Healthy skin is like a healthy garden

By Rhea Dykoski, L.Ac, Dipl.O.M.

Keeping skin healthy is a lot like keeping garden soil healthy. I came to this conclusion as a result of two experiences: working on an organic farm and learning how to heal my own inflammatory skin condition with herbs, nutrition, and acupuncture.

The most important part of a healthy garden is healthy soil. The main things that distinguish unhealthy soil from healthy or fertile soil are the presence of thriving microbiota and humus. In healthy soil, fungi and bacteria (microbiota) create humus, the structure that retains moisture and stores nutrients. The microbiota also digest stones, making their minerals available for plants. Microbiota are sensitive and easily damaged. Conventional farming techniques apply harsh chemicals to the soil, killing the microbiota. When the microbiota die, humus is no longer created. Without humus, the soil dries out and minerals wash away, leading to further dependence on chemicals.

The microbiota of the soil are just like the microbiota in your digestive system. The digestive microbiota break down food, provide access to vitamins and minerals, and protect the surface of your intestines. When digestive microbiota are damaged, whether from processed foods, food sensitivities, antibiotics, alcohol, stress, sleep deprivation, or other factors, needed nutrients will not be available and the digestive tract will become damaged by undigested food.

A damaged digestive system can lead to many illnesses, including illnesses of the skin. Inflamed intestines and stomach become hyperactive first and sluggish later. In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, when the digestive system is sluggish it is common for dampness to accumulate in the body. For people with eczema, dampness is accumulating in the skin.

What is eczema?

The long-term effects of eczema, a delayed allergic reaction causing red, itchy, flaky skin patches, are similar to having a patch of infertile soil. ​​​​​​​The names eczema and dermatitis are used interchangeably, but technically eczema is a type of dermatitis. Traditional Chinese Medicine calls eczema shi zhen (damp eruption), since it is weeping and is often a result of congested fluids accumulating in the body.

Eczema-affected skin may be moderately to very itchy. Eczema is most commonly located in damp or oily parts of the body, such as the inner elbow and scalp. An eczema patch weeps fluid, whereas healthy skin retains or sweats fluid as needed. Inflamed tissues require more of the body’s energy than healthy tissues and produce more waste materials.

New flare ups of eczema are often very red and itchy with papules (red bumps) that can crack open and weep fluid. Chronic inflammation and weeping depletes the tissues, which over time become dryer and take on a dull red color with thicker crusted skin. In the long term, eczema is a major drain on the entire body, leading to premature aging.

How herbal medicine and acupuncture can help eczema

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are three main types of eczema:

• The Spleen Damp type

• The Heart Fire type

• Liver Wind type

The appearance of your eczema patches and your general health symptoms will give clues to the type of eczema you have and this diagnosis will guide the treatment plan. For example, if someone has a history of chronic stress, prolonged anger, oily skin, or a red tongue tip, I would consider the Heart Fire type first. If someone has puffy or thin skin, has digestive complaints, or is frequently fatigued, I would think of Spleen Dampness first.

Since eczema is a condition that can be caused by many underlying factors, during an initial consultation, we discuss all of your health symptoms, even ones that seem unrelated. We also discuss the health of your family to look for inherited weaknesses and discuss your current diet as well as your childhood diet.

Acupuncture can help eczema by promoting healthy circulation of blood and fluids, reducing inflammation, and strengthening the immune system.

However, acupuncture cannot add missing nutrients or microflora. This is why herbal medicine and nutritional therapy are often needed for healing skin conditions. Herbal medicine can add nutrients to the body and influence the blood and body fluids more directly than acupuncture. Herbal medicine is typically used for 2–4 months to sustain the effect while your body heals.

Dietary changes can also heal the skin. It usually takes much longer to see a change in your skin from dietary changes, but this is the most important technique for long-term strengthening of your skin and digestive system.

The most effective method for healing eczema is a combination of long-term dietary changes, herbal medicine to guide the healing process, and acupuncture to open energetic blockages.

