1)   Acupuncture

2)   Chinese Herbal Medicine

3)   Diet

4)   Probiotics

5)   Feng Shui

6)   Neti Pot & Herbal Nasal Sprays

7)   Breathing Exercises

8)   Yoga, Exercise & Meditation

What are allergies?

When people say they have allergies, technically they are usually talking about allergic rhinitis.  Courtesy of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), here are the most common symptoms of this disorder:

Symptoms that occur shortly after you come into contact with an allergen may include:

• Itchy nose, mouth, eyes, or throat
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Tearing eyes

Symptoms that may develop later include:

• Stuffy nose (nasal congestion)
• Coughing
• Clogged ears and decreased sense of smell
• Sore throat
• Dark circles or puffiness under the eyes
• Fatigue and irritability
• Headache
• Memory problems and sluggish thinking

Allergies are caused by an immune system overreaction to normally harmless things such as pollen, dust, and similar agents.

What are sinus issues?

Most often, people with sinus issues have either acute or chronic sinusitis.  Again, courtesy of NIH, here are the most common symptoms of sinusitis:

• Thick nasal secretions that can be white, yellowish, greenish, or blood-tinged
• Stuffy nose and congestion
• General feeling of fullness over the entire face
• Pain, which can be located in the following places, often related to a particular area of the sinus cavities: forehead (frontal sinuses); upper jaw and teeth, with tender cheeks (maxillary sinuses); between your eyes, sometimes with swelling of the eyelids and tissues around your eyes, and tenderness when you touch the sides of your nose (ethmoid sinuses); neck, with earaches and deep achiness at the top of your head (sphenoid sinuses)

Sinusitis is caused by a narrowing of the opening between the sinuses and nose, often caused by allergic inflammation.  This causes mucous and air to be trapped in the sinus cavities, leading to congestion and sinus pressure.

The 8-Step Protocol

Here are the details of my protocol of natural approaches that include a truly holistic approach to solving the problem.

1)   Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a powerful way to relieve allergy and sinus symptoms.  For many people, the effect is good but temporary, so it is necessary to combine acupuncture with the other aspects of the protocol.  For some, acupuncture is the most effective method for finding relief.

Acupuncture can be used in 3 ways to alleviate allergy and sinus symptoms.

Local Points:  The first involves using local points – acupuncture points located next to the areas of congestion and pain.  There are many points on the face that bring significant and quick symptomatic relief.

Energy Balance Method:  There are also points on the arms and legs that have a powerful effect on allergy and sinus symptoms.  These points are selected based on the energy channels that are affected by the allergy and sinus symptoms.  For instance, if the inside of the eyes and bridge of the nose are affected, the Bladder meridian is involved.  Points are then selected on the arms and legs to balance that meridian’s energy flow.  This can lead to immediate symptom relief.

Digestive and Lung Points:  In Chinese Medicine, there is an intimate connection between the digestive system and the respiratory system.  When the digestive system’s energy gets imbalanced, this can result in the excess production of mucous, phlegm, and inflammation.  This manifests itself in the symptoms of allergic reactions and sinus congestion.  The acupuncture points that balance these two systems help address the underlying causes of the symptoms.

2)   Chinese Herbal Medicine

Because the digestive system plays a big role in the production of mucous, phlegm and inflammation, and because they are ingested and directly introduced into the digestive tract, herbs are a good way to influence the digestive function.

There are 2 main allergy and sinus formulas, each having  a slightly different emphasis:

Qing Bi Tang (Unblock Nose Formula) is a highly effective combination of herbs that especially target – you guessed it – congestion.  Some local acupuncturists have found that this combination is especially good for DC area allergies.

Bi Yan Pian (Nose Inflammation Tablets) is also a highly effective formula for unblocking congestion, but may be more effective when symptoms such as itchy, burning and red eyes and sneezing predominate.

Both formulas are generally indicated for allergies – if one doesn’t work, the other should be tried.  For notes on how to take herbs and dosage, please see my blog post on the matter.

A note about herb quality:  if you search the internet for Bi Yan Pian, you may easily run across a site such UprightHealth.com, warning of high mercury levels in Bi Yan Pian.  This highlights the importance of getting herbs from reputable manufacturers.  Most often, the highest quality herbal companies sell only to licensed healthcare providers.  For example, I get my Bi Yan Pian from Kan Herbs, which manufactures its herbal products in California, and uses extensive third-party testing.

3)   Diet

An important factor in allergic and sinus symptoms is food sensitivities.  Some individuals find reduced symptoms when they reduce or eliminate the following foods:

• Wheat and gluten
• Dairy products
• Refined sugars
• Soy products

In Chinese medicine, these foods are considered the most likely to congest the energy flow of the digestive system, thus causing excessive mucous production and inflammation.

Allergy Elimination Diet:  An effective way to test your sensitivity to these foods is a simple elimination diet.  First, eliminate the food from your diet for a week, then slowly add it back in, and see whether there are changes in your symptoms.  Also, sometimes people are sensitive to only a certain group of foods within each category.  For instance, goat cheese may work for some people, but not cow milk cheese, and so on.

There are many intricacies to dietary change, so please contact me for an appointment if you have a more complex situation.

4)   Probiotics

In a very interesting webinar I recently attended on probiotics, I learned about the relationship between the intestinal microflora and allergies. (See my full blog post on probiotics for more information.) Basically, when the intestinal bacteria balance are out of balance in favor of the “bad” bacteria, different chemicals are produced that have an inflammatory effect on the system, contributing to the tendency toward allergic reactions.

This imbalance is called intestinal dysbiosis.  One remedy for this condition is probiotic supplementation.  Probiotics are the “good” bacteria (mainly lactobacillis and bifidus strains) that create intestinal conditions favorable to digestive health and efficiency.  This balance leads to a reduction in inflammation-causing chemical byproducts emanating from the digestive system.

Depending on the severity of the case, probiotic supplementation can be used at very high doses, from 25–100 billion organisms taken per day.  These are taken for a period of 30 days up to ongoing usage for chronic cases.  After a higher initial dose, the average individual would go to a maintenance dose of 2-8 billion organisms per day.

A note on probiotic quality:  Again, as with herbs, quality makes a huge difference with probiotics.  I recommend using a “pharmaceutical grade” probiotic company such as Seroyal (the one I currently use), which has extensive testing, quality control and participation in several randomized double blind studies to show efficacy of selected bacterial strains.

5)   Feng Shui

Generally speaking, Feng Shui refers to the impact of our external environment on our health.  With regard to allergies and sinus issues, there are 3 things we can do in our home and work environments to remove the presence of allergens:

A)   Air purifiers

Air purifiers remove particles from the air that may create allergic reactions in the body, including pollen, dust, etc.  There are 2 types of air purification mechanisms in air purifiers – HEPA filtration and ionizers.

