Your Body is a Garden

In a recent post about three different types of health care, I mentioned that the way we traditionally view the body here in the West is different from an Eastern approach.

Modern medicine (here in the West) pictures the body as a machine that is hijacked by disease. The picture of health is a well-oiled machine operated by you and supervised by your doctor.

A new way of looking at your body -
naturally

What if, instead of a machine, your body was a garden? If you imagine your body this way, your whole approach to health is changed. You stop fighting a war and start cultivating the life you want to live, in this body.

If you have a green thumb, you might know that your garden often takes care of itself. If it's dry, you may need to water it. Sometimes there are problems related to pests, nutrition, weeds... and sometimes it does feel like an all-out war. And yet, the garden does take care of itself as long as you provide it with enough fresh air, sunshine, water, and food.

Do you give those things to your body?

For so many of us, our bodies are withering away without the fundamental sources of life. So many people explain their symptoms away by saying, "I'm not getting any younger," but they would feel younger if they fed their body what it needs: Nutritious food. Exercise. Sunshine. Water.

This garden resembles what our bodies go through
when we don't give ourselves basic nourishment through
movement, nutrition, water, and sun.

A friend of mine recently lost 75 pounds. I asked her what she did to lose the weight, and she said, "You know, I did what we all know to do. I ate right. I got moving." While I celebrate her willingness to lose weight naturally, I also respect that my friend did what was right for her body. She listened to the messages her body was sending her and she followed its advice.

When you listen, your body will tell you what it needs, and you can fulfill those needs, all on your own. After all, you live there every moment. Every moment you have the opportunity to respond to those messages. It's tuning in that is often the problem for us. So how do you listen to your body?

This is where acupuncture comes in. Acupuncture will tune your mind in to the right frequency. People leave and tell me they feel so relaxed. It's because their mind is finally on the same frequency as their body. Your breath, your heartbeat, all are there to anchor you. There's no shame in getting carried away with thoughts and plans and feelings and drama. And yet there is always an invitation from your body. Come back, it says. Come back anytime.

With a little time and attention, our bodies can resemble
this well-cared for garden. 

Three Ways Acupuncture Can Help You

When you're considering whether or not acupuncture is right for you, the answer to the question "How can acupuncture help me?" is vital.

The first thing I suggest is a free private consultation. If you talk to me directly, I can outline a treatment plan that is right for you. Your consultation might be completely different than if I talked to your friend, your spouse or another family member. The reason for this is that people seek acupuncture treatment for different reasons.

1. Symptom Relief - Many people just want relief from their symptoms. If the body is a garden, symptoms are burgeoning weeds that choke its natural beauty. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs cut back the weeds. I pride myself on my ability to relieve symptoms; for many of us, a good quality of life is about stopping pain and creating a sense of ease.

Here in the US, we tend to view the body as a machine that is often
hacked by a foreign enemy known as disease. Chinese medicine
focuses on the body as a garden that can be cultivated to heal itself.

2. Corrective Care - Corrective care is my specialty; it focuses on removing the cause of your symptoms. Underneath most pain is inflammation. Weight gain is a symptom of a metabolic disorder. Addictions are a combination of neurological and emotional imbalance. We could work on symptoms forever, but to provide long-lasting relief and freedom, corrective care is necessary.

3. Preventive Care - I have clients who attribute their continuing health to their investment in acupuncture. Assisting the immune system can prevent illnesses in the future. Balancing your health early will promote your well-being for months and years to come. Studies have shown that acupuncture clients report fewer symptoms years after the end of their treatment plan.

Whether you're thinking for the future or putting out today's fires, Lakes Area Acupuncture is here to help. During every session, you can count on attention to your needs at this specific moment, as well as a far-reaching vision of your overall health. It's never to late or too early to make the call.

Nerve Gate Control with Acupuncture

"It is better to wound yourself a thousand times
than to do a single harm to another person."
-  Dr. Li Chang-yuan,
interviewed by James Reston in 1972

One of my patients was suffering from a toothache on top of her other ailments. She had a procedure that fixed her tooth problem, but her head was still aching.

I remembered that acupuncture can be used to bypass the nerves along specific pathways to stop her pain. During her treatment, I applied electricity to the acupuncture needles I had inserted for her toothache. Her pain immediately resolved, and she asked if my services would be available during her next dental procedure.

I was able to stop her pain so quickly because of the first powerful effect of acupuncture to catch the attention of the West.

