Anxious or Depressed? Acupuncture Can Help!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you suffer from anxiety, depression, have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or other psychiatric disorder - don't despair.  Although in some cases, you MUST stay on your medication, regular weekly acupuncture treatments can help you emerge from that 'dark hole' a
nd put you back into a healthy place of mind, body and spirit.  Regular acupuncture treatments can also help with the side effects of many antipsychotic drugs (anxiety, dry mouth, lack of sex drive, weight gain).  If you or someone you care for has mental health issues, call or email my office to schedule an appointment.  I have many years experience dealing with such cases and can help.  917-701-7581  k@kmondesire.com

The Thanksgiving Parrot - A Fun Repost

A friend sent this to me yesterday and I thought it would be fun to pass it on:

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day: Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! Don't eat too much...it's not healthy for you!

Acupuncture Stand Alone Therapy For Mild And Moderate Depression

A large percentage of my clients seek my professional services to treat their mild or moderate depression. In certain cases, where appropriate, I work with the patient's psychiatrists and psychologists to ensure that the patient has been tested for neurological disorders and ensure that a western medical diagnosis has been determined.  I am quite often asked what it is I do that transforms many of these patients from a medicated and depressed state into persons who have begun to live their lives fully. In many cases, they have been able to reduce or eliminate their medications with their psychiatrist's blessings.  The key to treatment is this:  I look at the whole person.  I do not focus solely on the dis-ease.  I listen to what the lifestyle and habits are of the person....sleep, diet, exercise, sexuality, professional status, previous illnesses, familial medical and psychiatric history.  For certain diagnoses where there are neurological imbalances, it is necessary for the patient to remain on medication.  In these cases, acupuncture can reduce or eliminate the side effects of such medications (anxiety, insomnia, low libido, etc).  But for almost every case of mild or moderate depression, the Chinese medical practitioner looks at the body's emotions as being in disharmony. The seven emotions  (joy, anger, worry, contemplation, grief, fear and shock) each relate to a specific organ of the body. When these energetic imbalaces of the meridians related to the organs and their emotions are regulated, the patient will respond accordingly.  For example, bouts of anger and rage can be sedated and controlled by treating the Liver and Heart meridians.   Hyper-excitability and other inappropriate behavior can be controlled or eliminated by treating the combined meridians of various organs.  All this is based on tongue and pulse examination and diagnosis.  In Chinese medicine, there are 18 pulse positions that we diagnose that tell us much about the patient's condition.  Tongue diagnosis gives us a plethora of information of systemic functions.  It's not hocus pocus.  It is the motis operandum utilized for over 3,000 years in the history of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Many of my patients keep up with their treatments on a regular basis well after they have removed themselves from their 'black holes'.  They are drug free and living their lives fully and with gusto.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Treating persons who have been diagnosed with depression takes listening and compassion, but also requires that the practitioner not enable the patient's condition further by being overly sympathetic.  These people need positive input, but also realistic and objective therapy.  If you or someone you care for is suffering from the 'blues' or depression, call or email my office.  Start your journey out of  'the black hole' today.

Melatonin...What's Its Function?

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Melatonin helps build bones and reduces bone loss.  It supports hair growth, promotes immune response, regulates circadian rhythyms in the brain, slows contractions in the stomach and intestines, and increases the release of digestive enzymes.

Acupuncture for Anxiety and Depression

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Acupuncture is very effective in the treatment of anxiety and depression.  If you are experiencing GAD or depression, try a calming acupuncture session.  I work with your therapists and psychiatrists to ensure that the level of your meds do not increase and in most cases, we work as a team to lower the levels of your medication....acupuncture - it's THAT good!

Are You A Champion?

Champions are not born; they are made.  Courage, determination, perseverance - these are the ingredients that go into making a champion.  These aspects are your allies in your battle against disease, obesity, mental illness, or rehabilitation from an injury.  Everyone possesses these essential elements within themselves; they sometimes need to be coaxed out to our consciousness.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Do you have what it takes to be a champion?  Every day, we all fight a small battle against disease, obesity, mental illness or other physical injury.  Look into the mirror and find your courage, determination, and persevere.  At the end of the day, you will be a winner; the champion of your own well being - both mentally and physically.

