Health Intuitive

If you have children who often suffer from colic. The ancient art of Chinese Pediatric Tuina would be the best way to address their condition. Mothers who have tried this treatment have found it to be extremely helpful in healing colic and other children’s conditions, especially when it’s combined with Chinese herbal medicine. Both treatments have been used in China for over a thousand years. It is now slowly being seen as a safe and reliable form of pediatric treatment in the West.

One very effective Chinese Pediatric Tuina technique is called the “Grasping Belly Corner” technique or “Na Du Jiao.” It is one among many therapeutic massage techniques of Chinese Pediatric Tuina (traditional Chinese massage).

To treat physical ailments in children, the therapist will apply light pressure on certain pressure points on the body. These points are usually located on the extremities, back, face, and stomach. To ease the massage and/or protect the skin of the child, massage oils or lotions may be used. Each therapy may last for twenty to thirty minutes. In many cases, the therapy should be administered once a day or every other day. Since the technique used in pediatric tuina is very easy and simple to perform, therapists often teach the parents how to properly perform the techniques so that they can administer the treatments to their child at home.  

Children are classified as “pure Yang constitution,” in Maitland Chinese medicine. This means they develop quickly in intelligence and physique. Simultaneously, they also are “Yang and Yin young constitution,” which implies they still have imperfect physical bodies and organic function, which is the reason they easily get sick, especially with regard to respiratory and digestive problems. Being a parent myself, my child seems to often suffer from colds (allergies, asthma, coughing) or tummy aches (due to diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and bloating). Crying at night and bed wetting are also common problems during childhood.  

Pediatric tuina is a manual and safe therapy; its techniques produces no side effects and are light. It is an ideal way to alleviate many ailments felt during childhood. In addition, the therapy is an extremely powerful way to prevent diseases. Administering simple and regular pediatric tuina to your kids can help boost their natural body constitution and enhance their immune and digestive systems. It is especially effective for children who catch colds easily and for those who have picky appetites. It is a perfect treatment for newly born children and for kids up to seven years old. When combined with acupuncture, this technique comes highly recommended for older kids.   Chinese herbs are also prescribed most of the time to bring about even faster and better results.  

Things to know when your child is getting pediatric tuina and acupuncture:

1. We advise that your child shouldn’t come to treatment on a full or empty stomach.
2. After undergoing a session of acupuncture therapy, your child may feel a bit “woozy” or lightheaded.
3. Make your child relaxed and comfortable during a treatment.
4. To help calm your child, have him or her sit in our waiting area for a while, pretty soon he/she will be clear-headed and relaxed.

According to TCM or traditional Chinese medicine in Bellingham, each person is unique and there are no ‘bad’ foods or ‘good’ foods; there are just foods that may be or maybe not appropriate per individual, just as there are suitable plants and herbs for each person based on what his or her health needs are. Warming yang tonic herbs would be the right stuff for people suffering from fatigue and cold; however, for someone who is deficient in yin and suffering from night sweats and constant thirst, these same warming nourishing herbs may only cause headaches and irritation to that person. Foods, like herbs, have varying energetic attributes; they can, for instance, be cooling or warming. Nutritional therapy, in TCM, is just one branch of a larger tree of medicine, which includes herbal medicine and acupuncture.

Raw Foods  

Thirty years ago, well-meaning health food advocates promoted the advantages of eating raw foods and the significance of enzymes from eating raw food. In TCM, this logic contains three fundamental errors:

People eating excess amounts of raw foods often experience loose bowel movements throughout the day. This means that the enzymes make their digestive systems purge more efficiently, which is actually, a TCM sign of Spleen damage.

There is no universal nutritional guideline that’s going to be appropriate for all people.

Raw foods are ‘cold’ by nature and so, too much eating of these foods will injure the Spleen organ energetic system. This energetic system, in TCM, is paired with the Abdomen energetic system and is very important in the normal absorption and digestion of food. So, a meal containing too much juiced vegetables, raw vegetables, fruit juices, and raw fruits is going to have the opposite effect on your health.

Foods for Internal Dampness and Deficient Spleen Qi

• Aduki bean
• Yams
• Amaranth
• Winter squash
• Asparagus
• Turnip
• Beans
• Sunflower seeds
• Bitter greens such as dandelion and arugula
• Rye
• Cooked carrots
• Radish  
• Cooked celery
• Pumpkin
• Cooked soy
• Millet
• Garlic
• Green onions
• Horseradish
• Kasha

We recommend the herbal formula Restore the Middle Way

Use or avoid in small amounts: meat, dairy, tofu, eggs, refined carbohydrates, sweets, fried foods, cucumber, watermelon, fruit juices and fruits.

The negative side of drinking too much water

According to TCM, while drinking too much water everyday may seem beneficial as it helps you to stay hydrated, forcing fluids into your body each day may be only putting an extra burden on your Kidneys. In addition, long-term thirst and dryness are most probably a sign of Deficient Yin where your cells are not absorbing water properly. If you are Yin Deficient, Yin foods and tonic herbs should be used to bolster the permeability of the cells so that the water you drink can actually be used by the cells.

One very sure way to shock your acupuncturist would be to say that you’re drinking huge amounts of iced water because you read in some magazines that it would help you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism. According to Chinese medicine, this is actually false since besides injuring the Spleen, it also weakens the energetic systems of your Kidney; the outcome would be more severe imbalances that may take years to repair as well as a gain in weight.

Foods to Treat Deficient Yin

Short grain brown rice, goji berry, amaranth grain, white mulberry, beets, quinoa, string beans, millet, spirulina, wheat germ, seaweed, barley, tofu, mung beans, black beans, kidney beans, tofu. In moderation: pork, raspberry, clam, blackberry, eggs, sardine, oysters.  For severe conditions: dairy products, grapes, watermelon, banana.

We recommend using an herbal formula called Yin Valley.

