Treating allergies with the Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment

As most of you know, I am perpetually fascinated with auricular (ear) medicine. The ear offers both insight into the state of the body and a convenient treatment location. 

This fall I attended three auricular-based trainings. Each was inspiring, and added many new skills to my practice. One was a continuation of German Auricular Medicine, another was about adding electric stimulation into auricular acupuncture treatments, and the third was the Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT). I will be covering all of the methods in coming issues of the newsletter, but in this issue, I will focus on SAAT.

SAAT is a powerful auricular acupuncture technique that was developed by Nader Soliman, M.D. It often completely clears or significantly reduces allergy and sensitivity symptoms by reprograming the immune system to not react to allergens. Each allergen is addressed with one needle in a precise location that is specific to each individual. Several allergens can be treated in one visit. The needles are retained in the ear for 3-4 weeks, and are secured with a natural, medical adhesive and plaster, making them unobtrusive and very easy to tolerate.

What does SAAT treat?

• Allergies—pollen, mold, cat, dog, egg, shellfish, nuts, etc.

• Food, toxin, and environmental sensitivities—gluten, dairy, medications, chemicals, fragrances, etc.

• Mast Cell Activation Syndrome—a syndrome where histamine is over-produced and accumulates, causing chronic allergies.

• Alpha Gal Syndrome—a tick-borne illness causing an allergy to red meat

Allergy vs. sensitivity vs. intolerance

In the previous issue of the Red Clover Clinic Newsletter, I gave an overview of how to think about allergies. In this issue, I will get slightly more scientific and differentiate allergy vs. sensitivity vs. intolerance. 

An allergy is an exaggerated response by the immune system to a foreign substance. The immune system mischaracterizes the substance as a threat. Repeated exposure to the substance triggers formation of antibodies. During subsequent exposure, the allergen will bind to its specific antibody, which triggers mast cells to release chemical mediators, such as histamine, leukotrienes and prostaglandins. Histamine is what causes the immune reaction and leukotrienes and prostaglandins trigger a prolonged inflammatory response. An allergic reaction typically happens quickly (within 2 hours) after exposure to the allergen. The symptoms can involve the skin, the respiratory system, and the gastrointestinal system.

A food, toxin, or environmental sensitivity does not involve antibodies, and we don’t have a good understanding of the mechanism of the sensitivity reaction. It is presumed to involve the immune system. The reaction can start within hours or up to two days after exposure to a substance. Symptoms include headache, anxiety, depression, fatigue, flushing, joint pain, muscle aches, and others.

A food intolerance also doesn't involve antibodies. It is due to a deficiency in digestive enzymes. Lactose intolerance is the most common intolerance that most people are aware of. Food intolerances are felt in the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms are corrected by consuming the missing enzymes. 

 SAAT is very effective, at least 95%, at treating both allergies and sensitivities. Approximately 80% of people with an intolerance will have some response to the SAAT treatment. 

Allergic Load

SAAT is a remarkable technique for people dealing with multiple sensitivities, as it can bring down the allergy load. This will help the body to heal and tolerate living in a world full of potential allergens and toxins, and bring back enjoyment of foods and a variety of activities. 

It is important to note that if a food allergen has caused an anaphylactic reaction, the goal of SAAT is not to reintroduce the food into the diet, rather, it is to minimize or eliminate the reaction to an accidental exposure to the food.

I have been practicing this method for 6 weeks at the time this newsletter is published, and I have already had reports of less inflammation, decreased histamine reactions, and more balanced hormones. There is great potential to treat complex issues like Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Alpha Gal Syndrome, long COVID, and many autoimmune conditions. In the next issue of the newsletter, I plan to discuss the tick-borne illness Alpha Gal Syndrome.

Very soon I will be adding a separate appointment type for SAAT. For the time being, we are making it work with our current scheduling structure. If you’re wondering if this type of treatment might be a good fit for you, feel free to ask!

Healing the body by addressing the mind and spirit

There are many factors that affect our health: physical, environmental, social, emotional. To fully understand and heal a condition, we must untangle and address all of these factors. For example, even if a case of back pain was caused by an overt injury, there may be an emotion or a pain memory that, left unaddressed, prevents the original injury from healing. 

The power of German auricular medicine is its ability to address all aspects of the mind, body, and spirit. To explore this idea further, we must revisit the concept of focus activity. A “focus” is a stubborn and hidden blockage to healing, caused by either a body/brain memory of a particular stress or trauma or from a physical or emotional wound that is concealed within the body. The body becomes consumed with healing these blockages and can’t attend to healing other day-to-day issues.

