How Acupuncture Saved Me From Meniere's Disease

Much is written about the benefits of acupuncture: how it improves circulation, relieves stress and anxiety, and treats the whole person instead of just a symptom here or there. Because it's not a popular treatment for Westerners, though, it is sometimes be viewed with a veil of suspicion or simply avoided by Americans.
On the flip side, Western doctors have the means and the motivation to prescribe drugs for most ailments. Some are specialists, which means that instead of viewing, say, a patient's heart as a part of his or her overall body, they simplify their scope by concentrating on the patient's heart itself. The combination of prescribing drugs with ease and not considering a patient's holistic health leaves much to be desired.
I started to go deaf in one ear in my mid-30s for a reason that would be described as the equivalent of winning the genetic lottery. The solution for this was to replace my defective ear bone with a prosthetic bone to restore my hearing.
The surgery went well, and during my follow-up appointment, my doctor complemented me on the healing that took place within my middle ear. Excited about my renewed ability to hear, I returned to work only to suffer from dizzy spells, vertigo, and extreme fatigue. A diagnosis of Meniere's Disease proved to be the second of my lottery wins, as it is not a common ailment. I received the initial directions to reduce salt in my diet, increase my potassium intake, exercise, and take medication to manage the symptoms. The doctor prescribed diuretics, diazapam (also known as Valium), and anti-nausea medication, and asked that I follow up in a few months.
Given the combination of harsh, over-the-counter diuretics and Valium, which nearly wiped my memory banks clean, I struggled with the effects of these drugs at first. In addition, the pain that I suffered from the swelling within my middle ear was not addressed; the medicine acted like more of a distraction from than a cure for the swelling. Therefore, with high hopes and the need for relief, I sought the help of some acupuncturists who were situated near my office and home. I also worked with my physician to "step off" Valium, and switched to herbal diuretics, which are more gentle, as soon as this option became available to me through my acupuncturists.
The acupuncturists were able to explain far more to me about how to manage Meniere's Disease than my physician had been. Granted, my physician told me that the ear swelling pressed on the amygdala, which is a part of the brain that governs feelings of anxiety and depression, but the acupuncturists were able to reduce the swelling of the ear and therefore minimize the pressure on the brain. They could needle areas of my head and neck to minimize pain, improve mobility, reduce the likelihood of migraine headaches (which had occurred often), improve circulation (which is imperative for healing), and help me let go of the anxiety caused by this health issue.
My acupuncturists also explained that the ears are connected to the kidneys, and the eyes are connected to the liver, according to Chinese wisdom. Interestingly, those who experience vertigo as a result of Meniere's Disease often have excess fluid in the ear tubes as well as a fluttering of the eyelids and eyes that drift or move of their own accord. Therefore, enhancing the health of the liver and kidneys, such as through nutritional changes, doing a cleanse, or other healthy means, also helps in the recovery from Meniere's Disease.
The fatigue I felt was correlated to my kidneys and liver, leaving me with a run-down level of energy. My physician's orders to get aerobic physical exercise flew in the face of my lowered energy level, so first the fatigue and pain had to be addressed. Week after week, whether I was able to work or not, I received acupuncture for my Meniere's Disease symptoms. Sometimes I would face the ceiling for the treatment, and other times I'd face the floor when the kidneys had to be needled directly. I would always notice an impact to my ears after the treatments. Happy kidneys equals happy ears.
The long-reaching effects of acupuncture were dramatic. I started walking and hula-hooping for exercise, and although I became tired quickly, my strength increased over months of consistent action. My dizzy spells and vertigo went from daily to weekly to monthly to once in a great while. In addition to physical improvement, my memory started to recover as well. The swelling in my ear has almost disappeared; some days, I have the energy and balance that I did prior to my surgery, and with better hearing too.
For those who suffer from Meniere's Disease, I feel that the Western approach is simply inadequate. "Change your diet, take these pills, and return for a follow-up visit" doesn't begin to meet the needs of someone with head pain who can be helped and healed immediately with acupuncture. Although some patients in the Western world may fear needles or argue the validity of acupuncture, I highly encourage anyone who needs this kind of help to seek out every solution possible.
Acupuncture saved me from the ill effects of Meniere's Disease. Thanks to it, I am able to think, remember, walk in a straight line, work, drive, exercise, and enjoy life. Things like vertigo have been relegated to my character-building past, while things like starting new projects, jobs, and enjoying life are back on the front burner where they belong. I encourage anyone with a debilitating problem to explore acupuncture as a possible treatment or solution.

