New Website!!!

Please visit my website at www.denveracupunctureclinic.com
All office info can be found there as well as my updates.
My office is located in Wash Park in Denver and my phone # is still 303-921-6263.

Thank you!
Yours in Health,

Michelle

Happy (Chinese) New Year!

It's the the Year of the Rabbit. May this year bring you all many blessings!!

"Xin Nian Kuai Le", or as business people say "Gong Xi Fa Cai".

Yours in Health,
Michelle

Don't Let the Sun Go Down in Your Body...Boost that Vitamin D!!

I've written articles before on the importance of Vitamin D. I personally believe the current RDA is relatively low and most MD's seem to be edging towards an intake of 1,000-2,000 i.u's per day. However, that being said, it is always a great idea to ask your PCP to get a Vitamin. D level done at your next annual exam.

Several of the following drugs increase the risk for and severity of vitamin D insufficiency. The following are a few of the drugs that cause the deficiencies.

Allopurinol (gout) – Results in lowered levels of vitamin D.

Anticonvulsants – Increased risk for vitamin D deficiency with resulting increased risk for osteoporosis.

Cimetidine – Reduces the conjugation of vitamin D.

Oral corticosteroids – Reduced calcium absorption and inhibited vitamin D formation in the liver.

Heparin – Interferes with vitamin D function and increases the risk for osteoporosis and osteomalacia.

Mineral oil – Interferes with vitamin D absorption.


-list courtesy of Harry O. Eidenier Jr. of DSD International

The Power of Laughter

My friend and colleague Jacob Schor, ND wrote a great article about the power of laughter and I couldn't agree more. We all need some humor when healing. Of course Jacob has scientific studies in his article, he's Jacob Schor! Enjoy

Referral time :)

Oh how I have neglected this blog. I apologize. Sometimes life simply does get in the way! So I will start by offering a referral to a great massage therapist in the Denver area. Her name is Robyn Aasmunstad. She is a Licensed Massage Therapist with an office at 309 Cherokee Street (Baker District). Her # is 720 837-5223.

I lost touch with her for a couple years and was glad to see she is still practicing in the metro area. Treat yourself if you can. Flu season is coming up and stress lowers all our immune systems! Massage, as well as acupuncture, can greatly boost your immune system!

228 million eggs recalled!!!

Huge Recall of eggs from a farm in Iowa. Colorado is included in this recall. All the brands are listed in the link.

"Scoops Of Flesh" aka...time for the mammogram!

"Scoops of Flesh" is the term that came to mind today when I had my annual mammogram. Anyone who has had a mammogram will know what I mean. I hope everyone takes the time to get this very important test done. It is very easy to forget. And depending upon which doctor you go to, it is either after 35 or after 40 that this test becomes an annual staple. And then depending upon breast cancer history, you may be put into different rooms and categories when getting the test done. Regardless, just get it done. It doesn't matter if you have any breast cancer history or not, you can still get breast cancer. And early detection is always the best.

If you live in or around the Denver area, I highly recommend The Women's Imaging Center. They have 3 locations: Denver, Lakewood and Littleton and their Central scheduling # is 303-321-2273.

PRODUCT RECALL: Includes Children's Tylenol and Motrin products

Please hit on this link for the full recall.

People to Know

As part of my 'People to Know' segment I want to spotlight a website this time. A little unorthodox, but on this website are therapists who I believe could be great 'People to Know'. See....it kind of made sense. "Somatic Experiencing" is based upon the work of Peter Levine, author of 'Waking the Tiger'. And I have seen firsthand how powerful this work is when integrated with the acupuncture I do for PTSD. On this link for the website is all the information about "SE", as well as a directory for practitioners who do this work in all 50 states. When referring to someone who I think can benefit from "SE" I have referred to Teri Sullivan Lutz here in Denver. Her information can be found on the website in the practitioner directory. If interested in just the overall mind body connection to trauma, I cannot emphasize enough to pick up a copy Peter Levine's 'Waking the Tiger'. It's a great first step to understanding how it is not "all in your head".