Once we have identified the focus point (we do this by scanning the ears with particular tools, until we feel a change in the pulse) we must dig deeper, to see if there is an emotional component to the blockage that is preventing the focus from healing. We can scan for emotional points or we can look for past traumas. You can look back to the June/July 2020 edition of the Red Clover Clinic Newsletter, where I discussed treating traumas of the soul.

Many emotions are mapped out on the ear. There is an interesting correlation in auricular medicine between organs and emotions that often relates to Chinese medicine theory. In Chinese medicine, the heart is associated with joy, the liver with anger, the spleen with worry, the kidney with fear, and the lung with sadness and grief. On the ear, for example, the anger and rage points relate to the sympathetic chain (the nervous system connection to the organs) of the liver and gallbladder. Another interesting example is that the bullying and violence point is the same point as the pancreas.

In cases where the organ point relates to an emotion, it is important to distinguish if there is an actual organ problem, or if it is purely emotional. Not every physical issue has an associated emotion, and not every emotional blockage is associated with a physical issue; however, the connection comes up frequently. We must remember that traumatic experience exists on a spectrum. The extent of the trauma is dependent on the perception of the threat by the individual, as well as the individual’s stability and constitutional strength.

All of us have a mind, body, and a spirit/soul, and to heal and maintain health, we must address all of these aspects of ourselves. By treating only the physical aspect of back pain, the condition may remain more chronic. If we treat the emotion underlying the pain along with the back pain itself, and any other blockages that may prevent healing, we have the hope of actually healing the condition more successfully.

Treating traumas of the soul

One of the things that kept me busy during the pandemic shutdown was an online German auricular acupuncture course on identifying and treating soul trauma. Soul trauma refers to psychological wounds and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most of us have experienced some form of shock, trauma, injury, or abuse in our lives. There may even be an event that we are not conscious of, such as birth trauma, that is still having an effect on our whole being. 

The assessment

As with all German auricular acupuncture methods, I use the pulse to find the points that need treatment. This method uses several different flower essences to help identify, and in some cases treat, the trauma. 

The process begins by scanning a portion of the back of the head along the Governing Vessel, one of the energy pathways in Chinese medicine. If there is an active pulse reading, we can pinpoint a certain age range of when the trauma happened. The client is then asked to think back to that age, and try to remember if there was a traumatic event that they experienced. Most of the time, the client has an immediate recognition of the trauma. 

Next, the active area must be scanned with a few different flower essences, to determine which one will be useful to treat the trauma. There will be a point on the ear that corresponds with the selected flower essence that will also be treated. Again, the pulse is used to find a resonance between the flower essence and the points.

The treatment

The treatment is composed of three parts.

1. The recall and acknowledgement of the traumatic event. 

2. The flower essence that resonated with the point on the timeline can be taken internally, daily, for up to a few weeks.

3. The point on the ear that is associated with the flower essence can be treated with a semi-permanent needle, a regular acupuncture needle and/or laser treatment with the frequency associated with the flower essence. 

The area on the timeline will need to be checked on subsequent visits. The point may be cleared, or it will require further treatment. Sometimes a new area will show up. If multiple points show up, the trauma that happened earliest in life is the one that is addressed first. Often it will clear the subsequent traumas. 

In light of the traumatic events surrounding the murder of George Floyd that have happened here in Minnesota in the past few weeks, I found the timing of this new-to-me method to be quite relevant and well-timed. Many of my clients are showing up still in shock and experiencing anxiety. By addressing the older traumatic events, I’m hoping that they will be more able to process these new traumas in real time, so they don’t suffer a lasting effect. 

Working with my clients at this level has been a gift. I feel like they have allowed me a glimpse into their lives, and we have been able to process these deep traumatic experiences together.

In pursuit of a golden thumb

At the end of May, I traveled to Toronto for an advanced training in German auricular medicine, taught by Dr. Frank Bahr. He has been the principal developer and innovator of the German style of auricular medicine, and I feel grateful that he made the trip across the Atlantic to share his knowledge.

Developing a “golden thumb”

Dr. Bahr made it clear that skilled practitioners need to develop a “golden thumb.” If you have experienced an auricular acupuncture treatment from me, you may recall that I monitor your pulse with my thumb throughout the session. With my thumb, I am constantly feeling for the VAS (vascular autonomic signal) while scanning the ear with a tool in my other hand. When there is a resonance to a certain point in the ear, the pulse becomes more sharp and accentuated. This is how your body guides me on what to treat and how to treat it. It takes a lot of practice and experience to become attuned to the VAS.

