“Six years ago I was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. Menieres is known as an inner ear disorder that causes a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, tinnitus/ringing in the ear, fluctuating hearing loss, and episodes of vertigo/spinning. Unfortunately, the origin of Meniere’s disease is presently unfounded and for that reason, I was faced with many variables and ‘what ifs’ in the scope of coping with this disorder or the hopes of ever getting better and being ‘attack’ free.

“I tried multiple options to lessen my symptoms in the hopes of creating a higher quality of life for myself and indirectly for my family, as they were greatly affected by my immobility during the lengthy attacks and the aftermath of the attacks, which would leave me exhausted for days at a time.

“I turned to Eastern Medical Center for help, and I am incredibly happy to say I have experienced great progress in my health and stand symptom free of a debilitating disorder.”

“Under the care of Westernized thinking, I was instructed to take an over-the-counter anti-nausea medication called Meclizine in addition to an antihistamine. The reason given was that this route worked for some of the patients some of the time. Being the good patient that I was, I did as I was told despite my apprehensions. I probably took these OTC medications for three and a half years, religiously, sometimes two to three times in one day depending on how I felt. I didn’t feel good about popping these OTC medications like candy every day for the rest of my life, as I was instructed to do. The clincher was when I was informed that there was no real way of knowing as to whether the OTC medications were actually working but to continue using anyway.

“Sadly, after the three-year mark of being symptom free, I found myself dealing with an attack that lasted 12 hours. The attack set me back both physically and emotionally. I became slightly depressed, anxious, and felt helpless. I felt fatigued all the time and this was frustrating as I have always considered myself to be an active person. Upon returning to my Western doctor in search of help, I was told to continue taking the OTC medications despite the recent episode. I was also offered a prescription for Valium to ‘take the edge off’ during any future attacks. This didn’t make any sense to me, as I didn’t want to take a drug that could potentially be addicting, as well as the impossible feat of being able to keep the prescribed medication in my stomach while vomiting profusely. My other options in the Western frame of mind was to possibly undergo a procedure that would inject a high potency antibiotic into the inner ear causing the probability of permanent hearing loss to increase dramatically and with no guarantee that it would relieve the symptoms. Unbelievably, that was the least intrusive procedure, the alternative procedure was explained literally as ‘a step away from brain surgery.’ Need I say more!

“It was after that visit when all my dismal options were layed out for me I realized I needed to seek out alternative choices in dealing with my disorder, as the Western way of approaching symptoms no longer made much sense to me. I turned to Eastern Medical Center for help, and I am incredibly happy to say I have experienced great progress in my health and stand symptom free of a debilitating disorder. I began seeing Dr Shen shortly after the occurrence of my last attack, back in January 2010. In the months I have been undergoing acupuncture and taking herbal medications — both purely natural treatments — I have gone from the state of having fullness in the ear, moderate ringing in the ear, and the feeling of exhaustion to a gradual transgression into a symptom free person who has her energy level back to its normal state. The extremely promising aspect for me is that as a person who has been living with Meniere’s, my symptoms in the past have always followed a natural progression into a full-blown attack. Since seeking out the help of the Eastern Medical Center, the typical progression of  my disorder has become non-existent and I am truly forever grateful.”  —Amanda C.

Click here for many more testimonials and Eastern Medical Center success stories!

She didn’t know what else to do. So after someone told her about acupuncture,  she came to Eastern Medical Center. After I talked to her at length and checked her tongue and her pulses, I realized that had a lot of fluid in her body. I gave her herbs to reduce the fluid and did acupuncture, which increased her body’s healing ability to move out dampness.

After the first sessions, she noticed a few small changes. But after coming back twice a week for two months, she experienced a sharp decrease in pain; her ears weren’t filling up as much, either. Now she has no symptoms and just comes in once a month for maintenance.

(You can read a testimonial from the patient here.)

