Life can be incredibly stressful. Even if things are going well, the constant pull of the needs of others including kids, coworkers, parents, and friends can leave us feeling drained and will often lead us into making poor lifestyle choices.
But what if there was a place you could go to heal your body and your mind? A sanctuary of sorts, where you can find serenity and healing through the art of acupuncture.

I can help you find the path to detoxification — a journey of renewal and revitalization for both body and soul.

What exactly Is The Science Behind This Ancient Practice?

According to a study published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the body’s natural detoxification processes, aiding in the elimination of toxins through the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system. Furthermore, statistics from the National Institutes of Health reveal a growing acceptance of acupuncture in the Western world, with over 14 million adults in the United States alone reporting its use as a complementary therapy.

Not only does it assist in flushing out toxins from the body, but it also promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and restores balance to mind and body.
Depending on your health concerns, I will work with you to determine the number of sessions that will help you achieve your goals. I might also advise you on changes to your diet and prescribe herbs and/or supplements that can help you detoxify your body. With each session, you may find yourself feeling lighter, more energized, and more vibrant — ready to face the world with renewed vitality.

Why not take the first step today?
Are you ready to rediscover radiance and embark on a journey of holistic healing with acupuncture? The journey of detoxification through acupuncture is a deeply personal and transformative experience. As you follow this path towards wellness, you may find solace in the gentle touch of ancient wisdom and the profound healing power of your own body.

It’s time to make your health and wellness a priority. Taking care of yourself helps you take care of the ones you love.

Contact me for more information.

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Orthopedic pain is an issue for many Americans, and it comes in a number of different forms including knee, hip, shoulder, and other joint pain. According to many studies, acupuncture has been proven to be an effective tool to deal with orthopedic pain.

Chronic pain can be debilitating for those suffering from it and directly impacts quality of life. People often treat chronic pain with anti-inflammatory medications (both prescription and over-the-counter), physical therapy, or with ice and heat, but those options don’t always provide long lasting relief. According to Harvard Medical School, “acupuncture is an option with a good track record that’s worth considering.” 

Harvard cites a study originally published in the Archives of Internal Medicine that found acupuncture to be a valid and effective treatment for chronic pain conditions. “Research from an international team of experts adds to the evidence that it does provide real relief from common forms of pain. The team pooled the results of 29 studies involving nearly 18,000 participants. Some had acupuncture, some had ‘sham’ acupuncture, and some didn’t have acupuncture at all. Overall, acupuncture relieved pain by about 50%.”

There are many who find relief through acupuncture treatment for their orthopedic concerns, but it’s important to note that the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment varies for each individual depending on the severity of the condition.

Here are a few ways it can help:

Acupuncture is extremely effective at pain management by modulating pain signals and stimulating the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Following the gate control theory of pain, the needling process used can activate nerve fibers that inhibit pain signals,.

Acupuncture can reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, aid in muscle relaxation, improve joint and mobility function, address nerve compression, and reduce the stress that so often comes with orthopedic and chronic pain. 

What acupuncture does best is not to merely address the pain, but to treat the underlying cause of the pain. For example, acupuncture is often indicated to treat chronic pain conditions that radiate pain along a nerve pathway, pain causing muscle spasms, inflammation, scar tissue, and pain that is in multiple areas of the body. 

The number of acupuncture treatments required to properly address these health concerns varies according to the severity of the issue. In general terms, a chronic condition might require one to two weekly treatments for several months, while the sudden onset of pain can likely require a fewer number of visits. For others, I’ve found some patients who have experienced significant relief after just a single treatment.

Just a quick Google search of acupuncture and chronic pain studies provides ample reason to give this therapy serious consideration. One of the greatest benefits to receiving regular acupuncture treatments is that it doesn’t only relieve your current pain — having regular acupuncture sessions can reduce your overall occurrences of pain.

Regular acupuncture treatments go far beyond just pain management — you can strengthen your immune system, decrease stress, lower your blood pressure, and even improve your sleep.