Acupuncture Can Take The Heat Out Of Your Head

I have many patients in my practice who are on a variety of anti-anxiety/anit-depressants.  One of the side effects of these drugs is a feeling of tremendous heat rushing to the head accompanied by terrific body sweats.  Acupuncture is known to alleviate all these symptoms related to these drugs; just as we can reduce hot flashes resultant from menopause, chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you are suffering from the side effects of anti-depressants/anti-anxiety drugs and just can't stand that feeling of heat rushing to your head and the body sweats that accompany the heat, come in for an acupuncture treatment.  You'll relax, cool down and calm down - the drug free way!

Why Should We Exercise in the First Place?

I don't know about you, but I don't wake up at 5:30 or 6am every morning and say 'oh goodie, let's exercise'.....I'm a normal person and I like my sleep - but I get up and do it anyway.  So, why do exercise?  Here are a few good reasons:  not only is exercise great for your circulation, muscle tone, weight, and general physical wellbeing; when you exercise, 3 chemicals (natural antidepressants) are released in the body.  These are serotonin, dopamine and endorphins.  The release of these natural chemicals gives you that 'feel good' high that comes with exercise, much the same feeling when you receive a relaxing acupuncture treatment.  Human Growth Hormone and DHEA are also released during exercise.  These are the hormones that make you look and feel younger.  When we hit the age of 40, the levels of these naturally occurring substances drop substantially, so the more you exercise, the more you will stimulate the growth of these hormones and the more they will release into your body in an efficient manner.  

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  nobody has any excuse why they can't exercise at least 20 minutes every day...this includes a brisk walk at lunchtime.  Get moving today and get that 'feel good' rush.  If you're too tired, then come in for acupuncture treatments to energize you and get you started with your exercise program!

The Times Are Stressful

Worldwide media seems to be flooding all our senses lately with the gloom and doom of world market economic downslides.  The stress that this geoeconomic condition puts upon so many people causes blood pressure to rise, tempers to flare, autoimmune conditions to resurface, and many other maladies.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Feeling stressed out over the global economic condition?  Are the world's events making you physically and mentally ill?  Make an appointment today for a de-stressing acupuncture session.  Your blood pressure will stabilize, your acid reflux and ulcerative colitis will subside and you will have an overall feeling of peace...without doping yourself on drugs.  Happy Friday everyone!  Stay tuned for more healthy tips on Monday.

Tips For Improving Your Emotional Health

We wake up, go to work, attend school, or mind the kids, get to the gym, fulfill social obligations we don't necessarily want to attend, deal with very stressful situations from time to time...after a while, our lifestyles can contribute to the degeneration of our immune systems.  Ill health, depression and a loss of self esteem can manifest from the pressures we place upon ourselves on a daily basis.  So, how do we achieve good emotional health?  Sure, you can go pay a shrink $400 an hour -  that might or might not make you feel better and that's vacation money for you or another boat for the shrink. There are free and easy steps  we can all take to achieve the same results.  Here are a few:

