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Women's Cancer
Selected Syndromes

Women's Cancer - Breast, Ovaries and Uterus

imageHave you ever considered the following facts? In the West, the rate of breast cancer in the population of women is 1:9 (one of every nine women gets it), but only 1:1,000,000 (one in a million) men gets a breast cancer, although the cancerous tissue is the same in both sexes! Women get ovarian and uterine cancer in the rate of 1:15, while men get testicles cancer in the rate of 1:1,500,000! Only Prostate cancer is more predominant but still does not come even close to the women's rate of uterine cancer.

 

The Chinese Medicine view may have some answers for the reasons for this injustice. But first we need to go through some general ideas regarding Gynecology in Chinese eyes. The following phrases may shed some light on some gynecological problems for which the Western Medicine has no explanation, such as pre-menstrual irritation, bloating and pain, lack of lactation, infertility, morning sickness and even the difference between men and women regarding sex.

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The menstral cycle
There is a Chinese saying: Women are based in blood (Yin) whilst men are based in energy or function (Qi) . imageThat means that the menses is the axis on which womens life is based on. In adolescence she expects her first menses, then for it to stabilize, then the reproductive years and finally the menopause.

 

The menses is a great monthly reminder of the life cycle in a small way and also as part of the bigger life cycle. The word Menstruation is composed partially from the word Men which in Latin means Moon . The lunar cycle has 28-29 days, starting with being empty (bleeding) then getting full after 14-15 days (ovulation) and waning down again. Women who live in nature (or even travelling for few months in nature) find out that their menstrual cycle starts to resemble that of the moon!

 

When a woman comes to a Chinese clinic, the practitioner asks many questions regarding the menses because according to the Chinese view the menses is the manifestation of the woman's health. She will be asked about pain, its timing and its location, the color of the blood and clots, the quantity of bleeding by days, spotting before or after and lots more. Any imbalance, whether physical or emotional, will be manifested in the menses. This is the reason for the above half saying. The half that speaks about men will not be discussed here. It is interesting to note the fact that men show up in the clinic only when their function is impaired, while women will show up when they feel that something is out of balance.

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Energy Flow in the Body
imageAccording to the Chinese Medicine the energy flows in the body via 14 main channels or meridians. Each one of these meridians starts within an organ and flows to the extremities. They have a very definite and documented path that each one flows in. On each path we can find Acupuncture Points which are activated by the Chinese practitioner to restore new balance.

The energy that flows in the channels supplies the nutrients needed (physical and emotional) for the body to function harmoniously. When this flow is free, the person feels strong and healthy. Whenever there is an imbalance, there is a blockage or stagnation and energy is not flowing smoothly causing sickness to appear. When the flow of energy is smooth, there is no pain. Pain is a symptom of energy blockage. The pain gets stronger as the blockage is harder. Thus an energy blockage can be felt at first as bloating (as happens before the menses) or will become sharp and focused, or it may develop into accumulation of nodules, cysts, myomas and benign or even malignant tumors.

The most important energy channels for woman s health are the Stomach and Spleen channels (digestive system), the Kidney channel (reproductive system, bones, teeth, knees, lower back, memory and hearing) and the Liver channel. The Liver is especially important organ in the Chinese view. It absorbs the blood and delivers it (therefor its strongly connected to the menstrual cycle) and it is responsible for the smooth flow of energy in the entire body. imageThe command of the Liver in these functions may decline due to a few factors. These are mainly emotional-psychological factors such as anger, resentment, frustration, stress and irritability. The womens emotional mechanism (according to Chinese Medicine) tends to implode and absorb much more than men in this respect (remember the trivia questions at the beginning of this part?).

These imbalances causes emotional distress or in Chinese medical terms Liver Qi Stagnation. The effect on the Liver function is imminent. The manifestations will be blockage of energy along the path of the Liver channel (some of it will effect also the related Gallbladder channel and may cause migraine headaches and gallstones).

Its path starts in the big toe at the feet, climbs up along the inner thigh, enters the genitals and end up at the breasts. The uterus, ovaries and the breasts are the main organs along the Liver channel and thus the most affected by blockages of energy in that channel. This explains the enormous rate of cancerous tumors in these organs. Usually we can see those with women who accumulated and suffered stress and resentment over many years.

