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Treating Kids with Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

Do kids get acupuncture and take herbs? You bet they do!  Here’s an intro to Chinese medicine for children.  It’s the first in a series of blogs on this topic.

*The beauty of choosing Chinese Medicine as a treatment modality for your kids is that they get better fast! The key is to bring them in at first signs of an issue – or even if they’re overall pretty healthy.  My methods find underlying patterns that have in the past or may in the future manifest in illness.

Here’s a list of common conditions I see kids for:

*frequent colds or flus or early stage of feeling like they’re coming down with something as well asactive colds or flus

*allergies, food sensitivities

*bedwetting/enuresis

*digestive complaints such as tummy aches, constipation, diarrhea, etc.

*anxiety

*failure to thrive

Usually a lot of kids’ common issues involve the digestive system – it’s weak and still developing in kids – especially the little ones!  Having kids in preschool, daycare, and public school makes it really hard to keep them on a healthy diet.  We live in a snack food culture and unfortunately many of the foods kids crave are energetically and nutritionally incompatible with their immature digestive systems.

While food therapy is important, acupuncture and herbs can really heal the imbalances and strengthen the weaknesses to make your kids more robust.

I welcome your questions and comments.  In my next blog, I will go over a couple of the common obstacles parents face when trying to choose whether this approach is right for their kids.

 

 

 

Acupuncture During Pregnancy for Advanced Prenatal Care

While this topic seems to be geared toward those expecting or planning to get pregnant, many of us have friends or family who plan to have a child, so the more ears and eyes aware of the tools out there that can help, the better.

It’s apparent that we’ve created a culture here in the US of fear around pregnancy – and I and other acupuncturists and herbalists are here to say that pregnancy can be a really wonderful experience and that it’s truly the beginning of someone’s life. The time in utero is a critical time and should be protected.

 

Acupuncture and herbs are safe throughout the entire pregnancy!

Of course choose someone who has experience and training in working with pregnant women.  At Energy Flow, we create a customized treatment plan to prepare someone for a healthy pregnancy, and we help support each stage of the pregnancy.

 

As you may know, the United States is behind most developed countries in maternal care and prenatal and postnatal health.  Acupuncturists who specialize in women’s health and pregnancy, like me, are here to change that.  We are dedicated to changing outcomes for the better.  Here’s more about some issues that can arise during and after pregnancy and how acupuncture and herbs can help.

 

 

Conditions treated during pregnancy:

  1. Pain

    Pain is blockage.  Acupuncture is specifically designed to release blockages in the energy meridians of the body thus removing the block to flow that results in pain.  Trust me, you don’t want drains on your energy during pregnancy – you need all the energy you can get to grow the baby and prepare for caring for the baby.  Not to mention all your other responsibilities.

  2. Nausea and Vomiting

    While some queasiness or nausea is normal and even can be a good sign in the first trimester, feeling sick beyond the first trimester, or continual vomiting in the first trimester, should be treated.  Hyperemesis gravidarum patients respond well to acupuncture and herbs.

  3. Keep the Bowels Moving!

    This is especially important during pregnancy and postpartum.  If you are not eliminating every day, this is a sign that your system needs rebalancing to adjust for baby’s presence.

  4. Indigestion, AKA acid reflux or heartburn

    When I was pregnant the first time, I thought it was normal to have heartburn and didn’t think of it as something that needed correcting other than to take baking soda water all the time! Again, this is not par for the course!  It can and should be eased.

  5. Urinary urgency, frequency, or stress incontinence

    Yes, there is a baby sitting on top of your bladder, however, the body is designed to compensate for this normally.  This can improve with treatment, making your life in those last months, especially, much more comfortable!

  6. Swelling and Fluid Imbalances

Acupuncture and herbs help tremendously with balancing fluids so that swelling is greatly reduced and amniotic fluid levels can be regulated in        cases of polyhydramnios or oligohydramnios.   Fluids metabolism and balance is a major focus of East Asian Medicine.

7. Improve Outcomes for High Risk Pregnancies

The known benefits of acupuncture including reducing stress, which helps to regulate metabolic functions like blood pressure, relieving pain, and     improving circulation are all going to be beneficial especially when treatments occur throughout the pregnancy regularly.  This is an excellent       addition to prenatal care for high risk pregnancies.

 

Homework Assignments for Expectant Parents

In addition to using acupuncture and herbs in the clinic, we also send expectant parents home with acupressure instructions including points for the partner to press or rub during labor.

Pregnancy and childbirth are very special times in a woman’s life, and we are passionate about partnering with families for support throughout. We’d love to discuss partnering with you, just call or text 630-335-1069 to schedule a complimentary consultation.

No Smoothies? What can I eat for breakfast instead?

The Breakfast Dilemma

Many of my patients have this exact concern after they start working with me and we focus on repairing the digestive system.  Digestion takes place at body temperature, yet Americans love to slurp and sip cold drinks and liquidy foods.  Why is too much liquid a concern? One reason is because many of us have inadequate stomach acid.  Consuming too much fluid dilutes the acid and encumbers digestion.

 

My goal is to make sure that my patients’ bodies don’t have to use up extra energy (Qi) just to get their foods warmed up to body temperature – we are all already Qi deficient!  Warm foods are easier to digest.  So then –

 

What Can I Eat?

For this we can turn to the nutrition branch of Chinese Medicine, and the traditional breakfast of China and other Asian cultures – Congee! “What is THAT?” I hear you say…  Congee is basically rice porridge.  It’s a small amount of rice cooked in water in a 1:6 or 1:8 ratio.  Anything can be added to it, making it very versatile and adaptable to anyone’s tastes.  It is made with white rice, which is a nourishing easily digested “herb” in Chinese Medicine.

