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The benefits of acupuncture and therapeutic massage

therapeutic massage

Acupuncture and therapeutic massage

Acupuncture and therapeutic massage are a powerful healing combination. Over the years, many patients have asked me about massage, and I recently decided to expand my practice to include therapeutic massage. I am a strong believer in complementary healing modalities, and I personally love massage. It’s a wonderful tool to include in your self-care toolkit.

 

Therapeutic massage

Therapeutic massage is a type of massage that involves focused work on soft tissues of the body, specifically, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It is sometimes referred to as a medical massage. Therapeutic massage helps release tension, improve range of motion, and heal injuries. This type of massage can also help relieve pain, elicit the relaxation response, reduce stress, and improve your mood. Each individual receives a massage customized to their specific needs.  Many pioneering medical institutions like the Cleveland Clinic advocate the benefits of massage, as shown in this Cleveland Clinic article titled Why You Should Try Medical or Therapeutic Massage.

 

Chair massage

 As I was brainstorming on massage offerings, the licensed massage therapist who joined my practice suggested offering chair massage in addition to the traditional 60- and 90-minute full body massage sessions. I was excited to find a variety of research articles detailing the benefits from a 15-minute chair massage. Specifically, research has shown that just 15 minutes in a massage chair has many benefits including reducing tension, stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure, increasing blood circulation, and strengthening the immune system.

Here are links to a sampling of research studies showing the benefits of a 15-minute chair massage:

 

How a chair massage works

A chair massage is a massage performed while you are seated in a specialized massage chair that is ergonomically positioned. Your face rests in a comfortable headrest, and special arm rests support your arms. This allows the body to relax, and the massage therapist focuses on relieving tension in the neck, shoulders, and back. The massage is done through the clothes, so there is no need to change or shower after the session. It’s a very efficient way to get quick tension relief.

 

How to combine acupuncture and massage

I have found many conflicting recommendations on how to best combine acupuncture and massage. Some suggest massage first, then acupuncture. Some suggest the opposite. Others suggest separating the two by varying amounts of time.

 

In my Classical Chinese medicine training, we were taught to recommend separating treatments by at least 24 hours. This is because our energetic body follows a schedule called the Chinese organ body clock. Every two hours a different organ system is either at its peak function of activity or its lowest activity or time of rest, just like the tides in the ocean. There are 12 different organ systems that follow this schedule over a 24-hour period. You can learn more about this topic in my blog about the Chinese organ body clock.

 

Waiting 24 hours after an acupuncture treatment or a massage gives your body time to fully take in and process the energetic message you received from your treatment. I often suggest to patients that they consider alternating weekly acupuncture and massage treatments. For example, they have an acupuncture treatment one week and then a massage treatment the following week. This is not to say that following a different schedule will not be effective, rather, it’s a way to ensure the body fully processes the benefit from the specific treatment with no other influences.

 

Want to talk about how acupuncture and therapeutic massage can help you? I’d love to hear from you. Reach out and email me through our website or call or text 910-622-4269.

 

About the Author

Ericca Burke is the owner of HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine where she provides acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatments in Wilmington, NC. Click this link to read more about Ericca. 

 

About HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine in Wilmington, NC

HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine is an acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice located in Wilmington, NC just minutes from beautiful Wrightsville Beach. Click this link for contact information and directions. Click this link for a listing and description of services offered.

Acupuncture for painful periods

painful period

Background on painful periods

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be a great support for painful periods. This condition is called dysmenorrhea. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists shares that more than half of women who menstruate have some pain for 1 to 2 days each month. For some women, this pain can be mild. But for other women, the pain can be so severe that it keeps them from doing their normal activities for several days a month or more. Women have many options to get support for dysmenorrhea. One of those options is acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

 

Why acupuncture and Chinese medicine are a great option for supporting painful periods

Here are some of the many reasons why acupuncture and Chinese medicine are a great option for supporting dysmenorrhea:

  • It is oldest recorded medicine and is thousands of years old
  • It focuses on whole body wellness
  • It takes a holistic approach – body, mind, and spirit
  • An emotional or mental event is just as important as a physical one
  • It focuses on the individual
  • It is complementary to other healing modalities, including western medicine, massage, chiropractic, therapy, and others

 

Getting to the root cause

When I’m working with a patient who has painful periods, it’s important to understand the root cause. Chinese medicine is individualized. There is no one size fits all treatment strategy. For example, we might have five women experiencing painful periods. But each one may be experiencing pain for very different reasons, and it’s important to understand why and what’s going on with each woman at a foundational level so I can understand the root cause and give her the specific support she needs.

