WHAT IS ROOIBOS TEA ?

Rooibos ( /ˈrɔɪbɒs/ roy-bos;[1] Afrikaans for “red bush”; is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa’s fynbos. The plant is used to make a herbal tea called rooibos tea, bush tea (esp. Southern Africa), redbush tea (esp. UK), South African red tea, or red tea. The product has been popular in Southern Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries.

Production
Rooibos is grown only in a small area in the region of the Western Cape province of South Africa. Generally, the leaves are oxidized, a process often, and inaccurately, referred to as fermentation by analogy with tea-processing terminology. This process produces the distinctive reddish-brown colour of rooibos and enhances the flavour. Unoxidized “green” rooibos is also produced, but the more demanding production process for green rooibos (similar to the method by which green tea is produced) makes it more expensive than traditional rooibos. It carries a malty and slightly grassy flavour somewhat different from its red counterpart.

Use
In South Africa it is common to drink rooibos tea without milk, but instead with a slice of lemon and sugar or honey to sweeten. The flavour of rooibos tea is often described as being naturally sweet (without sugar added) and slightly nutty. Rooibos can be prepared in the same manner as black tea, and this is the most common method. Several coffee shops in South Africa have recently begun to sell “red espresso”, which is concentrated rooibos served and presented in the style of ordinary espresso. This has given rise to rooibos-based variations of coffee drinks such as red lattes and red cappuccinos. Iced teamade from rooibos has recently been introduced in South Africa, Australia, and in the United States.

Nutritional and health benefits

Rooibos is becoming more popular in Western countries, particularly among health-conscious consumers, due to its high level ofantioxidants such as aspalathin and nothofagin, its lack of caffeine, and its low tannin levels compared to fully oxidized black tea or unoxidized green tea leaves. Rooibos also contains a number of phenolic compounds, including flavanols, flavones, flavanones, and dihydrochalcones. Rooibos is purported to assist with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems.

African Red Tea now available a evolve wellness
Traditional medicinal uses of rooibos in South Africa include alleviating infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems.

Scientific study

Although human studies of rooibos are scarce in scientific literature, animal studies suggest it has potent antioxidant, immune-modulating and chemopreventive effects. In addition, rooibos tea has not been found to have any adverse effects. It is often claimed that “Green” rooibos (see above) has a higher antioxidant capacity than fully oxidized rooibos. However, one study, using two different ways of measuring antioxidant activity, found conflicting data, with green rooibos showing more activity under one measure, and less activity using the other.

The study also found conflicting data when comparing both forms of rooibos to black, green, and oolong tea, although it consistently found both forms to have less activity than green tea. In 2010, eleven poison dart frogs were raised at WWT Slimbridge by amphibian keepers in pint glasses of water, topped up with shop-bought Rooibos tea. Rooibos was used because it contains antioxidants with anti-fungal properties. This successfully protected the frogs against infection by chytridiomycosis. A recent study performed by Japanese scientists also suggests that Rooibos tea is beneficial in the topical treatment of acne. This is due to levels of alpha hydroxy acid, zinc and superoxide dismutase present in the herb.

History

Through the 17th and 18th centuries, European travellers and botanists visiting the Cederberg region in South Africa commented on the profusion of “good plants” for curative purposes. In 1772, Swedish naturalist Carl Thunberg noted that “the country people made tea” from a plant related to rooibos or redbush. Traditionally, the local people would climb the mountains and cut the fine needle-like leaves from wild rooibos plants. They then rolled the bunches of leaves into hessian bags and brought them down the steep slopes on the backs of donkeys. The leaves were then chopped with axes and bruised with hammers, before being left to dry in the sun.

The Dutch settlers to the Cape developed rooibos as an alternative to black tea, an expensive commodity for the settlers who relied on supply ships from Europe. In 1904, Benjamin Ginsberg, a Russian/Jewish settler to the Cape, riding in the remote mountains, became fascinated with this wild tea. He ran a wide variety of experiments at Rondegat Farm, finally perfecting the curing of rooibos. He simulated the traditional Chinese method of making very fine Keemun, by fermenting the tea in barrels, covered in wet, hessian sacking that replicates the effects of bamboo baskets.

