Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones...

It’s skiing and snowboarding season, finally! I’m sure a lot of you are anxious to get out on the slopes. As with any vigorous outdoor activity, there’s always a chance for traumatic injury. There’s a lot we can do with acupuncture and herbal medicine to speed the healing and reduce the pain associated with injuries to the musculo-skeletal system.  

The Magic of Needles

Other than getting your injury seen to by an MD, what can you do? First, acupuncture is very effective for pain and inflammation. As most of you know, we don’t need to needle into the area that’s hurting to have a beneficial effect. As one of my mentors described it, whether your turn the light on at the lamp or using the light switch at the wall, the effect is the same. Acupuncture can help speed your healing time whether you have a sprain, a pulled muscle or a broken bone.

The Wonders of Chinese Herbs

Second, we can give you herbs to take internally for sprains, fractures and contusions. These herbs help move the stagnant qi and blood away from the area to promote healing, reduce swelling, and reduce pain. Certain Chinese herbs affect different areas of the body, so we can target them to the injured area. There are two ways we usually give herbs. The first is a powder that can be dissolved in hot water. The second is the actual themselves: roots, stems, leaves that you can cook into your own tea. The very best thing about Chinese herbs is that we can customize them specifically to you, your constitution, and your injury! The downside is we can’t give Chinese herbs to everyone. Some folks have a finicky digestive system. Others may be taking prescription drugs that prevent us from prescribing herbs. We must consider your safety above all other concerns when we treat you.

Slather it On

For those of you who want to get better ASAP we can give you poultices to apply to the affected area, (unless it’s in a cast). It’s usually a little stinky and messy, but worth it in the long haul.

What can you do to avoid injury?

1. Stay hydrated. Wind and cold air dehydrate you. Dehydration is linked to muscle and tendon fatigue. So, drink up!
2. If you need lessons, spend the money and time to get them. You will enjoy your sport much more, improve your skills, and reduce your chance of injury. 
3. Ski within your abilities.
4. Wear a helmet, but realize a helmet does not make you invincible!
5. Warm up your muscles, then stretch. Stretch those calves, hamstrings, quads.
6. Avoid pushing yourself. So many people get a severe injury by trying to do that last run of the day when they had worn themselves out.
7. Have your equipment checked at least twice a season by a trained technician. Have your equipment fitted to you, don’t borrow from a friend. 
8. Leave the booze and smokes at home! Winter sports enthusiast who used cigarettes or drank alcohol were shown to be two to four times as likely to sustain a fall.
9. For those of you who don’t ski or snowboard, keep walks shoveled and stairs de-iced. 
10. Avoid carrying too many burdens over slick terrain.

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Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range 
of health issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, 
headaches, fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

This I Believe: The Samurai Creed

My son had the opportunity to be a part of an oratory club this past school year. One of the speeches the members were asked to write was entitled "This I believe". These speeches were based on books, quotes, and people who had inspired the students. In the next few months, I will share a few of the books, quotes, and people that have formed me as a practitioner and thus my practice of medicine. 

The following poem is popularly known on the internet as The Samurai Creed. It has been attributed to a nameless, 14th century Samurai. I've seen it quoted in martial arts books and novels, but no one seems to know much about it. That doesn't bother me too much, because the words ring true for me. The creed extolls living in the moment and staying on the Eightfold Path put forth by the Buddhists. I'd like to say that I live this way all the time, but in reality I only come close to it in the clinic. 

