ALL PHOTOS BY SAMIRA BOUAU/EPOCH TIMES
B1 December 18–24, 2015 Chinese Medicine
Tips to Stop and Prevent a Cold on B5
The
CRAIGSLIST CONFESSIONAL She was living her parents’ American Dream until something inside told her this was not enough By Arleen Richards | Epoch Times Staff
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he saw him every day in front of her D.C. apartment building as she left work. He was a middle-aged, mentally ill black man who sometimes recognized her, sometimes not, but he was always there. Every time Helena Bala, a 27-year-old former lobbyist turned full-time listener, walked past Joe, a voice inside told her that she wasn’t doing what she was supposed to be doing, that she was not listening to her own heart. She started out giving him ginger ale (which he loved), or a bag of chips, then a loaf of Wonder bread, something she knew would last him for a while. “He was always there, cold weather too, always standing, always with a cup,” said Bala, about the man she would come to identify as
She had been living a lie since graduating law school, taking a job she didn’t like just so she could pay her bills.
the symbol of her inner voice. She had been living a lie since graduating from law school, taking a job she didn’t like just so she could pay her bills. But inside, she was aching to help people like Joe, people who were struggling and didn’t have anyone to talk to. The voice echoed in her head until one day she decided she would do it. She would listen to people tell their stories, with no strings attached. Humble Beginnings As a child growing up first in communist Albania and then as an immigrant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bala knows how it feels to live without.
See Confessional on B6
Listening to her heart took her life somewhere unexpected.
B2
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December 18–24, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochFit WORKOUT OF THE WEEK
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By Emma-Kate Stampton he festive season is typically a time of overindulgence and lack of routine and a time when people gain an average of 6 to 10 pounds. Then New Year’s resolutions are made to lose that extra weight, and the start of the year is spent slogging it out at the gym. It’s a cycle that could well be avoided with a little extra care over the holiday season. I’m not going to tell you to choose carrot sticks over candy canes, although being mindful with your food intake is a wise idea. I am going to encourage you to keep moving your body. It feels good, and is what your body is designed to do. Set aside three to four 20-minute time slots over the course of the week to move. You don’t
Keeping workouts short and simple will allow you to attend all your social engagements without forgoing exercise.
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Stay Slim Over the Holidays
need to spend an hour at the gym or an hour running. Keeping workouts short and simple will allow you to attend all your social engagements without forgoing exercise. If this still seems like too much amid all the holiday events, remember that committing to exercise now will save you a lot of time in the long run. Choose six of the exercises below and then do them three times each. It’s that simple.
do exactly the same thing each session. Pick a range of exercises that will work different areas of your body, including your legs, arms, back, chest, shoulders, and stomach. Also mix it up between strength and cardio movements. Enjoy the holiday spirit without gaining the extra pounds.
• • • • • •
Emma-Kate Stampton certifies Pilates instructors and is a certified personal trainer. With 12 years of industry experience, she is passionate about sharing the gift of health and well-being. Emma-Kate is based in Brisbane, Australia.
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Lunges (20)
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B3
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December 18–24, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochFit
Holidays and Children With Autism Tips for Navigating Party Meltdowns Child psychologist Lauren Elder, the assistant director for dissemination science at Autism Speaks, suggests the following essential steps for helping autistic children avoid holiday meltdowns. Stay Calm This might seem obvious to you now, but in the chaotic moments surrounding a meltdown, it won’t seem so clear-cut. When your child is struggling, it’s easy to get swept away by frustration and panic, but the calmer you can remain in the crisis, the more effective you’ll be at helping your child. Take a moment to breathe and regain a sense of calm within yourself. … Your reaction is so important. You have the power to escalate or de-escalate the situation with your words, body language, and overall approach. Stop and Help Your Child Again, this might seem self-evident, but parents often try to manage their child’s behavior while simultaneously working, eating, or conversing with other people. Some such parental juggling is inevitable, and even the best parents need to divide their attention at times. However, make sure that you don’t do this during a meltdown. If your child is truly out of control, you need to be fully present and attentive to what’s happening around you. Otherwise, the child’s physical and emotional well-being is put at risk. Giving your full attention doesn’t mean lecturing, bargaining, or disciplining. If your child is having a true meltdown, she is in a panicked, fight-or-flight state. As such, she won’t be able to engage in new learning. In addition, be sure not to give in to any request or demand that directly preceded the meltdown. Doing so reinforces the idea that meltdowns yield positive results, and that’s not what you want to teach. Rather than shouting, correcting, or rewarding negative behavior, simply prioritize safety. You can work on teaching once your child has regained equilibrium. You can also reduce stimulation levels. This may mean a quick move to a quieter, more private space. If that’s not a pos-
Work on teaching once your child has regained equilibrium.