Foods to stay away from: red meat, fats, spices, coffee, alcohol

Myth:  one way to detox the body is by drinking large amounts of water.

Many people believe that drinking copious amounts of water is going to bathe the tissue and cells and can help cleanse the body of waste materials. The fact is, just the quantity of fluids needed for healthy cellular physiological function is going to infiltrate into the tissue; the remainder will be eliminated through urination. Again, when fluids are forced into the body, over time, it will lead to Deficient Kidney Qi and poor health and interrupt the balance of Yin and Yang of the body.

Liver Imbalances Cured by Nutritional Therapy

Expel Liver Wind – celery, chamomile, basil, western skullcap, sage, lemon, fennel, cold-pressed flax oil, ginger, coconut, anise, vinegar, oats, pine nuts, black soybean, and black sesame seed

Stay away from eggs, buckwheat, and crab meat

Cool Liver Heat – raw green vegetable juices, mung beans, daikon radish, mung sprouts, radish, nettle, rhubarb, celery, mushrooms, seaweed, plums, lettuce, chees, rye bread, tofu, quinoa, watercress, amaranth, cucumber, and millet.

Tonify Liver Blood – animal liver, greens, beef, spirulina, pork, red grapes, eggs, blackberries, chicken soup, blueberries, oysters, blackstrap molasses, sesame seed, gelatin, mulberry fruit, cardoon, dates, artichoke, nettle, red beets, avocado, kelp, and avocado.

Warming Foods for Deficient Qi or Yang – aduki beans, basil, beef, black beans, black pepper, butter, chicken, chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, kale, lamb, lentils, molasses, mussel, mustard leaf, onion, rosemary, sesame seeds, shrimp, trout, vinegar, walnuts, winter squash,

cooked fruit: guava, coconut, peach, raspberry, cherry, date.

We recommend using an herbal formula called Ancestor Treasure.

Stay away from dairy, raw fruits, wheat, juices and veggies, asparagus, eggplant, wheat and asparagus.

Congee Therapeutic Dishes

If you are recuperating from a severe chronic condition, congees are highly recommended for eating if you want to rebuild your health. Consume grain or rice cereal combined with tonic herbs and the right foods. This form of healing porridge is light on your digestive system and is well-suited for people who are depleted with chronic illness. Cook as you would grain or rice.

Congee dish for recipe cancer recovery:

• A pinch of salt
• Two cups water
• One Tablespoon each goji berries, astragalus, and grounded codonopsis, (or three tablespoons of powdered herb formula called Zenergy)
• One cup brown rice

Congee Dish for Cleansing and Detoxification:

• A pinch of salt
• Two cups water
• One Tablespoon each ground coriander seed, turmeric, and burdock root, (or three tablespoons of a powdered herbal formula called Central River)
• One cup barley rice

Congee dish for weak digestion:

• A pinch of salt
• Two cups water
• One tablespoon each ground fennel seed, hawthorn berries, and codonopsis
• One cup brown rice

Chinese Nutritional Therapy and a Healthy Diet

Remember, it’s always important to take care of your Spleen. Your Spleen is responsible for the distribution and conversion of fluids and foods after the abdomen has ripened and rotted them. Simply put, the Spleen decides the way foods are used in the body and it contributes a lot in safe reduction of weight. Using tonic herbs to nourish the Spleen increases the efficiency of the Spleen energetic system. The Spleen is also where the pancreas is located, controls blood sugar levels and regulates the usage of blood sugar. In Chinese medicine, the cravings for sweets is due to Deficient Spleen Qi. The Spleen can be injured by eating damp generating foods and by Dampness itself. Foods to avoid would be raw foods, fried foods, iced drinks, and sugars; interestingly, too much fruits, juicing, and salad can lead to an increase in weight and injure the Spleen.

Again, as mentioned a while ago, there are only inappropriate foods, no ‘bad foods’. Certainly, there are sodas and other non-foods that are ‘bad’ for you. Real natural foods, however, if eaten moderately or appropriately, have a place in our lives. A luxurious slice of pecan pie may not be considered in the list below as a suitable acceptable part of your daily diet, but one must feed the spirit once in a while. Be confident of the wisdom of your body that it will use and absorb all essential nutrients and remove all unhealthy substances. If you tend to reprimand yourself every time you eat pecan pie reminding yourself that it does not contain any vital nutrients and is only going to increase your weight, it definitely will harm your health. Conversely, if you trust the wisdom of your body and relish it, it can’t do any harm to your body (provided it is eaten in moderation).

Useful Dietary Advices

Most advancements in nutritional therapy have more to do enhancing the preparation of food. Most of the listed food needs to be prepared. Taking time for food preparation that will enable you or others to heal is part of the method of treating oneself. Dining out occasionally while making appropriate dietary choices will work temporarily, but if you want long-term wellness, you’ll perhaps need to develop skills in preparing food (unless you have several healthy restaurants near your place).

The next part of the learning process is take your sweet time relishing your meal. You’re likely to derive more nutritional benefits out of a BLT (bacon lettuce tomato) sandwich that you carefully prepared, and ate with gusto in peace and quiet than a tofu burger you smelled while cruising down the highway.

Try to eat, at least, half a cup each of cooked berries, leafy greens, onions-mushrooms, legumes-beans, seeds-nuts, and vegetables everyday; this limits lessens your craving for unhealthy food choices.

Because the Spleen is at its most active in the morning, it is essential that breakfast be added as part of a treatment regimen, as it is a traditional component of Chinese nutritional Therapy, more so if you’re attempting to shed weight.

To avoid eating snacks between meals, you might want to try eatinf miso soup or broths instead. Meals should be eaten before 8 PM.

Eat locally grown or organic foods, as much as possible or when available.

General guidelines to healthy eating to preserve well-being:

This is not a comprehensive list of foods but it could be a starter guideline.

