What is acupuncture and functional medicine?

This article answers questions about what acupuncture and functional medicine actually are.

Q. What is acupuncture?

A. Acupuncture is the insertion of tiny, solid needles into the body at specific points called “acupoints” that are usually found along energy lines in the body called “meridians” or “channels.” Acupuncture is a therapeutic modality within Chinese Medicine, which was developed over 2,000 years ago and continues to evolve. There are multiple different “systems” and schools of thought within the practice of acupuncture in much the same way that there are multiple different styles of martial arts. Some acupuncturists specialize in particular styles of acupuncture. If you want to try acupuncture in Del Mar, CA, be sure to ask your acupuncturist what style of acupuncture she/he practices. This could make for an interesting and enlightening conversation!

 

Q. What is functional medicine?

A. Functional Medicine is a modern method of healthcare that focuses on finding the underlying causes of diseases and their symptoms. It utilizes advanced methods of objective laboratory diagnosis that are more in-depth than what a conventional doctor would order. For instance, instead of diagnosing you with a disease such as migraine headaches or rheumatoid arthritis, and then prescribing a pain killer for the migraines and a steroid drug for the RA, a functional medicine practitioner would conduct further testing to uncover the root cause of the migraines and the rheumatoid arthritis. An organic acids test can uncover hidden food sensitivities and nutritional deficiencies not picked up by a food allergy test or a standard blood test. A salivary hormone panel may discover adrenal hypo-function that is not apparent upon a single blood measurement of morning cortisol. A fatty acids panel might find that you have an imbalance of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids, therefore causing widespread inflammation and pain. These are just a few examples of tests that a functional medicine practitioner may perform. Many health conditions can then be reversed with targeted nutritional and herbal supplementation over a period of three to six months. Ask about functional medicine diagnostics when you get acupuncture in Del Mar, CA 

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Is a Juice Cleanse Good For Weight Loss & Detoxification?

Carrying a $10 bottle of pressed juice in your yoga bag has become somewhat of a status symbol in Southern California, symbolizing a quest for health and purity. But is a juice cleanse really as healthy as it’s cracked up to be?

When considering juicing for weight loss you may also like to consider getting acupuncture in La Jolla, CA. Juicing was made popular in the 1950’s with celebrity chiropractor and fitness club owner Jack LaLanne. He had a TV show and marketed exercise equipment, vitamin supplements, and electric juicers. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Jay Kordich re-popularized juicing as a health regimen. He produced a variety of infomercials selling electric juicers.


More recently, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, an online nutrition school based in New York City, has produced a large number of graduates promoting raw foods, a vegan diet, and juice cleansing. Among one of the first juice cleanse delivery services was Blueprint Cleanse, started by two Institute for Integrative Nutrition graduates.  Their juice cleanse program consists of six bottles of juice daily for 3 days, which is supposed to assist the body in weight loss and detoxification.

Depending on who you ask, what company it is selling the juice or juicer, or what your particular motive is (weight loss, detoxification, recovery from illness, increased energy, etc.), a juice cleanse is usually described as a liquid fast for any time period from 1 to 100 days. Most people opt for just doing a juice cleanse for a few days up to a week,  but those seeking desperately for help will do it for longer. For “maintenance” purposes, many consumers shell out $10 - $30 a day on high-end juices at Whole Foods, which are the same brands of juice pictured in the fashion magazines and promoted at events such as Coachella, Wanderlust, Bhakti Fest, and Hanuman Festival.

But is juicing really as healthful as it’s cracked up to be? The evidence suggests that juice cleansing may actually do more harm than good, especially when it comes to weight loss and detoxification. When fat cells are broken down in a process known as lipolysis, toxins stored within the fat cells such as environmental pollutants and metabolic byproducts are released into the bloodstream. This can cause tiredness, headaches, and other unpleasant symptoms that are often brushed aside as a “healing crisis” or “detox” reaction. Certain nutrients such as amino acids (the components of proteins), B vitamins, dietary fiber, and a variety of nutrients and cofactors are required by the body in order to bind to toxins, transport them to the kidneys, liver, and colon, and excrete them. However, on a juice cleanse, these nutrients are not available. The toxins floating around in the bloodstream can therefore lodge inside any organ or gland.

If you are trying to lose weight, you might consider acupuncture for weight loss instead. Not only is acupuncture safer than a juice cleanse, but acupuncture in La Jolla, CA is actually well-studied and time-attested to aid in weight loss. Combined with herbal medicinals and the traditional wisdom of Chinese dietary therapy, acupuncture in La Jolla, CA can also assist in detoxification.