Man Experiencing Energy Medicine

Conquer Migraines Workshop

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Conquer Migraines Workshop

Man Experiencing Energy Medicine

A FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
presented by Jon-Erik Lido, L.Ac.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Woodcroft Professional Building
Durham, NC

Do you or someone you care about suffer from migraine headaches?

What if you could reduce or eliminate your need for expensive prescription drugs for treating migraines, and all of the side-effects that come with them?

Conquer Migraines is a FREE hands-on community workshop where you will discover how to regain control of your own health.

What you’ll learn:

  • Simple yoga postures, when done in a very specific way, which can reduce stress, restore lost energy, and reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. These poses will be taught by a registered yoga teacher!
  • Five enjoyable drug-freeapproaches to preventing migraines.
  • Prevent stress headache triggerswith practical stress reduction techniques. Lots of options for everyone!

Event details:

Thursday, August 21 from 7-8:30 p.m.
Woodcroft Professional Building
5501 Fortunes Ridge Dr, Suite K
Durham, NC 27713

RSVP to reserve your spot!

https://www.facebook.com/events/342902045865193/
(919) 228-8448
info @ bb-acu.com

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Acupuncture for Fertility

Couples are increasingly turning to acupuncture to help them grow their families. When considered alongside the unattractive options available from western medicine it is easy to see why. Western medical treatments for fertility can be incredibly expensive, and are often invasive and taxing on the body. People looking for more natural, gentle, and cost-effective approaches find acupuncture for fertility especially attractive.

Acupuncture deserves a special place in fertility support because it can be safely and effectively combined with other therapeutic approaches. Since acupuncture involves no drugs or harsh herbal formulas it can be used alongside virtually any other medical fertility enhancement technique. These techniques include hormone therapy, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and artificial insemination (IUI).

People turn to acupuncture for fertility because it can address a wide array of factors which can contribute to decreased fertility levels. At the root of most causes of decreased fertility are energetic and functional imbalances.

These imbalances can manifest in the body in subtle ways, such as low or border-line hormone levels or hormonal imbalances. They may also show up in more overt ways. In women this may look like menstrual irregularity, cramping, polycystic ovaries (PCOS), uterine fibroids, or even ectopic pregnancy. In men these imbalances may manifest as enlarged prostate, low sperm count, poor sperm motility, or other issues with sperm viability.

We love helping couples grow their families. It’s an especially rewarding part of what we do. Please take the next step by contacting us for more information. You can schedule your appointment or consultation using our online schedule or by calling 919-228-8448.
Schedule an Appointment Online

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Sign displaying the Taijitu and Bagua

How Acupuncture Creates Balance

How Acupuncture creates balance

How Acupuncture Creates Balance

How acupuncture creates balance is important to understand. When speaking about how acupuncture works to create health I often speak in terms of “creating balance”. Sometimes I use the scientific term “homeostasis”. Certainly the idea of being balanced sounds desirable to most people- no one wants to be running around out of balance, after all. But behind these fancy terms lives specific concepts that are the very heart of authentic Classical Acupuncture.

One fundamental kind of balance most people quickly grasp is the balance between yin and yang. In previous blog posts I have described what yin and yang are and even illustrated with some examples.

The balance I want to speak of today is one that is described in Chinese as “wu xing”. The term “wu xing” is sometimes translated as “Five Elements”, but frankly that’s not a particularly accurate translation. Instead I prefer the term “Five Phases”.

The five phases are given the poetic labels wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. These labels are metaphors which describe the characteristics of each phase. The labels also hint at how the different phases interact with each other.

In the body, each of these five phases correspond to certain organs, tissues, senses, emotions, acupuncture channels, states of mind, and functions. All physical, mental, and emotional symptoms you have ever experienced are an expression of some particular imbalance in the five phases.

To a practitioner trained in Classical Acupuncture (Classical Chinese Medicine), the entire symptom picture a patient is clinically significant. It describes how the five phases are, or are not, balanced in that person. Acupuncture is then used to correct these imbalances. With the imbalances removed, symptoms fade and health can return.

Would you like to know more about your particular imbalances in the five phases? Ask about it at your next appointment. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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Acupuncture and Asthma

We breathe in and we breath out. Breathing is one of the most fundamental of all bodily functions. The metabolic reaction that ultimately turns our food into energy is completely dependent on the breath. No breath, no life.

Yet when we are healthy we tend to give breathing very little thought. Our bodies just breathe on their own. But when your body is struggling to breathe it is hard to notice anything else!

