Boston Massachusetts Acupuncture & Nutrition

By George Mandler LDN LicAc
If you look at supplements today it is not much different to prescription drugs. You take this supplement for that ailment. It is a reductionist theory where each part of the body is treated separately. If you have knee pain take this glucosamine, if you have a ‘heart condition’ take these fish oils, if you have a cold take Vitamin C. There is nothing ‘holistic’ or ‘natural’ about it.
Your knee pain may just be a symptom of poor diet or other inflammatory issues in the body and if that’s the case then glucosamine isn’t going to help!! In general fish oils can be a quite helpful for our typical American Diet high in Omega-6 fats, however if they are poor quality and rancid they can do more harm than good. Mega-dosing on Vitamin C may actually worsen a cold by reducing the inflammatory response and thereby inhibiting the first line of immune defense. Also if the Vitamin C is just the ascorbic acid molecule we have more issues since it doesn’t have any of the co-factors and if taken away from food it will actually act as a pro-oxidant increasing free-radical damage. (write me for the reference of a 1994 research article that proves this!)

We shouldn’t be using supplements to treat symptoms as they are advertised in GNC and so called ‘health’ magazines. I feel it is fine to take a general whole food complex supplement to round out the diet, but taking mega-doses of synthetic supplements to ‘treat’ a symptom may just be masking an underlying issue. A skilled practitioner will find the connection between the physical manifestations and prescribe supplements to correct the underlying imbalance. People shouldn’t be playing doctor, nor should workers at GNC or lay people that are in the multi-level marketing business of selling you supplements. (more on this in another article). See a qualified practitioner that works with whole food supplements and has the tools to assess you as an individual.

In Health,
George Mandler LDN LicAc

So many folks come to see me with a long list of supplements they are taking. We go through each supplement one by one to understand the reason why the person is taking it. The majority of cases have questionable reasoning based on ads in health magazines, ‘it is supposed to be good for…’, ‘this if for my heart’, ‘this is for my knee pain’, ‘this is for my cholesterol’ and on and on. Most of the time either the supplement will not do the person any good because it isn’t the right medicine for their condition or the supplement is questionably manufactured so even if it is the ‘right’ medicine it cannot be utilized properly by the body. For example, if a person complains of joint pain, but they also have IBS and eczema and are taking glucosamine for the joint pain then that is an example of the wrong medicine. This person has a lot of inflammation as is evident by the IBS and eczema, therefore the joint pain is probably the result of a faulty gut and poor protein and mineral digestion (as is the eczema). Taking the glucosamine will do little to the joints because the joints are just a symptom of a problem in the gut. The digestion is what needs to be addressed so this person taking capsules of highly concentrated substances will only further weaken digestion!

The other problem is more common - the product isn’t manufactured properly and it cannot be absorbed, or if it does get absorbed it isn’t bioavailable to the body. A typical example are mineral supplements. Most minerals in pills just end up becoming expensive feces. It is hard for the body to absorbed minerals in the majority of pills because they are bound incorrectly. Minerals in pill form need to be correctly chelated in order for them to pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. How do you know if they are correctly chelated? Unfortunately it is difficult to know just by looking at the bottle because many companies will use the term chelate, even though it isn’t a real chelate. So the bottom line is to know your manufacturer or to check out the company Albion which makes mineral chelates for several manufacturers (www.Albion.com). See if you supplement company is on this list.

Even if your company is on this list though, they still may not be the best supplements for you because they are synthetic isolated compounds. There is plenty of research old and new that point to a synergetic effect between nutrients that are only found in whole foods. Isolated vitamin E, vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C has plenty of research to prove its detrimental effects. But used in a whole form these vitamins also have its proper co-factors for metabolism as well as other synergetic nutrients. Unfortunately our food supply is not nutritious as it was 60 ears ago (write me if you want the reference for this research) and because of our stressful lifestyle our requirements have increased. There are several whole food supplement companies out there to help us regain some of this lost nutrition and deal with our increased demands. If you want to take a good ‘multi’ I would suggest getting a whole food supplement source through your healthcare professional and the two that I use are Standard Process and Right Foods. I’ve yet to see any products on the shelves of Whole Foods or GNC that come close to the quality of these two companies. Using a whole food (the adjective, not the name of the store) product assures us that we aren’t using isolated compounds that can toss our body into further imbalance. Taking isolated synthetic supplements can cause a deficiency in other endogenous nutrients because the body needs to metabolize the unnaturally large quantity of isolated fractions.

However there are good products you can pick up retail and one of my favorite products at Whole Foods is called ProGreens by Nutricology. There are other fine whole food green products out there as well such as Green Synergy. But beware all these green products need to be manufactured properly, just because the label says it contains lots of vegetables and green grasses doesn’t say anything about quality.

