Gracey Holistic Health

acupuncture

Ease seasonal allergies naturally

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After a bunch of Nor’easters pummeled the northeast in March, it’s now actually starting to look and feel more like Spring. While spring rain may bring flowers, it also brings pollen. Which brings seasonal allergies.

If you are allergic to pollen, your immune system sees the pollen as a danger and releases antibodies that attack the allergens. The mistaken threat causes a chemical release of histamines to combat and eliminate the fine, dusty pollen exposed to your body.   

Perhaps you typically battle allergies with a box of Kleenex and a Claritin. But there are other options to stifle the sneezing and ease the itchy eyes.

Acupuncture for allergies

Acupuncture is all about bringing balance to the body. Therefore, treatments are meant to even the imbalance and disruption that the pollen brings to your body’s defensive mechanisms. In addition to addressing the core issues of the immune response, there are, unsurprisingly, acupuncture points I may use on your face and near the nose! Try a couple for yourself:

  • Point 1, known as Large Intestine 20, also (appropriately) termed “welcome fragrance.” Right at the outside base of each nostril, press with your middle fingers diagonally upward, like you’re aiming for your eye on the opposite side of your face.
  • Point 2, known as  Bitong, also (appropriately) termed “free passage of the nose.” To find the point, identify the groves along each side of the nose. Press on the point at the highest point on the groove, just opposite the nose.

Wash your sinuses with a neti pot

What’s a neti pot? It looks like a tea kettle, where the spout is gently placed in the opening of your nose. The saline solution inside gets poured into one nostril and comes out the other.

Since it’s the pollen that you breath in that triggers an immune response, a neti pot can help with easing symptoms by flushing out the little particulates of pollen from your sinus cavity.

Try an anti-inflammatory diet

To me, “eating right” doesn’t just mean eating healthy. It also means eating particular foods that are best suited to your physical disposition. The histamine produced by your immune system from pollen can cause an inflammatory response. This is why allergy medications are called “antihistamines” because they will attempt to reduce inflammation.

But you can also change what you eat to regulate your immune system and reduce inflammation before taking any medication. Here are some great foods for that:

  • Pineapple
  • Salmon
  • Green leafy vegetables
  • Broccoli
  • Coconut oil

Acupuncture for children

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Last week we talked about how holistic medicine can help older patients. But a review of 31 different published articles as old as 2008 has shown that acupuncture is relatively effective with low risk in pediatric cases as well.

“A lot of kids are medication-sensitive, and acupuncture doesn’t have the side effects of medication,” explains Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Benjamin Katholi, MD.

Therefore, acupuncture may be a good solution for children suffering from a wide range of mental or physical problems.

Shakuju Therapy for children

Image above: The hand of Kobayashi Sensei who founded Shakuju Therapy

The review doesn’t  mention use of non-invasive or insertive styles of acupuncture like I practice. Read my blog post on Shakuju Therapy and needles used to learn about how successful acupuncture does not necessarily require the needles to actually puncture the skin.

One of the reasons I like this style of acupuncture is that I find it equally effective while being a “gentler” treatment. Often, I’ve been told that Shakuju Therapy just feels like a light tapping. That’s why, unlike with other styles of acupuncture treatment, I feel comfortable treating infants and young children.

Is acupuncture effective for kids?

Yes! A 2015 study from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago recruited 55 children and teens who’d been “miserable for months with chronic pain and gave them up to eight 30-minute treatments. Every one of these kids reported having significantly less pain after receiving acupuncture. The greatest reductions came right away, after the first few sessions, but their pain continued dwindling throughout the trial. They didn’t have any adverse side effects from the treatments either, except feeling slightly tired after a session,” (not a bad thing…many of my patients report feeling so relaxed that they nod off on the table while being treated or nap afterwards). “Their parents also noticed big improvements in their children’s moods, social lives, and ability to focus at school.”

How is an acupuncture treatment for adults different than that of children?

Specific acupuncture points on the body are the same between children and adults. However, like with most medical treatments, children are more sensitive and respond quicker to acupuncture treatments in my experience.

