Buyers Remorse

Buyers remorse seems to be a common affliction for aspiring minimalists.  As we start to go through the towering heaps, regret for the wasted money is inevitable.  I am no exception.   I have been moving in this direction for a long time, and being mindful about purchases is a long-time habit, so I have been paring down my wardrobe in particular for the last few years.  Insightful advice about purchases, such as "If it's a maybe, it's a no"  have already prevented me from some unnecessary items over the last few years. Likewise, recognizing that if I need something, and buy something on sale which fills the need, but in fact wasn't what I wanted, I tend not to ... (wear it, use it, insert verb here)

Surprisingly this lesson was inspired by a gift from my sister a few years ago.  In one of her many travels to southern California for work, she brought me a very generous gift.  Someone had gifted her a Coach bag (actually two of them) and she did not like the color of one of them so gave it to me.  I thought she was crazy, it was gorgeous, a perfect color, perfect size.  She was also honest enough to acknowledge that she wasn't going to use it since she had one she liked better.

Ok can I just say.....  I. Love. This. Bag.  Perfect travel size, goes with all my stuff (or what's left of it), fits all essentials in the plane, really classy for going out.

And I would never have bought one for myself.  (It's a  COACH, and I am an acupuncturist. Not in the budget). 
( I buy bags on clearance from Ross or JC Penney's).

As I began clearing out my closets over the last few months, again With an eye to rigorous honesty about my stuff, I realized that in the last couple of years since receiving said bag, that I only use a few of them.  My coach bag of course, a few others for every day, one basic black for dress-up.  That was it.  All of the others, nada.  Zip. Zilch.  Zero.  Little to no use.

(aarrgghh, Melting.  Regret.
Here starts the buyers remorse, since 10 cheap bags more than makes up for that nice bag).

Minimalism is not about cheap, not about punishment or going without.  It IS about looking at what adds value to our life and pleasure, and personal freedom.  And exploring how much of my time am I willing to trade for that freedom.

As a small business owner, I have already been doing that for years, specifically the idea of time for money.   Since I am in solo practice with limited staff, there is a physical limit to the number of clients I can see per day, per hour.  How many patients per hour does it take to pay for that purchase, and is it worth it?  More often than not, my time was more valuable to me than going to that store on a crowded weekend to save $15.  So I have been headed here for a while.  However, we get into habits, or go unconscious in certain areas of our life, or get seduced by pithy advertising campaigns that promise so much and rarely deliver.  I am no exception.  That next great thing in fact did not change my life.

So what did I do with this realization?   (squirm)  

I gave most of the bags to friends, and donated the rest.  Most of these were brand new, rarely if ever used.  The look on the face of the folks at Goodwill was utter shock.  Who gives away that kind of nice stuff?

My shame has been mitigated by their pleasure, knowing someone will use them with joy.  
And hopefully I won't jump down that rabbit hole again.  

Buy one thing of value, use it with gratitude until it wears out.  Replace with one. 
Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.

Thank you "Auntie" Kiki for a timeless lesson.  

Stuff and Nonsense

Apropos of nothing, first let me say that I LOVE this ad.  The Kona Brewing ad campaign  isn’t just clever, (they get people like me to giggle even though I don’t drink beer)  it is downright brilliant and a call to mindfulness.  Why not make 1 hour sad hour and the rest 23 happy?  Genius.

For all its cuteness, this ad begs attention to some more fundamental questions:

What is it all for?

How much do I really need?

What is the meaning of life?

Maybe not in so many terms, but it manages to at least get you thinking.  How much of our freedom are we sacrificing to our stuff, our pursuit of stuff (physical stuff, emotional stuff, existential stuff like love, security, health) and our organizing of our stuff?  And what is the price for that freedom? 

My students and some of my patients, know I am exploring the concepts of minimalism as part of an ongoing inner dialog about the meaning of life, my purpose here, where can I find balance (or is there balance?)  This is due, in part, to treating some incredibly sick people in the clinic, and a peri-menopausal hormone-induced existential crises.

