Spring Acupuncture Tips

Spring Acupuncture Tips

Tips to Keep You Healthy, Happy and Flexible.

Spring is a happy time.  Bunnies hop about.  Flowers emerge in long forgotten corners of your garden.  The birds return and sing so loudly they wake you in the morning.

This is not a time to be angry.

But according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, being angry is exactly what you can expect if you don’t balance your wood element.

In TCM, spring is represented by the element wood.  Wood represents birth and newness, the time for fresh ideas and new starts.  Unsurprisingly, its color is green like the fresh growth of spring.

Wood governs your spine, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.  A wood imbalance can lead to spinal problems, poor flexibility or arthritis.  Wood also governs your eyes.

But most important for your mood, wood governs your liver.  Your liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi (energy) and smooth flowing Qi means health and vitality.  The emotion associated with your liver is anger.  If your liver is imbalanced your Qi will be disrupted and you’ll be angry.

Healthy (and happy) spring acupuncture practices mean balancing your wood element and caring for your liver.

Healthy Spring Acupuncture Practices

Try these spring acupuncture recommendations, to keep your wood balanced and your liver healthy.

●     Cleanse.  Cleaning your colon releases accumulated toxins, undigested food, parasites and fungi.  With a clean colon your digestion is more efficient and your body is healthier.

●     Detox your liver.  Reduce or eliminate alcohol or drugs that are toxic to your liver.  Consider a detox that specifically targets your liver.  Call me if you need suggestions.

●     Stretch.  Start or recommit to a healthy stretching routine.  Try yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or other exercises that move, loosen and flex your joints.

●     Exercise your eyes.  Massage your face, especially around your eyes.  Roll your eyes and move them in figure 8s.  Practice focusing on distant objects and then focusing on close objects in quick succession.  Put time limits on your computer sessions.  These exercises strengthen your eyes and can improve your eyesight.

●     Control your anger.  Create a healthy anger management plan.  Journal, meditate or get counseling.  Put limits on stressful situations.  Find activities that refocus your anger in healthy ways.

Healthy Spring Acupuncture Diet

Follow these tips for a healthy spring diet that supports your liver.

●     Eat light.  Overeating taxes your liver.

●     Eat greens.  Sprouts, wheatgrass, spinach, kale and dandelions are particularly good foods in the spring.

●     Eat sour?  Sour is the flavor associated with spring, however sour flavors are only recommended for certain constitutions.  Instead of dousing your greens with vinegar or lemon juice dressings, consult with me to find out what flavors are best for you.

●     Drink milk thistle tea.  Milk thistle detoxes your liver.

●     Season your food.  Pungent spices like basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, dill and bay leaf are excellent for spring cooking—and they taste good.

By keeping your wood balanced and your liver healthy you will be happy.  You’ll feel vital, flexible and clear.  If you have questions about healthy spring acupuncture practices feel free to call me for recommendations.

New York Sports Acupuncture

888.375.5444

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

Spring Body Cleaning Tips

Spring Body Cleaning Tips

Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey

You can make a powerful, all-natural detoxifying beverage by mixing together one tablespoon of unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with the 'Mother'), one tablespoon of honey, and 12 ounces of water. The vinegar works to stabilize your body's internal pH level, while the honey works to regulate your blood sugar levels. When combined together, it offers a superb cleansing and detoxifying beverage that's perfect for the spring season. Even the Greek philosopher Socrates prescribed apple cider vinegar to his patients.

Take Care of Your Eyes

Did you know that your eyes are connected to every organ in your body in some manner? With that said, the liver has the strongest connection to the eyes. When your eye health begins to decline, so does your liver. Take care of your eyes by limiting your time in front of electronic displays (e.g. computer monitors, television and tablets) and have an eye exam performed by a licensed optometrist at least once every two years.

Chlorophyll

Consuming chlorophyll – the pigment responsible for giving all green plants their color – will strengthen your liver. Chlorophyll is known to exhibit antioxidant properties, fighting harmful chemicals within the body known as free radicals. And according to a study conducted by the Linus Pauling Institute, both chlorophyll and chlorophyllin may bind with certain carcinogens like cigarette smoke. This doesn't necessarily man that a chlorophyll-rich diet will protect you from cancer, but it's just one more reason why you should include it in your diet.

Some excellent sources of chlorophyll include spinach, parsley, garden cress, green beans, green peppers, Brussels sprouts, green peas, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, cucumbers, green apples, melon, honeydew and kiwi.

