The Jewelry Box of Despair

A few years ago, my mom wanted me to look through her jewelry box with her. I think she wanted to show off her treasures, but also to find out if there were things I would be interested in inheriting. My mother is an octogenarian and has traveled all over the states and all over the world for that matter. One would think that making an inventory of such a jewelry box would be exciting and pleasurable, but for every treasured item, there were others that brought bad feelings. 

“These are the earrings your father bought me when he had to work instead of spending Valentine’s Day with me.” 

“This is the ring your great aunt Virginia gave me. She promised me a lot more, but then she gave everything to all the other cousins and nieces. I never forgave her for that.” 

“These earrings used to be my favorites, but as you can see, I lost one. Darn it all! I loved these earrings!”

“These are the ivory beads I can’t wear because it’s not politically correct to wear ivory anymore. The poor elephants!”

“Wow, what a bummer!” I thought to myself. I went right home to my own jewelry box. OK… truth, I have three of them plus several wall displays! I took out everything that wasn’t absolutely fantastic and gave it all to ARC. I’ve started looking at my wardrobe with the same critical eye: Does this top make me feel like an old lady? Out it goes. Are these pants not quite long enough? ARC pile. I don’t wear these jeans because they’re too big, but I love them. Take them to the tailor.

Marie Kondo is a decluttering guru on everyone’s lips lately. She has a show on Netflix that encourages people to ask “Does this item bring you joy?” If not, get rid of it. That’s her advice. Although I have trouble finding joy in the 9 volt batteries, duct tape, packing tape, cello tape and bank statements in my office, I certainly can sure see her point in regards to my wardrobe, jewelry box, and artwork. 

If a material possession reminds you of a sad event or makes you feel bad about yourself: get rid of it! If you’re keeping a thing because it’s a family heirloom, everyone else has one, or it was a gift: think of the cost of keeping it. There’s cost of it taking up space in your basement or closet. There’s a cost of displaying something that makes you feel guilty or angry. There’s cost of wearing something that makes you feel fat or unstylish. There’s cost of even seeing an object that brings up negative feelings over and over. Don’t feel guilty about getting rid of a gift from a friend that wasn’t quite right. Don’t feel guilty about chucking a box of old photos that mean nothing to you. Free up your space and free up your mind! 

I should tie this back to Chinese medicine, huh? Alright, the Liver processes all emotions negative and positive. However, negative emotions cause Liver Qi stagnation. That means the energy of the body does not flow freely as it’s supposed to do. That leads to emotional stress, neck tension, poor digestion. Think of all the stress that’s caused looking for the “right” black turtleneck if you’ve got 5 black turtlenecks. Think of the sadness caused by keeping a lone earring that just makes you feel bad about the loss of its mate.

Go home, open your jewelry box. Make it a jewelry box of joy instead of despair. 

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Left Hand Community Acupuncture offers an affordable sliding scale of $40-$65. 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  
 720-378-6090

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

Metal, the Element of Autumn

by Dennis Weigel, L. Ac.

In Chinese medical theory, Yin and Yang explain the relationship of duality, opposing forces interacting to create balance. The Five Elements explain how the forces of nature interact in cycles to generate or inhibit growth and decline.   The five elements are Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire.  Each element has a corresponding season, bodily organ, disease pattern, and emotional tendencies.  The cycle begins in the winter after the winter solstice and corresponds to the element water, then moves to spring and the element wood, then summer and the element fire, then late summer or harvest time which corresponds to earth, then autumn and the element metal.

In nature, Metal revitalizes the earth.  It describes the role of the solid bed of rock deep within the earth which is to provide a deep foundation and to prevent water essential for life from sinking into the earth.  This is why metal is said to “generate” water in the creation cycle of the five elements.

In autumn the trees wither, their leaves and fruits fall to the ground.  They rot, enter the earth and provide nutrients and minerals that nourish and enrich the earth’s capacity to grow new plants.  It is a time of death, downward and inward moving energy, of stillness and reflection on the past year, and receiving inspiration for the next cycle to come.  Many people feel sadness, melancholy, and grief as the days become shorter, and the temperatures drop.  Other common feelings which may be felt more intensely during this time include yearning, disappointment, and regret.  It is important to allow these feelings to flow and to confront them.  If they are suppressed, the qi can get stuck, usually in the chest, and may lead to lung related ailments in the future, and an inability to “let go” and move on.

