Women’s health is an area that Western medicine seems to only have so many solutions for—and many of those solutions are invasive and hormone-altering. The female reproductive system is complex and goes through a multitude of changes throughout a woman’s life—and even just throughout one month! 

Acupuncture is the perfect natural way to support a woman's health in its many facets, throughout her whole lifetime.

Acupuncture can help treat:

●    Insomnia: While all sorts of people experience insomnia for a variety of reasons, women are more likely to struggle with sleep trouble as compared to men. 40% of women in the United States experience insomnia at some point in their lives. Thankfully, clinical studies have shown that acupuncture is effective for improving sleep quality and duration!

●    Menstrual Issues: It’s extremely common for women of all ages to experience complications during their menstrual cycles, varying in severity from bothersome to completely debilitating. Acupuncture is an incredible natural solution for many of the pains of menstruation, from headaches and mood swings to abdominal cramps and cycle irregularity.

○    While acupuncture is not a proven method of curing internal conditions like endometriosis, the symptoms of such disorders are greatly reduced through acupuncture treatments.

●    Menopause and perimenopause: Menopause and perimenopause, the transitional time when a woman’s body exits the reproductive years, can be nearly unbearable for many women. Hot flashes, heart palpitations, urine leakage, vaginal dryness, anxiety and moodiness, and insomnia are just a handful of the slew of symptoms that come along with perimenopause—which acupuncture can help with.

●    Pregnancy: Physical discomforts of pregnancy can also be alleviated with acupuncture treatments, especially pain in the lower back and pelvic area. Many women find that acupuncture helps ease morning sickness, too. And, of course, acupuncture can be a huge help with any sort of emotional distress, from depression to irritability.    

Pro Tip: The regularity and consistency of your acupuncture treatments matters! Let’s schedule you for a weekly appointment to make sure you’re getting the most consistent results possible. Call me today!

Spring is an amazing time to reconnect with the natural world. Did you know that being in and around nature actually improves our physical, mental, and emotional health? 

It's true! If you haven't considered it, maybe it’s time to commit to immersing yourself more regularly and deeply in nature for your health and there are some easy ways to do so. 

Bring some nature indoors.

Did you know that adding houseplants to your space can actually make you healthier and happier? 

Research shows that having plants indoors supports our health and wellness both physically and emotionally/mentally. They can improve mood, reduce stress levels, enhance memory and cognitive function, and developing research even shows that they improve indoor air quality.

Physically, houseplants have been shown to reduce blood pressure, fatigue, and headaches and other types of pain. Nowadays, thanks to this research, hospitals often put houseplants into patients’ rooms after surgery to help reduce pain and speed up physical healing. 

Look out the window at some greenery.

It’s that simple! During the day, when you’re stuck inside, just gazing out a window at nature helps reduce stress, increase focus, and improve eye health. Studies show that not only is gazing at far-distance objects helpful, but also that the color green is particularly soothing for our eyes and brain.

It’s essential for eye and brain health to look at a variety of distances throughout our day, but our modern lives have us gazing at close-range objects almost all day! And the fact that these close-range objects are electronic screens makes for even worse eye/brain health. 

Throughout your day, set an alarm for once every hour, and take 2-3 minutes to gaze out the window at trees or even grass. Soften your gaze and let your eyes relax. 

Try forest bathing. 

Forest Bathing or shinrin-yoku is the Japanese practice of taking walks surrounded by and fully immersed in nature. It does wonders for our nervous system.

The nervous system benefits of being in nature are immense. Even low-impact exercise like a walk or mellow hike releases endorphins that increase happiness and help soothe depression and stress. Physically, immersing ourselves in nature can reduce cancer risk, improve heart health, and so much more.

Schedule some time for Forest Bathing. Be sure to unplug from technology—either leave your phone at home or turn it on airplane mode. Try to find a location that is free from car noise and fumes. Move slowly, observe your surroundings with all your senses, and breath deeply. Forest Bathing is meant to be quiet, slow, and meditative.  

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Nature

Traditional Chinese Medicine and all of its branches, including acupuncture, are deeply related to the natural world. This medicine, after all, was developed in ancient times, before modern technology and industrial lifestyles that divided humans from nature and all its healing properties.

TCM’s goal is to create harmony and balance in the body by enhancing our natural defences. Ready to use natural methods and boost your body’s own defense systems to help get and stay healthy? Call me today to schedule a visit!

