HHC Viroqua

Should You Stop Taking Your Vitamins?

2011-11-02T13:40:00.001-05:00

A new study out last month has a lot of people wondering just that. With headlines screaming accusations such as “people who take vitamins die sooner!”, no wonder people are concerned. Well as it turns out, these claims are unfounded. The study in question did nothing close to proving that vitamin supplements are deleterious to health or lifespan. However there have been a number of well-run studies that have proven http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifvitamins actually help us to be healthier.
Dr Mark Hyman does a very good job of explaining just what’s wrong with the Iowa study in question. See his article here.

posted by:
Susan Barendregt, MNT BCHN

Thinking about the hCG diet? Think again!

2011-08-19T15:53:00.002-05:00

I've had some folks ask me what I think about the hCG diet. Here's my answer in a largish sort of nutshell.

The hCG diet seems to be all the rage now. HCG, or Human chorionic gonadotropin, is a hormone that is produced mainly during pregnancy. During the hCG diet a person takes hCG hormone (typically extracted from the urine of pregnant women) while adhering to an extremely low calorie diet. The hCG is supposed to convince the body use fat for fuel during the calorie restriction, while helping the dieter to not feel hungry or deprived.

As you might expect from anyone eating a mere 500 calories per day, folks on the hCG diet do lose weight. And it is quite possible, although unproven, that the hCG does help them to do it through the mechanisms mentioned above. Unfortunately, the negative aspects of this type of weight loss are rarely considered. Somehow folks have a hard time looking at anything past "will it make me lose weight". But wait a minute, isn't this exactly how we've been yo-yo dieting our way through the past 30 years while getting more and more obese? We do extreme diets, we lose weight, we finish the diet, we gain the weight back plus a little extra, then we lose it again and gain it back plus a little extra. See a pattern there?

I've got a few more issues with the hCG diet:

1. HCG is nothing new, but it's being touted as the new big secret to weight loss through really big promotional schemes (red flag!). HCG has been used since the 50's for weight loss. If it were really a miracle drug, don’t you think we'd have figured that out before now?

2. HCG is a HORMONE! Playing with one hormone disrupts the balance of all of your hormones. Our hormones all work together in concert, playing off each other, responding to one another, ideally keeping a delicate balance. And when I talk about hormones I don't just mean the sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, but insulin, cortisol, thyroid hormone and several other 'less famous' hormones as well. How much sense does it make to add in a daily dose of a hormone (and one that only pregnant women need) and potentially set off the balance of all your other hormones?

3. Whether or not the hCG is effective for weight loss, we can be pretty darn sure that the severe calorie restriction is responsible for most of the weight lost on this diet. A 500-calorie-a-day diet is just plain not smart. It's merely a way to get temporary weight loss at the expense of long-term health.

Unfortunately, we're a society that wants fast and easy results. One of these days though, and hopefully soon, we're going to realize that being at a healthy weight comes hand in hand with being a healthy person. This is not a goal achieved via drastic calorie restriction, eating nothing but grapefruits, or taking pills made from the latest exotic fruit from the Amazon jungle. It comes through good, healthy food, sleep and exercise.

If you just want to be skinnier for a period of time and you don't care about your long-term health or weight, then do the hCG diet. Otherwise, a more healthy, balanced approach is definitely in order.

Posted by: Susan Barendregt, MNT

Community Health from an acupuncturist's view

2011-08-13T14:38:00.003-05:00

I started Asari Acupuncture Interlude Program, a Community Acupuncture clinic, because of a long interest in the health of the whole community that I live in. For me that does go beyond the people that come for health care; it includes the land and all the parts of it that we rely on for daily life. It includes the elements of the world we live in that give us air, water, food, shelter. And more than that, that offer peace, beauty, inspiration. This is the real, the natural, the only world we have.

I believe that we must do more than think about our world around us, we must take care to be stewards instead of consumers; we must act with respect and thoughtfulness. This is something we don't do much of and don't do well; we talk of stopping pollution but don't stop driving our cars much and we talk of living sustainably but continue to buy processed, packaged foods that come from all over the world.

Now there is something we can do something about that will make a difference in the quality of life in our Driftless Region for decades to come. That is to become informed about and active in the issue of the huge powerline that American Transmission Company is considering putting directly through the middle of our bioregion.

What you do now is important. Don't live right where the line will go? What about having to pay for it, for a very long time in charges on your electric bill, even though no one in this area will ever get any electricity from the line? How about trying to calculate the trauma to our communities and families as the homes, land and farms are condemned and taken in a long straight line from LaCrosse to Reedsburg? Will it be a good thing to canoe down the Kickapoo and maybe have a unique experience with the static electricity generated by this size of powerline, while you sit on water in a metal canoe? The government recommends not touching any metal object while under these lines during conditions of high humidity. Hmmmm....sounds like a lot of our weather here!

Please get informed by going to the Town of Stark website:
stark-citizens-list@uwm.edu
and sign up to get their information and assistance in what is helpful to stop this very bad idea.

Remember, you won't get any power from this line, but you will get to pay for it!
Keep checking here and at the Stark Town listserve for information on how to help keep our land and community healthy and free of giant powerlines.

Labeling Change for Medications

2011-02-14T15:15:00.002-06:00

A patient called me from the hospital, where she was for a few days due to an emergency. The pharmacist there had confiscated her Chinese Herbal Medicine prescription because he thought it was expired. I knew it wasn't! The date on the bottom was prefaced by "mfg" instead of "exp". Because the pharmacist is trained to look at the date, he missed the rest of the description. The date was the date of manufacture, not the date of expiration. Once explained, the medicinal in question was acceptable for the patient to use in the hospital.

Many of the Chinese Herbal Medicine prescriptions in capsule or pill form now have DATE OF MANUFACTURE stamped on them, rather than date of expiration. Instead of "ex (date)" it may say "mfg (date)" on the bottom of the bottle or on the label. This means your prescription will have a date on it that is past, not ahead on the calendar.