Robert Crayhon

When I first started practicing nutrition, Robert Crayhon was definitely a name to know. He founded a well known supplement company and he hosted THE best seminars called Boulderfest. This annual festival would bring together Doctors, Naturopaths, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors....all practitioners in the same room discussing the new breakthroughs in medicine and nutraceuticals from across the world, not just in the US. He is a pioneer in the nutrition world. I was fortunate to know him those early years and have him answer my many questions but as anyone who knew him could tell you...getting him to sit still was a rare thing. It was very sad to get this email today. My thoughts are with you Robert.

For those of you who have not heard, Robert Crayhon was recently diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. After surgery to remove as much of the mass as possible he is out of the hospital and receiving IPT treatment to slow the growth of the cancer.

He has a good support team with lots of experience in colorectal cancer but a major complication is derailing his ability to get the best treatment. Robert sold Crayhon Research last year and was counting on income from that sale to propel his next venture in nutrition and to fund his upcoming conferences, and would have used the income to stage his battle with cancer. However, the purchaser of Crayhon Research recently filed bankruptcy leaving Robert without any income. Robert has also exhausted his savings on his current medical expenses.

To help Robert a donation site has been established here: Robert Crayhon Cancer Battle Donations
Please donate whatever you can to help our friend and a great mentor in the field of nutrition. He is entirely dependant upon his friends and colleagues to help him finance his war on cancer and his cachexia.

There is also a website where you can offer moral support to Robert here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/robertcrayhon

And Robert has a blog site dedicated to talking about his experience with cancer: http://www.crayhoncoloncancer.blogspot.com/

Thank you.

David Vaughan

9 News Health Fair...A great way to get those tests you need

The 9 News Health Fair is underway and this is a great time to get some bloodwork done for very low prices. I heard they are even offering Vitamin D testing at certain sites for $40. I included a link to their hompage to find out where all the sites are. If you suspect your cholesterol is high or even questionable, please bring that up and see if they can get a CRP (C-Reactive Protein) and Homocysteine level. Not sure if that is possible, but it is worth a shot. Regardless, this Health Fair is a great opportunity for anyone to get low cost bloodwork and testing done.

Acupuncture Article in The Wall Street Journal 3/23/2010

I always enjoy it when my patients snip out articles they find in the paper mentioning acupuncture and its validity and bring them to me. I know partly it is validation for their family and peers that what they have been spending their money on, no matter how much they can tell them it is working, is not 'voodoo medicine'. But I keep them and put them up in my office. This last one had a huge color picture of the ear, my love and one of my specialties, with acupuncture needles sticking out of it and all these points labeled. My favorite....the "drunk point". In textbooks, this is usually referred to as the "alcohol point", but hey...I'll take The Wall Street Journal's take on that. Whatever gets people to read the article and try acupuncture! Here is the article.

The Sunshine Vitamin that is Good for You Year Round

Known to some as the 'sunshine vitamin', Vitamin D has become very popular. Even though our body's produce vitamin D in response to sunlight, hence the nickname, if you have milk allergies, adhere to a strict vegetarian diet, or stay out of the sun completely you run the risk of a vitamin D deficiency. We can get Vitamin D naturally from a few foods, such as fish, beef liver, egg yolks, fortified dairy, certain grains and cod liver oil, but there are certain medical conditions such as Crohns, Celiac disease and Cystic fibrosis which can affect your intestinal wall's ability to process Vitamin D directly from your food, so supplementation is necessary. But even without those specific health issues, supplementing with Vitamin D daily is becoming increasing popular for overall health.

Taking Vitamin D with your calcium is essential for strong bones because it helps the body use that calcium from the diet. Traditionally, Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with rickets, a disease in which the bone tissue doesn't properly mineralize, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities. Luckily, rickets is not as common a disease in the US. Some symptoms, however, of a Vitamin D deficiency would be bone pain and muscle weakness. Thus I always recommend supplementing with Vitamin D if there is a history of broken bones or hairline fractures for all you athletes out there. Low blood levels of Vitamin D have also been associated with cancer, severe asthma in children, increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment in older adults. And I know in my clinic I have seen a difference giving people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) higher amounts of Vitamin D during the fall and winter months.

Some research has even suggested that Vitamin D could play a role in hypertension, multiple scelerosis, type 1 and type 2 diabetes and glucose intolerance. Making this inexpensive vitamin all the more attractive.