Fruits (5 percent)

Eat many tablespoons of berries daily if possible.

Eat a lot of tomatoes and avocadoes

Moderately consume: apples, apricot, bananas, blackberry pineapple, cantaloupe, cooked peaches, cooked pears, cranberry, figs, goji berry, grapefruit, grapes, guava, honeydew melon, lemon, mulberry, oranges, papaya, plums, pomegranate, quince, raisins, raspberry, stewed apples, strawberries, tangerine, watermelon,

Stay away from all processed/refined fruit juices

Animal Meat (5 to 10 percent)

Moderately consume: cold water fish, eggs, lamb, lean pork, organic beef, organic chicken, quail, seafood

Stay away from canned meats, meat fats, and luncheon meat

Beverages (3 percent caloric)

Consume lots of clean room temperature water, green tea, and herbal teas

Moderately consume: black tea, coffee, oat milk, organic milk, red wine, rice milk, soy milk

Star away from alcohol, beer, forcing liquids, iced beverages, iced tea, iced water, juice, sodas

Dairy (2 to 5 percent)

Moderately consume: cottage cheese, ghee, light sour cream, organic one percent milk, unprocessed cheese, yogurt

Stay away from sweetened yogurts, frozen yogurt, ice cream

Oils (5 percent) – eating foods that are fried only adds to Dampness in the body

Moderately consume: camolina oil, coconut oil, ghee, unrefined/unprocessed canola oil, unrefined/unprocessed oleic safflower oil, unrefined/unprocessed oleic sunflower oil, unrefined/unprocessed olive oil, unrefined/unprocessed sesame oil

Stay away from shortening, refined vegetable oils, refined canola oil, peanut oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, palm oil, margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oil, fried foods, cottonseed oil, corn oil, animal fats

Sweeteners (>1 percent) Refined/processed sugars generate Dampness in the body

Consume in small amounts: unrefined/unprocessed cane juice or powder, stevia,

small piece dark chocolate, rice syrup, molasses, maple syrup, local raw honey, date sugar, barley malt, agave

Stay away from any artificial sweeteners like Splenda™ and Nutrasweet™, brown sugar, candy, cane sugar or juice, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, 

turbinado sugar, white sugar

Grains (5 to 15 percent)

Eat lots of: amaranth, barley, bran, brown rice, buckwheat, foods made with whole grains, kashi, millet, oats, rye, short grain brown rice, spelt, whole grain breads, wild rice

Moderately consume: polenta, maize, corn meal

Stay away from: cake, cereal, cookies, foods made w/white flour, French bread, noodles, pasta, potatoes, processed cereals, rolls, soft whole wheat breads, white bread, white rice

Seeds and Nuts (5 to 10 percent), if possible, eat one-fourth cup a day

Eat lots of: shelled seeds & nuts including walnut, sunflower seed, squash seeds, pumpkin seed, pistachio, pine nut, pecans, hummus, flax seed, chia seed, black sesame seed, almond

Stay away from: rancid nuts – *nuts quickly start to deteriorate when they are hulled or shelled, cashews, peanuts, processed peanut butter

Legumes – lentils, peas, beans (15 percent). Try to eat a minimum of half a cup of legumes a day

Eat lots of: whole peas, TVP textured vegetable protein, tofu, tempeh, split peas, soybean, sesame, pinto beans, mung bean, miso, lima beans, lentils, kidney beans, hummus, garbanzo, black-eyed peas, black bean, aduki bean

Vegetables (25 percent). Try to eat a wide variety of veggies, organic if available. Consume a minimum of half a cup of greens a day, half a cup of mixed vegetables a day and one salad.

Eat lots of: yam, winter squash, turnip greens, sweet potato, steamed zucchini, steamed summer squash, steamed celery, steamed cauliflower, steamed carrots, steamed broccoli, snap bean, shallots, seaweed, scallions, rutabagas, peppers, parsnips, turnips, onions, okra, Napa cabbage, mustard greens, mushrooms, leeks, lamb’s quarters, kohlrabi, kale, Jerusalem artichoke, green peas, green beans, grape leaves, gobo-burdock root, eggplant, cooked tomatoes, cooked spinach, cooked beets, collards, chard, cabbage, Brussels sprout, bok choy, asparagus, artichoke.

Moderately consume: raw vegetables, raw tomato, potatoes, lettuce, cucumber, corn.

Acupressure therapy plays an important role in the treatment of diseases like thyroid conditions that don’t often reveal any symptoms at earlier stages. Thyroid problems are not uncommon in some people. The thyroid gland produces hormones that help regulate the metabolism of our body and virtually affect every organ system in the body. These hormones are responsible for how slow or fast the organs should work. They also auto correct the production of heat and oxygen consumption of the body. An underactive or overactive thyroid and other thyroid disorders, can impact metabolism severely.

Acupressure is an ancient Eastern form of medicine that can help treat health problems like thyroid conditions whose symptoms don’t often appear at earlier stages.  A person with a problematic thyroid gland may gain a lot of weight because of weak metabolism and be more noticeably tired.

Thyroid disorders can lead to obesity and changes in metabolism among other problems. In certain scientific studies, hypothyroidism, a thyroid disorder has been proven to cause weight gain. The thyroid hormones are important endocrine hormones required for a number of physiological functions. They are also needed for synthesis of certain enzymes and increasing the rate of metabolism in the body.

Fortunately, there are natural cures for hypothyroidism, which include acupressure, naturopathy, and yoga, although lab tests must first be done in order to confirm its diagnosis.

The thyroid gland is located on the front of the nick just under the skin. It is responsible for how the body functions and for controlling metabolism. It achieves these responsibilities by manufacturing hormones that tell the body how to use energy and how fast to work. Energy that was not utilized is converted into fat.