These products have a shelf life of at least 3-4 years and often up to 5-6 years. Companies that I do business with have examined and tested their products to verify the sustained quality and effectiveness of the contents. I have numerous times over 20 years kept and used Chinese Herbal Medicine prescriptions for myself that were at least 5 years old. The aroma, taste and effectiveness was undiminished.
Modern processing and packaging allows potency of the medicinals to be maintained long term.

You will still find products with "exp date" on them. Some companies have not made the label change yet and some companies are in between selling medicinals with expiration dates and with manufactured dates.

Being aware of this change prevents needless waste of medicine that is still quite safe and effective. Be sure to tell your health care practitioners of this if they have reason to look at your Chinese Herbal Medicine given to you by prescription, by your certified acupuncturist.

Be well, be happy, be safe and have fun!

Acupuncture Presentation

2011-01-10T21:22:00.005-06:00

It's fun to have a chance to talk with people about acupuncture and so on Tuesday January 18th I'll be giving a FREE talk at WWTC on acupuncture; how it works, what it's good for, how it's used and I'll share some facts, myths, history and theory about this ancient way of healing. This is a great opportunity to get your questions answered about acupuncture!
Time: 6:30 pm Place: Room 220 at WWTC in Viroqua.
Why not stop in at one of our great restaurants in town for an early supper before coming over to WWTC for an evening of ideas and stories about acupuncture?
See you there!

Susan

Acupuncture on the Radio

2011-01-10T21:17:00.004-06:00

January is Acupuncture month on WVRQ 102FM every Friday at about 6:45am with Karen Dahl on the Healthy Friday show.
In January, we talk about how acupuncture came to Europe and the United States a very long time ago. It's a great way to have some fun and learn something interesting first thing in the morning, so join us every Friday in January.

Then in February Susan Barendregt will be bringing you more cool information on nutrition and health!

Allergy Elimination Cleanse - FREE Informational Meeting

2010-12-17T13:38:00.005-06:00

In the almost three years I've been running Allergy Elimination Cleanse groups in Viroqua, I've been asked many times to hold a group in La Crosse. Well, it's finally time! The lovely and talented Zone Therapist, Marie Agren, has offered up her space in La Crosse to host a cleanse group in February of 2011. And, in order to allow La Crossians (La Crossers? - I'm really showing my "I'm not from around here" badge, aren't I?) a chance to check it out before signing up, we're going to host a FREE informational meeting in January. Come on over, no pressure to sign up, just a chance to meet me and ask me all your hardest questions about this Allergy Elimination Cleanse that I'm always talking about.

Where: 444 Main Street, Suite 207, La Crosse (Marie's office)
When: Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 6:30 pm (if you're running late, come anyway... I'll be there talking until someone shuts me up!)

I hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays!

Susan

Is your calcium supplement increasing your risk for a heart attack?

2010-09-29T09:55:00.001-05:00

A meta-analysis of 15 studies recently published in the British Medical Journal shows that excess calcium supplementation increases risk of heart attack, stroke and death. BMJ 2010;341:c3691

I've always felt uncomfortable with the idea of taking high doses of calcium supplements. It just never made sense to me to expect all that calcium to go straight into the bones, which is what most folks who are taking those capsules are hoping for it to do. Now this meta-analysis shows us that those higher doses truly aren't a smart idea. It was not determined why or how the increase in heart attack, stroke and death occurred, but I'd wager that the main problem was excess calcium with nowhere to go ending up in plaques in blood vessels.

So what is a high dose? Most of the studies used doses of 1000-1200 mg of calcium per day. That's the amount that is typically recommended to folks who are concerned about their bones. The one study in this group that used a smaller dose of only 500 mg, however, did not have a single participant who suffered from heart attack, stroke or death.

When we look at the calcium needs of the average person along with the average intake of calcium through food, somewhere between 400 and 600 mg seems to be the most sensible daily dose for those who need one at all - even those who avoid dairy. In fact, it's not only sufficient, it seems to be safer than higher doses.

For my clients suffering from bone loss, I always recommend complete "bone support" formulas containing combinations of nutrients needed for bone health instead of calcium alone. Bones are not made of calcium alone. They also contain magnesium, boron, zinc and a host of other minerals plus several vitamins and protein. I also make sure that their vitamin D levels are sufficient because vitamin D is necessary to transport minerals into bone. Two of my favorite bone support formulas are Osteo B II from Biotics and OsteoForce from Designs for Health. Both of these products can be purchased through my virtual dispensary at www.susancnt.com.

I can't close this post without mentioning the importance of good digestion when it comes to the health of bones. Essentially, if you're not digesting and absorbing the nutrients from your food well it's going to be pretty much impossible to have healthy bones. Some signs of poor digestion are reflux, gassiness, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or visible bits of food in stools. A good digestive enzyme and/or hydrochloric acid supplement might be all you need to add in order to keep your bones healthy and strong.

