Blog
Electro-acupuncture medicine
I’ve used electric stimulation in my practice to some degree for many years. Applying an electrical current helps strengthen muscles, block pain signals, and improve blood circulation. In late summer 2023, I took my first training with Dr. Jeremy Steiner of the Electro-Acupuncture Institute and followed up with additional training. Dr. Steiner's approach is different and far more comprehensive than other electric stimulation techniques I've used, and thus is called electro-acupuncture medicine.
How yoga can help you reduce stress and anxiety
Have you been feeling stressed or anxious lately? If so, you are not alone. According to a NPR report, in which the American Psychological Association was cited, 76 percent of Americans polled last fall said stress from politics, race relations, violence, and inflation had affected their health. Stress can also come from relationships with friends, families, and coworkers and other sources.
A new method to release emotional baggage
Much of the treatment we do in this office is body-focused. It is the emotions, however, that cause—or at least affect—much of what people suffer from. Addressing emotional health can have a definite, positive impact on physical health. There are many ways to do this.
Preparing for a smoother menopause transition
The menopause transition is no joke! For those of you who have been through menopause, are going through perimenopause, or who live with a woman going through these stages, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Humans are wired for resilience
The star of the astonishing 2020 documentary My Octopus Teacher was a creature who could shapeshift in an instant to protect herself from threat—changing color to disappear against a rock wall, swaying gently to blend in with a clump of kelp, or retreating into a crack to regenerate a lost limb. Most astonishing of all, however, was the close relationship that developed between the octopus and the filmmaker when she felt safe enough for connection after months of his quiet observation.
Make daily movement a part of your routine
Modern life is so sedentary. If you have body pain or stiffness, fatigue, headaches, low mood or mood swings, think about incorporating more movement into your routine.
How full is your rain barrel?
While pondering what to write about for this issue of the newsletter, I realized how exhausted and overwhelmed I’ve been feeling. And, come to think of it, my clients have been feeling similar versions of fatigue. I think the combination of normal personal challenges, world news, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, political strife, and, of course, the raging Delta variant has us all in a state of shock and overwhelm. While wondering how we will feel and manage if one more thing gets added to the above list, I remembered writing a newsletter a few years ago called “How full is your rain barrel?” I think this is the perfect time to share it again.
Healing the body by addressing the mind and spirit
There are many factors that affect our health: physical, environmental, social, emotional. To fully understand and heal a condition, we must untangle and address all of these factors. For example, even if a case of back pain was caused by an overt injury, there may be an emotion or a pain memory that, left unaddressed, prevents the original injury from healing.
High tech or high stress?
Are you suffering from symptoms like increased heart rate, palpitations, anxiety, and disrupted sleep? If so, do you wear an Apple watch? This might seem like a strange question to ask, but twice in the past year, I have come across this scenario, and by removing the watch, the symptoms either went away, or dissipated significantly.
Are you suffering from pandemic fatigue?
Back in January, I wrote an article called Why do we get sick? At the time, we were experiencing a bad flu season, but I had no idea that we were about to enter into a worldwide pandemic. I thought it might be useful to revisit the reasons we do or do not get sick as we approach the fall, another flu season, and a possible worsening of COVID-19 spread.
Treating traumas of the soul
One of the things that kept me busy during the pandemic shutdown was an online German auricular acupuncture course on identifying and treating soul trauma. Soul trauma refers to psychological wounds and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most of us have experienced some form of shock, trauma, injury, or abuse in our lives. There may even be an event that we are not conscious of, such as birth trauma, that is still having an effect on our whole being.
What is chronic stress?
I’m sure you get a feeling in your body when thinking about chronic stress. You know what it feels like, but what is it exactly? To better understand stress and its effect on the body, first we must understand something about our nervous system.
Avoiding the straw that broke the camel’s back
Stress is part of life. We live in a fast-paced world, we place high demands on ourselves, and we have constant challenges with work, family, finances, politics–you name it! Typically we feel “stressed” when we don’t feel we have the energetic resources to match the obstacle we’re faced with.
Managing stress with acupuncture
You know what it feels like to be stressed out. Your nerves get jangled, and you can’t relax. You may experience muscle tightness and pain. You may develop a headache. Your heart may even feel like it is going to jump right out of your body. The scary thing is that when you feel like this on a regular basis, it not only feels uncomfortable, but it also slowly erodes your health.