Author: Rashell Greene, Acupuncturist

Pillar 5 – Exercise Therapy Movement is key to keeping the body loose and strong, and is vital to keeping the flow of energy in the body smooth! In Chinese medicine there is a connection between the flow of Qi and blood in the body. It is said that Qi moves the blood and provides the energy needed for proper circulation of blood through the body. We all know that having good blood circulation is vital to our health and well being and that lots of health issues will pop up when that flow is impeded and slowed down. Acupuncture certainly helps with getting stuck qi and blood moving again. In order to keep everything in circulation your acupuncturist may recommend different movements that you can do at home in between your acupuncture sessions. Acupuncturists try to keep exercises simple and doable so that following through at home is easier. Often we will show simple Qi Gong exercises to target the channel/organs systems we see that may be out of balance. Our acupuncturists are also trained to recommend certain exercises that target specific muscles when we see muscle imbalances. If your acupuncturist recommends these be sure to follow through as they can help to speed up your healing process. If you have questions, ask us at your next appointment. Often we can send along links to youtube videos or certain handouts when needed. Not only will our Acupuncturists recommend specific exercises, they will often recommend getting daily movement in general. Whether that is gentle walking, swimming, biking or resistance training, all of our acupuncturists agree that getting people more active is key to their overall health. Regular movement and exercise not only gets the qi and blood we already have flowing, it will also help to boost our Qi and energy levels and help us feel more vitality, giving us the energy to live more fully. Your acupuncturist is trained to help you in more ways than just the acupuncture itself! Your practitioner is trained to help guide you back into balance using the Five Pillars of Chinese Medicine…Acupuncture, herbs, body work, diet and lifestyle and exercise therapy.  Call today to find out more and discover a path towards better health. 910-202-4248

Pillar 4 – Dietary and Lifestyle Shifts Often when seeking out Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine many have a baseline of imbalance in their health. Usually, there is a rich history of diet and lifestyle choices that contributed to the build up of health issues overtime. Whether there is a lack of movement and exercise, eating at the wrong times, excess consumption of sugar and inflammatory foods, or even lack of drinking enough water, your Acupuncturist is trained to look over your daily food and lifestyle choices and see what may be contributing to your health issues.  Not only can she see what may be derailing your health…she is trained to guide you back in balance with recommending certain shifts in your diet and lifestyle. The bigger question is always…are you ready to give up the things that are derailing your health? This can be very challenging for many people, especially when patterns are ingrained over many years…even decades. However, allowing your acupuncturist to look over your daily lifestyle habits and food choices and then following her advice on how to shift to support health and harmony can be one of the best choices you’ve ever made. It can even make your acupuncture and herbal therapy more effective and get you better faster! Your acupuncturist is trained to see your health through a Chinese Medicine lens..meaning that your unique dietary and lifestyle shifts will be based on your pattern diagnosis found during your initial intake. Patterns in Chinese medicine include things like liver qi stagnation, damp accumulation, spleen qi deficiency, kidney yin deficiency, and more! This is a very unique way of looking at your body and health. It is very detailed and is discovered by your practitioner as she goes over your medical history, diet and lifestyle choices, and looks at your tongue and feels your pulse. Your acupuncturist is trained to help you in more ways than just the acupuncture itself! Your practitioner is trained to help guide you back into balance using the Five Pillars of Chinese Medicine…Acupuncture, herbs, body work, diet and lifestyle and exercise therapy. Call today to find out more and discover a path towards better health… and stay tuned for Pillar Number 5! 910-202-4248

Pillar #3 Body Work When you come in for your acupuncture appointment, acupuncture may not be the only modality you will receive.  Other forms of bodywork used by your practitioner include tuina, gua sha and cupping.  Each of these techniques requires specialized training and your practitioner knows when to utilize these tools or not. Tuina is a form of Chinese massage.  Instead of focusing on just loosening the tight muscles, it hones in on removing the blockages and imbalances from the acupuncture channels therefore allowing for the free flow of qi and blood.  When there is free flowing qi and blood there is less pain and stiffness in the body. Tuina can also help to reduce stress, encourage relaxation, deepen sleep, and can even help with some acute muscle injuries. Cupping is a technique where your practitioner places localized suction cups on areas of pain and discomfort.  Cupping helps to loosen tight muscles and fascia, increase blood flow to areas where blood flow had been impeded, and it can even flush out stuck toxins that accumulated in the areas of pain and discomfort.  Depending on where cups are placed they can help to decrease pain, increase circulation and mobility, reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and help with overall detoxification.  Cupping often leaves behind temporary round red or purple marks where the cups were placed, giving it its well known trademark sign worn by some of the world’s most elite athletes. Gua sha is an ancient sinew scraping technique.  It has been used by doctors of Chinese Medicine for thousands of years and  has now been mainstreamed and adopted by many physical therapists due to its efficacy.  PTs call this the graston technique…we call it Gua Sha.  Sha is the name that we use to describe the purple and red marks that are left behind after using the gua sha tool to loosen up the muscle and sinews.  Similar to cupping in its purple and red markings, these markings are temporary and are a sign that the technique has improved the blood flow.  Benefits of gua sha are very similar to cupping plus the added benefit of being able to pinpoint target some of the most stubborn knots in muscles.  Gua sha is also indicated for recent whiplash injury and even the onset of a cold.   These techniques are not for everyone.  Your practitioner is trained to know which technique is best suited for you.  To find out more, call JJ today! 910-262-1122 Ext 2 And stay tuned for Pillar 4!

