I tend to be a skeptic about many “new age” therapies and products.  I’m the first to acknowledge that this may seem hypocritical coming from an acupuncturist.  You can shoot me if you want; it’s just the way I’m wired. You can imagine my reaction when I was first exposed to the concept of aromatherapy and essential oils many years ago.  I pretty much brushed the whole idea off as too “out there” to be of much use.  Really, how could a smell affect anyone’s health? Last week, I was demonstrating the use of moxabustion for a cable TV show, and got a whopper of a headache.  The...

 Several years ago, a woman came to me for acupuncture treatments to help her lose weight. She told me she had tried all kinds of things to lose weight from crazy diets to hypnosis, but nothing had worked. At her first appointment, I did a careful intake exam and health history, and then treated her with acupuncture. A week later, when she came back for her second treatment, the woman informed me that over the course of the week, nothing had happened. She had not lost any weight, the acupuncture had not done anything, and she would not be coming back to see me! This woman also reminds me of many of my...

My brother-in-law, Jay is an active guy, but his running and biking were abruptly curtailed this weekend.  While the details still remain a little fuzzy (probably a good thing), Jay fell and broke his ankle in three places.  The break was severe enough to require surgical repair, and months of recovery. Jay is now engaged in a little crutching, a lot of elevating, and waiting while his fractures heal.  This brings me to the topic of today’s post, which is how we heal, or how we help or hinder the natural healing process. More than once, I have treated patients who have had illnesses or injuries,...

For many people, the idea of moderation is a tough one.  For some reason, they seem to think that if a little bit of something is good for you, a lot must be really good.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Take vitamins, for example.  When I ask my patients about the supplements they’re taking, more and more often, I come across people who are taking more stuff than I could carry around in a laundry basket.  We have come to think of vitamins as body insurance; substances that will keep us free from disease. This is only true, however, of diseases related to vitamin deficiencies. Is this...

Whenever I get together with friends, the conversation frequently turns to the woes of getting older.  Talk quickly moves from lighthearted banter to tips for breezing through your next colonoscopy, new injuries to body parts we never knew existed, or a pitch for the newest vitamin regimen.  The reality is that we all want to live a long time, just as long as we’re relatively healthy.  While there are no guaranties, there are some things you can do to stack the deck in your favor.  Here is a list, in no particular order, compiled from what I’ve learned from my patients, Chinese medicine, the...