 version)

2010-12-23T08:16:00.005-05:00

For those of you who don't know about this, Google Labs has just created a human body browser -- called "Google Body Browser."

It's a fun little software to look through bones, muscles, organs, neural segments, etc. Happily, it is has a search box in the upper right corner, so you can type it in and find out just exactly WHERE your hippocampus is! (And you thought it was a field of hippopotamuses, yes?)

"Medical Acupuncture" -- acupuncture training for M.D.s

2010-12-03T23:41:00.004-05:00

I came across this interesting post discussing the abbreviated acupuncture training for M.D.s and the viewpoint that it creates under-trained practitioners, with a shallow understanding of the theoretical foundations of the science of acupuncture.

The author, Dr. Marilyn Walkey, has an impressive background -- she has been a medical doctor for more than 20 years, who initially took a "medical acupuncture" training course, and then actually enrolled in AOM school to become a fully-qualified acupuncture practitioner.

(For those of you who don't know, acupuncture practitioner training in the U.S. is 2000+ hours of didactic & clinical training -- usually this is a graduate degree academic program. This is in contrast to medical acupuncture courses, which are usually 200-300 hours of training -- although chiropractors in the state of Florida can qualify for chiropractic acupuncture certification after 100 hours of additional training -- as per the DOH's Acupuncture Certification Application.)

Dr. Walkey's view is that the profession of acupuncture in the U.S. is being under-represented by the sub-field of "medical acupuncture" and that patients who are being treated by it may be missing the benefits of this medicine.

Food Rules (an old-fashioned book review!)

2010-09-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

I just read Michael Pollan's Food Rules, a fun little book that was created as a companion to his In Defense of Food.

The book approaches the basic (important, yet also an object of obsession) issue of food & eating habits. Mr. Pollan analyzes our (modern Western) culture's relationship to nutrition and diagnoses it as ailing.

("Populations that eat a so-called Western diet -- generally defined as a diet consisting of lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, lots of everything except vegetables, fruits and whole grains -- invariably suffer from high rates of the so-called Western diseases: obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.")

In response to the simple questions What do we eat? How should we eat? Mr. Pollan proposes some simple "rules" -- many of them culled from generations of human experience. The very, very abridged version of these rules is "Eat Food. Mostly Plants. Not too much."

One aspect that I found striking in this book is Pollan's assessment of the modern world's widespread weight gain -- we tend to consider being overweight or obese a personal problem, and certainly those of us who are are acutely aware of our own avoirdupois, but actually this is a cultural -- not individual -- trend: the percentage of overweight and obese Americans is growing at an alarming rate. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) calls it an "epidemic" -- the U.S. overall obesity rate is now 26.7%, with variations by region and ethnic group, and as the pounds accumulate, the other health issues pile on.

Michael Pollan's little book is a reminder that the "solution"to this health crisis is completely (almost, of course there are some endocrinological exceptions) in our own hands; we can have self-control and we can reinforce it by making specific decisions.

These are a few of the Rules which especially tickled my fancy:

#7: Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
#13: Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
#19: If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.
#21: It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos or Pringles.)
#25: Eat your colors.
#30: Eat well-grown food from healthy soil.
#34: Sweeten and salt your food yourself.
#37: "The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead."
#46: Stop eating before you are full.
#57: Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does.
# 60: Treat treats as treats.
#64: Break the rules once in a while.

Eye of Newt & Toe of Frog ...

2010-09-05T15:30:00.011-04:00

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
(Macbeth by W. Shakespeare; Act IV, Scene 1)

I think that there is a general impression that Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) are made from all sorts of super-icky things (and there's no dispute on the errors of overuse of tiger bones and rhino horns!) Actually, about 85-90% of the most commonly used herbs in the Chinese materia medica (which is roughly counted as 1500 items) are plant-based. We have roots, twigs, leaves, flowers. I often like to joke when dispensing bags of raw herbs that they are "lawn sweepings" -- but good for you!

Because it is a traditional cultural use medicine, some of the theories that CHM is organized around include the "signature effect" (not unique to the Asian materia medica), the thinking that an herb source's form will indicate its use. Some reflections of this are theory are:

flowers & plants that succesfully struggle to grow high on mountains are more "yang" & can tonify such a deficiency
aerial plant parts, or branches are used to treat a patient's limbs
"bleeding flees from black" (charred herbs are styptic)
dense and juicy tubers or fruits can nourish "yin"
small, wriggly bugs (yes, bugs) can seek out blood stagnation in the tiny channel collaterals.

