Robyn

A grandmother in her late 60s who has been sadly diagnosed as suffering from stage 4 ovarian cancer.

The symptoms include extreme ascites that necessitates regular drainage, overwhelming lethargy and as a result of chemotherapy, diabolical nausea, body aches, poor appetite and over the last few days the significant increase in pitting edema of the lower legs.

Her daughter’s best friend and client of mine strongly recommended treatment in an effort to relieve some of the debilitating symptoms as a result of her declining health.

Neither Robyn, her family nor friends are any illusion regarding the serious nature of the condition, she has been diagnosed as suffering terminal illness and has only been given months to live.

My role as a practitioner is primarily to relieve the overwhelming nausea and help make what remains of her life as comfortable as possible.

Since Robyn is unable to attend clinic, home treatments are necessary.

1st treatment.

Due to the nature of her discomfort it was impossible to treat her laying face down, as a result treatment was confined to the anterior aspect of her body.

As an aside Robyn also suffered from breast cancer some five years ago resulting in a mastectomy and chemotherapy, she has also had extensive abdominal surgery and has a tube inserted in her abdominal cavity to help drain the fluid from the abdominal cavity to relieve her extreme ascites.

Palliative care in my opinion involves one goal and one goal only, to help make the patient as comfortable as possible.

The extreme of nausea is the most debilitating of the symptoms she is experiencing.

Treatment.

Whilst not abandoning the principles of Meridian therapy/Japanese acupuncture, my clinical experience dictated that I use my accrued knowledge of point function to expedite a positive clinical outcome as quickly and comfortably as possible.

My goal was to achieve a positive clinical outcome in a totally painless manner, as such I retained .14mm needles in an extremely judicious manner.

Her pulse was floating and full especially in the liver, heart and stomach positions.

Following are the points that I used in this initial treatment.

All needles were left in place as in an orthodox TCM treatment.

Ki. 2 to control the heat affecting her heart.

SP.6 to build the yin qi to counteract the enormous amount of heat generated by chemotherapy

Liv.8 to relieve the stagnation in her abdomen.

ST. 43 and LI.10 to relieve the heat accumulating in the Yang Ming meridians resulting in body aches, lethargy and debilitating nausea.

CV.4 – ST.25 – CV.12 to assist the transformation and transportation of nutrients.

Liv.14 front mu point of the liver and extremely reactive touch, I use this point to work in conjunction with Liv.8 to relieve some of the stagnation and discomfort in the liver.

Pe.6 a specific point to relieve the nausea and calm the shen.

Yintang was used also as a calming agent.

Treatment outcome.

Within 12 hours Robyn experienced a big improvement in her general well-being and the nausea was significantly relieved.

Her appetite improved to a level that inspired her to eat her first solid meals in a long time.

In her own words she felt the best she had felt in months.

To quote Robyn’s daughter’s message to me the following day.

“Oh Alan, she ate some dinner last night and breakfast this morning.

We are so very grateful, mom said that the nausea is not overwhelming her, which is great!”

For mine this is a satisfactory clinical outcome regardless of the means used to achieve it.

Treatment will be ongoing, more than likely twice-weekly.

I will continue to refine treatment in an effort to achieve positive clinical outcomes with a more specific diagnostic and treatment protocols.

2^nd treatment.

As stated her overall condition, nausea and appetite had improved significantly, however there was a significant increase in pitting edema of the lower legs.

KI. 8 specifically for the pitting edema around the ankles

St.44 more specific me to relieve that the accumulating in the Yang Ming meridians since the body aches had improved significantly.

CV.4 -  ST.25 – CV.12 to assist the transformation and transportation of nutrients.

Liv.3 -14 to relieve the stagnation in her abdomen.

Ki. 2 to control the heat affecting her heart

Pe.6 a specific point to relieve the nausea and calm the shen.

Yintang was used also as a calming agent

I am continually inspired by the courage and fortitude of many of my patients, especially in this instance.

Robyns positive attitude and concern for others sets the behavioral bar very high, whilst the situation is ominously similar to that of my late wife’s some 20 years ago and definitely has the potential to rattle the bars of my cage, Robyn demonstrates many of the finest qualities of being human, making my situation so much more tenable.