A little history

Adding electrical stimulation to acupuncture points
interrupts the signal of pain in nerve gate pathways.

For many years, acupuncture in the United States remained an obscure, mysterious healing art. In 1972, a journalist named James Reston visited China on a mission of cultural enlightenment. While he had not planned on covering acupuncture specifically, Mr. Reston experienced Traditional Chinese Medicine first-hand when his journey was interrupted by an emergency appendectomy.

Amazed by his experiences in China, he returned to the US to be one of the first journalists to provide accounts of his acupuncture treatment and his observation of treatments performed by clinicians abroad. (If you'd like to read the original article, here's a free reprint.)

This diagram is linked to an article
on pain management using acupuncture.

Acupuncture is commonly used for analgesia in China, whether as a primary or secondary means of stopping pain during surgery. In some cases, acupuncture has been used as the only analgesic.

To explain how acupuncture stops pain, scientists introduced Gate Control Theory, which states that signals, which travel from the site of pain to the brain through high-traffic gates, can be moderated by influencing stimulation in corresponding tissues, such as with acupuncture. These gates can be overwhelmed by the acupuncture stimulation, and the result is no sensation of pain.

There are no drugs or other substances within the acupuncture needle; in order to achieve this powerful effect, the needles can be used alone or with added electrical stimulation.

Many amazed onlookers in the West have witnessed surgeries where the patient was awake and alert, their pain modulated by acupuncture. This is not a common practice in the West, yet it is a useful opportunity for patients who do not have the option of receiving anesthetic medications. It serves for the rest of us as a powerful example of how acupuncture stops pain.

Acupuncture Increases Circulation

Acu-points influence circulation by affecting
hormones like histamine to dilate and constrict
blood vessels in the affected area.

Specific hormones work together to govern blood flow in the body, but there is no single hormone that modulates circulation.

A familiar hormone may help us understand the relationship between circulation and acupuncture. Many of us seek to block histamine in our respiratory systems; we use anti-histamines to cause the blood vessels to constrict so we don't feel swollen and snotty with allergies. Histamine can be very useful in combination to relax vessels and push the blood flow to an area.

Chinese medical concepts
may seem esoteric, but
they produce real, metabolic
results.

As blood reaches the site we are stimulating with acupuncture, it carries immune components, endorphins, and other beneficial compounds like vitamins, fats, and blood constituents. Once we have created the proper building blocks for healing, acupuncture directs the blood flow to the parts of the body where it is most needed, improving the circulation of the entire body. Sometimes, a specific area is involved – for example, the back, knee, and neck are all areas where the blood flow has commonly been reduced to a trickle. And one can feel it, whether as a direct source of pain or through indirect means, like edema (swelling), numbness, or tingling.
Often in response to poor circulation, it's easy to further decrease that circulation by applying ice, consuming numbing medications, or using compression socks. Unfortunately, this begins the process of removing circulation from the extremities, killing the nerves and causing muscle atrophy from mis- or dis-use.

As a licensed acupuncturist, I highly recommend stimulating the circulation to painful, numb, and swollen areas with acupuncture and the complimentary aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine before seeking more drastic means to inhibit these symptoms. Reducing circulation creates a great deal of side effects which can be irreversible, while acupuncture poses minimal risks in comparison.

When structural problems interfere with
circulation, we can use acupuncture to
direct blood flow where it's needed.

One of my patients experienced severe tennis elbow, and he was instructed that he could only receive cortisone shots, pain medications, and surgery for his condition. During his first visit, I could quickly see that his elbow pain was related to severe circulation problems in his spine, specifically referring from his neck. I informed him that I would need to address both his neck and his elbow in order to reduce the pain. Additionally, because his neck had bone spurs, I could only affect his circulation around these structural conditions.

The patient had substantial relief after the first session, which became exponential as his treatment plan progressed. While I could not change the shape of his neck, I increased the circulation within and reduced his inflammation by positively influencing blood flow in his neck, thus stopping the elbow pain.

Read more about the mechanisms of acupuncture in this excerpt from the American Journal of Acupuncture.

Acupuncture Releases Endorphins

Endorphins are released while
running from monsters

Athletes and exercise enthusiasts are well familiar with the function of endorphins. Once an athlete reaches an exhaustion level, they experience a feeling that some have dubbed, “runner's high.” This could apply to any physical exercise. This euphoric, whole-body feeling comes from endorphins, which are released in order to allow the body to endure longer periods of strenuous activity than normal. In the prehistoric human body, endorphins were developed for long periods of flight from large, powerful predators, enabling humans to survive hazardous over-exertion by stopping pain associated with over-extended tissues and organ systems.