Recently inspired by swapping out some old furniture and the opportunity to repaint and de-clutter, in the last 12 weeks, I have been “moving without moving” as I like to call it.  And while I have not taken the “pack-your-entire apartment-and-only-keep-what you need for 30 days, donate the rest”  plunge as aspiring minimalists espouse, I am giving every single thing in my life a level of scrutiny not even encountered in my last move across country  (Did I REALLY pay someone to move this from New York? What was I THINKING?).

As I strive for rigorous honesty in my possessions inventory, it is amazing the mind-tape which proclaims that I might need this someday,  frequently referred to as the "just-in-case" items.  When preparing to donate several hundred dollars of beautiful clothing which I have not used or worn in a decade (I no longer work in the finance industry or at a major university), the voice loudly insists that I may need that sweater in case global warming changes the ocean currents, plunging us into a new ice age (I live in San Diego).  Likewise the sleeping-bag-with-arms inspired coat that was my outerwear when I lived in the big apple.  I am learning that it is important to give this voice a platform instead of suppressing it.  It is a protective voice born of deprivation, stress, years of not getting basic needs met.  In short, it is trying to keep me safe.

The problem with these inner voices is that we seldom question the truth in our running dialog. 

Moving toward a minimalist lifestyle seems to be, for me at any rate, part of being mindful.  I frequently remind my patients that not everything we believe is the truth (this usually in response to some health practice they have been following which does them no benefit and wastes time and/or money). Likewise, not everything I think about stuff and security is true.

What are the essentials?

So many of the minimalist-inspired blog talk is about a return to basics or exploring what is essential for them.  Again, those values are individual and should not be judged.  The idea is to do-away with things (stuff) that interferes with those essentials.  Hmmmm…

Essentials in  my life that are important and give value and meaning to my life, and these are in no particular order:

Meaningful work

Personal growth

Friends

Family

MUSIC

Spiritual path

Exercise

Quiet

TRAVEL

Writing

Teaching

Maintenance of health – body, mind, spirit

Financial clarity

Note that work is only part of this long list and yet it takes up 90% of my time, and has for the last 17 years, leaving precious little leftover for the rest.  Interesting that lots of “things” isn't part of the list, neither is home ownership at this point.  

In reading the wonderful essays from Josh and Ryan on “The Minimalists.com”, both of them had “soul-sucking” jobs at which they both excelled leaving them with little to no time for the rest of their lives along with mountains of personal debt (in spite of 6-figure salaries).  

As an acupuncturist  I don't make a lot of money, so living within my means has been a long-time habit.  But can I do better?  Can I pare things down further to allow more freedom for what is important to me?

Let's see.....

The Link between Celiac and ADHD

There's evidence suggesting that gluten sensitivity may be at the root of many neurological and psychiatric conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

What is gluten?
It's a protein found in wheat grain and part of "gluey" proline and glutamine rich proteins known as prolamines. Prolamines are found in all cereal grains, even rice, corn and oats, but only wheat, and to a lesser extent rye, spelt and einkorn, are assosiated with the serious neurological and autoimmune reactions often linked to autism spectrum disorder.

Gluten is only found in wheat species. Spelt or einhorn gluten has dramatically lower antigenicity of common wheat (Triticulum aestivum) that is used in bread products. Other cereal grasses have what are known as prolamines (proline-glutamine rich proteins) with rye containing secalin, barley containing horedin, etc, but they have very little cross-reactivity with antigens associated with wheat intolerance.

It has long been known that people with celiac disease are also more likely to suffer from ADHD, another condition that is heavily influenced by dietary habits.

However, while the treatment of celiac disease is a completely gluten-free diet, with ADHD the most oft-cited dietary villain is sugar, whereas grains are often overlooked (even though they act much like sugar in your body).

It turns out, though, that there may be a closer link between the symptoms of celiac disease and ADHD than was previously recognized, and that connection is gluten.

A Gluten-Free Diet May "Cure" ADHD
Many children with ADHD do not respond well to most grains, especially wheat. This could be because they have full-blown celiac disease, which impacts an average of one out of every 133 people in the United States (although some studies have found that this number may be as high as 1 in 33 in at-risk populations) -- or because they have a less obvious condition known as gluten sensitivity.

People with gluten sensitivity, which may comprise 10 percent of the U.S. population or more, experience many of the same symptoms as celiac disease causes, including headaches, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, gas and more, but may be unaware that the culprit triggering these symptoms is wheat and other gluten-containing grains. It's also very possible to have celiac disease and not know it … as researchers state, "in many cases, the disease may be clinically silent despite manifest small bowel mucosal lesions."