 

I ask a lot of questions about menstrual cycles, including:

  • Average cycle length
  • How many days of bleeding
  • The quality of the blood (color, thickness)
  • Where is the pain, how many days does it last, and when in the cycle does it occur
  • Are there any premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or post-menstrual symptoms that are noteworthy
  • Is there spotting before or after the period
  • Has the patient had any diagnoses of cysts, endometriosis, fibroids, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

 

Diagnosing from a Chinese medicine perspective

In addition to the menstrual cycle questions that I shared above, I ask questions about all facets of the patient’s overall health, health history, and lifestyle. I start to form an opinion on the root cause of the pain, and then when I see the patient in my office, I also feel their pulses and look at their tongue. This gives me additional insight into what is going on in their body.

 

Dysmenorrhea can result from a number of different kinds of disruptions to the body’s energetic pathways and energy flow. For example, painful periods often result from qi stagnation, cold stagnation, or blood stagnation. Qi refers to energy, or life force. We have channels of energy that flow through our bodies just like we have arteries and veins. One thing that’s key for optimal health and wellbeing is the free and smooth flow of qi. When our qi stagnates, pain can result. Additionally, if we have too much cold energy in our body, in particular in the uterus, the accumulation of cold can result in painful periods. I gather all of this information to create a diagnosis to treat the root cause and balance the patient’s energy so that their body can then heal itself and restore smooth menstrual cycles.

 

Want to talk about how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help you with painful periods? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Reach out and email me through our website or call or text 910-622-4269.

 

About the Author

Ericca Burke is the owner of HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine where she provides acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatments in Wilmington, NC. Click this link to read more about Ericca. 

 

About HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine in Wilmington, NC

HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine is an acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice located in Wilmington, NC just minutes from beautiful Wrightsville Beach. Click this link for contact information and directions. Click this link for a listing and description of services offered.

 

How Zheng Gu Shui can help you

Background on Zheng Gu Shui

Zheng Gu Shui is a 500-year-old topical Chinese herbal analgesic liniment that is also known as “rectify bone liquid” or “royal bone water”. The formulation of Zheng Gu Shui that we use at HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine is called Evil Bone Water. Evil Bone Water is a hand-crafted version of Zheng Gu Shui that is made by master herbalist Saint Apothecary in the USA using only ethically sourced, imperial grade ingredients. The term “evil bone” refers to any bone pathology like arthritis, sprains, and broken bones.

 

Evil Bone Water penetrates down to the bone level. From a Chinese medicine perspective, it disperses blood, fluid, and energy blockages to facilitate healing. It increases circulation, decreases inflammation, eases pain, strengthens connective tissues, speeds bone regrowth, and shortens injury recovery time.

 

How can it help you? Here’s a list of common uses:

  • Anything that is painful or sore and needs to heal
  • Incidental Injuries (particularly sports injuries)
  • Broken bones
  • Arthritis
  • Joint pain
  • Spinal pain
  • Muscle & Ligament Pain
  • Bruising
  • Sprains
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Cuts & Insect Bites

 

From Saint Apothecary: “The power of Evil Bone Water is that is actually helps the problem instead of just patching up the symptoms.”

