UC Berkeley students seeking acupuncture care can use SHIP insurance at Golden Leaf Community Acupuncture. Students will need a recommendation from the Tang Center in order to be able to use SHIP at our clinic. There is a copay for services.
Students who do not have SHIP insurance may be covered under the plans they are under.
Please do not hesitate to call us with your questions 510-549-3000.
What do you know about your cellular health? You should want to know, especially if you have a family or personal history of cancer or heart disease, or if you live a modern busy stressful life. Our bodies need healthy cells in order to function properly, and healthy cells need healthy diets including lots of antioxidants.
We are what we eat, and unfortunately, most of us don’t eat all that well. Our bodies need far more than the 3-4 daily servings of fruits and vegetables that we currently consume. Ten daily servings wouldn’t be too much to ensure that we’re getting enough antioxidants.
What are antioxidants? Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals (nope, they don’t live in People’s Park). Free radicals are cells that are unstable because they are missing an electron. They steal the needed electron from healthy cells, creating more free radicals. The weak, damaged or dead cells contribute to the onset of disease and to premature aging. The important lesson from this is that we need to consume enough antioxidants to keep our cells, and therefore our bodies, healthy.
So how do you find out about your cellular health? Golden Leaf Community Acupuncture recently got a Biophotonic Scanner that is built using Nobel prize winning research, to measure carotenoid antioxidant levels. We’ve been startled to see the low antioxidant levels for some clients who eat well and take supplements regularly.
To see more about the scanner, please check out this segment from the Dr. Oz Show:
Please call our office at 510-549-3000 to set up your appointment for a $20 scan and to talk about improving your cellular health. Its an easy 90 second, non-invasive process. We think you’ll find the results useful.
“The Emperor of All Maladies”, written by physician, researcher, and award-winning science writer, Siddhartha Mukherjee is an elegant look at the history of cancer and its long entanglement with the history of humans.
Cancer has baffled humans for thousands of years and this book tells its story entwined with the stories of those who took it on as doctors, patients, lobbyists and politicians. It reads like a novel filled with behind the scenes drama of the politics that plays out when focusing on securing science research, spearheaded by Mary Lasker and Sidney Farber.
Dr. Mukherjee writes this book for his patients who have asked him questions and in it he begins to demystify cancer from a disease which has no cure to finally understanding some of its secrets in our own DNA.
This book is must have primer for anyone seeking answers about cancer as it synthesizes much information into a palatable format that is accessible to everyone.
On June 11th I got to participate in the 1st Annual Chinese Medicine Debate 2011 sponsored by the Pine Street Foundation.
I attended the training and became part of one of eight teams to debate seven topics in three rounds of debates. Each team, through a lottery, was assigned a topic and a side to the argument.
These were the topics my team prepared for:
Round 1:
Chinese Medicine is a fad in the US and its viability, as an independent medical intervention does not have a dynamic future. Arguing in the negative.
Round 2:
Resolved: The sustainability of important cultural habits (cultural relativism) should allow Chinese herbal medicine, including endangered species. Arguing in the negative
Round 3:
Resolved: Chinese medicine should be embraced as an essential part of the US national health care reform. Arguing in the negative.
I will post the link to the video as soon as it is ready.
Our team members were Efrem Korngold L.Ac (Captain), assisted by myself, Jumbe Allen L.Ac, Bina Jangda L.Ac, Tracy Zollinger, L.Ac and Jennifer Paltro L.Ac. Despite busy schedules we managed to find time to meet and work on the arguments and learn new things from each other.
We had two months to research and write arguments that would persuade the audience to vote for us so we could move to the next round of debate. Fortunately, we had a great team and managed to write convincing arguments.
In the first round, defending that Chinese Medicine is not a fad was fun as I learned about the history of Chinese Medicine in the United States. Given the popularity of Chinese Medicine, the increase in the number of graduates and practitioners around the country and use of Chinese Medicine in conventional medicine, it was not difficult to defend our position and move to round 2.
