JourneyToCure Naturopathic Clinic for Her » acupuncture

The Weight Loss Battle – Case 3

Lei Gu, Naturopathic Doctor — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:48:47 +0000

40 yr old female client had issues of weight control ever since she was a teenager. Her lowest weight during adult life was 160 lbs. at the age of 18. The heaviest she’d been was 200 lbs. She reported being “constantly dieting all her life”. She started her treatments in November 2009, at which time she weighed 195 lbs.

Treatment: Nutritional counseling and weekly acupuncture (8 acupuncture treatments).

Results: By January 2010, she lost 11.5 lbs and weighed 183.5 lbs. Her most recent follow-up visit in May 2010 she happily reported that her weight stayed relatively the same with only small fluctuations of 2-3 pounds.

Menopausal Weight Gain – Case 4

Lei Gu, Naturopathic Doctor — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:45:36 +0000

51 year old female chief complaint was “post-menopausal weight gain” along with irritability as her main menopausal symptom. Her pulse was wiry and fast, her blood pressure was 130/85, and her Traditional Chinese Medical diagnosis was kidney yin deficiency and liver qi stagnation.

Treatment: Her treatment plan included dietary counseling, nutritional supplementation, acupuncture for hormone balancing.

Results: In January 2008, her hips measured 40”, and her waist 35”. By June 2008, her hip measurement decreased to 36” and her waist 30”. She lost a total of 9 inches. Her menopausal symptoms also improved

Abdominal Weight Loss – Case 2

Sherry Chen, Naturopathic Doctor — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:21:24 +0000

58 year old female client came in with chief complaint of abdominal fat that has always been present since a very young age. She described herself as looking “pregnant” when she was a little girl. She also reported coughing up a lot of phlegm in the mornings upon waking, migraine like head aches and difficulty falling asleep.

Treatment: JC Healthy weight loss program included dietary recommendations, exercise ( 15- 20 minutes of brisk walking or treadmill) 3 times a week. 10 treatments of acupuncture aimed at reducing abdominal fat ( client came in 2 times a week for a total of 5 weeks.

Results: Client reported a decrease in phlegm after the first treatment of acupuncture and continued to decrease with subsequent treatments. At the end of 10 treatments, the client was ecstatic to report that she was able to fit into a lot of her “old” clothes that she previously had put away because she was not able to zip up or button up.

Postpartum Weight Loss – Case 1

Sherry Chen, Naturopathic Doctor — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:51:38 +0000

37 year old female visited Journey To Cure 7 months postpartum and had already lost about 30 lbs on her own but reported the weight was no longer coming off especially around the abdominal area. She was exercising 4 times a week which included both cardio and strength training.

Treatment: Healthy dietary recommendations were made along with 10 treatments of acupuncture weight loss. Client was to maintain exercise program.

Results: Client reported after 6 treatments of acupuncture that the caliper readings her trainer was measuring on her had gone down especially noted was the abdomen. She also reported to have better energy and feeling less sluggish. Her weight was decreasing by 1 pound per week.

Diabetes and Weight Loss

Sherry Chen, Naturopathic Doctor — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:17:37 +0000

47 year oldmale 123kg (271LB) came into the clinic for weight –loss. He was medicated for diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. The patient also reported abdominal pain in the upper right area which occurs at least once a week. His initial blood work showed high fasting glucose, and elevated liver enzymes.

Treatment: His treatment plan included the Healthy & Active Metabolism Program, herbal supplements to lower cholesterol and regulate blood glucose as well as weekly acupuncture.

Results: In 6 weeks, this patient had lost 27.5 LB; by week 13, he lost a total of 37.4LB. His follow-up blood work showed normal fasting glucose, and liver enzymes levels. His medical doctor also halved all his medication. The abdominal pain had disappeared.

Constipation Constipation Constipation – Requires Action

Naturopath on Duty — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:21:06 +0000

Constipation is not a disease but a symptom. Most people growing up with constipation doesn’t even realize it to be abnormal until the discomfort starts to interfere with how they are feeling over all. In fact, some think that their bowel habits are quite normal when they have only one bowel movement a week.

Constipation can be defined as difficulty to pass stool, even if one is having a bowel movement everyday, having less than 3 bowel movements per week or having a sensation of incomplete bowel evacuation. Constipation can be caused by many diseases (hypothyroid) and medications (anti-depressant drugs, opiates).

