B1 January 23–29, 2015
Health
Fitness HUMONIA/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
In the ‘Nei Jing’– a fundamental text in Chinese medicine –moxa is said to ‘do what the needle cannot.’
Moxibustion is a popular treatment in many Asian countries. It has not caught on in America partly because of the smell and because many American acupuncturists are worried about accidentally burning a patient.
The Healing Warmth of
MOXIBUSTION By Conan Milner Epoch Times Staff
LUNAMARINA/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
With the indirect method of moxibustion, a hot ember is held about an inch away from the body.
F
or ancient doctors, the guiding principle was balance. A patient who is cold and weak, for example, naturally needs warmth and strength. In traditional Chinese medicine, the main remedy for this affliction is called moxibustion or moxa. According to Dr. Tracy Stuardi, a licensed acupuncturist at the Doorway to Wellness clinic in Austin, Texas, moxa gives deep, penetrating heat to resolve underlying cold. “The cold will settle in the uterus or the lower abdomen or the GI tract. Often time, you can feel when you palpate areas where they’re cold where they shouldn’t be,” she said. “Moxa is an easy way to bring heat to the area.” The name “moxa” is an anglicized version of the Japanese word “mogusa,” which means “burning herbs.” The practice involves burning medicinal cigars and cones on or near the body.
Moxa is said to have originated in with moxa is the smell. Moxibustion Northern China at least 3,000 years ago, treatment creates an aromatic smoke being burned on acupuncture points that many people mistake for marijuana. long before the advent of needles. Today, “People are like, ‘Oh, what is that smell? moxa is used to treat a wide range of issues, Is that okay? Is it supposed to smell like including chronic digestive disturbance, that?’” she said. “The bottom line is that menstrual problems, reproductive con- it’s a very effective technique.” cerns, and advanced illnesses, such as tuberculosis, Lyme disease, and cancer. Primary Medicine “It’s very powerful for pain,” Stuardi said. Moxa has not been researched as much “Many patients we see come in with a lot as acupuncture, but the available literaof pain, and sometimes the needles alone ture shows positive effects on the blood, aren’t enough.” immunity, and the regeneration of tisStuardi is unique in that many Western sue. A 1998 study published in the Jourpractitioners of Chinese medicine have nal of the American Medical Associashied away from moxa, preferring instead tion found that 75 percent of pregnant to focus attention on acupuncture. “It’s women had their breech fetuses turn to a shame that more practitioners are not the normal position with moxa burned doing it,” she said. “I think a lot of people on an acupuncture point located on are intimidated. And it takes more time.” the pinky toe. In China, Japan, and Korea, moxa While moxa may be considered a plays a major role in treatment, but in minor part of Chinese medicine in the the United States the technique has been West, ancient doctors held it in high slow to catch on. Moxa is taught in Chi- regard. In the “Nei Jing”—a fundamennese medicine schools, but many Ameri- tal text in Chinese medicine—moxa is can acupuncturists abandon this modal- said to “do what the needle cannot.” ity once they graduate. According to Stuardi, the biggest issue See Moxibustion on B5
Health & Fitness Use Portion Control for Weight Control
B2 January 23–29, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com
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Serving vs. Portion Size Serving size and portion size is not the same thing. The recommended serving size, as well as the number of servings from each food group, depends on your gender, age, and most importantly, your level of physical activity. A portion, on the other hand, is the amount of food you actually eat. You might be surprised to discover that your portion sizes are significantly greater (or smaller) than the serving sizes suggested for a particular food. For example, the serving size for Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream is half a cup, which provides 260 calories and 17 grams of fat. If you aren’t paying attention, you could easily fill a cone or bowl with a cup or more of ice cream, so that your portion packs 34 grams of fat and over 500 calories (that’s almost the entire day’s “fat quota�). Cereal is another food that most people don’t measure but that is easy to miscalculate. It’s important to look at the portion size listed on a cereal box since portions can range from a quarter cup to a full cup.
It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are no longer hungry.
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Don’t have your tools handy? Eyeball the correct portion size with these helpful guidelines: 9 One serving of meat and fish (about 3 ounces) is equivalent to the size of your palm or a deck of cards. 9 Half a cup of cooked pasta or rice is about the size of your fist, or the amount that comfortably fits into a cupcake wrapper. 9 One ounce of cheese is approximately the size of a pair of dice or your thumb. 9 One pancake is about the size of a compact disc.
Consider Containers Containers make great measuring tools. When pro-volleyball player Jason Trepanier had to drop some weight during training, he came up with “The Blue Bowl Diet.� He explains that a bowl he found in his kitchen was “just the right portion size, so that whatever amount of food fit into it satisfied me but wouldn’t make me feel too full.� Use reusable glass containers or buy yourself a fun dish that’s the right size for most meals or snacks. Slow Down It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are no longer hungry. You can pack away a lot of food within 20 minutes, so eat slowly, chewing each and every bite carefully. Put Leftovers Away Pack up leftovers before sitting down to eat. If extra food isn’t sitting on top of the stove or on the counter, you won’t be tempted to eat it while cleaning up after dinner.
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Lisa Tsakos is a registered holistic nutritionist and founder of the Nu-Vitality Weight Program. This article was originally published on Naturallysavvy.com.
Broccoli Compound May Treat Prostate Cancer Broccoli is frequently touted as a food that can help prevent cancer, but a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables also may treat it. Roderick H. Dashwood, a researcher at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, has been studying whether a compound known as sul-
WHAT:
On the Go
Use Measuring Cups Your eyes can deceive you. It’s easy to underestimate how much food is on your plate, especially if you’re eating from a large dish. Use a measuring cup or spoons to calculate exact portions. This is especially important for cereal, cooked pasta, and cooked rice.
