What are allergies?

What are allergies? Why do some people have sensitivites to foods or substances that others do not? What is the cause? How can we get relief? These are some of the questions I intend to answer in this post.

By one defiinition an allergy is an immune response to a foreign antigen that results in inflammation and organ dysfunction. Further an allergen is any substance that causes an hypersensitivity reaction. The key factor is the sensitivity - the majority of reactions are just sensitivities to a substance and not a true allergy.

The general symptoms associated with allergies/sensitivities are nasal inflammation and/or congestion, sneezing, mucus production, watery eyes, itching,, rashes, tissue swelling, bronchospasm, stridor (wheezing) and shock. itching and congestion. Some people suffer every spring when a fresh crop of pollens drift through the air and arrive in their nasal passages.

Other people are unable to tolerate certain foods or experience reactions that range from mild to life threatening. An anaphylactic reaction is the most severe version of our immune system's reaction to an allergen and if immediate medical intervention is not administered death can result. An epinephrine injection kit is often carried by a person as an emergency first aid response to a severe reaction such as a bee sting or exposure to peanuts. Did you know that it is the spores of a type of mold common to peanuts that causes the sensitivity?

First we have to apply the Natural Law of cause and effect. If we have an unusual reaction to a food or substance it is reasonable to deduct that we have an imbalance or deficiency in the nutrients that naturally act as an anecdote to the agravating factor.

The four key categories of nutrients that will counteract a sensitivity are vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs. These work synergysticly to return our metabolism to a state of balance or normal resistance and the previously irritating substance will no longer be a problem.

There are nine major categories of allergens that create the majority of reactions. One of the more common categories is a wheat sensitivity. Included in the same group of allergens are feathers, wool, dust, detergents, and pet dander. Usually one of these substances will be the major problem with lesser reactions to the other substances in that group, or the adverse reaction may shift from one substance to another within the same group.

Continuing with the wheat category the nutrients that will neutralize these sensitivities are:

1. Vitamins: Vita-F (linoleic acid) and Essential Fatty Acids;
2. Mineral: Magnesium;
3. Amino Acid: Histidine (see comment below);
4. Herbs: Black Walnut and Kelp.

Even though specific amino acids are recommended as antidotes my personal recommendation is to eat a complete protein and allow your metabolism to resolve the deficiency.

In traditional Chinese medicine the diagnosis of allergies would be described as a disharmony of the Zhangfu (internal organs) , Qi stagnation/constraint or deficiency, blood deficiency or an invasion by one or more of the six pathogenic factors (wind, heat, summer heat/fire, cold, dryness and dampness). This " invasion" will manifest symptoms that refers to the depth of the disease. External symptoms are associated with the acute phase and internal symptoms denote a more chronic pathology that affects the internal organs.

In Western medicine the norm is to treat allergies/sensitivities with antibiotics which will aggravate the condition rather than relieve it. Antibiotics cause a yeast/bacteria imbalance in the intestinal tract that exacerbates the problemand often is the basis of candida yeast infection.

In Chinese medicine we diagnos the root of the problem and it is treated quite successfully with acupuncture, food cures and herbs. The herbal formula prescribed is dependant on the diagnosis of the root cause and treats the cause rahther than the effect or symptom.

Good health to you,

Dr. Bill

How do I choose a supplement company?

Allow me to start by stating that I am a skeptic, and I apply that philosophy to virtually all of the information that is presented. Mark Twain is credited with the cliche: "Don't confuse me with facts - my mind is made up!" Although I'm skeptical, I can be swayed with solid scientfic evidence reinforced with a liberal dose of logic. My nature is to question everything but at the same time I believe that a mind is like a parachute - it only works when it's open!

"Anytime something new and good is introduced and accepted, unscrupulous promoters appear touting rediculous claims and selling questionable imitations of the real thing."

- Dr. Bruce Miller

Bruce once told me that one thing he noticed very early in his experience as a research assistant at the University of Texas was that the first batch of Guinea pigs usually died. Hmmm!

My regular patients know that I personally use Shaklee products. I also recommend them to my patients with full confidence that they will be getting the best products available on the market. There are many reasons for this and I will expand on some of them below but if I had to express my choice in one word; that word would be quality.