The second round was the most difficult question of the debate, for me, and we we up against a team who were very well prepared and were arguing the affirmative of the argument. Their position was a difficult to defend in this age of global devastation, and they spoke with passion and with good points or defending the use of endangered species responsibly. However the audience votes ended up to give us the winning position. We argued that the use of endangered species was not necessary in Chinese Medicine, especially given that it is easy to substitute non-endangered herbs if need be. Once a species is gone, there is no going back. We successfully moved to round 3, the grand finale of the debate.
In the final round, as much as I had originally thought it would be difficult to argue against having Chinese Medicine be a part of health care reform, it was not. Once all the information was gathered and it became clear that if we, as doctors of Chinese Medicine, are to become part of health care reform, we should be sitting at the table as equal partners, and not reduced to just acupuncture technicians, which unfortunately is happening. Chinese Medicine works best when it is used in the context it was created in, not adapted to fit a conventional medical model.
In the end, the audience voted and we edged out our competitors by a few votes and were honored with the title.
This was such a great way to get to know and work with a team of Chinese Medicine practitioners to get a dialogue started about some very important questions facing our practice.
Thank you Pine Street Clinic for creating this opportunity to discuss current topics in Chinese Medicine. It gets my vote for best CEU class of 2011.
Dr. Anahita
Acupuncture’s use as an intervention to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment is gaining acceptability in Western Medicine. Currently there are many clinical trials that have been completed on the effects of acupuncture for a number of conditions, mostly for pain management. In cancer care, acupuncture clinical trials have focused on reducing the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation in cancer patients with some promising results. Acupuncture is most often used to reduce nausea post chemotherapy, manage peripheral neuropathy due to chemotherapy, reduce aromatase inhibitor induced joint pain and relieve xerostomia (dry mouth) from radiation treatment just to mention a few. Cancer treatment can take weeks and some times months to complete and some of these side effects may show up after treatment.
An intervention such as acupuncture is done three or four times a week in hospitals in China for ten weeks as one course of treatment. That may not be an option for most people here but in order to get results, it may require receiving acupuncture at least twice a week for a few weeks to see noticeable and lasting results for some of these conditions.
Certain cases and conditions fare better than others and the root cause of the issue needs to be discovered. For example, nausea due to chemotherapy is easier to treat than nausea and vomiting due to a tumor aggravating the Vagus nerve.
As the mechanisms of acupuncture continues to be investigated, practitioners often rely on clinical experience to assess whether it can be a useful intervention or not. The good news is that acupuncture is becoming more and more available for patients in cancer treatment centers across the country.
The beauty of acupuncture in cancer care is that it can address a number of issues at the same time such as stress reduction, pain management, insomnia and mild depression.
Be Well,
Dr. Anahita
As a health care practitioner, it’s my job to tell people to eat their veggies and exercise. However, I have to confess, when it comes to eating my own veggies, it’s been a bit of a struggle. Chard always looks like something that comes out of Alice in Wonderland to me. I did not grow up eating it, so until recently I had no idea what to do with it.
Because I work with cancer survivors, and diet and food is such a big part of recovery, I began researching good books and resources to provide for them. A cook book I discovered is “The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen” by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson. I left the book out in the waiting area for my patients to peruse while waiting for their treatments. One patient actually borrowed it and began using it and raved about the recipes.
In my personal life, my Lovely Companion is a great cook. I am always feeling a bit of a sous chef and not the chef when we cook together. So, I decided to take the book home and try out some recipes. After doing so, I discovered that the recipes were so good, it was worth cooking through the cookbook and blogging about my experiences with the recipes when I had a chance to make them. So here goes!
Tonight we made Emerald Greens with Orange (p. 84), Shredded Carrot and Beet Salad (p. 98), and Triple-Citrus Ginger Black Cod (p. 118). What tied all these recipes together is a citrus theme in all of them. Let’s start with the Emerald Greens with Orange. It is Swiss chard and dried cranberries, sauteed in orange juice, garlic, red pepper and maple syrup. We had run out of garlic and had no maple syrup so we substituted red onion and a bit of honey instead. My Lovely Companion mentioned that a chef friend of hers always uses a combination of sweet, salt, and heat in his cooking. He varies proportions according to what effect he is trying to create. This dish had very balanced proportions of all three, and it was fabulous. This is a keeper. I think the garlic would definitely have been good, so I’ll make sure to have that on hand next time! I loved the cranberries in combination with the chili pepper. mmmm mmm.