If you struggle with chronic pain, acupuncture is a pharmaceutical-free, low-risk option that studies prove can offer long-term benefits for your overall health, not just your chronic pain.

After doing a proper health assessment, I’ll develop a plan to get you out of pain and back on track to a healthy and active lifestyle!

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Whether a weekend warrior, a seasoned semi-professional, or professional competitor, athletes are always looking for that competitive edge — the thing that can keep them healthy and give them a bit more in the tank to defeat the competition. 

Sports acupuncture is a great tool athletes can use as part of their overall health care strategy. Sports acupuncture is a hybrid form of acupuncture and sports medicine that is specifically used to support sports-related activity. Athletes and runners especially can use sports medicine acupuncture to relieve pain, accelerate the healing of sports related injuries, improve performance, and increase muscle flexibility. Let’s unpack each of these benefits and see just how sports acupuncture can be used to treat athletes.

Pain Management

Acupuncture is often used to alleviate the pain associated with sports injuries, overuse, or even chronic conditions developed from years of intense competition. Needles are inserted into specific points to help release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and reduce inflammation. It’s all about restoring the balance of energy to the body to achieve ultimate wellness. 

Muscle Relaxation

Athletes can use acupuncture to address muscle tightness and spasm as well. Needles are strategically placed at various acupuncture points along the body to stimulate relaxation and reduce muscle tension. 

Injury Rehabilitation

Acupuncture can be an effective tool in an athlete’s rehabilitation plan post-injury. It can help to accelerate the healing process by improving blood circulation, reducing swelling, and promoting tissue repair. 

Stress Reduction

Athletes, especially those who compete at a very elite level, can experience extremely high levels of stress due to the intense training or simply the competitions themselves. Acupuncture can help to manage stress and anxiety by promoting relaxation and balancing the body’s energy.

Enhanced Recovery

Acupuncture can contribute to faster recovery between training sessions and competitions. It improves blood circulation and reduces muscle soreness, so athletes are often able to resume their training more quickly by incorporating regular acupuncture into their training routine. 

Immune System Support

When athletes endure intense training, it can sometimes suppress the immune system, making them more susceptible to illness. Acupuncture is believed to support the immune system by addressing the balance of energy in the body through specific meridians, thus helping athletes to stay healthy. 

Mind/Body Connection

One of the most effective things acupuncture accomplishes is the improvement of the mind/body connection. This can be an incredibly valuable tool for supporting athletic performance. Acupuncture is known to stimulate a parasympathetic nervous system response, sometimes called a state of “rest and digest.”

Regular acupuncture sessions can improve an athlete’s natural ability to tune into this mental state in times of stress or anxiety, such as right before a big race or competition. Acupuncture has been shown to support cognitive function and reduce performance anxiety.

Whether you are thinking about incorporating acupuncture into your regular wellness routine or using it as a companion to other medical treatments, talk to me today. I will take a full health history and discuss your training regimen and fitness goals. We will then work together to develop a plan specific to your needs.

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Cupping and acupuncture are a successful combination for dealing with chronic pain and muscle strains. Its popularity has grown in recent years, and you’ve probably seen professional athletes and celebrities with the telltale giant red welts all over their bodies. Here’s what you need to know if you are thinking about adding cupping to your acupuncture treatment.

What is Cupping?

Cupping is a technique used to stimulate acupuncture points by applying a glass, plastic, or bamboo cup to the skin. The suction created by the cups causes the skin and the superficial muscle layer to be drawn into the cup. This is what stimulates blood flow and relaxes muscle tissue. This process gives skin that “bruised” appearance, but it’s important to know that no blood vessels are being broken in this process.

How Long Will It Take?

Typically, the cups are left in place for anywhere from five to 20 minutes while you relax. Oil can be applied to the skin to help the cups slide over areas needing treatment and is usually done on the back. It’s also common to use four, six or 10 cups depending on the severity of the condition being treated.

What Will Cupping Treat?