When a fellow health practitioner first introduced me to Shaklee I followed my skeptical approach and I tested the Vita Lea on the fig tree in my waiting room. It was replaceable - I am not. It thrived over the winter with northern light so I started taking the vitamins myself for six weeks and I felt great. During the same time period I researched everything that I could find on Shaklee. They passed my skeptical criteria with flying colors. Then, and only then did I start recommending Shaklee products to my patients.

One key factor to consider when selecting supplements is that the products must be in harmony with nature. The ingredients must be as natural as possible prepared in a manner that retains their natural potency in a formulation that replicates how they are found in nature. This latter aspect increases the bioavailability of the nutrients. If a nutrient is unable to reach the target cell you are wasting your time and money.

Absorption must be clinically proven by using blood serum testing in an independant laboratory. Of course if disintegration does not occur in time for absorption, the former is a mute point - it just won't happen. I kept a Super B Vitamin from one Vancouver, BC manufacturer in a water solution once for two weeks and all that happened was a slight discoloration of the water. Remember that the vitamin B family of nutrients are water soluble.

A similar home experiment with a child's vitamin shaped like a famous cartoon character did disolve - into a substance that resembled the interior of a sixties lava lamp. I wonder how many developing organs have been subjected to that abusive substance - whatever it was?

We need to ask:

1. What kind of information is available on ingredient specifications, safety and quality testing? As many as 63,000 laboratory tests for quality are performed on Shaklee Nutritional products and their ingredients in a single year, and as many a 176 separate tests for purity, freshness, potency, and safety are performed on the raw ingredients for a single product. Shaklee products also undergo as many as 262 separate quality assurance tests throughout the manufacturing process.
2. Are the health and nutrient claims, if any, based on anecdotal information or on scientific data? The success and superiority of Shaklee food and nutritional supplements lay in Shaklee's scientific approach. All product label claims are based on documented sustantiatiion, not heresy, testimony, or anecdotal evidence. This is an important test of product efficacy.
3. Are the products backed by published clinical research studies? Ask to see published research. How much is there? Is it peer reviewed as is Shaklee published research? Where has it been published? Over the years Shaklee has conducted numerous clinical studies whose results have undergone the difficult and rigorous process of peer-review. Nearly 90 clinical studies relating to Shaklee products have been published with many of them appearing in prestigious scientific journals such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, American Journal of Cardiology, Journal of Applied Physiology and Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
4. Does the company invest in and operate their own Research and Development Center; and Food and Nutritional manufacturing plant? The Forrest C. Shaklee Research Center in Hayward, California dedicates 52,000 square feet of space to research and development laboratories to bring scientifically based superior products to Shaklee customers. Shaklee's advanced-technology Food and Nutritional Supplement manufacturing facility in Norman, Oklahoma dedicates 312,000 square feet to the high quality production of Shaklee's superior food and nutritional supplements. Shaklee jointly operates a multi-million dollar research facility located in Palo Alto, California at the Stanford University Research Park. The year 2006 marks Shaklee's 50th anniversary of excellence in the United States and their 30th anniversary in Canada.

We are in the information age. Since the world wide web came on the scene, anyone with access to a computer can obtain a plethora of data. We can be informed, confused or overwhelmed with the opinions presented; and unfortuneatly in some cases we can be given absolute rubish wrapped up as the latest wisdom of the universe.

As a health professional it is my reponsability to ensure that information that I provide to my patients is valid and absolutely follows the Hippocratic principle of first of all, do no harm! My Creator provided me with a physical walking laboratory and the intelligence to use it in a discriminatory way. Expressed another way, I avoid recommending any supplement, herb or procedure to one of my patients that I have not tested on myself. Yes, we are all unique and it is virtually impossible to predict how another person will react to a given nutrient but due diligence will go a long ways toward reducing any risk.

You are unique and you deserve the best - you deserve Shaklee quality!

