Old Treatments for Aging Problems

I believe that aging is a privilege. Each white hair and fine line is a mark to be proud of. It means that I survive, I thrive, I learn and I’m just getting smarter and smarter.  Each day is a gift, but when our bodies and minds don’t feel very good, each day can start to feel like a burden.

High Blood Pressure

Whether your hypertension comes with chronic headaches, or if it’s been silent, natural methods of treatment can be used to bring your blood pressure down and with maintenance, keep it down.

Most cases of high blood pressure are due to chronic inflammation. Diets full of sugar, fried food, dairy and wheat cause inflammation all over, including the arteries. Lack of sleep on a regular basis, feeling stressed very often and certain medications cause high blood pressure. 

In our clinic, we don’t view hypertension as a chief complaint, it’s really just one symptom of overall poor health. High blood pressure often goes unnoticed, so it’s actually a gift to the patient when they find out about their high blood pressure. Otherwise, they may never know how hard the body is trying to compensate for long term poor health, thus it gives the patient an opportunity to save their life. 

Any natural treatment option would aim at healing inflammation, reducing stress on the heart and addressing quality of life problems like not sleeping and becoming easily upset. Tuina, Reflexology, Massage and Acupuncture have varying percentages of success at treating high blood pressure. Some research suggests that acupuncture plus hypertension medication is more effective at reducing high blood pressure than with medication alone. (1) Nutritional changes are obligatory to anyone hoping to reduce blood pressure in a natural way. While no diet is perfect for everyone, cutting wheat, sugar and dairy out of your diet is almost guaranteed to make you feel better and after two weeks you may see changes in hypertension. Note: sugar de-toxification symptoms such as dizziness and headache are common for the first 3-7 days off of processed sugar, please consult your doctor or nutritionist if you feel unwell following a diet change.

Arthritis and Joint Pain

Neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain and osteoarthritis really impacts mobility and quality of life. Treating these ailments early on has a better chance of preventing joint degeneration. Preserve your joints before pain takes over. Fascia is the key to stable movement. Fascia is the too-little talked about element involved in musculoskeletal disease. Fascia is connective tissue, it’s a web of flexible material under the skin and over the muscles. It aids in moving blood and lymph around the body. When fascia gets knotted up it holds onto old blood and lymph and eventually gets hard, causing pain with movement. As we get older fascia stiffens and becomes denser, similar to how glue dries out, reducing its ability to glide smoothly.  The tissue's ability to stretch and recoil is reduced, which can lead to decreased joint mobility and an increased risk of injury. The water content in fascia goes down as we age making the layers stickier and less able to slide past each other. Fascia quality waning also makes the muscles weaker. The best treatment for arthritis is exercise guided by a certified trainer who can teach you how to work on your fascia at home daily. Passive treatments for arthritis, joint pain and mobility issues are Myofascial Release, Gua Sha, Tui Na, Reflexology, Acupuncture and Massage.

Sometimes surgery is the best treatment option for advanced stage musculoskeletal disease because natural healing is all about prevention. If you have had orthopedic surgery, Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine can aid recovery and address nerve damage. Acupuncture and myofascial release is used to prevent post surgical adhesions from forming and causing internal pain years down the line.

Diabetes (Type 2)

Affects a significant portion of older populations and can lead to serious complications if not

managed, including nerve damage, kidney failure, and vision loss. Again, inflammation of the arteries causes damage which is hard to reverse with medication alone. Type 2 Diabetes develops as a result of a diet high in sugar combined with lack of consistent exercise. Natural treatments like Acupuncture, Reflexology and Chinese Herbal Medicine regulate blood sugar and cortisol to help stop damage to arteries and prevent and treat neuropathy. Reflexology, Acupuncture, TuiNa and Massage improve circulation to help the body detox faster as the patient changes their lifestyle. Continuous glucose monitoring is crucial for newly diagnosed diabetic and pre-diabetic patients. Each individual will metabolize different foods in different ways. You may be surprised to see which foods (even “healthy” foods like 0% fat yogurt) spike your blood sugar. If you want to avoid life long medication and potentially fatal complications, change your diet with the help of a nutritionist. 

Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Unfortunately, these diseases are incurable and debilitating, leading to a progressive decline in cognitive abilities such as memory and  reasoning, or motor functions, like tremors and poor coordination. Natural treatments can offer comfort to the client and according to research, may help repair or slow down neural degeneration in the brain. 

Reflexology reduces stress and anxiety because it has a calming effect, easing stress and anxiety often associated with dementia. Reflexology alleviates agitation, research indicates that  it may help reduce agitated behaviors like pacing, wandering, and resisting care. Some studies show a positive effect on mood and a decrease in insomnia with consistent reflexology treatment. The application of pressure during a reflexology session can encourage better circulation and nerve stimulation, resulting in better balance. Acupuncture is currently being studied to determine how effectively it can preserve and heal brain function. (2)

The Rundown (alphabetically) each natural modality has its own strengths.

Acupuncture carries over 4000 years of use and anecdotal evidence of efficacy. Since the cultural revolution of China, high quality, peer reviewed research studies have started to map the reproducibility of the effects of acupuncture on over 100 conditions. When performed by a qualified acupuncturist, acupuncture carries risk of very few undesirable side effects. The most commonly reported good side effects are relaxation, better sleep, better energy and better digestion. For the aging population, acupuncture is most commonly used to treat hypertension, pain, post surgical pain, scar tissue, adhesions, diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. 

Chinese Herbal Medicine is a complex science of combining herbs from the Chinese Materia Medica. Experts in Chinese Herbal Medicine can custom build formulas for each specific patient, taking into account their own combination of symptoms. The herbalist is also able to prevent harmful interactions between medication and herbs. If the patient ever has a bad side effect from the herbal formula, the herbalist is able to tweak the formula and perfect. As opposed to pharmaceuticals, the herbal formula is made just for the patient, keeping in mind the patient’s health history and current health condition. To clarify, proper herbal medicine is not like ordering a supplement from iherb. The herbalist needs lots of detailed information in order to build the best formula for the patient. The herbs may not taste great, but it’s the strongest and most effective natural medicine out there.. Folks in their golden years use Chinese Herbal Medicine to treat high blood pressure, parkinsons/tremors, type 2 diabetes, elevated  liver enzymes, autoimmune conditions and orthopedic pain.

GuaSha is a tool in the Chinese Medicine tool box. It’s a simple physical technique that releases old blood and lymph in the fascia layer of connective tissue. It often leaves a temporary red mark for 1-2 days. Folks using blood thinners may have a mark for longer than 2 days. GuaSha is most commonly used for joint pain, often on the neck, shoulders and hips.

Massage is the world’s oldest treatment which can be useful in treating almost every disease.. The calming effect of massage releases endorphins which is a natural pain killer. Massage helps to bring us out of flight or fight, and brings us into rest and digest. As a result cortisol is lowered and our body’s natural healing is triggered. It’s used to reduce blood pressure, and temporarily bring pain relief.

Myofascial Release is a hands-on manual therapy technique that applies gentle, sustained pressure and stretching to the fascia—the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, bones, and organs. The goal is to release tension, break up "knots" or trigger points, and improve range of motion by restoring the flexibility and mobility of the fascia, which can become tight due to injury, stress, or repetitive motion. It’s best used for problems of range of motion, joint pain, post surgical pain and preventing adhesions under scars.

Nutrition is arguably the most important natural medicine out there. When we are selective in what we eat and avoid foods that are bad for us, we end up using food as medicine. G-d created us a perfect world. It’s full of blessings and everything that we need is in it. Consulting with a qualified nutritionist is not always just about weight loss! Changes in nutrition can improve high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, dementia, brain fog,  osteoporosis, arthritis and so much more.

