Wellness

By Kimball Chatfield L.Ac., O.M.D.

Does acupuncture really work? Can we measure it? Can we see it working? These are questions that scientists from both the United States and China have wrestled with for years. Now, thanks to new highly sophisticated fMRI’s (functional MRI’s are a motion picture MRI) we can see in real time if and how acupuncture works. Researchers from around the world are now using functional MRI’s to study if acupuncture really works or if it is just placebo. Interest in using fMRI’s to test acupuncture has really taken off in the last year with 15 scientific studies in 2018 so far and about 50 overall.

What scientists have found is that when acupuncture needles are inserted in to people, nervous system messages are sent to specific areas of the brain to respond to the acupuncture. Measurements of these reactions prove that acupuncture is real and can be objectively measured. One such study released in May of 2018 studied acupuncture effect on Alzheimer’s patients. Patients were given acupuncture at two acupuncture points. Using fMRi, the study showed that acupuncture increased what is called the functional connectivity of specific regions of the brain. What that means is that acupuncture increased the ability of the area of the brain that is damaged in Alzheimer’s Disease (substantial gyra) to “talk” to adjacent areas of the brain and increase normal messaging. Patients also had improvements in mental and physical performance.

Many other studies of acupuncture and fMRI’s have shown that when acupuncture is given, the brain engages significantly and sends messages to areas of the body that are injured or diseased to function better, heal faster, and become more efficient. Studies like this are objective. There is no subjectivity, no bias, no fakery. We are now at the moment in our scientific evolution we can say that acupuncture works well and we can effectively measure it through sophisticated fMRI’s. Utilizing fMRI’s in the future will help acupuncturists zero in on acupuncture points that have been shown in these studies to significantly impact patients in a very positive way.

By Kimball Chatfield L.Ac., O.M.D.

Wouldn’t it be great if all we had to do to reduce heavy metals, pesticides, and other toxins from our body is to just soak our feet in a special water bath? Detoxification or ionic foot baths are said to do just that. Place your feet in a special small tub of water that has an electrode in it that emits ionic frequencies and this is said to draw toxins out of your feet and into the bath water. If you have ever tried it you will know the after a few minutes the once clear water will turn brown and look pretty nasty. These are the toxins coming out of your body and seeping into the water, you’re told. Looks pretty impressive. But are those really toxins coming out of you and into the foot bath water?

As someone who has taught environmental health at the graduate school level and received my doctorate researching the treatment of pesticide poisoning, I was very interested in knowing more about this foot bath detoxing. The best place to look for the truth in science is to perform a search on the website Pubmed. Pubmed is the National Library of Medicine online published by the National Institutes of Health. It contains over 15 million citations, original research articles, and research reviews. If there is published research on detox foot baths, it would be found in the National Library of Medicine. It turns out there has been research on detoxification foot baths.

The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine analyzed foot detox water before and after use as well as urine and hair samples of the subjects receiving the foot baths. The researchers did not find that the foot baths eliminated any toxins from the body. And the brown water? The water turns brown because the electrodes in the water that emit ionic frequencies are actually oxidizing the metal of the electrodes, and the water is brown from the machine (it’s rust!) and not from the person. For example, researchers tested water before and after running the ion machine without feet. What they found was that the metals in the electrodes were shed from the electrode surface and leaked into the foot bath water. Chromium went from about 4 parts per million (ppm) pre-foot bath being turned on, to over 23,000 parts per million after a few minutes of operation. It’s important to note that this is hexavalent industrial chromium, which is a genotoxic carcinogen. Iron went from 32 parts per million (ppm) before turning on the footbath, to 116,000 parts per million after the machine was turned on. Same for copper, increasing 600%. Manganese went from undetected to 1,500 ppm. All this without a person using the footpath at all. Other studies have also shown that the water will turn brown without putting your feet in it.

Some companies that make foot baths report that they have scientific research to back up their claims that these foot baths really do eliminate toxins from the body. But when you look at the research it is always completely uncontrolled and significantly biased. Some of the claims are impossible, such as one author stating that fats and mucus are removed from the body by foot baths. So the bottom line is there is no scientific evidence detox foot baths work at all in removing toxins from your body. There is one study, by the Center for Research Strategies, that is often touted as evidence that ionic footpaths work. What people who cite this reference don’t mention is that the study group was also given a broad spectrum nutritional powder that is loaded with antioxidants and other nutrients that have been known for over 60 years to breakdown and eliminate a variety of toxic chemicals that we are exposed to in food and our environment. That is called confounding data. That is, adding a nutritional supplement completely eliminates the chance of objectively measuring the foot baths results because you have loaded up on nutrients.

