Easy Acupuncture for CT

Posts Tagged ‘Acupuncture’

This is a very interesting article. Hopefully, as the effect of acupuncture is more greatly understood by western science the skeptics will fall by the wayside.

ScienceDaily (2010-02-05) — New research about the effects of acupuncture on the brain may provide an understanding of the complex mechanisms of acupuncture and could lead to a wider acceptability of the treatment.

Okay, it is safe to say that Cold and Flu season is once again upon us and there is the added fear about Swine Flu. There is a lot of information for and against vaccination and a lot of hysteria and fear mongering on both sides of the issue to boot.

I am not going to address that here. I want to put that aside for the moment and talk about some remedies you can use to prevent colds and flu’s or at least mitigate the worst effects of them.

So, what remedies do I recommend?

Good question… Being an Acupuncturist, I keep a number of Chinese Herbal formulas in my medicine cabinet at home that are simple and effective.

I just made a video that talks about them that you can watch here.

So, here is what I keep around for both prevention and treatment of the common winter ailments

Gan Mao Ling.

This a classic formula that counter acts the initial onset of a pathogenic “wind-heat” or wind cold”. If you are getting the chills and aches of a cold, take Gan Mao Ling immediately. Gan Mao Ling prevents the pathogen from going deeper into the body.

Gan Mao Ling is also great because you can take it as a preventative. I often use it when I know I am going to be in crowds of people or on an airplane where transmission of pathogens is really common. Typically as a preventative dose I take 3 pills, 3 to 4 times a day. I know it sounds a like a lot but remember, these are herbs not drugs.

Yin Chao

Great for the onset of a “Wind Heat” invasion. The symptoms you have to watch for are a scratchy or sore throat, slight fever and aches, phlegm production that is usually yellow or greenish. As soon as I feel that coming on I take 4 pills 4 times daily. If it feels like it is a strong “bug” I will take 5 or 6 pills initially and then lessen the dose to the normal level.

“Jade Windscreen” or “Jade Screen” Formula

This formula is not mentioned in the video but is a great preventative formula that strengthens the “Wei Qi” or the protective Qi of the body. It is wonderful for people who tend to have a weak immune system and get sick frequently during the winter. Typically, it is taken in advance of cold and flu season to bolster the Wei Qi.

Loquat & Fritillary Extract

This one is also not on the video but is worth mentioning. This formula is great for coughs caused by lung heat or that produce sticky green phlegm. It is safe for kids to take and is great for those with pneumonia or bronchitis. Highly recommended!

Ding Chuan

This formula is good for wind cold invasion in someone who has chronic bronchial problems. It opens up the lungs, clears internal heat and helps transform phlegm and drain damp from the body. This particular herb formula should be taken with the supervision of your Acupuncturist.

Curing Pills

Curing Pills are great for Stomach upset. In Chinese medical terms this is know as counter flow Qi. The rest of us call it nausea! You know the feeling, bloated, queasy, things just don’t feel like they want to descend on their “normal” path. I typically take 4 capsules with warm water whenever I feel like my stomach is going to “act up”.

Bi Yan Pian

This is a great formula for clearing acute sinus congestion with heat symptoms present. Typically heat will create green phlegm, itchy eyes and sinus pressure. You may have a sore throat and an acute sinus headache. This is not a formula to take long term unless you are under the care of an Acupuncturist or herbalist but is quite effective for short term use with an acute sinus issues.

So these are some basics to keep around for the winter season. Now, I am going to stocking up on these at my office and in fact will be selling a Winter Herbal Kit here at Acuhealth. Remember, Cold and Flu season is here, don’t wait to till you have a fever to get you herbal essentials! Contact me to get your kit today

Acupuncture and Weight Loss

You know you need to lose weight otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this page right now would you?

I am sure you have tried every diet under the sun. Every weight loss plan, exercise plan, etc, etc…

You have spent countless hours and dollars to try and drop the pounds that never seem to come off or stay off.

The truth is diets don’t work.

As a friend of mine who struggles with her weight once said to me “Diet is Die with a T!” Most are unrealistic and are so restrictive that you feel as if there will never be anything fun to eat again ever!

Is that about right?

Look, there is no single cause for weight gain in any person. There are many causes. Some are obvious, like over eating and not getting enough exercise… Others are not so obvious like stress eating or lack of sleep. (Yes lack of sleep can cause weight gain!).

Maybe pain in your body is stopping you from exercising, or maybe there is a underlying health challenge or “dis-ease” process in the body that is contributing to weight gain.  Read more here…

Corrective Care vs. Symptom Relief

When you have a health problem most likely you want a “cure” when you visit your doctor. Curing a problem means restoring back to full health, you know… problem solved! Unfortunately, a lot of folks mistake symptom relief for curing the problem.

In Chinese medicine we don’t think in terms of a “cure”. We think in terms of correction. Energy imbalance is the source of illness so correcting the the imbalance corrects the health problem. We call this corrective care.

Corrective care fits in neatly with a concept in Acupuncture called “Root and Branch”. The “Root” is the cause of the problem and the “Branch” is the symptom that results.

If you have headaches, which result from a breakdown in organ function, blood stagnation, or energy stagnation (“the root”) then these can cause an effect, such as a muscle tension in the head, which can result in a headache (“the branch”).