In the 1930s, Ginsberg persuaded local doctor and Rhodes scholar Dr. Le Fras Nortier to experiment with cultivation of the plant. Le Fras Nortier cultivated the first plants at Clanwilliam on the Klein Kliphuis farm. The tiny seeds were difficult to obtain, as they dispersed as soon as the pods cracked, and would not germinate without scarifying. Le Fras Nortier paid the local “volk”, some of whom were his patients, to collect seeds. An aged Khoi woman came again and again, receiving a shilling for each matchbox filled with seed. She had found an unusual seed source: having chanced upon ants dragging seed, she followed them back to their nest and, on breaking it open, found a granary.

The attempts by Dr. le Fras Nortier were ultimately successful, which led Ginsberg to encourage local farmers to cultivate the plant in the hope that it would become a profitable venture. Klein Kliphuis became a tea farm, and within ten years the price of seeds soared to an astounding £80 a pound, the most expensive vegetable seed in the world. Today the seed is gathered by special sifting processes, and Klein Kliphuis is now a guest farm.

Since then, rooibos has grown in popularity in South Africa, and has also gained considerable momentum in the worldwide market. A growing number of brand-name tea companies sell this tea, either by itself or as a component in an increasing variety of blends.

US trademark controversy

In 1994, Burke International registered the name “Rooibos” with the US Patent and Trademark Office, thus establishing a monopoly on the name in America at a time when it was virtually unknown there. When the plant later entered more widespread use, Burke demanded that companies either pay fees for use of the name, or cease its use. In 2005, the American Herbal Products Association and a number of import companies succeeded in defeating the trademark through petitions and lawsuits, and after losing one of the cases, Burke surrendered the name to the public domain.

References
^ “Episode 23 at position 25 minutes”. The ZA Show. 2005-11-16. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
^ Antimutagenic and Cancer-modulating Properties of Two Unique South African Herbal Teas, Rooibos and Honeybush, South African Medical Research Council website. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
^ Rooibos the healthy tea, Science in Africa(accessed 9 Oct 2008)
^ Julia F. Morton. Rooibos tea, aspalathus linearis , a caffeineless, low-tannin beverage,Economic Botany, Volume 37, Number 2, 164-173, DOI: 10.1007/BF02858780
^ Krafczyk N, Woyand F, Glomb MA. “Structure-antioxidant relationship of flavonoids from fermented rooibos.” Mol Nutr Food Res. 2009 Jan 20. [epub ahead of print].
^ Quantitative Characterization of Flavonoid Compounds in Rooibos Tea (Aspalathus linearis) by LC-UV/DAD, Istituto Tecnologie Biomediche, CNR, Via Fratelli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate (Milan), Italy, and Department of Food Science and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy (accessed 9 Oct 2008)
^ Joubert E, Gelderblom WC, Louw A et al. (2008). “South African herbal teas: Aspalathus linearis, Cyclopia spp., Athrixia phylicoides – a review. J Ethnopharmacol. 119: 376-412.
^ South African herbal teas: Aspalathus linearis, Cyclopia spp. and Athrixia phylicoides-A review, Department of Food Science, Stellenbosch University (accessed 9 Oct 2008)
^ Diane L. McKay, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, “A review of the bioactivity of south African herbal teas: rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia)”, Phytotherapy Research, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 1-16 (2006).
^ A. Von Gadow, E. Joubert, C. F. Hansmann, “Comparison of the antioxidant activity of rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) with green, oolong and black tea”, Food Chemistry, Vol. 60, No. 1, Sep. 1997, pp. 73-77.
^ “Exotic frogs reared in redbush tea in Gloucestershire”. BBC News. 2010-06-07. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
^ “Rooibos History”. South African Rooibos Council. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
^ History of Rooibos – Dragonfly Teas
^ a b Green, Lawrence (1949). In The Land of the Afternoon. Standard Press Ltd.. pp. 52 to 54.
^ Klein Kliphuis Hotel website
^ Rooibos Trademark Abandoned American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) press release, 2005-06-28. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
^ “Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill: Draft, (G 31026, GeN 552)”. South African Government Information. 2008-05-05. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
^ Trade Environment Database entry on “rooibos” name dispute in US

Autism is a diagnosis that makes parents cringe. Western medicine has failed to come up with a effective treatment for autism, but some forms of acupuncture have shown positive results.

But first, what really is Autism?

Autism is another conditions that has baffled Western Medicine. When you start reading about this condition you learn much about the symptoms. It affects the ability of people to communicate successfully, commonly called a development problem. It is a difficult condition that afflicts children and makes a normal life challenging for them. The cause is unknown , but you can learn a lot reading about it .

