Tag: health

The Best Remedy For Restless Leg Syndrome?

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

(Hint; It’s sex.)

blur-carefree-cute-feelings-289237 (2).jpg

Restless Leg Syndrome is on the rise. The National Institute of Health finds that about 11% of all Americans face this frustrating issue from time to time. A little under  5% of all Americans  are currently dealing with it every night.  If effects twice as many woman as men and its likelihood seems to increase based on how many children a woman has had.

Unfortunately, the prescription medications often prescribed by doctors are associated with horrific side effects that cause patients to quickly discontinue treatment with the meds. The most common RLS medications are dopamine antagonists… drugs that basically dumb down your entire nervous system… including your brain. It’s like turning down the volume on a radio… everything in the brain gets quiet.

Luckily, in many cases, RLS is caused by a simple iron deficiency and associated with a low grade case of anemia. This can be quickly solved by talking to your doctor (or other healthcare provider more knowledgeable in nutrition) about taking a high quality iron supplement. In many cases, this anemia is caused by menstrual issues such as frequent or heavy periods. If this is the case, talk to your doctor, herbalist or acupuncturist about solving this issue as well.

RLS relief is also commonly found in taking other nutritive supplements. Often a calcium, potassium, magnesium or manganese boost does the trick. So talk to a knowledgeable practitioner about your supplement options for long term relief.

And make sure you buy a good brand of vitamins; most stuff available in the big box stores and grocery stores are garbage. L The product’s ability to be assimilated by our body is important. For example, if you take a vitamin with “iron oxide” as its ingredient, virtually none of it will be absorbed by the body. Zero. It’s like sucking on a rusty nail… virtually useless since your body cannot absorb that chemical form of iron. All of the other minerals have a similar issue. Typically, the cheaper vitamin supplements on the market are made of these cheap crap ingredients. It’s an unconscionable  scandal, actually. So, again, talk to a knowledgeable practitioner or clerk. They will steer you in the right direction.

There are also many fantastic Chinese herbs proven to be effective for eliminating RLS forever.  Chinese herbs correct the underlying issues that are causing the RLS once your malnutrition is addressed. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the purpose of herbal medicine is to address and correct the underlying CAUSE of the symptom rather than just relieve or suppress or cover up the symptom or complaint. Check with your herbalist for the proper herbal formula for you (i.e. since every body is different, your herbal prescription will be more effective if its formulated and chosen based on you and your unique situation. One size does not fit all.).

But in the meantime, if you are dealing with Restless Leg Syndrome and are looking for quick  relief tonight, then do this; have sex tonight.

Sex (with another person, preferably) has long been hailed as the “greatest medicine known to man”. That is not an exaggeration.  Sex triggers a cacophonous dump of valuable neurotransmitters throughout your entire nervous system and body… dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, enkephalins, etc. Leading to a thorough calming of those fidgety leg nerves… leading to a quiet night sleep.

So have sex. It may relieve your Restless Legs and give you a great night sleep. Several studies show that it is far more effective than any other prescription remedy.

Give it a try tonight. What do you have to loose. The intimacy and bond building sure won’t hurt a marriage.* It also has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, improve insomnia, boost heart health, boost your immune system and even put some zip in your step the next day.

Sex is fantastic medicine so you should be sure to incorporate it into your healthy lifestyle maybe even starting tonight.

 

“The Curious Case of the $799 Acupuncture Needle.”

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn Conditions We TreatLeave a comment

I’ve often said that acupuncture is the absolute best value in healthcare. For that, I have no doubt. In a world where a routine doctors physical may now run you over $1000 and diagnostic tests at an ER visit can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, the value of an acupuncture visit at your local acupuncturist is a “no-brainer”. Even a full length recommended course of acupuncture therapy – consisting of a dozen or more visits often runs well under that $1,000 price tag.

I have seen many times, a patient scheduled for an operation… such as a hysterectomy or a new knee replacement, find almost immediate relief with a few sessions of acupuncture. I have (only somewhat jokingly) said many times that the reason insurance companies hate acupuncturists is because we poach their patients and are able to solve a $40,000 surgical medical problem for about $400; That’s (really) bad for business.

While more and more insurance companies are starting to cover acupuncture, they are doing it in a way that simultaneously stifles acceptance; namely, they often cap their reimbursement at a figure so low that most acupuncturists would literally lose money by accepting and billing insurance companies. Put another way, insurance companies are low-balling their reimbursement to the point that it simply does not make financial sense for most acupuncturists to accept insurance. When a “big box” hospital or clinic offers acupuncture, they often bill out to get what they can get and then “eat” the rest as a tax-deductible loss rather than charge the patient the unholy amount that they would normally want to charge. This is because, while they may have the monopoly on advanced medical procedures like a surgical operation or advanced diagnostic test, they simply cannot compete with the prices of the local licensed acupuncturist performing acupuncture.

But…. There is a problem… doctors still love acupuncture…they love recommending it to their patients.  About 25% of my new patients are informally referred to our clinic by their doctor. The rest come from referrals from friends or family.

That is what happened with one patient in particular. This one particular patient had a case of bladder spasms and incontinence (Code R39.81) and was receiving a particular type of therapy at her Physician Assistant’s office at the hospital. The therapy she got was “64566: Posterior Tibial Neurostimulation, Percuteneous Needle Electrode, Single Treatment, Includes Programming”.

Although that sounds pretty fancy, what it means is that she was having her PA provider give her electro-acupuncture on a single point on the leg. A single acupuncture needle was inserted about half way up her inner calf and then had two wires attached from a small battery operated box similar to a “Tens Unit”. The unit would provide a very light electrical current to the needle. She would then sit back, relax and read magazines for 30 minutes before having the needle removed.

She was scheduled for 12 weekly visits at the cost of $799 per visit.

There are so many things about this that haunt and irritate me. I don’t want to sound too cantankerous and jaded, so I’ll keep most of them sour grapes to myself. 😉

But the thing that unsettles me the most is that what the hospital did was by-pass the already standard reimbursement rates for acupuncture provided by licensed and qualified acupuncturists (97813: Acupuncture, one or more needles, with electrical stimulation, initial 15 minutes), which would have fetched them about $79 max,  by calling it something else (“neurostimulation”) and giving it a different CPT code number. They then can bill her insurance company $799. Voila! Same procedure but priced at 10 times more.

So instead of charging $79, they are able to charge $799 for that newly invented code number. That….seems…. I don’t know what… illegal? Immoral? Misappropriate? Swindly? Purloin? Nah…. none of those things… it’s fine. Nothing to see here…

Once this particular patient got her first bill in the mail about a month later and found that her insurance would only cover $499 and she was personally financially responsible for $300 per visit, she asked her PA about alternatives; that’s when the patient was told about us and our clinic. If you do the math, she would have ended up with a bill for $3,600 when all was said and done.

So she switched and started coming to us.

In the month that she has been coming to our clinic, she is now almost 100% symptom free, not to mention that several other of her health issues were addressed and corrected. The cost savings? Well, instead of spending $9,588 at the hospital for that  single acupuncture needle, she came to our office and finished her 12 session series for under $500. That’s about a $9,000 savings… for an arguably much better outcome (and more needles 😀 ).

