Be A Heart Donor? More hearts needed.

MORE HEARTS NEEDED!  BE A HEART DONOR?

- NEJM July 19, 2007

   Last year there were 30,000 solid organ transplants in the United States and there are 97,000 people on the waiting list. Seventy five percent were gifts from deceased hdonors with most of these from heart death donors rather than brain dead donors. The usual organs donated are kidneys and livers, sometimes pancreases and lungs but rarely the heart. Rarely does a donation come from an unexpected fatal heart attack.

   A brain dead patient is pronounced dead on the basis of neurological criteria even though they are on ventilators with good heart functions. The ventilators prevent the hearts from deteriorating.

   Fifty years ago organs were only extracted after the heart stopped beating. Trauma or bleeding to the brain resulted in irreversible brain damage and further treatment deemed futile. Officially they are not dead.
All that is changing.

   A private non profit group in Richmond Virginia called OPTN\UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) operate the Organ Procurement and Transportation Network. It is under contract by the Federal Government and is committed to get more donors.

   The OPTN\UNOS network has developed rules finalized in March 2007 to get more heart donors. First a suitable candidate is selected. The next of kin is contacted to give consent to withdraw care and retrieve organs.

   All life-sustaining measures are stopped in the ICU (intensive care unit) or in the OR (operating room). The new criteria for cardiac death are met and a doctor pronounces the patient dead. When the pulse is absent for 2-5 minutes there is no spontaneous return of circulation and death has occurred. There can still be some heart activity seen on the EKG. Neither the doctor pronouncing the patient dead, the personnel involved in preparing end of life care, nor the transplant surgeon can participate in the removal of the organs. (This is to avoid a conflict of interest).

   On Jan 9, the British passed a ruling that everyone who dies must be an organ donor unless he opts out.  This will insure many more organ donors.  In effect, this allows the government to make the decision for the Brits.  

 Could this catch on in the U.S?

Successful transplantation requires organs not deprived of oxygen. Livers must be remove within 1] 2 hour;: kidneys and pancreases have up to one hour for removal. Time is of the essence. Cold preservation solutions after removal preserve the organ.

   If by chance the patient does not die quick enough after end of life care is initiated, the planned donation is cancelled and ICU care is resumed. This happens up to 20% of the time. Cardiac death donors raise more concern than brain dead donors. Since the potential donor is not dead when life-sustaining measures are stopped, complex issues arise.

   There is little time between withdrawing care, pronouncing death, and revering the organs. The family must cope with this quick dying process. The family must find comfort in the ability to donate organs under these speeding special circumstances.

To maintain success of the donation, specific rules are in place. 

    The potential donor is wheeled into the operating room when he is still alive. He is given heparin with other agents to prevent clotting of the blood and maintain a functioning good heart. (A heart must be free of blood clots after removal and cold perfusion is started).

   Heparin hastens death by causing bleeding. A large catheter is placed in the large arteries and veins to make sure a rapid injection of the heparin can preserve the heart from clots.

   Jan.2007 the Joint commission developed accreditation standards for donation after cardiac death. Most hospitals never had an organ donor whose death was declared on the basis of cardiac pulse criteria (no pulse).

To meet the new standard the hospitals are required to have the policies in place, not just allow the practice. If the hospital wants to cop out or the personnel have concerns of the methods of ending life care they must document their strong efforts to reach agreement and must justify the reasons why they want to drop out of the program.

   All 257 transplant hospitals and 58 transplant centers in America must comply with the new rules of the Joint Commission.

COMMENT: There is a great deal of concerns about the present new rules to increase heart donations. A donor is present, and the transplant surgeons are ready. They are in a hurry to obtain the organs. Massive amounts of morphine are given to stop respirations. II the patient does not die quickly, the organs are not recoverable because they are not useful for transplantation. If the end of life procedures is not followed death efforts may fail. Surgery and end of life procedures are cancelled and ICU procedures are resumed.

   This is not the case with donors of brain dead patients. Do you have any concerns?   LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK?

Visit us @ www.americanacupuncture.com for more information.

MEDICAL OVERTREATMENT FOR HEART DISEASE AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

MEDICAL OVERTREATMENT FOR HEART DISEASE AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

HEART DISEASE

   The heart beats 100,000 times a day, pumping 6 quarts of blood around the body three times a minute. There is a delicate balance mechanically, electrically and chemically. This blood passes over 60,000 miles of blood vessels and capillaries. Over 65% of Americans have some cardiovascular disease. Fifty percent of men over 40 have some heart disease. Yet over one million people in the US die each year of heart disease.

   Heart disease accounts for over 40% of annual deaths. Heart disease is a natural inevitable deterioration of blood vessels. Now it is called a preventable disease if treated and conceivably can be cured with treatment..

   Today 2600 die daily and one American every two minutes dies of heart disease. It accounts for more than the next 5 leading causes of deathare cancer ½ million, with the other four about 65 thousand for each, that is accidents, lung disease, diabetes, and pneumonia.

What goes wrong?  There is a build up of fatty plaques that block arteries, not enough blood get to the lungs and body, and extra irregular heart beats lead to strokes and cardiac deaths.

   More people with heart disease are surviving yet it still is the leading cause of death.  It kills fewer people but proportionately kills them later in life. It typically is not a 50 year old man that suddenly falls dead but a 70 year-old man that survives.  We now get another 20 or 25 years to live thanks to stents, angioplasty, medication, and the new rotoblader that clears blockages of vessels.. 

   This is a great triumph of medicine in the last 50 years. Over 54% of heart disease patients have coronary disease, another 18% have strokes and only 5% have congestive failure. 

   Yet this 70 year old man lives with severe heart disease. He is not cured but maintained alive with numerous surgeries.  One million bypass surgeries occur annually and require a great amount of medication.  It has become a chronic disease, not an acute disease. 

  The survivors of heart disease get congestive heart failure.The damaged heart struggles to pump blood.  Its efficiency fails. Fluid builds up in the lungs resulting in shortness of breath. Our survivor can't walk across a room.  Strokes also occur resulting in dementia, nursing home admission and disability.

   When we stop our survivor from dying, is it a good thing?  Is extending life always terrific?  Is it worth it to live to be 85 after suffering a heart attack and now suffer dementia and frailty?  Everything is not fine despite low death rates. The reason for these low rates is the new drugs, surgical treatments, and changes in behavior.

  Today high blood pressure and cholesterol are controlled. Thirty years age only 16% were controlled of high blood pressure and now 65% are controlled.  Most of this 65% have blood pressures of 140/90. Our definition of hypertension now includes a large number of borderline people.

High cholesterol is controlled today with statins. These are fairly safe and effective. Side effects include fatigue, stomach troubles and cramps.  Over 116 million prescriptions were filled in Sept of 2002 and are rising. Lowering cholesterol does not mean no heart attack will occur.  Monitoring everyone is expensive.

   Doctors today give dissolving blood clot medications and operate to open these closed blood vessels with stents, angioplasty, and implantable defibrillators.  Studies recently shows that the vast amount of heart attacks do not originate with blockages that have narrowed arteries.  New evidence shows heart attacks occur when an area of plaque bursts, a clot forms over the area, and blood flow is abruptly blocked.

   In 80% of cases, the plaque that broke lose did not come from an obstructed artery and would not be stented or bypassed.  The dangerous plaque is soft and fragile, produced no symptoms and would not be seen as an obstruction of blood flow.  That is why so many heart attacks are unexpected.  A person can be out jogging, feeling fine, and is struck with a heart attack the very next moment.  If a narrowed artery were the cause, exercise would have caused severe pain. 

   Hundreds of vulnerable plaques are present in heart patients. Preventing heart attacks means going after all their arteries not one narrowed section. One must attack the disease itself. 

Cleveland Clinic: Dr. Topol, Univ. of California: Dr Waters, Southwest Medical    Center, Dallas: Dr. Hillis

   More people with no symptoms are now getting stents because of tests showing an obstructive vessel on testing. One million stents will be placed this year, doubling the rate from 1999.   A patient goes to a cardiologist with vague symptoms and gets put into the cardiac lab for angiograms. 