For more information

Xu, Yihou, Dermatology in Traditional Chinese Medicine (2004).

Fukuoka, Masanobu. Sowing Seeds in the Desert (2012).

Jeavons, John. How to Grow More Vegetables: Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine (1995, 5th ed.).

Author’s Note

I’m very happy to have recently joined the Red Clover Clinic. While writing this article, I thought of how great “red clover” is as a name for a healing center, since red clover is an excellent herb for healing the soil and for healing the skin, including eczema. It is an herb which cools inflamed skin, remove toxins, and is rich in vitamins and minerals.

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.

Eat your veggies!

It’s summer! The growing season is at its peak. Farmers markets and grocery stores are chock full of locally grown vegetables in all colors, shapes, and sizes.

We focus so often on what we can’t or shouldn’t eat, so in this article, I want to focus on what we should eat—and eat in large quantities—vegetables! They are so good for us.

Apart from canned and frozen versions, vegetables are typically purchased whole. This is a good thing. More and more, people are aware that eating foods as close as possible to their natural state is best for their health. The nutrition found in a carrot, as opposed to the nutrients found in a standard vitamin pill, could not be more different. 

The whole carrot includes a whole food complex. This means that it includes both the specific vitamins represented by the pharmaceutical counterparts in the vitamin pill AND phytonutrients and other constituents that work together to give you more nutrition that is more easily assimilated.

Variety is the key

Variety is the key…don’t just eat salad, or just raw carrots, or just tomato sauce. Variety is not only the spice of life, it also gives us nutritional balance and the best chance to experience vibrant health and vitality. 

Which brings me to another important point. Fruits are not vegetables! You can’t replace your veggies with sweet-tasting fruits. 

You need to eat from the following categories of vegetables to get a broad array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants: 

• Dark leafy greens: kale, collards, chard, spinach, arugula, endive, escarole, mustard greens, lettuce

• Sulfur-rich vegetables: cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, radishes, turnips, onions, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus

• Colorful veggies: beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, pumpkin, peppers, radicchio, red cabbage

• Seaweed: any seaweed harvested from clean waters will do if consumed a couple of times per week. 

Eating a variety of organic vegetables daily will help to reduce your risk of many chronic diseases, including cancer. Vegetables are a healthy source of fiber, which promotes good digestion and helps to stabilize blood sugar. 

The dense nutrition found in vegetables will help to detox your body of harmful heavy metals, chemicals, and toxins, which will result in decreased inflammation throughout the body, clearer skin, clearer thinking, and increased energy and vitality.

Make time for veggies

You might be thinking that this all sounds great, but who has the time? You need to make the time. Your health is important! All it takes is a little bit of planning, creativity, and experimentation to find out what you like, and how you can prepare your food efficiently. 

When you eat out, look for salads and sides of vegetables to boost your vegetable intake. When you are at home, think about how your meals can be built around vegetables rather than protein or grains. The protein and grains should be the garnish, rather than the other way around. 

You can also look for creative ways to sneak in more veggies by making things like cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles with a few fun kitchen tools. I have found that snacking on carrot sticks has made me happily reduce my intake of dark chocolate…who would have thought?

Many things don’t even take more time, if you have the ingredients on hand. 

• add spinach to your scrambled eggs or black bean quesadillas

• make a salad rather than a sandwich

• sauté vegetables instead of cooking rice or boiling pasta. If you miss your starch, eat squash and sweet potatoes. 

Once you start eating more vegetables, you will find you have more energy. Furthermore, you will begin to crave these wonderful jewels that Mother Nature produces for us. 

What are your favorite veggies?

Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme

Herbs are another gift of the plant kingdom. Typically, culinary herbs are high in volatile oils that act as carminatives to settle the digestion. They add a lot of flavor to a meal, as well as help to digest it comfortably. Apart from cooking, these herbs made “famous” by Simon and Garfunkel are also useful additions to a herbal pharmacy.