Frequently applied after acupuncture, cupping is used for treatment of sprains, soft tissue injuries, fluid retention in the lungs, bronchitis, congestion, asthma, and chronic cough. Cupping is also recommended for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Alleviating swelling and pain, cupping addresses a variety of acute ailments by removing stasis, or energy blockages. Cupping therapies often follow the acupoint selection pattern used in acupuncture therapy; back points in fleshy areas of the body are preferred sites. Increased blood flow into the cupping area allows the body region to heal more quickly and brings toxins to the surface, which can be released through the pores.

What is it Doing to My Body?

What’s happening in your body is that the cupping technique is activating your lymphatic system by causing your tissue to release toxins and clearing any energy blockages. Your acupuncturist might utilize cupping in addition to your traditional acupuncture treatment if you suffer from acute or chronic deep tissue pain. 

Is There More Than One Type of Cupping?

The short answer is: Yes! There are several cupping techniques that can be used depending on what condition is being treated.  

• Dry cupping: defined as generating negative pressure inside the cups with fire, a manual pump or electrical suctioning (also called retained or static cupping).

• Flash cupping: a practitioner uses quick suctions of light to medium pressure for less than 30 seconds at a time.

• Needle cupping: acupuncturist applies short acupuncture needles and then places the cups on the areas to be treated. 

• Herbal cupping: practitioner boils an herbal solution, soaks bamboo cups, and then applies the slightly cooled cups to the skin.

• Electrical simulation cupping: this technique uses transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This technique is commonly used to treat muscular pain and to target specific points.

The combination of traditional acupuncture and cupping might just be the winning combination you have been searching for!

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If acupuncture is new to you, you might not know that there are different forms of acupuncture. While Chinese acupuncture is a bit more mainstream here in the West, Japanese acupuncture is becoming renowned for its effectiveness. Traditional Japanese acupuncture (which includes Meridian Therapy) is defined as “an imbalance in qi and blood flowing in the meridians which is considered to be the cause of disease.” The aim is to regulate the flow of both qi and blood.

Its roots are in Chinese acupuncture but there are some differences. Read on to learn what those are so you can see if Japanese acupuncture is right for you.

Needles

The first difference involves the types of needles used. Both Chinese and Japanese needles are often made from the highest grade surgical stainless steel, however Japanese needles are typically much finer than their Chinese counterparts. This is great news for patients who experience minimal pain or discomfort. 

Depth

In the Japanese style of acupuncture, needles are inserted at a shallower depth than in Chinese acupuncture. This is due to a difference in philosophy as Chinese practitioners’ believer the body’s energy (or qi) is reached through deeper insertion and stimulation, where Japanese practitioners believe this same energy is found closer to the surface. 

Tailored Treatment

Often, in Chinese acupuncture, a practitioner will place needles in certain channels of the body and leave them there for a desired amount of time, depending on what is being treated and the severity. The practitioner may leave the room and begin work on another patient. 

However, in Japanese acupuncture, importance is placed on the correct dosage for each patient. What this means is that diagnostic indicators are constantly monitored to make sure the desired changes are occurring within the body. This means the practitioner is present and working with the patient for most of the session to make sure the desired outcome is achieved. 

“Alive Points”

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two types of acupuncture is in the treatment of what Japanese acupuncturists term, “alive points.” Unlike Chinese acupuncture where a fixed anatomical location on the body is treated, Japanese practitioners will use palpation along the meridian to find an “alive point” requiring treatment. 

Two Styles

There are two main styles of Japanese acupuncture. The Toyo Hari involves palpation of the pulse, stomach (Hara) and channels along certain areas of the body to determine what needs to be re-balanced. Then, gold, silver stainless steel and/or Moxa are used to stimulate the flow of energy at active or “alive” points on the body. Sometimes, with this style of Japanese acupuncture, there is no insertion of needles at all. 

Manaka involves the use of polarity devices and magnets to stimulate deeper channels. This style is often helpful in treating liver conditions. 