   Since most middle aged people and older have arteriosclerosis the tests will show a narrowing and the patient will inevitably get a stent.  Once you get on the cardiac lab train you can't get off.  Its pretty likely you will get something done. Most are convinced they are a walking time bomb and this procedure will save their lives.

    Only 20% of people with heart disease quit smoking, watch their diets or lose weight.   They think their doctor will take care of everything.  Obesity is also a concern today among young people and we worry that they will get diabetes or heart disease. Smoking rates did not affect heart disease because most of the smokers die of lung cancer and lung disease.  Early detection is today's motto to pick up imminent strokes and heart attacks.

Let us consider the risk factors for heart disease. 

   Over 40 million people take medication for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and weight loss. There are new definitions of these diseases. Since high cholesterol is now defined as over 200mg/cc,  over 2/3 of people need monitoring and 1/3 need statins. Since obesity is defined as over 20% over the ideal weight, 35 million people need to be on a weight reduction diet. Losing weight will add months not years to your life. You must be willing to exercise, count calories and must become dedicated.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

   High blood pressure is a moderate risk to your health. Sever elevation puts life in peril. We have a health problem and a solution. The importance of blood pressure is sold to the public and is the leading reason to see your doctor. 

   The benefits of preventing strokes and heart attacks in sever high blood pressure is undisputable. Yet the public is told that everyone with a mild rise in blood pressure requires treatment.

    Standards for high blood pressure have been lowered in the US which results in a two time increase that in Australia and five times that in England.  Large clinical trials showed less than expected benefits and the side effects were widespread.  Drug companies put TV ads showing you may die if you don't keep taking their drugs.  Risks were exaggerated and benefits were overstated.

   In the past, mild rise in readings were written off as part of aging and decreased kidney filtration. Insurance companies detailed what was normal 110/80.  Mild hypertension was defined as the diastolic over 90, and high blood pressure as the diastolic over 110.

   In 1000 men 3.7 die with normal blood pressures and 5.5 with mild high blood pressure. The risk cuts your life by 2 years with mild hypertension, and 3 years by severe obesity.  Woman's risk is 50% less.

   How much of this risk can be reduced by medication? High blood pressure treatment has little effect in preventing coronary heart disease. Eight out of ten people with high blood pressure will have heart attacks despite treatment.

The treatment in some cases can cause heart attacks. 

   Some medications raise cholesterol, while others cause heart irregularities.  High blood pressure does lower the stroke possibility by 35% but has no effect on lowering heart attacks. Ninety percent of the risks of high blood pressure remain despite treatment.

One third of patients need to be withdrawn from treatment because of severe side effects. Diuretics block the retention of salt but can cause gout and mild diabetes.  Ace inhibitors neutralize hormones that cause blood vessels to shrink.  Everyone develops depression.

COMMENTS

   We have transferred the power of living from the patient to the medical system. In the past you the patient decided when he was sick enough to see a doctor. The patient never expected or asked for a cure. 

   Now millions of healthy people are screened and told they have a disease requiring a medical treatment. The doctor has the power to tell who is sick and who is healthy.

   This is a medical overkill. Decision makers have immense poser over our lives. Medicine is ruled by consensus and governed by guidelines. The average physician is not allowed to debate, and no voting is allowed. 

   If we exaggerate the risks, we can justify mass medical treatment. Millions of people get no benefit and many are harmed with unnecessary treatments.  One person benefits and 38 others get severe side effects.

   The premise is  that we are healthy and might live forever unless treated for some disease. Once you are labeled as a person with a disease and need medical treatment for life, you have lost your freedom independence, and self reliance. This can affect you income, promotions, and life insurance premiums. You now require expert evaluation and management for life and are pressured into high level testing, treatments and develop new priorities.

So folks, it all boils down to the basics. Avoid fats, lose weight, exercise, avoid stress, and quit smoking. Acupuncture can help in many of these things.

Don't forget to visit www.americanacupuncture.com for more information.

ARE YOU DEHYDRATED

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, BUT NOT A DROP TO DRINK!

It is interesting seeing people under 30 carrying bottled water and constantly drinking. Yet people, over 40, rarely drink water or even order water in a restaurant. It has been estimated that, as we age, we lose the sensation of thirst. We often confuse thirst with a hunger sensation. We think we must eat to feel better but all we need is a couple glasses of water. Senior citizens are often dehydrated and lose daily 3-6 quarts of water from their cells.

The body recycles 40,000 glasses of water daily and is short 8-10 glasses. The body needs 2 quarts of water daily to make up for this deficit, and also ½ tablespoon of salt (sea salt is the best). One ounce of water is needed daily for every two pounds of body weight. A 200-pound person needs 100 ounces of water daily. Minerals are also needed daily; taking a vitamin daily will get an adequate amount of these minerals.

Your body contains 75% water and 25% solids. Sixty six percent of body water is in the cells, 25% is outside the cells and 8% is in the blood. Water is lost from the body from sweating, urinating, breathing, and bowel movements. When one is adequately hydrated, the urine should look clear.

WHAT'S ALL THIS GOT TO DO WITH ACUPUNCTURE

Many of the problems you will read about in this newsletter are reversed by acupuncture. When an acupuncture needle is inserted, it results in increased heat, which results in increased blood flow, and resultant increase in water to damaged cells that cause pain. By increasing the content of water to the damaged cells cellular healing occurs. Many severe diseases as allergies, asthma, arthritis, and high blood pressure are also alleviated with acupuncture. One must understand the metabolic aspects of chronic body water shortage and, acid-alkaline balance. You can help heal yourself by restoring more water to your body.

WHAT EFFECTS DOES WATER HAVE ON THE BODY?

Effects on cells: Every cell of the body should be waterlogged even if the skin is dry. The cells live in an ocean of salt water. Like fish in the ocean, all cells of the body must adapt to the laws of the sea to function.

Water fills empty spaces and transports blood cells in the circulation. It dissolves all the body solids and increases oxygen to the cells. It is the glue that keeps the solid parts of cells together. It rapidly moves sodium and potassium in and out of cell membranes. Water generates electrical and magnetic energy inside every cell of the body. It is the main source of energy production and also regulates energy by osmotic balancing. Everything in your body needs water to live.

A chronic shortage of water in the body eventually kills some body cells. DNA is damaged in the cell nucleus. There is a loss in the DNA repair system. Cell receptors lose their balancing processes of the hormonal control systems. The immune systems can't recognize abnormal cells, can't destroy, them and can't filter and remove them.

Chemical reactions in cells produce very acidic products. Water must wash these acid elements from the cells, take them to the liver and release them through the kidneys. If this acid elimination is incomplete, the fine detailed DNA transcription patterns in the cell nuclei become eroded and with time these cells can become abnormal and cancerous.

Effects on immune system: Water prevents DNA damage and makes the DNA repair system more efficient. It helps the immune system in the bone marrow become efficient in fighting infections and cancer. It normalizes the bone marrow, decreasing chances of leukemia and lymphomas. Eosinophils (white cells) are sensitive to histamine and block bone marrow immune system activity. The bone marrow is very involved in water control. All white cells have histamine receptors. Dehydration suppresses the immune system by releasing vasopressin that stimulated cortisone release. Increased cortisone makes interleukin-1 released from some white blood cells. Interleukin -1 makes tissue breakdown by releasing raw materials from the body protein reserves. Interleukin-2 and interferon become blocked. Interferon is an essential element necessary for immune system function. It caused local release of hydrogen peroxide and ozone that kill bacteria and cancer cells. Water may play a role in prevention of cancer and even curative. Cancer cells are produced in an acidic environment. Most chemotherapeutic drugs are alkaline in function. Cancer cells are anaerobic and don't like oxygen. Oxygen actually kills cancer cells. An increase in water intake can help battle infections, foreign agents, and even aberrant cancer cells.

Effects on brain: The brain weighs only 3 pounds and represents only 2% of the body weight. It requires 20% of the circulation of the body and its cells contain 85% water. The brain can only tolerate a one percent loss of water.

