Body Mass Index Linked to Heart Disease

It’s official: Obesity is inked to subclinical changes in cardiac structure and function.

Even in the absence of overt heart disease, obesity appears to have an adverse effect on left ventricular (LV) structure and function, according to the Journal of the American Heart Association.

"The study showed a direct relationship between the level of obesity and the degree of myocardial dysfunction. The impact was independent of other risk factors such as hypertension, and indicates a direct metabolic effect of obesity on the heart muscle."

Researchers found a direct correlation between body mass index (BMI) and LV mass and wall thickness. Moreover, severely obese subjects (BMI > 35) had markedly reduced systolic and diastolic function.

As a service to our patients we will calculate your BMI to determine your risks for dysfunctions in the Heart. Patients can also have a complete Meridian Stress Assessment performed to determine imbalances in all the body’s organs and meridian systems.

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Stress Increases Aging

Severe emotional distress - like that caused by divorce, the loss of a job, or caring for an ill child or parent - may speed up the aging of the body's cells at the genetic level. Though doctors have linked chronic psychological stress to weakened immune function and an increased risk of catching colds, among other things, there is now a link between stresses and damaged or weakened tissue.

According to Chinese Medicine, stress causes a significant imbalance in the body’s Qi mechanism. One organ system affected, early on, is the Liver. From a western medical viewpoint the Liver plays an important role in re-building blood cells, as well as several other metabolic functions related to longevity and health. As the Qi dysfunction progresses, other systems will become involved: Heart, Spleen/pancreas, Intestines, Lung and Kidney. All the body’s organs have specific roles in governing the aging process. If allowed to go unchecked, prolonged stress can eventually overwhelm individual organ systems. When this happens the body is unable to re-establish balance or homeostasis. Rapid deterioration will result, thus decreasing the ability of the body to heal itself.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can have a tremendous affect on restoring balance to the body’s Qi mechanism. As a result of regular preventative wellness treatments, patients can considerably slow down the aging process.

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Yin & Yang – The Basics of Chinese Medicine

In my classes, I tell my students that when they can understand the entire theory of Yin and Yang then they will completely understand all there is to know about Chinese medicine.

So what is Yin and Yang? Yin and Yang represent the bipolar energies existing in all matter, both at the atomic and astronomical levels. Think about it. All matter, including our bodies, is made up of basic building blocks vibrating at unique and specific frequencies. Because of this, every person is unique and individual. At the level of our bodies, Yin and Yang has an infinite number of ways to be expressed. Some examples or Yin are: female, cold, interior diseases, stillness, nighttime, winter and deficiency. Examples of Yang are; male, heat, exterior diseases, activity, daytime, summer and excess. Even symptoms, disorders and disease can be classified as either Yin or Yang.

Every patient has a variety of imbalances that make up their unique health challenge. Some are Yin and others are Yang. Most patients exhibit a little disparity of both Yin and Yang. The focus of treatment is always in correcting this imbalance either with acupuncture or Chinese herbs, or both.

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Infertility Treatment with Chinese Medicine

A San Francisco woman and her husband, tried for three frustrating years to get pregnant. For their final desperate attempt, the couple tried acupuncture. Her doctor gave her a 5 percent chance of getting pregnant, given her age of 40.

More Western doctors are recommending acupuncture to couples with fertility problems. Dr. Vick Sahakian of UCLA believes it can reduce stress for women trying to get pregnant. It can improve pregnancy rates by improving blood flow to the uterus where the embryos are basically implanted.

A study by German researches found that women who used acupuncture while undergoing in-vitro fertilization increased their success rates by almost 50 percent. Sahakian said his own patients have expressed confidence in the procedure.
Alternative therapies may still raise some eyebrows in the scientific community, but many of these couples say they have all the proof they need. The San Francisco couple says it worked for them — twice.

Infertility, in women, can have a variety of causes. To maximize treatment results women are recommended to schedule a consultation to determine if they are good candidates for Oriental medicine. Typical etiologies include emotional stress, internal cold or heat, Kidney Essence deficiency or an accumulation of Phlegm-Dampness in one or more organ-meridian systems. Once the underlying cause is identified, treatment will involve acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. The focus of treatment is to remove the underlying mechanisms, allowing the natural process of pregnancy to resume.

