Are You Ready to Thrive?

I just finished reading this article on medical acupuncture and proper training.

I 100% agree with the statements of this Medical Doctor who has decided to go to acupuncture school.  

Acupuncture should only be performed by those who can pass the standards set forth by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).  

It's important for the safety of anyone receiving acupuncture that their practitioner meet a minimum set of standards!

I've signed up for this class.

It's going to Chakralicious.

How do I know?  It's taught by my buddy Bridget Pilloud.  She is a woo-woo BADASS (it even says so on her business card!)

Bridget is going to help us unblock our 2nd and 6th chakras to stimulate creativity and boost our own intuitive abilities.  Yeah, we all have intuitive abilities!  Some of us just don't have big intuition biceps yet.  The Chakralicious class will be like going to the intuition gym!

The class will be a phone conference, so no matter where you're located you can join us in getting the energy flowing!

I'm super excited for this class because it's always fun basking in the woo-woo light that is Bridget (and I'm pretty sure we won't need sunscreen!).  Join me!

Plantar Fasciitis is a common cause of foot pain.  It is inflammation due to micro tears of the fibrous band that connects our heel to the ball of our foot, as pictured to the left.  Many people will experience this as pain upon standing first thing in the morning or after sitting for long periods of time.  For some, the Plantar Fasciitis may become extreme and be painful at all times of the day.  In the long term, Plantar Fasciitis may lead to bone spurs where the fascia meets the heal which can also be extremely painful.

Common treatments for Plantar Fasciitis include:

• splinting the foot at night
• anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or bromelain
• stretching the calf muscles
• icing the arches
• wearing proper arch supports

I have found acupuncture and reflexology to be especially helpful, in addition to the above treatments, to speed the healing of this painful condition.

Acupuncture is very effective at reducing swelling, inflammation and the pain associated with Plantar Fasciitis.  

Reflexology is great for addressing any underlying causes of unhealth, but on a more physical level, reflexology helps to stretch and realign the foot, preventing any further damage, and allowing the foot to heal.

If you're suffering from this common form of foot pain, consider seeing an acupuncturist.  It'll feel good to get back on your feet!

This may be a little off-topic as far as Chinese medicine is concerned, but I believe we can use the following example to improve our health - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

My two-and-a-half year-old had just finished eating her pancakes with syrup.  Let me tell you, there is NOTHING clean about pancakes and syrup.  Or pancakes and jam.  Plain pancakes are fine, but who wants to eat them that way? (Okay, I do sometimes, but not usually the kiddo)

As she always does after eating, because she's always got a huge mess on her hands, she asked, "Wash hands, Momma?"  And before you get on my case about creating an OCD monster out of my child, she's the one who started this!  She's a virgo and can't seem to have stuff out of place.  She even cleans up her toys without being asked!  And yes, I know how lucky I am :)

So we went to the bathroom, pulled out her stepping stool and washed her hands.  She hopped off that stepping stool, dried her hands on the towel and just before racing off into the living room to play, cheerily said, "Thanks towel!" 

Wow.

I love the brains of children.  Meh, I like brains. (haha and I'm not a zombie!)  I LOVE seeing children/adults/dogs think stuff through.  My kiddo is pretty darn polite, but this really took the cake!

I decided that I want to try to spend today being grateful for everything around me.  I wonder what my day will look like as I consciously thank even the smallest things around me for their place in my life.

 I want to be grateful for my body (and that's sometimes a little hard when you have an almost-four-month-old whose pregnancy left its mark recently ;)  )

I want to be grateful for my dishwasher because otherwise I'd still be in the kitchen doing dishes rather than having the time to write this blog post.

And yes,  I even want to be thankful for the towel I use to dry my hands. 

What big or little things are you going to thank today?

A recent study on acupuncture as a treatment for depression during pregnancy finds that acupuncture shows some real promise for being a safe and effective treatment during a time when most treatments are not considered safe.

Depression, according to Chinese medicine, is due to Qi and/or blood deficiency, usually associated with the Heart (the organ associated with the emotion of joy) and Spleen (the organ associated with being grounded and content in life).

When our Qi levels are not strong enough to support these emotions, then we fall to the other, unhealthy, side of the spectrum.  We experience the common symptoms of depression.

To further compound the problem of depression, when our Spleen is weak, our Liver (the organ associate with stress!) is allowed to rule the roost!  So not only are we feeling bad, but we experience more stress which can force us into a cycle of feeling hopeless.

So how can we treat depression using Chinese medicine?  First off, I'd like to mention that anytime you're dealing with a major deficit of Qi or blood, it takes time to correct.  There is no quick fix.  Expect at least 1-3 months, depending on how deficient you are, to see results.  Expect to be treated longer than that for lasting results.

So back to the question - how can we treat depression using Chinese medicine?

Acupuncture and herbs will help get your Qi back to healthy levels relatively quickly.  

Things that you can do at home include:  

• Wearing sunny colors (reds, yellows, oranges).  These are the colors associated with the Heart and Spleen.
• Get outside.  Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to play a role in depression.
• Eat a nutritious diet.  This will help the Spleen build the Qi and blood necessary to reverse your symptoms.
• Take a multivitamin.  Because the Qi and deficit is so large with depression, we need all the help we can get in building Qi and Blood.
• Don't lose hope!  You CAN get out of the depression hole.  Be patient and loving with yourself as you regain your energy.

