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Q&A
Please send us an email with any additional questions you may have:
mayme@peoples-acupuncture.com or call 425-462-2113
What is it like to get an Acupuncture treatment the first time?
· It begins with a first-time, 1.5- hour consultation. During this time, an initial exam with full health history will be taken - all subsequent visits will be a quick intake of 5-10 minutes, allowing you for at least 40 minutes of treatment or as long as you’ll need.
· I will ask you questions regarding primary symptoms, general health and lifestyle.
· You may get a physical exam including pulses and the tongue that represent the micro-systems of your body. I’d ask you not to scrape or brush your tongue before the appointment.
· A holistic assessment is made based on all of the data collected about you thus far. A comprehensive diagnosis is assessed.
· A set of the most pertinent acupuncture points is then selected for you based on the comprehensive diagnosis.
· I then proceed to apply sterile fine steel needles on you with the utmost care, precautions, and clean needle techniques. These needles are packaged in sterile blister packs by the manufacturer and disposed of after one use.
· After treatment, you may feel energized, relaxed, and a sense of well-being.
· A variety of other treatment modalities, such as infrared heat, moxa, diet and herb therapy could be added to this acupuncture treatment.
What kinds of conditions have we treated at our clinic, in addition to what we listed under Services?
· BPH, infertility, vascular severities, GI distress, insomnia, depression, PCOS, migraine and other types of headaches, weight management, women’s health, sciatica, whole-body pain, poor immunity, shingles, and edema.
What is acupuncture and how does it work? Is it safe?
· http://www.waoma.org/faq.cfm
· http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/acupuncture-whatis.html
What are others saying about Acupuncture – Seattle Examiner?
· http://www.examiner.com/x-12541-Seattle-Social-Consciousness-Examiner~y2009m7d7-Community-Acupuncture--a-new-form-of-affordable-healthcare
· By: Trelene Estrada, Seattle Social Consciousness Examiner
What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?
· The herbs are of natural vegetated roots, barks, leaves, stems, trigs, flowers, fruits and fungus of plants, although some herbs are of animal products, such as worms, shells, or of minerals and rocks.
· Like acupuncture, herbs are used to treat symptoms and signs, or root causes of the problem. It is very important to look beyond the symptoms and determine the underlying cause(s) of an illness.
· Herbal formulas are prescribed based on your constitution, age, gender, weather condition, the season, and geographical location. A common cold could be the result of coldness, dryness, dampness, or wind in any such combination. The herbs you take could be for eliminating these external influences or internal congestions first and then to build up your defensive Qi, Yin, or Yang in any such combination.
Special Topics of Interest
National awareness for Mesothelioma
Acupuncture has been linked to alleviating the nausea associated with chemotherapy and the pain incurred from the constant surgeries that cancer patients undergo. The Mesothelioma Center: www.asbestos.com, provides what you need to know about asbestos exposure and offers the most current and comprehensive information of mesothelioma symptoms;
www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/malignant/,
and mesothelioma chemotherapy;
www.asbestos.com/treatment/chemotherapy/
They have a complete list of doctors, cancer center, and alternative treatment facilities in the US.
May’s Food For Thought
12 Foods With Super-Healing Powers:
· http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100256169&imageindex=2&q=Kiwifruit
Healthcare Reform
As we assert that mainstream Healthcare is broken or a mess, let’s see what areas need work. I choose to focus on healthcare disaster preparedness, because I don’t think there’s such a thing. Like any natural disaster, we understand what earthquake preparedness is all about.
What do I mean by healthcare disaster preparedness? It’s the first incidence of a healthcare emergency situation for anyone who needs to call an ambulance or could be at a doctor’s office where you just had an emergent distress and your doctor is about to call an ambulance on your behalf. There are lots of traps and pitfalls for us to fall into. To avoid a financial or an emotional bankruptcy, it behooves us to be prepared. Such questions as follows are well worth our time and efforts to look into:
· What do they charge for an ambulance?
· What do they charge for 1-day of hospital stay?
· How many ECG’s are necessary in a 1-day emergency?
· If you got breast cancer, are you going to authorize repeated ECG tests?
· If you got dehydration or electrolyte imbalance that had triggered some minor heart pain and you got sent to ER for primarily heart pain, is it ok for them to ignore your low levels of electrolytes, entirely and coach you on life style changes and family history to avoid heart pain?
· Do you accept unlimited number of tests but with no treatments during a hospital stay?
Let me describe some of the scenarios and walk you through step by step so you’ll understand how important that we are prepared for such an medical emergency.
This section is under construction - Stay tuned as of June 2, 2010
Medical Marijuana – What do we know? Take it with a grain of salt?
What is the situation with Medical Marijuana in the State of Washington?
· http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=69.51A&full=true#69.51A.005
· http://www.bing.com/search?q=medical+marijuana&form=A8
Few issues in the world of medicine are as controversial as the issue of medical marijuana. To date, 14 states—Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington—have legalized the dispensing and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. And as other states weigh the option of joining the movement, the debate rages within the medical community as to whether pot is good medicine or a risky proposition to give a dangerous drug an undeserved halo of health.
