Celebrate National Acupuncture Day! $10 treatments all day Monday October 24th. Schedule online now. www.jennaacupuncture.com
Take control of your neck pain.
Here are six easy steps for relieving tension in your neck.
- Walk around. If you sit at a computer for long hours, respect your body’s need to move by getting up and walking around at least once an hour. This will get your blood flowing and add movement throughout your body.
- Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated is important for muscles to relax. When they are dehydrated, you are more likely to have spasms, injuries or tension. (Plus, if you walk to the water cooler every hour you are accomplishing #1 and #2 at the same time!)
- Stretch your spine daily. Many people these days have heard the benefits of yoga and other practices. If you make it to a class, that is great. If not, it is still important to get movement in your spine daily. The “cat/cow and child’s pose” are simple yoga stretches that greatly benefit the whole spine. Here is a link to images of these stretches. http://healthyorganic.co.za/yoga/yoga-poses/
- Close your eyes and shake your head for 3 minutes to a beat. This may sound silly, but the regularly repeated movement not only loosens up the muscles and vertebrae, but it also induces a relaxation state of the mind. The repeated beat also sends little vibrations down the spine relaxing the whole back. It feels good! Be careful to move your neck in only one plane at at time. The three planes are: rotation (shaking your head “no”,) forward flexion and backward extension (nodding “yes”) or bending side to side. Do not mix these motions. Pick one and stick with it for 3 minutes and keep the range of movement and rate comfortable to you. You may hear or feel crunching sounds at first but if you continue with the exercise, that will shift as more space is created in the spine. Always check back in with your alignment. Feel free to listen so music to keep the rhythm.
- Check your posture. If you are slumped over your computer or if your shoulders are at your ears, you are stagnating all the blood, nerve communication and energy from your brain to the rest of your body. This can lead to chronic tension and pain in your neck, head, arms, hands, back, or hips. To remedy this, imagine a string pulling your head straight up, breathe deeply and smile. Your body will immediately start to relax. If other areas of pain occur when doing this, check in with #1-#4 on this list or see #6.
- Check in regularly with your acupuncturist, chiropractor or massage therapist. We are trained to support your neck health. Since the whole body is connected, working with health care practitioners who understand these connections can be widely valuable. Not only will your pain decrease or vanish, but you will experience other health benefits as well. Prevention is the cheapest and most efficient form of health care.
If you are in the Seattle area, feel free to call or email for a free consultation on your neck health to see if acupuncture is the right treatment for you. www.jennaacupuncture.com
Health Discovery Acupuncture -(206)708-0640 -jb@jennaacupuncture.com
Tired From Snoring? Sleep Apnea Making You Sluggish?
Studies show electro acupuncture may be helpful!
This is exciting! If you have sleep apnea, you know how tiring it can be. If your partner snores, you know how disruptive it can be on your sleep. Sleep apnea and snoring often appear together but not all sleep apnea patients snore, and not all snorers have sleep apnea.
What are the differences?
Simple snorers sleep uninterrupted (even if their partners do not.) Sleep apnea creates episodes of stopped breathing. This is troublesome for several reasons. First of all, it disrupts the sleep cycle. The oxygen levels in the blood decrease, which impact the heart, the brain and stresses the body. This causes a rift in the body resulting in a dramatic gasp for air, which wakes the body up. Often, sleep apnea sufferers are unaware of the waking but notices a lack of energy during the day or a dull headache in the morning.
See your doctor if you suspect you may be suffering from sleep apnea. If these apnea episodes persist over months or years, serious health risks can develop.
Where does acupuncture fit in?
Well, currently in the medical community, there is a gap in the spectrum of treatment options available to sleep apnea patients. On one end, they recommend diet, exercise and lifestyle changes to maximize healthy weight and sleep patterns. On the other end, there are C Pap machines, dental devices or surgeries. Many patients respond well to these treatments and manage the condition. Others, find the C Pap machines or dental devices difficult to wear at night, which negates the benefit of improved sleep and the surgeries have intense potential side effects.
Acupuncture fills this gap.
There are exciting studies demonstrating the direct improvement in sleep apnea episodes by using electro acupuncture. Here is a link to one of the studies. http://www.sleepguide.com/forum/topics/acupuncture-a-proven
How does it work?
Basically, there are two approaches. First, points on the hands and feet are accessed to strengthen the lungs, calm the stress and nourish the digestive organs, which are needed to convert food into energy. Then a low intensity 10 Hz current is applied to specific acupuncture points at the throat. This stimulates the hypoglossal nerve, which affects the function of the tongue. The theory is that by activating the nerve, the tongue is supported from drooping into the throat allowing for easier air flow.
