Dave is great guy. We had an awesome time talking, making the video and getting some very relaxing acupuncture, too.

We talk about what acupuncture is used for, why it’s great for body builders and people in general, and how acupuncture works. We also talk about cupping, which has become very popular recently among the celebrity set (the rest of us have been doing it for about 2000 years now). You can see the intake interview and the acupuncture treatment I did for Dave’s shoulder pain and upper back pain. It’s a visit to the acupuncturist, start to finish.

The video is on YouTube. Check it out. I hope you enjoy it.

Feel free to leave questions about acupuncture in the comments below.

We’re living in a modern world with a modern world’s worth of inventions. Unfortunately, a lot of those inventions are doing us harm. The inventions I’m talking about, in this instance, are chemicals that mimic hormones or bind to hormones thereby making them useless. Take Bisphenol-A for example: Endocrine disruptor and common plastic additive. You can read all about what I think of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in my posts on this blog. Unfortunately, the risks of ill health from chemical exposure through just living our lives extends well beyond BPA.

Everyone is exposed to hundreds of chemicals each day. Some our bodies are able to detoxify and excrete right away. Others are beyond our body’s ability to purge, so they just rattle around inside of us causing problems. When we’re talking about men’s health, and specifically sexual health and vitality, we need to pay special attention to the chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system, the system that produces hormones.

Hormones play a role in myriad processes in the body. Hormones, specifically the sex hormones known as androgens, are what differentiate the sexes in utero and continue to play a key role in the development of secondary sexual characteristics and sexual health. Both men and women have both male and female androgens, but men have more of the male androgens (testosterone, etc.) and women have more female androgens (estrogen, etc.).

Men are always susceptible to these chemical toxins that act like estrogen in the body or bind testosterone make its presence lower overall as compared to estrogen. When you combine this with the natural hormonal slow down in middle age (known as andropause; the male equivalent to menopause), you can get serious problems in men’s health, especially sexual function.

And men are not alone. This phenomenon of endocrine disruption and feminization of males has happened in fish, frogs, alligators, birds, and other animals. Some species of fish that live downstream from pharmaceutical companies making hormone medicines have shown males literally transforming into females as a result of continued exposure.

Since these chemicals have become pervasive in our ecosystem, men have to fight an uphill battle to keep their exposures down. Do we throw in our hats? No. Men can protect their sexual health by reducing exposure to toxins in the following ways:

• What you drink – Filter your water and use a stainless steel water bottle. I like the Multipure water filters very much. Berkey filters also have a good reputation. Using a stainless steel bottles are a toxin-free alternative to plastics.
• What you eat – Part 1 – Eat organic whenever you can. Follow the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen when you can’t. Eat only organic, pasture-raised meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy.
• What you eat – Part 2 – Incorporate freshly ground flax and sesame seeds for lignans and fiber to help bind these toxins and excrete them.
• What you eat – Part 3 – Skip the reduced fat dairy products. Androgen hormones are made from cholesterol. You need dietary fat from animal sources to make androgens.
• What you eat – Part 4 – Maintain a balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Keeping Omega-3s high and Omega-6s isn’t always easy, but I truly believe its a key to longevity. Omega-6s are pro-inflammatory when they outweigh Omega-3s at certain levels, so keep your Omega-3 rich foods high in your diet.
• Eschew plastics whenever possible – Even exposure to plastic tubing for an IV can have a negative impact on sperm count according to animal studies. Whenever you can, live a plastic-free life. Put your leftovers in glass, use glass pitchers, etc.

These simple steps will make a difference in the amount of endocrine disrupting toxins you’re exposed to. Do your best. Even small changes can make big differences.

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
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The Heart is the ruler of Summer, and its element is Fire. The nature of Fire is to expand and grow, and so this season is about growing in concentric circles out from yourself. It is through the Heart that we make connections to the world beyond ourselves. Embrace things beyond your boundaries this season. Try new things, explore, get lost and find your way home, enjoy the long days and shorts nights. Connect your inner world with your outer world. Now is the time for living.

Now that I’ve mentioned enjoying the outdoors and being in the sun a couple of times, let me also tell you about the Environmental Working Group’s 2013 Sunscreen Guide. This handy resource will tell you how to protect your skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays while also avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals, like oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate, and nano-particle mineral products, which get absorbed into the body. Children and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to both of these common ingredients. Be sure to get a sunscreen of SPF 30. This is the best level of protection, and higher SPF products haven’t been shown to provide increased protection. Additionally, new research has shown that moisturizers and makeup with sunscreen may not be providing the protection you think, so opt for two separate products.