Estrogen, Anxiety and Cancer

2010-09-14T13:27:00.009-05:00

I went to a seminar last weekend called the "pink ribbon" something-or-other. It was put on by a reputable company and much of the information shared was gleaned from the recent Institute of Functional Medicine conference - highly reputable. The main focus, as you might guess, was breast and other estrogen-related cancers. The main points brought out were that insulin is a big contributor to tumor growth (oh, so that's why pancreatic cancer is so deadly?! -pancreas being the place insulin is made); the more exposure one has to estrogen, the greater chance they have of ending up with one of these e-related cancers; and an emphasis on the importance of good detoxification as well as keeping inflammation levels down. Each of these points is worthy of a long article in itself - perhaps I'll do that down the road.
But my focus here is the connection between estrogen overload and anxiety - which I didn't understand until last weekend. It seems that some folks have a genetic defect in their processing of certain substances which can lead to a build up of what are called "catechol estrogens". Catecholamines, of which catechol estrogens are a subset, when in excess can cause symptoms such as anxiety, jitteriness, even addictions and obsessive compulsive disorder. These catechol estrogens also have stronger estrogenic effects than other estrogens, so they're correlated with increased cancer risk. There is a simple urine test called "Estronex" from Metametrix which will measure your ratios of "good" to "bad" estrogens. This gives you a good idea of your estrogen-sensitive cancer risk.
Methylation is the key. The defect mentioned above is in the liver's ability to detoxify subtances such as these catechol estrogens via methylation. Methylation essentially means adding a methyl group to a substance. How do you increase methylation? Add methyl "donors" to your diet such as vitamins B12, B6, folate (when using supplements, all should be in the "methyl" form, as in methylcobalamin for your b12, not cyanocobalamin - food sources include broccoli, cabbage, eggs, milk, brown rice and soy). Even in folks without the defect in processing, an increased sensitivity to caffeine probably indicates a need for more methylation. Easy fix!
Of course, you still need to pay attention to your insulin, toxin and inflammation levels, but by getting your methylation work in order, you'll be decreasing your risk for cancer while you increase your ability to eat that yummy, good-for-you dark chocolate without getting the jitters!

Susan Barendregt, MNT

Asari Acupuncture Hillsboro branch office opens in September

2010-09-01T14:18:00.004-05:00

Asari Acupuncture will open a branch office in Hillsboro on September 17th, at Wall Chiropractic Clinic, 840 Water Avenue, Hillsboro.

Asari Acupuncture Interlude Program (Community Acupuncture)will be offered, as well as Oriental Medicine Diagnosis, comprehensive Japanese acupuncture treatments, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Traditional Chinese Diet Therapy.

Hours are 7:30am to 11:30 am Friday mornings, beginning September 17th, 2010.
For appointments or information call 608-637-7272 or email asari@mwt.net or contact me on FaceBook: Asari Acupuncture LLC.

Pass the word along to your neighbors, family and friends then stop by on Friday mornings and get your questions answered about acupuncture and how acupuncture and chiropractic care can work together to improve your health. Check out Asari Acupuncture's FaceBook page for information on Community Acupuncture and other updates on the world's oldest health care system.

Asari Acupuncture August Events

2010-07-23T07:58:00.003-05:00

Asari Acupuncture takes a vacation in August! This is the month I can spend time with one of my favorite teachers in my other passion - riding! The clinic will be closed from August 13th through August 20th. I will be in the office August 23rd and 24th. The office will be closed August 25 - 27. From August 30th on regular hours resume.

Please make your appointments for mid to late August as soon as possible; the schedule is almost full now. If you need prescription refills let me know soon if you need them shipped to you.

Also in August the Holistic Health Center will be closed during the week of August 16th for renovations. Be sure to visit us after that week to see our new changes!

Best Wishes,
Susan Cushing

Acupuncture Update

2010-07-23T06:58:00.006-05:00

We have had so much rain lately it reminds me of living in Vancouver, Canada; they get about 13 feet of rain each year! I hope you all are staying dry and your gardens are full of flowers and ripening tomatoes, which are one of the best summer treats.

The rain also brings more molds and other airborne particles to aggravate allergy problems.
If you suffer from allergies, there is more you can do to reduce and even eliminate these reactions. A neti pot is a safe, simple way to reduce symptoms by reducing the dust and pollen that gets in the nasal mucus membranes. Daily use of a neti pot cleans out the dust and pollen before it causes a reaction in your immune system. It can replace the use of over the counter anti-histamines and other drugs that often have side effects. Many people have discovered the benefits of this simple self treatment. Neti pots are available at most pharmacies.

If you still have some allergic symptoms or would like to change your health so that allergies don't interfere with your enjoyment of life acupuncture can help. The best way to effectively treat your allergies is to start acupuncture treatments before reactions occur. Starting treatment a month or more before you usually get symptoms gives your body time to make changes and heal so that you are ahead of the problem and do less controlling of symptoms during the allergy season.

Since Asari Acupuncture joined the Holistic Health Center I have been collaborating with Susan Barendregt MNT to treat allergies and digestive problems. Susan B has been very helpful for many people with allergies. By working cooperatively we provide a range of treatment options so that your treatment is exactly what you need to change your health. Individualized treatment plans are an essential part of Oriental Medicine. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine have been successfully and safely treating allergic conditions for hundreds of years! Give me a call or email to get started on a future free of sneezy, itchy, stuffy reactions.

Meanwhile, enjoy the beauty and bounty of summer. If you are in the Viroqua area, stop by the Holistic Health Center and say hello; we like visitors!

Best Wishes,
Susan Cushing C.A.

Summer Happenings with Susan B

2010-07-21T15:38:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far. It seems to be just flying by for me. School supplies are already in the stores!

I wanted to just let you know about a couple of things that will be happening over the next couple of months in my practice.

First, on this coming Tuesday, the 27th of July, I will be giving a free talk about gluten and gluten sensitivity. The talk is part of an ongoing series of talks sponsored by Pathways to Wellness, a group dedicated to promoting complementary and alternative health care services in the Viroqua area. It will be held at the Western Wisconsin Technical College (WWTC) campus here in Viroqua at 7:00pm. The address is 220 South Main Street. I'll attempt to keep the talk at a pretty basic level, discussing the many symptoms of gluten intolerance and ways to find out if you've got an issue with it yourself. I may branch off into some of the interesting science behind it all as well. There will be plenty time for Q&A. I hope to see you there.

Second, the morning after the talk, I'm taking my children to visit grandma in Seattle! This means I'll be out of the office for a time and if you'll be needing supplements in the next couple of weeks it would be great if you could let me know and pick them up by Tuesday. (I will be in the office next Tuesday even though it's not my regularly scheduled day.) It will be possible to get supplements while I'm gone since the office will still be open, but it'll make things easier if I'm here to take care of this for you. Thanks.