The Samurai Creed

I have no parents:
I make the heaven and earth my parents.
I have no home:
I make awareness my home.
I have no life and death:
I make the tides of breathing my life and death.
I have no divine powers:
I make honesty my divine power.
I have no means:
I make understanding my means.
I have no secrets:
I make character my secret.
I have no body:
I make endurance my body.
I have no eyes:
I make the flash of lightening my eyes.
I have no ears:
I make sensibility my ears.
I have no limbs:
I make promptness my limbs.
I have no strategy:
I make "unshadowed by thought" my strategy.
I have no design:
I make "seizing opportunity by the forelock" my design.
I have no miracles:
I make right action my miracle.
I have no principles:
I make adaptability to all circumstances my principle.
I have no tactics:
I make emptiness and fullness my tactics.
I have no talent:
I make ready wit my talent.
I have no friends:
I make my mind my friend.
I have no enemy:
I make carelessness my enemy.
I have no armor:
I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.
I have no castle:
I make immovable mind my castle.
I have no sword:
I make absence of self my sword.

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Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range 
of health issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression,
headaches, fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

Your Liver: Free & Easy Wanderer

https://www.chinesemedicineliving.com

According to Western medicine, the Liver filters toxins out of the blood and metabolizes medicines. It also secretes bile which allows the digestive system to break down fats. Finally the Liver stores glycogen (a fuel source) for the body until it’s needed.

From a Chinese medical perspective, the Liver is in charge of distributing Qi to the body in a consistent and even manner. When the Liver is functioning properly, Qi gets to all the organs and tissues that need it. There is no pain throughout the body, the digestion works harmoniously, sleep is deep and restful. “Free and Easy Wanderer” is the name given to an important Chinese herbal formula that keeps the Liver Qi moving freely. I imagine the well-functioning Liver as a happy old hippy wandering around shaking hands, high-fiving people and giving pep talks. Everyone’s getting the Qi they need and everyone’s happy. 

When the Qi isn’t moving freely big problems result: neck and shoulder tension, a predisposition to anger, pain in the body, PMS, alternating constipation and diarrhea, to name a few. Here, I am reminded an officemate I used to work with years ago. Red face, red eyes, shouting voice, angry, he was plagued by digestive issues and high blood pressure. He always looked ready to explode at any moment. He would ignore those of us around him for hours and then burst in and yell “Where are those reports? Why haven’t gotten back to me about what the customer said?!” This is the perfect example of what the Liver does when it is not in balance: too little followed by too much. In the case of GI problems, first the Liver fails to provide Qi to the organs of digestion (the Spleen and Stomach). A lack of Qi can cause gas, bloating, a feeling like food is just sitting in the Stomach, and dull pain. When the Liver sends too much Qi to the Spleen and Stomach this results in cramping and diarrhea.     

When the Qi doesn’t move freely in the muscles and the joints? You guessed it: Pain. Qi stagnation can be caused by traumatic injury, overuse, or lack of exercise. Zhong Zhang Jing is one of the fathers of Chinese medicine and made famous this quote: “Where there is free flow, there is no pain. Where there is pain, there is no free flow.” Over time, the stagnation of Qi leads to the blood in the area becoming stagnant, too. This leads to chronic pain and pain of a more intense and stabbing nature. 

Another function of the Liver is that it “controls the sinews”. Sinews (tendons and ligaments) that do not receive enough Qi, Blood and nourishment from the Liver become dry, brittle, and prone to injury. Inflexible muscles, cramps, and spasms are symptoms of tissues that aren’t being nourished by the Liver. 

One of the great things about acupuncture is that we are by definition moving your Qi. The very act of putting a needle into the human body begins the process of moving Qi. This is one reason why most of us find acupuncture so relaxing: our Liver Qi gets to flow free and easy again. 

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Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range 
of health issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, 
headaches, fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

This I believe: The Oath of Sun Si Miao

My son had the opportunity to be a part of an oratory club this past school year. One of the speeches the members were asked to write was entitled "This I believe". These speeches were based on books, quotes, and people who had inspired the students. In the next few months, I will share a few of the books, quotes, and people that have formed me as a practitioner and thus my practice of medicine. 

