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Today, I took a phone call from a woman asking about the cost of acupuncture treatments. After giving her the information and asking her a few questions, there was a silence… and then I heard her crying.

I paused and asked if she was ok; she confessed that her husband had just been deployed to Iraq. She told me she was so stressed that she’d almost accidentally set her house on fire today! As she cried, she told me that she needed SOMETHING to calm her nerves.  My heart ached for her; I told her to just come in and we’d work out the budget. I know acupuncture will help her, and it won’t be long before she feels better.

You know, after that patient called, I began to think about the bigger picture – life is so challenging in our world today! There are still a countless number of our soldiers being deployed around the world; many people have been laid off from jobs in the past year and have had problems finding something else; many small (and large!) business owners have been clutching to every penny, nervous that it’s close to the last. Wow; for a few moments I was overwhelmed by the thought of it!!

What about you?  How are you doing?

All too often, when we’re in trouble, anxious, grieving, and/or depressed, we feel all too alone in the world, shut ourselves in, and everyone else out. Right now, there are so many of us dealing with tough situations – if you are one of the many, know that you are far from alone!

Acupuncture is a great treatment to help you to cope – not just emotionally, but physiologically, as well. When considering it from an Eastern medicine perspective, sadness deeply affects both the Lung and Heart pathways. The Lung pathway moves the Qi (pronounced chee), and the Heart meridian moves the Blood. Sadness induces Qi deficiency and dissolves Qi, which in turn eventually causes the Heart Qi to be deficient. When this is happening, an acupuncturist finds that the front wrist pulse of the patient is very weak on both wrists – the left wrist is related to the  Heart, and the right wrist is related to the Lungs. After prolonged sadness, Qi deficiency and stagnation can happen, which will cause what practitioners call Heart Fire. When the Qi and blood are not flowing properly, depression can happen, causing the Heart Fire to manifest. This causes the patient to feel stressed, and can begin a domino effect – possibly causing heart palpatations, insomnia, and even high blood pressure. Acupuncture gets the blood flowing again, in turn alleviating the physical problems while also helping the patient to feel better.

So before you’re juggling a pile of medications that will only put a Band-Aid on the problem, try acupuncture! It will work on the actual physiological effects of the depression and help you better deal with your problems without causing you to walk around like a zombie… so you can continue to connect with others, which will better help you get through this rough period!

Recently, I was pinning a patient in the office, and I actually witnessed a patient having an episode of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS).  I had been treating this patient for a few weeks, and the symptoms were getting better — but not as fast as I wanted. When I am not satisfied with the time it takes a patient to heal, I hit the books and Internet and I search out a new method of treating the particular syndrome.  I began studying this disease and found the following information:

RLS is described as a neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move when at rest in an effort to relieve these feelings. RLS symptoms are often described as burning, creeping, tugging sensations, similar to insects crawling inside the legs! Often called paresthesias (abnormal sensations) or dysesthesias (unpleasant abnormal sensations), the sensations range in severity from uncomfortable to irritating to painful.

Lying down and trying to relax activates the symptoms. Most patients with RLS have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep because of these involuntary movements and symptoms. Left untreated, the condition causes exhaustion and daytime fatigue. Many people with RLS report that their job, personal relations, and activities of daily living are strongly affected as a result of their exhaustion. They are often unable to concentrate, have impaired memory, or fail to accomplish daily tasks.

After studying as much as I could, I found a treatment that I thought would work… and it DID!!!  The very next week, I used an acupuncture Master’s points as described  in his books, and I again got to witness this patient’s healing right before my eyes. The movements and pain of this patient’s legs stopped about 15 seconds after I pinned him with the additional new points I had discovered. Wow, I was amazed at how quickly the treatment worked! The patient received approximately 12 treatments total, 2 times per week, for 6 weeks.

The patient has stopped taking ALL MEDICATION for RLS and is completely free of ALL major attacks of this syndrome.  He’s had it for more than 12 years, and some of his other family members have also been affected by the same affliction. The patient is very, very happy and healed!

If you or someone you know is afflicated with RLS, consider acupuncture as a way to relieve the symptoms.

OK, you’ve done everything possible – taken your Vitamin C (and Vitamin D, as some experts claim), eaten a well-balanced diet, gotten your rest, exercised regularly, and _____________ (you fill in the blank); however, somewhere, somehow, your immune system had a moment – just a MOMENT – of weakness, and before you knew it, you were sniffly, sneezy, achy, and just plain sick! So, now what? Are you doomed to the full, standard duration of the cold or flu?

Not necessarily! In my office, I have successfully treated many patients with colds and flu symptoms. In fact, if the patient visits the office as soon as symptoms appear (chills and fever, sore throat, body aches, headaches, and even vomiting), acupuncture has relieved all pain and has even stopped nausea and vomiting. I’ve even been able to relieve a sore throat in 15-30 minutes!

Don’t just take my word for it: Scientists at the Beijing College of Acupuncture & Orthopedics reported the favorable results of a trial with fifty-seven patients, all of whom were suffering from a cold, influenza, acute tonsillitis, or acute bronchitis. All participants were treated with acupuncture at specific related points on the body:

• Dazhui (Du 14) which releases heat from the body
• Fengchi (GB20)which releases toxic wind, benefits the head and eyes, clears the sense organs, and activates the channel to alleviate pain,
• Feishu (UB13)which tonifies the Lung Qi, nourishes the Lung yin, descends the Lung Qi, clears heat from the Lungs, and releases the exterior of the body from toxins causing aches and pains, and
• Quchi (LI11)which also clears heat, cools the blood, eliminates wind, drains damp, eliminates itching, regulates the flow of Qi and Blood, and activates the channel and alleviates pain.

The results: 80% of the patients reported the treatment as “effective” or “markedly effective”!

So, think twice before you reach for the medicine chest to temporarily alleviate your symptoms (often for a far shorter duration than the recommended dosages). Try acupuncture as soon as symptoms set in, and you can minimize the severity and length of the cold or flu… don’t be sick for weeks! Acupuncture can help you get well!

Source: Tan D. Treatment of fever due to exopathic wind-cold by rapid acupuncture. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CHINA) Dec 1992, 12 (4) p267-71

Today is a beautiful Sunday, like so many Sundays in Cary, NC. I love it here and I am happy – finally. And wow, what an effort it has taken to get me to this point of stillness, just long enough  to begin my new “blogging life”! This historic blogging event is taking place in Caribou Coffee House – I am sure this blog will make me famous… but ah, I will not forget my humble beginnings at Caribou, where it all began (I’m so grateful that if any employee of the Cary, NC Caribou Coffee reads this,  I will give you 10% off your first acupuncture or massage therapy treatment in my office!).

The face treatment is unique; we are the only facility in Cary certified to do it with this technology!  The full series of 10 treatments can easily give 10-15  years back to your face, erasing what time and stress has imprinted; results typically last 3-5 years. We’ve also successfully used it for acne control and other skin disorders such as rosacea and  brown age spots on the face!

Here’s the best part: Both face and body rejuvenation treatments are completely painless, USING NO NEEDLES. It is  non-surgical and non-invasive – we don’t inject you with any poisons, we don’t burn off layers of your skin , and there’s no bruising or downtime necessary for healing. Plus, there have been no known side effects when properly administered except for the possibility of a slight redness (from blood stimulated to the surface of the face) that dissipates within the hour after treatment. That’s a far cry from the “possibility of death or serious adverse effects” – which is in all of the fine print disclaimers you see at doctor’s offices when you go in for their “facial rejuvenation” practices.