New territory in German auricular medicine

This training was different from others in that it was structured to help us think outside the box. We learned a number of approaches to getting information from the body, how to address what we find, as well as how to start thinking on our own to develop new approaches.

Dr. Bahr has researched different forms of energy healing, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and homeopathy. He discussed how to employ several concepts form each in auricular medicine. In some cases, it helped us to see the connection between emotions and specific organs and in other cases, how to determine constitutional weakness and how to support the body so it can maintain homeostasis.

The power of laser frequencies

One of Dr. Bahr’s innovations is the use of the low-level laser in auricular medicine for diagnosis and treatment. He and other skilled practitioners have discovered particular frequencies that can be programmed into the laser that resonate with certain tissues (joints, vertebrae, teeth, organs) and energies (meridians, chakras, emotions). These frequencies add to the precision and broaden the scope of what can be done with auricular medicine.

To use the laser diagnostically, the laser is programmed with a specific frequency and put on the body. Then certain points on the ears, or the ears in general, are scanned, while monitoring the pulse. This method will accentuate the points that are related to the frequency and diminish all other points. In other words, the practitioner is able to gather a lot more information about the active points and can determine their significance to the treatment.

The laser can be used in treatment to clear negative energy out of a point, much like an acupuncture needle. Most often, the person being treated has enough vital force to start healing following the regulating effect of the acupuncture or laser treatment. However, if the client’s body is very weak and deficient, it may not be able to respond to the treatment. It needs to be replenished with some positive, healing energy. The laser, programed with a specific frequency, has the ability to do this.

For more information on the basics of low-level laser therapy, see my article: Let their be “laser” light!

Why German auricular medicine?

German auricular medicine is a good therapy option for almost anyone, particularly those who suffer from stubborn pain and conditions, and those who haven’t felt the same since having a surgery, injury, or trauma. I also find it to be quite useful in balancing emotions, hormones, and stress.

One of my teachers, Muriel Agnes, states it succinctly in her book Auricular Medicine: Window to the Brain (Blurb, 2018, p. 1):

“The ear, the auricle, is a window to the brain, showing us a dynamic, current reflection of what is happening in the whole brain, making the structures and functions of the person visible and accessible to the trained practitioner.”

For more information about the basics of German auricular medicine, see my article: What is unique about German auricular acupuncture?

Getting to the root of pain and illness

Over the past several years, I have studied many different treatment methods. I’ve learned quite a few that are effective at stopping a symptom. I have found, however, that often symptoms return if the root cause wasn’t addressed. The methods that I stick with are those that focus on getting to the cause of pain and illness.

The body speaks!

What makes a treatment method able to get to the root of a problem? It requires a way to talk to the body and allow the practitioner to be led to the root cause so she or he can determine the best treatment method.

In spite of the fact that we all have arms, legs, livers, and brains, each body requires different strategies to heal. The trick is trying to find out exactly what YOUR body needs to heal its back pain, digestive troubles, headaches. When the body gets exactly what it needs, it is able to heal itself.

The two methods that I have incorporated into my practice to ask the body what it needs to heal are the pulse testing method called the VAS (vascular autonomic signal) and muscle testing. Both methods allow the practitioner to gather information about the body and figure out exactly how to treat it. 

Vascular autonomic signal

VAS is the voice of the body I listen to primarily when practicing auricular medicine. I have different protocols on how to scan the ear to search out specific kinds of information, indicating things like pain, dental issues, emotional blockages, and other conditions. What I’m looking for are changes in the pulse. When the pulse gets noticeably sharper, it indicates a relationship with what I’m searching for. When treating with a needle or laser, I can be very precise with the location of the treatment. This kind of precision is very important, as even a tenth of a millimeter makes a difference.

Muscle testing

Muscle testing is another great method to converse with the body. I have been using it to evaluate the body nutritionally by doing Nutrition Response Testing and Morphogenic Field Technique for the past three years.

Muscle testing works because our body is made up of energy. Our nervous system is our electrical system, which pushes energy through our muscles. If you are exposed to something that impacts your nervous system negatively, your muscles will short circuit and go weak temporarily. This is how we can test foods, which have their own energy fields, and other substances that can act as poisons to the body. We can put light pressure over an organ or other area of the body that may have impaired function, which also causes weakness in the muscle test.

