Hot Tips

This month, our team’s practitioner corner is full of hot tips. We usually keep these treatment-boosting secrets exclusively for our patients, but we’ve decided to do a little New Year’s share. This way, even if you usually see only one of us, you can now benefit from our collective wisdom. So, here we go, with a few ways you can turbo-boost your health.

The new year is a pretty awesome time for me. As I complete another trip around the sun, I’ve got even more juicy knowledge to pass along. Here are four of the most important health boosters I regularly share with my patients to help extend their acupuncture treatment through the week.

 

1. DIGESTION – Digestive enzymes are pure gold! Never suffer from the bloat, the gas, the constipation, the opposite-to-constipation ever again (don’t you wish I added this to the December newsletter?). BioGest by Thorne is my go-to for everything digestion related. To make this tip even hotter, BioGest is a powerful supplement for those suffering with fibromyalgia . If you’re not digesting the food you eat, you’re probably also not digesting the world around you, so stress, anxiety, and general unwellness cloud your day-to-day! Take 1 to 2 capsules with your meals daily and circle back and let me know how you’re feeling.

 

1. SLEEP, INSOMNIA, ANXIETY  – Magnesium bisglycinate is what you need on the heels of digestion, to help you absorb life. Magnesium is single-handedly the most important supplement you can take for anything that stands in your path of wellness. My fave is Magnesium Bisglycinate 200 Gentle by CanPrev. Feeling resistance? Take magnesium. Not sleeping? Ditto. Same if you’re nervous, anxious and jittery all the time. In moments of high stress I take 2 capsules in the morning and 2 more just before bed. Get a 10% discount through me right here.
2. SCHEDULE ACUPUNCTURE – Yup, the single most important step to move from survival-ness into wellness is to schedule an acu-nap. Depending on where you are in your healing journey, you can start with 1x/week for 4 to 6 weeks, then move to 2x/ month, then check in 1x/ month for 3 to 5 months. After that, pop back in if there is a hiccup in your journey. Once I get to know you, I can tell you just how often to schedule in. 
3. Oh, and water, drink more water! Because everything is better when you’re deeply hydrated.

 Ooh, hot tips? Good question! Gotta be honest, I hate supplements with a passion. So even though I definitely think they can help and LOVE when the others (*ahem* Sara) give you great suggestions, you will rarely get any add-ons from me. My greatest tip for all you tense ones is to take stretch breaks for your neck and upper traps. And breathe deeply. Other than that, I do love Rescue Remedy, thieves oil (make a tea with lemon and honey), goji berries, and then Yin Qiao San (a traditional Chinese herbal formula to ease upper respiratory symptoms), oil of oregano and zinc when the cold and flu germs hit. Stay healthy, friends!

 

 

 

 

Before I dive into treatment add ons, I would just like to say an immense thank you to all the folks that I have had the pleasure to treat this past year. I feel so grateful to have been able to support and be a part of each of your journeys.

Okay, back to treatment extras:

1. Like Sara, I do like a supplement and often recommend them to patients. My most common recommendations are to increase vitamin D, B vitamins, omega 3, magnesium and fiber. 

Note: You do want to check in with your primary healthcare provider before starting any supplements, especially if pregnant or on any medications.

1. Holding tension through your upper back and shoulders? Me too! Love to scroll on your phone? Same! Have a tennis or lacrosse ball? Great! You now have the tools to end your day the same way that I do, laying on the floor, scrolling on my phone AND doing some self-myofascial release. 

Just lay down and find that knot with a ball then breathe deeply, 5 counts in through your nose and 5 counts out through your mouth. If you are too tender for a lacrosse ball, try a tennis ball or use a towel on top of the ball for extra cushion.

 

1. Traditional Chinese Herbs: As a herbalist, I love to add a herbal formula to my patient’s treatment plan to help supplement acupuncture and connect the time between treatments. Whether we are working on sleep, stress, hormones, fertility, or digestion, herbs are an integral part of my practice. Let me know if you are curious as I am always happy to discuss!