It’s possible to get relief from Meniere’s disease with acupuncture. Unlike western medicine, acupuncture isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, I used a totally different method with another Meniere’s disease patient that was centered on her heart channel. Each person requires a different treatment and reacts differently to treatment. That’s why I spend a lot of time getting to know my patients, talking to them and figuring out what’s going on and where they are at.

If you suffer from Meniere’s disease, or another illness where you aren’t getting relief from your physician, come to Eastern Medical Center. I’ll take the time to understand your specific case — and help you get on the path to wellness.

I can safely say that patients are delighted when they come in for one thing  — and find improvement in another area.

So when people ask me if acupuncture has side effects, I say yes! But it’s not the kind of side effects you find on the label of a prescription drug bottle. Instead, these are positive side effects, the result of balancing out your body. And when you balance out the body, good things happen.

Here’s how it works: The body’s systems and organs are connected. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, we have five elements — water, wood, earth, fire and metal. Each corresponds to an organ: The bladder and kidney represent water; the gallbladder and liver represent wood; the spleen and stomach represent earth; the small intestines and heart represent fire; and the lungs and large intestines represent metal.

These elements rely on each other for balance. For instance, you can’t just have water because you would be cold, heavy and stagnant. If you only had fire, on the other hand, you’d be bouncing off the walls. When we treat a symptom, we balance the elements. So it’s no surprise that other symptoms go away.

There are a few minor things to look out for after a treatment: Some people report soreness. This isn’t a bad thing. Acupuncture stimulates the body, which can release toxins and create the same kind of effect that vigorous exercise can have.

Others report that they feel tired after a session. One of my patients told me that he went home and slept the rest of the day! This just means that you really needed the treatment. Or it could indicate that you didn’t give yourself enough time after the session to transition back into the world. So remember to take it slow. Don’t try to run a marathon! You are trying to heal, and if you use all your energy and direct it somewhere else, it’s just not wise.

The effects of a treatment are very individual. It really depends on how much you want the change, what other things you are doing in conjunction with acupuncture and how long you’ve been dealing with a certain issue. Acupuncture can work for new conditions or those you’ve had for years. Everyone is different. But in general the sooner you take care of it, the better.

I look forward to seeing you soon so you can benefit from acupuncture’s positive side effects.

I am a member of the American Pregnancy Association, a wonderful organization promoting pregnancy wellness. Their Web site is an exceptional resource for all things relating to pregnancy and infertility, and they also have sections that go into treating infertility with acupuncture and herbal medicine in great detail.

Here’s a brief excerpt from their article on treating infertility using acupuncture:

“Acupuncture can be used to treat any type of fertility disorder including spasmed tubes. (Spasmed tubes are often de-spasmed with acupuncture, though blocked tubes will not respond to acupuncture). Acupuncture is often combined with herbs to treat elevated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), repeated pregnancy loss, unexplained (idiopathic) infertility, luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia (when not caused by a prolactinoma), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) with annovulatory cycles, and male factor including men affected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation.”

Their articles also discuss how acupuncture can help prevent miscarriages (and on the other end of the spectrum, help women have a quicker, easier, less painful time giving birth). Please browse their site for more on herbs, acupuncture and many other articles, videos and tools for a comfortable, healthy pregnancy.

If you or someone you love is experiencing infertility problems, has a fear of miscarriage or is going through a difficult pregnancy, please feel free to call Eastern Medical Center (925-847-8889) or come in for a consultation to talk about how acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help.

What is really going on is the body’s immune system is overreacting in an effort to protect itself from something in the air. The body mistakes that substance for something so toxic that it require a radical (and uncomfortable) response. Unfortunately, Western medicine doesn’t have a very effective way of providing relief. Allergy shots must be taken for years to build up an immunity and still don’t do much of anything for some sufferers. Most allergy medications just attempt to mask the symptoms and have a wide range of equally uncomfortable side effects. They must be taken so frequently for so long that the cost really adds up … without ever dealing with the actual problem. Maybe that’s good for them because you’ll have to come back again and again and spend more money, but it’s not good for you.

