Posts In: TCM

We’re in the heat of the summer with our unusual heat wave, strange thunder storms and consequential fires. I’m sure you’re more than aware of of this heat too if you have health issues that flare up during this time of year. In Oriental Medicine, heat is an extremely common cause of disharmony that occurs not only in the summer, but at any time of the year.

We all know the basic signs of heat: red face, inflamed skin conditions, a general feeling of heat, thirst, and possibly getting agitated easily when you’re overheated – among many others. If you suffer from a heat disorder, you may be surprised to learn that in Oriental Medicine heat is broken up into three main disharmonies that are commonly seen; 1) Heat, 2) Fire, 3) Deficient Heat. What’s also interesting to know, is that each kind of heat is treated differently!

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Heat

• General Symptoms: feeling of heat, red face, thirst, mental restlessness, dislikes heat, attracted to cold, bad breath, high blood pressure, hemorrhage, convulsions, delirious, fast heartbeat, fever, red inflammation/swelling/rash/skin eruptions/sores, constipation, dry/smelly bowels, dark yellow/red urine, blood in stools/urine, wants a lot of cold drinks, matter excreted is forceful/urgent, mucus & phlegm are thick and yellow or green, bad breath, bright red blood with your menstrual cycle
• Characteristics: Heat can easily lead to fire further down the road

Fire

• General Symptoms: red face/eyes, swelling/pain of eyes, tongue ulcers, mouth ulcers, scanty/dark urine, dry stools, bleeding, insomnia, mental restlessness, irritable, easily agitated.
• Characteristics: It dries out more than heat, moves upwards and affects the upper parts of the body, affects the mind more than heat (anxiety, agitation, insomnia, mental illness, etc.), causes bleeding, can cause itching, seizures and it can also cause symptoms to move around the body.

Deficient Heat

• General Symptoms: a feeling of heat in the afternoon/evening, night sweats, a dry mouth with a desire to drink in small sips, malar flush (red cheekbones), dry throat at night, feeling of heat in the chest, palms and soles (called 5-palm heat), dry stools, scanty dark urine
• Characteristics: This is when you don’t have enough fluids to cool the body and anchor your heat. This condition can be induced by NSAIDs, antibiotics, cortisone, lifestyle, environment, the aging process, etc.

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Some people are born with heat being part of their constitution (genetics), and others develop symptoms of heat over time. If you have experienced heat symptoms since childhood, you likely have a genetic predisposition to heat. If your heat symptoms came on later in life, then you likely have an internal disharmony. These factors are important and determine the course of treatment by your practitioner.

Other ways heat can be generated is from physically being in warm environments, by a lack of circulation, and also due to lifestyle patterns. Heat also develops due to trauma – have you ever sprained your ankle and it got red, swollen and tender (i.e. another form of circulation restriction). See below to see how heat can affect specific organs.

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Whatever the way heat develops, it comes down to a Yin and Yang imbalance. Yin is the cool aspect associated with fluids, and Yang is the heat aspect associated with dryness. A balance of them both is what allows for “homeostasis” in Western terms. If you are experiencing an excess of heat/dryness, it means that you need more coolness and/or fluids, and vise versa.

Ways You Can Develop Heat

• Genetics: born with a predisposition to heat
• Lifestyle: excess amounts of alcohol, warm foods, fried foods, not enough cool foods, too much activity/work without enough rest, emotional strain, etc.
• Physical Environment: Exposure to heat or extreme climates
• Internal Organ Disharmony: Obstruction of Qi flow (circulation) through your organ(s)

Heat Causing Behaviors

There are some general lifestyle behaviors that you can implement into your life to help beat or prevent heat conditions. 