Learn to say NO. Very often, we say 'yes' to many obligations when we really mean 'no'.  All that 'it's ok' that you leave on the way up the stairs is all the frustration and resentment you will eventually have to pick up and deal with on the way down the stairs.  If you don't feel comfortable saying the word 'NO', then try this phrase:  "thank you, but that just doesn't work for me".  PERIOD.  That's all you need to say.  If people don't like it, that's just too bad.  Let' them get used to the fact that you have an opinion and that you count first!
Keep Your Real Friends and Eliminate False Relationships.  It is far better to have one true friend than 10 'fair weather' friends.  Your true friend(s) are the people who are always there for you, no matter how old you are, where you live or what the circumstance is.  Your real friends will tell you when you're wrong and help you straighten up your messes.  They will also be there for you when 'stuff' happens in life and help you emotionally deal with all life's challenges.  So, get rid of the 'dead beats' and simplify your relationships.
READ!   So often, I hear of people who have illnesses or situations in life; if they would just educate themselves as much as they can about the condition or situation, they could take control of their emotional and physical well being, as well as their socio-economic condition.  In this age of free information online and computer access at your local library, ignorance is no excuse.
Exercise.  Regular exercise releases natural endorphins in the body which help reduce stress and agitation.  Your body will feel better because of the increased blood and oxygen circulation.  You will look better and feel better; this in turn will lead to a much higher self esteem and a sense of empowerment.
Have More Sex.  When you're hungry, you eat.  When you're thirsty, you drink.  When you're tired, you sleep.  When your hormones need stimulation, you should have some sex.  Regular sexual intercourse not only is good for one's hormones, it reduces stress and also gives a person a better sense of self.
Find a Hobby and Stick to It.  Whether it's needlepoint or hang gliding, find and develop a hobby that makes you happy.  Embrace the activity.  The more you participate in your favorite past time, the better you will become.  This leads to an emotional 'high' and a better sense of self esteem.
Engage in a Healthy Nutritional Plan.  Eat, drink, and be merry, but do all of it in moderation.  You don't have to drink the whole bottle of wine, you can have one or two glasses and still enjoy the beverage.  You don't have to eat everything on the plate.  You can eat half and take a 'doggie bag' home; enjoying another wonderful meal from your dinner out is cheaper and very satisfying - especially on those days when you don't have time to cook!  You will feel better physically and sleep better when you engage in a proper nutritional plan.
Practice Yoga, Tai Chi or Meditation.  Life is a balance of Yang and Yin.  The gym and every other activity we engage in are mostly Yang energy driven.  Reign in the energy and balance your life by engaging in a Yin and rejuvenating activity such as yoga, tai chi or simple meditation time.  You will find peace of mind, calm, serenity and will be better able to deal with any stressful situation that comes your way.
Make a "TO DO" List.  Greatness and achievement on any level does not come by luck or haphazard activity...it comes from a plan.  Every week, make a list of tasks, events and things you'd like to do.  Prioritize the list and modify it as the week progresses.  As you complete a task or event, check it off your list.  The feeling of accomplishment will help with your self esteem and motivate you to keep up with list making...it really does help with focus.
Sleep!  Sleep is just so necessary for the circulation, the nervous system, weight loss and overall homeostasis.  Sleep deprivation is one method of torture used on prisoners worldwide....now, why would you want to inflict self-imposed torture upon yourself????

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day: practice and engage in all of the above as best you can.  You will be surprised what a difference a few easy and free steps can make for your overall emotional state of mind and your self esteem!

The Top Ten Lies I KNOW You're Telling Me

There are 18 pulse positions in Chinese Medicine.  Each position tells me if you ate, if you are sad, if you have no energy, the condition of your lungs, your mood...even what the sex of your fetus is (I'm 13 for 15 on this one at the present time).  The face provides a plethora of information about a person's organs and general health condition.  So, when a patient comes into my office and I am checking their pulses & observing their visage, I am never surprised when a person is telling a 'little white lie' about their overall health.  It's really too bad, because they always get 'found out' at the end of a session and moving forward know that they are free and safe to tell all.  Face it folks...when you fib to your physician, you're only cheating and hurting yourself.  The more information you give to your healthcare provider, the better you can be served, the healthier you can become and serious illnesses can be avoided.  Everyday Health just posted a piece on the 10 Top Lies That Physician's Hear and I've heard them all.  Read the following and when you get to one or two or more lies that you tell, just think of this....we KNOW you're lying, so just give it up!

