Health Starts In the Gut

Leaky gut seems like it may be a buzzword, but it is in fact a condition that is recognized both in Chinese Medicine as well as Western Medicine. This blog post explains that health starts in the gut, and how to heal your gut if you suffer from a health condition.


It sounds like a buzzword, but leaky gut is real. The medical term for it is intestinal hyperpermeability and it is becoming increasingly common today in the United States as we continue to eat processed foods and genetically modified foods more than ever. If you suffer from recurrent sinus infections or “allergies,” unexplained weight gain, mood swings, an autoimmune disease, or imbalanced hormones, the root cause of your symptoms might actually begin with your gut.

The Statistics
A recent estimate from the National Institutes of Health is that roughly 25% of us deal with digestive “issues” on a regular basis. Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, and even frequent nausea are becoming almost a daily occurrence for many individuals. According to one school of thought in Chinese Medicine, the key to good health is maintaining a healthy digestive system. Any disease should first be addressed by treating the gut. Now Western Medicine is beginning to understand that philosophy!

Strong Core = Strong Body
When you visit my acupuncture clinic in Del Mar, CA, you will find that I may ask you a lot of questions about your digestive health even if it seems unrelated to your primary symptom, such as hormone imbalance or mood swings. I will ask you about your particular dietary habits as well as your bowel functions. It may seem like this has nothing to do with what you came in for, but in fact your gut health (your “core”) is related to the health of every other system of your body.

Your Gut Brain
 Your gut is much more than just a tube for your food to pass through. It is actually where 80% of your immune system and 90% of your neurotransmitters are located. That may be surprising, but it’s true that you have a second “brain” in your gut. This is why your emotional state as well as your amount of mental stress can play such a large role in increasing or decreasing your susceptibility to getting sick. In fact we now know that conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis hashimoto’s thyroiditis, chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, and eczema actually begin in the gut.

How To Heal Your Gut
In Chinese Medicine, acupuncture needles may be placed on acupoints located on the abdomen. Other points related to the Earth element (the Spleen and Stomach) may also be used. These points are located along the Earth meridians on the legs and feet, as well as the abdomen and head. At my Del Mar clinic, we also use specific herbal formulas from Evergreen Herbs that are meant to build up the health of the digestive system.

It is also important to remove any foods from the diet which may be contributing to inflammation in the gut or damage to the gut lining. Common gut irritants include aspirin, alcohol, coffee, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, sugar, and any foods you may be allergic to. In place of pro-inflammatory foods, you should be enjoying soups and congees (rice porridge), bone broth, gelatin, slow-cooked meats, and vegetables galore. Probiotics and digestive enzyme supplements are also helpful in addition to Chinese herbs.

Top 10 Wellness Trends We Predict For 2015

Here are the top 10 wellness trends we believe will skyrocket in 2015. Have you tried any of these?

1.    Meditation

In the past, meditation was seen as something you did if you went to Tibet and lived in a cave for a year with monks or something that only yogis and monastery visitors did on retreats. Now, however, meditation is catching on even among corporate executives and software engineer types. The benefits of a daily meditation practice are extraordinary and can help you achieve greater success in your career as well as in your relationships and overall happiness. And anyone can meditate. You don’t have to be religious or “spiritual” to reap the benefits.

2.            Standing workstations

The studies continue to pile up about the hazards of sitting. In fact, in 2015 we think sitting will be the new smoking. Most individuals regard smoking as an unattractive habit that can put a damper on your social life as well as your health. Until recently, it was considered socially acceptable to sit all day, from the commute to work to sitting at a desk to sitting on the couch at home to spend time with family or friends. But with the recent evidence that the more you sit each day, the greater your risk of disease and death, we think it will be more socially acceptable in 2015 to stand or walk while working or socializing.

3.            Farm-To-Table Restaurants and Meal Delivery Plans

While there are still some people who don’t mind being fifty pounds overweight simply because they have to eat on-the-go most of the time, that demographic is shrinking. People are busy and often don’t have the time or the know-how to cook healthy, fresh meals day in and day out. Microwave dinners and meals-in-a-box like Hamburger Helper make things easier on the home cook, but with the sacrifice of taste as well as nutrition. Savvy chefs and restaurants have taken heed to the consumer demand for fast, fresh, and nutrient-dense food by offering farm-to-table dining on locally grown veggies and grass-fed meats. For the health-conscious individuals who desire their own personal chef without the price tag, a growing number of chefs are offering meal delivery programs with weekly and ala carte plans. If you’re getting acupuncture near La Jolla, CA, why not take advantage of many of the healthy restaurants in the area serving farm-to-table foods?

4.            Sleep Trackers

2014 really saw a rise in popularity for activity trackers that track everything from steps taken to workouts done, foods eaten, and estimated energy expenditure and intake. We also saw a rise in studies explaining how deadly sleep deprivation can be -- just as bad as sitting all day. Because of this, we think sleep tracking devices are going to be big this year.

5.            Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been utilized for thousands of years, and has caught on in recent decades throughout the West. There are now completely new methods and theories in acupuncture that are derived from France, England, and North America. Acupuncture in Del Mar, CA is truly a timeless wellness practice that’s here to stay, and we predict that its popularity will increase exponentially in 2015.

 

 

This Is Your Brain On Acupuncture

Anyone who’s ever gotten an acupuncture treatment from a Licensed Acupuncturist will tell you that the needles don’t hurt, and they actually create a state of relaxation and immediate pain relief. However, there are still sometimes research studies and news reports that claim “acupuncture doesn’t work.” This happens because our “modern” Western scientists don’t quite understand how acupuncture actually works. However, recent brain imaging studies do show consistently that acupuncture has an immediate, specific effect on the brain.

Depending on which acupuncture points are being stimulated by the needles, different regions of the brain become activated. The cortical and subcortical brain regions (the insula, thalamus, anterior cingulate cortex, and primary and secondary somatosensory cortices) become activated with acupuncture. The limbic-paralimbic-neocortical network (the prefrontal cortex, caudate, amygdala, posterior cingulate cortex, and parahippocampus) is deactivated. These deactivated brain areas modulate pain sensations and pain perceptions. They are also associated with racing thoughts, anxiety, and painful emotions.

The depth of the acupuncture needles also makes a difference in what kind of effect they have on the body. Deep needling is more effective at treating muscle pain and painful trigger points. Superficial needling may be more effective at stimulating beneficial hormone release and producing a feeling of well-being and relaxation.

As evidenced by MRI imaging, superficial needling actually increases blood flow in the front of the brain. On the other hand, deep needling deactivates the pain processing centers in the back of the brain. This is scientific evidence that the beneficial effect of acupuncture is physiological -- not psychological (placebo).

If you would like to give acupuncture a try at our clinic in Del Mar, CA, you will surely reach your own conclusion that acupuncture produces a physiological, healing effect.

In 2005, the journal NeuroImage published a study stating that researchers has found that acupuncture increases brain activity in the cerebral cortex (your region of higher learning and critical thinking; the rational mind). Though modern scientists don’t quite understand what this means, the ancient Chinese Medicine textbooks do! These brain imaging studies do provide solid evidence to modern scientists that acupuncture is not just a placebo.

There are now literally thousands of acupuncturists, medical doctors, and chiropractors  who are utilizing some form of acupuncture treatment in their medical practices. However, the health insurance industry has been hesitant to offer reimbursement for such therapies because of a “lack of evidence.” This is clearly a problem for many patients who have felt the benefits of regular acupuncture treatments. Hopefully soon this will change, as more studies begin to reach the conclusion that acupuncture works! For acupuncture near La Jolla, CA, please contact our clinic today!