3^rd Treatment

Robyn’s condition had stabilized, the nausea remained but at a subdued level.

Her pulse had also settled down demonstrably.

As a result of the amelioration of the symptoms I decided to revert to a more classical/Meridian therapy approach to treatment and for the first time I administered back shoe points in conjunction with a specific root treatment.

As a result of albumen supplementation and acupuncture treatment the pitting edema had also subsided.

Also after consultation with her oncologist and family members it was decided she would seek no further orthodox medical treatment or chemotherapy.

Treatment

Spleen root treatment Tonify Pe.7 – Sp.3, shunt St. 44 – Liv.3 –GB.34

Back Shu points Bl.13-17-18-20-23-40-58

I will be making another home visit this morning on my way to clinic and I am hoping further improvement as a result of being more specific in my approach.

Experience tells me that there is often a significant change in condition of the patient who has undergone chemotherapy after the first treatment but there is a tendency to plateau with incremental improvement after subsequent treatments.

I trust his blog post will be of  some benefit to both you and your patients should you have the opportunity to administer palliative care.

All the best,

Alan

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted more than 40 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

In response to a question posted on the http://worldacupuncture.com forum I am re running this blogpost in an effort to distinguish the difference in the application of Japanese Acupuncture and TCM.

Although each of these styles has merit, Japanese Acupuncture is unique in it’s ability to promote well-being in patients such Sarica, the subject of the video in this blogpost.

I believe the results speak for themselves and maintain that heavy duty needling could deflate a patient in such a tenuous energetic position.

25 years of clinical experience definitely confirms for me that judicious Japanese acupuncture can provide huge impetus towards better health in people of all ages.

There are many examples and in some cases video on this blog of positive clinical outcomes for children of all ages and adults of all shapes and sizes.

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/clinical/pre-and-post-natal

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/infant-acupuncture

According to Traditional East Asian medical physiology and philosophy, from conception to birth the child or children require an enormous amount of energy and nourishment from the mother to go from being a twinkle in the eye to a fully mature fetus.

In Traditional East Asian medicine the energetic impetus for this growth is provided by what we call the mothers Kidney energy and in some instances, depending upon her constitution, lifestyle and general health this scenario can cause a significant energetic imbalances in new mums.

In Traditional East Asian medical physiology the Kidneys provide the energetic basis upon which all metabolic and physiological functions depend.

In addition once the child is born a majority of mothers provide the sole nourishment, keeping production up to speed is the responsibility of Spleen/Pancreas meridian/organs.

Hence when there is an imbalance as a result of a combination of any of the above factors the affect can be extremely diverse and widespread.

Often appearing to be totally unrelated from an orthodox Western medical perspective, the symptoms are often intimately related when viewed from an Traditional East Asian medical perspective

In my experience most mums presenting with post natal health difficulties suffer from a significant imbalance in either or both of these functions, an imbalance reflected by various symptoms .

Including:

Post Natal Depression of varying degrees and severity.

Exhaustion.

Irrational fits of anger and an extremely short fuse.

Lactation difficulties, both quality and quantity.

And the list goes on‚

Regarding the suitability of   Japanese Acupuncture for infants and children, my experience has shown that our medicine can provide an extremely effective adjunct to orthodox medical care, in many cases providing essential relief where orthodox medical applications are hamstrung in their ability to do so without the use of powerful and sometimes unsuitable medication.

I am not saying that acupuncture can replace pharmaceuticals only that in many instances there is huge potential to reduce dosage and dependence.

I believe all questions are most appropriately answered via clinical outcomes.

The ability to walk the talk not just talk the talk is of the utmost importance.

Certainly any modality that can reduce our culture’s dependence upon long-term medication for behavioral problems has to be a positive!

Below is a video of a significant portion of a Japanese Acupuncture Treatment for Post Natal Depression and Spinal Surgery.

Watch Acupuncture for Post-Natal Depression in Educational |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Many thanks to Tatania Rubio who specializes in treatment for pregnancy, childbirth and infant acupuncture, for making her clinic space available for this treatment and some excellent camera work!