• Be mindful of your emotions to prevent excessive anger/aggressiveness, which internally cause heat
• Eat less foods that cause heat (see chart below)
• Avoid alcohol, coffee and smoking (I understand these ones can be a lot to ask, but they make a HUGE difference!)
• Avoid pressure baking or deep frying

Heat Reducing Behaviors

• Cooking – Try steaming, simmering & using more raw foods
• Stress management – meditation, walks, doing things that you enjoy, or anything else that makes you feel calm and happy 🙂
• Make sure you drink enough fluids
• Eat cooling foods (see chart below)

	Produce Heat	Cooling Effect
Vegetables	Garlic Bell Peppers Kale Onions Green Beans Leeks	Seaweed White Mushrooms Sprouts Asparagus Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cucumber Potato Spinach Zucchini
Fruits	Cherries Coconut Grapes Pineapple Plums Raspberries Tangerines Mango	Banana Cantaloupe Pears Watermelon Apples Apricots Lemons Oranges Peaches Strawberries Tomato
Grains	Oats Brown Rice Rye Buckwheat Corn meal Sweet Rice	White Rice Wheat Pearl Barley
Meats	Lamb Beef Chicken Fresh Water Fish Shrimp Turkey	Pork Eggs Clams Crab Ocean Fish (neutral) Dairy Products (neutral)
Misc.	Black beans Lentils Walnuts Brown sugar Coffee Wine	Tofu Salt Tea Honey (neutral)

Often disharmonies are not as simple as hot or cold, and this is where going to your practitioner comes into play. Usually people are a mixture of hot and cold, dry in some ways, but have more moisture in other areas, have blockages in one area that cause a lack of circulation further down the channel, etc. After reading this, you may have noticed that you clearly have a heat condition. Try applying the suggestions above to help reduce your heat symptoms. Please note that everyone is different, and heat is caused in multiple ways, so if your symptoms get worse with the above suggestions, you likely have a more complicated disharmony and will benefit from contacting your practitioner for acupuncture, an individualized nutritional plan, and/or herbal treatment. Stay cool everyone!

The idea of breathing causes so many emotions during these times that we find ourselves in. There may be feelings of guilt associated with it because our own breathing may be causing the spread of COVID-19. We are covering our faces with masks, which may internalize a feeling that our breath is bad. When we do go out, we see people actively fearing the same breath that keeps us alive. And of course, there is the case of George Floyd and his precious breath. Mixed emotions for sure are to be expected, and that makes us nervous and anxious. Add on top of these emotions a dose of depression from all the social isolation, and you experience an arena of issues that appear to stem from breathing.

Here’s the thing, breathing is important! As much as it may make other people uncomfortable, we need to breathe. Not only does it give our brains, organs and cells the oxygen they need to function properly, but it also calms our nervous systems down and contributes to a healthy immune system.

When the lungs are functioning to their full potential, a person will have a strong voice, strong immunity, a bright and glowing complexion, and they will not sink their chest in or hunch over, among other characteristics. There are many things that can compromise lung health, such as lifestyle and environmental factors like smoking and air pollution. But, did you know that your emotions also play a crucial role in your lung health too? Have you noticed how your emotions are largely connected to your breathing patterns? When people get nervous or anxious they tend to hold their breath. When people are feeling down and depressed they tend to breathe shallow. See below to see the ways that emotions affect our breath:

When the Lung Qi is compromised, it affects all the processes that it plays a role in and symptoms are likely to begin to appear. In Oriental Medicine the lungs dominate the overall “Qi” of the body. Qi is to the body like gas is to a car. There is a direct connection with the lungs and the immune system, large intestine, the kidneys, the skin and the water metabolism. See how below:

So, now you know what emotions can affect the Lungs, what organ systems can be impacted and the symptoms associated with them. Now, what are you supposed to do with this information? Well, you have options! 1) you can come in and get acupuncture and herbs, 2) you can do breathing exercises, and/or 3) you can modify your diet.

Breathing Exercises:

This involves anything that makes the lungs stronger and able to take in more air, such as swimming or other aerobic activities, yoga, meditation that focuses on your breath, breath work, etc. This is easy to do even if you don’t have a ton of time. Try inhaling for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, exhale for four count, hold for four counts, and repeat. In Western medicine, breathing in into the belly (diaphragmatic breathing) has been found to calm the nervous system and maximize the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream. Below is an interesting link about the importance of breath:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-healing-power-of-proper-breathing-11590098696?mod=e2fb

Diet:

The color white is associated with the Lungs. Foods that are white will benefit the lungs and by default, their associated organ systems. For example, white mushrooms can help dry lungs and also benefit the skin. Almonds are white underneath their skin, and can help with asthma and skin. Radishes and lotus seeds are also beneficial foods.

