Lyme disease is a complicated infection, tough to diagnose and even harder to treat if doctors miss an early diagnosis, which is all too often the case. Lyme disease treatment is tricky because the most popular blood tests used in most doctors’ offices to detect the disease miss about 55 percent of Lyme cases. If and when a patient finally is diagnosed, it’s sometimes by a clinical evaluation of the symptoms, ones that often mimic other ailments like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Complicating matters even further, the hodge-podge collection of symptoms often waxes and wanes and moves from one bodily system to another, making it even harder for doctors to effectively diagnose and treat. Headaches, migrating pain, bowel problems, uncharacteristic mood swings, panic attacks, and sleep disorders are just a few of the symptoms commonly reported in Lyme patients.
Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Only Answer
While antibiotics and other prescription meds are certainly helpful in treating the disease and the all-to-common tick-borne co-infections that often hitchhike into your body through a tick bite, experts in natural medicine say there’s also a place for holistic remedies in the treatment and management of Lyme disease, particularly in Lyme patients battling a chronic infection and its side effects. Antibiotics alone may not suffice because Lyme disease is caused by an intracellular spirochete bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. “Intracellular means that the spirochete gets into the cell and therefore is not always available to the antibiotics,” explains Isaac Eliaz, MD, coauthor of the journal report and founder of Amitabha Medical Clinic and Healing Center in Sebastopol, California. “The cell membrane inadvertently protects the bacteria and shields it from the antibiotics. The bacteria can also hide dormant in the nervous system, among other places, where antibiotic drugs can’t reach them.”
Dr. Eliaz and several other well-known experts in the field of natural medicine recently shared natural Lyme disease treatment options in the journal Alternative and Complimentary Therapies. The gist is that many natural treatments can help heal the body by knocking out the infection and reducing inflammation while also getting an injured immune system back on track. Visit the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society site to learn more about preventing and treating Lyme, and to search for doctors who diagnose based on a clinical evaluation, not just blood tests.
Natural Ways to Deal with Lyme
Acupuncture: While researchers admit more research is warranted, acupuncture appears to be a promising way to help reduce or eliminate pain brought on by Lyme disease.
Lyme-killing plants: According to the report, herbs like samento, banderol, andrographis, Japanese knotweed/resveratrol, smilax, cat’s claw, and Stephania all target Lyme and related tick-borne infections. Be sure to talk to a doctor knowledgeable in integrative medicine for more info on taking these herbs.
Have tea time: Green tea compounds, along with curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric, are known to reduce oxidative stress and help aid in traditional antibiotic treatment.
Be tested for deficiencies: Zinc, B, and D vitamin deficiencies could slow down Lyme recovery, so be sure to ask your doctor to test for these, and improve your diet or supplement accordingly to bring your numbers up to healthy levels.
Probiotics: Probiotic foods may help replenish beneficial bacteria in the gut that are wiped out by antibiotic Lyme disease treatment. Organic yogurt, kefir, and even fermented vegetables are good sources of probiotics.
Exercise: Even small concentrations of oxygen can help destroy Lyme bacteria in the body. Although Lyme typically zaps people’s energy, intense exercise during and after treatment can help keep the disease at bay.
Inflammation annihilators: Dr. Eliaz recommends natural compounds that ease inflammation, such as curcumin, modified citrus pectin, and Tibetan Herbal Formula. First and foremost, a low-glycemic-index diet is a must because carbohydrates, including sugar, fuel the Lyme germs. This means ditching most processed foods and avoiding any added sugar. “Understanding the person, and actively supporting the person’s general health with emphasis on their immune system, circulation, reduced inflammation, and detoxification can be very helpful,” he adds, and notes that high dosages of vitamin C IV and personalized integrative care can make a big difference when treating Lyme disease.
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
The Tongue Is a Map of the Body in Chinese Medicine
Your tongue does more than just taste food and articulate words. According to traditional Chinese medicine, it is also a convenient diagnostic tool.
Before X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans, ancient doctors had other methods to examine the internal health of their patients. Tongue diagnosis is one such practice still widely used today. For those who know how to read the tongue’s secrets, it can reveal signs of disease and imbalance that the patient may not share or even know.
In Chinese medicine, the tongue serves as a map of the internal organs. The tip of the tongue reflects organs that are higher in the chest: the lungs and heart. The middle of the tongue represents organs that are in the middle of the trunk: liver and gallbladder on the sides and the stomach in the center. The back of the tongue reflects organs deeper in the trunk, such as the intestines, bladder, and kidneys.
