Summer's here, and many of us are outdoors exercising more than ever! For some of us, this might mean an increase in soreness, achiness, or outright pain in joints that are slower to adapt to the increased stress. What can we do to support our joints? Most of us are familiar with the most common joint health supplements: glucosamine, MSM, omega-3 fatty acids, and turmeric, to name a few. These supplements can be very helpful in supporting joint mobility and relief from pain caused by inflammation. Less well-known are two supplements that may be considered the “backbone” of our joints: vitamin C and collagen. Collagen and Joint Health. Collagen is the most important protein in connective tiss

When striving for either decreased pain or optimal health having healthy joints can play a serious role. In addition to improving the ability to exercise, keeping joints healthy can help improve circulation and posture. In this article we will look at the correlation between joint health, exercise, posture, and circulation. We will also discuss a couple things that you can do to help your body maintain healthy joints. First, if you have arthritis (inflammation of a joint) it will be painful to move or bend that joint. If the joint in question is weight bearing than it will obviously be more difficult to exercise because of pain. This becomes a "catch-22", as we know that exercise is a v

Researchers at the Hong Kong School of Traditional Chinese Medicine demonstrated improvement in chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis in just 6 treatments over a 2-week period. Forty participants with roughly equivalent scores in knee pain in both a neutral, non-active state and when climbing stairs, received specific acupuncture knee protocols three times a week for two weeks. Conventional acupuncture treatments were compared with treatment that combines two points deep-needled alongside the patellar ligament, including the addition of electroacupuncture. Researchers found that deep-needling these two points resulted in significantly greater post-treatment results than more conventional a

Chinese herbal therapy for dermatological conditions such as acne and eczema, is a science of its own. This is partly because Chinese herbal medicine is not a "one size fits all". We do have standard formulas for specific conditions. But when it comes to more complex internal issues, a good Chinese herbal practitioner will need to differentiate carefully between symptoms, so as to provide the right formula. Both acne and eczema involve inflammation, which in Chinese medicine is referred to as "Heat". When the rash is oozing, or the acne contains pus, this is referred to as "Damp Heat" and the herbal formula will be different from dry "Heat" type rashes or acne which are usually more itchy an

Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a red, itchy rash that affects up to 30 million Americans, many of whom are children. Ranging in severity from mild, slightly itchy dry patches in small isolated areas, to angry, inflamed, painful rashes covering large portions of the body, eczema can make a person anywhere from annoyed to miserable. Conventional medicine considers eczema to have no known cause. Therapy usually includes steroidal cream that suppresses the immune response causing the inflammation. Eczema sufferers are often condemned to applying the creams for the rest of their lives. Functional medicine on the other hand, views eczema as an over-reaction of the immune system to a perceived th

Researchers recently at Beijing Erlong Road Hospital investigated the treatment effectiveness of acupuncture combined with herbal facial masks. They discovered a 96.67% total effectiveness rate. This is another confirmation by a number of clinical studies conducted in China on the positive effects of acupuncture and herbs on several types of acne. In an analysis of 43 clinical studies of the effect of acupuncture on 5 different types of acne in 2012, researchers found that acupuncture synergistically enhances the effects of therapeutic regimes (such as herbs) and leads to better patient outcomes. Better yet, with a combination of 3500 patients represented in the studies, none reported advers