Category Archives: Acupuncture

Can Acupuncture Solve Your Hypertension Problems?

HypertensionHypertension, or high blood pressure is a deadly condition that many American´s are not aware they have until it is too late. Since hypertension can lead to heart attacks, stroke and other life threatening health problems, it is very important to learn what you can and take actions to lower your risk naturally.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offer a safe, natural, and pain-free way to keep your blood pressure in check.

Helping You To Understand HyperTension?

Blood pressure is the actual force of blood flowing against your artery walls. Testing your blood pressure is a relatively simple process. It’s measured in two numbers: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is considered high if your systolic pressure is at or above 140mm Hg, and/or your diastolic pressure is at or above 90mm Hg.

Often called “the silent killer,” hypertension doesn’t usually cause symptoms until it gets severe enough to lead to major health problems such as heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and metabolic disorders. It has also been linked to dementia and other cognitive impairments.

Self-care for lowering blood pressure. Consider these self-care techniques:

  • Get daily aerobic exercise.
  • Add Tai-Chi and Qi-Gong to your workout.
  • Meditate or spend time alone to reduce stress.
  • Practice slow, deep breathing.
  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Reduce the amount of fat and salt in your diet and increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Avoid smoking, alcohol, coffee, and spicy foods.

What Can Cause Hypertension?

More than 90% of cases of high blood pressure are known as “essential hypertension” and have no identifiable cause. “Secondary hypertension,” on the other hand, is caused by underlying conditions such as kidney disease or certain medications.

The risk factors for essential hypertension include age (the risk is higher after age 35), race (African Americans are at higher risk), and a family history of the condition. While you can’t control those factors, there are many you can control, including:

  • Being overweight
  • Being stressed
  • Consuming too much salt
  • Drinking heavily
  • Not exercising
  • Using tobacco

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncturists´ Approach

Fortunately, there are many ways to lower your blood pressure. Typical Western treatments includes controlling your risk factors and taking medication if needed. By incorporating acupuncture and TCM into your treatment plan, you can treat your hypertension and improve your overall health and well-being.

Acupuncture and TCM practitioners take a holistic, or “whole body,” approach for the treatment of hypertension, and take into account inharmonious conditions of the whole system than can involve the function of the liver, kidneys, digestive system and heart.

Treatment is based upon the idea of Qi (pronounced “chee”), the vital energy that flows through pathways called meridians, providing nourishment for all of the body’s organs and protecting it from illness. When the flow of Qi becomes diminished or blocked, disease and illness result.

The goal of treatment is to find and address the underlying imbalance(s) affecting the flow of Qi, leading to the elevated blood pressure and various symptoms. By addressing the root cause of your high blood pressure, TCM can help your body regain its natural balance. In doing so, you’ll also be strengthening your health and reducing the risk of future health conditions.

Acupuncture and TCM have proven effective against a wide variety of health concerns. Studies have found that a special form of acupuncture called electro-acupuncture, which uses electrical stimulation, may be particularly helpful in lowering blood pressure. By working together with your practitioner, you’ll be on your way to successfully treating your hypertension and improving your health, for today and the days ahead. Similar to healthy eating and regular exercise, consistent acupuncture treatments should be considered for the greatest long-term results.

Dr. Jay Sordean and The Redwood Clinic in Berkeley, California can help you treat your hypertension. Call us at today (510) 849-1176 to set up a consultation.

Acupuncture Can Help You Quit Smoking

SmokingCongratulations! The simple fact that you are reading this article means that you have already made an outstanding decision for your health – to stop smoking. Once you make the leap of making the decision you are seriously on your way to kicking the habit and becoming a non-smoker. Thus, beginning your journey to better health. Every year, millions of Americans “try” to quit smoking and a full half of them succeed. Of course, when someone says they are ready to “try” to quit smoking this is a key indicator that they will be part of the 50% that tried. So, if you are serious about quitting and you are ready to stop then acupuncture can help you significantly improve your odds of success!

Although there are many things that health professionals disagree about the one thing that virtually all agree upon is that quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do for your health. More than twenty-five diseases are associated with tobacco use, including cancer of the lungs, bladder, mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, uterus and cervix. Smoking also raises the chances of developing emphysema and increases the risk of having a stroke by 30%.

There is plenty of incentive to quit, but that doesn’t make it any easier. The good news is that acupuncture has helped millions of people to kick the smoking habit.

How Can Acupuncture Help You Quit the Habit

Some of the largest stumbling blocks to becoming a non-smoker are the stress, anxiety and depression associated with quitting. Fortunately, acupuncture treatment is quite successful at calming and relaxing the mind, reducing anxiety and alleviating depressive feelings. Specific acupoints in the ear and wrist are used to accomplish this. Additional acupoints may be included that help suppress your appetite, stimulate repair and healing of organ systems, and reduce food and nicotine cravings.

