In the ancient Chinese texts that both the Chinese and Japanese use as the basis for acupuncture, there is the directive to needle until qi is felt. Interestingly, there is no pronoun as to who is to feel the qi: the practitioner or the patient.
The Chinese have interpreted this text to have the patient feel the qi, and is why the practitioner may manipulate the needle asking the patient to let her or him know when a sensation is felt: a pulling, heaviness, tingling, ache, whatever the sensation may be (qi is felt differently at different points, and differently by different people.) The Japanese have interpreted so that the practitioner feels the qi, which has led to different styles of technique.
In general, Japanese needles tend to be inserted much more shallowly and the patient may not feel them at all. The practitioners develop strong sensitivities in their fingertips, feeling for subtle energy. In fact, a tradition of blind acupuncturists has grown in Japan, where their fingers are so sensitive they often don't even insert the needles into the skin to feel the qi, and changes in the body's energy. An entire style of Japanese acupuncture, Toyahari, has grown from this style.
We are able to see is that as long as the acupuncture point is stimulated with intention, change can be affected in the body. Inserting needles may not be necessary to affect this change. In fact, moxibustion, or burning an herb over specific points, is also enough to cause desired effects in the body.
Laser acupuncture, or stimulating points with lasers, has also proven to be a successful way to affect change and treat disease and conditions. In Germany, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed that laser acupuncture was extremely effective in treating children with headaches and migraines. There have been many other studies, too, exploring the use of laser acupuncture on children and adults with all sorts of conditions, including carpal tunnel disease, paralysis after stroke, pain relief and headaches. Laser acupuncture is also useful and effective for treating pets, especially animals like birds and cats, who will not stay still for needles (dogs usually love the needles, and relax right away.)
After taking a pet acupuncture class, we bought a laser used for these acupuncture treatments, and we use it at the Birch Center today. We use it mostly for young children who are afraid to have needles. Severe fear of needles can be counter-productive to treatments, if fear is strong enough it can cause qi to become scattered. We have also used it on adult clients who are afraid of needles (though every single one of those people have gotten over their needle-phobia once they saw the needles and have gone on to needle treatments), people with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia where needles seemed too fatiguing.
Laser treatments take less time than regular acupuncture treatments., The points are stimulated but obviously no needles are left in while the client relaxes on the table, which is common for regular treatments. After the intake, pulse and tongue examination, the acupuncture points are stimulated with the laser (which the patient does not feel at all), Depending on the reason for the treatment and client, adjunct treatments such as moxa or cupping may be employed just as in a regular acupuncture treatment.
Stay healthy,
~ Melissa and Dave
Read these articles by Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac. in Natural News for more information:
Showing posts with label Treatment Tuesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Treatment Tuesday. Show all posts
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Traditional Chinese Medicine Eases People Into Spring Without Allergies
by Birch Center Acupuncturist Melissa Sokulski
Spring is full of warmer weather, beautiful flowers and more time outdoors. Many of us enjoy these signs of spring but some find them intolerable due to seasonal allergies. Prescription and over-the-counter medications are widely available but do nothing to help overall health and come with a host of side effects. Natural remedies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine can clear symptoms of allergies and bring the body to balance thus allowing for a higher state of health and well-being.
People with seasonal allergies react to the pollen of flowers in trees, grasses and weeds with symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue. Medications are widely available, even over the counter, yet come with their own host of side effects including being temporary loss of smell and taste. Other side effects include headache, fatigue, wheezing and abdominal pain. Medications do nothing to improve health and prevent further allergies.
Allergies are a sign of an imbalance in the immune system. Balancing and strengthening the body can decrease or even rid oneself of seasonal allergies altogether. Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture and herbal remedies, does just this. Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine is two-fold: clearing the symptoms and balancing the meridians, thus improving overall health.
Acupuncture is excellent in treating the symptoms of allergies. Many allergy symptoms are located in the head (stuffiness, headache, itchy eyes) which reveals to the acupuncturist that the energy is not flowing smoothly from the head into the rest of the body, and vice versa. All the yang meridians flow from the hands up to the head and from the head down to the feet. Using needles on the head and neck opens the yang channels and allows the energy to flow. The use of traditional herbal formulas such as Bi Yan Pian (which we carry at the Birch Center) opens the sinuses and clears the head and eyes allowing for symptom relief.
Acupuncture also helps balance the body which improves overall health. This is done by taking a complete intake and assessment of every client who comes for treatment. At the Birch Center we treat very specifically and individually, making sure the underlying cause of allergies (or any other symptom) is cleared. When the body is in balance, symptoms disappear and health is restored. Along with needles herbal formulas may be given which are specific to each person to restore balance and health.
While allergies can put a damper on enjoying the best the season holds, there is natural relief for allergy sufferers. The relief need not be temporary: when the body is brought to a higher level of health renewed energy, flexibility and joy of living is restored.
For more information or to schedule and appointment, you can call us at (412) 381-0116 or email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Thanks!
In health,
~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!
*****
More of Melissa's Natural News Articles Here
Spring is full of warmer weather, beautiful flowers and more time outdoors. Many of us enjoy these signs of spring but some find them intolerable due to seasonal allergies. Prescription and over-the-counter medications are widely available but do nothing to help overall health and come with a host of side effects. Natural remedies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine can clear symptoms of allergies and bring the body to balance thus allowing for a higher state of health and well-being.
People with seasonal allergies react to the pollen of flowers in trees, grasses and weeds with symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue. Medications are widely available, even over the counter, yet come with their own host of side effects including being temporary loss of smell and taste. Other side effects include headache, fatigue, wheezing and abdominal pain. Medications do nothing to improve health and prevent further allergies.
Allergies are a sign of an imbalance in the immune system. Balancing and strengthening the body can decrease or even rid oneself of seasonal allergies altogether. Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture and herbal remedies, does just this. Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine is two-fold: clearing the symptoms and balancing the meridians, thus improving overall health.
Acupuncture is excellent in treating the symptoms of allergies. Many allergy symptoms are located in the head (stuffiness, headache, itchy eyes) which reveals to the acupuncturist that the energy is not flowing smoothly from the head into the rest of the body, and vice versa. All the yang meridians flow from the hands up to the head and from the head down to the feet. Using needles on the head and neck opens the yang channels and allows the energy to flow. The use of traditional herbal formulas such as Bi Yan Pian (which we carry at the Birch Center) opens the sinuses and clears the head and eyes allowing for symptom relief.
Acupuncture also helps balance the body which improves overall health. This is done by taking a complete intake and assessment of every client who comes for treatment. At the Birch Center we treat very specifically and individually, making sure the underlying cause of allergies (or any other symptom) is cleared. When the body is in balance, symptoms disappear and health is restored. Along with needles herbal formulas may be given which are specific to each person to restore balance and health.
While allergies can put a damper on enjoying the best the season holds, there is natural relief for allergy sufferers. The relief need not be temporary: when the body is brought to a higher level of health renewed energy, flexibility and joy of living is restored.
For more information or to schedule and appointment, you can call us at (412) 381-0116 or email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Thanks!
In health,
~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!
*****
More of Melissa's Natural News Articles Here
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sinus Issues Respond Powerfully to Traditional Chinese Medicine
by Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac. of the Birch Center
Sinus issues and infections are a problem for many people. As the nose becomes congested from cold weather, allergies, a cold or the flu, infection and inflammation often occurs. Acupuncture points, herbs, and lifestyle suggestions can keep the sinuses clear and infection-free.
Sinus issues may be acute or chronic, and are typically considered viral infections which last ten days. Many people suffering from chronic sinus infections go for months with headaches, teeth and jaw pain, low energy, and nasal congestion, among other symptoms.
Acupuncture often offers relief. Using a combination of local and distal points acupuncture can clear the sinuses and boost the immune system making it less likely for sinus infection to return. Points on the arms and legs such as Large Intestine 4 (hand), Large Intestine 11 (outside elbow crease), Lung 7 (wrist), and Stomach 36 (leg, below the knee) can open the meridians which run through the sinuses as well as boost the immune system. Local points on the face such as Large Intestine 20 (side of the nose), Stomach 2 (on the cheek bone under the eye), and GV 23 (start of the hairline) help to physically clear the sinuses.
Bi Yang Pian is an ancient Chinese herbal formula which is available at the Birch Center. It clears the sinuses and relieves headaches and other symptoms such as red itchy eyes, sore throat and sneezing which can be related to sinus issues. Bi Yan Pian contains herbs such as magnolia flower, forsythia flower and chrysanthemum flower which are said to clear heat from the sinuses and help clear infection.
Using a neti pot to clear the sinuses with salt water can also clear the sinuses, improve overall health and increase energy. Using one cup of body-temperature water and mixed with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sea salt, pour gently into one nostril and have it flow through the sinuses and out the other nostril. This can be done throughout the day until the sinuses are clear, and then repeated once or twice a day to keep healthy, especially if prone to sinus issues.
If you have more questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call the Birch Center at (412) 381-0116.
In health,
~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!
Sinus issues and infections are a problem for many people. As the nose becomes congested from cold weather, allergies, a cold or the flu, infection and inflammation often occurs. Acupuncture points, herbs, and lifestyle suggestions can keep the sinuses clear and infection-free.
