John Eversen, L.Ac. Camarillo Acupuncture

How Walnuts Help Us

2011-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

As a nut they are high in protein. These nuts are high in Omega 3s, Vitamin E, some B vitamins, magnesium and fiber.

Walnuts are very good for our heart and blood system health. They help lower our bad cholesterol and improve the elasticity of our blood vessels which means better blood pressure. And the vitamin E in walnuts is an unusual version that has shown significant benefit preventing heart problems. Plus the skin in the shell is high in phenolic acid which also helps heart health.

Walnuts have shown to help prevent Metabolic Syndrome (http://www.webmd.com/heart/metabolic-syndrome/metabolic-syndrome-what-is-it) and type 2 diabetes due to the high levels of phytonutrients and antioxidants. Some of these phytonutrients are a great anti-inflammatory that reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancer.

Recipes with walnuts to help impotence, back pain, arthritis, constipation, kidney stones and some coughs are all available. If you can't find what you need let me know & I can help.

But this is a nut I highly recommend you put in you diet.

How Pecans are good for you

2011-02-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

Many of us forget to keep nuts in our diet. Besides being a great snack, they are a wonderful source of proteins and other nutrients. Each has it's own specific ingredients and benefits. I am going to write about some here starting today with Pecans.

Pecans are good for:
Fatigue Chronic cough Low back pain Low libido Constipation

Do NOT eat when there is diarrhea or very loose stools.

To improve their effect against chronic cough grind fresh pecans into a powder and mix that with ground apricot seeds and honey. 1 tbsp. of each. Stir this into hot water and drink 2-3 times per day.

For low back pain soak in port wine for 1-2 weeks and eat a palm size quantity each day.

These 2 recipes came from The Tao of Nutrition, by Maoshing Ni & Cathy Mc Nease. A fantastic book to have in the house.

Next time Walnuts!

Acupuncture changes brain's perception and processing of pain

2011-02-02T05:39:00.001-08:00

CHICAGO – Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers have captured pictures of the brain while patients experienced a pain stimulus with and without acupuncture to determine acupuncture's effect on how the brain processes pain. Results of the study, which the researchers say suggest the effectiveness of acupuncture, were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
"Until now, the role of acupuncture in the perception and processing of pain has been controversial," said lead researcher Nina Theysohn, M.D., from the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology at University Hospital in Essen, Germany. "Functional MRI gives us the opportunity to directly observe areas of the brain that are activated during pain perception and see the variances that occur with acupuncture."
fMRI measures the tiny metabolic changes that take place in an active part of the brain, while a patient performs a task or is exposed to a specific external stimulus.
In the study, conducted in close collaboration with the Department of Complementary and Integrative Medicine at University of Duisburg-Essen, 18 healthy volunteers underwent fMRI while an electrical pain stimulus was attached to the left ankle. Acupuncture needles were then placed at three places on the right side, including between the toes, below the knee, and near the thumb. With the needles in place, fMRI was repeated while electrical currents were again directed at the left ankle. The researchers then compared the images and data obtained from the fMRI sessions with no acupuncture to those of the fMRI sessions with acupuncture.
"Activation of brain areas involved in pain perception was significantly reduced or modulated under acupuncture," Dr. Theysohn said.
Specifically, fMRI revealed significant activation in the contralateral supplementary motor area, somatosensory cortex, precuneus bilateral insula and ipsilateral somatomotor cortex during electrical pain stimulation without acupuncture. During acupuncture, activation in most of these pain-processing areas of the brain was significantly reduced.
According to Dr. Theysohn, in addition to the assumed specific effects on the pain signal, acupuncture also affected brain activation in areas governing the patients' expectations of pain, similar to a placebo analgesic response.
The anterior insula, for example, plays a role in transforming pain sensation to cognition and represents a subjective component of pain sensation. The reduction in activation of the primary somatosensory cortex and the insula during acupuncture indicates an acupuncture-induced modulation of the sensory encoding of the painful stimulus.
"Acupuncture is supposed to act through at least two mechanisms—nonspecific expectancy-based effects and specific modulation of the incoming pain signal," Dr. Theysohn said. "Our findings support that both these nonspecific and specific mechanisms exist, suggesting that acupuncture can help relieve pain."