Asthma is more of a symptom than a disease, as it can be caused by very different factors. It is experienced when inflammation and constriction of the airways of the lungs make breathing difficult.

In Chinese medicine the lungs are known as the master of energy. Oxygen is crucial for chemical reaction that drives the metabolism. Without the breath, life is no longer possible. When the breath is restricted, simply living becomes difficult.

Acupuncture can benefit people suffering with the symptoms of asthma in two distinct ways.

The first way is to support the health of the lungs through balancing the constitution. The systems that support healthy lungs must be functioning properly for healthy lungs to be possible. When certain imbalances occur asthma can result.

The second way is to help address the immediate symptoms of an asthma attack. In this case the treatment involves stimulating points which can help open the airways and allow the breath to come easily in and out of the body. In addition points may be use to help with any mucus build up in the body.

If you’re interested in learning more about acupuncture, simply schedule an appointment at our location in Durham, NC. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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Navel piercings inhibit the flow of qi and jing in the conception vessel.

Navel Piercings Reproductive Health

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Navel Piercings and Reproductive Health

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlUYSAVl46M

I’ve written a blog post about this topic in the past, but now I’ve created a video on navel piercings.

A navel piercing may seem like a benign adornment, but acupuncture theory strongly suggests that this is not a healthy or safe practice.

The problem is that the piercing is creating a semi-permanent obstruction in the flow of a very important energy channel known as the Conception Vessel (or Ren Mai in Chinese). The conception runs from between the legs up the front of the body, ending below the mouth. Here’s a diagram of the Conception Vessel, for the curious. If you do look at the diagram, notice that the navel is an acupuncture point on the Conception Vessel- CV-8. You may also notice CV-8 is a point that one is specifically forbidden to needle.

When an obstruction like a navel piercing is placed in a channel it creates a physical blockage to the flow of the channel. The piercing represents a constant interruption in the energetic field of the body. As you might gather from its name in English, the Conception Vessel is a very important channel in the energetics of the reproductive system.

Consequently the blockage created by the piercing can possibly lead to problems down the road, particularly with the reproductive system:

  • Infertility
  • Amenorrhea (no menstrual periods)
  • Cervical Dysplasia (abnormal cells of the cervix which may lead to cancer)
  • Uterine fibroids
  • Endometriosis

When a woman comes to me for treatment with menstrual complaints or infertility it is very common for her to have either a navel piercing or surgical scar along or across the Conception Vessel. It is also pretty rare that I talk to someone who has had a navel piercing for more than five years who doesn’t have some sort of menstrual or cervical abnormality.

Some people can do okay with navel piercings for a few years, but problems may develop down the line. I’m sure it is possible that most people will never develop symptoms from a navel piercing. Is it worth the risk? You’ll need to decide for yourself.

I would love to hear what you think about this. Would you consider removing a navel piercing based on this? Do you have friends or family with navel piercings?

If you’re interested in learning more about acupuncture, simply schedule an appointment at our location in Durham, NC. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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An image of nerves of the nervous system, a posterior view.

Does Acupuncture Use Nerves?

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An image of nerves of the nervous system, a posterior view.Does acupuncture use nerves? Believe it or not, it’s a very common question I get goes something like this, “Does acupuncture have something to do with nerves?” The short answer to this question is, “No. Not in the way you are probably thinking.” Let’s see why.

There is a prevailing view, outside of the acupuncture community at least, that acupuncture clearly has something to do with nerves. The thought behind this is that nerves exist all over the body, and are able to transmit very powerful signals to the brain very quickly (via afferent nerves). So since “medical science” has no other explanation for how acupuncture works (and sometimes works very quickly), nerves must be involved.

For certain acupuncture points, this makes reasonable sense. A point like Nei Guan (labeled “PC 6” in this chart) lies above the median nerve and unsurprisingly often elicits a very “nervy” sensation when needled. Other important acupuncture points do not have a close association to major nerves, so this hypothesis breaks down.

The effects of acupuncture cannot be explained with our current understanding of “western medicine”. Acupuncture uses points that lie on acupuncture channels (often inaccurately called acupuncture meridians) which may or may not correspond to nerves.

Truly integrative medicine, combining the discoveries of the eastern and western systems into a unified medicine is ultimately where I hope and believe we are headed. This unification will be a long road, however and it is important not to jump to hasty conclusions. We must proceed scientifically, just as each of these systems were derived scientifically. Nerves simply fail to fully explain the many effects of acupuncture.

