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By Erin, February 2, 2010 9:26 AM

As a licensed acupuncturist, and blogger on the subject, I probably should have publicly answered this question some time ago. It has recently come to my attention that while many people enjoy the profound benefits of acupuncture in blissful ignorance of its how’s and why’s, there is another camp with rising curiosity on what it all means. As my Danish host-mother always used to say in reference to my consistently belated holiday cards: “Bedre sent end aldrig!” (Better late than never).

Continue reading 'What is Acupuncture?'»

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By Erin, January 26, 2010 9:20 AM

Ever thought that your morning muffin or stir-fry lunch contained not just sustenance, but healing properties? Ancient Chinese medical theory has ascribed certain energetics and functions to many common foods, that still remain true today. Such properties are very different from nutritional values (vitamins, calories, fats, fiber, etc), which came later in the evolution of the nature of food. Let’s take watermelon (Xi Gua) as an example of this idea: our analytical mind knows that this delicious fruit is sweet, refreshing and nutritious with its high water content and fiber. The energetics of this food according to Chinese theory are cooling and damp draining, and therefore can prevent heat stroke on a hot summer day and promote healthy water metabolism by ridding edema. A more relevant example for the winter season would be lamb (Yang Rou), which is warming to the system and promotes optimum functioning. 

Food therapy is considered to be the number one treatment in preventative care and healing therapy. In modern China, there are special restaurants where one can go to receive tailored medicinal meals. After a visit with the Chinese medicine doctor, a pattern diagnosis is ascribed which can then be brought to the chef at such a restaurant. Food will then be prepared in accordance with individual needs – to nourish, eliminate or course any given imbalance. This notion contradicts the idea that one particular diet is best for everyone, but rather tailors nutritional choices based on individual need. What may help one person lose weight and feel energetic, may not be the right fit for someone else. I had the fortune of experiencing this model for myself at the medicinal food restaurant across from the hospital during my one-year clinical rotation in Hangzhou, China.  

Chinese herbal medicine utilizes the combination of roots, barks, leaves, stems and berries to promote health and vitality.  It only makes sense that Chinese Herbal Medicine and Food Therapy often overlap, with many herbal ingredients ending up on typical supermarket shelves. The following is a delicious trailmix you can make at home, as your own “herbal formula prescription.” In addition to curbing hunger between meals, or giving an energy boost before a work-out, this mix is high in antioxidents, essential fatty acids and protein. From the Chinese perspective, it is nourishing to the kidneys; promotes mental clarity, memory function; improves libido, energy and digestion. Enjoy!

Herbal Trail Mix – Common Names with Chinese Names and Functions           

Goji Berries/Wolfberries                                    

Gou Qi Zi -Nourishes the kidney energy, enhances fertility, memory, and sexual function

Walnut Halves                                                          

Hu Tao Ren -Promotes brain function, mental clarity

 Black Sesame Seeds                                                      

Huo Ma Ren -Nourishes blood, improves vision and sluggish digestion.  Black sesame has the additional benefit of promoting lactation in breast-feeding women.

*I like Mrs. May’s Black Sesame Crunch Squares, they are slightly sweetened with honey that provides a great flavor and also aids digestion.

This post is a proud participant in the Kathleen Show’s Prevention Not Prescriptions Blog - a great place for other resources to stay healthy.

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By Erin, January 22, 2010 1:14 PM

Depression affects the quality of life for many individuals year-round, but has a significant increase in the winter months.  As the sunlight reduces, the weather gets colder, and the sky gets gloomier – we, too, experience these changes in our bodies and state-of mind.  There are many natural things we can do to boost our moods and elevate seasonal depression (commonly known as “SAD,” or Seasonal Affective Disorder).  However, as those of you who have experienced even slight depression know, the motivation to implement such changes can be difficult, if non-existent once the blues have hit.