Sinus issues may be acute or chronic, and are typically considered viral infections which last ten days. Many people suffering from chronic sinus infections go for months with headaches, teeth and jaw pain, low energy, and nasal congestion, among other symptoms.
Acupuncture often offers relief. Using a combination of local and distal points acupuncture can clear the sinuses and boost the immune system making it less likely for sinus infection to return. Points on the arms and legs such as Large Intestine 4 (hand), Large Intestine 11 (outside elbow crease), Lung 7 (wrist), and Stomach 36 (leg, below the knee) can open the meridians which run through the sinuses as well as boost the immune system. Local points on the face such as Large Intestine 20 (side of the nose), Stomach 2 (on the cheek bone under the eye), and GV 23 (start of the hairline) help to physically clear the sinuses.
Bi Yang Pian is an ancient Chinese herbal formula which is available at the Birch Center. It clears the sinuses and relieves headaches and other symptoms such as red itchy eyes, sore throat and sneezing which can be related to sinus issues. Bi Yan Pian contains herbs such as magnolia flower, forsythia flower and chrysanthemum flower which are said to clear heat from the sinuses and help clear infection.
Using a neti pot to clear the sinuses with salt water can also clear the sinuses, improve overall health and increase energy. Using one cup of body-temperature water and mixed with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sea salt, pour gently into one nostril and have it flow through the sinuses and out the other nostril. This can be done throughout the day until the sinuses are clear, and then repeated once or twice a day to keep healthy, especially if prone to sinus issues.
If you have more questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call the Birch Center at (412) 381-0116.
In health,
~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Keep Your Heart Healthy and Strong with Traditional Chinese Medicine
At the Birch Center for Health, we offer Traditional Chinese Medicine to keep the Heart healthy and strong, even when a person does not have typical symptoms of heart disease.
Heart health is fundamental to whole body health. Many people have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure. The standard American diet contributes to high rates of heart disease in this country. Some people have symptoms correlating to heart conditions: heart palpitations, heart pain, shortness of breath, fatigue after light exertion. Hypothyroid conditions can also put us at risk for heart disease.
Yet many people do not know if they have heart weakness. With Chinese Medicine, one does not need to already have symptoms of heart disease for heart weakness to be detected and corrected.
Historically physicians in China were paid to keep people well; when someone became sick it meant the physician did not do their job.
At The Birch Center, we consider all symptoms: sometimes even insomnia or anxiety can be indicative of a weakness of heart energy. They also look at the tongue (the heart reflects at the tip, and the color of the tongue indicates the state of the blood in the body), and feel the pulse: the first position on the left side reflects heart energy. When a weakness is felt in any meridian, needles are placed to help the body balance the energy and correct the weakness.
There are also powerful Chinese herbal formulas which can help the energy and blood of the heart meridian and whole body. We carry these formulas at The Birch Center, and can help choose the correct formula:
Other remedies can also help the heart. Hawthorne Tea and CoQ10 are two important supplements to take. We often purchase supplements such as these at www.iherb.com. With coupon code MEL526 you will receive $5 off your first order.
Leafy green vegetables also play an important role in heart health. Chlorophyll, found in dark green leafy vegetables (the pigment which gives plants their green color), is excellent to build our blood.
The molecule of chlorophyll is almost identical to a molecule of hemoglobin, except instead of iron at its center, chlorophyll has Magnesium, which is highly beneficial to the heart.
Swiss chard, collard greens, and kale are high in chlorophyll, as are wild edibles such as dandelion greens and lambs quarters. As winter approaches, we also like to use green powders, such as Vitamineral Green, an amazing raw food powder by Healthforce Nutritionals which we are pleased to now carry at The Birch Center for Health.
Ways to get greens more greens into your diet include:
Recipe for Green Juice:
Feed the following vegetables and fruits through a juicer for a delicious, green, heart-healthy juice:
We hope you enjoy the information we provide on our blog and newsletters. If you have other questions, especially specific questions about your own condition or health, or would like an appointment, please contact us online or by calling (412) 381-0116.
Thanks again,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!
Heart health is fundamental to whole body health. Many people have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure. The standard American diet contributes to high rates of heart disease in this country. Some people have symptoms correlating to heart conditions: heart palpitations, heart pain, shortness of breath, fatigue after light exertion. Hypothyroid conditions can also put us at risk for heart disease.
Yet many people do not know if they have heart weakness. With Chinese Medicine, one does not need to already have symptoms of heart disease for heart weakness to be detected and corrected.
Historically physicians in China were paid to keep people well; when someone became sick it meant the physician did not do their job.
At The Birch Center, we consider all symptoms: sometimes even insomnia or anxiety can be indicative of a weakness of heart energy. They also look at the tongue (the heart reflects at the tip, and the color of the tongue indicates the state of the blood in the body), and feel the pulse: the first position on the left side reflects heart energy. When a weakness is felt in any meridian, needles are placed to help the body balance the energy and correct the weakness.
There are also powerful Chinese herbal formulas which can help the energy and blood of the heart meridian and whole body. We carry these formulas at The Birch Center, and can help choose the correct formula:
- Si Wu Wan: to boost the body's blood
- Ba Zhen Tang: to help the whole body's qi(energy) and blood
- Gui Pi Tang, when the energy and blood of the Heart and Spleen are effected
- An Mian Tang: when the Heart weakness shows up as insomnia
Other remedies can also help the heart. Hawthorne Tea and CoQ10 are two important supplements to take. We often purchase supplements such as these at www.iherb.com. With coupon code MEL526 you will receive $5 off your first order.
Leafy green vegetables also play an important role in heart health. Chlorophyll, found in dark green leafy vegetables (the pigment which gives plants their green color), is excellent to build our blood.
The molecule of chlorophyll is almost identical to a molecule of hemoglobin, except instead of iron at its center, chlorophyll has Magnesium, which is highly beneficial to the heart.
Swiss chard, collard greens, and kale are high in chlorophyll, as are wild edibles such as dandelion greens and lambs quarters. As winter approaches, we also like to use green powders, such as Vitamineral Green, an amazing raw food powder by Healthforce Nutritionals which we are pleased to now carry at The Birch Center for Health.
Ways to get greens more greens into your diet include:
- Salads
- Green Smoothies
- Green Juices
- Blended Salads or Energy Soups
Recipe for Green Juice:
Feed the following vegetables and fruits through a juicer for a delicious, green, heart-healthy juice:
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 small cucumber
- 1 handful parsley
- 1 large apple
- 1/4 organic lemon, with peel
We hope you enjoy the information we provide on our blog and newsletters. If you have other questions, especially specific questions about your own condition or health, or would like an appointment, please contact us online or by calling (412) 381-0116.
Thanks again,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Swine Flu and Traditional Chinese Medicine: Part 2: Recovery
Welcome to Part 2 of our 4-part series on Swine Flu. Yesterday we discussed ways to prevent the flu and keep our immune system strong and healthy. Today, we are going to discuss what to do if you happen to find yourself with the flu.
Symptoms of flu include sore throat, fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, and digestive upset. In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, these are symptoms of an "external pathogen invading the body." The symptoms you feel are signs of your body fighting to expel it.
Steps you can take to help yourself get better, faster include:.
Recipe for Miso Soup
Soup is always comforting when we are sick. Miso soup is beneficial on many levels, including the addition of unpasteurized miso (can be picked up at Health Food Stores), which contain live cultures full of beneficial bacteria which help strengthen our body's immune systems. It's important not to boil the miso, as this will kill the bacteria.
In addition to the miso:
Directions:
Heat 4 cups of water in a pot to just above body temperature: from 105 to 115 degrees. It should feel hot to you, but you should not burn your finger when testing the water.
To this heated water, add:
In a bowl, take a heaping Tbsp of miso and mix with some of the warmed water until it's a thin paste, then add it into the pot of soup. Taste and season with dried ginger and sea salt, if necessary.
Enjoy.
Tune in tomorrow when we discuss in more detail the herbal remedies and supplements that can help you prevent and recover from colds and the flu.
If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, please call The Birch Center at (412) 381-0116, or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Symptoms of flu include sore throat, fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, and digestive upset. In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, these are symptoms of an "external pathogen invading the body." The symptoms you feel are signs of your body fighting to expel it.
Steps you can take to help yourself get better, faster include:.
- Rest, but allow yourself fresh air, consider opening windows to air out a room
- Miso soup with ginger, garlic, onions/scallions (recipe below)
- Acupuncture: to help the body release the external invasion.
There are excellent points such as TW 5 (on the forearm) and LI 4 (on the hand) which can help the body expel the pathogen. We also typically include points such as Sp 6 and St 36 (both on the legs), which strengthen the immune system and settle digestion. At the Birch Center we also include local points and manual treatments such as moxabustion (heating of an herb on or above the skin or on acupuncture needles), cupping, gwa sha and massage to help your body expel the pathogen, symptoms diminish and energy increase.
To schedule an acupuncture appointment, or come in for a free 20-minute consultation (with no obligation) please call (412)381-0116, or email BirchCenter@gmail.com. - Chinese Herbal Formulas such as Yin Qiao and Gan Mao Ling (both available at the Birch Center).
