April 5, 2021 
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each season is ruled by a particular organ system and spring is connected to the liver. What does this mean? You probably notice changes in the way you feel, both physically and mentally, as the seasons change. Many of us feel more contemplative and introspective during the winter months. Once spring hits, we may feel ready to recharge and get things done.
Liver energy is strong and assertive, the type of energy you need to create plans and propel them into motion. However, if your liver is out of balance, you might notice that you’re more irritable or on edge than usual.
Here are a few signs that your liver is in need of an acupuncture tune-up:
1. You've noticed an increase in headaches, and these headaches seem to feel worse when you aren't active. Generally, headaches tend to manifest at the vertex of your head.
2. You feel constipated or bloated. Your bowel movements have become irregular, alternating between constipation and loose stools. Hard, difficult stools that appear pebbly are also a sign of liver imbalance.
3. Friends and coworkers are scared of you because you are cranky, cranky, cranky! When liver energy is out of balance, you can feel agitated, irritated, and generally out of sorts. Sometimes irritation flares into outright anger more easily than it would if this energy was flowing smoothly.
4. You may notice PMS symptoms have been worsening. Bloating, breast tenderness, sensitivity can all be exacerbated by liver imbalance. If your periods are more painful or clotted, this can also be due to a stagnation of liver energy.
5. Your eyes are red, itchy, or irritated.
6. Shoulders, neck, or jaw are uncomfortably tight. If the liver energy is out of balance, it can flow upward. This causes inflexibility, and everything in your body to “rise up”: you might grind or clench your teeth, hold your shoulders up, experience symptoms of TMJ, or have headaches at the top of your head
7. Maybe you’ve noticed that your allergies are in full force, complete with itchy, red, watery eyes.
If you are suffering from any of these issues, your body is crying out for a visit. Please, come and talk to me! Let's get you a Spring tune-up with tried and trued TCM solutions that can help right away.
March 5, 2021 Breast Thermography – The Mammography Alternative?
by Moshe Dekel, MD • Oceanside, NY
If you ask ten women, or men, if they are familiar with Breast Thermography, nine would say no.
This is a surprising fact, since medical thermography has been in use since the early 1970’s and the modality was approved by the FDA in 1982 for breast cancer detection and risk assessment, as an adjunct to mammography.
The reason why so few people know about Breast Thermography is because the medical establishment, the American Cancer Society and most women’s organizations are still very comfortable recommending Mammography. The difference between the two modalities is profound. Mammography, like MRI and sonography, is an anatomical study; it looks at anatomical changes of the breast. It may take up to ten years for the tumor to grow to a sufficient size to be detectable by either a mammogram or a physical examination. By that time, the tumor has achieved more than 25 doublings of the malignant cell colony and may have already metastasized.
Thermography is a physiological study. The infrared camera detects the heat (infrared radiation), which is emitted by the breast without physical contact with it (no compression) and without sending any signal (no radiation). This is a receiving mode only. It shows small, unilateral temperature increases, which are caused by an increased blood supply to cancer cells. Cancer cells have an ability to create new blood vessels to the effected area (neoangiogenesis) in order to satisfy the increased demand for nutrients resulting from the higher rate of growth and metabolic demands of the new colony. It was found that even a few thousand cancer cells (early stage of the disease) secrete Nitric Oxide; a powerful vasodilator, in order to achieve the same results.
Physiological changes can precede anatomical mammographic detection by seven to ten years, therefore, allowing us to react early in a preventative mode that may stop the development of overt cancer. The study is interpreted with the help of computer analysis of the 75,000 temperature pixels displayed in each of the 18 digital images that are taken in each study. The study can be interpreted as normal, low moderate or higher risk. A holistic protocol is then implemented in order to prevent the formation of overt cancer.
One of the major limitations of mammography is its inability to diagnose cancer in the case of dense breast. I am sure that some readers will identify with the inconclusive reading of their mammography and their “invitation” to take another one in six months. The patient may or may not know that the density of the breast will not change in that period of time.
For more than two decades, the medical establishment, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the media have promoted Mammography as the main screening procedure for breast cancer. The current recommendation is to have a base line Mammography at the age of forty and for women with family history of breast cancer to start as early as age thirty.