HEPA filters draw air from the room into the air purifier, catching allergen particles in a very fine mesh filter.

Ionizers emit negative ions into the room, which easily bind with the small allergen particles, weighing them down and making them drop to the floor.

Usage:  Air purifiers should be placed in each room of the house where you spend any significant amount of time. They should be run 24 hours a day, except in the bedroom where you can turn the purifier off at night.

B)   Consistent Vacuuming and Cleaning

You should vacuum with a HEPA filtered vacuum at least 2 times per week.

People also find it very helpful to wash bed sheets and pillowcases at least 2 times per week, since any allergens there will be affecting them for several hours during sleep.  Be sure to use non-allergenic and fragrance-free laundry soap.

6)   Neti Pot and Herbal Nasal Sprays

Neti Pot and Neil Med:  Another way to physically remove allergens from your system is to use the neti pot.  Allergens such as pollen, dust, and mold spores enter the nasal passages when you’re breathing.  In some individuals they create an allergic reaction.  The neti pot flushes water through the nasal and some sinus passages, clearing out these particles and reducing the allergic reaction. There are alternatives to the neti pot, including the Neil Med, available at most drug stores, which some people find to be easier to use and more effective.

Neti Pot Herbal Solutions and Herbal Nasal Sprays: It may be helpful to add herbal solutions to the neti pot water, and use herbal nasal sprays, which interact with the nasal mucous membranes to reduce inflammation and clear congestion.

7)   Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises such as alternate nostril breathing, ujjayi breathing, and other breathing exercises, known as pranayama in yoga, have been found to improve respiratory health and keep nasal passages clear when practiced consistently over time.

8)   Exercise and Meditation

Many people find that their allergies and sinus symptoms get worse when they are under stress.  Regular exercise that includes cardio and weight-bearing activities can be very effective stress reducers.

Yoga and stretching that open and stretch the chest area can deepen the breath and open up energy flow in the respiratory system.  Twists and forward bends that compress and release the digestive organs, especially when done in concert with mindful breathing that expands and contracts the abdomen, can do a great deal to improve digestive function, thus getting at the root cause of mucous formation and inflammation.

Meditation creates a deep relaxation response in the body, improving all physiological functions that are hampered by the subtle muscular constrictions of stress.

A Comprehensive Approach Offers the Best Chance for Sustained Healing

Western medicine, for better and for worse, focuses on “silver bullet” single solutions to health issues.  The tidal shift of consumer spending in the United States and other developed countries toward holistic medical practices highlights the growing interest in comprehensive self care that creates sustainable results without reliance on potentially unnecessary medications.

Not many doctors (although there are certainly some!) currently have the training, inclination, or most often, the time to help guide their patients through the intricacies of finding and implementing the wide range of holistic solutions available.  Many holistic practitioners make a point to offer extensive ongoing wellness coaching  to their clients, which provides them with the knowledge, confidence, and guidance to make the sometimes complex life changes required to implement these self care methods.

I hope this article gives you knowledge of the natural alternatives available to you, plus some hope that there are potentially effective ways to experience lasting and sustainable relief from the nagging health issues of allergies and sinus problems, without resort to long-term medication use.

Taking Action

For some individuals, it is sufficient to just apply the above remedies, and see whether they are effective.  Other people may benefit from working with a holistic health practitioner.  If you have questions about your particular situation and how to navigate the holistic treatment of your symptoms, please don’t hesitate to contact me to set up a free 15-minute consult, or a first appointment at my Washington DC acupuncture office.

Good luck, and I’ll “see you” next blog post.

Probiotics are the “friendly” bacteria found in the small and large intestine that work to create a healthy digestive system.

When the ratio of “friendly” bacteria and “bad” bacteria tip in favor of the bad guys, this is called intestinal dysbiosis. These symptoms may develop:

• Frequent bowel movements
• Chronic diarrhea
• Gas
• Bloating after meals
• Negative reactions to sugars
• Fatigue

Imbalance of the microflora of the intestines may also contribute to:

• IBS
• Wheat and dairy sensitivities
• Candida overgrowth
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Bladder infections and cystitis
• Autoimmune issues such as allergies; eczema and psoriasis, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, and IBD; and ankylosing spondylitis
• Mental and emotional imbalances including anxiety, depression, foggy thinking, and autism

Causes of intestinal bacteria imbalance

Imbalances can be caused by a variety of factors.  The most common cause is probably the use of antibiotics, which kills the good bacteria along with the bad.  If the good bacteria are not sufficiently repopulated, this can lead to a long-term increase in the amount of harmful intestinal bacteria.

Imbalances of intestinal bacteria can also be caused by:

• Aging
• Infection or illness
• Lifestyle
• Diet
• Stress
• Digestive issues
• Traveling

These factors tend to reduce the beneficial bacteria, allowing the harmful types to overgrow.

Benefits of probiotics

Simply put, probiotics help improve intestinal health, so you experience improved digestion, absorption and microflora balance. Probiotics also regulate the immune system, helping improve immune and autoimmune conditions.

Sources of probiotics

Humans have possibly been using probiotic supplements for hundreds of thousands of years.  Time-honored examples include:

• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Kim chi
• Miso
• Kombucha
• Beet kvass
• And many more – see the Weston A. Price Foundation for ideas and recipes

These are great dietary sources of probiotics, and, in my mind, they might be the best sources for daily health maintenance if you’re a healthy person.

However, there are times when the body is faced with more serious health challenges involving the intestinal bacteria balance, and in these situations, a stronger form of probiotic therapy may be more appropriate.

This is where lab-produced probiotics come in.  With concentrations of 1 billion to up to 100 billion beneficial bacteria per serving, these supplements have the ability to make fast and significant changes to the microflora balance. You can find these probiotics at health food stores or through health care practitioners.

The best strains of probiotic bacteria

Dr. Nigel Plummer, head researcher at the Seroyal company, a probiotic manufacturer, led an excellent webinar on his approach to probiotic therapy a couple weeks ago, so I’ll be quoting some of his opinions here.

Dr. Plummer and his team have isolated more than 300 strains of beneficial bacteria over the last 15 years, but only 4 strains have withstood the test of both clinical efficacy and double blind controlled studies:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus – strain 1 and 2
• Bifidobacterium bifidum
• Bifidobacterium animalis

The lactobacillus bacteria are more specific to upper GI issues, and the bifidobacteria are more specific to lower GI issues.  Thus, taking both strains treats the whole GI tract.

These strains were selected due to their benefits:

• Resistance to stomach acid
• Resistance to bile acids
• Ability to colonize the GI tract by attaching to epithelial cells

The ability to colonize the GI tract is very important for the long-term effects of the probiotic supplement.  For example, Dr. Plummer cited data that showed a non-colonizing probiotic creates higher levels of beneficial bacteria in the system for only 2 weeks after stopping supplementation, while a colonizing probiotic will last for 8 weeks.

