All Ways Well - Acupuncture & Wellness in La Center
  • Home
  • Book Now!
  • Blog
  • About
    • Covid19 Information for Patients
    • About Rebecca
    • Traditional Chinese Medicine - Ancient Methods for Modern Times
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Medicare Chronic Low Back Pain Acupuncture Benefit at All Ways Well
  • Services
    • Acupuncture
    • Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture
    • Chinese Herbal Treatment
    • Virtual Fullscript Dispensary
    • DAO Labs - Order online!
    • Rasa Adaptogen Tea - order now!
    • Auto Accident Acupuncture
    • Gift Certificates
  • Resources For Patients
    • Food Allergies & Elimination Diets
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Amazon Store
  • Contact

9 Simple Steps to Improve Digestion Today

12/29/2014

Comments

 
Picture
Digestion is something many of us think about, but few of us talk about because we feel embarrassed about some of the symptoms.  Still, over 51 million  doctors visits each year are for digestive complaints in the United States, and we spend over $141 billion annually on care for digestive diseases!

Western medicine has some highly effective pharmaceuticals for dealing with digestive disorders, especially inflammatory bowel conditions, but what if you don’t want to take pills to treat poor digestion or an intestinal issue?  What are your other options?  How can you improve your digestion in general regardless?

Here is a short list of things you can do today to improve your digestion tomorrow, and some further information about natural medicine and the benefits of acupuncture for digestion that I hope will inspire you to learn more.

How to Improve Your Digestion Today

Good digestion may seem elusive to many of us in the United States, but a few simples steps can go a long way towards improving digestion as a whole.  And by “improving” I mean the following:

  • Experiencing less gas and bloating after meals and in general
  • Improving the regularity of bowel movements (you should have one every 18-36 hours!)
  • Decreasing the sense of general malaise related to poor digestion
  • Improving nutrient absorption
  • Increasing Energy

And what to do to achieve this? Here is a short list of things you can try to start:

  1. Eat Less - overeating or “food stagnation” in Chinese Medicine is a primary culprit of digestive malaise.  Try to eat when you are hungry, not when the clock strikes 12. According to the Harvard Researcher Walter Willett in his book “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy” the average American only needs 1,600 calories per day to maintain their weight, not the 2,000 calorie diet we’re used to.  If calorie counting isn’t your thing, try some intermittent fasting - recent research shows that skipping a meal here and there can actually be good for you!
  2. Drink ½ Your Body Weight in Ounces of Water Per Day - i.e. if you weigh 120lbs, you should drink at least 60 oz of water per day.  For most people 8 glasses is enough (64 oz) but if you’re over 130lbs, you may need more.  Dehydration can severely affect your digestion.  Get used to drinking more and see how your digestion improves!
  3. Start the Day with Lemon water, Lime water, or Apple Cider Vinegar in water - Lemon, Lime and Apple Cider Vinegar can stimulate digestion, improve metabolism and cleanse the Liver - both energetically and physically.  Lemon and Lime in particular can cause the Gall Bladder to contract and empty its contents, making way for more (digestion enhancing) bile production.  Keeping bile moving also decreases your chances of developing gall stones which is also healthy for the Liver! Just a slice of citrus or a Tbsp of ACV in a full glass of water will do.
  4. Try Apple Cider Vinegar Before a Meal - Apple Cider Vinegar or ACV can stimulate digestion, as above, and prepare the body for a meal.  Feel like digesting protein in particular is hard and leaves you feeling sluggish?  Try 2 Tbsp of ACV in water 20-30 minutes before a large protein meal (or right before if that is too inconvenient).  If its too acidic for you, add a Tbsp of honey and drink it warm water like a tea - you may be surprised how soothing it is! Keep up with it consistently for a couple of weeks and see what changes.
  5. Exercise Exercise Exercise - Exercise is amazing for your digestion. It can decrease gas and bloating, improve bowel movements, encourage you to drink more water, and can improve your sex drive and your sleep.  Regular exercise - be it walking, running, biking, yoga, Pilates, you name it - will absolutely improve your digestion if you keep at it regularly
  6. Get Acupuncture - With 3,000 of history behind it as well as an increasing wealth of scientific evidence showing efficacy, Acupuncture is an excellent choice to help improve digestion.  It has been proven to assist in decreasing symptoms of Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), even low salivation! A little acupuncture to balance the meridians can go a long way towards improving your digestive health.
  7. Try Chinese Herbs - there are many Chinese herbal remedies and formulas for digestion, and a competent Acupuncturist can make you a custom herbal remedy.  The simplest formula, however, is called “Si Jun Zi Tang” or 4 Gentleman Decoction and it is a very basic tonic for improving digestion that most anyone can safely try. If you are on Western medications or have questions or concerns, please consult a professional before taking any herbal remedy.
  8. Take Probiotics - for at least one month, preferrably 3 months continuously at least 1x/year. This seeds the gut with good gut bacteria so it can regrow colonies that may have been lost due to illness or poor dietary choices.
  9. Eat Well - In the most general sense this means more veggies, less sugar, moderate caffeine and alcohol.  Check out the food pyramid below (also from the Harvard Research Center) and make it your guide to healthy eating.
Picture

Interested in Learning More?