Abnormalities found on the tongue map can give an acupuncturist clues to where a patient’s imbalances are located, and how best they can be treated.
According to Eric Baker, a Chicago-based acupuncturist and professor at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, the concept of tongue diagnosis stem from a holographic perspective that permeates much of ancient Chinese culture.
“In a hologram every part of the picture is a reflection of the whole,” Baker said. “In Chinese medicine each part of the body is like a miniature of the whole body. In Western scientific culture you might call this self-similarity. It’s sort of a fractal way of looking at things.”
In addition to its holographic nature, the tongue is a unique organ because it exists in two realms. It’s not quite an internal organ, but it’s not quite an external one either. You have to open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue in order to get a good look at it.
Usually the signs on the tongue map are subtle, and can easily escape the untrained eye. But extreme cases can produce undeniable examples.
Baker mentions a past patient of his, a woman in her late 40s to early 50s with hepatitis C that could not be controlled with modern Western medicine. She complained of pain on her right side, where her liver is located. Remarkably, her tongue pointed to severe liver problems too. Baker saw a black spot on the right edge, exactly where the liver is located on the tongue map.
“I tell students to go in with an open mind but you also want to be critical. You don’t want to believe just anything it says in the textbook. But then you get cases like this that are so perfect,” Baker said. “Here’s a lady with a liver problem and she has the exact indication you would expect—a black spot showing deeper damage to the liver from uncontrolled infection. This is Chinese medicine doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.”
Color, Coat, Cracks, and Quivers
Stick out your tongue in front of an acupuncturist and its color will be the first thing they notice.
A healthy tongue is a pinkish red—a sign of good circulation. If the circulation is restricted—in cases of menstrual pain, for example—the tongue will be more purple. A pale tongue is a sign of a lack of blood, such as anemia. If a tongue goes too red it may indicate a fever or high blood pressure. If a tongue is extra red in a particular area of the tongue map this demonstrates internal heat in the corresponding organ. For example, a red tongue tip could be a sign of infection in the lungs or what Chinese medicine calls “heart fire,” a condition characterized by anxiety and insomnia.
Another tongue characteristic to consider is the coat. Look at your tongue in the mirror and you may notice that it wears a film on its surface. This is called the “tongue coat,” or “tongue fur.” You can try brushing the coat off with a toothbrush but it will soon sprout a new one. A thin white coat is considered healthy—a sign of good digestion. A thick, greasy, or yellow coat may reveal signs of imbalance.
“If someone has a lot of phlegm with nasal congestion or a cough, when you look at the tongue coat in these people, it’s thicker and heavier. Or it may start to get sticky, showing that there are these excess obstructive fluids collecting in the body,” Baker said.
A tongue examination requires good lighting and a clean tongue. For example, you won’t get an accurate reading immediately after someone eats a handful of Skittles or a grape flavored popsicle. Coffee is notorious for yellowing the tongue coat. Other foods and drugs can also temporarily obscure the tongue’s true colors.
Besides color and coat, the tongue also holds other clues to consider, like cracks, swelling, patches, and movement. A scalloped tongue (one with ridges on the outside edge) indicates fluid retention. These ridges develop because the tongue swells and presses against the teeth.
Some people also have a quivering tongue— try as they might, it just won’t sit still. This is a sign of what Chinese medicine calls internal wind.
“If you have a disease like MS or Parkinson’s where there are tremors, you’ll see that the tongue body itself will quiver and tremor. That’s an indication that there are neurological things going on and a lack of proper motor control,” Baker said. “Sometimes you may even see that preemptively in certain things. A tongue quiver may appear before a stroke for example, where there can be neurological damage afterwards. You can see a quivering in the aftermath of some more serious diseases, but you might see it in certain situations as a predictor.”
Original article and pictures take www.corespirit.com site
To learn more about what Spleen Qi Deficiency is and the different treatment strategies for this diagnosis, please refer to my previous article titled, “What is Spleen Qi Deficiency?”