Please consider seeing an acupuncturist in addition to the rest of your mental health team if you're experiencing symptoms of depression.  Your Heart and Spleen will thank you for it!

My goodness, biomedicine and science are cool!  I just finished reading this article about a woman who had an ovarian transplant and successfully had two children as a result.

I know this brings up ethical questions, but in her case, it does not, for me.  She was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 27 and underwent chemotherapy which almost always forces women into menopause.  This was the case with her, and at such a young age!  Her doctors had the foresight to harvest one of her ovaries prior to treatment and freeze it. 


She got through her cancer treatment, is cancer-free and because of biomedicine and science was able to have biological children, even though cancer tried to rob her of that ability.


I know that this has nothing to do with natural medicine, but I just wanted to share with you all this story of one of the many strengths of biomedicine.  Healthcare is not a one-method-fits-all sort of thing!

As they come along, I'd like to give you some examples of the exciting health changes that can occur because of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

"Sugar" came into my office quite constipated.  She was having maybe one bowel movement a week, and it was very dry, very hard and very painful to pass.  Her owner had taken her to her vet who had done multiple enemas and prescribed laxatives in order to get the fecal matter to pass, and while this brought temporary relief, it didn't seem to last.

This is something that "Sugar" experienced as a kitten and periodically throughout her life, but it was always previously relieved by the medications and enemas - this episode was much more extreme.

"Sugar" is a manx - a breed of cat born without a tail.  The tailless condition is considered a deformation of the spine and in these cats, you will often find more abnormalities in the rest of the spine.  These abnormalities are often accompanied by congenital nerve dysfunction, and often what you see in manx cats is something called "Manx Disorder."  Symptoms associated with "Manx Disorder" include bowel or urinary incontinence and weakness or even paralysis of the hind limbs.

"Sugar's" vet felt that, while she didn't have your typical "Manx Disorder," she certainly seemed to have a mild case of it.

I diagnosed "Sugar" as being Qi and Blood deficient which lead to her Qi and Blood not moving properly (causing her bowels to "get stuck").

I performed electro-acupuncture on "Sugar's" low back and hips to bring Qi to the area.  Essentially, trying to remind her body and her nerves how to send the proper electrical signals to her bowels so that her stools could pass through easily.

To deal with the underlying cause of her bowel paralysis, I prescribed an herbal formula typically used for stroke victims with the idea that promoting proper nerve conduction (in Chinese medicine, Qi and Blood flow) is the same, whether you're treating a head or a tail.

Within one week, "Sugar's" bowel movements were much more frequent and much softer and within 3 weeks, "Sugar" was having completely normal bowel movements again!  I treated her monthly for the next couple of months, at which time she graduated from needing treatments for her constipation.  Every once in a while I run into "Sugar's Mom" and get an update - she's still doing well, with no recurrences, almost 3 years later!

Wood is our fifth and final element to discuss, so here we go!

Wood is the element that controls our abilities to make decisions, make goals and achieve them.  When Wood is out of balance, we have trouble making decisions.  We are unable to make goals, let alone complete them.  

Wood is associated with the organs Liver and Gall Bladder.  The Liver helps our emotions to flow smoothly, so if Wood is imbalanced, we may have trouble expressing emotions.  Or we may get easily frustrated and irritated.  In extremes, Wood that is way off track may lead to controlling, abusive behaviors, anger or addictive personalities with possible substance abuse.

Some physical signs that your wood is out of balance may be:

• Migraines
• PMS
• Painful cramping during menstruation
• Alternating constipation and diarrhea
• Eye problems

The color associated with Wood is green - the color of spring.  And much like in spring, when new growth is springing forth, the Wood element is all about new ideas and personal growth.  This is typically the cause of frustration for an imbalanced wood element - the inability to grow, change and make a difference in the world.

Try some of these to keep your wood element in balance:

Go hiking through the woods.  Trees are pure wood energy, and they'll help you balance out your wood element.

Make simple plans and follow through with them.  

Wear the color green!  I really like jade for this purpose.  Alternately, you could wear something made from wood.

  I hope you've had a lot of fun talking about the 5 elements and have learned a lot about yourself and your environment!

We're nearly through our 5 element discussion!  The next element is the element of Water.

Water is the source of fearlessness, determination and sense of will-power.  When our water element is weak, we may be anxious, withdrawn or fearful.  

Aging, as well as the organs Kidney and Bladder are related to the water element, so physical complaints that one may experience are:

• Urinary complaints (incontinence or frequent urination)
• Menopausal symptoms
• Hearing problems (including deafness and ringing)
• Sexual dysfunctions (low libido, erectile dysfunction, etc.)

The color associated with Water is black.  This didn't make sense to me when I was first studying Chinese medicine until someone explained that Water was also related to the season of Winter and the time between death and birth.

Think of being in the womb - there is no light.  

Think of Winter when the sun might not make much of an appearance (especially here in Portland!) for days, weeks or months.

So, how do we strengthen our Water element?

Go swimming. What better way to honor the water within us than to immerse ourselves in it?

Like all of the other elements, surround yourself with items that are black.  Some sources also link dark dark blue with Water.

Hibernate.  Okay, not really.  But get a lot of rest, and go easier on yourself, especially in the Winter.   Winter is the time of Water and of preparing yourself for Spring when life will begin anew.

Tomorrow is the last stop on our Element discussion.  We'll be talking about Wood - one of my favorites!