A common question asked is how people become Vitamin D deficient. Well, fortunately, over time we have all become aware that direct exposure to the suns rays can be harmful. So as we limit our time in the sun, we limit the amount of Vitamin D the body makes when the skin is exposed to sunlight. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Also as we age our kidneys, which convert the Vitamin D to its active form, are less able to do so, thus increasing a risk for a deficiency. Then as mentioned above, if you have certain medical conditions like Crohns, Cystic Fibrosis or Celiac Disease, there is an increased inability to absorb the Vitamin D directly from the foods you eat. Remember we are not so much what we eat, as we are what we absorb.

There are tests to check for Vitamin D Deficiency. The most accurate way to measure how much Vitamin D is in your body is the 25-hydroxy vitamin D test. In the kidney, 25-hydroxy Vitamin D changes into an active form of the vitamin. The active form of the vitamin can be measured through the blood. This active form of Vitamin D helps control phosphate and calcium levels in the body. The normal range is 30.0 to 74.0 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). A level lower than 30.0 usually indicates a Vitamin D deficiency .

How much Vitamin D should someone take? Now this is where it gets sticky because there is no consensus on levels of Vitamin D required for optimal health. There is a lack of any evidence to support a RDA for Vitamin D. Even talking with fellow colleagues I admire and refer to I can find Vitamin D recommendations that go from the basic 2,000 i.u a day all the way to 50,000 i.u. And none of them are actually incorrect. It depends on what you are working on, what their tests showed if you have those results, and of course as always patient needs and compliance. I even carry a chewable Vitamin D that tastes great because I have clients that don't want to take any more pills. And kids like it too. :) Just check with your licensed practitioner for any supplement recommendations and dosage requirements.

For me, Vitamin D, has become one of my favorite vitamins to recommend. It has the things my clients really like....it works, it's cheap, and it has research to back it up. A dose of sunshine in a bottle, what could be better that that?

Shadowcliff HIV/AIDS Retreat Info

Thought I'd just copy my friend Michael's email here for all who may be interested in Shadowcliff. I use to volunteer my services there years ago. It is an amazing place and retreat. Words cannot express how magical this place in Grand Lake, CO is, and the people who attend and make it possible. Shadowcliff will always have a special place in my heart.

Friends of the Retreat at Shadowcliff ....

Pre-registration is now open for the 20-TEN HIV Retreats at Shadowcliff !! There are 2 retreats this year:
June 10-13
and
July 29-Aug 1

For updated information on the retreat, please visit:
www.HIVretreat.blogspot.com

To pre-register, click on the link in the section titled "Registration". Remember you do not pay now, acknowledgement and final confirmation will come later.
Please forward to any individuals, groups, or organizations who you think may be interested.
I am very much looking forward to this year's retreats.

FYI .......
Check out the current issue (02-24-10) of OutFront Colorado (paper form or online). Each year they do a reader's survey for most "OUTstanding" in a variety of categories. This year, the HIV Retreat at Shadowcliff won for most OUTstanding HIV/AIDS Service, and TEN (Treatment Educat10n Network, the organization for the retreat, the forums, the newsletter, the support group, and the blog) won for most OUTstanding Organization. We would like to thank everyone who voted for us and made this happen!

Cheers and be well!
Michael

Chilean Earthquake Relief- Hits Home

For those of you who may not know, my father is Chilean, and all my family on that side live in Chile. Luckily, they are all okay after the devastating earthquake this past weekend. There was structural damage to all their homes and my uncle and 2 cousins are still stuck at the beach because the roads back to Santiago are either too badly damaged to drive back on or completely destroyed. Chileans are strong people and I know they will build their country back but it is difficult to sit here in Colorado and see the damage on the news and just feel helpless.

The American Red Cross has an International Relief Fund that was started to help Haiti and now is in place for Chile. If interested, this is the best way to make sure funds get where they should. All donations are tax deductible. I will be having a donation jar in my office from now on and will be sending the money to this organization. But here is the information if interested in making a donation. Please put "Chile Earthquake Relief Fund" in the memo section of the check so it goes to the right relief organization.

American Red Cross

P.O. Box 97089

Washington, D.C 20090-7089

I know you can also text and it sends $ automatically from your phone but do not know the exact #'s for this. Please check with your plan to make sure it is legit.