Workshop with a Master Shiatsu Practitioner

During any treatment while you are lying there enjoying the experience, we as practitioners are looking for the under or over functioning aspects in your body. The Japanese terms for this are KYO (under) and JITSU (over). Distortions in the life force are the reason for illness, disease or feelings of being unwell.

Eastern Therapies’ aim is to bring balance back into your body, Houng and Jeff do this with acupuncture and I (Ross) do this with massage.

In a massage there are techniques to help the practitioner. Each organ has its own feel compared to another. In a workshop I attended with Glenn Polley in October, the aim was to be able to distinguish the difference between each meridian. While on one level this is not as hard as you may think, on another level it makes me question the integrity of what I am feeling, is this an under or over functioning organ in the body.

To feel the Lung meridian as “doing a belly buster into a swimming pool” is very different from the feeling of the Kidney meridian as a “deep ocean that can go on for ever”. These are very different in the way they feel. To use this approach gives us a greater insight into how each person uses there body and the stress placed on them.

A greater understanding of your body and the health of each organ compared to another gives us at Eastern Therapies better results. Where I really notice it, is at what point along the meridian it changes. This is where Shiatsu techniques helps to change the flow of energy along the meridian to bring harmony to each client.

The workshop consisted of Hara (the abdomen) Diagnosis, the Hara is divided into areas that relate to different organs. Depending on what the practitioner feels, kyo or jitus determines what points and what meridians they will use in a massage or acupuncture. To do this I place both hands on the abdomen and in a gentle wave motion palpate the area. Working around the belly in a clock like motion with my fingers, gage the integrity of each area. Working with diagnostic areas, you look to change the consistence of the abdomen. This knowledge helps to determine where to massage to get the maximum benefit to you.

These tools give a better understanding of where the tension and stress is located in each body. A better understanding gives a better treatment and at Eastern Therapies we aim for the best results for you.

Next time you are lying there enjoying the experience you can rely on Houng, Jeff and me to be looking for the best approach in treating you, our valued clients.

Shiatsu Therapist

Ross

White wine reduces chance of IVF success in women

The Daily Telegraph

October 22, 2009 12:01am

WHITE wine can dramatically reduce the chances of a successful pregnancy for women undergoing IVF, scientists in the US have warned.

Sharing one bottle of wine a week could cut a couple’s chances of having a baby by 26 per cent. They also told men to avoid beer to maximise their chances of becoming a father.

A large-scale study of couples in their 30s found that even low levels of alcohol consumption can increase the risk of miscarriage or an embryo not implanting properly in the womb.

White wine had a bigger effect on women’s fertility than any other drink, while beer had the worst impact on the quality of men’s sperm.

The findings come days after the president of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK warned of the dangers to women’s health of “winding down” with a glass of wine.

In the study, researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston in the US asked 2500 couples before their first IVF cycle about the amount and type of alcohol they consumed.
After taking into account factors including age, weight and whether they smoke, they found that women who drank white wine more than once a week had a 24 per cent lower chance of a live birth.

There was a 23 per cent reduced chance of the embryo implanting properly.

The study also found that if both parents drank six units of alcohol a week, the chances of a live birth declined by 26 per cent. Six units is equal to two large glasses of wine, three pints of beer or six shots of spirit.

Dr Brooke Rossi, who presented the findings to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference, said: “In general, women are told they should stop drinking when trying to achieve pregnancy.”

Tony Rutherford, the chairman of the British Fertility Society, said the society’s guidelines and those from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence stated that women should not drink at all during their pregnancy.

However, US Government guidelines say one or two units a week should not do any harm.

Seasons greetings,
                         As they say ‘Spring has Sprung’. We could all do with a Spring clean from time to time to keep our bodies fresh, clean and functioning at optimum levels.
 
This month is the perfect time to detoxify the Liver. As an organ the liver has many jobs to do, from recycling blood cells to removing toxins from the blood and regulating blood sugar levels.
 
According to the five elements of nature, energy is at its peak for the liver during the Spring period therefore we can take advantage of this by stimulating liver energy at this time.
 
This will result in having a digestive system that is running very efficiently and can also resolve seasonal allergies as they often originate from poor liver function.
 
If you suffer from sinus, asthma, sneezing and skin itchiness acupuncture and Chinese medicine is very effective at resolving these conditions.
 
If you want to feel better sooner, have mental clarity and more energy come and see us for an appointment today.

TMJ (tempormandiular joint) problems are very common and are often caused by dental work,  grinding of one’s teeth during sleep or clenching of the jaw when stressed and tense. Does you jaw feel tight, does it click and is there pain?

Dentist may often suggest a mouth guard to stop one from grinding their teeth. Constant grinding may lead to a stiff neck as the neck muscles are close to the TMJ muscles.

Acupuncture can unleash the tightness and pain  in these muscles and retrains the muscles in the face to let go …retraining  memory. There are many acupuncture points and meridians running through the face.