Yin Qiao is often taken at first signs of the flu, especially when a sore throat is present, and Gan Mao can be taken if the flu has settled in, causing cough, stuffiness, and eye symptoms. We can help you choose depending on symptoms and how long you've had the flu.
Recipe for Miso Soup
Soup is always comforting when we are sick. Miso soup is beneficial on many levels, including the addition of unpasteurized miso (can be picked up at Health Food Stores), which contain live cultures full of beneficial bacteria which help strengthen our body's immune systems. It's important not to boil the miso, as this will kill the bacteria.
In addition to the miso:
- sea vegetables such as wakame (purchased at Asian food stores or natural food stores) are also extremely strengthening to the system
- onions, garlic and ginger all help expel external pathogens
Directions:
Heat 4 cups of water in a pot to just above body temperature: from 105 to 115 degrees. It should feel hot to you, but you should not burn your finger when testing the water.
To this heated water, add:
- 3 Tbsp chopped scallions
- 1 clove crushed or chopped garlic
- 2 tsp dried wakame seaweed (if not already in small pieces, cut the dried seaweed into tiny pieces with a scissors before adding it to the water. It will expand greatly and soften once it's in the water)
In a bowl, take a heaping Tbsp of miso and mix with some of the warmed water until it's a thin paste, then add it into the pot of soup. Taste and season with dried ginger and sea salt, if necessary.
Enjoy.
Tune in tomorrow when we discuss in more detail the herbal remedies and supplements that can help you prevent and recover from colds and the flu.
If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, please call The Birch Center at (412) 381-0116, or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Thank you!
~ Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Swine Flu (H1N1) and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Part 1: Prevention
There is a lot of fear of Swine flu (H1N1) this season, I thought I'd take a moment to give our take on Swine Flu, flu in general, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
This post got very long, so we decided to do it as a series this week, and break it into parts.
Today will be:
Part 1: Prevention: Keeping the body's immunity strong
The rest of the week you will see:
Part 2: Recovery and Swine Flu: What to do if You Get the Flu
Part 3: Chinese Herbal Medicine and Swine Flu: A Review of Some of the Best Herbal Formulas and Supplements to Keep you Healthy and Strong
Part 4: Fermented Vegetables: The Way to Health
We hope you enjoy this series. If there is anything specific you'd like to see addressed, either about Swine Flu or any other condition, please comment below or send an email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Part 1: Prevention
Much of the hype and fear around this flu has thankfully settled down, as it turns out this flu does not seem to be any more deadly than any other flu. If you are in good health, your chances of coming down with the flu are decreased, and your rate of recovery is faster.
Please do not feel the need to rush out and get the vaccine. This vaccine contains mercury in the form of thimerisol (preservative), and has not been widely tested. For more information with a cautionary view of vaccines, please check out 9 Reasons not to Give Your Child Get the H1N1 Vaccine by Dr. Mercola, and at the end of this post is an interview with an MD (on Fox news) cautioning against this vaccine.
In Chinese Medicine, flu and colds are considered an invasion of the body of external pathogens, usually cold or heat. Cold often turns to heat in the body, and we have signs of sore throat, fatigue, achiness, cough, and stuffiness.
When our body's Qi (Energy) - especially Wei Qi (Immune Energy) is strong, we are able to fight off these invasions. The energy pathways responsible for keeping the Qi strong are the Digestive energy and Lung Energy (which controls the Wei Qi.)
To keep our Qi strong and prevent the flu and common cold:
Additional Ways Keep Digestion Strong, which will in turn keep the whole body's Qi, including Immunity, strong:
Please check back on Thursday for Part 2: Recovery: What to do if you find yourself sick with the flu this season.
Here is the video of an MD explaining why he would NOT give his own children the H1N1 vaccine:
If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, we would love to hear from you. Please give us a call at (412) 381-0116 or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.
To purchase any of the formulas mentioned, please call our office at (412) 381-0116. You may stop by Monday through Thursday, but please let us know first, that way we can make sure someone is there to help you.
Thanks so much!
~ Melissa and David Sokulski
Acupuncturists
Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
This post got very long, so we decided to do it as a series this week, and break it into parts.
Today will be:
Part 1: Prevention: Keeping the body's immunity strong
The rest of the week you will see:
Part 2: Recovery and Swine Flu: What to do if You Get the Flu
Part 3: Chinese Herbal Medicine and Swine Flu: A Review of Some of the Best Herbal Formulas and Supplements to Keep you Healthy and Strong
Part 4: Fermented Vegetables: The Way to Health
We hope you enjoy this series. If there is anything specific you'd like to see addressed, either about Swine Flu or any other condition, please comment below or send an email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Part 1: Prevention
Much of the hype and fear around this flu has thankfully settled down, as it turns out this flu does not seem to be any more deadly than any other flu. If you are in good health, your chances of coming down with the flu are decreased, and your rate of recovery is faster.
Please do not feel the need to rush out and get the vaccine. This vaccine contains mercury in the form of thimerisol (preservative), and has not been widely tested. For more information with a cautionary view of vaccines, please check out 9 Reasons not to Give Your Child Get the H1N1 Vaccine by Dr. Mercola, and at the end of this post is an interview with an MD (on Fox news) cautioning against this vaccine.
In Chinese Medicine, flu and colds are considered an invasion of the body of external pathogens, usually cold or heat. Cold often turns to heat in the body, and we have signs of sore throat, fatigue, achiness, cough, and stuffiness.
When our body's Qi (Energy) - especially Wei Qi (Immune Energy) is strong, we are able to fight off these invasions. The energy pathways responsible for keeping the Qi strong are the Digestive energy and Lung Energy (which controls the Wei Qi.)
To keep our Qi strong and prevent the flu and common cold:
- Eat a Healthy Diet, full of fresh raw fruits and vegetables
- Cut out sugar, especially white and brown sugar, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. These lower our immunity
- Wash your hands frequently with regular soap and water (here is why we do not recommend anti-bacterial soap)
- Get outside in the fresh air. Take walks and expose yourself to sunshine (Vitamin D).
- Acupuncture - Acupuncture is fantastic to strengthen the entire body, balance energy, and strengthen the Qi and Wei Qi. Even if someone does not have other symptoms, they can still use acupuncture to help boost their immunity. Also, when someone is coming in for other symptoms, the balancing of the body done during acupuncture will impart an increase in immunity, even if that is not what we are working on specifically during the treatment.
To schedule an acupuncture appointment, or come in for a free 20-minute consultation (with no obligation) please call (412)381-0116, or email BirchCenter@gmail.com. - Herbal Medicine and Supplements to keep immune system strong. We carry quite a few Chinese herb formulas at the Birch Center to strengthen immunity and keep one strong, including:
- Immune Renew, which contains the Chinese herb astragalus and medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi and Maitaki
- Four Gentleman - a classic herb formula to keep the Qi strong
- Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, a combination of ginseng and astragalus, used in specific cases to strengthen the body's Qi
- Immune Renew, which contains the Chinese herb astragalus and medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi and Maitaki
Additional Ways Keep Digestion Strong, which will in turn keep the whole body's Qi, including Immunity, strong:
- Fresh Raw Foods, which are full of natural enzymes
- If trouble digesting foods, can take enzymes with food
- Bao He Wan is an excellent Chinese herbal formula to help with digestion, especially if there is a feeling of fullness, bloating, gas and slow digestion after eating (we also carry this at the Birch Center.)
- Fermented Vegetables
- Probiotics: supplements, yogurts, kefir, fermented/cultured veggies, miso
- Acupuncture to Strenghten Digestion: Control Points such as Spleen 6 and Stomach 36 keep the digestion strong and flowing
Please check back on Thursday for Part 2: Recovery: What to do if you find yourself sick with the flu this season.
Here is the video of an MD explaining why he would NOT give his own children the H1N1 vaccine:
If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, we would love to hear from you. Please give us a call at (412) 381-0116 or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.
To purchase any of the formulas mentioned, please call our office at (412) 381-0116. You may stop by Monday through Thursday, but please let us know first, that way we can make sure someone is there to help you.
Thanks so much!
~ Melissa and David Sokulski
Acupuncturists
Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Acupuncture Effectively Treats Insomnia
Acupuncture treats the person, not the disease, therefore there is really no limit to what acupuncture can treat. Acupuncture helps balance the body's energy, strengthening weak areas and moving energy where it's stuck.
That being said, there is a large and growing list of conditions which acupuncture has been proven to help, as published by the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health.
In this series of articles, we'll be addressing these conditions and more, explaining how acupuncture and Chinese medicine, including massage, herbs and lifestyle adjustments, can bring balance and relief safely and effectively.
If you'd like us to address a specific condition, you are welcome to comment below or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.. You are also welcome to take advantage of our 20 minute free health consultation, with no obligation, with Birch Center Acupuncturist David Sokulski. Call today to schedule that appointment: (412) 381-0116.
Insomnia is a common condition we see at The Birch Center. Sometimes people come in with insomnia as the main complaint, other times it is revealed that they have insomnia (or difficulty falling or staying asleep) during the in-depth questioning we do as part of the intake.
The burning of the herb mugwort on the heel of a person who has difficulty falling asleep.