Endorphins are released when
eating spicy foods

Pain killers represent the most popular group of drugs on the market. From headaches to knee pain, everyone is looking for a solution to their pain. Multi-million dollar clinics are opening under the title “Pain Management.” While these solutions (namely drugs and surgery) help to manage pain, acupuncture stops it completely. Long-term studies detailing the results of acupuncture treatment for pain showed significant improvement in patients who completed their treatment plan, even years after their last acupuncture treatment. (Here's an example.)

Endorphins are released
in response to pain

Acupuncture is able to stop pain better than most drugs because of the body's natural endorphins. Acupuncture unlocks a dormant quality within the body, which, when activated, operates at a strength ten times any drug on the market. For example, researchers at UNC are using acupuncture instead of spinal injection to increase the effectiveness of a new drug. Unlike more publicized options, acupuncture is safe and causes no side effects.

The effects of acupuncture on pain are immediate. A patient called me in significant pain from a sprained wrist. I quickly applied acupuncture and asked him to rotate his wrist at the end of the treatment. His expression brightened and his eyes became wider as he was able to not only move his wrist without pain, but also with a significantly larger range than when he had first strained it just a few hours earlier. I continued to apply acupuncture and added an herbal compress to increase his circulation and heal the wrist completely, but acupuncture brought him immediate relief from pain that he did not hope to expect.

Acupuncture Augments Immunity

It's no secret that acupuncture has been effective in treating allergies of many types, from allergic rhinitis to hay fever. The appearance of allergies can be traced to one of two primary mechanisms. Either the body's immune system is hyperactive, attacking particles and substances that pose no substantial risk, or the immunity can be weak, not responding to manageable levels of bacteria and viruses when they attack.

If your body's environment is hospitable,
the seeds of disease will grow.

As an acupuncturist, I must emphasize that both the physical body and the external environment have a significant bearing on your body's immune response. Focusing on the “offending particles,” as we often do in sterilization procedures and pasteurization for example, creates a sterile environment in which the immune system atrophies. Practical sanitation creates a positive atmosphere for the immune system to flourish; hand-washing and cleaning surfaces with soap revitalize this atmosphere. With a healthy immune system, only rarely will you need to use harsh chemical disinfectants to purify your environment.

Before Louis Pasteur died, he may have admitted that his life's work was short-sighted. (I'll paraphrase, but here's a good account of his debates with Claude Bernard.) “I was focusing on the seed,” he said, “when I should have been focusing on the soil.” The “soil” of which he spoke is your body's immune system. Pollens, molds, bacteria, and viruses can try all day to break a healthy immune system, but they will fail every time.

Acupuncture greatly improves the activity of your immune system by increasing your body's production of white blood cells, immunoglobulins, prostaglandins, and antibodies.

• White blood cells identify the foreign particles in your body and eliminate them. Your doctor will test your white blood cells to evaluate your immune response at a given moment. White blood cells are action-oriented, and they are prepared to neutralize infections wherever they flow. Acupuncture increases the effectiveness of your white blood cells for a shorter recovery time.
• Antibodies make a note of these foreign particles so that they can be recognized faster in the future. They remind me of the expression, “Once bitten, twice shy.” Antibodies are the reason you don't get chicken pox twice. Viruses like influenza mutate and change frequently in an attempt to fool our antibodies. With the proper disguise, they might delay the response of the antibodies, and the body's “alarms,” typified in responses such as fever, flooding of white blood cells, and other classics, may occur after the virus had time to cause some damage.
• Important immunoglobulins are available through your mother's placenta before you are born, and afterward you drink it in breast milk. Immunoglobulins are the foundation of your immune system that are passed down from previous generations through maternity. Acupuncture increases your access to immunoglobulins and releases them into your system.
• Prostaglandins mediate the contraction and relaxation of muscle tissues. When you get a cold and your body starts to hurt, your prostaglandin balance has been disrupted. It feels good to get acupuncture because it optimizes this balance, even when you're not feeling ill.

As a result of the immunity augmentation associated with acupuncture, people who complete acupuncture treatment plans do not get sick as often, have reduced allergic reactions, and enjoy fewer complications related to a weak immune system.

