Dr. Daniel Hamedani, DACM

Going to bed late, feeling depressed, wound up and tense? Your liver might need some care. Head to bed early, eat plenty of steamed, green leafy vegetables, and immerse yourself with a walk through some greenery. In Chinese medicine, the pattern Liver qi constraint manifests as depression, gloominess, feeling wound up and tense. The depressed mood is worse in the morning and with prolonged inactivity. The symptoms are somewhat alleviated with physical activity. There are often sleep problems, waking in the early hours of the morning (often around 2 am), unable to go back to sleep. The neck, shoulders and upper back are tight, with elevated shoulders and tension headaches.

A COVID19 vaccine spray is in the works. Several biotechnology companies around the world are in the beginning stages of their development, and with any luck, could be available within a year.

A country’s response to a decade of war, poverty and disease was celebration. John Berry, who wrote the book on the Spanish flu, believes that it set the pace for the roaring 20s. Public sentiment was at an all-time low thanks to rampant disease, poverty, and war.... Malnourishment, overcrowded medical camps and hospitals, and poor hygiene killed an estimated 1-5% of the world’s population (33% world population infected). The same virus, H1N1 influenza, re-emerged in 2009 and was much less lethal. Why? Scientists postulate that the conditions in 1918 made for weakened immune systems and an increased likelihood of additional infections. - Science brings hope that we can begin our Roaring ‘20s soon. As vaccines emerge, the pattern of viruses mutating is real. Scientists will need to stay on the razor’s edge, identifying and isolating new strains as they emerge, and creating new vaccines. FDA approval will need to be expedient, while maintaining standards of safety. Businesses will need to be quick in bringing the vaccines to market, and localities quick to administer them. This will be a challenge moving forward. Moderna CEO Stephen Bancel declared, SARS-CoV-2 is not going away. (Jan. 13, 2021 @ the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference). Mr. Bancel’s remarks echoes warnings from public health officials and infectious disease experts that COVID-19 will become an endemic disease [akin to the common cold] (CNBC). I also believe that COVID19 is here to stay, and that now, as always, is a good time to take charge of your health and wellbeing.

Peripheral neuropathy (numbness and tingling in the hands and feet) is a common side-effect of chemotherapy drugs. Conventional treatment is to prescribe vitamin B1 and gabapentin. Acupuncture is traditionally known to be effective for peripheral neuropathy, but studies were needed to show efficacy. In June 2020, a study published in Pain Research & Management studied 40 patients that either received conventional treatment or acupuncture treatment over a four week period. After the four weeks, researchers evaluate patient improvements. Acupuncture was more effective than the conventional treatment in relieving peripheral neuropathy. The acupuncture group also showed greater satisfaction with the treatments compared to the drug group. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7341378/