The combination of calming stress, which supports the heart, brain and sleep cycles, opening the throat, and supporting the digestive organs to maximize the body’s energy works to improve sleep. The studies show a reduction sleep apnea episodes! My patients also report a decrease in snoring!
The benefits of these treatment extend beyond the sleep apnea into whole body health. Decreased stress, improved digestion, higher quality of sleep, and increased energy have been reported.
Eating according to the seasons is an important way to maintain health as the temperatures shift. Now that it is fall, it is important to keep our bodies warm and our digestion strong to avoid getting sick or sluggish. Here are some easy nutritional tips for staying healthy this fall.
- Eat Pungent foods to cleanse and protect the lungs and colon by breaking up the mucus in your system and prevent illness. According to Chinese medicine, flavors impact organ systems. Fall is the season associated with the lungs and colon and pungent is the flavor that supports these organs. This autumn, consume more pungent foods like chilies and foods in the onion family. This includes: chilies, garlic, onions, turnips, ginger, horseradish, cabbage, radish, daikon radish, and white peppercorn. Other mucus purging foods include seaweed, kombu, marshmallow root, flaxseeds and fenugreek.
- Eat dark green and golden-orange foods because they are rich in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene protects the mucus membranes of the body and strengthens the immune system. Healthy (and delicious) sources of beta carotene include: carrot, winter squash, pumpkin, broccoli, parsley, kale, turnip, mustard greens, watercress, wheat or barley grass, green algae, and nettles. Dark green vegetables also have chlorophyll which is very cleansing to the lungs and digestive system.
- Eat lots of fiber. Once the mucus is broken up, you want to remove it from your body. Fiber is the stringy part of fruit and vegetables that remains undigested after the nutrients have been extracted from the food. Fiber is useful because as it passes along the digestive track, it cleanses the walls. The health benefits of fiber are extensive for digestive health, cholesterol levels, immune system support and colon cancer prevention. Apples, pears, cherries, carrots, and oats are great sources of fiber to support healthy cholesterol. Don’t hesitate to try other fibers as well.
- Cook your food slowly at a low temperature. Transition away from the raw foods of the summer. Cooking food is important because it decreases the amount of effort the body needs to break the food down for nutrients. Cooking slowly at low temperatures, helps retain more of the nutrients in the food.
- Breathe deeply. Take time each day to sit quietly and breathe. Oxygen circulation in the body invigorates blood flow and calms the mind.
I hope these easy tips are helpful this fall. If you are interested in more details about these tips as well as recipes, check out the wonderful book Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. He has a simple and efficient approach to explaining the benefits of Chinese medicine nutrition.
Ten tips to giving better massages at home with acupressure
Are you tired of lazy or painful massages at home? Are you ready to learn how to support your loved ones at home? The truth is everyone has access to healing touch. The problem is many of us either don’t trust the instincts of our hands or we are simply not paying attention. Ten tips to better massage with acupressure: 1. Tune in before you begin. Lay your hands lightly on your partner, close your eyes and pay attention into his/her breathing. This allows your hands to connect to the muscle tension in your partner’s body. 2. Start slowly. Use gentle long strokes vertically down the back. Most channels run vertically in the body. This can relieve tension along the whole channel. With your hands, feel the differences in the muscles near the spine as well as lateral to it. Make mental notes of where the knots and tight spots are. 3. Remember the rule of three. Common massage mistakes include chaotically jumping around from body part to body part or staying one place too long. The body wants to feel that an area has been addressed but not overdone. Stick with one move three times to maximize the body’s response. 4. Keep it balanced. The acupuncture meridians are bi lateral. It is easy to focus on an area of complaint but since the whole body is connected, working with the left side will enhance the relaxation on the right and vice versa. Basically, you don’t want to leave your partner lopsided. 5. With pressure, less is often more. Many people are under the false impression that unless they dive deep with heavy pressure, they are not accomplishing anything with massage. This is simply not true. The body will guard itself against too heavy pressure. Using too much pressure too soon will result in an increase of tension. Pay attention to the body. If a muscle tenses up or pulls away, you have gone too far with your pressure. Back it off and re-tune in to the breath. Once you have mastered this, you will find points where the body “calls” you to apply deeper pressure. Just make sure it is your partner’s body and not your brain guiding you. 6. The body is connected. Even if your partner complains of neck tension, it is important to focus your efforts through out the body. The channels that go to the neck extend vertically down the back and legs, down the side of legs, and across the shoulders and down the arms. If you work systematically from the neck, down the back, the legs and end with the arms, your partner will appreciate the completeness of your efforts. 