Welcome to the Neighborhood Acupuncture Place!

Here you will find answers to your questions about acupuncture as well as simple natural remedies.

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Acupuncture for Sea Sickness

Long before I knew anything about acupuncture or eastern medicine I was just a bratty kid who hated spending weekends on Lake Michigan. Aside the fact that other people might see me with my parents (gasp!) I would, without fail, always get sea sick. Nothing seemed to help me overcome my queasy-feeling weekends. That is until my mom found sea sick bracelets at a drug store. Although I had no idea how that could possibly help, I figured it couldn't hurt.

The bracelet basically looked like a sweat band with a plastic ball sticking out of it. The directions stated to put the band with the ball pressing into the skin a few inches from the wrist crease. What was amazing was that it worked. I also found interesting was that the ball had to be pressing in just the right spot or it wouldn't work. Even better, after some time I no longer needed to wear the bracelets because the water didn't seem to have that same queasy effect on me anymore.


So what was that mysterious place in my wrist that took my tummy troubles away? Its an acupuncture/pressure point called PC6 or in Chinese "Neiguan". It is located in between the tendons about 4 finger breaths from the wrist crease. Its great not only for sea sickness but also morning sickness when pregnant, any kind of tummy troubles, palpitations, hiccups, or when feeling dizzy, anxious or stressed.




Sarah Zender LAc

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Acupuncture and Women's Health


Chinese Medicine and Women’s Health
Chinese Medicine’s greatest diagnostic tool is observation, particularly that of the tongue and pulses, to understand what is taking place inside of the body. Keeping the circulation of blood and energy flowing smoothly through out the body is what allows the body to function most optimally. Deficiency or stagnation of energy or blood can cause a break down in the body’s ability to maintain health. If energy or blood is not moving properly it can cause a break down in the body’s ability to function properly, leading often times to pain. Chinese Medicine is so profound at treating women’s issues because of this intention of balance. Symptoms that present before or during menstruation like cramps, breast tenderness, and irritability that many women consider normal is actually the body’s way of trying to send a message that an imbalance is taking place. Later in life when menopause begins hot flashes and insomnia are other so called normal processes in the eyes and bodies of western women. These experiences are not necessary and when balanced can bring about a higher quality of life without side effects or the risk of increase in getting cancer.
It is my personal experience and belief that stress impacts a women’s cycle very intimately. I don’t know one woman not impacted by stress. Women are most family’s caregivers and most women put the needs of the family before their own needs.
While going through graduate school and working full time my body began to fatigue more and more easily. I did not get quality sleep yet slept more and more because my body never got the opportunity to recover from my long days. Then my period started doing a strange thing, it would start for 10 days and then stop for 10 days and start again. I started to sleep more and function less over a 2 month period. My gynecologist did a routine exam and gave me a clean bill of health. This left me confused and frustrated because I knew I did not feel well. Fortunately, I was studying Chinese Medicine and had access to an Acupuncturist. I received weekly acupuncture treatments and took an herbal formula prescribed by my acupuncturist for a full menstrual cycle. I continued my herbs for another month after this. My bleeding stopped after my first acupuncture treatment and at the end of my month of treatment I resumed back to my normal period with no PMS symptoms before or during my cycle. This meant no breast tenderness, no cramps, no cravings, no bloating, or constipation. My sleep cycle also returned back to normal and I was able to make it through my days without napping and had energy to do more then just make it through my day; my life began to thrive again. I no longer had dizziness or fatigue and feelings of depression lifted in the first 2 weeks.

This experience also gave me a greater awareness of myself. When I am in a period of life where I have more stress I know my sleep is the first thing that is affected and leaps directly into my menstrual cycle function. Chinese Medicine is a gift that offers one the time to pay attention to what the body is saying. Everyday your body subtly tells you what it needs; the problem is if you don’t listen then your body has to start yelling for you to pay attention. The quicker you can recognize what your body is trying to say, the quicker you can return back to health. Illness starts with a single cell that is out of balance and then starts to grow quickly affecting every aspect of your body and life. The quicker the attempt of balance is made the faster the recovery process.
Acupuncture is not a silver bullet that can cure all. It is, however, a tool that can assist in the process of healing. Because the process of acupuncture takes time what can happen often times is that people slowly make other lifestyle changes. In my case I organically took some time to evaluate my diet and made it a priority to eat more mindfully. I also restarted my yoga practice that had fallen by the wayside as my life became busier and made it a point to recognize when my body was telling me I was moving past what my “best” was.

