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Food Sensitivities
There’s an awful lot in the media lately about food causing problems for people. I don’t just mean the obvious fatty, sugary, fried stuff we know we should avoid. Supposedly “wholesome” foods can be problems, too. Wheat, corn, dairy… the list reads like a Sunday picnic from the 1950’s! Some people get along just fine with the classic American staples, but others don’t.
One of my favorite patients had a painful reaction to a protein shake she had been using for ages. It made her shoulder hurt, because she had an old injury there. The “take-home” message here is that food affects more than your digestion. As soon as we figured it out, she quit using the shake and now has full range of motion in that shoulder again. Acupuncture helped to decrease her pain, speed up the detox process, and assist healing.
Okay – let’s clarify. An allergy is what happens when your immune system overreacts to a non-dangerous substance. Pollen is a great example. Flower dust isn’t harmful to you, but for some reason your leukocytes are offended and go to war. Your symptoms (itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, headache, etc) are actually the result of this battle. An anaphylactic reaction is the nightmare version of this: Sudden swelling can cut off your breathing. If you are prone to this type of lifethreatening reaction, you should carry an Epi Pen.
You can have food allergies, too, but more common are food sensitivities. In this case the immune system is not involved. The food may contain a low-level toxin, or an individual may lack the enzymes to digest it. Nightshades are a great example of this. I’m finding in my practice that people with Fibromyalgia and/or arthritis tend to be sensitive to the Solanaceae family of plants. Many are unaware of the pain they are causing themselves, because they eat them so consistently.
The bad news: The list includes tomato, white potato, peppers, eggplant, and tobacco. Sorry.
The good news: It’s very easy to find out if you are Nightshade sensitive: Simply remove all of them from your diet for two weeks. Then have some tomato sauce, drink a V8, or otherwise re-acquaint yourself. If within 24 hrs there’s a marked increase in your pain, you have a tough decision to make. If not, congrats – you can go back to all the taters you want.
I fall into the unlucky category, so I generally avoid them. Sometimes, though, it’s worth the hit (visiting my favorite Italian place in Brooklyn, or Thanksgiving dinner). The next day my hands will hurt for a few hours. Wherever you have arthritis, that’s where it will show up.
According to Margaret Celli, who also has her office at the Spirit of Yoga, you can do more than just avoid these foods: Her practice focuses on allergy elimination. I have an appointment tomorrow to check it out!
The Human Knee
Okay, speaking of arthritis, let’s talk about the knee joint. It’s not quite as complicated as the shoulder, because it doesn’t move in as many directions. Having that kind of mobility with all of our body weight on top of it… well, that would be a recipe for disaster. Instead, we have a modified hinge joint. The knee folds, but it also twists a little bit. The trick is keeping this twist under control.
Collateral ligaments run along each side, and the cruciate ligaments (named so because they form a cross) inside the joint create stability. Strong quadriceps (a set of 4 muscles on the front of thigh), hamstrings (three muscles in back of thigh), adductors (inside) and abductors (outside) also support the knee. Slick cartilage lines the surfaces where bones meet. The meniscus, a pair of special horseshoe-shaped cartilage structures, help absorb shock and guide the movement of the femur. And there’s a bursa on top of the patella (kneecap) to provide some extra cushioning. Pretty neat design, huh?
If your gait is off, it can affect your knees and eventually your hips and back. Good shoes are important for knee health. Avoid heels as much as possible. If you have flat feet, use shoes with good arch support. To prevent injury, frequent light workouts are best. Try to reduce impact: an elliptical trainer is better than running, and walking or running on grass or a rubber track is better than concrete.
Did you know that babies are born without kneecaps? They have a cartilage wedge but it doesn’t ossify (turn to bone) until about 3 yrs old. Lucky for them - It makes crawling around on a hard floor much more comfortable.
Acupuncture can reduce inflammation, increase bloodflow, relax tight muscles, and speed healing. Osteopathic bodywork will break up scar tissue, release myofascial adhesions, and retrain the neurological system. This allows chronically tight muscles to return to normal. In most cases, therapeutic exercise is important for complete healing.
*Please
note that I'm simplifying the anatomy quite a bit for the purposes of
this newsletter. If you're interested in all the marvelous details of
our bodies, I highly recommend Netter.
Point of the Month: GB-34,
Yang Ling Quan (Yang Mound Spring)
First, find the head of the fibula. This is a knob of bone on the side of your leg, towards the back. Now slide your finger forward and down into a small dip. It will be tight or tender if treatment is appropriate: Press with a fingertip for 10-15 seconds. GB-34 is the Ruler of the Sinews so it’s useful for treating muscles, ligaments, and tendons anywhere in the body. It’s especially great for the knee due to its location. GB-34 is also used for treating Damp Heat, but that’s a fairly complicated Chinese medicine concept. Contact me for more information.
Thanks for reading! Next month... Pinched nerves.
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