But the psychological and behavioral symptoms of ADHD are now overlapping so often with those of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity that it's recommended "celiac disease … be included in the ADHD symptom checklist." This suggestion was prompted by a new study, which found people with ADHD who tested positive for celiac disease improved significantly after following a gluten-free diet for at least six months. The researchers noted:

"After initiation of the gluten-free diet, patients or their parents reported a significant improvement in their behavior and functioning compared to the period before celiac diagnosis and treatment … "

It may sound strange to you that eating a grain that wreaks havoc on your gut would manifest as symptoms related to your brain, rather than your digestion, but grains are inherently pro-inflammatory and will worsen any condition that has chronic inflammation at its root -- and not just inflammation in your gut, but anywhere in your body. Chronic inflammation in your body can wreak havoc in your brain, and the importance of reducing inflammation when dealing with mental health issues is well known. It is very common for people to experience a wide variety of mental health and emotional improvements upon eliminating gluten from their diet.


Why Even Whole, Sprouted Wheat is a Problem
I recommend that everyone following my beginner nutrition plan eliminate all gluten from their diets, whether or not they have celiac disease or ADHD, because many experience health improvements upon doing so. Among the most important foods to avoid are those gluten-containing grains that contain gliadin molecules, such as wheat.
When gliadin in the wheat protein complex (containing over 23,000 proteins) activates the protein zonulin in the gut, it opens up the gaps between the enterocytes causing an influx of improperly digested wheat proteins and stomach bacteria.
Therefore regardless of your sensitivity level to the wheat proteins, gliadin opens up a pandora's box of intestinal permeability, and subsequent systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation.

Wheat also contains high amounts of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), a glycoprotein classified as a lectin, which is largely responsible for many of wheat's ill effects. Other grains high in lectins include rice, spelt, and rye. Interestingly enough, the highest amounts of WGA is found in whole wheat, including its sprouted form, which is touted as being the most healthful form of all.

Lectins are actually designed to withstand degradation through a wide range of pH and temperatures, which is why sprouting, fermenting and cooking will NOT negate its ill effects. WGA lectin is particularly tough because it's actually formed by the same disulfide bonds that give strength and resilience to vulcanized rubber and human hair.

Furthermore, because lectins are so small and hard to digest, they tend to bioaccumulate in your body, where they can interfere with biological processes. WGA is particularly troublesome in this regard. Studies indicate it has a number of health-harming characteristics and activities:

Pro-inflammatory--WGA stimulates the synthesis of pro-inflammatory chemical messengers (cytokines) in intestinal and immune cells, and has been shown to play a causative role in chronic thin gut inflammation. Immunotoxicity--WGA induces thymus atrophy in rats , and anti-WGA antibodies in human blood have been shown to cross-react with other proteins, indicating that they may contribute to autoimmunity. In fact, WGA appears to play a role in celiac disease (CD) that is entirely distinct from that of gluten, due to significantly higher levels of IgG and IgA antibodies against WGA found in patients with CD, when compared with patients with other intestinal disorders.


Neurotoxicity-- WGA can cross your blood-brain barrier through a process called "adsorptive endocytosis," pulling other substances with it. WGA may attach to your myelin sheath and is capable of inhibiting nerve growth factor, which is important for the growth, maintenance, and survival of certain target neurons. Excitotoxicity-- Wheat, dairy, and soy contain exceptionally high levels of glutamic and aspartic acid, which makes them all potentially excitotoxic. Excitotoxicity is a pathological process where glutamic and aspartic acid cause an over-activation of your nerve cell receptors, which can lead to calcium-induced nerve and brain injury. These two amino acids may contribute to neurodegenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Huntington's disease, and other nervous system disorders such as epilepsy, ADD/ADHD and migraines.

Cytotoxicity—WGA has been demonstrated to be cytotoxic to both normal and cancerous cell lines, capable of inducing either cell cycle arrest or programmed cell death (apoptosis). Disrupts Endocrine Function—WGA may contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, and leptin resistance by blocking the leptin receptor in your hypothalamus. It also binds to both benign and malignant thyroid nodules, and interferes with the production of secretin from your pancreas, which can lead to digestive problems and pancreatic hypertrophy.

