Starting July 1, 2010, the Ontario Government is requiring us to collect HST (Harmonized Sales Tax).  Please be aware that our base prices before tax remain unchanged, however, an additional 8% tax (13%HST minus current 5%GST) will be added to our fees.

The increase in the costs for your treatments is due to the requirement that we collect the HST.

Ask your MPP “Why is Ontario taxing health care?”

We regret to inform you that effective July 1, 2010 naturopathic services at our clinic will be temporarily discontinued.

If you wish to continue your naturopathic care you are welcome to visit Meera Dossa, ND at her part-time practice at:

99 Crown’s Lane 4^th floor, Toronto On M5R 3P4

Tel: 647-344-2727

Optionally you may want to contact Elena Krasnov, ND at Toronto Naturopathic Clinic (across from our building) where she offers naturopathic services and intravenous vitamin therapy.  Here is her contact information:

77 Bloor Street West, Main Floor, Toronto ON M5S 1M2

Tel: 416-944-3526

You may also contact the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors at 416-233-2001 and ask them for a referral.

We hope you will find the treatment and care you need.

Vol. 19 May 2010 Issue

 In this issue:

• Asian Adventure
• New Acupuncture Research Coauthored by Dr. Tanaka
• How Acupuncture Works: Findings from Recent Research
• Sports Injury Therapy and Conditioning
• Recipe: Liver-Lovin’ Kale Curry
• Your Current Insurance Benefits May Expire Soon
• New Fee Schedule as of July 1, 2010
• Comments

Emily Robinson, RMT, CST, CR

Hello, friends and clients of the clinic!  Thank you for your warm wishes regarding my recent trip to India, Thailand, and Laos.  I had a very inspiring, refreshing, and satisfying trip.  The memories will last a lifetime. 

Some trip highlights include:

• A tour of a tea plantation in the Nilgiri Hills of India
• Cycling around the shore temples in Mamallapuram, India
• Staying at an elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand
• Exploring islands by longtail boat and marveling at the limestone karsts in southern Thailand, as well as watching daily life go by along the Mekong River in Laos.

It was exciting to explore that part of the world—to connect with the people, the customs, and the cuisine.

Another highlight included receiving a lot of massage while in Thailand.  It was a luxury to be on the receiving end of treatments so frequently (every day, when I was able!).  Most of the time, I had wonderful treatments.  There was a language barrier, for sure, but I am always amazed at how easy it can be to communicate though the language of healing touch.  Being so far from home, it was soothing to receive massage from such skilled, kind therapists.  I did have a couple of awful treatments, however—so bad, in fact, that I was ready to walk off.  The therapists were either unskilled or just didn’t care or both.  I used these rare encounters as learning experiences for how NOT to treat people!  I always learn what works and what doesn’t when I receive a treatment. 

I was humbled when I received a massage from a sixteen-year-old blind girl at the Northern School for the Blind in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  I was inspired by her sincerity and the sensitivity of her technique.  I wish her well as she continues her studies in Thai massage.

Massage is a regular part of life in Asia.  Like Shiatsu in Japan, it has roots as a folk remedy/manual medicine to help treat aches and pains, as well as calm the mind. 

I am happy to know that more and more people in the West are incorporating massage into their lives on a regular basis (not just to use up the annual insurance funds in one go!). Regular treatments are a healthy, relaxing, and enjoyable way to help prevent as well as treat the accumulation of most aches, pains, and stressors.  It can greatly improve quality of life.

With the arrival of spring, why not make a fresh beginning by making time for yourself?  Try having regular treatments.  As a general rule of thumb (no pun intended!), it is suggested that those experiencing acute pain have treatments twice a week; after that, anywhere between one and four times a month is sufficient, depending on the complaint.

 I look forward to resuming my regular treatment schedule back here in Toronto.

Happy spring and summer to you all!

Sincerely,

Emily

Emily Robinson, RMT, CST, CR offers customized Shiatsu, Massage Therapy, and Reflexology treatments, or a combination of all three techniques, at The Pacific Wellness Institute.  To book an appointment with Emily, please call 416-929-6958.

Tim H. Tanaka, Director

A new study entitled “Is There Any Difference in Human Pupillary Reaction When Different Acupuncture Points Are Stimulated?” examined the effect of different acupuncture points by measuring the size of research participants’ pupils (the black central part of the eye) using infrared pupillography (Mori, Tanaka, et al.). Human pupils change in size not only in accordance with the brightness of the environment but also with the state of the autonomic nervous system. For instance, animals such as cats and dogs, when frightened or preparing to attack, have wide-open pupils, indicating the activation of their sympathetic nervous system (the so-called adrenaline rush). On the other hand, when they are mellow and lying on the couch, their pupils are very small, indicating the dominance of the parasympathetic system (i.e., they are in a state of relaxation). Thus, evaluating pupil size using pupillography is a very useful method for determining the specific physiological effect of acupuncture. The study’s results suggested that the most significant pupillary reactions occurred when acupuncture point ST7 (a point on the face) was gently stimulated. Stimulating acupuncture points on other parts of the body (abdomen, leg, and arm) had less significant influences on pupillary reaction.

