How Many Acupuncture Treatments Will I Need?
Transparency, trust, and clear communication are three (of many) things I prioritize establishing in the relationships I build with my patients. In this blog, I share everything you need to know about the logistical side to starting care and what goes into creating a treatment plan for the most successful outcomes.
By Dr. Lauren Dyer
| DAC, LAC, DIPL. AC - NCCAOM |
Transparency, trust, and clear communication are three (of many) things I prioritize establishing in the relationships I build with my patients.
Making sure they know what to expect before agreeing to a treatment plan is something I take seriously because I want each person I care for to not only feel confident about working together—but be clear about what that entails since Acupuncture works as a progressive process rather than a 1 or 2 visit fix.
In fact, understanding the number/frequency of visits realistically needed for the most successful outcomes is so important that I make it a point to disclose these aspects of care on our website’s FAQ page, in my Informed Consent paperwork, as well as in-person during your Initial Consult.
So if you are a new patient scheduled to meet with me soon, or are thinking about trying Acupuncture eventually, now you can gain even more insight into these logistics here too. I hope you find this explanation useful to consider if Acupuncture would be right for you.
So! Here’s the first thing to keep in mind…
HOW ACUPUNCTURE WORKS: IT’S NO SECRET
In order to answer “How many treatments will I need?” it’s essential to understand the intention of Acupuncture which is: to treat the underlying root causes to symptoms by restoring balance to the body’s organs and nervous system.
It does this by activating their healing responses, regulating the sympathetic stress response, plus mobilizing circulation.
Treating the root cause not only helps to keep your symptoms away, but preventatively strengthens your body so they are less likely to come back altogether or full-force in the future. This is how Acupuncture creates an elevated foundation for your health so you can experience lasting shifts to your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
That is why, if there is one thing to keep in mind when considering whether you should “try” it or not, it’s this:
Acupuncture works cumulatively.
Cumulatively, as in, your treatments and their effects need to build on one another to become long-lasting shifts to your health.
Just like learning a new skill or working towards any goal, consistency is key.
Since Acupuncture, at it’s core, is changing the way your nervous system communicates with your body (by shifting it from a reactive - stressed - inflamed fight-or-flight state to one that is more inclined to calmly respond - rest - digest - and regulate itself ) treatments that are scheduled at a regular interval and more closely together at the beginning gives the nervous system the reliable messaging it needs to remind your body how to heal itself on its own.
The longer you have had __________(insert diagnosis/symptoms here) the more treatments it will take for this shift to happen.
This aspect of Acupuncture is no secret, it’s universal.
In my professional opinion, any seasoned clinician should explain this on your first visit, so whether you get Acupuncture with me or someone else, the same expectation applies.
CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE
When creating a treatment plan, my intention is to help you get effective, lasting relief in the most efficient time frame possible.
To achieve this, it’s not just the number of treatments that matters, but the frequency that you come in to receive them.
Put it this way, would you rather get Acupuncture 2x/week for a month and be able to live your life with a major reduction (and potential resolution) in symptoms?
Or would you rather come in once a week for several months and prolong the relief you want?
I say this because the beginning of your care is the most important phase for accumulating progress.
The longer the time span between your initial visits, the less likely it is that your body will respond well to care, ie. adapt to the messaging Acupuncture is trying to provide it with. I know this from experience…
When I was just starting out in practice, I admit I was too nervous to tell patients what to expect. I wouldn’t ask them to come in to more frequent sessions because I figured they would find it too much of an inconvenience. My early-day efforts to “save” them time and resources by coming in just once a week ended up costing them in more in dissatisfaction because they did not get the results they were hoping for. Let’s just say I learned that lesson quickly! I learned to step into my role as a clinician which meant letting patients know what to expect so that I could confidently guide them through each phase of their healing process—like I do today.
Moral of that story: “Trying” Acupuncture by dabbling in occasional or erratically scheduled visits does not set you up for drastic results.
This is why I rarely ever work with people on a once-a-week basis any more. It’s the slow and drawn-out route where you can feel good for 1-3 days after your first session, but then by the time I see you the following week (5-7 days later) you & your symptoms are right back to square one.
There’s no momentum, just a see-saw of momentary relief reverting back to baseline imbalances.
That scenario ends up being a waste of your time and resources. You don’t want that & neither do I.
Instead, here is the treatment frequency that most Acupuncturists require (including me) to build sustainable progress:
2x/week for 2-3 weeks for chronic but straightforward conditions
2x/week for 3-4 weeks for chronic/complicated conditions
2x/week for 1-2 weeks for an acute issues
The first week is a jump-start. I imagine your internal dialogue being like, “Hmm, is this really worth getting into…let’s see.”
By the second week, most people (with a chronic condition, let’s say) are pleasantly surprised. This is when you’ll be thinking: “Is it just me, or is my ______ not as bad? I guess I’ll keep going.”
The third week, most patients can experience a significant improvement in their symptoms.
These sessions are to make sure your body can hold onto the progress we’ve accumulated before spacing things out.
That is why I encourage you to choose your adventure wisely.
Do you want the condensed/efficient route or the prolonged and potentially frustrating one?
My hope is you pick the former—the one that will set you up for success.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
If you are looking to “try” Acupuncture, as you read, it takes more than 1-2 treatments to start noticing lasting results.
You can notice short-term benefits even after the first or second session (reduced tension - improved sleep - smoother digestion - lighter mood being the most common) but again, in order for those changes to become more significant and long-term, the above frequency is needed.
As for how many treatments you’ll need, in *general* here is what you can anticipate:
For more acute conditions:
it takes about of 4-6 sessions to accumulate lasting progress before receiving treatments on a maintenance basis.
For more chronic and complicated conditions:
at least 8-10 treatments is when most patients start noticing long-term changes before transitioning to a maintenance basis.
For women’s health conditions related to regulating/improving your period:
it takes about 3 months (cycles) of care to effect lasting shifts, however some women still notice significant changes after 1 month.
MAINTENANCE: PASSING THE TORCH
Once the initial accumulation of treatments is done and you are at a place (what I call the “tipping point”) when your symptoms are much better than when you began (and they’re staying) we will start to taper/space treatments out. This marks the start of your maintenance phase.
Maintenance can look like 1x/week for 2-3 weeks then 1x/month, 1x/season, but it’s different for each person.
It’s when the torch is officially passed, putting more of the emphasis on you to “run with” (as I call it) the suggestions I offer to compliment your in-office treatments so your progress stays. By this point in their care, the majority of my patients are able to manage and prevent their symptoms.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As you read, Acupuncture is undeniably a commitment that requires trust in the process—and I don’t take either of those things lightly.