In stark contrast, acupuncture and Chinese herbs work to balance the body and strengthen the immune system to the point where it doesn’t feel the need to overreact. From there, the body can better differentiate what’s really a toxin and what the body can actually handle (pollen, etc.).

Once the body is in balance and the immune system is strong, allergies can vanish not just for the season, but forever.

There are also other causes of allergies such as Western medical vaccinations and dietary choices (such as dairy).

Our advice is to come in for a consultation and acupuncture treatment before allergy season to prevent the onset of symptoms. If it’s too late for that, just come in as soon as you can so we can start strengthening your immune system and helping you feel lasting relief.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are powerful preventative medicine when received regularly. When combined with healthy eating and habits, acupuncture will keep your body in balance so you never get to the point of illness or physical breakdown. It’s about keeping energy flowing and your immune system strong.

Why wait until after a stroke, heart attack, bad flu or migraine headaches? Strengthen your heart’s blood circulation. Strengthen your body’s own natural T-cells and immune system. Keep your digestive system’s energy running at 100 percent efficiency. If you’re forced to take off work, miss school or pay unexpected medical bills, the cost to you is far greater than the cost of monthly acupuncture … which also happens to be a delightfully relaxing experience that most of our patients look forward to all month. It’s your time to rest, recharge and heal. When else in our busy lives to we get to do that for ourselves?

When you’re stronger and healthier, you have more energy and less (or no) pain. It’s hard to be happy when in constant pain. And did you know that when getting acupuncture, don’t have the same cravings? Food cravings are a sign of imbalance. So, balanced diet and balanced energy work go hand in hand.

So stay healthy with regular acupuncture visits and avoid all the heartache that goes with restoring a body that is badly blocked or broken down.

Surgery is high stakes. (The common expression being, “There’s no such thing as minor surgery.”) Drugs are highly toxic, sometime addictive and rife with undesirable side effects. Drugs (and often surgery) also fail to address the underlying problem, instead suppressing or temporarily alleviating symptoms that are likely to return because the core issue hasn’t been adequately dealt with.

In a lot of cases, these two options are all patients ever know. Unless someone close to you has experienced the benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine, you may never get another perspective on your situation.

Our goal at Eastern Medical Center is to raise awareness about acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine as a “second opinion” before undergoing costly and traumatic surgery or starting an oftentimes lifelong regimen of taking toxic drugs. There is a totally natural option in many cases that saves money and health.

This could be a chronic illness or a bad knee or a shoulder problem. Whatever the diagnosis, people need to know that their body is intelligent and understands how to heal itself. There’s likely just some sort of block preventing energy and blood flow from reaching the affected area.

Healing happens naturally … and we’re here to give the body the help it needs to heal without radical medical intervention. Because when the body is brought back into balance—when the root of the problem is reached—all those symptoms go away.

Sometimes surgery is necessary. Even then, in the case of surgical procedures to correct degenerated, bulging or ruptured discs of the neck and lower back, acupuncture helps the management of post-operative pain.

In terms of postoperative pain control, acupuncture treatment can:

• Completely relieve pain, or provide as much relief as possible
• Reduce pain levels
• Improve the ability to deal with pain
• Control the local tissue swelling
• Shorten the resolution of hematoma
• Assist the emotions
• Regulate the appetite
• Strengthen energy
• Increase participation in usual functions
• Enhance the quality of life
• Minimize the side effects of the anesthesia
• Lower the dosage of painkillers after the operation or reduce reliance on painkillers
• Minimize the use of other medications associated with the pain and their attendant side effects
• Stimulate the rapid recovery of functional activities after the operation, etc.
• Accelerate recovery!

So, the next time you hear someone say they need surgery or have been prescribed drugs by their doctor, mention they might want a “second opinion” from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which, by the way, has been in practice 4,000+ more years than Allopathic medicine.

For more information, please see Dr. Sun Pei-Lin’s book, The Management of Post-Operative Pain With Acupuncture.