So what do I make of all this? What advice can I share with you? Well, I’m afraid that I really don’t have much for you besides the usual; things like “be interested in what your doctors are charging”. Nag them and ask them what something is going to cost BEFORE they do it (but not during an emergency, please). They won’t know how much you will be charged, because that is the state and nature of today’s medical system. But ask any ways. Nag them and ask them (along with their billing department). Often. About everything. Eventually… maybe… their perturb-ness will filter upstream to their upper management… and maybe… just maybe it will trigger a change in the system.

The other thing you can do is investigate everything else out there you can do for your condition. Become your own advocate and seek out studies at government sites like PubMed. Call around to your local chiropractors and acupuncturists or herbalists or nutritionists and homeopaths, etc. See what they have to say about your condition. Also be sure to ask them who else you should call or what other modality you should investigate; they will be more than happy to suggest many lines of investigation for you. Be your own advocate! Be your own number one champion of your healthcare… rather than rely on one or two professionals. I hate to say it, but no professional will ever be as committed to your health as YOU should be. Of course, even after saying all that;  if time is short and a diagnosis is dire, don’t dally… do what your MD team tells you. Your life may depend on it.

Lastly, stay healthy. You know what to do; focus on perfecting your diet, your sleep quality, your daily routine, your relationships and acquaintances, your physical activity and your purpose in life… get your head on straight and start addressing  all of those childhood traumas…all of these are pillars to good health… the fertile ground you must nurture to allow true, long lasting health and healing.

Peace… Jason

How to live life like an Emperor.

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn MedicineLeave a comment

How a 3000 year old art is quietly revolutionizing modern medicine.

Here in Austin Minnesota, we have the world famous cancer research lab “Hormel Institute”. One particular lab at the institute is currently focused on the investigation of a form of gall bladder cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma or bile duct cancer. A notoriously painful and lethal form of cancer. The people in the lab are doing everything they can to quickly find a cure for this type of cancer and all of the others using the highest technology and modern science available. They just recently published a scientific article looking at the roll of a cell’s “cilia” in cancer. Cilia are the tiny hairs on the outside of a cell. Top scientists in the field from all over the world converge on Austin Minnesota to gather together and solve this problem.

But what if there was another way, besides high tech science to address this problem. What if there were ways to prevent and care for patients who have this and other terrible diseases… even without drugs or surgery or genetic manipulation?

What if there were other, additional ways to tackle this problem that were still scientifically studied and proven approaches to reduce and eliminate a whole plethora of humanities illnesses; using things like diet and herbs and environment and manual therapies and lifestyle management to care for these patients.

There is. There are many investigated and accepted therapies which we all can do to not only treat illness, and not only prevent illness, but also to enhance and optimize our overall health and performance, vitality and wellbeing.

For example; did you know that taking a 15 minute walk in nature improves your immune systems ability to fight off colds and flus? Or that having green plants in a hospital recovery room reduces the need for pain medication after a surgery by 36%? Or that playing a team sport has been found to be THE most effective treatment for moderate anxiety and depression? Far better than any pharmaceutical or talk therapy. Or how about how laughing out loud can immediately lower your blood pressure by relaxing your blood vessels and making them more pliable by 22%. Or, finally, did you know that having sex has been found to be the best, most effective therapeutic intervention for passing kidney stones? It is almost twice as effective as standard non-surgical medical treatments (84% effective versus 48%).

Health does not necessarily have to come in a bottle of pills or at the edge of a scalpel. Sometimes it does, for sure, but there are also many things that modern science knows to be effective for so many of our medical conditions. It is time to start rediscovering and incorporating them into our healthcare.

 

Therapies such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, in particular, have a 3000 year old track record of continual use. The world’s oldest continually practiced form or medicine. This is the medicine of Emperors and Empresses, concubines, powerful government ministers and warlords. TCM was originally available only to the highest echelons of power and influence… the portion of the population which historically lived twice as long as the general population in ancient China (33 year life expectancy for peasants versus 67 years for the ruling class).

What makes Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) different from modern medicine? One thing is that it looks at each individual as a unique person and bases the treatment off of that; rather than isolate, identify and treat the single dysfunction or symptom… often on a microscopic level.

How would your Imperial physician treat you if you were the emperor or empress today? First they would prescribe exercises and a lifestyle specifically for you. Tennis for you, weightlifting for you… They would prescribe a specific diet suited for your unique constitution. A raw food vegan diet for you, full of fruits and fresh vegetables…. And an all meat carnivore diet for you. Every patient is prescribed a different treatment even if they have the same symptom or disease. This is because of the understanding that the underlying cause of that symptom or illness is different from person to person.

In TCM it is the underlying cause of the illness that is treated, not the superficial symptoms of the illness itself.

From herbs to diet to acupuncture, every patient gets a unique treatment prescribed based on their underlying patterns of illness. There is no “one size fits all”.

This approach is becoming more accepted and embraced by Americans today. Many people are taking charge of their own health by seeking alternatives and complementary approaches to good health. Rather than just wait for an illness or disease to strike, many people are becoming proactive with their lifestyle choices and experimenting to find what lifestyle behaviors fit best for their own personal constitution… even if it mean going against the grain of conventional wisdom (such as in the case of those eating the exact opposite diet recommended by the American Heart Association).

By incorporating this personalized approach to lifestyle behaviors and medical treatment, any person can live life full, like an emperor.

“Got Your Flu Shot?”

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn Conditions We Treat, UncategorizedLeave a comment

“What About Your “Common Cold” Shot?…”

Trick question… because there is no such thing as a “common cold shot”.

First off… Greetings!!! Let me wish you a very Happy Autumn 2018. Last week on the 22nd  marked the first day of Fall with the Autumnal Equinox. I just like saying that, don’t you… it just rolls off of the tongue… “Autumnal Equinox.”

As an interesting aside; the Chinese calendar considers that not the beginning, but the midpoint of autumn. And that now we are coasting downward towards winter. Interesting. So whichever calendar you want to follow, I wish you a healthy and prosperous fall 2018.

But now back to business… By now you know, it’s ALREADY Cold and Flu Season here in Austin. So far I personally have seen many people struck with the classic signs of colds… chills, aches, fatigue, coughs sore throats, etc…. And we have already had our first serious cases of influenza reported at the hospital. And for every one patient a doctor sees for the flu, they’ll see 10 for the simple common cold. Unfortunately doctors don’t have much to offer these people unless the symptoms become life threatening.

The Drug makers would have you believe that once you get their Flu shot, you are free and clear and impervious to the flu. But scientific research data may show something a little bit different. Ok, ok… ALOT different.

Several recent studies over the past few years have shown that the flu shots are a total bust. What is often failed to be mentioned in the media is that colds and flu’s are caused by hundreds of different viruses and bacteria’s. Each year, when the drug companies produce the next year’s batch of vaccine, it’s based on their educated guess on which of the 6 or so virus strains will be the most common that upcoming year; but definitely not all 10,000 of them. What if you happen to be exposed to the wrong flu virus strain?