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Don’t Snack From Bag Never eat out of the package. This is a sure-fire way to overeat. Trail mix can be a very healthy snack, but eating it out of the bag could mean swallowing thousands of calories. Instead, measure quarter-cup portions into snacksize Ziploc bags or containers—and don’t snack while you’re preparing them. Do the same for other snacks that you’re tempted to eat out of the package (potato or corn chips, crackers, popcorn, and so on).
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To get control over your portion sizes, you may need to weigh and measure your food using measuring cups and a kitchen scale.
9 One ounce of nuts or half Use Smaller Plates a cup of potato chips, We eat with our eyes, as popcorn, or crackers is well as our mouths—appeabout one handful. tite is largely influenced by appearances. If you perceive 9 Two tablespoons of peathat your plate is empty, nut butter (or any nut you will still be hungry butter) is about the size of after eating. A large dinner a ping-pong ball. plate might appear empty if it isn’t full, and if it’s full, chances are it contains more than you need. Instead, fill up an appetizer plate or use a child’s plate. Fill it up, and if you’re still not full after eating, go for seconds.
Yes, you can have too much of a good thing. Monitoring your portion sizes can help you lose weight without having to monitor calories and fat. Researchers at the University of North Carolina determined that our average energy (calorie) intake has increased by 571 calories a day since 1977. They have suggested that larger portion sizes are the cause.
TESTIMONIAL:
Reducing Portion Sizes
There is significant evidence that cruciferous vegetables can help prevent cancer. Roderick H. Dashwood, researcher, Texas A&M Health Science Center
foraphane, which occurs naturally in broccoli, could be used to treat advanced prostate cancer. In a paper published in the journal Oncogenesis, Dashwood and collaborators from Oregon State University detail how a particular enzyme in prostate cancer cells known as SUV39H1 is affected by exposure to sulforaphane. “There is significant evidence that cruciferous vegetables can help prevent cancer,� Dashwood says. “This study, however, is one of the first to show that by altering SUV39H1 and histone methylation profiles, sulforaphane could be a new therapeutic agent for advanced prostate cancer.� Histone methylation involves small chemical modifications to the proteins that interact with DNA and influences how genes are expressed. Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. While treatments such as surgical removal of the prostate, radiation therapy, hormone
OLHA_AFANASIEVA/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
Recent research indicates that a compound naturally present in broccoli could be used to treat advanced prostate cancer.
therapy, and chemotherapy are initially effective in treating prostate cancer, the cancer frequently spreads to other sites. Once this occurs, survival rates decrease dramatically and treatment options are limited. Dashwood says further work is needed to identify the particular subsets of advanced prostate cancers that would be susceptible to sulforaphane treatment. And more research needs to be done to verify the safety of the compound when
used at higher doses. A clinical trial is currently underway to test the effectiveness of sulforaphane-rich supplements in men with high risk for prostate cancer. Early indications are that the compound is safe. Results from this trial may help demonstrate the safety of higher-dosage supplements and set the stage for a therapeutic trial. From Texas A&M University via Futurity.org
Health & Fitness
B3 January 23–29, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com
To Reverse Aging, Treat Cellulite, Start With Hormones By Christine Lin Epoch Times Sta
N
EW YORK—In the late 1990s, Dr. Lionel Bissoon introduced to the United States a treatment method that eliminates cellulite and other pernicious fat deposits with tiny injections. Since then, his work has gotten the attention by media outlets such as the Rachel Ray Show, E! News, Fox News, and Good Morning America. His practice, which is located on the Upper East Side and attracts clients from all over the world, does so much more than fix lumpy thighs. Using a variety of cutting-edge techniques, Bissoon adjusts his patients’ hormone balance for total wellness. The hormones pumping through our veins play a huge role in our health and appearance. Their levels change with age, environmental exposure, and stress, and to function well, each person must maintain optimal levels and a good balance.
The more estrogen you have, the more fat you make. Dr. Lionel Bissoon
Bissoon, the resident specialist at Liondale Medical, uses various modalities to bring hormones back to youthful levels and help patients reverse the adverse effects of aging and restore physical and mental functioning. “Hormones play a very important role in aging by increasing energy, focus, concentration, weight loss, sex drive, and sexual function, increasing cognition, improving skin appearance, improving mood and overall sense of well-being,� he
said in an interview. Clients come to Bissoon for a wide range of problems, from seemingly cosmetic blights like cellulite to seemingly psychological issues like lack of motivation at work. To address these diverse concerns, Bissoon first seeks to understand patients’ hormone levels, blood composition, food allergies, sleep quality, and diet. Then he crafts individualized treatment plans that include diet and exercise recommendations to augment treatments. Lately many of his patients have been 30- to 60-year-olds who work in demanding professions. Many of them are men on Wall Street who feel like they’ve lost their edge with age and can’t keep up mentally and physically. Others would like to optimize their personal functioning, look better, feel better—and prevent ungraceful aging. “Aging is inevitable,� Bissoon said. “However, anti-aging in medicine is really about using current scientific and clinical information to perform aggressive prevention to slow down the impact of aging on the mind and body.� Hormones and Cellulite Bissoon is an osteopathic doctor. Osteopaths work with the musculoskeletal system and are trained to understand how bones, muscles, and connective tissues affect functioning of the whole person—mentally, emotionally, and physically. Bissoon adds the study of hormones to his outlook on integrated health. He looks at the cellulite, those unsightly bumps just beneath the skin that tend to appear on women’s thighs and hips, as a hormonal issue. And while most people don’t consider them a health risk, Bissoon recognizes that self-consciousness caused by cellulite can take a huge emotional toll and prevent some women from pursuing social and physical activities they once enjoyed. He also recognizes that the conventional methods of reducing cellulite—massage, topical creams, and exercise—have
limited efficacy because cellulite occurs in a layer of fat that does not respond to exercise, he says. An understanding of estrogen’s role is central to addressing cellulite, Bissoon says. “You can’t separate the diet or the hormones out of it because the women who have cellulite tend to have estrogen dominance, and the more estrogen you have, the more fat you make,� Bissoon explains. Women who have cellulite—and for that matter headaches, depression and anxiety, dry hair, bloating, weight gain, irritability, and breast tenderness—tend not to have enough progesterone to balance out the estrogen. It’s possible for older women to be estrogen-deficient but still estrogen- dominant—too little estrogen and even less progesterone. Thus, rebalancing hormone levels can help solve a variety of related issues—not just the cellulite. “You need a certain amount of estrogen to maintain healthy bones, to prevent heart disease, to maintain the integrity of the skin,� Bissoon said. “If women have too much estrogen, the fat cells get fat. Too much estrogen also gives you uterine fibroids, and in some cases breast cancer. So estrogen dominance is a bad thing.� He also cautions women that tight elastic on panties—that cut off circulation in the skin, can prevent lymphatic drainage and cause dimpling across the buttocks.
