A study explored how acupuncture could help manage menopause symptoms in breast cancer patients. It discovered that while acupuncture effectively relieved general menopause symptoms, it didn’t significantly reduce hot flushes in patients undergoing medical menopause due to breast cancer treatments. For those concerned about hormone therapy’s side effects, acupuncture might serve as an alternative.
Method
The study, accessible at this link focused on breast cancer patients experiencing hot flushes due to medical menopause. Instead of traditional hormone therapy, some patients chose acupuncture. The research reviewed various randomised clinical trials involving 844 women, averaging 58 years old, using Cochrane criteria to assess the acupuncture’s effectiveness.
Result
The analysis showed that while acupuncture didn’t notably impact the frequency and severity of hot flushes (p = 0.34; p = 0.33), it did significantly improve overall menopause symptoms (p = 0.009). No severe adverse effects were reported from acupuncture treatment.
Conclusion
Acupuncture emerges as an effective method to alleviate menopause symptoms for breast cancer patients. However, its influence on hot flushes appears limited. For those worried about hormone therapy’s repercussions, considering acupuncture as an alternative is recommended. Further large-scale studies exploring biomarkers or cytokines could deepen our understanding of how acupuncture aids in managing menopause symptoms in breast cancer patients.
At the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, researchers are delving deep into the mysteries of acupuncture for treating asthma. Their work could lead to a breakthrough anti-asthma medication targeting specific acupuncture points on the back. But what really goes on at the molecular level behind this ancient therapy?
Deciphering Acupuncture’s Effects
In the latest issue of “Science Translational Medicine” from February 8, 2018, Professor Yang Yongqing and his team showcased remarkable progress after nearly a decade of studying acupuncture’s impact on asthma and identifying potential targets.
Their research not only uncovered new targets through clinical trials but also shed light on how acupuncture triggers various protein reactions in the body. They even found promising molecules mimicking acupuncture’s effects, possibly evolving into versatile “acupuncture drugs.”
Editorial Acclaim
The editor-in-chief of “Science” praised these findings, marking a milestone for traditional Chinese medicine. It’s the first time such practitioners have published original scientific work with independent rights in a specialized journal. It’s also the first confirmation of a new asthma target by Chinese scientists.
Traditional Wisdom Meets Modern Science
Asthma, commonly treated with medications, often comes with side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine, however, has long relied on acupuncture at specific points to improve respiratory function in patients like Shao Jingming did. This wisdom, refined over decades, still holds promise today.
How Acupuncture Works For Asthma
Professor Yang’s team dug into how acupuncture helps asthma. Using mouse models, they honed in on Metallothionein-2 (MT-2) as crucial in alleviating symptoms. By understanding its interaction with Transgelin-2, they revealed how acupuncture eases breathing.
Pioneering New Treatments
Their study also uncovered potential “acupuncture drugs.” Collaborating since 2003, they identified molecules with bronchial-dilating properties similar to acupuncture. These could be the next wave of anti-asthma medications, bridging traditional and modern medicine.
New Frontiers in Asthma Care
Targeting Transgelin-2 offers fresh solutions for asthma treatment, as highlighted by “Science” reviewers. This approach ensures China’s leadership in acupuncture research, blending traditional wisdom with modern technology. Ultimately, acupuncture and its derived drugs offer a holistic approach to asthma treatment.
31-year-old Sarah came to see me at Almond Wellness Centre, our acupuncture Chinese medicine clinic. Sarah had been trying to get pregnant for over a year without any success, and was concerned that her short menstrual cycles might be hindering her chances.
Sarah’s period was so short that she almost had two periods in one month. Her first period lasts for 5 days, normal flow with mild cramping and some PMS. She then has another period a few days later. The second “period” is light or spotting only, with clear stretching discharge and some cramping or sharp pain on the sides of lower abdomen.
I suggested her to do ovulation test and check her basal body temperature (BBT). From her BBT and ovulation history we discovered that she was not actually having two periods in one month, but was experiencing ovulation bleeding instead.
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So, what is ovulation bleeding?
Ovulation bleeding is light bleeding or spotting that occurs during ovulation.
The exact cause of ovulation bleeding is not clear, but it is thought to be related to changes in hormone levels that occur during ovulation. The surge in oestrogen and luteinising hormone that triggers ovulation can cause some women to experience spotting or light bleeding.