Once we have determined what the problems are, we can do muscle testing to find the solutions. For example, if the body is stressed from a chemical exposure, we can find a supplement that will help the body detoxify it. If a food sensitivity shows up, we can recommend avoidance of that food as well as a digestive enzyme to help clean up the debris left behind by the immune reaction to the food.

Something new-Neurokinetic Therapy

I recently attended a training session for a method called Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT). NKT uses muscle testing to assess dysfunctional movement patterns and pinpoint the root cause of these patterns in the brain’s motor control center. This therapy is very useful to identify which movement pattern is causing pain, weakness, and postural distortion, and determine how to release it and reprogram the motor control center to restore normal function. The reprogramming happens through a few minutes of simple exercises daily.

I’m excited to be adding a therapy that helps me precisely assess the musculoskeletal system in order to determine the most effective treatment and rehabilitative exercises to resolve a problem. This method pairs well with both bodywork and acupuncture, and I am confident that it will incorporate seamlessly into my practice.

As I’ve studied each of these methods, I’ve been tickled by how much overlap there is among them. They’re all tuned to factors that disrupt the body’s normal energy patterns, be they repetitive stress, sugar or other toxins, or scars. And they’re all able to listen to the body and figure out what it needs to heal, be it nutrition, herbal therapy, homeopathy, acupuncture, and/or rehabilitative exercises. It’s like learning different dialects of the same language-the body’s language.

How full is your rainbarrel?

I recently gave a talk about German auricular acupuncture at a health fair. Afterwards, a couple of people came up to me saying they could relate to a certain phenomenon that I had described. I’ve written about this topic in my newsletter in the past, but it’s been a couple of years, and I think it warrants being revisited now.

The phenomenon that I described in my talk goes something like this. You’re humming along, relatively healthy, body functioning normally, until a distinct moment when everything falls apart. For example, you bend over to pick a pen off of the floor, your back seizes up, and it hasn’t been the same since. Or you experienced a stressful event like a car accident, then developed fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, or an autoimmune condition. I hear stories like this from my clients all the time.

Have you experienced something like this?

This phenomenon is explained by the rain barrel theory. Imagine that we each come into this world with an empty rain barrel, which represents our capacity for healing. It’s like our own personal health insurance. As we go through life and experience stress, illness, injury, toxic exposure, poor diets, and more, our rain barrel starts to fill up. As the contents of the barrel reach the tippy top, all it takes is one more drop for the barrel to begin to overflow. When this happens, we begin to experience a whole host of symptoms, because the body is out of energy to heal and adapt to what life presents us with on a daily basis.

What can you do if your rain barrel is overflowing? 

You have two obvious choices: you can make your barrel bigger, or you can drain it. To make your barrel bigger, you can reduce stress, get plenty of sleep, clean up your diet, exercise, meditate, take more breaks. These are all important tactics to halt the cascade of symptoms and improve and maintain your health, but there is a limit to how big you can make your rain barrel.

There are only two ways that I know of to drain your rain barrel: clearing blockages from the body’s memory bank and identifying, then treating by detoxifying, chronic stressors.

Clearing blockages

Our body and brain retains memories of stresses and traumas that we have experienced throughout our lifetime. Sometimes it’s the big events. Other times it’s insignificant injuries and illnesses that the body becomes consumed by. When a blockage develops, there is little energy left to heal new injuries or illnesses. German auricular acupuncture can identify what and how severe these blockages to healing are. The blockages can be treated with acupuncture needles and low-level laser therapy, which can drain your rain barrel significantly.

Identifying and treating/detoxifying chronic stressors

Over our lifetimes, our bodies are exposed to many stressors, such as toxic substances and foods that are less than nutritious. The most common body stressors include food sensitivities, immune challenges, chemicals, heavy metals, and scars. These exposures can gradually stress and assault an organ, a gland, a joint, or any part of our body.

When someone comes to the clinic with a particular complaint, it is important to identify whether or not their complaint is being caused or exacerbated by a particular stressor. If it is, they won’t heal completely without avoiding exposure, detoxifying, and/or treating that stressor. Using Nutrition Response Testing, the exact source of body stress can be identified and treated. Treatment methods include avoiding certain foods, nutritional supplementation, herbal/homeopathic therapy, as well as low-level laser therapy for the treatment of scars.

By detoxifying the tissues of heavy metals, chemicals and immune debris, and treating scars, your rain barrel can be drained even further.

Imagine the state of health that is possible if you not only adopt the health-supporting methods that increase the size of your rain barrel, but also piece together the puzzle of causative factors and get the appropriate treatment to help you drain your rain barrel!