There are other different techniques used including contact needling, simple insertion, sparrow pecking (once the needle reaches a certain depth it is repeatedly moved up and down by a few millimeters), twisting, flicking, and electro acupuncture just to name a few. 

If you are considering Japanese acupuncture, talk to your practitioner about your health goals. They can answer your questions and will do a full health history to determine the best course of treatment for you. 

To get a more in-depth understanding of Japanese acupuncture, a great resource is the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. And ethnicity doesn’t matter, as people of all racial and ethnic groups are impacted. With such serious statistics, many might wonder what treatment options are available. Did you know that acupuncture can help with treating heart disease, as well as many of its contributing factors? Read on to learn how.

Whether as a solo treatment or in combination with other traditional medical treatments, acupuncture is a great option for those suffering from heart disease, particularly as a preventative measure. Not surprisingly, the top three risk factors for developing heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. While lifestyle changes are also key to preventing heart disease, there are some additional steps you can take through regular acupuncture treatments to mitigate the risk factors of heart disease.

Acupuncture Points and Herbs for Treating Heart Disease

There are six common points related to treating heart disease:

• HT1 (Ji Quan) – located under the arm and is used for heart pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, and palpitations.
• HT9 (Shao Chong) – located on the pinky and is used for heart attack, stroke, and heart pain.
• SP3 (Taibai) – located on the bottom of the foot and is used for heart pain.
• UB15 (Xin Shu) – located near the spine and is used for heart palpitations, anxiety, and heart pain.
• Hu Po – herbal formulation used for tremors, to stop palpitations, to help with insomnia, and used for coronary heart disease.
• Xue Fu Zhu Yu Wan – herbal formulation used for coronary artery disease, angina, and other cardiovascular health issues.

What the Research Says

Northwestern Medicine is currently studying acupuncture as an effective treatment for heart rhythm disorders, pain, and nausea, and for use after cardiac surgery. Researchers sought to answer three main questions: 1. Would patients embrace acupuncture during heart surgery? 2. Is it logistically feasible in a cardiac surgery setting to provide daily acupuncture to patients? 3. Does acupuncture impact medical outcomes such as AFib and post-surgical symptoms like pain, nausea, stress, and anxiety?

According to lead researcher Dr. Kim Feingold, “We learned that acupuncture after open heart surgery is feasible in this fast-paced environment – even in the intensive care unit the day after surgery – and was well tolerated by patients with no adverse effects.” The research team concluded that acupuncture used after heart surgery produced lower rates of post-operative atrial fibrillation, reduced pain, nausea, stress and anxiety, less time in the intensive care unit, and a reduced need for antiarrhythmic medication.

Help with Risk Factors

As mentioned previously, acupuncture can also help patients address risk factors that can lead to future heart issues. For example, acupuncture is great at treating high blood pressure, helping people to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, and regulate sleep. Acupuncture looks to return balance to the body, thus improving overall health and wellness. If you suffer from one or more of these risk factors, it will likely take many sessions to address these issues. Your acupuncturist will work with you to conduct a complete health history and treatment plan addressing each of your concerns. The treatment plan may also include herbal formulas to help patients reach their health goals. 

Don’t wait until a more serious issue arises, if you are looking to jumpstart your New Year with new health goals, make an appointment today. Share your concerns, be honest with your practitioner and let them help you to achieve your health goals. Better health is within your reach and acupuncture can help you get there.

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This is the time of year when many are looking to start (or restart) their wellness routines. Self-care Saturdays may have fallen by the wayside during the holiday season so now is the time to get back on track.

As you examine your health goals and priorities this year, consider adding acupuncture to your wellness program. 

Health Benefits

Acupuncture provides a holistic, non-pharmacological approach to wellness and addresses a variety of physical and emotional concerns you might be struggling with.