As women we are often taught to put our needs last, however if we are not functioning optimally we won’t be able to take care of everything else that needs our attention optimally either. Chinese Medicine offers a tool of empowerment where suffering in any capacity is optional.


Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.983.9825
www.clnap.com 

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Why Having Friends is Good For Your Health

The introduction to the book Outliers describes the tiny city ofRoseto, Pennsylvania and the work of Dr. Stewart Wolf. Wolf conducted studies on the town in the 1960s and found that virtually no one under the age of fifty-five had died of a heart attack or showed any signs of heart disease while the rest of the country was undergoing an epidemic of heart disease. The death rate of men over the age of sixty five was half of what the rest of the United States was as well. Roseto’s death rates from all causes was actually 30-35% lower then expected.

Another amazing anomaly of Roseto was that there was no suicide, no alcoholism, no drug addiction and very little crime; no one was on welfare or had peptic ulcers. John Bruhn a sociologist involved in the studies stated, “These people were dying of old age. That’s it.” Wolf discovered that Rosetans were not on a special, healthier diet then other Americans either. Incredibly Rosetans took in 41% of their calories from fat. Rosetans also smoked heavily and many were overweight. Genetics also didn’t seem to be a factor.

Wolf discovered that the secret to Rosetans good health was their lifestyle. They lived 3 generations to a house and respected their elders deeply. Neighbors took the time to visit with each other and went out of their way to cook meals and simply support one another. In the 1950s when the medical community was used to the paradigm that our health depended on our genes and our individual lifestyle (perhaps it still is) it was nearly mind boggling to consider how the collective impacted not only the individual but the community as well.

I was excited to read these findings and thrilled at the book Outliersby Malcolm Gladwell (it’s an interesting read). What thrilled me most was the importance of community to our health. This is exactly the intention of Whole Health Acupuncture’s approach to wellness using the community acupuncture model. The ancients have always prized community as a pillar of quality life.

Our society has more access to communication in a variety of ways and yet we have less and less physical contact. We know that if a baby has all of its needs met: food, clothing and shelter with the exception of being touched enough he will die. I can’t find any evidence that suggests that the need for touch, for understanding and companionship disappears as we get older. The majority of marketing these days convinces us that we need the “purple pill” to feel better, we own our IBS instead of our healthy bodies. It is through our diseases that we receive attention, feel loved and find identity. The goal of (community) acupuncture is the exact opposite. Through self awareness and a quiet space one can experience the body’s innate ability to heal itself. It is through the support of others that our health soars, as it is through supporting others that our health soars.

Every Monday and Thursday through out the month of November we are promoting healthy friendships. Bring in a friend who has never had acupuncture with us and you and your friend will both receive a free treatment. Bring in as many friends as you like!

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Natural Remedy for Depression, Isolation and Lonliness

In Chinese Medicine it is pretty clear that the body is interconnected. When one organ or channel becomes imbalanced, the rest will start to become imbalanced as well. This is the same reason why an acu point on the top of the foot can be used on the opposite side of the body to treat a one sided headache.

Modern medicine is catching up to ancient wisdom. Wayne Dyer reports that in recent studies of serotonin levels people who extend acts of kindness raise their serotonin levels. Not only does the person acting kindly towards someone feel the effect, the person receiving kindness and those witnessing kindness also receive a boost in serotonin levels. 


