Skip to content

Wellness

You’re Getting Sleepy…

During the winter, it is natural to feel a little sleepier, slower and possibly less motivated.
It’s the season of stillness and conservation. It’s a period of hibernation and our time to rest, slow down and revitalize our reserves. Winter is a great time of year to reflect on our health, replenish our energy, conserve our strength and heal on a deeper level.

According to the traditional theories of the Five Elements, Water is the element that is associated with Winter and with the Kidneys, Bladder and Adrenal Glands. Our Kidneys are extremely important organs that have various functions–the main one is that they store our inherited constitution, also known as our Source Energy or Jing Qi. Consider it your body’s internal battery.

According to Chinese Medicine, our internal Kidney batteries are powered up with a supply of energy that will carry and sustain each of us throughout our lives. This power supply is imparted to us from our parents, and provides us with the energy for all of our bodily functions.

It is believed that every action we take depletes energy from this power supply. Some people quickly deplete their Jing Qi; others preserve it. Jing Qi is finite, so if not protected, it will be easily wasted and eventually, when it becomes depleted, various symptoms and signs may appear.

During the winter, it is important to conserve our battery reserves. Our bodies are instinctively expressing the fundamental principles of winter–rest, reflection, conservation and storage. The “downtime” that winter provides, gives us an opportunity to slow down, check in, take account as to how our life-style supports or detracts from our health, and to recharge our battery.

As for getting some exercise, it is always healthy to get some form of it daily, but during the winter months, it is best to participate in gentler, less exerting exercise, such as, yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, swimming, walking, and other low impact sports. Save the extreme exertion activities for the spring and summer months.

“During the winter months all things in nature wither, hide, return home, and enter a resting period, just as lakes and rivers freeze and snow falls…Retire early and get up with the sunrise, which is later in winter. Desires and mental activity should be kept quiet and subdued. Sexual desires especially should be contained, as if keeping a happy secret. Stay warm, avoid the cold, and keep the pores closed. Avoid sweating. The philosophy of the winter is one of conservation and storage. Without such a practice the result would injure the Kidney energy.”

Your Amazing Kidneys

  • Your kidneys normally come in pairs. They are roughly 5 inches long and 3 inches wide.
  • To locate your kidneys, place your hands on your hips, and slide them up until you feel your ribs. Place your thumbs against your back-that’s where they reside.
  • Your kidneys receive about 120 pints of blood per hour.
  • Over 400 gallons of recycled blood is pumped through your kidneys every day.
  • Half of one kidney could do the work that two kidneys usually do.

Your Kidneys According to Western Medicine

  • Filter waste from blood, and purify blood for your body.
  • Maintain homeostasis by balancing fluids and minerals in the body.

Your Kidneys According to Chinese Medicine

  • Store Jing Qi
  • Govern reproduction & development
  • Control water metabolism
  • Receive & grasp Qi
  • Control the bones
  • Produce marrow to fill the brain
  • Relate to the ears
  • Manifest in the hair
  • House will power

A few signs of kidney imbalance according to Chinese medicine

  • Sterility/impotence
  • Darkness under the eyes
  • Low back pain/sciatic
  • Urinary problems
  • Fatigue/lethargy
  • Premature grey or loss of hair
  • Knee problems/weakness
  • Poor memory/confusion
  • Colds hands/feet

5 Tips To Help Kick Your Sugar Addiction

sugar-cubes01Are you addicted to sugar? If so, you aren’t alone. According to the American Heart Association  (AHA), the average American consumes a whopping 89 teaspoons of sugar per day – about 3-4 times more than the recommended daily allowance.

Sugar adversely affects the body in a number of different ways. It increases a person’s chance of developing diabetes, promotes tooth decay, contributes to fat accumulation and subsequently obesity, and weakens the immune system. continue reading »

Acupuncture to Stop Smoking

6 Facts to Know When Using Acupuncture to Quit Smoking

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.

1.   Acupuncture is very effective to help stop smoking.

Acupuncture has been used to help combat addiction and curb cigarette cravings for a long time. Many people have had success and now research is supporting these claims.

In a recent study, “Alternative Smoking Cessation Aids: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials,” researchers gathered data from 14 different studies to see which alternative techniques helped patients stop smoking. The acupuncture studies examined 823 different patients.   The researchers concluded that both acupuncture and hypnotherapy may help patients quit smoking. The scientific world is far from definitively recommending acupuncture for smoking cessation, but more and more research shows that it does help many people.

Acupuncture helps with smoking addiction in many ways. It stops jitters, curbs cravings, lessens irritability and restlessness, increases relaxation and helps detoxify the body. It can also restore balance in your constitution and jumpstart the healing process.

2.   There is a “stop smoking” acupuncture point.

There is a point is called “Tim Mee,” which is used specifically to stop smoking. It’s located one finger’s width above your wrist crease, on the inside of your arm. It is used solely to help people stop smoking and it does this by altering the way cigarettes taste.

Will this point be enough? Of course not. Smoking is a complicated addiction. Tim Mee is a powerful acupuncture point, but it must be used in conjunction with other points to combat cravings, rebalance your body and heal.