Get Outdoors

The blooming plant life and warming temperatures offers the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and exercise. Exercise and fresh outdoor air stimulate the body's energy (Qi), keeping it moving and flowing throughout the body. When Qi becomes stagnant, it increases the risk of disease and illness. Something as simple as a 30-minute jog around the neighborhood can make a world of difference in your health.

Seek Acupuncture

We can't talk about ways to cleanse the body this spring without mentioning acupuncture. From relieving seasonal allergies to reducing pain and inflammation, the benefits of this Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are endless.

Give me a call today to learn how you can get back on track to better health!

New York Sports Acupuncture
888.375.5444
www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

Spring and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Spring and Traditional Chinese Medicine

With the official start of spring, there's no better time than now to consider using popular forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). As mother nature comes out of its state of dormancy, flowers will begin to blossom, trees will develop leaves, and the snow-capped landscape will be replaced with flowing green grass. This massive change comes with some unwelcome side effects than TCM may prove useful in treating.

While cold and flu infection rates typically diminish by the start of spring, a new problem begins to emerge: allergies. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), approximately 50 million people in the United States suffer from seasonal allergies (source). When exposed to pollen or other plant allergens, the individual may develop a runny nose, nasal congestion, eye redness, headache, sore throat, and other related symptoms.

Whether you suffer from mild, moderate or severe seasonal allergies, however, acupuncture can help. This centuries-old TCM involves the placement of fine needles on specific areas throughout the body. Acupuncture is believed to restore the body's flow of energy (referred to as Qi) while stimulating the body's self-healing mechanism.

In Chinese astrology, spring falls under the Wood element, meaning this time of year is closely related to the gallbladder and liver. According to TCM, one of the liver's primary functions is to regulate Qi through the body. If Qi is blocked or restricted in any way, the individual will be susceptible to disease and illness. The bottom line is that you want to keep your Qi moving this spring season for optimal health.

Here are some tips to keep your Qi moving:

• Limit (or eliminate) your intake of processed foods.
• Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit.
• Start your mornings off with a light stretching exercise like yoga or tai qi.
• The warm weather offers the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and exercise.
• Consume sour food and drinks. According to TCM, sour flavors stimulate the liver's Qi.
• Seek acupuncture treatments.

There are over 2,000 acupuncture points spread across 20 meridians, but none hold as much weight for the spring season as the Liver 3. Located between the first and second toes, the Liver 3 (also known as the 'springtime acupressure point') is an acupuncture point that's particularly beneficial for this time of year. It lives up to its namesake by channeling energy between the liver; therefore, conventional wisdom should tell you to focus on it during this spring. If you plan on scheduling on an acupuncture session, ask the physician if he or she can target the Liver 3.

Give me a call today to learn how you can get back on track to better health!

New York Sports Acupuncture

888.375.5444

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

Alleviate Endometriosis Pain

Alleviate Endometriosis Pain

Acupressure Points

Rubbing acupuncture points with your finger for 30 - 60 seconds can stimulate and promote the circulation of Qi within your own body, restoring health and well-being.

Stomach 36 (ST 36): On the outside of the leg, approximately one hand width below the kneecap, just off the bone. Functions: Increases stamina and energy, provides stability and grounding, heals effects on the body of too much worrying and thinking.

Liver 3 (LV 3): On the top of the foot, in the depression between where the first and second metatarsal bones meet. DO NOT USE DURING PREGNANCY. Functions: Used for dizziness, headaches, vertigo, epilepsy, painful and/or blurry eyes, irregular menstruation, depression, uterine bleeding and prolapse, urine retention, genital pain, frequent sighing, and insomnia.

Kidney 3 (KD 3): Level with the tip of the inner anklebone, in the depression between the ankle and tendon. Functions: Reinforces the Kidneys, clears heat, strengthens the low back and knees, rectifies the uterus, helps with anxiety, insomnia and chronic low back pain.

Conception Vessel 6: Three finger widths directly below the belly button. Functions: Alleviates pain in the lower abdomen, alleviates abdominal masses due to stagnation. Regulates uterus and good for irregular menstruation and dysmenorrhea.

Conception Vessel 4: Roughly four finger widths directly below the belly button. Functions: Alleviates abdominal masses due to stagnation. Regulates uterus and good for irregular menstruation and dysmenorrhea. Good for severe lower abdominal pain that radiates to genitals. Helpful for bladder infection. Strengthens the body and helps with diarrhea, lethargy, and weak limbs.