Here at Empower, I emphasize offering at-home care to compliment and expedite your healing process beyond our time together. Acupuncture is a potent blend of physical and energetic medicine but that doesn’t mean it should become a long-term crutch for what’s bothering you. In my opinion, I wouldn’t be doing my job very well if that was the case. My goal is to give you the most effective care in the most efficient time frame.
So if you are eager for personalized, holistic guidance to create a foundation for well-being that goes beyond band-aid symptom support, then I welcome the opportunity to work together.
For an insider view of what it’s like to collaborate, check out these patient testimonials below…
WHAT OUR PATIENTS ARE SAYING
“Seeking acupuncture from Lauren is the best thing I have done for my physical and mental health in over a decade. I was someone who had tried everything - from so many appointments with medical practitioners all the way down to online diets/supplements I had read that would help me. I felt almost at the end of the road. If you’ve ever thought ‘My body is too stubborn/I’m skeptical if it will work for me’ I was that person and I’ve never been so glad to be proven wrong. Lauren quickly diagnosed my issues and set forth a plan of treatments, as well as nutrition guidance and many other resources that helped me so much, that were specifically tailored for what I was struggling with. Within only one treatment my sleep went from being very poor and broken up, to a full 8+ hours. Over the following treatments I felt my body come back to life, and I will forever be SO GLAD that I chose to seek help at Empower...Not only is the treatment itself the most calming and restorative hour you will experience, but the time spent talking to Lauren will leave you feeling full of knowledge to benefit your entire wellbeing. Her studio is an oasis of good energy and I cannot wait to go back for future treatments, just as a treat for myself.”
“I have had depression for many years and I also have had very low energy levels for the last year or so, despite trying different things. I was intrigued by her articles, so I made an acupuncture appointment with her. She has such a gentle presence about her. She wanted to help me find a solution for depression and low energy. During my first visit, Lauren did some research while I was getting my treatment. I was so grateful that she took the time to look deeper into a solution other than just the acupuncture. I followed her recommendations and after just the first visit I was already seeing a change. After ~7 treatments, my digestion was regulated, I was feeling great and had more energy than before. I am looking forward to seeing Dr. Lauren when my life gets a little more hectic to help with managing the stress.”
“I saw Dr Lauren Dyer for 11 total visits. She was thorough, informative, caring, personable, and dedicated to her work. I felt safe in her care. She was always warm and friendly and a good listener. She successfully helped me to move some energy in my body to bring me to a greater level of well-being. I highly recommend her for any need of acupuncture service.”
“Recently I have had sessions of acupuncture with Lauren, and it was beyond helpful. I originally went to see her for help with my anxiety and the initial consult took us further into a number of issues I had been having. After just two sessions so much had improved. It was like a fog had been lifted. And one of the biggest difference was she has started to treat my allergies and despite being in peak Pollen season; I DIDNT NEED TO TAKE ANY ALLERGY MEDICINE! Usually I would take take about 4 a day during this time. I went in for one thing and Lauren guided me through a treatment cycle that helped improve my daily life noticeably on many levels. ”
“I was recommended by a friend of mine to try acupuncture as I had been struggling with various complex stomach issues. I was not expecting such drastic and lasting results as I had been struggling with these issues for years. Lauren took the time to talk through my medical history not just from a scientific and medical approach, but how stress and emotional instability could be contributing to my overall issues. Her feedback, insight, and overall tone made me feel like she was assessing my issues from a comprehensive and connected approach rather than treating individual symptoms. The sessions to follow were not only physically helping my body, they were mentally therapeutic. I found myself so relaxed that I often fell asleep during the session. The results were (and are) lasting. I did 5-sessions and it was worth every penny. I will continue to go back every month or so for maintenance, but I know I have found my lifetime acupuncturist!”
“I cannot say enough about my 10 sessions with Dr. Lauren Dyer. Aside from genuinely looking forward to seeing her each week for her warm and compassionate energy, this woman knows her stuff! She listens intently for signs of imbalance so she can provide information and suggestions for an individual care plan. I came to Dr. Dyer on my path to healing after years of chronic stress, unprocessed trauma, and feelings of being disconnected/out of sync with my body’s processes. I was welcomed with so much care, felt safe and comfortable enough to share my past experiences that were manifesting as high anxiety, pelvic pain, and restlessness, and began seeing relief in sessions almost immediately. I fell asleep for the majority of my sessions and began to feel replenished and at peace. After 10 sessions Dr. Dyer helped to switch off my fight or flight survival mode from past trauma, identify where I was leaking energy, and suggested additional tools/resources outside of sessions that have now become habits for ongoing wellness. I did not know this feeling of peace was possible and am so grateful for Dr Dyer’s expertise and guidance to help me get back into my body. I cannot imagine seeing anyone else!”
The 5 Spirits: Supporting The Soul in Chinese Medicine
The Spirit in TCM is made up of five “spirit-minds” that are stored in each of the five Yin organs. You can think of them like facets to your personality: they each have unique roles and characteristics that assert themselves when content or afflicted. Discover how the Five Spirits influence your health and ability to pursue your potential.
WRITTEN BY ACUPUCTURISTS: LAUREN DYER & HANNAH GUYON
WHAT’S IN A SPIRIT
Along with Qi (energy), Blood, and Essence (like genetics), our Spirit or Shen is considered a vital substance in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as it completes the fabric of our physiological makeup and human life. Rather than being linked to religion or used to convey how “spiritual” a person is (or isn’t), in this medicine, Spirit takes on a secular meaning.
Fundamentally, Spirit is the unique animation humans possess which allows a person to: express their authenticity, dedicate themselves to a hobby or vocation, feel connected to mundane everyday wonders, and to be the conscious co-creator of their destiny. It is that intangible yet empirical inner spark that activates our imagination, ambition, intention, and awe.
Together with our psyche and body, Spirit is what orients us within our reality and experience of the world around us. Its health and vibrancy is essential for developing relationships as well as the virtues unique to the human condition (compassion, accountability, wisdom, morality, courage, etc.)
Put simply, Spirit determines how we show up in the world, connect with others, and navigate all the experiences that life has to offer.
A unique feature of Acupuncture and TCM is how discussions of health integrate how one’s physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual health mirror one another. Just like how each of the body’s organ systems has its own Acupuncture meridian (the Lung channel, The Large Intestine channel, for example) there are associations between the organs and specific emotions, as well as the organs and the spirit.
These connections reveal how, in TCM, energy is considered on a spectrum from the material to the ethereal.
