Stage Fright and Acupuncture
Stage Fright and Acupuncture
Are you one of the many artists who struggle with performance anxiety and stage-fright?
How can acupuncture help you cope?
- It is a natural treatment that is drug-free (so no side effects)
- Clears your mind to concentrate and focus
- Grounds you in your body
- Centers your energy
- Consolidates your will power
- Builds your confidence
- Lessens fear and anxious thinking
Musicians, singers, actors, dancers and speakers all can benefit. Try an acupuncture performance- anxiety treatment with Nancy before your next stage appearance. Painless, relaxing and calming – you will feel refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go on!
About the Writer
As the University Health Clinic’s acupuncturist with more than 10 years experience practicing Chinese Medicine, Nancy’s special interests include helping you with pain management, fatigue and using acupuncture as an effective adjunct therapy for mental health. She believes in holistic treatment plans that will lead you to a more balanced state of wellness.
Depression and Autoimmune Disease
Depression and Autoimmune Disease
The drug Prozac was released for public consumption in 1988 for the treatment of depression, alcoholism, and weight loss, among other things. While there is a great deal of debate as to whether clinical depression, and related diseases, such as bi-polar disorder, require permanent pharmaceutical intervention, one thing is perfectly clear:
There is a critical point, or a tipping point you might call it, past which the body will require chemical assistance in order to maintain a healthy brain neurotransmitter level, without which the patient will suffer loss of cognitive function and emotional extremes. The important questions are when and why does this happen?
Every human being will become ill under an undue amount of stress. Tolerance for stress levels vary from person to person, but every human being has the point at which, under constant, persistent, repeated stress, something in their body will begin to break down.
We’ve notice that mental illnesses, like many other forms of illness, often run in families. This is because any chain under stress tends to break at its weakest link. In this case we are talking about the genome chain. If a person has a genetic predisposition for depression or mental illness, the disease may or may not manifest itself. If it does, that manifestation may, or may not be a permanent condition.
But if we push that person’s body past it’s breaking point, here is what happens: The immune system will actually start to attack serotonin, which the brain needs to function, and destroy it as though it were a foreign substance or a disease! The patient experiences a greater and greater depletion of the serotonin it requires until pharmaceutical and other intervention methods are put into place to restore balance.
Surprisingly, not only do anti-depressants like prozac keep serotonin in the brain longer, but they have an additional beneficial side effect as well. It has recently been shown that this class of drugs happens to also decrease inflammation. Decreasing inflammation calms the immune system. Calming the immune system means killing off less serotonin.
So these drugs have actually been pointing the way to disease prevention, as well as symptom mitigation, provided we are looking at the problem from the naturopathic perspective of the body as a whole.
If we know that a person under long term stress, prone to depression, is at risk of one day hitting that tipping point, how to we provide support for the patient so that the permanent condition never develops? Lowering external stress is one obvious choice. This may include:
- Job stress
- School stress
- Home stress
- And the addition of therapy to develop skills for dealing with historical stressors
But there are internal and bodily stressors to be taken into consideration as well such as:
- Eliminating foods which cause internal inflammation
- Eliminating habits which cause bodily inflammation – abuse of alcohol or drugs
- Eliminating environmental conditions which cause bodily inflammation, such as constant exposure to allergens or pollution
- And paying attention to blood sugar, which will play an important part in bodily inflammation
Then, after eliminating those things to which one should not be exposed, or which one should not ingest, then there are the steps one takes toward actively training the body and mind for stress management through practices such as:
- Regular exercise
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Tia chi
- Music
- Dance
- Art
There are multiple ways to cultivate a robust, active, but less stressful lifestyle. You might want to consult your local naturopath if you, or someone you love is dealing with mental illness. There are far more tools available to help support the patient with these illnesses than are commonly known.
About the Writer
As a naturopathic family practitioner, Dr. Monawar Fahoum’s interests and specialties include homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical medicine and physical medicine (bodywork, adjustments, etc). She views healing as a dynamic process, unique to each person, with different treatments appropriate for different patients.
UHC Weight Loss that Works– An Update!
Wow! It continues to amaze me. I now have at least 20 people on or finished with the initial phases of the Ultra-lite plan and I can honestly say that everyone feels better and is losing weight! I have lost some weight, my husband and a family friend have lost almost 50 pounds each, and they are looking great. The best part is that because you are guided through it by me, not only are you motivated and held accountable throughout the program, it is my job to help you find the right maintenance plan so that you can keep it off!