And the common cold, of course HAS no vaccine.

So what are we to do about it? How can we protect ourselves and our family from this years colds and flus? Thankfully there is plenty that you can do.

First, be sure to get enough high quality sleep. That is vital for a healthy immune system. Another thing is to eat well and get some exercise. Go outside and go for a walk out in nature or do some yard work. Just being out in nature has been shown to boost our immune system. Another tip is to gargle daily with salt water. More on that later….

Thankfully, there is plenty that you can do NOW to prevent the worst from happening this season. And if you are looking for another huge boost to your immune system, why not give yourself a little “beat the odds” insurance…

…Why not give yourself the assurance

acupuncture provides?

 

Q; “But why would I need acupuncture, I’ve already got my flu shot?”

 A; The flu shot is definitely touted by our doctors to be a good thing, but even on the best of days, won’t stop all strains of flu, and it definitely won’t stop a common cold or other infections like bronchitis & pneumonia. Modern OTC & prescription cold medicines concerns themselves primarily with either killing the germs or controlling symptoms. Many of the drugs that we take actually suppress the body’s natural attempts to fend for itself. Achy muscles, fever, sneezing and snotty noses are all things the body does to defend itself and defeat the invading germs. Most cold medicines attempt to stop those natural responses because they annoy us. But research shows that these OTC remedies such as decongestants actually lengthen the course of the illness; Not shorten it. So we stay sick longer. Bummer.

The reason acupuncture achieves such great success in treating colds and flu’s and similar conditions has to do with the nature of the acupuncture itself. Acupuncture’s primary concern is maintaining a healthy state of balance within the human body and its outside environment. It boosts our bodies natural immune response.

Acupuncture is a perfect tool to prevent colds and flus by improving your immune defenses. Many seperate research studies find that people who receive regular acupuncture treatments get sick less often. If you already have a cold or flu, acupuncture has been shown to reduce the length and severity of symptoms so that you recover more quickly. There have been countless clinical studies preformed in universities and hospitals worldwide proving its effect.

Even after a single needle, the body begins to respond by producing more white blood cells, reduces the stress hormone cortisol and strengthens the immune system.

Q; “What is the proof it works? Isn’t it all just Silly Folk Medicine?”

 A; The fact is, millions of physicians from around the world have used these therapies for years. Even here in the US, acupuncture and herbal medicine is becoming mainstream medicine at a breakneck pace. Today, over 25% of all the hospitals in the US have acupuncturists on staff,  Over 33% of all the medical schools now offer courses on acupuncture to their doctors. Even Mayo clinic in Rochester has given its nod of approval and now offers acupuncture to patients with auto-immune disorders and pain. Several studies prove its effectiveness in all manner of immune system disorders including such deadly viral diseases as HIV, hepatitis, shingles and AIDS.

Here’s a true story to illustrate the point. Some years ago, a group of esteemed scientists from the People’s Republic of China were invited to visit the United States by the American scientific community. This event ushered in an exchange of ideas and an opportunity for two great nations to be able to corroborate on a number of issues vital to the health and welfare of the world. Over a period of two months, the Chinese scientists visited virtually every major research facility in the nation, followed closely by their American hosts, who were furiously taking notes and promoting discussion on matters from nuclear physics to aerospace, medical research and treatment approaches. The visit culminated in a banquet at Princeton University in honor of the Chinese scientists, which was attended by a virtual “who’s who” of the North American scientific world.

During the banquet, the moderator of the event posed the question to the chief Chinese scientist as to what he felt was one of the most significant things he had learned in America; what had impressed him the most about the United States that he would return to China and share it with his colleagues who were not present on this historic visit? The scientist rose from his chair, strode to the microphone, gazed over the crowd and stated in understandable English: “The number one thing that has impressed me the most about America is the erroneous belief by the common person that there is no cure for the common cold.” The American scientists were totally caught off guard with this statement, as it was perhaps the farthest thing from anyone’s mind. It was not what they had expected to hear.

Although the US is fixated on the idea that there is no cure for the common cold, in the Orient, it is commonly understood that there is plenty that you can do to get rid of colds & flus and speed up and shorten the length & duration of it.

In Chinese Medical school, the first sickness we learn to treat is the common cold. During the SARS (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic of a few years ago, the Chinese (who are constantly trying to modernize their healthcare system), found themselves once again turning to and relying on centuries old traditional herbal medicine & acupuncture over more conventional western drug treatments for the deadly SARS. Doctors found themselves giving traditional medicine such as acupuncture and herbs in the Emergency Room along with modern life saving treatments such as nebulizers and steroids and antiviral drugs.

Q; “But my insurance won’t pay. You want me to pay for this out of my pocket? You Crazy?!?”

 A;  There are lots of things insurance doesn’t cover, so we shouldn’t really depend on them to make the best decisions for us. Eye glasses, hearing aids, dental, expensive cancer treatments, etc… are only partially covered if at all, leaving you with the bill. Nor do they pay for walking shoes or gym membership or even green house plants for your home? Those three things have been scientifically proven to reduce sickness, relieve depression, speed recovery and improve overall health. Just as acupuncture has.

Nope, insurance coverage is not based on best medical practices & outcomes. It is based on something else. Something which should concern us all. Why don’t they pay for those things I mentioned? Truthfully the insurance companies don’t care whether you are sick or not, or in pain, or even ugly. What matters to insurance companies is that someone pays them and they hopefully don’t have to pay you. Honestly, how much faith do you put in insurance companies really caring about you. It’s quite cynical to think, but many people have come to the conclusion that it is in the best interest for your insurance company that you stay sick and in pain… That way they have to charge more in premiums and thus make more profit. The sicker you are and the more expensive care you need, the better it is for their bottom line. Healthy people just aren’t actually all that profitable for insurance companies. Sick people are. Acupuncture saves money, so they want nothing to do with it.

Years ago, health care was decided by you and your doctor. Today, health care decisions are made by politicians, some corporation’s lawyers and their accountants 1000 miles away. With prices so high, medical care is inaccessible and unaffordable unless your insurance company “allows” you to have it. Acupuncture on the other hand is cheap cheap cheap!

Choosing acupuncture means that you are taking back control.

Q; “So how can I take back control over my health this season?”

A; You can come in for some acupuncture. Even one session will help. But if you really want the best, you can come in for our “Immune Booster Acu-Pack” (nice name, eh?). It’s a series of 10 treatments over the course of just a few weeks. You will not only vastly increase your chances of remaining cold and flu free for the rest of this winter season, but you will feel much, much better, overall.  Remember that feeling you had when you initially came in for acupuncture; remember the relaxed feeling; the peace of mind and mental awakeness; The feeling of having more energy. That’s why I have decided to make you a very special offer to remove any roadblocks you might think there are to keeping yourself well this winter.