The emotion of Summer is Joy. Since it is also the season of the Heart, we should take good care of our emotional-selves, too. Find time to laugh and be happy. Laughing with friends on a picnic blanket is medicine this time of year. You can also use this season to take care of your physical heart by reinvigorating your exercise routine. Try something new. Ride your bicycle to work or just take a wheeled meander over the weekend.

Finally, I want to remind you to stay hydrated. Summer is hot. It’s very important to drink plenty of water. Also, favor light-colored, loose-fitting clothing to help you stay cool. Get an awesome water filter at home to get rid of chlorine and carry a BPA-free water bottle. You’ll be doing yourself and the Earth a favor by avoiding bottled water. Check out the Seasonal Health Tips below for tasty ways to stay hydrated, too.

Health Tips for Summer
Watermelon is a great way to stay cool and hydrated in Summer. Interestingly, Watermelon is one of the “herbs” in the Chinese materia medica, and is indicated for hot and also hot-humid days. On humid days, eat into the white margin of the rind a bit for added medicinal benefit. Watermelon is also easily juiced. Remove the pips and throw chunks of watermelon into the blender. You’ll be glad you tried it. Another option is to toss watermelon cubes with arugula and feta for a delicious salad variation. The salt from the feta will give you some much needed electrolytes. The Union Square Greenmarket has a few vendors selling local feta.

The color of Summer is red. Try to add some red foods to your diet, like strawberries, cherries, beets and red chard. Strawberries are in season now and pair well with another in-season red food, rhubarb. Strawberries and rhubarb should be cooked together for pie filling, compote, dessert topper, or for layering into parfaits. Pair with a bit of mint and fresh whipped cream or yogurt from pasture-raised cows or whipped full fat coconut milk for a non-dairy version.

When hot and humid weather leave you feeling like you don’t want to eat, try a cup of cool barley or fenugreek seed tea. Both will help dispel that Dampness, something Chinese medicine sees as blunting the appetite, and reinvigorate your digestive fire. Steering clear of heavy, greasy or fried foods will also help prevent digestive problems in Summer.

Beans are another way to dispel the Dampness that comes with Summer humidity. Most people don’t think of beans as being a Summer food because they’re so hearty, but a cool bean salad or a white bean dip will go well with any Summertime meal.

Finally, don’t forget our old friend Cucumber. Cucumber slices are a delicious, healthful and refreshing way to dress up a glass of water, and stay cool while doing it.

All the best,

Dylan

Androgens is the term we use to refer to men’s sex hormones, namely testosterone, androstenedione, androstenediol, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). All androgens are made from cholesterol via a complex pathway of metabolism with multiple intermediate molecules. This is why it is so important to eat healthy fats, like pastured butter or ghee, egg yolks, salmon, and nuts, to name a few. A cholesterol-free diet would severely limit our health potential, but the key here is to eat fats from healthy sources, not from fast food restaurants, processed foods, or other “junk” foods.

Testosterone levels peak a few times during the course of a man’s life. The peak we’re most familiar with is during puberty, at which point the total testosterone levels rise to about 600 ng/dL (that’s nanograms per deciliter of blood) and stays there until somewhere between age 45 and 50 years. This is when men start to exhibit andropause, a decline in the sex hormone levels. Testosterone makes a steady descent back towards 300 at age 80. These numbers are averages. Individuals will vary, and so will the reference range for normal depending on the lab doing the testing.

The total testosterone levels measured in blood decline so slowly that they may seem constant. An important component of the total testosterone number, free testosterone change quite quickly into a decline. Ninety-seven to 99% of all testosterone floating around in your blood is bound to other molecules, which means it already has a job it’s doing. That 1-3% of free testosterone is testosterone looking for a job to do. As we age the amount of molecules that bind to hormones also increases. So, we’re faced with a  decline in hormone production plus an increase in the stuff that takes hormones out of circulation. Additionally, the body starts converting testosterone into other substances more often, too. Aging is generally bad news for free testosterone levels.

Also, take into account that a man’s body will naturally start making more estradiol, a potent form of estrogen (the hormone that makes women look like women), to support brain function. Combine that with men being overexposed to environmental exo-estrogens and pollutants, which also bind to free testosterone, plus this “normal” decline in free testosterone, and we see men are in a difficult spot.