Insomnia can have many causes; figuring out the cause is an important part of diagnosis and treatment. For instance, pain can cause insomnia because the person is not able to get into a comfortable position for sleeping and the pain wakes them up. In that case we treat the pain (pain management with acupuncture often has excellent results.)
Eating late at night is also a common cause of insomnia. When people stop eating after 7 pm, sleep often comes much more easily and is more peaceful.
Other causes we see are yin deficiency, and imbalance of yin and yang, spleen deficiency and stagnant liver qi.
At the Birch Center for Health, we take a detailed history which includes questioning, pulse and tongue diagnosis, which gives us a more complete picture of that person as a whole. So even if it is determined that two different clients have insomnia as a result of over-thinking/spleen deficiency, their treatments may still be different, depending on each person's constitution (strength and type of overall body and health), and other factors.
This is what makes acupuncture so individualized and effective: there is no one prescription for a condition. Each time you come in, you are re-evaluated, and each treatment is selected specifically for you. This is also why it is so common to see all sorts of symptoms clear up - not just the one someone has come in to treat. We are never just working on a symptom alone; in every treatment, the whole person is being addressed and treated.
We hope you enjoy this series! If there are other conditions you'd like to see addressed, please to comment or email us BirchCenter@gmail.com.
If you'd like to come in, please call (412) 381-0116 to schedule an appointment. If you just want to ask us questions about your condition, you can call or schedule a 20 minute free consultation, which is a more in depth personalized way to really address your issues.
Thanks so much!
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!
That being said, there is a large and growing list of conditions which acupuncture has been proven to help, as published by the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health.
In this series of articles, we'll be addressing these conditions and more, explaining how acupuncture and Chinese medicine, including massage, herbs and lifestyle adjustments, can bring balance and relief safely and effectively.
If you'd like us to address a specific condition, you are welcome to comment below or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.. You are also welcome to take advantage of our 20 minute free health consultation, with no obligation, with Birch Center Acupuncturist David Sokulski. Call today to schedule that appointment: (412) 381-0116.
Acupuncture and Insomnia
Insomnia is a common condition we see at The Birch Center. Sometimes people come in with insomnia as the main complaint, other times it is revealed that they have insomnia (or difficulty falling or staying asleep) during the in-depth questioning we do as part of the intake.
The burning of the herb mugwort on the heel of a person who has difficulty falling asleep.Insomnia can have many causes; figuring out the cause is an important part of diagnosis and treatment. For instance, pain can cause insomnia because the person is not able to get into a comfortable position for sleeping and the pain wakes them up. In that case we treat the pain (pain management with acupuncture often has excellent results.)
Eating late at night is also a common cause of insomnia. When people stop eating after 7 pm, sleep often comes much more easily and is more peaceful.
Other causes we see are yin deficiency, and imbalance of yin and yang, spleen deficiency and stagnant liver qi.
At the Birch Center for Health, we take a detailed history which includes questioning, pulse and tongue diagnosis, which gives us a more complete picture of that person as a whole. So even if it is determined that two different clients have insomnia as a result of over-thinking/spleen deficiency, their treatments may still be different, depending on each person's constitution (strength and type of overall body and health), and other factors.
This is what makes acupuncture so individualized and effective: there is no one prescription for a condition. Each time you come in, you are re-evaluated, and each treatment is selected specifically for you. This is also why it is so common to see all sorts of symptoms clear up - not just the one someone has come in to treat. We are never just working on a symptom alone; in every treatment, the whole person is being addressed and treated.
We hope you enjoy this series! If there are other conditions you'd like to see addressed, please to comment or email us BirchCenter@gmail.com.
If you'd like to come in, please call (412) 381-0116 to schedule an appointment. If you just want to ask us questions about your condition, you can call or schedule a 20 minute free consultation, which is a more in depth personalized way to really address your issues.
Thanks so much!
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Acupuncture Treats Depression, Anxiety
One of the most common questions we get these days is if/how acupuncture can treat depression and anxiety.Acupuncture is often very useful in both these conditions.
Health, in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) depends on the smooth flow of qi (energy) throughout the body. This is important for mental health as well as physical health. In fact, problems in the energy flow often show up first as difficulties in mental health, whether it is feeling stuck in a current situation, not being enthusiastic about life, to experiencing anxiety and clinical depression.
When someone comes in for an acupuncture treatment or consultation, we assess the energy flow in the entire body and see where the cause may be for any symptoms (physical, mental or emotional) they may be experiencing. Often even seemingly unrelated symptoms may have a similar root in Chinese medicine. We find where energy flow may be blocked, weak, or not flowing in the proper direction.
There are many ways to address these imbalances. Of course, acupuncture - placing small, sterile needles in specific points on the body designed to balance energy flow, is one safe effective method we use at The Birch Center.
We can also address the root of the problem with herbs. For example, if smooth flow of energy needs to be restored, we may prescribe a Chinese formula called Xiao Yao Wan. Other formulas, which calm the Heart and settle scattered qi, can often address anxiety and sleeplessness. Depending on each person's specific case, formulas can be given to strengthen digestion, or the overall yin or yang of the body.
We also may discuss lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, modifications of which can often be extremely helpful to a person's mental and physical well-being.
Finally, we can look at what is available around us. Blooming all around Pittsburgh right now is St. John's wort (pictured above), which is a traditional European herbal treatment for depression. St. John's Wort is used in Germany and other European countries much more often than the prescription medications we use in this country. St. John's wort can be taken as pill, tincture or tea, and is fun to gather yourself, once you learn to identify it.
So if you or someone you love is struggling with depression, anxiety, or other issues, please know that acupuncture can often be a great help.
You can call our office to speak with an acupuncturist directly (412) 381-0116, and can even schedule a free 20 minute consultation with David Sokulski, our head acupuncturist.
For more information about herbs and plants growing locally, please visit Food Under Foot.
Thanks so much!
In Health,
Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Ac
Birch Center for Health
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!
www.BirchCenter.com
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Treatment Tuesday: Acupuncturist David Sokulski
Many of you already know him, but I thought I'd take the time to introduce you to David Sokulski, acupuncturist at the Birch Center for Health.David grew up in Plum Boro, PA (near Monroeville), and earned a degree in Chemistry from Duquesne University. He worked as a chemist for a few years before taking a year off to teach English in Osan City, South Korea.
When he returned from Korea, he attended the New England School of Acupuncture, outside of Boston, MA, where David earned his masters degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
David returned to Pittsburgh in 2000 and opened The Birch Center for Health with wife (and acupuncturist) Melissa Sokulski. We have been in our current South Side location since 2005.
David sees the majority of patients at The Birch Center, working mainly Monday through Thursday, from 9 am until 9 pm.
Acupuncture is a treatment of the whole person, and David understands this well. He is a very observant practitioner, listening well to his clients, and treating the whole person. He has treated people with a vast array of conditions, from acute and chronic pain to digestive problems to infertility. (Please see our list of conditions that acupuncture has been proven successful for, from the World Health Organization.) He has treated professional actors, musicians and athletes as well as young children with autistic spectrum disorders.
In addition to Traditional Chinese style needling, David often uses adjunct therapies such as cupping, gua sha and moxibution when situations call for it (no extra charge for these treatments.) He will often also teach a parent, partner or friend to do these therapies (such as gua sha or moxa), helping people learn to help themselves and each other.
David also has extensive experience with herbal medicine and nutritional supplements, and when patients request, David is skilled at being able to tweak people's diets in even small ways that show dramatic results in people's health and well-being.
If you do have any questions for David or would like to schedule an appointment, he can be reached by phone at (412) 381-0116 or by email: BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Thanks so much!
Love to all,
Melissa Sokulski
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!
www.BirchCenter.com
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Treatment Tuesday: Acupuncture to treat Colds and Flus
Tonight I'm giving a talk at Gilda's Club called "Staying Healthy Through the Winter." It is based on an article I wrote by the same name that was published in our November, 2008 email newsletter. (If you don't get our monthly e-newsletter yet, you can sign up here.)
Also, if you haven't heard of Gilda's Club yet, but you or someone you love has or has had cancer, you can check them out on their website here.
One thing I mention in the article and talk is how helpful acupuncture can be, both in preventing becoming sick, but also to speed recovery if you do find yourself with a cold or flu.
According to Chinese Medicine, when we catch a cold or the flu, an external pathogen has entered the body, like a foreign invader entering a country. We must mount our own defense and try to push them back out. The symptoms we feel: aches, headache, stuffy nose, sore throat - are evidence of the battle going on.
Acupuncture treatment helps in two ways:
Instead of using the terms bacteria or virus, in Chinese Medicine we use the terms: Wind, Cold, and Heat. Usually Wind-cold enters the body, causing the classic cold and flu symptoms: headache, runny nose, aches, fatigue. If it turns to heat in the body, you will feel a sore throat and may have more of a fever as well. We use special herbal formulas depending on the symptoms: classically Yin Qiao for the Wind-Heat type, and Pe Min Gan Wan for the Wind Cold. If the symptoms linger in the sinuses or a sinus infection is present, we may also use Bi Yan Wan. These formulas are groups of many herbs which are specific to those symptoms.
