HealthBee

OK, I usually try to keep this blog fairly upbeat and not rant about things, but this study just made me shake my head.

I love when there is a study that states the obvious. In recent study by North Dakota graduate student Holly Dannewitz, it was determined — big shocker here — that

… depressed medication users performed worse on tests of concentration and scanning than people not on any medication at all.

Well no kidding. Anyone who has been depressed could tell you that one of the biggest hassles to deal with about depression is the fact that you’re a space cadet. I know when I was depressed, couldn’t think, I couldn’t take care of myself, and frankly, I didn’t give a damn about anything.

Not to mention the fact that the Mayo Clinic, states that one of the major symptoms of depression is ‘trouble focusing and concentrating.’

Here’s another thing to consider: were the people not on medication depressed? Or were they not depressed? The article doesn’t say. If the control group were the non depressed then one has to consider that the DEPRESSION is causing the spaciness. But hey, I’m no doctor.

The test focused on people’s behavior behind the wheel. Here’s another folly with the test: most of the people who took the test were in their 20’s. Not the best age to look for safe drivers, though better than looking for teenagers or those over 70.

One more thing about the study that disturbed me was the fact that the people were taking different types of medications. AND, some of those in the study were taking many different types of medication including medications that were not antidepressants.

[Those in the study] also could have been taking other medication in addition to antidepressants, and a couple of the study subjects were taking up to 10-12 medications, says Dannewitz.

Hmmm. Let’s see. If you’re drugged out of your mind, you might be a worse driver behind the wheel. There’s a stretch.

My first experience with acupuncture was about a year ago. I basically went in as a disbeliever, a skeptic. I now know this eastern treatment does work.

But let me tell you how I came up to the decision where I decided to go with acupuncture.

For a little over a year, I had been struggling with what is known as cubital tunnel syndrome. It is very similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, except that it starts in the elbows. As a web programmer, I often use the keyboard to type: in fact, it is not uncommon for me to type for 8 hours a day.

The pain in my forearms became so bad, that I could barely hold onto a fork to eat. In desperation, I went to a doctor that specialized in sports medicine. After about a month of tests, which included everything from x-rays to a $600 MRI that the insurance didn’t tell me that wouldn’t cover until after the MRI had been done (!), the doctors could find absolutely nothing wrong with my elbows or my arms. They gave me some arm braces and advised I start physical therapy as well as taking medicine to control the pain.

The medicine I took was to extra strength Aleve twice a day. Basically, it was enough that I was concerned about my liver and my stomach lining, even though the doctor said it was perfectly safe. I was also concerned that I would have to take medication forever.

I did physical therapy twice a week for about 6 months, and had little change. The next step the doctor said, was that I would have to get surgery on both elbows. At this point, I was desperate enough to even agree to it, however, I wanted to know that I did everything in my power to try and find a cure before I went to surgery.

This was how I came to try acupuncture. “Once it doesn’t work,” I thought,”Then I’ll be ok with getting surgery.”

Admittedly, I was really skeptical about the whole thing. I had expected to come into an office that looked more like a fortune teller’s studio, complete with burning incense, red walls and wierd tinny sounding Chinese music playing in the background. I braced myself for the worst.

Not so. When I arrived at his office, I was pleasantly surprised to see that looked very similar to every other doctors office I’ve ever been to. Dr Kim looking like every other doctor I’ve ever seen, dressed in suit pants, a button-down shirt and a white lab coat. Thank God.

I filled up the necessary paperwork and stepped on the scale to take my weight and height. Then he asked to see my tongue, and told me that the state of the tongue held a lot of information about the health of the individual. We sat down to discuss my case, and he asked me how long I had had the problem. I told him I had my problem for over a year, and was concerned if he could help me. I asked him how long it would take, and figured it’d be at least a year of treatment. He said he could probably fix me in 6 to 12 sessions. “Yeah, right,” I thought.

He explained to me that there are energy centers all over the body, and every energy center will affect every other energy enter. He showed me photographs of people who came in with large gaping wounds that had been healed only with acupuncture, and told me that even Cancer could be sent into remission, and insisted that all disease was due to the energy centers being disturbed.