A special fluid called cerebrospinal fluid baths the brain. This fluid contains more Na (sodium) than K (potassium). This fluid filters away the toxic water from continuing brain cell activity. It also is a shock absorber for the brain.

The capillaries in the brain make this spinal fluid. Brain capillaries are unusual since they have no perforations in their walls for free diffusion of elements. Their walls, being solidly sealed, protect the brain from sudden change in composition of the blood.

Water gives the brain power for thinking by helping brain neurotransmitters function. Seratonin and melatonin are produced only when adequate brain hydration is present. Water increases the work efficiency of the brain, attention span is lengthened, and restores normal sleep rhythms. Memory loss is prevented as we age by adequate water intake.

Effects on energy: Energy is generated and stored in three types of body batteries. ATP (adenosine triphosphate), GTP (guanosine triphosphate), and Calcium dumps (called endoplatic reticulum). Each cell has a Cation pump. These cell pumps act as an automatic cleaning system for the cells. They balance the inside of the cells by using hydroelectric energy to remove elements out of the cells. These pumps are essential to the cells.

With adequate water fatigue is reduced, sex hormones are produced, and libido is increased. Stress, depression, and anxiety are reduced.

Effects on foods: Water is the main solvent for foods, vitamins, and minerals. It breaks down foods into particles that the body can assimilate. Water also energizes food; without water food has no value. When we eat, we need water to break down the foods before food can be utilized. It also increases the rate of absorption of essential substance in foods. Water transports all these food substances inside the body.

Effects on blood: Water helps the red blood cells get oxygen from the lungs into the cell membranes. It dilates the blood preventing sediment deposits in the blood (thus preventing blood clots). Water is the best cooling and heating system of the body. Stroke and heart attacks are reduced in people who are well hydrated.

Effects on joints: Water lubricates joints and makes spinal discs more shock absorbent. Calcium deposits in the joints are removed.

Effects on obesity: Over one half of Americans are overweight or obese. Losing fat is a slow process if done safely. You must visualize a slimmer you and must really desire this outcome. Hunger and thrust are sensations brought on by histamine. Often these signals are confused. Drink water before you eat and you will see yourself happier. We often eat first and the solid foods pull free water from the body. Histamine release sends a call for water and we read this signal erroneously and respond by consuming food. Food is also converted to ATP and certainly satisfies the taste buds more than water. Yet, ingested water is a more effective way to supply ATP energy to the brain than food. Food can only generates energy for the brain by way of sugar. Twenty percent of the energy from the food we eat goes to the brain and the other 80% goes to fat cells that store sugar in the form of fat. All the brain really craves is water yet we try to supply this energy by eating more food. Drink water and the sensations of thirst and hunger will become separated. Don't overeat, when in fact you are thirsty.

You can solve your obesity problem by drinking 2 glasses of water one half hour before a meal and 1 glass again after the meal. The timing for drinking water is essential. It takes ½ hour for the body to separate thirst from food. You will eat less food, feel full faster, and crave more proteins. Within 3 weeks you will lose the collection of swelling stored the body tissues (which weigh about 8-14 pounds). Add exercise twice a day to activate the fat burning lipase enzyme, and you are on your way to a slim you.

A major result of lack of water is collecting and storing fat. Sensation of thirst and hunger occur. One eats instead of drinking. Food when eaten supplies 20% of brain energy. The remaining 80% of the food supplies energy for exercise and movements; the rest becomes stored fat.

An enzyme called lipase breaks down fat. The hormone adrenalin stimulates it. (A glass of water stimulates adrenalin for 2 hours and the end result is a gradual loss of stored fat). Muscle activity stimulates lipase production for 12 is the best laxative for the body hours. Two sessions of daily walks will result in a constant 24-hour release of this fat burning hormone.

Fat undergoes several steps before it becomes carbon dioxide and can pass into the lungs. Sweetness on the tongue stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin. This insulin then stimulates the fat cells to turn the sugar and carbohydrates into fat. When dehydrated, the body seeks salt and this stimulates overeating.

Effects on toxins: Water cleans the toxic wastes from the cells of the body and removes these toxins via the urine.. Deposits in the kidney, brain, skin and liver are hence removed. Water also fills the cell water reserves. Excess water is not stored. In fact, water is the best laxative for the body.

Effects on addictions from coffee, alcohol and drugs:

Coffee is a booster to the body's engine. It forces a release of ATP energy by the brain (thus depleting the reserve ATP in the brain). Low levels of ATP signal fatigue to each cell. They then require more stimuli to become activated. Brain opiates are less efficient at a depressed level until the depleted ATP is replenished. To survive, some cells must even stop functioning, thus resulting in chronic fatigue.

We drink a lot of coffee, tea, beer, wine, and juices. Chemicals in pops alter the body's central nervous system's chemistry. Juices increase histamine production. The natural sugars in juices program the liver to store fat. Nothing can substitute for water. Coffee dehydrates the entire body. One often urinates 2 cups of urine after drinking one cup of coffee. Coffee blocks melatonin that is essential for sleep. It also blocks enzymes that are needed for memory and learning and turns on energy burning functions that lead to exhaustion.

Alcohol also dehydrates the body by blocking vasopressin that is essential for brain rehydration (this results in further dehydration). Alcohol also causes depression, impotence, liver damage, and immune suppression. Alcohol certainly releases endorphins, which then become depleted from the body. It produces free radicals (acid like substances), and uses up melatonin in the body. Brain cell membranes lose water, endorphins are suppressed, and depression occurs. Kick the alcohol habit by increasing your water intake.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF WATER

When dehydrated, the body has no stored water to draw on. However the body adapts to this shortage of water or food. Its essential functions are preserved until we have access to food or water. Histamine emergency measures set in. Histamine becomes a temporary substitute for water by releasing energy to some extremely essential body functions. We adapt to this false information that water is not available and fail to drink water. Proteins and enzymes become inefficient and eventually the cells cease to function. As we age, the water content in our cells become less than the water outside the cells of the body. (Normally 66% of the water in the body is in the cells. The body has a trillion cells. When the body is deficient in water, these cells wrinkle like prunes and cannot function efficiently.

The body has a ration system in effect when water is short in the body. It determines the amount of water needed for various organs of the body. Those other body areas get much less water and lose function, produce pain, and eventually these body cells degenerate.

Our bodies first react to this shortage by feeling anxious, depressed, and heavy headed. We have difficulty sleeping, uncontrollable cramps, and a desire to be alone. Later dehydration problems result in asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, type II diabetes and autoimmune diseases (as arthritis). With longstanding dehydration symptoms of angina, migraines, colitis, rheumatoid joint pains and fibromyalgia occur.

SALT

Salt is essential for survival, and is an important dietary supplement. Salt, water, and potassium (K) regulate the water content of the body. Potassium (K) is present in the cells and holds water in them. (K is readily available in foods.) Sodium (Na) is also needed in the daily diet and balances the water outside the cell. K controls water in the cells and Na controls water outside the cells. Salt is a natural antihistamine and anti-stress element. It is needed to remove excess acidity from the cells through the urine via the kidneys. Salt also preserves seratonin and melatonin levels. Muscle tone and strength are maintained by sodium. Sodium helps supply oxygen to cells, increases the blood circulation, and decreases the acidity in the blood. Sodium is vital for sleep regulation, and also balances sugar levels.

Sodium helps absorb good particles from the bowels and clears mucous and congestion from the lungs. Excess saliva, and muscle cramping are prevented by adequate salt intake. It helps seratonin and melatonin levels for sense of well being, maintains libido, and helps bones stay firm.

The body needs 3-4 grams of salt for every 10 glasses of water. This amounts to one half teaspoon of salt daily. Sea salt has 80 minerals and is the preferred salt for ingestion. One can add salt to juices. This balances the Na-K ratio and makes the juices sweeter.

