Sports Acupuncture: Recovery and Maintenance of Health

One of the aspects of Chinese Medicine that I truly love is its preventative capabilities regarding our health.  In the U.S., we tend to only worry about our health when we have lost it.  Whether it is through illness, disease or injury, we tend to not think about preventing some of the troubles we encounter in our lives.

Acupuncture and including Herbal Medicine, has an amazing power to support our health so we do not experience illness or injury.  One of the areas that this is best utilized is Sports Medicine.

While most people do not consider acupuncture until after they have hurt themselves, Acupuncture has the ability to keep our muscles and joints running at their best so we can avoid the trauma and injury we often face exercising or playing sports.  Every Olympic team and World class athlete knows this fact.  And most of them have a personal Acupuncturist on staff.

Most casual injuries we encounter are caused by repetitive use or ‘wear and tear” upon muscles and joints.  When muscles are overused they often will become locked or “cramp-up”.  When this happens other muscles must pick up the work to secure our balance and movement.  This often will place great stress upon joints and tendons.  These tissues will begin to swell and inflame causing pain and stiffness.  Continual wear and tear upon these inflamed tissues will eventually damage bone and cartilage causing further damage and pain.  When this injury happens suddenly, we call it an acute injury, when it happens over long periods of time we call it a chronic injury.

Acupuncture can assist in maintaining the health and wellness of muscles and tendons so that they are less likely to experience damage.  By opening up the flow of Qi and Blood into muscle groups, muscles are able to clear themselves of toxins and poisons that develop in the tissues during heavy usage.  With this better flow of Qi and Blood, the muscles are able to maintain oxygen levels and necessary nutrients to keep muscles operating.  In this way they do not cramp up or spasm and are less likely to fatigue.

By supporting the digestion and nutritional organ systems of our body, Acupuncture aids us in the constant repair of muscles and tendons that happens when we sleep.  As I often say to my clients, “it takes a great deal more energy to heal” than most people realize.  By supporting the digestive systems, Acupuncture promotes absorption and utilization of nutrients, supplements, and minerals that are needed for keeping muscles and tendons ready for exercise.   

Another important component of Acupuncture for Athletes is the benefit of stress reduction.  Acupuncture is a proven treatment protocol for stress reduction.  When we over-exercise or become fatigued, our nerve systems and circulatory system are greatly taxed.  By down regulation of the stress levels, Acupuncture can assist in balancing the energies in our bodies so that they are directed towards healing and repair.  By helping the body and mind recover from our work-outs, we can get back to our favorite sport or exercise routine sooner with less aches and pains.  Plus, by improving our mood and outlook, we are better equipped to go the extra mile, swim the extra lap, or lift the extra weight.

Acupuncture: What's It Good For?

People ask me all the time whether acupuncture is “good for” this specific condition or “good for” that specific condition.  Is it “good for” headache, back ache, stomach upset, hot flashes, etc?  And my answer is always, “yes”.  

In the United States, we have learned to look upon healing as a jumble of options of treatments for various health conditions.  We often hear statements that this pharmaceutical is effective for such and such a condition.   Our style of medical research focuses on specific health conditions that are treated by specific treatments.  While this approach is very effective in determining if a drug is effective for a specific condition, it can lead us astray in our approach to healing our illnesses and diseases.  We become caught up in symptom management and not in the long term goal of health and wellness.

When we experience illness, whether that illness is as simple as a headache, or as complex as cancer, we must remember that our whole system is experiencing this illness.  As human beings, we are more than just our physical bodies.  We are also our mental capabilities and our emotions.  When we become ill or contract a disease, we need to remember that our whole system is suffering.  This means that our cognition, emotions, and our physical bodies are dealing also with this illness.  We must remember that diseases are holistic, too!  They affect the whole person.  This is why chronic, long term illnesses can lead to depression and stress as well as the reverse:  depression and stress can lead to physical illness and disease.  The whole person becomes sick.