Does ovulation bleeding affect fertility?
Ovulation bleeding is generally not a concern; however, it may affect chances of getting pregnant. For instance, Sarah thought that she was having period. She avoided having intercourse during that period time, therefore missed her fertile windows and had difficulty to get pregnant.
Chinese medicine and ovulation bleeding
In Chinese medicine, ovulation bleeding is seen as a sign of disharmony in the body’s energy, or qi. This disharmony can be caused by a variety of factors, including stress, poor diet, and hormonal imbalances. A Chinese medicine practitioner will work to identify the root cause of the problem and develop a customised management plan. In addition, dietary and lifestyle changes may be recommended to support your overall health and improve your chances of getting pregnant.
Because Sarah was avoiding intercourse during her bleeding time, she was actually missing her fertile windows, which made it more difficult for her to conceive. After following her treatment plan and other advice, her period became more regular and her ovulation bleeding stopped. She could “time it right” – having intercourse during her fertile windows. A few months later Sarah successfully became pregnant, much to her delight and relief.
So, if you are experiencing two periods in one month, with light flow or unusual spotting or discharge, you may actually be experiencing ovulation bleeding. Don’t let ovulation bleeding or any other menstrual irregularities get in the way of your dreams of becoming pregnant. With the right treatment and care, you can improve your chances of conception and start your journey towards motherhood.
It’s worth noting that while some people respond positive to Chinese medicine treatment on fertility outcomes, others have found no significant benefits. You should consult with your fertility specialist and registered Chinese medicine practitioner before start any treatment.
Chemotherapy can sometimes lower your platelet count, which increases the risk of bleeding and other complications. Chinese herbal medicine has been used for centuries to treat various health issues, including low platelet counts. Some scientific evidence suggests that these herbs might help boost platelet counts during chemotherapy, but more research is needed.
How Can Chinese Herbal Medicine Help?
Our registered Chinese medicine practitioners will assess your overall health and make a Pattern Diagnosis based on Chinese medicine principles. They will then recommend an herbal formula and treatment plan tailored to the severity of your low platelet count.
You can use Chinese herbal medicine alongside other treatments, but always under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
Research and Reviews
Shen Cao Granules Study: This study found that Shen Cao granules helped reduce low platelet counts in chemotherapy patients with gastrointestinal cancer. It also shortened the duration of low platelet counts and reduced hospital stays and costs.
Chang Gung Platelet Elevating Formula (CGPEF): A 2018 study on gynecologic cancer patients showed that CGPEF might increase platelet counts during chemotherapy. The study was small, so more research is needed.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: A review of 12 trials found that Chinese herbal medicine could increase platelet counts and reduce bleeding risks in chemotherapy patients. However, more studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Summary
Chinese herbal medicine has traditionally been used to boost platelet counts. Always consult your doctor and a registered Chinese medicine practitioner to ensure safe and effective treatment.
References
Chunfeng Yu et al., “Effects of Shen Cao Granules on Chemotherapy-Induced Thrombocytopenia in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” Integrative Cancer Therapies, 2019.
Yi-Hong Wu et al., “Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine Improves Chemotherapy-Induced Thrombocytopenia among Gynecological Cancer,” Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2018.
Li YX et al., “Effectiveness of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Improving Platelet Count among Patients with Chemotherapy-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” BMC Complement Altern Med, 2017.
We wish you happy holidays and have a very joyful New Year. We hope that the new year brings your family much happiness and health. Take care of yourselves and see you when you need help next time.
Dr. Richard Zeng will be away from 18th Dec to 18th Jan and will be back to work on 20th Jan. However, both our Ringwood and Coburg clinics are open throughout Christmas and New Year, expect the major holidays.
曾医生假期从12月18日始，1月20日起正常应诊。整脊师 Daniel 12月23日至1月9日， 1月10日起正常应诊
Practitioners available at Ringwood clinic / Ringwood 门诊医生:
Dr. Ruby Hou (Chinese Medicine) : Wednesday, Saturdays
侯医生：周三，五
Ken Gao : Monday, Thursday, Friday
高医生：周一，四，五
Richard Yates: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturdays, Sunday
Practitioners available at Coburg clinic / Coburg 门诊医生:
Dr. Ruby Hou (Chinese Medicine): Monday, Friday
侯医生：周一，六
Dr. Tracey Byrne (Chinese medicine): Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
Ken Gao (Dry needling, Remedial Massage): Wednesday, Saturday
高医生：周三，六
If you are having any health issues, please reach out to us and we will make arrangements for you to be treated by one of our trusted associates here at Almond Wellness Centre.