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Explore Acupuncture for Frozen Shoulder

As the only Bosnian speaking acupuncturist in my area, I occasionally receive calls from the Bosnian community. Recently, I had a call from a well-known lady in the Bosnian community. She was asking me for an emergency appointment for her husband.
They came to my treatment center and I observed that her husband had severe pain and immobility due to a frozen shoulder. While taking his history, I learned that the man had been severely injured during the war in Bosnia and his right arm was only 25% functional. In addition, he had developed a problem with his left shoulder. While he had learned to live with limited use of his right shoulder, he was finding it very difficult to function with the additional pain. He told me he was feeling severely depressed because of these limitations. The worry over the problems was also causing high anxiety and stress. He was not able to work because of the loss of functional arms; he could not drive anymore, take a shower or put on his clothes. Not only was he stressed out by all of this but his family was as well. During the examination I determined that his range of motion of the left shoulder was only 30 degrees.
During the treatment preparation, I explained the treatment process and expectations. As I placed my last needle in his lower leg, I asked him to lift his left arm, something he had not able to do for the last four months. He was resistant, I encouraged him to try. He was able raise his arm 60 degrees in range of motion and got very excited about the immediate results. After some manipulation of the needles and 20 minutes later, he was able to touch the top of his head with the tip of his fingers. To him this was a miracle! He said, "Finally, after four months, to be able to touch my head, this is unbelievable!" Of course there is no miracle, just good acupuncture protocol!
He looked at his wife and then at me and said; "The doctor told me that only surgery can give me back my mobility". I smiled and said "We are happy to help you avoid surgery!" The first initial treatment with immediate results was enough to give hope that he could recover without surgery. The man had several other treatments and his arm is completely functional and pain free at this writing.

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Sickness and the Balance of Yin and Yang