Patients with obstetric and gynecological disorders have numerous treatment options available to them with Chinese medicine. Most have no side affects.

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Permanent Makeup Scarring

The Food and Drug Administration recently issued an alert warning of possible disfigurements from injecting permanent ink as eyeliner, lip liner or eyebrow coloring.

The notice listed scarring and difficulty eating among the worst side effects of so-called "permanent makeup."

The FDA is investigating the 50 claims it has received thus far, according to an agency statement.

Swelling, cracking, peeling, blistering, scarring and the forming of granulomas -- chronic swelling and infection in tissue near the eyes or lips -- were listed among the side effects.

In some cases, the effects reported, caused serious disfigurement, resulting in difficulty in eating and talking.

Allergic reactions to permanent pigments can result in inflammation, itching, cracking, scarring and granuloma formation.

Allergic reactions to pigment can be severe and treatment is difficult.

Tattoos are cosmetics and ink pigments are color additives requiring federal approval before sale, the FDA states. But, traditionally, the FDA has not exercised oversight of tattoos or pigments. Local jurisdictions regulate tattooing.

Green & Oolong Tea Reduces Risk of Hypertension

Consumption of 4 ounces per day or more of green or oolong tea in moderate strength for one year significantly reduces the risk of developing hypertension, according to results from an epidemiologic study published in the July 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Tea contains more than 4000 chemical compounds that may affect the human body in many aspects.

To examine the long-term effects of tea drinking on the risk of newly diagnosed hypertension, the investigators recruited 1,507 subjects aged 20 years and older with no history of the disease. Of these, 600 subjects (39.8%) were habitual tea drinkers, consuming 4 ounces per day or more for at least one year.

Subjects who drank 4 ounces to 20 ounces of tea per day showed a 46% decrease in risk of developing hypertension compared with non-habitual drinkers. The risk further decreased by 65% in those 20 ounces or more of tea each day.

Results adjusted using five lifestyle factors (total physical activity, high sodium intake, smoking, alcohol intake, and coffee intake), seven dietary factors (vegetable, fruit, unrefined grain, fish, milk, food with visible fat, and deep-fried food intake), and traditional risk factors for hypertension (age, sex, family history, body mass index, waist-hip circumference ratio, and socioeconomic index).

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Childhood Health Issues

An obesity epidemic threatens to wipe out other improvements in children's health and safety over the past three decades. Childhood obesity has risen to a point that it can be considered a modern day epidemic, according to Duke University researchers. About 15.6 percent of American children between 12 and 19 were obese in 2002, up from 6.1 percent in 1974, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is more unnerving is that most cases of child obesity are preventable.

In my practice I see children as young as 18 months old. What is startling is that many of the children, under the age of 14, already have well established weight problems. And yet, parents do not even see it as a health issue. In fact, most parents do not see the relationship between obesity and most of the childhood disorders that are presented to me. Most of the childhood disorders that I treat are related to: allergies, sinusitis, skin rashes, eczema, sleeping disorders and anxiety or depression. Obesity tends to make all of these disorders much worse.

Parents are surprised to discover that the child’s diet is not only responsible for the obesity problem, but their health problems, as well. A lot of what I do, in addition to their treatments, is educating parents and children on how their lifestyle has contributed to their obesity problem and the other health issues of their child. Lifestyle is more than just diet. It also entails exercise, and parents providing a positive example for the children to live by. Children respond very quickly, when parents work with me to help their children get and stay well.

If you suspect your child has a weight problem or other health concern, call today, to schedule a consutation.

Seasonal Adjustments to your Lifestyle

Recently, there was a news story about the fluctuation of cholesterol levels in certain patients from the spring/summer season to fall/winter. In my classes on Chinese medicine, I discuss how the changing seasons affect our bodies meridian systems and their associated organs systems. I also share how our lifestyles require adjustment with the changing seasons.

For example, the summer season’s primary characteristic is one of heat. Heat is one of the five climatic factors within Chinese medicine. As a result, our bodies are more susceptible to becoming over-heated during this season. One of the ways I suggest patient’s combat this is to eat a diet of primarily cool natured foods during this season.

Diet is one aspect of lifestyle management that patients have total control over. Some foods are quite warm or even hot, in their underlying nature. These foods should be avoided or reduced during the summer months. Each one of the seasons has a particular environment that defines the characteristic of the foods that are both beneficial and detrimental to a persons well being. The fall and winter season often tend to be damp. Dampness is another climatic factor that can affect the body. Congealed dampness produces phlegm in the body and can actually increase cholesterol levels as well as aggravate many other conditions.