Cardiotoxicity—WGA has a potent, disruptive effect on platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, which plays a key role in tissue regeneration and safely removing neutrophils from your blood vessels. Adversely effects gastrointestinal function by causing increased shedding of the intestinal brush border membranIt is my sincere hope that people will begin to realize that drug therapy, if at all necessary, should be a very last resort, after all other options have been exhausted, when it comes to behavioral problems such as ADHD. The first route of treatment should actually be dietary changes, including:


•Eliminate most grains and sugars, including fructose, from your child's diet. Grains and sugars both tend to cause allergies in sensitive individuals. Even organic, whole, sprouted grain can cause problems in many children so it would be wise to give them a "grain holiday" and see if their behavior improves.


•Replace soft drinks (whether diet and regular), fruit juices, and pasteurized milk with pure, clean non-fluoridated water.

•Increase omega-3 fats by taking a high quality animal-based omega-3 oil. Research has confirmed that animal-based omega-3 fat can improve the symptoms of ADHD more effectively than drugs like Ritalin® and Concerta®. In my view, krill oil is the best option for this. It contains essential EPA and DHA in a double-chain phospholipid structure that makes it far more absorbable than the omega-3s in fish oil.

•Minimize your use of nearly all processed fats, especially trans fats as they disrupt nerve cell intercommunication.

•Avoid all processed foods, especially those containing fructose, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, which may trigger or worsen symptoms. Gluten is also commonly hidden in processed foods like ready-made soups, soy sauce, candies, cold cuts, and various low- and no-fat products, as well as refined grain products like bread, pizza crust, pasta, cookies and pastries.


I also recommend you have your child follow a gluten-free diet to see if this eliminates their symptoms. Your best bet when deciding to eliminate gluten is to primarily base your diet on lean proteins, vegetables and raw dairy products, as described in my nutrition plan, and stick with the grains, seeds and flours available that are naturally gluten-free.
This includes:
Rice Corn (only eat organic, non-GM corn)
Quinoa Sorghum
Soy (but I don't recommend eating this for other reasons) Flax and amaranth seed
Buckwheat and millet do not contain the gliadin molecule that can provoke the inflammatory reaction from gluten. Therefore, they are usually safe to eat as well.

Gluten-free options are becoming much more in demand and as a result are showing up in grocery stores, restaurants and from caterers. But keep in mind, particularly if you are relying on processed gluten-free foods, that cross-contamination can and does occur, most likely during processing, and many companies simply aren't testing to make sure the final product is still gluten-free.


Finally, the benefits of a gluten-free diet do not always appear overnight. Some do experience improvements rapidly, but in others it can take 9 to 12 months before the lining of your small intestine is fully healed. Generally, allow 6 to 9 months of following a gluten-free diet before you expect symptoms to resolve.

The Stunning Effect of This Single Vitamin on CANCER...

In  scathing commentary about Big Pharma in America and the for-profit drug industry, Dr. Mercola discusses the effect of the cancer industry and the profit motive.   Now I think it is far too simplistc to say that the right version of D3 is the amazing cure-all that Mercola espouses.  But most of us don't have this level of corruption in the psyche, which is why it is inconceivable to think that this information could be surpressed.  Most of my fellow doctors would do pretty much anything to help their patients get well, but you are far more profitable as a sick person than maintaining  your health.  MDs do not get paid for this by the way, the drug companies do....    
Read on McDuff.... 

What if a cure for cancer has been right here all along? What if the very agency charged with protecting your health is the one keeping you from that cure?


A Lawless, Rogue Agency Out of Control
Ten years ago a former New York State assemblyman, Daniel Haley, wrote a scathing exposé on how the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) systematically shuts the door on effective and non-toxic products, many for cancer.

The FDA is the chief agency in charge of protecting and promoting Americans' health and safety. But in 10 stunning, true stories in his book, "The Politics of Healing," Haley describes how the FDA has suppressed and banned natural health cures – eight of them for cancer. He later wrote about two additional cancer cures that worked, which the FDA also disallowed.