In September 2000, a large, long-term Canadian study found that an annual mammogram was no more effective in preventing deaths from breast cancer that periodic physical examinations for women in their 50’s. Half of the almost 40,000 women ages 50 to 59 received periodic breast examinations alone and half received breast examinations plus mammograms. All learned to examine their own breasts as well. By 1993, 13 years after the study began; there were 610 cases of invasive breast cancer and 105 deaths in the women who received only breast examinations, compared with 622 invasive breast cancers and 107 deaths in those who received breast examinations and mammograms.
Alternative Medicine has maintained for years that mammograms do far more harm than good. Their ionizing radiation mutates cells, and the mechanical pressure on the breast can spread cells that are already malignant (as can biopsies). In 1995, the British medical journal, The Lancet, reported that since mammographic screening was introduced in 1970’s, the incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which represents 12% of all breast cancer cases, had increased by 328% and that 200% of this increase was due to the use of mammography. Since the inception of widespread mammographic screening, the increase for DCIS in women under the age of 40 has risen over 3000%.
Eighty percent of the million breast biopsies performed each year in the US, because of a suspicious mammography, are negative. Why, then, does mainstream medicine keep recommending mammograms? A $100 mammogram for all 62 million U.S. women over 40, and a $1,000+ biopsy for 1- to 2-million women, is an $8 billion per year industry.
Mammography cannot detect a tumor until after it has been growing for years and reaches a certain size. Thermography can detect the possibility of breast cancer much earlier, because it can image the early stages of increased blood supply to cancer cells, which is a necessary step before they can grow into a detectable size tumor.
Breast Thermography is not promoted here as a replacement for mammography, but rather to inform women about their options regarding the prevention of breast cancer.
In private practice for twenty-five years, Dr. Dekel is a Board Certified MD, in OB-GYN and Breast Thermography. He was an assistant clinical professor at Stony Brook Medical Center and served as the Chief of GYN surgery at the Long Island Surgi-Center. Dr. Dekel transitioned to holistic/ integrative medicine six years ago and focuses on prevention, bio-identical hormone replacement for men and women, and breast Thermography. www.drdekel.com.
February 13, 2021 Electro Lymphatic Drainage is The Answer!
Your lymphatic system is actually a vital circulatory system with an extensive network of vessels and organs throughout the body. Your lymphatic system is responsible for supplying plasma rich protein to your blood as well as carrying away toxins and other debris. "It acts like a sanitation system for our body by getting rid of 'waste' that our body naturally produces, or other things that can invade our body, like bacteria," says Linda Koehler, PhD, an assistant professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation medicine at the University of Minnesota. "It's what protects us from getting an infection."
Blockages can occur from normal life stressors such as:
Illnesses
Tight fitting clothing
Lack of exercise
Excess exercise
Bumps, bruises, and other injuries
Exposure to heavy metals
Pesticides and herbicides
Food allergies or sensitivities
Surgery
Stress
Cancer
Autoimmune dis-eases
The good news is that lymphatic health can be restored, even in cases of severe impairment.
Koehler says, "In the medical field, we use manual lymph drainage to help people who have had damage to their lymphatic system following surgery, trauma, or developmental disorders. In this case, manual lymph drainage can be beneficial because there are specific techniques to assist with moving lymphatic fluid out of the damaged areas to other areas in the body that are functioning normally."
Some conditions that improve from Electro Lymphatic Drainage:
Lymphedema
Fibromyalgia
Swelling or edema
Fibrocystic and Tender Breasts
Skin disorders-acne, eczema
Fatigue
Insomnia
Stress
Digestive problems
Colds, Flu, and Sinus Problems
Arthritis
Migraine episodes
Cellulite
Rheumatism
Recovery from surgery
Enlarged prostate
The authors of a 2015 systematic review concluded that lymphatic massage might be more effective than connective tissue massage in relieving symptoms of stiffness and depression in people living with fibromyalgia.
A 2015 study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management in which lymphatic drainage (involving two weeks of intensive treatment and six months of maintenance) was considered comparable to compression bandaging and exercise in women with post-mastectomy lymphedema.