Next, after the Seattle trip, we're having some renovations done on the Holistic Health Center. This means we'll be closed for the week of August 16. Come on in after that and see what we've done. It'll be great!

Lastly, I just wanted to give you all a heads-up about my next Allergy Elimination Cleanse group which will be starting this fall. September 21 will be the date of the first meeting of that group, so make sure to sign up early enough to schedule your one-on-one appointment with me before that date.

Enjoy the remainder of the summer and this lovely weather we're having! Go outside and soak up lots of that wonderful vitamin D!

Best regards,
Susan

Susan Barendregt, MNT

Our New Sign is Up!

2010-06-16T11:03:00.002-05:00

STOP BY AND SEE US SOMETIME SOON!

Does Acupuncture Hurt?

2010-02-15T22:15:00.004-06:00

Does acupuncture hurt? That's often a question voiced by a new patient. The short answer is NO! But how can those acupuncture needles not hurt?

One of the examples I use to show how comfortable correctly done acupuncture can be is that over the years I have given acupuncture treatment to many animals, from horses and cattle to parrots and cats. They sit or lay quietly and often fall asleep just as people do during an acupuncture treatment. Animals such as horses stand during treatment and may doze off and begin to tip over! If the animal was uncomfortable it would not stand or lay quietly for the 15 or 20 minutes it takes to administer the acupuncture treatment. Often the human with the animal quickly decides they too want acupuncture for themselves after seeing how happy the animals are after acupuncture treatment.

Today we have acupuncture needles that are much smaller than years ago, allowing painless insertion to be easily achieved. The acupuncture needles I use are about the thickness of two human hairs! They are so fine that a small tube is needed to keep the needle straight while it is gently inserted to about 2 millimeters under the skin. The tiny size allows the super sharp and smooth surface to cause no damage to skin or muscle, unlike the hypodermic needles we are familiar with for injections. Those are hollow and large enough to have liquid pass through them. A hypodermic needle must be solid enough to not bend when inserted deep into muscle tissue and so will cause pain.

As with any profession, there are many different techniques used by acupuncturists. Each practitioner has their own personal preferences for the type of treatments they use and the techniques. And of course the level of skill and experience of the acupuncturist will vary as well.

So when you visit your acupuncturist, let them know if you are especially sensitive or have a fear of needles. There are several ways to give a treatment without needles and many acupuncturists use one or more of these methods whenever it is appropriate. Good acupuncturists make every effort to provide a comfortable experience. We can change what we do if needed to assure that you feel good while you are getting your treatment as well as afterward.

Acupuncture is fun - as a practitioner it is a pleasure to help people feel better, and patients enjoy their time in the clinic, relaxing and napping while their health is improving. The next time you have a health concern you need some help with, call us and find out how acupuncture may be both an effective and pleasant way to regain your health.

Susan Cushing

Radio Interview with Dr. Kharrazian on Thyroid

2010-02-11T13:51:00.003-06:00

If you're dealing with thyroid troubles, take a few minutes and listen to what Dr. Datis Kharrazian has to say about the way thyroid is currently treated in the medical world and the way it should be treated if the patient is to really get better.

His approach makes sense, is based in science and, best of all, it works!

Scroll down to the radio interview at http://www.thyroidbook.com/

posted by: Susan Barendregt, MNT

Taking Pills

2010-02-08T07:49:00.003-06:00

Using Oriental Herbal Medicine prescription medication from your friendly acupuncturist can be a bit different than using "allopathic" prescription medications from other systems of medicine. Oriental Herbal Medicine, also known as "Chinese Herbal Medicine" in the US, is created with the same purpose as other medications but functions differently to achieve its effects.

When Oriental Herbal Medicine is used according to the protocols of Oriental Medicine, there are three functions the medications should perform.
*First, the chief complaint should be addressed and relieved. Pain, insomnia, infections...whatever the symptoms are, they should change.
*Second, there should be no significant side effects. This important point is often surprising to patients in this part of the world. Long ago Oriental Medicine experts decided that it was best to not cause other problems while fixing the one being treated and to this day, most treatments given in clinical or outpatient settings are expected to not have side effects.
*Third, the patient often feels better in general due to a course of treatment with Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture. This is because the process of treatment includes helping the body regain overall normal function as an aspect of fixing the primary health problem.

So when you have seen your friendly acupuncturist or doctor and have been given a prescription for treating what ails you, try this technique for making swallowing pills easy: put the pill in your mouth, take a drink of water and then look at the floor when you swallow. The back of your throat opens up and the pills go down much more easily than when you look up to swallow.

Be Well, Be Happy, Be Safe!

Susan Cushing

On Thyroid Treatment but Still Tired?

2010-01-24T11:07:00.002-06:00

If you're on thyroid meds for hypothyroidism but still experience fatigue, weight gain and other hypothyroid symptoms, or your doctor keeps needing to increase your medication dosage, there's a pretty good chance that you've actually got an auto-immune condition involving your thyroid gland. If that's the case, the medications are never going to take care of the problem fully.

For the duration of the month of January, you can get reduced rates on the lab tests to find out exactly what is going on with your thyroid. At Directlabs.com for only $68 you can have a thyroid antibodies panel run. (If you're in the Viroqua area, you'll need to do this through me as there are no LabCorp sites nearby to do the blood draw for you.)

Give me a call or send me a message and I can help you to decide which panel would be best for you to run. Then I can help you interpret the results and guide you in healing your thyroid condition.

Yours in health,
Susan

Susan Barendregt, MNT

Winter Pleasures

2010-01-18T16:53:00.006-06:00

Hi Everyone;
It's midwinter and most of us benefit from an enjoyable interlude in the long winter season. Here are a few ideas:

* Go see the annual juggling convention in Madison. (Check the Madison City website or tourism department or the Isthmus paper www.thedailypage.com/daily/ .)