Traditional Chinese Medicine will see the cause as some kind of lack of balance in the internal harmony of the body. It has it roots in some kind of problem with the natural flow of vital energy through the body. This is the root cause of any condition that causes the human being to deviate from normal health. Therefore, autism and acupuncture are a natural match.

Acupuncture can help restore the balance that will ultimately result in an improvement of the symptoms.

Recently, a new form of holistic acupuncture has been developed that has shown good results in the treatment of autism symptoms.

A holistic acupuncture form is one where a certain part of the body is thought to contain the entire network of the whole body. In other words, these holistic areas can be miniature maps of the body’s acupuncture points. The ear, hand, and scalp have all been used in this manner.

The new method is tongue acupuncture. The developers of tongue acupuncture admit that the treatment is designed to alleviate symptoms rather than seek a cure. It is effective in calming the child which is a major problem with many autistic patients.

Traditional acupuncture treatments for autism have shown some good results although they do not often suggest complete cures are possible. In some cases, however, it is reported that the patients have improved to such a degree that a fairly normal life is possible. Unfortunately, there is very little in the way of clinical studies that support the claims of acupuncturists on the success of their treatments. There is a need to do more studies and to structure them properly so as to be able to properly evaluate the results.

There is some problem getting children to accept the needling of acupuncture. This reluctance seems to last only for the first few sessions. It appears that the children quickly learn that the procedure is painless, but even more important seem to sense almost at once the calming and improvement it brings to them. There are reports that many patients actually look forward to the treatments as their improvement becomes more pronounced and their ability to communicate improves.

e v o l v e w e l l n e s s
ACUPUNCTURE CENTER
607 N. Huntley Dr.
West Hollywood, Ca 90069
T: 310-289-1155

www.evolvewellness.com \ acupuncture for everyone /

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John D. Convey , West Hollywood community acupuncturist and founder of evolve wellness, was chosen to be part of MIND/BODY’s domestic and international promotional- and advertising campaign. Watch out for the final cut. What a picture perfect day it was. Thank you EveryOne. We are humbled and happy to be of service / namaste –

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Learn all about acupuncture, what to expect at your first appointment and whether it’s really worth your time and money.

Basic facts
Most people are aware of acupuncture and perhaps you know someone who’s tried it. But, many aren’t familiar with its basic aspects.
The history: Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine practiced for approximately 5,000 years. It consists of inserting tiny needles into specific locations on the body to help treat common ailments, disease and even mental health concerns.

The theory: A person suffers from certain ailments, because the energy in one or more of the 12 energy lines isn’t flowing correctly in the body. By inserting needles into one or more of the 1,000 acupuncture points, the flow is unblocked and the energy can move through the body again.

Alleviating acne: To treat acne, acupuncture focuses on regulating the body’s hormones. Acupuncturists believe that hormones that are out of sync cause more secreted oil in the skin. By regulating these hormones, the oil is diminished resulting in less acne.
> FDA’s role: The FDA regulates the use of acupuncture needles. These needles must be sterile, clearly labeled, used only once and available exclusively to qualified practitioners.

Make sure you ask your practitioner if he or she is using FDA-regulated single-use needles.

Finding a certified acupuncturist: Becoming certified to practice acupuncture requires completing the education and training set by each state. Visit National Certification Commission Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)to search for a certified acupuncturist in your area.
Your first visit
Here’s what you can expect from your first appointment.
Medical history: Before you begin, the acupuncturist will ask about your medical history, including health concerns, lifestyle, diet and stress level.

Needle time: The practitioner begins by inserting up to a dozen tiny needles into your body — which are so thin that they resemble a single strand of hair. When treating acne, the practitioner will likely give Auricular acupuncture, also known as ear acupuncture. Inserting needles into your ear is the most common location to treat acne, because certain areas in the ear are believed to represent your skin’s health. In Auricular acupuncture, the acupuncturist places a total of eight to 12 needles in specific locations on the ear for up to 30 minutes.

How the needles feel: While everyone has a different pain tolerance, the general consensus is that acupuncture doesn’t hurt. But, you might feel a slight pinch when the needles are inserted. Unlike a needle that draws blood or gives an injection, acupuncture needles are solid (not hollow), which makes them much easier on your skin. Once the needle is in place, you might notice a tingling or numbing sensation, which is to be expected, and how you’ll know it’s working.
Post treatment: After the needles are removed, you might feel relaxed, groggy or energized. These feelings should go away within 24 to 48 hours. Clear your calendar following treatment, since you won’t know exactly how you’ll feel afterwards.