Parsley

Parsley is probably the most commonly used culinary herb. Aside from being a common garnish, it is used to flavor just about anything. Medicinally, it acts not only on the digestive tract, but also on the kidneys. It is a diuretic that helps to clear congestion from the kidneys, making it useful to manage gout, swelling, kidney stones, and other conditions.

Sage

Sage is commonly used to flavor meats and stuffings. I think it is also delicious with squash and potatoes. It’s super tasty when whole leaves are toasted lightly in olive oil, making a nice garnish for many dishes. Sage tea is a useful remedy for sore throats and fevers. It is also mildly astringent, making it a good treatment for bleeding gums and night sweats. Sage (specifically, the desert-grown variety) is always a part of my herbal repertoire when treating hot flashes.

Rosemary

Like sage, rosemary is a strongly flavored herb that is a good compliment for heavier foods like roasted meat and vegetables. It is also delicious in breads. Rosemary calms the digestion, improves circulation and relieves nervous depression. It is very useful in skin and hair treatments, and can relieve headaches.

Thyme

In my mind, thyme is a little more versatile than rosemary and sage, but can also be used in the same ways. Slightly lighter in flavor than rosemary and sage, thyme works well with lighter soups and vegetables. Apart from the digestion, thyme has a strong effect on the lungs. It can treat colds, coughs, phlegm, and shortness of breath.

Herbs of the North Shore

At the beginning of August, I spent a few days on the North Shore at a personal retreat center called A Room of One’s Own, in Lutsen, MN. It was a wonderful break in the action before the big move! I especially enjoy hiking on the trails near Lake Superior, and taking in all the incredible plant life. Here are a few beautiful specimens that I found.

Usnea – Usnea filipendula

Usnea is a lichen that grows on dead tree branches and trunks. It is also known as “old man’s beard,” and here you can see why. Usnea is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects. I typically use it in small doses for staph infections. It is best to use usnea, either topically or internally, in small doses for a short time.

Club Moss – Lycopodium clavatum

This isn’t an herb that I have used, despite the fact that I admire it every time I visit the North Shore. It grows on the forest floor. It is traditionally used to treat bladder and kidney disorders, acting as a diuretic. The spores have historically been used topically on various skin conditions, including eczema and bed sores. According to Maria Treben, an esteemed Austrian herbalist, it also can be used to treat leg cramps.

Horsetail – Equisetum arvense

This prehistoric plant likes to grow in damp soil. It functions as a diuretic, represented by its hollow stem in the doctrine of signatures. It is also useful in promoting healthy skin and nails. Similar to club moss, it is a vascular plant that reproduces by spores rather than seeds.

Solomon’s seal – Polygonatum multiflorum

Solomon’s seal grows in woodlands throughout our area. I use a tincture of the root constantly for musculoskeletal complaints and injuries. In Chinese medicine it is also used for lung infections and dry coughs. Matthew Wood describes its effect on connective tissue as tightening that which is loose, and loosening that which is tight. This is one of the top ten most-used herbs in my apothecary!

Purple Loostrife – Lythrum salicaria

This plant is considered to be invasive throughout our area and eastward. Herbalist Jim McDonald  has become quite a fan of this plant for drippy and irritated sinuses. It not only dries up the drip, but it also soothes the inflamed tissues. Similarly, it can be used in an irritated digestive tract with diarrhea. It’s always nice to find good uses for über-plentiful species.

Healthy blood, healthy body

From the perspective of both Chinese and western medicine, the health of our blood is essential to our overall health. What can we do to support the health of our blood? 

I’ve devoted this entire newsletter to discussing how to support blood health and function, including introducing you to a new tool Red Clover Clinic has begun to use, which I fondly call “the blood laser.” Read on… 

What does blood do?

Blood is one of the foundations of life. Chinese medicine considers it one of the Vital Substances. It nourishes the body, moistens the tissues, and support the Shen. Shen can be translated as spirit or mind. It is responsible for consciousness, mental function, mental health, and vitality. It also plays a big role in sleep. 