I felt so impacted by this notion of raising serotonin levels that I made it a practice to be as kind as I could to those around me. Not only did my mood improve, I also felt like I had more energy, that I smiled more for no reason, that life didn't seem so stressful. What did it really cost me to give the man standing on the off ramp of the freeway the leftovers of the lunch I couldn't finish, or reaching for a bag of rice for a woman too short to reach it at the grocery store, cleaning the toilet that hadn't been washed in a month (instead of arguing about who's turn it was), leaving a couple extra bucks for a waitress, the list could continue. The most amazing impact of this experiment that I found was that people, strangers, began extending the same kind of kindness to me in small ways, in large ways. I have become acutely aware of the goodness returning in my life ten-fold.



Imagine the impact you could have, not only in your own life, but in all the lives around you if you started to look for the small acts of kindness around you instead of the disasters, if you consciously made an effort to be kind, or if you consciously made an effort to receive kindness. Remember its the little things in life that can make the most difference.

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

Saturday, October 16, 2010

What Does Acupuncture Treat?

You may or may not be aware that 90% of all doctors visits are stress related. Nothing ages our organs faster than unmanaged stress.

If 90% of all illness arises at least in the deepest layer of illness from stress, the simple answer to what acupuncture can help is stress (or just about anything). Acupuncture shines in prevention and has no negative side effects.

The World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as an effective treatment for nearly 4 dozen common conditions including:

Neuromuscular Conditions:

>> arthritis
>> insomina
>> dizziness
>> neck, shoulder, and back pain

Emotional Disorders:

>> anxiety
>> stress
>> depression

Circulatory Disorders:

>> hypertension
>> angina
>> anemia

Respiratory Disorders:

>> allergies
>> asthma
>> emphysema
>> bronchitis

Gastrointestinal Disorders:

>> nausea
>> indigestion
>> chronic diarrhea
>> constipation
>> gastritis
>> ulcers


Sarah Zender LAc

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Herbal Remedy For Colds

Use this simple tea as a remedy for a cold as soon as you feel yourself getting sick.

You will need:

3 cups water
2-3 inches of fresh ginger root, sliced
4-5 scallions, white part only
peel of 2 tangerines

Place all of the above ingredients into a pot of 3 cups water.

Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for no more than 3-4 minutes.

Strain the ingredients and drink hot.

(if you want to sweeten tea, use brown sugar or honey)

Sarah Zender LAc

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Stay Healthy This Fall

The season of autumn is now in full swing have you been feeling it creeping in?

In Chinese Medicine Autumn corresponds to the Lung, the most delicate of organs. It is believed that colds and flu attack the body from wind blowing on the neck. Think about the progression of a cold: stiff and achy neck and shoulders, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, fever or chills. If you were struggling with colds in the spring and did not harmonize way back then your body may be at a greater disadvantage now that the weather is again changing.
Some simple things you can do to protect your body:

Wear a scarf or shirts/turtlenecks that do not expose the chest and neck, layers are a plus and all of these are the latest fashion anyway! Avoid direct contact from an open window or fan when you are sleeping. This is when the body is most susceptible to wind invasion.
Get an Acupuncture tune-up session acupuncture helps harmonize the body to adapt to its environment and has only positive side effects. Refer back to How Can Acupuncture Help My Cold?

Massage the space between your thumb and index finger on both hands as well as the space between your eye brows. LI4 and Yin Tang acupressure points are a great preventative for colds. Massage until the area you are rubbing feels achy and turns slightly pink/red. Don't wait to feel sick, start this now and do it everyday.

Adjust Your Internal Clock Bears hibernate for the winter and so should you! Go to bed early and use this time to slow down and rest after a hectic summer.

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Herbal Remedy for Burns

Great Wall Brand carries an amazing burn cream that is inexpensive and extremely affective.

Ching Wan Hung is a topical ointment that can be used for burns caused by steam, boiling water, raging fire, hot oil, molten steel or chemical substances and radiation burns. Patients at Whole Health Acupuncture have also reported its great for sun burns/poisoning, 2ndand 3rd degree curling iron burns, sores that don't heal and other skin irritations. Ching Wan Hung can also be used for hemorrhoids and bedsores.

The function of the herbs in Ching Wan Hung burn ointment help to clear heat, increase circulation to repair the damaged tissue, and relieve pain.