Does it work?
Unfortunately, there’s been little research on acupuncture’s ability to treat acne, and results have been mixed. But, some individual cases and small studies have reported improvement.
Research: According to a study published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, after eight to 15 treatments, the majority of patients saw a reduction in their acne. In another study, 61 patients with acne and other skin ailments received nine treatments. Most of the patients experienced noticeable improvement, while half also healed completely.
Bottom line: Because there’s no conclusive research one way or the other, your best bet is to consult your dermatologist.

The costs
While acupuncture might help to treat your acne, it isn’t cheap or a quick fix.
Cost per session. The average price is anywhere from $60 to $120 per session. And you’ll likely need a series of appointments.
Check your insurance. Not all insurance companies cover acupuncture, so make sure to check with your provider before you go.
Added costs. Many times your practitioner will prescribe herbs, tonics or herbal skin care products to work with your treatment — all of which are added expenses.

Learn everything you need to know about acne – ask your Doctor if Acupuncture might be right for you .

e v o l v e w e l l n e s s
ACUPUNCTURE GROUP
607 N. Huntley Drive
West Hollywood, Ca 90069
T: 310-289-1155

www.evolvewellness.com

One of the most common questions that people ask about acupuncture is: “Why does my acupuncturist look at my tongue?”

Tongue and pulse diagnosis are two of the more important diagnostic tools in Chinese medicine. They are both used to derive a TCM diagnosis for your condition which is used to plan your treatment.

Generally the tongue, is much easier to learn and less subjective than pulse diagnosis. It is less meridian specific than the pulse, however, the tongue will show the depth and nature (hot, cold, etc.) of an imbalance and it is less effected by short-term influences such as nervousness. The tongue is also useful as a measurement tool to gauge the progress of a disorder.

Research achievements of Tongue Acupuncture

As the term implies, tongue acupuncture is a technique that cures sickness through acupuncture applied to the tongue. It is an invention of Dr. Sun Jie Guang that falls under the category of ‘micro-needle’ treatment in the realm of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Tongue acupuncture is based on one of the most ancient medical books in China, Wang Di’s Internal Medicine, and the idea that the tongue is the intersection site of all 14 meridians in the human body. Furthermore, according to Wang Di’s Internal Medicine, the tongue reflects conditions of the heart, which is the ‘master organ’ controlling all the other internal organs.
Hence, a close relationship is believed to form between the tongue, Zang-Fu organ systems and the meridians, and that indirectly the tongue is linked by meridians to all the organs and parts of the body.

Tongue diagnosis is a distinguishing feature of the clinical diagnostic examination in TCM, as well as the clinical experiences have evidenced the value of its application to diagnosis making. The tongue, the only body organ exposed and seen externally, has rich nerve and blood supplies. By observing its colour, thickness, dryness, superficial growth and smell, practitioners of TCM can learn patients’ health conditions and check whether their “Qi”(energy) and Blood have a smooth flow. The practitioners then develop a treatment based on TCM methodologies to help patients restore their internal balance. Guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment, the tongue has been compared to a ‘mirror’ and a ‘thermometer’ reflecting the subtle changes in the internal organs of the body.

Most of the TCM practitioners recognize the tongue’s value only in clinical diagnosis, but Dr. Sun believes that the tongue is important not only in making diagnoses, but also in treating diseases. Being a ‘self-contained’ organ of the body, the tongue should have contained points and areas that reflect different organs and parts of the body.

Based on this assumption, Dr. Sun has discovered over 40 acupoints on the tongue that correspond to various organs and parts of the body after doing a large number of scientific researches and clinical practices over the past two decades. More importantly, some of these points have been found to connect to different regions of the brain, especially the cerebellum, through rich neural-vascular pathways inside the tongue. In different clinical trials, the acupoints have already been proven to be very helpful in treating various neurological disorders by repetitive stimulations. Additionally, the treatment has also performed useful in limb dysfunction, as well as in some other disorders of the digestive system, the cardio-vascular system, the respiratory system, and the endocrine system.

In a clinical study that covers 125 cases of pseudo-bulbar paralysis caused by stroke (the symptoms of which include dysphagia, dysarthria, labile mood and choking), the overall effectiveness rate of tongue acupuncture treatment is 100%.

In another study that covers 105 clinical cases of paralysis agitans (also named Parkinson’s Disease), the overall effectiveness rate is 96.19%.

