The ups and downs of springtime

I don’t know about you, but I find springtime to be a bit challenging. I imagine that a bear coming out of hibernation must struggle for a few weeks to wake up and find its groove again too. I always feel an initial invigoration and delight as the light begins its return, but then I tend to crash for 3 to 4 weeks. I feel exhausted and overwhelmed and just want to stay in bed. I’ve been hearing similar reports from many clients. Those suffering from allergies don’t find spring to be a picnic either.

Springtime from a Chinese medicine perspective

This is the season associated with the liver. In Chinese medicine, the liver is responsible for keeping the Qi (energy) moving smoothly throughout the body. When it gets stuck, we develop symptoms, such as depression, frustration, neck and shoulder tension, digestive disturbances, disrupted sleep, fatigue, PMS, and more. We call this symptom profile Liver Qi Stagnation.

During the spring, the liver needs a little extra support to not fall into this pattern. We often hear that springtime is the best time to do a cleanse. This is definitely appropriate. Moving our bodies and eating lighter foods, such as fresh greens with the addition of sour flavors like lemon juice, is nourishing and soothing to the liver.

Stress can trip up the liver any time of year, but in the spring, when it is particularly vulnerable, it is best to avoid it. I know, that is easier said than done. Maybe that is the real reason behind spring break? Stress causes the liver Qi to stagnate, which causes the symptoms mentioned above. Acupuncture is particularly effective at breaking up stuck Qi and calming the body. Also, the Emotional Unwind Technique is powerful at shifting stuck emotions, another important piece.

The windy season

Wind is the element of spring in Chinese medicine. Wind is the element that most irritates the liver and disrupts the flow of Qi in the body. It can also carry pathogenic factors, such as viruses, into the body. What I notice on a windy day is that pollen and other allergens are particularly irritating to my eyes, nose, and throat. By the time this newsletter comes out, many of spring’s challenges will be starting to settle, but the allergies will continue for a few more weeks while all of the trees release their pollen.

I mentioned the Soliman Auricular Allergy Technique (SAAT) in first newsletter of this year, and I think it is worth mentioning again. It is super-helpful to reduce and often eliminate allergies to specific substances. Its effects hold quite well, but allergies can be re-triggered by an illness or change of environment. To learn more details about this amazing technique, please check out this issue of the newsletter. Now is also a good time to start preparing for fall allergy season.   

Are allergies giving you grief? Please ask us about the SAAT technique. I have been getting many reports of people experiencing great relief from their allergies since getting this treatment. Also, if this spring season has been challenging to you, remember that it is temporary, and summer is around the corner!

Marie's Body of Knowledge

Have you accepted that you have incontinence because you are getting older? Have you told yourself it’s a normal part of aging? The truth is, you do not have to accept it at any age as a normal part of life. There are exercises and daily habit changes that can help reduce incontinence.

There are two main types of incontinence. Stress incontinence is when your muscles aren’t able to prevent incontinence when performing activities such as coughing, sneezing, and going up stairs. Urge incontinence is a strong sudden urge to void that is often triggered by messages from your nervous system to void even when your bladder is not full. The messages from your nervous system can be triggered by things like pulling into the driveway, walking to or by a bathroom, or putting a key in the door. Anxiety, fear, and other emotional components can also trigger the nervous system and contribute to incontinence.

Both stress and urge incontinence are conditions that may become manageable with physical therapy interventions.

You say that you've already tried doing Kegels. The reality is many times people have not been taught how to perform Kegels correctly, and there are other exercises besides Kegels to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. There are also other techniques to help manage nervous system input. 

Beyond exercises, myofascial release and soft tissue mobilization thru the pelvic floor and abdomen and pelvic symmetry may help reduce incontinence. Many foods, beverages, and medications are bladder irritants and can trigger incontinence. Changing liquid intake habits and timing of liquid intake also helps to manage incontinence.

A thorough evaluation by a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic health will identify an individual's specific issues contributing to incontinence and design an individualized program. You don't have to accept incontinence as something you have to live with or accept the belief that it is a part of aging. 

If you’re struggling with incontinence, please make an appointment with me so we can address it and improve your quality of life

Rediscovering scalp acupuncture

At the end of September, I had the opportunity to travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to attend a scalp acupuncture seminar taught by Suzanne Robidoux. I have occasionally used scalp acupuncture since learning the basics in acupuncture school over 10 years ago, but am now inspired to use it a whole lot more. I was aware of the effectiveness of the method, but needed the more in-depth instruction on how to understand it better and use it to achieve the best results possible. Over the past couple of weeks I have started to employ what I learned, and am pleased with the results so far.

Scalp acupuncture applies the ancient technique of acupuncture to a modern, scientific understanding of how the brain is mapped. The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and vice versa. The brain is further divided into different areas, each with specific jobs to control the various functions of the body: movement, feeling sensation, balance, optics, emotions, focus, and the rest.

