They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Did you know that the face can be the window to your health?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), your face’s appearance can offer valuable information about issues that could be affecting your overall health. The shape of your face, the color of your complexion, and marks such as lines or lesions can all help us determine a diagnosis and treatment plan.

To get an idea of what we sometimes look for, take a look at yourself in a mirror under natural light. There are five colors that appear in the face: red, black, yellow, green, and white.

Everyone’s skin tone is different, and usually one color is dominant, though several other colors can be visible. What colors do you see? Do you have visible veins, and if so, what color and where are they? Is your skin moist or dry?

A healthy, lustrous complexion and normal color indicate a good balance and flow of Qi (“life energy”) within your body. If the complexion is off-color, looks lifeless or “withered,” or is too moist or too dry, it may indicate an imbalance of Qi.

Each color is associated with specific conditions, syndromes, and organ and meridian networks. White, for example, is associated with the Lungs, so a pale appearance could indicate a Lung Qi deficiency and breathing problems.

Another important factor in facial diagnosis is that different regions of the face, such as the nose, the eyebrows, and the mouth, correspond with specific organ and meridian networks. For example, the nose correlates with the Spleen, the brows with the Liver, and the lower lip to the Large Intestine.

Since the face and your overall health are so closely related, you may discover positive changes in your complexion as your body regains balance and harmony through acupuncture and TCM.

Join Rebecca for these FREE classes at New Seasons in February!  Email class@newseasonsmarket.com to sign up.  

If you've attended the class and you're looking for class notes, please scroll down to the bottom and the click the button to download.

Look younger, feel better. Isn’t that what we’re all hoping for as we age? We may not be able to truly bottle Youth and Vigor, but the universe (internet) continuously tells us that we can regain our youth if we only do X, Y & Z.

Everyone’s version of X, Y & Z is different and their reasoning is different too and you know what - many of them are good.  There’s no denying that healthy living will slow the hands of time and improve appearance, and I heartily believe in making healthy lifestyle changes.  But sometimes, you just want something that WORKS.

I personally believe that Acupuncture is that “thing.”  Yes, if you want the best benefits from an anti aging perspective, you need to take care of yourself.  Yes, you will get better results from Acupuncture if you are eating well and exercising (but that is kind of true of everything natural-health related). And YES - with 3,000 years behind it, Acupuncture has a proven track record of success in many areas, anti aging and longevity “science” if you will, included.

General Acupuncture for health, energetic balancing and stress reducing will help you slow the hands of time.  Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture - a specific system of Acupuncture for the face - can turn back the clock and take years off your appearance.  Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture always includes treating the whole body - you can’t energetically divorce the face from the rest of you - but it pays special systemic attention to the energetic channels of the face and to the muscular structure of the face to reshape patterns of aging, reduce lines and wrinkles, improve complexion and provide a natural acupuncture facelift for lack of a better term.

The bottom line - Acupuncture works. And here is why:

If you want to more, please peruse my website, facebook page or pinterest page. Better yet - contact me!  You can contact me via email anytime or schedule an appointment or free consultation (phone or in person) online 24/7.

You can also catch me in person at New Seasons in February for a lecture on Chinese Medicine Facial Rejuvenation and Anti Aging - see dates below.  Email class@newseasonsmarket.com to sign up for these **FREE** classes or call the wellness class hotline at 503-280-5177.  I hope to see you there!

Until next time,

~Rebecca

this guest post from Fix.com (thanks Lauren!) gets right to the point - simple things you can do right now to improve immunity and stay well.  Check it out, put it into practice and if you add a little #acupuncture to the list you'll be as assured as you can be of a happy healthy winter season!

The common cold is the leading cause of missed time at work or school, and it is estimated that between 5 and 20 percent of Americans will experience flu-like symptoms this coming year. But have no fear, there are many ways you can boost your immune system and decrease the risk of falling victim to the 200-plus viruses that can cause colds.

The first thing you need to do to boost your immune system is to reduce your sugar intake. Drinking as little as two, 12-ounce cans of soda can reduce your white blood cells’ ability to destroy harmful bacteria in your body! This winter, skip the soda and hydrate on water, tea, and natural fruit juices.