In 1996, a first-class prize for scientific invention was awarded by the people’s government of Liaoning Province, China, in consideration of the efficacy and research achievements of tongue acupuncture. The effectiveness of tongue acupuncture manifests itself not only through clinical practice, but also extensively through modern scientific research. In a study that involved 50 weight-lifting, wrestling and cycling athletes, the subjects were randomly assigned to tongue acupuncture and control groups. These athletes were assessed both before and after the study. The assessment comprised morning pulse rate, complete blood picture, pulmonary function test, cardiac function test, cardiopulmonary function test, blood gas analysis, serum prolactin level and urine analysis.

The results demonstrate that tongue acupuncture is able to significantly increase the number of white blood cells and improve cardiac and cardiopulmonary functions. It also effectively improves people’s physical strength as well as relieves their fatigue. The tests have shown the accuracy and reliability of the outcomes. During the period of service in The Jockey Club MRI Engineering Centre of The University of Hong Kong, Dr. Sun has conducted research collaborated with ProfessorEdward Yang, Professor Q.Y. Ma, and Paediatric Professor Virginia Wong of The University of Hong Kong in patients with obstinate stroke.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was used to monitor and assess the efficacy of tongue acupuncture in improving functional outcome of patients. In the result analysis, functional images of the stroke patients with motor dysfunction were observed to have a great change from no functional signal or sole weak beacon before the tongue acupuncture to signal shown up or unfocused large area functional activation after the treatment. Moreover, their clinical evaluations of speech faculty, self-care ability in daily life and recovery of mobility also performed various degrees of improvement.

In another study of fMRI in patients with visual impairment due to brain disorders, there was no any signal response demonstrated in the visual cortex before the tongue acupuncture, but images appeared after a trial course of the treatment. The results were correlated with the improvements in the clinical assessment of Visual Evoked Potential.

In research collaborated with Paediatric Professor Virginia Wong of the University of Hong Kong, children with excessive drooling problems due to neurological disorders showed clinical progress in saliva control while autistic kids displayed improvements in intellectual function, tantrum, eye contact, concentration, social communication, and language ability in varying degrees after receiving tongue acupuncture treatment.

On the other hand, patients with cerebral palsy exhibited diverse grades of improvement in clinical motor function and self-care ability as well. Dr. Sun has also conducted further research with Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in testing the function of tongue acupuncture in improving cerebral metabolism, via the use of Brain FDG-PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan.

As we know, much energy is required to support our brain activities, and 95%–99% of that is generated by glucose. Metabolic uptake of the brain glucose can reflect if the brain works perfectly or not. Scientific findings have demonstrated that tongue acupuncture can generally improve patients’ brain glucose metabolism, meaning that their brain function has been activating and improving. This achievement showed its important and significant in many clinical studies of autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, cerebellar atrophy, visual disorders, Parkinson’s Disease and so on.

(…) A randomised control trial collaborated with Professor Virginia Wong of the University of Hong Kong and Dr. Ko Chun Hung of Caritas Medical Center, of tongue acupuncture in improving functional outcome in children with cerebral palsy has been carried out. After a short course (40 sessions) of tongue acupuncture, the children were assessed their clinical outcome of rolling, sitting, crawling, kneeling, standing, walking, running and jumping in a particular test situation. The mean GMFM (Gross Motor Functional Measure) score of the treatment group increased from 78.82 to 82.99.

Through 20 years of research and clinical practice, it has been established that tongue acupuncture treatment is beneficial to cardiovascular diseases: ischaemic heart disease, coronary heart disease, myocarditis, atrial fibrillation and premature beats; as well as brain and neurological diseases: cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, stroke(or apoplectic coma), traumatic brain injury(or coma due to traumatic brain injury), Parkinson’s Disease (paralysis agitans), pseudo-bulbar paralysis(dysphagia & dysphasia), vocal cords disorder, multiple sclerosis, facial palsy, dizziness [Menière’s Disease], cerebellar atrophy [spinocerebellar tract movement disorder], senile dementia, short supply of brain blood, visual impairment, upper and lower limbs dysfunction, muscular diseases and vascultis).

In addition, tongue acupuncture is also helpful in male sexual function disorder, female irregular menstruation and dysmenorrhoea, depressive disorder, endocrine disorder, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), bronchitis and exhaustion. Some of them are generally recognized as obstinate diseases by the medical profession.

