The ability to focus and tune out distraction can be challenging for anyone. But for children and adults with ADHD, it is a daily, frustrating battle.
Medication and behavioral therapy are traditional methods of treatment. Now, Acupuncture is being used to ease the symptoms of ADHD.
A recent study by the Mayo Clinic finds that seven and a half percent of all school-age children are affected by ADHD. And symptoms vary from child to child. Some may struggle with focus, distractibility, impulsivity, hyperactivity, or a combination of them."Western medicine looks at ADHD as a brain dysfunction, a brain chemistry dysfunction," says licensed acupuncturist Allison Bower. "Eastern medicine looks at ADHD as the organ functions are malfunctioning, then causing the brain function to be off."
Acupuncture works well in addition to other treatments, such as behavioral therapy and nutritional plans. "If we can balance the energy, or the qi, of the organ systems in the body, then the brain chemistry can adjust," Bower explains. Acupuncture can help calm the disruptive nature of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and it can also help to ease the side effects of the medications used to treat ADHD.
Gabrielle Belli was diagnosed with ADHD at age 11.
"Distractibility has always been sort of an issue," she admits. Impulsivity is also a problem, in addition to social anxiety. That's not uncommon. ADHD is often coupled with other disorders ranging from social anxiety to depression, or facial tics.
"ADHD often does not fly solo. It flies along with some anxiety or some depression. So we know that if acupuncture speaks to those conditions, it will most certainly speak to ADHD," according to Jill Zupon, Founder and Executive Director of The Attention Center, the Independence facility devoted solely to the care of children and adults with ADHD and ADD. In addition to testing, therapy, nutritional services and coaching Zupon saw the benefits of acupuncture and brought Bower on board.
"We are not a center that provides homeopathic medicine. But we knew that it would be a good alternative to those who didn't want to be medicated," Zupon explains. Belli tried medication, but found it didn't work for her. She came to The Attention Center for help managing her ADHD. When she heard they also offered acupuncture, Belli decided to give it a try. "I felt more like myself than I had probably in a whole year. So it was just the biggest relief," Belli claims.
We went with Gabrielle on a day she visited Bower. Home from Ohio University, she hadn't received acupuncture in about two months. She had lost two sets of keys in recent weeks, and says she struggled with her organization and thought processes. For Gabrielle, the benefits of acupuncture she says are almost immediate. "I can really tell. I speak different, my attitude is different," she tells us.
"I am centered. I am thinking clearly. I am organized," she says.
Acupuncture can help to calm the impulses that make it hard to stay still. It can also work to improve concentration and bolster the immune system and energy of the patient which can address both the sluggishness commonly associated with ADD patients and hyperactivity commonly seen in patients with ADHD.
Zupon believes a transformation takes place from the time that a client walks into Allison's office, to the moment they walk out. "We get to see someone go in one way and come out another way. It's wonderful," Zupon said.
Acupuncture in the management of ADHD is still relatively new. Currently, there is no scientific proof to support its benefits. But patients like Gabrielle believe it has made a difference in their lives.
For patients who take medicine, They say that the acupuncture can help alleviate common negative side effects of the drugs such as appetite suppression, sleeplessness and dry mouth.
In a perfect world, Gabrielle says she would like to get treatment every other week. But she must work it around her visits home from school. Treatment is different for each person. Some people need it every week, others go every other week, or every few months. If you or someone you know has ADD/ADHD, call for a consultation to see if acupuncture may help!
Women in study had less physical, mental fatigue and better quality of life
Offering breast cancer patients a relatively short regimen of acupuncture alongside standard treatment can help alleviate some of the crippling fatigue that often accompanies the disease, according to a new study.
The magnitude of help that patients undergoing acupuncture experienced was deemed by the study team to be "both statistically and clinically important."
"I am quite excited with these results," said study lead author Alex Molassiotis, a professor of cancer and supportive care with the school of nursing, midwifery and social work at the University of Manchester, in England. "They provide some good evidence of an effect of acupuncture for the management of a very debilitating and burdensome symptom for patients."
"The addition of a new treatment approach gives patients and health professionals more options," Molassiotis added, noting that the range of options specifically designed to address fatigue issues among cancer patients has been limited.
The study appeared online Oct. 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
More than 40 percent of breast cancer patients experience significant cancer-related fatigue, according to background information included in the study. For some patients the problem may persist at a moderate or even severe level for years following the cessation of treatment.
To explore the potential of acupuncture treatment, the authors focused on more than 300 women with breast cancer who were being cared for as outpatients at one of nine health care facilities across the United Kingdom.