Hopefully this information helps you to recognize your breathing patterns and how they are impacted by your emotions. I hope it reminds you to breathe deeply and engage your diaphragm. If you are having a hard time calming down to breathe properly, know that acupuncture and herbs can help you. If you have any questions about this topic (or any others) feel free to reach out!

What’s Happening?

Immunity is important, and it always has been, but surrounding COVID-19, it has become increasingly apparent the relevance that it plays. As unfortunate as this virus has been for so many, it has given others an opportunity to step back, breathe, and examine our own lives and where they have become out of balance. 

The two “biggies”, diet and exercise remain important, of course. Mental well-being has been gaining in popularity recently, which is phenomenal, but there has been this glaring factor that we all have silently have acknowledged to be a barrier in our overall health – BUSY. Our mortgages/rent, car payments, kids extracurricular activities, etc. come at a (quite literal) price that has not allowed us to stop, reflect and modify our lives as necessary. This “busy” takes a toll on our adrenals, which throws off our hormones and ability to fight off bugs and infections. It seems that symptoms of “unknown cause” have also been on the rise…do you think it’s a coincidence? 

*These examples represent only short lists of possible symptoms

Busy and the Beast

In the days of 24 hour gyms and lifestyle coaches galore, we are made to feel like there is no excuse to live a life less than what our 18 year old self dreamed about. But here is the reality – at the end of the day, we’re tired! Being tired makes us reactive and reach out for unhealthy coping strategies, “mommy juice anyone?”. You probably find yourself wondering how you will ever find the time to take proper care of yourself because the time you do have to yourself is when you’re exhausted.

With this extra time at home, I think I’m safe to bet that things have come up for most people. We have been forced to face thoughts and feelings that we could previously distract ourselves from with our “busy”. These feelings have been being pushed down inside us, and have been causing underlying feelings of anxiety, anger, fear, guilt, and depression to name a few. 

 Oriental Medicine takes into consideration emotional factors and the role they play on our health. Each emotion is associated with a specific internal organ, and all the organs work together for your body to function properly. So, when one organ is affected, it in turn affects the others. The sooner that an emotional imbalance is addressed, the less symptoms will show up. (See the chart below for some examples)

Symptoms Associated With Emotions:

• Anger: headaches, vertigo, ringing in ears, stiff neck, high blood pressure
• Sadness: breathing problems, discomfort in chest, depression
• Joy: Helps relax the mind
• Worry:chest discomfort, tense muscles (especially shoulders), tiredness, bloating 
• Overthinking:lack of appetite, heartburn and related disorders, bloating, tiredness
• Fear: urination frequency/incontinence, insomnia, palpitations, night sweats
• Shock: palpitations & insomnia

*These examples represent only short lists of possible symptoms

Modern research has been able to prove that laughing, social connection, and even smiling increase the body’s ability to fight off illness. Mental and emotional stress have been clinically linked to sleep disturbances, an increase in bacterial and yeast infections, and digestive disturbances among other disorders. Sure, there are pills you can take to lessen your symptoms, but here is our chance; right now we have the time to address our underlying issues. We can decide how much to invite back into our lives after COVID-19. You can start saying, “No” to that multi-family garage sale your friend is having and take that time to have your tea in the back yard, think about your week, play with your kids and keep your priorities in balance with what makes YOU feel good. Taking these steps will ultimately change your immunity so that you are less vulnerable in the future.

Yes, acupuncture and herbal therapy can help you with your process, and I would be more than delighted to assist you!

One of the most common questions that I get asked as an acupuncturist is, “What can acupuncture treat?”. This is a simple and complicated question to answer. 