The benefits of Acupuncture are quite broad, but more than anything, Acupuncture is about improving your quality of life.  Better digestion, better sleep, less pain, more emotional stability and improved stress recovery - Acupuncture can actually help you achieve all of these things through treatment, assessment, and by supporting healthy lifestyle changes.  

Your friendly neighborhood Acupuncturist isn’t just someone who sticks pins in people and does wu wu stuff, they’re someone who is highly trained in the art of medicine as well as the science, and who is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals through the best means necessary for you.  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
Comments

What Is Wellness; How To Be Well.

12/22/2014

Comments

 
Picture
Wellness is a word that is thrown around often and loudly these days. I myself consciously chose to name my business “All Ways Well” and I talk of Wellness often because ultimately, this is the heart of my job.  As an Acupuncturist, my primary purpose is to help patients achieve and maintain health and wellness.  

I believe Wellness to be something personal.  I can outline it generally, and tell you the feeling that I believe wellness should elicit, but the exact components of what it means to be Well in YOUR life are going to be unique and individual. Helping my patients define and seek these personal wellness goals is what I do with joy every day!

Therefore, I am going to seek to generally answer the question “What is Wellness “ and lay an outline for you to understand how to define wellness for yourself, as well as clarify why Acupuncture for Wellness is so powerful.

What Is Wellness?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Health as follows:
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Interestingly enough, this definition has not been amended since 1948! Clearly, however, it doesn’t need to be - it is a clear and concise definition of health that I believe still holds accurate and true.

But what about wellness?  My favorite definition of Wellness comes from the National Wellness Institute:
Wellness is an active process of becoming aware and of making choices toward a more successful existence.
What I like about this definition is the fact that it recognizes process. It encompasess the idea that wellness is something active, participatory and conscious.  It is also a big vague, which I believe is fitting because its personal - YOU have to define your own specific wellness parameters, which ultimately (as indicated) help you achieve a more “successful existence” which I will translate as happiness for sake of simplicity.

Even though I agree with the gist and like the direction, for me this definition isn’t perfect.  As an Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner, I believe that health and wellness are intimately intertwined and that to achieve one, you must also be working towards the other.  For my purposes, Wellness is a feeling, a state of being in which you feel present, content, connected and satisfied with your path in health and in life.

How To Be Well? A Personal Assessment and Plan.

How to be well and achieve wellness is a personal question, and it depends on your specific health and wellness needs.  Just like the WHO definition of Health above, for both health and wellness many aspects of your life must be taken into account, not just the physical.  My favorite assessment for how you’re doing in different areas - the Heart Math Institute Stress and Well-Being Survey:
Heart Math Institute Health and Well-Being Survey
It examines Physical Vitality, Emotional Vitality, Social Connectedness, Spiritual Connectedness and Overall Well-being and graphs out your results for you in a simple and easy to read document.

You certainly don’t have to go through the survey, however, but I think these 5 aspects are a good snapshot to help you understand where you are and determine where you want to go.  If you don’t want to take the survey, just ask yourself:

  1. Am I happy with my Health?

  2. Do I feel emotionally calm/content stable and/or can I return to center easily when thrown off balance?

  3. Do I feel supported/connected to other people in my life?

  4. Do I have a spiritual connection or/feel a need for a deeper spiritual connection? (not everyone does or wants this, very personal!)

  5. If I stop and close my eyes and just take a deep breath right now, do I feel generally well?

If you answered yes to everything above - Kudos!  Keep up the good work. If not, decide which areas of your life you want to improve, prioritize them, and pick at least one thing each month to do which helps you reach these goals.

If you’ve taken the Heart Math survey, you will get very detailed information about these 5 aspects as well as recommendations from them regarding actions.

In 3-6 months, depending on how you feel, go through the questions above or the survey again and see how you’ve done!

