Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty ImagesResearchers say some compounds in cocoa may help us fend off fat.

A new study finds that people who eat chocolate several times a week are actually leaner than people who don’t eat chocolate regularly.

Really, we asked? Last time we checked chocolate was loaded with fat and sugar. But this new research, along with some prior studies, suggests chocolate may favorably influence metabolism.

To test this theory, Beatrice Golomb, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, asked about 1,000 people, ages 20 to 85, a simple question: “How many times a week do you consume chocolate?” The participants then completed food frequency questionnaires to estimate their caloric intakes of a whole range of foods including chocolate. They also had weight and height measurement taken to calculate their body mass index, or BMI. Read full article

A vegan option is to leave off the cheese and use my favorite multipurpose Asian sauce:  2 T soy sauce-(I like San J organic reduced sodium Tamari best), 1 clove garlic, 1 T grated ginger, 2 T sesame oil. Adding a dollop of fresh ground peanut butter will make it heartier if you get hungry fast. Note that if you are using peanut butter, stick with sesame or peanut oil as olive oil will make the peanut butter clumpy and dry.  You can also make up your own chili sesame oil by combining toasted sesame oil with dried ground chili peppers. Don’t buy the chilis already ground; the flavor has all but left by the time you get them home.  I recommend buying them dried whole from either a Mexican or Asian grocery and grinding them in coffee grinder. This will bring out the best flavor. I poured about a tablespoon of chilies into a 8-ounce bottle and filled it with toasted sesame oil. If you decide to grow and dry your own peppers please be sure they are really really dry or they will become moldy in your oil-I have learned this the hard way.  This oil mixture only needs about 10 minutes to flavor but the longer you leave it the richer it becomes.  Some of the chili oils available in stores are made from soybean oil or other yucky oils of which I’m not terribly fond.  This is why I decided to make my own.  Enjoy!

Acupuncture Offers Better Pain Relief

Although many conventional doctors doubt the effectiveness of acupuncture, this venerated medical technique produces profound benefits. Research at Duke University, for example, shows that acupuncture sessions can lead to significant pain relief. And the wonderful results of acupuncture are much more desirable than what you get from pain relief drugs and their troubling side effects. Read full article…

Last week one of my Seattle patients came in for treatment for his low back pain.  I noticed his eyes were red and he sounded congested.  He was surprised to hear that acupuncture is very effective for treating seasonal allergies.

Acupuncture works for seasonal allergies treatment by strengthening the body’s immune mechanism to process the allergens out more efficiently. It doesn’t mask the symptoms or have side effects like an allergy medication. While I don’t discourage people from taking allergy medication to survive in their daily life, I do feel that the medication suppresses the body’s effort to expel the allergen.  I have helped several people in both Seattle and Anacortes reduce or stop taking allergy medication with acupuncture.

Acupuncture treatments are accumulative and require a series of sessions.  Most people report that they are able to breathe more freely after the first treatment.  With every acupuncture session, its important to evaluate each individual patient to find which meridians need to balanced, strengthened or subdued.  For most allergy symptoms, typically the patient’s lung meridian is weakened which makes them more susceptible to the allergic reaction because the body can’t expel it as quickly as a person with stronger lung Qi. We take in our Qi through our breath in the oriental medicine perspective. On the western side our mouth, nose and lungs are lined with mucous membranes which allow direct access to our capillaries and blood supply.  This is great for letting in oxygen but not so great with the pollens and other environmental toxins. I’ve listed research articles below about the positive effects of acupuncture on treating seasonal allergies.

Acupuncture for persistent allergic rhinitis: a randomised, sham-controlled trial

Observation on the curative effect of acupuncture on type I allergic diseases

Effect of acupuncture in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled clinical trial

I have been treating patients with acupuncture for over 10 years. In my experience, most facial lines and creases are the result of our thoughts and expressions. As we proceed through time, these “character” lines get locked in our facial musculature which in turn etch their way into our skin. Acupuncture provides one of the most powerful tools to naturally release the negative emotions that contribute an aged face. This is my favorite part of acupuncture. Acupuncture won’t delete your feelings or take anything away from you. Emotions are part of the human condition. It simply opens the doors through your meridians so that the toxic build up of grief, sadness, anger and rage, may gently float out when you are ready.

Study Supports Acupuncture Effects in Pain Control

By: International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS)

The scientific validity of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of pain received a nod of support in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

Dr. Philip Lang and colleagues of the University of Munich used quantitative sensory testing to identify changes in pain sensitivity with acupuncture in 24 healthy volunteers. After applying acupuncture to the leg, the researchers found that pain thresholds increased by up to 50 percent. Effects were noted in both the treated leg and the untreated (contralateral) leg.

Tests Show Measurable and Specific Effects of Acupuncture on Pain

Quantitative sensory testing is used clinically to help physicians understand specific injuries in nerve fibers associated with chronic pain. It includes tests of both thermal perception (heat and cold), and mechanical perception (pressure applied to the skin). The patterns of response provide diagnostic information in patients with nerve injury regarding the type of nerve involved, and possible treatments.

The results pointed to two nerve fibers—the “A delta” pain fibers and the “C” pain fibers—as being specifically affected by acupuncture. Although the effects were modest, the researchers believe they provide the basis for future studies in individuals with chronic pain, where the effects might be more dramatic.

The study also supported the effects of three different forms of acupuncture: manual acupuncture needling alone and with the addition of high-frequency and low-frequency electrical stimulation. All treatments were performed by an experienced acupuncturist, applied to acupuncture points commonly used in pain management.

The results provide a scientific background for the ancient practice of acupuncture, according to Dr. Dominik Irnich, Head of the Multidisciplinary Pain Centre, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Munich, and the study’s leading author. Additionally, Dr. Irnich notes, “Our results show that contralateral stimulation leads to a remarkable pain relief. This suggests that acupuncturists should needle contralaterally if the affected side is too painful or not accessible—for example, if the skin is injured or there is a dressing in place.”

Dr. Steven L. Shafer, Editor-in-Chief of Anesthesia & Analgesia and Professor of Anesthesiology at Columbia University, views the results as an important preliminary finding. “Reproducible findings are the cornerstone of scientific inquiry,” Dr. Shafer comments. “The authors have clearly described their methodology, and their findings. If other laboratories can reproduce these results in properly controlled studies, then this provides further support for the scientific basis of acupuncture. Additionally, the ability of quantitative sensory testing to identify specific types of nerves involved in pain transmission may help direct research into the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia.”

Read the full study in Anesthesia & Analgesia

While I don’t dispute the validity of the study, people need to move their bodies anyway, so please don’t be intimidated by the daily hour commitment. Exercise and physical movement are essential to your health and wellness. Moving your body is another way to circulate Qi through your meridians and improve your health. Even plants stuck in the ground or in pots do a form of yoga or tai chi daily.  Yesterday, I caught my african mask plant changing leaf positions throughout the day. 

Even if you have a long way to go in restoring your health, you can start with deep breathing, gentle stretching and walking.  Acupuncture can also give you a boost by gently stimulating your metabolism, increasing your energy level and balancing out your cravings and moods.