On the Material end you have the most tangible and visible of substances: the body, blood, fluids etc would land here. Towards the middle of the spectrum is energy whose presence is apparent in how the body functions even if it cannot be measured or fully grasped, aka Qi. A person’s Qi can be sensed in their pulse or heartbeat and heard in the voice. Can you think of a time that you walked into a room full of people and could tell whether the energy was tense or cheerful? That’s Qi - which also makes itself known through emotional states.
On the far end of this spectrum, you get Spirit.
The Spirit is the most ethereal expression of energy and an extension of an organ’s Qi-aspect. It can be seen in something as simple as whether someone’s eyes sparkle or light up when they talk to you about something they’re passionate about, versus if they have a dull gaze, and perhaps appear depressed.
You still with us? Good, because deeper down the rabbit hole we go...
THE FIVE “FACETS”
If you have thought of your spirit or soul as being stored in your heart, that’s actually not far off! In TCM, there are five types of “spirit-minds” that branch-off from someone’s central Spirit. Each is stored within one of the 5 Yin organs:
The Heart beholds The Shen
The Lungs contain The Po
The Liver commands The Hun
The Spleen grounds The Yi
The Kidneys are keepers of The Zhi
Each embodies your capacity to show up in the world as the best version of yourself. You can think of them like five facets to your personality: they each have unique roles and characteristics that assert themselves when content or disturbed.
When we sit and listen to our patients, we tune into the presence of these characteristics too. Assessing the state of their Spirit is always included in our observation & diagnostic process since the spirit is vital to one’s overall well-being.
Usually when we see spirit disharmonies they are paired with physical symptoms. Other times they aren’t, but patients will share behaviors - deep seated emotions - and mental tendencies they know are holding them back from the things they want in life—or the way they want to feel. This is because when one spirit is affected it can impact the others, leading you to feel “off,” “stuck,” “lost,” or not yourself anymore. Sometimes it can even feel as if you are not in your body.
Our guess is that you’ll likely be able to relate to at least one or some of the following spirit-mind tendencies. However as you read along, please keep in mind: the expressions of these spirit-minds is a dynamic dance within us. Like our bodies and state of health, they are not stuck in a state of imbalance unless something changes—and sometimes that change starts within...
Here’s what we will be sharing :
What each spirit is + its paired organ
Each spirit’s responsibilities
Qualities of that spirit when it is tethered and balanced
Shadow tendencies that manifest when the spirit is disconnected and imbalanced
So, here they are…
THE FIVE SPIRITS
THE SHEN ~ THE MIND
The Shen is the spirit of “The Mind” and represents our consciousness. It is the basis for our humanity and source from which all other spirits emerge from. The Shen is in charge of our identity and capacity for self-awareness, but also, how we view and interact with others: how we orient ourselves in the world around us. The Shen is essential for integrating our psychic and emotional life since it governs perception, insight, ideas, the ability to extend beyond the Self (form relationships), determine our values, morality, and wisdom. The Mind is what bridges our intuition and inspiration: it allows one to recognize their truth and callings so they can show up in the world as their most authentic self.
In the body, the Shen is ruled by the Heart which, in Chinese Medicine, is the “the origin of mental life,” and therefore the “monarch” of all other organs: the only one capable of recognizing, assessing, and truly feeling the spectrum of one’s emotional experiences. Although different emotions (anger, joy, sadness, fear, guilt, etc.) will affect the body’s organs in unique ways, those organs do not “feel” the emotion and, instead, reflect the impact of that emotion as perceived by the Heart in the form of physical symptoms. In that sense, the Shen is referred to as the Heart-Mind, giving the old adage the heart has a mind of its own, a ring of truth.
Given the Shen’s role in processing interactions with others and external stimuli, all senses (eyesight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) depend on it for meaning just like how the brain is relied on in Western Medicine.
For this reason, the Shen is said to be the “most visible” of all the spirits, evident in how one carries themselves both in public and in conversation: the sparkle (or dullness) in one’s eyes, the capacity to maintain eye contact, as well as the use of clear/logical speech (since the Heart is the root of the tongue in TCM). It is the Shen that calculates appropriate behavior in order to “click” with others and foster mutual understanding: a Heart (Shen) to Heart (Shen).
When the Shen is vibrant, there is:
Clear thinking & consciousness, sharp insight, good intellect, self-awareness, a strong sense-of self, sound sleep (since the Shen retreats back into the Heart to be housed at night), a balanced emotional reality, good judgement expressed through wise action, flowing ideas, inspiration, alertness in the eyes, eye contact during conversation, clear speech + confident self-expression, compassion, and empathy.
When the Shen is disturbed and the Heart is affected, a person will have:
Cloudy consciousness, poor insight, inappropriate/erratic behavior or speech tendencies, socially awkward interactions, low self-esteem, difficulty expressing one’s self, hypervigilance and paranoia, poor self-awareness, a hard time relating to others (including little-to-no eye contact in conversation), little capacity for compassion/empathy, irrational thoughts and phobias, an imbalanced emotional reality (fixated on one emotion), panic, disturbed sleep etc.
THE PO ~ THE CORPOREAL OR ANIMAL SOUL
The po is the spirit-mind stored by the Lungs. It integrates with us at our first breath, and disintegrates at the end of life when breathing ceases.
When you think of the Po, consider your moment-to-moment experiences - your instincts, impulses, and knee-jerk reactions.
When balanced, the Po supports our ability to stay connected to the present moment through our breath. When strong, it is associated with assertiveness and fairness. We would expect someone with a well balanced Po to speak with a clear strong voice, to breathe well, and to act with the virtue of justice.
When there is weakness of the Po, we might see lingering or unresolved grief, lifeless voice, lethargy, depression, or constant feelings of loss or incompleteness. In this case, a person might be stuck in a moment that is far in the past, keeping them from being present or moving forward. We might also notice the presence of chronic respiratory issues like frequent colds, long standing cough, or asthma associated with this aura of sorrow.
When the Po is supported and reintegrated with the present moment, we see the ability to process grief in a healthy way. Impulsive reactivity is exchanged for responsiveness and trustworthy instincts. We see the shroud of sadness and heaviness lift, giving way to the ability to appreciate the beauty and fullness of the present moment, to experience awe and wonderment, and to grasp a flash of inspiration.
THE YI ~ THOUGHT
The Yi is the spirit-mind stored by the Spleen. It has to do with thought, intellect, and comprehension, as well as intention and creativity.
The Spleen organ in TCM is a major organ of digestion, separating and transforming useful nutrients from waste products. On a physical level, a weak Spleen can result in poor digestion of food. On a spirit level, a weak Spleen, and a weak Yi as a result, can cause poor digestion of thoughts. This means there may be trouble effectively deliberating, and instead a person may find themselves overthinking or ruminating on their worries. They may lack clear intention, and therefore they may feel “foggy brained,” or bored and unmotivated.
