07590 216 888                                                         [email protected]
Tess Lugos - Chinese Medicine
  • Home
    • About me
  • Why acupuncture
    • Scalp acupuncture
    • Facial acupuncture
    • Auricular acupuncture
    • Moxibustion
    • Tui Na medical massage
    • Cupping
  • Location & prices
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact

Caring for carers

18/9/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
My friend Lina and I (I'm on the left) spent a couple of hours this morning with a group of carers in north London to give a talk on complementary therapies. The event was organised by the Brent Carers Centre, which offers support and activities to carers in the local area. This is a very large group of people whose work often goes unrecognised in society. One in eight adults in the UK are carers, according to Carers UK. This really hit home a few years ago when my mother-in-law started caring for my father-in-law at home, which is effectively a 24-hour job.

I spoke about the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese medicine to address physical, psychological and mental conditions. This seems to have resonated deeply with the attendees and it was great to see such  level of interest, presumably because of the very high mental and physical toll on carers. Seventy-two percent of respondents to Carers UK's State of Caring survey said they suffered mental ill health as a result of caring, while 61% said they suffered physical ill health. Many of the attendees wanted to know what they can do to help themselves, whether that is getting treatment or learning tai chi or qi gong (Chinese exercises that are based on principles of relaxation, balance and breathing, among others). They had conditions such as migraines, sciatica and tinnitus that respond well to acupuncture.

Apart from anything else, it was great to team up with my friend Lina Ramchand, whom I first met in Hong Kong about 20 years ago when we were both copy editors at the South China Morning Post. She is now practising reflexology, Indian head massage and sekhem energy work, and I am now an acupuncturist so we can help patients and carers in so many ways.




1 Comment

Boosting fertility naturally (part 1)

3/8/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
​A recent study by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that sperm counts among men in the west have fallen by around 50% in four decades. There is nothing new in this study, as it was an analysis of more than 100 previous studies in the field. But it certainly highlights what fertility experts have known for decades – that more and more couples worldwide are having problems conceiving.
 
According to the NHS, one in seven couples in the UK may have difficulty conceiving. The causes of fertility are myriad, from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and thyroid problems for women, to lower quality sperm and low sperm count for men. But for 25% of couples with fertility issues, a cause cannot be identified.
 
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has gained wide acceptance since the world’s first baby was born through IVF in 1978 (remember Baby Louise?). In the UK, more than 250,000 babies were born through IVF. In the western world, 1% (and rising) of all babies are born through assisted reproductive technology.
 
However, IVF cannot help everyone, with its high emotional, social and financial burden. Fertility drugs have side effects, from bloating and mood swings, to ectopic pregnancy and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. The success rate of IVF is highly dependent on the age of the woman undergoing treatment, as well as the cause of infertility.
 
Unless couples have very specific reasons for going down the IVF route, it’s best to try boosting fertility the natural way first. Some of the suggestions are well-known - get healthy, lose weight, don’t leave it too late, have fun with sex. Less well known is the importance of keeping calm and relaxed and not getting too anxious.
 
In Chinese medicine, the Uterus Channel or Bao Mai is the channel which connects the Uterus to the Heart. The Heart is particularly susceptible to emotional stress such as anxiety, which in turn can affect the health and receptivity of the uterus. Trying to have a baby can be very stressful, and when the body is in an anxious state, many physiological reactions can adversely affect your ability to conceive. Hormones are released, blood vessels are constricted, and blood moves away from the torso to the limbs as your body gets ready to flee in a fight-or-flight response. This means that blood supply to the pelvic organs, the uterus and ovaries is reduced.
 
Acupuncture helps boost fertility by improving blood flow to the pelvic organs, therefore promoting the growth of endometrial tissue, optimising ovulation, and regulating menstruation. Acupuncture is safe and has very few adverse side effects, when done by properly trained practitioners. 
 
Click here to see research on how acupuncture can help with female infertility and male infertility.

2 Comments

Breastfeeding and acupuncture

19/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I recently had the wonderful experience of helping a friend who had just given birth recently. She was having trouble producing enough milk, but was determined to breastfeed. Does Chinese medicine have a solution for lactation problems? Of course it does!

There are specific acupuncture points that help increase milk production. One of them is in the centre of the chest, but another one is near the tip of the pinky (the smallest finger). The pinky doesn't really make sense, unless you know something about the Small Intestine channel or meridian, which runs from the tip of the pinky up the arm, then a deep pathway goes down through the chest and into the small intestine. Therefore, needling the point on the pinky has an influence on lactation.

My friend was also making sure she was eating well -- new mums need food that builds blood and promotes qi. Broth is excellent. Adzuki beans is also a wonderful aid to help with milk production.

