• Osteoarthritis and Chinese Medicine: An Overview of Theories and Evidence
• Nurturing Life in Classical Chinese Medicine: Sun Simiao on Healing without Drugs, Transforming Bodies and Cultivating Life
• The Treatment of Pelvic Pain with Acupuncture: Part 1
• The Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease by Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
• Acupuncture Therapy in Diseases Failing to Respond to Western Medicine: Six Case Reports
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Treatment by Traditional Oriental Medicine
• Acupuncture in the Treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome
• The Treatment of Psycho-emotional Disorders by Acupuncture: with Particular Reference to the Du Mai

—Inger

Below is a letter I recently received from a patient after a single treatment. With the permission of the patient, I’d like to share that letter with you here. This letter reinforces for me why I do what I do: resolve people’s pain, whether physical or psycho-emotional, and share new ways of living informed by Chinese medical perspectives:

Dear Inger,

I just wanted to write to thank you for treating me yesterday.

When I came to your office, I could barely put any weight on my right foot due to hip and sciatic nerve issues.  What you accomplished in one appointment was nothing short of miraculous.  After being in excruciating pain for nearly a week, 24 hours after seeing you I am literally pain free!

I came to you because I was told by my primary care physician that it would take weeks in physical therapy to accomplish this (he spent 5 minutes with me before proclaiming this).

While I believe there is a place for my primary physician, I want you to know that I see it’s equally important to receive care on a regular basis from my L.Ac. for both prevention, and treatment.

With gratitude,

A.D.

The symbol yin yang

 “The root of a quiet body must be supplied by food.”     —Sun Si-maio

Most people begin the new year with numerous resolutions. I‘d like to suggest that you keep things simple by focusing on eating in a balanced manner. The quote above means that the root of good health depends on a proper diet. Chinese medicine is based on the concept of yin and yang. Yin and yang are in a dual relationship and rely on each other. When our body becomes out of balance—if we eat improperly, for example—yin and yang become out of balance. If improper diet and unbalanced eating habits become a regular pattern, then over time disease will occur.

Here is another statement about eating from Chinese medicine:

“If drinking and eating lose their discipline, cold and warmth will not be proper and the spleen and stomach will therefore be damaged.”

In other words, if you eat too many foods that are either too hot or too cold in nature, cold and warmth will be unbalanced. Overeating hot foods causes heat to accumulate in the stomach, while overeating cold foods will damage the spleen and cause it to be vacuous.

This statement shows that yin and yang become out of balance via eating too much of something. On the other hand, not eating enough food is detrimental to your health as well:

“If grains do not enter, in a half day, the qi declines, and in one day, the qi is scanty.”

Your qi (your body’s vital energy) will have declined if one does not eat for half a day. And if one does not eat for a whole day, then one’s qi is insufficient for health. Yin and yang are out of balance due to lack of foods entering the body.

To help support you in 2012, I plan to regularly post about food, diet, and the energetic properties of foods from a Chinese medicine perspective. Feel free to follow these posts on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/IngerJLac

Or you can find my posts on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Inger-Johnson-LAc-Acupuncture-Chinese-Medicine-Practitioner/218850764799964

Happy new year to you! Here’s to a year focusing on balance!

—Inger

This article answers that question and tries to explain some of the theories behind acupuncture:

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/09/a-healthy-poke-demystifying-the-science-behind-acupuncture/245816/

—Inger

Acupuncture is an incredible medical service with many health benefits. Acupuncture can relieve and cure illness for a fraction of the cost, has very few side-effects and short recovery time. By including this option in Medicare-Medicaid, many people will be able to afford to heal their bodies, while reducing the cost to the overall program.

Please help sign this petition on the Whitehouse.gov website. 25,000 signatures of support are needed by Nov 4th, 2011. If you want real change in our health care system or have family members who depend on Medicare-Medicaid, why not offer another health care option and help improve their quality of life?

Feel free to forward this petition to those you know.

Link to petition website and instructions:

1. Click the website

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/add-acupuncture-medicare-medicaid-save-resources-and-end-much-suffering/4GN8703p

2. Click “Create account” and type-in your information ( first/ last name, city, zip code )

3. Confirmation through your personal email

4. Click “submit petition”

Thank you very much for your support!

–Inger

In Chinese medicine, Fall corresponds with the lungs. The lungs are associated with breath and respiration, as well as with the “Wei qi,” translated as the defensive qi (your vital energy). This defensive qi wards off potential colds one can contract during the change in seasons. If your lung qi is flourishing, you’re less likely to get ill. If you do get ill, your body is able to ward of the disease fairly quickly.

By focusing my acupuncture treatments now on strengthening the lung qi, come spring time the lungs are better equipped to do their job in fighting allergic reactions. In addition, I prescribe herbal formulas that include either huang qi (astragalus root) or ren shen (ginseng root), based on the patient’s pattern presentation. These herbs effectively strengthen areas of the body that are depleted and also strengthen the body’s defenses against disease.

I like to think of these treatments as similar to seasonal tune-ups for a car. I focus on getting you healthy now to help prevent severe problems in the future. If you are someone who gets allergies in the spring or summer, consider a tune-up acupuncture treatment right now in the fall! Sorry, I am not offering shuttle service at this time.

—Inger

For over 10 years I suffered from frequent headaches and migraines. I saw a number of doctors who said that I had headaches from allergies, low blood sugar, stress, and hormonal changes. They said that in time my headaches would probably get better and I should just be patient.