Good health,

Dr. Bill

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

I signed off from my last post with the intent of providing information on how to pick a good supplement company. That was before I was made aware of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), and I think that more information on this rare, but critical form of breast cancer, has a higher priority than supplements. We can get to the preventative information after we get the identification information out to our sisters, mothers, aunts and daughters.

While teaching Western Medicine at the SHanghai College of TCM in Burnaby, British Columbia one of my topics was Pathology. Several semesters of pathology could be dedicated to cancer alone, and our time restraints did not offer that luxury, so it was easy to miss the inclusion of IBC in the lessons. The plethora of dis-ease in our society has become so broad in scope it is very easy to miss covering a topic as important as Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

In my medical dictionary breast cancer is described as "A malignant neoplasm (usually an adenocarcinoma) of the breast" and the definition is expanded with statistical information on risk groups and morbidity. There is no mention of IBC as a separate category. Inflammatory is defined as "pertaining to or marked by inflammation". Inflammation is abnormal heat that exceeds the basil body temperature so perhaps it is time to add non-invasive thermography (see below) to the more common screening methods of mammograms (mammography) and ultrasonography.

Although rare it is important to remember that males can also develop breast cancer so it is important that my gender also do periodic Breast Self Examinations (BSE) in addition to our monthly Testicular Self Examinations (TSE).

Breast cancer is usually classified by the kind of tissue in which the cancer starts and by the extent of its spread. In the Merck Manual of Medical Information - 2nd Home Edition there are seven types of breast cancer listed. Inflammatory breast cancer is described as fast growing and often fatal. It adds that cancer cells block the lymphatic vessels in the skin of the breast, causing the breast to appear inflamed: swollen, red and warm. Usually, inflammatory breast cancer spreads to the lymph nodes in the armpit. The lymph nodes can be felt as hard lumps. However, often no lump may be felt in the breast itself because this cancer is dispersed throughout the breast. Inflammatory breast cancer accounts for about 1% of breast cancers.

Merck goes on to report that "In inflammatory breast cancer, the breast is warm, red, and swollen, as if infected (but it is not). The skin of the breast may become dimpled and leathery, like the skin on an orange, or may have ridges. The nipple may turn inward (invert). A discharge from the nipple is common. Often, no lump can be felt in the breast." "... treatment usually consists of both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Mastectomy is usually performed."

Although I have not seen any research studies to confirm risk factors of breast cancer in general, it is my suspicion that the rate of breast cancer must be higher in countries where females have been sold the concept that bras are essential. The human lymph system is an important part of our immune system, and the constriction of a "living bra" has to interfere with the normal function (drainage) of lymph. I have been teaching my female patients for years that a daily breast massage is very important to their overall health. I tell them to make it a daily routine with their morning shower. One lady quipped: "My husband paid you to say that, didn't he?" The bottom line recommendations are to not wear a bra any more than you are socially comfortable with, and include a breast massage in your daily routine to assist in lymph drainage.

Mammography is big business, and as unpleasant as they are as far as I've been told, they do offer an opportunity for earlier detection of breast lumps and hopefully a worthwhile screening method. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that the tissue trauma caused by a mammogram may actually contribute to the abnormal growth of breast tissue that may become malignant (cancerous). The thermograph offers a non-invasive alternative to the unpleastantries of the mammogram, Briefly, the thermogram is used to detect abnormal heat clusters in tissue. One of the first physiological changes in tissues associated with an abnormal growth is an increase in vascular (blood flow) activity in the area. The increased blood flow will show up on the thermograph as a "hot spot".

The thermograph procedure involves blowing cold air on the exposed flesh of the breasts to create a better temperature contrast, and then the thermogram is taken to check for any subcutaneous "hot spots". This is not rocket scientry folks - since inflammatory breast cancer is an abnormally hot condition, if there is inflammation present in the breast, it will show up on the thermograph. In most areas you can obtain a thermograph screening for about the same price as a tint and cut at your favourite hair salon.

Good health,
Dr. Bill

Why do I need Vitamins or Food Supplements?

Short answer: Because we need to if we are going to maintain our optimal health.

"We can no longer afford to abuse our health and expect the health care profession to put us back together." - Dr. Bruce Miller

The words vitamin and food supplement have almost become synonymous. I prefer the latter because it better describes their proper function. We want to supplement our body with the nutrients we are unable to obtain through a healthy eating style.