I recommended Sarica pursue a consistent and committed daily to thrice weekly treatment regime tonifying Ki.3 – Liv.3- GB.40 plus 7 – 9 cones of Tonetskyu or Rice Grain Moxa on ST.36 for the next 6 months.

Below is an email I recently received from Sarica.

I love her dedication and also the power of Japanesel acupuncture to significantly help folk in her situation.

hi there, alan,
so good to hear from you…you’ve been big on my mind, as i’m deep
with appreciation for your help, care and guidance, so i appreciate
your checking in on me. i’ve been faithful with the self-treatment,
including the moxa, and the biggest thing i’ve noticed is that my
brain and spirit are returning. i’d really been struggling with
fighting negativity, and that has improved tremendously. also, my
energy is more sustained, though i’m not pushing too hard with
exercise–just doing about half of what i think i can, and that keeps
me from feeling shaky and overdrawn afterward. finally, i feel like
i have a lot more control over my frustration and anger–i’m not
owned by it as i was, and that is improving my relations with and for
the kids day by day. honestly, i can’t thank you enough .
how are you? so looking forward to seeing you again–that was too
short! and i do hope to practice with you next time around…
you take care, now!
love,
Sarica

Warning!!! Not every Post Natal Depression patient presents with Liver Yang Deficiency Syndrome in the same way that not every Liver Yang Deficiency Patient presents with Post Natal Depression.

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted more than 40 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at  http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

]]> http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-and-tcm/feed 0 http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/life-death-and-japanese-acupuncture http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/life-death-and-japanese-acupuncture#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:06:53 +0000 Alan http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/?p=1423 After a short, sharp session of Strewbee, “Fabulous Flying Fabric Frisbee” in the park outside clinic at ‘The Gabba’ in Brisbane, my students and I commenced a very enjoyable, comfortably busy Saturday morning in clinic.

After finishing clinic around 1.15 pm, we ‘chowed’ (ate) down our tucker (food) kicking off what was an extremely productive initial Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshop for 2009.

Most of the students present spend time with me in clinic and regularly attend our Japanese Acupuncture workshops.

I am hard to impress when it comes to students, having taught for more than a decade.

However, the commitment and effort the current group puts into their study and work is inspirational.

They are setting the bar very high for the next generation of students of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.

The  student’s total awareness of the patient’s comfort in clinic is vital.

In conjunction with this awareness, the leading student’s commitment to refining and developing their Acupuncture skills bodes well for their future.

Sunday afternoon/evening I attended/photographed the magical wedding, deep in the hills in the Byron Shire in Northern NSW.
It was a wonderful occasion full of joy and gratitude.

A Magical Place for a Wedding

In Da Bush over the Road

I was fortunate enough to be able to stay the night with friends in a magnificent timber home with extensive verandas overlooking ‘The Lost Valley’.

On Monday morning both of my hosts requested an Acupuncture treatment, one for what was becoming a chronic lower back issue involving a prolapsed upper lumbar disc, the other for knee and thumb pain as well as an extremely stubborn mouth abscess.

What a wonderful way to express my gratitude to mine hosts for Bed and Breakfast plus a timely session in the hot tub overlooking the magnificent vistas of the aforementioned ‘Lost Valley’.

Lost Valley is up there somewhere

A Letter Box from Yesteryear

Both patients felt immediate relief from their ailments.

Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, with its extraordinary portability, flexibility of application and on a majority of occasions’, immediate positive results provides a multitude of opportunities to be of service.

These are just a few of the reasons why I’m such a passionate purveyor this extraordinary traditional medical art.

The trust this post finds you well and happy.

Lotsa,
Alan

Footnote:

I attended the funeral of an inspirational friend and patient last Friday.

Over five years of treatment, Keith and I developed a deep mutual respect.

Keith fully appreciated the power of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture having overcome huge adversity with the assistance of this potent and durable healing art.

Without going into great detail Keith suffered a massive attack of Pancreatitis 5 years ago and when the medical diagnosis of his condition took days rather than hours his Spleen was destroyed and his Liver massively damaged.

He was written off by the medical fraternity and told he had weeks/months to live.

To cut a long story short, Keith sought my assistance at the behest of his youngest daughter and after two Japanese Acupuncture treatments he ‘miraculously’ regained his sense of smell and as a result of this phenomena his appetite returned.