A malfunctioning thyroid produces hormones that cause the body to slow down and bring about the following symptoms:

• Hair loss
• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Difficulty remembering and concentrating
• Depression
• Constipation
• Cold feet and hands
• Anxiety

The list can go on and may include disorders in the female reproductive system, including endometriosis, menstrual disorders, and breast cancer.

Hypothyroidism leads to the underproduction of thyroid hormones. Since thyroid hormones govern metabolism and jump start energy production, their deficiency can lead to fatigue followed by lethargy and apathy.

Using Acupressure Therapy to Detect Thyroid Problems  

One major benefit of acupressure is that both treatment and detection of disease are performed the same way. Pain or tenderness in the area of the thyroid gland can point to a thyroid problem.

For treatment of thyroid conditions, the therapist will use certain acupressure points in the patient’s body. One acupressure point or acupoint that can help treat thyroid problems is found between the center of the eyes. This point can activate the function of the pituitary gland.

The K 27 is a thyroid acupoint commonly used in the treatment of thyroid disorders. For three times each day, apply pressure on the K 27 acupoints bilaterally eight to ten times.

One other acupoint that can be used to treat thyroid conditions can be found on the back of your neck, (just over the vertebra that when you tilt your head forward, forms a bump). Stimulating this point will result in the freeing of any accumulated energy and bring back the smooth flow of chi to the thyroid gland. Feel the parts on both sides of your body as well as  the bony protrusion until you feel tender areas. Massage these points first, then press and hold them until you experience a soothing numbness emanating from these points. It may take a few minutes before relief is felt in this area if you haven’t worked on these acupoints before.               

The acupoints near your feet’s big toes should also be pressed.

Remember to seek acupressure treatment only from a qualified Chinese medicine therapist or practitioner for your thyroid problems.

When you learn how to activate your own acupressure points, you can alleviate light to moderate ailments on your own, and lessen the intake of prescription and nonprescription medications. With acupressure therapy, relief is usually instantaneous, unlike most drugs.

Acupuncture Health Center
1303 Astor St #101
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 715-1824
http://www.bellinghamacupuncturecenter.com/

A major branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Bellingham used to stimulate the flow of vital energy (Chi) and eliminate stagnation, Cupping therapy involves the warming and applying of medicinal cups, usually made of glass, on the skin to heal certain ailments and illnesses in the body. Chi naturally freely flows throughout the body and can be found in the world around us, if this flow is disturbed or blocked, it can lead to an imbalance or stagnation in the body.

What is Massage Cupping?

Massage cupping therapy is a deep tissue massage plus the warming and application of cups on certain areas of the body. A vacuum is produced when the air inside the cup is heated and when the cup is quickly applied to the skin, the pressure inside the cup draws the patient’s skin into it. This stimulates healing by causing blood flow to increase and loosening the connective tissue or fascia in the site of treatment. The deep tissue massage is designed to relieve pain and break up scar tissue. More often than not, the cups are placed on the site of pain, shoulders, neck, or back. Cupping may result in temporary some soreness and bruising, depending on the strength of suction generated by the vacuum and the degree of stagnation in the body. From the standpoint of TCM, this is a desired outcome since it means that treatment was successful in clearing stagnation and removing toxins from the body. To take out the cups, the practitioner lifts one edge of the cup allowing air into the cup breaking the seal and vacuum.

Various Forms of Cupping Therapy

Cupping therapy can have different forms and the acupuncturist will choose the one that best meets the goals of the treatment. The cups also come in different types although glass cups are the ones most commonly used. Over a thousand years ago, however, practitioners used cups made of animal horns, clay, or bamboo.

Dry or Fire Cupping

Veteran acupuncturist and TCM practitioner Ann Michelle Casco, L.Ac., said that the cupping technique traditionally used was called ba guan zhi, or dry or fire cupping. This type of cupping entails placement of cups over an ashi point or ailing or painful acupuncture point on the body located along an energy channel called meridian. After the cups are applied in the area of treatment, they are left in place for about 5 to 20 minutes depending on the severity of the patient’s condition. Typically, a round of treatment may involve 4 to 6 sessions at intervals beginning from 3 to 10 day gaps.

Sliding Cups Technique

Another cupping technique called sliding cups is specifically designed to treat muscle spasms and pain. It’s usually administered on large muscle groups of the back. Prior to the placement of the cups, massage oil is applied to the skin which helps the cups to easily glide over the skin surface.

Air Cupping

Air cupping can be an optional substitute for fire cupping. This technique involves the use of a portable manual suction pump that extracts air from the inside of the cups, creating a vacuum without the need for heat. In China, some clinical studies show this novel approach in cupping technology provides more comfort to patients than fire cupping.

Wet Cupping

This form of cupping is distinguished via the inclusion of an acupuncture technique called bleeding. The therapist uses a lancet to pierce the skin before cupping therapy is administered. This causes a small amount of blood to come out of the treatment site. Wet cupping is designed to remove internal toxins from the body. Chinese practitioners of TCM utilize this method to help “cool” inflammatory problems.

What Can Cupping Therapy Do?

According to TCM, the stagnation of blood and chi leads to disease and pain. Cupping bolsters local blood and chi circulation in the treatment area, relieving tension, pain, and swelling. By pulling toxins and impurities to the skin surface, it cleanses and purifies the body. From the standpoint of Western physiology, cupping helps stimulate blood flow to the surface and relaxes fascia or connective tissue. It promotes better cell-to-cell communication and brings about tissue relaxation. Studies conducted by American acupuncturist and physiologist Helene Langevin showed that changes in cell-level recorded in an ultrasound camera implied that alternative treatment modalities like massage, acupuncture, and cupping can help lower inflammation markers and relax tissue. Chemical messengers called cytokines that facilitate relaxation and healing are increased while inflammatory cytokines are lessened.