Typically, you would take and aspirin or pain reliever to deal with such pain.  Relief care is similar to taking aspirin, and while it may temporarily get rid your headache, it does nothing to correct or “cure” the source of the problem.

With Acupuncture, corrective care focuses on making certain the organ malfunction or energy stagnation—“the root” cause–is corrected and therefore the headaches—“the branch”—will disappear.

Here is a good analogy for relief vs. correction.  Let’s say you have water on your floor because of a leak in the roof. You can put a bucket under the leak, which keeps the water off the floor or you can patch the roof and stop the leak altogether. A bucket is pretty cheap and hiring a roofer is expensive. Think of the bucket as relief care, it keeps the water off the floor! Problem solved!

But wait, water has damaged the ceiling and the roof structure. Now you have to replace the roof and the ceiling!

Correction would have been to simply fix the roof.  Although it would cost more initially, it would have saved you money in the long run.

How Long Is This Gonna Take??

The truth is, not everyone can achieve correction.  Sometimes we wait too long before addressing a problem and now it has reached a point that complete correction is impossible. As an acupuncturist I will inform you of the extent of your problem and let you know if I think correction is possible.  If we can’t completely correct the problem, then we can focus on getting you as healthy as possible and keep the problem from progressing.

If correction is possible, it normally takes a period of frequent care followed by a period of maintenance.  Correcting a person’s function is similar to having braces on your teeth. Initially the braces are adjusted frequently while the teeth move towards their new position. Once the teeth are in place the braces remain while the structure of the jaw adapts to the new position of the teeth. If you remove the braces too soon the teeth will shift and your smile will be ruined!

For example: A person who’s had migraines for 20 years has an established energy pattern just like crooked teeth! It will not change with one treatment! It will take a few visits to establish a new pattern of energy movement.

After this first phase of care, visits of once every two weeks to once every two months are necessary (maintenance care) to allow this new pattern of function to become stable.  Just as teeth with braces require time to stabilize, so does organ function and energy flow.

Great Reason To Continue Care

At Acuhealth in Cheshire CT, the focus is always on curing the underlying cause of your “dis-ease”. To get the full benefit you have to follow through with care.

Maximize your health investment! Remember, symptoms are often the last thing to appear and are the first thing to disappear. Just because the “branch” is feeling better doesn’t mean the “root” is cured!  Continuing care encourages your body to heal fully and faster than on-again, off-again treatments.

Remember, without continued care, your organs and energy can return to their unhealthy state.  Part of this corrective care phase retains and stabilizes proper energy flow.  Following all of the recommendations regarding diet, lifestyle and exercises will insure a return to old patterns does not happen.

Once you are feeling great you can move into preventative or wellness care. You can come in several times per year for a tune up to keep you feeling your best!

Have you had an accident that created whiplash? Have you been miserable since that car accident or that awkward fall?

Your neck is in constant pain, you can barely turn your head or even look up! Everything is difficult since that stupid accident. Heck, it’s hard to pull a shirt over your head because it hurts to raise your arms. And the headaches, oh man, the headaches are unrelenting! It is like the worst tension headache ever, except it never goes away. You can barely function when one starts.

Sleep? Forget it! You haven’t had a good night of sleep since! It is just impossible to find a comfortable position that will let you sleep and if you do, the moment you change positions that shooting pain wakes you up!

Pretty miserable huh?

Whiplash is like that. But I am sure I don’t have to tell you. You’re living it.

Your doctor gave you muscle relaxants and pain-killers, even prescribed physical therapy but it’s just not getting better.

What do YOU do now?

There are alternatives.

Now, I am an acupuncturist. My perspective is a little different from your medical doctor.

I am not going to mask your pain with medications. I am going to remove the cause at its source.

Energy Stagnation.

When your head suddenly accelerated and then decelerated lots of muscle fibers, blood vessels and connective tissue were damaged. Your energetic pathways (meridians) were obstructed and the lack of flow created stagnation. That is the source of YOUR pain.

As an acupuncturist, I have a number of awesome treatment options at my disposal. Of course everyone thinks of acupuncturists as the guy who uses needles. That is true but that is just one way to treat whiplash. After acupuncture, my absolute favorite method is cupping.

What is cupping?

I am glad you asked. I just made a short video that shows what cupping is and how it’s done. Check it out. Click on this link to see the Video Here.

Cupping is great because it’s like a deep tissue massage. It’s non-invasive and pain relief is often immediate. Cupping stimulates the flow of energy in the neck and removes the stagnation that is blocking the healing of the “soft tissues in the neck.

Combined with acupuncture the results can be simply amazing!

If you have had a whiplash injury, or simply have chronic neck and shoulder pain, cupping is a great treatment option for you!

So let me ask you this: now that you’ve tried the traditional methods of drugs and PT, are you any better? More importantly, do you think you’ll get better if you do nothing else?

Listen, cupping and acupuncture are effective, affordable and safe.

How will you know if it will work for you if you don’t try it?

Pick up your phone and call my office today to make an appointment for your personal consultation.  Can’t get to a phone?  Just click on the “Book Now” button below. It’s really easy and all you have to lose is your pain!

Comments or questions? I would love to hear what you think!