Skip to content

7 Superfoods That Can Change Your Life

blueberries_superfoodsYou are what you eat is an adage that holds more truth than you may realize. Unfortunately, many people today focus their diet around processed foods that are high in sugar, sodium and fat. Diets such as this can increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and more. You can protect your body and health against such illnesses, however, by eating lean meats, fresh vegetables, and by adding the following “superfoods” to your diet.

#1) Broccoli

This edible stalky plant of the cabbage family is loaded in potassium, vitamin B-6, vitamin C magnesium, and calcium. Scientists believes broccoli’s phytochemicals – organic chemical compounds which occur naturally – are able to aid in skin health, regulate blood sugar levels, strengthen the immune system, and ward off joint inflammation. continue reading »

Posted in Nutrition, Wellness | Tagged , | Comments Off on 7 Superfoods That Can Change Your Life

7 Things You Should Know About Acupuncture and Pregnancy

pregnancy-071414Acupuncture involves the placement of thin sterilized needles to stimulate various acupoints throughout the body. The stimulation of these areas is believed to correct imbalances and blockages in the body by promoting the healthy flow of energy (known as qi – pronounced CHEE).

The thought of having half a dozen or more tiny needles sticking into your skin when you’re pregnant, might sound frightening. However, it’s actually a safe, painless, straightforward procedure that can treat a number of adverse symptoms associated with pregnancy. continue reading »

Posted in Acupuncture, Wellness | Tagged , , | Comments Off on 7 Things You Should Know About Acupuncture and Pregnancy

How To Dine Out If You Have a Food Allergy

food-allergies-01Food allergies shouldn’t prevent you from dining out with your friends and family. Unfortunately, though, many people with food allergies resort to cooking their own meals to reduce the risk of an adverse reaction. From dairy and nuts to gluten (wheat-based protein) and shellfish, there are certain foods that people must avoid to prevent adverse reactions. continue reading »

Posted in Allergies, Nutrition | Tagged | Comments Off on How To Dine Out If You Have a Food Allergy

3 Tips to Easily Alleviate Your Stress Immediately

stress-06092014Stress from day-to-day life can have an extremely negative impact on our health, emotionally, mentally, and physically as well. Long-term or extreme stress can result in frequent or chronic headaches, muscle aches, sleeplessness, anxiety, fatigue, depression, etc. All of these problems only present even more problems to our health and overall well-being. How can we prevent stress from our everyday lives from becoming a much larger problem in our lives?

In the interest of being helpful, I have compiled my favorite 3 tips to easily alleviate your stress, hopefully to the benefit of many individuals suffering from stress-related ailments in their lives. continue reading »

Posted in Acupuncture, Wellness | Tagged | Comments Off on 3 Tips to Easily Alleviate Your Stress Immediately

Lose weight this summer with acupuncture

summer-beach-05272014One of the vexing aspects of the approach of summer is how you can obtain your “swimsuit body.” While the winter months, especially around the holidays, are a time for putting on some weight, the summer months are reserved for strenuous activity, especially on the beach. continue reading »

Posted in Acupuncture, Wellness | Tagged , | Comments Off on Lose weight this summer with acupuncture

Acupuncture Has Been Found to Treat Migraines

migraine-051214-smPeople who suffer from regular migraines know what it feels like to be in pain.  Many people just look for any over-the-counter medication to help take the edge off.  Others go to a neurologist for consultation and advice and prescription pills. What if a migraine could be effectively treated without the need for pills or costly specialist visits?  The good news for migraine sufferers is that acupuncture has been found to treat migraines, and is an affordable and worthy alternative to medicines and other potential treatment plans. continue reading »

Posted in Acupuncture, Diseases | Tagged , | Comments Off on Acupuncture Has Been Found to Treat Migraines

The Varieties of Acupuncture Experience

The name of this article comes from a book by William James called “The Varieties of Religious Experience” published in 1902. This book holds a special place in my heart because I had to do a big paper on it in college and William James seems to have followed me around since as his name, and this book in particular, seems to pop up for me on a fairly routine basis. Most have never heard of William James or this book, unless they were a Psychology or a Religion major in college like myself. (Though anyone living in Syracuse knows of James St, which is named after Williams’ grandfather who was instrumental in the founding of Syracuse.) The premise of the book is basically that religion and religious experiences should be judged and valued on their own merits, which is an idea that I think should be applied to acupuncture.

In James’ work he discusses how religious experiences are discounted as being because the person having the experience is later shown to have some mental illness. As an example he cites the Quaker religion and it’s founder, George Fox, who was thought to be schizophrenic and thereby negating the legitimacy of the religion he founded. In other words James states that the value of something should be judged on its own merits and not by its origin. In fact, he termed this type of rejection “medical materialism”.