NEED TO EXERCISE

Exercise expands the muscle blood system and thus helps to prevent High Blood Pressure. By opening the muscle capillaries, the resistance in the arteries is lowered. As muscle mass is increased there is a positive nitrogen balance in the body and muscle breakdown is prevented. Exercise stimulates the fat burning enzyme lipase and results in energy release from stored fat supplies rather that from ingested sugars and weight loss occurs. Lipase is stimulated by adrenalin.

Muscle holds more water in reserves preventing an increase concentration of the blood that can cause blood clots. Joints become less stiff and more pliable. The calf muscles pump blood from the arteries to the veins and longstanding edema and swelling are reduced, and lymphatic blockages disappear. Bones become strengthened. Exercise activates adrenalin, which reduces histamine overload, and helps hydrate the body. More hormones and endorphins are produced when you exercise. A word of caution: Exercise for endurance and not seek speed.

CONCLUSION

Water sustains life and gives life to all body functions. We look constantly for drug solutions to everything. We create a level of thinking that causes problems. These problems can't be solved at this same level of thinking. We must enhance natural healing by replacing a drug approach solution with a new discipline of thought with new assumptions. Drugs do not cure most diseases. Long term they are dangerous and mask the outside symptoms of the problem. There is no cure for heartburn, arthritis, migraine, asthma, nor cancer, despite all the research dollars spent. We know only 10% of how our bodies function. Water, and only water, is the best nutrient for the body. 

Consider acupuncture as an adjunct to correct the symptoms of chronic dehydration.

Don't forget to visit www.americanacupuncture.com for more information.

Facial Diagnosis

YOUR FACE TELLS IT ALL -

Acupuncture can change the markings and wrinkles on your face by balancing the meridians that connect through the face. Because of this I would like to discuss how we doctors size up you the patient in our physical diagnosis. Face reading is a universal language. Even newborns read faces. Expression is a non-verbal way to communicate; hard for foreign language barriers to use only words.

The face has both structural and emotional areas. The markings of the face tell who you are, what you felt, and tells your future. Under 25 years of age you have the face of a mother. Between 25-50 years of age your face tells what fate has done for you. Over 50 your face says what you deserve.

Your face carries 14 generations of traits. Some do not match. Your level of personality can alter genetic structures and hide you lineage. When you look into a mirror you see a projection of who you are. As you see photos of yourself in the past you see structural changes in your face.

This facial map in women is on the right side and in men on the left side. (Remember that women are yin, passive, and right side dominant. Men are yang, active, and left side dominant.) Marks will show often on one side (the dominant side) more than the other side. Face marks tell how you feel and what has happened to you.

When analyzing features of a person, look at both sides especially the left side of the face. Use your left eye and look into the other persons left eye. Doing this can always sense deception.

The memory of trauma is stored in the amydala of the brain. The fear that occurs after an accident will show as a mark on the face. On an instinctive level as early as preverbally, the memories are stored in the amydala and sets patterns and early childhood imprints. Therapy can rewire the cortex but not phobias that occur preverbal.

EARS

Markings can occur even with in-utero experiences, which can set up patterns. Neuropeptides cross the placental barrier. It is important to ask how mom was when she was carrying you. One can see dented dark depressed area over the uterus representation of the ear when doing ear acupuncture. A man will show changes on his left ear. The top ½ inch of the ear shows changes that may be due to in-utero problems. Preemies show indentations over this area. Blue babies experiencing anoxia at birth will show an indentation or notch over this area from trauma caused by anoxia. If one sees a carved out area something was taken away or it was a bumpy turbulent delivery. After the age of seven the other ear will show trauma markings.
Ears, (water element) constitutionally relate to the kidney and reproductive organs. They should be firm, flexible and bounce back. The cartilage in the ear should be strong. When it is frozen in texture this signifies a strong constitution and a tendency for high blood pressure. Water in the ear wants to flow. Large ears signify a strong Chi. They are risk takers and gamblers. Ears get longer with age. When the ears are broad at the bottom, signify physical risk takers. Long ears are a sign of wisdom and lack of fear. Small ear lobes are seen in people who think of the now and not the future. Long ear lobe people think of living a long time and are careful, thinking of the future not the present.

When the ears are close to the face, people are more attached to family and friends. They also are very sensitive to noise. People with ears that protrude can tune people out easily, are stubborn, don't listen, and can't be told what to do. People with high ears are famous, and those with low ears have mental problems. People who have their ears tipped back tend to think in the abstract.

NOSE

The bridge of the nose, if abnormal before the age of 40, signifies a spleen deficiency. If this area is pale, one often finds low blood sugar. If the bridge of the nose is gray or dark, diabetes must be suspected. Hard living, virus, immune problem, or tendency for cancer can cause abnormalities at the bridge of the nose. If this occurs after 40, it has no significance.

Critical markings can occur on the central part of the nose. Many doctors show these markings from lack of rest, sleep, and long hours. When the way of living changes the spleen gets recharged and these deep markings start to disappear. The tip of the nose displays changes when a heart attack is pending (puffy nose), vascular deficiencies with stagnation (gray and white tip of nose). A crease on the top of the tip of the nose is seen in emotionally broken hearts and feeling of abandonment. When the nose tips up, one is sentimental; a nose that tips down signifies distrust. One with a pointed nose loves to solve mysteries. A rounded nose is seen in people who overindulge.

The bigger the nose, the bigger the ego and the larger the lung capacity. As these people inhale they fill themselves up and also fill their egos. A small flat now person usually works in groups and pacify. They are socially important. Europeans have large noses. A person with a slender long nose doesn't care about money, and lives frugally. He wants to suffer and live for ideals.

If the bridge of the nose is wide, money is being made; when the nostrils are large, money is spent easily. A person with a large and narrow nose values money; small nostrils are seen in people who save money. When the tip of the nose is up, you have a sentimental person.

A person who broke his nose generally has back problems. When you see a curve to the nose, you find often scoliosis (curvature of the back).

A person with a fleshy nose places value on the best of things and is very materialistic (wants the best car, best home etc.). A wide nose person wants things, while a narrow nose person seeks ideals.

Having a nose job plastic surgery can be troublesome since you lose power when you lose your nose. Noses, like ears, grow with age.

UNDER THE NOSE

The depression above the upper lip is called the philtrum. It represents the reproductive area. There are variations of grooves. Seen in women with many children and in creative people. Women having had a total hysterectomy display a strong line across the fulcrum. Also seen in men with enlarged prostates. Women who have abortions have irregular indentations in this groove. There is darkness in the philtrum when irregular menstrual bleeding occurs. This area is white when there is no blood in the uterus. It is puffy if fibroids are present. In pregnancy, if this area is very light, one must be careful of miscarriage. When this area is wide, the person is very fertile, when narrow infertility is often a problem. Lines outside the philtrum occur when worried about other people: lines inside the philtrum occur when worried about children. People who are worried about their kids often have a vertical line down the center of this groove. It is also seen in people who are caretakers to their parents. When a horizontal line is present, often the individual does not want children.

LIPS AND MOUTHS

The mouth and lips are connected to the earth element and involve the spleen and stomach meridians. Sunken lips are a sign of digestive weakness. Puffy lips are a sign of strong digestion. A dark color on the upper lip is seen in food intolerance, lactose intolerance, and people who eat too much of one thing (e.g. cheese). Redness above the upper lip is a sign of stomach trouble. Often see whiteness over the lip.
Tight lips are seen in prudent people.(the earth wants to merge).

Lines above the lip occur when the empty nest syndrome hits and when there is time to become creative and think of the purpose of living. Smoking lines are a earth element issue and are vertical lines above the lips Deep vertical lines around the lip are caused by obsessive worrying.

When the lower lip has many lines or dips, the person often laughs or smiles a lot. When the lower lip is etched up, the person can pick up problems.

Lips are connected to the intestines. A swollen lower lip is seen in constipation, and in people that crave and need pleasure. Opera singers have large strong lips, signifying strong diaphragms. They are earthy large and heavy people. A flaccid lower lip is seen in prostitutes and sexually addicted persons. Full upper lips signify a desire for attention and exaggeration. Large lips are an earthy sign; such persons are generous, sensitive, and love soft things. Thin lips are a sign of sexuality. They give things away but never give of themselves. People with large and wide mouths are generous and give easily of themselves. Angry people tighten their lips. Type A people press their lips together and have swollen lips. They try not to show emotion and tighten up their upper bodies. Subsequently they get upper body muscle problems.