Take note of Christmas decor; bright lights can be overwhelming for some children.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF FIRSTPATH AUTISM
sibility, you could stay put and lower lights, block excess noise, and disperse a crowd if one has gathered. Communicate Tell bystanders what you need them to do. One of the most difficult elements of a public meltdown is the public. Even if you’re at a party where the guests know and love your child, it’s still stressful to experience a meltdown. That said, you can take this potential frustration and turn it around. If you’re concerned about communicating with bystanders, try talking to friends and family members ahead of time about what to expect should your child lose control. You might consider carrying cards to hand to strangers if it helps to explain the situation. But if you’re surrounded by close friends and family, it may be easier to simply plan ahead and ask for what you need (be it space or support) in advance. Finally, after a meltdown ends, make sure to take time to recuperate before reentering the party. You both need to take pause and rest before getting back on your feet. FirstPath Autism is an organization dedicated to education, training, and awareness of evidence-based autism treatments. The goal of FirstPath Autism is to offer an autism lifeline to parents and to help caregivers better serve children with autism. FirstPathAutism.com
Find a balance between prudence and fun.
When your child is struggling, it’s easy to get swept away by frustration and panic, but the calmer you can remain in the crisis, the more effective you’ll be at helping your child.
Meltdown Prevention 101 Our initial recommendation is do what you can to prevent a meltdown prior to its inception. Remember that behavior is learned, and that what you model during calm moments will influence what happens during stressful ones. If you take time to teach your child appropriate self-management strategies, the child will have a much better chance of maintaining emotional control in difficult situations. Here are some things you can do:
• Remind your child of the appropriate behavior and associated reward. • Employ social stories and role-playing exercises to educate about appropriate behavior. • Prompt the identification and verbal expression of feeling states. • Review deep-breathing techniques. • Use adaptive equipment to provide calming pressure or lessen the experience of sensory overload.
B4
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December 18–24, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochFit
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Hernias The most common cause for pain or swelling in the groin—the area between the abdomen and thigh—is a hernia called an inguinal hernia. This occurs when part of the small intestine bulges through a weak area in the lower abdominal muscles. Inguinal hernias cause bulging in the groin that can be confused with swelling. Small hernias cause pain that comes and goes. Severe hernias can cause incapacitating pain. Left untreated, hernias grow and can cut off blood flow to the intestine, leading to death of bowel tissue. Such a complication is lifethreatening and requires emergency surgery. Infection Lymph nodes can also cause swelling in the groin. Lymph nodes are an important part of the immune system located throughout the body. The groin has a uniquely high concentration of them, and when they swell, it can be a sign of abnormalities in that area. Infections such as urinary tract infections are the most common cause of lymph-node enlargement in the groin, but more serious
Inflammation and Cancer Other causes of groin pain and swelling include inflammation and cancer. Similar to infections, testicular or penile cancer can cause swollen lymph nodes in the groin. A dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin is also a symptom of testicular cancer. However, not all swollen lymph nodes are abnormal, so pay attention to the progression of symptoms such as whether swelling has come on suddenly or gradually and if there is pain associated with it. These small details can be valuable information and help your doctor determine the cause. Consulting with your doctor is your best defense against disease and best way to make sure you catch an infection, hernia, or cancer early. When consulting with your doctor, remember to be detailed. The more information you can give, the better your physician will be able to help you. Dr. David Samadi is the chairman of the urology department and chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. He is a medical correspondent for the FOX News Channel’s Medical A-Team. Learn more at RoboticOncology. com and visit Dr. Samadi’s blog: SamadiMD.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