Acupuncture Alphabet

Traditional Chinese Medicine is such a long phrase that I often abbreviate it as “TCM." It's no wonder that people commonly refer to acupuncture and TCM as being interchangeable simply because of the length of the name. I grew up singing a song called “Eddiegutchaketchicamma-tosinaratosinoka-sammacammawackybrown,” which tells the story of a boy who drowned in a well because his name was too long to spread the word that he needed help. Sometimes I think TCM has the same problem. Even shorter words like acupuncture are still quite a mouthful!

TCM, OM, AOM... Acupuncture terminology
will mix you up like alphabet soup!

For this reason, acupuncturists often abbreviate words so our patients don't drown in a well of pain before we get our point across. We're left with a confusing alphabet soup of anagrams: TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), OM (Oriental Medicine), AOM (Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine), and many others. For simplicity's sake, I will be using TCM to refer to all of these abbreviations, while recognizing that the American acupuncturist's TCM is a melting pot, combining many aspects of traditional medicine in Asia and even Europe. Acupuncturists use some strategies that are thousands of years old, while others are only a hundred, or fifty, or even modern. In every case, I use time-tested, established methods that have been proven in case after case.

Acupuncturists in the US possess a comprehensive combination of therapies to more fully understand and service their patients' needs. It's common to consider acupuncture as being synonymous with TCM, but actually, acupuncture is just one of the important pillars of TCM treatment. Because practitioners are focused not only on stopping pain and other symptoms, but also on the prevention of their return, we rely on the combination of acupuncture with herbal therapy, nutrition, massage, and home care to provide long-lasting results. (Here's one example.)

Your recovery period need not
last an eternity.

Many people who are new to acupuncture are concerned that the relief will only be temporary and that they will have to return for treatment indefinitely. Some medical professionals who practice acupuncture but are not fully trained to do so may use acupuncture in this way – for the temporary relief of symptoms. Licensed acupuncturists like myself are trained to address conditions with the full complexity of TCM; we understand that the solution to your condition is pain-free independence, as well as the freedom to live your life. For more information on getting results with your acupuncture treatment plan, see my article on getting timely results with acupuncture.

Timely Results with Acupuncture

One of the most common questions I get as an acupuncturist is, "How many treatments do I need?" I like this question, because it speaks to the part of us that's ready to move on with our lives. It's essentially asking, "How long do I have to put up with this?"

I'm in the position to cheer that part of you on, and I'd like to give you some  idea of how long you can expect to use acupuncture for a given condition. This is a ballpark figure, and your individual response will depend on your own state of health and the combination of factors involved in your condition. You can, however, expect to be presented with a treatment proposal that will be customized to you.

Let's review the conditions for which acupuncture has been proven effective:

Stress	Digestive	Respiratory	Pain	Women’s Health
Emotional Distress	Nausea	Asthma	Joint Pain	Infertility
Depression	Vomiting	Sore Throat	Bone Pain	PMS
Anxiety	GERDs	Cold/Flu	Nerve Pain	Menstrual Disorders
Insomnia	Gastritis	Headaches	Dental Pain	Menopause
Smoking Cessation	Diarrhea	Pneumonia	Cancer Pain	UTI's
Addictions	Constipation	Tonsillitis	Sciatica	Incontinence
Dizziness	IBS	Sinusitis	Arthritis	Endometriosis
Fatigue	Colitis	Rhinitis	Tennis Elbow	Uterine Bleeding
Weight Management	Chron's Disease	Allergies	Headaches
	Hiccups	Ear Infections	TMJ
	Morning Sickness	Bronchitis	Chronic Fatigue
			Fibromyalgia
			Peripheral Neuropathy

For stress and the related symptoms, your investment of time is in a direct relationship to how long you've had the condition. In other words, it's good to come in early, because your recovery time will be shorter. Acupuncture for stress ailments will have an immediate relieving effect. For short term conditions in this category, four treatments in 1-2 months are enough to get you back on track. On the other hand, I see people all the time who have struggled with stress conditions for their entire lives. Eight treatments in two months brings the transformation they're looking for, followed by four treatments in two months to ensure long-term success.

The digestive category is almost identical to stress; I am certain it is because the two are so deeply related. Exceptions are vomiting and hiccups, which will find immediate relief from a single treatment. Morning sickness may require continued attention through the second trimester.