Many research studies are proving acupuncture can help ease symptoms associated with chronic tension headaches. One of these studies published by the Cochrane Library concluded a course of six acupuncture treatments can be a viable option in the treatment of “tension-type headaches”.

​According to the study, participants treated with acupuncture and pain-killers reported their headache frequency was less. This study was actually a compilation of several acupuncture trials. A total of 12 trials met the criteria to be included in this conclusive study. Acupuncture was also compared to several other modalities such as massage and physiotherapy, but the findings were inconclusive. 


Tension headaches are not as debilitating as migraines but often occur more frequently. Tension headaches are reported to be the most common type of headache experienced. Stress tends to be the biggest factor regarding these types of headaches. Those who suffer from tension headaches frequently report a feeling of their head being squeezed, with pressure around the forehead, temples, and back of the head or neck. Tension headaches can last for as short as 30 minutes or they could linger for days. 


While the exact cause of tension headaches is still not clear, they are most commonly attributed to muscle tension or spasms of the head, face, scalp, or jaw. Tension headaches are considered chronic if a person experiences them 15 or more days per month for several months. The most common treatment for tension headaches is over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or aspirin.  Severe cases are sometimes treated with prescription drugs, but they tend to fail because they do not address the root cause of the headaches.


Traditional Chinese Medicine is known for locating and treating the root cause of any ailment, including tension headaches. One of the ways TCM treats the root is by identifying personal triggers that create tension-type headaches. The licensed acupuncturist plays the role of a detective when treating patients.  Acupuncturists usually ask multiple questions regarding the symptoms of any illness, including tension-type headaches. This allows for proper diagnosis and treatments. This can also give the patient insight into why the headaches keep occurring and how they can eliminate some of the triggers.


TCM includes more than just acupuncture. Herbal formulas, accessory modalities such as cupping or tuina, and even relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or qi gong are a part of TCM.  Acupuncture itself provides headache relief with a great deal of success. As few as one or two needles can be sufficient in stopping tension-type headaches. Acupuncture is also very effective at providing relief from stress and anxiety, two of the most common triggers of tension-type headaches. By adding in herbs and accessory modalities, the patient then has the tools needed to counter oncoming headaches on a long-term basis. The acupuncture treatments then become a type of maintenance to keep the headaches at bay.


A person suffering from tension-type headaches could benefit greatly from regular acupuncture treatments.  If you are one of the nearly 1.4 billion people that suffer regularly from tension-type headaches, give me a call today, acupuncture and TCM CAN HELP!

Extreme fatigue, depression, severe abdominal cramps, food cravings. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common women’s health conditions that completely lacks any reliable Western medical treatment for its symptoms. Yet it’s part of many people’s regular menstrual pattern.

So many women suffer from severe side effects of PMS—so much so that it affects their daily lives for at least a few days every single month. 

While the painful and disruptive PMS are naturally occurring and there’s no way to get rid of them completely (after all, menstrual symptoms are messages from the body asking for rest and care!), Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a natural solution that may be even more effective than medication.

Can Acupuncture & Acupressure Ease PMS?
An analysis of 15 studies with over 1000 subjects found that acupressure can reduce moderate to severe PMS symptoms.

An analysis of 15 studies found that acupuncture treatment was significantly effective in treating PMS, compared with medicine and sham acupuncture. While more, larger studies are needed to fully confirm the scientific evidence of acupuncture to treat Premenstrual Syndrome symptoms, there is a slew of promising research to back it. Since PMS has such varied effects on different women—from moodness to severe abdominal pain—there are also a variety of ways acupuncture and TCM may be used to help. In particular, studies show that acupuncture and acupressure are sure-fire solutions for mood swings, depression, pain, and anxiety—some of the major symptoms of PMS.

The most commonly used acupoints for PMS treatment are SP6, LR3, and RN4.

Other Natural Treatments
There are a variety of natural, personalized solutions for the debilitating aggravation of PMS. If you’re a person who experiences PMS symptoms, you know it can be quite the journey with advice, experimentation, and routine to discover what works best for you. Here are some tips that experts agree help reduce the pain and discomfort of PMS:

• Get plenty of rest!
• Choose foods high in complex carbohydrates and rich in calcium. 
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol.
• Try supplements like calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B6 can also help.
• Move your body gently. Exercise helps the body regulate our mood and gets blood flowing to sore muscles and organs.
• Chasteberry extract, though not sufficiently scientifically studied, is reported to have helpful effects on swelling and pain.
• Keep track of your cycle, symptoms, and treatments, to help figure out what works best for you—and, at least, to be prepared!
• Schedule an acupuncture appointment a few days before you begin menstruating! Planning for PMS before it happens can be one of the best ways to avoid a pitfall when that time rolls around.​​

Sources: 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6614973/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6614973/

Getting outside does the body good. There are scores of scientific studies that confirm just how good! But “earthing” takes a walk outside to another, deeper, more healing level.