We’ve seen an increase in low sperm count, poor sperm quality, prostate and testicular cancers, and erectile dysfunction as environmental exposures increase and as men age. The effects of environmental pollution can also be seen yielding the similar results in the animal kingdom. For example, male fish living downstream from sewage treatment plants and pharmaceutical manufacturers have been shown to lose the ability to reproduce and even become female.

So what can men do to keep their free testosterone from declining? Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post to find out. In the meantime, check out my post about how to reduce toxin and exo-estrogen exposures.

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
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As to a boy, his kidney energy becomes abundant, hair begins to grow longer, and his teeth begin to change, at the age of 8.

At the age of 16, a young man’s kidney energy becomes even more abundant. At this point in time, his sex energy begins to arrive, he is full of semen, which he can ejaculate. When a young man has sexual intercourse…at this stage of life, he can have children.

At the age of 24, young man’s kidney energy becomes equal to that of an average adult with strong tendons and bones; his last tooth begins to grow with all other teeth already completed.

At the age of 32, a man’s tendons, bones and muscles are already fully grown.

At the age of 40, a man’s kidney energy begins to weaken, his hair begins to to fall off, and his teeth begin to wither.

At the age of 48, a man experiences a weakening and exhaustion of his yang energy in the upper region, and his complexion begins to look withered, his hair begins to turn gray.

At the age of 56, a man’s liver energy begins to weaken, his tendons become inactive. At this point in time, a man’s sex energy begins to run out with scanty semen remaining in him, and his kidneys become weakened, which is why all parts of his body begin to grow old.

At the age of 64, a man’s hair and teeth are gone.

Some of it sounds rather bleak, so take it with a grain of salt. Life doesn’t end at 64, toothless and bald. It’s quite possibly, in fact, to live your life for many years beyond your sixties as a hale, hearty and sexually active man. But you need to make the choice to be an active participant in your own health to maintain your youthful vigor beyond those early years.

And so begins a series of posts about the natural course of a man’s aging, and what we can do to make sure men retain their health, vigor and vitality.

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
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As I sit here writing, do you know what keeps distracting me? It’s not the gorgeous weather. It’s my disorganized linen closet. I don’t think I should be surprised. We have the Spring Cleaning cultural phenomenon after all. Chinese medicine theories about Spring and the season’s influence on the body parallel our urge to clean.

In Chinese medicine, Spring is related to the Wood element. The organs of the Wood element are the Liver and Gallbladder. The Liver is seen as making plans and the Gallbladder as the executor of those plans. Neither one likes to have an impediment blocking the path toward its goal.

Spring cleaning is about removing detritus from our lives so we can walk our path more freely. In Chinese medicine, letting go of things we don’t want or don’t need is more of a trait of the Autumn season, but we do it now so that we can harness the bursting Spring energy more readily.

Join me in taking on small projects that are cluttering your mental or physical workspace so you can achieve your Springtime goals. For me, that means a trip to the Container Store in the next couple of days. It’ll make a world of difference. Your Liver and Gallbladder will thank you.

Stay tuned for the Spring newsletter post in the coming weeks for more tips on healthy living in harmony with the seasons. And if you’re desperate for more now, check out my Winter into Spring post on Mountain Rose Herbs blog.

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
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Ear acupuncture is great for stress relief and general wellness. It’s also a great introduction to acupuncture for people who have never tried acupuncture before. Ear acupuncture is very relaxing, and many people doze off or enter a deeply restful, meditative state during their treatment.

The “pop up” clinic works on a walk-in basis. First come, first served. Treatments last for about 30 minutes.

Come by any time between 2 and 8pm on Friday. All are welcome.

Hope to see you there!

Free Community Ear Acupuncture
Friday, March 22nd 2-­‐8pm
The LGBT Community Center
208 West 13th Street
Between 7th and 8th Aves

Acupuncture_Clinic_March22

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
Dylan Stein on Google+
On Twitter @Citypuncture
Or on Facebook on the Dylan Stein Acupuncture Page

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
Dylan Stein on Google+
On Twitter @Citypuncture
Or on Facebook on the Dylan Stein Acupuncture Page

Happy Chinese New Year!

恭禧發財! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous Year of the Snake.

This is a year of introspection, intuition and discovery. Steady and strong commitment to your hopes and dreams will yield sweet fruit in the Year of the Snake. Focus on strategy and perseverance. Your steps will become leaps.