These types of theories partially inform the theory of the herbal medicine that we practice (other theories and classifications of herbal substances are more based on empirical observation of their uses). Interestingly, a lot of the modern pharmacological research being conducted in Asia is meant to "prove" in biochemical terms the veracity of these old theories (and seems to frequently do so).

Chinese herbs don't hold the franchise on the"ick" factor -- some modern pharmaceuticals have gross origins too! Some of these include fish semen (used to treat heparin overdoses), rat poison (Coumadin), pregnant mares' urine (Premarin).

bulbous buttercup

Note: Please, those of you who are taking Coumadin, please do become familiar with its side effects, as this drug can have very serious risks (gangrene or death).

p.s. It is actually thought that some, or most of the ingredients in the witches' brew listed above were actually names of plants. "Eye of newt" may have been mustard seeds; "toe of frog" a reference to bulbous buttercup; "tongue of dog" a plant in the borage family, and so forth!

Even Low Tobacco Smoke Exposure Is Risky

2010-08-27T07:48:00.002-04:00

Yet more findings about the perils of tobacco exposure:

Even Low Tobacco Smoke Exposure Is Risky

A Chinese Herb & M.S.

2010-07-27T18:15:00.000-04:00

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an interesting story, entitled "MS Drug's Epic Journey from Folklore to Lab" -- the subject being an herb from the traditional materia medica of Chinese medicine, called dong chong xia cao (winter bug summer herb). This "herb" itself is an interesting amalgamation -- it is actually a fungus that grows upon a worm and eventually takes over its carcass as a home. This type of growth is called an endoparasitoid -- not very appealing to the ethical vegetarian!

Dong Chong Xia Cao has a relatively recent history in Chinese herbal medicine: only some 300 years of documented use. It is classified as a Kidney yang tonic, which generally means a warming tonic but this herb doesn't damage yin in the process, so it's not too drying. It is especially known for its use in treating respiratory diseases as it settles coughs & wheezing. In recent decades. it's gained some notoriety for its use in improving Chinese athletes' performance. It is mostly harvested from the provinces of Tibet, Sichuan, & Qinghai, -- where its value has recently increased, even causing little frontier wars over collection rights. Despite its rather "icky" provenance, dong chong xia cao is considered a gentle tonic with very little toxicity.

Multiple sclerosis (usually just known as "M.S.") is a neurological disease of unknown etiology. It was recognized as a disease-syndrome in the 1868, by a famous neurological physician, Jean-Martin Charcot (this doctor conducted wide-ranging clinical work & research in neurological disorders, hysteria and hypnosis). For an unknown reason, the body itself apparently attacks the myelin sheath of the central nervous system, giving rise to a variety of neurological symptoms (changes in sensation, muscle weakness, fatigue & others).

Most modern pharmaceutical drugs are derived from herbs -- often from research that looks at herbs with specific medicinal functions. The working theory is that by extracting what is presumed to be the most "important" element of the herb, and then concentrating, or standardizing it, the resultant product will have an amplified ability to do whatever the source herb does. It's an interesting approach, this idea of isolating the single curative element from a raw material. But what if it's wrong? What if removing one element from an herb -- or one herb from a formula -- reduces its efficacy, or increases its toxicity, or unleashes heretofore unseen side effects? (Note that in this article, the isolated element of dong chong xia cao was too toxic for human use -- despite the herb's actual documented human use!)

Those other elements and additional herbs often have all those functions: they potentiate each other, they neutralize side effects, they negate toxicities, they increase bio-availability. The basic philosophical concept of Asian poly-pharmacy herbalism is of an herbal "community" of herbs working together in those ways inside of a formula that is actually part of the elegant art we call herbalism.

I find it interesting that this article looks at the concept of "retrieving" or "rescuing" valuable drugs from herbs used in medicinal traditions. I wonder what do modern researchers lose by looking at trying to take these traditional "tools" without their operating instructions? Happily, more & more clinical pharmaceutical-based medicine is turning towards the concept of working with polytherapies & the greater strength of combinations -- as for instance, the triple cocktail for HIV, and new malaria treatments.

