Acupuncture

Do it Yourself Acupressure Points

In most cases, acupuncture stimulation with a needle is much more effective and long-lasting than acupressure, but here are a few points that can be invaluable to know, and are very effective with acupressure alone that you can learn to do on your own.

Integrative Pain Management: Free From Pain, Free From Dependency

Why not Pop a Pill?  It’s Easy…right?

A recent study showed that patients over 60 who were given opiate painkillers after minor surgeries considered to be “low pain,” were 44% more likely to still be using the painkillers a year later when compared to patients who were not prescribed opiates right away.  There was also a strong trend in the opiate group to graduate from a drug like codeine, to stronger opiates like oxycodone within a year.  {Asim Alam, MD, et. al.  “Long-term Analgesic Use After Low-Risk Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.” Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(5):425-430.}

The Right Practitioner for You

How Do I Find a Good Practitioner?

I’m often asked by people who are moving, or who live too far away from the Center for regular visits, “what should I look for in an acupuncturist?”

The Food and Fertility Connection

Fertility Foods Basics

When looking at ways to enhance fertility, the diet is one of our most reachable influences.  To improve the diet it is helpful to consider your specific constitutional needs.  A Chinese medical assessment which includes a tongue and pulse diagnosis will give you a framework to work within.

Acupuncture, Stress and Infertility

Acupuncture has a positive effect on reducing stress in women experiencing infertility

One of the reasons people use acupuncture is to help them relax and to reduce stress.

Qi Gong for Spring

Qi gong is roughly translated as “skill and understanding of qi through practice and work.”  Qi itself is difficult to define, but can be thought of as the movement of life: from the movement of breath, to kissing a child goodnight.  It is both esoteric and obvious.

Spring Fever

The other day I was marveling at the fact that I hadn’t come down with a cold or flu all year!  To the surprise of my pride, the next morning I woke with chills, mild fatigue, and rhinitis.  Now I do see my missteps of the previous day-getting overjoyed with the sunshine and warm weather I went outside with damp hair and a lighter jacket, thus making myself more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses.  I also had a big cup of hot chocolate and later that night was walking in the cold March wind to my car returning from a concert, wearing the same light jacket.

Winter Solstice and Chinese Medicine

There are a great many reasons and methods to celebrate the winter holiday season.  Numerous religious holidays, New Years and the American holiday of Thanksgiving have a tendency to keep us moving at top speed to keep up.  In Chinese medicine, the coming of winter is associated with the movement of the water archetype.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Can be Treated with Chinese Medicine

In my practice I have worked with a number of patients who have this diagnosis and are trying to conceive.  I chose to write about this topic because it’s a very common condition; and one which can be positively affected by Chinese medicine.

Acupuncture for the West

I was interviewed today by a student at SUNY Albany who was doing a paper on natural healing.  At the end of a series of very well thought out questions, she asked me if there was anything else that I would like people to know about acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.  I had to pause for a moment to consider the question before beginning to answer.