Treatment of Amenorrhea with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Amenorrhea is the medical term used when there is an absence of menstrual bleeding in women who are not pregnant, breastfeeding or peri-menopausal. Amenorrhea is further sub-classified into Primary amenorrhea or Secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea is a delay in or a failure to start menstruation by the age of 16; Secondary amenorrhea is an unexpected cessation of the menstrual cycle (missed period) for three months or more.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) works by stimulating the body to regulate its naturally occurring hormones, thus helping to restore the normal hormonal balance of the body. Another reason why TCM is so beneficial in treating symptoms of amenorrhea is because the therapy involved focuses on treating the root of the problem rather than just the present symptoms. With a little investigation into your medical history and an accurate description of what you're experiencing, you and your acupuncturist can get to the root of the problem.
We advise you to come into the clinic 1 - 2 times per week for acupuncture and will usually combine a Chinese herbal formula for you to take as well. Effectively treating the root cause of the Secondary Amenorrhea takes approximately three menstrual cycles. Some women will see a reduction in their symptoms right away while others may take a longer period of time. Stress levels, lifestyle, and general health are important factors involved in response time.

For more information about missed periods please read here

Call Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese herbs at 212-894-0767 for your free 15 minute consultation

posted by Sharon A. Wyse L.Ac.

Coping with Stress.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has recently released a new health bulletin about how to better cope with stress, and I think that they have some good tips in there. Coping with stress is important as too much stress can cause or exacerbate disease. To see how acupuncture can help ease stress, click here.

Click here for link to the pdf file of this helpful bulletin.

The following is a general list from their website:

9 Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress

• 1. Get plenty of sleep.
  2. Be physically active.
  3. Breathe!
  4. Talk about it.
  5. Write about it.
  6. Treat yourself well.
  7. Make time for yourself.
  8. Keep it simple.
  9. Laugh it off.

posted by: Michael G. Pingicer, M.S., L.Ac.212.894.0767
http://www.amazinghealing.com/

Battling the Blues

It's been raining on and off for several weeks now, and the general mood of everyone is affected. It can be hard to stay positive with a sunny outlook when it seems like gloom is everywhere. Dr. Mercola offers the following list of tips to boost your mood naturally:

Chemical-Free Strategies to Trick Yourself Out of the Blues

1. Put on a blue shirt
Blue is generally relaxing, while orange is the biggest irritant.

2. Pause your mental TiVo
Stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, and quickly count to 10 while strongly pressing your right thumb and forefinger together. Now do the same with your left hand. Repeat this five times. This will clear your mind.

3. Recruit an anger buddy
Find a thick-skinned friend who’ll let you verbally assault him when the situation warrants. Make sure you’re willing to return the favor. Make sure the tirade is brief, private, and somewhat controlled.

4. Fabricate a smile
Grin. According to experts, people who are manipulated into smiling report feeling better instantly -- going through the motions can trigger the emotions.

5. Clean your room
Most people don’t realize how much clutter causes stress. Pick clothes up off the floor, remove dirty glasses from the coffee table, and make your bed.

6. Climb the stairway to heaven
Music has been shown to reduce stress and have a positive effect on health.

7. Order Chinese
According to recent research, ginger and broccoli may temporarily help relieve depression.

8. Dot your eyes
Draw two dots an inch or so apart on a piece of white paper. Stare at the space between them with an out-of-focus gaze until they merge. Release and repeat three times.

9. Sniff a lemon
Nice smells such as fresh fruit, a looming thunderstorm, or just-mowed grass can turn your beat around.

10. Chop till you drop
Cook something from scratch. You are now in touch with your primal self; destroying and creating at the same time is the ultimate mood lifter.

Here's hoping for some radiant sunshine in the near future! Until then, hang in there...
posted by Jessica Silver, MAOM, L.Ac.

Bike Month is Halfway Over!

May is bike month in NYC. All the recent talk about green-this and green-that has spurred much talk about the now-dead congestion charge for vehicles entering NYC, alternative fuels, and transportation alternatives. So, put your car down for a bit or take a break from the dirty subway and ride your bike more. There are such a variety of bikes and bike accoutrements out that that are really useful for transport of groceries or just a nice easy commute in the a.m. The terrain of NYC is relatively flat, and whenever I ride my bike to work, I beat the time that I normally spend on the train! Don't have a bike or don't know if it is for you? Well, then rent a bike for a few days and try it out. Have fun riding!

Click here to see a list of the remaining events for bike month.

Some of the event highlights are as follows:

Teach Your Child to Ride a Bike

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Location:

Madison Square Park 23rd St. (Madison and 5th Ave.), near the fountain, south end of the park

see website for other locations.

