In This Issue... - Think You Need to Take Costly Drugs to Lower Your Blood Pressure? Think Again!
- Ear Seeds Help Weight Loss, Insomnia, Depression, Pain and More -- How to Find an Auricular Therapist Who Practices This Unique Form of Acupuncture
- Arthritis Vanishes So Fast I Am in a State of Shock! Free Recipe Requires Just Two Ingredients...
- Artificial Sweetener May Cause Weight Gain -- Sugar Substitutes Leave Appetite Wanting More
THINK YOU NEED TO TAKE COSTLY DRUGS TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE? THINK AGAIN! If you've got high blood pressure, your doctor has probably told you to take drugs to control it for the rest of your life. But not only are these medications often loaded with dangerous side effects, your average out-of-pocket cost can run as high as $1,116 a year! Now there's a safer, less costly way to drop your blood pressure to normal. Plus you're guaranteed to see results in as little as four to seven weeks! This new blood pressure breakthrough is 100% natural, yet it's not a supplement. It's so effective, over 90% of people who use it are able to drop their blood pressure to normal. What's more, at least 60% of those using medication to control hypertension are able to cut back on or get off drugs for good! Find out why The Harvard Heart Letter in their December 2006 issue reports this proven therapy "has been shown to lower blood pressure as much as a first-line anti-hypertension drug" and "may be money well-spent..." It works so well, a growing number of doctors and cardiologists now recommend this therapy to patients and use it to lower their own blood pressure! Get the full scoop on this breakthrough solution right now. It's just one click away...
Ear Seeds Help Weight Loss, Insomnia, Depression, Pain and More At a family picnic a few months ago, my cousin raved about a form of acupuncture that brought her almost immediate relief from the depression, anxiety and insomnia she'd wrestled with for months. Called auricular (ear) therapy, this sub-type of acupuncture involves insertion of very small needles or taping tiny metal "seeds" onto various places in the ear. Auricular therapy can be useful in beating back demons like smoking, alcohol or drug addiction... helpful for people seeking to lose weight... soothing for chronic pain, as with arthritis... useful for treating nausea and high blood pressure... and for numerous other problems, including those related to mood. My cousin told me that the night after her first treatment, she slept soundly and woke up feeling free from the sense of doom that had long engulfed her. HOW DOES IT WORK? Acupuncture of the ear has been popular in China for centuries, but what's been known as auricular therapy was developed in the 1950s when a French doctor named Paul Nogier, MD, mapped specific sites, called points, on the ear based on the shape of a fetus (or homunculus). Take a careful look at a human ear, probably someone else's, and see if you can detect the outline of an inverted fetus. This may challenge your imagination, but the concept is important -- it is the key to understanding how auricular therapy works. This "ear map" is how the acupuncturist finds the particular points that correspond to the problem area of the patient's body. Though the exact mechanism that makes auricular therapy effective isn't clear, a possible explanation is that stimulating certain nerves sends signals to the brain, generating a reflex response that sends soothing sensations to the targeted body part. EXPERT INSIGHTS INTO AURICULAR THERAPY To find out more about this unusual therapy, I spoke with Jeff Zimmerman, OMD, LAc, a doctor of Oriental medicine and licensed acupuncturist in Westport, Connecticut. He told me he likes to use auricular therapy in conjunction with other types of acupuncture, though many practitioners treat certain types of problems with ear therapy alone. Most practitioners begin a session with a discussion of your motivation for wanting to, say, cut back on or stop drinking alcohol. You may be asked what obstacles have presented challenges in previous efforts, since treatment is tailored not just to your problem but also to how it interacts with your life. Depending on the specific way you experience the problem (e.g., drink until you pass out versus become a loud and angry drunk), different points will be used. How many seeds or needles a practitioner uses varies -- Dr. Zimmerman says he secures about five to seven seeds per ear under a small adhesive dressing (like tape), which should stay in place until the next treatment. Patients learn how to massage the points where the seeds are, thereby activating their effect at least three times a day and/or when they need relief from pain or anxiety or have an urge for the forbidden substance. This massaging may even help them when the seeds are removed. Dr. Zimmerman says some of his patients have triumphed over a bad smoking habit after just one session, but that the general routine for an addiction treatment is six weekly sessions and then perhaps continuing another month or two after those. Some patients need "tune-up" therapy from time to time, and he noted that patients who seek auricular therapy for chronic pain or depression may want to return for a treatment every few months or so to keep their energy flowing freely. PRACTICAL POINTERS Auricular therapy is not covered by all health insurance plans, but may be paid for as part of acupuncture. However, even insurers who won't cover the primary cost of treatments may allow you to deduct them from a flexible spending account -- check your policy. Prices vary considerably, depending on where you live and the kind of training your practitioner has had, with $50 or $60 per half-hour session a good ballpark estimate. When looking for a practitioner, Zimmerman says to check for certification by the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, www.nccaom.org) and licensing by your state specifically for acupuncture. Before you book, inquire about his/her experience in treating your particular problem. He adds that it is important to be an educated consumer -- ask around for information about the person you are considering and trust your instincts when you meet. Source(s):
Jeffrey Zimmerman, OMD, LAc, once a classical musician, is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, acupuncturist, martial artist and Qigong master in Westport, Connecticut.