Chinese Medicine (which includes acupuncture, herbs, and cupping), always approaches illness and disease as a holistic condition.  In China they learned long ago that every cell and organ in your body is affected when you suffer from a disease or illness.  In addition, they understood that the mind and body are intrinsically bound together as one.  It is not only our lung that is suffering when we get the flu.  Our whole system of mind, body, and emotions are struggling, too.   It is necessary to treat more than the lung during a bout of the flu.  It is important to treat the whole disease and the damage that it can do to the mind and emotions as it runs its course through the whole body.

Any illness is an imbalance of our internal ability to maintain health and wellness.  When I tell people “yes”, that acupuncture is good for various conditions, what I am saying is that acupuncture addresses the imbalance across the whole person that is present during any illness.  Acupuncture is a unique medicine that works on the life energy of the body.  By regulating and balancing the vital energy of the body, acupuncture assists in healing the illness.  And by returning the proper balance of the vital energy throughout the whole system then overall health can be maintained.  In that way, regular acupuncture treatments can even keep you from becoming sick.  Acupuncture promotes wellness from disease.

When we understand that illnesses such as headaches, and diseases like cancer are all levels of imbalance in the vital energy of our bodies, then it is easy to understand how acupuncture is ‘good for’ any illness or disease.

Hypertension and Acupuncture

Essential Hypertension is the most common form of high-blood pressure in the United States with over 90 percent of the reported cases for “high blood-pressure”.  When hypertension is termed ‘essential’, it means that there is no known cause for the high-blood pressure in the body.  In the absence of kidney malfunction or heart muscle disease, the primary cause of hypertension is ‘unknown’.  

As you may expect, with Chinese Medicine we look upon this situation a bit differently.  Essential Hypertension is usually a condition of imbalance between the Sympathetic Nerve Systems (yang) and the Parasympathetic Nerve System (yin) which in turn affects the overall Blood Vessel Systems and Organ Systems. 

When we are in stressful situations, our bodies need to have the blood supply diverted to the muscles so that we can act immediately.  We are still genetically “wired” to run away from the tiger about to pounce upon us from the bushes.  When the muscles have blood then they can act.   The sympathetic nerve system accomplished this change of blood flow by tightening the blood vessels and organs and forcing our blood into the muscles.  When the threat is gone then our Parasympathetic Nerve system relaxes the blood vessels and directs that blood flow back to our organs for digestion and detoxification of the body.  This system worked wonderfully until the modern age.

In our constantly stressful day-to-day lifestyle, this elegant system of balance is forced out of balance.  Stressful situations from our work, home, finances, family, etc continue to act upon our bodies much like the tiger about to pounce.  This creates a constant level of tension in our organ systems and nerve systems. This is what is meant when we say someone has “Liver Qi Stagnation”.  Over time this imbalance becomes our new “normal” and our blood-pressure begins to rise.  Our internal organs become tight and hardened due to the lack of blood flowing smoothly through them.  In-turn this creates heat, toxins, impurities and inflammation in the body.  These will destroy tissue health, reduces immunity, weakens our bones and tightens our muscles. 

When our Organ Systems tighten, our heart muscle and arteries attempt to compensate for this resistance and they in turn ‘raise our blood pressure” by beating harder and tightening the arteries.  This type of hypertension starts out variable and can change from day to day, or in some cases, hour to hour.  Over time this condition of increased blood-pressure becomes the new normal and we have ‘essential hypertension’ on a consistent basis.

The rule of thumb is that if there is hypertension in the body then there must be congestion in the organs.  The danger of this continual pattern is that our organs no longer digest our food which in turn creates imbalances in our nutrition.  Our muscles become tight and painful.  Our sleep patterns are disrupted which prevents our ‘repair’ functions which occur only during the deep sleep at night.  All in all, our energy levels drop which affects our ability to fight off disease and illness. We end up weaker, sicker, tired, and depressed. 