How to take probiotics

Always take with food, never on an empty stomach.  The ph of an empty stomach will kill the probiotic bacteria.  The presence of food creates the correct ph levels for the probiotics to survive intact as they pass into the small intestine.

When taking with antibiotics, separate the doses.. For example, take the antibiotics in the morning and evening, and the probiotics in the middle of the day.

Dosages of probiotics

According to Dr. Plummer, there is no danger of overdosing on probiotics. The maintenance dosage is 2-10 billion bacteria per day. 25 billion per day is the minimum therapeutic dosage, for issues such as antibiotic usage and allergies.

100 billion per day is the high-range dosage for issues such as long-term antibiotic usage or chronic GI issues including IBD, Crohn’s, and ulcerative colitis, or acute issues such as bladder infections and cystitis

Taking probiotics with antibiotics

A common question is how to take probiotics to prevent the negative side effects of antibiotics.  For short-term antibiotic usage, Dr. Plummer suggets you start taking the probiotics at the same time as the antibiotics (spaced at different times in the day).  He suggests a level of 25 billion bacteria per day for 30 days

Probiotic guidelines for other conditions

If you have a question about guidelines for your specific condition, including long-term antibiotic use, IBS, IBD, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, wheat and dairy sensitivities, bladder infections and cystitis, candida overgrowth, gas, bloating and other GI issues, please contact me directly.

A patient heals her GI issues with help of probiotics

Over the last several years, I had not put much effort into researching probiotics or recommending them to my patients.

However, this changed a few months ago when one of my patients insisted I order her some pharmaceutical grade probiotics from the Seroyal company.  She said this brand of probiotics was the only brand that had made a difference for her.  So I set up an account and ordered a bottle for her.

I then ordered another bottle for a patient with a 3-year history of very frequent bowel movements, chronic diarrhea, gas and bloating, and abdominal pain.  With dietary changes, acupuncture, and 2 weeks of probiotic therapy, her symptoms almost completely cleared up.

Encouraged by this outcome, I took Dr. Plummer’s webinar, and I am looking forward to helping my patients work with probiotics in the future.

1)   Gua Sha
2)   Cupping
3)   Acupressure
4)   Guided Breathwork

Gua Sha

This is a method widely used in many parts of Asia for any type of pain.  It is also used to relieve cold/flu, sinus, and upper respiratory symptoms.  Using any smooth instrument (traditionally a smooth piece of buffalo horn, but I use just a plain ceramic implement), the practitioner applies a little massage oil to the painful muscles and with gentle pressure moves the instrument several times in a downward motion along the area.  Often, this will produce a patch of redness, with many red dots called petechiae.  In Chinese Medicine, this redness and petechiae are thought to be signs of deeper inflammation rising to the surface, and being expelled from the body.  In fact, the word “Gua” means “to scrape” and “Sha” means “evil qi.” So Gua Sha scrapes the evil qi out of the body, thus relieving pain.  This method is especially effective for old, chronic pain and injuries that have been buried below the surface, in the deeper layers of muscle.  See comments by Jeanne H. on my Yelp page for a description of how Gua Sha helped with her upper back and shoulder pain.

Cupping

You may have seen pictures of people with curious circular purple marks on their backs.  These are the aftereffects of cupping, an essential pain relief therapy in Chinese Medicine.  Specially made glass cups are used to relieve all types of muscle pain, most commonly on the back, shoulders and neck.  Cupping is also used to relieve cold and upper respiratory symptoms.  Cupping works by creating suction within the cup through a flame or pump, thereby drawing the muscle area into the cup.  This creates a “reverse massage” for the area, increasing circulation of blood, lymph and fluids.  Many patients have found relief from back, neck, shoulder, and hip pain after cupping.

Acupressure

Acupressure is the application of finger pressure to the acupuncture points.  Each point is held from 30 seconds up to 3-4 minutes.  During an acupressure treatment, the muscle tension at each point literally “melts” away, and frees the energy flow in that area.  Patients often feel a great sense of relaxation, openness, and energy flow when receiving acupressure.  It is an excellent treatment for addressing wider areas of muscle tension that are restricting movement – either the range of movement of the head, neck, shoulders, low back and hips, or the range of movement of the muscles involved in breathing fully and deeply.  People who don’t like needles often love this form of treatment.

Guided Breathwork

Breathwork is simply a form of conscious breathing.  Breathing consciously is a powerful tool for relaxing the muscles at a deep level, therefore reducing pain.  I often combine guided breathwork with acupressure and/or acupuncture, helping clients observe where their breathing is restricted and muscles are tense, and guiding them toward opening and releasing the tension in those areas.  Results from these combinations can be remarkable and immediate.

Patient Example

A man in his early 30s came in just this morning, complaining of neck, shoulder, and upper back pain and tension.  His range of motion was severely limited when turning his head to the side and bending his head down toward his chest.  His breathing was also very tense; he struggled to pull in a full, deep breath.  I began with “Ashi” acupuncture points (see Acupuncture for Pain Relief, Part 1) on the areas of his neck that were painful.  I then chose “clearing” points that related to the energy channels that run through the neck and upper back area.  I let the patient rest for about 10-15 minutes.  After checking back in with him, he reported feeling very relaxed overall but his breathing had not yet deepened.  I checked his neck for tension, and found that his SCM and scalene muscles (located on the side and front of the neck) were very tense.  I applied acupressure to the tense areas of the muscles, and began some guided breathwork.  I guided him in gently breathing into the neck muscles, and releasing any tension in that area.  Over the course of 3-4 minutes, his neck tension gradually melted away, and he reported a sensation of a “waterfall of air descending into my lungs.  I can finally breathe deeply.”  After resting for another 5-10 minutes, the patient reported his pain level had gone from 5/10 to 0/10, and his range of motion had improved about 50%.  A great improvement!  Next treatment, we will be doing Gua Sha, as his neck injury is a recurrent, long-term issue.

Conclusion

Overall, acupuncture and its associated treatment methods are superior methods for pain relief – due to their effectiveness and lack of side effects.  I recommend they be used as a primary treatment for both acute and chronic pain issues.  As always, if you have any questions about your particular condition or situation, please feel free to contact my Washington DC acupuncture office for a complimentary phone or in-person consultation.

One of the main uses for acupuncture is pain relief. In my Washington DC acupuncture practice, I have been amazed at the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for pain.

Over and over, I have seen severe acute and chronic pain disappear, often within minutes of starting the acupuncture treatment.

Also, acupuncture for pain relief has no side effects, unlike many pain medications, and in some cases, can allow individuals to avoid surgery and its potential complications.

