Acupuncture Services of Central NY

Millions of women suffer from painful periods. Often the pain occurs the day before the period starts. Some women experience menstrual cramps during the period. And some feel exhausted and achy when the period is over. Chinese Medicine explains menstrual period cramps in terms of the proper flow and quantity of Qi (energy) and Blood. By asking very detailed and specific questions about the menstrual cycle a practitioner can determine the underlying cause of menstrual cramping. Both acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas are very effective to resolve the vast majority of painful period cramps.

To determine the pattern of imbalance in the body that is causing the painful period symptoms, questions must be answered as to the timing of the pain, the location of the pain, the character of the pain and whether or not it is aggravated or relieved by cold, heat or pressure. The regularity and length of the cycle, the quality of the pulse and the color of the tongue may also be significant in coming to a correct diagnosis.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 06:36 AM | Relieve Menstrual Cramps!

In Chinese medicine, mouth sores (whether they are sores on the lips, sores on the tongue, or sores inside the mouth) are trying to warn you that the environment in your body is out of balance. The location of these sores, the frequency that they occur and what triggers them are all clues to the nature of that imbalance. A practitioner of Chinese medicine takes all of this information, along with other signs and symptoms in the body, to correctly diagnose and treat not only the mouth sores, but also address the general constitution of the patient so that the cause of the problem is eliminated.

In Chinese Medicine, the lips are considered part of the Spleen organ system. The health of the Spleen is reflected on the lips. When the function of the Spleen is weak, the lips become vulnerable to damage either from external factors or Heat and Dampness that may lie dormant in the body. There are several patterns of body imbalances that could be the underlying cause of sores on the lips. In all cases, diet and stress reduction need to be part of the long term treatment program.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 02:01 PM | Mouth Sores - Causes and Treatment

In Chinese Herbal Medicine, many foods are included in the medicial literature because of their health benefits. After thousands of years of observation and recorded experience, walnuts have been shown to have very specific therapeutic effects in the human body.

Chinese herbal medicine categorizes herbs based on their taste attribute. An herb can have a taste attribute of acrid, sweet, sour, bitter, salty, bland or astringent. Walnuts fall into the sweet category. Sweet herbs often have tonifying and harmonizing properties.

Chinese herbal medicine also categorizes herbs based on their thermal property. Thermal property describes the temperature of herbs. Herbs can be categorized as cold, cool, neutral, warm and hot. Walnuts fall into the warm category. Many Chinese classic texts state that “Cold diseases must be warmed, and hot diseases must be cooled.” Therefore, appropriate herbs (and foods) are chosen to treat disorders based on their thermal category. Cold herbs would be chosen to treat disorders characterized by heat, such as sore throat and fever. Warm, or hot herbs would be chosen to treat cold conditions such as cold extremities.

Based on their therapeutic effects, herbs are said to enter one or more of the energetic meridians of the body. Walnuts are said to enter the Kidney, Lung and Large Intestine.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 01:36 PM | Benefits of Walnuts

Ginseng is probably the most famous, most commonly used, and possibly one of the most powerful herbs in the history of Chinese Herbal medicine. The Chinese pinyin name for ginseng is Ren Shen which translates to “man root”. One of the oldest principals of Chinese herbal medicine is that the shape, texture or color of a plant or natural substance may mimic certain parts of the body or attributes of certain diseases and therefore suggest a therapeutic correspondence.

In the case of ginseng root, Chinese farmers noticed centuries ago that it is shaped like a human body with head, arms and legs and therefore they deducted that it would strengthen the Qi, or energy, of the whole body. Years of experience using this herb have proven this to be true. Ren Shen, therefore has been catalogued in Chinese herbal medicine as a Qi tonic.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 05:21 AM | Chinese Herbs: Ginseng, The “Man Root”

Many of China’s remarkable herbal products have been exported to the United States for years; Gan Mao Ling, Yunnan Pai Yao, Huang Lian Su, Ching Wan Hong and so on. So, it is refreshing to find a premier Chinese herbal product that has never been exported to the United States finally find its way here. It arrived here through the stubborn persistence of an American practitioner awestruck by the usefulness and effectiveness of the product.

The product is imported and packaged as Yin-Care by ArborUSA. In China it is known as Jie Er Yin Xi Ye, literally “Clean Your Yin Wash-Liquid”. It is popular in China on a level rivaling America’s successful over-the-counter products. Millions of bottles are sold yearly, mostly for vaginitis and as a topical anti-fungal.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 07:27 AM | An Extraordinary Chinese Herbal Product Finds Its Way to North America By Jake Paul Fratkin, OMD

Meniere's disease is usually characterized by a sudden onset of severe vertigo that can last for several hours accompanied by nausea and vomiting, tinnitus, loss of hearing and a feeling of pressure in the ear. It is typically one-sided. The etiology of Meniere's disease in Western medicine is unknown and treatment is usually focused on symptomatic relief by prescribing various drugs such as antihistamines and valium.