Recently, there has been a large increase in the number of patients who come to our clinic for neck related symptoms. In addition to neck shoulder and back pain, some people may don’t known that their symptoms are neck related, such as vertigo, dizziness, numbness in the fingers, sore arms, palpitations and anxiety.
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Due to Covid-19 restrictions in the past two years, many people get used to use mobile phones at home, and even addict to them. People surf the Internet, and connect others more often on social medias such as facebook, instagram, Wechat, or watch movies/videos on youtube/Tiktok. And, it took a long time.
The use of smartphones can easily lead to neck related diseases for two reasons:
Firstly, the pressure on neck increases.
When using a mobile phone, you lower your head more, and your cervical spine tilts more forward than when you are sitting and looking straight. This increases the pressure on the cervical spine.
Secondly, using a mobile phone is more addictive.
The time spent on the phone is often much longer than you think. Many of our patients use their phones for more than 5-6 hours a day, and it’s not uncommon for some to exceed 12 hours!
Excessive smartphone use can trigger or worsen neck-related symptoms. It has become the new “pandemic” during Covid 19.
Here is a reminder for everyone – Please check your phone’s screen time, preferably no more than 2 hours a day.
An estimated 15% of couples in the world suffer from infertility. According to a survey in 2013 by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Optimization (NICE) in the United Kingdom, male factors have become the main reason for infertile couples to use assisted reproductive therapy (ART).
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Male infertility is mainly diagnosed by routine semen analysis (WHO standard), including semen volume, concentration, vitality and morphology.
Although studies have shown that semen quality and ART outcome are correlated, until now, we have not found a conventional semen threshold that can predict the success of ART.
Recent studies have shown that sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), including sperm DNA single-strand breaks and double-strand breaks, are all related to male infertility factors, which can adversely affect the male reproductive system and increase the risk of genetic diseases in offspring .
Two previous Meta-analysis studies have shown that SDF is related to ART failure and repeated pregnancy loss.
However, human sperm itself does not have DNA repair activity (DRA). Once fertilised, DRA mainly depends on the transcripts produced during the maturation of the oocyte to repair it. The ability of oocytes to repair SDF depends on the degree of fragmentation of SDF and the quality of oocytes.
Therefore, reproductive medicine researchers from Sao Paulo, Brazil, conducted research on women’s age and SDF and the outcome of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) assisted pregnancy.
Amanda Souza Setti et al. collected 540 couples who underwent ICSI at the centre from May 2017 to December 2019, and divided the ICSI cycle into three groups according to the age of the woman: ≤36 years old (285 cases), 37-40 years old ( 147 cases) and >40 years old (108 cases).
Sperm chromatin diffusion test was used to evaluate the SDF of semen specimens.
For each age group, according to the SDF index, the ICSI cycle is divided into two subgroups: low fragmentation index (SDF <30%) and high fragmentation index (SDF ≥ 30%).
Summarised and analysed the outcome indicators such as embryo implantation rate, pregnancy rate and abortion rate.
The study found that: for young patients (36 years old) and patients between 37-40 years old, whether SDF <30% or SDF ≥ 30%, the laboratory and clinical results of the ICSI cycle were not significantly different.
When female patients are older than 40 years old, compared with SDF<30%, in an ICSI cycle with SDF ≥ 30%, the rate of D3 high-quality embryo acquisition (54.4% vs 33.1%) and the rate of blastocyst formation (49.6% vs 30. 2%), pregnancy rate (20.0%vs7.7%) and implantation rate (19.7%vs11.9%) were significantly reduced, while miscarriage rate (12.5%vs100.0%) increased.
Results
This study showed older oocytes, when injected with sperm derived from samples with high SDF (Sperm DNA Fragmentation) index, develop into embryos of poor quality that lead consequently to lower implantation and pregnancy rates and higher miscarriage rates, in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles from women with advanced maternal age.
