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What is your body telling you?
While pondering what to write about this month, it occurred to me that it might be interesting to share a couple of recent experiences I’ve had with interpreting messages from my body. We all have aches and pains, some familiar/chronic and some unfamiliar and perplexing. We usually think about these aches and pains as being of musculoskeletal origin. That may be true, but…
A discussion on oxalates, inspired by Toxic Superfoods, by Sally Norton
The effects of oxalate overload on the body was the topic of Red Clover Clinic’s July/August 2021 Newsletter. Now comes a new, comprehensive resource, Toxic Superfoods: How Oxalate Overload is Making you Sick – and How to Get Better by Sally Norton, published at the beginning of the year. I recommend Norton’s book to anyone who wants to learn more about what oxalates are, what effects they have on health, how to address issues associated with oxalate overload, and how to prevent this issue in the first place.
Gait Happens: a great resource for foot pain and gait issues
I’ve had arthritic big toes for years. The right one, in particular, has been very painful and I have had to be very careful about what shoes I wear. In the past year or two, the left one has worsened, and the combination was making it very painful to walk with any speed.
Are you suffering from chronic, unexplained pain?
If you are struggling with joint pain, muscle pain, urogenital pain, headaches, burning feet, and/or general, unexplained inflammation, you may be suffering from oxalate toxicity. Oxalates are a crystalline substance found in plants, that can accumulate in our tissues, causing pain and dysfunction. Our bodies also metabolically produce oxalates. If we consume foods that are high in oxalates, and/or we have a compromised digestive system, we may run into problems.
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.
Are you moving functionally?
In my last article, Getting to the Root of Pain and Illness, I introduced Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) as an option for treating musculoskeletal pain. I would like to focus a little more attention to this method, so that my clients can develop a deeper understanding of how their bodies work and how we can use NKT to increase function and decrease pain.
Getting to the root of pain and illness
Over the past several years, I have studied many different treatment methods. I’ve learned quite a few that are effective at stopping a symptom. I have found, however, that symptoms often return if the root cause wasn’t addressed. Suppose you have back pain for a prolonged period of time. You might be using pain killers or resorting to tropicals to alleviate the symptoms. But the pain keeps coming back. In this situation, you need to find what is causing these frequent aches in your back.
Poor posture = loss of function = pain
Do you have nagging pain in your low back? Do you carry chronic tension in your shoulders? If you have chronic discomfort in an area with no known injury, you may wonder why that is. The best answer is postural stress. Can you relate to the photo at left?
German auricular acupuncture: a case study and patient report
I continue to be impressed with the results of German auricular acupuncture on clients of Red Clover Clinic. I’d like to share a case study and first-person patient account of this powerful treatment.
Interrupting the pain cycle
When it comes to pain, it’s all in our heads.
Actually, pain is experienced by way of our brains, via a cycle described in detail below. Pain can be acute, resolved quickly, or chronic, variously defined as lasting longer than 3 to 6 months. Acupuncture is particularly helpful in interrupting the pain cycle, especially for chronic pain. Herbs and bodywork are useful as well, depending on the condition.
Pain in the muscles and connective tissues
At some point we have all experienced pain in the muscles and their surrounding connective tissues, known as myofascial pain. Some people experience this kind of pain, whether widespread or localized, at all times.
Healing after a whiplash injury
Every day, on average, 85 Minnesotans are injured in car accidents. And the most common injury that results from car accidents is whiplash.
Tools for combatting headaches
Headaches come in many forms, all of them distressing. I commonly see people in the clinic who suffer from tension headaches, sinus headaches, cervicogenic (stemming from the neck) headaches, migraines, or various combinations of these.