In my practice, I tell my clients that they should have a least one bowel movement a day, with formed solid stools that are not difficult to pass. Below are some cases I have seen in my practice. If any of the cases sounds like what you, a family member or a friend is experiencing then you should seek medical help with a licensed Naturopathic Doctor.

Case 1

Middle aged lady with previous diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Currently medicated with replacement thyroid hormone and blood levels indicated all thyroid hormones to be within normal limits. Patient’s constipation described as having one bowel movement per week, stools were pellet-like brown with some mucous.

Treatments used prior to constipation treatments at Journey To Cure included colonics (gave relief from constipation while treatments were carried out but constipation would return once colonics were stopped), fiber supplements and changing her diet to include fiber rich foods.

Treatments: The patient was given 4 bags of a herbal formula that was designed specific to her symptoms (these not only include her constipation but also other symptoms that she reported. Since the human body is a whole, all symptoms are taken into consideration to formulate the herbal decoction). Dietary changes that were recommended included increase fibrous foods (which patient had already started), decrease foods that are considered goitrogenic ( eg. turnips, cabbage, cauliflower etc. because of history of hypothyroidism), and no raw uncooked foods. The herbal formula helped to provide the body with the energy to move the stools in the intestinal tract and soften the stools. Dietary changes provided long term care for the digestive tract.

Results: One year follow up, client reports bowel movements are still normal.

Case 2

Constipation for the last 20 plus years. Stools are hard but not dry and only able to have a bowel movement if more than 2 litres of water is consumed otherwise constipation would set in. Other symptoms reported included hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating), nightly leg cramps, shortness of breath and fatigue.

Treatment: 3 acupuncture treatments and 13 bags of herbal decoctions were prescribed, the formula was altered once after the first 3 bags of herbs were consumed as the client already reported having daily bowel movements. The last 10 bags of herbs were to support the body’s own ability to defecate and to increase the client’s overall energy. The other symptoms reported gradually improved. Patient reported after the first acupuncture treatment, there was a very large amount of stool evacuated and felt “cleaned” out.

Result: Patient continue to have bowel movements after 3 months after treatments.

Case 3

Patient was experiencing abdominal pain which included bloating and gas and had bowel movements two times a week. Blood tests came back within normal limits. The client requested to recieve only acupuncture treatments and declined to use any herbal treatments.

Treatment: After 2 treatments of acupuncture, client reported that she was no longer feeling constipated ie. having one bowel movement a day. Treatments are still ongoing as there is still a sensation of incomplete evacution reported by the client. Dietary recommendations included increasing fibrous rich foods and decreasing spicy foods.

Constipation should be a concern for any one that experiences it. We need to be removing waste from our body on a daily basis. If we are not removing waste, similar to a drainage system where waste gets washed down our pipes and into some sanitation plant, it can get backed up. The backing up of waste can cause a number of problems. Some common symptoms that people may experience is gas (usually odorous), cramping pains, bloating, sluggishness and fatigue, irritability etc. As mentioned above constipation can be indicative of other diseases or indirectly be related to a disease. Here is an example of what I mean by constipation being indirectly related to a disease. If diet is a factor in constipation then it means that there is usually a lack of fiber in the diet. This also means that if there is a lack of fiber we maybe have issues of high cholesterol, hormonal imbalances ( cysts, PMS, fibrous breast, weight gain) or even immune related diseases.

Hyperhydrosis (Hyperhidrosis) – Chronic Sweating

Naturopath on Duty — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:19:08 +0000

Sweating (diaphoresis) is a natural physiologic response when the body needs to cool down (physical activity or from fever) but it can also occur in emotional situations, high environmental temperatures or even in some disease states such as an overactive thyroid to an underlying malignancy. Therefore, in any case of excessive sweating it is necessary to find the root cause of the sweating.

The cases we have seen at Journey To Cure Toronto Naturopathic Clinic are mainly due to overactive eccrine sweat glands and is associated with an emotional stimuli causing armpit (axillary) or hands/feet/facial (volar) sweating. The medical name for this is Hyperhydrosis (also spelled as hyperhidrosis).

At Journey To Cure Toronto Naturopathic Clinic we address the root cause of the sweating by:

Identifying the situations or stimuli that causes the profuse sweating.
Develop an individualized herbal formula
Acupuncture treatments (10 sessions or more if sweating is very chronic)
Develop an individualized dietary regiment that is supportive of the individuals body type.