I know this sounds very simple, yet is actually very complex. This is why it is important to prioritize and choose just 1-2 things each month to work on.  The most important part is that you define a path and are walking on it, the goals will get closer with each measured step and you can take deep satisfaction in every one.

Wellness Acupuncture - Support and Active Treatment to Achieve Health and Wellness

Picture
Acupuncture, as part of Chinese Medicine, is a powerful path to achieve wellness.  When you see an Acupuncturist, you don’t just get an assessment of your physical and energetic health for a sole concern - you get an assessment of everything.  Your energetic channels traverse from the top of your head, to your nose to your toes - no single part of the body can be treated without at least partially addressing another.  

A treatment for carpal tunnel cannot help but also treat and improve health in the Lungs because the Lung channel traverses the wrist.  A treatment for shin splints cannot help but also improve digestion, stamina and energy because the Stomach channel is located in that area.

Furthermore, in Chinese Medicine each meridian or channel is also affected by different emotions, different states of consciousness, even the seasons!  This means that even when we are treating physical concerns, your emotional state and the general sense of well-being or dis-ease associated will also be addressed.

Truly, this means that if you want the easiest path to Wellness available - you should see an Acupuncturist!  They will do the assessment for you and be able to perform a concrete treatment which will improve many aspects of your health, while at the same time coaching you about how to map a path and achieve your goals yourself because Traditional Chinese Medicine includes dietary and lifestyle advice as well.

Ready to Find Your Wellness and Keep It? Try Acupuncture.

The NCCAOM maintains practitioner listings of all licensed acupuncturists in the US and a quick search on their site will find you someone qualified and credentialed to help. If you have any further questions or want to book in with me, please don’t hesitate to email anytime or book online 24/7! Its my true passion and pleasure to help people achieve and maintain Wellness in as many aspects of their life as they can.

Yours in Health,
~Rebecca
Comments

5 Immune System Boosters for This Winter

12/15/2014

Comments

 

5 Quick and Effective Immune System Boosters

Picture
In Chinese Medicine, Winter is governed by the Kidney, which is also the Water element of the body.  This makes Winter an essential time to contemplate, restore and nourish the body physically and energetically so it is better able to handle whatever may arise in the coming year.

Another way to view this, is to say that Winter is the perfect energetic time to strengthen the immune system.  Indeed, when treating allergies or asthma in particular, it is essential to tonify or strengthen your Qi during the off season (commonly Winter) to prepare for the on season of the worst symptoms (typically Spring).

Instead of getting overly deep into theory, however, and I have to warn you that “long-winded” runs in my family and did NOT skip me, let me share with you my 5 favorite immune system boosters for the Winter months:

5 Quick and Effective Immune System Boosters

Picture
  1. Meditation - research shows that meditation can significantly boost immunity.  Indeed, a study in 2003 showed that after 8 weeks of instruction in mindfulness meditation, the participants immune system response to a flu vaccine was significantly stronger that the non-meditating control group.  This suggests that meditation can significantly improve your immunity.  Try it! 
  2. Acupuncture - There is some compelling research showing that Acupuncture creates a blood mediated positive immune response. A 2007 study in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine showed that the immune response peaked approximately 72 hours after treatment, and after 10 sessions (a typical course of treatment in China) some of the results were still measurable a full month later!  In Chinese Medicine, the focus of Acupuncture for immunity is on strengthening the Spleen, Lung and Kidney Qi. Try it! 
  1. Astragalus - Astragalus is an herb used to tonify the Qi, especially to improve immunity in Chinese Medicine.  It has been widely researched for its anti-aging and anti-cancer properties as well.  My favorite formulation is called A.S.R. by People’s Herbs - it contains not only Astragalus, but also Reishi and Shitake mushroom extracts, which are also used as longevity tonics and Qi boosters in TCM.  I have found this combination especially good for patients with fatigue and chronic digestive issues - especially MTHFR. Email me if you want to order some!
  2. Probiotics - If you haven’t supplemented any probiotics in the past 3-6 months and especially if you have taken any antibiotics of late, a 3 month course of probiotics could really give your immunity a boost.  The gut is kind of like your body’s gateway to interacting with the world and your gut microflora is its keeper.  If your gut microflora is off you won’t detoxify efficiently or process and absorb nutrients effectively.  Then everything can get out of wack.  I love the Probiotic Pearls from Integrative Therapeutics - they are shelf stable (no refrigeration necessary!), small, easy to swallow and reasonably priced! Order online. 
  3. Hydrotherapy - hydrotherapy is a fancy term for using water to improve health, and usually refers to hot/cold alternating therapy - sometimes called a “contrast shower.” As you might guess, this means alternating hot and cold in the shower several times in a row.  Contrast showers can improve circulation, and have also been proven to increase white blood cell count and decrease pain! Try alternating 2-3 times and end on the cold - you’ll be amazed how warm the bathroom feels when you step out from under the water! 

