For example, acupuncture can help to boost your metabolism by improving digestive function, give you more energy for your workouts, and help you handle cravings.

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle and eat junk food, acupuncture may be able to help with some of your health problems (such as back pain or insomnia); however, it is unlikely that you will drop any weight.

Your diet and exercise programs do not need to be extreme. In fact, intense exercise and crash dieting are seen as very unhealthy in Chinese medicine. Here is a great article from the New York Times about how to change your perspective about food and dieting.

You should commit to at least 10 weekly acupuncture sessions to really see results. Your acupuncturist may also suggest herbal supplements and recommend some diet changes based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (this is not the same as seeing a dietician/nutritionist).

* Be sure to check with your physician before modifying your diet or starting an exercise program

Yoga:

Yoga Eases Physical and Mental Menopause Symptoms (Reuters)

Yoga Helps Survivors of Natural Disasters (Reuters)

• Stay away from fans and open windows.
• Don’t walk around barefoot.
• Keep your head, neck, and upper back covered.

Acupuncture can help kick a cold. There are many acupuncture points and other treatments that can help to reduce the severity or length of cold symptoms. In my office, I encourage patients to come in if they have a mild cold. However, if you have a severe and highly contagious illness such as the flu, conjunctivitis (pink eye), strep throat, or infectious diarrhea, please call us to reschedule your appointment.

Chinese Herbs can treat a variety of illnesses. Many herbs have anti-viral or immune-strengthening properties. Some formulas can be taken in the months preceding cold season to help prevent sickness. Other herbs can be used once you contract a cold; the popular over-the-counter remedy Airborne contains herbs from these traditional Chinese herbal formulas.

Share your favorite cold treatments; please leave us a comment!

The study, done by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, involved 70 participants. All were patients who had received surgery for head or neck cancer. Compared with the control group, patients who received acupuncture after surgery had less pain, better mobility, and fewer problems with dry mouth (a common side-effect of radiation therapy for these cancers).

This research points to several interesting uses of Chinese medicine: post-surgical pain relief, cancer support, and dry mouth. Often, people are not aware of the broad range of conditions that acupuncture can treat. Many times I have heard patients say, “I didn’t know acupuncture could treat that!”

So, if you are unsure if Chinese medicine can help your condition, feel free to ask! You can contact us with this link.