Remember how your mom always used to tell you to eat your veggies? Well, she was actually giving you great immunity-boosting advice! Vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale, and chard help to boost your liver’s ability to flush out toxins! Try tossing an avocado into your next salad. Avocadoes contain amino acids and antioxidants, which help to balance hormones, support your immune system, and balance your adrenals!

In order to stay fit as a fiddle this winter, you may also need to change your lifestyle habits and boost your activity levels. Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Movement stimulates the lymphatic system, which helps regulate your bathroom visits. Skip the late night talk show. Fatigue increases susceptibility to illness, so make sure you get your seven to nine hours!

Fix has even more immunity-boosting tips within this infographic! So read up and stay healthy this winter!

If you are one of the 7% of Americans who have vowed to quit smoking in 2015, I have some great news for you - Acupuncture for smoking cessation is a proven method for success!

Indeed, studies show that patients who participate in frequent Acupuncture as part of an addiction plan or program are 50% more successful than their counterparts who do not.   1.2.3.

With 3,000 years behind it, an array of studies from 1989-2011 confirming its value in treatment, and the ease of finding a provider these days (especially in Portland!) there are few barriers to utilizing acupuncture for smoking cessation, acupuncture for cravings, or acupuncture for withdrawal aside from picking up the phone or going online to book an appointment!

If you aren’t quite convinced, however, let me share some more about the nuts and bolts of this treatment to help ease your mind (or help convince someone you love) that Acupuncture for smoking cessation is one of the best things you can do to help reach this worthwhile goal.

When I was in school, learning addiction protocols and completing an internship in a detox program or facility were mandatory, and I remember my experience working at Hooper very fondly.  It was an incredible experience because the change in my patients during group treatment was visible, immediate and powerful - in a mere 25 minutes I would see 40-45 patients at varying stages of drug and alcohol withdrawal go from twitching, itching and having a hard time just sitting period in their (hard plastic institutional and unforgiving) chairs to almost falling asleep from nothing more than 10 tiny needles in their ears.

In private practice, my patient’s have a very different - yet equally powerful - experience.  After a detailed intake, patients lie down on a heated massage table face up and fully clothed to receive Acupuncture treatment in a private room.  As with most Acupuncturists who treat smoking cessation, drug and alcohol withdrawl, and even food cravings for sugar addiction, I focus primarily on 5NP or 5 Needle Protocol.

The 5 Needle Protocol is a simple 10 point treatment - 5 acupoints in each ear - which, depending on the sensitivity of the patient, can be needled or stimulated using ear seeds or ear beads which provide acupressure.  Usually, I prefer a combination of both - needles during treatment, and ear beads (tiny pin-head sized beads on a clear plastic sticker backing) as a take home therapy to enhance and prolongue the effects of treatment afterward.

The 5 points used are:

• Ear Shenmen (spirit gate) - used for any type of physical or emotional distress
  
• Ear Sympathetic - regulate the sympathetic nervous system, in this case to reduce “fight or flight” response
  
• Ear Kidney - increase Will, decrease Fear, enhance the water element to calm and balance, enhance Kidney function for detox
  
• Ear Liver - increase creativity and benevolence, decrease anger and frustration, smooth Qi flow, support Liver function for detox
  
• Ear Heart or Lung (Lung for smoking/inhalent addiction, Heart for higher agitation/trouble sleeping) - enhance organ function, improve sleep  & calm extreme emotions (Heart) or improve presence/focus in physical body (Lung)
  
  

These 5 points are a powerful combination.  The NADA organization - a not for profit advocacy and training organization - even trains physicians and nurses in this protocol to support their work in detox settings because the research into the success of this method is so powerful.  Other organizations train Acupuncturists to use this, or a slightly modified version, in acute trauma situations including Battlefield Acupuncture and after major disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

A few other points depending on personal constitution or additional health concerns are added, usually in the hands and feet though sometimes forearm and lower leg areas as well.  After resting with the needles in for about 20 minutes, the needles are removed, ear beads placed, and gentle foot reflexology or neck massage is used to help integrate the physical and energetic together to end treatment.

Quitting smoking is widely regarded as one of the best things you can do for your health.  From reducing stroke and heart attack risk to improving sex drive and energy, the list of benefits is quite long and compelling - and Acupuncture can help you get there successfully and long term.

If you want to know more, please read through my website and blog or contact me via email anytime. You can also book appointments 24/7 online - I hope to hear from you soon!

Yours in Health,
~Rebecca