A self confessed skeptic, Keith got a good sniff of the possibility of some sort of recovery from this life threatening condition and applied his amazingly resilient spirit to once again be able to walk unassisted, stand without feeling like he had just stepped off a ride at Disney World, see without feeling like he was looking into a mirror ball, enjoy his incredibly supportive family and relish his food.

Over the next 3/4 years Keith was permanently on the Liver Transplant list, his status required the constant use of anti rejection medication (Immune Suppressants) accompanied by some nasty side affects including diabetes.

During this time Keith received regular twice weekly Traditional Japanese Acupuncture treatment.

With many factors working in his favor,  Keith received the most unexpected and very rare news, after 3/4 years on the transplant list his Liver had recovered sufficiently for him to be removed from the list.

The medico’s were stunned by Keith’s unexpected recovery.

This wonderful news was followed by his life long ambition of traveling to ‘The Kimberley’s and the Great Australian Outback being fulfilled, for many months he and his amazing wife, Lyn savored their unexpected good fortune.

About a year ago, the medico’s decided that they needed to place a shunt in Keith’s Liver, unfortunately there were some unexpected difficulties and infection set in.

Keith was prescribed antibiotics to counteract the infection only to learn after 3 weeks of absolutely terrible health ‘I feel like I am dying’ that he was highly allergic to the prescribed drugs.

His health had been fatally affected and his decline was gradual but constant until his passing.

To me Keith was inspirational, not once in those years of treatment did he blame, condemn or criticize anyone or anything for his situation.
He always had time for others and constantly spread ‘Good Vibes’ to all and sundry.

I am extremely grateful to have met a person of such stature and will miss his smile, one liner’s, his compassion and empathy immeasurably.
Rest In Peace Keith and thank you for all that you gave to each and every person you met in my practice, none will forget you!

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted in the vicinity of 30 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at http://www.Worldacupunctureblog.com

For more info, please visit: http://www.Worldacupuncture.com

]]> http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/life-death-and-japanese-acupuncture/feed 2 http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-non-hodgkins-lymphoma-and-chemotherapy http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-non-hodgkins-lymphoma-and-chemotherapy#comments Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:00:26 +0000 Alan http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/?p=1278

Greetings from Rainbow Bay on a Magnificent Summer Sunday morning,

Even at 5am today (that is just light), the surf was crowded, whilst the waves are of significant of size and proportion, I find it somewhat difficult to enjoy the level of aggressive behavior required to snare and surf a wave when the surfers begin to resemble sardines and the ocean becomes a pit of frothing testosterone.

Hence I sit here before my monitor doing the two fingered tap on the keyboard.

I figure tomorrow may be a little smaller but it won’t be anywhere as near crowded and my turn will come a lot easier.

We had an extremely diverse morning in clinic yesterday treating folk with a great variety of health issues including;

Insomnia x 3

Pre-Natal Headache, Dizziness and Fatigue (28 Weeks)

Stress

Groin Injury

Debilitating Heel/Achilles Pain

Severe Nausea from Chemotherapy

High Blood Pressure, Chronic Severe Neck and Shoulder Pain

Sciatica, Low Back Pain, Chest Infection

Severely Prolapsed Lumbar Disc and subsequent Chronic Back Pain

Bone Bruising of the Knee, Exhaustion and Nausea

Sequelae of Whooping Cough including severe breathlessness

Low Back Groin and Neck Pain, High Blood Pressure

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fatigue

A fairly diverse range of complaints I am sure you will agree.

The highlight of the day would have to be the results of tests on Brad, suffering from Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and currently recovering from the 7th of his 12 scheduled Chemotherapy injections.

After a series of Japanese Acupuncture treatments the big fella returned results indicating full remission including the disappearance of some very large tumors, much to the astonishment of supervising medical personnel.

When Brad feels less diabolically nauseous and toxic he will be more than happy to relate his experience in video form.

When his course of chemotherapy is completed I will also present his entire case history in the hope that others may benefit from such insights.

In the meantime here are some more visual highlights of ‘Luminate 09′.

Hope you have an awesome Saturday/Sunday depending upon which part of the planet you inhabit.