Choose Your Support

So, what to do?  First off, find the resources around you and seek help.  Consulting with a health care professional is an important catalyst in transforming your blues into bliss.  It can also help combat the isolation that often accompanies mood changes. It is my experience that with chronic or severe emotional distress, there is no “one” help and calling on a variety of resources yields stronger, more lasting results.  Here are some tools you may want to try:

• Implementing an appropriate exercise routine (which will vary for each individual)
• Tap into your creative expression (such as journal writing, art/music/dance therapy)
• Dietary and lifestyle changes (such as increasing essential fatty acid intake, vitamins and minerals and decreasing sugar and refined food)
• Consulting with a professional psychologist or psychiatrist
• Nourishing constitutional patterns and reducing stress with a holistic modality (acupuncture, herbal medicine, reiki)
• Reduce your stress (yoga, meditation, massage, acupuncture)

How Acupuncture Can Help

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), does not treat “depression” per say, but rather the person who is experiencing depression. Different individuals can experience the discomforts of depression from a variety of causes – or, as we call them, patterns. In treating depression, your acupuncturist first must find your unique pattern diagnosis and from there, begin to strengthen your system and ease discomfort. Acupuncture can help to greatly reduce emotional and physical stress and the somatic pain that often accompanies emotional upset. Best of all, it will not interfere negatively with any other therapy or prescriptions you may be receiving, but complement them by tapping into the root of your constitutional nature.

Herbal remedies may also be a good option for occasional slumps or mood swings.  Unlike acupuncture, which must be administered by a licensed professional and usually done only 1-2 times per week, an herbal formula can follow you home and become a daily treatment.  When prescribed by a licensed practitioner, herbal formulas are completely safe, and can help the body harmonize from the inside out.

For more information on how to incorporate the benefits of acupuncture into your emotional wellness plan, please contact us.

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By Erin, December 30, 2009 8:57 AM

Start Your New Year off Right! Lose Weight  & Keep it Off

Reduce Cravings

Improve Energy

Alleviate Joint Pain

Reduce Muscle Fatigue

Regulate Blood Sugar Levels

Jump Start Your Metabolism

Regulate Hormone Function

Detoxify the System

Reduce Stress

It is that time of year again…for making those promises to ourselves that we have been putting off through the busy holidays. One of the most common New Years Resolutions is to lose weight, and it is also the least kept. Why? The culprit may be coming from a constitutional level. There are many factors that can cause excessive weight gain and an inability to lose weight such as undetected food allergies, stress, anxiety, depression, unstable glucose levels, or inflammatory responses such as arthritis, chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine offer time-tested remedies to help strengthen your individual system at the root level so that you can lose weight efficiently, and keep it off for good. Reducing cravings, improving energy, alleviating joint pain and muscle fatigue, regulating metabolism and reducing stress are just some of the added benefits of incorporating acupuncture and herbal formulas into your weight loss resolution.

Continue reading 'Losing Weight with Acupuncture'»

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By Erin, December 20, 2009 12:23 PM

It is official, winter has begun in New York City. With a snowstorm leaving several inches of white powder on the city streets this morning, it reminds me of the wonder of this sometimes chilling season. Growing up in Minnesota, snow and cold temperature are no news to me. But still, the first snowfall of the year leaves me feeling full of awe and wonder…it is a magical experience.

Winter, Water, Kidneys & You

In Chinese medicine, winter applies to the Water Element in 5-element theory. Although it comes in the form of snow and ice, water is truly an abundant part of the winter landscape. When transcribed to the human body, the kidneys and urinary bladder are responsible for water metabolism (both energetically and physically) and are a pivotal part of the Water element. Yin and Yang are interdependent forces prevalent in all aspects of life, but winter is rooted in a strong sense of yin. In this regard, yin can be understood through the cool and still nature of the season. A teacher of mine once explained the water element as the bottom bedrock on the ocean floor – the deep, dark, solid root of something so powerful and majestic. I like to translate this metaphor to the body, with representation to the powerful root to within each of us – our individual potential.