Therefore, the biggest difference in treatment between adults and children is that children  require milder and less acupuncture stimulation and often see more immediate results. In addition, pediatric acupuncture that I perform on the very young doesn’t involve any needle insertion at all. My approach varies from using a Teishin needle to specific pediatric tools for gentle stimulating energetic pathways on the body.

Perhaps there’s no reason for children to be afraid of needles, anymore!

Acupuncture as you age

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Getting older can stink (and none of us are unsusceptible)! As a medical provider, it can be a real challenge to treat an older patient. More than half of adults age 65 or older have 3 or more medical problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, or high blood pressure. That’s not even taking into consideration the general aches of growing older and the devastating effects of mental decline.

But does getting older really have to stink? Not necessarily. For instance, an improvement in any one aspect of health can alter (or even reverse) the progression of other physical or mental issues. Personally, as I’ve aged, my annual physical indicators (vitals, lifestyle review, targeted lab testing, to name some) have stabilized or even continued to get better. The simple solution is to be vigilant in maintaining balance in all areas of life, such as regular exercise, good dieting, and time for rest, relaxation and enjoyment with those things most dear to us.

Further, holistic medicine can make a difference for maintaining better balance. It works by targeting the many facets of health, and it’s proving to be a viable treatment option and pain reliever for geriatric patients.

Acupuncture can help heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s disease

Yes, it’s true! UCLA researchers found over 10 years ago that acupuncture treatment showed promising help in significantly lowering stress and improving heart function in the very sickest heart failure patients. Further comprehensive research is underway by the lead UCLA author, Holly Middlekauff, MD, to study “if acupuncture decreases adrenaline levels in heart failure, thereby potentially improving survival and quality of life.” Researchers also found “acupuncture equally effective for the treatment of hypertension as…a pharmaceutical medication used for the treatment of high blood pressure and angina.”

Additionally, Alzheimer’s can often be the largest culprit in compounding physical issues for geriatric patients. After all, if an older man can’t remember to take his heart medication, that can have serious repercussions.

But acupuncture can also play a role in improving health outcomes for those with declining mental capacities. “Two separate studies have shown that acupuncture may be able to help people with Alzheimer’s. In both studies, researchers found that acupuncture could improve the lives of people with the disease by increasing verbal and motor skills and improving their mood and cognitive function.”

Chronic back pain relief

Some common ailments are not even necessarily a sign of illness.

I wasn’t that “old” when I started experiencing chronic back pain, and it’s why I sought out acupuncture. Many geriatric patients experience chronic back pain. In fact, it’s the number 1 reason why people seek out acupuncture. And for good reason.

In 2016, a group of researchers in China studied 751 patients with low back pain. The study was carefully performed measuring each patient’s pain level and functional ability before and after acupuncture treatment. They found that acupuncture may have “a favorable effect on self-report pain and functional limitations in LBP [low back pain] patients.”

Also, in 2012, the New York Times reported that acupuncture in a comprehensive and rigorous analysis of 29 randomized trials involving 17,992 patients led by Dr. Andrew J. Vickers helped reduce back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache, and shoulder pain.

There’s no shame in help for pain

If you’re starting to experience the pains of getting older, stop by at our Belmont or Brookline offices. We can talk through what’s bothering you and get you the help you need to reduce pain and prevent the early onset of illnesses.

Acupuncture: A leg up on the competition

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Last week, we talked how important movement is to fostering a healthy relationship with your body. This week, it’s all about specific, repeated, skilled, competitive movement—also known as sports.

Anyone who’s competed in a sport knows that it requires both mental and physical grit. In the top US sports, professional athletes only play for about 5 years before retiring!

  • Football (NFL): 3.5 years
  • Basketball (NBA): 4.8 years
  • Baseball (MLB): 5.6 years
  • Hockey (NHL): 5.5 years

Even if you don’t suffer a severe injury from sports, there are many healthcare professionals that can help you perform at your peak—from sports psychologists, to physical therapists, to (yes!) even acupuncturists.

Acupuncturist Matt Callison is a faculty member at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and has treated players from the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers. He has been working with athletes for more than a decade. “Acupuncture is one of the quickest ways to restore muscle balance,” Callison said. “When acupuncture is used at specific sites, the muscle spindles are reset, and then that balance is reawakened.”