Savvy Cyclist

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Location:

Recycle-A-Bicycle Training Center in Queens

Full-day class that teaches how to "drive" a bicycle on busy urban streets. Includes classroom and outdoor portions and explains rules of the road, how to check over your bike, fix a flat tire, avoid road hazards, and much more. Adults and mature teens only please. Free; pre-registration required.

4th Annual Tour de Brooklyn

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Description:

18 mile family friendly bike tour highlighting the ever changing neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Join us on a journey from DUMBO to Bushwick to an exclusive ride through the Brooklyn Navy Yards. Pre-registration online. 14 and under helmets required.

http://tourdebrooklyn.org

NYC Bicycle Film Festival

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - Friday May 28th

Website:

http://bicyclefilmfestival.com

posted by: Michael G. Pingicer, M.S., L.Ac.

212.894.0767
http://www.amazinghealing.com/

Positive Power!

The following is by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief, who discusses one of the most important aspects of health - being your own best support system! We often forget how important the power of positive thinking is!

"I find that women are often their own toughest critics (myself included!). But years of personal experience have taught me the power of positive self-talk. Around our offices, I like to go by this policy: If you wouldn't dream of saying it to your best friend ("Just look at that cellulite!"), don't say it to yourself.

"Studies back up the benefits of positive self-talk: Research suggests that consistently replacing negative thoughts with optimistic ones may improve your outlook, reduce stress and lift your self-esteem.

"Here's how to come up with a motivating personal mantra you can rely on again and again:

1. First, envision your ideal life, then come up with an encouraging phrase that makes it sound as if what you desire is already a reality. Instead of "I hope tomorrow is better," try "I believe that tomorrow will be a better day."

2. Repeat your mantra whenever you start to badmouth yourself ("I'm such a loser!"). You'll retrain your brain to focus on the positive, not the negative.

3. Can't think of a mantra that doesn't make you feel silly? Try one of these:"I choose to love and appreciate myself and others.""I am grateful for the good and wonder in my life.""I can make healthy choices and be the architect of my future.""I forgive my flaws and celebrate my strengths."My personal favorite: "I am grateful for all the good things in my life and should remember this as often as I can."

posted by Jessica Silver, MAOM, L.Ac.

Ergonomics in the workplace

When I was about 11 years old I was absent from school on the same day they handed out science project assignments; I went back to school the next day to find out I was left with the last assignment that nobody wanted to take: Ergonomics. Personally, I had no idea what ergonomics was and I figured that my peers didn't either, which is why they so graciously left that assignment for me! Over 20 years later, I now find myself educating patients on how to ergonomically set up their office work space.

Simply moving your telephone, adjusting your chair, or repositioning your computer screen can help alleviate that chronic low back pain, neck pain, wrist pain etc.... just a few ailments you might suffer from if your office space isn't designed with ergonomics in mind.

Here are some tips to keep your work from being a pain in the neck:

• The keyboard should be even with your seated elbow height.
• A chair that does not provide good posture can lead to lower back pain. If a chair is too high, there can be circulation loss in legs and feet. A good ergonomic chair should adjust for full lumbar support and should be padded.
  
• The chair back should press against the small of your back. Use a pillow if the chair back isn't adjustable. Your feet should rest flat on the floor.
• To ensure a 90-degree angle, the back of the knees should touch the chair's seat.
• Sit between 18 and 28 inches from the computer monitor. The top of the computer screen should be at eye level (head level over shoulders, not looking up or down).
• Use a wrist rest with rounded edges at the base of the keyboard.
• Direct-light sources should be positioned away from the screen to eliminate glare. If glare is persistent, try a glare filter, which is usually inexpensive at home-office stores. The monitor should be perpendicular to the light sources, such as a window, and the screen should be perpendicular to the desk.
• When operating a mouse, use the whole arm, not just the forearm. Keep the wrist straight and use a wrist rest at the base of the mouse pad.

~By the way, I won first place in the science fair that year!

For more information on how Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs can help you, please call us for your free 15 minute consultation at 212-894-0767 or please check out our website at amazinghealing.com

posted by Sharon A. Wyse, L.Ac.

New Yorkers Breathing In Dangerous Mix Of Toxins

I was reading an article last week that stated that nearly half of all New Yorkers live in areas where the air does not meet minimum standards. The American Lung Association's 2008 State of the Air report says seven of New York State's 33 counties receive failing grades for air quality. More than 8.2 million people live in that area (that’s nearly half of the state's population).

"To a large extent, New York City's air problems are the result of high traffic, the density of traffic," said Louise Vetter, president and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association (ALA) of NYC. "We are also faced with power plant pollution blowing from the Midwest. And the power fuel used to heat our buildings is actually quite dirty... So building emissions, vehicle emissions, and then power plants create a triple threat for the New York City area."