There is a saying, “the Yi guides the Li which guides the Qi” - meaning your intention guides the ritual which guides your energy. Have you ever noticed the difference between having a vague desire to achieve a broad goal such as “get in shape one day” or “learn a new language” doesn’t tend to pan out unless you set up a structure (or ritual) for yourself? My mother gave me the sage advice that “a dream without tangible goals is just a wish.” Having a strong and clear intention (Yi) helps us to create smart, structured plans and goals, which takes our energy there (aka manifests that reality!).
A strong Yi also promotes the virtues of faithfulness and loyalty. If the Yi is suffering, these virtues can become skewed to the point of “‘stifling’ loyalty, exaggerated sympathy, and even self-destructive generosity” (Kaptchuk, 60).
Supporting the spleen and its spirit-mind the Yi, can help you to cultivate clear intention, insight, creativity, motivation, and appropriate faithfulness (to your goals and to other people).
THE HUN ~ THE ETHEREAL SOUL
Of all the spirits in Chinese Medicine, the Hun or Ethereal Soul broadly shares the most similarities with the Western concept of the soul: it is tethered at birth, has a will of its own, yet at death it survives the body, preserving its physical appearance to wander the earth, the spirit realm, or return to the source of all life. This wandering quality is essential to understanding the Hun’s purpose and nature.
To start, the Hun is its own level of consciousness whose vitality depends on its ability to connect and disengage with the Mind—to “come and go” as it pleases. Whereas the Mind is more rational and in charge of processing/integrating information perceived from the external world, the Ethereal Soul is in charge of bringing one’s inner world and dreams into awareness and fruition. It alerts the Shen to our intuition, ideas, life goals, creativity, and artistic inspiration so they can be pursued rather than merely reflected on. Inherently Yang in nature, the Ethereal Soul provides the psyche with movement in several ways:
out-of-body during sleep and dreaming
beyond one’s everyday life/circumstances through the pursuit of life goals
through the planning of projects and paths needed to accomplish them
beyond the self towards others in fostering/maintaining relationships
Knowing the Hun requires movement to engage and detach from the Mind, it is no coincidence that it resides in the Liver: the organ responsible for ensuring smooth circulation throughout the body. Physically, the free flow of Liver Qi and Blood is the medium by which the Ethereal Soul “comes and goes.” In TCM, the Liver acts as the chief delegator to the monarch (The Heart). In that sense, the healthy personality of the Liver—and balanced animation of the Ethereal Soul—can be seen in those who excel at self-leadership, management, structure, and routine.
When the Liver is healthy, the Liver Blood is abundant, and circulation of Liver Qi is smooth, the Hun is content—it can come and go freely: there will be a healthy flow of ideas and creativity for the Mind to receive and integrate. A person will be connected to their intuition, able to envision a goal, and feel like they have a direction for their life. They can plan the steps necessary to actualize their dreams. In essence, a rooted Hun provides the courage to pursue one’s potential and regulate emotional ups/downs. With a balanced Hun, roadblocks can be faced with flexibility and frustrations met with resolve.
When the Hun’s movement becomes stifled due to a weakened Liver (such as Liver Qi stagnation or a Liver Blood/Yin deficiency) the Mind will lack stimulation, making a person apathetic and depressed. They will feel a lack of direction or purpose. They can lose touch with their emotions or internalize to the point of endlessly stewing causing resentment. Because of the Liver’s connection to the eyes and physic “sight,” there can be a lack of vision for life-dreams, dream-disturbed sleep, and a disconnection from one’s intuition. This can cause discouragement and a lack of desire to move beyond one’s “stuckness” and circumstances in life. If the Mind is overly-controlling or not receptive to the Ethereal Soul’s input/desires, they might be fully aware of what changes they need to make to pursue their potential, but unable to “get the ball rolling” in the direction they seek.
If the Liver is overburdened due to an excess pathogen (usually Liver-Heat Rising or Liver-Fire) the Hun will travel excessively and inundate the Mind. For example, someone can be full of ideas and inspiration, but because the Hun is so flighty, a person will not be able to bring them to fruition. With this kind of Hun-disturbance, there will be agitation, anger, rage, an inability to regulate one’s emotional overwhelm, and manic tendencies.
Overall, a disembodied Hun is implicated in involuntary dissociation (such as in PTSD), conscious escapism (excessive daydreaming, procrastination, substance use, etc.) and nightmares.
THE ZHI ~ THE WILL
The Zhi is our willpower. This spirit-mind is stored in the Kidneys, which, in TCM, are associated with our deepest “essence,” our inherited traits, our reproductive potential, and our deepest stores of energy. The Kidneys are said to house the “life gate fire” which is yang in nature, yet they are also associated with the water element which is yin. This duality is mirrored in how there is a yin and yang aspect to the Zhi.
The emotion of the Kidneys is fear, while the virtue of their spirit-mind is wisdom. When you look back on your life - do you recall experiences where fear of the unknown transformed into experience-based wisdom? It’s something that develops over a lifetime. The Yin Will is related to our destiny or fate - our relationship with and journey into the unknown of the future - it involves trust and faith. The Yang Will is more immediate than that - it has to do with the conscious efforts and fundamental decisions that allow your will for certain desires and outcomes to come to fruition.
An imbalance between the Zhi may look like restlessness, a desire to run away from your life, a vague or existential fear; patients might share a desire for things to be different than where they are regarding their life cycle, like a fear of aging, for example. When the Kidney Qi is weakened, there can be a lack of willpower and drive which is an important aspect of chronic depression. On the other hand, the Zhi can also become destructive, resulting in recklessness and excessive risk-taking. These symptoms can coincide with premature aging (looking older than you are), low back/knee pain, bladder issues, burnout, chronic exhaustion, recurrent or lingering illness, ear ringing, thyroid imbalances, memory loss, edema.
Have you ever wanted something, set out on the path to complete it, and come to find that after enough time, conviction in your ability to achieve it, and consistent effort—you have it? A job (or career change)...a degree...to become skillful at a hobby...to birth a passion project?
You can think of the Will like The Wizard of Oz...it works tirelessly behind the curtain—the scenes of your conscious awareness—until you reach your destination. Once you arrive, it comes out to greet and congratulate you on the journey as if to say: “Well, look who it is...you did it! I knew you could make it here. Welcome to (your “dream” aka manifested reality), you are right on time.”
In that sense, the Yang Will gives you the perseverance to set out on the journey whereas the Yin Zhi is that part of you that becomes apparent once the goal is reached. A healthy Zhi invites us to faithfully wade into the unknown, take the reins of destiny, and realize you’ve had the power to be the co-creator of your life all along. It’s like that saying, choose your hard. Healing and embarking on the journey to change your life is hard. Yet, staying in the same place and living with regret is hard. The Zhi asks:
What will it be…will you stay or will you go?