The mouth has two functions: eating and communication. People with big wide mouths love to eat. Small and thick mouths are seen in the healthy. Introverted people have inverted corners to the mouth. Wrinkled mouths are seen in the lonely and non-communicative people. Short-tempered people have small mouths and thick lips. Happy wives and mothers have a thick lower lip and the corners of the mouth curve upward. Gossipy jealous people have the corners of the mouth slant downward. Puckering prune mouths are a sign of bitterness. The lines are diagonal. These people follow the rules and say: " I am lucky". This type of lip is also seen in adult diabetes and cancer patients.

EYES

Eyes are the heart channel. Big eyes signify a receptive person who sees a lot and expresses a lot. Narrow eyes are a function of thinking and are seen in mental stress and detailed work with squinting. The left side tells who you are. If the left eye is wider than the right the person is emotional. If the left eye is narrower the person is analytical.

Joy lines under the eye are caused by endorphins released because of humor. Too much excitement is bad for the heart. Painkillers put out the fire channel. Eyes that slant upward are seen in open-minded people. Closed-minded people have eyes that slant downward.

Eyes that are small and triangular are seen in people who are opinionated. If you don't follow their belief, you will be cut off. They surround themselves with people like them.

EYEBROWS AND EYE LIDS

The eyebrows are controlled by the liver meridian (wood element). Tweezing the eyebrows or constant anger result in the temples of the eyebrows being irregular, with the right side thinner and the left side thicker. Pain lines are diagonal lines across the outside corners of the eyes. They can be physical or emotional. They are always worse when one tries to hide the pain. The left side is always worse.

When the eyebrows are raised, you appear aloof and it places boundaries on others. When the eyebrow is close to the eye you feel bonding with people and have eye expectations of people (classic coaches eyebrows).

Deep and large eyelids are a sign of loving deeply, responding fully, and good at suffering. Shallow eyelids are seen in people who don't let emotions affect them. When the outside of the eyelid droops, signifies a person overly analytical, picky, self critical, and often having autoimmune disease (allergy, rheumatoid arthritis, viral infections). A straight eyelid is seen in persons who see other's points of view and can pull back from a situation. Rounded eyelids are seen in subjective persons who think how others feel.

EYEBROWS

Tweezing the eyebrows or constant anger result in the temples of the eyebrows being irregular, with the right side thinner and the left side thicker. The eyebrows are controlled by the liver meridian (wood element).

The inner edge of the eyebrow is a liver element and the outer edge is controlled by the gall bladder meridian. If eyebrows are back it indicated strength. When they grow together it indicates the person does not follow the rules and wants to cause trouble to get excitement. When the arch is up and down, the person likes to make up his mind fast and then do things quickly.

When the eyebrows go in opposite directions, it signifies the person will say no and change his mind. Eyebrows that are long signifies many friends and the person does ask for help. Short eyebrows signify few friends and rarely asking for help. Abnormalities of the outside of the eyebrow (gall bladder element) signify one must always pay back for any gift received. Tapered eyebrows are seen in artists. Demanding people have long eyebrow hairs.

Two vertical lines between the eyebrows is seen in diffuse anger. When three or more lines are present, anger is managed.

WHITE OF THE EYES (SCLERA)

Bluish sclera is a sign of lung and kidney deficiencies. When yellow, cloudy or gray, often there are toxins, flu, or virus present. When the eyes are very white, one has a strong liver. Red eyes means, the liver is overloaded by outside toxins. When the white of the eye is see under the pupil, signifies tiredness, sadness, and depleted adrenals.

When one can see the white of the eye above and below the pupil, this is seen in people with power that get assassinated. When one sees the white of the eye only above the pupil, this signifies the brain stem is overactive and is seen in hysteria or violent crazy people.

UNDER THE EYES

Under the eyes reflects the kidney function. If a deficiency Is present as in dehydration, there are black spots under the eyes. They occur after exercising because water is removed from the area during vigorous exercise. There is also a depression above the cheekbone and chronic dark circles under the eyes with chronic dehydration. This is also true in allergies and in individuals on diuretics. One can counteract this by drinking distilled water, soups, and taking mineral supplements. The color of the circles under the eyes signifies the degree of hurt (pink, red, purple, very dark).

TEMPLES, CHIN, AND CHEEKS

The temples and cheeks are connected. They get pulled in with illness and death. The temple connects with the creative mind and the need to escape. If they are large, full, and dark, it is self-destructive from medication, alcohol, and smoking. Deep temples are seen in people that hate their jobs and want to leave. Hollow temples are seen I creative people. Light temples are seen in spiritual people.

Hollow cheeks and discoloration are seen in people with asthma and lung disorders with lack of breathing. If the left cheek is hollow and dark, often the immune system is compromised. People, who are bossy to the outside world but wimpy at home, have the right cheekbone more prominent than the left. They also have the right bite area larger (the TMJ area).

Bony cheek bones make one look authorative. People believe them even if they are stupid. They are forceful and convincing people. Cheekbones that go high up above the ear, are seen in adventuresome people who want variety and freedom. When the cheekbone is horizontal, it is seen in people who don't want to leave home and are not adventuresome.

Cheekbones that fill out to the jaw (money bags) are seen in people who act like they are rich; people assume it by their appearance and they usually get rich.
The brow bone when prominent is a sign of aggressiveness. When the brow line is all across the forehead, the person is dominant and will not be told what to do and is in charge all the time.

CHIN AND JAW

A receding chin signifies vulnerability, being dominated by someone else in the past. A prominent chin signifies strong will. A chin that tips up signifies stubbornness; one that is pointed signifies emotion. One can practice getting into a military position and lifting the chin and looking stubborn. People with big chins live to a ripe old age.

A strong jaw shows strength in the liver, determination to fight for what is right. A jaw too large is seen in people who fight about everything. People with wide jaws are not swayed. People with narrow jaws are swayed by circumstance and cannot fight in hard times. When one grits his teeth, the angle of the jaw protrusion is best seen.

LINES AND WRINKLES

Frustration, irritation, and impotence will result in vertical line in the eyebrows. Vertical lines are expression lines and are the easiest to remove. You can rid yourself of wrinkles by using scotch tape over the wrinkles and stop repeating the expression that caused them. Basically, habits cause wrinkles.

Vertical dark lines form from over work and depressed immunity. When present in th middle of the forehead, the person loves solitude. Three vertical lines indicate longevity. Lines crossing each other on the forehead indicate a hard life of poverty and misfortune.

Horizontal lines are lines of experiences and they don't go away. When tracking health problems one looks to the middle of the face, which shows traumatic happenings.

When numerous lines are found on the outer corners of the eyes, this also signifies a hard life. These people have sex appeal even at an old age.

Vertical lines flanking the mouth are called falins. People with strong falins have strong power over others. Aggressive people have falins some distance from the mouth. People who have these lines run into the mouth usually die early in life. (before 50). Short, crooked, and shallow falins usually make poor leaders.

SUMMARY

As we age, our faces develop wrinkles, change their shapes, and our noses and ears grow. Many changes are secondary to traumas to our various meridian systems. Often acupuncture can reverse and rejuvenate the face as well as the organ systems impaired. I hope this little summary is entertaining and of value to you.

Don't forget to visit www.americanacupuncture.com for more information.

How Does Your Brain Work?

HOW DOES THE BRAIN WORK?

As we sleep, dream, or are awake, vibrations inside our brain's nerve cells resonate in symphony and harmony with the world. Thoughts emotions and perceptions all affect our brains.

The brain has many working parts. Each part has many variables that defy scientific analysis. Over 100 billion neurons exist. We are born with all the neurons we will ever have. However, we are always forming new connections through out life. Each one fires up to 500 x a second. These neurons release 100 different chemicals and makes 10,000 contacts with other neurons.

