- Energy Flow Acupuncture & Wellness Center24W500 Maple Ave Suite 203D
Naperville, IL 60540630-335-1069 
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupressure and Foods for Cold & Flu Season
Fortify for Cold, Flu and Covid Season
So many viruses going around right now!
How about some tips to give you a better chance at muscling through this winter healthy and virus free?
Acupressure:
While I of course advocate regular acupuncture for immune health, you can also stimulate the points at home without needles. Just a minute on each point once or twice a day to activate your body’s defenses and healing system.
LI-4 Hegu
This point on the Large Intestine channel is in middle the meaty part of your hand between the thumb and forefinger. Press and rub here – this is called the Command Point of the Face – and our face is usually where all those orifices are where viruses can enter and take over if our defenses are down. So stimulating Hegu will be like making your immune cells do pushups and jumping jacks! Note: this is also a major point used for headaches and one of the most powerful and important points in the body for balancing energy.
Uses for Large Intestine 4
- Release stagnant qi throughout the body
- Relieve low back pain (look for a sore spot in this whole area between the thumb and forefinger)
- Boost energy
- Nasal symptoms including congestion
- Headaches in the forehead and face
- Any facial pain or problems
LU7 Lieque
This point on the Lung channel of the hand and arm strengthens and activates the lung organ and the immune system. It is related to the Large Intestine channel via the 5 elements, both are metal, and thus are the main channels for treating and preventing colds and flus. This point is also called the Command Point of the Neck, and is very important for neck pain and for coughs. Ladies, this point also works with our hormones and reproductive system!
A simple way to find this is by joining your hands between the thumb and forefinger. Your index finger should be resting along the radius bone. The tip of your index finger will come to rest in a small notch between two tendons that lie on top of the styloid process.
We sometimes use a light pinching-up motion on this point where you grasp and release the skin over the point quickly. But rubbing will also work. This brings blood flow and stimulates its connection to the lungs, head, and neck.
Uses for Lung 7
- Opens the chest
- Treats issues in the head & neck
- Phlegm & mucus in the upper part of the body
- Headaches
- Treats first signs of cold/flu
- Regulates the movement of fluids throughout the body
- Activates the lung channel and relieves pain
- Gynecological Issues
Immunity Foods
Here are some foods traditionally used to circulate wei qi aka boost immunity, to clear pathogens, and invigorate intestines to clear waste): Chestnuts, raw onions, Asian pears, apples, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mint, mushrooms, parsnips, green onion, congee rice, banana, almond, white sesame, broccoli.
Chinese New Year 2022 – Year of the Tiger
Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China for good reason. Each new year brings new energies and opportunities. The celebration begins the day after the first new moon between January 21 and February 20 each year and lasts until the following full moon. These 2 weeks are a time of welcoming and aligning with the new energies. This year, the Chinese New Year falls on Feb 1st and festivities continue through Feb 15th, 2022. Each year has a corresponding element and animal of the Chinese zodiac.
This is the year of the water-tiger year that holds a lot of promise for an exciting, productive year. This indicates a new beginning, a fresh start, and it’s a year made for bold action. The Tiger is known for its power, daring, and ability to do everything on a grand scale.
This water-tiger year is in gear to be a faster-paced, more passionate year after a slower year of the Ox (2021) and a very challenging year of the Rat (2020). The tiger has been sleeping, awaiting his time for action. 2022 has great potential to be a year of change because of the energy of the tiger: brave, self-assured and ready to pounce. Individually we might be inspired to embark on new adventures, such as travel or moving, or starting a new business. Collectively, there may be an energetic shaking off of stagnation brought on by the past couple years of the pandemic. It will be a year of exploring new ideas, and not shying away from challenges. If energy is not allowed to flow (individually and/or collectively) there may be some restlessness or unpredictable behaviors. It is also important to balance the aggressive energy of the tiger with times of rest. Even tigers take cat naps. This is a water year, so the yin energy of the water can help to balance the fierce fiery nature of the tiger. continue reading
Reasons Why #4: Balance Hormones!
reasons why people get acupuncture #4 – balance hormones!
It’s a bit reductionist to think of life as a bucket of chemicals, and at the same time, the factual complexity is mind blowing!
While it’s important and super cool to understand endocrine glands and the hormones they secrete, one of the simplest and most effective ways to treat hormonal imbalances, is through Traditional East Asian Medicine. Because this is such a HUGE topic, this article focuses mainly on a just a few hormones and a few of their functions.
What are Balanced Hormones?
