Points Newsletter - October 2012

Dealing With Grief -  A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

By Emma Suttie, D.Ac.

I have been dealing with a lot of grief lately. This is usually the way it goes. A patient comes in who is suffering with loss. Perhaps it is the breakup of a relationship, the loss of a pet, or the death of a loved one. There is nothing more devastating to us than loss. It hurts the heart and leaves us with an emptiness that is difficult to fill. It is something that everyone on the planet will have to deal with many times in their lives, so I thought that I would talk about some of the ways that it can be made a little easier, less painful, and with minimal suffering in the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). More...  

3 Dental Tips to Promote Longevity

By Dr. Mao Shing Ni, Ph.D., D.O.M., L.Ac.

When was the last time you had a check-up with your dentist? We’ve always known that taking care of our teeth and gums is important, but new research, linking gum disease and plaque build up to early cancer death, suggests that it may be more important than we thought!

Over 50 percent of Americans from age 13 and up suffer from some sort of gum disease. Think that’s alarming? New studies confirm the link between a build up of plaque (one of the main causes of gum disease) to chronic illnesses, like heart disease, but go farther by suggesting that people with higher levels of tooth plaque are more likely to die prematurely from cancer. More...

Female Sexual Dysfunction - An Often Under Managed Problem

Sexuality is a complex process and behavior. It is coordinated not only by various systems of our bodies such as the endocrine, nervous, vascular and others. It is also related to personal experience, social, cultural beliefs, and changes with age. Sexuality is also much affected by interpersonal relationships or lack thereof. Each partner brings different needs and response to the sexual relationship. Any disturbance in any of these areas can potentially lead to sexual dysfunction. More...

Q: I have had elevated lymphs in my yearly blood tests for a few years. At one time I had Epstein-Barr virus. Could this be the reason that I have elevated lymphs? Should I be concerned?

A: Generally speaking, lymphocytes help to destroy toxic metabolites. They originate from lymphoblasts in the spleen, lymph glands, tonsils, bone marrow, and thymus. They help to determine the stage of infection: acute/recovery/chronic. Generally, when lymphs are high, there is some systemic toxicity. Given the information you have submitted, it is possible that your EBV did not clear up completely and has left "latent heat" in the body, adversely affecting your immune system.   More...