I think this notion is quite important as we attempt to evaluate acupuncture in our modern world. For years people immediately discounted acupuncture because of its origins in an ancient time from a foreign culture. Some erroneously think it is about magic and superstition (it’s not, in fact it was a reaction to earlier superstition/magical notions of health in ancient China) or fail to see how an ancient culture could obtain any useful knowledge of the body if they didn’t have the technology we do today. In some cases I also think it is flat out ethnocentrism. Other times people just dismiss the effects of acupuncture as being a placebo, a trick of the mind from those susceptible to suggestion.

It is important to point out that there is plenty of scientific evidence supporting acupuncture, its theories, and even the existence of the acupuncture points. However, the average person is not spending any time reading through medical journals and if they were do not have the medical education to understand the technical aspects of the research and studies being done. Therefore we are just left with people’s preconceived notions outlined above.

To apply James’ point of view of the situation we must ignore the origin of acupuncture and go beyond only a surface understanding of it. To properly judge acupuncture we have to look at the experience of acupuncture itself. What does this mean? Quite simply, regardless of how we want to try to scientifically explain or discount acupuncture, does it work? When someone receives treatment do they have noticeable, and sometimes measurable, results? The answer is a resounding yes. Certainly nothing is 100% effective for 100% of complaints 100% of the time. Yet acupuncture has a tremendous rate of effect and millions of people around the world have experienced this. Perhaps your friends or family have benefited from acupuncture, or your coworker in the cubical or office next to you.

We can attempt all sorts of mental gymnastics to explain or discount these experiences but to William James’ it is all pointless. The end all be all of the question is does it work or not and that is the only way to evaluate something like acupuncture. I will actually take this a step further because in medicine it is not all about results because safety is also an important issue. You can effectively cure tennis elbow by amputating someone’s arm, it would be 100% effective, but we all know that is not smart. Luckily with acupuncture it is also extremely safe, much more so than most other medical treatments (and even safer than some of the diagnostic tools used in modern medicine).

Most of the US has woken up to the fact that we need real alternatives to our medical system that has become dominated by pharmaceuticals and surgery and the money that those two things bring to bear on the system. I would love to see more research being done on the science behind acupuncture and its effect, but at the end of the day it is unimportant. I know acupuncture works because I get to see it in action on a daily basis. I am also much more familiar with the research and science behind it than the average person, so no doubt remains in my mind as to the value of acupuncture. However, it is important that more people learn a lesson from William James on how to make better judgments for ourselves and stop letting “Big Pharma” make those decisions for us because our country is in dire need of change with our medical system. The best way to judge is also to experience for yourself, so if you have any health concerns do yourself a favor and find an acupuncturist near you.

Posted in Acupuncture, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine | Leave a comment

Infrared Sauna

What is Infrared?

 

Infrared light is part of the invisible light spectrum which has the ability to penetrate human tissue. Infrared saunas use this to heat the body rather than just the air and surface of the body. It is like that nice warmth of sitting in the sun but without the harmful ultraviolet light that damages this skin.

Using the infrared wavelengths the infrared sauna increases the body’s core temperature which creates a deep detoxifying sweat.

 

Why Use Infrared Sauna?

Detoxification

Detox from our sauna is 7 to 10 times greater than a conventional steam sauna. In a conventional steam sauna the average person sweats out 3% toxins and 97% water. In our sauna, the average person sweats out 20% toxins and 80% water!

Pain Relief

Relieve back, neck, and arthritis pain with infrared sauna heat therapy. Researchers studying HRP (Heat Responsive Pain) have observed remarkable therapeutic benefits by using continuous low level heat therapy for treating lower back and upper body pain, all conditions that fall under the HRP classification. Heat therapy also reduces spasms in muscles.

Weight Loss

A 30 minute infrared sauna session can burn up to 200-600 calories! As the body works to

cool itself while using an infrared sauna, there is a substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate. Our sauna’s infrared heat therapy raises core body temperature causing passive cardiovascular conditioning. Your body’s natural response to infrared heat therapy is to increase circulation and sweat. Check out the results with a heart rate monitor and you will be amazed!

Lower Blood Pressure

– In a clinical study with the University of Missouri Kansas City in 2005 and were shown to lower blood pressure from a 30 minute sauna session three times a week. Repeated infrared treatment improves impaired blood vessel functions in patients with high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. This suggests a preventative role for sauna use for arteriosclerosis.

Improve Circulation

-Heating of muscles with infrared produces an increased blood flow level similar to that seen during exercise. Body temperature elevation also produces an increase in blood flow. Infrared heat assists in resolution of inflammatory infiltrates, edema and exudates. The increased peripheral circulation provides the transport needed to help evacuate the edema which can help end inflammation, decrease pain and help speed healing.

