1. Introduction: Contextualizing the Disease

Peyronie’s disease (PD) is a distinct urological condition characterized by the formation of fibrous scar tissue, known as plaque, within the tunica albuginea of the penis. This plaque, which is fundamentally different from arterial or dental plaque, interferes with the elasticity of the penile tissue, leading to a bent or curved erection, penile pain, and potential shortening. The disease is classified as a wound-healing disorder, a categorization that aligns it with other fibrotic conditions like keloids and Dupuytren’s contracture, the latter of which is a thick cord under the skin of the palm that pulls the fingers inward and is often a co-morbid condition. While PD is most prevalent in men aged 40 to 70, its exact epidemiology remains limited.

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Functional Medicine and Mental Health

Functional medicine is a personalized, systems-oriented approach that seeks to identify and address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal health. In many ways it’s a westernized version of Chinese medicine (TCM).In the context of mental health, functional medicine can be a valuable tool for understanding and treating a wide range of conditions, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. There are also applications for sexual dysfunction, carbohydrates addiction, PTSD, DID, eating disorders, PANDAS, mold toxicity etc. More below and reach out if you need more information. 

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Mental Health & Traditional Chinese Medicine

Everyone encounters emotional distress or major upheavals in their lives that can trigger a wide range of unexpected feelings. Major disruptions to their daily functioning (sleep, exercise and diet), or clinical disorders (depression, anxiety, PTSD, DID, etc). Mental health & Traditional Chinese Medicine have always been connected: in Chinese medicine, mental health problems are viewed as imbalances between the yin and yang energies of the body, including consideration of lifestyle, diet, and constitution. 

Emotional and physical disruptions produce an imbalance of Qi in the meridians: acupuncture can be an adequate modality for treating mental health issues because treatment plans are custom and address root causes of patterns by helping to restore balance at all levels, spirit, body and mind. This is often best achieved in an integrative setting (along with psychotherapy, somatic experiencing, EMDR, CBT/DBT, etc). If you experience a psychiatric emergency call 911 or 988.

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Fibromyalgia and Integrative Medicine

Fibromyalgia (FM) affects nearly 1 in 20 people globally. In the United States nearly 2–10% of the general population of all ages are affected by this condition. Cost associated with the syndrome exceeds $20 billion. FM is associated with many symptoms: pain, work limitations, low quality of life, poor coping, poor physical functioning. Also multiple chronic co-morbidities can make it particularly challenging to treat. It affects multiple physiological systems: cognitive, musculoskeletal, reproductive, sleep, digestive, urinary and psychological. Evidence-based treatment paradigms are emerging, but there remains a research-to-practice gap, leaving patients to seek out their own treatment options. Patients are increasingly seeking out Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for answers concerning FM.

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Headaches Migraines and Integrative Medicine

Having successfully treated several chronic migraines and headaches recently I wanted to share some of the science and the evidence behind the diagnosis and the treatments. Headaches migraines and integrative medicine: do reach out if you suffer from various headaches and migraines. I will try to write up some case studies soon to illustrate my process and showcase the success achieved with my patients (they have to be credited with at least 50% of the headache eradication by getting on this path of therapy and making the lifestyle adjustments that were recommended! Bravo!). This might be a bit long so I hope it doesn’t give you a headache! If it does you know where to find me to fix it!

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