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September
2011
Help at
hand for hayfever
Hayfever treated using Chinese
medicine and acupuncture this season will be considerably less
severe the following season according to Chinese medicine
specialist, Dr Allison Parkinson.
Dr Parkinson said weaknesses in
the immune system caused by over-work, stress, poor diet and
lifestyle, make the immune system dysfunctional.
“Instead of responding to
appropriate allergens in the environment, a weakened immune
system will react to many things – particularly pollens in
spring - but it can be any allergen, all year around. By
strengthening the immune system using Chinese herbs we can
improve how the immune system interacts with the environment,
reducing sensitivity and relieving the allergy,” Dr Parkinson
said.
“This reduces the severity of
your symptoms in the long term. If treated during the hayfever
season, the next season will be less severe and may only require
a small amount of treatment,” she said.
“Chinese medicine and acupuncture
will reduce your reliance on anti-histamine drugs.”
Acupuncture can also help those
who have sinus problems, by draining the sinuses thereby
reducing sinus congestion and headaches as well as decreasing
the frequency and severity of sinus infections. It works by
relieving the inflammation in the respiratory tract which will
reduce a runny nose and help decongest a chronic sinus
condition.
For more information on how
Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help with hayfever and
sinus, contact Acuherb today.
August
2011
Headache,
Migraine Relief
Are you looking for long term relief from
headaches or migraines? Chinese medicine views headaches and
migraines as being caused by poor energy flow around the body
and this is exacerbated by stress and fatigue. A common cause of
headaches is also upper back and neck tension.
According to Dr Allison
Parkinson, Chinese medicine specialist from Acuherb in
Wangaratta, this is where acupuncture proves very beneficial for
headache sufferers.
“Acupuncture works by relaxing
the muscles in the upper back and neck. This helps to increase
the circulation to the head and the flow of energy, which plays
a role in relieving headaches. Acupuncture also calms the
nervous system and contributes to pain relief,” Dr Parkinson
said.
Given that Chinese medicine
works to balance all the body’s systems, Chinese
herbal medicine and nutritional
supplements can also be used to treat fatigue and tension which
will reduce the frequency and severity of headaches.
Dr Parkinson said in women,
headaches can be associated with hormonal changes.
“We have had good results using
Chinese herbal medicine to manage the changes in hormones and
reduce the effect on the body. The herbs will help to regulate
the reproductive hormones and this will provide some relief from
the hormonal headaches.”
For more information on how
Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help with headaches and
migraines, contact Acuherb today.
July 2011
Conquering Stress
The holistic approach of Chinese
medicine is well suited to helping people suffering the effects
of stress, according to Dr Allison Parkinson, Chinese medicine
specialist from Acuherb in Wangaratta.
Dr Parkinson said modern life
exposes many people to a range of stress and emotional problems
which are often caused by overworking the mind and body and can
have negative side effects for the body.
“Work stress, emotional stress,
over-exercise or over-work can all generate stress in the body
and fatigue the body,” Dr Parkinson said.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
see emotional disturbances as being caused by poor energy flow
around the body which causes stagnation and heat and leads to
poor nourishment of the body.
“This poor nourishment leads to
fatigue and weakness in the body and this also translates to
fatigue and weakness in the mind, making it very susceptible to
emotional stimuli and very easily stressed,” she said.
“We have had some great results
using acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Not only does the
acupuncture work by calming the nervous system, improving sleep
and helping the mind function more clearly, this also improves
the mind’s ability to manage stressors. Combined with the
Chinese herbs working to re-energise the internal organs, the
body develops some ability to resist stress.”
Dr Parkinson said Chinese
medicine works to put the body in a state where it can heal
itself.
For more information on how
Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help with the stress in
your life, contact Acuherb today.
June 2011
Menopause treatment options
Women experiencing the symptoms
associated with menopause are interested to know they have many
treatment options available.
That’s according to Dr Allison
Parkinson, Chinese medicine specialist at Acuherb Wangaratta.
“Women like to explore the
treatment options and Chinese medicine has helped many women
cool down their hot flushes, improve their sleep and improve
their energy levels,” Dr Parkinson said.
Menopausal symptoms occur when
reproductive hormones start to reduce in the woman’s body.
“Chinese medicine’s focus on the
good health of all the body’s systems means it is particularly
useful in dealing with menopause,” she said.
Dr Parkinson said many women are
pleased to find a treatment that is benefiting their general
health at the same time as treating the hormone symptoms.
“As well, other endocrine
hormones, such as adrenals and thyroid hormones, can be affected
by the changes in the reproductive hormones and acupuncture and
Chinese medicine can help bring these hormones back into balance
as well,” she said.
“While one of the treatment
options, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), replaces the
hormones in the body, Chinese medicine doesn’t try to mimic or
replace the hormones. Chinese medicine works to strengthen and
balance the body systems so that the body can better cope with
the major changes to its hormone levels.”
Dr Parkinson said Acuherb has had
some great results treating women’s menopausal symptoms.