Hang Upside Down for a Happy Spine By Christopher Harrison Gravity is continually pulling us down, and in our harried lives spent staring into screens while sitting on our buttocks, both our spines and our minds are constantly being compressed. When we spend time decompressing, we bring balance back into our bodies, our minds, and our lives. We come closer to homeostasis. I have been developing, practicing, and teaching aerial yoga techniques for the past 10 years, and I have witnessed amazing physical and emotional benefits in people who discovered the rejuvenating power of decompressing both body and mind by hanging upside down. Many have averted surgeries and gotten off pain medication, while others have found equanimity in their lives and eased symptoms of stress. Some have found that decompression frees impinged nerves, solving pain challenges without surgery. Decompressing the mind comes through taming thought. Decompressing the body comes through traction and mobilization exercises like hanging upside down from the hips. This creates space between the vertebrae, which in turn allows for spinal fluids to hydrate the cartilaginous soft tissue of the spinal disks. When our soft tissue is left immobilized and unconditioned, it
SMALLER IS BETTER
naturally becomes dry, like a sponge, and shrinks. This explains the loss of height as we age. A flexible spine is a sign of youthfulness. A stiff spine is a sign of aging. Like a spring that isn’t being oiled, the vertebral column becomes less pliable with time. When we invert from our hips, our spine hydrates and becomes more pliable. It’s like taking a sip from the fountain of youth. If you want to get out the kinks, become measurably taller (lengthening effects are not cumulative), and restore balance to your autonomic nervous system and your life, turn your world upside down for three to five minutes every day. COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER HARRISON
The Future Of Non-Operative Orthopedic Pain Management
Groin pain and swelling can be a red flag for men, indicating conditions ranging from kidney stones to cancers, so it is important to identify when something is wrong. Here are some of the possible causes.
infections, such as from sexually transmitted diseases (STD) like gonorrhea, can also cause lymph nodes to swell.
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Regenerative therapies are a game-changer for modern medicine. Treatments like stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) use the body’s own healing forces to treat and even cure conditions that previously could only be managed with drugs or fixed with surgery. Platelets make your blood clot and signal your body to start a cascade of healing responses in an injured area. Stem cells are cells with the potential to replicate themselves and regenerate tissues. Treatments are considered cutting edge, and more research is still needed, but so far they have proven more powerful than PRP. Dr. Alexander Kulick, an integrative-medicine and pain-management specialist, said he has seen phenomenal results using a combination of stem cells and PRP to treat advanced cases of osteoarthritis and large tears in rotator cuffs and hamstrings. For smaller muscle and ligament tears in the knees and shoulders, and conditions like tennis and golfer’s elbow, plantar fasciitis, and back or neck pain, Dr. Kulick says PRP on its own proves highly effective. “A lot of times people will get 80–90 percent relief with one stem cell or PRP treatment,” he said. “Once in a while, you have to do a second treatment, but that’s pretty [rare].” These procedures—which take less than an hour—can also save patients from surgery. In particular, he said a lot of knee surgeries could be avoided by using PRP to heal torn cartilage (the meniscus) in the knee joint. “I’ve never had a failure with PRP in the knee,” he said. When doing stem cell treatments, Dr. Kulick also uses PRP because the body’s natural healing response requires both—and he’s found them to be more effective when used together.
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Cold-Prevention and Treatment
By Jennifer Dubowsky
Over the past few months, I have had many people come into my Chicago acupuncture office with colds and sinus infections, so I’d like to share some great tips to help you avoid and treat common colds and other respiratory problems. Most of these herbs and formulas I suggest are easy to find, but be sure to purchase high quality. Whole Foods often carries popular formulas. Since there are many other Chinese herbal formulas, it’s best to work with an acupuncturist or herbalist to choose the ideal formula for you.
Acupuncture can prevent colds, flu, and sinus infections by strengthening your immune system.