7. Use the whole hand. Nothing feels worse then a prickly finger massage. Utilize the surface area of the whole hand. Even though acupuncture points are small, the muscles are large and relaxing the muscles will enhance the function of the points. Make a C shape with each hand. Make long strokes with an open C shape to a closed C shape with each hand. It is similar to kneading bread. 8. Be unselfish. Although your partner is very sexy, it is important to spend a certain amount of time focusing completely on the muscle tension and letting go of the sexual intention. Tuning into your partner solely for the sake of his/her health ultimately will enhance your intimate connection. 9. Remember you are both energetic beings. We are more than muscles and bones. Use your hands to draw the tension out. Even though you may not know the exact locations of the acupressure points, you are still affecting your partner’s body energetically. Loving hands can heal more than muscle tension. 10. Trust your instincts. Touch is therapeutic, have fun with it! Remember to stay tuned into your partners body. Your partner will thank you for your consideration and loving touch. If you would like to learn more specific techniques and acupressure points, come to my Couples Acupressure classes Monday nights. Classes start Monday May 23rd and go through the summer. Sign up online with the Schedule Now at the top of the site.
Resolving migraines with Acupuncture
Migraines are chronic headaches that cause patients significant physical and emotional damage over the course of hours or possibly days. Those who have experienced migraines know that their effects can be debilitating.
The good news?
Migraines are treatable using Chinese medicine.
Each Patient is Unique
Chinese medicine start with a simple premise — no two patients are the same. While this may seem like a fundamental truth, in contrast, Western medicine might provide drastically dissimilar patients with identical diagnosis and treatment.
Chinese medicine differentiates patients based on a complicated blend of signs and symptoms. These might include lifestyle, genetics, and nutrition as well as physical and emotional health factors.
As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, I evaluate the overall condition of each patient before diagnosis. After all, each patient is different. Why shouldn’t the diagnoses vary as well?
Life Energy or Qi
Although there may be dissimilarities between Eastern and Western medicine philosophy, I strive to blend Chinese medicine principles with the useful components of Western medicine whenever possible. In fact, I work hard to effectively translate the concepts of Chinese medicine into the vocabulary understandable to Western medicine.
Why?
Simple.
Because it helps my patients.
I believe that a blend of Eastern and Western medicines provide my patients with an easily understandable, readily applicable understanding of a diagnosis.
Yet each diagnosis begins with an understanding of life energy or, according to Chinese medicine, qi.
Within the theory of acupuncture, the body has a life energy, or qi, that flows to all the organs and body tissue. Qi includes the energy derived from food intake and from breath. Qi also includes a life energy that is passed down from one’s parents.
Qi flows through twelve specific channels within the body, all associated with different organs. These channels are connected in a circuit that allows the qi to flow freely between the organs and tissue.
When the body has adequate qi that flows freely in a circuit, a person is healthy. Yet at times, qi may become blocked. This can be due to physical or emotional factors. When the qi becomes blocked, might have an insufficient or excessive flow within the body, leading to pain or other symptoms of ill health.
Such is the case with migraines.
A migraine sufferer likely has a relative imbalance of qi within the body. While the imbalance may vary from patient to patient, the discrepancy manifests as intense head pain or migraines.
Diagnose the Individual, Not the Disease
There are over 20 causes of migraines within Chinese medicine. What’s more, these causes may present themselves in combination. In simple terms, the causes are related to physical or emotional imbalances.
· Physical trauma
· Whiplash
· Hormone imbalances
· Nutritional deficiencies
· Emotional turmoil (ie: stress, anger, depression)
· High blood pressure
To resolve the imbalance of energy that causes migraines, I use acupuncture to literally drain the excessive energy from the head. I treat the migraine by focusing the acupuncture on opposite ends of the affected channel as well as complimentary channels, depending on the combination of causes. I nourish deficiencies with nutrition and herbs.
Depending on the patient, the effect can be immediate. However, some patients may require weekly treatments for up to three months to resolve the migraine. The duration of treatment varies depending on the patient. Yet, overall, the frequency and intensity of headaches decreases.
And, by balancing the qi flow, patients improve sleep cycles, decrease stress, and aid digestion. Many women report improvements in menstrual irregularities.