If you don’t keep it off, what is the point of losing it in the first place! You don’t have to be a patient here at UHC to participate in the diet program, so feel free to enlist a co-worker, a friend or your mom to do the plan with you! Call the office to set up a free 10-minute consult to hear more about my program for health! 206. 525.8015.
About the Writer
As a naturopathic family practitioner, Dr. Monawar Fahoum’s interests and specialties include homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical medicine and physical medicine (bodywork, adjustments, etc). She views healing as a dynamic process, unique to each person, with different treatments appropriate for different patients.
Losing weight the right way!
I have never been one for programs, in fact, no practitioner here at The UHC has ever been into one-size-fits-all programs. Then I tried out this diet plan…now I have to run an informal clinical study on it!!!
This plan takes the diet advice I’ve always given patients for healthy, low-glycemic eating to a new level. Now, losing weight (fat, not muscle) can be ramped up for faster results, then we can work on long-term nutritional goals. This way we get results quickly which creates a happy, motivated you, and lasting results!
I have run about 10 patients, friends and family members through the plan already and everyone has lost weight, not been hungry, feels great and ready for phase two (maintenance). I have done it myself and lost the stubborn 10 pounds I’ve put on in the years of owning a small business in a recession! This is not HCG, this is not Pre-packaged food, this is not a plan full of pills, bars or shakes!
You can schedule a free consult with me to discuss your needs, or you can attend a free talk I’m giving on the plan at the clinic. Please call the office to RSVP, 206.525.8015 if you can attend, Tuesday, September 4th at 6pm. And your friends and family are welcome too! This is open to the public!
–See you soon, Dr. Mona Fahoum
Depression and Your Gut
Have you even been anxious and had your stomach hurt? Depressed and had no desire to eat, or craved certain foods?
How many brains do you have?
You have two. Most people don’t know about their 2nd ‘Gut’ brain. Your GI tract produces neurotransmitters like Serotonin that have local and systemic actions, similar to those in your brain. Dysfunctions in your intestinal tract can have a tremendous impact on neurotransmitter balance. In other words, the emotional state of your gut can affect the emotional state in your head and vice versa.
Go with your Gut
When depression and anxiety just won’t go away, there is often an overlooked connection to your Gut. This can take the form of food allergies, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or an inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s, colitis, or celiac disease’. Resolving the inflammation created by food allergies, IBS and IBD, can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety dramatically! Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as Nexium, Prilosec and others affect digestion downstream, and have a direct correlation to increased incidence of depression. PPIs are meant as short term treatment! Taking these medications long term will adversely affect how your GI tract works.
If your depression or anxiety are not resolving with treatment, then its time to get to the root of the matter. Depression and anxiety are NOT incurable conditions! Talk with your provider about testing for gastro-intestinal issues that may be preventing you from resolving your depression and anxiety.
About the Writer
Dr. Jana Hagen brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience in Naturopathic Medicine and Clinical Laboratory Medicine to her family medicine practice and addiction relapse prevention. Dr. Hagen is not seeing patients at this time.
Copyright notice. The contents of this article may be reused, but must be reused in full (and full credit given to its authors). If you have specific questions, please contact us.
Boost your Immune System
The 12 Best Ways to Boost Your Immune System
When the weather gets wet and dreary, our gathering places become
incubators for the spread of viruses, like colds and flus.
Is sickness
inevitable in winter? Not necessarily, if you have a strong immune system,
you can make it through the season, staying bright and robust in your good
health.
How?
1. Get adequate sleep. Most people need 7-8 hours a night. Some need
more. We do very poorly on less. Sleep gives the body the chance
to repair itself and rejuvenate energy stores. During the winter, our
bodies have historically needed more sleep in response to lowered
temperatures and less light. Give your body the rest it needs.
2. Drink plenty of water. When it’s cold and rainy, we often forget to
hydrate. None-the-less, our body needs to be flushed of toxins,
especially when we are exposed to sickness more often. Stay
hydrated and stay healthy.
3. Watch the sugar intake. During the winter, it’s tempting to reach for
sugar to boost our energy. But refined sugars depress the immune
system. Opt for fruit instead.
4. Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables. Root vegetables and squashes
are in season, and are naturally sweet complex carbohydrates.