The results of this study are of great significance to clinical work:
Women’s age cannot be changed, but male SDF can be improved through diet, environment, lifestyle changes, antioxidant and other therapies.
This study may provide new ideas for improving the ART pregnancy rate of elderly couples and reducing the abortion rate.
Reference:
Oocyte ability to repair sperm DNA fragmentation: the impact of maternal age on intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes
Fertility and Sterility (IF7.329), Pub Date : 2021-02-13, DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.10.045
Amanda Souza Setti, Daniela Paes de Almeida Ferreira Braga, Rodrigo Rosa Provenza, Assumpto Iaconelli, Edson Borges
COVID-19 has changed the way we live our everyday lives and there is no sign that it will end any time soon. With the periodic and unpredictable lockdowns, we have all had to quickly adapt to this new lifestyle. With more and more online studies, children are using digital devices almost every day. As such, internet dependence/addiction has become a common issue.
Addiction to digital devices causes many bad habits. From losing hours or sleep to losing motivation for fitness and wellbeing, many of our children are spending hours engaging in YouTube or TikTok video clips instead of achieving something more meaningful. These bad habits reduce dopamine production and release, which results in emotional numbness and negative feelings. The rates of anxiety and depression are skyrocketing.
As parents, we want our children to stay away from overuse of electronic devices and feel better. Owing to lockdown, it has become one of the biggest challenges.
Recognise and Accept
Ignoring or trying to change how your kids think or feel won’t work. Lecturing them about their internet usage only creates more fights. Keep in mind that most of them would play sports or meet friends if it were allowed. Allow your children to have and express their feelings in a healthy way if they are anxious, impatient or frustrated. Give time for them to settle. Just being there for them already means a lot. Admitting and accepting that their feelings are true and real can relax their young souls.
11 Ways to Interact with Your Child Under 12
Here are 11 ways for you to interact with children under 12 years to keep them away from digital devices:
Encourage them to write down or draw their present feelings or a place that relaxes your child. (e.g. mountain, ocean, different season.)
Go on a 10 minute walk together.
Listen to music.
Take a bath.
Give every family member a hug.
Play with clay/play-doh (the sensation of touch is engaging and allows them to just be in present moment)
Stretch for 10 minutes.
Read an article or a story.
Dance to and/or sing a song (or a few songs)!
Make a dessert (foods like jelly and egg tarts are simple and easy to make).
Do an experiment (make your own Oobleck: this only uses cornflour, water and some food colour – and it’ll keep your kids occupied for a whole afternoon!).
3-Minute Mindfulness Breathing Exercises To Engage The Five Senses
Mindfulness breathing exercises can help to calm your child. Here is a simple 3-minute exercise for you to do with your child:
Firstly, take a few deep breaths slowly, then
Ask your child to name three things that they can see
Ask your child to name three things that they can hear
Ask your child to name three things that they can feel
Ask your child to name three things that they can smell
Let your child sip some water and ask them to name three feelings while they can feel the water down their throat
5 Topics to Explore Your Teenage Child’s Thoughts
Once your child is in a calmer state of mind, they are more likely to chat with you about how they are feeling. Building a solid relationship between you and your child enables you to participate more in your child’s life.
Below are 5 topics that might be interesting for you to explore more about your teenager children’s thoughts and plan for the future.
How is your child prioritizing their tasks throughout the day?
What are their interests and/or hobbies?
What are their goals for the future in terms of further study or career direction?
Do they need help in setting and achieving study goals?
What do they value in life?
We hope that this article gives you some ideas about how to calm and be present with your child during this chaotic COVID-19 pandemic.
31-year-old Sarah came to see me at Almond Wellness Centre, our acupuncture Chinese medicine clinic. Sarah had been trying to get pregnant for over a year without any success, and was concerned that her short menstrual cycles might be hindering her chances.
In Chinese medicine, ovulation bleeding is seen as a sign of disharmony in the body’s energy, or qi. This disharmony can be caused by a variety of factors, including stress, poor diet, and hormonal imbalances. A Chinese medicine practitioner will work to identify the root cause of the problem and develop a customised management plan. In addition, dietary and lifestyle changes may be recommended to support your overall health and improve your chances of getting pregnant.
