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Acupuncture for insomnia and sleep

Computer Caused Insomnia?

Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupunctureComputer Caused Insomnia effects so many people.

So many people suffer from insomnia, or poor sleep quality in America that I’ve written on the topic of sleep several times in the past. We live in a constantly connected, always-on, artificially illuminated world. Our night-time artificial lighting is easily visible from space! That’s a lot of light.

The problem is that artificial illumination is a very recent invention. Our bodies are simply not designed for it. What we are designed for is synchronization with the natural diurnal cycles of light in the day, darkness (or low, red colored lighting- like a campfire) at night. I’ve blogged about how this can be a problem with getting your body synchronized on a regular sleep schedule.

Today I want to share with you some free software that can, to some degree, help with this situation. It’s called “f.lux”. It helps adjust the color of your computer display from cooler colors in the daytime to warmer colors at night. This is helps prevent your body from getting off of a natural sleep cycle. There is more info about f.lux and sleep research at their website.

Here’s the link to download f.lux for your computer.

If you suffer from sleep issues definitely check out my tips for better sleep for some powerful techniques you can use sleep easier and better.

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

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Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupuncture

Another Way to Sleep Better

I’ve posted a lot on sleep and how acupuncture for sleep problems. I think quality sleep is crucial for good health. A good night’s rest plays a role in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease, and is crucial for optimal weight loss. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who suffer from insomnia or poor sleep quality.

I’ve offered some tips for better sleep in the past. Here is a new one- get regular exercise. A new study provided evidence that regular exercise helps create better sleep. In addition the study found that participants had more energy during the day.

I also offer great health tips like these in my email newsletter. This is exclusive content for my subscribers that doesn’t make it to my blog. For instance, in my most recent issue I shared a potent combination of foods that slashed breast cancer rate by an astonishing 89% in one study! Subscribing is completely free, and won’t clog your inbox- issues come out at most twice a month. Follow this link to Subscribe to my Newsletter so you won’t miss the next one!

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.

Good Sleep Prevents Alzheimer’s

Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupunctureGetting a good night’s sleep is inarguably important for good health. The type of rest we can only get with sufficient restful sleep keeps us alert, energetic, and mentally clear during the day. Earlier this year I blogged about how good sleep helps weight loss.

Now there’s increasing evidence of a link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s disease. The study involved measuring spinal fluid participants for the presence of a protein called “amyloid beta”. Plaques found in the brain of sufferers of Alzheimers disease are composed of mostly amyloid beta, so this is seen as a marker for the disease. The study showed that during prolonged sleep these protein levels dropped, and during prolonged wakefulness the levels rose.

Well over 20 million prescriptions a year are written for habit-forming sleep aids, such as Ambien in America. It’s clear that the problem of sleeplessness is a large one.

If you have not yet read my “tips for falling asleep” article, I encourage you to do so. It includes simple but powerful things you can do to help achieve restful sleep without all of the pitfalls of pharmaceutical sleep aids.

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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Cold and Flu Prevention Ideas

Cold and Flu Prevention

Chris Lehmann at Eastern Sun Acupuncture (in MA) wrote a great blog post recently about Flu and Cold prevention. I’ve talked about this topic some in my newsletter, but since Chris had some great ideas that I didn’t cover I thought I’d share it. Thanks for the great post, Chris!

Here it is: Flu and Cold Prevention

I am hopeful that there is not much winter left for us down here in North Carolina, but if you take a look at the flu map (as I write this) you can see that this is still a serious issue for most of America right now. Adopting these ideas can help prevent illness, which can come at any time of year. Take care of yourselves, everyone!

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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Pistachio – A Cancer Fighting Food

Pistachio- cancer fighting nutPistachio – A Cancer Fighting Food

Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts. They don’t seem to receive the same respect for being a healthy food like walnuts, almonds, cashews, or even peanuts.

As recently blogged about at the MD Anderson Cancer Center Blog and Dr. Weil’s Blog, it appears as though pistachios may help prevent cancer- specifically lung cancer. Pistachios are a great source of a form of Vitamin E named gamma-tocopherol.

A study conducted at Texas Woman’s University – Houston Center found that a diet containing about 2oz of pistachios per day significantly increased the levels of gamma-tocopherol in the blood.

My take-aways from this are two-fold. First of all, 2oz of pistachios is a lot- about 117 kernels according to the study abstract. Secondly, this study was small and wasn’t designed to show any direct effect on lung cancer, or any other type of cancer. So it’s impossible to infer what a handful of pistachios every now and then will do for your health. Still, to me, this is all the justification I need to eat some yummy pistachios! So think about the pistachio, a cancer fighting food.

More Facts About Pistachios

  • They’re nutrient-dense.
  • They have as much protein as an egg.
  • Their shells may help you eat less.
  • They’re heart-healthy.
  • They’re grown in the U.S.
  • They’ll fill you up, not out.
  • They’re great for cooking and baking.
  • They’ll help you snack smarter.
  • They open on their own.

Pistachios grow in heavy grape-like clusters surrounded by a fleshy hull (they’re actually related to mangoes!). When they ripen, the pistachio kernel grows inside until (in most cases) the shell splits open.

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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Conquering Stress E-Book… Coming Soon

Conquering Stress

The topic of stress management has been coming up a lot for me lately. While it seems like everyone is stressed out, hardly anyone seems to be doing anything about it! That’s really been bothering me, because stress causes or exacerbates so many of the most deadly diseases in our society today.

As a society we have been successful in changing the dialog on tobacco and the incredible health risks it presents. The number of Americans who smoke has gone down dramatically over the last few decades. We’ve changed our behavior and the way we think about that health issue. So from that example I know that it’s possible to change the dialog on stress.

And we really need to, because one can make the case that stress is at least as dangerous to our health as smoking.

So, I’m writing an E-Book called Conquer Stress Now. I could sell this book for $39.97, promote it, and possibly make a bit of money. There’s a guy out there doing exactly that. That’s not what I’m going to do, though.

Subscribers to my newsletter are going to get this e-book on how to conquer stress for free. Yep, I’m giving it away. It’s just a thank you from me to you for being a newsletter subscriber and:

  • staying connected with me
  • staying on top of your health with free health tips and ideas
  • staying informed of healthy events in our community

Here’s how to sign up for the newsletter (it’s free too!):
sign up for our free acupuncture newsletter

In the meanwhile, be sure to check out this article about handling stress.

Are there any topics or concerns about stress you’d like to make sure I cover in the e-book? I’d really like to know. This is your book too. Please leave me your questions or thoughts in the comments below!

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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Play Healthy

Play Healthy

What if becoming healthier and making healthy choices could be fun? What if it could become a game- like one with lots of great prizes! Sound fun? Well, welcome to the game!

Creating that very game was the vision of Sarah Taylor. She wanted to create something fun that would have lots of people engaged and making conscious healthy choices every day. So she created a game called A Little Healthy Competition. And boy has it taken off!

When I heard about the game it resonated with me. At Balanced Being Acupuncture empowering people to create health in their bodies is a big part of our mission. I consider it the biggest and most impactful part, actually. So I jumped in the game too.

Sarah has a blog for the game: littlehealthycompetition.blogspot.com The blog is where you can find how to play, sign up, healthy blog posts, health-related discounts for players, and links to all sorts of resources.

The game is already in progress. It’s fine to join late; I did so too too- no big deal. The game runs from 10/11 to 12/5. Hop on and play with us! See you in the game!

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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