Dark leafy greens and frozen dark berries provide anti-oxidants,
and freezing preserves most of their nutrition. They boost the
immune system with vitamins, minerals, and bioflavonoids, which
help improve white blood cell function and decrease reactions to
allergens.
5. Maintain basic hygiene. The physical action of washing your hands
with water and soap helps to sanitize them, and does a better
job than prepackaged hand sanitizers. Sanitizers promote more
resistant bugs. Don’t use them unless you have no other option.
6. Train yourself and others to sneeze/cough into the arm. We have
been taught to cover our mouths when coughing or sneezing, the
problem though, is that it’s into our hands. Then we touch other
people, doorknobs, keyboards, etc. The solution is to re-train
yourself, your kids and others to sneeze and cough into the crook of
the elbow. Don’t pass the germs.
7. Rinse your sinuses. If you don’t already use a neti-pot, or a squirt bulb
to rinse your nasal passages and sinuses, put this practice into
your routine. These tools remove germs and allergens, and should
be used 1-2 times a week, especially if you fly. Rinse with a mild
saline solution. You can find inexpensive, pre-measured saline
packets and sinus rinse kits by Niell-Med at most drug stores over
the counter.
8. Load up on vitamin C. Drink Emergen-C, or take vitamin C capsules.
Take 500-1000 milligrams a day. It will help boost your immune
system and white blood cell count. You will know you are taking too
much if you have loose bowels.
9. Use a humidifier. Heating our homes dries out the air, and thus our
mucus membranes, which are designed to catch germs and
allergens. Put a small quantity of tea tree, eucalyptus, or thyme
oil in the vaporizer, or in the depression that is on the top of most
vaporizers. These herbs are anti-viral and anti-microbial.
10. Have a good immune support product ready. As soon as you
feel the slightest symptom of anything wrong, take your immune
system booster. We tend to wait 2-3 days, thinking it will pass
on its own. It never does. If you have a run down, achy feeling,
a little headache and a little sniffle, don’t try to ride it out. If you
take immediate action, you’ll end up with the minor version of the
illness. Good immune system products include: Barlean’s Olive Leaf
Complex Peppermint Oil, BioGenesis’ Phyto Immune, IT’s Thymucin
or Ayush’s Flucomune.
11. Stay home. Take a day off work when you get those first symptoms.
It’s your body telling you that you’re exhausted. You can miss one
day in the early stage – or 4 days if you try to force yourself to go in.
Nobody wants you to pass it on to your coworkers. Just stay home
and take care of your body.
12. Stay healthy. Ultimately, nothing cures the common cold, or virus.
Prevention, as always, remains the best medicine.
About the Writer
As a naturopathic family practitioner, Dr. Monawar Fahoum’s interests and specialties include homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical medicine and physical medicine (bodywork, adjustments, etc). She views healing as a dynamic process, unique to each person, with different treatments appropriate for different patients.
Addictions – Acupuncture Helps
Can Acupuncture help you with addiction recovery including smoking cessation?
Yes, auricular (ear) acupuncture is a natural, chemical–free and inexpensive therapy you can add to your program as another piece of your own personal “tool-kit” to get and stay clean, sober or smoke-free. Here’s how it can help you in your journey:
- Reduces cravings
- Calms & relaxes
- Redirects your energy to break habits
- Regulates the nervous system and the organs involved in ridding your body of toxins
- Helps you learn and reinforce the concept of taking a “time out” & deep breathing
- Helps you look within yourself for the “reward” rather than seek it externally
- Helps manage withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia and depression
And as a holistic treatment, the energetic balancing of your entire being is a positive step toward better health and wellness.
Treatment plans at UHC are a series of individual, private sessions with the acupuncturist that after the first visit take about a half hour each session. 30-40 minutes is spent in a relaxed, comfortable and private space of our pleasant treatment room. Most clients find the treatments restful, meditative and rejuvenating.
-Nancy Paine Sherman, L.Ac.
About the Writer
As the University Health Clinic’s acupuncturist with more than 10 years experience practicing Chinese Medicine, Nancy’s special interests include helping you with pain management, fatigue and using acupuncture as an effective adjunct therapy for mental health. She believes in holistic treatment plans that will lead you to a more balanced state of wellness.
Computers and Exercise: Good for Your Brain!
The Mayo Clinic Study of Aging just released findings that describe a reduced risk for cognitive decline in people who actively use a computer and participate in physical exercise.