Hormones are the communication molecules of the body, telling every system how to behave, how to metabolize, sleep, when to menstruate or not, how to regulate body temperature, and on and on. The intercommunication of the 60+ hormones is truly a miraculous marvelous symphony. It’s so finite and delicate and complex, that sometimes medications help imbalances, but sometimes they miss the mark. Acupuncture to the rescue. Because acupuncture is energetic, it helps the body to regulate and balance itself. By design it allows a return to homeostasis, which is when everything is in balance.
Hormone Production & Detoxification
Many hormones, including the sex hormones such as estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone, and stress hormones like cortisol, are synthesized from cholesterol. Because stress is the response to perceived danger or threat to survival, that response, such as increased cortisol or adrenaline, is prioritized. When constant perceived stress is present, this means resources can be diverted from the less necessary (sex/reproductive) in order to keep you “alive”. This is why many people are diagnosed with low estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, etc.
On the other hand, hormones also need to be metabolized, broken down, and recycled or excreted. When this is impaired, too much of a hormone can build up. What can interfere? Well, it’s the liver’s job to metabolize nearly everything we ingest and every hormone. And liver toxicity or sluggishness is very commonplace in our hectic modernized society. With an overwhelmed liver, estrogen and other chemicals can build up, and this too can lead to hormonal imbalance symptoms. Again, a big topic, so can’t get into all of it in this short discussion. But the solution is supporting the liver’s natural detoxification pathways in order to balance.
Hormones, Fertility, and a Natural Approach
Our approach to fertility at Energy Flow goes beyond analyzing hormone levels. Fertility is a reflection of overall health of mind-body-spirit, and this is why Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) is such a successful approach for conceiving and maintaining pregnancy. It’s the synergy of the acupuncture working with the entire hormonal symphony, the natural stress reduction effects, and the balancing and nurturing of the time-tested herbal formulas that account for this. Our medicine is not reductionist, it’s holistic. This makes all the difference, and can bring joy back to the baby-making journey.
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, along with other natural therapies, reduce stress, promote circulation, and improve natural communication pathways so that hormone balance and production regulates. We also take into account liver health, to relieve the strain on the liver, improving its ability to naturally detoxify the body and ease metabolism of hormones.
A Success Story of how Acupuncture and Herbs balance hormones
Melissa was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), but didn’t have some of the stand-out symptoms commonly associated with this metabolic disorder. her doctor had found that her estrogen and progesterone were low and testosterone high. She was in her mid twenties, yet had had only a handful of periods in her life due to anovulatory amenorrhea – her body was not releasing an egg every month and thus not menstruating. She came to me to get help conceiving a second child. Her first was conceived with assisted reproductive therapy, but she wanted to get to the root cause this time.
Literally after 2 acupuncture sessions and some herbs, she got a period. Well that worked quickly! We continued to work on the chronic digestive issues since everything is connected, and continued to support hormonal regulation with acupuncture, herbs, and TBM (Total Body Modification). The next month, the period didn’t come, and I thought, well of course the cycle won’t be regulated this quickly. But I was wrong – she was already pregnant naturally!
Trust Your Body to Know
No matter the diagnosis from your conventional doctor, don’t take that as gospel. Your body’s wisdom runs deep, and with the right nudges it can be set back into rhythm. The conductor, musicians, and audience just all need to be in harmony!
How Many Acupuncture Treatments Will You Need?
(Acupuncture Naperville)
Let’s dive right in to what it takes to get results from acupuncture. How many treatments, how frequently, and why.
Acupuncture Therapy
Acupuncture is a therapy. This means that each treatment builds on the next. We can compare this to taking a medication. Lots of people are familiar with how that works. You get diagnosed, and then you get prescribe a dose based on your condition. How long have you had it, how severe, how many complications are there, etc.
Like taking a medication, acupuncture does require consistency. Your job is showing up for your appointments, and relaxing during treatment.
Because acupuncture is based on Wholism, the whole person and the whole person’s life and habits are taken into account. Your practitioner may assign homework for between visits or suggest lifestyle tweaks.
So besides keeping your appointments, another part of your job may be making small manageable changes at your own pace to help align your daily life toward your health goals.
Now back to the original question. How many treatments will you need? This will vary based on the same factors for determining a medication dose. Each acupuncture treatment is “1 dose”. Based on the practitioner’s assessment of the severity and chronicity of your problem, and your goals, she will determine how often to come in and for how long.