If you’re interested in learning more about acupuncture, simply schedule an appointment at our location in Durham, NC. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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Household toxins create an unhealthy living environment

Acupuncture for Anger and Frustration – The Liver and Hun

Acupuncture for Anger and Frustration – The Liver and Hun

Road rage, unexplained bursts of anger, easily frustrated, pent-up, short-fuse… Chances are these words describe someone you know well. Perhaps these words even describe you. Why are so many of us so angry and frustrated? Is there a way to calm the mind and channel the energy to more productive expressions of energy?

This post is our fifth in our series about rounds out our series centered around the mind-body connection, or “jing shen”.

Bursts of anger and/or frustration are most commonly the result of an imbalance in one aspect of the mental state known as “hun”. A healthy hun is responsible for creativity and a healthy sense of judgment. A demonstration of rage is seldom a creative solution to any problem and one that further demonstrates a lack of healthy judgment.

These sorts of unhealthy mental states are commonly a manifestation of an unhealthy imbalance within the body. In particular, it is the liver and “wood” energetics that are in a state of imbalance. When the yin of the liver is suppressed the activity of the liver becomes ungrounded. This causes yang, or heat to rise up to the head. This rising yang can lead to anger, headaches, flushed face, poor sleep and many other symptoms. If it sounds confusing and you find yourself living with anger and frustration, let’s talk about it.

Acupuncture can help our bodies in so many ways and it can be a great way to help the mind return to a state of health. By providing a nourished body the mind can rest much more easily. Mental health and an even keel are simply a consequence of a healthy internal balance.

If you’re interested in learning more about acupuncture, simply schedule an appointment at our location in Durham, NC. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

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Depressed woman - choosing acupuncture or drugs?

Acupuncture for Willpower – The Kidneys and Zhi

Acupuncture for Willpower – The Kidneys and Zhi

Have you ever wondered, “Why can’t I drag myself out of bed this morning?” Or perhaps there are things you know you should do (perhaps things that you really want to do) but you just can’t seem to make yourself take action? On the flip side there may be something you know is bad for you (food, cigarettes, sugar, alcohol, etc.) but you can’t stop yourself from partaking?

Welcome to part four of my series introducing the “jing-shen”- the mental aspect and relationships of the body-mind.

The Chinese word for the will is “zhi” and Chinese Medicine identifies it an aspect of “water” energetics. The water system is a poetic label that does not literally mean H2O in the body; it refers to the idea, attributes, and relationships of water in nature. The water system includes the kidneys, bladder, hair, bones, and brain.

Will is the determination of the mind. It bends the mindset in a certain direction and controls its activity. The will aims at a goal, whether personal ambition or noble ideal. By means of the will, one is disposed to do or not to do something, inclined to like or dislike something. The will is a deep and strong aspiration of the whole being.

I get a lot of practice treating the willpower and the “water” system in my patients as it is one area where Americans almost universally struggle. This is simply a consequence of our high-stress lifestyles.

If you live a high-stress life your health is surely to be impacted now or “down the line”. Acupuncture provides a natural way to combat the effects of stress as well as restore the willpower. Give us a call at 919-228-8448 or use our online schedule to set up a free face-to-face consultation to see if acupuncture might be right for you.

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Acupuncture for Sensitivity – The Lungs and Po

If you have ever noticed that some days you feel far more sensitive than others? You may find yourself easily irritated physically or emotionally. Other days you may even feel dull and numb, even for things that would normally excite, anger, hurt, or otherwise have an impact on you physically or emotionally. What you are experiencing is a shift in your “po”, or sensitivity.

Even though some people are more sensitive than others, that’s not what I’m talking about. Because everyone is sensitive in some ways.

I’ve been working on a blog series. This is the third installment of five in the series. In this post we’re introducing the “jing-shen”- the mental aspect of the body-mind.

It is through the po that we are able to have a healthy interaction with the outside world. If we are unaware of, or alternately hyper-aware of that which is outside of us we lose that healthy connection. Po refers to our physical sensitivity as well as our emotional sensitivity.

As the po connects us to the outside world it should be no surprise that it is dependent on the bodily organs that have the closest physical contact with the outside world. These are the organs of “metal” energy and include the lungs, large intestine, nose, sinuses, and skin.

Changes in your sensitivity may be more than simply your moods, personality, or natural hormone fluctuations. Even if your sensitivity isn’t causing you problems now it can be an indication of an underlying energetic imbalance. To see if acupuncture might be right for you, give us a call at our Durham location or you may call us at 919-228-8448. If you find it easier to make an appointment online, you can simply click here to use our online schedule to set up a free face-to-face consultation.

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