For respiratory conditions, the treatment is two-fold, between prevention and management of attacks. Depending on the condition, it could take 1-4 weekly treatments to manage the attack, before prevention is addressed, usually in 6-8 treatments over the following 2 months. If the issue is seasonal, prevention may need to be addressed 1-5 times annually.

Pain is categorized by chronic (over 1 month old) and acute (under 1 month old). Pain relief is often immediate with follow-up treatments to lengthen and strengthen that relief. Just like with stress conditions, four to twelve treatments in one to four months is the range depending on how chronic the condition is. If you have a severely chronic or degenerative condition, your plan will include suggestions for long-term care.

In Women's Health issues, treatment plans often revolve around your menstrual cycle, especially in cases of PMS, infertility, endometriosis, and uterine bleeding. With these conditions, you will ideally be treated just prior to ovulation and just prior to scheduled bleeding, meaning at least 2 treatments per month for 3-6 months.

Adding Acupuncture for Total Health Care

Acupuncture can help to improve your quality of life in a way that no therapy originating here in the West has been able to do. Like many acupuncturists, I trained vigorously for four years, learning about not only the standard body systems and common methods of clinical care, but also about the body's energy system and comprehensive care. This Chinese medicine is the frontier of how we perceive health care in the United States; however, doctors are often happy to recommend acupuncture because they have seen it help improve their patients' quality of life.

Acupuncturists like me often see people at their wit's end, where they have been prescribed strong medications and recommended to have major surgery to address their pain. Because acupuncture has no side effects and poses a very low risk to health, those who suffer from pain find Traditional Chinese Medicine to be a safe, effective solution.

I believe that understanding the fundamental concepts of this medicine will provide you with a deeper knowledge of how your body works naturally. These concepts, like wholism and the energy system, are what I see missing from the current biological model that we practice today. If you have gone to your doctor confused and lost, and come away feeling like the treatment administered was not right for you, you have just touched upon these missing links between your body and the strategies that we have developed without the comprehensive Traditional Chinese Medical system.

These missing links mean that TCM is needed here in the US, not to replace your regular doctor, but to complement your health care effectively. While there are some fundamental differences in these systems, I hope that they never operate exclusively from one another. Acupuncturists want to improve your quality of life; we also want you to continue seeing your doctor. Being assessed by your medical doctor is vital to your health; seeing an acupuncturist is vital to your well-being. I tell my patients that I am pleased to be a part of their therapeutic team – without a team of medical professionals, we could both be overwhelmed.

Acupuncturists want to help you get better
in a team with other medical professionals.

In fact, you may be overwhelmed with pain, discomfort, weight gain, stress, digestive problems, sleeplessness, and many more conditions. These are signs that you have entered a stage in which acupuncture can be very effective. You may have decided to just live with your pain, because you experience side effects when taking medications, or you have been told that surgery is the only answer. The good news is that acupuncture can stop your pain, reduce your body's response to stress, ease your digestion, balance your metabolism, and help you calm down and rest. An acupuncturist like myself will work with you as a unique individual and start a treatment plan that will show you the results we can offer. I use time-tested, painless techniques to help your body heal itself. This natural restoration may have been dormant in you for some time – in fact, you may feel that your body is actively working against you! My patients who have problems with their immunity and allergies often mention this feeling. Again, there's good news – your body has been working very hard, but it may have been distracted, overloaded, or unduly stressed. I appreciate the change that occurs in someone's life when their body comes back into balance with Traditional Chinese Medicine, and they have a powerful experience of seeing their body working for them again.

My words cannot replace the experience of acupuncture treatment and individual consultations with a licensed professional. I encourage you to seek contact with an acupuncturist who can speak clearly with you about your condition in specific terms; moreover, I encourage you to participate in a treatment plan, because in this way, you can see what acupuncture can offer not only to you, but to your entire community. Please contact me directly if you would like to know more about what I do in Austin. I always find time to help others on the path toward better health with Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture.

What I Do

Despite our best efforts to pin down the details, our relationships to our bodies can be elusive and mysterious even in these modern times. Sometimes a missing link within the body's natural patterns can present as pain. At times, the pain moves. Other uncomfortable symptoms may appear, like tightness. Sometimes, the miscommunication will affect entire body systems, inducing insomnia, stomach ache, dizziness, depression, or other discomforts. 

I help people discover how the disconnection occurred - sometimes it's obvious like an accident, while other times the origin is more subtle. I treat with acupuncture based on the most effective way to restore vital communications by balancing the body's hormones and neurotransmitters. Once the acupuncture points start "talking" (a term describing the sensations when acupuncture points are stimulated), then all the body's systems can start to work together in the pursuit of whole-body health.