Skin Revitalization

-Improve your skin’s appearance with regular use of an infrared sauna. Open wounds heal quicker with reduced scarring. Infrared heat therapy helps acne, eczema, psoriasis, burns and any skin lesions or cuts. It alsoreduces wrinkles, makes skin look radiant, firms and improves skin tone and elasticity.Regular use may alsohelp reduce cellulite trapped beneath the skin, lessen the appearance of scars, and help burns heal significantly.

 

 

Light and Sound Therapy

-Our infrared sauna also incorporates light and sound therapy. Light therapy (aka chromatherapy) is added to the sauna experience with colored bulbs in the sauna. There are 12 different colors to choose from each with it’s own benefits. Sound therapy is delivered by the SoSound A.R.T. (Acoustic Resonance Therapy). This unique system offers benefits such as:

 

  • Significant Stress Reduction, including symptoms of PTSD and Autism
  • Significant reduction in chronic muscle tension and pain management
  • Balancing heart rate; blood pressure and increasing circulation
  • Energizing and uplifting one’s mood, frequency and emotional health and well being
  • Enhancing creativity, communication, performance and problem solving capabilities

 

To learn more about this wonderful technology visit – http://www.sosoundsolutions.com/so-soundheart/

 

Enjoying the infrared sauna
Enjoying the infrared sauna

 

Infrared Vs Traditional Steam Saunas

Traditional steam saunas use a heating element and water to create steam and heat the air in the sauna. This type of heat does not penetrate into the body in the same way as infrared and the steam makes it difficult to breath. Steam heat can also be unbearably hot and difficult to maintain an ideal temperature. Infrared saunas do not create steam and are much more comfortable and soothing to sit in.

 

Safety

Infrared heat is very safe and will not cause the skin to burn. It is the same type of heat used in hospitals to warm newborn infants.

 

 

 

Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Wellness | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Spring is Here!

 

Spring Settles Upon Us


Spring brings with it warmer weather and renewed physical and mental energy. For many people, however, the transition from winter to spring isn‘t always easy. The cold winter months are a natural time for rest and introspection so it can be a challenge to get moving again.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) tells us that settling into spring can be even more difficult if there is an imbalance in the Liver, which is responsible for the flow of Qi (Life Energy) throughout the body. An imbalance or lack of Qi can cause a whole range of emotional and physical symptoms such as anger, depression, mood swings, abdominal pain, menstrual problems, and even allergies. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, then you are aware that they can be barriers to moving forward and living in harmony with the seasons.

The good news is that you can take charge of your health and kick-start your spring. First, talk to me about how to address any underlying imbalances that might be affecting your energy levels. I’ll have some suggestions for you, and may even talk about dietary changes, supplements, herbs or exercises that can help.
Next, decide how to tackle any stressors at work or home that might be keeping you from feeling your best. Consider acupuncture, acupressure, meditation, yoga, massage, or talk therapy to help you handle stress and keep from becoming overwhelmed.
Lastly, plan to get moving. Exercise is an important way to boost your energy and keep your Qi flowing. Keep these tips in mind:

Take it slow, especially if you haven’t exercised over the winter. Use common sense to avoid overdoing it and injuring yourself.
Set small goals for yourself such as walking for 15 minutes each day. Set new goals as your fitness level improves.
Warm up before exercising and always remember to stretch.
Do something you enjoy, so your workout doesn’t feel like work.
With a little planning and some assistance from TCM you can shake off those winter blahs and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of spring.

References:
Ready, Set, Grow, Connors, C., Body & Brain magazine. Spring 2005.
The Liver and Liver Qi Stagnation, Acufinder Magazine. http://www.acufinder.com

Spring is a happy time

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.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

Posted in Acupuncture, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition, Wellness | Leave a comment

How a Healthy Lifestyle Benefits Your Mind as Well as Body

apple-18721_640We all know that a healthy lifestyle, such as not smoking, keeping your weight down, eating right, regular exercise, and low moderate alcohol intake contributes to long-term health benefits. The recently completed Caerphilly Cohort Study expands the known benefits of a healthy lifestyle to include more evidence for improvements in cognitive function, and a reduced incidence of dementia.

The study began in 1979, and spanned a full 35 years. The health habits of 2,235 men between the ages of 45 and 59 were correlated to their incidences of diabetes, vascular disease, cancer, cognitive impairment, dementia and death (from all causes). The study tracked five healthy behaviors: continue reading »

Posted in Nutrition, Wellness | Tagged | Comments Off on How a Healthy Lifestyle Benefits Your Mind as Well as Body
315.569.6579 Directions Contact/Schedule