1. REGULATES EMOTIONS It’s a less intrusive alternative to drug therapies for many types of mental/emotional issues including depression, anxiety, or just stress.
2. CORRECTS DIGESTIVE IMBALANCES The World Health Organization acknowledges acupuncture’s role in effectively treating digestive issues like heartburn, lactose intolerance, and irritable bowel syndrome.
3. IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF YOUR SLEEP Prescription and over-the-counter sleep remedies only treat the symptoms associated with insomnia. By reducing stress and inducing a feeling of calm and balance of the mind and body, acupuncture targets the core issues to regulate your body’s energy and restore the sleep cycle.
4. REDUCES PAIN AND INFLAMMATION Stimulating specific points on the body, acupuncture can treat headaches, back pain, and arthritis, to name just a few. It activates the body’s natural defense against inflammation by helping the body release more cortisol and stimulating the vagus nerve.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Here are some ways you can successfully integrate acupuncture into your wellness routine.

• Create a schedule to plan your regular acupuncture sessions; consistency is important when it comes to integrating acupuncture.
• Acupuncture can be extremely effective when combined with other wellness practices like meditation, yoga, and a healthy diet. Don’t be afraid to explore different approaches to see what works best for you.

Contact me and find out how acupuncture can become a valuable addition to your wellness journey, helping you achieve balance in your overall health!

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Trauma can be emotional or physical and carries a weight with it for those who suffer from a traumatic event and the longer post-traumatic stress that can come from it. Fortunately, we live in a time where help is available. Since acupuncture subscribes to the whole mind/body/spirit healing approach to balancing energy and achieving complete wellness, it makes sense that acupuncture could be a helpful tool to treating various forms of trauma and its impact on both the mind and body.

A paper from Boston University by Danielle Rousseau explained it well: “The way acupuncture can aid in trauma recovery is by alleviating the symptoms either directly or residually caused by the event. For example, after a car accident, an individual might suffer pain in their neck and experience anxiety whenever they are in a car again. Acupuncture can help to relieve the neck pain that both hinders quality of life and acts as a constant reminder of the accident. Chronic pain is also a common side effect of adverse childhood experiences. When an adult comes in for therapy with a long history of repeat traumas, alleviating physical pain is a great starting point to begin recovery. This allows for a greater sense of control in one’s own body and opens doors for further therapeutic practices like yoga and exercise that would not have been possible with chronic pain. Acupuncture may not be the cure-all that therapists and researchers are looking for to help their patients overcome past traumas but its longstanding history and overwhelming success rate for non-trauma related pain demands more research be conducted on the practice’s effects on trauma.”

With its whole-body approach, acupuncture is a holistic option to treat both the physical symptoms that can come from experiencing trauma as well as the processing of emotions that follows. And the research is backing this up. A 2007 randomized controlled pilot trial found that, “acupuncture may be an efficacious and acceptable non exposure treatment option for PTSD.”

A 2019 study from Italy found that acupuncture improved both the mental and physical symptoms associated with PTSD. Researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture on survivors of a major earthquake in Italy that caused 300 deaths and left 30,000 people homeless. Researchers found that prior to treatment, approximately 70% of the study subjects reported symptoms associated with PTSD. They also found that after the third acupuncture treatment both the physical symptoms like musculoskeletal pain and mental symptoms like anxiety and depression from the trauma significantly improved with 60% of the patients in the study.

Contact me if you’re suffering from the effects of trauma. I will complete a comprehensive health history to not only address your symptoms but help you address the underlying mental and emotional impacts as well. Acupuncture’s goal is always to restore balance to the whole body. Make an appointment today and begin your mind/body healing journey.  

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There are a variety of gastrointestinal and autoimmune diseases that can contribute to what is known as leaky gut syndrome.
So, what exactly is leaky gut syndrome? It’s close to exactly what it sounds like. Each one of us has semi-permeable guts. What that means is the mucous lining of our intestines is designed to absorb water and nutrients from our food. Your intestinal lining is responsible for acting as a barrier to bacteria. With leaky gut syndrome, your intestinal lining “leaks” allowing more water and nutrients through, but also potentially allowing toxic molecules to come through as well. 