As you know, acupuncture medicine doesn’t work by magic (I wish). Just as if you were to go to the gym once and then not go back, you shouldn’t expect to see many results. In this way, Acupuncture is like going to the gym, but for your insides instead of your outsides. One acupuncture treatment usually just wouldn’t be enough. A short series is needed to make the benefits stick long term. That’s why were offering this;

10 sessions for the incredible price of $397! (That’s a whopping savings!!!)

To put it in perspective; remember that acupuncturists up in the Cities and Rochester charge between $75-125 for a single session of acupuncture cash. Mayo charges as much as $280 a session! If you do that math, it’s like getting $2800 worth of care for $397! We’re simply doing this because we really want you to be healthy this season and want you to make sure you get enough acupuncture for it to be effective. Now compare that $397 to the last bill you got from the doctor. Unless you are one of those ultra-rare Hormel retirees from long ago with 100% coverage, your bill made you queezy when you first saw it- because it was so sky high. Heck… just the other day we got a bill from Mayo for a routine 15 minute doctors visit… $1,598.00 !!! For a 15 minute appointment. o_O

 “The number one reason acupuncture fails is because patients drop out too soon or treatments are spaced too far apart. That’s why we want you to come in for the 10 sessions over a course of just a few weeks. 10 sessions is the common treatment protocol in Chinese hospitals and University studies and is the foundation for good, long lasting results.”

…So Commit to Caring For Yourself Beginning with Acupuncture…

 Feel energized…

Become pain free…

Sleep like a baby…

Enjoy peace of mind…

Increase your endurance for what life throws at you…

Many in America have found acupuncture as a cost effective addition to their healthy lifestyle in building a strong immune system, strengthen vital internal organ function and increase overall health, longevity and sense of well being.

Not only will these 10 sessions boost your immune system, it’ll also address whatever else needs to be taken care of such as a bad back or headaches. The beauty of Chinese Medicine is its ability to address multiple ailments at the same time. So I recommend setting you up with the 10 sessions at a frequency of 2 to 3 a week (the way it’s done in China); or whatever works best for you.

The only catch is that you have to act fast. My accountant hates when I give you all such great deals and demands that I limit this to just a few people since the savings is so drastic. He thinks I’m giving away too much value and cutting too deep into the bottom line. So to keep him off my back, I agreed to limit it to just the first 10 people. But also, if October 15th  comes, the deal is off and so is the savings. The other reason I’m doing that because you need to act fast to prepare your body’s defenses before the viruses get here in full force.

You have to ask yourself; What is your health worth? What is a winter free from the misery of the flu worth? What is it worth to enjoy play time with your grandkids this season? There aren’t a whole lot of winters in ones lifetime to enjoy, you know.

So don’t let this fantastic opportunity for better health slip by. It’s such a small investment. You’ll be trading away something you don’t want (the crud) for something you do (better health) and not only will you be healthier; you’ll have more energy to enjoy it with.

So go ahead, Call our Austin Acupuncture office today and mention the “Immune Acu-Pack”…

*P.S. Remember, at the stroke of midnight, October 15th, this offer will be gone forever…

*P.S.S… And as always, I know $397 is a lot of money, so remember that we also offer a 3 session pack for only $127 and our single visits are still just the crazy low price of $47. Hope to see you soon…

Jason…

Diet Soda Exposed!

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

 

People have been led to think that drinking diet soda will help them shed the lbs. Shocking new research is proving otherwise. Doctors from University of Texas found that drinking a single can of diet soda on a daily basis will increase your risk of obesity 41% PER CAN! Drinking 2 cans a day increases your chance of obesity 82%! Drinking regular sugared soft drinks also increases your risk, but not by as much.

Unfortunately, many of the bottled “water” products are actually soft drinks in disguise. Many of the new flavored bottled water options on the store shelves have just as much artificial sweetener (or more) as soda. Don’t be tricked! “Water” is often a soda in disguise.

It may sound counterintuitive, but replacing the sugar in diet sodas and other foods with reduced- and no-calorie sweeteners may make weight control harder.

Rats in the Purdue University study that were fed regular feed and yogurt sweetened with no-calorie saccharin took in more total calories and gained more weight than rats fed regular feed and yogurt sweetened with sugar.

Researchers speculate that over time, reduced-calorie sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose condition the body to no longer associate sweetness with calories, thereby disrupting its ability to accurately assess caloric intake. This disruption may, in turn, lead to overeating, they note.

Another theory is that the sweetness of zero calorie sweeteners tricks the body into thinking that there is plenty of blood sugar floating around and needs to get rid of it (high blood sugar is something that the body does not want). So the pancreas releases insulin into the blood stream. If you remember, insulin is what allows sugar to be allowed into the cells and out of the blood stream. Insulin is sort of like the “key” to the lock that opens the door of the cells and lets sugar (glucose) in. When we have this insulin dump, it reduces the blood glucose levels which tells the body that it has too low blood sugar and needs to replenish the glucose by eating. It’s a vicious nasty cycle that puts our body on a blood sugar roller coaster.

“If this is the case in rats, there is little reason to think that humans don’t have this same response,” researcher Susan Swithers says. “It is possible that consuming these products interferes with one of the mechanisms that helps to regulate weight.”

Drinking diet sodas also increase your chances of developing high blood sugar (a factor in diabetes) 25% and lowers good cholesterol 32%.

“About 30% of obese people are binge eaters, and it may be true that for some eating artificially sweetened foods trigger binges,” researchers says.

To add insult to injury, another 7 year study on aspartame (NutraSweet) where rats were given the equivalent of 4-5 cans of diet pop each day developed leukemia, lymphoma, and other cancers much more than the rats not given aspartame in their diets.

The researchers determined that the carcinogenic effects may begin in humans at the equivalent of about 20mg. per day of aspartame. But according to the FDA, the current recommended safe limit is 50mg per kg. of body weight which is the equivalent of 20 bottles of soda for a 150lb adult.

That is 8 cups of sodas or 2 “Big Gulps” per day. That’s not that much for some people.

Many people are surprised to find out how many ounces of soda they are actually drinking throughout the day. I sometimes have people keep track.  Maybe 16 ounces at lunch with a refill, a couple of cans at work throughout the day, one with dinner and then another bottle at the game… it sneaks up on you and adds up.

Of course, critics have pointed out that these are animal studies and there has not been any conclusive evidence that artificial sweeteners cause cancer in humans. More research is needed.   (Because nobody uses rats in medical studies, right? o_O )

If all that wasn’t enough, the urban legend about melting a nail by submerging it in soda seems to hold a grain of truth. In laboratory studies, researches found that regular cola soda will eat 5.9% of a tooth’s enamel off in 48 hours. They blame it on the phosphoric acid manufacturers use to give cola its zip. They suggest using a straw to help the caustic liquid bypass your teeth.

So what is the moral of the story? I’ll leave that to you to decide…

Oolong Tea Effective for Aiding Weight Loss

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

In a recent study from China, The effects of Oolong tea (oolong is a slightly fermented variety; darker than green tea but lighter than black tea) were compared to the weight loss drug fenfluramine.

The subjects took 2 capsules 3 times a day before meals for two months. At the end of the study, the oolong tea group was found to be as effective as the prescription drug at loosing body weight, BMI and waist & hip circumference.