Yet to function, the brain must have a reliable control system. The right brain knows what the left-brain is constantly doing. This control system is in the brain stem. Via a chemical system, the brain stem tells the mind what to do with the information it selects.

UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE BRAIN

The brain secretes chemicals and makes proteins (memories are encoded as proteins. Electrical energy is uniformly dispersed. When awake, the brain is energized by histamine (hypothalamus), serotonin (raphe-nucleus), dopamine (midbrain) and noradrenaline (locus coeruleus). Neurons in the brain also fire regularly in specific patterns. They are orchestrated by a system that inhibits neuron activity (via GABA an anterior hypothalamus transmitter).

PONs controls the conscious state and sleep-wake cycles
GENICULATE BODY activates the visual thalamus
OCCIPITAL LOBES activate the visual cortex.
AMYGDALA activates anxiety and dream emotions
LOCUS COERULEUS secretes norepinepherine
RAPHE NUCLEI secrete seratonin
DORSAL NUCLEI secrete acetylcholine
HYPOTHALMUS house the biological clock
MIDBRAIN NEURONS secrete dopamine
RETICULAR FORMATION receives and sends messages
THALMUS is the organ of being awake

THE BRAIN CLOCK

Our brain clock is longer than 24 hours. It must be reset each day. We sleep for 90 minutes at a time. During the day this 90-minute cycle is suppressed but we still have behavioral changes every 90 minutes in our ability to concentrate, our appetite, and fatigue levels.


THE MIND

The mind is all the information in the brain. It is a jack in the box that springs into action when a neurochemical switch is flipped. Our minds can jump from subject to subject but at any given moment we can zero in on a single idea or emotion.
There are many component s that makeup our consciousness. Sensations, perception, emotions, memory, thoughts, language, learning movement and attention all stimulate our consciousness. Only humans have language and thoughts. The animals learn only by primary consciousness.

At anyone time, only a small part of information is available to us. We pick what we see. Our consciousness directs our decisions making and makes us responsible for our actions. The sixth sense is the non-consciousness part of the mind. "I feel it in my bones (intuitive)".The right brain can perceive an object's use and understand it but the left-brain gives it its name and describes it. Language is a left-brain function.

MEMORY

Some memory must be brought to consciousness, other is present without awareness as we acquire certain skills and perform them without awareness (automatic motor skills). Memory retrieval is automatic. The hippocampus is essential to memory and connects to the amydala, resulting in repeat behavior with emotions. It processes new data and records it and sends it to the cortex where it is stored for the future. New selective memory links the mammary bodies to the hippocampus. Reflex automatic primordial memory connects to the upper pons with its amydala connections. Orientation is important for storage of memory. Knowing who you are, what day it is, and where you are at all times, are crucial to help memory storage.

DREAMING

Dreaming is a loss of perception and orientation. Dreamng allows a freedom to create a false scenario effortlessly. We dream in order to forget. When we dream we don't wake up, can't see our surroundings, nor feel heat. Perception, instinct, action, sensation, bad judgment, awareness, orientation, and recent memory are all impaired while dreaming. There is no self-awareness to time, place or persons. All external sensory signals are also blocked. Norephenerine and seratonin are reduced during dreaming. Our muscles and sensory nerves become paralyzed.

Dopamine triggers the normal psychosis of dreaming. It is produced by midbrain neurons (in front of the medulla and pons). It interacts with seratonin, norepinepherine and acetylcholine. They all release cyclic AMP that energizes neurons. Drugs block dopamine and raise seratonin and norephinephrine levels. Antidepressant drugs block acetylcholine. This can correct a sleep problem for a short time but in the long term drugs result in light and poor sleep.
The block to the RE system is gone and the thalamus is reactivated. Visual, emotional, and movement centers are reactivated. However real behavior remains blocked.

Dreams often cannot be recalled. The memory system is driven into a playback mode and the brain can't store the memory into short-term memory. To remember dreams requires a second message system where messages from the cell membrane go the cell's nucleus. Lack of sleep makes dreaming more intense.

If we are to dream, the temporal lobe (seat of emotions) must be turned on. Emotions determine the content of dreams. There is no dreaming possible when the parietal lobe is not functioning.

SLEEP

Sleep self activates every 90 minutes at night. A coma like state is replaced by dreaming. The brain is only activated 10-20% when we sleep. Yet this is enough to eliminate consciousness. A great deal of information processing occurs even when we sleep. This automatic processing helps us to be creative and organization. Simply, the brain is never ever turned off. As we start to fall asleep we are unable to focus our attention. Brain energy is diminished, and we feel tired and fatigued.
When we sleep. the thalmocortical system is disabled. This occurs at night because our body temperature and body energy drop. Sensations and attention and memory drop. Acetylcholine, seratonin, and norepinepherine drop. Brain oxygen drops 20% and there is a decrease in regional blood flow. This results in a decrease in activity of the pons, the reticular formation in the brain stem and also a decrease in cortical activity.

THE RETICULAR FORMATION (RE)

The RE controls the level of activation. It begins in the medulla just above the spinal cord. The RE is the central core of the brain. By resetting levels of activation in the brain, it can coordinate all brain activity. In short, it is the heart of the brain. This intricate network of cells can receive messages and send them everywhere to the brain.

It is under the control of our will via the prefrontal cortex. The RE coordinates and unifies all the activity in the brain. Tension in our muscles, or focusing on one thought or another can lead to consciousness. Sensations, attention, perception, and recent memory impulses are sent to the thalamus; emotions and instinct are sent to the hippocampus and amygdala.

THALMUS

The thalmus has its own on-off switch for consciousness. As it stops vibrating we fall asleep and consciousness is impaired. When one needs to pay attention to details the lateral geniculate body of the thalamus must be stimulated. It is the organ of being awake. It is the final gateway of outside information entering the brain cortex. It integrates information from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It is hard to wipe out the thalamic cortical system because it fans out.

To recognize simple objects that we need, stimuli must be analyzed and perceived. Sensory stimuli are received by the thalamus and relayed to the cortex. (50-100 billion neurons are present in the brain.) Each cortical section has a location on the thalamus that makes interaction strong and rapid. Emotions stimulate the amydala centers of emotion.

LANGUAGE, LEARNING, AND ATTENTION

Language is organized in the dominant hemisphere and is on top of the cortex and up front to the forehead. The angle of the temporal and frontal lobes is the language area. The front part is named Broca's area (cant translate words into speech); the posterior area is Wernicke's area (cant understand words).

Learning may be completely unconscious but can still be stored in memory. Serotonin must be present to learn. When we sleep no seratonin is released and we can perceive, but do not remember. No seratonin, no memory.

Attention is needed for conscious thought. Once we analyze a problem, we can act more deliberately and program and time our actions. The prefrontal area of the cortex processes thoughts that are pressed into action. To know the world we must first have the primary functions that lower animals have: sensations, instinct, learning and reflexes. Without these we cannot have advanced functions asperception, emotion, memory, and reflection.

BRAIN AND BODY TEMPERATURE

Body and brain temperature fluctuate 1-½ degrees every day as we sleep and dream and awaken within the circadian rhythm. Our biological clock in the hypothalamus regulates the body temperature. The temperature drops as we get sleepy and stays low as we sleep. The temperature rises in the late morning and it is difficult to sleep. When brains get hot or cold they go out of whack. Babies, who still have brain circuits developing, can get seizures with temperature shifts.

EFFECT OF ANESTHESIA ON THE BRAIN
(Penrose Hameroff Theory)

During anesthesia, gases given off cause structural changes in the brain proteins. These disrupt our consciousness by limiting the electrical activity of the brain. These brain protein molecules are very sensitive to changes. The energy of the water pockets in molecules are reduced. This disrupts the neuronal membrane dynamics and synaptic transmission.

Drugs block brain secretions. Cocaine blocks norepinepherine ( in the locus coeruleus). LSD blocks serotonin (in the raphe nucleus). Nerve gas blocks acetylcholine.

