Chalita Photikoe Acupuncture

Pressure Points for Appetite Control

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Sat, 26 May 2012 05:27:37 +0000

The next time you have a snack attack, try massaging one of these acupuncture points to help reduce hunger and control your appetite:

Place your index finger next to the small piece of flesh that protrudes from the inside of the ear, above the earlobe. This is the primary appetite control point. Hold this part of the ear between your thumb and index finger and manipulate for three minutes.

Using your thumb and index finger, locate the spot just behind and beneath your earlobe. There is an appetite control area right behind where the earlobe meets the skin. Massage for 1-3 minutes.

Another major control point for appetite control is located between the upper lip and the nose, about one-third of the way from the center of the nose. Press or manipulate this area with moderate pressure for 60 seconds to few minutes.

Understanding Your Food Cravings

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Sat, 26 May 2012 04:31:39 +0000

Oftentimes my patients will come in and ask for needles to curb their food cravings. Acupuncture releases endorphins which can help the body cope with the stress, frustration and anxiety that can trigger overeating and binging. A combination of acupuncture, nutrient supplementation and healthy food choices can help manage cravings.

If You’re Craving	Your Body Might Need	Healthy Food Choices
Alcohol	Glutamine	Dairy, beef, chicken, fish, beans
Chocolate	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, black beans, spinach
Salty Foods	Calcium	Dried herbs, parmesean cheese, sesame seeds, almonds
Pre-Menstrual Cravings	Zinc	Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables
Sweets	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, liver, chicken
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach

10 Day Bio Detox Cleanse

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:10:10 +0000

Are you ready for improved digestion, mood and sleep? Cleansing helps to rid the body of toxins in order to promote general health and well-being. The 10-Day Bio Detox Cleanse is a unique physician grade program designed to restore balance to the body by 1) Reducing inflammation 2) Metabolic Cleansing and 3) Regeneration and Repair.

Patients follow an “anti-inflammatory” diet (included with the cleanse) while consuming the 10-day bio detox kit as follows:
Breakfast: 2 scoops NutriClear^®, 1 scoop Protein Isolate (whey or rice), and 1 packet Bio-Detox Packs™ (including fish oils, digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals)
Lunch: Light, healthy lunch with greens and lean protein (salad with olive oil and lemon recommended) and 1 packet Bio-Detox Packs™
Mid-Afternoon Snack: 2 scoops NutriClear^® and 1 scoop Whey Protein Isolate
Dinner: Healthy dinner with green and lean protein and 1 packet Bio-Detox Packs™

Basics of the Anti-Inflammatory Diet:

No Gluten–eat brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth. Focus on small amounts of unprocessed whole grains instead of gluten free breads which can be full of sugar and fat.

No dairy, sugar, caffeine (some green tea ok), alcohol, corn or soy

Sample Healthy Meal Ideas

Lunches: Green salad with lean protein (chicken, salmon, turkey, etc.) and lemon and olive oil dressing

Dinners:

Turkey, sweet potato, asparagus

Salmon, roasted vegetables

Pinto beans, brown rice, steamed vegetables

Rotisserie chicken, quinoa, avocado

Tips for a Successful Cleanse

Plan ahead. Look at your calendar and block out 10-12 days for your cleanse where you do not have social or work commitments that involve eating out.

3-4 days before your cleanse, begin to limit or eliminate gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, soy and corn.

Find a cleansing buddy. Cleansing with a friend can give you support and help keep you accountable.

Acupuncture. Receiving an acupuncture treatment can help support your body’s detoxification process by improving digesting, reducing stress and cravings and supporting the liver.

Set a post cleanse goal. Have a plan for after your cleanse. Are you going to continue eliminating or limiting inflammatory foods?

How to Order

The cleanse is simple, easy to use, and effective. To order, call Biotics Research at (800) 231-5777. Please use the customer account number 05-TD8461 when ordering to receive 25% off retail prices. If you’re sensitive to dairy, request the Rice Protein Kit (not whey protien).

Naturally Increase Your Libido

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:58:10 +0000

If your libido has shifted into low gear, try a few of these tips:

Exercise. Any regular cardiovascular exercise and deep stretching targeted at the pelvic region increases blood flow to the genitals. Think yoga, power walking, jogging or cycling – all these increase circulation to the pelvic region, and as a result, can ignite sexual desire and orgasmic function. Practicing your kegel exercises several times a day will also strengthen the vaginal muscles and can increase libido. Sex and exercise have been proven to help reduce stress, so engaging in both on a regular basis should help you stay happy and relaxed.