If you tend to have a medical condition that seems to flare up in certain seasons or environments, consider a personal consultation, to determine the correct course of action to restore balance to your body.

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Symptoms of Stress

Stress in America has become a serious problem. There are several types of stress: emotional, physical, mental and spiritual. Stress causes an imbalance in the distribution of energy in the body, known as Qi. This Qi imbalance can affect any or all of the organs in the body. A Qi imbalance in the Heart can cause insomnia, palpitations or emotional disturbances; in the Spleen it can cause digestive disorders, fatigue, diarrhea, hemorrhoids or muscle disorders; in the Lungs it can cause asthma, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest or chest pain; in the Kidneys it can cause low back pain, sexual dysfunction, or urinary problems.

Many patients come to me with varying symptoms of stress that are reflected in several organ systems. The most effective way to treat stress is to treat the underlying cause for a person’s particular set of stress symptoms. Stress is successfully treated with Chinese Medicine. A typical patient’s individual treatment focuses on targeting the root of their disorder, as well as the symptoms. This plan includes adjusting their diet and lifestyle to maximize their overall treatment and recovery efficacy. Most stress disorders can be treated in a relatively short period of time. Afterwards, it is recommended patients get regular “wellness tune-ups” to maintain overall balance.

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Allergies and Lifestyle Management

Allergies are a very common disorder shared by a majority of the population. In Chinese medicine, allergies result when the body’s organ systems become imbalanced in a way that their ability to return to balance is hindered in some way.

Some allergies are rooted in biochemical imbalances in the body, whereas others have as their source a bio-energetic imbalance. Conventional allergy testing helps to reveal biochemical allergies. Bio-energetic allergies often are not revealed with conventional testing procedures.

Meridian Harmonics provides unique bio-energetic meridian stress assessment for patients suffering from allergies. This procedure is especially helpful for those patients that do not respond to conventional tests and treatments. For many patients, identifying the risk factor associated with their particular allergy is the first step in designing their unique treatment plan.

Patients can control many of these risk factors: food selections, exercise, weight management, proper rest and stress management. Treatment involves identifying the imbalanced organ systems and correcting the mechanism that has elicited their particular set of symptoms. Many patients see tremendous improvement in their allergy symptoms when they seek regular treatments. As a result they miss less school, work, recreational and social events.

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Treating Weight Problems in China

The macho workout motto conjures images of sweat and brawn but the regime is somewhat pricklier at the Aimin Fat Reduction Hospital in northern China, where the chronically obese from Europe to Oceania come to poke away pounds with acupuncture. Aimin workout sessions look almost effortless: acupuncture in the morning and light dance aerobics in the afternoon, interspersed with well-balanced meals and counseling. The clinic has been a leading brand in an upstart industry popularizing Chinese medicine as a shortcut to slim down.

Chinese medical theory traditionally holds that overweight people have imbalanced digestive systems. And in the past two decades, the ranks of the imbalanced have swelled with the country's booming economy. As the affluent gorge on dozen-course banquets and their children munch on Kentucky Fried Chicken, entrepreneurial apothecaries are concocting diet teas and tonics to help Chinese fight the battle of the bulge. Some clinical studies have discounted the role of acupressure, acupuncture and reflexology in weight loss while doctors and dieticians in the West have condemned sham practitioners of hokum, "new age" treatments.

Shi Lidong, the director of the hospital indicates using the correct acupuncture points can help redress the body's imbalance by stimulating the metabolism and curbing the appetite. It effectively controls the desire for food and reduces hunger. At the same time it also speeds up the digestive system's ability to break down fat. The former military hospital's most celebrated case was a 23-year-old Chinese man who cut his weight from 473 pounds in June 2000 to 198 pounds by September 2001. Aimin has 260 beds and treats around 200 foreign customers a year from places like Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Switzerland. The clinic has also opened branches in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. But many journey to the former British concession of Tianjin to visit the original gurus.

There are many causes for weight gain and obesity. In order to successfully treat these conditions it is imperative that patients receive an accurate diagnosis. In this way a correct treatment plan can be designed specifically for them.

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