Use Your Senses And Move
Using a computer regularly or engaging in other mental and sensory stimulation has a direct effect on your cognitive health as you age. Physical activity with daily movement and interaction are as vital to cognitive health as to physical health.
Facebook, Sudoku, Wii and Tai Chi for your Health
Give these activities a try and stimulate not just your mind, but your body to better health. Interacting socially is good for the spirit as well. Combine them all and you will be better in Body, Mind and Spirit.
About the Writer
Dr. Jana Hagen brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience in Naturopathic Medicine and Clinical Laboratory Medicine to her family medicine practice. Dr. Hagen is not seeing patients at this time.
Copyright notice. The contents of this article may be reused, but must be reused in full (and full credit given to its authors). If you have specific questions, please contact us.
New Cardiovascular Disease Guidelines on Prevention
Those cardiologists in Europe may just be on to something here! The European Society of Cardiologists just released new guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) that employs a revolutionary concept: prevention.
Prevention MUST Begin Earlier
Medscape Today author Riordan of Dublin, Ireland reports on the Society’s findings: Much greater emphasis is on prevention in a primary care setting. Dr. Perk of Sweden, a noted cardiologist states:
“We need to start taking care of patients much much earlier. Drugs are perfect because they compensate for things that go wrong, but wouldn’t it be better if we saw to it that there wasn’t a need for drugs at all?
Healthcare vs Sickcare
A Sickcare system is one in which we wait until we become sick before taking action. This is akin to waiting until your car breaks down on the side of the road before changing the oil. Costly repairs are required to continue functioning properly. This is the emphasis of our current medical system. A true Healthcare system is founded upon preventive maintenance.
Healthcare = Prevention = Lower Medical Care Spending
Preventing sickness means less resources spent on treating illness. Oil changes are a fraction of the cost of major engine repairs. Same goes for preventive health maintenance. Why wait until your body breaks down to take care of it?
About the Writer
Dr. Jana Hagen brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience in Naturopathic Medicine and Clinical Laboratory Medicine to her family medicine practice. Dr. Hagen is not seeing patients at this time.
Copyright notice. The contents of this article may be reused, but must be reused in full (and full credit given to its authors). If you have specific questions, please contact us.
Acupuncture and Headache Relief Part 2
More about how acupuncture can help your headache
Acupuncture treatments for your headache have two goals:
- Alleviate the pain as it occurs to bring you relief fast
- Address the root cause of your pain; Qi is either excessive or deficient.
The Plan:
I develop a treatment plan based on a Chinese Medical diagnosis for your headaches with the goal of reaching a more balanced energetic state. Other contributing factors are considered based on your health history and recommendations are made regarding diet (based on Chinese nutrition), exercise, lifestyle, work habits and emotional considerations.
Acupuncture “points” along the course of energetic channels (also called meridians) are chosen for placement of very thin, hair-like needles to influence your qi (energy). Insertion of needles is painless and gentle. You may feel very relaxed and possibly even fall asleep during a session.
Your Experience
Based on your treatment plan and cause of your headaches these points may help you by:
- Moving your qi (pain is often about qi being stagnated and “stuck”)
- Calming you, if stress is a factor with your headaches
- Cultivating your qi, if your headaches result from too little qi (deficiency type)
- Redirecting your qi, if your headaches result from too much qi rising up (excess type)
- Balancing and regulating your internal organ systems (such as your Stomach, Liver & Kidneys)
Road Map to Health
The course of treatment will usually depend on how long you have experienced the headaches. The goal of a treatment plan for headaches (as well as for most conditions treated with acupuncture) is to initially relieve pain with regular frequent treatments, continue with treatment of the root causes until balance is achieved and your headaches are reduced or completely alleviated.
By this time you will have a better understanding of your triggers and underlying constitutional imbalances, and can avoid a recurrence of headaches with lifestyle changes and good wellness maintenance. Occasional treatments to maintain your balance is recommended to restore health when you get ‘off-kilter’.
-Nancy Paine Sherman, L.Ac.
About the Writer
As the University Health Clinic’s acupuncturist with more than 10 years experience practicing Chinese Medicine, Nancy’s special interests include helping you with pain management, fatigue and using acupuncture as an effective adjunct therapy for mental health. She believes in holistic treatment plans that will lead you to a more balanced state of wellness.