YOUR SPIRITS AWAIT…
Oftentimes people think of seeking out Acupuncture for a physical ailment or, just as commonly, to support their mental health in cases of anxiety, depression, and trauma-recovery. However treating the spirit can be just as helpful to encourage someone’s healing.
In many cases, it’s actually the key.
As you just read, cultivating clear and intact spirit-minds helps us to adopt and express the virtues of wisdom, justice, loyalty/faithfulness, propriety, and human kindness, rather than be consumed by fear, anger, reactivity/impulsiveness, complacency/boredom, or disconnectedness. They allow us to have authority over our thoughts, actions, and life path. Together, they guide us to hone our individuality but also foster connections that make life meaningful.
While offering acupuncture, we are intentionally selecting points that, yes, mobilize your body’s natural healing process—but also points that nourish these spirits to tether them to their associated organ systems so you feel more grounded, clear, safe, and fully integrated in your body. That is how Acupuncture, as a blend of physical and energy medicine, clears the blockages while creating the space for you to fully inhabit and express most vibrant and authentic self. If that is something you seek for yourself, we would be grateful to support you.
Your spirits await…
BEHIND THE BLOG
Hannah Guyon a Licensed Acupuncturist who has owned and operated her own private practice Thrive Acupuncture + Herbal Medicine for three years. Hannah specializes in working with patients for: Women’s Health, Mental/Emotional health, and Internal Medicine (via her National Board Certification in Chinese Herbal Medicine). In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, yoga, and reading. To learn more about Hannah and her approach to care, check out her practice through: ThriveAcuHerbal.com
Lauren Dyer is the co-owner and Licensed Acupuncturist at Empower Chiropractic & Acupuncture in New Gloucester, Maine. She has been in private practice for three years and specializes in providing Acupuncture + TCM therapies for Mental/Emotional Health and Pain Management. For her, the ways a person’s psychology and physiology become reflected in their health is an ongoing area of focus in her care. To learn more about Lauren and her offerings, you can check out more blog articles and connect with her right here at Empowerchiroacu.com
SOURCES:
Kaptchuk, Ted (2008). The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Maciocia, Giovanni (2009). The Psyche in Chinese Medicine: Treatment of Emotional and Mental Disharmonies with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
What Does Your Tongue Say About Your Health?
Believe me, I get it. “Go ahead and stick out your tongue” is not something you’re used to being asked at the doctors. But in Chinese Medicine, Tongue Diagnosis is an essential part of our evaluation. It’s like a road map and mirror of what’s taking place inside the body. Read on to see what your tongue says about your health!
BY Dr. Lauren Dyer (DAC, LAC, MSA)
TONGUE DIAGNOSIS IN
CHINESE MEDICINE
If you have ever had Acupuncture or are thinking about setting up an appointment, get ready to be asked what might seem like a strange request:
“Go ahead and stick out your tongue.”
If your eyebrow is raised in confusion, I get it.
I mean, what medical professionals ever ask to look at your tongue? Not many.
Yet in TCM, Tongue Diagnosis is an essential part of our assessment and evaluation.
This is because the tongue is like a road map for your health—a mirror of what’s taking place in the body. It offers observable, objective information about the state of blood circulation, hydration, digestion, energy levels, and so much more.
In fact, each area of the tongue corresponds to the Acupuncture meridians where your vital energy or Qi (pronounced “chee”) flows through, and the internal organ systems themselves.
As you see from this diagram, the key organ systems depicted on the tongue include the Heart, Lungs, Spleen/Stomach, Liver/Gallbladder plus the Kidneys/Bladder/Intestines. Each governs a section of the tongue much like how they are laid out in the body: the front of the tongue represents the organs in the upper body, the middle of the tongue representing the digestive center...and so on-and so forth.
For us practitioners, Tongue Dx is a cornerstone for understanding your current health (like a snapshot of the present), while also providing a peak into the past to detect what underlying imbalances lead to your present concerns.
WHAT’S IN A TONGUE?
There are several defining characteristics your Acupuncturist will look for when observing your tongue, like:
SHAPE - is it small, enlarged, puffy, pointed?
COLOR - is it pale, red, purple, grey?
TEXTURE - is it dry, wet, glossy, or greasy?
BODY FEATURES - are there cracks, spots, ulcers, raised speckles, or deviations?
COATING or “FUR” - is it thick, thin? Where is the fur distributed?
FUR FEATURES - what is the texture or color?
A HEALTHY TONGUE:
A “normal” and relatively healthy looking tongue is a fresh pink color, a medium thickness with a rooted light white coat on it (rooted meaning it cannot be scraped off easily). It is free of cracks, spots, ulcers, or teeth marks.
WHAT DOES YOURS SAY?
QI DEFICIENCY
Pale tongue with thin white coating, a few spots, and teeth marks
Qi Deficiency is typical if someone struggles with low energy, poor appetite, shortness of breath with exertion, bloating/gas, and worry
BLOOD DEFICIENCY
Pale tongue with little to no coating, there could also be teeth marks
Blood Deficiency is typical in someone who struggles with dizziness, fatigue, dry/thinning hair, brittle/ridged nails, palpitations, poor memory and concentration, insomnia, light/absent menstrual periods
YIN DEFICIENCY
Red to crimson tongue, usually thin, little to no coating and cracks
Yin Deficiency is typical in someone who struggles with irritability, night sweats, insomnia, hot flashes due to menopause, joint/muscle stiffness (dryness), ear ringing
YANG DEFICIENCY
Pale tongue that is puffy or enlarged, usually with a thick and white coating
Yang Deficiency is typical in someone who feels cold easily, has chronic knee and/or back pain, low spirits, is emotionally apathetic or depressed, low libido, feels exhausted/burnt-out, thyroid issues (usually hypo-)
DAMP RETENTION
Swollen or puffy tongue with a white, greasy (think oily vs. glossy wet) coating
Dampness is typical in people who have issues with indigestion, bloating, gas, loose stools, nausea, pain or muscle aches that are worse with wet/humid/damp weather
DAMP HEAT
Swollen, red tongue with a yellow-greasy coating
Damp heat is often seen in those who experience chronic inflammatory conditions such as IBS/IBD, skin eruptions (acne, psoriasis, eczema), UTIs, are easy to anger, have pain or muscle aches that are worse in hot/humid weather
QI STAGNATION
Tip of the tongue will be red, sometimes the sides too, with a thin, white coating.
Qi stagnation is evident in those who are easily stressed or emotionally upset; there is a tendency towards mood swings, muscle tension and pain patterns worse with emotional stress, pre-menstrual tension, etc.