5. Acupuncture. Acupuncture can prevent colds, flu, and sinus infections by strengthening your immune system. It can also significantly improve symptoms like congestion and sore throat and shorten the duration of the illness with just a few needles inserted into key points in the body. ALL /I S EKO C TO K
3. Jade Windscreen. This is a popular and classic formula with a well-deserved reputation for boosting the immune system.The
history of jade windscreen goes back 1,000 years in China where it has been effective for people who are prone to colds, flu, and allergies. It is also a great preventative formula if you’re traveling or have been exposed to sick people. 4. Miso Soup. Miso is fermented soy soup. When your cold is just beginning, eat some miso soup to head it off. I like it best with scallions.
1. Huang Qi. Known as astragalus in the West, this herb stimulates the immune system and can be used to treat and prevent common colds, sinus infections, allergies, and other upper-respiratory infections. 2. Yin Qiao. Also spelled “yin chiao,” this Chinese herbal formula is a great first line of defense against the common cold. It is best taken at the initial signs of a cold or flu, especially if you have a sore throat. If you take it soon enough, you can prevent the illness. If it is too late for prevention, you can lessen the duration and severity of the cold with it.
Astragalus root.
Make sure your miso is unpasteurized, organic, and non-GMO.
Jennifer Dubowsky, LAc, practices acupuncture in Chicago. She earned her Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from the University of Illinois and Master of Science in oriental medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College in Colorado. She completed an internship at the Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital in Beijing. For more information, visit TCM007.com
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B6
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December 18–24, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochFit ALL PHOTOS BY SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
The
CRAIGSLIST CONFESSIONAL She was living her parents’ American Dream until something inside told her this was not enough Confessional continued from B1 She recalls one time when she was 5 years old in Albania, waiting in a long line for hours to purchase milk, eggs, cheese, and flour, so they could make traditional New Year’s baklava. But when they got to the front of the line, the food rations had run out. “My mom and I went home empty-handed ‌ nothing to make for the New Year,â€? she said. When she was 11, her parents moved the family to America to give her a better life. In America, their first apartment was in a bad neighborhood. The building was old and roach-infested, and only about 400 square feet in size, as far as she could remember. “It was the most disgusting thing,â€? she recalled. She slept on a futon in the living room until she went to college. School was very important and Bala’s par-
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YOUR ADVERTISEMENT HERE To advertise in NYC's premier health and fitness section, call (646) 504-3044 or email advertise@epoch.fit Bala is compiling some of the stories she’s heard into a book. She plans to donate part of the proceeds to homeless shelters.
Helena Bala at a coffee shop in Chelsea on Nov. 23. ents reminded her that they had fled Albania so she could go to school and “make something of herself.â€? The pressure was unbelievable, she said. “Helena, work hard, study hard. You’ll be successful, you’ll be happy, you’ll have the things we didn’t have,â€? she recalls her parents telling her. And so she went to law school, one of the three professions immigrant parents want their children to go into, she said. Her passion had always been to be a human rights lawyer and help people who desperately needed her support but this kind of work doesn’t pay the bills, so after graduating from George Washington University Law School in 2013, she became a lobbyist working 80-hours a week in Washington, D.C. Living a Lie To a certain extent, her lobbyist job allowed her to advocate for civil and human rights, but her work was done for wealthy clients who wanted policy changes in their favor and did not fulfill her desire to help those who were downtrodden. But she wanted to keep her parents happy. She sent them an allowance every month from her $50,000-a-year salary, which may have helped to convince them that she had achieved the American Dream. So despite not being happy herself, she kept going to work everyday. All day she put on a happy face, but inside she felt broken and alone with no one to talk to. She loved living in the city, but D.C. is a place where power and success are at the forefront, and in order to make it there, “You have to be a certain person, and ‌ you leave your issues at the door,â€? she said. In Bala’s mind there is a duplicity between how we are in public and what we feel internally. “Sometimes they’re a diametrically opposed way of being,â€? she said. She wondered how receptive her colleagues would be if they really knew who she was. “Would they still like me?â€? she asked. The duplicity was taking a toll on her. Listening to Her Inner Voice In addition to her inner struggles with living a dual life, Bala was coming to grips with the financial strain of trying to pay all of her bills. Not only was she sending her parents monthly stipends, she had school loans, rent, and her own needs to take care of. Her bank account was becoming more strained, and she was living paycheck to paycheck. She began giving to Joe less and less frequently, until one day he asked, “Are you upset with me?