Aside from the physiologic function we know from Western medicine, the kidneys represent our root essence (genetic makeup) and the urinary bladder has relevance to the nervous system. Memory, brain function, reproductive function, bone growth, and systemic development are also important aspects of kidney energy in the body. The emotion of fear or fright is ascribed to the Water element, and is often a relative factor in someone with constitutional tendencies toward this element. The winter is a perfect time to strengthen and nourish these energetic organs.

Nourishing the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder

Nature gives us the tools we need for nourishing the ascribed element and organ systems, and the number one way to do this in the winter months is to hibernate. Rest, warmth, sleep. This is the time to slow down, and nature forces us to do that with the gifts of cold and snow. The weather change literally forces us to move inward – into our homes, into the warmth, into ourselves. It is a time for introspection, meditation, and conservation of resources.

During winter, the land is frozen and there is no growth or harvest. That which is leftover from the fall becomes nourishment for the winter. Canned vegetables, sauced apples, gourds, squashes and meats for hearty stews are important for building the root aspect in ourselves. There are plenty of herbs and teas for nourishing the kidneys during this time, and depending on individual constitution will depend on the formula focus. Even if you are feeling healthy, the beginning of winter can be a great to time for visiting your acupuncturist to help guide your body into the energetics of the season and promote tonification.

Enjoy the beautiful season of winter. Take a moment to listen to the quietude outside and reflect into the depths of yourself. Use the space provided to cultivate that which satisfies and nourishes you, regenerating the resources necessary for the coming spring and summer.

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By Erin, November 20, 2009 10:25 AM

As women we are often taught that the menstrual cycle is just one of those annoying things about being female.  It comes at the worst times, can plague a vacation and often is accompanied with a slue of uncomfortable symptoms. Some women experience PMS so bad that it lasts for two weeks before their period begins, leaving only one true week of discomfort-free days. It is no wonder that many women jump at the idea of birth control that reduces the number of times she menstruates per year, or even stops her cycle completely. Although this ‘treatment’ per say takes away many of the uncomfortable symptoms, it can often lead to a whole gamut of other side-effects like low libido, vaginal dryness, weight gain, breast distention, high blood pressure, increased appetite and depression.  And to boot, it is not actually treating the cause of the discomfort, it is simply band-aiding it.

From breast pain to nausea to mood swings and back aches, such discomforts are more than just a nuisance, but signals from your body that something is out of balance and needs to be addressed. The only physiological components to a menstrual cycle should be moderate blood flow with the same number of days between cycles. Taking the time to address these symptoms now won’t only improve a woman’s quality of life, but also may prevent future reproductive problems. If you would like to take control of your menstrual cycle, understand it (and your fertility – to either prevent or promote pregnancy), Chinese Medicine has a variety of ways to alleviate common discomforts associated with menstruation.

Continue reading 'Alleviate PMS Naturally'»

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By Erin, November 2, 2009 9:15 AM

Last week, after a wonderful Jivamikti yoga class at one of my favorite studios in New York, my friend Susan and I decided to join an informational Webinar on Ovarian Reserve Assessment testing available for infertile couples.  Not only was the whole format of the webinar totally awesome (simultaneous video/audio of the presenter, power-point and live chat-feed from the participants – it’s amazing where education and technology are going), but the information discussed was enlightening.  Here is a recap of some of the developments in fertility testing and a little insight as to how acupuncture and herbs can help.

If you have ever had difficulty trying to conceive and involved the aid of a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE), then most likely one of the first tests they ran was a hormone panel on Day 3 of your menstrual cycle.  Specifically looking at:  Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), LutenizingHormone (LH), Estrodial (E2), and Prolactin.  The levels of the aforementioned hormones (among others) and their ratio to each other can give insight into the general quantity of eggs a woman has left to ovulate.  However, hormones are finicky creatures, and can change drastically month-to-month due to other illness (like thyroid disease or poly cystic ovarian syndrome, for example) or just from plain old-fashioned stress.

Continue reading 'New Fertility Testing & How TCM Can Help'»