Acupuncture

How To Support Your Nervous System During Dry January

January 09, 2025

Are you participating in a New Year’s group health challenge like Dry January? There’s also Sugar Free January and even Phone Free February. We all turn to things which help us cope in the moment- they give us a short term escape. If you’re tired of the way these quick fixes make you feel and are looking to make some changes, here are some tips for success:

Get Support

This is part of being kind to yourself: it can really impact your chances of success (whatever that means to you) when you have someone to call on during a particularly rough moment, or just to discuss how things are going, sharing the highs and the lows. This could be a friend, family member or mental health professional.

Make a Plan

First off, be clear about your goals. Is it to completely eliminate alcohol/sugar/tech addiction? Is it to stop turning to it during particular times? What is your definition of success in making this effort? Only you can answer that.

Second, make a plan for replacing the bad habit with something else, and make it specific and easy to do. Meditation, exercise, drinking a cup of tea, reading or journaling, or picking up phone to call a friend or relative are just a few ideas.

Because acupuncture is fantastic for normalizing the functioning of the nervous system, once you have a plan in place it can create a bridge to facilitate adopting those healthier habits. Acupuncture has been shown to increase parasympathetic nervous system activity (think: rest and digest) and release endorphins. At the same time it reduces inappropriate levels of sympathetic nervous system activity (the fight or flight one) and the resulting stress hormone production (adrenaline).

In our clinic we look at what stands out about your symptoms and try to connect the dots, formulating a “pattern diagnosis” and choosing the most appropriate acupuncture points from there. We often teach our patients acupressure points to continue the progress at home, and love giving acupressure stickers on the body or ears which can be left in place for 3-4 days.

Herbs

The practitioners at our office are trained herbalists and can recommend a personalized herbal formula to help your body in this state of transition. One formula we turn to often is Xiao Yao San which is also called Free and Easy Wanderer. It regulates Liver Qi, nourishes the blood and support digestion. Many herbal formulas can safely be taken for 1-3 months so once Dry January is over, continuing with herbs can make it easier to maintain the momentum you’ve built around lifestyle changes.

Teas

We recommend teas such as chamomile, lavender, and mint to help calm your body and mind. Overall, the best tea for relaxation is your favorite tea :-). Make it a ritual that feels good to you, as it’s often more about the entire experience rather than purely the substance itself.

Living With the Seasons: Spring and the Wood Element

April 12, 2021

Each of the 5 elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine has an associated season, organ, color, flavor and even emotion. You can live in greater harmony with the natural world by learning a little about each season, and it becomes easier to notice the connections between what you’re feeling and what’s going on in nature.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Wood element is associated with the Liver and Gallbladder organs and springtime.

Wood possesses qualities of movement and growth, new ideas, creativity and inspiration.

Signs your Wood Element is balanced:

– You are feeling creative, inspired and excited to start new projects and do a little planning for the future
– Your muscles feel relaxed and you’re feeling loose and flexible. Emotionally, you’re also relaxed and flexible, and the little things aren’t irritating you Read more

Perinatal Acupuncture Research Summaries Project

January 25, 2021

Have you ever wondered what the research says about acupuncture for issues during pregnancy like back pain, anxiety, morning sickness or moxibustion for turning a breech baby? And what about safety- is there any research on this?

With so much information at your fingertips, it can be really overwhelming to tell what is based on good research or expert opinion, and what is misinformation or the casual opinion of a social media influencer. I’ve created a free guide to help you cut through all the noise and give solid, research backed information about each topic. I hope this will save you time and aggravation, and help you feel clear and purposeful in the decisions you make for yourself during pregnancy. Read more

Labor Induction Acupuncture: A New Approach

July 13, 2019

It’s a situation I’ve encountered many times: a woman calls me up because she’s been told that if she doesn’t go into labor on her own in a few more days, she’ll be induced. Of course she wants to avoid this, and she has read about trying a “Labor Induction” acupuncture session.

After over 10 years of practice in women’s health and two years of an intensive perinatal acupuncture certificate program, I’ve learned there’s a better way to approach this issue, and it’s backed by studies as well as advice of medical practitioners. Read on to find out what I think is much more effective and relaxing than just this single “Labor Induction” session. I’ll also discuss the situations in which a labor induction treatment might be helpful. Read more

Acupuncture For Nausea During Pregnancy- Plus 3 More Tips

April 02, 2019

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is often called “morning sickness”. In reality, most women probably wish it only happened in the morning- around 98% of women who have nausea feel it at various points throughout the day! Researchers estimate that between 50-90% of women experience nausea during pregnancy.

For most women, nausea resolves around 13-16 weeks, but for others it will continue throughout the pregnancy. In addition, for some whose nausea did stop after the first trimester, it returns about a month before the due date. Frustrating, but totally normal.

Aside from the awful sensation that nausea brings, you can end up feeling confused about what’s triggering it and what you can do about it. This article will give you some concrete ways to feel more in control and simply bask in your newfound pregnancy glow. Read more

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