A great thing to keep in your medicine cabinet, like a good girl scout always be prepared. Pick some up the next time you stop in for acupuncture.
Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Natural Remedy for Muscle Cramps, Charley Horses, and Sore Muscles

If you've ever woken up in the middle of the night to a seizing calf or toe muscle cramping or worked out a little too hard too soon this blog is for you.

A simple and readily available remedy: detox bath. The therapeutic value of baths has been around for centuries and you might have just about everything you need to make it already in your home.

If you fear your tub or your water heater is too small to fill up a tub of warm water I will give a few options.

What You Need:
1/2 cup of Epsom salts
1/2 cup sea salt
1/2 cup baking soda

Where to buy? Epsom salts are easy to find especially at places like Walgreens and health food stores and are relatively inexpensive. I would recommend unscented salts if you are looking for detoxing qualities as many added scents are toxic. To scent your salts use therapeutic grade essential oils like YoungLiving.

Fill your tub with warm bath water and when you are ready to soak pour the above ingredients into the tub with the water still running. Soak for at least 15 minutes or for as long as you wish.

If you don't have a tub or its just not a comfortable size for you, a foot soak is just as good. Grab a large dish tub from a dollar store, Target, or Walmart and fill with warm water and the above ingredients and let your feet soak for as long as you like.

This is a great ritual to practice for preventative measures and simply because it feels good.

Especially helpful for:
>> muscle cramping
>> period cramps
>> cysts
>> insomnia
>> achey, sore, tired muscles
>> swellings or bruises
>> after a workout
>> after a massage

According to this article Epsom salts can also be used to remove excess oil from your hair, as a hair volumizer, to remove splinters and more.

Let us know what benefits you discover!

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Natural Remedy for Swollen Ankles

A patient recently passed along a great tip for swollen ankles and I thought I'd share it here. It's simple and easy to do (and I've heard it makes your house smell wonderful).

What you need:
1/2 gallon of water
2 bunches of parsley


Bring 1/2 gallon of water to a boil and add 2 bunches of parsley.
Let simmer for 2 hours.
Strain the parsley and drink water as needed.

**Drink 16oz to start and then a glass every two hours till the batch is gone. Be careful not to drink too close to bed time or you might be releasing that extra fluid into the wee hours. :)

Let us know how it works for you!

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.983.9825
www.clnap.com 

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Chinese Medicine is a completely separate way of looking at the body from western medicine. While your acupuncturist might speak of organ systems this does not necessarily relate to your physical organ. In Chinese Medicine we look for patterns that relate to the balance of nature. This system began with observation and is the foundation. The Chinese saw the elements of nature existing not as separate but as dependent on one another. Each element supported the other to achieve harmony.

Fire created Earth
Earth created Metal
Metal created Water
Water created Wood
Wood created Fire

When one element went out of alignment it was not affected separately. Instead each element would also be impacted, the severity would depend on how long or how strong the imbalance was.

Fire melts Metal
Metal chops down Wood
Wood invades Earth
Earth invades Water
Water doses the Fire

From this simple understanding the outside world was seen as a Macrocosm and the body was seen as a microcosm. Organ systems were assigned an element and several other associations. This entire system is a community of support with checks and balances.

Fire:
Organs: Heart/Small Intestine
Color: Red
Taste: Bitter
Pathogen: Heat
Season: Summer
Emotion: Joy
Sense/Tissue: Tongue and blood vessels

Earth
Organs: Spleen/Stomach
Color: Yellow
Taste: Sweet
Pathogen: Dampness
Season: Late Summer/Transitional periods between all seasons
Emotion: Worry/Over thinking
Sense/Tissue: Mouth, Muscles

Metal:
Organs: Lung/Large Intestine
Color: White
Taste: Pungent
Pathogen: Dryness
Season: Fall
Emotion: Grief
Sense/Tissue: Nose, Skin and Hair

Water
Organs: Kidney/Urinary Bladder
Color: Black
Taste: Salty
Pathogen: Cold
Season: Winter
Emotion: Fear
Sense/Tissue: Ears, Bone

Wood
Organs: Liver/Gall Bladder
Color: Green
Taste: Sour
Pathogen: Wind
Season: Spring
Emotion: Anger
Sense/Tissue: Eyes, Tendons

After looking at these associations you can see that from the Chinese Medical view point that dis-ease originates from essentially 2 places.
External factors: wind, heat, cold, dampness, dryness (caused from the outside environment or the nature of the foods consumed in excess)
Emotions: anger, joy, worry, fear, grief.

