Inspiration for Career Success: It's Not About the Money

I have a couple of inspirational clippings which live on my desk that i thought i might share. The first comes from Daniel Myrick, director of the Blair Witch Project, amongst others. the quotation comes from a 4/24/08 interview in the NY Times:'Blair Witch' gave me some financial security at a time which I was having trouble coming up the money to pay the phone bill . . . being able to say no, to only make the work that you really love and have a good time doing it, is another way to be successful.The second comes from Sherry Lansing's Success Rules for Graduates in the UCLA Alumni Magazine, fall/winter 2004 issue. At the time, Ms. Lansing was the chairperson of the Motion Picture Group of Paramount…

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Case Study: Trigeminal Neuralagia & Sinusitis

Chief Complaint: Female age 63 presented with trigeminal neuralgia facial pain, worse with chronic sinusitis. Onset 7y ago. Worse in winter due to sinusitis: inflammation presses on trigeminal nerve, triggering pain. Swelling of right eye, center of lower eyelid. Frequent associated headaches.Other symptoms: Celiac disease, food allergies which seem to trigger facial pain. Pain begins 20 minutes after eating offending foods: wheat products or anything with mold. Perennial allergies: onset birth – breast milk: red eyes, sneezing, nasal and sinus congestion. Shortness of breath. Fatigue, bruises easily, heavy limbs, weak muscles. Hypothyroid, diagnosed 47y earlier. RLS: .5mg Clonozepem nightly.Pain: Described as electric, stabbing, shocking sensation. Over a 5y period, progressed from mild pain to severe pain. Aggravated with pressure applied to the affected area. Headache dull ache,…

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Allergy & Sinusitis Talk 7p March 13th Malaprops

Are you perpetually tormented by itchy, watery eyes and runny nose during the spring & fall?  Do you suffer from headaches and sinus pain?  Is your breathing impaired from chronic sinus congestion?  Are you tired of pills, shots and inhalers which may temporarily suppress symptoms but do not solve the problem?  Would you like a different approach? Consider Chinese medicine. Kath Bartlett, Licensed Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Herbalist will discuss how acupuncture and Chinese herbs bring lasting sinus & allergy reliefTuesday, March 13th, 7p at Malaprops. Discover how Chinese medicine relieves symptoms in the short-term while building immune function for a long-term solution. Learn how anti-bacterial herbs treat sinus infections causing post nasal drip and chronic congestion. See real patients receive instant pain relief during an acupuncture demonstration. During this 45min…

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Case Study: Acute Back Pain Resolved in 2 Acupuncture Treatments

A gentleman (43y) came in to my office a couple of weeks ago complaining of acute lower back (lumbar) pain which radiated down the lateral side (outside) of the left leg (I/T band). He described stabbing pain, level 8 (1-10 scale). This had happened a year ago. After an acupuncture treatment from a colleague the pain resolved until this recent episode. Discussion of Back Pain Acupuncture TreatmentI used balance method acupuncture points in his right hand. The pain reduced immediately upon insertion of the needles. While he rested with the needles in place, I made up a custom herbal formula to circulate blood. In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) theory, stabbing pain is due to blood stagnation, or poor blood circulation in the area. In western medicine, the radiating…

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Cat Scratch Fever: Clinical Pearls for Wound & Scar Therapy

so I got into an altercation with my cat this week and wound up with some serious scratches on the eye area of my face. I was concerned about scarring, so i did some research and polled colleagues on their favorite remedies. The following is a compilation of the collective wisdom generously shared:When the cat scratched my face (he landed on my head after falling) i had blood running down my face. my first imperative was to stop the bleeding. I keep a Chinese patent remedy, called Yun Nan Bai Yao in my medicine cabinet. It's an invaluable first aid to stop bleeding, and it works. Application method: apply the powder with gauze or cotton to the wound, and apply pressure. The herbs cause the blood to…

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Remedies for Burns, Sunburns & Radiation

Here's a few ideas for burns, including those from radiation:In my recent post on scar treatment, i discussed Ching Wan Hung burn ointment . It's wonderful for burns of any kind, including radiation. It contains many blood moving herbs with heat clearing properties, to keep the blood circulating in the area, and menthol to clear the heat. It also treats insect bites and hot, red rashes and hives. My patients love it for all of these uses. In A Handbook of Traditional Chinese Dermatology,Liang Jian-Hui recommends decoction 60g of licorice root and applying it topically to the area with cold compresses. In Dermatology in Traditional Chinese Medicine Xu Yihou suggests making licorice oil by soaking 10g of licorice root in 100ml of vegetable oil for 24h. then cook…

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Case Study: Acupuncture for Peripheral Neuropathy

Case Study: Successful Acupuncture Treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy As a Sequela of Chemo-Therapy I have been treating this patient weekly with acupuncture following a total hysterectomy due to endometrial cancer. After the first month of treatment the patient (let’s refer to her as Gwen) began a 6 cycle course of chemo-therapy, administered at 3 week intervals. Gwen responded well to acupuncture, and the side effects of chemo were minimal: fatigue, headache, diarrhea, sensation of heat in the chest and throat. After the forth chemo treatment Gwen began reporting that the tips of her fingers and toes felt slightly numb. Peripheral neuropathy is a known side effect of chemo-therapy. As the symptoms were mild, and other side effects of the chemo therapy were more prevalent, especially fatigue, I…

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Pearls from the Pema Chodrum Retreat: Living Beautifully with Uncertainty & Change

I attended a Pema Chodrum retreat this weekend entitled "Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change". Ane Pema, if you don't know, is a celebrity Buddhist nun and inspirational speaker who has written many popular books about adapting to and handling the troubles life brings. During the weekend retreat she offered many pearls to help one adapt to the curve balls life throws at us.Ane Pema began the weekend Friday night with a metaphor about the river of life. She explained that our tendency is to seek the safety of the shoreline. However our mistake is in our grasping to hang on to the perceived security there. Life, she continued, takes place in the flow of the river, and we can't be afraid to jump in. She could…

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Savory Chickpea Stew

In an earlier post with a recipe for Red Cabbage Salad I referenced the macrobiotic chef I interned with who made delicious meals for the students at my acupuncture college, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. I was able to wrangle a few recipes from Nancy for some of my favorite dishes. This Chickpea Stew can also be made as a soup, omitting the squash and the seitan. Its a hearty, one-dish meal, for autumn and winter.In Chinese dietary therapy, we recommend eating differently during each season. In the spring and summer one eats lighter foods and above ground crops. In the autumn the yin begins to rise. Yin energy represents darkness, cold, quiescence, feminine, earth, sweet, substance and blood. During the autumn season the cool yin begins…

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Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Patients with Blood Cancers

I am giving a talk about acupuncture and Chinese medicine for patients with lymphomas and blood cancers on Monday, September 12 at 5p at the Wellness Resource Center, 50 Doctor's Drive, West Annex, Asheville, 28801.This will be for a family support group for patients with blood cancers and their caregivers, offered through Mission Hospitals Cancer Services and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.    "This group is for people living with Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, or Primary Amyloidosis and also their caregivers who live in the Asheville area and surrounding counties of western North Carolina." Group Facilitators:   Leslie Verner, RN, BSN, OCN, CCRP - Cancer Outreach Coordinator                                               Jere Howell, MS -Clinical Psychologist       Date:  Monday, Sept 12, 2011       (Meets the 2nd Monday of every month)       Time:  4:00…

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