Warm Food for a Warm Belly

I want to leave you with a patient story – I had a patient recently who reported having a protein shake every morning for breakfast – when I listened to her abdomen upon percussing I could hear that smoothie sloshing in her stomach more than an hour after eating it.  The patient had some other signs of digestive weaknesses, so I suggested steering away from cold liquid meals.  In subsequent visit, I listened and heard no splash sound in her stomach – turns out she’d heeded my warning and started making her shake with warm-hot water.  Just that change allowed her body to assimilate it better.

Send me an email and I’ll send you a handout about making congee at home.

Healthy Fats and oils

Welcome to my kitchen!

Did you know that regularly consuming the wrong oils contributes to inflammation, chronic disease, and obesity? Here I discuss a variety of fats and oils that are an important part of a healthy diet. Specifically we will cover olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, tallow, ghee, and avocado oil.

Why it matters to know your fats

In this video I introduce you to several of the oils and fats that I think are useful in cooking.  I don’t have just one, because not only do they lend different flavors to your food, but they have different smoke points.  The smoke point is the temperature at which the oil will become damaged and free radicals develop.  Free radicals cause inflammation in the body – and we all want to prevent inflammation sources if we can.

Olive Oil and Extra virgin olive oil

Do you know the difference between these two popular oils? One has been partly refined, while the other is closer to the raw state of actual pressed olives.  Olive Oil can be used over heat, for sauteeing, and can withstand a temperature of approximately 450 degrees F.

Extra virgin olive oil, however, is cold-pressed, and will become damaged and therefore damaging to our tissues, at a lower temperature.  EVOO’s smoke point is around 350 degrees F or so.  So I recommend using this oil in room temp or cold dishes, and not heating it in the oven or on the stove.

Coconut Oil

While I absolutely love coconut in all its incarnations, I know many people who say they can’t stand coconut, or simply don’t like the way their food tastes when cooked in its oil.  Still, it’s health benefits are undeniable. It is a medium chain fatty acid, which means it’s readily available for the body to burn for energy.  Unrefined, it is solid at room temperature, while you can also find refined CO as a clear liquid at most stores. Since I love coconut oil, and prefer all things in their natural state when appropriate, I have never purchased refined.  You can read more about the difference between refined and unrefined here, and here, from two of my favorite producers of quality coconut oil.

Tallow

This is fat rendered from beef.  I end up with a lot of it when I make my homemade bone broth.  I take it off the top after it’s been refrigerated. We’ve been indoctrinated for decades to believe that saturated fat causes heart disease, but I don’t buy it.  Of course, I would not recommend eating fat from animals eating anything but their natural diet in a low stress environment.  Like lard, it can be used for frying.  Again, if you use lard, which is rendered pig fat, make sure you know what the animals ate and how they were treated while alive!

Ghee

When you heat butter gently and remove the solids, you are left with a clarified butter, also known as ghee in India, where it is an essential ingredient in cooking. Now you can find ghee in jars from grass-fed cows without too much effort. I like the rich flavor.  If you are dairy sensitive you may be able to tolerate it since the proteins are removed.  While I’ve made my own before, I tend to buy mine because I am dairy sensitive and would rather err on side of caution!

Avocado Oil

I’ll mention this one last since it’s been appearing in paleo foods and at Costco and you may wonder about it.  I like it mainly for it’s high smoke point of 400-500 degrees F.  This makes it useful for pan frying, which I use often.  This article mentions that it is actually doctor recommended in France for it’s ability to treat arthritis!  So I say, give it a try.  It’s flavorless, and so can be used in baking also.  A great alternative to canola oil if you ask me!

I’d love to hear how you use oils and fats in your everyday cooking or even for your beauty and health routines so please send me a note! Below is my video you can share with others as well!

Energy Flow Health Now Open in Naperville!

 

(Naperville Acupuncture)

 

Energy Flow Health Now Open in Naperville! Your Way to Digestive and Hormonal Balance.

Presenting Energy Flow Health

A little over a year ago, I struck out on my own and created my own practice.   I named it Energy Flow Health because we all want more energy and encouraging healthy flow is the way to get it! Now my practice finally has a new home in Naperville!

Years ago, I had a dream for my future practice – to be in a wellness center with other like-minded practitioners in a beautiful light-filled space, a whole building, dedicated to helping others to heal themselves, so that we all can go out and heal this troubled world of ours.  Then, sooner than I’d imagined, I was introduced to a group that wanted me to join them!

I’m so excited to tell you that the doors are finally open at Estuary Center for Living & Healing Arts.  The parking lot still needs paving, and the landscaping will come with the spring blossoms,  But the beautiful inside is painted and the bed heaters are turned on!!

Services Offered at Estuary

You may be curious at this point: what is Estuary Center? Who is there besides me?  I actually came in later in the vision of this wellness center.  Several women had begun planning its inception years earlier and became its founding members.  They are therapists, psychologists, but mostly healers, like me.  Throw into the mix several massage therapists, an art therapist, a Doctor of Integrated Manual physical therapy, and a Functional Medicine Chiropractor and you have Estuary! Together, we’re bringing an invigorating synthesis of mind-body-spirit care.

 

More about the Benefits of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine in my other blog post here.

 

Visiting Estuary

I hope when you walk through the doors that you will immediately feel cared for and more relaxed, as we’ve designed the space to be a sanctuary and respite.

I have appointment times available now throughout the week and am ready to take on new and old patients.  Please call me to make an appointment, or if you would like a free 15-minute consultation.

 

Namaste, I look forward to serving you. Please, get in touch with me if you have any questions  (630) 335-1069.

 

Visit us at:

Estuary Center for Living & Healing Arts
24W788 75th Street
Naperville, IL 60565

 

 

 

630-335-1069 Directions Contact/Schedule