 

Here are the Materials/Ingredients in Evil Bone Water:

  • Zhang Nao (Camphor) – Helps local circulation.
  • Bo He Nao (Menthol) – Aromatic and cooling, clears heat.
  • San/Tian Qi (Notoginseng,Pseudoginseng) – Helps with bleeding & blood stasis, bruising & swelling, inflammation and pain.
  • Ji Gu Xiang (Japanese Knot Weed) – Bruising and sprains inflammation.
  • Gui Pi (Cinnamon Bark) – Relaxes muscles, promotes circulation and warms.
  • E Zhu (Zedoary Rhizome, Rhizoma Curcumae) – Promotes the circulation of qi and blood while helping break down accumulations in the body.
  • Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) – Anti-inflammatory properties, helps relieve pain, muscle spasms and cramps.
  • Hu Zhang (Knotweed Rhizome) – Invigorates the blood, helps dispel stasis, helps open channels.
  • Bai Niu Dan (Inula Cappa DC) – Helps dispel wind, lessening dampness.
  • Qian Jin Ba (Philippine Flemingia Root) – Strengthens the tendons and bones, astringes the lung and relieves sore throat.

 

Makers note from Saint Apothecary:

Evil Bone Water has no animal products. Furthermore, non-GMO, gluten free, cruelty free, pesticide free, contaminant free. The camphor and menthol in Evil Bone Water are not synthetic. We also only use potable grain alcohol not synthetic ethanol.

Every herb is microscopically tested not only for proper variety and contaminants, but strength. We make sure they are all sustainable and ethically sourced. Everything that goes into that bottle comes from the finest ingredients on the planet that are currently available.

*Evil Bone Water is intended for external application only. Do not consume under any circumstances. Do not drink! *

 

Want to know more?

Want to know more about how Chinese topical liniments and the treatments available at HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese medicine?  We’d love to hear from you. Reach out and email through our website or call or text 910-622-4269.

 

About the Author

Ericca Burke is the owner of HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine where she provides acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatments in Wilmington, NC. Click this link to read more about Ericca. 

 

About HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine in Wilmington, NC

HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine is an acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice located in Wilmington, NC just minutes from beautiful Wrightsville Beach. Click this link for contact information and directions. Click this link for a listing and description of services offered.

Enhance your vitality with qigong

Qigong

What is qigong?

Qigong is a practice of cultivating energy. The word “qi” refers to energy or life force, and the word “gong” in this case refers to work or practice. Qigong is a combination of gentle movements with mindful breathing that balance and move energy. Qigong can be practiced by anyone at any age or level of health.

  

Why I love it

I love qigong because it is so simple and effective. It can be practiced anywhere. I don’t need any equipment or to go to the gym. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining outside or too hot or too cold. I can practice if I am sick or injured. I can tailor and recommend qigong movements to every one of my patients regardless of their age or level of health.

 

Benefits of qigong

Practicing qigong has been said to be like recharging your battery. It gives you energy. Qigong balances your energy, and it can help calm and disperse uncomfortable energy like stress and anxiety. The body is then able to use this energy to heal anything that may need to be healed. Qigong benefits mental, emotional, and physical health. It can also be very helpful in boosting immunity.

 

How I incorporate it into a treatment

In addition to offering telehealth appointments with customized qigong exercises, I will often recommend qigong exercises to my patients who come in for acupuncture treatments. This is especially useful for people who want to continue to enhance their vitality and well-being at home. At the end of an acupuncture session, I will teach patients a simple exercise or two. We’ll practice it together to make sure they can feel the sensations and ask questions if needed. Here are two  examples of simple qigong exercises that can be done at home:

Shaking:

  • Stand with feet shoulder with apart.
  • Start at your hands and begin a shaking motion that moves up your arms and through your body. Include your head, torso, legs, etc.
  • This moves energy and stuck emotions.
  • Let yourself exhale deeply to release tension.
  • Open your mouth and make a sound if you like. This could be a sigh, a grunt, or whatever feels right to you.
  • This exercise is great for stress relief.

 

Calming:

  • Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
  • Inhale and raise arms with palms facing up over your head, and then exhale with the palms facing each other and gently let them float down.
  • When your palms pass in front of your face, turn the palms down to face the ground and continue lowering your palms in front of you until they reach your hips.
  • Repeat at least three times.
  • During the last time, let your hands rest on your lower abdomen with palms facing in, and take a few more slow breaths into your abdomen.
  • This exercise is also referred to as “waterfalls”. It can be helpful to envision gentle water washing over you, easing away tension and invigorating you as you practice.
  • This exercise smooths, calms, and grounds your energy.