Are your teeth hiding something from you?

I recently returned from Nova Scotia where I attended a Level III course on German Auricular Medicine. It was a wonderful experience that included refining current techniques and learning a few new ones.

One technique we concentrated on was the assessment and treatment of hidden dental foci. I have discussed the treatment of focus activity in a few newsletters, including the September/October 2014 issue.

What’s a focus?

Let’s review… A focus is a stubborn and hidden blockage to healing that interferes with the body’s ability to self-regulate and heal. It is typically caused by past stress or trauma or hidden inflammation. An otherwise healthy person may be unaware of focus activity in the body until another stress occurs that triggers a cascade of symptoms.The stress could be an accident, intense emotional stress, or otherwise innocuous illness,

One way to think about it: “A focal disturbance that goes unnoticed is like a smoldering fire which threatens to flare up with the next gust of wind.” (Beate Strittmatter, in her book Identifying and Treating Blockages to Healing.)

When someone does not respond to acupuncture, homeopathy, or chiropractic treatment–or they only get a few hours of relief–their main complaint is most likely not the primary problem. Their primary problem is most likely caused by a focus.

Another way to think about it is that a healthy person who has no hidden foci will typically recover from an injury or illness after a short period of rest and healing. Someone with a chronic focus, on the other hand, will most likely experience worsening symptoms or develop a chronic condition.

What on earth could your teeth be hiding?

Most of us have experienced dental work, be it a filling, crown, tooth extraction, or root canal. The trouble is, the trauma from dental work, unsuitable filling materials, deep tooth decay, or impacted wisdom teeth can leave behind debris and inflammation that is often painless and goes unnoticed. The body will attempt to protect itself from this debris and localized inflammation by walling it off from the rest of the body. This process gradually drains the body’s energy and leads to focus activity.

Why is dental health particularly important?

If there is inflammation in a tooth, our body as a whole is going to be weakened by it. Furthermore, the meridian system is connected to each tooth, creating correlations with other parts of the body. A diseased tooth can cause a stubborn problem in a distant part of the body. If the tooth problem isn’t remedied, the related part of the body will fail to heal as well.

In the early 20th century, Dr. Weston Price became curious about chronic health problems associated with root-canaled teeth. He continued his studies and wrote two books on the link between dental pathology and chronic illness. This article addresses health concerns associated with root canals and some of Dr. Price’s findings.

Assessment and treatment of hidden dental foci with German auricular medicine

In the German auricular medical system, we often use laser light encoded with specific electrical frequencies to gather particular kinds of information from the body. Think of tuning into a different radio station to hear a different program.

Beate Strittmatter, mentioned above, discovered that by using a particular frequency, she could single out focus activity in the dental area. Since the only way to find this information is with the use of a frequency, it is called the “hidden system.” Addressing hidden dental foci becomes very important in the case of chronic problems that are not healing with regular focus therapy.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to address all focus activity, be it dental or otherwise. Even a healthy person who is free of symptoms can preventively benefit from addressing focus activity. Removing the stress caused by a focus through use of German auricular medicine can restore your energy reserve so you can respond to new stressors and challenges down the line.

Do you have any chronic health problems that don’t seem to respond to typical therapies?

Roadblocks to healing

Is something preventing you from healing?

Earlier in my practice when someone came to me with a particular complaint, I tried to figure out how to directly treat the symptoms and condition, then balance the energy in the body. 

Sounds good, right?

Sometimes the results were good. But, sometimes they weren’t—the symptoms lessened temporarily, but then came right back. This was not only frustrating for my clients, but for me as well. I knew that there was something missing in my approach, and I had to figure out what it was.

Scrolling forward, I have learned that what needs to occur is to identify, clear, and treat roadblocks to healing. More often than not, the thing or things that are blocking you from healing are masked and difficult to identify. Fortunately, I have found two modalities, German auricular acupuncture and Nutrition Response Testing, that make it possible for me to identify, monitor, and treat these roadblocks. Using these two techniques has significantly improved my results so that many more of my clients can heal and improve their health. 

What can cause a healing roadblock?

Focus activity

A “focus” is a stubborn and hidden blockage to healing, caused by either a body/brain memory of a particular stress or trauma, or from a physical or emotional wound that is concealed within the body. The body becomes consumed with healing these blockages and can’t attend to healing other day-to-day issues. 