â€? His disappointment tugged something deep in her heart, and the only thing she could do was oer to talk to him. She stood with him and asked questions that she had been wondering about for a while but never had taken the time to stop and ask him. He told her he had been living on the streets o and on for more than 10 years, sometimes sleeping under awnings or windows with deep sills. He showered at the shelter when there was space for him; otherwise he washed up in public bathrooms. He has a sister, but he doesn’t talk to her. He was getting only about $10 to $20 a day from passersby. As he talked, Bala was aware of people walking by in droves, not even looking at him. “After having heard what he went through ‌ that got to me,â€? she said. She thought there must be other people out there who have a lot they need to say but don’t have a person to listen to them. Joe appreciated her listening. “He just seemed so thankful, so grateful to just have had that opportunity to say his piece, to be treated like a normal human being,â€? she said After listening to Joe, it became more diďŹƒcult for her to walk to work every day. When she saw him, her thoughts kept ringing with “I’m unhappy, I’m not doing what I want to do, I’m not helping people.â€? These thoughts were persistent, she said. Bala felt she wasn’t much dierent from Joe because she needed someone to talk to. It occurred to her that other people also would benefit from having someone to talk to. “I thought, why not do it, why not me? I’ll lis-
ten,â€? she said. So Bala decided to post an ad on Craigslist, oering to listen to people. She wasn’t intending to solve anyone’s problems or be a therapist. The idea was just to listen without judgment. “I wanted to draw back that curtain. ‌ With me, you can say whatever you need to say, and you’ll never see me again. It’ll be completely anonymous,’â€? she said. She posted the first ad in June 2014. Despite her good intentions, Bala didn’t expect to get much response, but then her inbox started overflowing. For the next three months, she tried to fit her listening sessions in around her busy work schedule—meeting anonymous talkers in coffee shops and taking phone calls. In Sept. 2014, Bala quit her lobbyist job and started listening to people’s stories full time. She listened to as many stories as she could, seven days a week. “I wasn’t turning anyone down,â€? she said. Confessionals Over the next 14 months, she received thousands of responses from people of all walks of life—and the issues ran the gamut from alcoholism to marital problems and identity issues. People tell her their deepest, darkest secrets. Things they don’t tell anyone else. For example, one woman, Janine, told Bala about the very first time she learned how to force herself to throw up after a meal. She was only 16 when she started feeling her weight was becoming unmanageable. She also realized that she wasn’t as cool and popular as the rest of the girls. Despite losing weight after working out at the gym and running, she couldn’t maintain her diet, so she got fat again. The boys didn’t look at her anymore. She felt ugly. Janine quickly learned that putting two fingers down her throat in just the right place would easily cause her meal to come floating up, but she feared her parents would find out. Meanwhile, Bala was keeping her own secret from her parents—she had quit her job. She deferred her school loans, got a credit card, and was sharing housing expenses with her future husband. But this past summer, they got married and moved to New York City, so she told her parents this was why she left her job. Since she started listening full time, Bala has discovered that it takes quite an emotional toll. Through the process, she learned to limit herself to only one listening session per day. Sometimes the stories she hears make her want to cry, but she tries not to. Every once in a while, she breaks down afterward when she talks to her husband. Listening sessions take at least an hour, many take two to three hours. The longest one she’s had lasted four and a half hours. For all of them, she just listens. Even if it is a topic she has heard hundreds of times, she will still listen to it—for free. Bala makes it clear at the outset that she is not medically trained, so if you ask for advice, you will get only the opinion of a “friend,â€? somebody who has heard many other stories similar to yours, she said. Full Circle Bala takes notes when she gets permission from the other person, partly because she wants to stay involved and remember the story. She also said she wants to publish her notes into a book. Everything is circular, she said. It all leads back to Joe—her inspiration. Bala wants to donate some of the proceeds from her book to a few homeless shelters in D.C. “I think that long-term financial support would be so much better than just getting one person something,â€? she said. She doesn’t know whether or not her listening will solve the double-identity crisis or even if it is the best solution, but it’s a service she’s willing to oer for as long as it takes. “I think it’s helpful for them, and as long as I find that that’s the case, I’m going to keep doing it,â€? she said. Helena Bala can be reached at TheBookOfSadness@gmail.com
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December 18–24, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochFit COURTESY OF ROW HOUSE
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FELDENKRAIS CLASSES
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ROW HOUSE
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Chiropractic helps your brain to communicate with your body. Through proper postural correction, one can begin the natural journey to a healthy, pain-free life.