Acupuncture is highly effective at providing pain relief from a wide range of causes, such as:

• Back pain
• Shoulder pain
• Neck pain
• Joint pain, including knee pain, ankle pain, and elbow pain
• Foot pain
• Carpal tunnel pain
• Arthritis pain
• Headaches, including sinus and migraine headaches
• Stomach and digestive pain
• PMS, menstrual cramps, and endometriosis pain
• Fibromyalgia

Actually, pretty much any type of pain can be treated with acupuncture.  Why is this?  In acupuncture terminology, “When qi is flowing, there is no pain.  When qi is blocked, there is pain.”  Qi is described as flowing like a river through the various energy channels of the body.   When the river’s flow is blocked, water accumulates, and pressure builds up on the surrounding riverbanks.  Or, alternatively, the riverbanks become “inflamed” and impinge on the flow of the river.  In this way, the sensation of pain is created in different parts of the body.

Acupuncture for pain relief, and its associated treatment methods, can unblock this stuck energy.  This restores normal flow to the rivers of qi in the body, thus reducing, and often eliminating, pain.

Let’s explore the various methods for treating pain with acupuncture:

1)   Clearing the blocked energy channel:  With this method, specific points are selected on the energy channel(s) where the pain is located.  Let’s say for instance that the pain is located on the low back to the right of the spine.  The location of this pain is on the Bladder energy channel (also called a meridian).   Distal points, located farther away from the site of the pain, usually on the arms and hands, or lower legs and feet, are selected on the Bladder meridian to “clear” the stuck energy from the channel, thus resolving the pain.

2)   Ashi points:  “Ashi” is the Chinese word for “ouch.”  Ashi points are the tender or sore points that are local to the site of the pain.  Using acupuncture with these points often creates significant pain relief.

3)   I Ching Balance Method Acupuncture: The I Ching is a Chinese philosophical and medical text that describes the laws of change, and how change occurs in the world, and in the body.  The I Ching lays out the relationships among all of the energy channels, and the relationships among all of the parts of the body.  When pain occurs in a specific part of the body, or in a specific energy channel, the I Ching identifies which acupuncture points should be used to “balance” the painful area.

Patient example:  Many times  I have seen this method work to immediately cure pain in my Washington DC acupuncture patients.  One example is a patient who had foot pain. After I placed the acupuncture needles in the hand and wrist, the patient literally felt a warm flow of energy moving straight from her hand, through her body, to her foot.  When she got up, her foot pain had completely disappeared.  She could hardly believe what had happened.

4)   Electro-Acupuncture:  This style of acupuncture involves connecting the acupuncture needles to a micro-current machine, which delivers a gentle electric stimulation to the acupuncture needles.  For the patient, this feels like the needles are buzzing or vibrating the muscles, which creates additional relaxation and circulation in the area.  For some people, especially those with larger muscles, a more sturdy build, and a high pain tolerance, electro-acupuncture provides sufficient stimulation to unblock the energy channels.  In fact, sometimes acupuncture alone will not work, but when electro-acupuncture is used, it provides immediate pain relief.

 Acupuncture for Pain Relief FAQ’s

How often should I come in for treatment?

For acute pain issues, the time frame will mostly likely be 4 treatments, at an optimal frequency of 2 times per week.  If your condition is going to respond to acupuncture (which is true for about 70% of my patients), you should see significant progress within that time period.  For chronic pain issues, you should still see progress within that time frame, but I recommend following it up with 4 more treatments once per week, because the pattern of pain is more ingrained in the body, and may take more time and treatment to fully heal.

Can acupuncture for pain relief be used with other types of treatments?

Often, a combination of acupuncture with physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, osteopathic manipulation, massage therapy, pain medication, surgery, and other treatments can provide the greatest and longest lasting relief from pain.  The type of treatments best for a given individual really depends on the specifics of that person’s situation.  A knowledgeable health care practitioner will be able to advise you on the best combinations of treatments for your situation.

Conclusion

Overall, acupuncture is a superior method for pain relief – due to its effectiveness and lack of side effects.  I recommend it as a primary treatment for both acute and chronic pain issues.  As always, if you have any questions about your particular condition or situation, please feel free to contact my Washington DC acupuncture office for a complimentary phone or in-person consultation.

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a weeklong spiritual retreat in the second week of December, led by my teacher Rupert Spira.  Located in Westchester County about 45 minutes north of New York City, the retreat took place at a small retreat center called Bailey Farms.  The days consisted of guided meditation, silent meditation, talks, and dialogues/question – answers.  It was an amazing retreat experience, which is still strongly echoing through my daily life, allowing me to access greater peace.

Our lovely retreat crew, with Rupert in the middle of the 2nd row, and me at the left 2nd row

Reflecting on what made the retreat special, 4 components come to mind:

1. Taking time away from the usual day-to-day life
2. Turning inward, to reflect on one’s innermost experience
3. The presence of a teacher
4. The community of fellow retreat participants

Winter – a time for retreat

Winter in Chinese medicine is a time for hibernation, quiet, stillness, and silence.   This is the way the energy is moving in nature at these times.  In nature, the energy and physiological activity of plants retract to the core and roots, and animals reduce their activity levels.

In humans, winter manifests in the way many of us will just feel more tired, wanting extra sleep.  Or in more pronounced cases, some of us will experience a marked period of depression, low energy, and withdrawal (labeled seasonal affective disorder by modern medicine). 

Looking at it from a positive perspective, the energy of winter calls us and draws us into silence and stillness.  Within these moments of silence, our inner life has the opportunity to settle, to experience the peace of being in touch with our inner space.  So often for many of us, we do not take the time to do this. 

This is not surprising, as there is almost no encouragement in our culture to do so!   With the dominant cultural focus being on external action, communication and accomplishment, we never learn the skill, the way, of how to settle into ourselves, how to engage with our naturally peaceful inner space.

The essence of what is being called for in the winter’s energy is withdrawal, retreat, and inward dwelling.  The folks at the Zen Mountain Monastery, where I did a one-month retreat in 2008, call winter a time for “healthy solitude and self-reliance.”.  This solitude can be found in many ways, and in many settings.

“Retreat” is simply the act of taking the time to do this.

What type of retreat is right for you?

I went to a formal retreat setting, with a teacher and fellow students, organized around a spiritual tradition (in this case it was Advaita, a philosophical/spiritual system from India, which has many similarities to Buddhism), but retreat can happen in a multitude of ways.  It depends on your religious and spiritual tradition, your personality, schedule, life circumstances, and so on.  In almost every case, however, I would say that it is possible, and advisable, to take time for retreat…

Many people resist taking retreat based on a cost-benefit analysis of their time – there’s just not enough available time to justify it.  However, the results of retreat include greater creativity, focus, calm, stress reduction, energy, peace, and ability to experience love in your relationships.  Taking retreat increases the possibility that these qualities will become entrenched in your daily life, thus increasing the quality of life through the whole spectrum of your life activities.  The real question is whether we can afford not to take retreat, a question that our 2-week-vacation-per-year culture has obviously answered in the negative, but with what consequences?