BLOOD STASIS
Purple or mauve tongue with dark red or black spots “speckles.” Veins underneath the tongue are likely dark, enlarged, or distended.
Blood stasis is common in those who have varicose veins, leg pain, certain types of headaches, chest pain, liver spots, cold limbs, skin dryness or scaling (lacks moisture/luster), pain patterns will have a sharp or stabbing quality.
HEAT
Red tongue with a thin and yellow coating, can be red spots on tongue body too
Heat is often seen in those who subjectively feel or “run hot,” sweat easily, high thirst, constipated, short tempered, easily agitated, have skin issues (red-painful acne)
A WORD TO THE WISE
Of course, these are generalizations and very basic diagnostic patterns.
Everyone’s tongue is just as unique as their body’s constitution. Depending on the person, there can be a mixture of features on the tongue—and patterns in their diagnosis!
With that said, noticing variations on your tongue is normal and should not be a cause for alarm. These features alone do not definitively mean something is wrong or pathologically awry in those organ systems.
So please, a word to the wise: don’t panic looking at your tongue.
Accurate tongue diagnosis is a skill that Acupuncturists spend four years mastering in school and sharpening in practice.
So if you have questions or concerns, consult with a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAC) who is trained to decipher the nuances present on your tongue—but more importantly, detect the underlying root issues to the symptoms you are facing.
TO SCRAPE OR NOT TO SCRAPE…
Oh and one more thing! If you do decide to meet with an Acupuncturist—your first visit or a follow up—please do not brush or scrape your tongue beforehand! We need to be able to see the full picture—tongue coating and all.
It will help make our evaluation of what’s taking place internally more accurate.
Now find yourself some good lighting, a mirror, and go ahead—stick out your tongue.
How can Acupuncture can help you?
Sharyn Peavey Photography
BEHIND THE BLOG
HI, I’M LAUREN DYER.
I am the Co-Founder and Doctor of Acupuncture (DAC) here at Empower in New Gloucester, Maine.
I specialize in supporting those seeking holistic and integrative support for Chronic Pain, Emotional + Mental Wellness, and GI Health.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, these are all areas that not reflect one another—and the ways they show up are different for each person.
If you struggle with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, the effects of trauma, a difficult transition, or something else, I am here help you navigate your healing process. To learn more about my approach to care and see if our practice would be the right fit, click here.
Please note, the information presented in this article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace the diagnosis or treatment for ANY medical condition mentioned above. Please seek out appropriate care as needed.
Mood Swings and Blood Sugar Chaos: A Commonly Overlooked Connection
Did you know that behind a “bad case” of anxiety or depression, a blood sugar rollercoaster might be to blame? It’s true, yet this underlying cause is overlooked too often. Learn why it’s problematic, how it masquerades as psychiatric symptoms, plus how to take small steps to re-balance your blood sugar and reclaim your mental health.
It masquerades as a mood disorder but comes from your gut. Behind a “bad case” of anxiety or depression, a blood sugar rollercoaster might be to blame.
If you know that foggy “food coma” slump after a meal, you are probably familiar with the agitation and “hanger” that follows. If you haven’t felt these, chances are you have been on the receiving end of a family member or co-worker who really just needed to eat something. Am I right?
These are just some of the cues our body gives us when our blood sugar is too low.
BLOOD SUGAR CHAOS: WHAT IS IT?
Reactive hypoglycemia describes when your blood sugar crashes. It is more common in those who push through long hours without food, eat at irregular hours (like night shift work), are on a restrictive diet (all of them), have disordered eating cycles of starvation/binging, or whose diet is high in refined, processed carbs. Sound familiar? Given the nature of our food industry, this process affects Americans in epic proportions.
WHAT’S The BIG DEAL?
Although appetite signals wax and wane during the day, reactive hypoglycemia is not your average hunger pang. It is a more intense and often overlooked sign of chronically imbalanced blood sugar. When paired with prolonged insulin resistance (which develops as a result), it can lead to Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and even increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease down the road since high-sugar diets have been found to damage the hippocampus, a small region of the brain which needs to makes new neurons for memory and learning.
However, it’s also the ongoing fluctuations leading-up to these conditions you want to pay attention to, especially if you consider yourself to be someone who struggles with their mental health. Here is why you want to be weary of making reactive hypoglycemia a habit:
Blood sugar chaos creates psychiatric-like symptoms including: mood swings, irritability, “hanger,” anxiety, depression, bipolar, and those associated with ADHD. It also masks itself as pain and cognitive symptoms like: headaches, chronic fatigue, brain fog, dizzy spells, and fainting.
“Blood sugar chaos creates psychiatric-like symptoms including:
mood swings, irritability, “hanger,” anxiety, depression, bipolar, and those associated with ADHD.”
This is why reactive hypoglycemia is more than just an annoying reminder to eat. Sugar crashes that become a pattern are problematic. They will puppeteer your mood, cravings, hormones, and behaviors in the background without you even realizing it. Understandably, you might become convinced that you have severe depression or anxiety when potentially, unchecked blood sugar might just be creating chaos for you.
“Sugar crashes that become a pattern are problematic.
They will puppeteer your mood, cravings, hormones, and behaviors in the background without you even realizing it.”
Because reactive hypoglycemia often goes under the radar as underlying cause and so many of its symptoms masquerade as mental health concerns, many people go on psychiatric medications without even considering how their diet or lifestyle contributed to their mood changes in the first place—or how changing them can make a world of difference chemical-free.
IF IMBALANCED BLOOD SUGAR IS AN ISSUE, you might have:
Major dips in energy during the day
Feel hungry all of the time
Need a steady stream of snacks to get through the day
Become shaky, lightheaded, or get headaches when you don’t eat
Problems falling asleep or waking in the middle of the night
Have health conditions linked to insulin resistance, like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
This is why when I work with patients coming in for the above symptoms (and more) I consider if imbalanced blood sugar needs to be ruled out.
But first, let’s look at how the body and brain responds to blood sugar crashes.
Here is a common scenario that sets the stage for reactive hypoglycemia:
Even in Chinese Medicine, the Spleen is the a key digestive organ who functions like the Pancreas. The Spleen is easily weakened by too many sweets, not eating enough, overeating, eating at irregular times—all factors in blood sugar chaos. It also rules the emotions of Thought and Worry, ie. anxiety. You see, the gut-brain connection is nothing new. It’s all connected.
No matter which medical lens you look through, moderating the highs and lows is key to regulating your body, brain, and mental health.
HOW TO STEP OFF THE ROLLER-COASTER
Here are some small tips I share with patients that can make a big impact:
Add more high-quality natural fats and proteins into each snack and meals, especially at breakfast.