At the Birch Center, during acupuncture we tend to use points such as:
We also frequently use a technique called sliding cups along the Bladder meridians of the back. This gentle treatment feels great, and also powerfully released Wind (Cold or Heat) that is trapped in the body, especially causing achiness and other symptoms.
Things you can do at home include:
All the above foods and spices are also considered herbs in Chinese medicine. They help release Wind and Cold from the body. They are also slightly warming, and the ginger cinnamon tea is great this time of year!
Ginger Cinnamon Tea
Fresh Ginger
Dried Cinnamon Sticks
*If you like a stronger tasting tea, add more ginger and/or cinnamon, or simmer longer.
For more information or to set up an appointment you can give us a call: (412) 381-0116.
Love to all,
~ Melissa and Dave
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!
www.BirchCenter.com
Also, if you haven't heard of Gilda's Club yet, but you or someone you love has or has had cancer, you can check them out on their website here.
One thing I mention in the article and talk is how helpful acupuncture can be, both in preventing becoming sick, but also to speed recovery if you do find yourself with a cold or flu.
According to Chinese Medicine, when we catch a cold or the flu, an external pathogen has entered the body, like a foreign invader entering a country. We must mount our own defense and try to push them back out. The symptoms we feel: aches, headache, stuffy nose, sore throat - are evidence of the battle going on.
Acupuncture treatment helps in two ways:
- It strengthens the body to help it mount the immune response
- It helps to release the pathogen.
Instead of using the terms bacteria or virus, in Chinese Medicine we use the terms: Wind, Cold, and Heat. Usually Wind-cold enters the body, causing the classic cold and flu symptoms: headache, runny nose, aches, fatigue. If it turns to heat in the body, you will feel a sore throat and may have more of a fever as well. We use special herbal formulas depending on the symptoms: classically Yin Qiao for the Wind-Heat type, and Pe Min Gan Wan for the Wind Cold. If the symptoms linger in the sinuses or a sinus infection is present, we may also use Bi Yan Wan. These formulas are groups of many herbs which are specific to those symptoms.
At the Birch Center, during acupuncture we tend to use points such as:
- Spleen 6 and Stomach 36 (on the lower legs) to support the energy, giving strength to the body to be able to fight the infection
- Large Intestine 4, (on the hand) especially if headache is present
- Triple Warmer 5 (on the forearm), to help release the pathogen, especially useful if there is fever alternating with chills
- Lung 7, (wrist) to stimulate the "Protective Qi" of the body, which is controlled by the Lungs
- Large Intestine 11 (forearm, near elbow crease) which is an immune point, according to Japanese Acupuncturist Kiiko Matsumodo
- We may use points on the head and face, especially if headache or sinus symptoms are present
- Gall Bladder 20 (where the back of the head meets the neck) to release the external pathogen
- Bladder 12 and 13: to clear sinuses, and stimulate the Lung energy
- Bladder 20: to help support the body's energy and digestion
We also frequently use a technique called sliding cups along the Bladder meridians of the back. This gentle treatment feels great, and also powerfully released Wind (Cold or Heat) that is trapped in the body, especially causing achiness and other symptoms.
Things you can do at home include:
- using plenty of garlic, onions and ginger
- making a tea by simmering pieces of fresh ginger and cinnamon sticks (you can add honey before drinking. Recipe below.)
All the above foods and spices are also considered herbs in Chinese medicine. They help release Wind and Cold from the body. They are also slightly warming, and the ginger cinnamon tea is great this time of year!
Ginger Cinnamon Tea
Fresh Ginger
Dried Cinnamon Sticks
- Cut 3-5 slices from the ginger and put in pot with 4 cups of water.
- Add a cinnamon stick and bring to boil.
- Turn heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Pour liquid into a mug, add honey to taste and enjoy.
*If you like a stronger tasting tea, add more ginger and/or cinnamon, or simmer longer.
For more information or to set up an appointment you can give us a call: (412) 381-0116.
Love to all,
~ Melissa and Dave
Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!
www.BirchCenter.com
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Treatment Tuesday: The Earth Element and Digestion
To the right is a picture of Raw Squash Soup, which is beneficial to the Earth element, and which we will be enjoying in our upcoming Raw Foods Demo and Dinner, September 24, at the Birch Center.
Late summer is officially here! In Chinese Medicine, late summer (and all changes in season) relates to the Earth element, which is about digestion, and is the center of our health. The colors of the Earth element are orange and yellow, which are also the color of many foods coming into season right now: squash, corn, peaches, pumpkins. These foods have a sweet flavor and in moderation are beneficial to the earth element.
In Chinese Medicine, having strong digestion is very important to overall health. No matter what people come in to see us for, we always get around to asking about digestion, because it tells us a lot of information about the state of overall health.
If this element is weak, we may see digestive systems such as gas, belching, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and IBS, but we will also see symptoms such as fatigue, bruising, muscles aches and heaviness. Mentally a person may just not have their "get up and go", and will rather nap or sit around the house. They may worry or obsess about things, and may even have insomnia, even though they are so tired during the day.
Acupuncture treatments can help support the Earth element and alleviate these symptoms. There are also wonderful Chinese herbal remedies such as Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang and Gui Pi Tang which help balance this element, and are chosen very specifically to match what is going on for each individual. For more information or to schedule an acupuncture appointment, calls The Birch Center at (412) 381-0116, or email BirchCenter@yahoo.com.
Here are some other ideas which you can do at home to help balance your Earth element:
- Eat green foods, especially leafy greens, which are thought to have a bitter property and relate to the fire element, which is the "mother" of the earth element and thus helps strengthen it.
- Though sweet is the flavor of Earth, avoid overly sweet and processed foods, which tend to weaken this element. Avoid foods with sugar, corn syrup and white flour.
- Eat your heaviest foods in the morning, from 7 am to 11 am, when the energy in the Earth element (digestion) is strongest. Stop eating by 7 pm in the evening, when the energy in this element is the weakest. This is an incredibly important and powerful thing you can do to balance this element.
- In Chinese Medicine, it is recommended to lightly steam your food for easier digestion. In following a raw foods diet - which is usually not recommended when the earth element is weak - I find that including a lot of green leafy vegetables and blending the food (green smoothies or energy soups), is actually an excellent way to boost this element.
- Processed fruit juice (bottled from the store) is too sweet and not recommended. However, if you freshly juice fruits yourself, always cut with plenty of water and add some green juice: some spinach or Romaine leaves in to help balance the sweetness.
- Get outside! This way your body can absorb the last of the warm sunshine and can really mesh with the season.
- Moderate exercise (outdoors is best) will also help this element, as exercise keeps the energy of the whole body flowing. When energy becomes stagnant, this often causes the wood element in our body (responsible for the smooth flow of energy) to attack and weaken the earth element.
Our September newsletter is about to go out, and there is an article all about late summer, the Earth element and your health. Sign up here for our newsletter now, so you don't miss it! Also, there are still spaces available in our Raw Foods Demo and Dinner. To sign up please call us at (412) 381-0116.
Thanks, and enjoy this beautiful time of year!
In Health,
~ Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
The Birch Center for Health
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
...anti-aging properties?
I've noticed so many things are touted as having anti-aging properties. I just put together a booklet on goji berries -it is free and available at our office - and a lot of information about goji berries mentions anti-aging properties. People even talk about acupuncture as having anti-aging effects (what's so bad about aging, anyway?!) So I thought I'd talk about it here, and a little on what is meant by that.
First...aging. Really nothing wrong with that! It's happening to everyone, every moment of the day and night. People often come in with symptoms and explain that it's just "aging", even their doctors tell them that (as in, "there's nothing you can do about that back pain (or whatever), it's just your age..."), and they honestly don't expect that their symptoms could possible go away. But if age actually caused symptoms, then everyone who reached a certain age would have those symptoms. And there are people who live actively and healthfully into their eighties, nineties and beyond (I love Helen and Scott Nearing's books on The Good Life, about their homesteading life in Vermont and Maine.) So, it's not aging, per se, it's a particular person's body being unable to keep up with the waste-clearing and repairing that is necessary for optimum health and well-being.
This happens for many reasons: not enough rest, improper diet, excessive manual or mental work, emotional and psychic/mental trauma, etc. Toxins build up in the tissues and organs and over time we have signs and symptoms that are chalked up to "aging."
So why, then, would an herb like Goji berries, (gou zi zi in Chinese)or acupuncture treatments, or a raw foods diet be helpful in reversing these symptoms? Because they support bringing the body to balance, allowing the body to rest, energize and clear out the toxins and regenerate itself.
The herb gou qi zi (goji berries) supports the liver and kidneys. In Chinese medicine, the liver and kidneys help cleanse toxins from the body and the kidneys are the root of all the body's yin and yang (it's root energy, or qi.) As the kidney energy gets depleted, we get signs that we correlate with aging: sore back and knees, arthritis, eye/vision problems, ear/hearing problems, memory loss, fatigue, menopausal symptoms, insomnia, drying of body fluids, ringing in the ears, gray hair. Sometimes these symptoms come when we are still relatively young, in our twenties, thirties or forties, people come in with "early menopause" or premature graying of the hair. That could be because constitutionally our kidney energy is weaker (so supporting it with nourishing food, acupuncture, herbs and proper lifestyle will be incredibly helpful), or our lifestyle is depleting the energy.