The Lung and Large Intestine are the internal organs associated with metal.  The lungs receive qi and “inspiration” from the surrounding air, and the Large Intestine eliminates what is no longer needed.  People with Metal constitutions or who live in dry environments such as Colorado, are more prone to lung and colon related ailments such as cough, and constipation.  If the lungs are weak a person may experience shallow breathing resulting in lower energy.  Inspiration is also taken in by the lungs and, depending on their health, can determine one’s vitality and capacity to take things on spiritually.  The Large Intestine absorbs remaining nutrients from food just as the earth receives nutrients from the fallen leaves.  It also eliminates the waste that is no longer needed.  If this function is weakened, built up waste may accumulate in the body and may result in internal pollutants.  This function also applies to the mental level where the large intestine’s role is to decide what to let go of and what to hold on to.  Holding on to emotions that no longer serve us or various attachments can inhibit our ability to move on and form new healthy emotions and connections.

Any of this sound familiar?  It is important to know that it is completely natural to be experiencing any of the above mentioned feelings or conditions this time of year.  To align with the season, try staying home more with a book or nurturing movie, and follow the inward moving energy of autumn.  Reflect on the past year and open to inspiration for new possibilities in the year to come.

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Get your 'Qi' on at Left Hand Community Acupuncture
424 E. Simpson St. Lafayette, CO 
 www.lefthandacu.com
720-248-8626
 
Book your appointment today at:  
http://left-hand-community.genbook.com

Acupuncture and Trauma: Yes, it can help!

It's been only a few short days since Colorado's 1000 year flood and yet many lives will be changed forever. 

Some might ask: I just lost my house, my business, my pets to the flood. How is acupuncture going to help me? My basement flooded. I’m worried about my friends up in the canyon. How is acupuncture going to help me? 

First, it calms the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system governs the fight or flight response. During stressful situations your blood pressure increases, your heart beats faster, adrenaline is released, and your digestion slows down. When we’re in a crisis situation, we need these things to happen so we can move fast and respond to threats. The problem comes in the aftermath. In situations like these it’s easy for us to get stuck in this hyperactive state. Even for those of us not directly affected by the floods it’s easy to slip into this state just by watching the news coverage. 

Acupuncture has been documented to sedate the sympathetic nervous system and activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest). Acupuncture treatments calm anxiety and promote deeper and more restful sleep. Patients often tell me they feel ‘clearer’ and ‘more centered’ after an acupuncture treatment. Unfortunately, I don’t have needles and acupuncture points that make money troubles vanish or ex spouses to stop annoying you, but I can make your response to those things more balanced. I tell folks that “your life is still your life, but after acupuncture it just seems more manageable.”

The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association auricular (ear) acupuncture protocol is used to help people overcome addictions of all kinds. It also happens to be extremely helpful in mitigating all sorts of emotional and psychological stressors. We use the NADA protocol and other ear protocols like it to help folks deal with traumatic events of all kinds. 

Acupuncture also deals with specific emotions themselves. Those directly affected have no doubt experienced fear and panic as they were forced to deal with these extremely frightening circumstances. Fear depletes the adrenal glands and can lead to adrenal fatigue, so it’s important to use acupuncture to boost up the Kidneys and calm fear. 

Grief and sorrow follow after the loses of friends, loved ones, pets and cherished possessions. This is a completely normal emotion when we experience a traumatic event. The goal of the acupuncturist is not to dull the grief that you feel, but to help you experience it in an authentic way and then move on. When we hold onto grief, it impacts the lungs. I can’t tell you how many folks I’ve met who have lost a family member and then gotten chronic cases of pneumonia and bronchitis because of the impact on the lungs. We want to nourish the lungs to make sure they’re ready for the fall and winter months ahead.

Worry is another common emotion. A lot of us have been worried about others and stuck in the over-thinking mode (myself included!). On an organ level, worry prevents proper digestion of our food. On a psychological level, it keeps us up at night.

It’s not an emotion, per se, but having water invade your home, your community and some of our favorite places pushes our boundaries. Acupuncture can also be used to boost those up.

Anger often pops up after the initial feelings of shock and sadness. As bystanders we feel frustrated that we can’t help more. As survivors we feel angry that things we’ve worked very hard for have been destroyed by a random act of the weather. Acupuncture helps the Qi of the body and the emotions to flow more freely. 

Our minds and bodies are intertwined, therefore when our mind is tense, our body becomes tense. How many of us cope with stressful situations by raising our shoulders closer and closer to our ears? Most of us I would say! When our body is tense or in pain, our emotions tend to get stuck in anger or fear or worry. It’s the acupuncturist’s job to get things flowing again. Think of how quickly a toddler flows through emotions: delight at seeing a new toy, frustration when s/he is unable to make it work properly, sadness someone else takes it and starts playing with it. Then back to joy when they see a butterfly. This is the ideal, to fully experience our emotions in the moment and not to get stuck in any one emotion for too long. 

So whether it’s sore muscles from mucking out a neighbor’s basement or stress from dealing with a disaster, acupuncture can and will help!

More about NADA: http://www.acudetox.com