Immune System Boosters and Acupuncture for Immunity - try them!

Now that you have the facts, pick at least 1-2 things off this list to try out this winter and see what Spring brings.  You may be surprised at the increase in health and vitality you feel at the end of the season!

If you have any further questions, want to order supplements or book in please don’t hesitate to contact me anytime or book online 24/7!

Yours in Health,
~Rebecca
Comments

Acupuncture for Back Pain - How Does It DO That??

12/10/2014

Comments

 
Picture
I find that my patients are often amazed at the results of acupuncture for pain treatment.  It feels really miraculous to get up off the table after 30 to 45 minutes and just feel better, but people do!  That naturally leads them to say, “Wow, acupuncture works” followed quickly by, “how does acupuncture work?”

So I’ve decided to answer the question! I do in clinic every day, you know, so hey - might as well do it here too!  Today my topic is BACK PAIN and how Acupuncture for back pain works.  I’ll be doing new installments of this “how acupuncture works” series over the course of the year focusing on different aches, pains and ailments, so do stay tuned!


HOW ACUPUNCTURE WORKS - Part One

Acupuncture and Back Pain - How Does It Work?

Picture
Okay… so how does acupuncture actually work?  Well, it works on several levels:
  1. ENERGETIC
This is the focus of all Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine treatment - the idea that the energetic body and the physical body are intimately intertwined and where one goes, the other will follow.  We use Acupuncture, therefore, to balance the energetic system and once balanced and stable, the physical body will heal following suit.
  1. PHYSICAL
The needles penetrate the physical body and when they do that, physical things also happen.  What things?  Well, kind of a lot of things that Western Medicine is still researching and assessing.  Here are just a few:
  • Endorphin release - reduces pain and inflammation
  • Muscle relaxation - needles penetrate the muscles, relaxing them similar to massage
  • Neuro-muscular junction reset - sometimes the needle hits the belly of the muscle causing it to fasciculate or jump, this can reset the nerve signal at the neuro-muscular junction causing the muscle to relax and release.
  • Mu-Opiate Receptor Changes - Acupuncture actually changes Mu-Opiate recepters in the brain decreasing the perception of pain.
  • Stress Hormone Reduction - recent research has proven that Acupuncture can reduce stress hormones in the blood stream which can reduce stress-related/induced pain

And the list kind of goes on but I think this is some of the more relevant information. One of the especially great things about Acupuncture for Back Pain is that the needles can go right to the heart of the problem.  Sometimes back pain is quite deep and there can be sacro-iliac joint involvement, as well as nerve involvement.  Acupuncture can go through all the superficial tension and get right to the heart of the issue, and on its way it helps to relax the muscular layers all the way down.  Getting Acupuncture before a massage or chiropractic appointment can greatly enhance your results since much of the tension will be gone before you get to the LMT or DC.

Acupuncture and Back Pain - Treatment


Read More
Comments

Healthcare and Acupuncture in 2015 Part Two: Choosing the Best Plan

12/1/2014

Comments

 
Picture
So now you have the quick and dirty Rebecca-approved guide to healthcare options for 2015, but what if you actually want to understand more?  How do you assess how you use healthcare and then match that up with the plans available to make the best choice? And what do all those crazy terms mean that I am supposed to be able to understand to even understand what my options are?

Well, read on for a step by step guide to answering these questions and picking a plan in 2015:

FIRST - Assess How You Use Healthcare

Look back at 2014 and tally you and/or your family’s medical care in 2014 and perhaps 2013 as well if you can do so easily.  Tally how many times you went to the doctor and what types of visits they were - urgent care? ER? Annual exam? Regular check up? Make note of whether you take medications or not and if you had lab work, physical therapy, alternative care, vision, dental, etc. Keep this tally handy as you prepare to do some math and look over plan options.

SECOND - Do The Math On Premiums

Barring a major illness, your insurance premium is the most expensive part of your insurance plan so the first thing you have to look at is the annual cost of your premium.  A $500/mo plan is $6,000 ($500 *12 = $6k) over the course of the year. A more expensive plan might have a lower deductible and better benefits (copay instead of coinsurance for instance), but would you actually use the benefits? How much would they save you? If you hardly ever go to the doctor, you’re better off taking a low premium catastrophic coverage type plan because even though you’ll pay more when you go to the doctor, you’ll save so much on the premium over time that you should be able to afford to pay for the care you use instead of paying high premiums all the time.