Sally complained of slight weight gain, decreased focus, brain fog, hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, and cellulite. After evaluating her and her lab results, Dr. Lionel Bissoon treated Sally with hormone replacements using estradiol and progesterone for menopause, topical testosterone for her libido, and intravaginal hyaluronic acid for dryness. Estradiol is a type of estrogen responsible for maintaining the health of reproductive tissues like the walls of the vagina. It also protects bone mass, the brain, and maintains mood. Testosterone, which naturally occurs in women, is responsible for libido and also helps maintain lean muscle mass. Aging women lose testosterone, which explains the weight gain as well as diminished sexual desire.
Bob, 51
Bob is a Wall Street executive who complained of decreased libido, diďŹƒculty obtaining and maintaining an erection, weight gain around the belly, fatigue, decreased focus and concentration, and lack of energy. Tests discovered that he had low testosterone, so Bissoon treated him with topical testosterone. While topical testosterone must be used carefully to avoid physical transfer to women and children, it is highly eective because most of the enzymes that turn it into something the body can use are located near the skin. It is applied once or twice a day. By boosting testosterone, Bissoon enhanced Bob’s ability to burn fat and keep it o. In the same stroke,
smaller doses to targeted locations and do not enter the bloodstream. He also requires that patients at Liondale have regular blood tests to screen for cancer.
Liondale Medical 10 W. 74th St., Suite 1 New York, NY 10023 212-579-9136 LiondaleMedical.com
Dr. Lionel Bissoon sees a patient at his Liondale clinic on the Upper West Side on Jan. 6. Bissoon uses hormone therapy to help patients reverse the adverse effects of aging.
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Mitigating Risk As with any medical treatment, hormone therapy comes with a certain amount of risk. Some studies suggest that hormone replacement therapy can contribute to heart disease, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Bissoon takes measures to lower this risk by calibrating the amount of bio-identical hormones to each patient’s level of deficiency, and prefers topical treatments rather than pills. Topical treatments deliver
Erectile Dysfunction (E.D.)
CASE STUDIES Sally, 54
BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
Hyaluronic acid is included in many skin-care products as a moisturizer. It is a substance naturally produced by the human body and helps repair the skin. Within a month of treatments, all her symptoms had resolved, and she was able to shed her weight easily. Additionally, she was placed on an individualized nutrition program based on her lab studies. Then Bissoon treated her with 10 sessions of mesotherapy for the cellulite. Mesotherapy involves injecting small doses of a fat-melting mix of homeopathic medications, traditional pharmaceuticals, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids directly into the areas of cellulite. Once the existing cellulite is gotten rid of, Sally’s nutrition plan and hormone replacement treatments should help her body defend against the return of such fat deposits.
Bob’s energy levels and mental concentration were enhanced. The results are maintained by good exercise and eating habits. Bissoon also recommended an exercise program, a customized diet without caloric restrictions for weight loss. Weight gain can lead to erWectile dysfunction by impeding blood flow. Furthermore, the less testosterone a man has, the more likely he is to gain weight, and vice versa. That’s because testosterone plays a role in maintaining metabolism, muscle mass, and mental focus and memory. Within six weeks, Bob felt he was back to himself with improvements in the quality of his life, and he had lost 10 pounds.
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Health & Fitness
B4 January 23–29, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com WORKOUT OF THE WEEK
Fire Up Your Fitness With Kettlebell Swings By Ashley Whitson he kettlebell swing is an all-encompassing exercise that not only burns calories, but also offers an efficient way to boost metabolism and burn fat after the workout. In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, male participants performed 12 rounds of kettlebell swings with a 24-kilogram (53-pound) weight. Each 30-second round was followed by 30 seconds of rest. Participants had their blood drawn before and after the exercise. Their blood work showed that a hormone involved in fat metabolism shot up 18 times its resting level immediately following the exercise—and continued to rise to 21 times its resting level 15 minutes post-exercise.
The kettlebell swing particularly works the glutes, hamstrings, abdominals, and latissimus dorsi (a back muscle that attaches the upper arm to the spine and lower ribs), along with the muscles of the shoulder girdle and hand grip. In addition to its fat-burning benefits, it can help extend your posture and even reduce back pain by increasing lumbar (lower back) stability. To determine the right kettlebell weight for your fitness level, you need to consider the nature of the exercise. The swing is a ballistic exercise, which basically means that it is explosive. This type of movement produces varying degrees of tension in the body, transitioning from tight to loose to tight again. Ballistic exercises typically allow you to use heavier weight than grind exercises like a squat or overhead press, which keep the body tension constant through-
out the movement. Kettlebells USA, a distributor of kettlebells, recommends a weight of 35–44 pounds for an average active man and 18–26 pounds for an average active woman. Perfecting the Swing Taking the time to prepare your body for the kettlebell swing will help you avoid injury and reap the maximum benefit from proper form and movement. Performing a hip hinge is the first step—it will help you develop a safe deadlift, the movement on which the swing is based. The pendulum swing drill, incorporating the deadlift, is the next challenge. After getting comfortable with these movements, you should be ready for the full kettlebell swing. This sequence is described below. As always, be sure to check with your health care provider before starting a new exercise.
