Family Acupuncture Log
 

with Kay Madsen, Licensed Acupuncturist
 

December 2012 Edition  



Welcome Winter

"The 3 months of winter
Are called closing and storing.
Water freezes, Earth cracks.
No more influence from the yang.

One goes to bed early; one gets up late.
Everything must be done According to the light of the sun,
Exerting the will
As if buried, as if hidden,
And taking care only of oneself,
As if fixed on oneself, in possession of oneself.
One must avoid the cold
And seek the heat;
Not let anything escape
Through the layers of the skin,
For fear of losing all the Qi.

This corresponds
With the winter Qi.
It is the way
That maintains the storing of life.

To go countercurrent
Would injure the the kidneys,
Causing, in spring, impotence and deficiency,
Through insufficent supply for
The production of life."

Neijng Su Wen, Chapter 2





Want to Learn How to Gua Sha?  I was trained by Arya Nielsen (see link below) and would love to pass this skill on to you!

Q & A With Kay

In each issue of the Family Acupuncture Log, I will answer a question from a reader.   Submit your question here.


Q:  "Hi Kay,
I noticed in your video last month you didn't mention any herbs touted by the health food stores, like echinacea, astragalus or elderberry, to help with the flu.  An oversight or don't you use them?   Thanks, Sharon"

A:  Hey Sharon,
Not an oversight on my part.  Early in my days of seeking natural therapies, I tried all of these remedies and more.  While they might have helped a little, I found them to be pretty feeble and unreliable.  Now as a Chinese medical practitioner, I know why.  These remedies are all defensive Qi tonics for sure, but are very, very weak ones.  In Chinese medicine, sometimes we like weak tonics for certain purposes, but to kick out an intruder, we hire bigger guns.  I have countless personal experiences of completely stopping a virus in its tracks with a good formula like Gan Mao Ling.  It never ceases to amaze me! 


Monthly Testimonial

"I was in a car accident years ago, and had a flare up of the pain when I was critically ill last year for an unrelated issue.  No one believed me that my back pain was back, and insisted it was all in my head.  I started seeing Kay, and she explained to me the processes that my body was going through, and that indeed the back pain had returned.  To say that Acupuncture has been a great success for me is an understatement.  When I first started seeing Kay, I was in pain most of the day.  Now, I finally have relief.  I no longer have to take many doses of pain meds to get through the day.  I was hesitant at first, because I do not like needles, but quickly found the acupuncture needles are nothing compared to Western medicine!!  I have benefited from Acupuncture for back pain and migraines.  I would recommend Kay's services to anyone that is looking to seek relief."

Amanda Parson


Have something good you'd like to share about your treatment with Kay?   Submit your testimonial here.







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December 11, 2012
Greetings!

      I hope that this finds you and your loved ones well and ready for the winter that lies ahead.  As you can see from the quote from the Chinese medical classics on the sidebar, winter evokes a sense of necessary rest and pulling inward.  It is the season in which we rebuild our reserves, so we must take care to avoid over exposure and overexertion.  Unfortunately, this advice from the ancients seems to be at odds with how we have allowed the exuberance of the Holidays to consume the entire season.  Whatever your religious affiliation and traditions, I hope that this year we can all find a way to celebrate the Holidays joyously, yet contained enough to avoid burning out.  For the sake of your continued good health, keep it simple.  Nothing bad will happen if your house doesn't resemble a Martha Stewart Christmas special or if you skip an "important" detail or two.  Believe me, I've tested this out!  No one but me remembers whether I've missed a year of Christmas cards.  To best enjoy the true beauty of the Holiday season, simply count your blessings, connect with loved ones however you can, don't spend too much money on gifts, and let the rest of the trappings go.  Then enjoy the luxury of of a snuggled in winter season.   To keep extra healthy, follow the tips in this month's featured article.

Enjoy!

Vaccinated or Not, Here It Comes!
How to Otherwise Prepare for Cold and Flu Season

      In the last newsletter, I discussed the topic of seasonal flu vaccinations and explained my personal decision to not partake. Vaccinated or not, we are all facing the dreaded cold and flu season.  As I hinted at last time, there are very valuable strategies for contending with these viral nuisances regardless of vaccination status.

  • BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM - GOOD LIVING

       The single most important step in fighting off any virus, including colds and flu, is to have a robust immune system.  As I explained in the last issue, whether and to what degree we get sick is a function of the battle of strength between the Qi of the virus and our own "defensive" Qi.  The virus seeks to get in and penetrate deeply, making us sicker as it goes.  Our defensive Qi works to push it out as quickly as possible.  Most flu and rhinovirus (i.e., cold) strains have relatively weak Qi.  By boosting our defensive Qi, we improve our odds of keeping the viruses out or from penetrating too deeply.  If you are someone who gets sick a lot or has trouble shaking an illness once you get it, you have weak defensive Qi (and likely need good acupuncture and Chinese herbs).  To help boost Qi for everyone, Grandma's wisdom sums it up best.

 

Eat well.  The main raw ingredient for Qi production is the food we eat.  If we eat poorly, in quantity, quality or timing, the body will not produce Qi as well as it should.  The Stomach Qi system is the starting point.  I think of the Stomach as the Goldilocks system.  It likes everything just right - i.e., balanced.  Balanced eating entails three square (not too big and not too small) regularly timed meals a day of high quality, cooked meats or other protein sources, vegetables, grains, and legumes, served warm.   