Refer a friend in February and each of you will receive 20% off your next visit.

Yours in health,

Dylan Stein, MS, LAc
info@dylansteinacupuncture.com
(212) 863-9223

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
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On Twitter @Citypuncture
Or on Facebook on the Dylan Stein Acupuncture Page

We lead busy lives. Luckily, nature has built a period of the year when the days are short, gently suggesting we go to bed early and rest indoors to avoid the cold. This is a season of conservation. Wear wool socks and a scarf. Enjoy warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Eat warm and nourishing foods, like root vegetables, black sesame seeds, lamb, mutton and venison. Try to connect to the idea of the season as we see it in nature – everything is quiet and still, waiting for rebirth under the warm rays of the sun in Spring.

A few weeks back, the Winter Solstice occurred. The Winter Solstice is the day each year when daylight is at its shortest. From then on, the hours the sun lights the sky increase. Winter turns to Spring, and soon we reach the long days of Summer until the Summer Solstice marks the decline of daylight again. For an event that marks the growth of warming daylight, we find ourselves now, oddly enough, in the Chinese calendrical period called Xiao Han, or Little Cold, which is followed by Da Han, Big Cold. Why, you may ask, are there two periods of Cold as the warming forces of nature are increasing?

My teacher answers this question with the analogy of a car slowing down. Say you are driving, and want to stop. You’ve made the decision to do so, but first you have to apply the brakes. You don’t stop instantly, or you’d be flung from the car. Instead you gradually slow down until you reach stillness, and then you can change your course. Nature has decided it no longer wants to move in the direction of Cold, but wants to head to Warmth. However, it moves a little deeper into Cold as it slows its trajectory, even as the seed of Warmth is planted and sprouts. This is also a good lesson to remember for living in a day when instant gratification of the Digital Age and snap decisions are so routine and are often required. Take time to pause now and throughout the year. It’s much easier to change your course at 5 miles per hour than at 50.

So over the next few weeks, as the days begin to get longer and the weather hints at Spring, take some time to embrace Winter. Find time for naps and go to bed early. Meditate quietly. Eat well and keep warm. Prepare your body for the bursting energy of Spring by recharging your body’s batteries in Winter. The good you do for your body now will show all year long.
Yours in health,

Dylan Stein
Winter Health Tips
My first tip has absolutely nothing to do with Winter. Ha! It’s more of a New Year kind of project. It’s called a Gratitude Jar. Get yourself a large mason jar with a screw top, a nice pen or marker, and some small pieces of paper (feel free to repurpose used paper to go easy on the trees). Each day, add a slip of paper with something you are thankful for. You can also recount happy moments or include inspiring quotes. When you’re feeling blue, pick one out and read it for a little lift. Be sure to replace any you remove with something new. Whatever is left inside can be a New Year’s Eve treat in December 2013. The work we do in Winter will benefit us all year long.

Winter is the season associated with the bones in Chinese medicine, so this is the season to care for them. One way to nourish the bones is to eat bone broth. I have a blog post about bone broth which you should definitely check out. Vegetarians should read my post about a vegetarian alternative to bone broth. Bone broth and its vegetarian cousin provide essential minerals that help strengthen bones and nourish the digestion for better absorption and assimilation of nutrients.

Winter is obviously the season of Cold. It is also the season of the Kidneys. We should eat with three things in mind to benefit the Kidneys and fend off the cold: emphasize gently warming spices (ginger and cinnamon, not cayenne and chile peppers), eat foods that nourish the Kidneys (beans, root vegetables, seaweeds, dark leafy greens, and walnuts), and eat foods that are very dark in color (black is the color of Winter in Chinese medicine), like black sesame seeds, blueberries, beets, and black beans. It is also the time to avoid frozen or cold foods in general.

Since Winter is a season of stillness, now is the time to change our exercise habits for the time being. Instead of heavy sweating and intense exercise, try Tai Chi (Taiji) and Qi Gong, gentle yoga and walking meditation. In fact, all kinds of calm and centering meditation will be additionally beneficial in Winter. If you need to do heavier exercise than this, try Pilates or swimming as they focus on fluid movements that are less hard on the joints.