Traditional Spleen Qi Deficiency Symptoms
The main symptoms of Spleen Qi Deficiency are fatigue (especially after eating), low appetite, loose stools, slight abdominal distension after eating, a desire to lie down (especially after eating), pale complexion, weakness of the limbs, and a tendency towards obesity. There are different variations of Spleen Qi Deficiency. The main ones are: (1) Spleen Yang Deficiency, (2) Spleen Qi Sinking, (3) Spleen Not Controlling Blood, (4) Spleen Deficiency with Dampness. The symptoms for each of these patterns includes a few, some or all of the symptoms of Spleen Qi Deficiency in addition to:
(1) Spleen Yang Deficiency: feeling cold, cold limbs, edema
(2) Spleen Qi Sinking: depression, a bearing-down sensation in the abdomen, prolapse of the stomach, uterus, anus or bladder, hemorrhoids
(3) Spleen Not Controlling Blood: blood spots under the skin, blood in the urine or stools not related to an infection or ulcer, tendency to bruise easily, excessive uterine bleeding
(4) Spleen Deficiency with Dampness: obesity, excess body fat, edema, oily skin, fungal infections, thick tongue coating, excessive mucus production or phlegm, heavy feeling of the body, slow or foggy thinking, lack of taste or thirst, nausea, excessive vaginal discharge, mucus in the stool, tumors, cysts
Based on the variation of Spleen Qi Deficiency, a patient may want to include foods that not only tonify the Spleen, but also deal with the underlying symptoms of their particular variation. The different variations are included in the foods lists below.
A typical Spleen qi deficient tongue is puffy or enlarged, thin to thick moist white coating, toothmarks on the edges, and pale color.
Modern Spleen Qi Deficiency Symptoms
There is another way to look at Spleen Qi Deficient patients and that is to break them into groups based on weight and blood sugar regulation. Because Spleen Qi Deficiency is so closely related to diabetes, two groups that automatically emerge are Type I and Type II diabetics. We might also include a third group, the Pre-diabetics (Type II), or people on a trajectory to developing Type II diabetes. The most common symptoms belonging to each group are as follows:
(1) Type I Diabetes (juvenile onset, insulin-dependent diabetes): pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, if at all, excessive thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, normal or underweight, extreme hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, neuropathy, viral infection leading to acute diabetic episode
(2) Type II Diabetes (adult-onset): cells may be resistant to insulin, pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, excessive thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger, weight loss, but overall overweight or obese, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, frequent infections, areas of darkened skin, neuropathy, constipation, high fat and meat diet
(3) Pre-Diabetes (Type II): Any of the above symptoms for Type II Diabetes in addition to hypoglycemia or other blood sugar abnormalities listed below.
Blood sugar levels for normal patients, pre-diabetics and diabetics are listed below:
(1) Normal:
A1C of less than 5.7%
Random blood sugar of less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L)
Fasting blood sugar of less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L)
(2) Pre-diabetics:
A1C between 5.7% and 6.4%
Random blood sugar between 140 mg/dL and 199 mg/dL (7.8-11.0 mmol.L)
Fasting blood sugar of 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL (5.6-6.9 mmol/L)
(3) Diabetics:
A1C of 6.5% or higher on two separate tests
Random blood sugar of 200 mg/dL or more (11.1 mmol/L)
Fasting blood sugar of 126 mg/dL or higher on two separate tests (7 mmol/L)
Spleen Tonifying Foods, Diabetes and the Glycemic Index
In Traditional Chinese Medicine a lot of foods classified as Spleen tonics are actually considered high sugar/high glycemic foods, which are not recommended for most diabetics. These foods are only appropriate in cases where the patient is normal or under-weight (such as with Type I diabetics), and only when their blood sugar is very low and needs to be brought up quickly. Because it is more common to see overweight, Spleen Deficient Type II diabetic and pre-diabetic patients, I have mostly included low glycemic index (low-GI) foods, or foods that raise blood sugar the least on the general food charts. For a more complete listing of low glycemic foods and how to determine the glycemic load of meals, please see: www.glycemicindex.com
I have also included a generalized list of foods categorized by their glycemic index. Glycemic index refers to the glycemic impact of a single food on the blood sugar. When various foods are combined in a single meal though, the “glycemic load” of all the foods combined will determine how strongly the entire meal raises the blood sugar. Glycemic load is a combination of a food’s glycemic index and the serving size of that particular food. To help off-set high glycemic foods they can be combined with low-glycemic foods to create an overall lower glycemic load.
As a general rule, whenever eating a carbohydrate food, such as sugar, grains, fruit or starchy vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, or root vegetables), combine it with fat, fiber and/or protein in order to reduce the glycemic impact. Fat, fiber and protein take a longer time for the body to digest and thus slow down how quickly the meal will raise a person’s blood sugar. This creates a more gradual release of insulin over time, which can stabilize blood sugar, mood, energy, and food cravings. For best digestion, try to avoid combining too many different foods in one meal though.