The FDA even admitted that one of these treatments, discovered by Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, was successful with some of the most incurable forms of cancer. I shared this with you in a recent article that showed his film, but stories like this are far too common, and you can't help but wonder how many people have died while the FDA denied them cancer treatments that work.

Haley brazenly calls the FDA a rogue, out of control agency that has lied in Congressional testimonies, deliberately falsified data, and destroyed evidence to prohibit cures like Burzynki's from coming to market. The FDA's loyalties are to the drug industry, not to individuals, Haley says.
His claims mirror those of Dr. David Graham, who once worked in the FDA's Office of Drug Safety. In 2004 Dr. Graham blew the whistle on six drugs that were harming people, including Vioxx, but instead of acting on his warnings, Graham's superiors pulled him off his job. He fought back in a PBS television special when he told how he'd been chastised at the FDA for thinking the FDA served the public. The "FDA is there to serve the drug industry," Graham said his supervisors told him.

'Virtually Every' Drug Company Now Targeting Cancer Therapies
Today, the FDA continues to serve its client, Big Pharma, by making sure that toxic chemotherapy, along with surgery and radiation, are the only cancer treatment options legally available to you. This industry is huge, with 139 cancer treatment drugs in the pipeline just for women alone. All told there are over 900 experimental cancer therapies under investigation. No wonder so many pharmaceutical companies are ramping up their cancer drug research!

According to the New York Times:
"Virtually every large pharmaceutical company seems to have discovered cancer, and a substantial portion of the smaller biotechnology companies are focused on it as well. Together, the companies are pouring billions of dollars into developing cancer drugs."

Note they said drugs, not cures. That's because this industry isn't set up for a cure, even though they say that's what they're looking for. It's also why economic forecasts predict 20 million new cancers by 2025, with the $50 billion-a-year cancer treatment business increasing by 15 percent a year. Pfizer alone projects its annual cancer drug returns will be $11 billion by 2018.

The Truth about Vitamin D
Everyone's talking about vitamin D right now, especially since the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) updated their recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for it. The truth is that most Americans are deficient in vitamin D, and studies show that vitamin D supplementation can both prevent and kill many infections and diseases, including cancer.

Vitamin D isn't actually a vitamin, although scientists refer to it as such. It's actually a steroid hormone that you get from sun exposure, food sources and/or supplementation. The term refers to either vitamin D2 or D3, but according to the National Vitamin D Council, D3 (chemical name 25-hydroxy vitamin D) is real vitamin D, and is the same substance produced naturally through your skin by sun exposure.

Older research appears at odds on whether your body cares which form of D it's getting. But a study in the January 2011 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that D3 is 87 percent more effective than D2, and is the preferred form for treating vitamin D deficiency. It's measured in international units (IU's) in nanograms per milliliter, or ng/mL. The Vitamin D Council believes that a person's D3 levels should be at least 50 ng/mLfor your body to function properly. (To determine whether you might be deficient, you need to get your vitamin D levels tested, and ideally, you'll want to get tested regularly thereafter to ensure you're maintaining optimal levels year-round.)
Fourteen famous vitamin D researchers gave the FNB this information, but the FNB apparently ignored the information that the researchers presented because their "updated" RDA levels ended up being so pitifully low that it's doubtful it can significantly impact Americans' deficiency, let alone fight off diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Experts Protest 'Impossible' New RDA Levels
Depending on your age, the new recommendations are 600 to 800 IUs a day for adults and between zero and 600 IUs a day for children. The FNB also said that taking vitamin D in amounts of 10,000 IUs or more could be dangerous – but that's ridiculous, seeing that a 30-minute dose of sunshine can give an adult more than 10,000 IUs! Since countless studies indicate that much higher levels of vitamin D are required for optimal health, it's no surprise that experts lost no time denouncing the FNB's recommendations.
"It's almost impossible to significantly raise your vitamin D levels when supplementing (at the FNB levels)," the Vitamin D Council posted on its website.

Hidden Agendas and Conflicts of Interest
Suspecting that conflicts of interest and hidden agendas played a part in this, the Vitamin D Council filed Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests so they could examine the FNB's notes on the process. They're still waiting on an answer, but I'm wondering if it doesn't have something to do with the fact that over 1,350 clinical trials on vitamin D are currently being conducted by major drug companies, all based on the prevention or cure of many illnesses and diseases, including 388 for cancer.

