51 Renato Court, Suite E

Redwood City, CA 94061

Tel: 650-369-0374

April, 2003

Spring has come early this year! Thank you for all your support during the winter season. I’m busy and I appreciate seeing you.

I’m writing this letter to tell you about new developments and effective treatments. First, I want to encourage you to call me about any health condition you might be experiencing, to get the Alternative Medicine perspective. Whatever the problem, Alternative and Oriental Medicine view the meaning of symptoms quite differently from the mainstream assumptions that we usually make in our culture.

The holistic nature of Oriental and Alternative Medicines, can often offer clues that specialists might miss. Since October, I have been learning from a master herbalist trained in both western and Oriental medicine. The results of this experience have been very positive. I have been able to successfully treat many complaints. I may be able to offer you another option, or save you from unnecessary surgery.

Saved from Surgery

A patient had one salivary gland removed surgically because it had become swollen and did not reduce with antibiotics. Recently, the gland on the other side became swollen. I was able to give the patient an herb formula that reduced the swelling. We are now treating the underlying cause for such blockage of fluid drainage.

The following cases are examples of health problems that I approach in a manner that differs from the mainstream.

Muscle Pain Related to Drug-induced Tissue Dehydration

A patient came to me complaining of pain in her arm muscle that did not respond to massage, physical therapy, or cortisone shots. The site of the pain was on the Large Intestine meridian. She had previously been treated with an anti-fungal medication that had severely dehydrated her intestinal tissues. Acupuncture and herbs were used to return hydration to her digestive tract, and the pain in her arm disappeared.

Dehydration is a common side effect of many western medications. Since dehydration is a major factor associated with aging, it is best to not ignore it. Herbal supplements provide an inexpensive, highly individualized source for treatment of most side effects.

Allergies, Nutrition, & Weight Loss

Symptoms of allergies are often related to sinus congestion. There are a group of acupuncture points in the lower body, which specifically treat sinusitis and digestive complaints. Many patients have gained long term relief from these symptoms after a few treatments using these points. To maintain this relief, nutritional changes are the next step. With such nutritional changes, weight loss, if appropriate, is usually a result.

Chemotherapy Recovery

Since the nature of chemo drugs is extremely toxic, it is no surprise that the body needs some assistance in clearing itself of this toxicity. One patient experienced fluid retention and yellowing of her skin. I used detoxifying acupuncture and a custom herbal formula to reduce both of these symptoms. From her pulse and tongue analysis, there are aspects of detoxification with no visible symptoms to address as well. Further herbs and acupuncture are capable of completing this process.

Herbal Hormone Replacement Therapy

There are herbs that contain the precursors of the three estrogens and progesterone. I have experience using these herbs to replace the class of hormones that are not bio-identical with human hormones, such as Premarin. I have also used these herbs to replace the human bio-identical progesterone found in yam cream. The result in both kinds of cases, was less water retention, decrease in upper body weight, and softening of breast tissue.

These results are associated with a better prognosis for avoiding breast cancer. My impression from these cases is that an herbal source of hormones is more easily integrated into the body metabolism. This may be because the cofactors that carry out the integration have not been removed from the hormones. The lower incidence of breast cancer in Asian women consuming a traditional diet may be related to the herbal/nutritional source of their hormones.

Thyroid Imbalances

Many women experience hypothyroid symptoms – low energy, feeling cold, weight gain. Some have these symptoms without thyroid hormone levels in the blood being below “normal” range. Some given thyroid hormone supplementation, begin to experience hyperthyroid symptoms. All three scenarios have responded well to individualized treatment with herbs and acupuncture.

Tendency to Fungal Growth in the Body

I have seen many patients with yeast or fungal infections at many sites in their bodies. If we think of the body as an ecological environment, cold and damp conditions encourage fungal growth. We live in a climate that is mostly cold and damp. Antibiotic use creates further cold and damp. Herbs and acupuncture are capable of changing the cold and damp environment in the body by strengthening the sources of warmth and drying that we naturally possess.

Injury Migraine Responds to Herbal Clearing of “Old Blood”

Concussion injury to the head usually produces bruises concentric to the eyes. This indicates that blood is present outside arteries and veins inside the skull. When this blood coagulates, it is particularly difficult for the body to remove and can cause severe “stabbing” pain. A patient who sustained such an injury 25 years ago, had “stabbing” pain migraines that began within 2 years of the injury. Osteopathic/chiropractic realignment and hypnosis helped. The stabbing pain remained. After 2.5 weeks of herbs specific for clearing “old blood” and targeted to the head, the patient experienced a migraine-like episode without stabbing pain.

I hope this information can be helpful to you or someone you know. Best wishes for the spring and summer seasons!

Sincerely,

Claudia Benvegnu, Ph.D., L.Ac.

P.S. If you belong to a group which features guest speakers, I am available to speak about many topics of Alternative Medicine.