In the Western world that we live in, with all the legality issues surrounding what a medical profession can actually claim to treat, acupuncturists boast an impressive list, but we are limited at the same time. Lets start out with what the World Health Organization states that acupuncture can treat (aka: what has been shown through controlled trials to be treated effectively by acupuncture):

• Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy 
• Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever) 
• Biliary colic 
• Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke) 
• Dysentery, acute bacillary Dysmenorrhoea, primary 
• Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm) 
• Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
• Headache
• Hypertension, essential
• Hypotension, primary 
• Induction of labour
• Knee pain
• Leukopenia
• Low back pain
• Malposition of fetus
• Correction of Morning sickness 
• Nausea and vomiting
• Neck pain 
• Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction) 
• Periarthritis of shoulder 
• *Postoperative pain 
• *Renal colic
• Rheumatoid arthritis 
• Sciatica 
• Sprain 
• Stroke
• Tennis elbow 

These are what we can claim. This list does not include the extensive list of diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown, but for which further proof is needed (WAY too many to mention here, please see the link below for the list). The above list also does not account for diseases, symptoms or conditions for which there are only individual controlled trials reporting some therapeutic effects, but for which acupuncture is worth trying because treatment by conventional and other therapies is difficult (again, check the link for the list).

https://www.acupuncture.org.uk/public-content/public-traditional-acupuncture/4026-who-list-of-conditions.html

Another factor affecting what we can claim to treat is undeniably linked to financing. Acupuncture does not by any means have the funding that other forms of medicine have access to. This lack of backing limits the amount, type and duration of studies that are able to make it to trial. I may be biased, but the scales don’t appear to be balanced.

Now….here is the stuff that Oriental Medical Practitioners want you to know!

Oriental medicine is based upon nature and its ebbs and flows to maintain balance. Yin and Yang. Simple, right? Keep reading.

Consider what is currently happening on our planet. (Just to be clear, my purpose of this is to explain how Oriental Medicine looks at approaching a person, not to step on a soap box about my opinions.) The temperature of the earth is going up. Because of this one factor, the icebergs are melting, there are huge fires happening all over and the implications of these things are numerous. Think of all that is being affected by this one change! The natural balance has been disrupted. The body is not any different. If your temperature goes up, your blood pressure  can go up, you can get hives on your body, you may get dizzy and pass out,  or you may get easily angered to name a few.

Now, contemplate all the factors that have caused the temperature of the planet to go up: driving our cars, landfills, cow “emissions”, the loss of rainforests, etc. Each ONE thing we do is contributing to something BIG that has REAL consequences! Imagine all the things that cause the temperature in your body to go up; the temperature outside, getting emotionally “worked up”, drinking too much coffee, vigorous exercise, etc.

Next, examine all the systems that can become imbalanced in your body: temperature, how much fluid we have circulating in us, each individual organ system, our adrenals, hormones, our thoughts, the emotions that they create and how our bodies physically respond to them, stress, and SO many more. This is how an Oriental Medical practitioner approaches each person they treat. Now you can see that we may have a lot of work to do, right?! 

So, you ask, “What can acupuncture treat?”. Well, I can legally tell you that it can treat the conditions on the above list. 

The question that you may want to ask is, “What conditions can acupuncture help with?”.

My answer to you is that it can help the body become more balanced, which in turn can affect multiple “conditions” that you may be experiencing.

How acupuncture helps the body become more balanced is another topic entirely. We will touch on that another time.

This post may leave your head spinning as you try to grasp all these aspects. I know mine was spinning as I learned about all of this. I hope it makes you email me with your questions! I hope it gets you excited to know that we can approach a variety of conditions big and small! I hope it gives you hope about yourself and those that you care about who may be suffering.

One last note. You know when you feel “off”, or something “doesn’t feel right” but you can’t get a diagnosis, and all lab tests show that nothing is wrong with you? This is exactly what Oriental Medicine is talking about with preventative medicine. Your body is talking to you, you’re trying to listen, but you don’t know what to do about it. Let’s address this “feeling” before it becomes something that may be serious! 

I can’t wait to help you become more balanced!