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Coauthors are Kyung-Eun Choi, M.Sc., Elke Gizewski, M.D., Ph.D., Thomas Rampp, M.D., Gustav Dobos, M.D., Ph.D., Michael Forsting, M.D., Ph.D., and Frauke Musial, Ph.D

Beautiful Day

2011-01-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

I just returned from our Tai Chi class. It was a good way to start the day and the weekend. We all felt better after the exercises. Each of us decided to change our plans to enjoy the outdoors in some way this weekend.

The weather today in Camarillo is fantastic. Get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunlight. It is healthier for your body, calming for the mind and enriching for the spirit. You can't ask for a better medicine.

We may copy a friend and go to the tide pools. Or take a hike up in the Santa Monica Mountains. Whichever we do it will be great to get out and enjoy this spring-like day.

Meditation or Prozac?

2011-01-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

Boston University's psychology professor Stefan Hofmann reviewed 39 studies on mindfulness meditation. The studies showed that using this as therapy can relieve anxiety and improve moods. While not for all of the 1,140 people the technique did work.

Another study last month found that the treatment is as effective as drugs in preventing relapses of depression. MRI scans actually validated the study showing different brain activity before and after the meditation training.

Many people have side effects from their prescriptions but deal with them since the depression or anxiety is worse than the side effects. Simple meditation found in yoga or tai chi can have the same benefits without the side effects of the drugs.

It makes me appreciate my Tai Chi even more.

The Myth of Sports Drinks

2011-01-19T14:30:00.000-08:00

Sport Drinks are not of any benefit for the average athlete. They mildly help professional athletes but if you are not exercising at that level daily then they are just as bad for us as soda. Due to successful marketing people are convinced that they are good for anyone that does any level of activity. But all the sugar they contain may be part of the obesity problem the USA faces.
This study was authored by Nalini Ranjit and posted at CNN.com. 15,000 middle and high school students found that the people purchasing these drinks also were eating a better than average diet. These students have been convinced that the drinks are part of a healthy lifestyle. Yet the sugar content is almost as high as soda.
To help prevent obesity, diabetes and other sugar related health problems stay away from Soda and Sports Drinks. Your body will thank you for this.

Brown Rice, White Rice and Diabetes

2011-01-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

We always hear, "eat whole grains." Yet many of us forget to apply that to rice.

We remove the bran from brown rice and that is white rice. Along with the bran go a lot of nutrients; various antioxidants, a form of vitamin E, gamma-oryzanol, beta-sitosterol, 2 fibers and ferulic acid. Many studies have shown all of these may contribute to either lowering fats, lowering cholesterol and balancing blood sugar.

In 2010 a Harvard study of 200,000 people showed that those eating 5 or more servings of white rice per week increased the chance of diabetes by 17%. Yet CNN.com shows people eating 2 or more servings per week of brown rice lowered their chances of diabetes by 11%. That is a 28% difference between white and brown rice!

Without the bran the white rice is converted into blood sugar much quicker than the brown rice which increases our demand for insulin. Higher insulin demand without the nutrients we need to deal with it make it harder & harder for our bodies to handle spikes in blood sugar. This leads to diabetes.

Combine these studies with other research and we see that removing white rice and substituting whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat, quinoa, barley, spelt, Irish oats) instead can decrease the incidence of diabetes by over 30%.

So next time you order Chinese food ask for brown rice. If they can't do it, call someone who can. Your health depends on it.

Acupuncture changes brain's perception and processing of pain, researchers find

2010-12-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Acupuncture changes brain's perception and processing of pain, researchers find

Another study showing how acupuncture helps the body.

Is Cholesterol the Threat They Tell Us?

2010-11-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

Heart Disease is still on the rise despite a constant stream of new preventative pharmaceuticals. Western Medicine's approach to preventing heart attacks is based on study from the 1970s. They compared fat intakes. Our understanding of cholesterol are based on this study.
The problem is that the people eating the higher fat were also eating higher sugar. Was it the fat or sugar? We don't know for sure. Everything we are doing could be wrong and maybe it should be sugar that we are reducing.
Add to this that almost 20% of the population have very harsh side effects from Statin prescriptions (e.g. Lipitor). Two of which are weight gain and high blood pressure. Those are very counter productive in the attempt to reduce heart disease.
I do think High Cholesterol is a problem but I'm not sure it is as bad as they are saying. Yet sugar is a major problem in our country. Reducing that will do nothing but improve your health. And that is a Sure Thing.