One of the key concepts of traditional acupuncture theory is of the balance of yin and yang in the body. Yin and yang seems like one of those strange esoteric expressions not out of place in a 1970's cheese-ball Chinese kung fu movie. But it is at its very heart a very simple expression of the balance of energy in the universe and within ourselves. An understanding of which can deepen the Chinese medicine practitioner's understanding of disharmony in the body.
We are probably familiar with the yin yang symbol. The classical yin yang diagram is of a circle made up of black and white with two dots within each part. The symbol is found on the South Korean flag and occasionally turns up tattooed on someone's arm and sometimes their butt. The black represents yin. The white represents yang. Within yin, there is an element of yang and within yang there is an element of yin. Yin and yang may be described as complementary opposites that comprise everything in the universe and the human body.
Yang is attributed with the qualities of expansion, light, heat, fire, growth, activity, the sun, the outer, the male, the sky or heavens. Yin is attributed with qualities of darkness, cold, water, rest, rejuvenation, the moon, the inner, the female, the earth. Yin and yang are present in everything and are relative to each other. Within yin, there are elements of yang and within yang there is yin. For example, the daytime is considered yang and yet different times of the day may be considered to be more yin then yang. The afternoon when the sun is at its brightest is said to be most yang, but the evening just before dusk as it starts to become darker can be said to be the most yin within the yang.
Yin and yang are not meant to be concrete qualities or polar opposites. They are simple human expressions to describe a universe that is in constant fluidic motion. A primitive yet elegant expression.
In relation to the human body, the concept of yin and yang can be applied to the parts of the human body. Generally, the normal functioning body is divided between yin and yang area. For example, the skin is considered yang compared to the deeper internal organs, which are yin. The upper body is considered yang as it is close to the heavens and the lower body is yin as it is closer to the earth. The blood and body fluids is considered yin as it is thick and full of precious substances, whereas the oxygen and breath is yang. The front is considered yin and the back is yang for if you consider that man evolved to walk in an upright state, the back would have been exposed to the sun in prehistoric man, who may have walked hunched over in a manner closer to walking on all fours. The internal organs are also divided into yin and yang. The organs which are classed as holding vessels (the stomach, large and small intestines, bladder and gallbladder) are considered yang. The organs which hold the precious substances and bodily fluids like the kidney, heart and liver are considered yin. The lungs are also classed as yin although they are the most yang of the yin organs.
Along with this is the meridian system. The meridians are often described as a network of energy pathways which traverse the entire body from the tips of the fingers and the toes through the torso and to the head. It is a diverse serious of connecting channels like the motorway of a country. For the sake of simplifying and learning the pathways, the meridians are compartmentalised and divided into 12 main pathways. These pathways are named after the particular internal organ they pass through and have a strong influence over. There are also an 8 extra or 'special' meridians pathways. Along these meridian pathways are the acupuncture points which when needled or heated with herbs can affect the energy flow of that meridian.
The meridians are also divided into yin and yang. The meridians that pass through the 'yin' organs - the heart, kidney, spleen, lungs and liver are classed as yin meridians. Meridians that pass through the yang organs - stomach, intestines, gallbladder and bladder are classed as yang organs. On observation, the yang meridians tend to be on yang areas of the body such as the back and on the outer part of the limbs, whereas the yin meridians are on yin areas of the body such as the front and inner part of the limbs although there are a few exceptions to the rule. All of the yang meridians meet in the head which is the most yang area of the body.
When it comes to sickness in the body, what the acupuncturist will often discover will be various imbalances of yin and yang in the body. Distortions may well occur to a lesser or major degree which are severe enough to manifest symptoms. One way to understand the problem is to look at the balance of yin and yang in the body.
Yin and yang can become imbalanced in various ways. For example, yang energy has a tendency to rise in the body. In some cases there may be too much yang in the upper part and not enough below. This can manifest itself as recurrent headaches or chronically stiff shoulders where the energy gets stuck above. At the same time, a person may suffer from cold hands and feet or a weakness in the limbs.
Over thinking and worry, pensiveness or anger causes energy to go upwards and can also lead to disturbed sleep and nightmares. Insomnia is another example of too much energy above. A person finds that they just cannot fall asleep - their minds are too active and they think excessively. At worst, a person starts to worry that if they can't sleep they won't be productive the next day, which becomes almost a vicious circle because as you think more and more, it becomes difficult to sleep. In this situation, it is almost impossible to think yourself to sleep, because what needs to be done is to bring the energy back into the body and away from the head and there are various exercises you can try to do this.
In some people, the lower energy centres are weak because all the yang energy is directed away from them which can show itself up as dull low back pain, poor digestive function or excessive urination. Painful swollen joints as in rheumatoid arthritis or various inflammatory conditions like colitis, hepatitis or ulcers also indicate an excess of yang energy in the sick part of the body. Fire is yang. However, in people with these conditions, there may well be another part of the body or organ system which is too yin or deficient and which may need to be addressed in order to rebalance the yin yang energy.
There is an old expression in traditional oriental medicine. To be healthy we should have fire below, water above and a cool head. The lower abdomen, at an area two finger breaths below the bellybutton corresponds to our lower energy field, which is called the dantian. This is the main power centre of the body and in a healthy person, it should be warm. The water above refers to the heart energy centre where the heart chakra is and means that it should be calm and not agitated by fire (such as excessive desires or worries). A cool head means we should have a calm head without too much brain activity or thoughts. A traditional Chinese exercise is to meditate on the lower dantian area. Because where the mind goes, the energy flows. If our mind is focused heavily in our brains, the energy flows upwards, but if our minds are focused in our lower belly, the energy flows there and helps keep our energies centred.
Another aspect is the yin and yang conditions of the meridians. Typically, if energy is excessive in one meridian, there will be a weakness in another meridian or another part of the same meridian. The trained acupuncturist can assess if this is the case simply by palpating the meridians. In the case of stiff shoulders, the meridians in the upper part of the body will be excessively yang. They will be hard and painful to the touch. However, if he feels the meridians on the lower part of the body, they may feel quite weak and also painful but in a dull kind of way. As the acupuncture points lay on these meridians, the acupuncturist can correct the imbalance by needling the most reactive points and realign the energy flow so it releases from the shoulders and flows back to where it is weak. These are just simple examples, but the concept holds true for many types of conditions. It is up to the practitioner to assess and treat accordingly. In this way, no two cases of people with the same condition will manifest the disease exactly the same.
There are various ways we can help ourselves if we feel we have an imbalance of yin and yang. Firstly, we need to be aware of our lifestyle and its possible influence on our health. If we are office workers and spend a huge amount of time sitting and using the eyes and brain looking at a computer screen, it is obvious that the yang energy is stuck in our head for 8 hours a day and our muscles are deprived of a fresh flow of blood and yin energy because we hold them 'unnaturally' in a sitting posture. The antidote to this is that when we finish work, we should divert the energy back into the body by walking home or going swimming or to a gym, yoga or tai chi class to counteract the energy flow. Alternatively, if you are a manual worker - a bricklayer or gardener, then the yang energy has been used a lot in the body and to rebalance the yin yang flow, more relaxation exercises - such as seated meditation or a nap or reading a book in the evening can be beneficial. If we notice a part of the body seems excessively cold or weak - for example the lower back or belly, then a hot water bottle held against it can bring the energy back there. If our limbs or back muscles feel stiff in a dull (deficient way) then going for a massage can help as someone else passes on their yang energy to you. These are simple ways to get more in touch with our bodies.