What is very interesting to me - and a lost concept in our culture - is the concept in Chinese medicine that when we age our physical energy may get depleted, but the spiritual energy of the kidneys increases, and the spiritual energy of the kidneys is wisdom. That is why in traditional cultures people often show great respect for our elders, though in this culture, since that spiritual aspect is lost, when our physical vitality decreases our worth is thought to decrease as well (thus the emphasis on "anti-aging" products.)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, if you hear or read about something with "anti-aging" properties, it usually means it is supportive to the kidney energy: and will often help strengthen the back and knees, will help the functions of the ears and eyes, help energy and memory, will support the body enough that the hair will be nourished, ending hair loss and premature graying of the hair, etc.
In fact, gou qi zi, or goji berries, which are known to be incredibly beneficial to the eyes, are found to be very high in the bioflavanoid zeaxanthin, which is crucial to the good health of the eyes. Goji berries are high in anti-oxidants, vitamins A, C and many B complex vitamins, and contain 19 amino acids (the building blocks of protein), including all eight essential amino acids. Goji berries are actually 10% protein.
All this information (and more) is in the booklet: Goji Berries, Chinese Herb and Superfood, along with great recipes and recipe ideas for using goji berries. (The booklet is free and available at The Birch Center.) Now at the Birch Center we carry raw organic goji berries, as well as handmade goji berry treats such as the Superfood Trail Mix and Goji-Date-Nut balls, (both recipes are also in the booklet.)
We hope to see you soon, and that you are having a great summer! If you can't get to the Birch Center but would like a booklet, you can email us at birchcenter@yahoo.com, but we should also have it available as a free download soon. And of course, I will let you know as soon as the complete book on Goji berries - full of amazing recipes - is finished and available!
Love,
Melissa
First...aging. Really nothing wrong with that! It's happening to everyone, every moment of the day and night. People often come in with symptoms and explain that it's just "aging", even their doctors tell them that (as in, "there's nothing you can do about that back pain (or whatever), it's just your age..."), and they honestly don't expect that their symptoms could possible go away. But if age actually caused symptoms, then everyone who reached a certain age would have those symptoms. And there are people who live actively and healthfully into their eighties, nineties and beyond (I love Helen and Scott Nearing's books on The Good Life, about their homesteading life in Vermont and Maine.) So, it's not aging, per se, it's a particular person's body being unable to keep up with the waste-clearing and repairing that is necessary for optimum health and well-being.
This happens for many reasons: not enough rest, improper diet, excessive manual or mental work, emotional and psychic/mental trauma, etc. Toxins build up in the tissues and organs and over time we have signs and symptoms that are chalked up to "aging."
So why, then, would an herb like Goji berries, (gou zi zi in Chinese)or acupuncture treatments, or a raw foods diet be helpful in reversing these symptoms? Because they support bringing the body to balance, allowing the body to rest, energize and clear out the toxins and regenerate itself.
The herb gou qi zi (goji berries) supports the liver and kidneys. In Chinese medicine, the liver and kidneys help cleanse toxins from the body and the kidneys are the root of all the body's yin and yang (it's root energy, or qi.) As the kidney energy gets depleted, we get signs that we correlate with aging: sore back and knees, arthritis, eye/vision problems, ear/hearing problems, memory loss, fatigue, menopausal symptoms, insomnia, drying of body fluids, ringing in the ears, gray hair. Sometimes these symptoms come when we are still relatively young, in our twenties, thirties or forties, people come in with "early menopause" or premature graying of the hair. That could be because constitutionally our kidney energy is weaker (so supporting it with nourishing food, acupuncture, herbs and proper lifestyle will be incredibly helpful), or our lifestyle is depleting the energy.
What is very interesting to me - and a lost concept in our culture - is the concept in Chinese medicine that when we age our physical energy may get depleted, but the spiritual energy of the kidneys increases, and the spiritual energy of the kidneys is wisdom. That is why in traditional cultures people often show great respect for our elders, though in this culture, since that spiritual aspect is lost, when our physical vitality decreases our worth is thought to decrease as well (thus the emphasis on "anti-aging" products.)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, if you hear or read about something with "anti-aging" properties, it usually means it is supportive to the kidney energy: and will often help strengthen the back and knees, will help the functions of the ears and eyes, help energy and memory, will support the body enough that the hair will be nourished, ending hair loss and premature graying of the hair, etc.
In fact, gou qi zi, or goji berries, which are known to be incredibly beneficial to the eyes, are found to be very high in the bioflavanoid zeaxanthin, which is crucial to the good health of the eyes. Goji berries are high in anti-oxidants, vitamins A, C and many B complex vitamins, and contain 19 amino acids (the building blocks of protein), including all eight essential amino acids. Goji berries are actually 10% protein.
All this information (and more) is in the booklet: Goji Berries, Chinese Herb and Superfood, along with great recipes and recipe ideas for using goji berries. (The booklet is free and available at The Birch Center.) Now at the Birch Center we carry raw organic goji berries, as well as handmade goji berry treats such as the Superfood Trail Mix and Goji-Date-Nut balls, (both recipes are also in the booklet.)
We hope to see you soon, and that you are having a great summer! If you can't get to the Birch Center but would like a booklet, you can email us at birchcenter@yahoo.com, but we should also have it available as a free download soon. And of course, I will let you know as soon as the complete book on Goji berries - full of amazing recipes - is finished and available!
Love,
Melissa
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Treatment Tuesday: Turning a Breech Baby
Many people may not know this, but acupuncture is quite successful in turning breech babies! American tudies have shown 60-70% success rate, while Chinese studies put the success rate at 80-90%!. And the treatment is comfortable and easy: just heating the outside of the (mother's) little toe with a moxa pole.
A moxa pole is a cigar-shaped stick made from the Chinese Herb Ai Ye, commonly known as mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris. A Chinese species of Artemesia - similar to vulgaris - is also commonly used.)
The point on the outside of the little toe is Bladder 67: the last point on the bladder meridian, which runs from the eye over the back of the head, down the back (connected to all the organs by points along the spine), down the back of the legs and running on the outside of the foot to the baby toe.
At the Birch Center we often combine this treatment with acupuncture (though it can be done alone.) The acupuncture treatment helps relax and balance the energy in the body and is often helpful at any stage in pregnancy. Often the mom reports feeling the baby become very active right away or later that day. We send her home with a moxa pole and diagram of just how to do the treatment, and let her spouse or friend continue the treatment until the baby has turned (usually to be checked by midwife or doctor.)
The treatment is usually done at the end of the pregnancy: after 36 weeks. This is so that once the baby turns it has less chance of turning back around.
For more information you can visit our website: www.BirchCenter.com/breech, or give us a call at (412) 381-0116.
Thanks for visiting our blog!
A moxa pole is a cigar-shaped stick made from the Chinese Herb Ai Ye, commonly known as mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris. A Chinese species of Artemesia - similar to vulgaris - is also commonly used.)
The point on the outside of the little toe is Bladder 67: the last point on the bladder meridian, which runs from the eye over the back of the head, down the back (connected to all the organs by points along the spine), down the back of the legs and running on the outside of the foot to the baby toe.
At the Birch Center we often combine this treatment with acupuncture (though it can be done alone.) The acupuncture treatment helps relax and balance the energy in the body and is often helpful at any stage in pregnancy. Often the mom reports feeling the baby become very active right away or later that day. We send her home with a moxa pole and diagram of just how to do the treatment, and let her spouse or friend continue the treatment until the baby has turned (usually to be checked by midwife or doctor.)
The treatment is usually done at the end of the pregnancy: after 36 weeks. This is so that once the baby turns it has less chance of turning back around.
For more information you can visit our website: www.BirchCenter.com/breech, or give us a call at (412) 381-0116.
Thanks for visiting our blog!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Treatment Tuesday: Acupuncture and Headaches
Headache is a very common symptom we see at The Birch Center. Sometimes people come in with headaches as a main symptom, and other times it comes up during the intake that they suffer from headaches to varying degrees.
In Chinese medicine, we look at headaches from a different angle that Western view. Instead of taking medicine for a generic headache, we look at the source of the headache, and treat the source. For example, we often think in terms of "Eight Principles." We ask: is the headache caused by external or internal sources? (External referring to something like a cold, flu, or infection...something is seen as "invading" the body, and internal stems from weakness or stagnation of an organ system.) We also ask if the symptom is one of deficiency or excess? This greatly effects how we treat both with needles and herbal medicine. An external invasion often causes "excess", as does internal stagnant energy. We ask "hot or cold?" and "yin or yang" as the final eight principles.
At The Birch Center, we offer acupuncture and herbal medicine (both Chinese and Western herbs), as well as moxibustion and massage techniques when appropriate to the condition. We also can look at your diet in terms of an energetic point of view, to see if the foods you are eating could be contributing to the imbalance of energy you are experiencing. Finally, we can offer meditation, breathing and other techniques to help reduce stress.
Acupuncture and TCM provide an effective, natural treatment for many different types of pain, including headache pain. Hopefully we can help get your body's balance restored, and specifically recommend some simple changes which will keep you healthy, in balance, and pain-free.
