 We are three quarters into 2020 and so far it has been a year of total upheaval. According to the Chinese Zodiac we are in the year of the Yang Metal Rat. I propose that we dub it the year of the Monkey Wrench. Any plans one thinks he or she may have, forget it! Here comes a monkey wrench thrown at it! COVID-19 all over the planet--an actual pandemic--soaring unemployment, children at home and those parents still with jobs having to figure out a way to reconcile time parenting with work, old folks being cut off from their communities, families, and support groups for fear of infection, flaring racial tension, publicized police brutality, political and ideological battles, extreme global weather patterns causing fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, extreme heat waves and extreme cold fronts, suspension of our team sports and many forms of exercise and entertainment, to name some of the big ones. There is probably more one could add to the list if she really tried. Oh, lets not forget smoke exposure and evacuations. What does all of this add up to for us in our everyday life? Well, the bottom line is stress. People are experiencing incredibly high levels of stress right now, which can manifest in many different ways. For some it causes feelings of “panic attacks”—shortness of breath, chest tightness, heart palpitations, etc. For others it may cause headaches, neck pains, whole body pains. For still others it may affect their digestive system, throwing everything off. Could be pain and bloating, constipation, loose stools, indigestion, etc. Or possibly it is affecting sleep, mood, and concentration. These are all ways that individuals may respond to excess stress when he or she is not able to process and transform that stress. The one effect that is not quite as obvious is that sustained high levels of stress also lowers the immune function. This would be extremely bad in a time of a pandemic. So, what can we do about this? If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you are actually quite normal and are not doomed but it does require some action. Fortunately for us, humans have faced stressful times in the past and have kept great records of it. That knowledge is the heritage of our Traditional Chinese Medicine and what we practice here at HeCares.
Over the past 3000 years, humans have had to face even tougher times than we are facing right now and have survived. And, we have learned a lot about how to cope with the challenges facing us. We do no have to do it alone. We have the help of herbs, acupuncture, movements and doctors at HeCares who can help guide you through the proper use of all of these. Right now, we have herbal formulas that can help with the side effects of smoke exposure. We have acupuncture treatments that can help with not only the symptoms of stress but also can help you become more resilient to the on slot of new challenges and actually process stress more effectively. We can help you find ways to stay fit even without the access to your gym. We even have herbal formulas that have been effective against the coronavirus and are beneficial for promoting a stronger immune system. So, how are you going to take care of yourself during these trying times? The answer; come to HeCares for treatment. We are here to help you. We may not be able to stop those wrenches from flying, but we might be able to help you to feel more capable of ducking out of the way! Leia Sutton-Barnes, L. Ac. Staff Acupuncturist
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 Some patients we wish we had seen them much sooner. I’ve begun treating a 64 year old woman with advanced rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the body’s own immune system begins attacks the joints. In mild cases it can just cause pain and swelling in a few joints, primarily the smaller joints of the hands or feet. In advanced cases, it can deform the joints, causing the hands to change shape. In very advanced cases, it can affect every joint in the body, along with many internal organs. Unfortunately, this woman’s case was very advanced. It had impacted almost every joint in her body, requiring 13 surgeries. All of the joints in her hands and feet had been removed, both her knees had been replaced, several vertebrae in her neck and back had been fused, and surgeons were recommending hip replacements as well, after she broke both hips. Last October she fell and broke her left hip Then while recovering in the hospital, she had a heart attack, fell, and broke her right hip. After recovering, she had started physical therapy twice a week, but was recovering slowly, and required a cane or walker to get around. Fortunately, her physical therapist referred her to us. In just two treatments she was in much less pain and walking more freely. She was impressed that two acupuncture treatments had made her feel better than months of PT, and wished she had started sooner. Now she has hope that she may be able to recover without requiring hip replacement surgery. I wish she had started sooner too. I can only imagine how much pain and surgery we might have spared her, if she had started treatments at the beginning stages of her disease, instead of waiting until she was so advanced. We might have been able to spare her years of pain, surgery, and debilitation. Unfortunately, too often in the West, acupuncture is often the treatment of last resort, patients turn to us when nothing else works. But at HeCares, we hope to establish that acupuncture and Chinese medicine as the treatment of first resort. We may be able to spare her from getting two more surgeries on her hips. We only wish we had been able to prevent the other 13. David Dick, L. Ac., DAOM |
AuthorsAcupuncture Specialists at Integrative Medicine Center Archives
April 2023
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