No matter what supplement you purchase it is important to know the manufacturer. Either doing your own research or trusting your practitioner. Find out if the company has a ‘certificate of analysis’ and conducts a regular random inspection on its products. Inquire about the manufacturing process and if they have any literature about their procedures. Any reputable company will be able to provide this. And I believe most important to choose whole food based supplements to give your body balanced nutrition, no need for most people to mega-dose.

Allopathic prescribing of supplements

Taking supplements in this way is no different than taking prescription drugs. It is a reductionist theory where each part is treated separately. However there is a connection between the knee pain, heart issues, and eczema. A skilled practitioner will find the connection between the physical manifestations and prescribe supplements to correct the underlying imbalance.

Have you ever heard someone say, “oh I tried acupuncture, but it didn’t work”? What this person needs to understand is that there are thousands of Acupuncture flavors, and just like ice cream, you want to find the flavor that is right for you.

The under-informed person will dismiss ever considering acupuncture to help with their condition because they believe ‘if I had it once, I had it all’. That couldn’t be further from the truth because acupuncture is style and practitioner skill dependent. There are literally tens of thousands of styles of acupuncture. There are Chinese styles, Korean styles, Taiwanese styles, Japanese styles, German styles, French styles and a myriad of new more modern styles of acupuncture. Within each of the mentioned acupuncture styles, there are thousands of more styles. To say one practices Japanese acupuncture is like saying they speak European. There are many similarities, but also many more differences.

The level of training is also paramount. Unfortunately in many states some people can practice acupuncture after a weekend course, or not taking any courses at all! It is scary and I wouldn’t want to be treated by someone like this. When I lived in Colorado I received acupuncture from a chiropractor who had a couple of weekend acupuncture courses under his belt. A weekend or two does not make a quality practitioner! I didn’t know any better some 16 years ago and figured, hey how hard can it be to stick in some needles? Well the acupuncture didn’t do anything for me and that is because the chiropractor in this case didn’t have a clue how to treat with acupuncture! I feel this is much too common and an unfortunate circumstance as acupuncture is a fabulous healing tool when done by the proper hands. You wouldn’t hire some random carpenter or contractor to remodel your newly designed kitchen would you? Rather, you investigate and look for someone that is properly trained and capable and knows how to use the tools. But we assume too much about healthcare professionals and give our power away. Check their credentials, ask who they trained with and ask for references.

Fortunately, in Massachusetts there are good acupuncture laws in place. I can’t say the same thing about our neighbor to the south, Connecticut, where literally anyone can practice acupuncture. Chiropractor, MD, nurse, physical therapist, all with little quality training. It is a shame and a disservice to the art. My acupuncture school training was 3 years full time (42 weeks out of the year), so effectively a 4 year program of over 3000 hours. This is pretty much the case for most NCCAOM certified programs. I also currently apprentice with Master practitioner Kiiko Matsumoto Sensei and David Euler helping teach assist their acupuncture for Physicians course at Harvard Medical School. I feel the MDs coming out of the course gain a good understanding how to use ‘Kiiko style’ acupuncture and are quite effective. But many MDs in other areas are not properly trained. I would suggest getting acupuncture from a properly trained acupuncturist, but if you do receive acupuncture from an MD ask if they are part of the “American Medical Acupuncture Association.”

Acupuncture is a truly amazing healing modality. I have seen incredible results from post-stroke recovery, insomnia, digestive disorders, and especially anxiety and stress. Give yourself a few sessions to see if you get some benefit. If you don’t notice a difference after 3-4 sessions then perhaps you need to find another acupuncturist or it may not be the correct healing modality for you at this time. But do realize that there is a tremendous variation between acupuncturists, styles, bedside manner, and training. You just need to find out what is right for you.

Last month we had the JAMA article that created headlines such as “Antioxidant supplements increase mortality”. Now this month we have a study that concludes that antioxidant intake helps attenuate cognitive decline. So what is the truth???? I’m giving a talk on June 26th at the Newton Community Ed on Supplements. There I will be shedding some light on this subject.

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• Licensed Acupuncturist Massachusetts Medical Board
• Certified Nutrition Specialist (CBNS )
  
• Nationally Certified Diplomat in Oriental Medicine and Chinese Herbal Medicine (NCCAOM)
• Member American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM)
• Member Acupuncture and Oriental Medical Society of Massachusetts (AOMSM)
• Member of American Dietetic Association Nutrition and Complementary Care Working Group (NCC)
• Member of American College of Nutrition (ACN)

I began my study of nutrition and Eastern healing arts over 15 years ago and I’m grateful for how it evolved into the work I do today. I’m a licensed acupuncturist in Massachusetts, a nationally certified Chinese Herbalist through NCCAOM and hold a Master of Science in Human Nutrition. In addition to my nutrition degree from University of New Haven, I also obtained Master degrees from the New England School of Acupuncture (Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) and Boston University (Engineering). I have completed clinical internships at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Dimock Community Health Center and the NESA community clinic.