Supplement. L-Arginine, maca, evening primrose oil and royal jelly can balance hormones, increase cervical mucous, and boost sex drive. Libido enhancing foods include: avocado, almonds, asparagus, eggs, and pumpkin seeds.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. As women age, the yin element of the body-part of what is responsible for sexual desire-begins to decline. Fluctuations in hormones and changes in menstrual cycles can also play a role in decreased desire. Add to this the demands of raising children, and no its no wonder so many of us are complaining of loss of libido! Regular acupuncture can regulate hormones, ease depression, increase blood flow to the pelvic region, increase cervical mucous, and decrease stress (a libido killer).

Pay attention. To your cycles, that is. Women generally experience a heightened sex drive prior to ovulation or just before menstruation. Pick a week when you and your partner don’t have too much going on, when you can exercise and get good sleep. Increasing your sex drive is not going to happen over night, but if you make it a priority, implement some of the above tips, you can well be well on your way!

Remedies for Coughs

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:12:32 +0000

With cold and flu season in full force, it is common for children to suffer from all sorts of viral and respiratory infections. I find that homeopathic remedies are very effective at the beginning stages of a cough, especially for infants and young children. If homeopathy doesn’t do the trick, and the cough becomes chronic and continues to persist, cupping and/or shonishin (gentle pediatric non-needle acupuncture) can work wonders. The following is a short list of common homeopathic remedies that treat cough.

Homeopathic Remedy	Main Indications	Better/Worse With
Aconite	First remedy for croup, dry, short, constant, barking cough with sudden onset, may arise after exposure to cold wind, sudden onset at night	Worse after midnight, with exposure to cold, better with rest
Spongia	Good for second stage croupy cough after aconite, harsh, dry barking cough, “like sawing through a board,” breathing harsh and dry sounding, cough preceded by wheezing breath	Worse before midnight, when lying down, after talking and exertion. Better after eating or drinking warm drinks
Hepar Sulph	Croupy cough, hoarse, loose, rattling, suffocating, choking, wheezing, may cough up thick yellow mucous, can sound both loose and thick	Worse when any part of the body gets uncovered or exposed to cold. Better breathing warm, moist air
Kali Bich.	Good for later stage cough, hacking cough, expectoration of stringy, ropy, yellow mucus, brassy sounding, pain in chest	Worse after eating, drinking, uncovering, cold weather, and at 3 a.m. Better laying down in warm bed.
Drosera	Whooping cough, spasmodic and violent cough deep in the chest, cough as soon as head hits the pillow, difficult to catch breath while coughing	Worse after midnight especially at 2am, may also have vomiting and gagging

Vaccination Reactions Pt. II

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:53:22 +0000

In a previous post, I wrote about using the homeopathic remedy thuja to help prevent vaccine reactions such as fever, swelling, pain and fatigue. Using the homeopathic cream ledum, indicated for puncture wounds and animal and insect bites would also be a great addition to your “vaccine reaction” kit. If your child experiences swelling and bruising after vaccinations arnica is a good remedy. Here is the homeopathic vaccination protocol I give my pediatric patients:

Thuja 30c. Five pellets two days before vaccination(s), then another dosage of five pellets on the day of vaccinations.
Ledum cream. Apply to the site of the vaccination before and/or after, and then 2-3 more times as needed for the next 24 hours.
Arnica 30c. Five pellets after vaccination, then another dosage of five pellets 15-30 minutes afterwards.

The above protocol is a general one to prevent common vaccine reactions and reduce pain. I will discuss other homeopathic remedies that can prevent and treat more specific vaccine reactions in a future post.

Alcohol and Fertility

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:26:55 +0000

When discussing diet with my fertility patients, it often surprises me how many women (and men) are consuming alcohol when trying to conceive. Most people know to limit or eliminate alcohol consumption once they get a positive pregnancy test, but why limit alcohol prior to conceiving?

Research has shown that alcohol can reduce one’s chances of conceiving by as much as 50%. Another study shows the probability of conception in women and fertility in men decreases proportionately as alcohol consumption increases. For men, research has confirmed that drinking alcohol causes a decrease in sperm count, an increase in abnormal sperm and a lower proportion of motile sperm.

If you are trying to conceive and are using a BBT thermometer to chart your cycle, there would be a rise in temperature the morning after a night of drinking. Alcohol is also dehydrating which can affect the quality of your cervical mucous. As difficult as it may seem, I recommend eliminating alcohol for at least three months in order to give yourself the best possible chance of conceiving.