There is something else to consider here. The “metal water” created by the machine could potentially be toxic itself and instead of removing metals in our bodies we actually will be exposed to them by the machine, and the opposite can happen. That is, the machine could be poisoning you. The Canadian College scientists summarized their research as follows: “Contrary to claims made for the machine, there does not appear to be any specific induction of toxic release through the feet when running the machine according to specifications.”

Ionic footpaths are completely different from just soaking your feet in warm water and feeling the therapeutic gains of that simple pleasure. There is actually good research on how nice it feels to have your feet warmed up. That has a gentle relaxing effect on us all. So if that’s what you are going for, then by all means enjoy a relaxing (but not detoxifying) foot bath (with epsom salts if you like) in your own bathtub.

By Kimball Chatfield L.Ac., O.M.D.

Shopping for sunscreen? If you look at the label of sunscreens available now you will see that the 10 or so most popular active sunscreen ingredients are mostly very long complex words such as ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate or oxybenzone. The vast majority of sunscreens used today are usually a mixture of synthetic chemicals that absorb sunlight before it penetrates into our skin. There is so much use of these sunscreen products that they are found in the bloodstream of almost all Americans, even those who do not use sunscreen. That is because these chemicals last a long time in our environment. A recent study found that 85% of women have sunscreen chemicals in their breast tissue. That is because most of these chemicals are estrogen disruptors and have an affinity for hormone receptors in the breasts. They can cause problems in multiple systems in the body as well. Some of them work well preventing ultraviolet damage to our skin, and some do not. Octocrylene, a common sunscreen ingredient has been shown to cause free radical damage to skin and cause premature aging of skin tissue. Homosalate is a major hormone disruptor, increases absorption of pesticides into our tissues, reduces testosterone, and is found in almost all of nursing mothers breast milk. The ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate mentioned above causes DNA damage and resulting gene mutations. As sunlight hits it, chemical changes occur which make this ingredient even more toxic. It and several other sunscreen ingredients mentioned in this article are contributing to the death and bleaching of coral reefs around Hawaii. That is why the Hawaiian legislature has banned their non-prescription use. Oxybenzone is one of the most popular of the synthetic chemical in sunscreen. It is an estrogen disruptor, and causes skin allergy reactions in more than 75% of people who use it. It also causes DNA damage, and is also included in the Hawaiian synthetic sunscreen ban.

So what is a person to do who wants to reduce sun exposure and skin cancer risk, yet does not want to use toxic chemicals on their skin. Titanium dioxide is a mineral compound that physically blocks sunlight from penetrating on our skin. It is a good choice as a sunscreen as it appears to have no negative effects. The best choice at this point is Zinc oxide. Yes the white stuff that doesn’t look so good while you are using it. But zinc significantly blocks both UVA an UVB sunlight as good or better than anything else that is available now. Plus it is rarely mentioned that besides blocking sunlight, zinc also is slightly absorbed into our skin and actually increases prevention and repair of skin damage from sun exposure. Zinc helps form polymerases, which are compounds that the body uses to create new healthy cells. Other safe sunscreens are being developed. One sunscreen showing such promise are the seeds of the Milk Thistle plant that have been shown to block sun damage in lab animals. So at this point the best choice is zinc oxide. Either alone or combined with titanium. Even though the scientific literature is chock full of data that show that these sunscreen chemicals are toxic, not very many doctors seem to notice. It is interesting and a little odd to note that even Consumer Reports does not seem to care that sunscreens are toxic. They just did a report on how well different sunscreens work in blocking or absorbing sunlight. They didn’t seem to care about toxicity of these compounds though. At this point I have to say WHY NOT?

P.S.
Did you know that besides UVA and UVB rays from the sun there is also UVC. UVC is so weak though is cannot penetrate human epidermis, and can’t even penetrate into eye tissue. But it is strong enough to kill bacteria and viruses. Look for UVC lightbulbs in the future and especially look for it in hospitals and medical clinics as it will work well in preventing infection without the danger of UV induced skin damage.

HAPPY SUMMER!
Summer is a time of renewal and revitalization and the perfect time to turn attention to your body’s toxin load. Accumulated toxins from stress, the environment, inactivity, and poor habits can become a burden that impedes your body’s efficiency. This can lead to poor sleep, lack of energy, irritability, seasonal allergies and inflammation.

So how can you help your body reduce this load of toxins and get back on track? It can be difficult to do on your own, but Lake Tahoe Acupuncture and Wellness offers kits to make it much easier. They’re customizable, built for success, and will help you establish healthy habits to continue after the program is over.

Each one contains a shake and supplements along with instructions, food lists, progress journal, and post program recommendations. There is also a companion cookbook you can borrow and/or buy!

SEE WHICH KIT IS RIGHT FOR YOU:

Still not sure which kit would best suit you? Ask us!
HAPPY SUMMER and HAPPY REVITALIZATION!

* These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and no statements have been evaluated by the FDA.