COURTESY OF ASHELY WHITSON
Hip Hinge 1. Stand tall, with the arches of your feet lined up with the outside of your hips. Engage your buttocks and legs by performing a “corkscrew” action with the heel while maintaining your feet in a firmly planted position. If you have a bar available, you can place it vertically along the spine of your midback, gripping it with one hand on top and one on the bottom (as if you were toweling your back dry after a shower). This will help you feel neutral alignment of the spine. Otherwise, try placing your hands at the front of the hip crease to feel where you are initiating the movement from. 2. Flex at the hips by sending them straight behind you as if you want them to touch a
wall. This will help to ensure that you are not squatting to perform the swing. As you do this, keep the back of your pelvis, ribs, and head against the bar. This will help to ensure that you are not flexing or extending at the lower back, rounding forward at the shoulders, or letting the chin jut out. The knees should bend as a result of the hips moving backward; they should not move over the line of the ankles. The angle of the spine at the bottom of the hip hinge should be about 45 degrees with the thighs also at 45 degrees, so that the angle at the hips is 90 degrees. 3. Re-engage the buttocks and legs by pressing the hips forward to bring the torso back to the upright starting position.
lift position and swing the weight forward and backward four times to create the feeling of a pendulum. After the third swing, power from the hips to stand upright, with glutes and abs engaged and the kneecaps pulled up as you swing the kettlebell up to a point between the hips and chest. Exhale sharply to brace the abdominals. 3. Repeat the four pendulum swings, standing up into the full swing, until you get
the hang of it. Then decrease the set to three pendulum swings before standing up for the full swing, followed by two pendulum swings, and finally one pendulum swing before standing. At this stage, keep swinging—this is the full kettlebell swing. Once you are comfortable with this movement, you should be ready to take out the pendulum step and go right to the kettlebell swing.
Taking the time to prepare your body for the kettlebell swing will help you avoid injury and reap the maximum benefit from proper form and movement.
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Pendulum Swing Drill 1. Stand behind the kettlebell and use the hip hinge movement to bend down so you can reach the kettlebell without rounding your spine. Grab the kettlebell strongly with both hands, making sure to keep your upper back engaged, chest open, and shoulders back and down. Rock the kettlebell onto its edge so you can maintain a safe spinal position and still reach the bell. To check if you are in the right position, try letting go of the weight; it should feel like you are about to fall backward. 2. Inhale and pull the kettlebell back between the legs. Remain in the dead-
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Kettlebell Swing 1. Place the kettlebell in front of your feet. Use the deadlift to bend down and grab the bell. Remember to pull it onto its edge so you can grab it safely. 2. Hike the kettlebell back on an inhalation and then use the power of the hips to swing the bell up to shoulder height. Keep the torso vertical as long as possible. You should feel the weight “float” for a moment, indicating a period of loose tension. 3. Pull the bell back down as hard and
6 Athletic: 26–35 pounds fast as you can toward the lower abdominal area. At the last moment, break at the hips so the kettlebell moves between your thighs. Keep the weight close to your body and do not let it go below your knees, as that will place too much stress on the lower back. Make sure to keep generating power for the swing from the hips, moving forward and up and then down and back. Most importantly, breathe in coordination with the movement as described above.
6 Inactive/out of shape: 13–18 pounds
Health & Fitness
B5 January 23–29, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com
A Dentist Who Also Boosts Your
Immune System By Milene Fernandez Epoch Times Staff NEW YORK—A holistic dentist can tell a lot about your health by looking in your mouth. More than just the amount of plaque and number of cavities, the color and texture of your tongue indicate if you have any problems with your organs, whether you may have sleep apnea, or if you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. Holistic dentists can do everything conventional dentists can do, but holistic dentists have a different approach. Like all doctors, they follow the Hippocratic ethic of “do no harm,” and use non- or minimally invasive techniques whenever possible. They will only resort to surgery when it’s absolutely necessary. They see the human body as a complete, intelligent, integrated system. So, for example, they will check the condition of the mouth and teeth to discern the overall state of health in the rest of the body. Conversely, symptoms elsewhere in the body can also be caused by problems in the mouth. Bacteria can travel from the mouth through the bloodstream to the heart, for example. So holistic dentists don’t want to just patch things up; they want to treat the underlying causes of gum and tooth decay. After practicing as a conventional dentist for about five years, Dr. Victor Zeines, D.D.S., M.S., F.A.G., F.I.N.D, started using a holistic approach around the time when the Holistic Dental Association was founded in 1978. While he could call himself one of the pioneers of holistic dentistry, he says with a shrug, “I’m just a tooth doc.” Zeines likes to think of the mouth and teeth as a coral reef. “Enamel really is like coral. Its crystalline structure will change depending on the acid content in the mouth,” he says. The tongue is a very sensitive and quick indicator for what is
going on in the rest of the body. For example, “If it’s grey or greyish-black, it’s often related to stomach problems. If it’s yellow or yellowish-green, it’s indicative of liver or gallbladder problems. If it’s cracked on the surface, it shows a vitamin deficiency. And if the sides are scalloped and large, it could indicate sleep apnea, or mineral deficiency.
You don’t get dental problems if you have good nutrition. Dr. Victor Zeines, D.D.S.
