Acupuncture & Nutrition in Maynard MA

More than a decade ago (even just a few years ago) alternative MDs that used supplements and suggested patients take Vitamin D above the RDA of 400IU/day were called quacks. The inaccurate 'truth' stated over and over again is that above 400IU/day you can get Vitamin D toxicity. We've learned a lot in the past several years and now thanks to certain organizations such as the Vitamin D Council and researchers Dr Bruce Hollis and Dr Michael Holick a long term lie has been disproved. Every month there are numerous articles on the importance of Vitamin D. Many of the articles may just be red herrings as a research paper reports that patients with a certain disease have low vitamin D stores. But did the low Vitamin D cause the disease? Did the disease cause the Vitamin D? Or are there many inadequate nutrients causing the problem and Vitamin D is just one of them? That is what needs to be answered, however it is clear that Vitamin D plays an important role in immune modulation and it should be a standard blood test. This past week there are several more published articles on Vitamin D deficiency:

• One that shows a reduced breast cancer risk when women have adequate Vitamin D.
• Another one showing Vit D supplementation improves insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes.
• Older women with cognition impairment have deficient Vitamin D levels.
• Women with Lupus have inadequate Vit D levels.
• Higher fish intake and regular exercise is associated with higher Vit D levels in Korean men.

OK that is just a quick search of Vitamin D articles published in the past week! Obviously Vitamin D is important. It is important to get your levels checked. But why is it that some people just cannot make enough even if their levels are low and they go out in an August sun? It may have to do with low cholesterol levels or some other hormone imbalance. That is the current million dollar question. Bottom line is to get your Vitamin D level checked from your physician and then supplement with Vitamin D3. (Many physicians still give 50,000IU of Vitamin D2, ergocalciferol 1x/week. This is the wrong kind of Vitamin D! Make sure it is cholecalciferol which is D3 - you can get this at any healthfood store.) The general recommendation is you want your levels to be 40-60 nm/ml. So how much to take depends on where you are starting from. If you have a level of say 4nm/ml then I'd suggest 5000IU t.i.d. with each meal for 4 weeks. Then take a break of 2-3 days of taking the Vitamin D and retest. In general to be safe 2000IU/day during the winter should be safe for most people. Breast feeding moms should get at least 5000IU/day. Yours In Health, George Mandler Licensed Dietitian Licensed Acupuncturist

Migraine headaches have many causes as well as many effective treatments. Often migraines can be triggered by the foods we eat. The Mediator Release Blood testing I perform helps identify trigger foods that are then removed from the diet and In the vast majority of the cases the migraine headaches are relieved. However I also use acupuncture to treat migraines and have found that it is very effective at eliminating the severity, duration, and frequency of migraines.

In a recent randomized controlled trial out of China with 253 migraine sufferers received treatment with acupuncture focusing on the Liver and GallBladder meridians. These treatments were found to significantly reduce pain, frequency, and duration of headache attacks. Subjects were divided into two groups. One group received standard drug therapy (oral administration of Flunarizine tablets, 4 therapeutic courses), and the other group received acupuncture. Comparing the acupuncture group to the medication group, the reduction in pain was greater among the acupuncture subjects immediately post-treatment (93% vs. 86%), 3 months post-treatment (93% vs. 87%) and 6 months post-treatment (88% vs. 69%).

One year post treatment, subjects in the acupuncture group maintained more of the beneficial effects gained from treatment, as compared to subjects in the medication group. In addition, less adverse effects and greater compliance were found among subjects in the acupuncture group. The authors suggest that acupuncture may be a safe and effective therapy for the treatment of patients with migraine headaches.

What is interesting is that they used a standard treatment of points. In the acupuncture I practice we use points that are specific to the patient based on physical findings. Nobody gets the same treatment, and people hardly get the same treatment twice, there is always some variability. I find that the style of acupuncture I practice is much more effective and I would argue that I get much better results than were attained in this study.

If you are a migraine sufferer it is worth giving us a call. 15 minute free consultation is available to talk about what treatments you've tried and what has and has not worked. Call me today 978-461-2001 or contact me here. The full study can be found here: [Acupuncture at points of the liver and gallbladder meridians for treatment of migraine: a multi-center randomized and controlled study]," Zhong GW, Li W, et al, Zhongguo Zhen Jiu, 2009; 29(4): 259-63.

Yours In Health,
George Mandler
Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist
Licensed Acupuncturist

A rare painful cancer that can develop in individuals with long term asbestos exposure is called malignant mesothelioma. Its name originates from where the cancer develops - in the linings of the body's organs known as the mesothelium. The most common form of the disease occurs in the lung and is known as pleural mesothelioma. If the cancer occurs in the abdominal cavity it is called peritoneal mesothelioma. If it occurs in the tissue that lines the heart it is called pericardial mesothelioma.As with many cancers often patients can be in uncomfortable pain. Acupuncture has been clinically shown to provide excellent palliative care for pain management of mesothelioma. Acupuncture can help reduce the inflammation in the body as well as its perception to pain thereby offering relief in lieu of drugs. The added benefit is that acupuncture will also balance the body providing healing potential that pain drugs do not offer. The side effects of acupuncture are desired effects - better sleep, more relaxed, more energy, clearer head etc. So with mesothelioma or any cancer do consider acupuncture for palliative relief as well as helping to heal the body.Yours In HealthGeorge MandlerLicensed Dietitian / NutritionistLicensed Acupuncturist

There have been many studies showing that acupuncture is very effective at helping reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy. Clinically I can attest to acupuncture’s efficacy as I’ve had many cancer patients come in during their chemo weeks because it helps balance their stomach and GI system and reduce the need for other anti-vomiting medication. Another pilot study was just released this time on children average age of 13.6 years. It compared acupuncture to standard anti-emetic medication and found that the need for anti-emetic medication was significantly lower in the acupuncture group as compared to the control group. The authors concluded: “Acupuncture as applied here seems to be effective in preventing nausea and vomiting in pediatric cancer patients.”

I cannot stress enough the incredible power of this ancient medicine.   Usually patients also respond to acupuncture treatments having more energy and sleeping better after 1 or 2 treatments.   These are two good side effects as opposed to the side effects of antiemetics which I’ve heard most commonly can be drowsiness. I’d suggest anyone going through chemotherapy with nausea or vomiting side effects to give acupuncture a try.  Give it at least 3-4 sessions as some people can take longer to respond.

In Health,

George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist
Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist
Certified Chinese Herbalist
Maynard, MA & Cambridge, MA