* If you are in Madison, visit Olbrich Gardens www.olbrich.org ; the tropical conservatory is a wonderful way to banish winter for a while. Olbrich Gardens is one of the 10 best botanical gardens in the country. Anyone who loves to garden really should see it, winter or summer.

* Spend a few minutes when the sun comes up on a sunny day to watch the light change.

* If you ski, walk or snowshoe in the winter, go to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and enjoy an outing at one of the best natural reserves in the midwest.

* Get a massage from one of the great massage therapists we have in Viroqua.

* Come and take a sauna at the Holistic Health Center's far-infra red sauna.

* If you have health concerns that you have been hoping will go away and they haven't....now might be a good time to make an appointment for an acupuncture assessment. Add some options to your health care. Learn what's possible for your health!

Be Well, Be Safe, Be Happy.

Susan Cushing C.A.

More on Stress

2009-12-15T16:01:00.004-06:00

Our human bodies operate on repeating signals that are affected by both the environment around us and the other activities going on inside of us. We do not function on signals given one time only. Whether it is a signal to digest food, run from danger or fall asleep we rely on the consistency of these signals for continuous, harmonious function of all our body's systems.
Since consistent, repeating patterns are part of how we normally function it is easy for these signals to be incorporated in our bodies and minds. We use this all the time; the ringing telephone is a consistent, repeating signal that we respond to in the same way every time it occurs.
Unfortunately, negative or harmful signals or patterns are just as easily incorporated. Since they always occur in conjunction with some type of stress response or tension the harmful pattern is triggered every time the stress response or tension occurs in our body or mind.
This is one of the most important reasons for reducing and managing "stress". When your breathing is shallow or rapid, it tells the body there is potential "danger" and stress responses begin. This goes on all day long when we cannot relax, breathe fully and move freely. It occurs when there is too much noise or bright lights for too long. It occurs when we maintain a fixed gaze for long periods of time, such as when using a computer or driving or watching TV.
Often patients will comment that they don't know why they feel anxious or can't sleep or have other symptoms. Sometimes it is because there has been such a long time of repeating alarm signals that it becomes impossible to turn off the body's response. Stress response continues even though we think there is nothing going on.
So take a moment and breathe, and relax. Take a moment and stretch, move around, wiggle your feet or fingers; do something to let the tension out. It seems simple and unimportant but may have very strong effects on every organ and system in your body.
If you are doing the best you can to keep stress under control and still have headaches, insomnia or other symptoms......try acupuncture, it works!

Susan Cushing
Asari Acupuncture

Winter Health - Part 1

2009-11-03T10:57:00.001-06:00

European and Oriental traditions have similar teachings about taking care of health in a cold climate. Our parents and grandparents often would simply say "it's common sense" and that's what they knew it as; they did not have the extensive information on health and lifestyle choices that has developed in the last few years. Even with variations from country to country and generation to generation there are similarities in the advice passed along and it has withstood both the test of time and of modern research.

Keeping warm and dry is one of these ideas. We normally want to be warm and dry, but often both kids and adults will allow themselves to become chilled for extended periods of time. Situations such as sitting near the draft from an air conditioner while working, or watching a football or hockey game without enough warm clothing can cause a drop in body temperature that may feel uncomfortable. But what is really happening when hands and feet are cold, muscles stay tense and shivering starts?

In Oriental cultures, as well as in their medical theories, excessive cold depletes energy and weakens the body. A weak body is not able to carry out normal functions or produce extra energy. Our brains use a lot of energy; one of the results of being chilled for too long is reduced thinking capacity! Fatigue is another common early response to being too cold. Oriental Medicine would say the Yang Qi becomes weak and/or blocked. If extreme, Yang collapses and the person dies.

In western medicine much research has been done for mountaineering and military activities in cold climates. We know that kidney function (which is where Yang is generated) is reduced when the body cools, and it is easy to become dehydrated. The Kidney and Heart work together in Oriental Medicine, and both Oriental and western medicine understand that circulation in the capillary beds is reduced. This is one reason thinking is difficult when hypothermia occurs, and has been the cause of many mountaineering accidents. In acupuncture theory, the brain is one of the things controlled by the Kidney System.

But long before you become cold enough to be hypothermic, body chemistry can change enough to affect how you feel and function. The traditional knowledge and scientific research on hypothermia simply illustrate the extreme of a gradual process caused by exposure to cold for too long. The conditions most likely to cause hypothermia are temperatures above freezing and wet or damp weather. This is often what we have to contend with here in Wisconsin, during much of the year.

If you are tired and stressed to start with, and are feeling even mildly uncomfortable from the cold on a regular basis, you could feel noticably better during these cold, damp months simply by warming up. It's easy. People who live at high altitudes keep their waist wrapped to keep heat in, and keep their neck and head covered. They can often be found without mittens, with open jackets, but will be wearing a warm wrap around their waist "to keep the kidneys warm". We can wear a '"kidney wrap", even indoors. A light scarf is enough and can be worn under or over a shirt or sweater. If you are easily chilled you can also use the disposable hand warmers that are sold in many sizes and forms. They last for anywhere from 6 to 20 hours and provide a constant source of comfortable warmth.

Another traditional practice is to drink hot teas or whatever was locally available. Brewing something hot to drink can seem like an endless process in some cold regions of the world, but it serves a valuable function by constantly warming those people up from the inside, again saving body energy for other work. Avoid cold soda, water or other drinks during the winter.

In both western and eastern cultures, grandmas and parents have been saying for a long time...."put your hat on!" and "wear a scarf!" and "you need a cup of tea" (or hot chocolate or a rum toddy.....) and now we know they are validated and supported by both our science and the rest of the grandmas, on the other side of the world.

Warm up, relax, stop shivering and save your energy for something you'd rather be doing!

And if you have Raynaud's syndrome, or other health concerns that are worse in our long Wisconsin winter, remember acupuncture works!

