How to Manage Stress so Everyday is a GOOD Day.

One of the biggest things that I see in my clinic is stress, and I can tell you, without a doubt, that excessive stress is a virtual epidemic in the world today.

No matter what the health issue is – whether it’s pain, weight gain, anxiety, digestive problems or really ANYTHING else – it will be worse without proper management of stress.

In fact, we have seen a TON of people where all we did was help with the management of their stress and their problems improved by 50% or more.

The problem is that most people don’t know how to deal with their stress or they begin to stress over every little thing, this is what I call the “stress spiral,” before you know it everything in your life sets you off. 

GOOD NEWS.  There is a way to manage your stress, EASY THINGS!  These are the same things I tell all of my stress patients.  So, listen up.

 ~ Turn off the television, get off your phone, ipad and/or computer and GET OUTSIDE.  Go for a walk, run, hop around…it doesn’t matter, just GET OUTSIDE.  Your body can manage stress better when it is fit.  When you get that physical activity in, your sleep will improve, your weight will drop, your digestion will get better, EVERYTHING will start getting better.

~ Accept that there are events that you cannot control

~ Learn and practice relaxation techniques – meditation, yoga, mindfulness and breathing techniques

~ Eat healthy, well-balanced meals

~ Manage your time more effectively

~ Set limits, learn to say no to requests and situations that would create excessive stress

~ Make hobbies, interests and times for relaxation a priority (YOU FIRST!)

~ Sleep!!  Get those solid 8 hours

~ Stop self-medicating – alcohol, drugs and FOOD will not help

~ Spend time with those you enjoy being around – friends, family, pets…

~ Get regular acupuncture

Start with 3 things off this list and start doing them every day for the next 5 days.  I promise that you will start seeing results.

Good health starts with you, choose to BLOOM!

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain.

Fibromyalgia symptoms may include:

~ Widespread Pain

~ Fatigue (it is difficult to get a good night sleep when you are in pain)

~ Cognitive Difficulties – It is called “Fibro Fog” the ability to focus, pay attention and concentrate on mental tasks is impaired

~ Mood Disorders – when you are in chronic pain you relate to people and life differently, many times this leads to anxiety and depression

As of now, there is no cure for fibromyalgia, but there are ways that you can manage it. These are:

~ Exercise – although it may be difficult at first, it is really important. Start easy and don’t overdo it. For extreme cases heated pool therapy is a great place to start. The heat helps circulation and to loosen up muscles, while the water movement is low to no impact so you won’t be hurting yourself. When you are ready you can start exercising outside of the pool.

~ Acupuncture – Acupuncture helps circulation and relieve pain. I personally, have had great success with my fibromyalgia patients.

~ Sleep – A solid night of sleep is hard to get when you are in pain. But, it is the most important time for your body because that is when it heals and recharges itself. Start a sleep journal and make better habits surrounding your sleep (no TV or internet right before bed, no caffeine after a certain time of the day…etc.)

~ Diet/Lifestyle Change – sugar, alcohol and an overload of carbs is NOT HEALTHY. In fact, all three of those decrease your immune response and bacteria FEEDS off the sugar. If you are tired of being in pain and sick all the time, cut the crap out.

Being in constant pain is horrible, that feeling of hopelessness is hard to shake off. But, by starting slow and being consistent you can start working towards a better tomorrow. Give me a holler if you have any questions or need some extra support.

Motivation gets you going and habits get you there.

Now that we are on the other side of the Holidays, many people are looking to get back on track with their health, or start new healthy habits.

Here are just a few ways that Acupuncture can help you improve your health and create new healthy habits:

~ Relieves Chronic Pain
~ Helps Reduce Headaches and Migraines
~ Helps Insomnia and Sleeping Troubles
~ Speeds Up Recovery Time for Illnesses
~ Improves Digestion
~ Manages Stress Levels
~ Helps Quit Smoking (Addiction Management)
~ Improves Athletic Performance (muscle and injury recovery is
quicker!)
~ Improves Concentration, Focus and Mental Clarity

There is never a better time than now, Acupuncture can help you meet your health goals for 2018.

Good health starts with you, choose to BLOOM!