The Advantages of Cupping Therapy

Muscle relaxation and local pain relief are just two of the benefits offered by cupping therapy. This ancient Chinese healing art enhances overall health by clearing the obstacles to chi flow that TCM practitioners have determined as hindrances to the circulation of positive chi or healthy energy. Athletes can also benefit from this therapy as it helps improve blood flow to a specific muscle group or help relieve pain. Several athletes, prominently, the members of the great U.S. swim team, during the 2016 Rio Olympics, have unabashedly and proudly displayed their cupping marks to the world.

Some Illnesses and Ailments that can be treated through Cupping Therapy

Cupping is often used in the treatment of conditions such as:

Pain

Stomach pain

Gastritis

Asthma

Bronchial congestion

Cough

Paralysis

Researchers in Chinese have mainly studied cupping, finding benefit in problems like

Anxiety

Gout

Depression

Insomnia

Back pain

Herpes zoster (shingles)

Varicose veins

Anemia

High blood pressure

Diabetes

Eczema

Fibromyalgia

Acne

Arthritis

Infertility

Although the quality of these clinical studies is not at par to U.S. standards, the results of actual benefit are substantial, especially when the low risk of side effects is taken into account.

What Kind of People Administer Cupping?

Cupping is generally done by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Cupping procedures can be found and are depicted in TCM texts that are more than a 1000 years old. If you are considering cupping therapy for yourself or for others, look for a skilled and licensed practitioner such as an acupuncturist who is licensed to by the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) or the State of California Board of Acupuncture. Certified practitioners have undergone more than 3,000 hours of training at a distinguished institution and hurdled examinations required for the legal andsafe practice of cupping and acupuncture.

Does Cupping Therapy Produce Side Effects?

Expect to have marks on the skin when getting cupping therapy. This is brought about when the procedure brings blood to the skin surface, which may appear like a bruise. This treatment may not be your best option if you are currently taking anticoagulants or if you are suffering from hemophilia or any other bleeding disorder. People with these issues should talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the treatment with their doctor or acupuncturist before the undergo treatment. Practitioners would not administer cupping on skin areas where there are open wounds, infection, burns, or active inflammation. Some level of pain or discomfort may result but they are not deemed a side effect. Temporary medium discomfort may be expected as stagnation is cleared and muscles as well as connective tissue are relaxed.

Western healthcare providers and practitioners should consider cupping as a mode of treatment. However, the discolorations and bruising in children expected after treatment may be mistaken as signs of child abuse.

How long does the bruising last?

Bruises associated with cupping therapy may linger for a few days to a couple of weeks. Casco, a practitioner of TCM stated that after a number of weeks of continuous cupping treatment sessions, the bruising will be gradually reduced as the stagnation heals. This suggests a fruitful cupping plan of treatment.

Stress can come in different forms and in varying degrees since most of us have experienced it at some point in our lives. Some people experience stress as a physical feeling that can take the form of a tight back muscles, headache, fatigue, or stiff neck while others may experience it as a type of mental stress such as too much worrying about family, work, or school that can keep them awake late into the night and prevent them from falling asleep. Emotional stress can also come in the form of strong negative emotions such as loss, grief, depression, sadness, anger, fear, irritability, frustration, worry, chaos, nervousness and indecisiveness, just to name a few and is not any easier to handle. Some may suffer from the whole spectrum of stress that can affect them emotionally, mentally and physically. Fortunately, many of us have found a way to alleviate the stresses in our lives and for sure there is something that works really well for each of us. More and more people in the States have found Qigong a blessing in their lives helping them banish stress in a natural way within just a few minutes and without the need for drugs. But in order to achieve long lasting benefits, one must practice Qigong on a regular basis.

Pronounced Chee-Kung, Qigong is an age-old Chinese healing technique that combines deep breathing techniques similar to Tai Chi with graceful coordinated movements. Qigong is where acupuncture in Walla Walla and Tai Chi originated thousands of years ago. The word Qigong is derived from two Chinese words: “Qi,” which means vital energy, breath of life, or air that moves within all things everywhere and “Gong” which means the ability of self discipline, cultivating, or working with. Put together, Qi and gong means the technique of cultivating one’s life force. Qigong can help enhance the amount of positive qi or good oxygen in the body and blood, improving metabolism to help burn calories more efficiently and strengthening the immune systems to word off illness and disease. Another advantage in practicing Qigong is that it relieves stress naturally as one exhales while transforming the air inhaled into healing qi.

Practicing Qigong helps enhance qi vital energy to bring you health, longevity, weight loss inner peace, and to lower stress. It banishes stress in the body be it emotional stress, mental stress, or physical stress. It also increases the amount of oxygen in your body which helps balance the emotions, melt away muscular aches and pains, and endow one with optimal health. The breathing exercises is an aspect of this practice’s mystery that allows us full deep breaths which raise and fill the stomach and makes use of gravity to push gently the air out as we breathe out just like little babies do when sleeping.

We can start by pressing our tongue on the upper palette of our mouth just behind our upper teeth while gently breathing with our nose, and at the same time relaxing our body as we breathe. Start to become conscious of where your breath begins and ends. Are you pulling your breath downward to your stomach filling it first or is your chest rising first? You will know the answer by placing one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest, while you deeply breathe in through your nose and breathe out gently through your nose. Breathe a few more times if you find yourself breathing from your chest. Imagine your breath coming in through your nose and flowing down into your stomach. Imagine your stomach inflating like a beach ball, and imagine when breathing out, you use gravity to allow the stomach to fall gently towards your spine. Perfect, you have just done Qigong breathing.

The other aspect of Qigong wherein we utilize the tools and wisdom of qigong training to gather more life force or qi is known as Cultivation.