The person who has such a blockage will experience chronic conditions, possibly without having experienced obvious injury or illness. Perceivable, diagnosable conditions can be ameliorated by lessening the stress load on the body by treating focus activity. Focus activity can be identified and treated with German auricular acupuncture, using needles and/or low-level laser therapy. 

Obstructions and confusion in the nervous system

Our nervous systems can get disrupted from time to time by various stressors in our bodies and environments. When this happens, the body just won’t heal. It’s stuck. Using Nutrition Response Testing (see article in March-April 2014 newsletter), I can find out if your nervous system is stressed or confused, figure out what is causing it, and help you to fix it. These obstructions and confusions are most often caused by one or more of the items listed below under body stressors.

Body stressors

Throughout our lives, our bodies are exposed to many stressors, such as toxic substances and foods that are less than nutritious. The most common body stressors include food sensitivities, immune challenges, chemicals, heavy metals, scars (which also fall under the focus activity category), as well as things like watches, jewelry, cell phones, etc. These exposures can stress and assault an organ, a joint, or any part of our body over time. 

When someone comes to the clinic with a particular complaint, it is important to identify whether or not their complaint is being caused or exacerbated by a particular body stressor. If it is, they won’t heal completely without avoiding exposure, detoxing, or treating that stressor. 

Using Nutrition Response Testing, the exact source of body stress can be identified and treated. Treatment methods include avoiding certain foods, nutritional counseling, nutritional supplementation, herbal therapy, and low-level laser therapy.

As you can see, if you’re not getting better, it’s important to dig a little deeper.  You might be surprised by what’s causing a roadblock in your healing.

A late summer plant walk

I found these two beautiful kidney remedies growing near each other on the same day in late August in Silverwood Park.

Joe Pye Weed – Eupatorium purpureum

This is a plant that grows where water and land meet. It often has calcifications stuck around its roots, which explains its other name: gravel root. These two signatures point towards its primary use in herbalism to balance water and solids. This makes it an excellent kidney remedy. It can help to flush out excess fluids, as well as to pull out calcifications from the kidneys and joints, i.e. kidney stones and arthritis. This powerful plant can free up and lubricate frozen joints as well as help to heal broken bones.

Goldenrod – Solidago canadensis

Goldenrod has strong diuretic properties brought about by stimulating the kidneys. Thus, it is useful to treat swelling in the body. As well as being draining in nature, it is also cooling, making it a useful urinary tract infection remedy. Much as it clears fluid and inflammation from the lower part of the body, it can also clear mucous and inflammation from the sinuses. It can be a useful addition to an allergy protocol.

Is a scar scrambling your nervous system?

If Humpty Dumpty had been put back together again, he would have had scars. Scars are the byproduct of the body repairing a wound. That’s a good thing, right? Yes, but once the body has healed, scar tissue may present some problems. Scar tissue on the skin’s surface can scramble nerve signals, causing a wide variety of symptoms, including pain and organ dysfunction. 

Most of us have visible scars somewhere on the surface of our skin, testaments to past surgeries, stitches, cuts and scrapes, or mole removal. (Scars can occur beneath the skin too, but that’s a subject for another article.) I first learned about the importance of treating scars when I began studying German auricular acupuncture. This article will focus on the repercussions of visible scars and what can be done to alleviate their symptoms. 

An introduction to the skin and its dense network of nerves is useful to understand how scars on the skin can cause distress. The network of the skin’s nerves communicate on the surface level, but also coordinates communication with the organs and various structures of the body that lie beneath it. The brain and nerve plexuses throughout the body coordinate all this communication via nerve impulses, which are basically exchanges of energy. When the skin is cut, the nerve communication is broken. As the wound heals, the communication can begin again, but may be impeded by the scar tissue, which isn’t quite as good as new. 

Scars have the potential to interrupt and absorb the energy of nerve impulses, rather than allowing them to flow freely. The stored energy in the cells of scar tissue was actually measured by German neurophysiologist Albert Fleckenstein to be equal to that of a 1.5 volt battery! Not all scars become “active,” in this way, but many do. Interestingly, they may not become active until many years after the initial injury or surgery. This activity seems to be spurred by periods of stress on the body, including illness, poor nutrition, emotional stress, pregnancy, etc. If a scar becomes active, it will eventually begin to randomly discharge energy out of sequence with the normal functioning of the body, causing the nervous system to become scrambled, either a little or a lot. 