The associations of each organ system are important when observing a patient from an eastern perspective because they offer us clues. Many times the patterns of Chinese Medicine will not seem relevant. For example offered times patients with low back pain (a symptom) have Kidney Qi Deficiency where they feel low back pain and weakness that is worse in cold weather, wake up to urinate in the middle of the night, crave salty foods, and are easily frightened, they may also have hearing issues or fragile bones. So while we will address the main complaint of low back pain the patient might also notice they no longer wake up in the middle of the night to urinate, their back feels stronger, they no longer crave salty foods, are less fearful and cold weather does not bother them as much. It is also interesting to note that Kidney Qi Deficiency is not the only cause of low back pain and so each patient is treated to their individual health needs.

What is important to understand is that if the body is healthy and all organ systems are supporting one another these external factors will be able to be controlled without illness and if emotions are expressed in a healthy way in a healthy body they too will not cause dis-harmony. Basically everything you do either contributes to your health and harmony or lack there-of. The healthier you are the easier it is to bounce back when you over indulge, go through a stressful period of life etc.

Chinese Medicine is a complete system of health that was designed for the prevention of illness and includes:
Acupuncture
Herbal Medicine
Diet
Exercise
Meditation
Fung Shui
Astrology

Your first line of defense to maintain a healthy body is diet. While piles and piles of books have been written on proper nutrition I will say in this blog posting that it is most important to eat real food. Anything that can live longer on a shelf than you can should not be consumed. Fresh fruits, veggies that are grown locally and are in season are best to eat. Diet should reflect the season. Soups and beef stews in the fall and winter and lighter foods in the spring and summer.

Herbal Medicine is really an aspect of diet. You are familiar with adding herbs to your favorite dishes, this is a form of medicine. Chinese herbs can be added to recipes, brewed as teas or taken as tinctures or pills. Many pharmaceuticals that are used today are based off of plant materials.

Acupuncture addresses the body's energy system by inserting fine needles into acupuncture points to maintain smooth flow of blood and energy circulation helping to readjust the body when imbalances occur and most importantly keep the body healthy to fight off imbalances before they start.

Exercise from a Chinese Medical stand point is slightly different than extreme cardio and weight lifting in the west. Exercises like Tai Chi, yoga (chinese medicine's sister), and Qi Gong all help to improve circulation and flexibility of the body in a way that calms the nervous system whereas many forms of cardio exercise excite the body's fight or flight response that can tax the body long term.

Meditation helps to quiet the mind. There is a saying "clean house, clean mind." Your body can not work optimally if your thoughts are constantly swinging around like a monkey. The benefits of a clear mind are numerous like better quality of sleep, memory, concentration etc.

Fung Shui and Astrology are slightly esoteric. Both are related to your environment and how it impacts your health. Again that saying "clean house, clean mind." How can your body work best in a work or living space that is dirty or cluttered? Think back to the last time you cleaned out your closet and got rid of things you weren't using or no longer needed and could find everything again.

In the classic text Nei Jing it is written over 2000 years ago that Chinese Medicine offered a way for people to live a healthy life to the age of 100. Even back then, 2000 years ago, the concern was that people ate too much, worked too much, and the environment was too polluted. These were the tools offered to the people for a high quality life. Prevention is key in Chinese Medicine which is a very different idea than our current idea of health care today. Many people talk about being your own advocate for your health. Chinese Medicine is one way to start that is simple and inexpensive.

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.983.9825
www.clnap.com 

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Chinese Medicine is simple; it began with observing nature and then taking these observations and applying them to the human body. This began with the concept of yin and yang. Anything in relation to anything else could either be described as being yin or yang: light or heavy, dark or light, male or female, active or passive. This meant that all things in nature were necessary to maintain balance and neither yin nor yang was more powerful. Instead, they were constantly becoming one another. Hence the yin yang symbol of equal halves of a circle with full smaller circles of opposite color in side.