I figured that I’d try this for 6 sessions. At $50 a session, it was a lot cheaper than the physical therapy and all the other stuff I tried, even when insurance paid their bit of it. If I felt absolutely no difference in 6 sessions, I’d give up on it.

I lay down on the table and he propped my arms up a little bit with towels. He told me not to be afraid, that the needles really wouldn’t hurt. Since the needles are about the same diameter as a human hair, he said most people don’t feel most of the needles going in or feel the needles after they are in the skin.

He was right: when he placed the needles in my shoulders and arms it only felt like someone was taking an ink pen and pressing up against my skin and tapping it. If they did hurt, it was only for a second or two and then the pain went away. I was relieved to know that this was not going to be a painful experience.

Then, he gently squeeze different parts of my ears between his thumb and forefinger and asked me to tell him if it hurt. He tried several places and I didn’t feel anything. And then — and I will never forget this — he squeezed one part of my right ear and I screamed out in surprise: not only did my ear hurt where he squeezed it, but my left ring-finger toe felt like it had been shocked.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

“It’s all connected,” he replied.

‘OK,’ I thought, as he put needles in my ears, ‘maybe this isn’t a bunch of hippy dippy crap.’

He hooked me up to some electrical devices that would send pulses through the needles and into my arms. He told me not to move and then I lay there for 30 minutes while the machines did their work. And that was basically it. I didn’t feel a significant difference in my arms, but then I didn’t figure I would.

The next week we had the same routine. I got weighed, we talked about my case, he put the needles in and hooked me up to the machine. The day after this second session, however, there was a significant decrease in pain in my arms. I couldn’t believe it. I had been working with traditional doctors for well over a year and they couldn’t do anything and this man had taken away much of my pain in only two sessions. I was actually excited.

After five sessions, the pain in my arms was completely gone. And, the entire time that I had taken these treatments, I really didn’t change any of my behaviors. I continued to type at my job.

I cannot say that one month of treatment has completely cured me, but I usually only have to go in for ‘tuneups’ about once every six months. But, it only takes two or three sessions and I’m back to being healthy again.

I am now a believer in the power of acupuncture. I wish I could explain this, but I can’t. I went into this completely as a skeptic, and it worked better than any other treatment I’ve ever had. And, at $50 a session, it has been by far the best bang for the buck.

If you’d like to get an appointment with Dr. Bruce Kim he is located in Lewisville, TX near I-35 off of Hebron Parkway. His contact information is here:
Office: 972-315-1584
Mobile: 214-223-5588

Bruce Kim, L.Ac.
860 Hebron Parkway Suite #601
Lewisville Texas, 75057
Email: acubruce@gmail.com
http://www.acubruce.com

CNN’s Dr. Gupta has a new video out that reports that dog owners may have an edge in the battle of losing weight. A study done by Basset Healthcare in New York showed that people who walked their dogs not only lost more weight than those who did not have dogs to walk, but they were more likely to keep the extra weight off due to the fact they had a reason to continue the walking exercise.

Another article by BBC News shows that the companionship given by dogs or other pets makes people happier and less stressed overall. Studies show that pet owners tend to be healthier members of the population, having lower blood pressure and cholesterol than non pet owners. Many doctors believe the the stress relief may be one key factor for this trend.

Pets have also shown to have positive effects on those with serious illnesses such as cancer, and for older people who may live alone.

Pets also help young children to build their immune systems. A child who has grown up with a dog or cat is much less likely to have allergy problems as an adult.

I know from personal experience that when I got a dog, my depression seemed to lift. I think, more than anything, getting a dog helped me feel better from day to day. When I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, I had my dog help me get up and out and actually get moving. And, my dog’s love was always there, many times, he made me laugh, when nothing else seemed to work. I can honestly say that my dog is a big reason I am no longer depressed.

If you think getting a dog might help you, contact your local SPCA who can match you up with a dog or cat that will match your lifestyle. Much of the time, you can specify that you want a dog or cat that is already potty trained…much easier than working with a puppy if you’ve never owned an animal before. In addition, they can give you support through the first few months of living with a pet.