So how does all my training and clinical experience serve you? I’m able to blend the energetic work of acupuncture and personalized functional nutrition to provide you with comprehensive care. I assess my patients health with Oriental diagnosis, modern blood and urinalysis testing as well as a detailed questionnaire and diet history. These ancient and modern diagnostic skills help paint a clear picture of what treatments would serve you best.

Would you like to know what foods would be optimal for you? I guide patients through dietary and lifestyle modifications particular for their body and where they are at in this particular moment. Do you ever wonder if the supplements you are taking are doing you any good? I develop a protocol with Chinese herbal medicine and/or supplements to help restore you body back to balance. Would you love to balance your body’s energy while relaxing on a table? I use Japanese and Chinese acupuncture to guide your body to homeostasis whether it is a chronic health issue or acute musculoskeletal pain. I love helping my patients and I take great pride in making sure they obtain their health goals.

Now about my personal story for the inquisitive…

It has been a long and winding path; first formally studying macrobiotics in 1992 with former UK Kushi Institute director Bill Tara in Boulder, Colorado. Through my in-depth study with Mr Tara along with other teachers such as Steve Gagne and Lino Stanchich I began offering macrobiotic counseling. While in Colorado I also studied at the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda led by Sarasvati Buhrman. Besides Sarasvati I had the gift of studying with brilliant teachers such as Vasant Lad , John Douillard and Ayurvedic cooking with Amadea Morningstar. It was an exciting time of learning while merging the Macrobiotic and Ayurvedic concepts. In Macrobiotics we studied shiatsu and in Ayurvedic we studied marma point therapy. Similar concepts, and both opened up my world to becoming an Oriental bodyworker. I also became Reiki Level 1 Usui tradition certified in 1994.

In 1996 I moved back to Boston and studied shiatsu at the Boston Shiatsu School. I have tremendous interest in both physical body work, energy work, as well as nutrition and my heart truly desired to switch careers and go back to school entering the health field. But it seemed like a crazy idea and I wasn’t bold enough to make the leap. So, I continued my formal and informal studies of nutrition, oriental bodywork and Eastern healing modalities while occasionally doing computer work I never felt a passion towards. Late August 2001 I was part of the dot.com bust and no longer had a company to work for. Then Sept 11th was my wake-up call that I had better start pursuing what I love — thus I began a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition from the University of New Haven and my Oriental Medicine studies at NESA. So here I am today, excited about the work I do and enjoying the challenges of individual health histories and treatment modalities. I truly enjoy assisting people in discovering how they can decrease dis-ease in their lives and find their desired health.

I have taken hundreds of hours in post-graduate nutrition seminars and constantly keep myself up to date with weekly teleconferences, reading research and on-line practitioner discussion groups. I am a member of the American Dietetic Association Nutrition and Complementary Care working group. I plan to be a Certified Nutrition Specialist this May after I pass a challenging nutritional biochem exam through the American College of Nutrition national certification board.

I assist two days a week with Master acupuncture practitioners Kiiko Matsumoto Sensei and David Euler. The ‘Kiiko” style of acupuncture is taught to MDs at Harvard Medical School where I have the privilege of attending as an assistant. In my nutrition practice I use a comprehensive 300-question intake form and palpation diagnosis that dovetails nicely with the functional approach of Kiiko style acupuncture. The combination of Oriental medical diagnosis, the nutritional questionnaire, laboratory testing, and functional exams are powerful tools to uncover physiological imbalances and correcting them through acupuncture treatments, lifestyle, diet and supplementation.

I find that patients who eat well for their body type/needs respond quicker to acupuncture treatments. I feel that nutrition is an important foundation and if folks aren’t eating well it is much harder to treat them with acupuncture. I believe nutrition is a key to physical health. However I also feel that acupuncture can help with emotional issues and facilitate the process of people taking better care of themselves. So it is a two way street and each have their important merits treating at a different level. Most patients do a combination of both nutrition and acupuncture, but that is probably because I do not separate the two when discussing your health goals.

In Health,
George Mandler

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One of the four major medical journals, JAMA, recently released a study which concluded that antioxidants increase mortality rate. It made big headlines, but unfortunately got blown out of proportion. There were many problems with this study which are described below Read the rest of this entry »