In Chinese medicine, we look at headaches from a different angle that Western view. Instead of taking medicine for a generic headache, we look at the source of the headache, and treat the source. For example, we often think in terms of "Eight Principles." We ask: is the headache caused by external or internal sources? (External referring to something like a cold, flu, or infection...something is seen as "invading" the body, and internal stems from weakness or stagnation of an organ system.) We also ask if the symptom is one of deficiency or excess? This greatly effects how we treat both with needles and herbal medicine. An external invasion often causes "excess", as does internal stagnant energy. We ask "hot or cold?" and "yin or yang" as the final eight principles.
At The Birch Center, we offer acupuncture and herbal medicine (both Chinese and Western herbs), as well as moxibustion and massage techniques when appropriate to the condition. We also can look at your diet in terms of an energetic point of view, to see if the foods you are eating could be contributing to the imbalance of energy you are experiencing. Finally, we can offer meditation, breathing and other techniques to help reduce stress.
Acupuncture and TCM provide an effective, natural treatment for many different types of pain, including headache pain. Hopefully we can help get your body's balance restored, and specifically recommend some simple changes which will keep you healthy, in balance, and pain-free.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Treatment Tuesday: Diagnosis and Treatment
Many people come in to see us with a Western medical diagnosis; or will often ask, "Can acupuncture treat 'X'?"
Of course if you're familiar with me or my blog you'll know I always say that acupuncture treats the person not the disease. This blog entry will explain what I mean.
When someone is diagnosed with, for example, "Adult Onset Diabetes," that is a name given to a set of conditions especially for the use of medical doctors, who can then say to each other, "Patient P has diabetes mellitus type 2, well-controlled on four shots of insulin daily," and the other doctor will have a pretty good idea of what is going on. But really it does nothing to explain how the person feels, or what their specific symptoms are. Do they feel great, healthy and energetic (after all, their diabetes has been described as "well-controlled"), or are they sleeping 12 hours a night but still exhausted all day, plus they have no feeling in their feet? To a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, it is the details of how a person feels that is important in the treatment, not the diagnosis.
This holds equally true for Eastern-type of diagnoses. When someone comes in and tells me that their fifth chakra is blocked, I still need to know if they have a sore throat, or is it that they are unable to say no when people ask them to do things? Even when people come in and tell me that they have been diagnosed as having "Liver invading the Spleen" (a classic diagnosis used in Traditional Chinese Medicine), I still need to know how they feel and what symptoms they have to give them an effective treatment.
In fact, often times diagnoses set up barriers in the patient's mind, making them fearful (imagine what it feels like to be told you have cancer) or hopeless...which are now additional energetic, emotional, and/or feeling states they may cause further symptoms or conditions. Many diagnoses hold with them the prognosis (either explicit or implied) that there is no hope, no cure (Parkinson's, Autism, countless other named diseases.) In fact, management is the 'name of the game' for these conditions -- often with medications with no promise to heal, which further cause their own set of problems.
Parkinson's, in fact, is a condition carrying a particularly dire prognosis: progressive degenerative neurological condition from which there is no hope for cure. According to Western Medicine, management is the only thing they offer, and management is admittedly (by them) not great. However, acupuncturist Janice Walton-Hadlock in California began working closely with people with Parkinsons (her work can be found here). She has developed a technique of using just hands-on (no needles) called yin tui na, which we do here at the Birch Center. Her clients began to fully recover and heal, but when they went back to their doctors they were consistently told they must have been misdiagnosed originally, since in the world of medicine there is no room for someone to be healed of Parkinson's. The same is true for many conditions to which people have worked with in different ways and found significant results. It is easier for Western medicine to say there must have been a mistake in diagnosis than to look at the possibility that healing is possible, from anything, when the right environment is provided and the body is able to balance it's energy, and thus heal itself.
So whether or not someone has a diagnosis, and no matter what that diagnosis is, we still approach people the same way by asking the questions: how do you feel? what are your symptoms? how is your life effected? We look at the constitution (big or small, loud or quiet, outgoing or introverted, tends to be sick or normally always well), and feel the pulse and examine the tongue carefully. And whether we are working with needles, with our hands, or even in an entirely energetic way, we simply -- with our full presence -- bring to them an environment which allows the person to finally relax, re-balance and ultimately heal.
Of course if you're familiar with me or my blog you'll know I always say that acupuncture treats the person not the disease. This blog entry will explain what I mean.
When someone is diagnosed with, for example, "Adult Onset Diabetes," that is a name given to a set of conditions especially for the use of medical doctors, who can then say to each other, "Patient P has diabetes mellitus type 2, well-controlled on four shots of insulin daily," and the other doctor will have a pretty good idea of what is going on. But really it does nothing to explain how the person feels, or what their specific symptoms are. Do they feel great, healthy and energetic (after all, their diabetes has been described as "well-controlled"), or are they sleeping 12 hours a night but still exhausted all day, plus they have no feeling in their feet? To a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, it is the details of how a person feels that is important in the treatment, not the diagnosis.
This holds equally true for Eastern-type of diagnoses. When someone comes in and tells me that their fifth chakra is blocked, I still need to know if they have a sore throat, or is it that they are unable to say no when people ask them to do things? Even when people come in and tell me that they have been diagnosed as having "Liver invading the Spleen" (a classic diagnosis used in Traditional Chinese Medicine), I still need to know how they feel and what symptoms they have to give them an effective treatment.
In fact, often times diagnoses set up barriers in the patient's mind, making them fearful (imagine what it feels like to be told you have cancer) or hopeless...which are now additional energetic, emotional, and/or feeling states they may cause further symptoms or conditions. Many diagnoses hold with them the prognosis (either explicit or implied) that there is no hope, no cure (Parkinson's, Autism, countless other named diseases.) In fact, management is the 'name of the game' for these conditions -- often with medications with no promise to heal, which further cause their own set of problems.
Parkinson's, in fact, is a condition carrying a particularly dire prognosis: progressive degenerative neurological condition from which there is no hope for cure. According to Western Medicine, management is the only thing they offer, and management is admittedly (by them) not great. However, acupuncturist Janice Walton-Hadlock in California began working closely with people with Parkinsons (her work can be found here). She has developed a technique of using just hands-on (no needles) called yin tui na, which we do here at the Birch Center. Her clients began to fully recover and heal, but when they went back to their doctors they were consistently told they must have been misdiagnosed originally, since in the world of medicine there is no room for someone to be healed of Parkinson's. The same is true for many conditions to which people have worked with in different ways and found significant results. It is easier for Western medicine to say there must have been a mistake in diagnosis than to look at the possibility that healing is possible, from anything, when the right environment is provided and the body is able to balance it's energy, and thus heal itself.
So whether or not someone has a diagnosis, and no matter what that diagnosis is, we still approach people the same way by asking the questions: how do you feel? what are your symptoms? how is your life effected? We look at the constitution (big or small, loud or quiet, outgoing or introverted, tends to be sick or normally always well), and feel the pulse and examine the tongue carefully. And whether we are working with needles, with our hands, or even in an entirely energetic way, we simply -- with our full presence -- bring to them an environment which allows the person to finally relax, re-balance and ultimately heal.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Treatment Tuesday: Winter, Water, and the Kidneys
In honor of all this snow, today I'll talk about the five elements, specifically the water element, which corresponds to winter.
There are five elements -- both out in nature and in our bodies -- which are interrelated and interdependent on each other: fire, earth, metal, water and wood.
One relationship is the mother-child relationship, or generating cycle, shown by the arrows forming the outer circle in the graphic to the right. Metal is the mother of Water, and Water is mother of Wood. Another is the controlling cycle: the arrows forming the inner star. Water controls (puts out) Fire, and Earth controls (dams) Water.
According to Paul Pitchford in Healing With Whole Foods,
"Winter is the end of all the seasons. To unify with winter, one emphasizes the yin principle to become more receptive, introspective, and storage-oriented; one cools the surface of the body and warms the body's core....It is a time to rest, to meditate deeply , refine the spiritual essence, and store physical energy -- in the form of a little added weight -- for the cold season. Even though the slow yin processes predominate, one must stay active enough to keep the spine and joints flexible."
(More on yin and yang in an upcoming Treatment Tuesday.)
Here is a quote from an ancient text, called the Inner Classic:
The forces of winter create cold in Heaven and water on Earth. They create the kidney organ and the bones within the body...the emotion of fear, and the ability to make a groaning sound.
For a full chart with all the elements with their correspondence, click here.
The third pulse on each wrist is associated with the kidneys. The kidneys are the root of all yin and yang in the body. It also holds the jing, or essence, that we pass on to our children. We always think of supporting the Kidneys when someone is pregnant or trying to become pregnant. As we age, the qi (energy) in our kidneys decrease, but our wisdom increases, which balances it out. In many cultures, especially ancient Chinese culture from where this philosophy came, elders were respected, and ancestors taken care of with prayers, offerings, and reverence.
General symptoms of Kidney imbalance include:
The Kidneys are also the source of vitality, resistance to disease and longevity, called jing or essence. We are born with "congnital" jing, passed down to us from our parents. This jing is irreplaceable and serves us throughout life. When it runs out, life ceases. However, "aquired" jing can be obtained by food and can magnify the activity of even small amounts of congenital jing.