Reflexology is based on the idea that the whole body, organs, glands and tissues are

mapped onto the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands and on the ears. It’s most commonly performed on the feet. When practiced by a qualified practitioner, it carries almost no bad side effects (provided you drink extra water on the day of your reflexology treatment to aid the

detoxification). The clinical benefits are both mental and physical which is why it’s considered a very helpful treatment in dementia and Alzheimer's. It’s also used as an adjunct therapy to lower blood pressure, prevent diabetic neuropathy and treat arthritic pain.

TuiNa is another tool of  the Chinese Medical System. It’s considered a medical massage that follows acupuncture channels. Patients receive TuiNa while completely clothed, so it’s a convenient treatment for older folks who have trouble dressing and undressing.  If you are taking blood thinners, you may bruise, but it’s not a common occurrence. It’s most commonly used for neck, shoulder, hip and neck pain. TuiNa also improves the circulation on the myofascial tissue, so it’s helpful for mobility issues too. 

Treatment Plan

Chronic issues require consistent treatment. In other words, if you have been dealing with an issue for a year or longer, don’t be surprised when your natural medicine practitioner recommends a long treatment plan. Depending on the severity of your condition, the practitioner may recommend an aggressive treatment plan. Treatments like acupuncture, massage, myofascial release, reflexology and tuina work slowly from the inside and each treatment builds on the last. If a patient decides to come for a treatment once a week or once every two weeks, the patient may not see steady improvement! The wait between sessions loses healing momentum. So at every treatment the patient is starting from square one. Therefore, treatments may be recommended multiple times a week and then as the patient improves, frequency can be reduced. As long as the patient doesn’t backslide and symptoms and pain doesn’t return, you can slowly wean down to once a month. In my opinion all healthy people should get some sort of natural treatment once a month, to keep a good thing going. Natural medicine excels at prevention, so once a patient is out of pain or out of danger, he/she should continue their favorite treatment once a month or once a season, in order to prolong good health. 

Where to start?

Israel is full of natural healers! While choosing the right practitioner for you, don’t be embarrassed to ask about their training and certification. There are very few laws regulating these professions in Israel, so it’s important to do some research. Word of mouth from a trusted friend or colleague is a great place to start. Talk to your doctor about your interest in adding natural medicine to your treatment strategy, they will most likely have a recommendation for you! Additionally, all four kupot cholim have these natural treatments available for a subsidized rate through the clinics, you can trust that those kupat cholim practitioners have at least completed an accredited course. When you meet your practitioner, check in with yourself to see if you are comfortable with them. You will likely be spending 15-50 minutes with your practitioner at each visit, so make sure you trust them and like them. If you meet a practitioner that doesn’t click with you, try another practitioner. It’s nothing personal, every healer has his or her own personality, and if it clashes with yours, it’s not worth pushing the healing relationship. Your natural healer won’t have access to your kupat cholim file, you will have to discuss your health history and many aspects of your current quality of life situation with them. If you don’t feel comfortable with your practitioner, you may unwittingly withhold important information that can impact your treatment.Therefore the level of your comfort and trust during your treatment will actually impact your results.  

It’s very exciting to use natural and conventional medicine together. You, as the patient, are a consumer that gets to choose the best of both of these healing worlds. Using conventional and natural medicine together is called integrative medicine, and it’s the future of healthcare for folks of  the golden years! 

Esther Hornstein is a New York State licensed acupuncturist and has been practicing since 2007. She loves cats and gardening (even though she is better at raising cats than plants). She is one of the acupuncturists at 2nd Nature Healing Center in Ramat Beit Shemesh A, Israel. You can make an appointment at her office by calling or sending a whatsapp to 054-719-9600.

(1)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1744388122001177#:~:text=Results,of%20heterogeneity%20among%20the%20studies. Association between acupuncture and grade 1 hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice Volume 49, November 2022, 101649

(2) https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1035376/full Effect and mechanism of acupuncture on Alzheimer’s disease: A review Front. Aging Neurosci., 03 March 2023 Sec. Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Volume 15 - 2023