 

Resources

There are so many wonderful books, DVDs, and even free videos on Youtube dedicated to qigong practices. Some are tailored to areas like stress and anxiety, headaches, back pain, insomnia, digestion, and immunity to name a few. Others focus on certain populations, like chair-based qigong for elderly or injured people.

 

Here are links to some of my favorite teachers and videos: 

 

Want to learn more about qigong and get customized exercises just for you? I’d love to hear from you. Reach out and email me through our website or call or text 910-622-4269.

 

About the Author

Ericca Burke is the owner of HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine where she provides acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatments in Wilmington, NC. Click this link to read more about Ericca. 

 

About HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine in Wilmington, NC

HAVEN Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine is an acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice located in Wilmington, NC just minutes from beautiful Wrightsville Beach. Click this link for contact information and directions. Click this link for a listing and description of services offered.

The value of Health and Wellness coaching

health and wellness coaching

What is Health and Wellness Coaching?

Health and wellness coaching is a structured partnership where coaches work closely with clients to enhance health and wellness through lasting behavior changes that are aligned with the client’s values.  A health and wellness coach holds a respectful, positive, and supportive space for their clients. A recent article from Harvard Medical School entitled “Health coaching is effective. Should you try it?” shares how a Harvard Physician, Dr. Grinspoon, found that health and wellness coaching has helped people attain health goals that had previously been out of their reach. Dr. Grinspoon listed Duke Integrative Medicine as one of top four most respected training programs in the country. I received my foundational and certification training from Duke Integrative Medicine, and I agree that is a top-notch program.

 

How does it work?

It all starts with you, the client. You’re probably reading this blog because you are interested in making a change in your life to improve your health and wellness. Has there been a behavior or part of your life that you have wanted to change, but you haven’t had the tools to be successful? Has a health concern has arisen that you need to address? A coach will help you develop and realize your optimal health vision. You are the expert on yourself and your life, and the coaching partnership focuses on making and supporting meaningful changes that will work specifically for you and your unique needs.

 

Why is it effective in helping people realize their optimal health and wellness?

The coaching partnership is based on respect, non-judgement, and accountability. The coaching methodology I learned through the coaching program at Duke Integrative Medicine is based on the neuroscience of behavior change. This is a very motivating and empowering process for creating lasting change.

Specifically:

  • Coaches work with you as a whole person. They listen to your concerns and ask powerful questions to help motivate you to make the changes you desire.
  • Coaches spend time exploring what is most important to you in your overall health and wellness and allow you to choose your course of action.
  • Coaches guide you through a process to maximize your success.
  • You and your coach work in partnership to identify obstacles to change and create strategies for achieving your goals.
  • Coaches support you in tracking your progress and hold you accountable for your commitments.
  • Coaches provide additional resources as needed for making healthy behavior changes.

 

What are appropriate topics for health and wellness coaching?

Health and wellness are affected by multiple interconnected dimensions. These dimensions include physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, as well as support from healthcare providers. Any concern that gets in the way of taking care of your optimal health and wellness is the perfect place to start. Therefore, any topic you want to bring up that you think will contribute to your optimal health and wellness is an appropriate topic for health and wellness Coaching.

 

Here are some examples of potential topics:

  • Managing stress and anxiety
  • Building healthy sleep habits
  • Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
  • Improving nutrition
  • Starting or adapting an exercise program
  • Making a career change
  • Pursuing an unachieved life goal or hobby
  • Creating a healthy and safe home or work environment
  • Navigating difficult relationships
  • Planning preventative and routine medical care
  • Quitting smoking
  • Working through a health concern like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol

 

This is just a taste of some of the things that can be covered in health and wellness coaching. Whatever matters most to you is the best place to start.

 

Want to learn more about how Health and Wellness coaching can help you? I’d love to hear from you. Reach out and email me through our website or call or text 910-622-4269.

 

About the Author

Ericca Burke is a Health and Wellness Coach trained by Duke Integrative Medicine. She is based in Wilmington, NC, and she is available to coach clients around the world virtually. Click this link to read more about Ericca.