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INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
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Facial acupuncture is perhaps the most quickly growing area of the field. Acupuncture needling stimulates collagen fibers that improve the elasticity of the tissue, thereby reducing wrinkles. Zachary Haigney is a licensed acupuncturist at Shift Integrative Medicine in NYC.
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December 18–24, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochFit MARTIN CVETKOVIC/ISTOCK
SECRETS OF KOREAN MEDICINE
Say Goodbye to Rhinitis and Colds Part 8 COURTESY OF DR. SEO HYO-SEOK
By Dr. Seo Hyo-seok If you or someone you know suffers from both allergies and frequent colds, you probably know that the symptoms can be very similar—a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. What most people don’t know is that both colds and allergies are a type of condition called rhinitis. Rhinitis is a set of symptoms due to inflammation of the mucus membrane in the nose. In allergic rhinitis, symptoms are set off by the immune system’s overreaction to normally harmless substances. The common cold is a type of non-allergic rhinitis called viral rhinitis, when symptoms occur because of infection by a virus. Allergic rhinitis affects around 50 million people in the United States, according to the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. Although there are no definitive statistics on non-allergic rhinitis, it is estimated to affect millions and is one of the most common conditions diagnosed by primary-care and ear, nose, and throat doctors. While the symptoms of rhinitis are usually not lifethreatening, they can greatly decrease quality of life and cause missed work and school. What is truly regrettable for patients who suffer chronically from some form of rhinitis is that many doctors believe it is incurable. But I have found that it is curable, and I will explain how below.
The tonsils play a more central role in the immune system than most people imagine. Why Many Treatments Don’t Work Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis also have differences in symptoms. The common cold can be accompanied by fevers and is highly contagious while allergic rhinitis is not accompanied by fever, nor is it contagious. Modern medicine treats rhinitis differently depending on whether it is allergic or non-allergic, but the root of both lies in the reactions of the immune system, so I treat both in the same way using Korean medicine. Because the common cold virus has mutated to produce more than 200 different types, there is no way to vaccinate against it. Flu vaccinations are possible because there are fewer strains of the flu virus. Vaccinations train the immune system to recognize the injected virus, so it will be able to fight the same virus if it encounters it later. However, whether you become infected with the common cold or flu virus, if the immune system is healthy and strong, there is no need to train it in advance, and it will still be able to fight infection. But if the immune system is weak, and the common cold is not treated properly, the virus will establish itself in the body causing your stuffy nose and other uncomfortable symptoms. Although the number of patients who see doctors TTSZ/ISTOCK
The tonsils are an important part of the immune system.