It should be noted that while facial acupuncture point ST7 had the most pronounced influence on pupil size, other acupuncture points on the body are no less important. Many other studies have demonstrated the elicitation of therapeutic responses in different internal organs, including the heart, stomach, intestines, uterus, ovaries, and bladder, by administering acupuncture stimulation to different parts of the body. The mechanism of action has been explained by the well-known physiological phenomenon called the somato-visceral reflex, in which administering sensory stimulation such as acupuncture to specific parts of the body’s surface evokes a reflective reaction in the specific internal organ (Sato & Schmidt, 1987). It has been discovered that parts of the body surface have a close neural association with a specific internal organ (e.g., the heart is linked to the upper back, the stomach to the middle back, the urinary and reproductive organs to the lumbar sacrum regions, and so on). By stimulating the traditional acupuncture points located within those reflective areas, the functioning of an organ can be altered without directly manipulating the organ itself.

Other mechanisms involved in the therapeutic effects of acupuncture do not require stimulating the area near the target organ. As an example, stimulating the TE5 point (located near the wrist), which is typically done at the end of each acupuncture session, has been shown in a series of previous studies to induce more generalized, systemic physiological effects (Nishijo, Mori, et al. 1995; Tanaka, Leisman, et al. 1997).

It is important to emphasize that the main tenet of acupuncture rests on the concept that the meridian system—the flow of energy, or qi—runs through the entire body. In clinical practice, the new knowledge acquired through research is integrated into foundational classical acupuncture in an attempt to produce the optimum clinical results possible for a wide variety of health conditions.

Mori, H., T. H. Tanaka, et al. “Is there any difference in human pupillary reaction when different acupuncture points are stimulated?” Acupunct Med 28(1): 21-4.

Nishijo, K., H. Mori, et al. (1995). “Scientific approach for acupuncture.” Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 45(3): 177-191.

Sato, A. and R. F. Schmidt (1987). “The modulation of visceral functions by somatic afferent activity.” Jpn J Physiol 37(1): 1-17.

Tanaka, T. H., G. Leisman, et al. (1997). “The physiological responses induced by superficial acupuncture: A comparative study of acupuncture stimulation during exhalation phase and continuous stimulation.” Int J Neurosci 90(1-2): 45-58.

Meera Dossa, BSc, ND

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 Roma tomato (diced)

1 bunch of fresh Kale (trimmed stems and chopped finely)

Ground cumin to taste

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

Directions:

In a pot, sautee the garlic and diced tomato in olive oil.

Stir in ground cumin to a paste-like consistency.

Add in fresh kale and stir occasionally. It will eventually settle at the bottom of the pot.

Once the kale has cooked through, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the contents.

Can be served with a side of quinoa for added protein.

Are you suffering from endometriosis, fibroids, PMS, menopause or PCOS? Of late, a good majority of the female patients walking through my doors tend to be coming in with a chief concern related to female hormonal health. As hormones play a critical role in female health and vitality, ensuring the proper balance of the female hormones (namely estrogen and progesterone), is the key to alleviating the symptoms of the aforementioned conditions. A number of factors can affect the levels of these hormones, including: diet, lifestyle and stress to name a few.

Many female hormonal conditions can be attributed to an excess of estrogen, coined estrogen dominance. As the liver is the main organ responsible for clearing excess hormones from the system, it only makes good sense to address the function of this organ. In addition to supplementary support, I always also recommend the addition of liver loving foods into the diet such as: lemons, garlic, onions, beets, artichoke, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage. So love your liver! And you will undoubtedly see the benefits of treating it kindly!

Meera Dossa is a licensed naturopathic doctor at The Pacific Wellness Institute. To book an appointment with Dr. Dossa, please contact The Pacific Wellness Institute at 416-929-6958.

A special notice for U of T employees and other Green Shield plan holders

Some extended health insurance policies have a fixed policy year different from the calendar year ending on December 31. For example, University of Toronto Green Shield plans have a year end of June 30.

Typically, unused insurance benefits cannot be transferred to the next policy year.

If your policy year end is approaching soon, now is the time to book your massage therapy sessions. Please call 416-929-6958 for an appointment.