December 2015 – TS Acupuncture

As we enter into the new year, it tends to be a time for setting resolutions and reflecting on the past. With this in mind, it might be a good time to reflect on any pain or dis-ease you may have experienced this year.

Current research shows that 90-95% of all diseases are caused by stress. Just take a minute with that number… 90-95%! That is crazy. Why are we allowing stress to cause chaos in our lives?

You are in complete control of your life, and that includes stress. By decreasing your stress you are significantly helping your mind and body of any dis-ease you may experience. A combination of life-depleting habits, negative thoughts, and destructive emotions are so unbelievably powerful – when you allow them to be. When all these negative entities are put into a big mixing pot (I imagine an evil person stirring an oddly large black pot in a dungy basement, but that’s besides the point!) the outcome can be catastrophic. A variety of physical pain, depression, emotional distress, poor sleep, stress, etc. will eventually erupt.

That is if you let it. Are you ready to let go of the things that have potentially got you to this point?

Freeing yourself from unwanted emotions and thoughts release an extreme amount of energy which can be put towards accomplishing your goals and dreams! That sounds better than some crazy lady in a basement mixing together all the negativity, doesn’t it?

I know that at points you may feel hopeless or so beat that there is no way you could ever over come what is going on in your life. But that’s not true, you have got this and you don’t need that negativity to identify you. The situations or stressors are not who you are – unless you allow them to and I think we have all had enough of that.

Sometimes with Acupuncture you may experience a healing crisis, it might get worse before it gets better. Or potentially start to cry on the table. That is awesome for me as a practitioner to be able to help you move that energy and transition your way of thinking in a safe space.

What manifests as a physical ailment is often deeply rooted at the emotional or spiritual level.

Make this year your year. Take control of your stress and your dis-ease in life. You aren’t a diagnosis or a negative situation in your life. You are just another being in complete control of your life, take it where you want to go.

Im going to end this one with a little story… about my experience of a physical ailment identifying me. When I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, I became that kid with Ankylosing Spondylitis. But as I started with acupuncture and regulating my diet and exercise I began to loose that identity because it wasn’t obvious any more. Now I say I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis – NOT that I have it. I have stopped telling my mind that I have it, because our minds are so powerful.

When I tore my ACL and could no longer have a basketball career, I did not know what to do. I was an athlete and had always been one. I didn’t know who I was or what I could be without BEING an athlete. It took me a while, but I now know that just one small part of me is an athlete – it isn’t who I am.

So here is to 2016 being a year to take your life back from stress, pain, sadness, anger, poor sleep….. anything really.

For those of you who have came in for a treatment with me, you have likely experienced gua sha already. For the rest of you, time to learn something new!

Gua sha –pronounced ‘Gwa-shaw” – is an ancient modality that is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It produces transitory therapeutic pethiciae, which is a fancy way of saying little red dots caused by breaking the capillaries in the area. I will explain further down in greater detail why this is so beneficial.

What to expect?

Gua sha for sore traps.

First, the practitioner will lubricate the specific area – I tend to use a coconut oil mixture. Then, you will experience a rubbing or scraping sensation with a specific gua sha tool repeatedly over the effected area. Be sure to keep an open mind and let your practitioner know if the pressure is too much. It feels better than it sounds! Here are a few different reasons to love gua sha….

PAIN:

Blood flow is deceased anytime we experience a spasm or injury. Therefor, both uric and lactic acid can get trapped underneath the skin or within a tight muscle. This is because of the lack of drainage caused by the decreased blood flow. We use Gua sha specifically to move Qi and Blood in these types of situations. Studies have found that gua sha increases surface blood circulation by 400% for 7.5 minutes following a treatment. In that same study, two days after the treatment including gua sha, the patient had decreased pain. I have found gua sha to be very effective for neck and upper back pain, it allows me to be able to get into the muscles and fascia in such a small area.

AUTOIMMUNE:

Gua sha also benefits the immune system and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Gua sha can reduce inflammatory symptoms of chronic illness. And Guasha can actually help treat symptoms of hepatitis – this is because of the anti-inflammatory quality that gua sha has. Other Autoimmune diseases gua sha is effective on are; Asthma, Crohns disease, Colitis, Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Sarcoidosis etc.

ACUTE INFECTIOUS ILLNESSES IE “The Cold”:

Well gua sha can actually reduce your fever and alter the course of an acute infectious illness. Gau sha translates directly from Chinese as, “to scrape away fever.” Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that illnesses such as colds get trapped on the exterior of our bodies, this is where they meet our immune system. This is why we suffer effects on the exterior of our bodies. For example, when we get colds, we feel them as aches in our necks, headaches, and runny noses. By using gua sha, along with Acupuncture, it will actually expel your cold and help you along a quicker recovery. Gua sha is my go to when I catch a cold!

So, now that you know a little more about what the amazing GUA SHA can do. From a common cold to muscle pains to a chronic disease, gua sha can help!