Off-line Sources

1. Bensky, Clavey, Stoger. Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, 3rd ed.

2. Wu. Ben Cao Cong Xin.

Oatmeal for Breakfast

2010-07-17T14:37:00.003-04:00

I love cooking oats with cinnamon for breakfast. Oats are incredibly healthy and here is whyⁱ:

Oats remove cholesterol from the digestive tract and arteries & strengthen cardiac muscles.
Oats can be used in cases of dysentery, diabetes, hepatitis, nervous and sexual debility, indigestion and swelling including abdominal bloating.
Oats help renew the bones and all connective tissue.
Oats contain phosphorus, required for brain and nerve formation during youth.
Oats are useful as a poultice to relieve itching. They also heal and beautify the skin when used as a pack.
If drunk regularly, oat water acts as internal antiseptic to strengthen immunity and ward off contagions.

In addition, oatmeal can regulates your digestive system. It is the best breakfast to eat if you have diarrhea or constipation or both (like in IBS).

How to cook cinnamon oatmeal?

3-4 full tablespoons of oats

2 cups of water

Cinnamon powder

1 Banana/pear/peach/apple

Walnuts

Honey

In a small pot, use medium fire to warm the water with as much cinnamon as you like, for half a minute to let the water absorb the cinnamon.
Add the oats, mix them into the cinnamon-water and keep it on low to medium fire for another half a minute. The reduce heat to very low, and cook for 5 minutes. Gently stir it 2-3 times.
Meanwhile, cut a banana & wash a handful of walnuts. When the oats are cooked pore the oatmeal into a bowl, then add the banana, and the walnut, and add some honey on the top for extra sweetness.

If you don't have banana, you can use a pear, a peach or even an apple. Since the fruits are sweet, you can choose not to add the honey.

Coconut: sometimes I add shredded coconut to the cooking oats, and cook with it for couple of minutes.

You can change the amount of water and oats to get more liquid-like or thick-like oatmeal.

Some people like their oatmeal salty....so I guess that would be without cinnamon, fruits, nor honey, just salt.

After a big bowl like that, I am full for at least 5 hours.

Enjoy!

Eran Pupkin

i Paul Pitchford, Healing with Whole Foods, page 469

Mujaddara --- Brown Rice & Lentils

2010-07-17T11:03:00.004-04:00

Mujaddara --- Brown Rice & Lentils

In the middle east Mujaddara is a common & important dish, usually served at lunch or dinner with cooked vegetables on the side. The combination of brown rice with lentils creates a complete protein ⁱ and therefore it is one of the most basic dishes in the Mediterranean diet. Brown rice is sweet, and therefore strengthens our digestive system. It has vitamin B so it is beneficial for the nervous system – and can help relieve mental depression. It also treats diarrhea & nausea. Lentils as part of the legumes family are not only high in protein, but also in fat and carbohydrates. They are rich source of potassium, calcium, iron, and several B-vitamins.ⁱⁱ

Why brown and not white?

An old Japanese proverb, “eating grains without their skins causes people to become poor (in body and spirit) and to have no clothes (protection against coldness and disease)”ⁱⁱⁱ

White rice is created by removing both the bran and germ layers underneath the husk (the outermost layer of a grain of rice). By doing so, several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost, such as vitamin B1, B3, iron, magnesium. bran oil may help lower LDL cholesterol. Brown rice is made by removing only the husk, thus retaining all the vitamins and minerals. Brown rice is also said to be less constipating than white rice.

How to cook brown rice?

1 cup brown rice

2 – 2 ½ cups water

salt

black pepper

1 slice of ginger

Wash the rice a few times. Slice a piece of ginger, and cut it to small pieces (You don't have to peel the skin, it is edible).

Place rice, water, salt and the ginger in a pot with a tight-fitting lid.
Cover and bring to boil.
Turn heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
Remove rice from pot and serve.

If you don't like ginger, you can substitute it with garlic, or other spices such as fennel seed, star anise, cardamon, garlic, coriander seeds etc.

How to cook lentils?

First soak the lentils in water for 3-4 hours; then strain the water.

What you need:

1 cup of lentils

3-4 cups of water

Spices: cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds.

1-2 big onions

How to cook:

placed soaked lentils, spices and water in pot.
Bring to boil.
reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for an hour or until the water has been absorbed.