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How Acupuncture Can Help With Fertility and Infertility Issues

Can Traditional Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture help and fertility? Is it effective? The answer to both of these questions is yes. While Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years, dating back to the Chang Dynasty in 1500 B.C., it has only become popular among Westerners for the past 30 years or so. People in the United States and other Western countries are recently beginning to appreciate and comprehend the effectiveness of acupuncture. Overall, TCM treats patients with a "whole body" approach, meaning that the treatment addresses the complete body system as oppose to only attending to the symptoms. On the other hand, Western Medicine addresses the body as parts rather than one integrated system. So, how does this connect with fertility? Well, let's first define infertility. According to the American Fertility Society, fertility is when "a couple has had one year of sexual intercourse without contraception and has been unable to conceive." There are many factors that make it difficult to conceive even after conception, however using acupuncture to enhance fertility is providing hope and optimism for many. Additionally, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can work alone or in conjunction with western medicine to increase fertility, and there have been a number of studies in the last decade which show just how effective acupuncture really is in regards to fertility.
So, why does TCM and acupuncture work so well with fertility? According to Dr. Raymond Chang, director of New York's Meridian Medical Group, who has been using acupuncture alongside fertility treatments for the past decade, "acupuncture provides better blood flow and circulation to the womb." Moreover, "it will give a better chance for the eggs to be nourished and therefore, carried. Conclusively, acupuncture and TCM with fertility have a number of long standing benefits which include:
1. Regulation of hormones
2. Improved function of ovaries
3. Improvements in uterine lining
4. Increased blood flow to uterus
5. Increased live birth rates
6. Reduction of stress
7. Lower ectopic pregnancy rates
Lastly, research has shown that acupuncture is effective with men as well. A study from 2005 showed that after the men received acupuncture treatments, their sperm motility and quality improved.
Importantly, studies have proved that acupuncture and TCM for fertility does not cause any harm. In fact, by taking the Chinese medicine approach and getting acupuncture treatments, you are not only treating your body, but your mind and spirit as well. The treatments not only increase your fertility, but your energy and spirit as well so that you experience a great sense of wellbeing overall.