THIRD - Look At Max Out of Pocket

Each plan will have an individual and family “Maximum Out of Pocket” cost. This is the total dollar value of copayments and out of pocket coinsurance after your insurance premium you are responsible for each year before your plan will pay 100% of covered expenses. If you know you have a major event coming up such as a major surgery or a pregnancy/birth you’ll likely reach this out of pocket max.

Read More
Comments
    Book Now!

    RSS Feed

    Authors

    Rebecca M H Kitzerow is a Licensed Acupuncturist practicing in La Center, Washington. With over a decade of experience she has won 10 Nattie consumer choice awards from Natural Awakenings Magazine since 2014.

    Rebecca practices a variety of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques including Tan Acupuncture, Kiiko style Japanese Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Herbal Remedies, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Foot Reflexology, Cupping and Gua Sha. Rebecca strives to help people Be Well and Stay Well in every way.

    Archives

    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    Acupuncture
    Affordable Care Act/Obamacare
    All Ways Wellness
    All-ways-wellness
    All Ways Well News And Updates
    Antiaging
    Anti Aging
    Archive
    Arthritis
    Car Accident
    Chinese-herbs
    Chinese-herbs
    Diet And Nutrition
    Diet-and-nutrition
    Digestive
    Electro Acupuncture
    Facial-rejuvenation
    Fertility
    Find Your Well
    Find-your-well
    Foot-reflexology
    Goodell Pt
    Healthcare
    Healthy Living
    Healthy-living
    Heart Health
    Herbs
    Infertility
    Intermittent Fasting
    Japanese-acupuncture
    Menstrual Irregularity
    Motor Vehicle Accident Treatment
    Mthfr
    Mva
    Newsupdates06fb9f432f
    Pain
    Physical Therapy
    Postpartum Recovery
    Preventative Medicine
    Preventative-medicine
    Psoriasis
    Psoriatic Arthritis
    Seasonal
    Stress
    Wellness

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Hey Paul Studios, BeGreen_Studio, Pawel Pacholec, 1950sUnlimited, toulupaliaqaz, Joelk75, OnTask, Robert Gourley, cnu_sports, Mitya Ku, FootMassagez, 401(K) 2013, Mariana Heinz, @EdwardTerry, fishhawk, liverpoolhls, torbakhopper, Boemski, dolomitibl, Driscolltheque, Dave n Laura, Vaping360, MVWorks, Life Mental Health, MVWorks, mikefats, Scot Nelson, jfl1066, wZa HK, ruurmo, Guadalupe Cervilla, Army Medicine, GViciano, torbakhopper, adrigu, Saulo Cruz, Ben Cumming, marniejoyce, kcxd, JasonCorey, kanenas.net, Live to Create Photography, gm.esthermax, Unique Hotels Group, Zenspa1, mysiana, Tobias Lindman, Leader Nancy Pelosi, Kristoffer Trolle, swanksalot, Bill Selak, Parker Knight, stimpsonjake, Gedankensprudler, SuperFantastic, tonynetone, marniejoyce, JeepersMedia, Illusive Photography, 'Ajnagraphy', Iban Torras, scotted400, gtall1, dvanzuijlekom, BPPrice, Skley, torbakhopper, Renato Ganoza, anka.albrecht, QUOI Media, Public Domain Photos, Instant Vantage, Victor Tongdee, Free Grunge Textures - www.freestock.ca, sportEX journals, Nadja Tatar, angela n., marniejoyce, MVWorks, Karolina Kabat, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, UofT, ginnerobot, tracilawson, haven't the slightest, My Photo Journeys, Pierre Willemin, Florena_Presse, SuperFantastic, colindunn, zzkt, TraumaAndDissociation, ER24 EMS (Pty) Ltd., marniejoyce, Tomás Fano, freestock.ca ♡ dare to share beauty, Archives New Zealand
  • Home
  • Book Now!
  • Blog
  • About
    • Covid19 Information for Patients
    • About Rebecca
    • Traditional Chinese Medicine - Ancient Methods for Modern Times
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Medicare Chronic Low Back Pain Acupuncture Benefit at All Ways Well
  • Services
    • Acupuncture
    • Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture
    • Chinese Herbal Treatment
    • Virtual Fullscript Dispensary
    • DAO Labs - Order online!
    • Rasa Adaptogen Tea - order now!
    • Auto Accident Acupuncture
    • Gift Certificates
  • Resources For Patients
    • Food Allergies & Elimination Diets
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Amazon Store
  • Contact