More than Needles: 6 TCM Therapies You May Never Have Heard of

Most people know that one way to feel better is with acupuncture needles. You go to your acupuncturist feeling bad. I put in a few needles. You leave feeling lighter, energized, more pain-free.

Using acupuncture needles to heal is part of a broader medical system called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). By observing body systems and the links between symptoms, TCM developed a medical philosophy about the flow of Qi, or life force. When Qi is balanced, you feel healthy. When it is disrupted, blocked or unbalanced, poor health is the result.

In acupuncture, needles are placed at specific points along the meridians to balance the Qi.

But did you know that needles are just one way to balance Qi?

TCM is a flexible system. The principles can be applied in many ways and to many different therapies to achieve the same results.

TCM Therapies You Get in an Office

Acupuncture Variations

There are many variations of acupuncture. Some techniques attach electrodes to the needles to deliver a small current to the acupuncture point. Other techniques focus solely on the points in your ears, hands or scalp. There are even therapies that use sound to stimulate the needles.

Herbal Medicine

TCM has a sophisticated pharmacy of herbal medicines. Most of the medicinal formulas are herbal but some formulas include animal or mineral ingredients as well. Unlike Western herbology, Traditional Chinese Medicine does not use single herb remedies; its formulas can have as many as 18 ingredients.

There are many ways to take the herbs. Traditionally people boiled the herbs to make a decoction. This method is time consuming and, depending on the herbs, can taste terrible. To make the herbs easier to take, more and more TCM formulas are available as liquid extracts, tablets, capsules or granules. When a formula is used topically, it is available as a lotion, cream, salve or poultice.

Moxibustion

Moxibustion uses heat to warm acupuncture points. There are 2 ways to heat the points—direct and indirect. The direct method uses tiny cones of moxa (dried mugwort) placed on the skin. The moxa is lit and the combination of the heat and the medicinal qualities of the moxa stimulates circulation and balances the flow of Qi. In some cases, burning the skin is desirable as part of the treatment. Sometimes burns are an unintended outcome.

The indirect method is more popular because the practitioner can control the heat. The practitioner lights a cigar-like stick of moxa and holds it near the skin until the skin is warm. Alternately, acupuncture needles are inserted into the skin and warmed with burning moxa.

Cupping

In a cupping treatment, the practitioner uses suction to pull on skin and soft tissue. This pulling stimulates circulation and promotes healing.

There are 2 ways to create suction—with heat or a pump. In the first technique, the practitioner takes a plastic or glass cup the size of a baby food jar and ignites a flame inside of it. The flame causes a vacuum inside the cup and it is immediately placed on the skin. The second technique uses a pump to create a vacuum inside a rubber cup. In both cases the vacuum inside the cup pulls on the skin to create the therapeutic effects.

Gua Sha

Gua Sha is an ancient TCM therapy typically used to treat pain, remove toxins, improve circulation and move stuck Qi.

In this treatment the skin is coated with oil and rubbed or scraped with a rounded instrument like a coin, spoon or piece of buffalo horn. Typically the back, neck or shoulders are scraped, but occasionally the chest or abdomen as well. The strokes follow the direction of the ribs and spine and leave distinctive long, red patches on the skin.

Tuina

Tuina is medicinal massage. This TCM therapy uses massage techniques to balance the flow of Qi through the meridians. You wear loose, comfortable clothing and may be seated or lying down. During the treatment the practitioner may use a wide range of techniques, from massaging the soft tissue, acupressure or manipulations to herbal compresses, liniments, ointments or heat.

Tuina is different than “spa massage” because its intent is medicinal. While it may result in stress reduction, pain relief or increased range of motion, the treatment itself may be uncomfortable because many of the massage techniques can be quite vigorous and deep. The purpose of the massage is to balance the Qi and the result is that you leave feeling lighter, freer and more energized.

All of these TCM therapies require a practitioner to give you the treatment. If you are curious about any of them, give me a call and I’ll be happy to tell you more about them.

Kathy E Thomas

Lake Premier Wellness Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

2430 South Bay Street, Eustis, FL 32726

352-323-0795

Eating cool to stay cool

Summer Nutrition

The One Simple Summer Eating Tip to Make You Feel Fantastic

Healthy eating tips for the summer are a little tricky.

Since the weather is warm, you need light, cooling foods. Juicy peaches, sweet watermelons, tomatoes fresh off the vine… The right foods are easy to find. One trip through your garden or a walk through a farmer’s market and you’ll have the perfect summer meal.

But since you’re outside exercising and working in the garden, you build up an appetite. You work hard and play hard. You crave calories to keep the fire burning. Are cucumbers the first food you reach for after working in the yard? Probably not.

Unfortunately, many times craving calories trumps craving fresh food. You satisfy your appetite with a meal of tortilla chips and soda. Or brats and beer. Or hamburgers and ice cream.

And afterward you feel full, bloated and hot.

Fortunately there is a solution. It is possible to eat well, have energy and avoid feeling bloated.

The trick is in the timing.

With an easy tweak to your natural summer diet, you’ll feel fantastic.

Summer Eating Tips

It should come as no surprise that I recommend eating lots of fruits and vegetables in the summer. In fact, I recommend eating fruits and vegetables all year, but in the summer they are especially important.