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Acupuncture and Miscarriages

In a previous article, we mentioned that one of the most important duties for Chinese doctors is to help couples reproduce and have offspring. Preventing miscarriages is an important element of it.
There are many causes for miscarriages such as: age, the quality of the egg or sperm, uterus status, ovary functions, and also other diseases within the human body like hypothyroid, hormonal level imbalance, etc. Generally speaking, people may understand that certain drugs can also cause miscarriage but what most people do not realize is that some commonly used products, for example perfume, can cause a miscarriage too, especially when the person is sensitive to some components within the perfume.
If the causes of a miscarriage are related to: big fibroids, age, perfume, drugs or other serious diseases, then the best way to prevent it, is to avoid using perfume and drugs, or to see a specialist to take care of the fibroid or other serious diseases. If the cause of a miscarriage is due to a hormonal imbalance or other functional endocrine diseases, the quality of the egg or sperm, endometriosis, PCOS, etc. then acupuncture would be one of the best choices for prevention.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can prevent miscarriages very well. So far, there have been a lot reports of regarding this issue indicating that most patients who have experienced miscarriage(s) were helped.
An example is Melissa Vest, born October 9th, 1981, age 31, had three unexplained miscarriages in the past two years at week 8 or 9. Her symptoms were: feeling cold easily especially in extremities, low energy, moody, bloated in abdomen, breast pain with fullness sensation, irregular and painful period, or would not get her period for a long time, and low libido. In terms of the libido and the cervical mucus, they would not only miss each other but would happen at the wrong time. By this we mean, that the libido or cervical mucus would either be before or during her period, instead of both happening around day 14 or 15 of her cycle. Her pulse Guan and Chi was weaker and deeper. Her tongue was slightly purple and darker red. The modern diagnosis for her was poor egg quality and a hormonal imbalance. However, the TCM diagnosis for her was, Qi deficiency and stagnation. Therefore, the principle of the treatment is Qi tonification and regulation. The treatment we gave her was Chinese herbal medicine Restorex, Relaxx, and Codonopisis and acupuncture regularly for about 10 months on and off. Eventually, her complaints and symptoms - mentioned above - became better, and she had a high libido and cervical mucus appeared around day 14 or 15 of her cycle, meaning her hormones were back to normal. She got pregnant again earlier last year. Now, she is happily 8 months pregnant without problems.
Another example is Jennifer Allen, born January 2nd, 1979, age 35. For the last 2 years she had a miscarriage twice, at weeks 11 or 12, with no explanation. She had no problem becoming pregnant, but the issue was in maintaining the pregnancy. All her blood test results were normal, but she told us she always felt tired easily after being pregnant, otherwise there were no other special symptoms. It was obvious to us that she had Qi deficiency, her body did not have enough energy to maintain her pregnancy. We asked her to take acupuncture regularly for 2 months with Chinese herbal medicine such as American ginseng, codonopisis, etc. to make her body stronger. Meanwhile, we asked her to take more protein in her diet. In the third month she was pregnant again and everything was fine. Her son is now 3 years old.
Having miscarriages easily can only make the infertility issue worse. To avoid this situation, it is first a good idea to see an acupuncturist and a Chinese herbalist in order to balance your body. This will make sure your body is well prepared for getting pregnant easily and maintaining the pregnancy.

Dr. Wang, a medical doctor from China, is a master acupuncturist licensed in New York, Connecticut and Wisconsin. He is a former Columbia University Medical School visiting professor and research scientist (1991-2004) with more than 30 medical and acupuncture publications to his name and has been featured in numerous TV shows, such as CBS News, as well as radio shows, magazine articles and medical journals. He was invited to talk about acupuncture and Chinese herbs by many medical schools and universities and well-known companies, including Harvard University, Columbia University, NYU Medical School, Mt. Sinai Medical School and the Colgate Company. As for education in China, Dr. Wang graduated from Henan and Guangzhou Chinese Medical Schools under an eight-year full-time medical program that included Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and modern Western medicine. Currently, Dr. Wang is also a Chinese Herbal Medicine and acupuncture consultant at Mount Sinai Medical School. Dr. Wang practices acupuncture in NYC and Long Island.