Qigong stance

Pelvic tuck forward, feet shoulder width apart while standing, knees bent slightly, toes aligned with your shoulders while facing straight forward and relaxing your buttocks while your stand straight as if you’re rooted like a tree planted firmly into the ground. With elbows bent, place your arms at your sides and your palms should face the outer part of your thighs keeping space between your fingers. Now visualize that you’re carrying under each arm a bag of rice. Maintain the Qigong deep breathing, and be aware as you breathe, your stomach rising and notice when breathing out, it gently falls back toward your spine. Relax your hands, arms, chest, and shoulders, maintaining a rounded shape with your arms at the sides and palms facing the outer part of your thigh and relax at the legs, buttocks, and waist. Next move out your hands in front on the level of your bellybutton, align the finger tips as you make a rounded shape with your arms as if you’re hugging a person. Then relax your shoulders and keep on doing for nine deep breaths, the Qigong deep stomach breathing.

At this point inhale and raise your arms outward laterally and upward towards the sky with your palms facing high up over your head. Bend your elbows as you exhale and lower your arms down to your front with your palms facing down. Perform this activity a few times. This is known as pulling down the heavens movement and it’s designed to purify your energy downward to the ground. This exercise can help lower high blood pressure, headaches, and stress. When treating high blood pressure, perform a longer exhale and a shorter inhale and as well as the movement of pulling down the heavens.

Finally, we’ll end the Qigong practice by bringing our two hands onto our bellybutton one over the other. Concentrate on the area under your hands and feel the warmth generated by your hands focused into the center of your bellybutton. Imagine the sun glowing brightly from your hands into the center of your belly button filling your lower stomach with brilliant light and gentle warmth. Perform 3 more Qigong deep breaths, with your bellybutton covered by your hands. Good work, you have just cultivated your qi for health successfully within just a few short moments.

A new study has found that acupressure helped decrease persistent fatigue in women who have had breast cancer therapy.

One of the most common longstanding effects of breast cancer therapy is fatigue. About 1/3 of women suffer from moderate to extreme fatigue a decade after their therapy has ended.

The JAMA Oncology published the study that discovered acupressure has the ability to lessen fatigue by 27% – 34% after six weeks of treatment. 67% of women who used a certain type of healing method called relaxing acupressure attained normal levels of fatigue.

University of Michigan associate research professor of family medicine Suzanna Zick says “Across various types of chronic diseases, particularly cancer, fatigue is an underappreciated symptom. It can have a substantial impact on a person’s quality of life. Patients can do acupressure themselves and this therapy is easy to learn “.

Acupressure originated from a healing system known as traditional Chinese medicine or TCM. TCM involves the application of pressure with a device, thumbs, or fingers over specific pressure points on the body. Scientists examined two forms of acupressure: stimulating acupressure, which is utilized to increase energy and relaxing acupressure, which is used to traditionally treat insomnia. These two methods differ by which acupoints on the body are activated.

Researchers examined 424 breast cancer survivors from the Michigan Tumor Registry. These patients were randomly designated to usual care, which involves regular sleep-management methods, stimulating acupressure, or relaxing acupressure. The women learned how to locate and stimulate the pressure points so that they could do it at home once a day for one and a half months.

Both acupressure therapies lad sustained meaningful improvements in fatigue at the end of the study. However, it was only relaxing acupressure that improved the patients quality of sleep (that included overall quality of life and disrupted sleep).

Past research suggests acupuncture in Tarzana might work in relieving fatigue. Unfortunately, many insurance companies do not acupuncture therapies; in addition, it requires people go visit a therapist one or two times a week for at a month and a half.

On the other hand, acupressure proved it can be done at home and can be easy to learn in this study.

The subjects in the trial had 15 minutes of training and were able to locate precisely the proper pressure points and utilize the right amount of pressure. Some females experienced slight bruising at the selected acupressure points. About 12% of the subjects did not continue the study because they thought it was very time-intensive.

According to Zick, “Acupressure can be a low-cost option for the treatment of fatigue given the brief training required to learn it”.

To teach acupressure, the researchers have developed a mobile application. They intend to study why acupressure affects fatigue and whether it also works for patients in active therapy and with cancers other than cancers of the breast.

With an acupressure massage therapy, you can clean toxins and waste material that have accumulated out of the various systems of your body. This type of massage is a product of the ancient healing art of acupuncture but unlike acupuncture in Cleveland stimulates healing without the needles. Acupressure massage therapists administer light to medium pressure on selected trigger points on your body. This form of treatment bolsters the Chi or vital energy of the body in order to optimize immune function and restore balance in the body. Science has now given us the ability to identify and stimulate the acupressure points of the body via modern massage chair brands which are available in the market today.

Acupressure massage uses techniques that can liberate blocked energy in the meridians or energy channels of your body. Scientists have been able to prove the existence of Chi and the meridians using electrical techniques. For thousands of years, practitioners of Chinese medicine have been aware of the existence of these channels. Based on their observation, they discovered that certain junctures or centers can become blocked or inhibited causing imbalance in the body. Through the use of hard, medium or light pressure on selected pressure points in the body, the flow of energy can be restored.

Acupressure massage therapy can be administered through vibration, tapping, and kneading massage procedures. Combined with the activation of the acupressure points, these procedures can be implemented throughout the body. Acupressure massage therapy works by applying moderate pressure through rapid circular movements on selected trigger points in the body. The trigger points are then stimulated and body massage is performed to allow movement of blocked energy. Energy flow is then restored and the body returns to healthy balance.

Listed below are just a few benefits of massage acupressure therapy:

• Relieves pain
• Reduces stress
• Treats muscles tension and aches
• Removes toxins that have accumulated in the body

As toxins gradually build up in the body, it causes the muscles to harden. This stiffness adds adverse pressure on the lymphatic and circulatory systems and causes imbalances in the body putting it in disharmony.

Technology has given us massage chairs that can accurately locate the trigger points in our body. These points can be mapped in our bodies by software programs built in these chairs. Acupressure massage chairs can be programmed to specifically suit the user’s needs. There are over a hundred trigger points on our backs alone. These chairs are incredibly efficient in activating the acupressure points and in implementing massage techniques such as vibration, percussion, and kneading to the user. They can be quite helpful in relieving aliments such as soreness in the back, shoulder, and neck and in treating aches and pains.