Summer is a yang season and is associated with the fire element. Fire governs the heart and small intestine. When fire is balanced within the body, the heart governs and circulates the blood properly and the intestines properly digest food. Emotionally you are balanced, sensitive and enthusiastic. You feel good.

There are a few simple guidelines to keep fire balanced.

1. Focus on yin foods. Yin foods are wet and cool. Fruits and vegetables (especially green vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers and watercress) are yin. For protein, eat fish or seafood instead of meat. Smoothies and salads are yin and are excellent summer meals.
2. Eat moderately. Avoid huge meals.
3. Eat bitter foods. Bitter foods support the fire element. Coffee, tea and chocolate (without sugar) are all bitter and moderate amounts of them are appropriate for summer health. This is the season you can call your coffee a health food. Asparagus, bitter greens like kale, arugula or escarole, celery and rhubarb are all good foods for the summer.

Strawberry-Grapefruit Smoothie

Yield: Makes three 1 3/4-cup servings

Ingredients:

1 grapefruit, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 cups hulled fresh or frozen strawberries

1 sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady), peeled, cored and chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 cup water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Recipe from: Whole Living

Eat Big in the Afternoon

If you focus on yin and bitter foods, your diet is cooling and light. But what happens when you need more energy than a slice of watermelon provides?

This is when the timing of your meals matters.

If you need a heavier meal, eat it mid to late afternoon. “Picnic time” is the best time to fuel up. Avoid eating a big meal early or late in the day.

A healthy summer eating plan starts with a breakfast of fruit, smoothies or yogurt. Have a salad for lunch. Eat a heavy meal later in the afternoon and end your day with more fruit.

By eating mostly fresh, light, wet foods and including a heavy meal only in the afternoon, you will help your fire burn bright but not out of control. You’ll feel light, cool and energized. Your heart, circulation and digestion will be strong. You won’t feel bloated or full.

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses nutrition as a tool to maintain health and promote healing. Eating a yin diet with your heavy meal in the late afternoon is good general advice, but your constitution may need a slightly different routine.

KEEP IN MIND:

 ***The proportion of yin food matters and varies from person to person. To get the best summer eating tips, contact me and together we’ll make a plan that’s perfect for you.***

Kathy E Thomas, AP, MSOM

Lake Premier Wellness Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

2430 South Bay Street, Eustis, FL 32726

352-323-0795

Are Migraine Triggers a Myth?

Migraine Triggers

The Surprising Truth about Migraine Triggers

How much do you really know about controlling your migraines?

New research suggests you may not know as much as you think.

According to Timothy T. Houle, Ph.D and co-author Dana P. Turner, M.S.P.H., both of the Wake Forest Baptist anesthesiology department, migraine sufferers make inaccurate conclusions about what triggers their migraines. Houle and Turner conducted a 3-month study of 9 women who suffered from migraines. They tracked the women’s hormone levels, their stress levels and the weather. The women kept daily diaries. At the end of the study, the scientists could not accurately predict which triggers would cause a migraine.

Their conclusion—most people can’t isolate the many complex variables in everyday life to accurately determine their migraine triggers.

So what can you do? Can you start eating anything you want? Do you give up managing your migraines?

What are Migraine Triggers?

Migraine triggers are factors that increase the chance that you will get a migraine. They don’t cause a migraine. Instead, they play a role in activating the process that leads to a migraine.

Not every trigger causes a migraine for every person and even if a person is sensitive to a particular trigger, they may not get a migraine every time they are exposed to it.

The list of triggers is broad. Hormone fluctuations can trigger a migraine. Sometimes birth control pills increase migraines (while sometimes pregnancy prevents them). Stress can be a factor. And while genetics can’t “trigger” a migraine, it plays a role in how likely you are to suffer from migraines in general.

The most common type of trigger is food. Typical food triggers include aged cheeses, sour cream, processed meats, yeast breads, peanuts, broad beans, peas, lentils, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, wine (especially red wine), vinegar, fermented foods like soy sauce or miso, some fish, avocados, bananas, citrus fruits, figs, raisins, red plums and raspberries. In addition, some people are sensitive to nitrates, nitrites, yellow food coloring and monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Other triggers are non-food. Some people notice that fatigue, lack of sleep, sleeping too much, missing meals, changes in barometric pressure, changes in altitude or bright flashing lights can trigger a migraine. Strong smells such as paint, gasoline or heavy perfumes can also cause a migraine.

Are Migraine Triggers a Myth?

While researchers may disagree about the accuracy of pinpointing migraine triggers, it’s important to remember that you know your body better than a scientist. Even if you haven’t conducted double-blind, single variable experiments, you have lived with migraines for years and you know how your body works. If you find a correlation between a trigger and your migraines, that trigger exists.

Part of the difficulty of identifying triggers is that some triggers may only exist under certain circumstances. For example, you may be able to eat cheese and bread under normal circumstances but once you are stressed, you may notice that they can cause a migraine. You may be more sensitive when you have multiple triggers at once.

I always support your own knowledge of your body. You know your triggers and I respect your intuition.

Acupuncture is a very effective treatment to balance your constitution and reduce your sensitivity to your triggers. Give me a call and we can schedule an appointment today:

Kathy E Thomas

Lake Premier Wellness Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

2430 South Bay Street, Eustis, FL 32726

352-323-0795