The first is the Oath of Sun Si Miao. Sun Si Miao was a physician during the Sui and Tang dynasties. He was said to have been very sickly as a child, this sparked his interest in medicine at a young age. Sun went on to become one of the most talented physicians in all of China.¹ He authored of two influential works on Chinese medicine: "Essential Formulas for Emergencies [Worth] a Thousand Pieces of Gold" and "Supplement to the Formulas of a Thousand Gold Worth". Combined they contain over 7000 herbal prescriptions for treating disease and ensuring health.² Sun was given the title of "King of Medicine" Perhaps his best known writing is the first chapter of "Essential Formulas". It is entitled "On the Absolute Sincerity of Great Physicians", better know as the Oath of Sun Si Miao³:

On my honor I solemnly promise, as a physician of the medical arts, to humbly practice my profession to the best of my ability.  I will not pretend to know what I do not know, but I will endeavor to study diligently and train myself tirelessly, for all of my professional life. 

When I treat an illness I will calm my spirit and fix my resolve.  I will not give way to wishes and desires but develop an attitude of compassion. 

When someone comes to me for help, I will not ask if the patient is noble or common, rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly.  I will consider strangers, family, good friends, foolish and wise as my closest relatives. I will look on others sufferings as my own and be deeply concerned and anxious to relieve the distress.  

Neither dangerous mountain passes, nor time of day, neither weather conditions nor hunger, thirst nor fatigue shall keep me from helping wholeheartedly.

I will be respectable and listen with love and understanding to my patients. I will strive to master all the medical literature, working carefully and tirelessly.  I will be modest about my abilities and respectful with other physicians.  I will have integrity with my patients and my business practices.  

I will be proud enough to practice my medical art to the best of my ability and be humble enough to call for assistance when necessary.  I see my ability to be a great physician of Oriental Medicine as a gift to be shared with humanity.

I was first introduced to this just before completing my Master's degree at Southwest Acupuncture College. Part of the graduation ceremony was to stand and give the oath. Hearing all our voices in unison was one of the most memorable moments of my life. 

In retrospect, I think it would have been wiser for our teachers to have introduced this text on our very first day of class. It's one thing to be interested in Asian cultures, drawn to alternative healing, and turned on by the power of "magically" making a headache disappear. It's another to compassionately treat the patient who lashes out in anger as a result of living with chronic pain; very different hold the hand of a person for whom chemo is not winning the battle. It is with equal parts determination and hope that I bend over bodies that have been the victims of all the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' that life has to offer. It is with a certain amount of sadness that I have watched some of my colleagues give up their moral integrity to offer their patients false hope in the form of healthcare gimmicks or betray their ethics in pursuit of the almighty dollar.  I see practitioners of all kinds judge patients by their weight, lifestyle choices, or perception of reality, despite this being unhelpful. 

At the same time, I'm humbled everyday by the selfless wisdom and service provided by the teachers and practitioners of this medicine. My patients who carry their burdens with such courage and grace fill me with awe. I'm deeply grateful for the contributions Western medicine has made toward health and wellness. It's exciting to be practicing in a time where a collaboration between many different kinds of healthcare is becoming the norm!

So, everyday I strive to treat to the best of my ability, to practice wholehearted compassion, to be honest about what I know and do not know, to be humble regarding my talents, but most of all to be present with the human being before me. I may not always succeed, but I always do the best I can in the present moment. 

^{1 http://www.itmonline.org/arts/sunsimiao.htm
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Simiao
3 Southwest Acupuncture College Graduation Ceremony Program, August 22, 2009}

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Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range 
of health issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, 
headaches, fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

Seasonal Allergies: Why we feel the way we do

If you're like me (Caroline) this is the time of year when your nose starts running and itching. Why is this so? There are several players in the drama. Let me introduce them to you:

The Spleen For Chinese medicine, the Spleen is the main organ of digestion in the body. It takes the food that you eat and makes it into Qi or vital energy for your body needs to run away from a tiger, solve an engineering problem, or heal an injury. If your Spleen is underperforming, you may feel tired after eating, have gas and bloating, little appetite, and loose stools. When the Spleen is underperforming it creates what we call “Dampness”. In the case of allergies this dampness manifests as constant post-nasal drip, congested sinuses, and a feeling of “stuckness” in the throat. 