Receiving So Much More

Using acupuncture to quit smoking yields enormous benefits. Aside from taking care of the stumbling blocks that can cause you to resume the habit, acupuncture can help restore your body to a healthy state of balance and well-being. If you are ready to become smoke-free, acupuncture can provide you with the support you need.

Here are a few tips to guide you through your acupuncture care:

  • Drink plenty of filtered water during the process.
  • Eat balanced, healthy meals with a variety of vegetables and fruits.
  • Refrain from sugar, which can cause further sugar cravings and unwanted weight gain.
  • Manage your cravings. They will actually fade within a few minutes. When cravings arise, distract yourself. Before you know it, the craving will have passed.
  • Scrub your skin with a dry brush or loofa to facilitate the cleansing process and help blood circulation. Take daily baths or showers.
  • Avoid spending time with other smokers so that you are less tempted to smoke.
  • Take a walk outside and take deep breaths. Upon exhale, gently place your teeth together and exhaling with the sound of “sssssssss.” This sound stimulates the lungs.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can provide a safe, natural, drug-free and effective way to quit smoking. The focus is upon achieving a balance of body and mind, and eliminating cravings so you can become smoke-free and healthier.

Dr. Jay Sordean and The Redwood Clinic in Berkeley, California can help you quit smoking. Call us at today (510) 849-1176 to set up a consultation.

Are You Going Through Menopause?

MenopauseToday’s western medical establishment enjoys a strong position of influence when it comes to questions about health. So great is their level of influence that they have been able to take what are essentially naturally occurring processes in the body and turn them into a state of disease in the eyes of the general public. This is particularly true when it comes to women’s health matters. So why is it that menopause is treated like a disease? When in fact, menopause is a natural, physiological cycle that occurs in all women. Conventional medical treatments are only designed to address various disruptful symptoms and signs associated with menopause. However, symptoms and signs are just one part of the whole picture.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine understand that symptoms and signs are merely indications of an imbalance deep within the body. This 5,000 year-old healing art focuses upon correcting underlying imbalances that have occurred over the years. These imbalances, if left unchecked, will result in a variety of symptoms and signs normally associated with a Western diagnosis of menopause.

A Natural Choice for Women

Menopause signifies “a change” within a woman’s life. This change occurs because a woman’s body chemistry is shifting. Chinese medicine recognizes this chemistry change as a natural process.

Estrogen is similar to what acupuncturists call Jing Qi. Jing Qi is like a gift that is given to all of us at the time of conception. It is the battery that provides us with the basic energy to power all our life functions. When Jing Qi is abundant, our ability to adapt to disease, illness and stress is optimal.

As we age, our supply of Jing Qi energy is slowly drained. Generally, Jing Qi naturally begins to decline between the ages of 35 to 60, although some people drain it faster than others. When Jing Qi declines, the Organ Systems within our body become unbalanced. This leads to various symptoms and signs, such as graying hair, loss of libido, weakness of knees, urinary difficulty, poor memory, backache and fatigue.

Another factor that can contribute to menopause is an imbalance in Yin and Yang energies. One possible scenario is an imbalance caused by the slowing of the flow of Yin. Yin can be thought of as the cooling system of the body. When this cooling system declines, heat symptoms will naturally arise, leading to night sweats, restlessness, hot flashes, mood swings, heart palpitations and insomnia.

What Can Drain Your Energy?:

  • Over working
  • Overexertion
  • Over doing it
  • Poor dietary habits
  • Inherited weakness
  • Burning the candle at both ends
  • Sitting or standing for long periods
  • Excessive activities (sexual, alcohol, drugs, late nights)

The decline of Yang energy can also lead to imbalance. Yang represents the warming and metabolizing functions of the body. When Yang is unbalanced, symptoms may include water retention, cold hands and feet, weight gain, edema, indigestion, hypertension, or raised cholesterol levels.

Left untreated, a decline and imbalance of Jing, Yin or Yang will lead to the symptoms and signs that are normally associated with the Western diagnosis of menopause.

The Process for a Natural Solution

An acupuncturist will conduct a thorough evaluation and a complete health history. The symptoms, signs and other information that is gathered are pieces of the diagnostic health puzzle. Putting together this puzzle allows a practitioner to develop a unique treatment plan that will address each patient’s individual concerns.

When treating menopausal symptoms, an acupuncturist must first determine where the energy has changed, and what Organ Systems have become unbalanced. Once this is known, various natural therapies such as acupuncture, herbs, meditation, Qi Gong and diet can be used to correct the imbalances.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine offer a safe, natural, drug-free and effective way to address menopause. Treatment supports the healing energies of Jing, Yin and Yang, providing the body with the building blocks it needs in order to nourish, heal, and regain balance.

Dr. Jay Sordean and The Redwood Clinic in Berkeley, California can help you deal with menopause. Call us at today (510) 849-1176 to set up a consultation.