New York Sports Acupuncture

888.375.5444

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

Alternative Treatment Options For Endometriosis

Alternative Treatment Options For Endometriosis

Affecting an estimated 4-10% of women worldwide, endometriosis is all-too-common disease in which cells from the uterus begin to grow outside the uterine cavity. Symptoms vary depending on a number of different factors, but severe pelvic pain is reported by many women suffering from this disease. Thankfully, there are several effective treatment options available for endometriosis.

Most women who suffer from endometriosis assume conventional treatment (e.g. prescription painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, surgery, hormone therapy, oral contraceptive) is the best course of action. The problem with such treatments is that they often come with unwanted side effects. Undergoing hormone therapy, for instance, may lead to infertility, while painkillers only mask the problem without treating its underlying cause.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a more direct approach to treating endometriosis. TCM may include the use of herbal medicine, cupping, acupuncture, aromatherapy, naturopathy, and lifestyle changes, all of which are designed to restore the body and mind back to its healthy state. To better understand TCM and its role in the treatment of endometriosis, you must first look at the body's energy force. Known as Qi, our body has an energy force that flows between the organs in paths called meridians. When a blockage occurs, Qi becomes stagnant and unable to provide 'life' to the organs; thus, increasing the risk of disease and illness. The good news is that you can restore the body's flow of Qi through the use of TCM.

Women with endometriosis often experience blood stagnation due to kidney malfunction. Our kidneys are responsible for a number of different functions, such as reproduction, blood production, hair health/growth, and more. If the kidneys don't receive adequate energy, the individual's blood will grow stagnant.

So, how can Traditional Chinese Medicine help? While there are dozens of different types of TCM available, nearly all of them focus on one basic principle: to restore the flow of Qi. Endometriosis is characterized by blood stagnation and poor kidney function, both of which are typically the result of Qi blockages via meridians within the body. Whether it's acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, or a combination of the three, women with endometriosis should look into TCM. It's a safe and effective way to treat a variety of conditions while improving the body's health.

Give me a call today to learn how you can get on track to better health.

New York Sports Acupuncture

888.375.5444

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com

Acupuncture and Endometriosis

Acupuncture and Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a disease in which endometrial cells grow outside the uterine cavity, usually on the abdominal cavity. Normally, the cells remain isolated to the uterine cavity, where hormones influence their growth and behavior. Women who suffer from endometriosis, however, experience endometrial cellular growth outside the uterus, resulting back pain, abdominal pain, premenstrual spotting, urinary pain, vomiting and other related symptoms.

According to a study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), endometriosis affects 6-10% of the general female population. This same study indicates the rates of endometriosis are higher in women who experience pelvic pain and/or infertility, with the disease occurring in 35-50% of women (source).

There are three basic classifications of endometriosis:

1. Mild endometriosis: characterized by the formation of small patches of endometrial tissue growing outside the uterine cavity.
2. Moderate endometriosis: involves larger and more prominent growths of endometrial tissue.
3. Severe endometriosis: involves the formation of fibrous scar tissue binding together the pelvic organs.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture, is often used to treat cased of mild, moderate and even severe endometriosis. According to TCM, endometrial lesions are categorized as static blood (blood that is stagnant is not moving throughout the body). This makes sense considering the disease involves abnormal cellular growth in areas where it shouldn't be. The presence of static blood encourages the formation of disease, and there's some belief that it increases the risk of certain types of cancer as well.

TCM states that blood must flow freely and unrestricted throughout the body to maintain good health. When a person experienced poor circulation, he or she is more susceptible to disease and illness. So, how can acupuncture help to restore the body's blood flow and treat endometriosis?

Acupuncture involves the placement of thin needles in various parts of the body (known as acupuncture points). The underlying principle behind this centuries-old form of TCM is that it restores the body's flow of energy (Qi); thus, correcting imbalances while promoting a healthy circulatory system. Acupuncture corrects Qi blockages, restores the body's life force, and stimulates the self-healing mechanism, all of which prove useful in the treatment of endometriosis.

Here are some other tips for dealing with endometriosis:

• Relax... stress is known to irritate and worsen conditions such as endometriosis.
• Perform deep-breathing exercises and/or meditation.
• Strive for a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night.
• Place a heating pad on you abdomen to relieve endometriosis-related pain.
• Increase your intake of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
• Cut back on refined sugars and processed foods.

Give me a call today to learn how you can get back on track to better health!

New York Sports Acupuncture

888.375.5444

www.NewYorkSportsAcupuncture.com