I have been working with a patient recently on her TMJ problem and here is what she says

QUOTE

Houng was recommended to me by a friend. I had been experiencing serious TMJ problems for more than 12 months when I went to see Houng and had tried osteopathy, remedial massage, traditional medicine and physiotherapy with limited success. I was in a significant amount of pain and the issue was impacting all aspects of my life, including the ability to sleep. Houng made a significant impact from the very first treatment and the progress has been consistent. My quality of life has increased tenfold and I am so grateful to Houng. I would not hesitate to recommend her. She is not only knowledgable but highly intuitive and the two combined are such a valuable combination

UNQUOTE

Please refer to these published research on the how acupuncture can successfully treat TMJ problems

Bergström I, List T, Magnusson T. . Acta Odontol Scand. 2008 Apr. Vol. 66(2):88-92.A follow-up study of subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients who received acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy 18-20 years earlier

Shen YF, Goddard G. The short-term effects of acupuncture on myofascial pain patients after clenching. Pain Pract. 2007 Sep. Vol. 7(3):256-64.

Rosted P, Bundgaard M, Pedersen AM. The use of acupuncture in the treatment of temporomandibular dysfunction–an audit. Acupunct Med. 2006 Mar. Vol. 24(1):16-22.

Rosted P. Practical recommendations for the use of acupuncture in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders based on the outcome of published controlled studies. Oral Dis. 2001 Mar. Vol. 7(2):109-15.

Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter

The start of 2009 began in Nanjing China. I had planned the trip so I could study under the tutelage of  Dr Xia who is 80 years of age. He has been specializing in fertility treatments using Chinese herbal medicine for over 50 years.  I had chosen Jiangsu Provincial hospital because I had spent 3 months in 2004 completing my internship there. I was very surprised to see a transformed hospital. In 2004 it was under renovation and very dusty and dirty.

With the assistance of a translator I was able to observe and translate over 200 cases of fertility issues, and observed the gamut of fertility problems. Chinese herbal medicine was treatment protocol for PCOS, endometriosis, blocked tubes, unknown infertility by regulating the cycle, improving the quality and thickness of the endometrium. Herbs can provide supporting treatment in between IVF sessions especially if there has been several failed cycles.  Herbs were also used to support pregnancy in a history of miscarriage as well as morning sickness.

As you can see in the photo yourself, Dr Xia looks great for an 80 year old. He works every morning from 8am to 12 pm and sees 35-40 patients. All up I saw over 200 patients in a one week period. Fertility it seems is not a problem only confined to the west. IVF treatments in China is not as popular as it is here in Australia, however it will only be a matter of time I feel.

 I am always most  impressed with the speed at which you can get your blood test results in a Chinese hospital. The doctor sends the patient away for a blood test or x-ray and 15 mins late they come back with the results! Doctors are trained in both Eastern and Western medicine and many prescribe the two medicines together. Houng Lau

Herb of the month:

Gou qi berries (goji)

Readily available from Coles . Due to a lot of  marketing, goji berries  one of 300 Chinese herbs is now very well known. 

It is fantastic for improving eyesight and benefits the liver and kidneys. Very useful for menopausal symptoms as well. It protects the  immune system and its best taken throughout winter to protect against colds and flu.

Please don’t take it before bed. One patient ate a bowl full at night and had so much energy they couldn’t sleep

How do I take it.

Take 10 grams per day. Mix it in your cereal or you may put a handful in chicken soup or vegetable soup. Or  steep in hot water to drink as a herbal tea. For sore red eyes take with 5 chrysanthemum flowers available at your Chinese grocery shop

Success Story:

Male Patient sees Houng with 8/10 pain in lower back running down the legs from a bulging disc. 2 months of osteopathic treatments made no changes to his condition. After 11  acupuncture treatments,  and consultations with the physio for the correction of posture he now leads a pain-free life.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to my Autumn edition of my newsletter.

Some of you may not be aware that  I had the pleasure of going to Bali –UBUD last December to assist the women and children of UBUD by giving them treatments in acupuncture and herbal medicine.

The non profit natural birthing centre (BUMI SEHAT) is primarily a clinic for Balinese women to give birth naturally. They also run a free naturopathic, acupuncture and herbal clinic for the Balinese women and children. It offers them alternative health care.  For those wishing to donate, you may google them. I spent a week there and was able to assist in the delivery of a baby and provide gentle treatments to the women and children. It was a thoroughly enriching experience and I have attached a video below of me giving treatment to a Balinese child.

Warm regards

Houng Lau

A Success Story:

HIGH CHOLESTEROL: Instead of taking medication (drugs) for your high cholesterol, we have  a herbal equivalent which may help reduce your cholesterol. After taking herbs for  2 months  my patient’s bad cholesterol LDL was reduced from 4.5 to 3.8

IVF and ACUPUNCTURE FOR FERTILITY

For those that missed the Catalyst  on ABC last Thursday,

Here is the link  http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2008/04/03/2205046.htm