Acupuncture can help the body recover from this situation by rebalancing the Nerve, Organ, Muscle and Vascular systems.  By rebalancing these systems the hypertension can be lowered and overtime maintained in healthier ways.  By releasing the trapped energies in the organs and muscles and relaxing the taunt nerve systems, acupuncture can promote healing, wellness, physical and emotional balance, as well as breaking the vicious cycle of ‘essential hypertension’. 

The Art & Science of Cupping

As anyone who has worked with me knows, I am always saying that “stagnation causes pain” in the body and when there is pain in the body there “must be stagnation”.  During any treatment, when we are able to move the static or stagnated blood and lymph located in deeper areas of the body, we are able to relieve pain and promote a greater healing.

One of the best forms of treatment for removing pain and stagnation in the body is known as “Cupping”.  Cupping works by manually pulling toxins and trapped cellular waste from areas of the body by using suction created from cups placed on the body.  By pulling these toxins out of the deeper and often trapped area into the levels higher up towards the skin where the superficial blood supply can remove it from the body, the body is able to heal.   This suction permits fresh clean blood and lymph to flow into the affected area to assist healing and stop pain.  Along with this new blood flow come oxygen and cellular nutrients which aid healing, promote energy levels, and lowers our “toxic loads”.   When we lower the level of toxins in our body we feel better, pain is eliminated, and our emotions and mood increase.

Anyone who is alive today is constantly affronted by toxins.  Some of these toxins are from the environment such as pesticides, cleaning products, plastics, antibiotics (especially from our meat industry) as well as cigarette smoke, pollutants and solvents.  Some of these toxins are from the waste products of our own body’s metabolism.  As the body breaks down proteins and sugars for food and fuel, various toxic chemicals are created such as ammonia.  Regardless of its source, all of these harsh chemicals are removed by the Liver either through the Kidneys as urine or the Liver and Intestines as our feces.  

Our Livers must remain clear in order to handle the constant load of toxins that course through it. When the Liver cannot handle this flow due to overload or weakening functions, it sends the toxins back out into the body to be deposited.  The body places most of these toxins in areas found at the base of the neck, below the ear, below the scapula, in the lower back especially at the lower buttocks area.  These are all the major lymphatic drainage areas.  When these toxic levels become too great, they affect the function of the surrounding tissues contributing to such well known diseases as:  chronic neck pain, headaches, TMJ, shoulder pain, lower back pain, sciatic pain and restless leg, among many others including cancers.  Additionally, any place where there has been prior damage in the body these toxins will accumulate.  Areas where there have been sprains, fractures, surgeries, muscle spasms are all locations of limited blood flow and therefore prime locations for pain due to stagnation of toxins.

Cupping is one of the best treatments for eliminating these toxins from our bodies.  And along with Acupuncture and Herbal therapy, Cupping helps us clear our toxic loads, reduce pain and inflammation, promote healing, boost our immune system, and feel better.  And, after all, isn’t that what healing is all about?

If you are interested in receiving a Cupping treatment, or wish to obtain more information visit my web site at www.Qigate.com.

The Recovery of Wellness, or the Real Healing Process

One of the most important steps in undergoing any healing modality is having an understanding of the healing process.  As we begin our treatments for any illness or symptom, we come face to face with the healing process.  

Western medicine has provided us with a mostly short-sighted approach when it comes to healing.  This approach has taught us that healing is something that is experienced quickly and immediately.  Since western medicine tends to look at health care as simply the cessation of symptoms, it has taught us that healing is only the removal of symptoms or the condition that caused us to seek medical care in the first place.  In the western approach the headache is cured if the headache is no longer felt by us.  But too often this approach leads us to a cyclic occurrence of symptoms.  We take our medication and our symptoms disappear and, more often than not, we need to take more medicine in order to maintain this removal of symptoms.  This does not lead to a healing of our medical condition.  Instead, it leads us to a continual requirement to medicate our illness forever.