In Prof. Sun’s clinical experience, he found that the patients with brain disorders generally have shown swollen plica sublingualis. Thus, what is the relationship between brain disorders and plica sublingualis swelling appeared under the tongue will be his next question. However, the degree of swell will relieve while the progress is going on after the treatment.

Efficacy of tongue acupuncture has been approved by the Western Medicine. Some of studies in children with autism, cerebral palsy and visual impairment have been released in many international medical journals, such as European Journal of Paediatric Neurology, Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry (by U.K.), Journal of Child Neurology(by Canada), Autism Asperger’s Digest Magazine(by U.S.A.), and the database of National Library of Medicine (by U.S.A.).

The treatment has also been extensively introduced by mass media of the world. Among these media are Britain’s Reuters and The Times, America’s CNN and Discovery Channel, China’s Xin Hua News Agency and People’s Daily, as well as many other media in Hong Kong.

Tongue acupuncture treatment has been appraised by specialists of both western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. It is commended for its scientific principles, practicability, notable curative value, prompt effectiveness, lack of undesirable side-effects and the durability of its effects. Most patients find tongue acupuncture treatment acceptable, though some may occasionally experience minor pain, slight bleeding, localized swelling and bruising from which they will soon recover.

Tongue acupuncture is a natural treatment that exploits the patients’ own potentialities and facilitates recovery through self-regulation of the human body. Serving the dual purpose of healing sick and strengthening our health, it has its own scientific base and stands unique among medical treatments.

Tongue acupuncture is a new treatment that appears immature and undeveloped when compared with its long-standing counterparts. Much remains to be discovered, explored and refined through modern research before it will better serve mankind.

Dr. Sun is currently Professor of the China Acupuncture Moxibustion Professor Association and Expert of the Hong Kong International Tongue Acupuncture(Brain Disorders) Research Clinic.

by Dupuis (c)

‎”The art of healing comes from nature and not from the physician. Therefore, the physician must start from nature with an open mind.” www.evolvewellness.com

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A c u p u n c t u r e:

“I think that if we had more acupuncture and less AZT [an AIDS medication], we would see a qualitative improvement in these patients’ health.”
- William Michael Cargile, B.S., D.C., F.I.A.C.A.
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“Even in acute abdominal problems, acupuncture can be used before surgery to arrest the condition before it progresses further.”
- Maoshing Ni, D.O.M., Ph.D., L.Ac., Vice-President of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Monica, California
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There is evidence that acupuncture influences the production of and distribution of a great many neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, and that this in turn alters the perception of pain.”
- David Eisenberg, M.D., Clinical Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School
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“Every drug of choice has a receptor site mechanism that is very specific. What we do is meet the needs of that receptor site by supplying and directing the endorphins or enkaphilins through acupuncture.”
-Sir Jay Holder, M.D., D.C., Ph.D., Director of the Holder Research Institute in Miami, Florida ”
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Acupuncture is equivalent to he effect of tranquilizers in cases of depresion, worry, insomnia, and nervous disorders, and its action is swift and lasting.”
-Professor Pierre Huard of the Medical Faculty of Paris France and Dr. Ming Wong of the Medical Faculty of Rennes
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“Not only is acupuncture effective as a primary modality, it also can play a vital role as an adjunctive therapy due to how effective the meridian system is as a means of proper diagnosis.”
-William Michael Cargile, B.S., D.C., F.I.A.C.A., Chairman of Research for the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
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“Because the meridians influence every cell in the body and pass through every organ and organ system, acupuncture provides health practitioners with an accurate and noninvasive means of determining health deficiences, as well as a method of reestablishing balance.
-William Michael Cargile, B.S., D.C., F.I.A.C.A., Chairman of Research for the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
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“In short, it [acupuncture] provides maximum benefits without the dangerous side effects associated with many of the approaches of conventional medicine.”
-William Michael Cargile, B.S., D.C., F.I.A.C.A., Chairman of Research for the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
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“While acupuncture represents a legacy of concepts that predate Western civilization, as a contemporary health care system it also represents a synthesis of continuously evolving scientific and technological develpments which provides us with new tools to meet current clinical challenges.”
-Dennis Tucker, Ph.D., L.Ac., of Nevada City, California
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“The future of acupuncture will to some degree depend upon our ability to reconcile the old and new within a new science of energy medicine. This can only be accomplished if we honor both our traditional roots and the challenge of building on the foundation provided by scientific research.”
-Dennis Tucker, Ph.D., L.Ac., of Nevada City, California
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“Acupuncture also claims good success rates with cigarette addiction, where a newly discovered acupoint called Tien Mi is used in conjunction with other traditional acupoints particularly those located on the ear.”
-Maoshing Ni, D.O.M., Ph.D., L.Ac., Vice-President of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Monica, California

