According to the National Institutes of Health, chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults (an estimated 37 million). And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 4.5 million adults have been diagnosed with liver disease. Those are some sobering statistics, but did you know that acupuncture has a proven track record of effectively dealing with kidney and liver disease? 

The Role of the Liver in Overall Health

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver and its corresponding meridian play a key role in the smooth flow of Qi (energy), blood and emotions. Here’s how it can all go wrong. The liver can be easily impacted by stress and uncontrolled emotions. It also has a close connection with the gallbladder. For example, if a person is under additional stress, it is not uncommon for them to develop gallstones. This is a result of the meridian becoming blocked and the emotions that come with the stress do not have an outlet. 

Balancing Qi is the best way to return proper energy flow. Regular acupuncture treatments can help to balance the body holistically without the side effects that come with pharmaceutical interventions. 

Proper Kidney Function is Key

Chronic kidney disease can lead to other health issues as well, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Proper kidney function is vital to our health as the kidneys are responsible for removing excess fluid and waste from the body. Another important kidney function is the production of hormones that stimulate the creation of red blood cells and help regulate blood pressure. The kidneys also produce vitamin D, control the metabolism of calcium and eliminate drugs from your body. 

The symptoms of kidney disease depend on the severity or stage of the disease. For those with early onset chronic kidney disease, there can be no symptoms at all. As the disease progresses, people might experience itchy skin, insomnia, an increased need to urinate, swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, poor appetite, nausea, fatigue, muscle cramps, or headaches.

Just like with the liver, if blood flow is hindered or Qi blocked, kidney problems can begin to happen. Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the kidneys and liver, as well as to all other organs, thus providing essential nutrients to the body that needs to function properly. 

As mentioned previously with liver issues, stress can cause a great deal of havoc in the body. When stress and emotion issues are not properly dealt with, patients can suffer from depression and other emotional issues. Acupuncture can also help alleviate stress, again by balancing Qi, and helping the body to release endorphins which improve sleep, reduce fatigue, relieve pain, control blood pressure, and improve liver and kidney health.

Contact me and find out more about how specific protocols can improve your kidney and liver function. 

The post Using Acupuncture to Treat Liver & Kidney Health: Why it Works appeared first on Tybee Acupuncture.

An easy way to think about this is with fruits and vegetables: we are lucky these days to have grocery stores stocked year round with fruits and vegetables from every corner of the globe at all times of year. That makes it possible to enjoy asparagus into the winter months in northern climates where asparagus would never naturally grow at that time of year if at all. Chinese medical thought prescribes realigning our diets with what would be available to us in the region where we live and at each time of year. In this way, we’re aligning ourselves with the rhythms of the earth. Not only that, but eating fresh, local fruits and vegetables probably means they’re going to be better tasting fruits and vegetables in the first place, because they’re fresh off the vine and ripened close by. Living in balance with the seasons helps to keep us healthy and free of disease, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Each season is also connected to one of the main organ networks and a related element, both based on associations with what is happening in our bodies and in the natural world. In spring, Chinese medicine says we should be attentive to our livers. Springtime is all about new life and life-giving processes. The liver provides essential support to our lungs, heart and circulation system – in other words, all the life-giving systems in our bodies. The liver also stores and distributes nourishment to the whole body. It also filters toxins from the blood and breaks them down for elimination.

When the liver is functioning properly, there is functionality throughout the whole body, and we feel a physical and emotional freedom and expansiveness that allow us to take on the essence of springtime.

Here are four ways to tweak your lifestyle this spring in order to support balance in your liver.

Rise and shine

Make it a habit to wake up earlier in the spring than you were during winter. Notice if getting up earlier allows you to have more energy during the day.

Exercise more

Try to incorporate more movement into your daily life during the spring. Especially during spring, exercise is a great way to battle depression and anxiety that can creep in due to a liver imbalance.

Add sour foods to your diet

The flavor connected to the liver is sour. Adding lemon to your water is a simple way to do this that will help you digestive and emotional health.

Keep breathing

Be intentional about developing or maintaining habits that help you to de-stress during spring. Springtime can feel like a burst of energy compared to winter, but it is important to make space each for downtime and not get too busy too fast.

The post 4 Lifestyle Tweaks to Thrive this Spring appeared first on Tybee Acupuncture.

1. You’ve noticed an increase in headaches lately, and these headaches seem to feel worse when you aren’t active. Generally these headaches tend to manifest at the vertex of your head.

2. You might begin to feel constipated or bloated. Your bowel movements might become irregular, alternating between constipation and loose stools. Hard, difficult stools that appear pebbly are also a sign of liver imbalance.

3. Your friends or coworkers are scared of you, because you are cranky, cranky, cranky. When liver energy is out of balance you might feel agitated, irritated and generally out of sorts. Sometimes irritation can expand into outright anger more easily than it would if this energy was flowing smoothly.

4. Ladies, you may notice your PMS symptoms have been worse lately. Bloating, breast tenderness, sensitivity…you can blame all of the above on your liver. If your periods are more painful or clotted, this is also due to a stagnation of liver energy.

5. Your eyes are red, itchy or irritated.

6. Your shoulders, neck or jaw are uncomfortably tight. If the liver energy is out of balance, it can flow upward. This causes everything in your body to rise up: you might grind or clench your teeth, your shoulders will levitate up around your ears, and you might experience symptoms of TMJ.

7. Your allergies are in full force, complete with itchy, red, watery eyes.

If you are suffering from any of these issues, come see me for a spring acupuncture tune-up!

The post Does Your Liver Need a Spring Tune-Up? appeared first on Tybee Acupuncture.