Guidance through the retreat process

Taking retreat is actually a time-honored tradition in most cultures.  It is built into the Sabbath day off in Judaism, and for centuries, monasteries and ashrams in many cultures have been havens for people to not only find a safe and secluded place for retreat, but also to gain guidance in how to navigate the retreat process.

This issue of guidance through the retreat process is an important one to consider.  Many times people are consciously or unconsciously scared of silence, stillness, and spending time with their inner space.  Why?  Because there’s often a lot of “crap” floating around in there, just waiting to be noticed.  A lot of our lives is actually geared toward distracting and diverting our attention from this inner space, so that we don’t have to deal with the “crap.”  I can assure you from my experience, that while it is certainly freaky, scary and often disorienting and disconcerting to go inward, the results are worth it.  In fact, the retreat process of going inward is actually the only way to discover lasting peace and contentment (ie, finally letting go of the crap!). 

This is where finding the right guidance becomes important.  Most of us are not taught the map of our inner emotional, mental and spiritual terrain, much less the skills of how to successfully navigate it.  That’s what spiritual, religious, and personal growth teachers are for!  Well, ideally, anyway.  Since there are all kinds of people out there, it is important to discern which teacher will be appropriate for you.   Ideally, a teacher will be able to accurately, gently, and skillfully guide you through the retreat process.  Of course, no one is perfect, but the hallmarks that you should be looking for include feeling safe with the person, the concepts being taught, and the retreat setting itself.

And, although guidance is very helpful, some people will want to go through the process alone – perfectly fine if it’s right for you.

So, time to get started!

Considerations

In considering what kind of retreat would be right for you, consider the following ideas:

• • For those who have not done retreat before, I recommend starting with half a day, or 4 hours.
  • Other common lengths of time are 1 day, 2 days, and 1 week.  Each length of time affords you different possibilities in terms of the depth of experience that you will experience – the more days, the greater the depth and intensity.
  • Do you want to be alone, or with others?
  • Do you want a structured schedule, or free time?
  • Do you want guidance from a teacher and the company of fellow students?
  • Do you want to engage in a specific religious, spiritual, or personal growth retreat, or do your own thing?
  • Do you want to be in the city or countryside?
  • Do you want just silent meditation, or a mix of silence, talking and conversation?

A retreat can be as simple as arranging time for the family to be taken care of, packing a lunch, and heading into the hills for a 4-hour hike.   It could be as short as taking 2 hours to journal and reflect at your favorite coffee shop.  A 1-hour acupuncture session or massage is actually a mini-retreat.  It could also be as involved as flying to Costa Rica for a weeklong yoga and meditation retreat.   Or, for those who want to go really big, drop everything and take a 3-year Tibetan Buddhist retreat in the Himalayas.

Your first retreat

That being said, many people often find it helpful to start with a half-day, organized meditation retreat.  The Insight Meditation Community of Washington, focusing on Buddhist-based mindfulness meditation, offers frequent half-day retreats, and is a good place to start.  If you are connected to a church, synagogue, or other religious community, many offer periodic day and weekend long retreats – a good place to start as well. 

Nestled in the Shenandoah foothills, a 360 view of the driveway leading up to Holy Cross Abbey on a beautiful summer day

Or, like I did last summer over 4-5 days at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, VA, you can take your own retreat at any number of local retreat centers and monasteries.  These places offer an atmosphere of peace and stillness, and often don’t care what religion or spiritual path you are practicing – they are just interested in providing a place for retreat and inward dwelling.  For example, Holy Cross Abbey was very welcoming when I told them I wanted to just have a room to study and practice my Buddhist-oriented path.   It was a beautiful place to visit, get away, study, meditate and walk around the grounds and property.

I hope I’ve inspired you to consider taking some time for spiritual retreat.   Feel free to ask me any questions – just type in the comments section below, and I’ll respond to you shortly.  Enjoy!

Ah, just got finished with a 3 hour walkabout through Rock Creek Park!  As you DC residents know, this entire weekend was absolutely beautiful, and it was a pleasure to be outside.

Jeremy on the road in Rock Creek

Beautiful Creek

As many of you know, there is a revolution of sorts sweeping the running and walking world.  That revolution is a turning toward “barefoot” running and walking.  I put “barefoot” in quotes because this movement refers both to actual bare feet, and also to the wide range of “minimalist” shoes – shoes that have soles that are only about 1/8″ thick or so.

The most famous is the Vibram Five Fingers shoes.  Yes, the ugly ones!  I swore I’d never get them.  Long story short, I have them.  And love them!  Here they are on my feet, trekking across a stream today in Soapstone Valley Park, a wonderful little extension off Rock Creek Park, just south of Abermarle Street near Tenleytown.

Walking Across a Stream in Rock Creek Park

Born to Run: A Book Review

Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall, is a book about many things, one of which is an examination of the modern running shoe industry, and the genesis of the new “barefoot” running movement.

But it is so much more than that.  It is one of the rare books that I literally read for two days straight over a weekend.  (The last was The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman).  It is:

• An anthropological adventure story into the heart of the Copper Canyons in Mexico in search of the Tarahumara tribe

• A sweeping history and survey of the ultramarathon movement in the US

• An amazing discussion of the evolutionary biology of human running – with extremely interesting ideas regarding the connection between the ability to run long distance, our unique physiology and brain structures among animals, and the concept that humans functioned as pack “endurance hunters”, essentially running their prey to death, without using weapons.

• An inspiring story about a special group of runners and their relationship to running

• And as mentioned, an indictment of the modern shoe industry, and a litany of scientists and medical running specialists weighing in on the pros and cons of barefoot running (mostly the pros)

Here is a video of Mr. McDougall explaining the whole thing in a TED talk – very interesting, well worth a listen:

Christopher McDougall: Are we born to run?

So, does barefoot help?  I’ll go on my sample size of one – a patient to whom I recommended Born to Run went out and bought Vibram Five Finger shoes before even I had gotten them.  Along with acupuncture treatments, which in his case were very effective for his knee pain, he literally has had no knee pain for months, which he credits in part to running both actual barefoot, and with the Five Fingers.

In my own case, the key was just actually trying them on.  Once I felt the intimate contact with the ground, and their overall feel, I was sold.

However, after wearing these shoes and breaking them in VERY gradually over 3 months, I will say, if you try to do your normal walking and running routines with these shoes right out of the box, you will most likely injure yourself.  It’s essential to adjust one’s stride to accommodate the lack of shoe cushioning.