“If the tip of the tongue is red, it could be heart weakness or thyroid deficiency. If it’s white, then it’s toxins coming out,” Zeines explains. Normally the tongue should be pink with a thin white “moss” covering the surface. Zeines sees a about eight to ten patients a day—people who mostly have either gum problems or want to get their mercury fillings replaced. Before looking into patients’ mouths, he asks them general questions about their overall health. His office smells of the lavender essential oil that he sprinkles on the patient’s apron and in the air. The smell is calming, he says, and although the discomfort of a possible injection is still inevitable, it’s easier for the patient to bear. Zeines says that one of the most rewarding parts of his practice is advising patients on their nutrition and on how to boost their immune system— which he says is essential for maintaining healthy gums and teeth. You can still get plaque, despite good dental hygiene, because plague is “not going to change
until you change your acid-base balance in the body,” he says. Acidity is caused by eating too many sweets, fats, and dairy products. These can also strip the tooth enamel of its minerals—making it vulnerable to bacteria. “When your acid-balance is too acidic, the minerals start precipitating out of your saliva onto your teeth, and that’s where the plaque comes from, and [from] the bad bacteria.” And that is what causes tooth decay and gum disease, Zeines explains. Boosting the Immune System “You don’t get dental problems if you have good nutrition,” Zeines says. As the saying goes, you are what you eat. But nowadays, it’s hard to find foods that are nutritionally rich enough. Organic foods grown in good-quality soil have superior nutrition, but when you get them at the store, they are usually about a week old, and time quickly robs food of its nutrients, Zeines says. “If you’re lucky, you could get 40 percent of the nutrients you need from the food that you eat,” he says. It’s one of the reasons why there are so many dietary supplements in the market. Zeines makes his own dietary supplement. He started developing and testing several prototypes in the late 1990s, and three months ago, he launched a highantioxidant formula called Vital Boost. He formulated Vital Boost especially to support the immune system and overall health. He says it also helps protect against the effects of dental X-rays, electro-magnetic radiation, and other pollutants that produce free radicals, which can affect the immune system. The formula contains a plethora of organic ingredients, including vitamins and minerals, superfoods such as spirulina and wheat grass, antioxidants such as acerola berry, fibers like flax seed, plant-based digestive enzymes, a probiotic blend with
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Dr. Victor Zeines in his office on the Upper West Side on Jan. 19. More than just taking care of teeth, Zeines works to help his patients attain better overall health.
acidophilus, herbal extracts, and an immune blend containing CoQ10, among other ingredients. In short, Vital Boost takes a shotgun approach to superfood supplements—giving you everything and more that you might need, Zeines says. “You may not need everything in it; you may excrete some of it. Yet there are so many good things in there, that it’s going to optimize your health,” he says. He initially made Vital Boost for himself and has it as part of his breakfast every day. He mixes it with whey protein powder, acai powder, gojiberry powder, cocoa powder, and hemp milk—a combo that’s very filling, he says. After he was satisfied with the formula, he decided to produce it on a large scale. “If it’s good enough for me, it’s good enough for my patients,” he says.
Dr. Victor Zeines New York City Office 57 W. 57th St., Suite 1008 New York, NY 10019 212-813-9461 Woodstock Office 3103 Route 28 Shokan, NY 12481 845-657-2322 Zeines@AOL.com NatDent.com
The Healing Warmth of Moxibustion Moxibustion continued from B1 Some modern practitioners are taking this ancient notion to heart. Daniel Silver, a licensed acupuncturist and adjunct professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Ore., described the complex case of a woman he recently treated with moxibustion. She had been
In China, Japan, and Korea, moxa plays a major role in treatment, but in the United States the technique has been slow to catch on. in multiple car accidents and had received acupuncture from various practitioners for months at a time, but only experienced minor improvements. With just one session of moxa, however, she reported “life-
changing” effects. “I’ve seen so many great results with patients,” Silver said. “I’m really convinced on a daily basis about the benefits of this and hope more and more people can find it.” Silver says that what keeps many American acupuncturists from using moxa is that they’re too worried about the possibility of accidentally burning a patient. He urges practitioners to overcome this fear with practice. “It’s good for people to have a healthy respect and concern for it,” he said. “Part of the problem is that in the West we tend to think of medicine in a very intellectual way, and this is very much a hands-on skill, in which you need to develop proficiency so that it can be performed in a therapeutic manner.” Magical Mugwort Moxa is made from a prolific weed called mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), which is often prescribed in herbal medicine for uterine complaints, such as labor pain, menstrual cramps, and heavy bleeding, as well as digestive, hormonal, and circulatory disorders. For use in moxibustion, mugwort is processed into a spongy material called moxa wool. According to Lorraine Wilcox, author of two books on moxi-
bustion for clinical use, ancient Chinese doctors chose mugwort because it had all the right qualities: It smolders easily and produces a steady, slow-burning heat. Mugwort smoke has a calming effect on the nervous system. Once patients get over the funny smell, they may actually enjoy it. “Some patients drift off into a nice euphoric rest during their treatment,” Stuardi said. Moxa can benefit nearly anyone, but there are times when it is not appropriate, such as with fever, infection, eczema, and other signs of excess heat. Points on the abdomen and lower back should be avoided in the early stages of pregnancy. Direct and Indirect Moxa techniques are divided into two categories: direct and indirect. The direct method, which requires a skilled practitioner, burns directly on the skin. With the indirect method, a hot moxa ember is held about an inch away from the body. The indirect method is easy to learn. Oftentimes a practitioner may give the patient a moxa cigar and instruct the patient to hold it over a certain acupuncture point to continue treatment at home. The idea is to hold the heat above the prescribed point and pull it away
when it gets too hot; then, give the area a few seconds to cool and resume treatment. Stuardi instructs patients to go past the superficial feeling of warmth until the heat penetrates deep into the tissue. “Once you’ve felt the heat penetrate, you’ll know you’ve done a good job and you can extinguish the stick,” she said. A session usually lasts between 5 and 10 minutes. Moxa supplies are available in Chinatown shops, acupuncture schools, or over the Internet. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes: from cigarette butt-sized stumps with an adhesive end to loose moxa wool. One popular form is a charcoal-based smokeless moxa stick, designed for those who want to avoid the smoke and smell. However, Stuardi believes these are less effective. “I try never to use smokeless, unless for some reason that’s the only thing available,” she said. For people with asthma, allergies, or suspicious neighbors, Silver recommends highgrade Japanese moxa, such as the Ibuki Gold Mountain moxa. “It has very, very little smell,” Silver said. “Most of the smell you get from this kind of moxa is from the incense you use to light it. Many people can tolerate it.”