Peripheral neuropathy has become a common theme the last couple of weeks.

What is peripheral neuropathy? it is the result of damage to your peripheral nerves (hands and feet). Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are:

~ Weakness
~ Tingling/prickling sensations
~ Numbness
~ Burning/freezing sensations
~ Extreme sensitivity to touch (blankets, socks...etc)
~ Pain can also radiate to other areas of the body (legs, 
arms...etc.)
~ Lack of coordination and mobility

How is peripheral neuropathy treated?

~ Acupuncture
~ Diet - healthy diet=healthy nerves
~ Exercise regularly - at least 30 minutes a day (even if it is
walking), movement means increased circulation, 
circulation is good
~ Manage medical conditions that put you at risk - 
diabetes, alcoholism and rheumatoid arthritis
~ Avoid factors that may cause nerve damage - repetitive
motions, cramped positions, exposure to toxic chemicals, 
smoking

Acupuncture helps neuropathy by promoting circulation to the affected areas. Disease, damage and dysfunction is the result of a lack of circulation in our bodies tissues and cells. Along with increased circulation, Acupuncture helps with neuropathic pain.

Contact Wildflower Acupuncture for any questions that you might have. End the year on the right foot!

Have Low Back Pain?

The Quadratus Lumborum (aka the QL) is the most overlooked muscle in back pain. Because of its location and function it can also be mistaken for sciatica, because the pain radiates down to the thigh.

Do you experience:

~ One sided back pain?
~ Spasm and acute back pain?
~ Do you feel like your spine is "locked up"?
~ Pain that radiates toward your gluteal region?
~ Low back pain that is now hip pain?
~ Does it hurt to sit for long periods of time?

We use our backs everyday, to stand, sit, roll over, carry things...etc. Just by strengthening your core you can decrease lower back pain significantly. Stretching and acupuncture also help with pain and mobility.

How can you test the strength of your QL? do a side plank. How long can you hold it for? can you hold one side longer than the other?

Have questions? Give us a holler. We are here to help YOU.

Cupping!

One of my all time favorite treatment modalities is cupping.

Cupping has shown to be incredibly effective in reducing pain and soreness in muscles, increasing circulation, removing toxins and stagnant blood (which in turn increases recovery time for injuries and illness), promoting relaxation and increasing sense of well-being.

What does cupping treat?

~ Tired sore muscles
~ Detoxification
~ High Blood Pressure
~ Migraines
~ Anxiety and Depression
~ Varicose Veins
~ Lung Congestion and Issues
~ Strengthens Immunity

The marks that are left after cupping is significant with knowing what is going on in the interior of the body. The marks "are the physical outcome of pathogens, toxins, blockages and impurities (waste products)..." that are present in the body. The color and reaction varies depending on what is being treated.

Want to know more? Give me a call or shoot me a message. 
Scared of needles but want to get cupped? Give me a holler!!

http://www.healthtraditions.com.au/uploads/212-cupping-proof.pdf

Good Health Starts with You.

A common question that I get is if I treat myself.

My answer: heck yeah!!

If I start feeling like I am getting sick I give myself a treatment, boy do I love to bleed my jingwells (HA!).

If I am feeling stressed out, I "lobotomize" my brain so I can chill out.

If I can't sleep, I knock myself out with just a few needles and some moxa (a little can go a loooong way).

My health is important to me. There is no way that I would be able to get all the things that I do done and live the life that I want if I didn't stay on top of my health (both physically and mentally).

It is so easy to get stuck in a pain/stress/tired cycle. When this happens your view on life starts to get a little crooked. You don't find joy in the little things and find yourself criticizing everything. In short, you become unhappy.

Have you noticed the weather this week? it has been a PERFECT Colorado Fall. Chilly mornings and evenings, warm afternoons,

Did you really TASTE the last thing you ate or drank? or did you just robot your way through your meal (there is a reason we have tastebuds!).

Did you say "Hi" to the last person you interacted with and actually make eye contact and smile?

Life can be hard, but that doesn't mean you have to be. How you live is your choice, choose to be happy and healthy.

Acupuncture is a powerful form of preventative medicine.

