- Energy Flow Acupuncture & Wellness Center24W500 Maple Ave Suite 212
Naperville, IL 60540630-335-1069 
Tidbits
Journaling Your Health Journey
When embarking on a health journey, we are faced with old habits that we recognize are no longer serving us. Often, recognizing these patterns is a big breaththrough for us! Whether we want better digestion or regular monthly cycles, or more energy, looking at our daily habits of our thoughts and actions is the first step to making lasting changes.
Tool for Change
I have been journaling for years. I buy a pretty notebook, I like the ones with magnetic closure, and I keep it on my nightstand. It’s my wind down before I turn off the light at bedtime. And it’s a record for things I want to remember.
There is something about pen to paper that really clicks for us humans. I feel like electronic notepads are missing a key link to connect us to our words and thoughts. Sure it’s good for somethings, but I feel it just does not replace the old fashioned method.
Reflecting on Old Habits and Celebrating New Ones
I have 2 journals going at a time, a food/symptom/health record diary, and a reflection/dream/goals diary.
In the food and symptom diary, I can see if something I did helped or worsened the way I feel after. Plus if I’m on a new herbal or supplement regimen it helps me to track that.
The other journal is a free form of thoughts, feelings, memories, and most importantly reflection. When we sit with what has happened, what we’ve learned, what we want, what we don’t understand, that is when wisdom and learning from our experiences takes place.
Setting Goals and Measuring Progress
I like to look back sometimes and read old entries. Do you do that too or do you prefer to just write it and forget it? I just found an entry where I’d highlighted some numbered items. It was several personal goals for myself, written last a year ago. I was quite pleased when I realized I’d since implemented those changes I desired. It was proof of my progress, and I loved seeing that!
Journaling is one tool I use to develop my self and grow and change. What has worked for you to discover and release old habits? I’d love to hear from you!
Controversial Film Uncovers CDC Scandal
Last night I attended the screening of Vaxxed at the Naperville Independent Film Festival. I was sure glad I did, and I’m eager to share my thoughts with you.
Premise
This film is not about whether or not to vaccinate, and does not take sides as I thought it might. Instead, this film uncovers a scandal within the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that occurred 2002-2004 that is still unraveling now. This film was directed and produced by the key figures in the film: a doctor, a medial journalist, and activist parents.
Story
The basic story is the truth about the study conducted by the CDC on the MMR vaccine. One of the five scientists involved leaked the data to an outside scientist, Brian Booker, whose son is severely autistic. Their phone calls were recorded, and documents were exchanged that show a statistically significant correlation between autism and the MMR vaccine.
The movie is broken into sections by the pieces of evidence and by autism trends. One trend in the data that was manipulated showed a very significant causative link in African-American boys who received the vaccine on time, meaning according to the CDC’s mandated schedule, and autism. The other trend is Isolated Autism, which is when an otherwise completely healthy child, meaning a child without any other health issues, is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This rate was also significantly higher for those who received the vaccine on schedule.
Takeaways
The film is not shy to implicate the people involved with manipulating the data and actually destroying the documentation of the original findings. I kept expecting to hear that the whistleblower, Dr. Thompson, was assassinated, but luckily that hasn’t happened. It really becomes a his word against theirs, except that Dr. Booker has evidence.
I was moved to tears at one point as a mother describes how her son was accidentally given an overdose of the MMR causing autism.
One insight driven home in the movie is how vaccines are drugs, yet the CDC refuses to do the gold standard study of double blind placebo that is done for all other drugs. They even include footage of a US legislator asking the CDC director involved if they’ve ever studied vaccinated against unvaccinated children, and after beating around the bush she answers no. The scientist in me is appalled that the American people overlook this huge elephant in the room.
Get Involved, Be Informed
I highly recommend that everyone see this movie and talk about it every chance you get. There is lots more information about what we can do to get this properly investigated at vaxxedthemovie.com. In another blog to come, I will discuss a Washington Post article debunking this film, as there is always another side to a story.
Cupping – Not Just for Athletes
As an acupuncturist who practices cupping, I’ve been hearing lots of comments and reading lots of articles about it since several athletes sported their marks in the Olympics. I’ve heard some myths and misconceptions, and curiosity. So I thought I’d add my 2 cents to the hype!
What is Cupping and How does it work?
Cupping is a technique that has been used all over the world for many hundreds or thousands of years. It involved applying hollow objects to the skin from which the air has been removed, creating a vacuum or suction effect.
The idea is to pull from deep within the tissues to remove stuck waste products and toxins, and to bring them to the superficial layers of the skin where the body’s metabolic pathways are able to easily flush it away.
Is Cupping harmful?
I read an article that quoted medical professionals who doubted the efficacy of cupping and who even called it harmful. Of course many helpful modalities in medicine can be harmful if done incorrectly or applied inappropriately or for the wrong reasons. When done properly, cupping is a harmless technique.
what are those circular marks all about?
