Tag Archives: recovery

The world we live in.

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We are living in the most polluted environment in Earth’s known history.  We are continually inhaling, ingesting and digesting toxins, heavy metals, residue from plastics, pesticides, processed foods, chemicals and trans fats.  All of which negatively affect our bodies mentally, physically and especially financially (taking into consideration our nation’s outrageous medical bills, procedures and daily prescriptions that continue to grow, like every time they come out with another new “trial drug”)!  Sounds pretty scary and even a bit overwhelming when you stop to think about it…which is probably why most people prefer not to.  Well it doesn’t have to be that way, we can choose to do something, something positive for ourselves, our health and well being…we can break that cycle. 

 

Begin to open up to new possibilities, to educate ourselves and take a stand or a seat, so to speak  in front of a different kind of practitioner, one that focuses on the whole person… body, mind and soul.  Imagine one that looks into nutrition, daily stressors, relationships, beliefs and emotions as well as symptoms and problems.  Imagine a practitioner that partners with like minded practitioners and specialists to offer additional physical and emotional support as you travel on your quest for health and wellness.  What would that look and feel like?  How would that be? Imagine the impact it could have on you as a whole.   Imagine the art of Acupuncture.  Come in and explore all we have to offer!

Anti-Aging

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The anti-aging trend is en vogue, as the silver tsunami formerly known as the baby boomers heads into retirement they are trying anything and everything to look and feel younger. In my acupuncture practice patients ask for treatment goals targeting aesthetic acupuncture and way to tap into the literal Fountain of Youth.

While there is nothing out of the ordinary with wanting to look and feel younger, this desire can easily divert attention away from the deeper issues that deserve our time. The questions that I always come back to are, ‘What’s causing you to look or feel older in the first place?’

Why are so many of us feeling worn out regardless of their age? Why are chronic illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis skyrocketing through the roof?

In my practice I’ve found that many people have lost the ability to relax and restore. They are always ‘on’– they can’t quiet their minds and their bodies are in a chronic state of action. They barely make time for themselves. As a result, some of the most fundamental keys into health and longevity, such as a balanced diet and exercise, often go ignored. Something is missing and restoring lost youth so to speak is where we come in.

Diet and exercise are two critical pillars into how we age. But there is something much more fundamental that ultimately determines how youthful we are and appear and are conscious of the fact that the body is a vessel for our awareness. If we forget that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, then we won’t be fully awake and alive within our skin. We will overly identify with the body as who we are. We won’t see that we have a choice to bring more light, space, and energy into our bodies simply by heightening our awareness and focusing on the said pillars of wellness.

The good news; there are supplements, herbs, and treatments that we can help tailor to help you look and feel younger. The real goal, however, is to actually become fully embodied as a human being. Awaken all of your senses and know that there is a deep spiritual connection guiding the process. That is the basis of health and longevity.

Many are turning to the anti-aging industry because they fear aging and death. Looking older is a reminder of their mortality. My interest is in helping people become liberated from this form of suffering rather than putting a bandage on their issues by taking a few wrinkles out of their face.

As a holistic health practitioner, I keep returning to the question, ‘What really matters?’

Acupuncture and natural therapy for PCOS

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Acupuncture and natural therapy for PCOS

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a female endocrine disorder where too much androgen hormone (testosterone) is being made in relations to estrogen. It affects up to 10% of all women. It is thought that improper insulin regulation is a common cause and shows up in girls as young as nine years old through post menopausal women. PCOS is one of the main causes of infertility, but PCOS is a symptom of an underlying endocrine imbalance not the reason for the infertility.

Nutrition counseling, herbology and acupuncture work together synergistically to restore balance to a woman’s hormones and in many cases resolve PCOS entirely. What you eat is certainly the most important aspect as sugar is one of the major contributors to developing hormonal imbalances.  The reason is that sugar decreases a protein called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). SHBG clears excess estrogen from the body. PCOS is an estrogen dominant disorder.  Another possible link to the development in PCOS was found in the heavy consumption of beef treated with both natural and synthetic hormones.  For that reason alone organic grass fed and better still grass finished beef well worth the price.

Common symptoms of PCOS include:

Irregular or no menstrual periods (for women of reproductive age)
Weight gain
High blood sugar levels
Acne
Excess hair growth on the face and body
Thinning scalp hair
Accumulation of unruptured follicles on the periphery of the ovaries (mislabeled as cysts, often called polycystic ovaries)

It’s not necessary to have all of these symptoms to have PCOS. In fact it is not necessary to have “polycystic ovaries” to have PCOS. PCOS manifests itself differently in each woman.

We believe that Chinese Medicine is the best medicine on the planet to deal with PCOS and any hormonal imbalances. Using acupuncture, herbs and nutrition we can restore natural hormonal levels sometimes as quickly as within a few cycles.

There have been a couple of recent studies which show what has been known clinically for 2000 years.

Acupuncture and exercise relieve PCOS symptoms. In a 6 week study from 2009 the once a week acupuncture group had fewer menstrual irregularities and a significant drop in testosterone.
Acupuncture relieves PCOS better than exercise alone – In this similar study to the one above the acupuncture group had more menstrual regulation and a higher drop in testosterone than the exercise group.

In addition these studies only used acupuncture and exercise. There was no dietary intervention or herbal medicine used as treatment. Once we add in these modalities the success rate and healing time improves dramatically.

So if you have been diagnosed with PCOS consider using acupuncture as a treatment modality.