Acupuncture, Clinical Nutrition and Energy

During the blossom of spring, shaking off winter cobwebs means boosting your energy and enhancing your nutrition. This is the perfect time of year for your body’s qi (“chee” – energy life-force) to begin flowing more freely.

Using acupuncture to kick your energy level into high gear can be highly advantageous for a season that beckons movement. Add in clinical nutrition, approaching food as medicinal eating rather than irresponsible gluttony, and you may very well hit the ground running like never before.

Needling Your Inner Qi

With its long list of treating pain and discomfort, acupuncture has a stellar history. However, you may not realize that this ancient practice is also significantly useful for relieving fatigue and enhancing energy.

In 2017, Oncology Nurse Advisor cited a study on CFS (cancer-related fatigue syndrome) titled ‘Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue in lung cancer patients: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial’. For those struggling with this fatigue side effect of cancer treatment it was cited that,

“Results showed significant improvement in CRF after 2 weeks…Patients also reported significant improvements in their quality of life…This pilot study demonstrates that acupuncture may be a safe and effective alternative to pharmacotherapy in managing CRF.”

Fibromyalgia News Today reported in March 2018 of a study by researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University. It looked at the effects of acupuncture on fatigue related to the auto-immune disease fibromyalgia, stating that,

“…those who underwent group acupuncture showed significant improvements, which were sustained and even improved four weeks after treatment. Fatigue scores in this group improved by 25%, and pain decreased by 2.8 points.”

Working with an acupuncturist to open your meridians (energy channels) may change your life experience. As each session begins to ‘tune up’ your body, any acute or chronic fatigue could considerably dissipate.

The amount of times you choose to access acupuncture for energy enhancement is up to you, however the accumulative effects after each session are often more beneficial. A recommended protocol is 4-6 weeks, one to two times per week. When clinical nutrition is added to the mix, it is very well possible to completely turn your health around for the better.

Eat for Freedom

So many people have been shackled by irresponsible and often uneducated dietary choices. In many cases it is not anyone’s fault as free-enterprise has taken over any semblance of healthy eating. Instead, misleading advertising and inexpensive, subpar food products easily confuse the consumer creating a cycle of poor eating that has led to a nation of disease.

Clinical nutrition goes beyond working with a dietician or nutritionist often educated in the conventional approach to eating. It looks at how various components of foods may be causing specific symptoms such as gluten being associated with nerve pain.

According to Panagiotis Zis, MD, PhD, of the University of Sheffield, regarding an early release abstract on gluten sensitivity and neuropathic pain from the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting,

“We think of gluten sensitivity as an immune disease triggered by eating gluten in susceptible people. Ingestion of gluten causes an immune reaction that, in this case, damages nerves, which can be painful. A strict gluten-free diet removes the main factor triggering the inflammation, allowing the immune response to calm down and alleviating the neuropathic symptoms, including pain.”

A trained clinical nutritionist should assess each individual and prescribe dietary changes accordingly. This mostly consists of eliminating inflammatory foods as well as foods that may help detox your body for a break down/build up approach. Working in conjunction with acupuncture, clinical nutrition has the capability to help transform your body so as to reduce pain and enhance energy simply by what you choose to eat.

Many foods recommended by a clinical nutritionist may also assist in building up the gut microbiome which is ground zero for maintaining optimal health. It is here where the immune system thrives, constantly in flux as good and bad bacteria survive in a kind of bubbling stew capable of sending and receiving signals which in turn regulate systemic health. One food which has recently been cited as another natural microbiome enhancer is walnuts.

A study by researchers at the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences stated that,

“Walnut consumption resulted in higher relative abundance of three bacteria of interest: Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Clostridium….Our study provides initial findings that suggest that the interactions of microbes with the undigested walnut components are producing positive outcomes…There is a lot of interest in Faecalibacterium because it has also been shown in animals to reduce inflammation.”

Other microbiome boosters include:

• Miso
• Olives
• Tempeh
• Cheese made from raw milk
• Pickles (refrigerated, nonpasteurized)
• Kombucha (effervescent cultured drink)
• Sauerkraut (refrigerated, nonpasteurized)
• Cultured veggies (refrigerated, nonpasteurized)
• Yogurt (without sugar), including nondairy coconut yogurt

With clinical nutrition you can also explore pre-biotic foods which are able to feed beneficial gut bacteria. Some pre-biotic foods are:

• Beans
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Chicory
• Bananas
• Asparagus
• Raw or cooked onion
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Raw dandelion greens

Working with a clinical nutritionist, you can monitor your intake of these foods to determine the best dietary path.

Acupuncture and clinical nutrition for energy enhancement pinpoints the very essence of optimal health. If you concentrate simply on eliminating excessive fatigue and increasing energy levels you have the potential to relieve a whole host of other painful conditions. These could be huge positive results in your life all without taking one synthetic pill or experiencing invasive surgery.

At Integrative Med Solutions, we will design an acupuncture and clinical nutrition treatment program that works for you. In many cases, insurance covers portions of the acupuncture treatment. Allow us to support you to achieve optimal health. To make an appointment or find out more about how acupuncture and naturopathic medicine can benefit you, please call our office at 914.337.2980 or Click Here to schedule an online appointment.

*Please Click Here to see a current list of Insurance Companies that commonly carry acupuncture benefits for its members. Please call 914.337.2980 or securely email info@intmedsolutions.com to verify your specific benefits. If you are emailing, please include your full name, date of birth and insurance identification card number.