Healing Bone Broths for Weak and Anemic Conditions

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:35:19 +0000

This year after our thanksgiving feast, we cut up the turkey carcass and tossed it into the slow cooker along with the neck, some root vegetables, a bunch of parsley and apple cider vinegar. I set the cooker on low, and eighteen hours later, a beautifully rich nutrient dense bone broth emerged.

Bone broth is prepared in cultures around the world as both a tasty, healthful soup and an easily digested medicinal food. The prolonged cooking of bones in water results in a broth rich in nutritional constituents that increase energy, tonify the blood, aid in the recovery of illness and help to prevent bone and connective tissue disorders.

The addition of parsley increases the iron content while apple cider vinegar helps to extract all the minerals from the bones.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of bone broth is that it contains marrow. In Chinese Medicine, the marrow nourishes our jing, or life essence. Winter is a great time to make this easy, delicious and healthy recipe.

Healing Bone Broth Recipe

Ingredients:

About 2 pounds of marrow bones – chop into 2-3 inch pieces. Make sure to use only organic, free-range, hormone-free animal bones such as beef knuckle bones, chicken or turkey carcass, or pork spare ribs.
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar (helps to extract the minerals from the bones)
Root vegetables and/or Chinese herbs (optional)
Parsley (high in iron)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Roasting is optional, but will bring forth a more robust flavor, especially for beef marrow bones.
Rinse bones and place in a foil-lined tray.
Roast bones, uncovered, until brown on all sides, turning every 20 minutes.
Add the bones, cider vinegar (and vegetables/herbs) to a stock pot and cover with water by two inches.
Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to simmer. For chicken or turkey bones, simmer 12 – 24 hours. For beef bones, simmer 24 – 72 hours.
Skim off the foam and impurities that rise to the top as the broth cooks.
Once cooking is complete, strain, cool broth and remove any fat on the surface.

For weak and anemic conditions, drink 1-2 bowls a day. The broth can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months. You can also freeze the broth in ice-cube trays, making it extra easy to use in recipes throughout the next several months, or as an extra tonic when you or your loved ones are under the weather. This is also great food for babies and toddlers!

Endometriosis Diet–foods to avoid

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:18:11 +0000

Endometriosis is a painful, chronic disease that affects 6.3 million girls and women in the United States. The most common symptoms of endometriosis are lower abdominal and lower back pain before and during periods, fatigue, infertility, and gastrointestinal upsets such as diarrhea, constipation and nausea. Unfortunately there is no known cure for endometriois, but taking on a holistic approach to reducing one’s symptoms can help re-balance the body and reduce pain. The following foods should be avoided, because they stimulate estrogen, which is the hormone that wreaks havoc on endometriosis sufferers. Top 6 foods to avoid:

1. Sugar – Sugar, in all its forms (refined, artificial, natural), produces a more acidic environment in the body which can increase the inflammatory pain of endometriosis.

2. Wheat – Wheat contains phytic acid which can aggravate endometriosis symptoms.

3. Soy products – Soy also contains phytic acid in amounts considerably higher than wheat.

4. Caffeine – Caffeine, especially when consumed in high amounts (more than two cups a day), has been found to increase estrogen levels, which can trigger endometriosis attacks.

5. Alcohol – Alcohol eats up vitamin B stored in the liver. Liver function plays an essential role in clearing out excess estrogen which helps to control endometriosis.

6. Dairy products – Dairy products (mainly milk and cheeses) stimulate the production of prostaglandins which in turn stimulate estrogen. According to Chinese medicine theory, dairy causes phlegm in the body, which can contribute to endometriosis.

Thuja for Vaccine Reactions

Chalita Photikoe, L.Ac. — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:21:52 +0000

Vaccinations make me nervous. Even after Andrew Wakefield’s study linking the MMR vaccine to autism was debunked, vaccines still made me nervous. If you’re a mom like me, you probably know another mom who swears her child’s autism stemmed from a vaccine. And even though I debated whether or not to vaccinate my kids, in the end I felt that it was the right thing to do for my family and my community. But what if there was a way to vaccinate without the potential side effects? Enter Thuja Occidentalis, a homeopathic remedy that can help prevent adverse vaccine reactions.

Before and after my kids get vaccinated, I use Thuja. I give them 5 pellets of Thuja 30c two days before the vaccinations and another dosage the day of. Thuja is a universal remedy for many types of vaccine reactions including fever, sleeplessness, swellings, coughing and diarrhea. Before starting this protocol, my daughter used to get itchy, swollen and sometimes even develop a fever after her vaccines. After using Thuja, there were no adverse reactions from the vaccines. Go Thuja!