A 2010 study concluded that lymphatic drainage effectively reduced thigh circumference and the thickness of both thigh and abdominal fat in people with cellulite.
People should not have a lymphatic massage if they have congestive heart failure, blood clots, kidney problems, skin infections, severe COPD or circulation problems.
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a32171081/lymphatic-drainage-massage/
Yuan, S. L. K., et al. (2015). Effectiveness of different styles of massage therapy in fibromyalgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis [Abstract].
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1356689X14001829
Gradalski T, Ochalek K, Kurpiewska J. Complex decongestive lymphatic therapy with or without Vodder II manual lymph drainage in more severe chronic postmastectomy upper limb lymphedema: A randomized noninferiority prospective study. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2015 Dec;50(6):750-7. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.06.017
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2009.03355.x
February 9, 2021 Have you been diagnosed with dense breast tissue?
Please take a moment and consider Thermography breast screening.
Below is an abstract from the Radiological Society Of North America:
Despite recent improvements in mammography equipment and technique, the radiographically dense breast remains difficult to image. The problems in imaging the dense breast account for a large percentage of the cases of mammographically "missed" carcinomas. Other imaging modalities--such as ultrasonography, transillumination, THERMOGRAPHY, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and radionuclide imaging--have been investigated for use in breast cancer detection. This overview discusses the current problems associated with imaging of the radiographically dense breast and suggests some avenues for investigation to develop solutions to these problems.
Radiological Society Of North America
Please also consider this Thermography study of 58,000 people:
Breast thermography and cancer risk prediction.Gautherie M, Gros CM.Thermography makes a significant contribution to the evaluation of patients suspected of having breast cancer. The obviously abnormal thermogram carries with it a high risk of cancer. This report summarizes the results of patients with questionable or stage Th III thermograms. From approximately 58,000 patients, most of whom had breast complaints, examined between August 1965 and June 1977, the conditions or a group of 1,245 women were diagnosed at initial examination as either normal or benign disease by conventional means, including physical examination, mammography, ultrasonography, and fine needle aspiration or biopsy, when indicated, but nevertheless categorized as stage Th III indicating a questionable thermal anomaly. Within five years, more than a third of the group had histologically confirmed cancers. The more rapidly growing lesions with shorter doubling times usually show progressive thermographic abnormalities consistent with the increased metabolic heat production associated with such cancers. Thermography is useful not only as a predictor of risk factor for cancer but also to assess the more rapidly growing neoplasms.
Thermography study of 58,000 people
More Food For Thought:
"In some states, mammography providers are required to inform women who have a mammogram about breast density in general or about whether they have dense breasts. Many states now require that women with dense breasts be covered by insurance for supplemental imaging tests".
https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/breast-changes/dense-breasts
Other Indications For A Thermography Exam:
Altered Ambulatory Kinetics
Altered Biokinetics
Arteriosclerosis
Brachial Plexus Injury
Biomechanical Impropriety
Breast Disease
Bursitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Causalgia
Compartment Syndromes
Cord Pain/Injury
Deep Vein Thromosis
Disc Disease
Disc Syndromes
Dystrophy
External Carotid Insufficiency
Facet Syndromes
Grafts
Hysteria
Headache Evaluation
Herniated Disc
Herniated Nucleus Pulposis
Hyperaesthesia
Hyperextension Injury
Hyperflexion Injury
Inflammatory Disease
Internal Carotid Insufficiency
Infectious Disease (Shingles, Leprosy)
Lumbosacral Plexus Injury
Ligament Tear
Lower Motor Neuron Disease
Malingering
Median Nerve Neuropathy
Morton's Neuroma
Myofascial Irritation
Muscle Tear
Musculoligamentous Spasm
Nerve Entrapment
Nerve Impingement
Nerve Pressure
Nerve Root Irritation
Nerve Stretch Injury
Nerve Trauma
Neuropathy
Neurovascular Compression
Neuralgia
Neuritis
Neuropraxia
Neoplasia
(melanoma, squamous cell, basal)
Nutritional Disease
(Alcoholism,Diabetes)
Peripheral Nerve Injury
Peripheral Axon Disease
Raynaud’s
Referred Pain Syndrome
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Ruptured Disc
Somatization Disorders
Soft Tissue Injury
Sprain/Strain
Stroke Screening
Synovitis
Sensory Loss
Sensory Nerve Abnormality
Somatic Abnormality
Superficial Vascular Disease
Skin Abnormalities
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Temporal Arteritis
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigger Points
TMJ Dysfunction
Tendonitis
Ulnar Nerve Entrapment
Whiplash
Are You A Picture Of Health?