The ALA says that poor air quality can contribute to respiratory diseases, such as asthma attacks, coughing, wheezing, and chest pain. Add allergies season to that and you see a lot of people suffering from respiratory symptoms. If you suffer from asthma, allergies or any other upper respiratory symptoms, acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs work together to strengthen your immune system to prevent sickness, while also addressing the symptomatic aspect such as runny nose, cough, sore throat, dry itchy eyes, and sinus congestion, to name a few.

If you suffer from any upper respiratory symptoms, whether it's seasonal allergies or a common cold, or if you find yourself constantly suffering from upper respiratory infections, we can help!
Call Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs to schedule an appointment at 212-894-0767 or email us at amazinghealing@gmail.com

Posted by Sharon Wyse, L.Ac.

Portland, Ore. is getting acupuncture?

The land is getting acupuncture...literally. Kind of a strange story, but also an interesting idea: giving the earth acupuncture. From the New York Post today:

"An Oregon man is trying to improve his city's chi by giving it acupuncture.

Adam Kuby drove a 23-foot needle into the ground by the Willamette River in Portland and plans to plant more all over town.

Kuby's theory goes like this: Acupuncture is proven to help people's vital energy, so why wouldn't it work on a city? He says it's a way to make residents see the city in a holistic way.

"It is a visual way of expressing what a lot of people already know," said Kuby. The city is "one organism, one body, one very complex, independent system.""

I always describe the acupuncture channels as rivers that contain qi and blood and qi stagnation as a dammed river, so this earth acupuncture makes sense to me. Hopefully, this project can
continue and produce some recognizable results. I'll keep you updated!

Here is a link to the artist's explanation.

posted by: Michael G. Pingicer, M.S., L.Ac.

212.894.0767
http://www.amazinghealing.com/

Breastfeeding's on the Rise!

I was happy to see that the CDC has just published the results of their latest survey: 3 out of 4 new moms in the U.S. now breast-feed their infants!

This is the highest rate in the U.S. in at least 20 years. About 77 percent of new mothers breast-feed, at least briefly, up from 60 percent in 1993-1994.

Experts attribute the rise to education campaigns that emphasize that breast milk is better than formula at protecting babies against disease and childhood obesity. A changing culture that accommodates nursing mothers may also be a factor.

Here is the whole article.

posted by Jessica Silver, MAOM, L.Ac.

Love your Bones!

May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention month. Getting enough calcium is, of course, a big part of osteoporosis prevention - but there are other aspects of your diet that you need to pay attention to as well if you want strong, healthy bones. Now is a good time to take note of some startling facts about the disease:

Did you know that a high protein diet may increase your calcium requirement?
"Studies done in the 1960s and 70s found that vegetarians had higher bone density than meat eaters and for a long time it has been thought that high-protein diets thinned the bones. The generally accepted explanation is that proteins leave an acidic residue when they are digested. In order to balance the pH of the blood, calcium is leached from the bones, resulting in a loss of bone density. On the other hand, more recent studies have shown that protein consumption can increase the absorption of calcium, but only when calcium intake is high. So the real culprit may not be a high-protein diet but rather a diet that is both high in protein and low in calcium"

If you are a big meat eater, make sure to get at least the recommended amount of calcium, which is 1,000 to 1,500mg a day for adults. That doesn't mean that you have to go out and buy a 1,500mg calcium supplement. Simply figure out how much calcium you get from your diet and then make up the difference with a supplement. Or, even better, increase your intake of calcium rich foods!

If you are a vegetarian or near-vegetarian, don't be lulled into thinking you don't need to worry about bone health. Take care to get enough calcium (especially if you don't eat dairy), as well as vitamins D and K, which are often found in (and best absorbed from) protein foods.

Did you know that a high intake of carbonated fluids (such as sodas) over time can increase your chances of osteoporosis?
"Researchers at Tufts University, studying several thousand men and women, found that women who regularly drank cola-based sodas -- three or more a day -- had almost 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip, even though researchers controlled for calcium and vitamin D intake."
Phosphoric acid, a major component in most sodas, may be to blame. Phosphorus itself is an important bone mineral, but if you're getting a disproportionate amount of phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium you're getting, that could lead to bone loss.

Whether you are 5 years old or 50, you should take charge of your health and make sure you are getting enough calcium in your diet...your body will thank you in the long run!

Click here to link to The Food and Nutrition Information Center - a leader in food and human nutrition information dissemination since 1971.

Of course diet is one important way to start taking care of your health; other ways include Acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Whether for smoking cessation, weight loss, energy rejuvenation or for releasing tension +/or pain, Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help you start taking care of your body as a whole!
Call Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs at 212-894-0767 for a free 15 minute consultation!

Posted by: Sharon A. Wyse L.Ac.