For those unfamiliar, there are many things that holistic medicine can offer to help you get from “out of the race” to “first place”. Yet, for some who are not quite as competitive, they are exceedingly grateful with simply finishing the race without injury. Below are some ideas for starters.

Acupuncture treatment for sports injuries and sore muscles

When athletes are prescribed rest for an injury, many use sports or orthopedic acupuncture to help speed up the healing process and reduce pain. The benefit of acupuncture is that it works without side effects, unlike pharmaceuticals.

Consistent treatment, like physical therapy (PT), can also help the body to heal itself by stimulating blood circulation and allowing the body to better communicate with the injured or tired area. In fact, I work with PTs all time. This complement to my practice helps patients not only recover from injuries but also helps prevent them from happening and can enhance performance.

That said, given that I’ve treated patients head to toe, from tennis elbow, to pulled obliques, to a number of leg, arm, back, neck and shoulder issues, to knee pain, to achilles tendonitis, to wrist, toe and finger problems and more, you can feel confident that I’ll give you the best quality care I can offer. This means not only what I can do for you personally, but also my willingness to work in conjunction with your other health care providers or refer out, as needed.

Health coaching for athletes

Getting gold isn’t a result of one good race or one good day of competition. It’s a result of all the daily choices months (and possibly years) before the competition even happened. I can help keep you accountable to health and lifestyle choices that are best for you. By understanding your health holistically, we can better know what diet and exercise options will be most effective to elevate the output of not just your body, but your mind and soul as well.

Mindful movement, for health

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Try sitting up straight right now. How long can you hold that for? Get tired after a while?

By now it should go without being said that movement or exercise are important to overall health. But exercise is more than about just getting your heart rate up. It’s about your relationship with your body.

My relationship with exercise

As a long distance runner, it took me awhile to figure out a healthy relationship with my body, sometimes ignoring what my body was telling me. In fact, it cost me in running the Boston Marathon one year, as I was about 80% improved from an overuse injury, when at mile 21 or so, my left leg and knee (Iliotibial [IT] band) locked up, forcing me to hobble the last miles to the finish line and take an extended recovery period.

This can be said of other endeavors I’ve partaken in. Whether it be hiking, biking, surfing, tennis, snow skiing, etc., my mental perseverance has pushed the edge of the body’s ability to respond, leading me to learn from injuries. To name some, this has included achilles tendonitis, multiple lower/upper back pain and neck issues, shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist and finger problems, leg, foot and ankle conditions, trunk issues (strained oblique and intercostal muscles) and so on. In only two major bicycle accidents within 30 years of riding on my racing bike, I sustained a punctured lung, a hip fracture, broken ribs and multiple contusions and scrapes.

Now, I concertedly pay more attention to my body and am careful not to overextend myself. While I can’t prevent freak accidents or incidents hard to control, I’ve learned to:

  • Listen to my body
  • Be more aware of my surroundings and capabilities (especially as these change over time)
  • Exercise and stretch prudently
  • Take time to recover
  • Eat well for my lifestyle/health
  • Seek out holistic advice or treatment, as needed

This approach to more mindful movement and living has enabled me to heal well and continue in the most meaningful aspects of my active life with a greater sense of enjoyment and accomplishment. This also flows into a more positive attitude in all aspects of my life.

Your relationship with movement

You don’t have to be athletic to enjoy the benefits of mindful movement, I started out as a novice to all my activities and worked way up to desired levels. You can choose whatever healthy level you desire and, any way you cut the mustard, you’ll be glad of the outcomes if you stick with it.

Now, let’s talk some more about relationships with each of our bodies, so you don’t repeat my mistakes and best benefit by applied mindful movement.

And what makes for a good relationship? At least two things:

  • Respect
  • Listening and communication

Respect your body

Yes, exercising or moving is a good way to respect your body. But rest days can be equally important and respectful. Learn about some signs that you might need a rest day. Remember, rest doesn’t have to mean “doing nothing.” You can take the rest day to stretch your muscles.

The image above shows how we use foam rollers to provide relief to tight muscles and the connective tissue between muscles.

Listen and communicate with your body

What was your body telling you when you sat up straight? Did your neck hurt? Were your shoulders tight? Was it easy? This posture exercise is a great example of how you can get the conversation started with your body.