First of all, not everyone will get marks like you saw on the Olympic athletes. It depends on why you are getting cupped. Also, cupping can be diagnostic, in that the darker the mark the more severe the stagnation of energy and blood in that area. Sometimes I use cups to confirm if someone’s pain is due to severe stasis of qi and blood or another reason.
Who can Benefit from cupping?
There are several reasons that people receive cupping. Here are the most common: to loosen tight sore muscles, to reduce pain, to lessen the symptoms of a cold or flu, to knock out a cold in the very early stage, and to help resolve coughs.
I hope this has shed some light on the subject. Cupping really is a simple great way to promote circulation and detoxification of our tissues. I am happy to work it into the treatment plans for my patients when appropriate.
Acupuncture as part of your self-care routine
Speaking as a working mother, I can truly empathize with the many patients of mine that are in the same boat. So many expectations that we put on ourselves and and that society puts on us.
whose expectations do we live by?
We’re expected to do it all and smile. But guess what? Most of us are sick and tired – literally. It’s not until we learn that cliched lesson – put your own oxygen mask on before you can help someone else – that we can get past survival and move on to thriving.
I’m happy to say that I learned the lesson of self care a few years ago before things got any worse. And yes, they were bad for too long before I got to the point of really seeking help and making myself a priority. I tell my patients all the time, hopefully without sounding like I’m lecturing, that we women and especially us mothers, must make our health and wellbeing our #1 priority.
priorities – Where does Your Own Health Rank?
I think this is still taboo for many women. “But that’s selfish” you might think. My family is my #1 priority, or my career is my #1 priority. But honestly, how can we give our family or our work our best if we’re just barely getting out of bed, or have pain, or get sick often, or are irritable or depressed? We owe it to them and ourselves to take that leap and make time every single day to do what we need to feel our best. Or at least to begin the healing journey if our problems have been going on for a long time.
When Is it time to ask for help?
For me it all started after the birth of my second child. I was short tempered and irritable and getting thinner and thinner. You’d think a health care practitioner would just take care of herself right? Well, I think I can speak for many in the health care field when I say that we try to take care of ourselves. But that’s just not what worked for me. In hindsight I know I should have sought help from care providers other than myself.
At first, I recognized that I needed help. I delayed for a while being unsure of where to go. Finally, the universe sent me some clues and I followed them. I travelled far to a Chinese herbalist, started a spiritual practice, and also went the functional medicine route. Together, I found a system that I felt good about and care providers that I feel cared about me and did their best to help find out what I needed most.
Today, I feel healthier, stronger, and happier than I can remember over the 20+ years I’ve been dealing with health issues. I want you to know that I am not ashamed to take time out of my busy schedule to do what I need to function at my best. And neither should you!
5 Tips for Starting Your Day Mindfully
Do you ever wish you could have a Do-Over for your day – hit stop, rewind, and start over? Maybe you were critical or grouchy or said something mean to someone or are just overdue for an acupuncture treatment! What will you do differently tomorrow to set your self straight from the start? By starting your day mindfully, you give yourself an opportunity to set an intention of what you want to fulfill and how you want to behave.
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Here are some suggestions that don’t take more than a few extra minutes to either change up your routine or create one anew.
- First, do nothing. Then, just bring your awareness to your breath. Is it shallow, slow, warm? Deep, rapid, cool? Next, stretch in bed. Total time: 1 minute.
- Brush your teeth. Remove the toxins that have accumulated in your mouth overnight, and drink some water to rehydrate. Total time: hey, no extra time, you already brush your teeth every morning (I hope)!
- Step outside. If this is not practical, then look out a window at something natural like a tree. Take a few deep breaths of the fresh air and stretch: some examples of stretches are arms skyward, side bends, side lunges, forward fold to reach toward your toes. Total time: 1-2 minutes.
- Horizontal stretch- lay on the floor and either stretch long with your arms overhead or do a twist with legs to one side and arms to the opposite side.
- Sit, on your bed, a chair, or a pillow or cushion, and just breathe and relax. Start with formality by focusing on the breath, and noticing thoughts, labeling them as “thoughts or “thinking”, and coming back to the breath. Then when you are ready, set your intention for today. It can be to treat others with respect and compassion, to work toward my highest good, to see beauty in all things, to be open to the wisdom of the universe, etc. Then end formally by returning to an awareness of the breath. Total time: 5 minutes or more as you have allowance for.
If this seems too time consuming, then just choose 2 or 3, and set aside 5 minutes. You can use a gentle sounding alarm on your phone if it’s not too far from where you sleep (I do not advocate keeping a phone in the bedroom however). Or if you have a watch with an alarm feature. After a while you may get a rhythm of knowing how much time you can spend and then do away with an actual alarm.
I’d love to hear about your morning routine and if you implement any of these tips, how they work for you!