Frequent sighing, heavy smoking, alcohol consumption, a need for strongly seasoned food, angry outbursts, painful menstruation and unstable cycle are part of the warning signs. Bloating and later pain under the ribs (physical location of the liver) and cholelithiasis (Gallbladder stones) are stronger signs that call for more of an urgent diagnosis and help.

Prevention
According to Chinese Medicine once these signs are noticed, the earlier the treatment the better the prevention of more complicated syndromes. It is clear that the key to prevention is the smooth flow of the Liver energy. One has to avoid anger, resentment, stress, anxiety and hard feelings. This is not so easy in today s life, especially for women. Yet, life with awareness, diet and moderate exercising can play heavy roll in preventing problems associated with the Liver.

imageThe Chinese Treatment
Besides dietary and lifestyle instructions, the treatment employs two more tools. One is Acupuncture to smooth the flow of the Liver energy and eliminate stress from the body. The other is Chinese Herbs that will help to regulate the emotional metabolism and make it flow harmoniously. The combination of a few Chinese Herbs, known as Formula, is subscribed and modified as a tailor-made suit for the patient personally, to address the full complexity of their condition. The Formulas are taken orally as tea or pills (more on that subject can be found in the introduction to Effi Kfir s second book - "Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas").

As for nodules, cysts and tumors, the Chinese Herbs act on them as the symptoms and as the root of the problem (the Liver energy). There are also special Chinese Herbs that act on malignant or benign tumors according to their location. The Herbs can work alongside the Western medications or treatment without any fear of contradiction or intervention.

It is important to note that in the case of malignant or benign tumors there is a need for Western medical eva luation and the treatment must be combined and work together. When the tumor is benign there is time to work on its elimination or reduction. When the tumor is malignant it is better to cut it off, for the fear of metastasizing, and simultaneously to start the Chinese treatment for better recovery and prevention of recurrence.

Finally, the greatness of the Chinese treatment lies in preventing and addressing gynecological problems that women had learned to live with such as dysmennorea (painful menstruation), irregular menstruation, infertility, myomas, cysts and tumors.

Chinese Medicine does not see any separation between body and soul. This fact makes it possible to treat gynecological problems that other methods find it difficult to handle.

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All rights reserved to Effi Kfir L.Ac

 

Phone - 054-4804538

 

Email - effikfir@yahoo.com

 

Website - www.kfir.net

 

 

 

I was born in Israel, in the city of Tel Aviv, where I was raised and educated. I served in the army in the Nachal unit as a tank commander and studied in Tel Aviv University at the Social Science Faculty, receiving a B.A. degree in Economics and Accounting.


During my studies I established a company for T.V. and Film Productions and in the next few years I took part in some feature films, T.V. news, and documentaries in Israel and Europe. Within that exciting period I became very interested in other cultures. Eventually I went for a 2 years journey to South East Asia and Australia. The Asian part of the journey went through India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Japan. It was a very special, free and educating period of time for me in which people from different walks of life shared their humanity and experiences with the strange and curious traveler that I was (and probably still am...). One of those "coincidences" was meeting with Dr. Yoshiharu Ikeda in Shodo Shima (an island off the Japanese Sea and Shikoku). Dr. Ikeda is a veteran practitioner of Chinese Medicine. He became the sole responsible for my unexpected exposure to Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine at his home.


That meeting was rather dramatic by its effect and led to a few major events in the years that followed. First, 4 years of studying Chinese Medicine in San Francisco at "ACTCM" - "The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine", where I’d completed a Master Program of Traditional Chinese Medicine (while working for a living as a diamond dealer...). The college, probably one of the best in the nation, had given us a very deep level of qualification in Acupuncture, but mainly in the much more sophisticated field of Chinese Herbal medicine.



After passing the Californian State Board Exam I received the Californian Physician’s license. Soon after, I passed the exam of "NCCAOM" - "The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine", and received a practitioner’s license Dipl. Ac in another 30 States in the U.S.



I felt that the end of formal studies in San Francisco, including 4 years of working with patients at the college public clinic, was only the beginning. It had called for more experience. So the natural move was to go to China and Japan for a specialization period of almost a year on the treatment of Internal Medicine disorders and with a special emphasize on Gynecological and Obstetric problems . The training occurred at two hospitals in China and one in Japan. In China, at the Chengdu #1 Hospital in the south - where the treatment consists mainly of Chinese Herbal Medicine & at the Tian Jin #1 Hospital in the north, near Beijing - where the treatment is based on Acupuncture (in the emergency rooms as well). In Japan it was the Tsukuba Hospital near Tokyo. There the treatment is given traditionally by blind doctors and is based on Japanese Medicine.



