by admin | Oct 15, 2013 | Uncategorized
Written By Kit Yoon, L.Ac.
Moxibustion is an important therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary therapy. Also called ‘moxa’ for short, the therapy involves the burning of dried mugwort (artemesiae Vulgaris, or ai ye in Chinese), through several different methods. Mugwort, in both Eastern and Western medicine, is believed to have the properties that help increase blood circulation and promote the ability for the body to heal itself.
Like acupuncture, moxa is used along the meridians, to warm the points, clear stagnation, and tonify organ and system deficiencies. It can sometimes be combined with acupuncture treatments to help enhance the benefits of both modalities. But used alone, moxibustion is a beneficial therapy in itself.
Moxa come in different shapes and sizes. Most commonly, dried moxa is rolled tightly into a cigar-like stick, but it can come in loose, smokeless or cone forms. Moxa can be applied through direct or indirect methods.
In the United States, indirect moxa, over the skin, or on top of an acupuncture needle is the most common therapy.
Because Moxa is believed to help stimulate qi and blood circulation, promote warmth and expel cold in the body, moxibustion is recommended in conditions such as pain, digestive, and menstrual cramps caused by cold conditions, Moxibustion is also known to help promote the body to turn breech babies.
Patients with excessive heat conditions, and patients with respiratory conditions (it can be very smoky) should avoid the therapy.
by admin | Oct 15, 2013 | Acupuncture, Community
Lisa McLymont is a multi-disicplinary artist, designer, educator, and serial arts community volunteer. Lisa is involved with local art organizations such as tacocat, the Creative Arts of Women (CAW!), The Creative Women of Color, and The Ohio Art League.
Graduating in Visual Communication from The Ohio State University, Lisa has made a career of following her curiosity about concepts and systems. The subjects of interest in her art center on visual harmonies and textures. She utilizes varied materials and methods and is often known to incorporate copper wire and found materials on canvas and wood panel. Trusting in the hands-on meditations available in the making process, and through self-taught methods, Lisa has crafted earth-inspired, functional and visually pleasing designs for many other earth loving people to enjoy.
You may find her in her new studio at tacocat, located in Grandview, but more than likely, you will find her somewhere online. Start here: http://www.lisamclymont.com/ or Facebook.com/coppercurious
by admin | Oct 15, 2013 | Acupuncture
I had always wanted to be a doctor growing up. I just felt a calling to practice something that would be able to help people heal. In college at UC Berkeley I was on that path, studying pre-med coursework, when I was injured in a car accident. I was hit as a pedestrian and the concussion from the fall left me with constant migraines, vertigo and a complete and strange loss of my sense of smell. These problems continued for months, as I saw countless doctors who had no answer or solution for my condition. I decided to try acupuncture because I had always been curious about it. Within a week of treatments the headaches and vertigo had stopped, and over the course of the next couple months my sense of smell slowly started to return. I was completely in awe of this ancient medicine and how profoundly it had affected me. In answer to my incessant questions, my acupuncturist casually slipped me a book (“Between Heaven and Earth”) and gave me a knowing wink. I was enrolling in acupuncture school only a short time later.
I graduated from the American Institute of Alternative Medicine’s Masters Acupuncture program with the honor of summa cum laude. I also had the opportunity to spend a summer in China studying at the Beijing Integrated Hospital of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I have learned from so many wonderful practitioners of this medicine and continue to learn every day. In addition to Urban Acupuncture, I have a private practice in Grandview where I see patients a few days a week.
by admin | Jun 27, 2013 | Acupuncture
The concept of gardening gives us an excellent illustration for the theories behind Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture. Imagine you are a gardener whose job it is to help a garden thrive. To help nature along, you must provide necessities such as water and fertilizer.
You must make sure plants receive the right amount of sun, and you must weed out any undesirable elements. Gardening takes time and effort, but the reward is a beautiful, healthy garden, abundant with flowers and vegetables.
One of the philosophies underlying Chinese medicine is that we are not separate from nature. Nature’s constant motion – its flowing seasons and cycles – coincide withour body’s natural rhythms. When we engage in gardening, we strive to be in harmony with nature’s rhythms. This allows us to reap a bountiful harvest. Life flourishes when the elements of air, water, light and earth are balanced.
There are basic principles of gardening that you can apply to facilitating the health of your body:
Fertilize: Just like plants need fertilizers, we need food in order to re-energize our bodies. In general, a healthy, balanced diet is made up of unprocessed, organic foods such as grains, fruits and vegetables.
Water: Our bodies are made up of 70% water. We need its life-giving force to cleanse our bodies of toxins, to regulate body temperature and to aiddigestion and circulation.
Sunshine: Just like plants, we also need sun’s energy to grow and thrive. Sun provides our bodies with Vitamin D, which promotes strong bones, supple muscles and a healthy immune system.
Weeding: Weeding your garden is vital to keeping the soil clean and properly oxygenated. Our body also needs cleansing. One of the easiest ways to cleanse our body is sweating through exercise.
Your goal is to learn how to cultivate and support your inner garden. Your acupuncturist’s goal is to help balance your inner ecosystem so that it can flourish—and you can enjoy health and harmony.
Your body is just like a garden, and you and your acupuncturist are the gardeners. He or she will work closely with you to strengthen and balance your internal garden. By taking your entire self into account, your practitioner can help identify—and weed out—any imbalances that could cause problems.
Acupuncture isn’t a “quick fix.” It does provide you with the tools and knowledge needed to nourish the garden from within. Your participation in the process is essential. After all, you wouldn’t simply plant seeds in the ground and expect them to bloom unattended. It’s the same with your health. Working with your acupuncturist and committing to long-term care can create positive changes for your overall health.
by admin | Jun 26, 2013 | What we sell at our clinic..
Cupping therapy is a technique used in Chinese Medicine to help unblock Qi Stagnation, draw out toxins, and stimulate the lymphatic system along acupuncture meridians.
There are several devices used in cupping. The traditional technique uses glass cups that are heated with a flame stick to create suction that pulls the skin up about one or two inches. Other cupping devices do not require a flame stick at all, but will still create enough suction for the same purpose.
Cupping is generally performed on the back, for pain and stagnation, where several yang meridians run vertically. But it can also be performed on the neck, legs and hips. The sensation is similar to deep acupressure, or deep tissue massage. Patients relax on a massage table during cupping treatments for several minutes. Like acupuncture treatments, cupping induces relaxation and a sense of general well being.
You may have seen images of celebrities exposing their cupping marks, almost like a new fashion statement. Indeed, cupping therapy can leave circular marks after each treatment. Depending on the level of stagnation in the meridians, the marks could be dark purple, deep red, or pink. These marks are harmless, and should disappear within a few days.
To achieve optimum health, cupping is a wonderful complement to regular acupuncture treatments, a well-balanced diet and regular exercise.
We will be offering cupping at our new Westerville location opening July 1st. You can schedule online, and feel free to call if any questions!
Moxibustion is an important therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary therapy. Also called ‘moxa’ for short, the therapy involves the burning of dried mugwort (artemesiae Vulgaris, or ai ye in Chinese), through several different methods. Mugwort, in both Eastern and Western medicine, is believed to have the properties that help increase blood circulation and promote the ability for the body to heal itself.