Pillar 2 – Herbs Chinese herbs are another Pillar to use alongside Acupuncture in the process of discovering and creating your health and well-being. The use of Chinese herbs has been around for about 3,000 years. Many times the use of specific herbs originated out of the kitchen and then expanded as Chinese medicine became more systematic and grounded in theory and evidence based medicine.  Practitioners throughout history studied herbs by touch, taste, smell, their growing conditions, and how they felt in the body.  Eventually individual herbs were categorized according to their action in the body. For example: Herbs that clear heat,  Herbs that drain damp,  Herbs that relieve food stagnation,  Herbs that regulate blood,  Herbs that calm the nervous system, etc. After individual herbs were categorized,  formulas were made and herbs blended together.  These created a balanced formula where the individual herbs worked synergistically together to bring about shifts in the body that encouraged healing and balance. Your acupuncturist has been trained to diagnose in terms of Chinese medical theory which is then transferred over to understanding what type of formula you need.  For example, if the condition you have is hot in nature, you may be prescribed a cooling formula.  Herbs can be added to your treatment plan as needed to speed up healing and help with long term stability and health. Is it Safe? Many might wonder…are herbs safe?  So many of the herbs in Chinese herbal formulas are actually used in everyday cooking; cinnamon, ginger, rice, goji berries, a variety of edible and medicinal mushrooms, mint, turmeric… the list goes on.  The difference is often in how they are prepared as well as what other herbs they are combined with.  Sometimes your acupuncturist will have you make teas at home, sometimes they will be in pill form, and often they will be in granules where you simply add hot water.  If you are on medications your acupuncturist will check for herb/drug interactions, however, very little herb/drug interactions occur with the use of these herbs. The herbs we use are third party tested for safety and efficacy so you can feel comfortable taking them without worry about contaminants. Why is it important to take the herbs as recommended? The herbal formula you are given is meant to work!  The frequency, dosage and method of preparation all affect the desired outcome.  If you have been taking the herbs as recommended and after a certain amount of time you are not feeling better…this is an indicator to your practitioner that something in the formula needs to be tweaked…added or subtracted.  You need to take the formula as recommended for it to work as intended …if it doesn’t, this guides your acupuncturist to make the appropriate adjustments that will help you. If you’re taking the formula and it’s working, this is also feedback for your practitioner so they know how long to recommend it to you.  If you are not taking the herbs as recommended you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to engage with your own health and healing process.     Interested in learning how acupuncture and herbs can help you?   Call JJ to schedule a consultation!   910-262-1122 Ext 2 Stay Tuned for Pillar#3!

Pillar 1- Acupuncture Acupuncture has been around for approximately 3,000 years!!  It has remained part of human society and culture because it is effective for treating so many different ailments and has few side effects. In modern times acupuncture has been medically proven…  National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective treatment alone or in combination with conventional therapies. How does it work ? Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system. This, in turn, releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities to: release muscle tension, promote blood flow, promote the smooth flow of Qi (energy), release our body’s own natural painkillers and anti-inflammatories, encourage our body’s own happy hormones, reduce cortisol levels reduce pain, and promote physical and emotional well-being. Research continues to be ongoing but some of the latest research shows the effect of certain points on the brain during functional MRIs. For example, when stimulating the point St 36, or Susanli, a point along the stomach channel, parts of the brain related to the digestive system will light up. Does it hurt?  Acupuncture needles are actually very thin.  It is common to feel a very quick achy feeling when the needle reaches the correct depth on some specific points.  This feeling is felt on some points but not all. That feeling is a very quick, come-and-go feeling and then comfort is maintained. Often, once all needled up, people are actually so comfortable they fall asleep during their treatment! How often do I need Acupuncture? We almost always recommend having weekly acupuncture treatments until you feel and hold relief for two weeks at a time. Once you can maintain your results for two weeks then we will space your treatments out to two weeks, then three weeks, etc until you reach a level of wellness that only demands well-care treatments. Having consistent treatments allows your body the proper time to heal and build new patterns that support your body’s state of balance. The amount of time that weekly treatments are needed can be greatly affected by how you follow your acupuncturist’s advice on the other four pillars when prescribed. Our goal is to not have you depending on acupuncture, but using acupuncture to regain your wellness and quality of life. Then using it to sustain a level of happiness that suits you. Stay tuned for the next pillar!