The most common shape in nature is a circle, the cells of your body are circles and healthy DNA spins clockwise. The ancient Chinese also used circles to explain balance. The element circle looks like this: Water grows wood, wood grows fire, fire makes ashes or earth, inside of the earth is metal, and water condenses on metal. The Chinese applied this cycle and these elements to what they believed to be the organs of the body. Wood is the liver and gall bladder. Fire is heart and small intestine. Earth is spleen and stomach. Metal is lung and large intestine. Water is urinary bladder and kidney. In this way, the body was seen as being supported by each organ. Blood and energy, or qi, flowed through the body like water. When one organ became unbalanced every other organ was affected. When the smooth flowing circulation got blocked somewhere in the body from an imbalance, disease festered like a pond of still water growing full of sludge.


In Chinese Medicine there are no divisions of the body like in Western Medicine. Instead, the whole body is accessed to understand how an imbalance is affecting the body, mind and spirit. This is achieved through a series of questions and on examination of the tongue and pulses. The greatest diagnostic tool of Chinese Medicine is still observation. The tongue is a map and mirror to the internal body. The tip of the tongue represents the heart and just behind the lungs. The center of the tongue reflects the spleen and the stomach. The sides mirror the liver and gall bladder. The back of the tongue shows the kidneys and urinary bladder. The size, shape, color and coat tell the story of how the internal organs are functioning. Three pulses are felt on both wrists to reflect again the internal organs. The left radial pulse represents the heart, liver and kidney yin and the right radial pulse represents the lung, spleen and kidney yang. The pulse is felt for its depth, speed, and rate. Acupuncturists use descriptive words like wiry, thready, soggy, slippery or knotted when assessing the pulses.

Based on the observations of the tongue, pulse and assessment of questions an Acupuncturist will devise a treatment plan and choose appropriate acu-points. Through this observation “western diseases” are not being treated, instead, the body is being brought back to balance. Chinese Medicine looks at a “symptom” like a branch of a tree, and looks deeper to find the root cause. In this way, the “symptom” is addressed, as well as, what caused the symptom in the first place. The advantages of this philosophy are the “side effects.” For example, a patient being treated for back pain might also report higher energy levels, better sleep, reduction in hot flashes or heart burn, a more regular and less painful menstrual cycle and/or improved emotional well being. This means that Chinese Medicine can treat virtually any condition aiding in bringing the body back to harmony. While this is true, Chinese Medicine’s true genius is preventative. Ancient Chinese doctors were responsible for keeping the community healthy; it was the doctors who had to pay if a patient was sick.

Chinese Medicine is by no means a quick fix; however it is an opportunity to impact not only one’s body, but lifestyle as well. Expect a course of treatment to last 10 sessions with treatments a couple times a week. (You wouldn't take one antibiotic pill and wait to see if it worked, you would complete a full prescription. Acupuncture is much the same way.) Acupuncturists recommend receiving quarterly treatments as a “tune up” when the energy of the Earth is changing to maintain wellness.

Monday, August 16, 2010

What is Gua Sha?




Gua Sha is an accessory technique often used in addition to acupuncture and/or tui na (chinese massage) treatments. It is especially helpful in relieving pain as well as recovering from colds.

Gua Sha means to "sand scrape" in Chinese or "to scrape away disease". It is a relatively simple procedure that requires a little bit of oil or rubbing alcohol and a Chinese soup spoon or other smooth surface tool like the ones pictured above.

Its theory is close to that of cupping however this technique is more accessible in terms of equipment needed (a lubricant or rubbing alcohol and a soup spoon) and areas of the body able to benefit by it (just about anywhere there has been trauma or pain). A treatment of Gua Sha will last roughly 5 minutes and the results can offer immediate relief.