ARTHRITIS VANISHES SO FAST I AM IN A STATE OF SHOCK! FREE RECIPE REQUIRES JUST TWO INGREDIENTS... Huh? How can a recipe for gin-soaked raisins qualify as the arthritis remedy of the century? Hey, this was your decision! In the past few months, savvy readers like yourself have been writing in stunned with amazement about their personal results from the Wilen Sisters' secret raisin remedy. But we can understand your skepticism. So, rather than tease you any longer, we're reproducing a short version of the recipe right here...
Artificial Sweetener May Cause Weight Gain Wouldn't it be ironic if something that's supposed to help you lose weight actually causes weight gain? While most people believe that using low- or no-calorie sweeteners is a helpful strategy when trying to shed pounds, some researchers are saying don't be so sure. Susan Swithers, PhD, an associate professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University, led a study involving rats fed yogurt sweetened with either glucose, a natural sugar, or saccharin, a non-caloric artificial sweetener derived from -- believe it or not -- coal tar. The results turned conventional wisdom on its head: Based on a series of experiments, the animals fed the artificially sweetened food consumed more calories and gained more weight and more body fat than the animals in the glucose group. All of these differences were statistically significant. The researchers believe Pavlovian conditioning, a form of learning that involves associating events with their outcomes, may explain the phenomenon. It seems a sweet taste primes the body for the arrival of calories, leading to physiological changes such as rise in body temperature and release of hormones like insulin. But when the animals who were fed the artificial sweetener didn't receive as many calories as their bodies expected, they still gained weight. What's more, their body temperature was low compared with the animals in the natural sugar group, meaning that they tended not to burn calories. Dr. Swithers said that if the same mechanism occurs in humans, then people who use low- or no-calorie sweeteners over time could gain weight. The findings are important, given that obesity rates have risen to 30% today, compared with 15% in 1987. In 1987, the number of people consuming sugar-free sweetener products rose from less than 70 million to more than 160 million in 2000. Is a link probable? There has been an increase in the use of no- and low-calorie sweetened foods, but critics point out that portion sizes and overall calorie intake have also increased, while physical activity has decreased. Besides, they argue, findings in animal studies may not apply to people. WHAT ELSE TO BLAME? The Purdue researchers agree that artificial sweeteners (including saccharin and other substitutes) aren't the sole cause of obesity, but contend they may be a contributing factor, saying that other studies corroborate their findings. (See Daily Health News, March 28, 2006, for more on this topic.) But what about the belief that people who use artificial sweeteners lose weight? "Some people can lose weight by using a conscious process like counting calories. For them, artificial sweeteners used in moderation may be useful," says Dr. Swithers. "But artificial sweeteners may derail the unconscious process in which sweet taste predicts the delivery of calories, and actually make it physiologically harder to lose weight." Source(s):
Susan Swithers, PhD, an associate professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
Required Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. | 
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