Mindful movement—like yoga and tai chi—originated as ways to meditate with movement. And meditation’s focus on the mind-body connection is important in holistic medicine. The slow, physically taxing static postures of these practices allow time to listen to the sensations happening in the muscles and communicate by adjusting the posture as needed.

But you don’t need to take it “slow” to have a good relationship. Apply the same principles when lifting or running—with each lift or each stride, focus on feeling which muscles are being used and what the sensation feels like. Keep going if it feels good, and change if it doesn’t. Not only will this help you get in better touch with your body, but it’s a great way to avoid injury or overuse.

Check in with your body, heal your pain

Finally, while mindful movement starts and ends with you, guidance and focused attention along the way can make all the difference. If you haven’t checked in with certain parts of your body in a long time, need treatment, or would like some healthy tips, acupuncture and related complementary therapies can be a great way to bring attention to a particular area in a gentle way that (unlike the gym) won’t leave you sore the next day.

Help heal GERD, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and other digestive issues naturally

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Did you know that your digestive system is comprised of 10 different organs that cover about 30 feet and contain over 20 different cell types? That’s a lot of specialized work happening in your torso!

If you’re having digestive issues, that means there could be a whole lot of places where the system isn’t working properly. Anything from a poor diet, to stress, to a bacterial infection, to inflammation of the digestive tract could be causing you loads (no pun intended) of problems. GERD, IBS, Celiac disease, and gallstones all stem from different digestive problems.

How holistic medicine can help digestive issues

Whatever the issue, the practice of acupuncture looks at your body as an entire system to determine the problem—including the 10 different digestive organs. That means that holistic medicine can be particularly helpful in diagnosing and treating a range of digestive issues.

A few of the common ways that digestive issues are treated with holistic medicine include:

A carefully curated diet

Across both Western and Eastern medicine, it’s understood that what we put into our bodies is a leading influence on the health of our guts. In fact, Chinese and Japanese herbal medicines have been used in East Asia for thousands of years to help manage and improve function of our digestion.

You may have seen these natural remedies before:

  • Ginger: Relieves nausea
  • Turmeric: Has anti-inflammatory properties
  • Milk thistle: Helps sluggish digestive systems
  • Slippery elm: Soothes acid reflux
  • Probiotics: Regulates digestion

When combined with an improved, high-fiber and hydrated diet, herbal supplement provided by a holistic healer can go a long way.

Yoga or stretching

Just like with your muscles, your digestive system benefits from being opened and moved to stimulate energy into the system. Spinal twists in particular are helpful, as you can even imagine your organs being “wringed” clean.

Try this routine and check the others to help get your body and digestive system back on track.

Targeted bodywork techniques such as tui na (a style of massage similar to shiatsu) and gua sha (a scraping-style of massage with a dull object) have also been helpful to patients at Gracey Holistic Health.

Acupuncture

There are multiple acupuncture points on the body that relate specifically to each part of the digestive system, ranging from your hand, to your elbow, to your foot, and (yes) to your stomach. If you’re experiencing problems, try a few out for yourself:

  • Point 1, known as Conception Vessel (CV) 6 or termed the “sea of energy.” Two finger (thumb) widths directly below your belly button, slowly apply pressure with the tip of your finger. You can practice while sitting up or lying down.
  • Point 2, known as Large Intestine (LI) 4 or “union in the valley.” Place your thumb on the top of your other hand, in the hollow or raised muscular (hand gripped) space between your index finger and thumb. Make small circular motions with your thumb. Be sure not to clench your fist while pressing this point when treating it, as this could cause unneeded discomfort.

Or, come in and receive a more comprehensive treatment! My style of non-insertive acupuncture, Shakuju Therapy, is particularly effective for a range of digestive issues.

In addition to acupuncture and other holistic approaches noted above, complementary therapies, including moxibustion, magnets, essential oils and health and lifestyle changes can be quite beneficial in helping ease digestive problems.

More than valentines

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Valentine’s Day started as an ancient Roman holiday, complete with sacrificial goats. Over time, it has become the commercial day we know and love (or hate), riddled with cards, chocolates, professions of emotions, and expensive dinners. For better or worse, it brings up a lot of feelings.