What Is Earthing?

Also called “grounding,” earthing simply means walking barefoot on a natural surface like grass, soil, or sand. It’s important to remember that it is different than just walking outside, although that, too, is beneficial in so many ways. Making direct physical contact with the ground—and that doesn’t mean concrete or other man-made surfaces—is what it’s all about.

The prominence of the element carbon is what designates something as organic matter—and I don’t mean “organic” like your groceries! All living things are carbon-based. If you do any gardening or backyard composting, you’ll probably recognize that term, “carbon-based,” as the “green” stuff you put in your compost: leaves, grass trimmings, veggie cast-offs.

Earthing is also different from forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, which is the Japanese practice of fully immersing oneself in nature.

How Earthing Works in Your Body

There are so many studies that confirm how beneficial earthing is for our bodies and minds. A research review led by Gaétan Chevalier of multiple studies published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health illustrates how earthing has been shown to reduce stress, support immunity, help moderate heart rate and glucose levels, and even help wounds heal faster. 

While there is still a lot to learn about how connecting physically with Earth affects our bodies, research shows that it has a lot to do with electrons and electromagnetic charge. Walking barefoot on organic surfaces actually changes the electrical activity of our brain. 

It can even produce “measurable differences in the concentrations of white blood cells, cytokines, and other molecules involved in the inflammatory response,” according to the review by Chevalier.

Amazingly, this presence of carbon seems to be what makes carbon-fiber mattresses so helpful for better sleep and pain relief! 

According to a study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, earthing may even help improve the function of red blood cells, a major factor in heart disease. Another study shows that earthing may help regulate both the endocrine and nervous systems.

Earthing is an amazing addition to your wellness care routine, just like regular acupuncture visits. Let’s schedule you for a spring tune-up to make sure you’re as healthy as you can be!

Sources:

Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons, Gaétan Chevalier, Stephen T. Sinatra, James L. Oschman, Karol Sokal, Pawel Sokal: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/

The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, James L Oschman, Gaétan Chevalier, and Richard Brown: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/ 

Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes, Karol Sokal, MD, PhD,  and Pawel Sokal, MD, PhD: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3154031

Migraine triggers don’t necessarily cause a migraine; they are simply factors that increase the likelihood of getting a migraine. Triggers play a role in activating the process that leads to a migraine. Not every trigger causes a migraine for every person, even if a person is sensitive to a particular trigger.

But how much do you really know about controlling your migraines? New research suggests you not know as much as you think.

According to Timothy T. Houle, Ph.D. and co-author Dana P. Turner, M.S.P.H., both of the Wake Forest Baptist anesthesiology department, migraine sufferers make inaccurate conclusions about what triggers their migraines. Houle and Turner conducted a 3-month study of 9 women who suffered from migraines. They tracked the women’s hormone levels, stress levels, and the weather. The women kept daily diaries. At the end of the study, the scientists could not accurately predict which triggers would cause a migraine.

Their conclusion—most people can’t isolate the many complex variables in everyday life to accurately determine their migraine triggers. That means triggers are complex and situational. So what can you do?

Pay attention to your own habits and migraines.

While researchers may disagree about the accuracy of pinpointing migraine triggers, it’s important to remember that you know your body better than anyone. Living with migraines for years gives you deeper insight to what brings on migraines for you—if you observe them. If you find a correlation between a trigger and your migraines, trust it!

Part of the difficulty of identifying triggers is that some triggers may be active only under certain circumstances and involve layers of complexity. For example, you may be able to eat cheese or drink wine sometimes with no negative consequences, but consuming these things late at night or during a stressful time might contribute to a migraine. Many people are more susceptible to migraine when multiple triggers are present at once.

As your care providers, it’s important to always support your own knowledge of your body and your migraines. You know your triggers and I respect your intuition.

Common Migraine Triggers

Hormone Fluctuations
Hormone changes can trigger migraines. Sometimes birth control pills increase migraines (while sometimes pregnancy prevents them). Monthly hormonal cycles can contribute in big ways to triggering migraines.

