I want to let you all in on a little secret. I am not the perfect picture of health. I’m just like you. But I am proud of my progress on the journey.
I want to get personal with you. My health has been a major challenge over the past 23 or so years of my life. I have known pain, discomfort, fatigue, discouragement. I’ve tried many things, I’ve stopped trying things, I have retried things. The common thread that’s pulled me through is gratitude. I’ve learned hope, I’ve learned perseverance. Just like we all do in the game of life, right?!
Listen to that inner voice – it’s not loud, and yet when you hear it it should feel right. Wondering if a certain therapy, acupuncture or otherwise, will help you feel better? Thinking about making more time for yourself whether it’s a daily walk or a slowly savored meal sitting down? It’s better to try than to just spin your wheels. Then notice what gives you value, and continue.
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Many of my patients are pleasantly surprised when they start to see results from acupuncture. For one, they often see benefits after the first or second visit. And for two, some of the benefits they get aren’t the ones they originally came in for. What strange effects am I referring to you may ask?
Examples of Acupuncture Benefits
Here’s a common example. Someone comes in for irritable bowel syndrome. Or neck pain. You name it. When I see them after the first or second visit – they report being more relaxed and having slept really well after their treatment. These are people that also had come originally with stress or sleep difficulties.
Another example is someone who comes in for fertility and they report their constipation improving or disappearing. Yet another example is someone coming in for constipation and not only does constipation improve, but the headaches they’d get several times a week have been gone for weeks!
Basically, people seek acupuncture usually for the one or two symptoms that concern them most or interfere with their day to day functioning, but rarely is it just a single problem that is plaguing them. Too often people are dealing with so many issues that may just become a part of their fabric, and they’ve adapted to the pain, discomfort, fatigue, etc., and don’t consider that all those signs are abnormal and can be helped.
And I know I say this all the time but, yet again, that is another thing I just LOVE about my job!! I am here to take into account ALL your signs and symptoms, all your troubles if you will, and to make sense of what is causing ALL of it. Usually it’s all interrelated, much to the astonishment of my patients when I tell them their rib pain and neck pain are one in the same, or that the frequent urination is related to the knee soreness, or that the bloating and gas are related to the headaches, or that their period pain and anxiety have the same source.
Learn more about acupuncture here. Here is one of my favorite acupuncture resources.
If you haven’t experienced the magic of acupuncture yet, or if you have a friend or relative that you think can benefit from a few good side effects, please give me a call at 630-335-1069 directly to get started!
Acupuncture for Anxiety. Explore your treatment options.
What is the most common mental illness in the US? If you answered anxiety, you got it. 18% of the country’s adult population suffers from an anxiety disorder.
Conventional Anxiety Treatment
The major treatment for anxiety and depression in the US today is SSRIs or SNRIs, which are two classes of drugs that affect how much of two neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine, are absorbed vs available. These neurotransmitters affect mood. So the theory is to block how much of them get absorbed so more is available and more mood regulation will result
What’s the catch to using these drugs? Well, these drugs can have side effects. And they are often prescribed long-term to indefinitely.
How Is anxiety viewed in Chinese Medicine?
We classify anxiety in terms of Chinese Medicine as a type of hyperactivity affecting the Heart.I capitalize this word to indicate that it is a representation of functions in the Chinese Medical theory that is different from the actual organ in your chest. The Heart in CM overlaps much with our idea of the mind. It governs sleep and mood and our outlook. Anxiety therefore is an imbalance that affects the Heart, yet we seek to find the underlying cause for why this imbalance exists by taking into account your tongue analysis, pulse analysis, abdominal palpatory analysis, and other signs and symptoms.
Natural Drug-Free Treatment
What if you could reduce or end your anxiety without drugs? Did you know that Chinese Medicine heals the body and the mind? To an acupuncturist, the two are not separate but just like you are one whole person, our system of medicine takes all symptoms and signs into account in order to arrive at an effective treatment plan.