Chinese medicine diagnosis will determine one of four possible underlying patterns of imbalance that could be the cause of the symptoms of Meniere's:

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 08:33 AM | Magic Moxa Treatment for Menieres

For practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine in North America, one of the most significant obstacles has been patient compliance. While it is possible to initially convince patients to take water-extracted decoctions, enthusiasm wanes dramatically after three weeks. There are three main reasons for this: 1) The taste is not agreeable. 2) The patient does not like the effort and time that it takes to boil down herbs on a daily basis; also, the smell in the house is often objectionable. 3) The price is excessive, often costing the patient $3 - 7 per bag per day, or $60 to $140 per month. In America, we often use 100 grams of herb per bag, and try to get three doses out of it, lasting one and a half days. In China, one bag might be two to three times the dosage, and meant to last one day. Which is to say that this approach, when practiced in North America, is often less strong (and effective) as is practiced in China.

So, compliance is affected by hassle and cost. Practitioners, many of whom recognize this problem, have tried to circumvent it by using ready made Chinese herbal products. This, of course, inhibits the herbalist's effectiveness in customizing an individual formula. For those herbalists wishing to individualize patient's prescriptions, there are three methods for reducing the cost and increasing compliance on the part of the patient.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 09:37 AM | Making Chinese Herbal Formulas into Alcohol Extracts by Jake Paul Fratkin, OMD

Here is a book published by Beijing Science and Technology Press that students and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may find interesting and useful. Culturally, herbal tinctures have been an integral part of Chinese medicinal therapy for thousands of years. This book discusses hundreds of prescriptions. Some are meant to be taken short term for acute conditions like the common cold. Some of the recipes, like those for diminishing eyesight, are meant to be taken long term as a tonic for the Liver and Kidney. Some of the recipes are meant to be applied externally for conditions such as alopecia and vitiligo.

When I was a student at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine, I clearly remember an herbal medicine lecture where my Chinese professor was discussing the herb Bai Hua She (white patterned snake). He told us how to prepare a powerful tonic for post stroke complications such as deviation of the face and hemiplegia. He went into great detail, telling us to dry the snake first and cut off the head. Then you soak the snake in 80-100 proof alcohol for several weeks. Enough to cover the snake in a glass jar. This preparation could be kept at room temperature for two years. The patient was to take two or three spoonfuls a day.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 06:31 PM | Chinese Herbal Remedies and Medicated Liquors

There are many patterns of imbalance in the body that can explain why someone would experience chronic diarrhea. “Cock's Crow” or dawn diarrhea is one very famous pattern.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 06:30 PM | Morning Diarrhea and Chinese Medicine

I was recently asked by one of my patients whether or not I thought acupuncture treatments would benefit their sister who was told she had a bladder prolapse. Since most of my patients seek help for painful conditions, it reminded me that many people are not yet aware that Chinese medicine is also very beneficial for other types of disorders.

Yes! Unless the condition has progressed to the point of requiring immediate surgical repair, acupuncture may help prevent organ prolapse conditions from deteriorating, if not completely rectify the problem.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 03:15 AM | Acupuncture Treatment For Bladder, Uterine or Rectal Prolapse

With the new year, come New Year’s resolutions, and several people have been asking me about using Chinese medicine to help them to quit smoking. Acupuncture has been used successfully to overcome addictions in this country for decades.

The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) was formed in 1988 and promotes the use of a specific ear acupuncture protocol to help with the anxiety and stress associated with hardcore drug addiction withdrawal. This protocol has been applied to smoking cessation. Four or five points are selected on the ear and stimulated either by hand or with electrical stimulation.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 03:01 PM | Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for Smoking Cessation

In the past, when a couple has had difficulty conceiving, the assumption was that the problem was with the female partner. Not so anymore. Male infertility now accounts for 40% of infertility cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) assesses male fertility via a sperm analysis, which measures the volume, count, motility and morphology of the sperm sample.

The average male sperm count has dropped 45% over the last few generations. The cause of this drastic decline has been linked to the increased exposure to environmental pollutants. Other factors include alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and some prescription drugs. Cell phone usage has also been implicated in the decline and men hoping to impregnate their partners should avoid wearing cell phones on their belt.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 11:37 AM | Traditional Chinese Medicine Helps Male Infertility