Susan Cushing
Asari Acupuncture LLC

HEADACHES

2009-11-02T11:18:00.000-06:00

If you have a headache it is probably from strained muscles at the base of your skull. These muscles are called sub-occipital muscles. They contract and apply pressure to a nerve called the greater occipital nerve; this nerve gives you sensation from the base of your skull, over your head and down to your eyebrows and can result in a headache. This is commonly treated safely and effectively with Chiropractic and with great success. So next time you have a headache give me a call.

Dr. Michael Corr

A note from Susan C

2009-10-29T17:27:00.001-05:00

Rachel Naomi Remen is a doctor who has written much about her experiences with healing and what she has learned from a life in medicine. She is well worth reading (Kitchen Table Wisdom, My Grandfather's Blessing). I like this comment from her:

"Living in one piece is important for healing; in other words, knowing what your deepest values are and living by them, so that there is a coherence between who you are and how you live. If you believe one way but live another, that can be more damaging than any external stress."

Years ago, I was going to be a "doctor" and started down that path with my education. During those years I was an EMT in Middleton and working for an acupuncturist in Madison as well as going to school. There was a lot of opportunity to compare different ways to practice medicine. Slowly I realized that I was fascinated by all of it but really at home in the acupuncturist's office, where people came in happy to be there and left relaxed and sometimes transformed. Our allopathic medicine is an amazing, valuable part of our culture and does much good. But the difference from a student's perspective was that the allopathic medicine was fighting disease while the oriental medicine was incorporating the healthy aspects of a person to work with eliminating the disease. So, as much as the science of medicine appealed to me, the practice of it did not. Working with acupuncture felt similar to gardening; yes, there is a time to pull weeds and get rid of bugs, but most gardening involves coordinating all the different needs of the plants that grow together and affect each other with the rain, sun, and soil conditions. Oriental Medicine/acupuncture must take into account the whole person, including the systems that are healthy as well as the symptoms of disorder, in order to achieve optimal results.

Emergency care was where allopathic medicine really excelled. There, miracles happened, lives were saved and nothing could compare with what the combination of practitioners' skills and the technology of our times could do. To this day, I admire the good doctors, PAs, emergency workers, nurses and all the others who are in our communities doing the best they can every day for their patients, but after all the years still am sure becoming an acupuncturist was the right choice for me. It is coherent with my way of living, my values and the way I prefer to interact with the world I live in. Every day, I'm thankful to be able to offer a service and skill that allows me to live coherently and practice in a way that supports that which is healthy while treating the 'dis-ease'.

Be Well, Be Happy!

Susan Cushing C.A.

Thyroid Troubles?

2009-10-18T17:03:00.004-05:00

Dr. Datis Kharrazian has written the book on thyroid disorders. How to recognize them with appropriate testing and how to HEAL them using nutrition.

I have been a fan of Dr. K's for years now. I've learned much of what I know about functional nutrition in seminars taught by him. He's also the formulator of many of the excellent nutritional supplements that I use in my practice. I had been waiting for several months for this new book to come out entitled "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?" and it's finally here. I read through it in a couple evenings and will be referring to it often. Dr. K recognizes the fact that it's not just about the TSH value. He goes through all the different ways one might have sub-optimal thyroid function and what to do about it. Interestingly, he almost NEVER recommends using thyroid hormones as a cure.

Take a look at the book's website: www.thyroidbook.com. This book is written for practitioners and patients alike. If you are unhappy with the results you're getting from thyroid treatment, or feel that your thyroid should be treated somehow but your doctor doesn't agree because your TSH looks 'normal', this book is for you.

Posted by: Susan Barendregt, MNT

Cold and Flu Prevention

2009-10-08T08:44:00.003-05:00

It's getting colder!!

Each fall as the weather changes people come into the clinic more often with colds or sinus infections or even the flu.

NOW is the time to think about PREVENTION, which is very possible for all these ailments.

Of course, washing your hands, staying away from others when you are coughing or sneezing and getting plenty of rest are essential. But there is more you can do, and it's easy, inexpensive and safe. For approximately 900 years, people all over Asia have known and used medicines that both prevent and treat these illnesses, and in Asia they are considered "household remedies"; something every mom and grandma has in the cupboard and knows how to use. Today we have standardized, quality controlled products using these time tested medicinals that can be very specifically prescribed for your symptoms. Do you have more chills, or more fever? Are you thirsty or not? Differences such as these mean different medicine for optimal effectiveness. Using carefully chosen medicine, at the earliest stage of catching one of these 'bugs' can prevent days of misery, missed work and also reduce your chance of passing the illness on to others, since you are sick far less.

Each year patients who have used Oriental Medicine and acupuncture to maintain their health stock up for the winter with the Chinese Herbal Medicine prescriptions that fit their personal health needs. They also come in for 'tune-ups' once a month, so that they do not let small health concerns go unattended for long. These periodic, supportive treatments help keep stress symptoms minimal, energy maximized and encourages the body metabolism to return to normal, easily and quickly. That makes it easier to fight off infectious diseases!

Another important and often overlooked way to stay well is to....have fun! Yes, being happy, having fun, laughing and being creative has an effect on our immune systems. We all know how good it feels to be happy or do something we really enjoy; but we don't notice how it also affects our chemistry, immune system and brain function. Since fun is free, it should be one of the first things you do to stay healthy!

We are so fortunate to live here; there is a great variety of opportunities to have fun; many types of music events, a good library and two great bookstores, all sorts of outdoor activities (don't forget the exceptional Kickapoo Valley Reserve!), classes, good restaurants, and many other ways to have fun and share it with your neighbors and friends. See you out there!