Food and Nutrition
What you eat and drink contributes a lot to your sensitivity to developing migraines. Typical food triggers include aged cheeses, processed meats, yeast breads, peanuts, legumes, caffeine, alcohol (especially red wine), chocolate, vinegar, fermented foods, tannin-heavy fruits (like citrus, raisins, red plums, etc.), and many more. In addition, some people are sensitive to sulfates, nitrates, nitrites, food coloring, and other food additives.

Lifestyle and Habits
Many triggers have to do with your daily habits, lifestyle, and environment. Stress can be a major factor that contributes to migraine development. No surprise there! 

Other triggers can be fatigue, lack of sleep, over-sleeping too much, missing meals, changes in barometric pressure, or certain light hues or brightness. Strong smells such as paint, gasoline, or heavy perfumes can also be triggers. Buying an air filter for your home can be a game-changer for your migraine management.

While genetics don’t “trigger” a migraine, they play a role in how likely you are to suffer from migraines in general.

Quick tips for migraine management:

• Avoid tannin-heavy foods and drinks like red wine, red fruits, melon, citrus, vinegar, and specific grains like corn and barley.
• Take it easy on the caffeine!
• Avoid fragrances in cosmetics and cleaning products.
• Get an air filter for your home and avoid heavy air pollution.
• track your migraines: keep a daily diary of your pain levels, food and beverage intake, sleep patterns, exercise, and stress.
• Hash out a quick care plan for when migraines do strike!

Good News!
Acupuncture has proven to be a very effective treatment for balancing the constitution thereby reducing sensitivity to triggers. Acupuncture is a safe, natural, and minimally invasive way to take control of your health. Don’t wait, let’s schedule your appointment today!

Arthritis is one of the most common joint ailments, affecting over  54 million adults in the United States. Caused by a swelling of the joints, it can range from bothersome to extremely painful and can be a hindrance to everyday activities. Arthritis, along with other types of joint health issues, can be one of the most life-altering conditions to live with—because it can hinder everything from one’s ability to get regular exercise to how much someone can go to work.

Thankfully, applications of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture can be amazingly helpful as arthritis treatments and general joint health maintenance protocol.

Within the theory of TCM and acupuncture, our essential life energy or qi (pronounced “chee”) flows along the meridians of the body. When the flow is constricted or imbalanced, we may experience illness or pain. The needles used in acupuncture are carefully placed along points connected to the meridians, stimulating those places to correct and encourage the flow of energy.

In TCM, the entire body is understood as a multifaceted mechanism whose parts function in concert—not silo-ed sections to be treated in isolation.

Various studies, including one by the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, found that patients felt significantly less pain and had an easier time walking after receiving legitimate acupuncture treatments.

Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis
There are many different types of arthritis, some with very few treatment options as dictated by Western Medicine.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one variety that can be hugely disruptive to sufferers’ lives. RA is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that’s linked with progressive joint damage, resulting in severe chronic pain and long-term mobility issues. 

Western medicine comes up short when trying to treat RA. Yet many clinical trials have shown that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has advantages in the treatment of RA.

Osteoarthritis & Preventing Knee Replacement
Another common and very detrimental type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, particular in the knee joints, and especially affecting older adults. When knee osteoarthritis gets severe enough, total knee replacement is the final treatment option. 

A wide-ranging study of over 34,000 patients in Taiwan showed that TCM treatments reduced risk of total knee replacement in patients with knee osteoarthritis, and that enhanced benefits results from long-term treatment. The longer a patient used TCM, the less likely they were to need a knee replacement.

Sources: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7302630/

https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2019/06070/traditional_chinese_medicine_therapy_reduces_the.58.aspx

https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/natural-therapies/acupuncture-for-arthritis

In TCM theory, weakening of key female reproductive health aspects might be linked with genetic defects, overwork, too little rest, injury from too much menstrual bleeding, emotional distress, improper diet, too much alcohol, or too much chilled food. Contemporary TCM practitioners believe that some medicines and medical interventions, like long-term use of hormonal birth control methods, can also have a detrimental effect on the female system.

Is there a natural, non-invasive way to help ease symptoms of women’s health issues? Yes!

A multitude of scientific studies have shown that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an effective way to treat many gynecological health conditions, and to maintain general good health for women. That includes acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, which are finally gaining more and more scientific validity in the Western Medicine arena—thought they have been used successfully for centuries!