 

Get plenty of sleep.  Shortchanging ourselves on sleep drains Qi madly.  What is enough sleep?  For adults, it's seven to eight hours, starting no later than 11:00 pm.  Period.  No one, repeat, no one, thrives on four or five hours of sleep, no matter what they tell you!  'Nuff said.

 

Stay warm.  This old-fashioned advice ignores both modern scientific understanding of microbes and trendiness in one swipe.  But, here goes.  Dress warmly, particularly covering your neck, head and midriff.  Don't go outside with wet hair.  If you get cold at night, take a warming bag or heating pad to bed.  Cold exposure not only weakens your defensive Qi, but also gives pathogens (read viruses) a green light to enter your fortress.  The main portals through the walls of defensive Qi are in the head, neck, lower abdomen, and lower back.  Don't leave your body's doors and windows open, especially in the winter.

 

Supplementation.  Even the most conscientious eating may leave the body short of essential nutrients. Taking into account the poor quality of our food supply and the effects of stress, supplementation may also be a good idea.  I think of it like nutritional spackle.  It fills in any gaps.  I use a good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement and extra vitamin D3 and C, which are especially critical for immune function.

 

  • WHAT TO DO WHEN EXPOSED - HERBS AND GUA SHA

       OK. I know that the first measure I was supposed to point out was avoiding exposure by staying away from sick people and washing your hands.  So, do that.  But, assuming you aren't a hermit, you should know what to do when you do get exposed to a virus.

 

Herbs.  Upon feeling the very first symptoms or even just knowing you have been exposed, immediately start taking an herbal formula that not only boosts defensive Qi, but also expels pathogens.  My favorites are Gan Mao Ling and Yin Qiao San. They work remarkably well, especially when you take them early.  For this reason, they are in my medicine cabinet year round. 

 

Gua Sha.  The second thing to do is have somebody apply gua sha to your back, especially the upper and middle sections.  Gua sha is a skin scraping method used everywhere in Asian homes by mom and grandma.  This healing technique is said to "open the surface" and draw the body's Qi and blood to the skin, thereby helping to push pathogens out.  Look for more information about gua sha at the link noted in the side bar.  It is just crazy effective!

 

  • WHEN YOU'RE GRIPPED - MORE GUA SHA AND HERBS

       In spite of your best efforts, the flu or a cold grabs you hard. Whether it's a particularly nasty virus, your defenses are down or you just didn't get to the herbs and gua sha quickly enough, now you are a feverish, congested, coughing symptomatic mess.  What do you do to help it pass more quickly and relieve symptoms?

 

Herbal strategies.   At the onset of symptoms, Gan Mao Ling and/or Yin Qiao San can be very helpful.  If there is any sign of heat, such as sore throat or fever, I lean toward the Yin Qiao.   If a fevered illness progresses to the next level of "half in and half out," it would show as alternating chills and fever.  Minor Bupleurum (xiao chai hu) is the formula of choice for this stage.  The next stage of cold viruses, on the other hand, tends to manifest with heavy congestion and phlegm production rather than fever and/or chills.  For this, I find Bi Yan Pian (nose inflammaton tablets) and/or Qing Qi Hua Tan (pinellia expectorant pills) very helpful for clearing.  I keep them all on hand, just in case. 

 

Gua Sha and Cupping.   It may be too late for Gan Mao Ling to help, but it's never too late for gua sha.  At any stage of an illness, gua sha can help relieve fever and respiratory symptoms.   Cupping is another therapy whereby glass cups are strategically placed on the skin with suction and left in place for 5 to 10 minutes.  The theory of pathogen removal is the same.  The relief from both strategies can be remarkably quick.  I became a true devotee when my young daughter had a bad night with the swine flu.  As she labored to breathe, I quickly applied gua sha to her back and placed two cups over her "lung correspondence points."  Everything immediately turned scarlet red and within a minute or two she began breathing normally.  I did too!  I called off the trip to the emergency room and we both went back to sleep.  Over night she broke her fever and felt perfectly fine the next day.    

 

Steaming.   Steaming the lungs not only relieves upper respiratory symptoms, but also helps the body kick out the invader.  The addition of essential oils helps with opening the passages, plus offers protection against secondary bacterial infections, like bronchitis or sinusitis.  Take a large bowl of steaming water; add 1 or 2 drops of each essential oil; breathe deeply for about 10 minutes, draping your head with a towel.  My favorite oil combo is eucalyptus, peppermint and tea tree.  I haven't had a sinus infection (which used to plague me regularly) for over 15 years using this strategy.   

 

 

 

 

I hope that you find the above tips helpful and that you enjoy a happy and healthy Holiday season.  If you want help finding any of the herbs I mentioned, just shoot me an e-mail here.  I can get them to you no matter where you live. 

As always, I would relish your feedback and am ready to answer any questions.  If you liked this newsletter, don't forget to forward it to friends, colleagues, clients and anyone you think might be helped.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Prosperous and Joyful New Year!

Peace and joy,
signature
Family Acupuncture Center | 240-393-5420 | [email protected] | 13415 Connecticut Ave.
Suite 204
Silver Spring, MD 20906

Kay Madsen, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM)
Licensed Acupuncturist
13415 Connecticut Ave.
Suite 204
Silver Spring, MD 20906
(240) 393-5420



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