Have you been told your allergies or frequent colds are just something you have to live with? because of rhinitis associated with viral infections or allergies is increasing every year, and doctors are treating them, only a very small number of patients are completely cured of their ailments. This is because treatments are aimed at alleviating symptoms without treating the fundamental cause. Typical treatment for allergies involves the recommendation that you avoid substances that trigger allergic reactions. For symptoms like nasal discharge and sneezing, you may be given antihistamines or steroids to suppress them. However, such treatment can only alleviate the symptoms for a short period of time. In addition, antihistamines and steroids have a serious risk of side effects. Although antihistamines are weaker than steroids, patients can build up resistance to them if they are used repeatedly. Steroids are prescribed to promptly alleviate symptoms due to rhinitis. However, steroids suppress the discharge of substances that actually need to be discarded and pushes them deeper into the body. Accordingly, using steroids will turn the body into a storage tank for waste matter. Thus, health is not truly restored, and the patient will live in a cycle of recurring pain and temporary alleviation of symptoms. Because modern medicine is busy getting rid of symptoms, it does not solve the fundamental cause of the problem. In order to fundamentally solve the problem, the root cause in the immune system must be properly understood and eliminated. Keys to Cure Some doctors say that symptoms associated with rhinitis cannot be cured but only managed. However, I can say confidently that they can be fully cured. In fact, they can be cured very well. I found that the solution lies in the health of the lungs. At first glance, it may not be evident how allergies and colds are affected by the lungs; however, their relationship can be understood easily if you understand how the lungs influence different parts of the body. Healthy lungs restore the health of the tonsils, which in turn are associated with the restoration and fortification of immunity. By strengthening the lungs, I have had many patients who often suffered from rhinitis symptoms, not only have their symptoms relieved but never have a recurrence of their problem. When patients like these undergo treatment for more than five months with Korean herbal medicine aimed at fortifying the lungs, their stuffy nose as well as other other respiratory diseases, such as asthma, will also not recur thereafter. This is possible when the health of the tonsils is restored through the reinforcement of pulmonary functions. When the nose is blocked, people will naturally breathe through their mouths, which can cause the tonsils to become infected and swell. When the tonsils become healthy, the immune system can perform its duties well. In fact, the tonsils play a more central role in the immune system than most people imagine. The tonsils are a pair of soft tissue masses that are part of the lymph system. Their location in the throat is very important because the throat is the passage that leads to the cardiovascular system. The tonsils situated in this passage help the immune system by producing antibodies. Only when the tonsils are healthy can healthy white blood cells (leukocytes) be produced in large numbers to safeguard the body. When the tonsils are healthy, we will not suffer from sore throats or sinus infections and can naturally prevent all types of rhinits.
Let Your Body Heal Itself When the tonsils are healthy, this will also restore the discriminatory ability of the immune system, and substances that previously induced allergies will no longer affect you. Discriminatory ability refers to the ability of the body to distinguish whether a certain substance or signal means danger or not. If the discriminatory ability of the immune system is degraded, it will display hypersensitive reactions to substances that are not dangerous to the body. For example, hypersensitive reactions to flower pollen, dust in the home, or particular foods are the result of degradation in the discriminatory ability of the immune system. Simply avoiding substances that induce allergies is not the best way of treating them. On the contrary, it is important to enable the body to recognize such substances as safe and not to overreact to them. When the discriminatory ability of the immune system improves, it will accurately distinguish dangerous substances from safe ones and promptly take measures to stop the infiltration of dangerous substances into the body.
Some doctors say that symptoms associated with rhinitis cannot be cured but only managed. However, I can say confidently that they can be fully cured. Thus, fundamental to treating all types of rhinitis is creating the best conditions for white blood cells to protect the body from external attacks, which begins with restoring pulmonary function. Pulmonary function can be fortified through aerobic exercise, such as mountain climbing, swimming, and cycling, as well as treatments with Korean herbal aimed at purifying the lungs. For people who have not been heavily using medicinal steroids, after about two months of treatment, the health of the tonsils is usually restored, and common colds can be prevented. After three months of treatment, rhinitis symptoms can be resolved. After four months, symptoms such as nasal discharge; sneezing; stuffy nose; post-nasal drip; coughing; phlegm; and itchiness in the nose, eyes, ears, and roof of the mouth can be alleviated, and people can even see improvement in asthma at this time. With this treatment, the body plays the principal role and a cure is possible. Dr. Seo Hyo-seok is the director of the Pyunkang Korean Medicine Hospital, which has seven branches in South Korea, one at Stanton University in California, and one in Atlanta. Dr. Seo entered Kyung Hee University in Korea at the top of his class and developed the Pyunkang-Hwan herbal formula, which improves immunity by strengthening lung function. The formula has helped cure over 155,000 patients of various conditions.
Find out more at Pyunkang.com Email: Dr.Seo@wwdoctor.com