by urban-acupuncture | Apr 9, 2014 | Acupuncture, Acupuncturists
A famous acupuncturist said: When you are young, you can cheat your body; when you are old, your body cheats you. We’ve all heard truisms along this vein which reflect the wisdom of a life lived. But, self-care can be a means to living longer and living better, because what’s the point of living long if you can’t be strong at the same time? My Mom, like Ben Franklin, I believe, encouraged moderation in all things. And, I think that this is a useful way to look at the big picture. Your life, and, therefore, your body and mind, and even your Qi is an accumulated collective of everything that you have experienced and been exposed to. Your lifestyle habits – diet, exercise, sleep, stress relief, hobbies, medications, relationships, expression of emotions, the ability to create, your connection to the natural world – all have profound and direct effects on your experience as a human being in this material world as well as a spiritual entity in this universe. Focus on your daily routine, the things you eat everyday, the type of exercise you do, how engaged you are in your life and your job and in this very moment as a way to change and influence the course of your trajectory. You have the control unless you choose to give it away.
This is what the ‘Acupuncture Lifestyle’ encompasses. Acupuncture needles adjust the functional energy of the human body to make it work as efficiently as it was designed. What this means is that you have the ability to aid it by nourishing your Qi or hinder it by wasting your Qi or using it all up without replenishing it. You can only cheat your body for so long before it begins to cheat you. Here’s to practicing what we all try to preach to others.
by urban-acupuncture | Apr 8, 2014 | Acupuncture
Rubbing acupuncture points with your finger for 30 – 60 seconds can stimulate and promote the circulation of Qi within your own body, restoring health and well-being.
- Lung 7 (LU 7 in photo): Roughly 2 inches above the base of the thumb. Functions: Used to treat several disorders of the upper body, including headaches, asthma, neck stiffness, cough, sore throat and facial paralysis.
- Lung 5 (LU 5): On the thumb side, at the elbow crease, just off the biceps brachii tendon. Functions: Useful for hot skin conditions, upper body edema, local point for tendonitis, relaxes the sinews and frees water passages.
- Large Intestine 20 (LI 20): On the face, level with the bottom of your nostril, on the groove that is formed when you smile. Functions: Opens the nasal passages and strengthens the activities of the contractile elements in the nasal cavity. Also useful for itchy eyes and facial pain with swelling.
by urban-acupuncture | Apr 8, 2014 | Acupuncture, Acupuncturists, Community
Acupressure First-Aid Kit: Relief for Common Ailments That Can Be Used at Home
WHEN: Wednesday
April 30, 2014
TIME: 7- 8 pm
COST: $10
WHERE: Meeting at the Westerville UAC Clinic
Register and Pre-pay by April 25th please call 614-426-4406 to sign up. Space is limited!
Have you ever wondered what you could be doing at home in between treatments to help relieve minor pain and lingering issues? Maybe you have a family member that could really benefit from acupuncture but they won’t let us get near them with needles? In this class we will cover several powerful acupuncture points and how to do acupressure on yourself and loved ones. The points we will be focusing on are useful for many common complaints such as: pain, headaches, stress, insomnia, and digestive issues. This is a hands-on class where you will get to practice locating and stimulating each of the points.
by urban-acupuncture | Apr 8, 2014 | Acupuncture, Acupuncturists, Community
“Sometimes you don’t know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” Georges Duhamel Almost 4 years after completing chemotherapy I was still experiencing an intense amount of neuropathy in my feet. I tried physical therapy, medications and exercise. The feeling in my feet flowed from stinging needles to shooting pain. The pain was relentless 24/7 and I had accepted that this was simply the way my life would be. As a LAST resort I decided to try acupuncture, after-all, the thought of anyone > sticking anything into me was not at all appealing.
A friend recommended Urban Acupuncture Center. This place had a soothing effect as soon as I walked in. It’s quiet, yet friendly and smells really good! The treatment room is calming with comfortable chairs, relaxing music quietly playing in the background and interesting artwork on the walls. After the very first session, all the pain in my feet disappeared. This is no exaggeration. I realize this might not be the result for everyone, but it was for me!
I was so amazed, and of course relieved, that I continued to go for weekly treatments. The sessions eventually focused on other aches and pains, my insatiable appetite and my sleepless nights and, of course my practitioner made whatever adjustments were needed to try to address my current issue. After one and a half years I thought that maybe I was “good to go” and even thought that maybe the acupuncture was really a placebo, where because I thought it was working, that it did. So I decided to take a break. I stopped going for approximately 5 weeks. It didn’t take long for my body to start to feel off-centered. By the end of 5 weeks I couldn’t wait to return.
The acupuncture brought me back to center because the acupuncture gives my body a focus of attention that nothing else does. I now recommend to people that acupuncture become their FIRST resort. I am grateful that the persistent moments of the aftermath of my chemotherapy is now a memory.
