Acupuncture Technology News

Pop Quiz: Is there an herbal component to the AcuGraph system?

Answer: YES.

Maybe you’ve missed it…so, I want to introduce you to AcuHerb, the herbal recommendation portal built into the AcuGraph system!

Have you noticed that there is a button along the header of the AcuGraph software called “AcuHerb?” You’ve probably been so busy that you missed it!

When the AcuGraph was invented, hundreds of hours of research went into cataloging and correlating the knowledge of dozens of textbooks and historical data concerning Meridian Therapy and Channel Theory.

A similar approach was taken with the creation of AcuHerb. Books were correlated, experts consulted and TCM theory reviewed. Once the AcuHerb software was created and TCM herbal remedies selected, the next task was to tie the herbal treatment recommendations into the AcuGraph diagnostic system.

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Last week, I sent almost all of my patients home with the SAME herbal prescription. Not from my pharmacy but from the grocery store.  Not a “special” grocery store, but a regular ole’ Idaho grocery store…

It was 95 degrees in Boise over the weekend and the whole town came to life–riding bikes, mowing lawns, golfing, and playing in the park. Where I live, we don’t take a beautiful day for granted. When it is nice outside–EVERYONE tries to take advantage because Idaho is definitely a four-season state. You have to enjoy great weather while you can!

I found an interesting correlation when I started treating patients after the weekend.

#1: Patients who normally do not have an issue with their spleen channel unanimously presented with excess.

#2: Almost everyone complained of edema.

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What is the difference between constipation in a younger person and constipation in the elderly? Constipation always involves heat. In a younger person, it is common for constipation to manifest from heat–usually from food stagnation. Constipation in the elderly is a little different.

There are a lot of changes that happen in the body as we begin to age. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, a pattern known as “Yin and Blood Deficiency” begins to manifest at the age of 40 and then continually progresses over the years. Yin and blood relate to the viscous fluids in the body. Many common aging symptoms are due to this normal progression of yin and blood deficiency. Some of these symptoms include:

• Loss of teeth
• Loss of height
• Osteoarthritis
• Vaginal dryness
• Premature ejaculation
• Dry skin
• Loss of vision
• Poor digestion
• Constipation

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Do you ever get a patient who is extremely sick, yet their graph shows a lot of green? We often get phone calls and e-mails from concerned practitioners wondering how a very unhealthy patient could have such a great looking graph. Actually there are some very simple answers to this question which I would like to share, but first let’s take a look at a patient of mine.

Case Study:

A 68-year-old extremely obese patient presented in my office with an inability to walk normally, dizziness, shaking, and irritability. She had just gotten over a bout of diarrhea that lasted a week and left her feeling completely drained (no pun intended). She has a history of phlegm congestion, lower back pain, and abdominal masses.

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There are some things in life that I tend to learn the hard way. This last week I was fighting a cold, my husband was in the hospital, and I was scheduled to teach a cooking class in my home for 20-30 people. Several people offered to help out by bringing in meals. Did I accept their offers? NO!  Any sensible person would have cancelled the cooking class. Did I? NO! Instead of slowing down, sometimes I spend so much time taking care of  others, that I forget to focus on taking care of myself.

We all know how this story ended…

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By Chris K. H. Teo & Ch’ng Beng Im-Teo

TS is a 53-year-old male from Singapore. He had been having severe back pain since the past three years, but did not go for any medical treatment. A CT scan indicated a 4.1 x 3.3 x 2.9 cm well-circumscribed rounded solid-appearing mass at the inferior pole of his left kidney. He refused surgery.  After five days on the herbs and two sessions of the e-Therapy, all his symptoms were resolved.

Click Here to read the entire case study.

How do you feel on Monday morning after eating TOO MUCH FOOD?

You know that feeling you get after consuming an abundance of rich, greasy foods over the weekend? Loss of appetite, bloating, foul stool and gas, indigestion, diarrhea and/or constipation are all symptoms of what is termed “Food Stagnation” in TCM. Read the rest of this entry »

Talk about an AMAZING herbal formula that treats a large realm of symptoms. Can you find any “one” prescription in Western medicine that can treat both DEPRESSION and/or HEMORRHOIDS? How is this possible? In Chinese medicine we do not treat the symptom—but instead we treat the imbalance causing the symptom to occur. The pattern responsible for both hemorrhoids and depression in TCM is Spleen Qi Sinking.

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Insomnia is a common problem that can affect quality of life on many levels. Here is an interesting fact: Studies have shown that chronic pain is linked with poor sleep habits. As acupuncturists, we treat a lot of chronic pain, so it is no surprise that we also have a lot of patients who complain of INSOMNIA.