The following are some tips to get you through Fall healthy and happy:

~ Get Regular Acupuncture. Acupuncture treatments can support your immunity, increase energy, reduce stress, boost your sense of well-being and can help you transition through the seasonal changes while maintaining good health. Because Fall is associated with the Lungs and Large Intestine (Grief and Letting Go) regular treatments can help you let go and focus your attention on the future.

~ Eat Warm Food. Put aside the raw and cold foods and start eating warm, cooked foods. This boosts immunity and conserves energy. Warm food is also easier to digest, by supporting your digestion you are supporting your lungs as well.

~ Avoid sugar, dairy, and anything white or processed because they form mucus. If you feel a cold is coming, try something with spicy and pungent flavors. Add onions, ginger and garlic to your meals.

~ Get Sleep. Sleep is essential for good health. When you are sleeping your body is actively healing and repairing itself. Poor sleep can be linked to risk of heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Not to mention, some people are prone to crankiness and increased clutziness (aka accidents). Having problems sleeping? Acupuncture can help (it is one of Wildflower Acupuncture’s specialties).

~ Let Go. Owning then letting go of old ideas and stuck emotions assists in making peace with yourself and the people around you. By letting go of outdated emotional and idealistic paradigms you are able to open space for new projects, ideas, and emotions. This can also be closely tied to physical things as well. Organizing and letting go of what you don’t need also has a direct correlation with how you feel.

~ Sweat. Movement is essential to maintain a healthy body weight. It also promotes the smooth flow of energy, so if you are prone to seasonal depression it will help you move through those emotions in a healthy way.

~ Get Outside. Living in Colorado we get to experience the change of seasons first hand. The leaves start to change color and if you are able, you can experience the annual Elk bugling in Estes Park as they emerge from Rocky Mountain National Park to find their snuggle buddies (which is way cool!). Also, just walking around strengthens your lungs, which in turn helps your immunity (just make sure to wear a scarf and to bundle up if it is cold outside).

This summer has been fun and full of activity, I am excited for Fall and all of the new experiences that it has to offer.

Happy first day of Fall!!

Movement and R.I.C.E

One of the biggest things that I stress with my patients is movement. Even for the patients that aren't coming in for physical reasons, I still suggest movement (walking, hiking, biking...etc.) to help move through an emotion in a healthy manner.

Movement is an essential part of life.

Recent studies have shown and continue to show that icing (or R.I.C.E.) is no longer recommended for injuries. The healing process REQUIRES circulation of blood, energy and fluids to heal. Ice and cold just slow that process down.

“Nearly everyone who ices today,” says veteran athletic trainer Gary Reinl, “believes they’re doing it to prevent inflammation, reduce swelling, and control pain. But here’s the problem: Icing doesn’t prevent inflammation or swelling; it only delays it. Once tissues rewarm, the inflammatory process resumes and your body’s innate intelligence sends the correct amount of fluid to the damage site. Although icing can provide temporary pain relief, numbing just shuts off protective signals that alert you to harmful movement. And the Journal of Athletic Medicine Research recently showed that icing actually kills muscle cells.”

It can be a heated debate, but the patients that heal the quickest are the ones that include heat and movement into their healing processes. While ice can have it's place for the acute stage of injuries, patients are more interested in the long term healing process and result.

https://life.spartan.com/post/is-r-i-c-e-all-wrong?utm_source=prospecting&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_content_rice&utm_campaign=spartanlife_2017

Digestion

Is your digestion system dictating your life? are all your plans centered around access to a bathroom or do you have a bagful of drugs to help you digest your food comfortably?

We have all experienced some sort of digestive disturbance in our lives. For most, when this happens we go get a drug to make the symptoms go away, because being uncomfortable or in pain, sucks.

Does this fix the problem? NO

Some of the common things that are treated by acupuncture are:

Acid Reflux
Nausea and Vomiting
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Crohns Disease
Ulcers
Chronic Constipation (or acute)
Diarrhea
Hiatel Hernia
Ulcerative Colitis

How we feel about ourselves and how we live our lives are greatly influenced on how we physically feel.

Stop adapting to pain.

Stop letting uncomfortable situations be the norm.

Choose to BLOOM!