More about Acupuncture

More about Herbs & Chinese Medicine

A Pain Relief Story

I recently treated a woman for neck pain who was unable to turn her head to the right or left. She was in a great deal of pain, and it was affecting her ability to live her life.

After speaking with her in detail about her current state of health, I used acupuncture to stop her pain, reduce her tension, and give her more mobility in her neck. She made some dietary changes because we found that she was not getting enough proper nourishment. I added herbs to improve the circulation throughout her whole body, as well as stimulate her digestion to facilitate the delivery of important nutrients to the tissues in her neck and shoulders.

We also covered some exercises that she could apply to reduce the strain on her neck and upper back. After the first treatment, her pain level reduced to zero, and she was able to enjoy her full range of motion. The steps we took from her first treatment gave her long lasting relief and prevented the injury from recurring.

This patient was able to move from immobilizing pain and tightness into relief and relaxation because we explored the totality of what Traditional Chinese Medicine has to offer, including and beyond acupuncture. In my commitment to assess her as a person and not just a disease, I was able to identify the source of her pain, rather than just treat her symptoms repeatedly.

If you have pain that keeps returning no matter what you do, the source of that pain needs immediate attention. I am available to answer your questions so that you know what to expect when starting your recovery with acupuncture.

Acupuncture Insurance in Texas

Health insurance benefits are currently determined by state. Fewer insurance companies cover acupuncture in Texas than in most Midwestern states; Texas covers fewer treatments than California and New York, which have comparable usage rates for acupuncture.

In 1998, the FDA changed the classification of the acupuncture needle from "experimental device" to "Class II Medical Device." This makes acupuncture a tax-deductible medical expense for your federal income tax return. The designation also created quality control in the production of acupuncture needles, as well as eligibility for acupuncture to be covered by medical insurance.

The companies listed below are likely to cover acupuncture in the state of Texas. Even if your insurance company is not listed here, call me and we can verify your benefits together.

• Aetna
• Auto accident claims
• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Cigna
• Employers Health Insurance
• Humana
• John Hancock Mutual
• Prudential
• Seton Health Plan

Early Stage Cold & Flu

Our tumultuous Texas temperatures make it easy for people to catch the sniffles. Did you know that if you act as soon as you feel a cold coming on, you can beat it?

When you come in for acupuncture with a cold, I evaluate the signs of your oncoming cold and develop a strategy to beat it quickly. For example, sweating is important: if you are not sweating at all, our goal will be to open your pores. If you do sweat, we will want to open your pores a bit, but we'll also want to warm and stimulate your immune system into action.

Action: Warm fluids and a hot bath or shower. Do not wait! Warm your upper back and neck until they are pink, but without blistering or burning. Juice some fresh ginger and throw it in the bath, or rub slices on your neck and upper back in the shower.

With herbs, it's wise to always have some Yin Qiao San (classically a powder, it also comes in tablets) on hand, as well as some fresh ginger. If you have mostly chills with a little sweating, ginger and cinnamon are a good combination for a quick tea.

Keep applying these remedies until you feel better. If you can make an appointment for acupuncture, a mild treatment followed by some cupping will open your pores, stimulating your immune system to work at its finest. Your acupuncturist may recommend (especially if it's me) taking a full dose of herbs every 2 hours until you see improvement.

After all, it will be your system that wins in the end, but the victory will be sooner and more complete if you give your body the resources.

Easy Tips for a Healthy Diet

When cooking I use whole ingredients, and recommend fresh when possible. My highest recommendation for food shopping is using local organic and sustainable delivery programs, like Greenling's Local Produce Box.
The grocery store presents a working alternative to having fresh produce delivered to your door. You may emerge victorious even from the grocery store if you use these simple guidelines:

1. Meal plans and grocery lists are essential, especially if you're on a budget. Depending on how much structure you need, sometimes a simple grocery list will suffice, but I recommend making a meal plan for at least two weeks. You can bargain and compromise with your meal plan, but after two weeks, you may start to find it comforting or see enough improvement to operate without it. For patients, customized meal planning is included in sessions with me.
2. Buy foods that make your mouth water. The quest for resonant and inspiring experiences to promote well-being includes flavors. Purchase ingredients that you want to be a part of, because they will become a part of you.
3. Be generous. Reduce waste while meeting your needs, without limiting ingredient portions. If you have a lot of waste or hate leftovers, split the ingredients to make varied, smaller meals. By maintaining your food supply, you can begin to understand your habits and make important changes, instead of swinging on the diet pendulum.
4. Try my recipes, taken from a variety of cookbook resources, as well as my own taste. There's Summer Breakfast Tacos, Healthy Mac & Cheese, Pasta Primavera, and more!
5. Acupuncture regulates the hormones ghrelin and leptin, balancing both your metabolism and your cravings. Regular acupuncture sessions provide a blueprint for you to lose weight faster and more easily with your diet and exercise program.