In TCM a first class doctor is one who can treat disharmonies (dis-ease) before they actually manifest - only a second class doctor has to wait for the problem to develop to begin treatment. The only downside to prevention that I can think of is the fact you will never know for sure what you have avoided but if you are curious, observation of your less diligent peers will give you a pretty good idea.

For too many years we have been a society of reactionists. What do I mean by that? It was our primary way of dealing with life - wait for a problem to develop and then react. A small percentage of the population followed the adage: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" In Canada our socialized medicine has been, and continues to be very supportive of being reactive rather than proactive in our approach to health.

Now this attitude is creating a tremendous strain on our medical system. Our aging baby boomer bulge in the population demographic combined with increased costs of high-tech medicine have created a situation that is not sustainable, regardless of how much money our government du jour is willing to prescribe. Do they actully think improving services such as "shorter wait-lists" will create a healthy turn out at the poles on election day?

The tide is finally turning and millions of health-smart people are turning to wise supplementation. The major problem in today's information overload is where do we turn?

Even though there have been numerous studies that demonstrate and prove our commercially grown crops just do not contain the nutrients we think they do, there are still many people , including some doctors who either believe:

a) Foods that we eat have nothing to do with our health; or
b) Taking Food supplements and /or vitamins is just creating expensive urine.

I suppose we could be naive enough to believe the former concept if we have never consumed a gaseous legume (beans) or a copius quantity of prunes.

Unfortuneatly the latter statement can be true in some cases. There is also the potential to be far more dangerous than expensive urine. Have you ever wondered why a well-accepted manufacturer of children's vitamins would include a proven neurotoxin (aspartame) in the formulation of their vitamin? Read Aspartame - a very dangerous substance!

Some other problems that plague the potential benefits of good supplements are the companies that use slick advertising and promotions to attract customers who do not take the time to research the credability of the manufactureer. Always remember the caveat that if something sounds too good to be true - it usually is!


As a child, my mom wouldn't allow me to leave for primary school without my daily dose of encapsulated cod liver oil. I loved it but my sister thought I was wierd. Of course there was that period in my life where mom's wisdom was placed on the back burner due to my perception of immortality common to most young people. In my teens I had aspirations of becoming a veteranarian and I used to quiz my dad on why we used certain supplements to keep our livestock healthy. Did you know that the science of nutrition in animal husbandry was at least a decade ahead of nutrition for we humans for many years? Do you read your food labels as meticuously as you do those on your pet food? Generally only pets that get fed "table scraps" develop poor health problems that parallel human pathologies.

My competitive nature and quest for perfection initiated my activity in high level sports competition at both a National and International level. World records do not come easy. Success demanded that I fuel my body in the best way that I knew at that time. This pursiut of excellence in sport was a major incentive to obtain sound nutritional information.

In my next blog I will be outlining how you can select a good supplement manufacturer by sharing how I chose the company that I personally use and recommend to my family, friends and my patients.

Good health,
Dr. Bill

How will Acupuncture help me stop smoking?

In a recent article in the Vancouver, BC "Province" newspaper Dr. Dave was poking fun at the use of acupuncture to assist in stopping smoking. As a satirical writer he is definitely not in the same league as Stephen Leacock, and from his comments I believe that his knowledge of how acupuncture works also missed the point.

Acupuncture by definition is the insertion of fine needles into specific points to encourage the body's natural healing process in its continual quest for balance or homeostasis. Western science has the dogmatic belief that everything has to be explained. Even with the assistance of functional MRI's (fMRI) proving its efficacy, science is still just guessing at how acupuncture really works, and it isn't necessary to understand the intricacies to reap the benefits.

There are numerous methods of treating a person for smoking cessation and the very successful program that I have developed has a success rate over 80% . I request patients to stop smoking for twenty four hous prior to their treatment. This triggers their unique withdrawal symptoms and allows me to more accurately assess how their habit has been affecting their overall health. The program is based on one two hour session which includes considerable coaching on how to most effectively reprogram and change bad habit patterns, weight mangement information and the actual acupuncture treatment.