But back to the book, it’s a great read, very thought provoking.  Here’s the link if you want to check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Superathletes-Greatest-Vintage/dp/0307279189/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323133752&sr=1-1

Recently, I had 2 patients ask me for a granola recipe.  Coincidentally, inspired by my uncle Daniel who started making his own granola a while ago, Caroline and I have been making an awesome granola recipe from scratch for the past month.  We always make a double recipe, but, it’s usually so good that it only lasts a week…

Granola just out of the oven

There are some things you can buy at a store that work just fine, and some things, I find that I really need to make myself in order to get the quality and health aspects that I’m looking for.

Granola, fortunately or unfortunately, is one of those items.  I would love to just go into the store and pick up a bag of granola – that would be very convenient.

The apricots, cherries and candied ginger – mmm!

However, the reality is that every single granola that I have tried from the store makes me feel terrible after eating it.  Why is that?  Well, I for one am very sensitive to white sugar.  If you look at most granola ingredient lists, white sugar (or evaporated cane juice) is almost always the second ingredient.

Also, most granolas try to be low fat, to cater to the “health conscious” crowd.  (See my recent post on Why Cholesterol is Good for You for an alternate view on fat).  This lack of fat, combined with a high ratio of white sugar, means that most store bought granola has a destabilizing effect on blood sugar.  The refined sugar creates a blood sugar level spike, and there is no fat to slow down the digestion of those sugars, which would create a more even blood sugar response.

Big Granola Chunk

So, although I’ve wanted a breakfast food that is convenient, tasty, and quick, I haven’t really found it – until now.

Caroline & Jeremy’s  

Ginger Cherry Spice Granola

As you’ll see in the recipe, I’ve included coconut oil (our new favorite oil) to decrease the blood sugar spike, and added only a small amount of honey as a sweetener.

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup almonds

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup low sugar candied ginger (from TJ’s), chopped (the twist!)

1/4 cup coconut oil (the other twist!)

1/4 cup honey

For instructions on cooking, go to the recipe we based this on.

Enjoy, and tell us how it goes in the comment section of my blog.

Caroline eating some granola

6 months studying advanced Chinese herbal medicine and the integration of western medicine and Chinese herbal medicine at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with a trip to Michele’s birthplace in the Marshall Islands and a 6 weeks in Israel.  Quite awesome!

One of the first things I asked Michele to do for me when she got back was to sit down with me and make me an herbal formula.  So, we talked for about an hour about my health, and she came up with an excellent formula to help balance my system – Ba Zhen Tang.

Roots and Branches:

Roots and Branches

Michele stirring the witch’s brew:

Michele stirring herbs

The boiling brew:

Herbs Brewing

Michele and Jeremy:

Michele and Jeremy

One of the major distinguishing factors between Chinese herbal medicine, and the herbs and supplements that you mostly find in your local health food store, is that Chinese herbs are most often combined into formulas of herbs.  These formulas have been constructed and tested often for over 1000 years in Chinese culture, and have been refined to produce maximum health benefits with minimum side effects.

Michele chose Ba Zhen Tang for me because it is one of the most effective, yet gentle ways to, in the terminology of Chinese Medicine, tonify the Qi and Blood.  Due to Michele’s skill as an herbalist, and as a result of her years of Taoist meditation and qigong training, she was able to give me this formula based on her physical, emotional and spiritual assessment of my situation.  Pretty awesome!

Sessions with Michele

For the next 2 weekends, Michele will be at my office on Sundays between 9-5, giving herbal consultations.  Take advantage of this great opportunity to work with a master herbalist.  Her specialty is creating truly personalized formulas that match the physical, emotional and spiritual condition of her clients.  She has a strong background in women’s health, emotional trauma, and psychological/mental health.

After seeing you here in person, she is available for phone consult follow-ups, and she and I will be in full communication about your case if you are a client of mine.

To make an appointment, email Michele at  michele@spiritrisingherbs.com.

Here’s her bio:

Michele Collins, MPH, RH (AHG), is a clinical herbalist who uses an eclectic blending of Chinese, Ayurvedic, and western herbal healing systems.  She blends Chinese, Indian, and western herbs, as well as chi kung, in her work with people. She specializes in the use of tonic herbs and formulas to address chronic depletion and imbalances caused by illness or emotional trauma, the use of herbs for psychological/mental health issues, as well as the use of herbs for women’s health issues.  Michele is a graduate of Michael and Leslie Tierra’s professional herbalist program at the East West School of Herbology, where she holds the designation of certified herbalist (EWCH, as well as a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild (designated as Registered Herbalist or RH).  She studied advanced Chinese herbal medicine and the integration of western medicine and Chinese herbal medicine for 6 months at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She also has a Master of Public Health degree in Health Behavior and Health Education from the UNC School of Public Health and has worked designing and evaluating public health programs for nearly 15 years.  For more information, you can visit her website at  www.michelecollinsherbalist.com.

ChiWalking

I immediately thought of ChiWalking.

ChiWalking and ChiRunning are written by Danny and Katherine Dreyer.  Danny is long-time running coach and ultramarathon runner.  Many years ago, he began studying tai chi with a master in San Francisco, and eventually created a marriage between the postural elements of tai chi and the movements of walking and running.

The practical effects of this combination is to lower the impact of each stride on the foot, heel, ankle, knees, hips, and low back.  Effectively, one of Danny’s goals was to create injury-free walking and running.

Have you experienced injuries or pain in any of these areas?  Do you also walk and/or run?  If so, I would definitely check out ChiWalking and ChiRunning.

Posture

Posture is at the core of Danny and Katherine’s system.  The posture system outlined here is taken straight from tai chi.  Here are some of the main postural elements:

• Crown of the head is lifted like being pulled up with a string
• Occiput and chin come slightly up and in
• Head is level with the ground, eyes look forward to the horizon
• Pelvis is level with the ground (you have to use a little lower abdominal core strength for this)
• Thus, spine is straight
• Torso slightly leans forward (1/4 inch)
• All muscles except core are relaxed

How to Walk

Danny and Katherine go through quite a number “form focuses” regarding how to think about the motion of walking and running.  To summarize some of the main points:

• Your momentum comes from “the lean” – leaning, and basically falling forward, keeping the posture, and allowing your legs to basically just catch you as you move forward.  The idea here is that leaning and falling allow gravity to do all the work, and your legs are as relaxed as possible.  No “power” walking or running here.

• Land lightly, rolling through the midfoot and forefoot.  Avoid landing on the heel.  This pointer is the key to healing my patient’s ankle injuries.  Excessive impact on the heel was creating her chronic and debilitating ankle pain.

• Land without making a sound (or as quietly as possible!).  This instruction again is excellent for my patient, because it reduces impact to the whole body, and especially the ankles, heels, and feet.

There are many, many more pointers in these in-depth and excellent books.  I recommend the ChiWalking and ChiRunning workbooks and DVDs as well.  I have been using the ChiWalking workbook and DVD for the past 8 weeks as I break in my new barefoot shoes (more on that in a future blog post!), and I’ve been loving it.

