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How Much Water Is Enough?

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 22:51:12 GMT

Recipes: A Healthy Taste of Autumn Event

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:09:02 GMT

Seasonal Side dish recipes for healthy eating during the holiday season

Practice & Prosper Newsletter- June Part 2- 2023

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 01:44:55 GMT

Chronic Disease and How To Beat the Odds, Naturally

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Practice & Prosper Newsletter- June Part 1- 2023

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 01:25:44 GMT

Cardiovascular Disease, Aging, & Chronic Disease in Men Part 1 of 2

Practice & Prosper Newsletter- May 2023

Wed, 03 May 2023 18:39:11 GMT

Foundations of Natural Women's Health

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 19:46:53 GMT

Health & Home OPEN HOUSE(REPLAY)- in case you missed it.

Practice & Prosper Newsletter March- 2023

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 02:04:13 GMT

March 2023

Practice & Prosper Newsletter -Feb 2023

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 02:54:24 GMT

Protein Quality Scores, Blood Type Diet, and benefits of Food Sensitivity Testing

Protein Quality Rankings

Not all dietary proteins are created equal. Proteins break down into smaller building blocks called amino acids. From these amino acids our body can create mood stabilizing chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and our sleep hormone melatonin. 1 in 3 Americans over the age of 50 has a protein deficiency. This deficiency leads to greater incidence of chronic disease, poor wound healing, muscle loss, a slower metabolism, and an increase in total body fat.

Studies show that the greater amount of lean muscle mass we retain in the later decades of life, the greater our longevity and the lower our risk of chronic disease such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Weight bearing exercise is both a preventive and therapeutic intervention to build and retain optimal lean muscle mass as this primes your metabolism and slows the aging process.

There are a total of 20 amino acids that the body needs in order to make hormones, collagen, enzymes, hemoglobin in blood cells, and immune cells that are found in plant and animal proteins to varying degrees. Our bodies can make 12 of these amino acids but the remaining 8 aminos acids we cannot and, therefore, we rely exclusively on our diet to supply these amino acids. If the protein source contains all 8 essential amino acids to meet the needs of the body, it is called a complete protein, nearly all animal sources of protein are complete proteins. If the protein source is missing one or more of the 8 essential amino acids, it is called an incomplete protein, and the insufficient amino acid is called the “limiting amino acid.” Most plant proteins are incomplete proteins.

A system has been created to evaluate the nutritional value of plant and animal proteins. The current system is called the “Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score”(PDCAAS). The essential amino acids are considered the most important for growth and metabolism but they are often the limiting amino acids in foods.

Food categories such as grains have a limiting amino acid of lysine which is essential for making collagen and immune antibodies. Diets high in grains and low in other animal or plant proteins are more susceptible to hair loss, brittle nails, skin wrinkles, and herpes virus flare ups. This can be offset by combining grains with other plant proteins such as legumes/beans which contain sufficient lysine but inadequate methionine which is supplied by the grains.

Also in the grain category is corn which contains methionine but has insufficient lysine and tryptophan amino acid levels. This can lead to sleep issues and anxiety/depression since tryptophan makes the sleep hormone melatonin and the mood stabilizing hormone serotonin. Gluten-free diets are most susceptible to this deficiency since corn often replaces other grains like wheat.

Another “gluten-free substitute is rice which has a limiting amino acid of lysine and threonine. Deficiencies in the amino acid threonine results in poor digestive and liver function as well as an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis and ALS since threonine is used heavily by the brain and central nervous system.

While digestibility is the primary system of protein rating, we are also interested in the bioavailability of proteins which assesses how much of the amino acids can be used by the body tissues beyond what is capable of being digested. We are what we absorb, not what we eat.

The importance of eating enough dietary protein cannot be understated, but the low protein scores of some of the most popular animal and plant proteins may surprise you. The chart below ranks animal and plant proteins by their corrected amino acid scores, which are further calculated to determine the “Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score” (DIAAS) to regulate protein claims on nutrition fact labels.

Digestibility- the amount of a given protein that is broken down in the digestive tract. 1.0 = 100%

Bioavailability- The amount of the amino acids from the protein that is incorporated into the body tissues.

If we look at the digestibility score of egg it is 1.0 which means 100% of the protein contained in the egg can be broken down and the bioavailability score of 100% means that the entire amino acid profile can be absorbed and utilized to repair the body or make enzymes, collagen, or neurotransmitters. If you notice whey protein is higher on the chart, this is because whey protein from dairy has the highest amount of the amino acid leucine which is the most anabolic or “muscle building” amino acid so it has become the new gold standard that all other proteins are compared to. Whether or not the whey is well tolerated by the immune system and the digestive system can be determined with the food sensitivity testing.

Beef has a digestibility score of 0.92 which means 92% of beef protein is digested and 80% of the amino acids are absorbed and utilized by the body tissues. The fat content of beef also determines its digestibility and bioavailability with leaner cuts having higher scores and fatty cuts having lower scores. This is why blood type A has difficulty digesting red meat, it’s partly due to the acidity of the beef but the saturated fat content is the more problematic component of beef for type A.

At the bottom of the list is wheat gluten with the lowest digestibility score of 0.25 which means 25% of gluten protein is digested and 54% of its amino acids are utilized by the body tissues. This is why blood type O does not tolerate grains well, most of the undigested gluten enters the gut to activate the immune system to create inflammation leading to a slower metabolism. The best plant proteins are organic soy/tempeh, chia seeds, and pea protein, a digestibility score of 0.80 or above is preferred.

By now you are likely familiar and quite savvy with the blood type diet so I will share the less known nuances of this habit of eating and highlight the new testing tools we can use to tell us which foods you cannot digest or specifically trigger your immune system beyond the general food lists associated with your blood type. We’ll explore the surprising nutritional facts about protein digestibility and how it relates to blood type.

Research shows the blood type diet is 80-85% accurate in predicting beneficial, neutral, and problematic foods based on your blood type. However, this does not account for the individual, non-genetic factors influencing digestion and food intolerances such as enzyme deficiencies, leaky gut, and other acquired digestive changes over time due to chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, stress, and autoimmune diseases. We need to understand your individual needs as 2 people with the same blood type can have different food sensitivities and have different health outcomes from eating identical diets. Applying the blood type diet is a good starting point, but to get definitive answers we must test for food sensitivities and food intolerances unique to your body.

Maximizing food variety is key to optimal gut health and nutritional status, but even the blood type diet has its limitations. Blood type is a unique genetic inheritance pattern because you can inherit the blood type from both parents and have more than 1 blood type. This is called co-dominance, hence why some people have the blood type AB, they express both genes. This is also true for people who have a single blood type A or B, you can be AA, BB, AO, or BO. This is how 2 blood type A parents can have a blood type O child, both parents were AO and both passed on the O gene so the child is OO.

For medical purposes, if there is an A or B blood type then that is what is reported because they show up on blood tests as distinctly different. There could still be a co-dominant O blood type with A or B, but the O is not reported because O is the universal blood donor and the A or B is dominant to the O when both are present. Type O blood has no distinct blood marker like A or B which is why type O is the universal blood donor and anyone can receive type O blood without rejection.

For nutritional purposes, having AO or BO blood type can change the course of the blood type diet and offer greater variety of foods. If you’re a BO you might tolerate chicken unlike type BB. If you’re type AO you might tolerate red meat unlike type AA. If you’re type OO, then there is still a 20% variability to the degree you tolerate certain foods compared to other type O’s because of geographical ancestry and the non-genetic digestive factors described earlier.

Advances in food sensitivity testing now provide accurate testing tools to assess for the presence of antibodies to foods we eat everyday that are otherwise considered healthy and beneficial to our blood type as well as determine the foods we actually need to avoid. This could be the difference between a type O person who can actually tolerate some grains and which ones and the type O person who needs to avoid grain altogether. Similarly, a blood type A may or many not need to avoid nightshades like tomatoes or a blood type B person that may or may not need to avoid lentils. The food testing can also remove some of the obstacles in adopting the blood type diet due to availability of certain foods, multiple blood-type households, and conflicting values between blood type and lifestyle like a type O or B person who prefers to eat vegetarian which is not genetically compatible in most cases.

What signs and symptoms indicate the need for food sensitivity testing?

1. Persistent or recurrent:

- headaches, nasal congestion and allergies, brain fog, abdominal bloating, heartburn, constipation or diarrhea, skin rashes, poor memory, mood swings, ADHD, feelings of anxiety and/or depression, and joint pains

The food sensitivity tests provide a lifetime of value because they only need to be completed once to determine whether a food sensitivity is present or not. An additional benefit is that some of the tests have an intestinal permeability test built-in to also determine if leaky gut is present. Below are the food categories that can be tested individually or bundled together.

1. Wheat – This test is recommended for all blood types as anyone can have a food sensitivity to gluten or any of the 4 non-gluten proteins which are all covered in the test. The leaky gut test is also included with this test.

2. Corn - This test is recommended for those who eat a “gluten-free” diet or have a known gluten sensitivity as the proteins in corn are similar in composition to gluten and can create a cross-reaction similar to celiac even when avoiding gluten. Corn is also a grain so blood type O would benefit from this test to determine if it should be avoided with the broader grain category.

3. Dairy- This test is recommended for all blood types who consume cow’s milk dairy or those who consume whey protein powder after exercise to test for sensitivity to whey and casein proteins. If no sensitivity is present, whey is the preferred protein for muscle recovery after exercise.

4. Egg- This test is recommended for children and all blood types who consumes eggs on a regular basis. It can differentiate between a sensitivity to the egg whites or the egg yolk.

5. Lectin - This test is recommended for all blood types as it serves as the basis for the recommendations in the blood type diet. Lectins are proteins that attach to sugars on the red blood cells and then causes the cells to stick together which decreases oxygen transport in the body, slows down the metabolism, and leads to weight gain, fatigue, and inflammation.

6. Nuts - This test is recommended for those of consume nuts regularly including- almonds, cashews, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, pecans, or macadamia nuts and experience digestive issues or brain fog frequently.

7. Peanuts- This test is recommended for children or anyone with a history of a peanut sensitivity and tests for 17 different markers that are known triggers of peanut sensitivity. This test is especially useful in cases of eczema when wheat and dairy have been eliminated from the diet and eczema flares still occur.

8. Seafood - This comprehensive test will look for antibodies to shellfish like shrimp and lobster, clams and oysters, a variety of white fish like cod and pollock, cold water fish like salmon and tuna, and freshwater fish like trout, catfish, and tilapia. This test is recommended for people who eat fish 2 or more times a week.

9. Soy- This test is recommended for vegetarians and vegans who consume soy as a major protein source or for those who have a history of asthma as soy is a top trigger of asthma symptoms. Soy is often hidden in foods as an additive and is heavily contaminated with pesticides if not organic, this test will identify antibodies to any of 11 proteins in soy including the pesticides.

10. Grains- This test is recommended for all blood types who consume rice, quinoa, oats, or buckwheat more than twice a week. This test is especially beneficial for blood type A or anyone eating a primarily plant-based diet as well as blood type O because rye, barley, teff, and sorghum are also tested with cross-reactivity to gluten and listed in the avoid categories.

11. Mammalian milk- This test is helpful for those who replace cow dairy with goat or sheep milk, yogurt, or cheese. If consuming these foods creates abdominal bloating or skin rashes, this test is recommended.

All the tests are blood tests, and we can draw your blood in office, or you can perform an at home finger-prick test. All tests are self-pay and eligible for FSA or HSA benefits.

Fortunately, the lab has agreed to discount the lab tests when bundled in groups of 4 or more and will include a free add-on test of either a comprehensive 209 food sensitivity panel, a test for SIBO if digestive issues are present, or a neurotransmitter test if you experience brain fog, anxiety, or depression at no extra charge.

The individual tests cost $340 each but are reduced to $195 each when 4 or more tests are ordered plus your choice of 1 of 3 free add-on tests mentioned above. Again, these are tests you only need to perform once to get the exact specificity of which foods should be avoided and save yourself months or years of guesswork trying to eliminate foods based on non-specific symptoms. You can email Dr. Kiselka to ask which test bundle would be most beneficial for you based on your blood type, case history, and treatment outcomes to create the foundation for a vibrant metabolism, longevity, and immune resilience.

Mental Health Check:

We are energetic beings, Einstein proved it with his theory of relativity, E= mc ² , which simply means that energy is anything with mass moving at the speed of light. Our thoughts, attention, feelings, self-talk, suppressed emotions, and how we experience the world are all inputs of energy that occupy mass in our bodies. Be selective of the energy you exchange and allow into your life; cut loose any energy depleting inputs like watching the “news”, gossiping, and taking on the problems of others- you can’t fix them and it’s not your fault. Focus and follow through on your intentions, be present, and practice gratitude daily because the mind is moving at the speed of light and what you allow into your life becomes your energy and either occupies mass as anxiety and fear or grounds you in authenticity and resilience.

“In Health, We Prosper.”

Practice & Prosper Newsletter- Jan 2023

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 02:14:21 GMT

Dr. Joel Kiselka, ND, DC

Schedule your appointment today! Call 773-848-2302.

“In Health, We Prosper.” - Dr. Kiselka

PMID: 31700231 ; https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/ibs-and-serotonin/

Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS): Triggers and Naturopathic Treatments

Sun, 11 Apr 2021 21:51:00 GMT

Dr. Joel Kiselka, ND, DC

Trust Your Gut

Have you ever noticed that your body acts differently during times of stress or major life changes? Do you experience a “pit in my stomach” pain that comes and goes with the sensation that your abdomen is bloated or even noticeably distended? Have your bowel movements become more or less frequent? While these gastrointestinal symptoms are common, they should not be ignored because when experienced together, these are the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.

A recent survey found that over 1/3 of IBS patients have severe abdominal pain and over 50% of IBS patients are not satisfied with the drugs prescribed to treat IBS. Naturopathic medicine can resolve the root cause and symptoms of IBS effectively, safely, and without the use of prescription medications.

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is the number one gastrointestinal office visit complaint with increased incidence within the last year. But let’s be clear on what’s “normal” because symptoms that are common or tolerable, are not normal. In fact, no amount of gas and bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, or loose stool is normal and the presence of these symptoms indicates an underlying problem.

IBS can be classified by the predominant bowel symptom including constipation (IBS-C) , diarrhea (IBS-D) , or mixed type of alternating diarrhea and constipation (IBS-M) . Research shows that IBS affects 2x as many women than men. Women are more prone to IBS-C and men are more prone to IBS-D , but every case is unique. The treatment of each type of IBS needs to be individualized because the t riggers can be from food intolerances, infection, anxiety or depression, inflammation, or even genetic- identical twins are more likely than non-identical twins as well as those born with Congenital sucrose isomaltase deficiency (CSID) which is a condition where one’s body cannot make the enzyme to break down the sugars, sucrose(table sugar) and maltose (found in grains).

Post-Infectious IBS and Coronavirus

Several studies report a history of gastrointestinal infection and the lingering effects of the infection as a trigger for IBS, known as post-infectious IBS. In cases of Coronavirus infection, the gastrointestinal system can be involved with symptoms of diarrhea or abdominal pain. This is significant given the prolonged or incomplete recovery from Coronavirus or any other gastrointestinal infection that results in IBS which studies show could take 6-8 years to resolve IBS on its own.

Additional triggers can include a history of oral antibiotic use which can disrupt the colonies of beneficial bacteria in the colon, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria , and allow opportunistic, gas-forming bacteria, such as E-coli, or yeasts, such as candida, to proliferate and ferment carbohydrates which causes gas and bloating. Do these symptoms sound familiar? It can take 3 years for the gut microbiome to recover from oral antibiotic use.

IBS and Mood Disorders

Infection and oral antibiotics are not the only known disruptors of the gut microbiome, 3 out of 4 IBS patients have co-existing anxiety or depression which are both linked to alterations in the gut microbiome because gut bacteria produce mood altering chemicals, called neurotransmitters like serotonin, and the wrong ratio of bacteria colonies can produce either too little or too many of these neurotransmitters. Those with IBS-D have lower serotonin reuptake, so there’s too much serotonin acting on the nervous system which is associated with anxiety. Those with IBS-C have lower serotonin release, so there’s not enough serotonin acting on the nervous system which is associated with depression. We now know that the gut bacteria themselves have receptors for chemical signals from the brain and respond to these chemical signals to increase or decrease the gut production of neurotransmitters.

Recent studies report that gastrointestinal symptoms appear before mood disorder symptoms in patients with IBS and co-existing anxiety or depression. In terms of prevention, a naturopathic intervention to address the gastrointestinal cause of symptoms could also be proactive in preventing the progression to a mood disorder.

The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” because of the important role it has in communicating with the brain and influencing mood and behavior based on the environment of the gut. The Vagus nerve transmits signals from the gut to the brain and visa versa to create the gut-brain axis. The gut affects our central nervous system and our central nervous system affects our gut . This is why you feel nauseous when you’re anxious, angry, or sad.

IBS and SIBO/Leaky Gut

Dysregulation in the gut-brain axis can also be a trigger for increased intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut ,” as well as overgrowth of gut bacteria in the small intestine, known as “SIBO .” Over 80% of IBS patients have one or both of the aforementioned conditions which suggests that IBS is a consequence of leaky gut or SIBO in many cases . This is why the same treatment strategy does not work for everyone; the cause is different, therefore, treat the individual. Inflammation is also a key player in IBS and leaky gut/SIBO which may warrant additional diagnostic lab testing to rule out inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis which have similar symptoms to IBS.

Naturopathic Medicine For Patients With IBS

Once diagnosed with IBS, we’ll next need to create the optimal conditions to resolve IBS at its core. This will include removal or avoidance of known triggers such as food intolerance - dairy, wheat, corn, eggs, and nightshade vegetables(potatoes and tomatoes) are common food intolerances. A food intolerance occurs when there is insufficient digestive enzymes available to break down a food which creates inflammation in the gut and usually produces symptoms such as gas and bloating within a few hours.

Food sensitivities occur when the immune system creates antibodies to a certain food, but it can be difficult to isolate a specific food trigger since food sensitivity reactions take longer, up to 3 days after eating an aggravating food. Common symptoms of food sensitivities include headache, brain fog, bloating, fatigue, and joint pain. Notice none of these symptoms are an emergency, unlike a true food allergy which activates different immune cells and could cause anaphylaxis- breathing difficulty or shock, within minutes of contact, which is a medical emergency.

Do food intolerance and sensitivity tests work?

Yes, but only when the test is performed without co-existing conditions like intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut.” We have to repair the gut lining first so the intestinal cells are less “leaky” to prevent maldigested food particles from crossing into the bloodstream and reacting with the immune system. Only then can we accurately assess for food sensitivities. One down side to food sensitivity testing is you must regularly be eating the sensitive foods in question for 8-12 weeks prior to the test for the antibodies to be present. If you’ve been avoiding a food because you’ve made an association between it and your symptoms, then the test cannot accurately report your food sensitivities.

And if you’ve identified a food trigger on your own, do you really need to do a test to confirm it? My answer is no, save your money, but if you like data and seeing the results on paper, food sensitivity tests can be a valuable tool for addressing IBS when performed properly.

Address Other Disturbed Health Determinants

IBS is a classified as a “functional” condition which means there is dysregulation in one or more body systems rather than true pathology so it cannot be diagnosed with lab tests. Instead, your naturopathic physician will work with you to correct imbalances in other health determinants such as sleep, eating habits, movement, stress, community, or prior trauma, among others to get to the root cause of WHY the IBS symptoms are happening in the first place. Together, you will better understand how YOUR body works so you can better predict and prevent recurrence episodes of IBS.

Your naturopathic physician will thoroughly assess your health history for other IBS causes such as infection, adverse medication effects, environmental triggers, hormones, or metabolic dysfunction and then support the involved organs and systems for a long-term, whole-health solution.

The type of IBS: IBS-C, IBS-D, or IBS-M, will also factor into the treatment strategy.

For those with IBS-C , the constipation might be addressed by prescribing exercise, constitutional hydrotherapy, reducing stress with meditation and adaptogens like lemon balm which also reduces gas and bloating. A botanical medicine prescription for burdock root to increase liver bile production, dandelion root to optimize liver detoxification, a topical castor oil pack, or a colonic to increase peristalsis(bowel contractions) and bowel elimination might be indicated. Foundational habits such as increasing water intake and limiting constipation inducing foods such as cheese or sugar along with a low-FODMAP meal plan and soluble fiber can significantly improve constipation associated with IBS. Additional lab testing for thyroid hormone levels may also be recommended as this gland is important for metabolic functions, especially in the liver.

For those with IBS-D , the loose stools could be addressed by ruling out excess bile acids which 1 in 3 IBS-D patients are affected by and can be assessed with a C4 blood test or a stool test. Eating smaller, more frequent meals that follow a low or modified-FODMAP food plan is an effective starting point. Your naturopathic physician may prescribe a soluble fiber supplement to act as a bile acid sequestrant(binder) to reduce the water attracting action of bile acids in the colon which leads to diarrhea.

SIBO is more common in IBS-D than IBS-C , so a lactulose or glucose hydrogen breath test may be ordered to rule out SIBO as the cause of IBS-D. The lactulose test is preferred because it cannot be absorbed by the body and will pass through the entire length of the small intestines and react with bacterial overgrowth anywhere along its path. In contrast, the glucose test which is absorbed in the first 1/3 of the small intestine, the duodenum, likely will not reach the bacterial overgrowth in the distal 2/3 of the small intestine and is, therefore, a less sensitive and less specific test. If the SIBO test is positive, then antibacterial herbs such as Oregon Grape and Olive Leaf are effective at clearing small bacterial overgrowth.

Probiotics can be helpful with alleviating IBS abdominal pain, but studies show that certain strains or forms, such as spore-forming probiotics, could make IBS-D worse by increasing gut serotonin production in already elevated environments. Those with alternating constipation and diarrhea, IBS-M, will benefit from a combination of the above recommendations, addressing the predominant IBS presentation and root cause first.

Naturopathic physicians are experts in treating IBS effectively and safely to correct the underlying root cause and resolve the symptoms. Your ND will teach you how YOUR body works and how to help it heal, because otherwise the only effect is suppression which is working against the body’s own mechanism of healing.

If you’ve been suffering from IBS or other chronic health conditions, Dr. Kiselka and his team can help you reset your gut and total health to a prime state of function and well-being.

Schedule your appointment today! Call 312-243-3338.

“In Health, We Prosper.” - Dr. Kiselka

PMID: 31700231 ; https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/ibs-and-serotonin/

Younger, healthier skin with a natural alternative to Botox and surgery

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 00:46:00 GMT

Aesthetic Acupuncture: Facelift and Necklift

THE SCIENCE OF SKIN AGING

Our skin cells “turnover” approximately every 28-40 days, which means the top layer of skin that we see, the epidermis, is replaced by new skin cells every 4-6 weeks. Cell turnover slows down after the age of 30 and skin integrity breaks down from cellular oxidative stress caused by years of sun damage, dehydration, and inflammation which can appear decades later. These combined factors degrade the “scaffolding” protein of skin known as collagen which leads to fine lines and wrinkles and breaks down the “anti-gravity” recoil protein of skin known as elastin which leads to skin sagging. These proteins reside in the deeper layer of skin, called the dermis, which is formed from cells called fibroblasts.

Women Experience Skin Aging Before Men

The degradation process causes the skin to become thinner as we age; studies show that skin thickness decreases about 6.4% per decade on average, with earlier onset in women than in men. The earlier onset of degradation in women's skin compared to men’s is due to the estrogen depletion associated with menopause which accelerates skin degradation in women. Post-menopausal skin dryness is characteristic of hormonal changes that result in skin thinning.

How Acupuncture Facelifts and Necklifts Help Restore Skin Integrity

The acupuncture facelift and necklift protocols are safe, non-surgical, and effective alternatives to invasive surgical procedures and toxic injectables with natural-looking and long-lasting results. The acupuncture protocols involve inserting small diameter needles into the dermis of the skin at a shallow depth, approximately 2-3mm, which creates a micro-trauma and stimulates fibroblast activity that increases collagen and elastin production. Repeated application of the procedure causes the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, to thicken which can help smooth facial expression lines and improve elasticity which produces a “lifting” effect.

The improvement in skin integrity helps improve the definition of the cheekbones and jawline while increasing blood flow to the skin which supplies more oxygen to the skin that creates a “glowing” complexion that is more even in tone. This is one reason why infants and children have radiant skin because skin oxygen reserves are at their peak and then decrease with age, measurably after age 30.

Look Vibrant This Year and Get Smoother and Radiant Skin

A minimum of 10 treatments provides optimal results, with either 2 treatments a week for at least 5 weeks or 1 treatment a week is equally effective, but it takes longer to see results. The results build on consecutive treatments, with most patients beginning to see results after the 5th treatment but may take longer if more advanced skin aging is present.

Results are best observed at the rate of skin cell turnover, every 28-40 days, which means the effects of each treatment are seen approximately 4-6 weeks later after the cells have reached the skin surface. The skin continues to produce more stable collagen and elastin fibers for several months after the final treatment which maintains the increased skin thickness. A single treatment is recommended every 1 to 3 months to maintain optimal results.

In addition to the office treatments, Dr. Kiselka provides patients with an after-care guide that discusses skincare, diet, and lifestyle factors to remove obstacles and complement the acupuncture effects for a comprehensive, natural approach to improving skin integrity and appearance.