A good research article

So, people like to ask how acupuncture works.  When asking this question, one can come up with a variety of responses ranging from scientific to totally esoteric.  I prefer a blend of the two myself.  I like to hear about the science and I like to revel in the magic, all at the same time. However, when a good research study comes into your hands it's pretty mind blowing.  I like this research article as it talks about the anatomy of the back shu points. These are points that the ancient Chinese found by experimenting and observing a persons response to having needles put into this certain point.  Back then they did not cut animals open, keep them alive and stick needles in them and write everything down according to the scientific method, yet they still found points that caused physiologic changes in a person, then they deciphered what the changes meant.  In this day and age of the scientific method we find that these points (I am specifically talking about the back shu points of the bladder channel) line up with axons and dendrites of the nervous system along the spine, and thus by manipulating these points you are indeed causing a response to the nervous system that affects target organs and induces a physiologic response in the body.  I find this both logical and magical myself.  Here is the article I am talking about, please read if you are interested:

http://www.neuroanatomy.org/2009/032_035.pdf

Thanks Minda

A dear friend of mine recently sent me an article from the New York Review of Books, entitled The crazy State of Psychiatry, by Marcia Angell. I found this article very interesting, and a kind of reassurance to why I choose the subject that I am currently studying, TCM.   The beginning of the article starts with the subheading, "The Epidemic of Mental Illness, Why?".  The statistics under this subheading show that people who Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance increased "nearly two and a half times between 1987 and 2007- from 1 in 184 Americans to 1 in 76.... and a thirty five percent increase in the same two decades for children" (Angell, M. 2011). The main theme of the article is why? If we have some of the best psychiatric drugs on the market, why do we see more today than ever before.  The article continues to postulate that the drugs on the market are indeed, not the best things people with mental illness could be given, but instead, more detrimental, and causing more illness.  Further more, there is an idea that the criteria for mental illness are becoming less rigid, and opening more and more symptoms up to be interpreted as a sign for mental illness.  Psychiatrists themselves are moving away from psycho analysis, and talk time with patients, and moving toward relegating symptoms to drug categories, and simply prescribing haphazardly.  The article is very open minded in the sense that is concedes that there are some people, and some illnesses that do benefit to some of these drugs, but that mostly pharmaceutical companies are the main benefactors of these drug sales, and not the other way around.  Here is a quote from the article.

When Minnesota and Vermont implemented "sinshine laws" that require drug companies to report all payments to doctors, psychiatrists were found to receive more money than physicians in any other specialty. The pharmaceutical industry also subsidizes meetings of the APA and other psychiatric conferences. About a fifth of APA funding now comes from the drug companies" (Angell, M, 2011). 

Big business generally does not spend money if they do not gain from it in some way, I think most people can agree big business, especially pharmaceuticals has never been known for it's amazing works of philanthropy. The article then explores the effects of anti-psychotics, and anti- depressants on the brain. These drugs over time cause the brains pre-frontal cortex to "slowly atrophy", causing lifelong damage. Obviously I am paraphrasing this article immensely and would suggest that anyone who is interested in this topic read the article, as it is very thought provoking. Mostly what I got from the article is an idea or more confirmation I should say, in our diseases medical system, but also the public's loss of belief in their bodies natural abilities to heal itself, and an emotional dependency on pills.  I had begun to loose my belief as well, when dealing with even benign issues such as acne, so I can't imagine how daunting it must feel to people who are dealing with mental illness.  SO I choose to study natural health, and I do firmly believe there are better alternatives to drug cocktails for almost everything.  The article spoke largely of children who are now being given anti-psychotic drugs, some "500,000", and "ten percent of ten year old boys" take medication for ADHD. These    statistics make me think of my dad.  My father was a drug addict his entire life.  He grew up in a household with one alcoholic parent and one who was emotionally unstable and a pill popper.  He was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, and given something akin to Ritalin.  It is my opinion that he probably needed love and attention a little more than he needed drugs, but sadly his was a highly dysfunctional household so drugs was what he got the most of.  It is no wonder to me, that for the the rest of his 50 years of life he was never able to feel normal without some sort of chemical intervention, and he never did learn to love or believe in himself, his body, and all of his abilities.  This is the reason I choose TCM, I want to help foster a belief in one's body, and a more holistic and natural approach to Health.

Back At It.

I'm back!
I took a little break as it was finals week, then I was on vacation from school, then I needed to get myself back in the mode of being in school. So, now I am trying to maintain my blog and dedicate myself to posting about once a week again.  So this is what's new with me.....

1. I switched to the 4 year track at OCOM. I feel that this will help me create more of a school, life, work balance.  I don't want to quit my job, I don't know how I could live just off of student loans, plus I like my job so why quit.  Also, on the 4 year track I will be able to take more elective courses that I would be too busy to take on the 3 year track.  Speaking of elective courses.....

2. I signed up for a beginners mandarin class.  In school we have to learn so much in Chinese, names of things, that we don't understand.  I think having even a rudimentary understanding of the language will help me a lot.  Also, I like languages.  Which reminds me I need to practice my German way more :(

3. I am still trying to work on balancing my life a little more, giving myself some free time, spending time with loved ones, doing well at school, doing well at work.  I feel like I can have it all, so I am working on making that possible for me!

4. I moved to a new house and the tiniest angel is going to come live with me soon! Yay, here is a picture to show you all what an angel she is!

And that is me in a nutshell for now.  I will try to post once a week again with things that I am learning and just life in general :)
D.