Acute Problems
Acute problems are those that have been lingering for less than 3 months, in general. So if your back pain just started last week, get in and get it treated right away, and you may be fixed in one treatment. However, if the reason for this back pain is for example uterine fibroids, or a prolapse, or diabetes, or other chronic and complicated issue, then the back pain may not be totally fixed quickly. We will likely want to address the underlying issue.
Chronic Problems
More often, I see a lot of chronic complaints. Chronic means it’s been going on for more than 3 months. For example, you’ve had sinus congestion or painful periods or no periods for 5 years. Or 10 years. Or…. well you get it. People often don’t seek treatment but instead just “deal with it”. The longer the body-mind is “talking” to you with symptoms, and the longer the communication goes ignored, the more problems can compound and wear on your energy reserves. Symptoms need attention to prevent worsening over time.
The Treatment Plan
Most acute problems we estimate will take around 6 acupuncture treatments. Because chronic problems vary so much, and are often so complex and intertwined, we estimate about 10-12 treatments, in general, for some significant results, meaning some things are staying improved between treatments. The nice thing is there will be gradual improvements along the way as the treatment plan progresses. I am perpetually amazed at what this medicine can do.
Once improvements are sustaining longer periods between treatments, and you are feeling pretty good, then we begin a maintenance program, where you come in for “meridian tune-ups” once every 4-8 weeks. This keeps the engine humming along and prevents relapse.
The Whole Model – The Foundation
Acupuncture is part of the system of medicine called Chinese Medicine (CM) or Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM). This is a TOTALLY different approach than Conventional AKA Western AKA Allopathic Medicine. It’s hard to look at acupuncture through the lens of modern medicine and totally understand it. The basic principles are very different.
TEAM practitioners are interested in treating the whole person. What is her spirit like? What is her sleep like? Does she have normal elimination and excretion? How can we facilitate her natural healing abilities in order to improve her quality of life ?
Quality of Life
Bottom line, what do we all want when we make the call or search on Google to find a practitioner of some sort? We want to improve our quality of life. If you can get pregnant, if you can not miss school or work every month, if you can sleep through the night, if you can go for long walks, whatever your goal, what are you willing to pay? Where in your priorities does it fall? Can you visualize what future you want, and start actualizing it now because the future begins in this very moment? This is called a personal investment. And it’s up to you to decide what you want, and how you want to get it.
Investment
When someone asks what acupuncture costs, or says they can’t afford to keep coming, I totally understand. I grew up very modestly, and my family never seemed to have enough funds. But like education, health is an investment in the future You. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is a way to improve your quality of life on every level. By addressing root imbalances, your branches will grow stronger and those branches will bear more fruit – aka servicing others, creativity, or whatever else you are here to do.
if you made it this far…
Thanks for reading, and I hope you got some insight from it. At the very least maybe you know if this is a route you want to go down. And please call me for a no obligations chat if you have any questions at 630-335-1069 (textable).
Treating the Whole Person, a Basic Concept in Chinese Medicine
Because Chinese Medicine developed approximately 2,000 or so years ago, it is a completely different yet complete system of medicine. Imagine what life was like then. People were completely dependent on the land around them, and very in touch with the stars, the sun, the moon, and the Earth. Everything was studied and principles of nature were deduced, and then applied to their lives for their benefit. When to plant what crop where, where to build a house, when to harvest which crop, and what plants can heal what malady.
To understand Chinese Medicine, one should consider the concept of the human as a microcosm of the macrocosm. All the laws that govern the natural world apply to us too.
I won’t go into detail because it takes a full course of study to grasp – I could refer you to some books if you want to learn more about chinese medical theories. But I do want you to understand that by approaching the human organism in this way, you are viewed as a Whole person. No part is separate, and everything is interconnected. What happens to your left foot can affect your right hand, what you think can affect your digestion. Your experiences are stored as memories in your subconscious which can interact with and disrupt or enhance your physiology.
In other words, mind-body-spirit are one. This is sometimes called Wholism. It is not woo woo or foo foo. This is the original medicine.
You’ve experienced the failures of conventional medicine or you wouldn’t be reading this. You’ve been frustrated by the one size fits all approaches, and the negative side effects overshadowing the thing you took the pill for in the first place. Or you know there’s got to be a different way.
Luckily for us Americans, a bunch of brilliant scholars and physicians of this medicine translated the important teachings passed down through the centuries and learned this medicine the traditional way – from teacher to student, master to future master.
In this way, there’s a bridge from the old knowledge of how everything in nature (which includes us!) works and how to use our natural resources and our innate healing abilities to live more purposeful, fruitful, abundant lives.
Tap in to this wisdom – learn about and trust your own power. You are whole and complete.