When the brain is deprived of oxygen for 6 minutes, brain cells are dead forever. Encephalitis viruses are small enough get everywhere in the brain and disturb the cell's DNA and even wipe out the cortex. The brain stem is smaller than the cortex and is in a smaller space. With swelling in this area caused by stroke, tumor or concussion, cortical neurons in the brain stem die.

STAYING AWAKE

Staying awake beyond our normal limits make us feel anxiety, stress, and fatigue. Physical activity as walking and exercise decrease our demand on thinking and attention and can reduce anxiety and fatigue feelings. We can stay wide-awake for 6-8 hours and even up to 12 hours but then fatigue sets in. The eye moves up to 20 time per second. Each of these eye movements sends excitatory signals to update the brain's view of the world. The eyelid controls the access to visual data to the brain. After 6-8 hours of alert work, we are ready for a break. Hobbies, family, socializing, and watching TV, boosts our emotional state of being.

Most of us have a second career after we come home from a hard day of work. Being anxious and stressed out during the day and being deprived of sleep at night, we become all wound up. We are always moving between being awake and dreaming. We don't have time to sleep and are very determined to stay awake. Our eyes scan the newspaper pages but the info does not enter the brain because the thalmocortical system has shut down. Many times we can't sleep because we can't turn off the thalmocortical system.

MENTAL ILLNESS

The mentally ill are not qualitatively different from the rest of us. Psychosis and mental illness are all functional and organic. Healthy people also find it advantageous to turn off thoughts from feelings. We can flatten our affect if it gets in our way or becomes unbearable. Being always conscious is a balancing act. In 1955, with the discovery of Thorazine, we were able to empty all our mental hospitals. With new drugs like Prozac we were able to close most mental hospitals.

ALCOHOL EFFECT ON THE BRAIN

Alcohol turns down the anxiety machine by depressing the frontal cortex (as in sleep). It causes muscles to relax, emotions to run free, and loosens our tongues. The sub cortical engines are no longer blocked by our pickled frontal lobes.
Alcohol is not a good sedative. Its breakdown products cause arousal later in the night. A dreamy state occurs when suppressive REMs are awakened. This buildup of REM pressure is released causing visual hallucinations and disorientation to occur.

AGING AND STRESS

You are responsible for your own old age. After the age of 70 we can retrieve information about 70% slower and our short-term memory is also slowed down. There is decreased blood flow noticeable after age 55. There is no loss of cognition unless we have diabetes or hardening of the arteries.

Each brain cell has thousands of energy factories called mitochondria. They bring oxygen to energize the cells; these cells release oxygen free radicals. These radicals attack the walls of the mitochondria and invade the inside DNA. They also cut the connection centers of the brain. You have a defense system of fighters that vaporize and destroy these free radicals. After the age of 30 the defense system weakens.

The brain cells start dying in the hippocampus and Alzheimer's begins. Only 4% of people under 75 display this drop; after 85, 50% of people show signs of brain damage. The good news is that the brain makes new neurons when old ones die (Gould & Gage). However, stress causes a rapidity of brain damage, cortisol is released and new brain cell production stops.

A stimulating life style switches on genes in nerve cells and proteins are made that help new connections, neurons, and new blood vessels all grow. This boosts our performance and adds nearly 20% more brain cells. By stimulating our minds we increase our memory banks. This means taking on new pursuits not just being active. The reticular cells in the brain stem need novelty to survive.

NUTRITION AND THE BRAIN

Our brains have been growing for over 2 million years. The brain is changed by the foods we had then. The enzymes in the fruits, vegetables, and wild plants we ate set up communication systems. Our diet has changed radically especially in the last 50 years. The brain wants the nutrients it had for the last 50,000 years and we feed the brain cells things that the brain never had 50 years ago.

We started with vegetables, meat fish, and fruits. Then we started cultivating grains and raising animals. Then we added to our diets dairy products, bread and grain. Yet this was not part of our original genetic makeup. Today, over on half of our diets are made up of new foods (sugar, alcohol, milk products and sugar substitutes and sweeteners. Our intake of omega 3 is scanty and our intake of omega 6 is overwhelming.

Allergic reactions from grains have caused headaches, bowel disturbances, and arthritis. The dairy products lack the enzymes to digest milk. Carbohydrates are full of empty sugar calories that make us obese. Our fat intake is full of transfatty fats and hydrogenated fats that are bad for the brain and the waistline. We should get 700mg of potassium daily only found in fruits and vegetables.

THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF

Norman Doidge’s (a psychiatrist from Toronto) has written an exciting new book:" The brain that changes itself”.  In it he describes the latest developments in understanding the brain.  

The brain changes its structure and function through thoughts and with every different activity it performs.  It perfects its circuits to handle the task at hand.  The brain has specialized parts that are malleable. When a part fails, other parts can sometimes take over.This is an excellent read.

CONCLUSION

In the last 30 years we have found the brain to be a growing changing organ. It is a living organ that is either improving or deteriorating. What we eat, how we exercise and what drugs we take, all effect this growing organ we call the brain.
We do everything wrong to ruin our bodies. We eat the wrong type of fats, eat too many calories and too much sugar, exercise too little, and skip the fruits and vegetables that we need.

The brain is continually being rewired and produces new receptors and dendrites all the time. New connections are made at any age. But these connections require proper diet, supplements and mental and physical activity.

Brain chemicals flash through our neurons and carry every thought and feeling. Over 55 brain chemicals have been identified. The good mood chemical (seratonin) requires a food amino acid tryptophan. The memory chemical (choline) requires egg yolk to make acetylcholine. The motor coordinator chemical (dopamine requires tyrosine found in high protein foods.

We are often stuck in the left-brain mode that is always analyzing how we behave.. We criticize our past decisions. We have a plan for all different situations and anticipate how we would react to them. Once the event of over, we want to know how well we did and how we could have done better.

As we get older we accept that death is inevitable. We must go with the flow. A healthy mind cannot control everything. We must recognize and accept the unknown. To keep the brain healthy we must exercise regularly, free ourselves from toxic substances, let our brains wander and daydream at least once a day and get plenty of sleep.

ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture can restore the healthy brain connections and enhance brain chemical secretions that may be blocked by stress and abnormal neuronal activity..

Don't forget to visit www.americanacupuncture.com for more information.

The Macrobiotic Diet

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

I have been asked about the macrobiotic diet and its values. It was advanced by a Dr Georges Oshawa around 1965 and was advocated at that time for longevity and rejuvenation. It should be revisited, in light of today's nutrition. If you are not well, this diet may improve your health.

In old Chinese medicine yin was contractile and yang was expansive. This is all reversed in physical thinking of the macrobiotic diets. Four thousand years ago, in the physical sense, the sky was considered the supreme Yin symbol and the earth the supreme Yang symbol. Physically speaking, all empty organs are Yin, as they are passive and receptive. These include the stomach, lungs, bladder, gall bladder, colon and small intestines. The Yang organs are solid organs with compactness and are the kidney, heart, and pancreas. Metaphysically, in old Chinese medicine and acupuncture all this reversed.

The macrobiotic diet is based on the process of transmutation. Without it we could not exist. Transmutation is the way one element is changed into another element, either naturally or artificially. In the Orient thousands of years ago gold was produced from other elements and other metals and substances were produced. Biochemical transmutation is no longer the mystery of the alchemist nor a philosophical concept.

On June 21,1964 in Tokyo, Georges Oshawa transmuted the element sodium into potassium under low temperature, pressure, and energy, using a 20cm vacuum tube and 100 watts of power.

It is thought that elements in the body can transmutate to other elements by using minute amounts of energy in the body. This is the foundation of macrobiotics.. Through this process our body can produce all that it needs to be healthy by eating the foods in the macrobiotic diet.

When man borrows elements from nature i.e. iron, calcium, vitamin c and sugar substitutes, we lose the capacity to manufacture what our bodies need. Our bodies are the sites of transmutation. A cow eats only grass and still has a very strong bone structure. Where does the calcium come from? It comes from potassium, hydrogen and internal heat.

AH! SWEET MYSTERY OF LIFE!