Chinese medicine theory also states that blood holds the Qi (energy) and Qi moves the blood. Most importantly, if Qi and blood are moving, disease can’t take hold. In fact, many of the diseases associated with aging are associated with the blood not flowing properly, also known as blood stasis.

In western medicine, the primary functions of blood are: 

• Transporting oxygen, nutrients, and wastes to and from the cells and various components of the immune system to where they are needed.

• Regulating temperature through circulation.

• Circulating hormones to all parts of the body

• Clotting and closing of wounds.

Laser irradiation of the blood

As we saw in the May-June 2013 issue of the  Red Clover Clinic Newsletter, low-level laser therapy has developed over the past few decades to speed the healing of wounds, lessen the inflammation in arthritic joints, increase circulation around trigger points in order to release them, stimulate acupuncture points, and more. 

Another lesser-known benefit of laser light to the body is the impact it has on the blood. Red Clover Clinic is now using the recently developed R-J Laser LightNeedle 300 (the “blood laser”), which delivers red and blue-violet laser light to the blood non-invasively. 

Generally speaking, laser irradiation  of the blood brings the body back into a state of homeostasis; that is, it has a normalizing effect on the whole system. It triggers various immune responses to rid the body of inflammation, which translates to less pain. It improves blood circulation throughout the body, and specifically in the central nervous system (the brain). It improves communication between muscle and nerve cells for improved function. It normalizes tissue metabolism and promotes the mitochondria to produce more ATP, which translates into more energy.

Since the Russians began doing research on intravenous laser irradiation of the blood in 1981, many additional studies have shown its positive effects on cardiovascular health, hypertension, neuropathy, muscular sclerosis, diabetes, autoimmune disease, allergies, acute infections, fatigue, fibromyalgia, systemic inflammation, liver disease and kidney disease.

A small study  done on young, male body builders perfectly shows, I think, the general boost the blood laser can give the body. The study concluded that laser blood irradiation measurably increased both strength and endurance, an effect that appeared immediately after the treatment and lasted for 16 weeks.

What is a treatment like?

The blood laser has six fiberoptic cables that are clustered into a small mouthpiece. The mouthpiece, covered with a disposable  plastic covering, is placed under the tongue. The client rests for up to 20 minutes while the device emits laser light to the veins under the tongue. 

The recommended dosage for general support is 20 minutes once per week, for a series of four to ten weeks, or longer for a chronic condition. For a more severe problem, say diabetic ulcers, the treatment can be given twice per week, until the ulcers have begun to heal. On the other hand, if someone is trying to get over a lingering cold or cough, one treatment might just do the trick.

Stories from my practice

I have used the blood laser on clients (and myself) for about two months at the time of writing and have already seen and experienced big changes. Here are a few anecdotes from my practice:

1. Personally, I have much more energy with a greater ability to focus, and improved sleep.

2. One client experienced a significant decrease in springtime allergy symptoms after her first treatment. 

3. Someone else suffers from very sensitive skin with significant itching following a severe systemic candida infection many years ago. Following each treatment (three so far) she notices a big reduction in symptoms that last almost through the week. 

4. A fibromyalgia client has been having better weeks with more energy and less overall pain since commencing blood laser treatments.

5. Another client who had recently finished radiation treatment three to four weeks earlier wasn’t getting her energy back. After one blood laser treatment she felt close to normal for almost a week. After two more treatments, her energy was totally restored.

6. Across the board, the most common comment is “Wow, I had so much energy this week!”

For those of you who asked for more scientific information…here it is!

According to M. H. Weber in his paper “The Intravenous Laser Blood Irradiation – Introduction of a New Therapy ,” laser blood irradiation causes the following changes to occur:

1. Immune system effects: improved immunologic activity of the blood, i.e. stimulation of the immune response, both specific and non-specific; increase of the immunoglobulins IgG, IgM and IgA; stimulation of interferons, interleukins and TNF-alfa; stimulation of the proliferation of lymphocytes; activation of phagocytic activity of the macrophages; proliferation of lymphocytes and B- and T-cells; and lowering c-reactive protein.