What the Chinese formula did not do, which the Western drug did, was reduce the weight of muscles and the weight of water. (This is a good thing.) Further, the Oolong formula was effective at lowering blood sugar levels, raising insulin levels, and improving the ratio between testosterone and estradiol (also all good things).

In general, the Chinese medicinal formula achieved a 41.19% markedly effective rate and a 92.19% total effectiveness rate compared to the “phen-fen” which only achieved 7.5% markedly effective and 37.50% effectiveness rates.

Finally, among the patients who took the fenfluramine drug, many reported side effects such as indigestion, diarrhea, lack of strength, somnolence and elevated liver enzyme levels (a really bad thing); while in the Chinese tea treatment group, no such side effects were reported.

So if you are looking for a safe addition to your healthy weight loss routine, consider oolong tea. It has a subtle, easy distinct flavor compared to green tea or black tea, but it is my absolute favorite. Especially osmanthus oolong. There are hundreds, if not thousands of different varieties of oolong tea (just like wine, there are infinite differences from producer to producer). So do what I do and go on a quest to try many different brands and find your absolute favorite.

 

The Snackwell Effect

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Snackwell Effect

Have you noticed how people gain weight nowadays? You’ve seen it but perhaps not recognized it: the “muffin top,” the belly fat, the apple-shape with the skinny legs. Have you tried on pants recently? A lot of them are now cut to be roomier in the waist. Take a look around you; people are gaining weight the same way. Each year, doctors deal with more and more overweight patients. You may have heard that belly fat is a risk factor for everything from heart disease to cancer. What you haven’t heard is why it’s happening and what to do about, both for yourself and for your loved ones.

Back in the early 1980’s, a dietary shift occurred in the U.S., and the theory of low-fat-is-good and high-fat-causes-heart-disease started taking hold. An entire food industry was born, based on reducing the fat in foods and changing the USDA Food Pyramid from the Four Food Groups to the current model. The Snackwell Effect is named for Nabisco Snackwell Cookies, which were marketed as low fat. Because “low-fat” was considered healthier than its alternative, we ate more of them and felt less guilty.

Fast-forward 25 years. This animation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows how obesity spread and increased across the U.S., year by year.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/map_of_the_week/2013/04/obesity_in_america_cdc_releases_gif_of_epidemic_over_time.html

When I show people this CDC animation, people always ask repeat the slides because it is so shocking to see the transformation.

The low-fat theory? Not working. People will argue that they lost weight doing a low-fat diet, because of course you will lose weight if you restrict calories enough. However, it is not sustainable, and you risk being deficient in the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Perhaps where we should be looking is at the bottom of the food pyramid. Those six to 11 servings of breads, cereals, grains and pasta that were recommended as the base of the food pyramid have wreaked havoc on people and not just in being overweight or obese. This problem is impacting nearly all your patients and you are probably not recognizing it.

In the clinic, I typically try not to confuse all of you with technical Chinese Medicine lingo such as trying to explain that your insomnia is caused by “liver qi stagnation” or “kidney yin deficiency”. But since we’re on the topic, let me speak a bit about Chinese medical terminology…

You know all those “spleen qi deficiency” syndrome symptoms you’ve been having? The bloating, the gas, the craving of sweets, the fatigue, hard-to-wake-up in the morning? All related to carbohydrate intake. How about the “kidney deficiency” syndrome symptoms of fatigue in the afternoons? Same thing. Or the “liver blood/gallbladder symptom” of waking up at night? Still related. I would estimate that more than 90 percent of our patients are dealing with blood sugar imbalances. I we can manage your blood sugar levels, many of those symptoms clear up on their own. So let me explain what’s going on.

In trying to follow the recommendations of the USDA, people would start the day with bowl of cereal (whole grain, if they were really trying to be healthy), some skim milk, maybe half a banana cut into it, and a glass of orange juice. For lunch, they might have a sandwich with low-fat turkey with some baked potato chips. People weren’t supposed to snack between meals, so when they got home and were hungry for dinner, they might have a small handful of multi-grain crackers beforehand, and then pasta with sauce, a side salad, and maybe a roll. While watching TV, they might enjoy a beer or two after dinner. The thing is, just about everything they eat (with exception of the turkey in the sandwich) was carbohydrate.

Every time a carbohydrate gets digested in your small intestine, it breaks down into glucose and is transported to the cells with insulin, the hormone released from your pancreas. In a perfectly healthy person, the amount of insulin released is just the right amount for the amount of glucose in the blood stream and when most of the glucose is transported into the cells, the insulin level drops, and you burn fat until the next time you eat. The problem is, that’s not happening anymore.

What’s happening is that after years of eating high-carb diet, your body begins to predict your carbohydrate intake and releases too much insulin when you eat, for example, that piece of whole-grain toast. Now what happens is, after the glucose is delivered to the cells, there is still insulin left in the blood stream. That excess insulin drives your blood sugar below normal levels, called “hypoglycemia”, but it could also be named “hyperinsulinemia.” Hypoglycemia causes fatigue, difficulty thinking, irritability, sugar cravings, memory loss, poor concentration and many symptoms related to brain function. Thirty to 40 percent of that glucose is needed for your brain. The other problem caused by insulin in the blood stream is an inability to access your fat stores. So you can’t burn fat for energy. So what do you do? You eat a carb because it will raise your blood sugar faster than anything else, and then you often feel better.

But as time marches on, the constant presence of insulin in the blood stream causes problems. At a certain point, the cells and tissues get tired of being bathed in insulin and start to become resistant, refusing to allow insulin to deliver glucose. This doesn’t happen all at once, but as the glucose starts to back up in the bloodstream, the body turns it first into a triglyceride (which is why whenever I see high triglycerides on a blood test, I know it’s almost always from a high-carbohydrate diet) and then into a fat. Then the weight gain begins.

Many of the cholesterol drug commercials make is sound like you get high triglycerides from the fats you eat. This is actually not correct. The body is amazingly complex. The fat that you eat is not the fat that is stored on your thighs and butt and belly. The fat that is stored there is actually created by the body from excess and unneeded carbohydrates that you consumed. Yes. The body makes fat out of carbs… not fat.

Another problem is that insulin resistance causes metabolic syndrome and severe hormonal imbalances like low testosterone and high estrogen in men (Those man-boobs? That’s estrogen.) and high estrogen and high testosterone in women (That thinning hair in women? Probably male-pattern baldness from high testosterone). Polycystic ovarian syndrome, caused by insulin resistance, is the number one cause of infertility in women. High blood pressure? That fatty bump at the bottom of your neck in women? Caused by insulin resistance. As the blood sugar levels start to climb, the body churns out more and more insulin, in an effort to force the glucose into the cells, and, over time, as the pancreas overworks, it begins to fail, and then Type 2 diabetes results.

When I explain this to patients, I hold my hands apart and explain: “We were given this many points for carbohydrates that we should have in our lifetime, and you’ve used all yours up before the age of 35.” They sometimes argue that grains have been around for thousands of years. However, our DNA has been around a lot longer and it is not designed to deal with this overload of carbohydrates.