Yes, cancer.

From breast to prostate, to colorectal to brain cancers, and even basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer), Drug companies such as Pfizer and Merck are currently either sponsoring or collaborating on clinical trials based on the premise that vitamin D administered orally, intravenously or topically (for skin cancer) may either prevent or cure cancer. Cancer foundations and institutes are all in on the clinical study game as well, such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health. Even the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs are studying ways to prevent and cure cancer with vitamin D!

What's really interesting is that several of these studies are using vitamin D in amounts of 50,000 IUs a day or more – which flies strongly in the face of the FNB's claims that self-supplementing with 10,000 could be dangerous to your health. Since recent studies show that supplements of up to 40,000 IUs a day don't appear to be toxic, and that doses as low as 400 IUs a day are too low to even maintain skeletal health, let alone prevent cancer.

The FDA's Definition of Drug vs. Supplement
Over 800 studies already show that vitamin D could have cancer-prevention and/or treatment possibilities. But the problem is that it's a natural substance that can't be patented as a simple supplement, meaning there's no real revenue in it, compared to a prescription brand drug. That's why many drug studies involving vitamins of any kind hinge on how the FDA defines drugs and supplements.

A drug is defined as a product meant for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of a disease. A supplement is defined as a product that is meant to simply "supplement" or "enhance" a normal diet within the daily allowances recommended by the FDA. Drugs – and retailers who sell supplements are not allowed to tell you that vitamin D can possibly "prevent, mitigate or cure" cancer without having the FDA accuse them of selling a drug that hasn't been approved through the proper FDA process.

Again, Follow the Money if You Want to Know the Truth
That process of getting a drug to market costs an average $359 million and takes nearly 10 years– with a good portion of the money going directly to the FDA through user fees. Over the years these fees have become a major funding source for the FDA. What drug companies get in return is faster FDA reviews and drug approvals.

As a result, a kind of you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours scenario has ensued, with drug companies maintaining major leverage over the FDA when it comes to protecting their revenue sources, including making sure the $60 billion-a-year supplement business doesn't get in the way of drug sales. The history of FDA laws and regulations on file at Harvard Law School, explains how years ago an FDA task force long ago established this policy
"… to ensure that the presence of dietary supplements on the market does not act as a disincentive to drug development."

So how does this relate to too-low RDA levels for vitamin D?
Let's look at the clinical trials shows that most of them involve "high-potency" D3 supplements, which puts them in the drug category if it turns out they can mitigate, treat or cure cancer. And that means they can be patented – and sold to you as prescriptions at sky-high prices.

Treatment of Automimmune Disease with Oriental Medicine

Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body and destroys or alters tissues. There are more than eighty serious chronic illnesses in this category including rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, lupus, thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, pernicious anemia, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and Guillain–Barré syndrome. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) twenty percent of the population suffers from autoimmune disorders. Each disease appears uncommon on an individual basis but, as a group, the disorders make up the fourth-largest cause of disability among women.

Due to the complexity of treating autoimmune disorders, integrative medicine solutions including acupuncture and Oriental medicine have received much attention as successful therapies in their treatment particularly for use in providing pain relief, regulating the immune system, managing symptoms and improving overall quality of life.

What Causes Autoimmune Disease?
Under normal conditions, an immune response cannot be triggered against the cells of one's own body. In certain cases, however, immune cells make a mistake and attack the very cells that they are meant to protect. This can lead to a variety of autoimmune diseases which encompass a broad category of over 100 diseases in which the person's immune system attacks his or her own tissue.
The exact mechanisms causing these changes are not completely understood, but bacteria, viruses, toxins, and some drugs may play a role in triggering an autoimmune process in someone who already has a genetic (inherited) predisposition to develop such a disorder. It is theorized that the inflammation initiated by these agents, toxic or infectious, somehow provokes in the body a "sensitization" (autoimmune reaction) in the involved tissues.

As the disease develops vague symptoms start to appear, such as joint and muscle pain, general muscle weakness, possible rashes or low-grade fever, trouble concentrating, or weight loss. The following symptoms may point toward something being wrong: numbness and tingling in hands and feet, dry eyes, hair loss, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, or repeated miscarriages can also be caused by an autoimmune response.