Years later as I advanced through college, my migraines worsened and I decided it was time to try everything out there — over several years I tested out allergy pills, eating more naturally sugary foods,

drinking more water, cutting out tea (the only caffeine I drink), adding aerobic activities, doing yoga, sleeping more, taking migraine prescriptions, and finding stronger birth control pills. Although the birth control pills and migraine prescriptions helped for a number of months, I experienced a migraine with aphasia and was no longer able to take migraine pills due to the danger of potentially having a stroke.

At that time I worked to “ride” out my migraines, but was not having much success. My mother (a physician) recommended that I try something totally different, like acupuncture. Some of her cancer patients found it helpful to reduce pain, so I thought it sounded like a good idea. However, the concept of needles and blood make me light headed, so I put off looking for a specialist as long as I possibly could. On one particular day my migraine became so severe that I had to find some help. I walked by Inger’s office on the off-chance that someone could help me. Inger accepted me immediately as a new patient and spent almost two hours discussing my issues, explaining the work that she could do, showing me the supplies she would use, and treating me.

Inger made me feel so comfortable and safe that I did not feel light headed after my first treatment (or any treatment thereafter). Her treatment room and general clinic facility are very welcoming. She uses a heating lamp and has soothing music, comfortable pillows and great smelling natural products surrounding her patients. Most key for me was that Inger did not try to push any techniques with acupuncture needles or with herbal products that I did not want to try.

I found it very surprising that after my first treatment, my migraine became less severe. Over the next several months we figured out that my migraines were hormonal and only came at certain times of every month. Inger outlined some of the treatments I would need and worked on other areas of my body as additional issues flared up. As my intestinal problems lightened and my back pain lessened, my headaches (which I experienced more frequently than migraines) started to go away. Her combination of acupuncture and tui na (chinese massage) were perfect. I didn’t have to go to a massage therapist separately…she has made my life easier (acupuncture and massage appointments separately would be difficult for me to manage time-wise).

Inger knows what works! We found a schedule that is great for my body and we stick to it! Over the last year there was a period of a few months where I was busy and was unable to see Inger. I noticed that my headaches were not as severe as they had been in the past and I only experienced one migraine during that time. After one treatment with Inger I was back on track and was feeling great! Inger helped me realize that acupuncture and tui na are essential for keeping my body balanced. I will continue acupuncture and tui na for life–which is not a difficult task…because it feels good! If I push out a treatment here or there I know that the effects are long-lasting, so I will still effectively perform at work.

Overall, Inger gets it. She understands that I live a busy and stressful life. She knows what is needed to keep me performing at my best. Most importantly, Inger takes the time to listen to everything happening around me and to my body so that she can thoroughly treat me. She genuinely cares about her patients and their lives. Visiting Inger is one of the best life-choices I’ve made.

With the devastating disaster in Japan, it is natural to feel helpless.  Below, I have posted some suggested ways you may help with relief efforts:

American Red Cross: http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main

Save The Children: https://secure.savethechildren.org/

UNICEF: https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=9640&9640.donation=form1

International Medical Corps: http://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org/Page.aspx?pid=332

Global Giving Org: http://www.globalgiving.org/

The Salvation Army: http://salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf

For acupuncture practitioners, consider volunteering with Acupuncturists Without Borders, or donate to AWB: http://acuwithoutborders.org/

Doctors Without Borders: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

AmericCares: http://www.americares.org/whatwedo/emergency/japan/japan-earthquake-tsunami.html

Shelterbox: http://www.shelterboxusa.org/news.php?id=613

MercyCorps: https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/japan

Peace Winds Japan: http://www.peace-winds.org/en/

Operation USA: http://www.opusa.org/

International Fund For Animal Welfare: http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_united_states/

—Inger

Most patients who come to see me describe their primary complaint as being pain-related: chronic low back pain, cervical pain, headaches, etc. After several treatments and noticeable relief, many patients will then ask, “Can acupuncture help with weight loss?” My response is yes, but I also stress that treating weight loss, just like treatment for smoking cessation, requires a partnership between the practitioner and the patient. I provide an appropriate acupuncture treatment based on the individual’s pattern presentation, taking their entire self into account, and the patient must do what she or he can in aiding the treatments. For example, we all know when it comes to weight loss that exercise is a key component. I like to refer to exercise as a way to “move your body’s qi,” your body’s vital energy that circulates within various channels. By moving your body’s qi, you are increasing your body’s ability to do work, such as metabolize foods more effectively. In addition, it’s important to consider changing the foods you eat and when you eat them. Again, this is a very individual-driven effort. I can help by making some Chinese dietary suggestions. Like Chinese medicine generally, Chinese food therapy is based on balance. Too many damp foods can cause damp accumulation and stagnation. Balance also stems from how and when you eat your food. Do you eat at a table, in a quiet room? Or do you eat in your car or while at the computer? Do you eat in hurry or when you are sad or angry? All of these examples can have a direct effect on your digestive process.

Weight loss can be extremely difficult for some because many people have an emotional and even addictive relationship with food. Some people may eat when they are not physically hungry but because they are “stressed out.” Some people cannot stop thinking about food and find relief only when they have eaten or, most likely, overeaten. And often there are feelings of guilt after such a meal. Acupuncture can be helpful in treating these types of food cravings, by helping to decrease the degree of cravings the patient feels and by helping the patient learn how to relax. Once the cravings decrease, it’s possible to get deeper into the issues of why these eating habits formed in the first place. In these types of cases I may refer the patient to an experienced therapist in this field.

Chinese medicine sees each personal as an individual, with his or her own unique pattern presentation. And when it comes to weight loss, each person has a unique relationship with food. That relationship means an individualized treatment plan based on the pattern presentation at hand is a must. If you have followed my blog (thank you if you have!), you know that individual attention and unique treatments are almost always my focus.

http://www.kuow.org/podcast/KUOWPresents/20110218MaryDispenza.mp3

—Inger