2. Circulatory system effects: improvement of regeneration of erythrocytes and of microcirculation; reduction of aggregation of thrombocytes; activation of fibrinolysis; and stimulation of the NO-production in monocytes with vasodilation and improvement of endothelial dysfunction.

3. Impact on muscle and nerve cells: normalization of the cell membrane potential, which helps muscle and nerve cells to transmit signals between each other for increased function.

4. Impact on overall energy and whole system : mitochondria are stimulated to produce more ATP, which translates to more energy; and normalized tissue metabolism.

 Herbs that influence the blood

Nettles to build the blood

The nettle plant is highly nutritious and makes a wonderful green vegetable in the spring. Once you wash it and cook it, the sting will disappear. It is known to nourish the blood, and treat  anemia-type conditions, including low blood pressure, pale face, fainting and fatigue. It is also helpful in cases where blood deficiency and excessive bleeding go hand-in-hand.

Yarrow to move the blood

Yarrow is one of my favorite plants. I love its herbaceous scent, hearty flowers, strong stems and delicate feathery leaves. I’ve been monitoring a few specimens on my morning walks, and they are now starting to bloom. One of yarrow’s many strengths is to move and cool the blood and thereby stop bleeding. I use it fresh, dried, or in ointment on fresh cuts and bruises with amazing results. Tea and tincture are taken internally for bleeding due to blood stasis in the digestive and respiratory tracts and the female reproductive system. Blood stasis is when coagulated blood obstructs the vessels, causing fresh blood to be forced out around it. To treat this type of bleeding, we need to move blood. 

Shepherd’s Purse to stop bleeding

Shepherd’s Purse is primarily used to stop excessive bleeding. It is warming and stimulating, and is best for blood that is “dark and oozing,” according to herbalist Matthew Wood . It is especially useful for women suffering from excessive menstrual bleeding and hemorrhaging, fibroids, and postpartum bleeding. Shepherd’s Purse is also useful for bleeding in the digestive and urinary tracts and for wounds that continue to ooze. From a biomedical perspective, Shepherd’s Purse stops bleeding due to its vasoconstrictive and coagulating properties.

Burdock to “clean” the blood

Blood can get overloaded with toxins if our body’s detoxification processes are broken down or overwhelmed. This can manifest in all types of skin conditions from acne to eczema to psoriasis. In Chinese medicine, we call this toxic heat in the blood. According to herbalist Peter Holmes , burdock root regulates the system by “restoring, altering and eliminating.” In other words, it gently brings the body into harmony by detoxifying the blood and tissues. Burdock also regulates the immune system, which, as we now know, is tied with the blood. This is why I give it to almost all of my clients suffering from seasonal allergies…with great effect, I might add.

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.

Fend off the flu! 13 tips for 2013

The flu seems to be quite virulent this year. According to the latest statistics, this is considered to be the worst outbreak in a decade, with many flu-associated deaths. What can you do to protect yourself? Whether you are a proponent of the flu shot or not, the following tips will help to keep your immune system strong in 2013.

First…the everyday basics:

1. Wash your hands frequently.

2. Get 8-9 hours of sleep per night.

3. Get frequent, moderate exercise.

4. Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of clear water per day.

5. Limit sugar intake.

6. Limit alcohol intake

7. Avoid processed foods and focus on eating nutrient-dense foods (organic vegetables, nuts and seeds, organic hormone-free meats and eggs, fermented vegetables, etc.)

Second…the important additions:

8. Be sure you’re well nourished. To accomplish this, consider taking  Catalyn from Standard Process. It supports general nutrition by way of a whole food supplement.

9. Be sure your vitamin D levels are in the optimal range. You can request a blood test next time you visit your doctor. It’s a safe bet to take 4000-5000 IUs per day, especially during the fall, winter and spring. I like to take Biotics Bio-D-Mulsion in sesame oil, and have it available for purchase.