How Acupuncture Treats Autoimmune Disorders
According to Oriental medicine, autoimmune disorders occur when there is imbalance within the body. Imbalance can come from an excess or deficiency of yin and yang that disrupts the flow of Qi, or vital energy, through the body. Acupuncture is used to help the body restore balance, treating the root of the disorder, while specifically addressing the symptoms that are unique to each individual.
Clinical research has shown that acupuncture causes physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure, body temperature and the immune system.

In addition to acupuncture, your treatment program to manage your autoimmune disorder may involve a combination of therapies including stress reducing exercises, moderate physical activity, herbal medicine and nutritional support.

Learn more about how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can be safely and effectively incorporated into treating autoimmune disorders, call for a consultation today!

These Five Foods May Cause Problems VERY Similar to Wheat...

 As some of you know, I have espoused a gluten-free and anti-inflammatory diet for anyone with pain, thyroid, or other types of auto-immune conditions, including Type II diabetes, RA, fibromyalgia.  Dr. Kharazian and Dr. Mercola advocate going even one better and ask us to consider eliminating grains entirely from our diet.  This is more in keeping with a daoist form of eating.  In the Shen Nong Ben Cao (circa 400 AD)  the introduction of cultivated grains, including rice was the advent of the "1000 diseases."  I have reprinted a portion fo Dr. Mercola's article here which addresses the lectin found even on rice, which is generally considered safe for a gluten-sensitive individual.

"While eliminating wheat from your diet is an excellent and necessary step for improving health, it may not be alone sufficient, especially in those with serious health challenges. According to a series of articles on the website Green Med Info, there are other foods in the Western diet that have properties similar to wheat, because they contain "chitin binding lectins", which are similar to wheat lectin (WGA).
Chitins are long polymers of n-acetyl-glucosamine, the primary binding target of wheat lectin. Wheat lectin and chitin-binding lectin are therefore functionally identical. Chitin-binding lectin containing foods include:
•Potato
•Tomato
•Barley
•Rye
•Rice


Additionally, sprouted grains, which are typically considered to be healthful fare can also be problematic for a couple of different reasons. Not only do sprouted whole wheat contain the highest amounts of wheat lectin, sprouted grains also contain benzoxazinoids (BAs)—a surprisingly toxic component!
Even a modest reduction in consumption of these types of carbohydrate-rich foods may promote loss of deep belly fat. This could help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease, as excess visceral fat (intra-abdominal fat) raises the risk of these diseases.

According to Eurekalert:
"... [S]ubjects who consumed [a] moderately carb-restricted diet had 11 percent less deep abdominal fat than those who ate the standard diet ... [S]ubjects on both diets lost weight. However, the moderately carb-restricted diet promoted a 4 percent greater loss of total body fat".
Yesterday, I discussed how wheat can deteriorate your mental health, and I mentioned that even sprouted wheat can contribute to poor health. I'll delve into this a bit more in just a moment, but first, let's review the health effects of some other non-wheat grains. As it turns out, wheat is not the only grain that can wreak havoc on your health.

Non-Wheat Grains May Be Just as Bad as Wheat...
If you have celiac disease (gluten intolerance), it's absolutely imperative to avoid all kinds of gluten—primarily wheat. But did you know that other non-wheat grains, and even some vegetables, such as tomato, may be problematic as well? Yes, there are a number of other foods with very similar properties to wheat! The following foods contain "chitin binding lectins", which are similar to wheat lectin (WGA):
•Potato
•Tomato
•Barley
•Rye
•Rice

"Chitins" are long polymers of n-acetyl-glucosamine, the primary binding target of wheat lectin. Wheat lectin and "chitin-binding lectin" are therefore functionally identical. This is probably news to most people, and could be an important tidbit for anyone struggling with celiac disease, or any other gastrointestinal issues.

Be Careful if You Have Insulin Resistance
About 85 percent of the people in the population have insulin resistance, and eating any grains, even healthy organic unprocessed ones can be a problem. How do you know if you have insulin resistance?