Aim to add in more of these fat sources like avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter, nut butters, and coconut milk. If you are weary of fats, know that not all are created equal. Limit foods with inflammatory oils such as vegetable, canola, and safflower.
Eat more whole-food sources for carbs like rice, oats, grains, cruciferous and root vegetables, potatoes, etc.
If the bulk of your fuel during the day comes from processed foods made with refined (white) flours and sugar, try this: pick one meal to use a different whole-food fuel source from the list above. Find what works and if you feel called to, keep adding in more to other meals.
Tune into your hunger cues and aim to eat a little something every 2.5 to 3 hours.
What is your eating schedule like? Do you get hungry but push through long hours until you are starving? Do you have a low appetite to begin with so you don’t eat much? Do you struggle with disordered eating? Context is important which is why I ask a lot of questions when it comes to lifestyle, diet, and appetite to figure out how to best approach guiding patients on supporting their digestive + emotional health.
There you have it! If you made it to the end, thank you for reading. It is possible to start re-balancing your blood sugar while reclaiming your mood and sense of self. Just give yourself permission to start and ask for help if you need it.
Sources
This blog was inspired by Dr. Kelly Brogan, MD and information shared in her books:
…both of which I highly recommend!
Behind the Blog
SHARYN PEAVEY PHOTOGRAPHY
HI, I’M LAUREN DYER.
I am the Co-Founder and Doctor of Acupuncture here at Empower in New Gloucester, Maine.
I specialize in supporting those with Chronic Pain, Emotional + Mental Wellness, and GI health.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, these are areas that not only relate to and reflect one another, but are also close to my heart. I consider myself lucky because I truly love Acupuncture and what I do. Getting to connect with others while empowering them to live with a renewed sense of relief, inner peace, and vitality are some of my greatest joys.
So if you are struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, the residual effects of trauma, a difficult transition, or other symptoms, I am here to help you navigate and own your healing process.
Please note, the information presented in this article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace the diagnosis or treatment for ANY medical condition mentioned above. Please seek out appropriate care as needed.
Acupuncture for Anxiety
Anxiety is a symptom. It’s a normal reaction to abnormally stressful situations yet it’s exploded as the diagnosis of our nation. Find out how Acupuncture treats the root causes to anxiety plus the science behind why this ancient medical practice is so naturally effective.
By DR. Lauren Dyer
DAC, LAC, DIPL. AC (NCCAOM)
It’s the diagnosis of a nation.
Anxiety eclipses depression as the most common mental health concern in the US, affecting 40 million adults. Given the current state of affairs, this number is without a doubt higher, affecting everyone in their own ways.
Even before these strange and uncertain times, anxiety has been on the rise.
The American Psychiatric Association ran a poll on 1,000 U.S. residents in 2017, and found that two thirds were “extremely or somewhat anxious about health and safety for themselves and their families and more than a third are more anxious overall than last year.” In 2018, poll was repeated and Anxiety had spiked by another 5 percent.
These findings are on par with Google Trends publishing how searches for anxiety doubled over the past five years.
Okay, so anxiety is more common than ever.
But what is it exactly?
Anxiety is an intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations that interferes with daily life.
For some people, it’s more situation-based. For others, it’s an everyday struggle. Even if anxiety is common, that does not make it a disorder, or someone who has it mentally ill (more on that controversial topic and why I wholeheartedly disagree with that language here).
Anxiety is a symptom.
When not caused by nutrient deficiencies, imbalanced blood sugar, or a pharmaceutical side-effect, anxiety is a normal reaction to abnormally stressful and traumatic situations.
“Anxiety is a normal response to abnormally stressful or traumatic situations”
Like grief and anger, anxiety is part of the human experience that should not be deemed a disorder and stigmatized. Unfortunately there is still a lot of shame people feel around acknowledging they have anxiety, let alone choosing to seek help. If you are one of those people, I am writing this for you. You are not alone, nor can you expect yourself to “be positive” all of the time. Not only is that unrealistic, the pressure of trying to keep-up that facade just makes it worse. In my personal and professional opinion, what is realistic is reframing the way we as individuals, a culture, and healthcare system look at mental health.
Think about it…
What if instead of labeling anxiety a “mental disorder” that needs to be chemically managed, we considered it a symptom that can be healed?
If we did, treating it could be reframed too, with less emphasis on numbing your feelings, and mode on holistically addressing the root culprits and circumstances causing it in the first place.
“What if instead of labeling anxiety a mental disorder that needs to be chemically managed, we considered it a symptom that can be healed?”
Thankfully, there are branches of medicine doing just that: Functional Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Psychoneuroimmunology, and of course, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
The Mind-Body Connection in Eastern Medicine:
For centuries, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has known how interconnected the body, mind, and emotions are: how long-suppressed and intense can emotions can become trapped in the body, later showing up as physical health issues. Likewise, when an organ system is affected, its paired emotion will surface (think: alcohol’s effect on the liver, which for some drinkers leads to anger). You can learn more about the Emotion-Organ Relationship in a blog I wrote here.
Thousands of years ago, TCM practitioners may not have used the term “anxiety,” but they established that worry damages the Spleen and Stomach—what modern medicine now calls our Gut Microbiome. Or how fear weakens the Kidneys—which we today know how our adrenal glands (which rest on top of the Kidneys) release stress hormones when we feel threatened.
It’s no coincidence. TCM has always accepted how the mind affects the body, and vice versa.
So how does Acupuncture help with anxiety?
A Personalized Approach:
When supporting those with anxiety, my approach is personalized to you and your experience of it. Just as the reasons behind anxiety are different, the way it shows up in the body can be too—so why would I (let alone more conventional avenues) treat it as if they were the same?
As an Acupuncturist, one of the ways I identify the root causes comes from asking questions during your first appointment.
When you get anxious, do you experience:⠀⠀
a racing mind, especially at night?⠀⠀
night sweats or tossing/turning?⠀
palpitations worse when you’re tired?⠀⠀
chest tightness or pain? ⠀⠀
dizziness or trouble focusing?⠀⠀
full-on panic attacks? ⠀
a sensation of having a lump in your throat?⠀
easily frightened or indecisive?
a wave-like feeling in your gut? ⠀⠀
loose stools or stomach pain?⠀⠀
sadness or shortness of breath?⠀⠀
angry or irritable easily?
vivid or disturbing nightmares?⠀
I also make sure to ask:
If there is a history of trauma (if so, only share what you are comfortable with)
What your diet is like (to rule out any potential nutrient deficiencies)
What medications you are on (to rule out if there is a side-effect taking place)
Each answer tells me something different about how anxiety is impacting your internal health.