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Acupuncture and Sleep

People ask me frequently if acupuncture can help with their sleeping issues and insomnia. I always respond with some hesitation. It's not because I am unsure that the acupuncture will help, but because it seems as though people have a hard time believing it will. It is completely understandable why people would be having a hard time believe it. I mean how could poking someone with needles improve their sleep!?
Well, as a Board Certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist who has been practicing for sometime now, the effects of acupuncture on sleeping patterns still manages to astonish me. For example, I had a 44 year old patient come in a few weeks ago with the main complaint of insomnia. She explained that ever since her mid twenties she has not been able to sleep well, and the issue progressively has gotten worse. She has been referring to red wine and sleep medication when the issue gets intolerable, but explained that she was tired of living that kind of lifestyle.
That day we began her treatment, twice a week with acupuncture and an herbal formula. Obviously, because she had been suffering with lack of sleep for quite some time, the acupuncture took a few treatments before she began to see a difference. I gave her a ball park of six to eight treatments to begin seeing a shift. Amazingly, it only took three full treatments and she was already beginning to sleep through the night. Of course the acupuncture treatment went on a few more sessions in order to get a solid result. This patient is one of the many positive experiences I have had for treating sleeping disorders through my acupuncture practice.
One of many ways to explain how acupuncture affects the mind and body is as follows: Chinese medicine is based on a balance of functioning organs. When one of these organs is affected in some way causing it to function improperly and fall "off balance", problems arise. One way that we can keep this inner balance is tapping into the specific channels that affect a particular organ we are trying to help. By using acupuncture needles and tapping into certain points on these channels we can directly/ indirectly guide organs into functioning a certain way.
So, for example, acupuncturists find that usually individuals with sleep issues usually have an imbalance in the heart. Therefore, we would use certain channels that points to bringing a steady balance to the heart.
Please note that unlike western medicine, when speaking about organs, in Chinese medicine it does not necessarily mean that you have a problem or disease with that specific organ. These are two completely different medicines practice that look at the body in very different ways.

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Acupuncture Treatment: A Pin for Pain

Did you encounter a stress issue, migraine or any physical problem again? Most likely you would go for medication to get rid of it. Hardly will you think to go to a doctor who will insert needles in your skin! You might wonder what kind of treatment is this to weed out such problems through needles. Well the treatment is called Acupuncture!
Acupuncture treatment is a viable option for pain relief and it is increasingly getting chosen by the people. Acupuncture treatment involves insertion of needles to stimulate acupuncture points on the body which helps the body to heal and to improve functioning itself. Stimulating these specific points corrects imbalances in the flow of energy through channels, known as meridians.
Acupuncture treatment is an individualized phenomenon. It differs from person to person. Most of the patients either feel minimal or no pain during needle insertion. Once the needles are placed in the specific parts of the body, it leads to no pain. Acupuncture needles are extremely thin and typically made of stainless steel, so the risk of rusting & breaking of needles is very less. Moreover the chances of bruising and skin irritations are minimal. Sterilized needles are used so the chances of infection are also the least.
Acupuncture treatment involves the mechanism in which acupuncture needles remove the obstructions and again restore the regular energy flow through the meridians. Acupuncture tries to settle the flow of energy via using needles, based on which part of the body is facing problem. Inserting needle in the right location create an effect on the flow of the energy of the body.
Acupuncture is a pain control treatment effective in various body pains which is essentially due to stress in the muscular system of the body.
Muscular strain: Acupuncture mechanism is helpful in slowing down the tension produced in the muscles which results in muscular pain such as frozen shoulder, back pain, knee pain and arthritis.
Acupuncture Treatment is often related to pain control, but it can serve a much wider application as well.
Medical problems: Acupuncture treatment is beneficial in healing many physical disorders such as digestive disorders, respiratory disorders, neurological disorders and muscular disorders.
Effective for female related issues: Acupuncture can be an advantageous treatment for women suffering from urinary disease, menstrual cramps or reproductive problems, also reported to be beneficial to prevent miscarriages as well.
Stress buster: Acupuncture treatment stimulates the central nervous system, helps to bust out physical problems related to stress, anxiety and emotional conditions. People with headaches, migraines may find this treatment effective and energetic.
Equilibrium setter: Acupuncture treatment sets a balance in the body by triggering the release of hormones which influence body's own internal regulating system.
Immune system booster: Acupuncture is an effective tool for boosting the immune system of the body to fight against the diseases. Acupuncture is a treatment which heals naturally and it helps the body in many ways with no side effects.

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