Give over to your feral nature at the grocery store! Become wild, and gather your ingredients as if you were about to cast a spell of the utmost importance! After all, eating is a personal priority.

An Acupuncture Testimonial

Growing up, I watched Sleeping Beauty and went to the doctor, so I was terrified of needles. The 80's was big on safety (who uses a spinning wheel anymore?), so everywhere I went, there were warnings about sharp objects, and especially needles. Sharp. Painful. Warning. It usually is painful, too, when someone uses a needle to get something out of us.

I understand when we say that acupuncture is an unexpected and unlikely solution to our physical problems. Ten years ago, I felt that way, driving by acupuncture clinics and imagining God knows what is going on in there. I was also experiencing severe allergies, digestive upset, and I was piling on cumulative stress. My face was so swollen it needed ice some mornings, and I went to the bathroom once a week. A friend of mine convinced me to try acupuncture, and after about 3 years of exposure from a distance, I tried it. Within two months of treatment, my allergies cleared up. I haven't needed to return for that intense weekly treatment of allergies in seven years.

I waited so long to get acupuncture because I had a few misconceptions about it, and about health care in general. For one, I didn't understand that I had power over my own health care. Sometime during the first year of treatment, I realized I had power. I still sit forever in the waiting room like anyone else, but when I receive examination and treatment, I understand that it is always with my permission.

I also didn't see how easy and comfortable an acupuncture treatment could be. An acupuncture needle isn't trying to get anything out of you, or put anything into you. It recognizes that within your body, you have all the tools to right yourself both physically and emotionally. It is an open communication with the subtler aspects of the nervous system. An acupuncturist has been taught to put needles in the most instructive and helpful spots for you.

After this experience, I became inspired to listen to your story and help you change it for the better.

The Tools of an Acupuncturist

Needles

Acupuncturists use solid, single-use, thin needles. If you want to know more about how needles work, check out the label.

Cupping

Cupping is often used to stimulate a larger area than with a needle, and works to break weakened blood vessels and promote stronger re-growth. Although cupping is rarely painful, it produces bruises on the body (usually on the back, shoulders and neck). Mention to your acupuncturist if you want to avoid bruising during treatment.

Tui na

Tuina is a bodywork technique that stimulates acupuncture points and internal organs with special techniques. Often, Tui na is used to help calm and relax patients, and can be used alone or as adjunct therapy to acupuncture. Sometimes bodywork is more painful than acupuncture because the stimulation from massage can be persistent.

Electrical Stimulation of Acupuncture Needles

The sensation produced by electrical stimulation (e-stim) is a gentle pulsating electrical sensation, often used for managing severe pain, regenerating tissue for faster healing, and to restore feeling and movement in patients with numbness or paralysis.

Moxibustion

Moxibustion is burning mugwort above or directly on acupuncture points. Mugwort is used because of it produces a penetrating heat that few substances can match when burned. Moxibustion (or moxa) is used to warm and relax the muscles. Moxa can be used in the clinical setting or for self-care at home.

The Strength of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs

Acupuncture does:

• Stop pain.
• Promote tissue regeneration and bone growth.
• Assist blood circulation.
• Improve immunity.
• Relieve the symptoms of over 300 medically-diagnosed conditions.

Acupuncture does not:

• Set bones or repair torn muscles.
• Repair structural abnormalities.
• Kill bacteria and/or viruses.
• Cure all medically-diagnosed illnesses.

The strength of an acupuncture treatment depends on the balance and comfort. For example, stronger treatment techniques are favored in China, where acupuncture is a common practice. American acupuncturists use smaller needles and gentler techniques, but patients still experience strong results. Acupuncture can help regenerate tissue and improve blood circulation whether the patient has had surgery or not. The treatment prescribed is of appropriate strength for the patient, depending on the severity of the disorder. For severe and chronic problems, more treatments may be needed before the patient experiences complete relief; however, acupuncture can alleviate the symptoms of many diseases, whether acute or chronic, mild or severe.