When these random energy discharges happen, any organ system can be affected. For example, it is not uncommon for a woman who has given birth to have a scar (C-section, episiotomy or tearing) that causes interference in the normal functioning of the body, most notably in the thyroid gland. Scars can be the cause of or contribute to unexplained pain, digestive upset, anxiety, hormone imbalance, headaches and migraines, as well as any stubborn condition that won’t improve.

When scanning the ears using German auricular acupuncture, it is possible to pick up the energetic interference from scars. In this system, the practitioner can treat the scars both on the ears and the scar itself. The most effective way to treat the scar itself is with low-level laser treatment. By monitoring the pulse while running the laser light across the scar, I can feel which areas are active, and when the energy has been cleared. Scars typically require a few treatments to become deactivated, but results vary depending on the scar. Some clear after one treatment, and some require many treatments.

A muscle testing technique I have recently begun using, Nutrition Response Testing (NRT), is also useful in testing for scar interference, among its numerous other attributes. (Read more below.) By using this method, it is very easy to see if there is a scar causing nervous system interference or organ stress, and which scar it is. It also offers easy monitoring of progress in the treatment of each scar. Treatment using Nutrition Response Testing  is the same as described above, with the addition of massaging the scar with wheat germ oil between laser treatments to enhance the effect. 

I’m thrilled to be able to combine both German auricular acupuncture and Nutrition Response Testing to find and clear active scars in order to unscramble my clients’ nervous systems, allowing their bodies to function properly and heal themselves. If you’re feeling a bit like Humpty Dumpty who has been glued back together, I invite you to come in for an assessment, and see if a scar is affecting your health and well-being.

Nutrition Response Testing

I recently began to use Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) at Red Clover Clinic, a very effective way to assess and treat the outcome of the undernourishment and highly stressful lives that are so much a part of modern society. 

Most of us are exposed to many toxic chemicals, heavy metals, GMO and processed foods, plastics, and other factors that interfere with the proper functioning of our bodies. And, despite the fact that we are “over-nourished” with junk food and foods lacking dense nutrition, we are malnourished when it comes to the basic nutritional building blocks we need to nourish and repair our bodies. Not a pretty picture!

The NRT assessment begins with a couple of neurological muscle tests to see if the nervous system is blocking healing in any way. The practitioner then assesses each of the major organs using a muscle testing technique, looking for signs of stress. Once this information is collected, the priority organ is determined, so that the rest of the assessment and the treatment will be highly precise. 

Next, we must determine if there is anything causing stress to the organ. The stress could be caused by food sensitivities, immune challenges, chemical or heavy metal toxicity, or scars (see above). If there is a stressor, it must first be addressed, followed by the addition of any specific organ support. Treatment of the stressors and the organ support consists of specifically chosen whole-food supplements, primarily from Standard Process. 

It’s really amazing what can happen when the body is given the precise nutrition it has been lacking. When it is well-nourished, the body can heal itself! Feel free to contact me if you’re curious about what Nutrition Response Testing can do for you, or ask me about it at your next visit.

Great article on German auricular acupuncture

If you have had an appointment at Red Clover Clinic in the past couple of years, you have probably heard me talk about or experienced a session of German auricular acupuncture. 

This technique has really transformed my practice by helping me treat many conditions with greater effect than before, or at the very least, offering a complementary effect to more traditional acupuncture treatment. I am currently one of three practitioners in the U.S. listed on the Canadian Institute of Auricular Medicine website as Level II-certified.

Many people struggle to wrap their brains around how it works. For this reason, I want to share an article with you written by my teacher, Muriel Agnes: German Auricular Acupuncture: Effective for Your Patients. Despite the fact that her intended audience is practitioners, she explains the history of the medicine and how it works in plain and simple language. I encourage you to read it!

Taming the hot flash dragon

A common reason women visit Red Clover Clinic is to find relief from hot flashes associated with perimenopause and menopause. These seemingly random flushes of heat, often accompanied by sweat, can be very disruptive to daily life and, especially, to sleep.

Despite the fact that scientists haven’t figured out exactly why hot flashes occur, it is clear that they are associated with shifting hormones, more specifically the drop in estrogen levels that occurs around menopause. The two treatment protocols that I find most effective when treating hot flashes are German auricular acupuncture and herbal medicine approaches. 

What causes hot flashes and how can they be treated naturally?

Understanding the basic physiology behind hot flashes is important when deciding how to treat this uncomfortable and frustrating condition.

In addition to shifting hormones, the hypothalamus region of the brain is also likely involved. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that links the nervous system with the endocrine (hormonal) system. This linkage is often referred to as the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. When one part of this relay system changes, the whole system is affected. Interestingly, the hypothalamus plays a major role in temperature regulation of the body. It is responsible for many other things, including regulating sleep cycles and food and water intake.

