Research tells us that acupuncture has been beneficial in treating a variety of conditions including high blood pressure, stress and anxiety, and headaches, just to name a few. And the good news is, you can add allergy symptoms to that list as well. continue reading
By Wendy Weiss, M.Ac., L. Ac.
According to Five Element Acupuncture health and well-being are based on the seasons and the changing cycles of Nature. Each season has an energetic quality that also exists within us. Our health is a reflection of our relationship to Nature and the changing energy of the seasons.
What is the Fall Season? The ancient Chinese text, the “Nei Ching”, explains: “The three months of the fall are called the period of tranquility of one’s conduct…soul and spirit should be gathered together in order to make the breath of fall tranquil…all of this is the method for the protection of one’s harvest.” In fall, everything approaches their completion. Leaves change color and fall to the ground, reflecting the passage of time. Fall reflects the ongoing rhythm of life’s transitions, including the cycles of birth and death.
How does the Fall relate to us? What is true in Nature is true within us. Fall is a time to reap one’s harvest, to conserve energy, and to consolidate and store what will nourish the body-mind for the coming winter. Fall is the time to acknowledge what one values most in life. It is time to reflect on the purpose of life, one’s sense of self-worth, and the meaningfulness of one’s life.
What is the element of the Fall season? The Fall Season is associated with the metal element. The organs in the metal element are the lungs and the large intestine. They are in charge of receiving and letting go. The lungs receive the pure Chi, life force energy, from the heavens. When one inhales the breath, one can feel the connection to a greater source of inspiration. The large intestine is the great eliminator, in charge of letting go of all waste product. As one exhales one can intentionally release anything that is no longer of value to the body-mind.
What is the purpose of the Fall Season? Fall is a time to take stock of one’s life, and let ‘fall away’ any patterns that no longer serve one’s highest quality of life. Letting go of old patterns makes room to receive something new that better serves one’s greater purpose. The emotion associated with fall is grief. The falling leaves reflect how loss is a natural part of life. In times of loss and grief, one can be re-inspired and comforted through each breath. Grief brings one to a deeper place, urging one to allow the next breath, to accept change, and to trust in the ongoing cycles of life .
How can Acupuncture help us stay healthy in the Fall? Five Element Acupuncture can help to build up the ‘defensive layer’ energy and strengthen the circulation of life force energy in the skin and muscles to help prevent pathogens from entering the body. Seasonal treatments can also support overall health, correcting minor imbalances before they become serious problems.
How can I receive the Gifts of the Fall Season? During the fall, Nature’s brilliant and pristine colors nourish one’s inner quality and self-worth. Walk outside and breath deeply to strengthen one’s connection to one’s deepest purpose, and the unique beauty in one’s self and others. Consciously breath, and feel how the breath integrates the body-mind-spirit. Awareness of this essential connection through the breath helps to bring balance in the fall season. These are the ways we can receive the gifts of the fall season.
Wendy Weiss, M. Ac., L. Ac., is a Licensed Acupuncturist specializing in Five Element Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. She maintains offices in both Lakeport and Lower Lake and can be reached for further information at 277-0891.
What is diabetes? Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic in the west and is usually caused by the production of too much insulin. Why is there too much insulin? Simply put, the insulin is there to combat the amount of glucose in the blood. And carbohydrate foods are quickly turned into glucose in the bloodstream. A diabetic’s blood is tested over a period of 90 days. A popular treatment protocol is using medication with more insulin to bring blood glucose down, but dramatically reducing the amount of carbohydrates consumed actually treats it from a ‘Ben’ level.
In Chinese Medicine we talk about the ‘Ben’ and ‘Biao’. The Ben is the root of the issue and the Biao is the manifestation. In this case the Ben would be the amount of carbohydrate consumed and the Biao would be the body over producing insulin to combat it. When looked at in this way it becomes obvious that to medicate with more insulin may not only be unnecessary, but it could potentially do more harm by perpetuating the long-term progression of the disease, which can lead to more dire symptoms.
Acupuncture treatment can help us to treat the ‘Ben’ by strengthening the organs of the Stomach and Spleen. In Chinese medicine, the function of the Spleen also includes the Pancreas and is often called the Spleen/Pancreas Official. The pancreas is the organ which western medicine understands to produce insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. When the Spleen meridian organ system is out of balance, it tends towards deficiency and weakness. When the Spleen is no longer functioning properly, we tend to crave sugary foods. The more sugar we eat, the more we can weaken the function of the Spleen, and then the more we crave.
According to Chinese medical thought, almost all addictions stem from some sort of meridian and organ imbalance. The cure for addiction is to strengthen the Qi of the affected organ, the most effective way to do that is through acupuncture treatment which works on the Qi level.
Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnoses for the disease is very different, it looks at differentiations of patterns – meaning different patients present with different patterns of diagnosis according to their varying constitutional types and lifestyle factors. Chinese medicine says that Yin is always deficient, whether that is Lung Yin in the case of diagnosis with excessive thirst. Stomach Yin in the case of diagnosis with excessive hunger, or Kidney Yin in the case of diagnosis with excessive urination. Ways Chinese medicine treatment can bring the Yin back into balance is acupuncture, herbs and rest. In a nutshell, Yin is stillness, rest, sleep. Yang is our active mode. The reason many westerners are imbalanced in their internal Yin is they do not rest enough. This is something simple we can all do more of for greater health.
So in summary the best ways to treat and even reverse your type 2 diabetes diagnosis are diet – reducing sugar and carbohydrate intake to a minimum. And seek out alternatives that can help – acupuncture can help to strengthen organs of digestion helping to reduce sugar cravings. The integration of acupuncture with herbs, can quickly rebalance the internal Yin and Yang of affected organs. More rest – be more Yin!
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