Another general rule for overweight, Spleen deficient patients is to avoid or limit foods that promote dampness or mucus: dairy products, meat, eggs, tofu, and other soy products, excessive amounts of oil, nuts, or seeds, pineapple, salt, and concentrated sweeteners. Please take this suggestion into consideration when reading through the following food charts.
Low Glycemic Load Food Combining
• Sugar and excessive intake of grains, fruit, juice or soda should be avoided!
• When eating grains, choose whole, soaked, sprouted, and/or fermented grains. This makes them easier to digest and less irritating to the GI tract. Whole grains have more fiber than refined grains and flours, which will slow down their digestion and lower their glycemic impact.
• Green and non-starchy vegetables are considered carbohydrates, but their fiber and water content negate most of their glycemic impact. Hence, green and non-starchy vegetables can be eaten in abundance and lower the impact of other high glycemic foods.
• Beans and legumes, while considered high in protein, also have relatively high carbohydrate content, making them unsuitable in large amounts. Small amounts may offset other high glycemic foods though.
• Fats and proteins like those found in oils, nuts, seeds, meat and full-fat dairy, have very little glycemic impact and can be eaten in moderation. The type and quality of the fat/protein is very important though – choose organic, cold-pressed, soaked, sprouted, unrefined, high Omega-3, and unsaturated fats as much as possible. These should come mostly from: olives, avocados, almonds, walnuts, sunflower, hemp, flax, and sesame, just to name a few. Coconut oil, despite being a saturated fat, has many healing qualities and thus can be eaten in abundance. Organic lean meat, wild-caught, low heavy-metal containing fish and organic eggs are also fine in moderation. Other saturated fats should be limited or avoided, such as from fatty meats and dairy products.
*A lot of people worry about dietary fat in terms of calories and weight loss. But this type of thinking has recently changed. Although fats have more calories per gram than carbohydrates and proteins, healthy unsaturated fats, such as the ones listed above, leave a person feeling more satiated and less likely to overeat. Calories from excessive saturated fat, sugar and grain consumption are more likely to contribute to weight gain than healthy fats.
• High glycemic fruits should be avoided in general. These include bananas, melons, oranges, grapes and stone fruits. Low glycemic fruits tend to be less sweet and have higher fiber content, such as apples, pears, berries, grapefruit and lemons/limes. These can be eaten freely, but patients should aim to only eat 1-2 servings of these fruits per day. Green and non-starchy vegetables should make up the other 4-6 servings per day. Dried fruit is generally considered high glycemic because it lacks water and the drying process concentrates the naturally occurring sugars. Fruit juice is also considered high glycemic because the fruit’s fiber has been extracted, leaving a higher concentration of sugar.
Spleen Tonifying Food List
Grains
barley
broomcorn
Job’s tears (including root, leaf, and grain)
millet
spelt
whole grain rice
Vegetables
cucumber
rice sprouts
shitake mushrooms
string beans
squash
sweet potato
radish
rutabaga
turnips
white mushrooms
Beans and Legumes
black beans
broad beans
fava beans
garbanzo beans
hyacinth beans
tofu (organic, sprouted or fermented)
yellow lentils
yellow split peas
Fats, nuts and seeds
apricot seed
bitter gourd seed
butter
goat's milk/yogurt
lotus seed
pine nuts
pistachio
Fruit (in moderation)
cherries
coconut
figs
strawberries
Meat
anchovy
beef
carp
chicken
clams
duck
eel
goose
halibut
ham
herring
lamb
mackerel
mandarin fish
octopus
perch
pheasant
rabbit
sturgeon
tuna
turkey
whitefish
Herbs and supplements
aloe
cardamom
cinnamon
cherry leaves
cloves
crown daisy
dill seeds
fennel seeds
garlic
gingko
ginseng
licorice
royal jelly
Foods for Diabetes and Related Symptoms
Foods that are generally good for diabetics (in addition to all of the above Spleen Tonifying foods)
asparagus
avocado
barley and wheat grass
black fungus
blueberry and leaf
bottlegourd
cedar berries
chlorella
chlorophyll
dandelion root and leaf
eggplant
flax oil
fresh corn
grapefruit
huckleberry and leaf
Jerusalem artichoke
kiwi fruit