Some acupressure massage chairs are designed with air compression systems that target the lower body. These systems come with uniquely designed airbags with special nodes to activate trigger points in the lower areas of your body. When turned on, the air compression system causes inflation of the airbag which causes the node to gently push into the trigger point. The trigger points are usually found in the back of the calves and bottom of the feet. When stimulated, these trigger points can free built up tension resulting in the relaxation of the body.

Current studies dealing with acupressure massage therapy suggest its effectiveness in the relief of digestive problems, constipation, insomnia, dizziness, motion sickness, and headaches. Western medicine is just starting to realize the incredible healing power of acupressure, which the ancient Chinese have already known for thousands of years. Using modern technology to manufacture reliable massage chair recliners has led to a very useful and efficient way of treating bodily ailments using the techniques of acupressure massage therapy. To manage stress in your body and to help you relax, make it a point to go for acupressure massage treatment on a daily basis. Each day, stress can be a major factor that can wear down your body and weaken you immune system; therefore it must be periodically alleviated.

This article is a short summary that strives to describe the complex relationships of the various systems in our body. Chinese medicine has certain obvious advantages over conventional Western medicine in that it tries to explain the cause of a health problem and also uses a holistic approach for treatment of a disease.

The five elements theory in Chinese medicine in Walla Walla is based on an apocryphal approach of connecting energy channels in the body. After all, if we’re able to control energy, we can also control our health. In the system of the Five Elements, there is no such thing as absolute law. The classical Chinese perspective of the universe doesn’t allow room for the existence of absolutes. The rules of the Five Elements pertain to the tendencies toward change based on the foundation of the Five Elements.

The connection between the organs of the human body (zang fu) and the Five elements are as follows:

Elements – Water, Wood, Metal Earth, Fire
Yin (Zang) – Kidney, Liver, Lung, Spleen, Heart
Yang (Fu) – Bladder, Gall Bladder, Large Intestine, Stomach, Small Intestine
Sensory organs – Ear, Eye, Nose, Mouth, Tongue
Tissues – Bone, Tendon, Hair/Skin, Muscle, Blood Vessel
Emotions – Fear/Fright, Anger, Melancholy/Grief, Worry, Joy
Notes – Yu, Jiao, Shang, Gong, Zheng

The energies of the Five Elements, as a means of expression, are believed to contain the following creative qualities.

Water has the tendency to create Wood

Wood has the tendency to create Fire

Fire has the tendency create Earth

Earth has the tendency to create Metal

Metal has the tendency to create Water

The Cycle of Control (or Controlling Cycle) brings balance and harmony through opposite and complementary qualities. It is a type of control in what would otherwise be an unending increase.

The Cycle of Control:

Water has the tendency to control Fire

Fire has the tendency to control Metal

Metal to control Wood

Wood has the tendency to control Earth

Earth has the tendency to control Water

Broken Balance

When the balance is broken, the Insulting and Over Acting sequences govern the irregular relationship among the Five Elements.

Both the Controlling Cycle and the Over Acting Cycle have the same pattern save for the fact that each Element over-acts on another by one Element being energetically in excess.

The Over Acting Cycle is the opposite of the Insulting Cycle. The former cycle deals with energetics that’s opposed to the latter cycle.

There are Ten Stems in the theory of the Five Elements

Each Element has an aspect of Yin and Yang with one balancing the other – this is essentially what defines Yin-Yang.

As Yin lowers, Yang rises

As Yang lowers, Yin rises

If Yin rises, Yang lowers

If Yang rises, Yin lowers

Within each Element, there is an opposite and complementary balance.

Cycle of Creation of the Ten Celestial Stems

The understanding of the Ten Celestial Stems following the tendencies of the Cycle of Creation demonstrates how the elements of Yang create each other and the elements of Yin create each other.

Were there no restriction on the tendencies to create, the outcome would be a incremental rise from one Element’s energy to the other.

One way this is balanced and checked is through the aspect of each Elements’ Yin and Yang with each Element balancing one another within the system.

The system can also maintain balance by balancing the Yin and Yang aspect of any Element by means of the Controlling Cycle.

These tendencies are discussed below:

Ten Celestial Stems

Cycle of Control Balances

The balances follow a Yin/Yang pattern and are bi-directional. If Yin decreases, Yang increases and vice versa.

Wood Yin generated by Water Yin generates Fire Yin.

Fire Yin generates Earth Yin generating Metal Yin, which generates Water Yin.

The Yang elements are the same as the just mentioned Yin energetics.

The entire system is a fragile balance of all its parts.

This system continues to maintain and generate itself in perfect harmony; however, any number of changes of this imbalance can arise if any imbalance or disharmony develops anywhere in the system. The impact of transformations may generate symptoms deemed to be negative effects. Some transformations may not manifest any symptoms at all. Any of the Element’s Yin/Yang energetics can influence the other Elements in a manner based on the specific strength of their Yin or Yang.

The key to harmony is balance.

There is a passage in the book Lu Shih Chun Chiu that perfectly illustrates the dangers of stagnation and the importance of movement.

“The reason the door’s hinge does not age, yet the door does or the water in the stream remains vital, yet stagnant water does not, is because they move. The association between the Chi and the form is the same. The Jing does stream if the form does not move. The Chi turns stagnant if the Jing does not stream. Stagnation becomes like wind or like a tumor if it’s in the head. Stagnation leads to deafness, if it’s in the ear.”

Chung points out in the Lun Hung, written around 82 AD, “Illness is like chaos and confusion. The Shen and Jing become mixed up and confused.”

In the Huai Nan Tzu, the complementary viewpoint is emphasized. Order is the “going through without commotion” that allows action.