Cut the onions to small pieces. Fry them in a pan with some olive oil until they turn golden.

Add the fried onion on top of the lentils and serve.

Now you have 2 dishes, rice and lentils. You can mix then together in one big bowl and let the flavors mingle, or you can serve it separately on your plate. Of course adding colorful veggies to your plate would be great!

Bon appetit!

Eran Pupkin

i A complete protein (or whole protein) is a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all of the essential amino acids.

ii Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford, page 507

iii Ibid

Sunshine Senior Center Acupuncture Clinic - Now every week!

2010-07-12T14:05:00.005-04:00

We are now officially seeing patients at the Sunshine senior center on a weekly basis!

On average we have about 6-10 retuning patients every week, and we are glad to see

new people joining in the group. At the Sunshine senior center, we are treating various conditions such as Alzheimer's, poor memory, joint pain, digestive issues, headache etc.

If you know a senior citizen who is in need for medical attention, please tell him/her to come see us.

It is free of charge, of course.

Eran & Chris

the Mediterranean Diet & the Brain

2010-04-29T10:05:00.004-04:00

A recent American Society for Nutrition press release gave another "thumbs'up!" to the Mediterranean Diet.

A study gave cognitive skills tests to more than 4,000 adults aged 65+ over a 15-year period, and found the highest scores on the tests & least cognitive decline amongst the participants who were following the Mediterranean diet.

Rather than asking people to avoid certain foods, the study found data that "adults over age 65 should look to include more olive oil, legumes, nuts, and seeds in their diet in order to improve their recall times and other cognitive skills, such as identifying symbols and numbers."

Of course, regular physical exercise is also part of good mental functioning.

See the full story here.

Portobello for lunch

2010-04-17T22:14:00.005-04:00

Portobello for lunch

This afternoon I felt like eating a homemade nutritious sandwich

The ingredients:

Tomato
Red pepper
Portobello mushroom
Olive oil, salt & pepper
Rye bread
Fresh ricotta cheese.

Directions:

Cut the stem of the mushroom, slice the tomato and the pepper.
Put a little bit of olive oil in a pan
Put the mushroom and the pepper in the pan. Fry on low-medium fire. Flip the mushroom every once in a while so it will cook well on both sides. Towards the end, season with a little bit of salt and black pepper.
On the plate, sprinkle some sweet red paprika, and arrange the tomato slices

5. Cut a thick slice of bread, and spread some ricotta cheese on it.

6. The mushroom should be ready by now, so put it on your bread, with the red pepper on top.

Bon appetit!

What is this stuff good for?

Because all of the ingredients are fresh, this is a meal without preservatives.

Mushroom – strengthen your immune system.
Olive oil, tomatoes and peppers are part of the Mediterranean diet – fresh vegetables & fruits, olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, moderate amounts of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), some fish, little meat, and moderate wine consumption. Olive oil is nutritious and contains a very high level of monounsaturated fats – which studies suggest is linked to a reduction in coronary heart disease risk. There is also considerable clinical data that the antioxidants in olive oil can provide additional heart health benefits such as positive cholesterol regulation and LDL cholesterol reduction, and that it exerts additional anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive effects.

On top of all of this, you get the satisfaction of making a delicious (& appealing) meal for yourself and/or your loved ones!

The preparation time was only 10 minutes – a small investment in long-term health benefits!

Enjoy,

Eran

The Importance of Water

2010-04-17T18:09:00.008-04:00

As a clinician, I spend a fair amount of time talking with my patients about their lifestyle habits, sometimes we work together in ways to move them towards a healthier life, and yes, often this includes looking at their drinking & eating habits. Most Americans don't drink water -- we drink everything else (coffee, soda, adult beverages, juice, lemonade, pina coladas, Red Bulls, milkshakes) -- which of course means that we're getting some water, plus a lot of other ingredients. There's some thought that most Americans are living with a certain chronic level of dehydration (75%, according to this blog entry), and that we get a lot of our fluids from our foods. (And, don't we have a national weight problem?????)

Of course, in this country we (most of us) have access to clean water -- we just don't choose to drink it. In many parts of the world, the supply of clean, drinkable water is drying up -- due to pollution, global warming, insufficient or destroyed infrastructures (an example of the latter being in post-quake Haiti). It's been speculated for several years that the next large international war may be over access to potable water supplies.