"The test of a first-rate mind is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the mind at the same time and to retain the ability to function."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Be Well, Be Happy, Be Safe, Have Fun

Susan

posted by: Susan Cushing

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

2009-09-21T15:05:00.001-05:00

Carpal Tunnel is one of the most common issues that I treat. The median nerve gets compressed in the wrist by a rubber band-like material called a “retinaculum” this causes numbness & tingling in the thumb & three fingers of the hand. I have had excellent success relieving symptoms in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Two to three treatments & specific vitamins and you will see amazing results!

Posted by: Dr. Michael Corr

Michael Pollan on the Elephant in the Room

2009-09-15T11:16:00.005-05:00

Thank goodness for Michael Pollan's recent popularity in the media. Perhaps because of that, folks will listen to him and we might truly get some FOOD reform we so badly need in this country. If we, as Americans, would only eat more real food and less processed junk food, we will become healthier and need less health care in the first place. (Not to imply that we don't need health care reform as well.)
Please take a moment to listen to his interview on NPR linked below and/or read Pollan's latest article which I have copied here at the bottom. The link to the original NY Times page where it appeared is included as well.
This man knows what he's talking about!

Posted by Susan Barendregt

Pollan was interviewed by Guy Raz on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered show last night and answered questions about what he wrote. You can both read or listen to that interview at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112785114

From the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=michael%20pollan&st=cse

September 10, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
Big Food vs. Big Insurance
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Berkeley, Calif.

TO listen to President Obama’s speech on Wednesday night, or to just about anyone else in the health care debate, you would think that the biggest problem with health care in America is the system itself — perverse incentives, inefficiencies, unnecessary tests and procedures, lack of competition, and greed.

No one disputes that the $2.3 trillion we devote to the health care industry is often spent unwisely, but the fact that the United States spends twice as much per person as most European countries on health care can be substantially explained, as a study released last month says, by our being fatter. Even the most efficient health care system that the administration could hope to devise would still confront a rising tide of chronic disease linked to diet.

That’s why our success in bringing health care costs under control ultimately depends on whether Washington can summon the political will to take on and reform a second, even more powerful industry: the food industry.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat “preventable chronic diseases.” Not all of these diseases are linked to diet — there’s smoking, for instance — but many, if not most, of them are.
We’re spending $147 billion to treat obesity, $116 billion to treat diabetes, and hundreds of billions more to treat cardiovascular disease and the many types of cancer that have been linked to the so-called Western diet. One recent study estimated that 30 percent of the increase in health care spending over the past 20 years could be attributed to the soaring rate of obesity, a condition that now accounts for nearly a tenth of all spending on health care.

The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care. The president has made a few notable allusions to it, and, by planting her vegetable garden on the South Lawn, Michelle Obama has tried to focus our attention on it. Just last month, Mr. Obama talked about putting a farmers’ market in front of the White House, and building new distribution networks to connect local farmers to public schools so that student lunches might offer more fresh produce and fewer Tater Tots. He’s even floated the idea of taxing soda.

But so far, food system reform has not figured in the national conversation about health care reform. And so the government is poised to go on encouraging America’s fast-food diet with its farm policies even as it takes on added responsibilities for covering the medical costs of that diet. To put it more bluntly, the government is putting itself in the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.
Why the disconnect? Probably because reforming the food system is politically even more difficult than reforming the health care system. At least in the health care battle, the administration can count some powerful corporate interests on its side — like the large segment of the Fortune 500 that has concluded the current system is unsustainable.

That is hardly the case when it comes to challenging agribusiness. Cheap food is going to be popular as long as the social and environmental costs of that food are charged to the future. There’s lots of money to be made selling fast food and then treating the diseases that fast food causes. One of the leading products of the American food industry has become patients for the American health care industry.
The market for prescription drugs and medical devices to manage Type 2 diabetes, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates will afflict one in three Americans born after 2000, is one of the brighter spots in the American economy. As things stand, the health care industry finds it more profitable to treat chronic diseases than to prevent them. There’s more money in amputating the limbs of diabetics than in counseling them on diet and exercise.

As for the insurers, you would think preventing chronic diseases would be good business, but, at least under the current rules, it’s much better business simply to keep patients at risk for chronic disease out of your pool of customers, whether through lifetime caps on coverage or rules against pre-existing conditions or by figuring out ways to toss patients overboard when they become ill.

But these rules may well be about to change — and, when it comes to reforming the American diet and food system, that step alone could be a game changer. Even under the weaker versions of health care reform now on offer, health insurers would be required to take everyone at the same rates, provide a standard level of coverage and keep people on their rolls regardless of their health. Terms like “pre-existing conditions” and “underwriting” would vanish from the health insurance rulebook — and, when they do, the relationship between the health insurance industry and the food industry will undergo a sea change.
The moment these new rules take effect, health insurance companies will promptly discover they have a powerful interest in reducing rates of obesity and chronic diseases linked to diet. A patient with Type 2 diabetes incurs additional health care costs of more than $6,600 a year; over a lifetime, that can come to more than $400,000. Insurers will quickly figure out that every case of Type 2 diabetes they can prevent adds $400,000 to their bottom line. Suddenly, every can of soda or Happy Meal or chicken nugget on a school lunch menu will look like a threat to future profits.
When health insurers can no longer evade much of the cost of treating the collateral damage of the American diet, the movement to reform the food system — everything from farm policy to food marketing and school lunches — will acquire a powerful and wealthy ally, something it hasn’t really ever had before.

AGRIBUSINESS dominates the agriculture committees of Congress, and has swatted away most efforts at reform. But what happens when the health insurance industry realizes that our system of farm subsidies makes junk food cheap, and fresh produce dear, and thus contributes to obesity and Type 2 diabetes? It will promptly get involved in the fight over the farm bill — which is to say, the industry will begin buying seats on those agriculture committees and demanding that the next bill be written with the interests of the public health more firmly in mind.
In the same way much of the health insurance industry threw its weight behind the campaign against smoking, we can expect it to support, and perhaps even help pay for, public education efforts like New York City’s bold new ad campaign against drinking soda. At the moment, a federal campaign to discourage the consumption of sweetened soft drinks is a political nonstarter, but few things could do more to slow the rise of Type 2 diabetes among adolescents than to reduce their soda consumption, which represents 15 percent of their caloric intake.