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Health & Fitness
B6 January 23–29, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com
Eat With Your Kids, Science Says MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
By Anne Fishel As a family therapist, I often have the impulse to tell families to go home and have dinner together rather than spending an hour with me. And 20 years of research in North America, Europe, and Australia back up my enthusiasm for family dinners. It turns out that sitting down for a nightly meal is great for the brain, the body, and the spirit. And that nightly dinner doesn’t have to be a gourmet meal that took three hours to cook, nor does it need to be made with organic arugula and heirloom parsnips. Brain Food For starters, researchers found that for young children, dinnertime conversation boosts vocabulary even more than being read aloud to. The researchers counted the number of rare words—those not found on a list of 3,000 most common words—that the families used during dinner conversation. Young kids learned 1,000 rare words at the dinner table, compared to only 143 from parents reading storybooks aloud. Kids who have a large vocabulary read earlier and more easily. Older children also reap intellectual benefits from family dinners. For schoolage youngsters, regular meal-
When parents are warm and engaged at dinnertime, children show a host of emotional and physical benefits.
time is an even more powerful predictor of high-achievement scores than time spent in school, doing homework, playing sports, or doing art. Other researchers reported a consistent association between family dinner frequency and teen academic performance. Adolescents who ate family meals five to seven times a week were twice as likely to
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get A’s in school as those who ate dinner with their families fewer than two times a week. Children who eat regular family dinners also consume more fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and micronutrients, as well as fewer fried foods and soft drinks. And the nutritional benefits keep paying dividends even after kids grow up: Young adults who ate regular family meals as teens are less likely to be obese and more likely to eat healthily once they live on their own. Some research has even found a connection between regular family dinners and the reduction of symptoms in medical disorders, such as asthma. The benefit might be due to two possible byproducts of a shared family meal: lower anxiety and the chance to check in about a child’s
medication compliance. It isn’t just the presence of healthy foods that leads to all these benefits. The dinner atmosphere is also important. Parents need to be warm and engaged, rather than controlling and restrictive, to encourage healthy eating in their children. But all bets are off if the TV is on during dinner. In one study, American kindergartners who watched TV during dinner were more likely to be overweight by the time they were in third grade. The association between TV watching during dinner and overweight in children was also reported in Sweden, Finland, and Portugal. Soul Food In addition, a stack of studies link regular family dinners with lowering a host of high-
risk teenage behaviors that parents fear: smoking, binge drinking, marijuana use, violence, school problems, eating disorders, and sexual activity. In one study of more than 5,000 Minnesota teens, researchers concluded that regular family dinners were associated with lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts. In a very recent study, kids who had been victims of cyberbullying bounced back more readily if they had regular family dinners. Family dinners have been found to be a more powerful deterrent against high-risk teen behaviors than church attendance or good grades. There are also associations between regular family dinners and good behaviors, not just the absence of bad ones. In a New Zealand study, a
higher frequency of family meals was strongly associated with positive moods in adolescents. Similarly, other researchers have shown that teens who dine regularly with their families also have a more positive view of the future, compared to their peers who don’t eat with parents. In most industrialized countries, families don’t farm together, play musical instruments, or stitch quilts on the porch. So dinner is the most reliable way for families to connect and find out what’s going on with each other. In a survey, American teens were asked when they were most likely to talk with their parents: Dinner was their top answer. Kids who eat dinner with their parents experience less stress and have a better relationship with them. This daily mealtime connection is like a seat belt for traveling the potholed road of childhood and adolescence and all its possible risky behaviors. Of course, the real power of dinners lies in their interpersonal quality. If family members sit in stony silence, or if parents yell at each other or scold their kids, family dinner won’t confer positive benefits. Sharing a roast chicken won’t magically transform parentchild relationships. But, dinner may be the one time of the day when a parent and child can share a positive experience— a well-cooked meal, a joke, or a story—and these small moments can gain momentum to create stronger connections away from the table. Anne Fishel, Ph.D., is a family therapist, clinical psychologist, and associate clinical professor of psychology at the Harvard Medical School. This article was originally published on TheConversation.com.
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‘Zusanli’: Acupuncture Point for Wellness and Vitality By Jennifer Dubowsky Stomach 36, also called “Zusanli� in Chinese and “Leg Three Miles� in English, is the point I recommend most often for my patients to use at home with acupressure. Acupressure is pressure applied to an acupuncture point. In the office, acupuncturists also rely on this point. It is an extremely popular spot
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to needle during a treatment. Certainly, it is one of my top choices. Why? Stomach 36 is a very important point in promoting overall wellness and vitality. As the name indicates, Stomach 36 is excellent for treating almost any digestive complaint, as well as increasing energy and boosting your immune system to help fight off colds, coughs, and the flu. So, everyone can benefit from rubbing this point.