At the time of the study, participants had been diagnosed with either stage 1, 2 or 3 breast cancer, and all had been experiencing at least moderate levels of fatigue for an average of 18 months. Most were white, and their average age was 53.
For a six-week period, all patients continued to receive the same care they had been receiving before the study, and all were additionally given an information booklet that tackled the issue of fatigue management.
However, more than 200 of the patients also were randomly chosen to undergo weekly 20-minute acupuncture sessions that involved needle placement at three different entry points.
By the end of the six-week period, those who had received acupuncture appeared to fare better on every measure of fatigue that the team assessed.
Specifically, those in the acupuncture group reported feeling notably better than the "usual-care" group in terms of overall fatigue, physical and mental fatigue, anxiety and depression levels, functional well-being, emotional well-being, social functioning, and overall quality of life.
"Acupuncture is a complementary therapy that not only can have direct effects on the symptom experience of patients, but also ... provide the opportunity [for] patients to be more involved with their symptom management and empower them more," Molassiotis said. "Patients also like 'natural' and 'traditional' approaches to health management."...
Dr. Laura Kruper, director of the Cooper-Finkel Women's Health Center and chief of the breast surgery service at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif., described the British effort as both "well done" and "strong."
"Acupuncture has been used in a variety of settings within medicine, such as to control chemotherapy-related nausea, post-operative nausea, migraines and chronic pain," she said. "It is still not exactly known how acupuncture works, but that does not mean it does not have therapeutic benefit."
But, while noting that "many patients turn to complementary therapies to bridge the gaps that Western medicine does not fill," Kruper stressed the need "to ensure that these therapies are safe, effective and reliable."
"In the world of medicine, we rely on investigational studies to guide our treatment decisions so that we provide evidence-based medicine," she said. "Complementary therapies need to undergo the same rigorous tests that Western medicine does. This study was exemplary in that it was conducted with adherence to the principles of scientific method, and hopefully a study like this will be the first of many."
More and more of our patients are interested in how they can care for themselves outside the clinic. On a daily basis I hear, "What can I do between treatments?" or "Is there anything I can do on my own to help me reach my goals?". What I love about my practice and what Health On Point has to offer, is that it is NOT a passive experience. What happens in the treatment room is invaluable, but so are the behaviors and choices you make once you walk out into the world. We are on the cusp of winter, and often it is a season of neglect. Many become distracted by holidays and family excitement (or troubles!) and of course the impending cold which leaves many feeling cooped up and unhealthy. In response to your inquiries and concern for self care, I will be posting monthly - if not bi-weekly - articles on self care. Some will take the form of nutrition/supplement support. Other articles will include whole foods recipes or special offers available in clinic. We are incredibly excited to share this with you. Please let us know what you think - and if you have particular interests or requests, we are all ears!
Today's article is from a colleague's website. She is a wonderful nutritionist and is thrilled to share her knowledge with us. The topic we’ll discuss this week is what current research says about the effectiveness of taking a daily multivitamin. Keep in mind that vitamins and supplements are just as serious as prescription drugs; so don’t take anything new without talking it over with a healthcare professional!
Many people like the concept of a multivitamin. It seems like a good idea to take a pill to make up for any nutritional gaps in one’s diet. But does it actually do your body any good?
One 2011 study looked at the multivitamin use and health issues of 182,099 participants over the course of three years. They found no difference in cancer risk, heart disease, or mortality between the persons who used multivitamins and those who didn’t.
On the other hand, some studies have found that people who use multivitamins have lower rates of disease. Another study from 2011 found that breast cancer patients who took a multivitamin after treatment had higher survival rates. These studies also find that people who take multivitamins tend to eat more plant foods and exercise, so it can be hard to tell if the vitamin is adding any additional benefit.
Based on the current research, it appears that a multivitamin does no visible harm or good. Some people with specific health needs may benefit from a vitamin or herbal supplement. It’s important to discuss supplements with a Nutritionist, Dietitian, Herbalist, or Pharmacist before trying anything new. For the most part, your dollars will be better spent on wholesome fresh foods instead of pills!
Figuring out what medical expenses qualify for flexible-spending accounts can be tricky. Yesterday, a Wall Street Journal article highlighted this very issue. This short piece reminds me - to remind YOU - that we have arrived to the season of the "benefits rush." It is the end-of-year period when employees make a mad dash to use up remaining funds in medical flexible-spending accounts.
"People want to make sure they don't lose the money," says Craig Hankins, who leads consumer-engagement programs in UnitedHealthcare's product and innovation group.
Employer-sponsored flexible-spending accounts, or FSAs, allow workers to sock away pretax earnings for qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Unlike health-savings accounts available to those enrolled in qualified high-deductible health plans, FSA funds can't be rolled over from year to year.