“For some types of pain and nausea, acupuncture may help.”
- Isadore Rosenfeld, M.D.
*

e v o l v e w e l l n e s s
ACUPUNCTURE GROUP
607 N. Huntley Dr.
West Hollywood, Ca 90069
310-289-1155

www.evolvewellness.com

In this article, acupressure points will be dicussed for relaxation and stress management, and the related set of techniques commonly called ‘Meridian Therapies’ and “Energy Psychology techniques”.

G. Gach (1990) defines acupressure points as “places on the skin that are especially sensitive to bioelectrical impulses in the body and conduct those impulses readily” .

Several thousand years old, Chinese Medicine (sometimes called ‘Oriental Medicine’) conceived of these points as junctures of special pathways (or meridians) that carry the vital life force – also called chi or qi. When these points are stimulated, either manually (acupressure) or with needles (acupuncture), this assists the body in self-healing.

A report from a Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997 stated that, according to their clinical evidence, acupuncture was considered to have potential clinical value for “nausea/vomiting and dental pain, and limited evidence suggested its potential in the treatment of other pain disorders, paralysis and numbness, movement disorders, depression, insomnia, breathlessness, and asthma”.

Preclinical studies have documented acupuncture’s measurable effects, but they “have not been able to fully explain how acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine.”

The NIH proposed that acupuncture produces its effects by the conduction of electromagnetic signals at a greater-than-normal rate, thus aiding the activity of pain-killing bio-chemicals, such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body. These particular studies only examined acupuncture, i.e., stimulation of the points with needles, and further studies are planned on acupressure, i.e., stimulation of the points manually.

There are several acupressure points on the body that are useful for calming stress and promoting relaxation, but there are two common ones that can quickly be used, per Gach’s (1990) book, Acupressure’s Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments:

1. The Third Eye acupressure point is located between the eyebrows, “in the indentation where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead” . It is best to use the middle finger at the point and hold with gentle pressure for approximately one minute. It is recommended for “spiritual and emotional imbalances, headaches, and eyestrain”, among other things.

2. The Sea of Tranquility acupressure point is located on the center of the breastbone, “three thumbs widths up from the base of the bone”. It is recommended to relieve “nervousness, anxiety, frustration, irritability, insomnia, and depression”.

A new set of psychological and peak performance techniques have evolved out of this Eastern theory of health and medicine. Collectively, they are commonly referred to as Energy Psychology techniques and ‘meridian therapies’ since they work with the qi that flows through the body’s meridians.

One type of meridian therapy known as Thought Field Therapy (TFT) was originally formulated by psychologist Roger J. Callahan, Ph.D., and further evolved by others, including Fred Gallo, Ph.D., Gregory Nicosia, Ph.D., George Pratt, Ph.D., and Peter Lambrou, Ph.D.

According to Dr. Callahan (see http://www.tftrx.com and http://thoughtfield.com/), TFT was discovered in 1981, when he had tried everything in his repertoire to help a woman with a lifelong, severe and apparently intractable water phobia. He decided to try a variation on a holistic, mind-body healing method he had been studying, based on the theory in Oriental medicine that life energy or qi flows along meridian lines in the body. These meridian points appear to act as a governing force in healing and growth. He discovered that by directly treating the blockage in the energy flow created by a disturbing thought pattern, the disturbance or upset dissipates.

Callahan continued to expand on his discovery and has come up with a number of brief treatments or “algorithms.” Algorithms are step-by-step procedures or sequences of body taps on acupressure points geared to particular conditions which clients can perform on themselves. It basically works as follows.

The therapist asks a person to think about a troubling situation or event and rate how uncomfortable they feel at the moment on a scale from zero to ten, where ten is the worst you can feel and zero is no trace of the problem. Then the client taps with two fingers on various acupressure points on the body, according to the prescribed recipe pattern (algorithm). The algorithm is based on the particular emotions elicited by the troubling event. After a series of tapping per the algorithm, the treatment is complete. Clients are taught to self-administer the treatment so they may create relief whenever needed.