Here is the best way to find Stomach 36: On the front of your lower leg, the point is about a hand length below your knee cap. You’ll feel a bump on your shin, at the top of the tibia bone, called the tibial tuberosity. About one finger lateral to the tibia is Stomach 36. Rub this point when your stomach feels upset or you need a boost. Use it every day to enhance your well-being. Even better, visit your local
acupuncturist and get Stomach 36 needled. 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. PHOTICK/ALIX MINDE/PHOTICK/THINKSTOCK
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The Zusanli or Stomach 36 acupressure point is excellent for treating almost any digestive complaint.
Zusanli or Stomach 36 point
Health & Fitness
B7 January 23–29, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com
What Every Parent Should Know About Concussions By Cindy Trowbridge This fall, the deaths of three high school football players were linked to direct head injuries on the field of play, and one collegiate football player’s death has been potentially attributed to unresolved post-concussion syndrome. Even though these athletes were football players, any sporting or recreational event can pose a risk for concussions and head injuries. Despite the tragic news recently associated with sport, the amazing outcomes of sport participation grossly outweigh the negative consequences of injuries. But injuries should not be considered as just a part of the game, especially when an injury to the brain occurs. I have been an athletic trainer for sports of all levels for over two decades. And over the past four years, I have fielded more questions from friends and family members about concussions than any other injury during my career. It has become clear to me that parents of youth athletes and their families still need more information about the definition of concussions and symptoms to look for, as well as the appropriate treatment protocols. Families should know that the first step is understanding what makes a child’s brain unique. Then, parents must be ready to take steps to spot concussions and take action. Children’s Brains Concussions are a type of mild traumatic brain injury and are considered to result from a traumatic shaking of the brain. They can cause acute and long-term changes
in brain physiology and function, including cognition. And for children with developing brains, they can be especially dangerous. Children have smaller brains in relation to their skulls. Compared to an adult, a young child’s brain has less mass and more cerebrospinal fluid between the brain and the skull. By way of analogy, a child’s brain is like the egg yolk in an egg— there is room for it to move. Because children’s brains have less mass in relation to the skull, their brains experience more acceleration. This means the brain can hit the skull with more force. A child’s brain also appears to be far more plastic or impressionable than the adult brain. This helps during maturation, but can have negative effects associated with brain injury because a child’s brain is less resistant to trauma. We can’t fix brain injuries like we can fix damage done to ligaments and bones. Therefore, it is important for parents to be protective when it comes to their children’s brains and to be aware of the potential longterm effects a concussion can have on normal brain development. Signs and Symptoms Recent research has shown that parents had misconceptions regarding the definition, symptoms, and treatment of concussions. They didn’t know that concussions can occur from trauma other than a blow to the head and that concussions are considered traumatic brain injuries. They also did not readily recognize key symptoms of concussions, including irritability and sleeping difficulties, and incorrectly identified arm and leg weakness
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Concussions can cause a metabolic crisis for the brain because blood flow and glucose delivery are impaired.
or numbness as signs, which they are not. Parents are in a prime position to recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion in their child. The culture of sport encourages children to play and win, so a child will often hide symptoms from medical practitioners. But parents are able to pick up on the subtle signs of problems associated with a previous concussion. Signs and symptoms are usually classified into four categories, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep patterns. The physical signs and symptoms include, but are not limited to, headache, loss of consciousness, dizziness or balance problems, numbness, tingling, fatigue, visual problems, diminished pupil reaction, dazed or stunned expressions, ringing of ears, sensitivity to light and noise, and vomiting. The cognitive responses include mental slowing or fogginess, and the emotional signs and symptoms include irritability, uncharacteristic actions, anxiety, sadness, and depression. Sleep pattern changes,
including excessive drowsiness, trouble falling asleep, and altered patterns of sleep and wakefulness, are also common. Returning to Play Unfortunately, the return to play and return to learn (or classroom) guidelines are not widely understood by parents because of communication gaps in the medical community. If children are treated by emergency room physicians or pediatricians, these professionals are often not trained in the long-term management of concussions. This means that children often return to school or athletics too soon. Often the focus for a child athlete is mainly on return to play, but equally important is the return to the classroom and academics. The cornerstone for both the return to play and return to learn plans is rest—physical and cognitive. A child must rest by limiting physical and mental activity (this means reading, TV, games, texting, and computer time). Concussions can cause a metabolic crisis for the brain because
blood flow and glucose delivery are impaired. The brain needs energy to function normally and to heal itself, and these metabolic changes mean the active brain may not get as much energy as it normally needs to function properly. This is why rest is important to recovery. Children with concussion symptoms should be removed from the classroom and provided with work to do at home. Work sessions should remain short with frequent breaks. When a child is able to read for 30 minutes without increasing signs or symptoms, then a progressive return to school can begin (half days to full days). Resuming physical activity should be progressive as well. Following these guidelines can help parents to be protective of their children’s brains and potentially prevent long-term effects or tragic consequences.
Concussions need to be treated properly to reduce the risk of long-term changes in brain physiology and function.
Cindy Trowbridge, Ph.D., ATC, LAT, CSCS, has been a certified athletic trainer since 1993 and is an associate professor at University of TexasArlington. This article was originally published on the Conversation.com.
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Do You Suffer from Varicose Veins?
Health workers at the emergency entrance of an Ebola clinic in Monrovia, Liberia, in November 2014.
Ebola Cases Decline, but Hotspots Remain UNITED NATIONS—At least 50 Ebola hotspots remain in the three hardest-hit West African countries, but new cases are declining and the deadly disease will be defeated, the U.N.’s Ebola chief said on Jan. 15. The latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO) showing reductions in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone “is very good news,” Dr. David Nabarro said in an interview with The Associated Press. In the week ending Jan. 11, WHO said Guinea reported its lowest weekly total of new Ebola cases since mid-August. But Nabarro cautioned that “there are still numbers of new cases that are alarming, and there are hotspots that are emerging in new places that make me believe there is still quite a lot of the disease that we’re not seeing.”