We got away with it for a long time because we were much more active than we are today and the carbs we have now are much more likely to be refined. Between the carbohydrate overload and the computer age, this progression will not reverse itself easily.

It is not an underestimation for me to say that more than 90 percent of our patients are in one of these stages and often it’s a combination. We see hypoglycemia and mild insulin-resistance together when the patient is struggling with fatigue and sugar/carb cravings, and also gaining weight around the middle. To support patients in changing their diets, we developed a package for learning how to eat low-carb, and incorporated the herb gymnema, which has been shown to reverse insulin resistance, and which patients love because it reduces their sugar/carb cravings.

When we’re talking to patients about this, I explain to them that in this model, where I’m trying to prevent the surging of insulin, anything that triggers insulin is a problem. So there’s no “good-carb/bad-carb” option like brown rice versus white rice; anything that triggers insulin is a problem. Ditto for artificial or alternative sweeteners (with the exception of “stevia” maybe). From aspartame to sucrolose, to agave syrup, they will all trigger an insulin surge. That’s why multiple studies have shown that diet sodas increase insulin resistance and actually is linked to weight gain. Vegetarians are often struggling with blood sugar disorders because it’s easy to eat too many carbohydrates, even “healthy” ones disguised as whole grains. And “fruits and vegetables” is not one word. Fruits are not a substitute for vegetables. For people who love sugar and carbs, it’s easy to rationalize fruit as a healthier option, and not eat enough vegetables.

What I’m not saying here is that the oatmeal itself is unhealthy. Or that piece of fruit or the brown rice. But when you add that to the overload of carbohydrates we have all day, all they do is contribute to the progression that, over time, ultimately ends in diabetes. It’s not a mistake that the International Diabetes Federation states that 81 percent of adults over the age of 55 are diabetic or pre-diabetic. That’s four out of five older Americans.

So how do you help your self? I’ll address details in the second half of this post. But the first step would be to start measuring the grams of carbohydrates eaten during a typical day, and start noticing how far that is from the number 72.3 That’s the number of grams of carbs recommended a typical person ingest during a day. See how often you can get vegetables in your diet, from the spinach in scrambled eggs to an extra serving at dinner and skip the rice. And in the next article I will explain specifically, and in detail, how to address this epidemic.

If you have any questions on how to introduce a healthier diet… or any question on health in general, I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can… Jason

10 Ways Acupuncture Can Change Your Life

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Happy Autumn My Friends! I’m always excited to explain to people how acupuncture works and share acupuncture-inspired tips for leading a healthier, simpler, more meaningful life. Acupuncture helps us see the world differently — with more hope, openness, intention, gratitude, compassion, patience and clarity. In doing so, it changes us.

 

Here are 10 specific ways that acupuncture can change your life.

  1. It will open your mind.

Acupuncture requires us to think about health in entirely new ways. Despite noble efforts by many to find one, there is no biomedical equivalent for “qi” or “meridians”. Acupuncture turns mainstream medical tenets on their head. It will remind you that there are multiple ways of seeing the world.

  1. It can help make you less stressed.

Acupuncture takes the edge off. It removes you from the perpetual state of adrenal fatigue in which so many of us find ourselves. By mellowing out the nervous system, acupuncture can help you feel less affected by and better equipped to manage the stressful aspects of life.

  1. It can help give you more energy.

pexels-photo-214574Although it’s common to find yourself in “acu-acu-land” — that somewhat dazed, blissfully-relaxed state — immediately following acupuncture treatment; the effect soon thereafter is usually increased energy, vigor and lucidity. Many people report having more energy in the hours, days and even weeks after acupuncture treatment. You may notice that you’re avoiding that post-lunch brain drain, feeling more motivated to hit the gym, or just sensing a little extra spring in your step.

  1. It will clear your head.

In addition to the surge of physical energy that follows emerging from “acu-land”, many people notice improved mental clarity after acupuncture. They’re able to make decisions faster with greater confidence. They feel more motivated and resolute about tackling items that have been lingering for months on their to-do lists. It’s as if the mental cobwebs have been cleared out. Suddenly, you will be out of your own way and able to get things done.

  1. It can help you sleep.

images (1)Insomnia is one of the most common complaints seen by acupuncturists, and acupuncture can be highly effective at helping it. But even in people who do not recognize or mention sleep as a problem, acupuncture has a tendency to produce more restful nights. This often goes unnoticed until asked about on a follow-up visit. I hear this refrain multiple times a day: “You know, now that you mention it, I have been sleeping a lot better since I started coming for acupuncture.”

  1. It will help you embrace change.

Conventional medicine requires us to think in absolutes, to label things good or bad, black or white. We’re either sick or we’re healthy. Our numbers are ‘too high’ or ‘too low’. We’re happy or we’re depressed. Yet in between these extremes, subtle yet significant shifts occur. Acupuncture works in this gray area and teaches us to reflect on the small changes happening within and around us all the time. In acupuncture, this is progress. Unwillingness to accept change is a huge source of stress and anxiety for many people. Through reframing change as a marker of progress rather than something to be scared of, you will learn to love it.

  1. It will give you something to talk about at parties.

people-2567915_1280Acupuncture is a crowd pleaser! Next time you’re feeling awkward or bored at a social gathering, mention that you recently had acupuncture. You’ll be an instant sensation. People love learning about acupuncture. Did it hurt? Did he stick them in your eyes? Did you blood? People also love sharing their own acupuncture experiences, so it’s a quick way find common ground and make friends.

 

  1. It will make you more patient.

We loooove technology. Whether it’s the latest product from Apple or a cutting-edge MRI, we lust after shiny tools that promise to make us better. Technology, while awesome, acclimates us to quick fixes and perpetuates an “I want it now” mentality. This creates chronic impatience. Acupuncture, because it works but rarely overnight, can help us combat this. Acupuncture initiates an ongoing process within ourselves that requires an investment of time and a willingness to let go of our desire for instant gratification. It will make you a more patient person.

  1. It will make you tough.

It’s not always easy to embrace acupuncture. Most doctors, as well as some family, friends and colleagues, regard mainstream medicine as the only acceptable form of health care. The constant barrage of pharmaceutical advertising is hard to ignore. It takes courage to go against the grain. Acupuncture, although becoming more popular, is still not the norm. It requires a conscious commitment to understanding ourselves in a way that the majority shuns. This is the harder path toward health but ultimately the most rewarding.

  1. It will make you believe in yourself.

confident-3082818_1280The driving idea behind acupuncture is that we’re already in possession of everything we need to be well. Acupuncture does not add or subtract anything. Rather, it prompts the body to do what it already knows how to do. It reminds you that you have the power to heal yourself.

This does not mean that external interventions such as pharmaceuticals or surgery should always be shunned — in many cases, these are life-saving measures. But it does mean that becoming healthier, whatever that means to you, is within your control. When it comes to improving our physical and emotional health, most of us are capable of a lot more than we think. By using a therapy like acupuncture, which embraces rather than ignores our innate healing capacity, you’re making a statement that you believe in yourself.