The good news is that 3 weeks after giving birth, mum's making enough milk and baby is more settled. In the UK, most people still think of acupuncture in terms of muscular-skeletal issues. I love the reaction that this story gets, people are so surprised to hear about acupuncture and breastfeeding. Alas, Chinese medicine still doesn't have an answer to new babies who don't sleep through the night.

0 Comments

Helping new mums cope

11/10/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Transitions are a stressful time, whether it is divorce, death or losing a job. Even happy occasions such as starting a new job, moving home or giving birth are fraught with uncertainty and anxiety. These are moments when it can be very beneficial to be supported by acupuncture. I was reminded of this very recently while treating a patient who is getting ready to go back to work after a year’s maternity leave.
 
New mums returning to work are full of conflicting emotions, from worry regarding the logistics of getting her baby to childcare in the morning, to possibly guilt about having some time to herself again after having devoted herself to her baby full-time since birth. My son was born in Hong Kong, where maternity leave was a mere 10 weeks. Going back to work was a wrench, and I wish I knew then what I know now about how Chinese medicine can support new mums. 

For starters, acupuncture helps relieve stress by calming and strengthening you so you can cope with the situations that you find stressful. Acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional well-being.
 
It is also common for patients to notice improvements with other niggling problems like sleep or digestion, during the course of treatments.
 
Click here to see the research evidence for stress and anxiety.


1 Comment

Family and digestion

4/5/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Tess has lost it, you say. Family and digestion? Don't you mean family and food? Bear with me a moment, there is some logic to this.

It seems a distant memory now that I am up to my neck in essays and final exam preparations, but my son B and I had a great Easter travelling to the US (Tennessee! Alabama!) to visit my family, whom I hardly see these days. The last time that my siblings, my mum, and I were all together was eight years ago. That was way before I had any inkling that I would be studying Chinese medicine in my 40s and trying to engineer such a radical career shift. It was great to see everyone and to finally meet all my nieces and nephew, which is what I expected. But what I didn't expect is that with my acupuncturist hat on, I now had a profoundly different -- and privileged -- insight into my family.

For example, cancer runs in my father's side. My wonderful dad died of pancreatic cancer in his 40s, while his older sister, my lovely and wacky auntie, died of bowel cancer in her 50s. It is no secret why I want to specialise in using acupuncture to support cancer patients undergoing conventional treatment! 

In Chinese medicine, cancer often occurs against a background of Spleen Qi Deficiency. Spleen is the organ responsible for efficient digestion, to extract nutrients and energy from food. When we have strong digestive qi, we can do this efficiently. If we have weak digestive qi, we will struggle to break down food and absorb it. This undigested food will turn to Phlegm, which contributes to many kinds of cancer. (The ancient Chinese  viewed what we call tumours as a kind of Phlegm build-up.)

How do we strengthen our digestive qi? Less meat and more vegetables for starters -- they say that your plate should contain all the colours of the rainbow, meaning having lots of different vegetables and fruit. When you're eating, sit down and enjoy your meal, rather than multi-tasking and trying to work/watch TV/read newspaper at the same time. The digestive system likes warm food, so avoid cold foods coming straight from the refrigerator, especially if you live in a cold climate. My son and husband don't like this dietary advice because they adore their Haagen-Dazs cookies and cream and ice-cold drinks. But try to minimise this and your digestive system will be happier for it.

Above all, enjoy eating and sharing meals with your loved ones. So glad I did plenty of this while away. Now it's time to finish that paper on acupuncture and lymphoedema, and start revising for the biomed exam. I am so very near the end of Year 3! 






1 Comment

    Tess' blog

    ... or a record of a Filipina's adventures in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). 

    I am a practitioner of traditional acupuncture based  at Violet Hill Studios in St. John's Wood and in Hampstead Garden Suburb, both located in north London.

    ​I am registered and fully insured with the British Acupuncture Council. I studied Chinese medicine and acupuncture at the Confucius Institute of TCM (within the London South Bank University); at the First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine in Harbin, China; and with White Crane Academy of Chinese Herbal Medicine in England.

    Archives

    May 2025
    August 2024
    April 2023
    November 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    October 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    April 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    Acupuncture Practice
    Acupuncture Studies
    Addiction
    Antenatal
    Anxiety
    Auto-immune Conditions
    Cancer
    Dermatology
    Diabetes
    Family
    Fertility
    Food
    Gynaecology
    Herbal Medicine
    Mandarin
    Menopause
    Musculoskeletal
    Neurological
    Pain
    Post Natal
    Scalp Acupuncture
    Self-care
    Stress
    Tai Chi
    Travel
    Wellbeing

    RSS Feed