Ellen, Columbus, OH
by admin | Dec 20, 2013 | Acupuncture
We don’t need to tell you all the reasons why you should quit…but we will if you want us to! When you are ready, we would be happy to help you through this process with acupuncture and our full moral support. It is hard, and you have to be mentally ready.
You should plan on getting acupuncture on the first day of quitting, day 3, 7 and 14. We see the best results with this frequency. Don’t smoke 12 hours prior to the first visit, so that you really want to smoke by that point. We can help with the physiological addiction, and help your body not miss the loss of nicotine. We can help calm down your mind, so that you aren’t obsessing about it. We can help make it smell and taste terrible. By heightening the olfactory system, it will smell closer to the way that non-smokers smell it. We also tonify and strengthen your lungs, to help your body begin healing sooner.
Our advice to help you be successful:
Triggers: Make sure you have taken the time to identify what your triggers are. Are there certain times of the day that you want to smoke? If so, think about new things to do during that time to keep your mind occupied. Do you enjoy smoking with certain drinks (coffee, alcohol) and specific friends? Do you enjoy smoking on your work break, first thing in the morning, in the car, or late at night? Figure out when the urge comes on the strongest, so that you can avoid those situations or find new routines while you are trying to break this habit.
Throw away your cigarettes! If you come in for treatments, we can help you with your cravings. But if you come back home and there they are, staring at you, it’s way too tempting to light one up. You are setting yourself up for failure. Throw away ash trays! Why hold on to something you don’t plan on using anymore? You have to get rid of things that remind you of this old, bad friend.
Fill your fridge with healthy crunchy snacks. Part of the enjoyment of smoking is having something in your mouth. We don’t recommend smoking the carrots, but snacking on some healthy stuff will help you not gain weight and keep the oral cravings lower.
Exercise! There is nothing like feeling the damage of smoking as you gasp for breath on the treadmill as a blatant reminder of why you don’t want to start again. It will feel great as your lungs get healthier and you feel your stamina increase. It is a way to keep yourself occupied as well, to fill that time you used to spend smoking. If you feel bad spending the money on a gym or yoga classes, just calculate how much you are saving on those cigarettes.
Best of luck!!! (this was written by one of us who knows this struggle well)
by admin | Dec 19, 2013 | Acupuncture, Moxibustion
As we settle into these shorter, colder days, and longer, darker nights, some of us may be experiencing more fatigue, decreased appetite, food cravings, insomnia, and other depression-symptoms. Some of these symptoms may be transient. Some of them may be related to the hectic holiday season. But for some people, these symptoms are settling in for a while – until more sunlight returns to this hemisphere. If you belong to the latter category, you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.
It is believed that people who develop SAD are more sensitive to the decreased amount of daylight exposure during the winter months (although people can have SAD throughout the year, especially those who work long hours indoors without much light exposure). The brain tries to adjust to the changes, and as a result creates a biochemical imbalance that brings about changes in hormone productions. For instance, the production of melatonin, a hormone that relates to sleep cycles, increases during darker days. Hence, people affected by SAD tend to want to sleep more, and feel more tired than usual during the winter months.
Light Therapy
Light therapy is the most commonly prescribed treatment for SAD. It is also highly recommended that people with SAD spend as much time as possible outdoors, and to stay active. Good food and nutrition can help keep the body in balance and healthy. In more severe cases, psychotherapy and medications may be prescribed. But in some cases, the side effects of pharmaceuticals can be more harmful than beneficial.
To help alleviate SAD symptoms, Chinese medical modalities can be effective without any negative side effects. Chinese medicine views everything in terms of Yin and Yang. Yin is dark, cold, and passive while Yang is bright, warm, and energetic. It makes sense, therefore, that people with greater Yin tendencies may suffer more from SAD than people with Yang tendencies.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion Can Increase Yang Energy
Acupuncture and moxibustion therapies can increase the yang energy within the body, and return the body to its optimal state. Acupuncture itself is known to be effective in treating the symptoms general anxiety and depression disorders because it helps release hormones that combat depression, namely, serotonin, noradrenaline and norepinephrine. These are ‘happy’ hormones that will help reduce SAD symptoms, naturally.
A famous acupuncturist said: When you are young, you can cheat your body; when you are old, your body cheats you. We’ve all heard truisms along this vein which reflect the wisdom of a life lived. But, self-care can be a means to living longer and living better, because what’s the point of living long if you can’t be strong at the same time? My Mom, like Ben Franklin, I believe, encouraged moderation in all things. And, I think that this is a useful way to look at the big picture. Your life, and, therefore, your body and mind, and even your Qi is an accumulated collective of everything that you have experienced and been exposed to. Your lifestyle habits – diet, exercise, sleep, stress relief, hobbies, medications, relationships, expression of emotions, the ability to create, your connection to the natural world – all have profound and direct effects on your experience as a human being in this material world as well as a spiritual entity in this universe. Focus on your daily routine, the things you eat everyday, the type of exercise you do, how engaged you are in your life and your job and in this very moment as a way to change and influence the course of your trajectory. You have the control unless you choose to give it away.