A Relief from Ankle Pain – using natural methods

So, what happened to my patient?  (You may have guessed that there’s a happy ending here…).  After adopting the ChiWalking posture and form focuses, she remembered the poise she had as a dancer.  She was able to feel her posture lifting her up, and through a couple lessons at my office, we pinpointed the ways in which her stride was creating the excessive impact on her ankle.

With these adjustments, plus acupuncture treatments that created some excellent pain relief during this process, my patient has made great strides toward injury and pain-free walking (yes, bad puns do run in my family – sorry!).  And, to boot, along with some dietary changes, she has already lost about 10 pounds!

If you have questions about ChiWalking and ChiRunning, please contact me at my Washington DC acupuncture office.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

Ah, cholesterol.  And its good friend, saturated fat.  Invariably, when the topic of healthy eating comes up, one of the first things many people bring up is how they eat a health low-fat diet, and try their best to stay away from those bad, evil, high fat foods.

Immediately following this, many will mention how they are doing with their blood cholesterol levels, the medications they have been prescribed to deal with it, and how they have been doing thus far with their meds.

There is a great deal of concern and fear concerning the possibility that high blood cholesterol levels, especially the “bad” kind, will create a higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and death.

No wonder no one can enjoy their bacon anymore!

And no wonder the cholesterol lowering drugs called statins are a multi-billion dollar industry.

My Cholesterol Journey

Like almost all Americans, for most of my life, I lived my life fully bought in to the full range of modern cholesterol theories.  It mostly existed as background fear, not necessarily influencing my day-to-day choices in a complete way, but nonetheless present in my consciousness.

In 2000, after graduating from college, with my health a complete mess, I was exposed to the theory and practice of Ayurvedic nutrition.  Ayurveda is the traditional medical system of India, and is closely related to the theory and practice of yoga.  According to Ayurvedic theory, the human being (body, emotions, and mind) is composed of 3 types of energies: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

When one type of energy excessively predominates in your body, you become out of balance.  At the time, I was experiencing a lot of fatigue, anxiety, depression, being spaced out, very low energy, underweight, easily disturbed digestive system, and so on.  This is classified in Ayurveda as an excess of Vata energy.  Their cure?  Eat more butter.

Making Ghee

More butter?  Yes, but this is the root of all evil!  A multimillion dollar margarine and vegetable oil industry rests on this claim.  However, I was desparate to feel better, and intrigued by the accurate depiction of my physical, emotional, and mental symptoms that Ayurveda offered.  So, I looked into the dietary recommendations (which of course were more sophisticated than offering just butter), and began making ghee, their preferred form of butter.

Over the next year I ate ghee with pretty much everything.  I ate it with bread, spiced it with cardamom seeds, and threw a bunch of medjool dates to soak in a big pot of it for a week (yes, they were extremely delicious).  I’m not sure how much I ate, maybe ¼ to a ½ stick per day?

Over that year, I finally began to gain weight again, my moods began to stabilize, and my energy started to pick up.  And I didn’t keel over from a heart attack.  Sure, I was embarrassed to tell other people how much butter I was eating.  However, it was this experience that really got me questioning whether cholesterol and saturated fats are truly bad for people, and on the contrary, whether they might actually serve a deeply nourishing, beneficial purpose for the body, the emotions, and the mind.

Cholesterol is Good For You: My Introduction to the Weston A. Price Foundation

A few years after, my experiments with ghee, I started acupuncture school in Columbia, MD and discovered Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions, and her foundation, The Weston A. Price Foundation.  Similar to the traditional system of Ayurveda, Sally Fallon advocated the inclusion of saturated fats in a healthy diet.

Sally Fallon’s book is based on the work of Weston Price, a dentist, who in the 1930’s, traveled to all 6 populated continents to observe the health conditions and diets of native cultures whose diets and ways of life had not yet been touched by industrialization.

Across cultures, Weston Price found that pre-industrial societies all valued foods with high saturated fat content.  Some of these foods were so highly valued that they were considered sacred foods.  For example in Switzerland, the rich yellow butter produced by cows in the fall and spring seasons, when they grazed on fast growing grass, was prized and celebrated in an annual festival.

To ensure the fertility of married couples, Dr. Price found that some societies provided a special 6 month pre-conception diet for the woman and the man, to ensure not only fertility but also the optimal health and well-being of the newborn child.  Invariably, these diets are high in high-quality saturated fats and cholesterol.

Sally Fallon and the Weston Price Foundation also go to great lengths to show the benefits of foods that are produced using traditional farming methods.  In modern day terms that would mean: local, grass-fed, humanely raised, organic, non-gmo, unrefined, no industrial processing, and so on.

Encouraged by this information, I began to incorporate the full range of traditional foods containing saturated fat into my diet, including:

• Whole eggs
• Butter
• Full fat dairy, including cream and yogurt
• Lard (yes, I actually use lard in my cooking!)
• Bacon and bacon fat
• Organ meats, including liver and kidney
• Full fat cuts of bacon, pork, etc.

And, after 10 years of this heart stopping nonsense of a diet, I have to say that I’ve never felt better.

Re-examining the Mainstream Medical Hypotheses

But, even if I feel good eating all this tasty stuff, what if, as the argument goes, I keel over and die 10 years earlier than I would have, due to an artery clogged with the excessive saturated fat and cholesterol included in my diet?

That could be an important reason for limiting cholesterol and saturated fat intake.

Or, (and even better if you own pharmaceutical company stock), an important reason for taking statin drugs, for the rest of your life.

However, what if the mainstream medical hypotheses concerning cholesterol are not true?  Or, at the least, are not as proven and bulletproof as we have been lead to believe?

Important note: Before I discuss the scientists’ viewpoints who refute the mainstream medical community’s view on cholesterol, I would like to make it absolutely clear that I do not claim to know what is true about how cholesterol and saturated fat affects our health.  Rather, I am more interested in:

1. Investigating both sides of the story – because the scientists and doctors who look favorably on saturated fat and cholesterol intake are rarely publicized in the press or media
2. Advocating for an attitude of personal experimentation rather than listening only to experts’ theories – how does your body feel when you eat bacon, or eggs, or butter?  What happens when you use the evidence of your own experience rather than the theories of “scientists” and “experts” to direct your dietary choices?