Wishing you a Transformative Auttumn!

 

P.S. Here comes the sales pitch… “We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through the years by getting them feeling better fast!  We are also here to help you STAY feeling better and looking younger!  Don’t be a stranger.  With our affordable fees, it’s less expensive than you think! You really can afford pain free quality Acupuncture care!”

Pain Free Knees

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn Conditions We Treat, UncategorizedLeave a comment

It’s natural. After years of carrying you around, your knees start getting creaky, achy and stiff. Osteoarthritis is considered by many in the medial community as a “natural part of aging” just like wrinkles, graying of hair and other “age related” changes. It isn’t that everyone is bound to get arthritis, but many do. Modern research is showing that there are many things that we all can do to prevent knee pain before it becomes a problem.

 

  1. Lose some weight; One thing to reduce the strain on the knees is to loose some weight. Studies show that as little as a 15 lbs. reduction in body weight reduces knee pain by 50%.

 

  1. Exercise Your Knees; A very effective remedy and preventative for arthritis is to exercise your knees, as long as you avoid excessive strain on the joints. Walking, dancing, yoga, tai chi and other and light weight-bearing exercises all benefit.

 

  1. Have your feet checked; Some knee problems stem from walking with a off kilter gait. If your shoes soles are wearing down unevenly, it may mean that your knee discomfort could be solved with an orthotic prescribed by a podiatrist.

 

  1. Medications; Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, celebrex and acetaminophen will temporarily relieve the pain, but they do not cure it. But there are many supplements on the market which have been shown to effectively prevent the degeneration caused by osteoarthritis in the knee. Supplements such as glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and others. There are also many acupuncturists who also specialize in traditional Chinese herbal medicine who can prescribe a medicinal formula of herbs to treat knee pain of all sorts.

 

  1. Acupuncture; There have been more studies investigating the effectiveness of acupuncture on knee pain than there have been investigating Ibuprofen’s effect on the same condition. Acupuncture for knee pain has a strong body of research proving it to be one of the more effective long term relievers of knee pain. Unlike pain killers which need to be taken every few hours, the effects of acupuncture, after finishing a course of treatment, lasts several months. Acupuncture has proven to be an efficient, cost effective treatment for knee pain.

 

And don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your, questions. We’re here to help, and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in your lifelong good health.

Thirteen (Plus) Ways to Improve Sleep

On By austinacupuncturejasonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

A fact which I have always found interesting is that “insomnia” is considered one of the most commonly diagnosed and medically treated ailments in the America today. In many cases, people try for years to find a way to get a good night’s sleep. Many Americans even depend on powerful prescription medications every night to force them to sleep and stay asleep.

Initially, the majority of people may reach for over the counter remedies such as melatonin or Benadryl or Tylenol PM. Some find themselves even using alcohol or pot to help get them to sleep.

If the sleeplessness gets out of hand, many people then turn to the many powerful prescription medications on the market which they can get from their doctor. Unfortunately, most of those have unpleasant side effects which many patients find intolerable; such as grogginess or the feeling of drunkenness throughout the next day. Not good.

Here at my office, I would say that about 25% of my patients mention sleep as a major concern of theirs. And with good reason; not only is chronic insomnia annoying, but the lack of sleep is linked to many serious issues including increased accidents, higher divorce rates, clinical anxiety and depression, difficulties with work and family life, etc. There is also the myriad of medical issues from heart disease to diabetes, chronic pain and even cancer.

Of course Acupuncture is very good for chronic insomnia, but whenever someone brings up insomnia, I also tell them about these other “free” therapies that they can use at home. Sometimes these 13+ tips are all that they need. If you want more info on any of these, just let me know.

 

  1. 1. “8 hours of solid sleep” is just a myth. The idea of falling asleep and waking up 8 hours later is simply that; a myth. In several ways. Humans are simply not designed to sleep 8 solid hours. We naturally slip in and out of deep sleep throughout the night and occasionally “wake up” to look around and check on the overall safety of our environment. This is an evolutionary thing. Imagine if our cave man ancestors were to “check out” for 8 straight hours, they might wake up the next morning surrounded by a family of lions. Research shows that bubbling up and down throughout the night and briefly waking up from time to time throughout the night is considered a completely natural and healthy thing. So I think that it is important to start with the right expectation for what a “good night sleep” actually is. Some people have a misconception of what a good night sleep actually is. If you occasionally rouse a few times each night and then fall straight back to sleep, this is in all likelihood, completely normal and not a sign of insomnia.

 

  1. Lights. Many of you have heard of “light hygiene”. This is where you snuff out all of the lights in your bed room and have thick curtains to create a pitch black environment. For some people, this is more important than others. For example, I remember years ago when I was in the Air Force working nights, I would come home in the morning and sleep all day laying in the sun by my large picture window which was wide open. I slept like a baby. Today, things are a bit different. Now, I am much more sensitive to lights in my bed room. Even the dim light from the alarm clock or that dim street light from 3 blocks away can annoy and disrupt my sleep as I lay in bed and it shines right in my eye when the shade is open an inch or two. So if you have noticed getting annoyed by tiny light sources (no matter how small), cover them up so they don’t bother you. On a related topic, keep tvs and cell phones and tablets out of the bed room. The bright lights (no matter how low you turn down the screen) agitates and excites the nervous system, leading to more insomnia in many people. Also, statistically, having a TV in your bedroom leads to having only half as much sex. If that is something you are interested in, then just know that (good) sex is one of the best sleep aids for both men and women. So get rid of the TV.

 

  1. Sleep with Other People or in Groups. Humans are social animals. That is how we evolved. Our direct ancestors only survived because of their ability to group together for strength and safety. If your great great, great, great grandfather was a loner who slept outside the camp, he probably would have eventually gotten himself eaten by a predator and you would not be here right now. Being social is necessary for survival. It’s a great example of how our social behaviors are also part of our evolution. Think of this; who would survive longer? A person living by himself on the savannah or a group of people sleeping in a tight group? Correct. The group. This is especially important at night time when many predators are out and about. Us humans have been shown to naturally sleep more soundly when in a group than when alone. It’s hardwired into our nervous system after hundreds of thousand of years of survival and evolution. Even today, researchers see this. In a recent article looking at the sleeping habits of Tanzanian nomadic tribes, researchers found that over any given night, there is only a total of 18 minutes where all 33 members of the tribe are asleep. At any given moment one of the tribe members has stirred from slumber and is being aware of their groups surroundings and its safety. We depend on each other to ensure our safety and we sleep better knowing that someone is there to help protect us from dangers while we sleep. This is majorly important in dangerous times. Of course, your modern brain cannot differentiate between lions and tigers and the scariness of things like personal money problems or personal family concerns. So keep in mind that you will actually sleep better when you have other people nearby.