10. Take a good quality probiotic. Freshness is important. Buy from a store with good turnover. I prefer brands sold in natural foods stores/coops over those sold in big box stores. Standard Process makes a great product called  Prosynbiotic. 

11. Take Elderberry tincture or syrup both as a preventative and a treatment for the flu (see below). This is great for kids, because it tastes great!

12. Protect yourself from airborne bacteria and viruses by inhaling antimicrobial essential oils regularly (tea tree, eucalyptus, niaouli, nerolina, to name a few). My recommendation is to either diffuse Niaouli Melablend or use a Breathe inhaler (see below), both from Plant Extracts, International. 

13. And, last but not least, GET REGULAR ACUPUNCTURE! Studies  have shown that acupuncture promotes the production of T cells in the body, which help to ward off harmful bacteria and viruses. (Neuroscience Letters, 2010) 

Many studies have proven the effectiveness of Elderberry to prevent and treat the flu. One is listed in this article . Elderberry grows throughout our area, and is found in many city parks. Next summer consider collecting some and making a delicious syrup out of it! If you need Elderberry’s healing properties now, I have the tincture available.

Breathe inhalers are handy little things to carry in your pocket. Any time you’re exposed to sickness, unscrew the top and inhale deeply to fight off bacteria or viruses that are on the attack. You can also inhale through your mouth to be sure your whole respiratory track is protected. Red Clover Clinic stocks inhalers from Plant Extracts International.

Standard Process whole food supplements

I have personally enjoyed the benefits of Standard Process whole foods supplements and introduced them into my practice in October. I’d like to share with you what I learned about these useful supplements during an educational weekend touring their impressive facility in Palmyra, WI. 

The company

Standard Process is the first and oldest whole food supplement company in the United States, started by Royal Lee in 1929. Their products have been sold through health professionals since that time. They grow as many of their raw materials as possible on their 1,000 acres of organically certified land. This nutrient-rich soil is tested, along with incoming raw materials and the final product, at every stage of production in an in-house quality-control lab.

Whole food supplements

The best way to nourish your body is by eating a diet rich in whole foods. Unfortunately, most of us fall short when it comes to getting the variety and quality of food we need, not to mention the fact that many vegetables are being grown in soils that have been stripped of many necessary nutrients by conventional farming methods. If you are taking any prescription and/or non-prescription drugs, you may be losing nutrients as well. This is where supplementation comes in, but not all supplements are created equal.

Most supplements on the market are made up of synthetic vitamins and minerals. A synthetic vitamin is an isolated chemical that has been identified as the active constituent of a vitamin complex molecule. This is the pharmaceutical version of nutrition. Studies have shown that the body better absorbs nutrients when taking them by a vitamin in its whole food form, rather than in isolation.

By combining concentrated whole foods, Standard Process is able to create supplements that go above and beyond the synthetic variety. Whole food nutrition includes the following important components: (1) synergistic nutrients, (2) glandular support, and (3) phytonutrients. 

1. As mentioned above, single vitamins taken out of a whole food may not be as effective in promoting health as eating the food itself. Each food has its nutrients and synergistic cofactors that provide you with the most effective, well-balanced nutritional supplement. 

2. Animal glandular tissues provide nutrients to stimulate the corresponding tissues in humans, enhancing natural cell and tissue repair. This particularly appeals to my Chinese medicine background, since it is common practice to recommend eating the part of an animal that is weak in your own body. In the modern Western world, we have practically stopped eating organ meats, and have thereby lost a lot of nutrition and healing potential.

3. Phytonutrients are nutrients found in plants that are necessary to maintain health. They have many purposes, including supporting the immune system, supporting cellular communication, acting as antioxidants, etc.

Standard Process makes over 175 supplement products to both support general health and to treat particular disorders and deficiencies. In most cases, it is recommended that the supplements be taken with each meal since your body absorbs supplements best when all its digestive functions are active. 

Red Clover Clinic has many Standard Process products in stock. If you are interested in learning more about general nutrition or treating a particular complaint, please feel free to contact me!