For more information on how
Acuherb can help you, contact Acuherb today.
May 2011
Get in early to beat colds
Are you
or someone you know susceptible to regular colds or the flu? Or
are you feeling a bit run down and want to ensure that the cold
or flu doesn’t get you this winter?
Dr
Allison Parkinson, Chinese medicine specialist at Acuherb
Wangaratta, said being proactive about looking after your immune
system is very important in the lead-up to winter and during the
changes in season.
“This is
when external pathogens are usually about – when it’s cold, damp
and there’s wind about. They invade your body during these
changes in temperature and moisture and if you can stop them
early, this reduces the chance of a serious illness developing,
such as an ongoing cough, pneumonia and bronchitis,” Dr
Parkinson said.
“That’s
where Chinese medicine comes in. By strengthening the immune
system Chinese medicine can protect the body from all types of
viruses,” she said.
Dr
Parkinson said Chinese medicine works to put the body in a state
where it can heal itself.
“This
means we focus on how the body works as a system and we provide
solutions to balance the whole body,” she said.
“The
earlier we can treat your symptoms, for example when fever and a
sore throat are just staring, the less likely you are to develop
a full blown infection.”
For more
information on how Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help
you, contact Acuherb today.
April
2011
Holistic view helps fertility
Chinese
medicine’s focus on the good health of all the body’s systems,
including the reproductive system, are especially important when
it comes to fertility.
Dr
Allison Parkinson, Chinese medicine specialist at Acuherb
Wangaratta, said how well your body has been nourished and how
many resources it has available to support a pregnancy are
predictors of fertility levels.
“A body
that has been through a lot of stress and not had optimum care
has reduced resources available to allow the reproductive system
to become pregnant,” Dr Parkinson said.
“This is
true for both partners. If the male has issues with high stress,
poor diet and high toxin levels then this can affect his sperm.
This can be reversed relatively quickly and we have had good
results within three months,” Dr Parkinson said.
“If the
female has issues, acupuncture and herbal medicine work well to
regulate the hormonal processes and improve circulation to the
reproductive system and hormones,” she said.
“Given
that Chinese medicine works to put the body in a state where it
can heal itself, our focus is on solutions to restore balance to
the whole body.”
Dr
Parkinson said Acuherb had had some great results helping people
with fertility issues.
For more
information on how Acuherb can help you, contact Acuherb today.
March 2011
Help for sport injuries
If you, or someone you know, is
preparing for a winter sport after suffering an injury last
season or in the off-season, have you considered acupuncture?
Dr Allison Parkinson, Chinese
medicine specialist at Acuherb Wangaratta, said pre-season is
the time to get proactive about treating old injuries – large or
small.
Dr Parkinson said even small
injuries can create severe inflammation and spasm in muscle
tissue, which can lead to an aggravated injury.
“Spasm is a protective mechanism
for the body. Acupuncture can relieve spasm rapidly, ‘turning’
it off and allowing improved blood supply to flush away
inflammatory tissue and assist with healing scarred and
otherwise damaged tissue,” Dr Parkinson said.
“As a result, we use acupuncture
proactively to restore the body so that muscle tissue is strong
and supple and more able to resist injury,” she said.
“This is great preparation for
any sport season.”
Dr Parkinson said Chinese
medicine works to put the body in a state where it can heal
itself.
“This means we focus on how the
body works as a system and we provide solutions to balance the
body system,” she said.
She said Acuherb can help with
anything from knee injuries, corked thighs, hamstring and
Achilles tendon injuries to poor flexibility, existing injury,
an ageing body and minor scarring.
For more information on how
acupuncture can help you prepare for the season, contact Acuherb
today.
February 2011
Lethargy a problem?
Have you, or someone you know,
been suffering from lethargy, aches, fatigue, been feeling a bit
‘run-down’ or even had fever and flu-like symptoms?
According to Dr Allison
Parkinson, Chinese medicine specialist at Acuherb Wangaratta,
these can be symptoms for a range of conditions, among them
communicable opportunistic diseases, some of which are carried
by mosquitoes.
“And with the high number of
mosquitoes about this summer we are seeing more people who can’t
understand their lethargy,” Dr Parkinson said.
“These symptoms can’t all be put
down to mosquitoes though. Other diseases in this group are
caused by viruses which are contracted by people who may have
depleted immune systems due to the impacts of modern life; such as
poor sleep, excess activity and stress,” she said.
The hallmark of communicable
opportunistic diseases is that they can be very debilitating and
linger for long periods, creating long term inflammatory
patterns in the body.
Dr Parkinson said it’s best to
treat the symptoms early, and that Chinese medicine also offers
good results in treating longer-term conditions.
“Chinese medicine works to put
the body in a state where it can heal itself. This means we
focus on how the body works as a system and we provide solutions
to balance the body system,” she said.
“This provides a holistic
approach to our health treatments. In restoring the immune
system, improving the digestive system and improving sleep, the
body is able to fight these communicable diseases.”
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