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.
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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