Make An Appointment Today And Find Out!
January 1, 2021 
1) 12 percent of people dream in only black and white. Some wake up with vivid detail from their dreams, others with no recollection at all, and some recall their dreams exclusively and specifically in black and white.
2) ⅓ of our lives will be spent asleep. If you think that’s a lot, cats spent TWICE that at ⅔ of their lives spent sleeping. In order to function at an optimal level, adults need 7-9 hours of restful shut-eye per night.
3) Ideally falling asleep at night should take you no longer than 20 minutes. Typically insomnia is the term for difficulty getting to sleep, but as we all know “insomnia” is a vast and complex term. Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) and known more often in the medical community as “delayed sleep phase syndrome” or “delayed sleep-wake disorder” is a more specific name to describe chronic dysregulation of the circadian rhythm.
4) One in four married couples sleep in separate beds. This fact speaks volumes to the importance of achieving restful sleep. The ideal sleep environment is cool, dark, and, quiet. If sleeping next to someone makes you too warm, if your partner’s movement or snoring wakes you regularly, consider adaptations to your sleep environment that best serves your individual sleep needs.
5) Parasomnia is a term used to describe unnatural sleep movements. Have you ever seen someone sleepwalking or sleep talking? If so, what they were experiencing was called parasomnia. Those with parasomnia can experience symptoms during any phase of sleep.
6) Sleep deprivation can kill you faster than food deprivation. An article in Archiv Fur Kriminologie states the body can survive for 8 to 21 days without food. The longest recorded time without sleep is just over 11 days. Though it is not known exactly how long humans can live without sleep, serious symptoms of sleep deprivation will begin to show after only three to four days. Symptoms most commonly involve visual and auditory hallucinations.
If sleep is on your mind, you’re not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s inaugural Sleep Health Index™ over 45% of Americans report weekly insufficient sleep affected their daytime activities. Good news! Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM) can not only help with insomnia but also help you achieve higher quality sleep overall. Schedule your appointment today.
December 22, 2020 
Autoimmune diseases are a collective group of disorders that plague nearly 50 million people in the United States today. When a person suffers from an autoimmune disease it means their own immune system is attacking the body and altering or destroying the tissues. Autoimmune diseases include things like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, pernicious anemia, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Conventional medicine can diagnose 100 different autoimmune conditions. Unfortunately, the treatments available to people with these disorders is not as plentiful through conventional medicine. It typically involves the use of pharmaceuticals that can have side effects that are as bad, if not worse, than the symptoms of the disease itself. And even worse, many people are told they have no options. This is where Traditional Chinese Medicine can be beneficial.
Acupuncture treatments are completely customizable. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners don’t treat based on the Western medical diagnosis. They attack the disease based on its diagnosis in Chinese medicine. This means that they not only want to treat the symptoms, but also get to the root of the problem. This is much different from Western medicine with its one-size-fits-all type of treatments. The ability to treat each person as an individual with their own unique diagnosis is why traditional Chinese medicine is so successful.
Many factors play into an autoimmune disease. Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at the body as a whole, allowing the patient to get a more complete treatment, usually with better results. Since autoimmune diseases are thought to be a deficiency in people’s immune-system responses, TCM practitioners will work to restore and rejuvenate the factors that are vital for good immunity. These things include blood and the energetic life force known as qi (pronounced “chee”). There can also be underlying genetic factors involved in autoimmune diseases, so acupuncturists may also work on building up a patients essence or jing. Research has shown that acupuncture causes responses in nerve cells, as well as in parts of the brain. By utilizing acupuncture, those suffering from an autoimmune disease can, over time, reprogram their brains and cells to perform as intended.