Lie No. 1: I quit smoking months ago.  Never mind that you stink of nicotine when you walk into the office.  This silly lie can cause a physician to believe that a disease or symptoms of a disease are becoming worse, rather than being due to your continued smoking.  Mistreatment can occur because of your dirty little lie.  Oh yes...the breath spray and Febreeze don't mask the smell either.
Lie No. 2: I rarely drink.  We have no problems with recreational and social drinking.  But...when your blood tests come back with elevated liver panels and it's obvious that you're not just having those 2 drinks per day - why lie???  Excessive drinking leads to barrel bellies, unwanted excess fat (bad for your heart) and enlarged livers.  A good physician is going to sit you down and have a good talk with you about this, so you might as well be honest.  You could help prevent serious heart and liver problems by just telling your physician just how much you do drink.

Lie No. 3: I’m a fitness nut!  Ok, you are 40 pounds overweight, your muscles are flaccid and you huff and puff getting onto the examination table.  Do you think we were born last week????

Lie No. 4: I only take the medications I’m prescribed.  I cannot tell you how many people have become addicted to pain killers and 'mother's little helpers' to avoid dealing with life in a healthy and productive manner.  These drugs are addictive.  They will affect your mood more than you can imagine, affect your sleep, energy and sex life; and most are metabolized in the Liver, which can lead to liver damage and failure.  The dialogue that goes with the person who is addicted to these drugs is so common, sometimes, I wonder who is passing around the script for the 'script'....

Lie No. 5: I don’t skip any of my medications.   Medications are prescribed for a reason.  Skipping them can lead to serious side effects.  If you have a problem remembering to take your meds or you cannot afford them, speak with your physician.  Together, you can develop a system to ensure you take your medications everyday.  Expensive drugs can be substituted with generics and most drug companies have programs that will provide low cost and sometimes free medications to those in need.

Lie No. 6: I’m a healthy eater.  The way you look and feel are certain signs of what you eat.  If you lie to your physician about what you eat, you complicate the process by which we can determine what can be causing your symptoms.  I always remember the case of an elderly man suffering from congestive heart failure.  He was given a good report at his doctor's visit and thought he could go home and eat a couple cans of sardines.  Six hours later, he was in the emergency room, drowning in his own fluids.  The cardiologist wouldn't release him from the hospital because the patient said he didn't do or eat anything that could cause such a flareup the same day as receiving a good checkup.  This confounded the physician to find the cause of this terrible event. On the fourth day fo being hospitalized, the patient finally admitted to eating over 3,000mg of sodium.  Go figure....

Lie No. 7: Sexual problems? No way.  Disclosing your sexual information can be critical to your health.  The relationship between patient and physician must be one of trust and safety.  Be certain you are comfortable with your physician and be honest.  Sexual function, homosexuality, bisexuality and promiscuity have important health consequences.  Remember, your time with your physician is CONFIDENTIAL.  But, hiding a history of sexually transmitted diseases or lifestyle can possibly lead to symptoms that without honesty, your healthcare provider will not be able to diagnose and treat properly.

Lie No. 8: Ouch, I feel awful!  Lying to your physician to obtain certain medications is just wrong.  This puts your health at risk and places your physician at risk of malpractice.

Lie No. 9: I’m not sure when my symptoms started.  Sometimes, a symptom begins during a time that a person would like not to share (taking illicit drugs, or certain sexual experiences for example).  Not being honest about how symptoms began can lead to misdiagnosis, and mistreatment.  This can bring about serious health complications and consequences.  Again, your time with your physician is CONFIDENTIAL.

Lie No. 10: I have no family history of that disease.  Mental illness can run in families.  There is a genetic history for certain cancers.  It is quite common for a patient to tell me that yes, several members of the family have had certain cancers, but are unwilling to share any information with siblings about the type of cancer cell and treatment given.  These poor people are 'in the dark' about familial cancers and they could very well be the next victim in the family to fall ill.  Mental illness is quite often 'hidden away' because of social stigma.  This information is just so important to your physician in the overall care for your wellbeing.  Don't hold back...we've heard many stories before and we take nothing personally.  We are here for you; that's our job, so let us do it well!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Have you had enough yet?  See yourself somewhere betwee #1 and #10?  Understand now how silly and ridiculous it is to lie to your healthcare provider???  Give it some thought today.