Scalp acupuncture was developed by Dr. Jiao Shunfa in the early 1970s in China. Dr. Jiao suspected that he could effectively treat hemiplegia (one-sided paralysis) following a stroke by treating the area over the primary motor cortex of the brain on the opposite side of the paralysis. Dr. Jiao knew that the motor cortex controls how movement is initiated in the body. In the photo above, you can see the “Motor Line,” the line that Dr. Jiao first treated to test his theory.

As Dr. Jiao gained experience by treating many patients, he was able to define several areas that brought about particular therapeutic effects when stimulated with acupuncture needles. These areas were consistent with the already-mapped functional areas of the brain. He developed a comprehensive system to treat many neurological disorders, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, traumatic brain injury, and neuropathy.

Other doctors have expanded upon Dr. Jiao’s methods to treat even more neurological conditions. One example is Dr. Lin Xue Jian, who developed her method to treat autism, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and learning disabilities.

The beauty of scalp acupuncture is that not only is it extremely effective in treating these serious diseases, but it is also effective in treating many other conditions, including acute and chronic pain of any type, stress, digestive issues, colds, emotional upset, and more.

Scalp acupuncture is typically paired with electrical stimulation of the scalp points, by connecting the needles to a stimulater via electrodes, and a body acupuncture treatment. The needles are retained for 30 minutes. In cases of physical issues such as paralysis, tremors, pain, and numbness, some exercise must also be done with the scalp needles retained for the best effect, before leaving the office.

When our teacher insisted that a post stroke patient who is in a wheelchair should be up and walking within five weeks with two treatments per week, along with some dietary changes and herbal support, she really got my attention. I have already started to use this powerful method more in my practice, and am looking forward to helping more people feel better so they can more fully enjoy their lives.

How does acupuncture work?

To the typical Westerner, acupuncture may seem rather esoteric and unscientific. It doesn’t help that acupuncture is mostly explained with ancient Chinese metaphorical language and imagery. We typically hear about energy meridians that traverse the body through which energy (Qi) travels. Acupuncture points are described as areas where stuck energy can be unblocked, like turning on a light switch. The basic premise of Chinese medicine is that where Qi and blood are moving, disease can’t take hold.

After reading this, do you feel like you understand acupuncture any better than before? I know I don’t. I do get an inkling that there is truth in these statements, but the concepts are truly vague. You might wonder how I ever got through acupuncture school with these heretical assertions! 

Well, I did make it through school. I trusted that 3,000 years of positive results meant that there was a lot of truth to be found in the ancient Chinese medical texts, and that they just had to be interpreted through a lens of modern anatomy and physiology. Luckily, there are scholars who have dedicated their lives to truly understanding the ancient texts and making them not only more accessible, but more applicable for Western Chinese medicine practitioners like me. Here is a distillation for you, my clients.

In his book The Dao of Chinese Medicine, Understanding an Ancient Healing Art, author Donald Kendall discusses various interpretations of Chinese medicine throughout history, then adds his two cents. He prefers to translate Qi as vital air, AKA oxygen. He believes that blood carries oxygen through the vessels (another name for meridians). In other words, acupuncture theory relates to the circulatory system.

I’m currently in the midst of taking a 55-hour course on Neuro-Meridian Integrative Acupuncture taught by Poney Chiang. Chiang offers a slightly different interpretation of what the ancients are describing. He believes that the nerve pathways relate directly to the meridian system. He shows how each acupuncture point directly targets a specific structure, such as a nerve trunk, a nerve branch, or a nerve’s entry point into a muscle. He believes that each point has its own very specific function, which is never repeated by another point. Therefore, in-depth knowledge of each point, including its precise location and intended action, allows the acupuncturist to achieve specific results with acupuncture treatment.

Interestingly, these two interpretations of the Chinese medicine texts are actually quite similar. Nerves supply stimulation to the blood vessels. The nerves and the blood vessels often travel together, forming neurovascular bundles. Therefore, when you insert an acupuncture needle, you are often stimulating a neurovascular bundle of nerves and blood vessels.

Each needle that is inserted into the body triggers a cascade of physiological events. As Kendall puts it, “Needling therapy activates complex defensive mechanisms in the body, involving the immune system, tissue reactions, blood vessels, sensory nerves, somatovisceral pathways, autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, brain, and endocrine glands.”

Ultimately, acupuncture increases blood flow to organs and tissues, it stimulates atrophied muscles, and it releases overly tightened muscles. Acupuncture also exerts a more systemic effect, via the nerve pathways, to regulate the nervous system. 

The remarkable thing about the ancient Chinese medicine practitioners is that they determined exactly where all of these important, tucked-away anatomical structures are in the body and how to access them with an acupuncture needle. To acknowledge the correlation of acupuncture points with our modern understanding of anatomy and physiology is to acknowledge that acupuncture is grounded in science. This makes it much easier for our modern brains to grasp.