In other news…
I recently published my first mini-book, The Anti-Inflammation Diet. I hesitate to use the word diet because that implies weight loss to me. This is more of an dietary philosophy and lifestyle, a way of eating that focuses on eating whole foods as a means of restoring health and wellness. This book reflects my studies of Chinese medicine, research on Western nutrition, and the study of the work of Weston A. Price. Following this diet reduces inflammation in the body by removing common irritants that can exacerbate conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, auto-immune diseases, coronary artery disease and fertility issues, to name a few.

Patients are welcome to a copy of the book when they come for an office visit. People who are not patients may purchase a copy for $10 by contacting the clinic at (212) 863-9223.
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I have also uploaded 4 great free pamphlets to my website:

• Foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids
• Foods that are rich in Calcium (focusing mainly on non-dairy sources)
• Foods that are rich in Vitamin D
• 5 foods to improve wellness

You can find these pamphlets on my blog. They are available through subscription to my newsletter. For those already subscribed to my newsletter who would like to receive any of these pamphlets, please reply to the most recent newsletter you received to ask for copies to be emailed to you directly. Otherwise, just follow the instructions in the blog posts.

Dylan Stein Acupuncture
About the Clinic
Dylan Stein Acupuncture is located at 303 Fifth Avenue at 31st Street in midtown Manhattan. I see patients from Tuesday through Friday by appointment only. The clinic is two blocks from the B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and 6 subway lines and the PATH train.

Specialties
Men’s Health – This ranges from male factor infertility to prostate issues to erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Dermatology – Acne, psoriasis, eczema, shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia, and tinea are the most common skin conditions I treat. Any dermatological condition is best treated by combining acupuncture with herbal medicine. Results will be seen faster and last longer, often needing no further treatment after intensive therapies for 6-9 months.

Pain Management – Helping people in pain is a huge part of any acupuncturist’s practice. I see every type of pain from sciatica and back pain patients to frozen shoulder to carpal tunnel to TMJ.

Services
Almost all of my patients receive acupuncture, though some chose to use herbal medicine alone. I use two different systems of acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and Master Tung’s family lineage. Master Tung’s style of acupuncture is rarely taught in the West, and was a secret lineage passed from father to son through the Tung family until about 60 years ago. I also use cupping, moxibustion and Tuina massage as part of my acupuncture treatments.

Herbal medicine is one of my great loves in life. I have seen extraordinary things happen when patients are using herbal medicine to support their acupuncture treatments. I firmly believe that herbal medicine is of the utmost importance for treating skin conditions (/dermatology-acupuncture-chinese-medicine/) , and will very rarely treat without it. This is only marginally less true for treating men’s health concerns (/mens-health-acupuncture-herbal-medicine/) and chronic pain conditions (/acupuncture-pain-management/) . Acute pain conditions respond better to the topical application of herbal formulas rather than internal ones. Chinese herbal medicine does take some getting used to with our Western palates being what they are, but it’s well worth the change.

For people trying to stop addictive behaviors, like quitting smoking, I am offering a special detox acupuncture package. I use a nationally-approved ear acupuncture protocol that I can administer while you sit in a chair. Treatments last about 30 minutes, and are very relaxing. Treatments will noticeably calm jitters and a racing mind, so that you can focus on your recovery instead of the behavior you’re trying to avoid. Treatments are offered up to 3 times per week as part of this package.

Insurance
I am in-network provider for Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield and an out-of-network provider for Aetna, Cigna and Oxford/United. You will either pay a specialist co-pay or coinsurance at the time of the visit. Before coming in for an appointment, we have to confirm your benefits. You can reply to this email with your name, date of birth, insurance company name, member ID, and group ID, or you can visit the Contact page (/contact/) on my website to get in touch with me, to have your benefits checked. I strongly prefer confirming eligibility by email (mailto:info@dylansteinacupuncture.com?subject=Checking%20insurance%20benefits) instead of by phone.

Make an Appointment
You can book appointments online through my website, dylansteinacupuncture.com (/) on the Appointments page (/appointments-at-dylan-stein-acupuncture/) . The online calendar system makes it easy to compare my schedule to yours, so you can find an appointment that works for you. You’ll also get an email confirmation so you won’t forget about your appointment. Of course, you can still call the clinic if you prefer to make an appointment over the phone. The clinic phone number is (212) 863-9223.

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For more about Dylan’s favorite topics, like acupuncture, herbal medicine, healthy living, New York City and parenthood, follow:
Dylan Stein on Google+
On Twitter @Citypuncture
Or on Facebook on the Dylan Stein Acupuncture Page