Sea Band

"Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease."

-Hippocrates

Nauseous? Feeling nervous, maybe a little stress in the chest? Perhaps having some trouble taking a deep breath. There is a nifty little wrist band out there that can take care of that for you, especially useful for those who don’t want to take any type of medication to get over the issue.

Its called a sea band, based off of the principles of acupressure, its an elastic wrist band that has a tiny plastic nub attached to it that applies pressure into the skin over a specific point. The band is made specifically to be applied over an acupuncture point called Pericardium 6 or Inner Pass. This point is on a channel that connects to the hearts pericardium, a protective covering for the heart. This part of the body is in the chest area and lies above the diaphragm, which assists in breathing; the diaphragm is also above the stomach and liver. The heart, the diaphragm, stomach and liver are all closely connected, and the Inner Pass point is a direct connection to them all. Pressure on this point relaxes and stimulates all of the above organs.

When a feeling of nausea, vomiting, stress or trouble breathing arises due to pregnancy, frustration, airplane rides, riding in a car or of course being on a boat. Applying pressure to this point with the help of the sea band can make a world of difference.  Keep in mind that a change won’t take place right away, but after 5- 15 minutes relief should be felt.  For a more effective result a sea band should be worn on both wrists. You can wear it as long as you want, the pressure applied may cause some external discomfort after a while, but you can move it up or down slightly if you don’t want to remove it. Also, no side affects should occur, its like a constant massage pinpointed to the inside of the wrist.

The point specifically lies between two tendons above your wrist crease and two thumbs width up, the tendons are Palmaris Longus and Flexor Carpi Radialis. Not every one actually has the tendon Palmaris Longus, matter of fact 20% of the population does not have this tendon.  In this case the point lies inside(medial) to the Flexor Carpi Radialis tendon. 

In my opinion this band is perfect to use on other acupuncture points on the body as well. For instance if you place the band on the Inner Pass point and turn it around 180 degrees to the exact opposite side of the forearm. The plastic nub will apply pressure to a point called Triple Heater 5 or the Outer Pass. This point is good for migraines, earaches and stiffness on the lateral sides of the neck.

For more information on the Sea Band and how to get it I recommend going to their website http://www.sea-band.com/ .  I hope this has been a useful read for you, I hope you have a wonderful day. Please leave any comments or questions, thank you!

Acupuncture and Dreams

What does acupuncture have to do with dreams?  Helping form a diagnosis is what. When it comes to Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) theory for acupuncture many things are taken into account before a diagnosis for treatment is made. For instance, how someone smells, sounds, talks and walks. Plus tongue and facial observation along with pulse taking are essential to forming a proper diagnosis. That’s half the battle; the other half of forming a diagnosis comes from the actual talking and intake before a treatment.

During the intake process it is good for a practitioner to question the patient’s dreams in order to look for a clue in finding something pathological or excessive.  Excessive dreaming for instance may be due to an imbalance in the body, which could mean an internal organ has a deficiency of some sort and the body is trying to tell you, through dreams, that something is wrong.

Each organ in the body has a mental and physical job to undertake, for instance the stomach not only takes in food and breaks it down for the body to make blood and have energy. The Stomach takes in life and allows an individual to digest the things that come their way.  If some one is having stomach related issues like acid reflux and is also dreaming of eating really big meals, it adds another check mark on the list to mean that the individual is having a stomach deficiency.

The dream is a clue to the imbalance; it helps the practitioner pinpoint a diagnosis. The dream also adds a general viewpoint on the patients view on reality. In this case the person may be having stomach issues because physical life is really becoming to much for them to handle. TCM does not separate the body from the mind, all acupuncture points on the body not only pierce the body, but affect the mental and emotional aspects of the being as well. Strengthening the stomach with the help of acupuncture can help some one-digest life, in general, more easily.

Each organ has its own mental/emotional aspect and when in excess or deficiency it may manifest in dreams. The following is a short list of organs and their corresponding pathologies and how they may appear in dreams.

Liver/gallbladder= Anger, indecision, seeing trees, forest

Heart/small intestine= Laughing, Joy, seeing fire

Lungs/large intestine= Sadness, grief- flying, being constipated

Kidneys/bladder= Fear, drowning, swimming

Spleen/ Stomach= Worry, eating, building a house

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s article, if you have any comments please let me know!

Acupuncture for a Speedy Recovery

Whether its undergoing surgery, physical therapy, seeing a chiropractor or even taking medications to alleviate unwanted symptoms acupuncture can boost your bodies healing system for a speedy recovery.            

The number of acupuncture points on the human body can range from nearly 400 to 10,000 depending on which practitioner you ask, but in general only 100 to 200  points are actually used to choose from and 10 to 60 points maybe actually used for treatment. That is because some points are more powerful then others and can affect many different parts of the body at once. All acupuncture point’s lie on pathways, commonly known as meridians, which are like highways that pass through out and over the body. Some of these pathways are longer then others and some are like major intersections that tie other pathways together.