In holistic medicine such as Acupuncture, the approach to healing is quite different.  True Healing is the end of illness and the recovery of Wellness.  This process is often complicated and requires many steps through to its completion.  One of the most important things to remember as we undergo any healing modality is that there are times when the sensation of healing seems to become less and less.  In the beginning of treatments many people experience quick and amazing results. As their treatments continue these results seem to taper, or level off.  Many people begin to become discouraged during these times often mistaking this leveling-off as the end of any healing benefits they can expect to receive from the treatment.  Actually, what is happening during these times is that the body is rebuilding and recovering at a deep level.  This time of deeper healing is the most important time in any healing process because it is precisely during these times of “leveling off” that the recovery from our illness is taking place.  When this deeper healing is completed we are able to take the next step in our recovery.  We can take the next step towards Wellness.

When this next step is taken, sometimes we experience new symptoms or illness.  An example of this would be a newly discovered muscle tightness or pain once a joint or tendon pain is resolved.  This expression of new symptoms is often a deeper illness which was hidden or masked by the original discomfort.  The body was unable to deal with it directly, either because there was not enough healing energy, or the illness was trapped within the body.  As we recover our wellness, the body has more and more energy to direct towards other issues and traumas that have been lurking within the body.  The healing process becomes more like the peeling away of the proverbial onion layers than the simple “relief of symptoms”, as suggested by the western medical model.  

What is important to remember is that true healing is often a journey which begins to unravel the layers of trauma and illness that our bodies have experienced over the many years of our life.  Once we achieve our recovery of wellness, we can live our lives without our illness or our medications.  What we must remember is that this process of healing requires personal patience and a great deal of self-support as we peel back our layers and step into our wellness.

Some Winter Tips for Staying Healthy

Here are some easy tips for staying healthy this cold and flu season.  Keep these Herbal Formulas in mind as the weather starts to turn cold and nasty.

Jade Screen Formula: (Astragalus, Atractylodes, Siler Root) – excellent herbal formula for protecting the immune system before you get a cold.  Helps keep the evil cold winds away like having a “jade screen” protecting you.

Yin Qiao San: (Forsythia & Honeysuckle Formula) – very good herbal formula for influenza and common colds that start with a sore throat and develop into a feverish chill.  Take it while you have the symptoms of influenza or fever.

Scratchy Throat – if you feel like you are starting to get a cold with a scratchy throat, try gargling with diluted apple cider vinegar (one TBS to one Cup of warm water)   This remedy can stop a head cold or sore throat in its tracks.

Triphala:  Keep you digestion and bowels working.  If the body can eliminate toxins and bacteria, you stand a better chance of not ‘getting sick.”  Take one tablet before bedtime.

Keep your energy up with good food.  It is best to eat Seasonal, Organic, Unprocessed, & Local foods to keep you system running well.  Lower pesticides in your diet help to clear your liver.

Watch the Stress Levels:  Stress is the one of the great destroyers of our immune system.  Many studies have shown that stress and chronic worry can permit illness to take hold in your system. Get some body work or acupuncture to alleviate tension and stress from your body and mind.

Ginger Tea can help with settling a upset stomach as well as warm you up from the cold.  Try putting a little Lemon or Orange in with a slice of Ginger Root to make a wonderful cup of warmth.

Acupuncture:  As you all know, acupuncture can assist the body and mind in fortifying against illness and disease.  Have an acupuncture session to support all your other efforts to stay well this season.

If you do get sick remember the old adage is:  “feed a cold and starve a fever”.  You don’t want to give a fever any more energy, but a Head Cold needs energy to warm the body back up.

**Always check with your herbalist before taking any herbal formula, just to be on the safe side.**

Why I always work on my client's Liver Qi.

Here is an interesting article in the New York Times about a woman's ordeal with her Liver and how important it is for our survival.  Quite compelling!







Here is the Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/health/views/19case.html?ref=health