Our Responsibility and Medical Errors

2010-10-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

According to Institute of Medicine, in the year 2000 between 44,000 & 98,000 unnecessary deaths and more than a million injuries occured due to medical error.

Another study by Barbara Starfield, MD, MPH, shows that medical errors may be the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States. Some of these deaths occur as a result of drug interactions or severe side effects. These happen while using the drugs correctly.

This is not the disease causing the death or injury. This human error.

Within 1 week I had 2 patients come in complaining about side effects of their statin (cholesterol lowering) and Lasix (blood pressure reducing). Both had started their statin 1st and then later had high blood pressure (HBP). In both cases the doctors did not try a non-statin cholesterol lowering drug. A percentage of the population gets HBP from statins. Rather than try a different prescription for the high cholesterol another drug was prescribed to treat the HBP. No other approach was tried even after the woman complained about the side effects.

By changing diets and using herbs I was able do reduce the cholesterol in both patients so low that they did not need the statin which then lowered their HBP so they could get off that drug also.

Neither doctor had checked the side effects of the drugs. Neither doctor counseled on diet. They just wrote another prescription.

Western medicine in emergency situations is fantastic but there are so many drugs available that it has become difficult for doctors & nurses to keep track. It has become the patient's responsibility to watch what is going on.

Report All new symptoms and feelings. Ask questions. Be a partner in your health and recovery.

Sitting Your Way to an Early Grave?

2010-09-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

A new study has found a direct correlation to the amount that a person sits through the day and their lifespan. Researchers at Louisiana's Ochsner Health System analyzed the health and activity of 120,000 people from 1993 to 2006.
Sedentary was considered sitting 6 plus hours per day versus less than 3 hours per day. Sedentary women were 37% higher risk of death over the 14 year span. Sedentary men showed a 17% increase.

Exercise showed some extension of their lifespan but did not bring it down to the level of the 3 hours or less of sitting. Adjustments were made for smokers and body mass index.

Jay Brooks is the author of the study and an oncologist. He recommends for people that sit at their job, to get up and "expend energy."

Maybe stand while on that phone call. Pacing while in a meeting sounds healthy now!

Getting Bright Ideas

2010-09-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

Psychologists at Tufts University gave puzzles to solve, in a limited time, to two groups. One group had a standard light bulb light up partway through the test while the other group had a fluorescent light come on. The ones that saw the light bulb were 50% to 70% more successful at the puzzles than the ones with the fluorescent light.
The researchers running the study felt that the image of the light bulb representing an idea is so entrenched in our society that seeing one come on actually stimulates our creativity.
I say put them in meeting rooms, class rooms, libraries and any place we need to have an epiphany.

Mental Health without Prozac

2010-08-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

British researchers earlier this year looked at the mental state of 1200 people. This was a compilation of 10 separate studies which looked at the effect of walking, cycling, fishing, farming and gardening on mental health.
Everyone showed a benefit from adding time outdoors but the young and mentally ill saw a greater boost to their self-image. The largest benefit for all came when they exercised in the open air. The studies showed that only 5 minutes per day was all that was needed. A co-author of the study, Jo Barton, said, “There would be a large potential benefit if people were to self-medicate more with green exercise.” Areas with water such as streams or ponds showed more benefit than just green areas but there was measurable improvement in all cases.
Teenagers, with their emotional turmoil, have a tendency to go to the mall but should take up an outdoor activity such as surfing or hiking.
I love my Tai Chi (tai qi) in the park!

Cell Phones Do Pose a Health Risk

2010-08-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

June this year a study from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer found that there is a 40% higher incidence of glioma or meningioma (2 forms of brain cancer) for heavy cell phone use. The study was on 12,000 people, some in good health, between 2000 and 2004.
The biggest thing to note was that heavy cell phone use was 30 minutes or more per day. More and more people are shifting to cell phones for everything so 30 minutes in a day is not heavy use.
No studies are out yet regarding blue tooth which does reduce the signal strength and thus the risk.
Texting looks better every day- just not while you're driving!