 

  1. Sleep With A Dog. A similar study showed that sleeping with dogs also improves the depth and quality of sleep…. with the obvious caveat. For the same reasons mentioned above, if you have a dog nearby sleeping with you, they are a natural “sentry” who will alert you of any potential danger at night. We have evolved along side dogs for millennia and even modern studies have shown that people sleep more sound when sleeping with dogs. The caveat is that you have to have the “right” dog. If you have the “wrong” dog, he will be yippy, snoring, barky and hog the blankets, this will obviously disrupt your sleep more than help it. It is just as easy that a dog will disrupt sleep, so make sure you have the “right” dog to sleep with.

 

  1. Protein. Eat some protein before bed. This will help stabilize your blood sugar levels throughout the night. Many people eat their carbohydrate rich dinner at 5 or 6 pm and then not again until when they wake up 12+ hours later. Or they eat a carbohydrate high snack just before going to bed. Both of these habits are a recipe for insomnia. When we eat a typical meal, our blood sugar goes up….and then goes down… leaving us hungry. Well, what happens if your blood sugar drops to too low levels at 1 am? You naturally wake up feeling a bit nervous and shaky… and during the middle of the night, the brain isn’t often thinking straight enough to realize that its just hungry. Often times the person wakes up feeling nervous and doesn’t even feel hungry… even though that is the root issue. The way to prevent this is to get off of this “blood sugar roller coaster” and eat some hearty protein before bed (and avoid sweet carbohydrates such as breads, cereals, cookies, juice, etc; those things will aggravate your sleep). Instead, choose things such as meat, hard cheese or a protein shake as a bedtime snack. This will keep your blood sugar levels at a much more even keel throughout the night. I cannot tell you how many people have told me this works.

 

  1. Wear socks to bed. No one can quite explain this odd phenomenon, but research has shown that wearing socks to bed results in a deeper, more restful sleep. While other research shows that sleeping in a cooler environment is helpful, it seems that the feet prefer the cuddling and cozy feel that socks provide. So keep your bed room on the cooler side, avoid any drafts (such as from fans or air conditioners) and wear socks.

 

  1. Mediation will help you sleep. Many studies suggest that a daily routine of meditation leads to better sleep. This may be due to meditation’s ability to mitigate all of our stress hormones such as cortisol which keep us feeling a bit “fight or flighty” at night. Try getting in the routine of meditating as soon as you get up in the morning. Just 15 minutes will do. There are innumerable free apps on your phone to help with guided meditation. If you want a quick tutorial, just let me know.

 

  1. Exercise in the morning to get better sleep at night. When you are done mediating in the morning, its time for exercise! Get to it! While exercising at any time of the day is good, a quick exercise “kick start” will refresh the mind and body and set the internal clock (and metabolism) for the day. Many studies show that exercising is the key to improved hormonal balance, improved mood, heightened energy and better sleep. Just 15 minutes of light exercise is often enough. Try it… you might like it.

 

  1. “Don’t go to bed when you’re tired”. This is part of the old Chinese saying that goes “Never go to bed when you are tired and never eat when you are hungry”. What an odd saying. What it means is that if you stay up until you are exhausted, you have stayed up too long. It’s as if you are driving a car on nothing but fumes. What you want to do is go to bed at a reasonable hour BEFORE you feel exhausted. What you want to do is “leave some energy left in the tank”. This point abides by the understanding in Chinese medicine that it takes some energy for the mind to settle at night (“qi and blood”, in acupuncturists terms). You ever hear of the saying “too tired to sleep”. Yeah, this actually happens. If we have squeezed every last drop of energy out of us and only go to sleep when we are exhausted, the mind has nothing to anchor onto and “floats” away; causing restlessness, anxiety and insomnia. The best thing to do is figure out how many hours you want to sleep and what time you must wake up for work… then calculate backwards. If you need to be awake at 6am, consider going to bed with lights out before 9 pm (even if you are not that tired). And NO TV screens!

 

  1. You might just be trying too hard. A while back I read the book “Daily Rituals” by Mason Currey. It was about the daily habits of various successful people throughout history. People like artists and thinkers and business people and kings and leaders, etc. One of the things that I noticed was just how often some of the most creative and influential people throughout history did NOT follow the old 9-5 work schedule. Many of the most famous and powerful people throughout history didn’t get out of bed until 10 or noon or 3pm or even until dusk. One famous artist from Paris would sleep all day and made his living by painting portraits all night for patrons at the local brothel. I’ll let you read the book to find out who that was. Some people simply have different biological rhythms which their body operates best by (“chrono-types” is the technical term for this). Perhaps working “first shift” and waking up at 6 am simply isn’t how your body is wired. Do you prefer staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning and then waking up at noon? Then maybe try that for a while (yes, yes, I know society frowns on that sort of thing, but try to manage it somehow). Our preferred internal circadian rhythm is biological; not sociological. So if you can rearrange your schedule and your life, you might find out that you simply have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole regarding sleep. So stop trying so hard. Another aspect of this is shifting your sleep schedule along with the seasons. For me, the summer season is a killer; the sun goes down at 9:30 so we are busy up until then, stay up a few hours after dark and then go to bed. It’s hard waking up in the morning in the summer time because we simply did not get enough quality sleep hours. But in the winter time, its dark at 4:30 and by 7:30 its already been dark for hours. I am ready for bed! 7:30 is a perfect time to go to bed! For me, I love winters because I get to go to bed early and wake up early. Perfect!

 

  1. Get a new bed, or new pillow. For some patients, their biggest problem is their pillow or their bed. Consider shopping for a new bed and pillow. I have seen this make a world of difference in sleep quality and pain reduction the next day.

 

  1. Breath! I was surprised at just how common breathing difficulties are preventing a good nights sleep for many people. Whether its sleep apnea, snoring or nasal congestion. So if you (or your spouse tells you) have breathing issues while you are asleep, take care of it. This may mean wearing a nasal strip at night, using a saline wash to manage the inflammation with a neti pot, or even going for a sleep study at the doctor and getting fitted for a CPAP machine. Keep in mind that snoring isn’t just a burden to your spouse; its dangerous. They have found that snoring (closely related to sleep apnea) leads to increased heart disease and cancer. Basically, you are suffocating half of the night, so that’s not too good. Breathe!

 

  1. Quit your job, get a divorce, disown your kids and move to a different part of the world. Ok, I saved this one for last because it is the most extreme, but if you really do believe that you are kept up at night because of worries or other domestic issues, you can and should consider visiting a mental health professional to have them help you navigate a path forward to accept or correct these underlying issues of stress and worry in your life. We have several great mental health providers downtown such as Kevin Anderson and his wife. So if you aren’t ready to pack up and move to Sri Lanka or become a hut dwelling bartender at some southeast Asian beach resort, then give someone local a call to help you get your head on straight. I can point you in the right direction of some good local ones if you would like. And don’t worry, getting professional mental health help is completely normal and accepted now. Nobody needs to know and those that do will congratulate you for taking these brave steps forward.

 

 

So there you have it. Maybe you might try one or two of these things and see how much they help. Everybody is different and its unlikely that you need to do all of these. Often, our problems do not require a major overhaul as much as they only need a minor nudge in the right direction. I f you have any questions about any of these things, just let me know… Jason Richard, L. Ac.