The herbal formula that we give is to address any imbalances in the body and the cause of the hyperhydrosis (hyperhidrosis). Acupuncture is used in conjunction because it is an effective method in influencing the nervous and endocrine systems which play a role in hyperhydrosis (hyperhidrosis) patients. Dietary recommendations are also given because we all know that diet can play a role in our health and influence many aspects of our body. For instance, we may be eating foods that induce a lot of sweating, or we may be doing the opposite and that is, we may have a nutritional deficiency from what we are not eating.

Treatment results vary from person to person based on how long they have had the hyperhydrosis (hyperhidrosis). We have seen many good results here (results seen with 6 treatments of acupuncture alone for excessive armpit (axillary) sweating) at the clinic from cases of armpit sweating, to hands, feet and trunk of the body, cases where the beads of sweat can be seen by the naked eye, to facial sweating and chronic night sweats.

Additional information– allopathic treatments

Allopathic treatments include some of the following:

Focal Injections: Injection of Botulinum toxin Type A to prevent nerve signals to the sweat glands. Sweating will recur and possible side effects include sweating in other areas and pain at injection site.

Topical Treatments: application of an antiperspirant containing aluminum chloride hexahydrate. The outcome of treatment is highly variable and the duration of effect is short. One concern of using topical treatments the link between aluminum toxicity with alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer. The studies are still inconclusive but why take the chance when there are other options.

Iontophoresis: application of low-intensity electric current to affected areas (used for hands and feet sweating only) but is limited by the duration of the effect –lasting only a few weeks and the time need for the initial treatments are long (30 minutes per area).

Surgery: this is usually the last option that most people consider for the treatment for hyperhydrosis. The nerves stimulating the sweat glands are severed. This is a very invasive treatment and only manages the sweating for several years and is not a cure.

If you are looking for an alternative and a solution to your chronic sweating please Contact us today for a consultation.

Facial Rejuvenation with Cosmetic Acupuncture – Naturopathic Beauty

Naturopath on Duty — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:17:37 +0000

Cosmetic Acupuncture is a non-surgical method of reducing the signs of aging. In ancient China, dating back to the Sung Dynasty (960 AD- 1270 AD), cosmetic acupuncture was employed by the Imperial family to maintain an ageless youthful appearance. The saying “Beauty is skin deep” has never been more true when it comes to using acupuncture to rejuvenate our faces. Thin sterilized needles are inserted into the face and on the body to help balance and regulate the body’s energy or Qi ( pronounced ~ “chee”). Physiologically, the needles help to stimulate the production of collagen by fibroblast cells.

The effects of the cosmetic acupuncture treatments help to reduce or eliminate fine lines, deeper wrinkles appear less intense, improvement of facial tone and colour, and reduce sagging and puffiness. Although, not a replacement for surgical face lifts or botox, it is a good alternative that will help erase 5-15 years from your face. You will also have additional benefits that surgery and botox cannot give. These include, improved circulation, energy, sleep, digestion, and many other health benefits when the body is balanced.

The treatments last between 1 hour to 1½ hours and generally requires about 10 sessions to be able to see results. Maintenance is recommended either once per month to every 3 months depending on your specific situation. At times, herbal medicines may be recommended to improve the treatment outcome. Cosmetic acupuncture should be done early in our lives as it works best as a preventative therapy. By the time we reach 25, our bodies are starting to show the signs of aging, especially if we live unhealthy lifestyles ( smoking, drinking, not getting enough sleep etc.). A good time to begin these treatments is when we are in our 30′s.

Below are some of Journey to Cure Toronto Naturopathic Clinic’s staying young recommendations:

1) Get plenty of sleep
2) Drink enough water to stay hydrated
3) Use a UV block/anti-oxidant cream (even on cloudy days)
4) Quit smoking
5) Exercise on a regular basis
6) Eat fresh fruits and vegetables
7) Balance the body’s energy ( yoga, meditation, acupuncture, qi gong etc.)

Free 15 minute Consultations available to see if you are a good candidate for cosmetic acupuncture.

There is also a free facial massage with every cosmetic acupuncture session. The facial massage helps to move and drain toxins from the face and to improve circulation.