Calm Your Anxiety and Live Your Best Life with Acupuncture
Acupuncture works with your body so that you feel better and live longer naturally. When I first opened my practice in 1998, one of my first patients was a young mother with anxiety and panic attacks when driving, especially when crossing bridges. Her heart would beat rapidly, she’d get sick to her stomach, and have to…
Read MoreLongevity Science: Potential Drugs
This article from Wired magazine takes a look at the recent research on drugs aimed at aging. I’m not advocating any sort of drug against aging yet, since we actually have some good preventatives already! Acupuncture for one, saunas for another and, of course, exercise. Also, remember to take L-Serine for brain health, and Astra…
Read MoreAcupuncture for Patients With Chronic Tension-Type Headache
A recent study found, in the prestigious journal Nature, that acupuncture may be effective in reducing the frequency of chronic tension-type headaches. The study included 218 participants who received either true acupuncture or a sham treatment for eight weeks. The group receiving true acupuncture had a higher responder rate and a greater reduction in monthly…
Read MoreAltered HRV in Adolescent Girls: A Cause of Anxiety?
This study sought to determine whether HRV measures, a measure of autonomic balance. corresponded to “internalizing symptoms” found in adolescents. Their conclusion was “Results suggest that reduced HRV should be considered as a potential contributor to exacerbating internalizing symptoms in adolescence. Girls with reduced HRV and CC might be prone to the development of internalizing…
Read MoreEffects of electroacupuncture on depression and the production of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor compared with Prozac
This is a study that I referenced here but neglected to put in the original study. This study compared the effectiveness of electroacupuncture to the antidepressant medication Prozac in patients with depression. Both treatments were found to be clinically beneficial for the patients, but electroacupuncture had a greater effect on a neurotrophic factor called GDNF, which…
Read MoreStellate ganglion block reduces symptoms of Long COVID: A case series.
I’m seeing more Long Covid in the clinic. As readers know, my interest for a long time is autonomic balance and its effects on health. It appears that Long Covid has dysautonomia, or an imbalance of the autonomic system, as a hallmark. Though I would prefer the less invasive therapies of acupuncture and Transcutaneous Vagal…
Read MoreA BMJ Author’s Journey to Recovery from Long Covid
This author, a professor of tropical medicine, researcher discusses his experience with long covid, and how he used unorthodox physical therapy approaches to overcome his symptoms. Paul Garner: on his recovery from long covid This opened the door that led to my recovery. I learnt that our primitive and unconscious defence mechanisms against injury…
Read MoreClinical characterization of dysautonomia in long COVID-19 patients
This article looks at HRV changes with a change in posture to evaluate possible dysautonomia in long covid patients. They conclude that it may contribute to the long covid symptoms of fatigue and hypoxia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8263555/ Barizien N, Le Guen M, Russel S, Touche P, Huang F, Vallée A. Clinical characterization of dysautonomia in long COVID-19…
Read MoreThe extended autonomic system, dyshomeostasis, and COVID-19
This article is hypothesizing that a preexisting dsynautonomia exists in many of the groups more susceptible to severe covid. I’m interested in almost all things related to the autonomic nervous system, and there has been some suggestion that long-covid has autonomic features as part of the problem. “The purpose of this essay is to convey…
Read MoreTranscutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Modulating Neuro-Cardiovascular and Cognitive Performance.
These authors make the case that TAVNS, transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation, should be used in the aging population to help combat neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. Keep in mind, that acupuncture also typically enhances parasympathetic activity. The advantage of TAVNS, and why I have been exploring it in the clinic (and with brave souls who…
Read MoreHeart Rate Variability and Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review
This article makes a case for evaluating HRV to detect early cognitive decline. It does not suggest improving autonomic balance as a means of improving or maintaining cognitive performance. But I will suggest just that! Be it with acupuncture or with Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation, I say why not. Safe and will have other benefits…
Read More