A major cause of the pollution of the global water supply is the lack of basic sanitation -- not too much of an issue in the countryside because rural environments can absorb (no pun intended!) and even put to use human excreta (it's called "nightsoil"). In the cities, and most particularly in the growing slums of the heavily-populated urban world, it's a serious issue -- according to the Charity Water website:

90% of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are to children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation. An interesting and innovative approach to working to minimize the impact of the lack of world sanitation is a cute little invention called the "peepoo." The peepoo is small biodegradeable plastic bag, intended for use as an instant latrine. One uses it, ties a knot in the neck of the bag & then buries or tosses it away. The inside of the bag is coated with a thin layer of urea, which helps to sanitize the natural "products" and convert them into natural fertilizer.

I think this is a brilliant little idea -- what my father likes to call "a simple solution to a complex problem." The inventors describe it as personal, as in personal computer; ... mobile, as in mobile phone; and micro, as in Microsoft.Please take a look at the peepoo website for more information. (The site is full of pictures from its test site at an informal settlement in Nairobi, including the one above. (This image is borrowed from the peepoople website -- check in with info@peepoople.com for more.)

Acupuncture Clinic at the Senior Center is OPEN

2010-03-19T22:01:00.004-04:00

Today was our first clinical acupuncture day at the Sunshine senior center in St. Petersburg. The acupuncture clinic is free of charge to the seniors and stuff members at the center.

We treated 6 patients, which is better that what we expected for the first day.
Some of our patients today never had acupuncture before, and some actually did, and liked it. Some were sick of taking drugs from their doctors and looked for an alternative. One patient told me that she has been taking the same medicine for her health problem for about 20 years, but without any results. Why is she keeping taking the drug? I guess habit, or because her doctor told her so...
One of our potential patients said to us "Hmm..I just took my pills, so I better not get an acupuncture treatment today, I'll come back next time." Total understandable.

Here are some of the questions we got today:
1. what is on the needle? what did you put on the needles?
2. How come you didn't put a needle on my right arm, but you did on my left arm?
3. Are you going to put this needle in my head? but my head is fine...
4. If you are treating my insomnia, will I fall asleep now? Because I have a meeting in an hour, and I don't want to fall asleep while somebody is talking to me.
5. Is this safe? are the needles clean?
6. What do you mean you are going to be here every week?
7. Why is this free?

Then some said to us:
-*- I feel relaxed
-*- I'll come back next week to see you again

A lot of people there don't know anything about acupuncture and Oriental medicine. We hope to change that.

---Eran

Untreated PTSD in Veterans

2010-02-28T21:06:00.009-05:00

An estimated 300,000 veterans from recent U.S.wars are suffering from PTSD, and another 300,000 from physical & psychological symptoms due to head injuries. A February 2010 news release states that many veterans from the Iraq & Afghanistan wars who have received diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder aren't receiving treatment. (Fewer than 30% of vets who were diagnosed with PTSD between 2002 & 2008.)

Most likely to be under-treated were: veterans who were male or under the age of 25, those who live in rural areas and those who got their diagnoses at primary-care clinics and needed referrals to mental health programs. Most diagnosed veterans attended at least one mental-health care session, but both personal & systemic factors created barriers to their continuing in treatment.

Meanwhile, the military is still making some inroads into the U.S. acceptance of acupuncture as a treatment for PTSD. The military has run several studies in the use of acupuncture for alleviating PTSD, including one in New Mexico that involved 84 participants, supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The U.S. Air Force is developing a system called "battlefield acupuncture" to prevent PTSD and treat battlefield injuries on site with acupuncture. (Guidepoints, January 2009) Acupuncture services are offically available at some VA hospitals (Seattle, Fort Bliss, TX & Cinncinati and a Naval hospital in San Diego), and there are continuing studies being conducted on its use. Acupuncture is also offered for free or at low cost to veterans at sites all over the country, including here in St. Petersburg by AWB affiliates. (Thursday nights @ 7.30pm, at Unity of St. Petersburg, 6168 1st Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710)

For a list of veterans' clinics in the U.S., see:

http://acuwithoutborders.org/msrpclinics.php

Other sources on military research into the use of acupuncture:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_95333.html

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.magDtl&dtl=3&mid=3832

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-07-holistic_N.htm

http://www.moaa.org/momStory.aspx?pagename=pubs_mom_070601_ptsd

Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy

2010-02-26T10:55:00.000-05:00

A recent study, to be published in the March 2010 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, explored treating women with depression during pregnancy with acupuncture. The small study (150 participants) found a 63 percent response rate to the depression-specific acupuncture treatment protocols, compared to a 44 percent response rate in women treated with control acupuncture or massage.