What does and doesn't count as a qualified medical expense, however, can be confusing. Fortunately for our patients, Acupuncture is covered by FSA accounts! Call or email today to schedule appointments before the end of the year. As life grows more hectic and holiday plans (and the flu season) is underway, isn't this the perfect time for Acupuncture? And doesn't coverage by your employer make it all the sweeter?
Fibromyalgia (FM or FMS) is a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to pressure. Other symptoms include debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–4% of the population, with a female to male incidence ratio of approximately 9:1. The term "fibromyalgia" derives from new Latin, fibro-, meaning "fibrous tissues", Greek myo-, "muscle", and Greek algos-, "pain"; thus the term literally means "muscle andconnective tissue pain".
Researchers estimate that the majority of fibromyalgia patients try alternative treatments to relieve their symptoms. The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture is one that helps. A study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings shows acupuncture relieves fatigue and anxiety in fibromyalgia patients for up to seven months after the treatment. We find overall that acupuncture for FMS has a positive effect, and acupuncture combined with western medicine strengthens the curative effect.
Nature provides us with a vast array of medicinal plants that humans have relied upon since the beginning of humankind.
Today, those same medicinal plants are still used in a distilled and concentrated form we call essential oils. Safe, effective, and affordable, essential oils do far more than just smell good: they heal!
This weekend, I attended a seminar to further my training (and feed my interest!) in the use of essential oils with Chinese medicine. We at Health On Pint Acupuncture use only pure and certified organic essential oils, guaranteed to be as safe and effective as nature intended.
Essential oils combined with acupuncture often provide far greater results than either treatment alone. The effects extend beyond relaxation or calming the mind and spirit (though they are excellent at those). The scientific body of research is growing constantly with proven uses for essential oils including killing many types of harmful bacteria and providing pain relief!
Health On Point Acupuncture is dedicated to providing healing with and education of essential oils to anyone interested in at-home, holistic health care. We are in the process of putting together essential oil and self care packages for the season, please let us know if you are interested! For more information, e-mail or call us.
As many of my patients know, I have a not-so-secret love affair with Mark Bittman. First, and perhaps most importantly, I credit my husband's interest in food and cooking skills (which began about 72 hours after our son was born) to Mr. Bittman's now defunct Minimalist articles (and videos!) in the NYTimes.
At the same time, I adore his published cookbooks and online instructions, but I can't help but obsessively follow his food blog. The blog has taken a more political turn in recent years, and I am completely on board. As a sort of homage to Mr. Bittman, I plan on providing excerpts from his work, every now and then, for my readers. Below is from an October 3rd article. Let me know what you think!
I tried to ignore the month-old “Stanford study.” I really did. It made so little sense that I thought it would have little impact.
That was dumb of me, and I’m sorry.
The study, which suggested — incredibly — that there is no “strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods,” caused as great an uproar as anything that has happened, food-wise, this year...
That’s because headlines (and, of course, tweets) matter. The Stanford study was not only an exercise in misdirection, it was a headline generator. By providing “useful” and “counterintuitive” information about organic food, it played right into the hands of the news hungry while conveniently obscuring important features of organic agriculture.
If I may play with metaphor for a moment, the study was like declaring guns no more dangerous than baseball bats when it comes to blunt-object head injuries. It was the equivalent of comparing milk and Elmer’s glue on the basis of whiteness. It did, in short, miss the point. Even Crystal Smith-Spangler, a Stanford co-author, perfectly captured the narrowness of the study when she said: “some believe that organic food is always healthier and more nutritious. We were a little surprised that we didn’t find that.” That’s because they didn’t look — or even worse, they ignored.
In fact, the Stanford study — actually a meta-study, an analysis of more than 200 existing studies — does say that “consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
Since that’s largely why people eat organic foods, what’s the big deal? Especially if we refer to common definitions of “nutritious” and point out that, in general, nutritious food promotes health and good condition. How can something that reduces your exposure to pesticides and antibiotic-resistant bacteria not be “more nutritious” than food that doesn’t?
Because the study narrowly defines “nutritious” as containing more vitamins. Dr. Dena Bravata, the study’s senior author, conceded that there are other reasons why people opt for organic (the aforementioned pesticides and bacteria chief among them) but said that if the decision between buying organic or conventional food were based on nutrients, “there is not robust evidence to choose one or the other.” By which standard you can claim that, based on nutrients, Frosted Flakes are a better choice than an apple.
If you are interested in additional information about Mark Bittman's cooking and philosophy, do let me know. I plan on sharing some of my favorite seasonal recipes (modified Bittman meals!) soon.