Gua Sha is preformed over an area of pain by first applying some oil to lubricate the area. Then the spoon is scraped along that area until it turns red, brownish, or purplish. The scraping continues until no more redness or purple appears. It is believed this scraping helps bring the stagnant blood or trauma up to the surface allowing for fresh blood to come in and repair the area as well as improve circulation of qi and blood. The redness or bruising can last up to a week and then dissipate. However, it will not feel like a bruise.

Gua Sha is preformed using rubbing alcohol and light scraping over the back "shu" acupuncture points that stimulate the lungs, dispel wind, and relieve wheezing for the treatment of initial wind-cold attacks. For more information on acupuncture and the treatment of colds refer back to How Can Acupuncture Help My Cold?

Gua Sha's modern counterpart is known in chiropractic offices asGraston Technique where various stainless steel instruments are used to achieve the same effect with a western medical explanation of its use and benefit.



Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.983.9825
www.clnap.com 

Monday, August 9, 2010

Acupuncture and Stroke Recovery

Many people associate using acupuncture only when it comes to managing pain. There are many facets of health where Chinese Medicine shines and are hidden secrets in western society. Today's blog will focus on how acupuncture can help with stroke recovery.

The brain is something that continues to fascinate me especially after reading such books like My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor andThe Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge.

There is one passage in The Brain that Changes Itself that really caught my attention. One scientist recounts a story of his father having a stroke and losing function on one side of his body. At this time the standard course of stroke recovery treatment was 1 month. It was believed due to the research at that time that whatever function that could be recovered after a stroke happened in the first month and after that no further improvements could be expected and so treatment was discontinued. This scientist assisted his father in re-learning everything by starting him out just like a child. First he practiced crawling, and then walking. He would wash dishes in circular motions to strengthen his weak arm until he fully recovered. What they discovered was that after a month's time the body goes into a period of integration. It takes time for the body and the brain toassimilate to all of these new changes. Once this integration period is over the body and brain are capable of learning more.

This was an "a-ha moment" for me because it so clearly shows the subtle processes of the body's abilities to heal. Which is exactly what acupuncture is: a process of healing that can be very subtle.

Several years after this man recovered from his stroke he was rock climbing and died from a heart attack. When they autopsied his brain they discovered that the brain did not heal from the stroke in the way they thought. Instead of the brain healing the damaged area of the brain from the stroke it simply rewired itself and used other areas of the brain to relearn activities of daily living.

Acupuncture works in much the same ways. The acupuncture needles work as a conduit for electrical impulses in the body stimulating healing. Acupuncture points are areas that run along different channels (meridians) of the body. The insertion of needles is said tofacilitate improved circulation of qi (energy) and blood through the body. The root of any disharmony, dysfunction, or disease can be traced back to stagnation somewhere in the body. Acupuncture looks to correct the disharmony on the deepest level not just to relieve a symptom. In this way acupuncture becomes an aid for the body tofacilitate its healing process rather than a dependency where the body relies on the acupuncture to complete the work (much likepharmaceutical drugs). In terms of stroke recovery it can assist the brain in making new pathways to relearn how to talk, walk etc by improving circulation to all organ systems making the body stronger and able to recover faster between periods of integration.

Again, as stated in previous postings acupuncture is part of a holistic system of health. In addition to acupuncture, herbal medicine should also be utilized as well as proper nutrition to allow for optimal health. When I was in China the stroke unit consisted of a community approach to the recovery of the patient. Patients would stay in the hospital for a minimum of 6 months where they would receive daily (sometimes 3x daily) acupuncture treatments, Chinese Massage (tuina), and herbal medicine in addition to physical therapy and other western medical interventions. The family of the patient was also active in the care plan to support this process.

I have personally seen recoveries from strokes using acupuncture but one of the most striking stories of acupuncture and stroke was a patient I treated while in clinicals at the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine. This particular patient was paralyzed completely on the left side of his body and was unable to speak. He was confined to a wheel chair and required the assistance of a personal nurse. When he first started treatment he was there primarily because of the tenacity of his son-in-law who refused to give up on him. He came in for treatment every week and drank herbal remedies daily. He was an older gentleman and was angry and withdrawn in the beginning but 6 months later he regained use of his left arm, was able to talk, and most importantly regained his smile.



Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com