Western Medical Criteria of Fibromyalgia Syndrome
1) Widespread musculoskeletal pain of at least 3 months duration
2) Tenderness in at least 11 of these 18 Tender Points (9 symmetrical sites)
Occiput: suboccipital muscle insertion; Low cervical: anterior aspect of intertransverse space at C5-C7; Trapezius: midpoint upper muscle border; Supraspinatus: near the origins, above the spine of scapula; Second rib: upper surface just lateral to second costochondral junction; Lateral epicondyle: extensor muscle, 2 cm distal to epicondyle; Gluteal: upper outer quadrant of buttock in anterior fold of muscle; Greater trochanter: posterior to trochanteric prominence; Knee: medial fat pad proximal to joint line and condyle..
“Despite the fact that everybody knows intuitively that pain hurts, neuroscience today is incapable of explaining why this is so.” (International Association for the Study of Pain. “Pain and the Philosophy of Mind” Clinical Update, Vol. XV, July 2007.) To feel pain, we need a mind. However, Western science has long disconnected mind from body creating separate medical specialties to address them. Trying to explain pain as a set of chemical reactions falls flat on its face because it in no way describes our experience. Neither does it indicate our best course of action. Take a painful case in point: Fibromyalgia.
Continue reading ‘Fibromyalgia and The Nature of Pain’
Next Monday November 2nd from 9AM to 4:30 PM, I am pleased to offer a continuing education workshop “Asian Health Secrets” at Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing 776 Sixth Ave @ 27th Street, 3rd Floor NYC, NY 10001. The public is invited to this important event. Nurses, parents, students, and anyone who cares for sick family and friends, faces illness and exhaustion daily. In addition, many women must deal with female complaints, extreme stress, and physical and emotional burnout. Nerve-related problems, including shingles, headache, tics, sciatica weaken and demoralize us and keep us from work. Natural remedies, including diet, herbs, and homeopathic remedies, are very helpful for most stress-related discomforts. Colds and flu prevention and treatment are important topics for the season.
I will cover Asian miracle foods and herbs for vitality, acupressure for pain-relief, laser acupuncture for addictions and weight loss, Chinese Qigong movements for enhanced vitality and stress reduction, also simple aromatherapy for prevention of burnout, chronic pain, work and weather-related discomforts, and female complaints. One Chinese remedy I will cover, Yunnan Paiyao, is worth spending the day and the fee ($100 or $50 for students.) It is used to speed recovery from injury, wounds, bruises, surgery and internal bleeding from ulcers or painful menstrual bleeding. Medicinal mushrooms used for health and beauty will also be covered. Herbs for every sort of discomfort from chest pains to indigestion and diabetes will be included along with recipes. Continue reading ‘All Day Workshop Nov. 2nd’
Reading through the following report from JAMA on osteoporosis (excerpt below), a few facts jumped out at me: High risk factors for developing osteoporosis include being a white female over age 50. Me! and that Japanese women tend to have lower Bone Mineral Density (BMD) than Americans but suffer fewer bone fractures.
That may be, in part, genetics, but the bone quality of Japanese women may be better than their American counterparts. That speaks of diet and lifestyle: tofu and other whole soy foods high in healthy phytoestrogens, fish, seaweeds like hijiki, a good source of calcium, and green tea, along with less coffee and cigarettes and more smart exercise. Join Sharon Smith and me this coming Friday Oct. 23rd at NY Open Center to learn how to protect your bones, joints, and ligaments. Continue reading ‘Osteoporosis and its Consequences’