No two women’s treatments are exactly alike, but typically they are variations on acupuncture and herbal medicine. Sometimes I use both approaches.

I prefer to treat women weekly until the hot flash symptoms have become very controlled. Then we have to find an appropriate maintenance schedule based on the individual’s needs. The treatment schedule is quite variable from woman to woman.

German auricular acupuncture

The primary reason that I prefer to treat hormone-related conditions with German auricular acupuncture is because there are specific points that relate to each individual hormone. There are also points that work to balance hormones from both the Western and the Chinese medicine paradigms. It is very precise work with excellent outcomes. 

I devoted the newsletters in the second half of 2012 to describing German auricular acupuncture and how it works. Please look to these three newsletters for more in-depth information about this powerful medicine:  July/August, September/October,  November/December. 

When treating hot flashes with auricular acupuncture, I tend to treat three major types of points: the estrogen point, hypothalamus point, and kidney-related points . I only treat points that are signified as “active,” indicated by low electrical conductance. I also select other points to treat according to other symptoms or complaints. 

• If the estrogen levels are very low and in need of support, the estrogen point is commonly active. The power of this point has become clear to me, because after a few treatments, treating this point occasionally backfires. An intense fluctuation caused by auricular acupuncture can cause a temporary increase in hot flash symptoms. My interpretation of this is that the brain has become almost over-sensitized to estrogen and its fluctuations.

• Since the hypothalamus is a system regulator rather than a specific hormone, treating the hypothalamus point is almost always helpful. It up-regulates and down-regulates as needed. It also has an impact on sleep, which is often disturbed by hot flashes, so it is kind of a two-for-one point.

• The kidney-related points enter into this protocol from a Chinese medicine perspective. As we age, it is normal for our kidney energy to become weaker and more deficient. And, most symptoms of menopause are associated with kidney deficiency. Therefore, supporting the kidneys is vital to successful treatment.  In German auricular acupuncture there are several points associated with the kidneys. The meridians are mapped on the ear, as they are on the body in other forms of acupuncture. I find three points on the kidney meridian to be effective in treating hot flashes, and they correlate with the body points: Kidney 1, Kidney 3, and Kidney 7. 

Herbal medicine  

There are many herbal approaches to treating hot flashes. What I have found to be most effective is creating a formula that isn’t limited to, but includes at least one or two of the following herbs: 

• White Sage (Salvia apiana)

• Vitex, a.k.a. Chaste Berry (Agnus castus)

• Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)

• Motherwort (Leonurus cardica) and 

• Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata).

White Sage is almost always included, as it is astringent and helpful for general deficiency and sweating. Vitex and Black Cohosh are both powerful female hormone regulators. Motherwort is especially effective if the hot flashes that are accompanied by palpitations and anxiety. And Passionflower is calming and promotes sleep.

It has become common to think of Black Cohosh as the menopause herb; however many women say that it doesn’t work. In my opinion, it is important to select and combine herbs according to each individual person, not just the disease. Each person walks away with a combination of herbs in particular proportions unique to them. 

Furthermore, I find herbs to be most effective in their whole form. Oftentimes, when women have tried an herb like Black Cohosh, they have purchased a standardized extract, which is a pharmaceutical version of the herb. The specific constituent that is thought to be the active ingredient is separated and concentrated, as if it were a drug. Standardized extracts are more likely to cause side effects, and may not be assimilated by your body as well as a whole herb extract like a tincture or decoction.

If hot flashes are keeping you awake or affecting your quality of life, German auricular acupuncture, herbs, or a combination, may help. 

Testimonial

“I’ve been struggling for many years with anxiety/depression and recently was suffering from symptoms of hormonal imbalance. My nights were often riddled with panic attacks and I had an overwhelming sense of irrational fear. I started having irregular periods, sometimes not getting them at all… and the periodic hot flashes started. 

I began to see Anita at Red Clover Clinic for acupuncture and herbal medicine, and was amazed at how quickly I responded to the treatments and herbs. My nights became wonderfully quiet, as my mind was still and free of panic. My hormones have become balanced and I don’t get those pesky hot flashes. Now I continue to see Anita a few times a month, on a health maintenance basis. I am so happy to have her as my practitioner. She is caring, knowledgeable, and dedicated to her practice. Her clinic is inviting, comfortable, and cozy. I would highly recommend Red Clover Clinic!” – S.J.