Anxiety is actually a sign of imbalance in the body, so when seeking natural treatment an acupuncturist applies holistic techniques to ease your mind and body out of disorder.
In addition to addressing your unique imbalances with acupuncture, we also sometimes incorporate natural herbal and nutritional remedies to support the body’s own ability to heal. Herbal remedies include things like roots, leaves, seeds that are cooked or processed to make their essences available to the body for absorption, and nutritional supplements include things like vitamins or minerals or amino acids that we may be deficient in or that in certain doses exert a therapeutic effect.
I’ve personally had great success in treating anxiety in my clinic, and I enjoy seeing people get back to how they felt before anxiety took over. Here are my Services I provide in my clinic. Contact me today to schedule your visit.
Your Practical guide to picking and Cooking Daikon
As part of my Veggies – past the ick and on to the yum series, we will first visit the vegetable that inspired me to write this blog. The white radish, known as daikon, is commonly eaten by many Asian cultures and in many ways. I have had it in Indian sambar, a spicy lentil stew or soup, pickled, cultured, stir-fried, and even raw. Next time you go to the grocery store, look for it as it may astound you – it can get really big!
Picking and Preparing
This radish looks a lot different from the little red radish you commonly see by the bunch or bag. It is either torpedo-shaped or cylindrical and can be up to 2 feet long and 3 inches in diameter. The outside may look a bit dirty, but don’t worry. Once you get it home, you can use your vegetable peeler to remove that outer dirty part just like you’d peel a carrot, and what you will see is a snow white firm flesh. Just make sure to choose one that is firm, the same way you’d choose any other type of radish.
Then depending on what you want to do with it, you can slice it thickly or thinly, or shred it. I like to do 1/4″ slices cut into half circles for stir-fry, and 1/2″ slices for a soup or stew. Try shredding it onto a salad like a carrot.
Taste
This radish is very mild. The common red radish is definitely spicier. That makes daikon a great choice for those who like a crisp veggie in their stir fry but that can turn tender when cooked.
Why Eat This Thing? – The Health Benefits
Daikon root is a powerfully healthy food. Most of all it aids digestion because it’s full of beneficial enzymes that break down fats and proteins. Secondly, it’s full of important nutrients especially vitamin C, potassium, calcium, and phosphorous. Thirdly, it’s an awesome detoxifier. Daikon root has been found to neutralize the effects of a common carcinogen called nitrosamine, thus aiding in protecting against cancer. Not only does it help rid the body of toxins, but it’s also decongesting and diuretic when eaten raw, while also aiding in regulating blood pressure.
Recipes
The easiest way to incorporate this crazy-good-for-you veggie is to just peel, slice, and stir fry it along with your other go-to stir-fry veggies such as bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli or bok choy.
For the more adventurous, or those interested in really enhancing its digestive benefits, please try this simple lacto-fermentation recipe. The ingredient list is short, and it’s much easier than you think it is.
Lastly, another very no-brainer choice is to simply chunk it and cook it like carrots into your soup or stew. I’ve even roasted it with other root veggies!
Here’s a picture of a meal I made that includes stir-fried daikon.
Check out my other post about how to cook Zucchini.
Part of getting healthy is feeding your body with healthy foods. Digestion is central to health. In Chinese Medicine it really is the center, and is associated with the earth element and color yellow. We call it the Spleen and Stomach system.
In my practice it is very common to see adult diets resembling that of many kids I know – lacking in fresh vegetables, heavy on processed and refined carbohydrates. Yet we all know the research has concluded what we’ve known all along – that vegetables should be a major part of the diet, not just a token to please our parents!
So I want to help you by blogging about some of the vegetables that I like to show that they’re easier to incorporate into a meal than you may think. And of course I will share some of their health benefits.
Here are some of the veggies I will write about:
Daikon radish
Zucchini
Kale
Spinach
Bok choy
Beets
…So stay tuned!
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easiest way to incorporate this crazy-good-for-you veggie is to just peel, slice, and stir fry it along with your other go-to stir-fry veggies such as bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli or bok choy.