According to the latest WHO report, there have been more than 21,000 cases and 8,300 deaths. There are “at least 50 microoutbreaks” underway, and the chains of transmission of the virus “have still got to be understood,” he said. According to the latest WHO report released Jan. 14, there
have been more than 21,000 cases and 8,300 deaths. The key, Nabarro said, is getting local communities to change their traditional healing rituals and funeral and burial practices, which involve a lot of contact with body fluids that spread Ebola. Nabarro said the national and international campaigns for safe healing and burial practices, isolation of suspected cases, and quick treatment for Ebola victims is working. But he appealed for greater global support, including “virus detectives” who can identify where there are cases, “anthropologists who can tell us how the communities are reacting,” and managers to make sure treatment centers are adequately equipped. From The Associated Press
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Health & Fitness
B8 January 23–29, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com JOVANMANDIC/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
Cracking the Code of Chronic Pain How chiropractors have adapted to the changing cause of disease By Steven Geanopulos NEW YORK—The chiropractic profession was built on the idea that health comes from within and that if the body has the proper physical, chemical, and mental environments, it has no choice but to express health. Chronic pain is seen as a symptom, caused by interference to the body’s environment. The chiropractic profession has historically been mostly concerned with removing structural interference to the nervous system at the level of the spine. It considers the nervous system to be the master system that coordinates and controls all other systems, and the spine is the most likely area where there can be physical interference with nerve system function. Throughout the 20th century, chiropractors focused on restoring the proper position and function of spinal bones (vertebrae) with a technique called an adjustment. In recent decades, however, chemical interference has become an increasingly large cause of health issues, including chronic pain, and chiropractors have had to adapt and adopt new approaches to giving care.
Because chiropractic medicine is a natural health care profession, chiropractors are able to respond to new research more quickly than the modern medical community. Because of the nature of testing, developing, and approving medication, often today’s cutting-edge research will only produce medicines 10–20 years from now.
Metabolic Approach to Pain Relief
In the 21st century, chiropractors have incorporated into their treatments inexpensive diagnostic testing and a functional approach to reading blood chemistry. Many chiropractors also now assess digestive and hormone function, and brain chemistry making it possible to identify and address interference to the nervous system more comprehensively. The metabolic approach to chronic pain relief addresses what research tells us are the three major avenues that must be taken to treat pain. These avenues are the structural, biochemical, and electrical components of the human body. When these three areas are addressed in the proper sequence, it’s like operating a combination padlock—the right direction and code unhinges the causes of
chronic pain. Structure Structure refers to bones and soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, tendons, and spinal discs. Although they seem hard and maybe even dead, bones are actually dynamic living systems that respond to changes in the environment. They can be reshaped and rebuilt by stressors placed upon them. For example, excessive sitting as we see in our modern workplaces can lead to unbalanced posture as our bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons adapt. Over a long period of time, this adaptation can result in arthritis, disc disease, and joint inflammation. Muscle groups are also programmed to react to different situations in a person’s life. Take sitting as an example again: if you work 40–60 hours per week at a desk with your knees bent at 90 degrees, the result will be a shortened hamstring muscles. The shortening of your hamstrings will over time rotate our pelvis, which removes the natural curve of your lower back (hypolordosis). This lack of curvature puts unnatural pressure on our joints and discs and will also alter the
control of your knee joints, which contributes to arthritis and knee pain. Shortened and weakened muscles due to excessive sitting will also leave you susceptible to shoulder, ankle, wrist, and spinal pain syndromes. Biochemical Biochemical refers to blood chemistry. Key to treating chronic pain on the biochemical level is understanding how blood chemistry impacts energy production, oxygen delivery, systemic inflammation, immune responses, and even gastrointestinal factors. For example, one common but little understood chronic pain syndrome with biochemical causes is systemic inflammation. Inflammation happens when the immune system is chronically activated. This chronic activation is commonly caused by digestive disorders, often related to food sensitivities, because the majority of our immune system is in our gut. This is why many people feel much better when they stop eating things like gluten, dairy, or soy. Biochemical causes can be tricky to diagnose. Many times I’ve seen patients in severe pain, yet X-rays and MRIs show nothing. Con-
versely, other patients are pain-free, yet they have X-rays and MRIs that show severe arthritis. Blood tests can reveal biochemical markers for inflammation and give doctors a lot of clues. However, oftentimes patients have their blood tested, and the results show nothing is wrong because the doctors don’t understand the markers that explain the relationship between chronic pain and blood chemistry. Electrical Electrical refers to the state of the nervous system—how nerve impulses travel through the brain, brain stem, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves in your limbs and body. The brain dictates our experience of pain: the emotional components, the location, and the type. Thus, chronic pain can result in several psychological factors that alter mood, happiness, depression, anxiety, attention, and focus. The brain stem dictates the autonomic responses associated with pain as they relate to blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, muscle contractions, and other automatic functions, including digestion. The spinal cord is very important in determining the sequence in which muscles contract when
performing different activities. This can be dramatically altered by chronic pain and needs to be reprogrammed through treatment. The peripheral nerves are impacted by blood sugar, oxygen delivery, pH balance, and inflammatory responses, both local and systemic. These small nerves can be damaged in a number of ways.
Finding the Sequence
Chronic pain that involves more than one area of the body may not be fully explained by test findings. This is especially important to remember for patients who are contemplating a “structural treatment” like surgery, because if there is a biochemical component to the problem, surgery won’t fix it. So before undergoing an operation, it’s a good idea get examined for biochemical or electrical abnormalities. Dr. Steven Geanopulos is a chiropractic neurologist who has served the Manhattan community for nearly two decades. He also frequently speaks publicly about health, wellness, nutrition, functional medicine, and the nervous system to various groups, organizations, and academic institutions. NewHeightsChiropractic.com
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