And managing your feelings, just like managing your weight or diet, is an important part of your health. Poor emotional health can lead to real effects on your physical health, including a weak immune system, upset stomach, and headaches. On the flipside, research has found a link between an “upbeat mental state and improved health,” including lower blood pressure, healthier weight, better blood sugar levels, and longer life.

Regardless of how you choose to spend this Wednesday, here are 3 things you can do to show yourself (and your mental state) some love.

Get an acupuncture treatment

We at Gracey Holistic Health know that acupuncture can help you release stress and anxiety by stimulating your body’s own production of endorphins. Known as the “feel good chemical,” endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. They also trigger a positive feeling in the body.

In addition, acupuncture can help reduce sensitivity to pain. All of this can even be coupled with a treatment that aims to relieve chronic conditions you may be experiencing, creating a compounding positive effect on your mental and physical well-being.

Give love to yourself and your friends

In addition to the positive effects that gratitude can have on your mental and physical health, research has shown that there is a link between social networks and health. Dr. Sheldon Cohen, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has conducted research that shows that your friends may “provide psychological and material resources needed to cope with stress.”

Balance your emotions

Finding your emotional balance can be difficult in hard times, but psychologists claim it’s just as important to practice positive thinking as it is to allow yourself to feel sad when you need to. Emotional balance is just that—an equilibrium between the ups and the downs.

Give it a shot:

  • Notice feelings you may have. Allow them to pass through your mind without judgment or attachment. If you’re caught up in the intensity of your emotions, you may not know what to do next to take care of yourself.
  • Put the feelings into words. The better you can explain what you’re feeling, the better you can know how to re-balance.
  • Refocus your thought. Allow yourself to daydream, remember a happy memory, or go out and do something that brings you joy!

Demystifying the needle

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If you’ve ever played golf—or seen people playing golf—you know that there isn’t just one type of club. Each club serves a different purpose, depending on where the golfer is on the course.

When we think about acupuncture, needles are much the same. There are many different types, of varying thickness, and flexibility, that are designed to treat the patient in different ways.

The filiform needle

image of a filiform acupunture needle

The most common acupuncture needle is called a filiform needle—meaning threadlike. Usually these acupuncture needles range in length between 30 and 40 MM and typically can be between .1 and .25mm in diameter or for discussion let’s call it thick. Most of what I use are .16mm thick. For reference, an average piece of hair is .08mm thick. At this thickness, you don’t bleed when the needle is inserted or removed—it’s too thin! These needles are usually made of stainless steel, which is tough material that can bend and still remains sharp.

Usually, these needles are placed in a plastic tube. The tube allows the practitioner to hold and target the needle to the acupuncture point, then tap it down the tube into the skin quickly but gently. When inserted effectively, acupuncture becomes less painful because the needle quickly passes the pain-perceiving nerve cells on the top most, superficial layer of the skin.

Needle insertion depth varies according to the style of acupuncture practiced. My insertion depths typically vary between a few millimeters up to about 5 millimeters or about ¼ inch. However, these needles don’t necessarily need to be inserted. In fact, the Shakuju Therapy needle, which is .2mm thick, is rarely inserted. It is specifically designed with an oval point, so as to not to cause discomfort when the skin is touched by its point.

The Shakuju Teishin needle

picture of a shakuju therapy needle

In Shakuju Therapy, we use a particular type of needle that’s called a Teishin needle, specifically designed for this style of acupuncture. This needle is thicker than a filiform needle and has a blunt tip. Teishin needles are only meant to stimulate acupuncture points on top of the skin (or on the ear).

Other special needles

While used less often at Gracey Holistic Health, there are other types of needles used for more specific purposes.

Intradermal needles and press tacks are very short needles and even thinner than most filiform needles. They are typically used on sensitive parts of the body where minimal needle penetration is needed (like the ear) and other parts of the body. They are kept in place by adhesive cover to extend the treatment for a number of days. The seven star needle is an arrangement of seven filiform needles, used by tapping quickly to stimulate a important acupuncture points or areas of the body.

Needle-shy? No problem.

At Gracey Holistic Health in Boston, we can show you the different types of needles used in your treatment. There’s nothing mystical. There’s nothing to be scared of. It’s just another tool used to help you on your way to health.