For a detailed history and literature review of the various types of meridian therapies, see Gallo’s (1999) Energy Psychology: Explorations at the Interface of Energy, Cognition, Behavior and Health. An excellent self-help reference is Lambrou and Pratt’s (2000) Acupressure for the Emotions: Instant Emotional Healing.

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Healer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Healer (role variant)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Overview
Healers are introspective, cooperative, informative, and attentive. Their tranquil and reserved exterior masks a passionate inner life. Healers care deeply about causes that interest them, and they often pursue those causes with selfless devotion.

They are highly compassionate and empathetic to the needs of others, seeking to bring peace, health, and integrity to their companions and to society at large. They want to heal the problems that trouble individuals and correct the conflicts that divide social groups.

Healers tend to be private individuals who have a strong sense of right and wrong and an idealistic worldview. They are deeply committed to things that are positive or good and may be inspired to make extraordinary sacrifices in attempts to achieve their ideals.

They are prone to errors of fact as they follow their feelings more than they follow logical analysis. However, following their feelings also means that Healers seldom make errors of feeling.

Healers are often misunderstood as children. In practical minded families, their devotion to idealism may be frowned upon and may even be punished. Most other role variants can shrug off the parental expectations that don’t fit them, but Healers are greatly affected by it. They want to please their parents and their siblings and, in attempt to do this, they may mask or hide their differences. This can create inner turmoil within the Healer.

Healers are often better at detecting this inner turmoil than other role variants. Healers seek unity of mind, body and spirit, perhaps because of the inner turmoil caused during their upbringing.

Healers are adaptable, patient with complicated situations, and welcoming of new ideas and information. They are impatient with routine details. As they are aware of people’s feelings, Healers relate well with others. They are also comfortable working alone given their private nature. Healers have an interest in scholarly activities and often have exceptional language skills.

Occurring in only about one percent of the population, Healers can easily feel isolated. They value harmony and integrity in human relationships, but often find these values to be out of step with the more concrete pursuits of the rest of the world. Feeling “different,” they may wonder whether something is wrong with them. But those differences—an ethical nature, a devotion to ideals, a commitment to harmonious interaction—are in fact some of their greatest strengths.

Love and relationships
One of the rarest of the types, Healers can be both extremely romantic and extremely independent. They are likely to want a mate who won’t shrink from their expansive imagination. They are often attracted to those whom others have overlooked, given the Healers’ rare ability to see the positive qualities that lie beneath the surface.

In romantic relationships, Healers generally seek mates who, like themselves, have a highly developed inner life. An ideal mate must be open to the Healers’ expressions of unique ideas.

Healers may need long periods of privacy, followed by periods of intense intimacy, so they are best suited to a partner who can adapt to these changing needs.

Generally thoughtful and considerate, Healers are good listeners and put people at ease. Although they may be reserved in expressing emotion, they are deeply caring and genuinely interested in understanding people. This sincerity is sensed by others, making Healers valued friends and confidants. They do not like conflict and go to great lengths to avoid it. In conflict situations, they place little importance on who is right and who is wrong. They focus on how the conflict makes people feel, a trait that can make them appear irrational and illogical. In such situations, Healers may benefit from stepping out of the situation temporarily so they can reflect and replenish their reserves.

Work and career
Perfectionists, Healers have very high standards. Consequently, they are usually hard on themselves, and don’t give themselves enough credit. They may have problems working on a project in a group, because their standards may be higher than those of other members of the group. This can lead them to become overly controlling. Healers are often well served to balance their high ideals with the requirements of everyday living.

Healers tend to be flexible, unless one of their values is violated. When their value system is threatened, Healers can become aggressive defenders of their cause, and any project or job that Healers adopt is likely to become one of their causes. Although Healers do not generally focus on specifics, they cover every possible detail with determination and vigor when working on a project that engrosses them.

Healers are often talented writers. Some may be awkward and uncomfortable expressing themselves orally, but demonstrate a wonderful ability to define and express what they’re feeling on paper. Healers appear frequently in social service professions, such as counseling or teaching.

Notable Healers
For illustrative purposes, Keirsey and his son, David M. Keirsey have identified well-known individuals whose behavior is consistent with a specific type. Unless otherwise noted, the categorization of the individuals below, whether living or dead, as Healers is a matter of expert opinion rather than the result of the named individual taking a personality type inventory.
Isabel Myers
Richard Gere
Mia Farrow
Albert Schweitzer
Diana, Princess of Wales (who reportedly self-identified as a Healer)
Aldous Huxley
Audrey Hepburn
Karen Armstrong