The Lung is responsible for taking the air that you breathe and making it into clear Qi to be used by the body. Before Qi is ready to be used in the body, the Qi processed by the Lungs and the Qi made by the Spleen must come together. The Spleen sends it’s Qi up to the Lungs where they combine and are distributed throughout the body. The Spleen sends up whatever it has, including dampness and phlegm. There’s an old saying in Chinese Medicine: “The Spleen makes phlegm and the Lung stores it”. This is where all the congestion in the sinuses and bronchi come from whether it be a cold, allergies or asthma. 

Wind According to Western Medicine, the culprit for seasonal allergies is pollen. According to Chinese Medicine, the culprit for allergies is Wind. This medicine was created thousands of years ago and as such, the ancient Chinese looked to their natural environment for clues how the outer order of things could reflect the inner order of the human body. Using this paradigm, Wind in the body is anything that mimics wind in the outside world, moving erratically or suddenly. When you think about it, Wind does stir up the pollen quite a bit. When the Lung Qi is weak, the Wind enters and you get the sniffles and sneezes.

The Liver Speaking of sneezing and itching, this brings up the next player in our Perfect Storm: the Liver. Spring is the “season” for the Liver. Positive Liver energy moves our Qi around smoothly, provides creativity and productivity. When the Liver Qi is stagnated it can no longer move smoothly. When the Liver Qi moves erratically, we get symptoms of itching and sneezing. 

So to wrap up, poor quality foods (especially raw food, sugar, wheat and dairy) and Spleen hypofunction lead to poor quality Qi and dampness. The Spleen sends Qi and dampness upward to the Lung to distribute throughout the body (snot). Poor quality Lung Qi, open pores, and Lung hypofunction lead to EPIs and wind invading. The erratic movement of Liver Qi causes itching, sneezing and watery eyes. 

How to stay healthy during Allergy Season:

1. Get regular acupuncture! Especially before allergy season begins. Acupuncture helps to balance the body’s systems functioning at top capacity. Acupuncture helps to reduce stress, improve digestion, aid sleep and boost the Lung Qi. By staying in balance, you are less likely to get out of balance and suffer from allergies. 
2. Start a constitutional Chinese herbal formula. If you’re prone to seasonal allergies, you should probably be on a constitutional formula of Chinese herbs that fits your individual pattern. 
3. Avoid the Wind Stay out of the wind if you can. If you can’t stay out of the wind wear a hat or scarf to avoid having Wind enter. 
4. Adopt a positive mental attitude. I believe you create your own reality to some extent. If you believe that every time May comes around, you will be miserable, you most likely will. If you believe you’re going to stay healthy, you stand a better chance of doing so. 
5. Limit Stress. Stress and negative emotions have a stagnating effect on the flow of Qi in the body. Anger causes the Qi to move erratically. A great way to both reduce stress, calm anger and move Qi is to engage in regular exercise! ______________________________________________________________

Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range of 
health issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, headaches, 
fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, pain, and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

What's Blood got to do with it?

Ouch! Traumatic Injury
Blood stasis is what Chinese Medicine labels a "secondary cause of disease". Something else must happen before it occurs. The easiest example: you drop the fry pan on your foot, it causes a bruise. Literally a bruise is blood stasis: a bunch of capillaries are broken by the injury, the blood leaks out. Your body uses inflammation to shut down any additional blood loss. Inflammation causing swelling and limits the oxygen to the area. The lack of O2 is what causes the distinct black and blue color of a bruise.

You trip while training for the Bolder Boulder and sprain your ankle. What happens? The area turns black and blue, it swells: blood stasis. Do a good job of staying off your ankle, getting acupuncture, letting it heal, and doing gentle PT, you'll clear out the blood stasis. If, for whatever reason, the ankle isn't able to heal like it should, you'll end up with one of those chronic injuries that becomes painful when it's overused or when a weather front comes in.