There are two ways:
You can measure your fasting insulin level. It should be under 3. It is relatively inexpensive and I believe most people should have it done The higher it is, the worse your insulin resistance. If you want to forgo the hassle of a blood test then you can use clinical conditions as a gauge. If you have any of the following four conditions you most likely have insulin resistance:
•Overweight
•Diabetes
•High blood pressure
•High cholesterol

I have explained this information for many years, but now we have new scientific research documenting that grains have other problems that are appear to be unrelated to insulin resistance, and I will review them below.

Sprouted Grains—Perhaps Not as Healthful as You've Been Told
The sprouts of grains such as wheat, maize, and rye are increasingly being consumed as health foods, and are also used for the production of dietary supplements. However, sprouted wheat actually contains the highest amounts of wheat lectin (WGA)—which is responsible for many of wheat's ill health effects! And that's not all. These sprouts (wheat, maize and rye) also contain benzoxazinoids (BAs). Benzoxazinoids are part of the plants' defense system against pests, and are actually toxic components...

A study from 2007, published in the journal Cancer Letters, investigated the mutagenic activities of the two most abundant BA's in these sprouted grains. Both types of BA were found be mutagens, meaning capable of altering genetic material, and both were also found to be aneugenic, meaning they affect cell division and lead to aneuploidy, an incorrect number of chromosomes.

"This is an interesting observation as it is assumed that aneuploidy is a key event in cancer induction and at present no other aneugenic plant-derived substances of dietary relevance are known," the authors wrote.

Now, I think it may be risky to claim that sprouted grains are outright toxic when ingested. That's probably not exactly the case. There may be mitigating factors involved, as there often are when you're dealing with a whole food."

Treating Diabetes with Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Reprinted from our June Newsletter here:  http://www.acunut.com/files/June_2011.pdf

It is estimated that 25.8 million men, women and children in the United States have diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the risk for death is approximately twice that of persons of similar age without diabetes.

The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. Complications of diabetes include heart disease, hypertension, eye problems, kidney disease, nervous system disease, periodontal disease, amputation, fatigue, depression, and complications during pregnancy.

In order to manage diabetes, it is essential for people to make healthy lifestyle choices in diet, exercise, and other health habits. Another important factor when treating diabetes is creating a support team of health care professionals. This support team may include your primary doctor, an eye doctor, nurses, a dietitian, and a licensed acupuncturist.

Diabetes according to Oriental Medicine
According to Traditional Oriental Medicine, diabetes is caused by an imbalance of the cyclical flow of Qi within the meridians and organ systems.
This particular imbalance produces heat that depletes the body’s fluids and Qi causing symptoms such as:  
Fatigue
Lethargy
Unexplained Weight Loss
Excessive Thirst (Polydipsia)
Excessive Urination (Polyuria)
Excessive Eating (Polyphagia)
Poor Wound Healing
Infections
Irritability
Blurry Vision

How Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Treats Diabetes
In treating diabetes, Oriental medicine offers a way to address each patient individually to eliminate the symptoms associated with diabetes and reduce the need for insulin. A variety of techniques may be used during treatment including acupuncture, herbal medicine, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises. The treatment for diabetes focuses on regulating the circulation of blood and Qi and balancing the organ systems to improve pancreatic function and address internal heat and the depletion of fluids. When treating diabetes, acupuncture and Oriental medicine can assist the body to regain its normal healthy functioning.
There are a lot of complications caused by diabetes that require extra attention. If you have diabetes make sure you monitor these five areas on a regular basis.

Blood Sugar: Understand how diabetes changes how food affects your body. Know the signs of low blood sugar. Have a plan in place to correct your blood sugar levels when necessary.

Heart Health: Diabetics have a higher risk of heart attacks and stroke. Optimal cholesterol and blood pressure goals are lower for diabetics.

Infections: Due to higher blood sugar levels bacteria grow and infections develop more quickly. Treating infections early on can prevent serious complications later. 

Feet: Diabetics may suffer from neuropathy, or nerve death in their feet and can get an injury or serious infection without feeling it.

Exercise: Exercise has been shown to decrease blood sugars and improve insulin resistance, the main issue in those with type II diabetes.

 To add acupuncture and Oriental medicine to your arsenal when fighting diabetes and learn more about how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can improve your health and well being call for a consultation today!