Venturing Outside the Mainstream Medical Hypothesis

In his excellent book, The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease, Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD lays out the central tenets of the mainstream medical hypotheses concerning cholesterol, saturated fat, and heart disease:

1. High-fat foods cause heart disease
2. High blood cholesterol levels cause heart disease
3. High-fat foods raise blood cholesterol
4. Cholesterol blocks arteries
5. Animal studies prove the diet-heart idea
6. Lowering your blood cholesterol levels will lengthen your life
7. Polyunsaturated oils are good for you
8. The mainstream medical hypotheses concerning cholesterol are based on good science
9. All scientists support the diet-heart idea

And yes, you guessed it, Ravnskov spends the next 300 pages debunking each of these 9 “myths”.  Through a thorough examination of all of the major studies that purport to show the truth of these “myths”, Ravnskov shows how in each study, the author’s conclusions and summaries are not supported by the data.  However, in practice, it is these conclusions and summaries which drive the thinking, prescription habits, and dietary recommendations of physicians all over the country.

I’m not going to go into how Ravnskov dissects each study here, but he has excerpts from his book at: http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm.  Scroll down to click on each of his main points, which takes you to excerpts from his book.

Also see the group he founded, The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, a group of scientists and doctors opposed to the current cholesterol theories, and the use of statins: http://www.thincs.org/.  Click on the members page to see the 90 doctors and scientists from around the world who are willing to publicize their disagreements with these theories.

In fact, what struck me most when reading Ravnskov’s book was actually myth #9: All scientists support the diet-heart idea.  It hadn’t even occurred to me that this was a debated issue in the scientific community.  Yet, reading quote after quote from MD’s and PhD’s talking about the fallacies in the cholesterol – fat – heart disease hypothesis really peaked my curiosity.  Here is one example from Ray Rosenman, MD, the former associate chief of medicine at Mt. Zion hospital in San Francisco, CA:

There is a widespread belief that fat in the diet raises blood cholesterol and is the cause of heart attacks. Knowledgeable scientists know the many fallacies in these simple beliefs, and particularly in blaming the diet. Unfortunately, too many persons have inappropriately changed their diet in the belief that it would prevent a heart attack.

And this is a statement written back in 2000.

Why Hasn’t Your Doctor Told You About This?

If this is an issue that’s up for debate, where has the press been?

And more importantly, before your doctor prescribes you a lifetime prescription of Lipitor, encouraging you to ignore the possible side effects for the good of your heart health, why hasn’t he or she at least mentioned the fact that the cholesterol theories are up for debate?

Why Cholesterol is Good For You – The Positive Roles It Plays in the Body and Brain

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD, wrote an excellent article posted on the Weston Price Foundation website called Cholesterol: Friend or Foe?.  In this article she details the many beneficial roles that cholesterol plays in the body, including:

• Creating structural integrity in our cell membranes:  Our cell membranes are composed of 50% cholesterol and saturated fats.  If we took away the cholesterol, we would look more like a worm or slug.

• Facilitate cell to cell communication and coordination:  The cholesterol in cell membranes play an important role in cell to cell communication, and transporting molecules in and out of the cell

• Brain function:  The brain uses about 25% of the cholesterol in the body

• Cholesterol composes 20% of myelin, one of the most abundant materials in the brain and nervous system.  A decrease or loss of myelin puts the body at risk for multiple sclerosis

• Memory and Learning Issues

A direct quote from Dr. Campbell-McBride’s article:  One of the most wonderful abilities we humans are blessed with is the ability to remember things—our human memory. How do we form memories? By our brain cells establishing connections with each other, called synapses. The more healthy synapses a person’s brain can make, the more mentally able and intelligent that person is. Scientists have discovered that synapse formation is almost entirely dependent on cholesterol, which is produced by the brain cells in a form called apolipoprotein E. Without the presence of this factor we cannot form synapses, and hence we would not be able to learn or remember anything. Memory loss is one of the side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs.

In my clinic, I see growing numbers of people with memory loss who have been taking cholesterol- lowering pills. Dr Duane Graveline, MD, former NASA scientist and astronaut, suffered such memory loss while taking his cholesterol pill. He managed to save his memory by stopping the pill and eating lots of cholesterol-rich foods. Since then he has described his experience in his book, Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol in fresh eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods has been shown in scientific trials to improve memory in the elderly. In my clinical experience, any person with memory loss or learning problems needs to have plenty of these foods every single day in order to recover.

• And, many other physiological functions

In Summary: Think For Yourself

The science of the body is complex, and the role of cholesterol is no exception.  I think it took me about 2 years of reading and consideration before I finally let go of my own fear of cholesterol blood levels and foods rich in saturated fat, and began to instead value the benefits that I personally experience when I eat these foods.

As I stated above, I believe that your own personal experience should trump any scientific theory when it comes to choosing foods for your diet.  As you develop greater and more subtle awareness of your body, you will have a very strong idea of which foods suit you, and which don’t.  No theories required.

However, some theories can be very compelling, especially when a trusted doctor is convinced that you face possible heart disease, cancer and death unless you lower your blood cholesterol with diet, exercise, and medication, and reduce saturated fat in your diet.

When faced with this, I recommend you read up on the subject – from both angles.

My Recommended Reading List

Pro-Cholesterol Articles and Websites

1)   Cholesterol: Friend or Foe, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD: http://westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/531-cholesterol-friend-or-foe

2)   The Weston A. Price Foundation website: www.westonaprice.org

3)   Uffe Ravnskov’s website: http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm

4)   The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics: http://www.thincs.org/index.htm

Anti-Cholesterol Information

Well, you can find this almost anywhere you look.  Why not get the summary on cholesterol and health from webMD, one of the most popular medical information sites on the internet.  Interesting though, there’s no mention of any alternative views on the cholesterol hypothesis…

Finding the Diet That’s Right For You

After facing this complex, contradictory onslaught of information, you might be wondering – so, what should I eat??  If you want to learn how to listen to your body, become your own source of dietary wisdom, and gain insight into which foods are really suited to your unique body and mind, schedule an appointment today.

We will review what you’re doing now, what your goals are, and guide you through the process of critical thinking and listening to your body that are the 2 keys to discovering a diet that is truly healthy and sustainable for you, and the world around you.  Read more about the highly effective system of Health Coaching that I offer in the Transformational Acupuncture clinic.

Read what patients are saying about their Health Coaching experience with Jeremy:

Jeremy possesses all the traits you would hope for in a health care practitioner — he’s caring and supportive as well as knowledgeable and skilled.

When my psychiatrist recommended that I try acupuncture for depression, I was surprised, but the referral to Jeremy has proven more helpful than any of the SSRIs I’ve been on. Over a few months not only has my mood lifted dramatically, but Jeremy’s been an excellent health coach as well, helping me organize and discipline my life so as to put to good use the greater energy and hope I now have.

I also have a serious lower-back injury that has been greatly helped by treatment — I literally have walked in limping and out with a spring in my step, and the results have been lasting as well as immediate.

The adjective “Transformational” is well-chosen. The treatments in and of themselves are very helpful, and if you’re willing to put in the effort for the full health coaching approach (counseling, herbs, healthy diet), working with Jeremy truly can change your life.

- Brian B.

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