Within the Ten Stems, this relationship can be an integral and vital approach and is a better guide to determine diagnosis, disease, symptoms, and energetics.

The exciting implication of this is that if we understand this order and facilitate it, we become more capable.

Conclusion

The key to wellbeing is certainly movement with the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the body intimately tied to each other.

If you try to enhance only the physical, the system will collapse eventually; without yin, yang cannot exist.

This article is designed to express an opinion about the myriad of relative energy or tendencies related to each other as well as the integrity of yin and yang and also to make the reader understand that besides soft and hard, weak and strong, negative and positive, and yin and yang, that there are other countless numbers of relative energies between those opposites.

There are weak and strong areas between the opposite poles at all distances between the opposites similar to the various lines of a magnetic field. Endless tendencies exist between yin and yang in constantly moving and vacillating strengths of energy.

This article has shown us why movement is extremely vital in all things. Joints solidify if they don’t move. Blood stagnates if it doesn’t flow the right way. Death follows if the lungs stopped breathing. There needs to be some changing of thought into the physical by doing, because thinking is not enough.

For optimum health, balance is necessary in all activity.

Are you feeling disconnected from your body? Imagine spending 50 or even 80 hours a week in an office, extremely fatigued, and hunched over a computer. Working ourselves to death absolutely produces zero benefits in terms of general health and well being. In fact, it can ruin our lives and the lives of people who love and care for us

By neglecting the body, we pay a high price in our mental and physical health.

Getting centered is one of the most effective ways to connect with our bodies. Centering is an essential aspect of mind ~ physical practices such as dance, tai chi, martial arts yoga, and sports. Our center is called by different names: In Sanskrit, it’s called the Lower Chakra, in Japanese, Hara, in Chinese, Dantian, and the belly or gut in the United States.

The Location of the Center

The center lies in the middle of the body, approximately a couple of inches below our umbilicus or belly button. It is where our stability and balance originates. Strozzi Institute founder Richard Strozzi-Heckler said, “When people are centered, they become utterly relaxed. In this manner, they get an ally with gravity, rather than resisting it”.

You may recall a time when you felt grounded in your body and deeply relaxed even though things around you are beginning to turn chaotic. Maybe, you’ve felt time slowing down. This is the mystery of your center – the place or state of mind where your body and mind converge.

However, this center tends to be a moving one. Wherever you direct your consciousness, your center goes. The center could be in your head if you are deep in thought. It might be in your chest if you’re experiencing low heavy emotions.

The mind also becomes still and quiet when your center is in the midpoint of your body. Rather than thinking ahead to the future or dwelling in the past, you need to stay rooted in the present. Accept who where you are and who you are unconditionally without trying to change things. Chuang-Tzu said, “Let your mind be free and flow with whatever may happen: keep centered and accept whatever you are doing and whoever you are.”

The following is a list of basic recommendations for getting centered right now:

1. Align your body by standing up or sitting straight.
2. Take few slow and deep breaths.
3. Focus your attention on a point two inches below your belly button.
4. Allow your body to completely relax from head to toe and free any tension.

A few people think that, in theory, this sounds great, but do they have the time to perform this?
Tom Crum said that, any time can be the time to discover your center.

As an example, when a person takes a walk, with each step he takes, he may become more conscious of his center. From time to time, press your index finger on a point two inches below your umbilicus. When you do this, imagine that you’re pushing a button that energizes your center.

One other ideal time to become centered is when you’re stuck in traffic. Rather than getting stressing out, Crum recommends using the seat belt to center yourself. You can use the clicking sound of the seatbelt to remind you to connect with your center. Use a belt buckle, if you’re not in a car. Adjust the buckle so that it is comfortably placed on your center.

Most people unfortunately are off-centered for most of the day. So they become stressed and easily irritated which are surely signs that they have lost their center.

To restore your center, select certain times of the day to take centering breaks. Try it and see what happens! These times can be a great opportunity to regain the mystery of your center!

“Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview St #2200
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 549-4322
http://www.overlandparkacupuncturist.com
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Most of us would agree that the heart is the organ of the body most closely connected to emotion. When we talk about the heart, the terms heartache, heartbroken, sweetheart, or heartstring come to mind. This is the organ that’s notorious for not being subtle; it represents emotions that are on opposite poles, like ecstatic joy or intense sadness.

The heart, in traditional Chinese medicine in Fremont or TCM, has a physical function that has parallels in Western medicine. It is responsible for the function of sweating and the blood vessels. Excessive perspiration is a sign that the heart needs to be supported and built up (tonified). Because the heart also controls the tongue, it can also affect speech. Speech problems such as loss of words and stuttering are signs of heart deficiency.

But the most important responsibility of the heart is to manage the shen and store the mind. One’s “Shen” can be determined by the overall health and well being of the mind. You will know if a person is well spirited and healthy just by looking at his or her eyes. Their eyes have a sense of health and a certain bright lucidity that shines from within. Acupuncturists would consider this person as having good shen.

Conversely, you also have people with eyes that look cloudy and dull or shifty (that shift from side to side) when you observe them. These people are considered to have a weak or feeble shen. This weak shen are sometimes the product of distraction or mild depression; and if the shen is severely sick, it can also indicate a type of mental imbalance.

The heart is both the effect and cause of ecstatic joy. This type of joy is considered a good thing to most people, but its effect can cause ADHD or manic depression. ADHD is sometimes attributed to a heart that cannot control the mind properly.

Wise individuals argue that the heart’s job is to follow the principles of propriety. For instance, this would be a person wearing a bathing suit. If that person wears a bathing suit in a bank meeting, this just shows that his or her heart was not providing him or her with the appropriate information on what to wear on a specific occasion. But the heart is doing its job if the person wears the bathing suit in a swimming pool during summer. This would imply that the responsibility of the heart is to follow proper behavior for the situation at hand.