Women’s health issues that can be supported by TCM include reproductive health (fertility and pre-natal care), menstrual wellness, menopause and perimenopause symptoms, and so much more. Because so many gynecological issues involve painful symptoms, and acupuncture is proven to provide pain relief, it’s natural that acupuncture is so helpful when it comes to women’s health.

Blood Flow
So much of our health depends on the flow of blood throughout our body and to our organs—this is even more important for women. Scientific studies show that acupuncture is effective for improving blood flow  to vital organs as it relaxes blood vessels, and reduces high blood pressure.

Fibromyalgia
5 million people in the United State suffer from fibromyalgia, and most of those are women. Fibromyalgia is complicated and can be difficult to treat, because of its many linked causes and symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, acupuncture can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia symptoms.

Fertility
Recent studies have found that acupuncture may improve menstrual health and help women conceive. Because these studies are so new (since TCM has been rejected in the Western world for so long, and is only beginning to become a part of scientific medical research and practice), more research is needed. 

PMS
An analysis of 15 studies found that acupuncture treatment was significantly effective in treating PMS, compared with medicine and sham acupuncture. While more, larger studies are needed to fully confirm the scientific evidence of acupuncture to treat Premenstrual Syndrome symptoms, there is a slew of promising research to back it. Since PMS has such varied effects on different women—from moodness to severe abdominal pain—there are also a variety of ways acupuncture and TCM may be used to help. In particular, sstudies show that acupuncture and acupressure are sure-fire solutions for mood swings, depression, pain, and anxiety—some of the major symptoms of PMS.

Sources: 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3962314/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5676441/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1068607X01000853?via%3Dihub
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2396473/

Ancient ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Chinese, utilized chromotherapy or color therapy to heal and stimulate the body and mind. 

Modern science confirms that different colors do indeed have an impact on our attention, energy, focus, mood, and even memory and wellbeing. Colors are associated with different emotions and energy states. For example, a 2014 study of college student’s interior spaces suggested that vivid colors may enhance short-term memory and improve cognitive function.

It’s easy to understand that different colors affect our brains and bodies differently when we consider that color is “simply” different wavelengths falling upon our eyes and stimulating our brains. In fact, Isaac Newton discovered this while in quarantine during The Great Plague of London in 1666! How relevant.

When light reflects into the human eye, it stimulates the hypothalamus—the part of our brain that governs hormone and endocrine systems, our body temperature, appetite, sexual functions, sleeping, and behavioral patterns, and so much more.

Color Therapy

Color psychology (how colors affect our mood and bodies) and color symbolism (cultural ideas associated with colors) are distinct but connected. They both come from traditional ideas and human observation and relate to how we interact with and are affected by the world around us.

Feng shui, a practice connected to Traditional Chinese Medicine and its healing modalities, is the art of creating harmony in our interior spaces. Feng shui is informed by how our personal energy relates to the natural world and our environment. While the complex system of feng shui governs spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy or Qi (pronounced “chee”), we can see how color therapy is related to the principles of feng shui.

How do the primary colors of red, blue, yellow, and green and their combinations and variations  affect us psychologically?

Red: Associated with power, danger, heat and aggression. Red is stimulating and attention-grabbing.

Yellow: Joy, humor, and playfulness. Also associated with hope, creativity, self-esteem and purification.


Green: Green is a calming color, perhaps because it reminds us of nature. It can help people feel comfortable in new environments and is associated with universal love, environmental awareness, and peace. Studies have shown that being in a green environment can reduce heart rate (as compared to a red or white environment).

Blue: Blue encourages intellectual activity, can lower blood pressure, and is soothing. Depending on the intensity, blue can either stimulate intellectual activity (bright blue) or calm the mind and aid concentration (softer blue).

Next time you’re redecorating, getting dressed, or visiting your acupcuntursist’s office, consider how your mindset and energy change as you engage with different colors. You might be surprised!
Sources:
1: The Effects of Color on the Moods of College Students: Sevinc Kurt, Kelechi Kingsley Osueke (2014)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244014525423
2: Color and psychological functioning: The effect of red on performance attainment: Elliot, A. J., Maier, M. A., Moller, A. C., Friedman, R., & Meinhardt, J. (2007)
https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0096-3445.136.1.154
3. Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running: Walid Briki, Lina Majed (2019)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6379348/