lemons/limes
licorice tea and powder
mulberry
mung bean
oats
oranges
palm seed
pears
plums
spinach
spirulina
stevia powder and extract
sweet rice
tangerine
wheat and wheat bran
wintermelon
yam
yarrow flowers
chromium, zinc, manganese, silica
Foods for weight loss
adzuki beans
alfalfa
amaranth
anise
asparagus
basmati rice
bean sprouts (various)
bee pollen
black currant oil
blue-green algae
borage oil
bupleurum root
burdock root
cayenne pepper
celery
cereal grass powders
chamomile
chickweed
cloves
corn
cumin
dandelion root
evening primrose oil
fennel
flax oil and flax seed meal
ginger
goat's milk and yogurt
grapefruit
green tea
kohlrabi
lemon
lettuce
mung beans
oats
quinoa
raw honey
rye
scalion
seaweed
spearment
spirulina
stevia leaf
wintermelon
yam
yellow dock root
all vegetables except zucchini, summer squash, sweet potato and yam
apples, plums, peaches, berries, oranges and pears in moderation
for heat symptoms: peppermint, chamomile, kohlrabi, turnip, radish, taro and white pepper
sun exposure
Foods for lowering blood sugar in diabetic patients
bitter melon
chives
citrus fruits
dandelion leaf
ginseng
mung beans
pancreas glandular
plums
potato leaf tea, sweet potato vine leaf tea
radish
spinach
sweet rice
turnip
watermelon rind tea
wax gourd
yarrow flowers
Foods for normal/underweight patients with low blood sugar, or in combination with low glycemic foods
black and red dates
carrots
chestnuts
corn
fermented glutinous rice
grapes
honey
jackfruit
longan fruit
lotus rhizome powder
mangoes
milk
parsnips
peas
persimmon
pineapples
polished rice
pumpkin
rock sugar
squash
tapioca pearls
white potato
Foods for poor appetite
black, green and red pepper
cantaloupe
ham
honey
kiwi fruit
onion
orange
shiitake mushroom
tangerine
tomato
Foods that Promote Digestion
apple
cilantro
ginseng
green and red pepper
hops
malt
nutmeg
papaya
pineapple
plum
radish and leaf
sweet basil
tomato
Foods Based on TCM Diagnosis
Foods that tonify Yang (warming function)
chestnuts
chive seeds
cinnamon
cloves and clove oil
dill seeds
eggs
fennel seeds and roots
fenugreek seeds
green onion seeds
kidneys (from animals)
lobster
orange seeds
oxtail
pistachio nuts
prickly ash root
raspberries
shrimp
star anise
strawberries
sword beans
Foods that warm the body
black, white, red and green pepper
chicken
chive roots
clove
fennel
ginger
mutton and lamb
nutmeg
sword bean
wine
*Note: there is a difference between yang tonic foods and foods that warm the body. Yang tonic are usually warm or hot in nature, just like foods that warm the body, but they have a nourishing component as well. Foods that warm the body tend to do so because they are hot and spicy in nature, but may not offer as much nourishment as a tonic food.
Foods that move qi upward (for sinking qi symptoms)
High-GI foods (70 or higher): white rice, white bread, pretzels, white bagels, white baked potatoes, boiled potatoes, crackers, sugar-sweetened beverages, corn flakes, puffed rice, bran flakes, instant oatmeal, short-grain white rice, rice pasta, macaroni and cheese from mix, pumpkin, pretzels, rice cakes, popcorn, saltine crackers, melons and pineapple
Medium-GI foods (56-69): bananas, grapes, spaghetti, ice cream, raisins, corn on the cob, whole wheat, rye and pita bread, quick oats, brown, wild or basmati rice, couscous
Low-GI foods (55 and under): oatmeal (rolled or steel-cut), oat bran, muesli, peanuts, peas, raw carrots, kidney beans, hummus, skim milk, most fruits (except those listed above and watermelon), 100% stone-ground whole wheat or pumpernickel bread, whole grain pasta, converted rice, barley, bulgar, sweet potato, yam, lima/butter beans, legumes and lentils
Cooked vs. Raw Foods
Foods that are more nutritious when cooked
asparagus
carrots
cabbage (for antioxidant absorption)
mushrooms
peppers
spinach
tomatoes
Foods that are more nutritious when eaten raw
beets
broccoli
cabbage (for water-soluble vitamin absorption)
cantaloupe
citrus fruits
kiwi
onions
strawberries
sweet red peppers
watercress
*Adding a little oil or fat to cooked veggies and salads can help the body to better absorb the fat-soluble vitamins they contain, such as A, E, D and K. Try adding small amounts of olive oil, coconut oil, other plant oils, butter, milk or cream to dressings and sauces.
Original article and pictures take wayoflife.hubpages.com site
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