Lotsa,

Alan

Didge……Caitlin, Sika and the Elements

Caitlin,  Rockin fo sho

Someone is Sure Enjoying the Music

Sika,  Blowin Up on the Didge

A Little later in the Evening n the Lights Came On

And On

Mirror Ball Getting Into the Action

I am Getting Into the Mirror Ball

Not to Labor the Point

Indeed !

Alan Jansson is an internationally recognized teacher and practitioner of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.  For well over a decade, independent of and in conjunction with Masakazu Ikeda sensei and Edward Obaidey, Alan has presented, convened and hosted in the vicinity of 30 Traditional Japanese Acupuncture workshops in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Driven by a strong desire to promote the consumer friendly nature, clinical efficacy and potency of Meridian Based Traditional Japanese Acupuncture, Alan is a staunch advocate of practically based workshops and draws upon his 25 years clinical experience and 14 years post and undergraduate teaching in a concerted effort to lift the bar globally in the clinical application of this most amazing medical art.

Join him in Exploring the Art of Acupuncture in the 21st century at http://www.WorldAcupunctureblog.com

For more info, please visit: http://www.WorldAcupuncture.com

]]> http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-non-hodgkins-lymphoma-and-chemotherapy/feed 1 http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/acupuncture-for-post-natal-depression-and-recovery-from-spinal-surgery http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/acupuncture-for-post-natal-depression-and-recovery-from-spinal-surgery#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:18:08 +0000 Alan http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/?p=669 Joel Fellman of http://altMD.com offered some very compelling questions regarding Acupuncture and Health Care during Pregnancy, Childbirth and Post Birth for the mums in addition to suitability for Infants, Children and Adolescents.

Your post ‚More On Acupuncture, Pregnancy and Childbirth‚ is interesting.

As you may recall, at Serono we were aware that Acupuncture was quite helpful for infertile couples in many cases. It seems to me that the pregnancy array - from not being pregnant all the way to giving birth is really the place for Acupuncture.

Would you say that many women would also benefit from Acupuncture for stress relief plus many other reasons past the birth event?

While raising a newborn, infant, child, and teenager ‚etcetera? Is Acupuncture a missed opportunity for women in general and part of the continuum of care for health and wellness?

Or is that saying too much at this point in time and too simplistic??

Thanks again, Alan!

Talk soon‚ Joel

Thanks heaps for your insightful reply and very relevant questions Joel.

25 years of clinical experience definitely confirms for me that judicious traditional acupuncture can provide huge impetus towards better health in people of all ages.

There are many examples and in some cases video on this blog of positive clinical outcomes for children of all ages and adults of all shapes and sizes.

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/clinical/pre-and-post-natal

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/category/infant-acupuncture

Your question regarding acupuncture and stress relief for new mothers using Japanese acupuncture is extremely tantalizing, however, I will do my level best to keep the answers relevant and concise.

According to Traditional East Asian medical physiology and philosophy, from conception to birth the child or children require an enormous amount of energy and nourishment from the mother to go from being a twinkle in the eye to a fully mature fetus.

In Traditional East Asian medicine the energetic impetus for this growth is provided by what we call the mothers kidney energyand in some instances, depending upon her constitution, lifestyle and general health this scenario can cause a significant energetic imbalances in new mums.

In Traditional East Asian medical physiology the kidneys provide the energetic basis upon which all metabolic and physiological functions depend.

In addition once the child is born a majority of mothers provide the sole nourishment, keeping production up to speed is the responsibility of spleen/pancreas meridian/organs.

Hence when there is an imbalance as a result of a combination of any of the above factors the affect can be extremely diverse and widespread.

Often appearing to be totally unrelated from an orthodox Western medical perspective, the symptoms are often intimately related when viewed from an Traditional East Asian medical perspective

Keeping in mind that I am doing my level best to keep the answers relevant and concise, I will not extrapolate to the enth degree regarding these functions, suffice to say. that in my experience most mums presenting with post natal health difficulties suffer from a significant imbalance in either or both of these functions, an imbalance reflected by various symptoms .

Including:

Post Natal Depression of varying degrees and severity.

Exhaustion.

Irrational fits of anger and an extremely short fuse.

Lactation difficulties, both quality and quantity.