Some common causes of leaky gut include suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, chronic overuse of NSAIDs or alcohol, and even food allergies. Symptoms can include gas, bloating, low energy levels, and painful indigestion. Basically, your immune system is compromised when you have leaky gut. 

If you think leaky gut syndrome might be an issue, there are some steps you can take that may provide some relief. Dietary changes are typically the first order of business:

• Avoid alcohol, processed sugars, caffeine, and dairy products.
• Try eating more organic fruits and vegetables loaded with antioxidants that fight off free radicals.

The next step is to make an appointment for acupuncture to rebalance your energy. Chinese medicine can be an extremely helpful tool in repairing your leaky gut. I’ll take a full health history to examine the underlying causes of the issue that is creating this imbalance in your body. Duration and frequency of treatment will vary depending on the severity of the condition.

Traditional medicine often just prescribes various drugs to address the symptoms of leaky gut, but it doesn’t get to the root of the problem.
Make an appointment today to begin the journey to rebalance your energy and heal your gut from the inside out.

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The meridian system is a phrase that comes up often during acupuncture treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that energy (also referred to as qi) flows throughout the body much like blood does. When this flow of energy becomes disrupted, symptoms and disease can occur. Acupuncture and other forms of Eastern medicine work to restore the flow of energy throughout the body using the meridian system.

Meridians are channels that direct the flow of energy through specific pathways of the body. Think of it like a superhighway the energy in your body uses to move about your organ systems. Picture a body divided in half from top to bottom. Each side of the body is traversed by six meridians: three yin and three yang. Here are the 12 major meridians of the body and the function they perform.

Each meridian is assigned to what could be called a circuit, called an element. There are five elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. Here are how those five elements work in the meridian system:

• Fire: Heart and small intestine meridian, circulation and three-fold warming meridian.
• Earth: Stomach and spleen meridian.
• Metal: Lung and colon meridian.
• Water: Kidney and bladder meridian.
• Wood: Liver and gallbladder meridian.

Lung (Arm Tai Yin, Metal Element): Regulates respiration and the intake of energy. 

Large Intestine (Arm Yang Ming, Metal Element): Extracts and processes water from waste material before expelling it from the body. 

Stomach (Leg Yang Ming, Earth Element): Digests and extracts energy from food and then distributes that energy through to the spleen and intestines.

Spleen (Leg Tai Yin, Earth Element): Distributes nutrients throughout the body, maintains muscle tone and regulates blood flow.

Heart (Arm Shao Yin, Fire Element): Circulates blood to all the organs in the body.

Small Intestine (Arm Tai Yang, Fire Element): Distributes nutrients throughout the body.

Bladder (Leg Tai Yang, Water Element): Removes liquid waste from the body.

Kidney (Leg Shao Yin, Water Element): Stores sexual energy, regulates the reproductive system, and produces blood and bone marrow.

Pericardium (Arm Jue Yin, Fire Element): The pericardium is an important part of the body and is the area that surrounds the heart, protecting it and removing excess energy. This meridian channel disperses energy throughout the body, thus preventing the heart from receiving too much energy.

Triple Warmer (Arm Shao Yang, Fire Element): Also called San Jiao, it controls the body and is not just responsible for a particular organ system. It helps to control metabolism and regulates heat, moisture, and body temperature.

Gallbladder (Leg Shao Yang, Wood Element): Stores and expels bile produced by the liver.

Liver (Leg Jue Yin, Wood Element): Circulates energy, regulates menstruation and the female reproductive system. It also maintains flexibility of the tendons and ligaments.

At your first visit, I will conduct a thorough health history and determine the best treatment options to get your qi balanced and flowing properly. I will also discuss your daily routine and habits and provide recommendations for your diet and exercise routine, as well as your acupuncture treatment options. 

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine look at the whole body and will work with you to get every system back to its optimal performance by addressing the root cause and not just your symptoms. If you are looking for a holistic and natural drug-free alternative to your health care, make an appointment today.

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