Up to 20 percent of women may experience depression during pregnancy. Depression in pregnant mothers is linked to premature delivery and post-partum depression. The safety of antidepressant drugs during pregnancy is not completely known, so it's important to have non-pharmaceutical treatment options.

For more details, please see the story @ Medline:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_95574.html

--chris

Diet Therapy Advice

2010-02-25T14:44:00.001-05:00

“Let your foods be your medicine, not your medicine be your food”

Maimonides/Rambam (1135-1204)

Here are some general guidelines of diet therapy & eating habits that we should all follow:

“No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.”

Eating & Drinking Habits:

Eat only when you are hungry, and not when 'it's time to eat' or when everybody else is eating around you. How do you know when you are hungry? your tummy makes gggrrrrrrr noises...
Stop eating when you are not hungry.
Eating slow = eating less! So eat slowly -- it takes at least 20 minutes to the hunger center in your brain to know that you are full. So if you eat fast, you eat more.
Give your stomach a rest, and don't eat in between meals. Let your stomach get empty before filling it with more food. So, no snacking if you're bored, instead go for a walk, move your body.
When you are eating, avoid other activities such as watching TV, reading and driving etc. Just sit down and eat. It's that simple.
Avoid eating when you are moody. When you are upset, sad, angry etc., walk it off, don't eat it off.
Don't overeat. Portions are getting bigger and bigger and so are people in this country. How to eat less? Eat 3/4 of your meal, stop, and put the plate aside, far away from you. After 10 minutes, ask yourself if you are still hungry. Often the answer will be no. Stop eating before you are completely full.
Drink more water. A lot more. At least 12 cups of room temperature water is highly recommended for an adult.
Avoid eating or drinking cold food & drinks. What a waste of energy! – warming your ice-cold water to reach your body temperature?! Ask for a room temperature water in restaurants. Say no to ice.
Avoid eating and drinking at the same time. Water dilutes the stomach acid, which makes the digestion slower and harder. Drink half an hour before and/or after the meal. Your digestive system will thank you.

“A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs.” ~ Joan Welsh

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”

Maimonides

What and When to Eat?

Eat a big breakfast with protein, you need the energy to start your day; medium size lunch, not too much; and a small dinner, because you are soon going to sleep. It's like putting gas in your car before you go on a journey, and not at the end.
Eat a variety of foods, not only few types of food that you have gotten used to. You can get a lot more from Mother Nature if you eat different fruits & vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, etc.
Avoid eating too much cow-based dairy products. Switch to goat and sheep. They are easier to digest and cause less digestive system symptoms.
Eat more veggies! mostly steamed, some raw; small amount of stir-fried (too much oil...eek).
Take a short easy walk after the meal, move your Qi.
Spice up your food with ginger, black paper, fennel seeds, cumin, sweet paprika, etc.

Exercise:

Move your body!

There are two types of exercise, and they complete each other. Please do both, at least 2-3 types of different exercise regimens.

YIN types such as Tai Qi Chuan, Qi Gong and Yoga are very relaxing and also strengthen your body.
YANG types such as swimming, walking quickly, bicycling and running move your Qi faster and make you big and strong.

The easiest exercise is to walk quickly. How do you know that you are walking fast enough? Your are all sweaty, your heart beats rapidly, and you are still alive!

After exercising, it is very important to eat well. Your body needs the energy to build up the muscles. It is harmful not to eat when you are hungry after exercising.

The best time to exercise is when the sun is up. At night, it is better to read a book, or take a slow walk, thus directing your Qi inward, and prepare for sleep.

what we eat is who we are

Diet therapy can treat many diseases:

Insomnia – eating a big dinner is the most common reason for sleepless night.
Diarrhea & constipation, abdominal pain & discomfort – attributed to bad eating habits such as overeating, eating when not hungry, eating junk food, eating late at night, eating when upset or have nothing to do, etc.