Why can birds fly in any direction with its nice feathers?. Why can a tiny grain absorb a little water, open, push up small leaves, and grow into a nice plant that gives thousands of grains? A cow eats only grass and has strong bones. Where did the calcium come from? It comes from potassium, hydrogen and internal heat. Why don't any animals (except humans) drink milk after they get teeth? Yet, man is the greatest mystery.

How is the heat produced in your body, continuously day and night? Who or what controls this action? Why is your heart so automatic? How does aspirin lower fever? What is the chemical process that turns proteins in the stomach to energy? Why does adrenalin change the heart rate? What opens (sympathetic/yin) and closes (parasympathetic/yang) all the tissues in the body? Yin foods make the sympathetic system rule, whereas a too Yang diet stimulates the para-sympathetic system. Where does memory come from? Our comprehension, judgment, expression, thinking, and actions all depend on memory. These are many of the unexplained marvels that cannot be yet explained in analytical ways. Yet we have confidence in this empirical medicine. Why not in acupuncture?

Health is nothing but a beautiful good equilibrium between our two antagonistic systems. This imbalance is caused only by diet. At first it is Yin that stimulates Yang and in the end Yin neutralizes Yang and fortifies Yin. The Heart is compact, solid, heavy reddish, full of blood, elastic and all Yang. It reacts with a stimulus from the Yin sympathetic system. It is our motor and it is very Yang. The Stomach is Yin being less solid than the heart, has less elasticity, and is easily tired. Yin cannot be attracted by Yin but excludes it. Hence, the stimulus from the sympathetic system does not make the heart react, and the stomach is quickly contracted.

Every disease is an expression of this process:
The more yin or yang that is attracted continues to the extreme end, where it becomes neutralized. One must not cure a disease because it regulates itself. Disease has a reason to exist.


PRINCIPLES OF MACROBIOTIC DIET

1. Avoid sugar, soft drinks, and foods with colored dyes, canned or bottled food. Fruit and sugar are very yin.
2. Avoid fruit and vegetables that are artificially produced with chemical fertilizers and insecticides. If ill, no fruit is to be eaten. Fruits are yin in nature except for apples, strawberries, and cherries.
3. Eat no food that comes a long distance, because it requires preservatives.
4. Avoid vegetables that are out of season. Carrots, parsley, onions, garlic radish and lettuce tend to be yang veggies.
5. Avoid yin foods as potatoes, eggplant and tomatoes. Cucumber, asparagus, spinach artichoke and mushrooms are also very Yin.
6. Avoid spices or chemical seasonings except natural sea salt, tamari (soy sauce) and miso. Avoid vinegar.
7. Avoid coffee and tea containing dyes. Bancha tea (roasted coarse green tea), haru tea, chicory, mu tea and Chinese natural tea (undyed) are yang and ok.
8. Avoid animal foods as chicken meats, butter, cheese and milk as they are all chemically treated. Dairy products are very Yin except for Roquefort and goat milk. Instead of butter and cheese, use tamari, miso, tekka or miso cream in its place.
9. Yeast is produced as froth or sediment during alcohol fermentation and is sugar based. Avoid or use small quantities.
Avoid baked goods (baking soda is too Yin to be part of a balanced diet.
Chew each mouthful of food at least 50 times. (The salivary juices can digest the food before it enters the stomach.)

ROLE OF WATER

Cut down on drinking liquids (to around 8 ounces). Most teas, coffee, fruit juices, all sugared drinks, champagne and wine are very Yin. 75% of your body is water. Cooked rice has 65% water. You should only urinate twice a day if you are female and three times a day if you are male. Drinking a lot makes the kidney tissue swell. This swelling compresses and closes the semi permeable openings in the kidney, and consequently reduces kidney function. Help your tired and overworked kidney by drinking less.

Anything juicy and watery is Yin and that which is dry is more Yang. The whole body needs water but not in excess. Too much water can make us less energetic, lower our body temp, decrease cell activity, and dilute the blood causing a relative anemia. Those who drink a lot of liquids are usually inactive, lazy, weak, and more Yin. Arthritis is a Yin disease. Alleviate it by drinking less water and juicy foods.


VEGETABLES

Must eat 70% of your principle foods of the following:

Cereals, brown rice, wheat, barley, and corn

The remaining diet is 20% vegetables and 10% soups
Eat all you want but chew your food well.

Food gives us life and energy, but can also kill us if the proportions are bad. Every reaction depends on many factors: chemical, physical, biologic, electrical, electronic, and vitamins. All foods are produced from chlorophyll and thus have a vegetable origin. An animal cannot exist without eating vegetation. Only vegetables can energize and synthesize inorganic elements. The inorganic world is yang and the vegetable world is yin. We humans cannot digest inorganic substances or make them from proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins or minerals. However vegetables can absorb these inorganic foods and turn them into organic foods which our bodies then can utilize. Without vegetable life no animals could exist.

VEGETABLES

We depend on vegetables to maintain and build our bodies. We are transformed vegetables. Without chlorophyll, we cannot energize our lives. Even our hemoglobin comes from chlorophyll. Vegetables are indeed a superior food. But remember not to take in too much food. We tend to be greedy and to overeat. Even bad quality of food is not as bad as excess in quantity. That is why fasting in food and drink is beneficial at times.

Eat vegetables that are in season (except potato, eggplant, and tomatoes). Eat all the carrots, onions, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce you like. Yin veggies are generally bluish to violet in color. The most yin veggies are: raisins, red cabbage, oranges, sugar cane, eggplant and figs. Despite being rich in vit C and K, they should be eaten in moderation. A vegetarian diet results in tranquility obedience, patience and resistance to fatigue.

When cooking your veggies, don't peel them nor soak them in water for any long periods of time. Eat all the rice and other cereals you wish but chew them well. Eat seaweed, and shellfish and veggies (all the food that does not run away). Avoid chemically treated foods.

PROTEIN AND DAIRY PRODUCTS

A diet with over 25% meat or fish will result in aggressive behavior, egocentricism, laziness, and vulnerability to diseases. A yin person will cry faster than a Yang person. (How would you label your children?)
A vegetarian diet results in tranquility obedience, patience and resistance to fatigue.

Yang foods are red or yellow. They are the meats, fishes, eggs, vit d and all blood products. They are high in sodium and low in K.
Ratio of Na to K should be about 5. If the ratio is less than 5 the body is Yang. If more than 1/5 the body is more Yin. K is Yin and Na is yang. Both are found in almost all chemical products.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

I have been asked about the macrobiotic diet and its values. It was advanced by a Dr Georges Oshawa around 1965 and was advocated at that time for longevity and rejuvenation. It should be revisited, in light of today's nutrition. If you are not well, this diet may improve your health.

In old Chinese medicine yin was contractile and yang was expansive. This is all reversed in physical thinking of the macrobiotic diets. Four thousand years ago, in the physical sense, the sky was considered the supreme Yin symbol and the earth the supreme Yang symbol. Physically speaking, all empty organs are Yin, as they are passive and receptive. These include the stomach, lungs, bladder, gall bladder, colon and small intestines. The Yang organs are solid organs with compactness and are the kidney, heart, and pancreas. Metaphysically, in old Chinese medicine and acupuncture all this reversed.

The macrobiotic diet is based on the process of transmutation. Without it we could not exist. Transmremely yin. All foods containing chemical fertilizers and insecticides are very Yin. Liver disease results from foods too rich in animal proteins and an excess of sugar.

Chronic disease is a result of too much Yin or Yang in the foods.
If one takes too much Yang, this means that one is too Yin.
You only have a choice between life and death, to be or not to be, longevity or premature death.

If you are over 60 years of age, reduce your salt intake, eliminate oily and greasy foods and animal fats, and use a minimum of vegetable oil. Live as close to nature as you can, and share your personal happiness with others.

All disease is located in our blood or fed to our blood. Nature is the greatest healer. Nature has given us foods that are proper for our bodies. We can get healthy by using them. Most diseases are caused by rich foods and living luxuriously. The macrobiotic diet gives us a natural way of eating and drinking. It has withstood the test over the last 40 years.  It is worth revisiting when illness occurs.

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