The Stream Analogy
I was talking to one of my patients about blood stasis. She asked me: "How can blood ever be stagnant? It's pumping all the time." It's a good point, but think about a creek: the same amount of water flows through it all the time, but there are some places where the water rushes quickly. There are many places that the water slows and pools deeper. In these places, you might smell the musty smell of algae growing. It's harder for water to flow as smoothly through these areas. The more the water slows down, the harder it is to clean out the gunk, so this is where the dried leaves, muck and garbage collect. It works the same way in your body. Where qi and blood aren't moving smoothly, pain results.

The Low Down on the Slow Down
It's a maxim of Chinese Medicine that "The Qi leads the Blood".  When the qi slows down, we get qi stagnation.  When the qi stagnates long enough, eventually the blood slows down, too. My first  example is of my dear beloved aunt. We'll call her Auntie Katherine. Auntie Katherine has 'cankles', those kind of calf/ankles that flow over the tops of her shoes. She was never a very active sort and spends most of her time in a chair watching game shows. She rarely gets her heart rate up, so her Qi doesn't get moving much. Over time, the blood slowed down, too.  Her lower legs became swollen and covered in a spidery network of painful-looking veins. Sure, her blood is still flowing, but not flowing very efficiently, hence the fat ankles and painful legs.

In a Mess with Stress
Another example: Joe, a businessman is 45. He works at the Acme widget factory as an executive. His work is very stressful; he spends a lot of his days shouting into his speakerphone at the incompetant nincompoops he's forced to work with. Let's look at his signs and symptoms: headaches, high blood pressure, red face, and he's angry most of the time. Any of us can easily diagnose him with "stress". What do we know about stress? It stagnates the qi, slows it down, makes it flow erratically. Stagnate the qi long enough, you end up with blood stasis. Blood stasis in Joe's case might very well end up manifesting as a blood clot that causes a stroke or a heart attack.

Brrr!!!
Stagnant qi is not the only reason for blood stasis. Cold can play a part, too. Marcy, 25, is a competitive runner.  She has very painful menses, so painful in fact that she has to take a day off work to lay on the couch with a hot water bottle. When I asked her about her training regimen, she admitted that she ran outside winter and summer in shorts and a t-shirt. I asked her to either train inside when it was cold or to wear leg warmers to keep the acupuncture channels of the lower legs warm.  I told her if she wanted things to change, she needed to stop wearing flip flops, crop tops and capri pants in the winter months. She followed my recommendations, and along with Chinese herbs to warm the uterus, her pain ceased.

Wait? Aren't you supposed to put ice on traumatic injuries? Well, there's been a lot of discussion about that recently in the news. Some MDs and PTs feel that limiting the amount of inflammation in the area, by using ice, will speed healing. Others counter that it's actually slowing the healing process and there's no benefit to it. I'm of the opinion that you should only ice an injury *if* it brings relief and only for the first 24 hours. Then, switch to warm compresses.

I'm Lookin' at You Jackie Chan
Martial artists are at a great risk for hidden blood stasis. They are active enough that their Qi flows nicely. However, they spend a lot of time falling and getting hit. Their pulse is likely to cover the telltale "choppy" pulse of someone with blood stasis. Looking at the underside of your tongue is a good indicator for blood stasis. Does it have bulging purple or blue veins? That's a good sign you have some blood stasis going on in your body. If you see them, don't panic. Come in for an assessment and we'll determine the right course of action for you.

In Conclusion
The good news about blood stasis: it's reversible. There are lots of different ways to treat it including lifestyle, acupuncture and Chinese herbs.  The bad news about blood stasis, it's not as easy to clear out as Qi stasis and leads to significant issues over time. As usual, approaching problems early leads to easier and more effective treatment in the long run.

**Note: these case histories, although based on real people, are completely fictional.**

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Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range of health 
issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, headaches, 
fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, infertility and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626