The exposure to the clinics at these three hospitals, treating so many patients with Chinese Medicine (1,700 beds in Chengdu #1 Hospital...) contributed greatly to my confidence in the qualities and scope of Chinese Medicine and to my expertise as a practitioner. Press here to see the Photo Gallery.



To seal off the qualification and learning period I finally went back to the island of Shodo Shima to study the unique Japanese Acupuncture techniques under the personal guidance of Dr. Ikeda... yes, the same one whom it had all begun with 5 years earlier at his home. These Japanese techniques differ very much from the stronger Chinese style Acupuncture. The Japanese, being smaller in size and relatively delicate people, developed a very gentle, pain-free and yet very powerful needling style, which I respect and use frequently.


After all that massive training period I was ready to work on my own at last. So I went back to California and started to work as a physician at the "ACTCM" public clinic in San Francisco. But the wish to share all that great knowledge and experience in my homeland got the upper hand. I decided to get back to Israel after years abroad. I’d established my clinic in Tel Aviv and started teaching Chinese Medicine at a local College and at a special course of Chinese Medicine for M.D. doctors given by the Bar-Ilan University. A year later, the need for a Hebrew textbook had pushed me to write and publish the book "Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine - Materia Medica" which is used as a textbook but also is welcomed by the general public. Later, I worked at the Tel Aviv Ichilov Hospital in the Department of Complimentary Medicine, known as "MALRAM". Press here to see Magazine Clips.



After a few years, I lived for a while at Moshav Sede Eliezer in the Upper Galilee near Rosh Pinna and established the second clinic in the Galilee. Not long after, I published my second book "Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine - Formulas" which is used as an advanced textbook by students and practitioners. The 2 books are sold by Amazon after they were accepted as the second Hebrew books to be sold there (after the Bible...). During the year 2014 these 2 books will be offered to practitioners and the general public in a digital app version.



The time had called for another big trip. I had started from France and down to the Basque Country in Spain and later to Portugal. The idea was to go from the colonial states and arrive in the "New World" - The South American continent, by the sail. This did not work out because I had not found the right sailboat in Tenerife where I had arrived mainly for this purpose. Instead I had taken a flight directly to Buenos Aires, Argentina. From there mainly by buses to Ushuaia at the tip of the continent and then to Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama.

 


After a few more years of working in my Tel Aviv clinic, I had taken on along a few years to work as a Chinese Medical International Specialist aboard 3 American Cruise Ships. The Celebrity "Solstice", The Royal Caribbean "Liberty of the Seas" and the Celebrity "Summit". This was a most demanding practice. I had treated guests, staff and crew from over 70 different nationalities for various conditions with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. If you wish to learn more about my life aboard the cruise ships, behind the scenes of the glamorous front, please press here and read my telenovela "Solstice my Love".

 

This period was by far a very interesting one and extremely challenging. To this day I keep receiving thank you letters and very positive testimonials from people I had treated onboard. They are to be seen at my clinic upon request. Press here to see onboard patients' Testimonials.

Back from the stormy oceans to Israel I practice now at my clinic in the heart of Tel Aviv close to Ichilov Hospital and Weitzman City Mall.

On this informative website you'll find a few common clinical problems and the unique Chinese medical view about them. The medical issues discussed are under the section of Syndromes. You may also find some very  Useful Tips.



It is important to mention that the information offered in this website is not a substitute for a full face to face diagnosis done at a clinic of Effi Kfir L.Ac. A full body diagnosis is a very special process and its findings may prevent if treated right away many problems along one's life. The Diagnosis is very personal and unique to every person with his own private history and habits. Only after the diagnosing process is completed the treatment with Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Chinese Diet and Changes in Lifestyle can be determined and employed successfully.

 

As a service to the community Effi Kfir L.Ac is giving a special preventative treatment against CVA (Stroke) to anyone of his patients, regardless of the problem they come to treat.

 

Effi Kfir L.Ac will be happy to share with you his vast International clinical experience as well as his life experience while listening fully with his ears and heart to your health needs.


For appointments or for an initial consultation please call 054-4804538 and start feeling better today!


Email: effikfir@yahoo.com

 

Website: www.kfir.net

 

All rights reserved.

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