One of my favorite case histories is a lady who was smoking three packs a day - and she didn't want to quit. The one treatment gave her the resolve to drop her filthy habit.

I also encourage patients to start a money jar so they get a visual confirmation of how much "found money" they are accumulating. One young lady came by my clinic six months after she stopped smoking to proudly show off her dream car that she had been able to make a substantial down payment on with her "money jar".

Recently I treated a couple who decided it was time to quit because they were sending over $900 per month up in smoke. Do the math on that one - what would you do with an extra ten grand per year?

Yes I am one of those - a reformed smoker, and proud of it. My personal experience gives me better empathy for the patients I treat. I have long since passed the fifteen year physiological time lapse that it takes for our body to completely regenerate from the ravages of cigarette smoking. The bottom line is we all die from something, and I have no idea what my something will be. I'm just very happy to know that I won't be one of the billion people that are predicted to die from smoking related illness in this century. I'm even happier to know that every time I treat someone with acupuncture to help them stop smoking, there is a better than 80% chance that they won't contribute to the statistic either. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it - Dr. Dave!

Request a "Stop Smoking Easier with Acupuncture" brochure through my web www.hardmanacupuncture-tcm.com and you will receive a 20% discount on my regular clinic fee for the two hour session.

Clean air and good health,
Dr. Bill

Conversations with patients

"Stick out your tongue" is a standard part of the pre-treatment diagnosis that I use in my practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture. This request often triggers one of the most FAQ's by patients: "What does my tongue tell you?" The article posted on my web page titled "Stick out your tongue" will give you a good over view of how important looking at my patients tongue is as a complimentary part of my diagnosis and selection of my treatment strategy for this session and possibly subsequent treatments.

In Chinese medicine theory the key aspects considered include the colour, shape and mobility of the tongue body (SHI ZHI); and the colour and texture of the coating (SHE TAI). The tongue can confirm good health and it will reflect internal changes of a pathological nature. It is this aspect that makes the tongue such an important diagnostic tool.

Tongue appearannce and landmarks are noted on the patients file so I can monitor changes from one session to the next. In some cases a change can occur during treatment and the tongue will have a different appearance after the treatment than it did with the initial observation.

One of the best publications on Tongue Diagnosis available is a joint publication by "People's Medicial Publishing House Beijing and Editions Sinomedic Strasbourg. This 638 page hardcover text has color photos of tongues with the basic diagnosis written in five separate languages to allow the best International interpretation of the information.

Our climate in the Pacific Northwest is reflected in both the tongue and the pulse of people who live in this area. The "dampness" of our climate is reflected in our physical well-being, and in some cases the dampness can take on a pathogenic proportion that is reflected in the wellness - or lack of wellness in a patient. In this case "drying" herbs or foods may be recomended to the patient to assist their body's return to homeostatsis, or good health.

Asking a patient to "expose" their tongue often results in unexpected responses that can vary from shyness to "Letting it all hang out". I once had a patient who was unable to stick out her tongue unless she sat up on the treatment table. If I'm only provided with a "dart" I often have to ask the patient to give me a longer time to observe the landmarks. One of the more common habits is to just extend the tongue through their lips without opening their mouth, and that only allows me to see the upper portion which doesn't allow for a full diagnostic observation. On some occasions there is even associated body languge in the "So there!" manner of speaking.

Children love to extend their tongues and in some cases seem totally fascinated with this unique body appendage. There have been instances in restaurants were a child provides me with an extended view (pardon the pun) and if pathology is present, I am tempted to hand my business card to the parent and suggest that they book an appointment with me or another Dr. TCM in the near future.

Good health,
Dr. Bill

Welcome to Hardman Acupuncture & TCM Blog!

I am Dr. William Hardman, Dr.TCM- R.Ac., but you can call me Bill. I am a graduate of the Canadian College of Chinese Studies in Victoria, BC. I have over twenty years experience in Natural Medicine and have been practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture since 1991.

I plan to provide a source of valid information that will assist you in making informed choices about your state of wellness, now and in the future.