That’s why it’s easy to imagine the industry throwing its weight behind a soda tax. School lunch reform would become its cause, too, and in time the industry would come to see that the development of regional food systems, which make fresh produce more available and reduce dependence on heavily processed food from far away, could help prevent chronic disease and reduce their costs.
Recently a team of designers from M.I.T. and Columbia was asked by the foundation of the insurer UnitedHealthcare to develop an innovative systems approach to tackling childhood obesity in America. Their conclusion surprised the designers as much as their sponsor: they determined that promoting the concept of a “foodshed” — a diversified, regional food economy — could be the key to improving the American diet.
All of which suggests that passing a health care reform bill, no matter how ambitious, is only the first step in solving our health care crisis. To keep from bankrupting ourselves, we will then have to get to work on improving our health — which means going to work on the American way of eating.

But even if we get a health care bill that does little more than require insurers to cover everyone on the same basis, it could put us on that course.
For it will force the industry, and the government, to take a good hard look at the elephant in the room and galvanize a movement to slim it down.

Michael Pollan, a contributing writer for The Times Magazine and a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.

Holistic Health Film Series

2009-09-02T13:14:00.000-05:00

On Friday, October 16th we will be showing the first film of our Holistic Health Film Series.

We'll be showing the movie Food, Inc. (http://www.foodincmovie.com/).

Please come at 6:30. We'll start the movie at 6:45 and hold a discussion afterward.

Admission is free and we'll even provide a light snack.

Future dates of the film series are:
Friday, Nov 13 - Under our Skin
Friday, Jan 15 - Tapped
Friday, Feb 19
& Friday, Mar 19

The importance of non-toxic dentistry

2009-08-20T12:44:00.004-05:00

I often talk with my clients of the importance of detoxification and leading non-toxic lifestyles. Things like eating organic whenever possible, painting with non or low-VOC paints (see http://www.homegreenhome.biz/products/paint.html for a local selection), not using those synthetic air fresheners - you know the types you plug in to an outlet or stick on the wall - those things load your body with toxins that it then has to process and eliminate. Anyway, dentistry is one thing that I always mention in these discussions because although regular trips to the dentist's office are important for your health, they're also one of the best ways to get some serious toxins into your body.
But you have choices, because there are holistic dentists who won't use toxic materials in your mouth.
The September '09 issue of Experience Life magazine (experiencelifemag.com) has a great article about holistic dentistry including how to find a holistic dentist for yourself.
If you have teeth, it's worth a read.
/Life%20Time%20Holistic%20Dentistry%20article.pdf

Susan Barendregt, MNT
the nutritionist blogger

Options in Health Care

2009-07-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Welcome to the Holistic Health Center website and my acupuncture blog. I'll use this space to share health tips, ideas about healthcare, what I'm doing at Asari Acupuncture that might be of interest to you. I'm not above putting in a good joke or cartoon, either!

One of the best parts of life is learning new things, and in health care that is always both possible and necessary. In the 'old days' being as good as possible with a limited amount of information or tools was required. Now we have access to information from all over the world as well as from history. We must learn what is useful (or not) about a diversity of information, tools and techniques for taking care of our health. Making good decisions about diverse and unfamiliar choices is difficult, but being able to do so can improve your quality of life and health.

Here are a few tips on getting along with our modern world of health care. My questions are only a starting point; you should ask your own questions too!

First, take some time to think through what your health situation is. Do you have health problems that have to be treated now? Do you have health problems that you know you should do something about but aren't really feeling threatened by them right now? Do you have insurance?

Second, be very honest with yourself about how important your health is to you. Do you want the optimum possible out of life? Does your livelihood depend on your good health or can you get by if you gradually lose your health? Do you have family that depends on you being healthy for their well-being? Are you more interested in doing other things and don't really want to think about it? When you are honest about how important health is to you, it is easier to make decisions about how to invest in health care.

There is no right answer! There is only what is best for you.

Third, get some information about health care that you are interested in. Use the internet, and ask friends who have used these therapies or practitioners, and best of all, talk directly to the practitioner. Do not use all information equally! Infomercials on TV are not a useful source of information, nor are catalogs marketing products for everything that ails you. Triangulate your information to figure out what is probably true.

This means take information from at least 3 sources and see where they converge or agree. That area will be the most likely to be true.

Fourth, make a plan for your health. If you want or need to do something to improve your health, choose practitioners that are open minded, are willing to listen to you and that you feel comfortable with. Be willing to shop around for the best practitioner you can find and compare costs.

That's a lot to do! But a few minutes spent figuring out these questions may make a big difference over time in how you make health care choices.

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

-Albert Einstein

Be Safe, Be Happy, Be Well;

Susan

Susan Cushing
Asari Acupuncture LLC
acupuncture@hhcviroqua.com
608-637-7272

Next Allergy Elimination Cleanse Group to start August 26.

2009-06-29T13:14:00.005-05:00

Susan Barendregt is now accepting enrollees for the next Viroqua Allergy Elimination Cleanse group which will be having its first meeting on Wednesday, August 26th at 7:30pm. Each participant will need to meet individually with Susan before that date, so call or email now to join the group and schedule your one-on-one appointment.
The group will meet a total of 4 times. Dates are August 26 and September 2, 16 and 23. A $50 deposit is required to register.
At this time, no groups are scheduled for La Crosse.

posted by: Susan Barendregt

Welcome to our new website!

2009-06-07T15:45:00.002-05:00

Hello! We at the Holistic Health Center want to welcome you to our new site. We hope to use this blog to communicate with you regularly about what's happening in the world of holistic health care as well as the goings on in our center.

Come and visit us often!