The Shredded Carrot and Beet Salad was also very tasty. However, I was using a hand- me-down mandolin (a fancy grater), and it was clearly defective. But even though our salad did not look like the one in the pretty picture, it tasted wonderful. I loved the orange and lemon juice dressing which softened the raw firm texture of the carrots and beets. (Full disclosure: I’m a big fan of beets). On a health note, the anti-oxidants found in this recipe are priceless. I can go on and on about anti-oxidants and how carotenoid levels in the body act as a bio-marker for nutrient absorption and general well being. This recipe is also a keeper for a beet nut like me.
The protein dish for tonight was the Triple-Citrus Ginger Black Cod. Black Cod has very high levels of Omega 3′s; and we all love our Omega 3′s. The fish is marinated in lemon, lime and orange juice with a sprinkle of fresh ginger, sea salt and citrus zest. Do you have zester? Well, my Lovely Companion recently introduced me to the zester and now I have no idea what I was doing without one all these years. (Oh the dark days.) In this recipe, once the fish has been marinated and baked, it is topped with a reduction of citrus juice and Dijon mustard. At first, we thought the Dijon reduction seemed a bit assertive. However, due to a miscalculation on our part, the fish was a bit undercooked so we returned it to the oven. We discovered that cooking the fish with the Dijon sauce softened the flavor and integrated the flavors of fish and sauce beautifully. Next time, that is how we are going to cook it. As it so often can happen, our mistake lead to a beautiful revelation.
That is all for now. Until next time, as the great Julie Child used to say, ‘Bon Appetit’, and as my grandmother, may her spirit be joyous, used to say in Persian, Nousheh Jan (Nourishment for your Soul).
Dr. Anahita 
Besides the warm welcome and cup of herbal tea, be prepared to fill out the standard HIPPA form as well as our informed consent, along with your medical history and reason for your visit. This usually takes between 15 to 20 minutes.
Once you have filled the forms out, we will go into a quiet private room and discuss what it is you would like to be seen for. We ask our standard TCM questions and discuss a course of action.
Usually, at this point, people who have never had acupuncture before are a little nervous about getting needled. We use sterile, single use needles that are extremely thin, and make your treatment as comfortable as possible. Pleasantly, a side effect of acupuncture is deep relaxation, and often times patients will fall asleep while they are having a treatment.
Typically, you will feel the effects of the treatment throughout the remainder of the day and into the evening. You very well may even sleep more deeply that same night.
If you are being treated for musculoskeletal symptoms, you will feel like you have worked out and have “post workout soreness”, which means that the muscles have been released at a very deep level, very similar to a deep tissue massage, yet on a deeper level. Be sure to drink plenty of water to help your muscles clear any metabolic waste that has built up.
Q: I am afraid of being very sore after a treatment, and bruised, is this common?
A: Bruising unfortunately sometimes can occur, although it is never our intention of causing bruises. Soreness is more common if you are coming in for orthopedic treatments, although this will only last for a short while.
Q: I once heard that acupuncture can cause the flu? Is this true?
A: No. Influenza is a communicable disease that has an incubation period ranging from 2-4 days and spreads through direct contact of infected carriers, or through droplets of infected people or through the air. Acupuncture does NOT cause the flu.
Good questions! Please keep them coming, and more to come soon so stayed tuned!
Live and be well.
Dr. Jamie Hampton
Menstrual Cycles Deconstructed:
What you need to know about your menstrual cycles and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Part 1
It’s complicated. You have at least reached the first steps of trying to figure out what is happening to you every month around the same time. Or maybe you are trying to figure out why you aren’t having a menstrual cycle. Either way, we will begin from the beginning.
Q: What is considered normal periods?
A: That is a great question. First we have to take into consideration family history, and direct relatives and their age at menarche (onset of first menses) compared to your age at menarche. Statistically from country to country it may vary slightly, but 12-13years of age is typical. It is considered early if before the age of 10, and delayed after the age of 16.