The use of electroacupuncture may prove useful for people suffering from autoimmune diseases too. Electroacupuncture emits mild electrical stimulation to acupuncture needles. These light shocks trigger the body to produce hormones that suppress pain and inflammation. This helps raise endorphins circulating in the bloodstream. Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers.
Chinese herbal formulas can also be very effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Chinese herbs have specific qualities that can help boost blood, qi and jing. When acupuncture and Chinese herbs are combined, the effects can be quite favorable. The herbs will actually compliment the acupuncture treatments by extending the effects of the needles. Many times this will shorten the number of treatments required, as the patient will start to see results sooner.
Many people dealing with autoimmune diseases also experience high levels of stress because of their disorder. It can be very stressful trying to lead a “normal” life with severe pain and other symptoms. Studies show acupuncture is very relaxing, and it helps reduce excess cortisol levels in the brain that contribute to chronic stress.
As autoimmune sufferers start to see improvements with acupuncture treatments and herbs, they may also be able to do things they couldn’t before, like exercise. Exercising not only improves blood flow, but it also increases immunity. Exercise also increases the amount of endorphins in the body. So just by receiving regular acupuncture treatments and herbal supplements, those suffering from autoimmune diseases may be able to lead a much more normal life with a lot less pain and suffering.
If you are dealing with some type of autoimmune disease, consider giving Traditional Chinese Medicine a chance. The outcomes may be life changing.
November 11, 2020 
Acupuncture and Seasonal Affective
Acupuncture is known to be one of the cures to combat symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. SAD affects millions of Americans a year and can turn a once productive person to a tired and depressed individual. Although, SAD has various symptoms, probably the most common is depression. And, acupuncture has been shown to work great when treating symptoms of depression.
WHAT IS SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is related to the change in seasons and tends to begin and end around the same time each year for those affected by it. SAD is a type of depression and should be taken seriously.
Here are some of the symptoms of SAD to look out for:
•Having low energy
•Feeling sluggish or agitated
•Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
•Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
•Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
•Having problems sleeping
•Having difficulty concentrating
•Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide
•Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
WHAT THE STUDIES HAVE TO SAY
A study published by the National Institute of Health looked at the management options for treating depression. Depression is one of the most prevalent symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. This study was conducted by the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments.
They looked at multiple complementary and alternative methods for treating depression, including light therapy, acupuncture, exercise, yoga and natural health supplements like Omega 3 fatty acids and St. John’s Wort. The study concluded acupuncture is most commonly used as a third line of treatment for those seeking alternative methods to deal with depression, despite the fact it tends to be very effective.
Researchers recognize acupuncture does provide benefits to treating depression, but more work must be done to truly realize the full capacity of those benefits.
ACUPUNCTURE FOR SAD
GV 20
There is a point located on the top of the head, midway between the apexes of your ears. This point is known as governing vessel 20 (GV 20). GV 20 is one of the most powerful points in the acupuncturists’ arsenal. It raises emotional energy, which in turn can help alleviate depression. Applying pressure or lightly tapping this point is a great way to counter depression on your own and it can be done pretty much anywhere.
LV 3
Liver 3 (LV 3) is located on the top of the foot between the big toe and the second toe, where the metatarsal bones meet. Stimulating this point helps stagnant blood to move freely again. Imagine a beaver dam on a river. If there is a lot of debris built up against the beaver dam, then the river can’t flow freely. This same analogy can be used when describing what happens to blood flow in the body. When the blood flow becomes stagnant and minute, then depression can set in because the body isn’t getting the proper nutrients it needs to function. In Chinese medicine theory, stagnant blood flow can lead to depression. Liver 3 is used frequently in traditional Chinese medicine treatments to re-establish the flow of blood throughout the body.
HT 3
Heart 3 (HT 3) is located on the inside of the elbow. When the elbow is flexed, the point is midway between the inner end of the elbow crease and the tip of the elbow bone itself. In traditional Chinese medicine, the heart meridian is often treated when depression is a presenting complaint. Depression causes the heart meridian to become deficient in energy. HT 3 stimulates the energy needed to combat depression symptoms.