And the list goes on‚

Regarding the suitability of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture for infants and children, my experience has shown that our medicine can provide an extremely effective adjunct to orthodox medical care, in many cases providing essential relief where orthodox medical applications are hamstrung in their ability to do so without the use of powerful and sometimes unsuitable medication.

I am not saying that acupuncture can replace pharmaceuticals only that in many instances there is huge potential to reduce dosage and dependence.

As always I believe all questions are most appropriately answered via clinical outcomes.

The ability to walk the talk not just talk the talk is of the utmost importance.

Certainly any modality that can reduce our culture’s dependence upon long-term medication for behavioral problems has to be a positive!

Sarica’s Story So Far.

Part.1 http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/debilitating-lower-back-dilemmawhat-would-you-suggest-to-this-patient

Part 2. http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/youve-gotta-know-when-to-hold-and-when-to-fold

Part 3. Japanese Acupuncture Treatment for Post Natal Depression and Spinal Surgery.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Many thanks to Tatiana Rubio who specializes in treatment for pregnancy, childbirth and infant acupuncture, for making her clinic space available for this treatment and some excellent camera work!

I recommended Sarica pursue a consistent and committed daily to thrice weekly treatment regime tonifying Ki.3 – Liv.3- GB.40 plus 7 – 9 cones of Tonetskyu or Rice Grain Moxa on ST.36 for the next 6 months.

Below is an email I recently received from Sarica.

I love her dedication and also the power of gentle traditional acupuncture to significantly help folk in her situation.

hi there, alan,
so good to hear from you…you’ve been big on my mind, as i’m deep
with appreciation for your help, care and guidance, so i appreciate
your checking in on me. i’ve been faithful with the self-treatment,
including the moxa, and the biggest thing i’ve noticed is that my
brain and spirit are returning. i’d really been struggling with
fighting negativity, and that has improved tremendously. also, my
energy is more sustained, though i’m not pushing too hard with
exercise–just doing about half of what i think i can, and that keeps
me from feeling shaky and overdrawn afterward. finally, i feel like
i have a lot more control over my frustration and anger–i’m not
owned by it as i was, and that is improving my relations with and for
the kids day by day. honestly, i can’t thank you enough .
how are you? so looking forward to seeing you again–that was too
short! and i do hope to practice with you next time around…
you take care, now!
love,
Sarica

Warning!!! Not every Post Natal Depression patient presents with Liver Yang Deficiency Syndrome in the same way that not every Liver Yang Deficiency Patient presents with Post Natal Depression.

‘I will keep you posted on the patient‚Äôs progress.This scenario is going down now in Arizona and it is altogether possible that this lady is undergoing surgery as I write this post. ‘

Today, I can happily confirm that my learned colleague from these posts has undergone a successful surgical procedure and is making a rapid recovery with the aid of, you guessed it, Traditional Acupuncture.

Speaking by phone, my friend sounded relieved that at last there was light at the end of the tunnel and she reported that she has found an empathetic and capable Acupuncture practitioner to assist in her recovery.

I was surprised by the response that I got from various colleagues and students in regard how they would have handled this situation.

It is one thing to be full of bravado about ones capabilities, it is entirely another thing when someones health and well being for the rest of their lives is under threat.

I guess I am saying it is equally important to know our clinical limitations as well as our clinical potential, regardless, I urge you to ‘Keep It Real’.

I believe our responsibility is to inform the patient of their options to the best of our ability, provide quality treatment to assist them to improve or recover and follow up with maintenance treatments when possible.

The patients health and well being should be uppermost in our minds and I do not believe that includes using patients to prove how good a practitioner or how clinically potent we are.

In my opinion the risks associated by not undergoing a surgical procedure in this instance far outweighed any of the perceived benefits that might or might not be derived from a long and arduous Acupuncture treatment regime.

It is not a pretty sight seeing a patient lose bowel and bladder function!

As I said before, ‘You gotta know when to hold and know when to fold em’?

This blog and the forthcoming world acupuncture website (see ABOUT page) remain works in progress, any feedback or specific requests for info or insights are welcome.

I have to head off to clinic shortly so I shall take my leave, hope you have a good one,

Alan