Hey It Is Getting Worse not Better. But You Said….

Don’t you just hate it when things don’t go the way you planned?  I know I do, however I also know that that the best laid plans…
A while back I had a patient who came to me for help in resolving a rash that seemed to get worse with each passing day.  This is a rash that she had had before and was thought to have been a reaction to taking antibiotics.  She was given acupuncture and herbs as well as a strict diet, from which she did not veer.  With some time and patience she got better and the rash completely cleared up.
Recently she is back with the same rash.  She had not been on any antibiotics and was puzzled as to why this rash was reappearing.  We went over her diet and lifestyle and I made recommendations as to what she should and could be eating and what she should not.  Well when she ate the new foods she had more outbreaks and became very upset.  She thought that the foods she was eating that were new to her were making matters worse and how could that be.  Hadn’t I told her that they were OK?
Allow to digress here for a minute or so.  In addition to speaking with her about her diet, I spoke with her about her lifestyle and pointed out to her that she has a lot of stress and no outlet.  She is also very busy, what with her family and running her household, helping with homework and you can imagine the rest.  She ignored this and tried to look past it, blaming everything on her diet.  It took a few tries but I finally made some headway and she began to understand (not totally though) that her main issue was stress and not her diet (although that needed help as well).
I patiently explained that her rash was due to the built up stress creating heat inside and looking for a way out.  The fact that it was getting worse before getting better was the acupuncture and herbs pushing out all the heat that she has inside.  She is still in denial that stress and pent up emotions could be causing all this and until the heat is fully vented and she stops making more she would continue having the rash.
I recommended that she dedicate time for herself everyday where she could relax and unwind. I told her “make it apart of her day just like sleeping, eating and breathing.”  This is something she must do.  Her initial reaction was to laugh.  “How could I do that?” she asked me.  I told her she had to find a way.
Time alone will tell what she will do and how she will incorporate this new diet and behavior into her life.  But to prevent future outbreaks and to regain balance in her life it is something she must do.
Simeon Pollock, Licensed Acupuncturist has his office in downtown Silver Spring, MD, nearby to Washington, DC.  The office is conveniently located a few blocks from the Metro’s Red Line Silver Spring Station and has ample parking in lots nearby.  Call 301-495-0303 for an appointment today.

Did You Know the Five Surprising Benefits of Massage?

To the people who know about massage and what it can do, this will be preaching to the choir. But to those who do not you will find an article published in Newsweek on September 4^th quite surprising to quote the article.

I recommend this article as a very good read about the benefits of massage.  Move your mouse over the title and click on it to link to the article.

Five Surprising Benefits of Massage

By Temma Ehrenfeld

Massage is available at my office located in Downtown Silver Spring, MD, close to Washington DC and just blocks from the Red Line’s Silver Spring Station.

Relieving Stress Boosts Your Profits!

Everyone experiences stress as it is a natural part of life. A recent report in the San Francisco Chronicle said that according to the American Psychological Association one third of Americans are living with extreme stress. The most cited source of that stress was the workplace.

This is very costly to employers as it affects the bottom line. [Read more]

Acupuncture and Family Stress

Stress is one of today’s most common causes of problems and disease among people today. I don’t think we even realize how much stress we are under as individuals or as families. Nor do I think we recognize what it is doing to us and our lives. Sure there was always stress, it is a basic component of our makeup. Without stress we would have died out as a species.

How can that be you are asking? Well if you are asking that question, you simply don’t understand stress and the important role it plays in our survival. Please don’t be insulted, as I mean no harm. It is just that we are so far removed from nature that we don’t know any more what is natural and what is not.

Every person has an autonomic nervous system. This autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts – the sympathetic nervous system and the para-sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls those responses of our bodies that are not under our control. For example, flight or fight, pupil dilation in the dark, mouth watering when we are hungry or smell good food. The para-sympathetic nervous system controls systems while we are at rest. For example, digestion while resting, breathing while resting.

Stress and reaction to it fall under the purview of the sympathetic nervous system and is part of the fight or flight response system in our bodies. Basically it is a keep me alive warning system. What I mean by this is that we humans along with most animals have an early warning system built in, like when the hair on the back of your neck stands up or when you get the nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know something is wrong. That is the natural reaction to stress. You then have to start processing that signal and decide whether you should stand and fight or run for your life (hence the term - fight or flight). Problem is we can’t always discern what is real and what is only in our heads. The body does not know whether the attack is actual or not. The body does not know if the attack is from inside our brain or if someone is physically coming at us. It just senses stress and reacts.

What are the reactions? Our breathing speeds up and becomes more shallow, heart rate speeds up, digestion stops, our eyes dilate, elimination processes stop (so long as we are not in a sudden scare). In other words all non-essential functions for maintaining life stop and those needed for maintaining life go into overdrive.

In today’s world we all live and work in very hectic and demanding times. Whether it comes from work or relationships or traffic, our reaction is the same, namely we get upset and perhaps get ready for a fight. We will protect ourselves from any perceived assaults.
One can only imagine, or perhaps you don’t need to imagine what this does to our bodies and the people around us.

In my practice I like to use a parable that goes like this: Imagine you are the president. As president you are commander-in-chief and can call out the army to defend the mother land any time you wish. Well what do you think would happen to your army if you were constantly calling it out and sending it to the front to fight, only every time the army got there was no enemy in sight. They would wear out and get very tired of this and perhaps even get angry at you, the president. Well I tell my patients, you are the both the president and the country all in one. Every time you get upset or stressed you are calling out the army. The army is your nervous system and stress is your early warning system. If you keep calling out the troops because your early warning system is constantly being activated, what do you think the result will be?