It is interesting to read the western approach to treating insomnia.

• First try to modify your lifestyle… Go to bed earlier, begin preparing your brain for sleep two hours before bedtime, meditate, etc.
• If that doesn’t work, doctors prescribe SLEEPING PILLS which “can also become habit-forming.”
• Or—maybe you just need “counseling.”

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine takes a completely different approach and is very good at treating insomnia. Because insomnia is caused by an underlying disharmony within the body, your job as the practitioner is to find out the root of the problem, so that you can FIX IT (not just cover it up with SLEEPING PILLS!)

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I have three herbal formulas from the AcuHerb family that I prescribe almost daily in my private practice for patients that are beginning their journey into, what some call, the “Golden Years.” This can be a tough transition for many individuals, and I have found this age group to be extremely open to seeing an acupuncturist.

These three formulas can be called “sisters” because they are all from the same family of herbs. You know how “sisters” are…they may be from the same family, but they all have different personalities! By getting to know them well, you will be better able to treat your patients who are entering this new stage of life.

Liver/Kidney Yin Deficiency is the diagnosis that could also be considered the “family name” for these formulas. It is typical for patients with this diagnosis to have a graph that shows some type of imbalance in the Liver and/or Kidney channels—which could show up as a split, a deficiency or even an excess. It is your job, as the practitioner, to know the difference between the personalities of each of the three formulas listed below—so that your patient gets amazing results.

Let’s talk about each personality…

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Recently I received a phone call from one of my patients. She said: “I don’t know how you know these things, but you were RIGHT—I was coming down with a cold and I didn’t even know it! The good news is that my cold only lasted one day, and usually I am sick for 3 to 4 days. Can I book an appointment for my husband to keep him healthy also?”

This is the time of year that everyone is hoping that they don’t get run over by the ‘Flu Truck.’ How did I know that my patient was coming down with something?  NO–it wasn’t because I looked into my “crystal ball” to see the future of her health.  I simply graphed her and found multiple indications that this may be the case. This led to me asking her if she felt like she was coming down with something.  Her answer was: “No, but I have been a little tired lately.”

Her graph indicated to me that she was more susceptible to catching a cold…

Some indications that made me think she was in danger of getting a cold were as follows:

#1: My experience has shown that those with deficiency or splits in the Lung channel are more susceptible to getting sick during flu season.

#2: The Lung and Large Intestine are paired organs which tend to be out of balance when someone has low immunity.  The Lung was deficient and the Large Intestine was split…

#3: She hadn’t been eating well, which also adds to someone being more susceptible to a virus.  She didn’t come right out and tell me that she wasn’t eating well, but I could tell by the graph.  The Spleen was split and the Stomach was excess. When I asked her about this she confirmed that she had been to several holiday parties over the last week.

This is a great time of year to let your patients know that acupuncture can help them boost their immunity.  Here is a little bit of ADVANCED AcuGraph Training—from a TCM perspective which includes classic points to remember and herbs to have on hand for your patients.

POINTS

Split or Deficiency in the Lung channel:

• Lung 7 is the Luo for this channel so it is perfect for balancing splits.
• Lung 7 combined with LI 4 create the perfect pair for promoting immunity.
• I also like to add SP 6 and ST 36 to this combination when I am trying to strengthen someone’s immune system.

Excess in the Lung Channel:

• Often phlegm is the culprit for excess in the Lung channel.
• To get rid of phlegm you want to support the Spleen and Stomach by adding SP 6 and ST 36.
• And then I ALWAYS add ST 40.  Peter Deadman says that “ST 40 is the single most important acupuncture point to transform phlegm in the body.”  It transforms damp, benefits the chest, and alleviates cough and wheezing.

HERBS

Phlegm changes as a sickness progresses.  Here are two herbal formulas which may be indicated when your patient presents with phlegm.  It is good to keep both on hand because the type of phlegm they present with will indicate which formula they need.

Bai He Gu Jin Pian (302 LU)

• Symptoms: Very dry cough, extreme thirst, a sore throat, and dry yellow/green phlegm that is hard to cough up—sometimes there may be blood.  Usually they would also complain of night sweats and the feeling of being hot.
• TCM: Lung heat

Er Chen Pian (204 SP)

• Symptoms: Cough, with a lot of whitish phlegm that is easy to cough up, with nausea and possible vomiting, with a tendency toward feeling chilled.
• TCM: Phlegm damp in the middle jiao

Note:  As always—check for any contraindications that may be indicated for these particular formulas.  This information can be found in your AcuHerb manual.

Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.

Acupuncture Research Analyst

Miridia Technology