3.   Acupuncture can reduce cravings, but it can’t change habits.

Physical cravings are only one aspect of cigarette addiction. Many times, the habit of smoking is harder to stop than the physical addiction.

If smoking helps you cope during difficult emotional situations, not smoking can make you feel naked and vulnerable. If smoking is part of a daily ritual, not smoking can make your day feel “off.” All of this is normal and challenging.

I recommend that people use all the support systems they have available. Get help from family and friends. Join a support group. Exercise. Find new smoke-free activities.

Stopping a smoking addiction requires support—physically, emotionally and socially.

4.   There are simple acupressure techniques to cope with cravings.

Ear massage is one way you can cope with cravings at home. It releases endorphins and these chemicals are natural painkillers. It also stimulates acupuncture points which help balance Qi.

There are many ear massage techniques. You can place your thumbs in the widest upper part of your ears and massage in circular motions. You can massage the small inner crevices and the front of your ear where it attaches to your head. And you can massage your earlobes, with gentle pulls and circular motions.

To be even more effective, I recommend that you call me to learn the specific points that are best for you and your body. In some cases, I can place a small bead on the point and hold it in place with tape. When you feel a craving, you just press on the bead for relief.

5.   Herbs can help with cravings

There are many herbs which help with cravings, irritability, detoxification and tissue repair. Make an appointment with me and I can discuss which ones would be best for you.

6.   The Third Thursday in November is the Great American Smokeout.

The American Cancer Society has designated the third Thursday of November (November 21, 2013) as the Great American Smokeout. This is a day to quit smoking—for good. If you have “thought” about quitting, the Great American Smokeout is a great day to actually do it.

I am available to help you quit. Call me before the Smokeout and we’ll make a “Quit Smoking” treatment plan so you can quit with as little discomfort as possible.

Can Acupuncture Help Treat Depression?

acupuncture-depression-01Depression is a serious medical illness that can lower a person’s quality of life while contributing to the onset of symptoms such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, and malnutrition. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. say they are depressed. Depression a growing problem that’s often masked with prescription drugs, forcing some to look for alternative forms of treatment.

Most cases of depression are treated with prescription drugs that trigger a range of problems of their own. Fluoxetine, ertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, citalopram, and escitalopram are just a handful of the most frequently prescribed antidepressants, all of which have a long list of adverse side effects. However, researchers are now saying that acupuncture may effectively treat depression in some individuals. continue reading »

The Power of Positivity

The world today can be a difficult place, full of stressful situations and worrying prospects but far more importantly it is also a place of love, compassion and positivity. It is far too easy to get lost in the fast pace of modern life and let negativity infect you and, in time, become you. Most of the time we don’t even realize it’s happening.

Complaining that there’s nothing you can do, blaming others too willingly, a tendency to be overly critical of others and the world around you are signs that you’re letting negativity get the better of you. Some call this way of thinking realism. Some say that they just see the world how it is but that doesn’t seem to make them any happier and it sure doesn’t make happy people want to be around them.

Negativity can also be understood as imbalance in one’s energy. If you are emanating negative energy then people can sense it. Even when you don’t think you’re being negative or even when others can consciously express it, it’s understood subconsciously. Sure there are days when things just aren’t going your way but how you deal with a difficult day is part of what defines you and makes you who you are. If you try to externalize your problems and blame them on the people and the world around you then people won’t want to be around you. There is hope everyone though. We can all learn to balance our energy and find a way to positivity. For some it may take more work than others but it’s worth it.

The first and most important step to positivity is gratitude. Be grateful for everything not just the things that go right. Some people are only grateful when things are going their way and then they have a tendency to take credit for the good and pass off the bad. Gratitude is an integral piece to the puzzle of positivity. Without feeling grateful for the simple things around you then you will always be caught wanting more which leads to blame.

The concept of good and bad energy may sound too ethereal and a little out there to some people. That’s ok, some people choose not to view the world through a spiritual lens. Positivity and negativity aren’t concepts that can only be understood through that lens though. Just looking at the world around you, you can see positivity and negativity on people’s faces or in the way they walk; it’s just sometimes hard to see it on yourself. For some reason, whether spiritual or not, when someone is having a great day, you can tell. You can just see it in their eyes, or the bounce in their step. It’s all too easy to attribute this to things just going their way though. It takes effort and motivation to see that we can all achieve that serenity and contentment through positivity. You have to take responsibility for your actions and gratefully embrace all the good and the bad that life has to offer.

You don’t have to look at it as an imbalance in your energy but for a lot of people that’s exactly what it feels like. It feels like you’re surrounded by the energy of the world. You’re constantly walking through the energy of the people around you. A wrong look from a passerby is a tinge of negative energy licking at your heels but how you choose to act and react towards the world decides whether or not that affects you. Motivate yourself to be positive and there’s so much you can do.

If you’re not wasting your energy being unhappy, sulking or blaming the world for what you don’t have then you can invest that energy positively and see some incredible results. Your work will flourish, you relationships will benefit as well and you’ll have even more to be grateful for. You just have to take those first steps and motivate yourself to make the changes. You can take responsibility for your energy and presence and channel it positively making you and those around you happier.

 

408-778-7959 Directions Contact/Schedule