Now just think how all of this is affecting your job, your family and even your own health. Everyone of those things will suffer and deteriorate. Eventually one could start to lose these things, some never to return. It is time to start reconnecting with what is really important in life, what we should allow to affect our lives. We all have the power to change we just have to have the will. It is the responsibility of changing that we don’t seem to want. We don’t want to do anything that takes effort anymore. We are so used to instant gratification and if we don’t get it, well then….

At Wholistic Family Healthcare we are all about taking the time to heal. Healing takes time, there are no two ways about it. We can help you slow down, we can help you heal, we can help you take stress out of your life. You just have to be willing to make the changes necessary and then you can heal. We are the helpers, we are the healers, but we can’t make you do anything - that is your job. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs and massage therapy are the tools we use to help you heal.

If you are truly interested in making a change in your life and that of your families then let’s talk and see if we can help you. If you are ready to accept responsibility for yourself and your health then let’s talk and see if we can help you. If you want instant results and want to take a pill and hope you feel better in the morning…then we are not for you.

My clinic is located in Silver Spring, MD close to Washington DC.

Investing in your health – your #1 Asset!

Lately I have been reading a book entitled RICH DAD POOR DAD by Robert T Kiyosaki, and in his book he stresses the importance of investing in assets – things that produce income. I thought to myself what is a person’s #1 asset? Well of course the answer is oneself and one’s health. Without these two “things” one cannot produce anything let alone an income.

I speak to groups all the time about protecting their health, being proactive in maintaining their wellbeing – mind, body and spirit. The one example I use is that of one’s car. Who does not make sure to change the oil and other vital fluids in their vehicle to make sure it runs well. Ask any mechanic what the #1 maintenance item is for any vehicle and they will tell you – “change the oil every three thousand miles or every three months whichever comes first” – right?

Let me ask you a question – why don’t we do the same for ourselves? Now I don’t mean we should change our oil, but we should be taking care of our bodies, minds and spirits.
Massage is a great way to enhance your health. A massage can loosen and invigorate tired muscles. It can also relax the body and calm the mind and thereby relax the spirit. This can lower blood pressure, increase range of motion, calm, lower stress, reduce pain and so much more.

Acupuncture is another great way to enhance your health. An acupuncture treatment
can also relax the body , calm the mind and relax the spirit. Acupuncture can reduce pain, improve digestion, help with conception, reduce reaction to seasonal allergies, reduce or eliminate PMS or menopausal hot flashes and sweats. Acupuncture can also make changes in the qi the body’s energy, which if functioning properly maintains your health.
Combining these two modalities along with others that I know can have Powerful benefits for you mind, body and spirit. These benefits are dividends that your body will pay. Some of these dividends are – clearer and sharper thinking, being more productive, having a better attitude and disposition with friends and loved ones, a calmer home and office, more or increased flexibility, decreased sickness, decreased lost work days and the list can go on.

So get to it, invest in yourself! Pick up the phone and call me right now to schedule your appointments to get started on the road to riches!  My clinic is located in Silver Spring, MD which is close to Washington DC.

Stress and You II

A colleague of mine just told me about a wonderful thing she did for herself. She went on a spiritual retreat. It was not with a revival group or anything like that. It was just her and some things she does to revive her spirit.

What she did was so simple, yet so powerful. [Read more]

Stress and You

Let me ask you something; what is the one thing in your life you could have less of and be a much happier person? If you said stress, you were right. I’ll have you know, stress in and of itself is not a bad thing. It is our body’s natural early warning system. It is the system that makes your hair stand on end when your gut tells you something is wrong. It initiates what is called the fight or flight response in your body.The problem with stress is when we have too much of it, when we have it all the time. It is like I tell my patients; you can’t always have the army out looking for a perceived enemy. The soldiers get burned out and tired. It is the same thing with stress. Having constant stress is like always having your army on high alert. The system that governs it the autonomic nervous system - gets burned out, so to speak.

So what to do? what to do? Well let me suggest a few ideas. First, take a walk and think about something pleasant. Second, pick up the phone and schedule a massage for yourself. Massage of any type is very calming. According to the Touch Research Institute in Florida, touch has unique ability to reduce stress hormones and improve immune system function. According to one study they did, it was found that massage therapy reduced anxiety, depressed mood, salivary cortisol (stress hormone) levels and body dissatisfaction.

Massage increases endorphin levels in the body. Endorphins are the body’s natural feel good hormone that helps with pain relief. Endorphins (or more correctly Endomorphines) are inherent opioid biochemical compounds. They are peptides produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in animals with spines, and they resemble opiates in their abilities to produce pain relief and a sense of well-being. In other words, they might work as “natural pain killers”. In fact the receptors in the brain that endorphins attach to are the same receptors that morphine would attach to.

In1999 clinical researchers reported that inserting acupuncture needles into specific body points triggers the production of endorphins [1]. In another study, higher levels of endorphins were found in cerebrospinal fluid after patients underwent acupuncture.

In my clinic I use a combination of massage, acupuncture and aroma therapy to induce a state of relaxation. This powerful treatment which I have used on many patients in combination with required “homework” has been a boon for my patients. Many have related being a “different person” at home and not being so quick to anger at other times. Don’t you owe it to yourself as well as your loved ones to be the best person that you can be? Wouldn’t you love to be more relaxed and calmer? It is possible, you can do it! Calm happy people are productive people. Who today would not want to be more productive? So take some time each week to focus for an hour on yourself. Invest in yourself, the dividends could be enormous.