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Acupuncture
Is Acupuncture Safe Post-Covid? 4 Things Your Acupuncturist Wants You to Know Before You Book Your Appointment
To say that 2020 was a stressful year is putting it mildly. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, many people put checkups and other medical procedures on hold, including acupuncture treatments. If you are more than ready to get back to your treatments, here are four things your acupuncturist wants you to know about their safety procedures in this new normal. And if this does not answer all your questions, please feel free to ask. Your acupuncturist wants you to feel safe and secure as you return for your first appointment. continue reading
Acupuncture for Healthy Weight Loss
In the United States, an estimated 300,000 people a year die from obesity.
In several studies over the last five years, researchers have shown patients who receive regular acupuncture treatments see faster weight loss results than those who do not. In each case, the acupuncture treatments were combined with dietary and lifestyle changes also aimed at weight loss, but the patients who got acupuncture saw better results than those who focused on dietary and lifestyle changes alone. continue reading
Acupuncture for Mother’s Day
What better way to celebrate and support the mothers in your life this year than with an acupuncture appointment?
As a one-time mother’s day gift, acupuncture is a relaxing, revitalizing hour all for herself.
As a regular part of her health routine, acupuncture can keep her from getting sick frequently and offer a holistic treatment option for a variety of women’s health issues.
Not convinced? Here are four ways acupuncture supports women’s health and would make a great gift for any mom or woman you want to celebrate this May. continue reading
Acupuncture is Preventive Medicine
I think we all know someone, or maybe it’s even ourselves, who lives by the refrain, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
Often used to put off replacing outdated tools or technology, the phase can be connected to how we view healthcare as well. It can be hard to think about our physical health until it is a problem. Something we take for granted, until, as it were, it’s broken. Why would we spend time and money on something before it’s necessary?
This view of healthcare is a challenging mental hurdle to overcome. But overcoming it can lead to a greatly improved quality of life.
Ancient practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine would administer regular treatments to everyone in the community, not only as reactive treatments once someone was sick or injured.
Today, in the United States, the vast majority of patients only seek out acupuncture treatments once they are feeling pain or sickness.
For acute ailments, patients might see positive results rather quickly, and then stop their appointments, but the real gift of acupuncture is the whole-body balancing and realignment that can occur once the acute afflictions have been addressed.
Acupuncture works to balance our hormone levels, address digestive and sleep imbalances, and improve our energy level throughout the day. Each of these things can greatly improve our quality of life, but if they weren’t presenting a big, visible problem – if they weren’t broke – we would normally just ignore it, drink more coffee, chew a TUMS and carry on.
Through this work of correcting imbalances in the body and strengthening the immune system, acupuncture functions as a highly effective preventive medicine, meaning it helps our body function at its best, which supports it in fighting off illnesses before they start or recovering more quickly from injuries when they do occur.
In a year dominated by stories of death and disease, preventive medicine feels all the more pressing. When we give ourselves the gift of really feeling our best, we are taking a proactive stance on our health, which can end up saving money, time and hardship later as we are better able to fend off sickness.
As a preventive medicine, acupuncture is very low risk compared with consistent medication use. Studies show patients very rarely experience negative side effects due to acupuncture. Acupuncture can be an inexpensive, convenient and very effective preventive medicine.
Contact me for additional information on acupuncture near you.
Acupuncture for Anger Management
Anger is the emotion associated with springtime in Traditional Chinese Medicine. For most of us, we consider anger a bad emotion, something to avoid or get rid of, so why would it be one that TCM would shine a light on? Well, no emotion is inherently good or bad, it’s how we deal with challenging emotions that can end up hurting ourselves or those we love.
According to TCM, springtime is a very yang time of year, full of new energy and growth in nature, and in us. In humans, when growth or change occurs in our lives, there often is a catalyst, something we’re not satisfied with or something we’re inspired by, something compelling enough to move us to make a change.
Anger can be a very compelling emotion. When anger is channeled into action, it can be very powerful. All of this to say, TCM connects the high energy and potential growth of springtime with anger, a strong catalyst for growth if it’s acknowledged and channeled well.
Of course, it’s not a given that when we feel anger, we’ll be able to use it to catalyze an important change or even recognize why we’re angry in the first place. Too much anger can also cause harm to the physical body over time.
One of the most common causes of anger, according to TCM, is chronic or acute stress resulting in energy stagnation, especially in the liver. The liver is responsible for the healthy flow of qi around the body. When qi is stuck in our bodies, emotions too can become stuck, and hard to express or even identify.
According to TCM, there are several modalities that can help the flow of qi and emotion in our bodies.
- Acupuncture for anger management is a great modality for supporting the healthy flow of qi through the liver.
- Stretching helps release blood and qi through the body and into the tendons, maintaining a healthy physical body.
- Eye exercises help support the health of the liver and vice versa. The liver is partly responsible for the function of the eyes. Remember to take breaks from looking at computer or phone screens throughout the day.
- Eating greens helps maintain healthy liver function and the movement of qi.
- Spending time outside, especially combined with exercise, helps qi movement and overall mental health.
Qi stagnation is very common, especially in springtime as we move out of the lower energy of winter. But when qi is flowing smoothly, we can fully engage with all the opportunities springtime can provide. Getting seasonal acupuncture tune-ups is a great way to stay healthy all year long.
For information on Acupuncture for Anger Management near you, call / text Robert Lutz: (727) 266-3000
Regrowth: Spring and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Three thousand years ago, when Chinese medicine was first being practiced, there was no light or electricity. No way to mask the darkness of winter. No way, either, to ignore the longer, warmer days of springtime. Because it is such an ancient practice, a lot of the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine comes from a time when people spent much more time outside, paying attention to the natural world around them. continue reading
Acupuncture for Diabetes
More than 34 million Americans have diabetes, and approximately 90 percent of them have type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Type 2 diabetes, while its exact cause is unknown, develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin. Because of this, treatment often involves taking “insulin sensitizers” or medication that helps the body increase its sensitivity and therefore ability to process insulin, keeping the blood sugar from getting too low. Unfortunately, this medication often causes side effects, including weight gain and anemia. continue reading
5 Acupoints for Anxiety You Can Administer Yourself
“At a time when people are so conscious of maintaining their physical health by controlling their diets, exercising, and so forth, it makes sense to try to cultivate the corresponding mental attitudes too.”
– HH the Dalai Lama, 1963
It can be easy to forget how much our mental state can affect our physical well-being. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, that connection is evident in the treatment strategies, but it is also true that when we are feeling bad, we don’t always think to look at our minds. It works both ways. continue reading