Jing deficiency can show up as
We can preserve our congenital jing by avoiding harmful habits, such as:
There is no such thing as excess jing! You can't have too much vitality. The following are suggestions to help build jing. The suggestions must be followed carefully, though. Certain foods may be more harmful than helpful if there is digestive weakness, or may be inappropriate depending on people's constitutions. If you have any questions, it's best to see a practitioner of Chinese medicine. This list is taken from Healing With Whole Foods (so for elaboration or more infomation on anything listed here, please see that text):
Enjoy the snow, the rest of winter, and hopefully this was helpful!
~ Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
The Birch Center for Health
Pittsburgh, PA
There are five elements -- both out in nature and in our bodies -- which are interrelated and interdependent on each other: fire, earth, metal, water and wood.
One relationship is the mother-child relationship, or generating cycle, shown by the arrows forming the outer circle in the graphic to the right. Metal is the mother of Water, and Water is mother of Wood. Another is the controlling cycle: the arrows forming the inner star. Water controls (puts out) Fire, and Earth controls (dams) Water.
According to Paul Pitchford in Healing With Whole Foods,
"Winter is the end of all the seasons. To unify with winter, one emphasizes the yin principle to become more receptive, introspective, and storage-oriented; one cools the surface of the body and warms the body's core....It is a time to rest, to meditate deeply , refine the spiritual essence, and store physical energy -- in the form of a little added weight -- for the cold season. Even though the slow yin processes predominate, one must stay active enough to keep the spine and joints flexible." (More on yin and yang in an upcoming Treatment Tuesday.)
Here is a quote from an ancient text, called the Inner Classic:
The forces of winter create cold in Heaven and water on Earth. They create the kidney organ and the bones within the body...the emotion of fear, and the ability to make a groaning sound.
For a full chart with all the elements with their correspondence, click here.
The third pulse on each wrist is associated with the kidneys. The kidneys are the root of all yin and yang in the body. It also holds the jing, or essence, that we pass on to our children. We always think of supporting the Kidneys when someone is pregnant or trying to become pregnant. As we age, the qi (energy) in our kidneys decrease, but our wisdom increases, which balances it out. In many cultures, especially ancient Chinese culture from where this philosophy came, elders were respected, and ancestors taken care of with prayers, offerings, and reverence.
General symptoms of Kidney imbalance include:
- all bone problems, especially those of the knees, lower back and teeth
- hearing loss and ear infections and diseases (such as Meniere's disease)
- head-hair problems -- hair loss, split ends, premature graying
- any urinary, sexual and reproductive imbalances (such as infertility or inability to carry a pregnancy to term)
- poor growth and development of the mind and body; alternatively, premature aging
- excessive fear and insecurity
The Kidneys are also the source of vitality, resistance to disease and longevity, called jing or essence. We are born with "congnital" jing, passed down to us from our parents. This jing is irreplaceable and serves us throughout life. When it runs out, life ceases. However, "aquired" jing can be obtained by food and can magnify the activity of even small amounts of congenital jing.
Jing deficiency can show up as
- growth or development impairment
- birth defects
- slow physical or mental growth
- weak legs and bones
- impotence and other reproductive problems
- early senility
- dizziness
- loose teeth
- loss of head hair
- ringing in ears
- weak, painful knees and low back.
We can preserve our congenital jing by avoiding harmful habits, such as:
- stress, fear, insecurity, overwork
- according to ancient Chinese texts: too much semen loss in men or bearing too many children in women
- toxins in food and water
- intoxicants such as alcohol, drugs, coffee, tobacco
- heavy metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum
- excessive sweet-flavored food
- too much dietary protein
There is no such thing as excess jing! You can't have too much vitality. The following are suggestions to help build jing. The suggestions must be followed carefully, though. Certain foods may be more harmful than helpful if there is digestive weakness, or may be inappropriate depending on people's constitutions. If you have any questions, it's best to see a practitioner of Chinese medicine. This list is taken from Healing With Whole Foods
(so for elaboration or more infomation on anything listed here, please see that text):- Micro-algaes such as chlorella, spirulina and blue-green.
- Solomon's seal, almonds, raw milk, clarified butter (ghee.) These foods build bones and act as nutritive tonics.
- Nettles
- Royal Jelly and bee pollen
- Chinese herbs like dodder seeds, prepared rehmannia, deer antler, tortoise shell, chicken and mussel
- Foods which tonify Kidney energy in general, especially dark foods, beans, seaweed, millet, black sesame seeds, black soybeans, mulberries, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts.
- Spiritual practices
Enjoy the snow, the rest of winter, and hopefully this was helpful!
~ Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
The Birch Center for Health
Pittsburgh, PA
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Treatment Tuesday: Roots and Branches
I'll start off this first Treatment Tuesday with the way we approach every treatment. In Chinese Medicine we call it treating the root and branches. The root is the main cause of the imbalance. The branches are the symptoms that are manifesting.
For example, perhaps someone comes in because they have chronic headaches (it could be anything.) Upon further questioning we find that they also have ringing in their ears, occasional vertigo, and insomnia. Their energy is not very good by the afternoon, and they are asleep by 8 pm most nights. The headache, insomnia, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and vertigo are all symptoms (branches) that are caused by an underlying imbalance of the body. (They also all happen to be manifesting in the head, which will become relevant when we do the branch treatment, but that's another subject!)
We do more questioning, look at the tongue and take the pulses: of which there are six on each wrist -- one yin and one yang in three different positions. This is how we assess the overall energy flow in the meridians (energy pathways) of the body and come up with a root cause.
The root (underlying imbalance) may be -- among other things -- Kidney deficiency, Liver Blood deficiency, Wind, etc. These are all terms we use in traditional Chinese medicine, and do not generally correspond to Western medical diagnoses. We take other facts into consideration when treating the root as well, such as the person's constitution: in general are they frail or strong? Cold or hot?
The most important part of the treatment is making that root diagnosis and treating it by placing needles along the meridians, most often on the arms/hands and legs/feet. The root treatment alone, which helps balance the body as a whole, often clears all the symptoms. This is why so many people report that symptoms they never even mentioned to us improve as well: by balancing the root of the disharmony the symptoms disappear.
However, when a person comes in we often treat the branches as well. In the above situation, we may needle the head and some points where the head meets the neck to allow energy that may be blocked in the head to flow. We may also needle or use moxibustion (heat in the form of burning a certain herb, Mugwort or Artemesia vulgaris) on the feet to draw the energy down. These branch treatments allow the patient to experience almost immediate relief.
No matter what symptoms, conditions or disease the person comes to us with -- even when there are no symptoms at all and the person just comes for a "tune-up," we address the treatment the same way. Find and treat the root imbalance, and smooth or clear the energy of the branches (symptoms.)
I hope this helps people understand what we do in the treatment, why we ask so many (seemingly unrelated) questions, and some of our thought process. If you have questions about certain conditions or other questions relating to acupuncture that you'd like to see addressed on Treatment Tuesday, write a comment in the blog or send me an email at birchcenter@yahoo.com
Have a great day!
~Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
For example, perhaps someone comes in because they have chronic headaches (it could be anything.) Upon further questioning we find that they also have ringing in their ears, occasional vertigo, and insomnia. Their energy is not very good by the afternoon, and they are asleep by 8 pm most nights. The headache, insomnia, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and vertigo are all symptoms (branches) that are caused by an underlying imbalance of the body. (They also all happen to be manifesting in the head, which will become relevant when we do the branch treatment, but that's another subject!)
We do more questioning, look at the tongue and take the pulses: of which there are six on each wrist -- one yin and one yang in three different positions. This is how we assess the overall energy flow in the meridians (energy pathways) of the body and come up with a root cause.
The root (underlying imbalance) may be -- among other things -- Kidney deficiency, Liver Blood deficiency, Wind, etc. These are all terms we use in traditional Chinese medicine, and do not generally correspond to Western medical diagnoses. We take other facts into consideration when treating the root as well, such as the person's constitution: in general are they frail or strong? Cold or hot?
The most important part of the treatment is making that root diagnosis and treating it by placing needles along the meridians, most often on the arms/hands and legs/feet. The root treatment alone, which helps balance the body as a whole, often clears all the symptoms. This is why so many people report that symptoms they never even mentioned to us improve as well: by balancing the root of the disharmony the symptoms disappear.
However, when a person comes in we often treat the branches as well. In the above situation, we may needle the head and some points where the head meets the neck to allow energy that may be blocked in the head to flow. We may also needle or use moxibustion (heat in the form of burning a certain herb, Mugwort or Artemesia vulgaris) on the feet to draw the energy down. These branch treatments allow the patient to experience almost immediate relief.
No matter what symptoms, conditions or disease the person comes to us with -- even when there are no symptoms at all and the person just comes for a "tune-up," we address the treatment the same way. Find and treat the root imbalance, and smooth or clear the energy of the branches (symptoms.)
I hope this helps people understand what we do in the treatment, why we ask so many (seemingly unrelated) questions, and some of our thought process. If you have questions about certain conditions or other questions relating to acupuncture that you'd like to see addressed on Treatment Tuesday, write a comment in the blog or send me an email at birchcenter@yahoo.com
Have a great day!
~Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
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