Bottled Water

2010-07-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

Something to remember when choosing where to get your drinking water. Tap water has to pass strict state, federal and local requirements before it gets into your home.

Bottled water does not. And many of them are simply filtered tap water, such as Dasani and Aquafina.

The Natural Resources Defense Council found that about 1/3 of bottled water brands they tested had chemical contaminants above the the state limits.

So the choice is tap which is free and regulated for purity or bottled which is a gamble on the benefits and costs more than gasoline by the gallon.

I haven't even started with the toxic BPA in the plastic bottles.

I say save your money and if you don't like the flavor get a home filter.

Summer Foods and Skin Foods

2010-07-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially here and we should eat appropriately. Summer time means more heat and sweating so we need foods that cool and replenish our fluids. It is perfect that watermelon comes ripe in summer. It is the coldest of fruits and full of fluids.
All fruits are cooling so be sure to eat a lot of fruits and drink plenty of healthy fluids.

Some summer foods even help us maintain healthy skin. Watermelon, nectarines and cherries are 3 fruits high in lycopene which helps our skin deal with sun exposure.

Lycopene is also in tomatoes. Cooking them actually concentrates this nutrient so cook some veggies in tomato sauce for a side dish at your next barbecue.

Almonds have been shown to help us fight the sun's rays with their high vitamin e content.

Tuna has selenium a nutrient that preserves elastin (which keeps our skin more youthful), and reduces damage from UV exposure.

Eat smart for a fun, healthy summer.

Essential Oils Thwart Germs - Dr Weil's Daily Health Tips - Natural Health Information Blog

2010-06-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Essential Oils Thwart Germs - Dr Weil's Daily Health Tips - Natural Health Information Blog

Adenosine A1 receptors mediate local anti-nociceptive effects of acupuncture : Nature Neuroscience : Nature Publishing Group

2010-06-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Adenosine A1 receptors mediate local anti-nociceptive effects of acupuncture : Nature Neuroscience : Nature Publishing Group

Sugar and Heart Disease - Dr Weil's Daily Health Tips - Natural Health Information Blog

2010-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sugar and Heart Disease - Dr Weil's Daily Health Tips - Natural Health Information Blog

Sciatic Pain

2010-05-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

I had another patient with sciatic pain today. She's had physical therapy, chiropractic care and appointments with her MD. Yet she was never shown one of the most effective exercises that can help her low back.

The exercise is to lift the leg in front of the body bringing the knee up to waist high. Then hold it. Start at holding for 30 seconds and gradually build to 4-5 minutes each leg. As her back gets healthier I'll give her more exercises to maintain that health.

After receiving her 1st acupuncture treatment she felt less pain immediately when getting off the table.

We reviewed diet tips to make sure she didn't eat foods that would irritate the bulging disk in her lumbar (low back). Alcohol and all sugars are the 2 worst offenders.

Acupuncture, exercises, herbs and proper nutrition will greatly reduce and should eliminate her pain.

An Interesting Profession

2010-05-05T00:42:00.001-07:00

I have a patient that I have grown close with. Now he is better and doesn't need to come in any longer. He spent about 10-12 minutes after his treatment 'saying goodbye' and thanking me. Before he came to me he was told he was incurable. He couldn't show the emotional level of gratitude he felt but discussed it in an old world way. Being over 80 yrs old he couldn't express himself as some younger people would show it.
We made each other laugh. I hope to see him around town.

Food for Our Health

2010-04-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Many years ago a Chinese gentleman said, "food should be our first medicine." Depending on what is wrong food may not be enough but food should always be involved in healing.

What the ailment is decides; what foods will have to be reduced or eliminated, what must be added, and in what combination. Knowing how to adjust your nutrition can make a great difference on the recovery.

Using high cholesterol as an example a person has to add oatmeal (not instant), walnuts, almonds, black beans and lentils to their diet. They must also reduce all fats and eliminate processed (e.g. hydrogenated) fats and fried foods. This is not a complete list but a great start.

While there are herbs and prescription drugs that can lower cholesterol using food first or with treatment improves the results.