My Cindy patient grew up in Boston and came to my clinic for acupuncture treatment due to difficulty breathing and low blood oxygen levels. Throughout her life, she has been a very active and restless woman, unable to sit still and constantly active. As a teacher in Boston, she likes to use her knowledge to encourage children to become passionate and creative people. She also takes care of her family.
Her work week was very tight a few weeks ago. After that, she suddenly had chest tightness and difficulty breathing, so she went to the emergency room to check her heart and lungs. Her organs are not abnormal, but her blood oxygen level reading [measured by her fingers] fluctuates between 67% and 98%, with the left and right fingers showing different readings. She went to see a cardiologist and a pulmonary specialist and was told that her lungs and heart were fine. However, when her oxygen level fell below 87%, she began to worry and chest tightness.
One day, at a meeting in Needham, she became almost unbearable at the end of the day because her oxygen level dropped to 76%. On weekends, she didn't work and slept very well, but her blood oxygen level reading on the right side was still much lower than her left side, usually around 98%. She can't understand why the two sides are so different.
A friend suggested that she go to see me to understand the reasons behind her fluctuations in blood oxygen levels and the differences between her left and right sides. I analyzed her symptoms and her medical history. She told me that her rotator cuff muscles were weak at birth, which I thought might cause her neck muscles to be very tight. When she came to see me, she was 50 years old. Even though she still has a normal period, her ovarian and adrenal function has been steadily declining, resulting in reduced "relaxation" of hormone production, such as GABA, serotonin and progesterone, and rare panic attacks, during which she will not know The responsibility of the measures. Her body part allows her to cope with stress, such as the thalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands, which are comparable to her 20-year-old function. Her estrogen levels are falling, but her progesterone levels, estrogen levels, are falling at a faster rate. Her unbalanced estrogen levels made her nervous system more sensitive to stress, and her overall hormone levels decreased, causing her shoulder and neck muscles to weaken. If she experiences the same stress at the age of 20, her body will suffer long-term, irreparable damage. Acupuncture can help strengthen her adrenal and ovarian gland function, so she can produce more "relaxed" hormones to cope more effectively with stress.
Before her first treatment, I asked her to measure her blood oxygen level: the reading fluctuated between 70% and 90%. When I was doing acupuncture studies with a practicing nurse at the Ohio Medical School, I learned that when the baby is sleeping on their stomach, their blood oxygen levels usually increase and they are more relaxed. With this in mind, I asked Cindy to be on her stomach: her blood oxygen level began to rise immediately. After that, I put a few needles to relax her neck and upper shoulder muscles. During this treatment, her blood oxygen level was maintained between 98% and 99% throughout the 50 minute period. Next, I applied electrical stimulation to her neck and shoulder muscles for ten minutes. After treatment, her blood oxygen level continued to remain at around 98%.
I believe her low blood oxygen level is related to her tight neck and shoulder muscles. However, for me, it seems that more people are not sick. The fact that her right rotator cuff muscle is weaker than the left muscle can explain why her blood oxygen levels are often different on both sides of her body. In addition, her overactive nervous system may exacerbate this situation. When you are overstressed or sitting too long, your neck and upper shoulder muscles become very tight, which can cause nerve reflexes, which can cause your breathing to become shallower and less efficient. As a result, your blood oxygen levels begin to fall, especially in the absence of fresh air, and you become more and more anxious. This is why many people working in confined spaces must often go out to breathe fresh air to maintain their productivity.
When a person is in a narrow space with many people, the lower oxygen levels in the air can cause his/her blood oxygen levels to drop and cause anxiety and panic attacks. In contrast, walking on the beach or in the woods, high in oxygen, can relieve stress and make people feel relaxed and happy. If you don't have time to go to the beach, just open the window or take a deep breath outside.
Recent research has shown that meditation combined with some type of relaxation thinking and deep breathing can actually alter your gene expression. For example, if you are born with an overactive sympathetic nervous system, meditation can establish a balance between your sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. This way, when you have to cope with stress, you can stay calm and take a deep breath, so your heart rate will not be too high and your breathing will not become too shallow. When you are more relaxed, your digestive system becomes more efficient, your heart rate slows down and your immune function is more balanced, so you can avoid many diseases such as heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases and Inflammation of various diseases. This is why people who sleep well and stay relaxed most of the time tend to live longer and healthier. Genetic factors can only make such a big contribution to our longevity: we can change our gene expression by turning off bad genes and opening good genes. Balance is the key to a healthy and happy life.
Orignal From: Using Acupuncture to Increase Blood Oxygen Levels by Relaxing Neck and Shoulder Muscles
No comments:
Post a Comment