Herbs help maintain the effects of acupuncture treatment for longer periods, but they are often used alone. When herbs are prescribed as pills, the formulas are more general. In teas, the herbs are individually selected for the patient, so every prescription is unique. Herbs vary from mild to strong (for example, there is an herb that can induce a bowel movement with a single dose), allowing prescriptions to be tailored to both individual symptoms and severity of the disease.

Don't Fear the Needle

A needle is no wider than this cat's whiskers!

Many patients experience no pain during treatment. If sensitivity to needles is such that you experience pain, a skilled practitioner can adjust the treatment to make you more comfortable. Acupuncture needles vary in size, but all of them are solid, single-use, and no larger than a cat whisker.

Fear of needles is the primary reason that people put off getting treatment with acupuncture. In most cases, the patient is pleasantly surprised to find that the needles are hardly felt at all. Occasionally one may feel a slight pricking or tingling sensation, followed by a sensation of numbness, heaviness or warmth.

If you have a deep aversion to using needles, additional therapies and herbs can assist in the success of your treatment.

Tips for Exemplary Health Care

Here's some tips on handling a health problem, whether it just came up, or you feel it's time to seek new care for an old issue.

1) Confer with your acupuncturist when seeking non-emergency primary care.** An acupuncturist will not diagnose you, but they may mention possibilities and point you in the right direction. If you don't have an acupuncturist, they come in all shapes and sizes, from the most skeptic scientist to dedicated technician to nurturing counselor. Check out my availability!

2) Support your acupuncturist's network by recommending physicians that you find exemplary. What's an exemplary physician? One who:
a) Talks to you like a person, who asks you about your lifestyle but doesn't dole out criticism.

b) Educates you throughout diagnosis and treatment on the mechanism of your disease process. Does not act discouraged or berate you if you respond differently than expected.
c) Gives encouragement toward lifestyle change, but not criticism.
d) Chooses the correct plan of treatment for patients as whole individuals. Gives multiple options for treatment and allows you to decide.

3) Refrain from basing your medical education solely on the internet. If you have questions about a particular condition, ask your primary care** provider. He or she may be able to recommend literature that will help you without causing unnecessary panic.

**Professionally, in the state of Texas, acupuncture is not considered primary care. That means if you are seeking treatment for something other than substance abuse, smoking cessation, weight loss, or chronic pain, you need to see your doctor first.

Appropriate Acupuncture

I saw that acupuncture was mentioned in a local news broadcast about allergies. Based on the article and comments, I am inspired to continue educating the public; I feel that is my task as a health care professional.

Acupuncture produces both specific and general beneficial, detectable effects on the body. Not only is it extremely effective when combined with whole herbs and/or pharmaceuticals (because who said doing acupuncture meant giving up your current means of relief?), it also produces changes in the brain that can be detected with fMRI - here's a study done at NIH.

This study provides information on how acupuncture regulates pain, but how about allergies? First we can think of the mechanisms of allergy drugs, like antihistamines, steroids, etc. They inhibit immune receptors that are overactive during an allergy attack. However, this is a non-specific effect, meaning that it is likely to leave the immune system vulnerable to actual pathogens or to cause side-effects.

Ask your doctor how your body maintains the proper amount of histamine receptors, and he or she will probably tell you a variety of things: genetics, metabolism, endocrine activity... But the truth is that this way of looking at medicine can only examine the infinite detail as it is categorized, further separating the right arm from the left arm. This article from Time in 1992 reveals that both our approach to education and our infatuation with neo-technology have led medical care into a fragmented state that further distances the public from seeking help without significant trauma to both mental and financial (and sometimes even physical) states.

Acupuncturists are provided with extensive medical training on assessment, pediatrics, and most importantly, referral. Physicians are tired of doling out drugs for routine family issues; they want to be where they're needed. This works perfectly with acupuncture, which can happily manage fibromyalgia, IBS, and depression, but certainly doesn't set broken bones or manage physical obstructions.

Many younger physicians are somewhat familiar with and open to acupuncture, as it is included in their complementary alternative medicine (CAM) module of study. More allopathic doctors have a basic understanding of Chinese medicine principles as well as familiarity with the extent of the acupuncturist's biomedical education. (here's the module where I graduated)