Cancer
Marijuana is the drug of choice for many cancer patients going through chemotherapy because it can help quell the nausea that often comes as a side effect. It is theorized that cannabis alleviates nausea by working on receptors in the brain and by slowing down and reducing peristaltic contractions in the gastrointestinal tract. There are other anti-nausea drugs available, but medical marijuana proponents assert that this is a better alternative for many patients. “If the patient has not only nausea but also vomiting, an oral medication is not a satisfactory option, no matter how effective the medication may be,” says Dr. David Bearman, a California physician who has nearly 40 years of experience working in substance and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs.
Fibromyalgia
Many sufferers of this hard-to-treat condition find relief from their pain, stiffness and fatigue by using medical marijuana. Cannabis has been shown to have some anti-inflammatory effects and it’s a powerful pain reliever. Proponents consider it one of the best treatments for fibromyalgia, with fewer side effects than Lyrica, the FDA-approved medication. But critics point to the lack of FDA approval and regulation as one of the problems with medical marijuana. “Bypassing the FDA undermines consumer protection,” says Dr. Eric A. Voth, a physician in Topeka, Kan., and a drug policy expert. “And the concentrations of THC in marijuana vary greatly, from 2 percent to around 30 percent.”
Arthritis
The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of cannabis are the main reasons arthritis sufferers may find relief from sore, swollen and stiff joints when using it. How you use medical marijuana will dictate both how much you need to see an effect and how quickly it will work. “If you smoke it or vaporize it, you can utilize a lower dose and the response will be immediate,” says Bearman. “But if you consume it in food, it will take more of the drug to see effects and the response time will be about 45 minutes to an hour.”
Glaucoma
Glaucoma causes an increase in internal eye pressure, but, according to Bearman, using medical marijuana can decrease that pressure for up to 20 hours at a time. The most common conventional treatments are drops placed in the eyes, which some patients do not tolerate well. One of the downsides of cannabis as your treatment is that, unlike a conventional prescription medication, health insurance does not currently pay for medical marijuana. That may put the treatment out of reach for some patients.
PMS
It is hard to find one medicine that can treat the full array of premenstrual syndrome symptoms: bloating and stomach distress, moodiness, cramps, backache and headache. Marijuana, thanks to its role as both an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, can take care of many of the physical symptoms. And it also works in the brain to modulate neurotransmission and make dopamine more available. That can have a mood-lifting effect. “Another advantage is that cannabis is very fast acting, so relief can be nearly immediate,” says Bearman.
Alzheimer’s
The exact mechanism of action that enables medical marijuana to aid the symptoms of Alzheimer’s aren’t really understood, but Bearman theorizes that it may help quell the anxiety and panic that often plagues Alzheimer’s patients. Critics say that the lack of research means lack of hard evidence of marijuana’s effectiveness and potential downsides. “For most illnesses, including Alzheimer’s, marijuana has not been examined in a double blind study with conventional medicines,” says Voth. “And marijuana is highly impure, with 488 substances, including the 66 cannabinoids (the active substances of cannabis), having been identified in it.”
HIV/AIDS
Medical marijuana can help HIV and AIDS patients deal with pain, but it probably is most commonly used to quell nausea and boost appetite. It’s not just recreational smokers who get the munchies, and for patients who have lost their appetites or are having trouble eating sufficient calories, this side effect of marijuana can be a tremendous benefit.
Crohn’s disease
People with this inflammatory bowel disease suffer from a myriad of gastrointestinal issues caused by the inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. Symptoms include abdominal pain and severe diarrhea. Marijuana has been found to be helpful in alleviating some of the inflammation, but also by slowing the peristaltic contractions to help calm and slow down the gastrointestinal system. “They can have fewer bowel movements, better formed stools, less abdominal pain and need to use less conventional medicine,” says Bearman.
Migraines
When you smoke (or consume) marijuana, a mechanism called retrograde inhibition helps slow the speed of neurotransmission in the brain. For migraine sufferers, whose headaches are often caused by excessive neural stimulation, this action can help alleviate the pain and other symptoms, like nausea and sensitivity to light, that commonly accompany migraines. And while proponents tout marijuana’s lack of side effects, the critics beg to differ. “Marijuana is not a benign substance,” says Voth. “Memory and cognitive impairment is real, and the negative effect on driving is a huge issue.”
Insomnia
When marijuana is smoked or eaten before bed, it can have a soporific effect that many insomnia sufferers find preferable to conventional over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids. Because marijuana slows down rapid thinking and neurotransmission in the brain, it can help ease that transition into sleep. It can also help alleviate other symptoms, such as pain or anxiety, that may be keeping you awake. One thing both sides of the debate agree on to some degree is that the future of medical marijuana may involve medications made from isolated cannabinoids or synthetic versions of them. “It is more likely that individual cannabinoids can be isolated that have more beneficial effects than the broad-brush effect of pot.”
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