A 28 day cycle is a good standard number, but if you have a period every 30 days , and it has always been like that, then you just might be on a 30 day cycle. It becomes problematic when the cycles vary in duration, and or time between cycles.
Now the simple part. Normal in Traditional Chinese Medicine is about BALANCE, or Yin and Yang in harmony. Our main goal is to assess where your imbalances are and correct them by facilitating your bodies own natural healing mechanism. Reminding your body about homeostasis, and helping to get you there.
Q: I have a lot of pain and clotting with my period, can acupuncture help with this?
A: Acupuncture can absolutely help with this. Herbal therapies may also be employed to help alleviate signs and symptoms of irritability, headaches, cramping, bloating, flatulence and even help mange stress throughout the month leading up to your period. The idea is, that if you are having pain accompanied by clots, then your body is unbalanced and therefore you should be seen for an assessment. You will be asked questions about your nutrition, sleep, energy levels and much more.
Q: What exactly is Yin and Yang, and Qi? And why is it important to my menstrual cycle?
A: Yin and Yang is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Literally everything is classifiable by Yin and Yang. Qi (pronounced ‘Chi’ ) in Chinese Medicine is considered a Yang aspect. How this applies to your menstrual cycle is very interesting.
Since everything is classified by yin and yang, a perfect balance would be 50% yin and 50% yang. You may be thinking that since yin is feminine you must be more than 50% yin. Naturally, you are a female. Well, truth is perfect balance IS 50/50.
Now, you are a female, and therefore you may have a menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle itself is broken down into phase, (which will be discussed in a later issue), and the same holds true in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The idea is to discover where the imbalances are and address them accordingly. Blood, which in Traditional Chinese Medicine is considered a vital fluid , is actually a yin fluid. Blood is necessary ultimately to nourish an embryo, and too much bleeding or too little bleeding during your menses speaks volumes about the imbalance.
Where the qi comes in is also interesting. As you may have heard it before is considered the vital energy. This is what makes us go, but remember everything has to be 50/50. We need the blood to nourish the organs, body, hair and we need the qi to move the blood and allow us to live. Separation of qi and blood is ultimately loss of life.
During menstrual cycles qi and blood can become impared, it is then that acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbal medicine will restore the balance.
A: Does acupuncture hurt?
Q: Truth be told, we do our best to make you as comfortable as possible, but you may feel a slight pinch for a second or too, or you may feel nothing at all when the needles are inserted.
Stay tuned for our series on
Menstrual Cycles Deconstructed:
What you need to know about your menstrual cycles and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Its not unusual to meet people who are skeptical about acupuncture or even wonder if it works. There are so many various styles of acupuncture and then there are the herbs. It can be daunting to begin sifting through all the information from so many different sources. As practitioners of this medicine, we try things and if it works, we keep it and if it doesn’t we study more to see why not and find another way to approach the condition. And there is always another way. Traditional Asian Medicine is simple and complex at the same time. Each patient’s cause for pain and dis-ease is different. For example some neck and shoulder issues are resolved using acupuncture in conjunct with trigger point therapy. However some chronic pain patients may feel relief with just one needle in the ear. Its quite amazing how varied it is. From our experience, it depends on what is being treated. Musculo-skeletal conditions, anxiety and some medical conditions such as IBS sometimes respond very well to just dry needing. Cupping does wonders on neck, shoulder and back ailments. Flu’s and Colds may need herbs in addition to acupuncture. Gynecological conditions do well with both. Depending on the patient, how long the condition has been going on, and the overall health and constitution of the individual, results can be anywhere from instantaneous to a regimen that will need to be followed for awhile. It is our great privilege to be working with here at Golden Leaf to work with so many different people and conditions as it continues to add to our experience as Asian Medicine Doctors. In this blog we hope to dispense some of our experiences and explain the mechanisms of the tools we use to treat our patients. Education and understanding of how it works aids in the healing process.
We are excited about our new blog. As we learn how to use it more efficiently we will post links to our videos, pictures of our clinic and little tid bits of information regarding our practice to this page. Please check it from time to time to stay informed.