All pathways are tied and intertwined to the internal organs, where they originate from; manipulating the outside of the body with tiny needles will alter and boost the workings of the internal organs. This manipulation in turn creates better blood flow , better circulation of all body fluids and reduces inflammation in and around the body. Endogenous opioids (natural body made drugs) are also released in the body that can reduce pain and cause a feeling of relief.

In general acupuncture is a holistic treatment that is based off of how the body works and therefore can boost the body’s own healing ability. This is what makes acupuncture a very effective adjunctive therapy to all other therapies and a great preventative therapy.

With a decent diet, a little exercise, and a good nights rest along with a positive outlook is usually all the body needs to stay healthy, but of course stuff happens and acupuncture is a safe and relaxing way of keeping the body healthy.

Thanks for reading and if you have any comments please let me know J

Headaches and Diet

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

-Hippocrates

Have you ever had a brain freeze from eating or drinking something to cold and to quick? Have you ever ate to much chocolate then felt a little dull pain in your forehead, or had to much cheese or soda and a migraine was triggered? How about a headache from dehydration? What about from quitting caffeine? Well, you’re not alone and if anyone ever says diet and headaches are not related, then you can ask them why and how any of the above occur.  

Some research says that a brain freeze occurs from extreme temperature change in your mouth, but that’s not totally conclusive and from a more in depth look at the internal connections of the body. The stomach and mouth are one thing and the stomach and head are intimately connected through other pathways. Did you know the saliva in your mouth is the first part of digestion that takes place, it’s full of enzymes that help breakdown food before its get to your stomach. That’s why chewing well is very important.

In general the best cure for a headache is to understand why they are occurring and to cure the root of the problem along with its painful manifestation. Medications are good for emergencies and a quick fix, but prevention is the way to go and diet is key.

First you have to ask yourself where is the headache? Is it in the front? Is it in the back of the head, above the neck? Is it at the top of the head? Is it on the sides of the head going on to the forehead or is it just directly over the temple area?

 All of these different areas are intricately connected to internal pathways, pathways that go in and out of various organs creating a web of connectivity throughout the body. Unless the headache is coming from something external as from a cold, heat exposure, invasion of dampness (exposure to cold wet weather) or even from a past physical trauma. The headache is coming from an internal imbalance that is taking place within the body.

All parts of the body are extensions of the internal organs, the forehead is an extension of the stomach, the temples and sides of the head are extensions of the liver and gall bladder, the top of the head is also and extension of the liver, and the back of the head and neck are extensions of the kidneys, bladder and gall bladder.

A frontal headache is directly diet (stomach) related, a headache on the sides has to do with blood (liver), the top can be linked to stress (liver) and the neck to a weak immune system (kidneys) or from stress (gallbladder and liver).  The liver is the biggest culprit to headaches because its energy rises directly to the head and touches the top the sides and has to do with both diet, metabolism, blood, circulation and stress.

From a western biomedical perspective the three most common headaches are Migraines, Tension headaches and Cluster headaches all of which have their own distinct ways of presenting themselves, but most of their causes are unknown. Migraines are the most understood and are thought to be due to blood vessel enlargement in the head that causes inflammation and therefore pain, but why does that happen?

One possibility is diet. Foods that are high in Tyramine such as sharp cheeses or foods high in Nitrates such as nuts and meats can be culprits. What else do these foods have in common? From a Chinese medical perspective, these foods are causes of dampness in the body. If not eaten in moderation, over time they slow down the digestive system and build up into dampness (like thick goo stuck in the system), which in turn slows down the bodies ability to function properly and will manifest as pain some where in the body. In this case the pain will appear in the head. Other forms of dampness come from excessive amounts of alcohol intake, smoking, too much dairy, also from excessive amounts of cold and raw foods like fruits and veggies. When it comes to diet, moderation is key!

Diet is more important then most people think and breakfast is the most important meal of the day! From the hours between 7 am and 11 am, the digestive system is at its highest level of functioning; eating at this time is the best, because as the day goes on digestion becomes weaker. The quote “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” from Adelle Davis, is perfect in describing how to eat appropriately for the bodies own good on a daily basis.

Food through stomach and liver digestion also becomes blood. Issues like migraines and cluster headaches can arise from poor blood quality and circulation. If some one is eating sugary foods daily for breakfast, like pop tarts or donuts, the building blocks of the blood cells will be weak and circulation will be poor. Every second, 25 million cells in the human body die and the food we eat becomes the building blocks to create new cells. We literally are what we eat!

Tension headaches are more of a stress reaction, which is also liver and blood related and a good balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, which are full of vitamins, can help keep the body strong and energized to help combat stress. Headaches that affect the top of the head, the sides, and the sides of the neck are related to the liver, which controls and cleanses the blood. Green vegetables are very good for the liver. Not only do they provide great nutrients, but help strengthen the livers ability to provide good clean healthy blood and good circulation, which in the long run is good for those who lead stressful lives.

So in general diet is key and we eat every day so it is important to watch out what most of our daily diets consist of for a good healthy life. If you or some you know suffers from headaches, its good to first look at what or what not they are eating or drinking. Also, every one is different, so a good diet for one person is not necessarily a good diet for another.

Thanks for reading, I hope this has been a good informative read for you. Please leave any comments!