Miss H is a late 20's female who came for help with a number of seemingly unrelated health problems that were starting to hamper her ability to get through day-to-day routines. In the past 4 years she had multiple motor vehicle accidents, none of which were severe but had nonetheless created whiplash and soft-tissue type injuries. Although the motor vehicle accidents (MVA) had all occurred more then 3 years ago Miss H felt she had never fully recovered from these injuries, and her health was now generally spiralling downward in areas unrelated to soft-tissue injuries.

On intake Miss H reported the following health concerns:

• muscles aches and tension all throughout her body in varying locations
• intermittent joint pain in shoulders, knees, and hips
• poor quality sleep
• frequent dull headaches and a foggy or heavy head
• inability to concentrate
• low energy, frequent tiredness throughout the day

To understand why Miss H has been unable to recover we must first understand that her body has reacted to the trauma of the motor vehicle accidents with an unremitting Fight-or-Flight Stress Response. This state cannot be maintained for extended periods of time without adversely affecting a variety of body systems. Miss H's body has been unable to move back into the Rest-and-Digest state that is initiated by the parasympathetic nervous system. As such, her body has never been able to properly rest, repair, recover, and heal. She was moving towards a chronic fatigue condition unless the cycle is re-set. 

Treatment

Treatment for Miss H consisted of:

• a Custom Clinical Herbal Formulation to normalize her adrenal output as well as reduce inflammation.
• ear acupuncture 2x per week to initiate the Rest-and-Digest state in herb body
• breathing exercises at home, also done to initiate the Rest-and-Digest state, also known as the "Relaxation Response". 
• subsequent body acupuncture for neck and shoulder pain after establishing a more "normalized" cycle for the nervous system. 

Mr. D has been a very energetic and hard working trades person for many years. He is self-employed, used to working long hours and dealing with the stresses of independent business. He has a history of mild low back pain, but in the past 2 years he feels his physical health is declining rapidly, as is his mood and temperament. He feels near constant aches and pains in his knees, wrists, and shoulders, and is very stiff first thing in the morning.  

On intake Mr. D reported the following health concerns:

• near constant pain in multiple joints (knees, wrists, shoulders)
• pain in the low back, very stiff in morning. 
• inability to "wind down" or relax when not at work
• poor quality sleep with night sweats
• allergies: seasonal and dust
• very irritable and sensitive
• digestive disturbances alternating between constipation and diarrhea

To understand what is happening to Mr. D we need to understand that his mind and body have been put into a near constant emergency state, keeping him wired on stress hormones such as adrenaline. This pattern is known to disrupt the nervous system as well as aspects of the endocrine (hormonal) system, and the immune system. Hence Mr. D has developed health problems that intersect all three systems: sleep and mood disorders, metabolic disorders, and inflammatory conditions. In short, his body is unable to "auto-regulate" its systems. Traditional Chinese Medicine considers this an overall imbalance of Yin & Yang functions in organ system. 

Treatment

Treatment for Mr. D consisted of:

• a Clinical Herbal Formulation to normalize his adrenal output as well as immune system.
• introduction of an "end of the day" routine that includes limited exposure to artificial light and stimulus such as computer or TV. 
• acupuncture to address joint pain, and massage to address muscular tension. 

Mrs. N came to us primarily complaining of a chronic sinus infection  and fatigue. She reported that she had been administered 5 courses of antibiotic therapy in attempt to address the sinus infection.  Seemingly unrelated, she also felt that her new job and move into the city was extremely taxing. 

On intake Mrs. N reported the following health concerns:

• recurrent sinus infections with accompanying pain
• frequent headaches
• generally fatigued and lacking energy
• lack of motivation, mild depression
• inability to concentrate
• irregular and inconsistent appetite, ravenous to no appetite

Mrs. N's health concerns can be grouped into 2 phases: 1) illness from an infectious agent 2) the pre-existing condition of a compromised immune system due to stress. Her body is not in a "wired" fight or flight state, rather she is in the exhaustion phase of the stress response. The prolonged struggle by the body to fight off an infection has depleted Mrs. N's reserves. Her physiology is no longer able to adapt to day-to-day stresses, and her immune system is stilling using the little energy she has to fight a chronic low grade infection.   

Treatment

Treatment for Mrs. N consisted of:

• acupuncture 2x/week for 3 weeks to relieve facial sinus pain and headaches
• a Herbal prescription that has anti-microbial and immune strengthening herbs (coptis and astragalus). 
• a good quality protein supplement, a multi-mineral supplement along with B stress vitamins, and vitamin A to help heal mucus membranes.  

Mrs. C came to our clinic seeking help with conception of a second child. She successfully conceived two years ago, but went through three miscarriages prior to carrying her first child to term. In the past year, while trying to conceive, she had another two miscarriages. Mrs. C was feeling quite defeated in her efforts to carry a baby but her primary physician didn't find any significant pathologies or disorders to account for the miscarriages. 

On intake Mrs. C reported the following health concerns:

• required a lot of sleep, often felt unrested in the morning
• always felt as if she was freezing cold
• general sense of heaviness and lack of energy
• her BBT could only raise for 1 or 2 days after ovulation, and would drop thereafter
• very inconsistent appetite

Mrs. C's condition can lead to a great deal of frustration because there is no readily identifiable cause. Her blood work does not reveal any drastic hormonal imbalance, ultrasound of the uterus show nothing  abnormal. Yet from the ground up Mrs. C body doesn't seem to have the strength to maintain a pregnancy. We diagnosed Mrs. C with adrenal fatigue, which is a disruption in part of the endocrine system called the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenocortical axis (HPA axis). The disruption of this system can eventually effect other aspects of hormonal function and create fertility issues as we see here. Adrenal fatigue is not a diagnosis in itself, but rather the end result of a longer stress syndrome that made the body rely on stress hormones like adrenaline. In the end the person's HPA axis can no longer "auto-regulate" and the problem fans out into other body systems. 

After treatment for 5 months Mrs. C conceived and carried her second child to term. 

Treatment

Treatment for Mrs. C consisted of:

• acupuncture 1x/week for 3 months, and then 2x/month for 2 months. 
• "moxibustion" treatments during some of the acupuncture sessions
• a Herbal prescription for adrenal fatigue (to normalize her HPA axis), as well as "Qi" strengthening herbs. 
• a diet full of warming foods that are steamed, stewed, baked, with warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardomon; and avoidance of raw veggies and cold items like ice cream or ice water.