Acupuncture and Adrenal Fatigue

I started this blog because I have adrenal fatigue and estrogen dominance, which I have written about in earlier posts.  As I talked about, I have been on an extensive naturalistic protocol for over a year, and a few days ago I decided to have acupuncture to help assist with my recovery.

This was my first treatment, and I went to an experienced Chinese Medicine Doctor who used disposable needles, which he inserted for 20 minutes.  He also preformed cupping, using suction cups on my back to draw out the toxins.  This causes bruising, and the darker the color, the more treatments that are needed.   Actually, the Chinese medicine holds that these are not bruises, but toxins, and lymph coming out of the tissues.

As soon as I told him about the adrenal fatigue, he immediately associated it with a hormonal imbalance, and has treated this many times.  During the session he took my pulse on both wrists and looked at my tongue, which are indicators of general health.  The needles are inserted in meridians, or energy channels in the body.  I was told I was low on "Liver Energy," and it was recommended that I take cinnamon and ginseng supplements to help with vitality.

Based on the dark bruising, he said I would need 4 treatments, and that would heal the fatigue, although there might be a lag time for my sleeping to reduce to a normal 8-9 hours, due to the fact that my body will be coming out of exhaustion.

Of course, as I perused the Internet, Western Medicine practitioners stated that they had no evidence that acupuncture works better than a placebo.  But Western medicine still is way behind on diet--my Western Medicine Doctor visited his diabetic patient in the hospital, and there was only one thing on the meal plate good for the patient.

Western Medicine doesn't even acknowledge adrenal fatigue, although there was a segment on Dr. Oz (a mainstream indicator) about estrogen dominance, and Christine Northrup has a writeup of estrogen dominance on her blog.

Where will I place my bet?  On Western Medicine that could do absolutely nothing about my exhaustion?  Or on this acupuncturist, who has literally cured patients of pericardia (3 treatments--this patient had been in and out of the hospital for 3 months to no avail), infertility (1 treatment), chronic and debilitating neck pain (several treatments for a condition that had lasted 10 years.)

Well, we'll see.  I will report back after a few more treatments.  I do feel more energy, but certainly not enough after one treatment to say I'm cured.  Will acupuncture work?  More to come later...

A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix

GM crops cause disaster in India

Once again, Dr. Mercola wrote a great article explaining how GM crops have led to the suicides of many Indian farmers--such important information now that the Gates foundation is funding GM seeds for poor farmers worldwide....here is clip from Mercola's article.  Mercola has a GREAT free newsletter, which really provides wonderful information on holistic health at www.Mercola.com.

"According to a publication from the New York University School of Lawⁱ, in 2009 alone (the most recent year for which official figures are available) 17,638 Indian farmers committed suicide—that's one farmer every 30 minutes.

Bt Cotton is a Debt Trap

Bt cotton requires more pesticide sprayings than indigenous cotton—MANY times more. Bt cotton has created new resistant pests, and to control these, farmers must use 13 times more pesticides than they were using prior to its introduction. Rates of infestation by aphids, thrips, jassids, and other pests have risen since Bt cotton's introduction.

Meanwhile, yields for Bt cotton are disappointingly low. Monsanto claims Bt cotton will yield 1500 kg per year, but farmers have gotten only 300 to 400 kg per year, average. High costs and unreliable output make GM cotton a debt trap. According to Voltairenet.org:

'When Monsanto first introduced Bt cotton in 2002, the farmers lost one billion rupees due to crop failure. Instead of 1,500 kilos per acre as promised by the company, the harvest was as low as 200 kilos per acre. Instead of incomes of 10,000 rupees an acre, farmers ran into losses of 6,400 rupees an acre… Poor peasants of the South cannot survive seed monopolies. The crisis of suicides shows how the survival of small farmers is incompatible with the seed monopolies of global corporations.' 

      [Mercola then continues to explain]

1. Compared to traditional seed, genetically engineered seeds are very expensive and have to be repurchased every planting season
2. Genetically engineered crops require much more water to grow, have much higher requirements for fertilizer and pesticide, in spite of Monsanto's claims to the contrary and, in spite of their cost to farmers, provide NO increased yield..."

Right now there is a movement to label GM foods in the U.S.  GM crops are banned in many other countries, and in prior posts I have explained their dangers to health as well an article on World Food that talks about their dangers to poor farmers around the world.

A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix