Smoking is a strong, complicated addiction. Quitting smoking is no small task and you will need lots of support to be successful. You need the best tools to help with the physical and emotional symptoms, and acupuncture is a great resource to help you succeed.
Here are the 6 things you should know about using acupuncture to quit smoking. continue reading
A few weeks ago, I asked for your most pressing acupuncture questions. I’ve compiled the most common questions and I noticed one distinct trend—there are a lot of questions about the needles. Some of you must be nervous about getting needled!
If these acupuncture answers don’t put your fears to rest, call me for more information. Acupuncture brings good health, relaxation and vitality. I don’t want fear to stop you from getting treatment. continue reading
Don’t you love how great you feel when you work out regularly?
You’re alert, you sleep better, and it’s easier to stay calm and optimistic. Once you get in the routine of working out and keeping a healthy routine, it’s fun.
But there’s always something that stops you. For most of us, it’s either time or money. We don’t have time, and gym memberships are too expensive.
Let’s imagine a dream solution. You want the fitness tools you find in a gym but you want to do it at home so it’s convenient. You want aerobics, strength and stretching so you have a good holistic workout.
And most importantly, you don’t want to spend more than $50 on any piece of equipment.
Can you build a home gym with that budget?
You’ve seen the strained look on her face. She’s far away. She doesn’t sleep well and sits around all day doing nothing. She’s always tired. You’ve invited her to the things she loves doing, but she never feels like doing them anymore. Sometimes she yells a lot—really overreacts. But when you ask her what’s wrong, she denies any problems.
You’re happy she is back from Iraq, but you thought it would be different. You thought you could get back to normal.
You thought that having her home safe would make both of you happy again. She’s not at war anymore—why is she acting this way?
Your loved one may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Many veterans suffer from PTSD. The Veterans Administration (VA) reports that as many as 11-20% of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have it. Common war traumas include having been shot at, having seen someone shot or having seen death, but another cause of PTSD in veterans is military sexual trauma (MST). According to the VA, 23% of women in the military report sexual assault.
These numbers are scary but the good news is that there is help. There are even free clinics that provide acupuncture. continue reading
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Normally I use this blog to tell you a little about my favorite topics, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture and natural health. But today I want to do something different.
I want to learn more about you.
Today I want to know what your concerns and questions are.
Ask me anything, basic or complicated. Ask about TCM, acupuncture or general health. Ask about injuries, illness or disease. Whatever is on your mind, ask the question.
Contact me here, and I’ll reply to your questions as soon as I can.
Acupuncture is great for children.
Children are very responsive to the acupuncture needles and often show great improvement after a treatment. Acupuncture is fantastic for many childhood illnesses like coughs, fevers, ear infections, bed wetting, digestive issues, colic, allergies, ADD and ADHD. And more and more research proves that acupuncture is safe for kids.
But many parents worry that their kids will hate the needles. They want to avoid a treatment that is traumatic and difficult.
How do you give a child a treatment which they may not like?
The answer is that you do it kid style. continue reading
If you asked the average person how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) keeps you healthy, they would probably answer that it uses acupuncture needles.
That is a good start.
TCM is a complex understanding of how Qi, or life force, affects your health. Qi flows through meridians passing through points which can be used to regulate and control that flow. When the flow of Qi increases, decreases or its quality changes, your health is affected. The most common way to manage the flow of Qi is with acupuncture needles.
But TCM is much more than needles.
In the second part of our two-part series “More than Needles,” you will learn three ways to keep yourself healthy using Traditional Chinese Medicine principles at home. By using these techniques in your daily life, you will be in charge of your health. continue reading
How much do you really know about controlling your migraines?
New research suggests you may not know as much as you think.
According to Timothy T. Houle, Ph.D and co-author Dana P. Turner, M.S.P.H., both of the Wake Forest Baptist anesthesiology department, migraine sufferers make inaccurate conclusions about what triggers their migraines. Houle and Turner conducted a 3-month study of 9 women who suffered from migraines. They tracked the women’s hormone levels, their stress levels and the weather. The women kept daily diaries. At the end of the study, the scientists could not accurately predict which triggers would cause a migraine.
Their conclusion—most people can’t isolate the many complex variables in everyday life to accurately determine their migraine triggers.
So what can you do? Can you start eating anything you want? Do you give up managing your migraines?
Can a shower curtain be bad for your health?
It can if it contains phthalates.
Phthalates are just some of over 800 chemicals that are labeled as endocrine disruptors. These chemicals are toxic for a number of reasons. They may mimic estrogen, androgen or thyroid hormones and cause your body to respond to them inappropriately. Or they may block, stimulate or inhibit these hormones. By interfering in your hormone system, there is growing evidence that these chemicals are responsible for a wide range of health problems.
Endocrine disruptors are found in many products. Sandwich bags, air fresheners, dryer sheets, perfumes, sunscreens, cleaning products, laundry detergents, flame retardants, pesticides, cosmetics, shampoo, conditioners and vinyl shower curtains can all be suspect.
One widely known endocrine disruptor is bisphenol-A or BPA. This chemical is found in plastics and is the reason many people choose glass water bottles over plastic.
In February 2013, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) released a new report: State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals 2012. According to this study, endocrine disruptors are linked to high rates of endocrine-related cancers, such as breast, ovarian, prostate, testicular and thyroid cancers; low semen quality; genital malfunctions such as non-descended testes; adverse pregnancy outcomes; obesity; and Type 2 diabetes.
But the effects don’t stop with humans. The report also finds reproductive defects, infertility and antler malformations in some Alaskan deer populations and population decline in some species of otters and sea lions.
Clearly, it’s a good idea to minimize your exposure to these chemicals.
Most people know that one way to feel better is with acupuncture needles. You go to your acupuncturist feeling bad. I put in a few needles. You leave feeling lighter, energized, more pain-free.
Using acupuncture needles to heal is part of a broader medical system called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). By observing body systems and the links between symptoms, TCM developed a medical philosophy about the flow of Qi, or life force. When Qi is balanced, you feel healthy. When it is disrupted, blocked or unbalanced, poor health is the result.
In acupuncture, needles are placed at specific points along the meridians to balance the Qi.
But did you know that needles are just one way to balance Qi?
TCM is a flexible system. The principles can be applied in many ways and to many different therapies to achieve the same results.
In the following 2 part series, we will look at the many ways you can balance Qi. This first part of the series describes the TCM therapies that require the help of a practitioner.