It also signals to me which Acupuncture points to select, foods or herbs to suggest, etc.
Let’s say 10 people have anxiety—but the ways it shows up in their body, the events that have shaped its emergence, their associated symptoms and triggers can be (and often are) vastly different. As a result, there will be 10 different diagnoses and they will each receive 10 totally different treatments, all tailored to their needs.
This is one of the reasons Acupuncture is as effective as it is at alleviating anxiety: it is far from a one-size fits all approach.
By understanding your unique constitution, Acupuncture addresses the root causes behind your anxiety while treating the unique physical symptoms that arise with it.
The Science Behind It:
If you are curious about the how Acupuncture improves anxiety, check out this research:
IT REGULATES YOUR STRESS RESPONSE Via HEart rate variability
One of the most sensitive measures of the body’s ability to cope with stress is something called your Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Unlike heart rate which is the number of beats per minute, HRV is the time in between each beat. HRV measures how well your nervous system adapts to stress.
HRV is measured in the heart, but it originates in the Autonomic branch of your Nervous System which controls your sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) responses.
When HRV is high, it means your nervous system is balanced—your body can adapt to stress in your environment. A high HRV is desirable because it means your brain can switch between being on high-alert and calm at appropriate times. This can look like being able to fall asleep easily when it’s time for bed and having the energy to focus at work during the day. With anxiety these can be hard to come by.
When HRV is low, it means one branch is dominating (usually the sympathetic) and sending stronger signals to your heart/organs than the other. It means your body is working on overdrive to maintain its daily functions, which leaves fewer resources for exercising, caregiving, or whatever your daily activities require. A low HRV is common if you have chronic anxiety because your body is stuck in survival mode, even when a trigger is not immediately present.
The good news is, Acupuncture has been shown to improve the body’s ability to cope with stress and lower anxiety by improving HRV:
“In patients with mild depression or anxiety, verum acupuncture but not sham acupuncture was associated with significant reductions from baseline in mean resting heart rate at 5 and 15 min after needle application…These results suggest that verum acupuncture modulates autonomic activity in response to alterations of internal and external environments, and thus reduces overall anxiety in patients with depression or anxiety.” (MacDonald, 2019)
IT RELEASES ENDORPHINS
A summary of clinical findings on Acupuncture for anxiety details how:
“When the body is under stress, an area of the brain called the hypothalamus releases neurochemicals and research shows that acupuncture can calm this response. Acupuncture has also been shown to increase the release of endorphins, the body’s own ‘feel-good’ chemicals, which play an important role in the regulation of physical and emotional stress responses such as pain, heart rate, blood pressure and digestive function. All of these mechanisms have a direct effect on reducing anxiety.”
By releasing endogenous (self-made) pain-relieving opioids and feel-good endorphins, Acupuncture supports your body’s ability to restore, regulate, and heal itself in the ways it needs—drug-free.
IMPROVES SLEEP
Quality sleep is hard to maintain when your mind can never shut off.
A literature review on Acupuncture for psychiatric conditions reported that it significantly improved sleep quality in patients with anxiety related insomnia. One of the studies cited reported that after treatment, “urine 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (a metabolite of melatonin) levels were normalized and several polysomnographic measures, as well as self-reported fatigue, sleepiness, anxiety, and level of depression, were significantly improved. Combined with the evidence of treatment efficacy in depression-related insomnia, acupuncture may have broader utility in neuropsychiatric disorders with impaired quality of sleep.”
Whether you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or wake at the same time every night (the reason why can be found by looking at the TCM Body Clock), an Acupuncturist can help determine what imbalances are present to give you a specific treatment geared towards your symptoms.
IT Supports gut health
It is estimated that your gut bacteria produce about 95 percent of your body's serotonin, the neurotransmitter that influences both mood and gastro-intestinal activity (American Psychological Association). 95 percent!
This discovery has prompted a new area of research in what is called the Gut-Brain Connection. As novel as it seems, it confirms what Traditional Chinese Medicine has known for centuries about the mind-body connection. Gut feelings are no longer just a saying, they’re real.
Given how rich the gut is in bacteria and nerve fibers, it has been called a second brain—the enteric nervous system. The current evidence reveals that contrary to popular belief, the brain is not solely responsible for dictating the body’s activities. Instead, the gut-brain communication goes both ways:
“While doctors have always known that mental conditions such as stress and anxiety can lead to gastrointestinal issues – butterflies in your stomach for example, or stress-induced loose stools or nausea – increasingly it seems that the cause-and-effect relationship between mental state and gastrointestinal state may work in reverse, as well. An upset gut (ie. inflammation) can trigger changes in our mental state, suggesting that an upset in the balance of gastrointestinal (bacteria and) function could conversely be sending signals to your brain that cause neurological and emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety and mood swings.” (Lanyon 2019)
Digestive complaints such as poor appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, and irregular elimination are some of the most common symptoms I see in patients that come in for anxiety. Thankfully, Acupuncture has been shown to have positive effects on these symptoms, especially for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) where a meta-analysis demonstrated Acupuncture’s effectiveness to be clinically and statistically significant.
SIGNALS OF SAFETY
In light of the many ways the scientific community can explain how Acupuncture helps anxiety, I have my own view that sums them up:
I like to think of Acupuncture as giving your body signals of safety.
By figuratively tapping into the nervous system, Acupuncture gives your mind and body the stillness to deliver the message that “I am safe, I am okay, I can re-balance now” so it can do just that. Along with mobilizing your body’s own resources, bloodflow, and neuro-endocrine signals, Acupuncture can help you reclaim a sense of calm and resilience to withstand future stress.
If you want to experience it for yourself and are someone who:
Has tried anti-anxiety medications in the past but found they didn’t work for you
Has tried anti-anxiety medications but didn’t like they way they made you feel or taking them lead to unwanted side-effects
Wants to taper-off your medication while having a natural therapy to support you during that process (Do not discontinue or adjust any medications without talking to your prescribing doctor first.)
Wants a dual physical and energetic medicine to compliment counseling sessions you attend, with the option to coordinate care with your therapist
Wants to avoid medications
Has “tried everything else”
Has been dismissed by practitioners and wants a more compassionate and holistic support system that ultimately puts you in the driver seat of reclaiming your health
Wants strategies and recommendations for anxiety that are meant to support long-term relief rather than a superficial quick-fix
I would be happy to support you.
Ready to get started?
Have questions?
Hi, I’m Lauren Dyer.
I am the Co-Founder and Doctor of Acupuncture here at Empower in New Gloucester, Maine.
I specialize in supporting those with Chronic Pain, Emotional + Mental Wellness, and GI health.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, these are areas that not only relate to and reflect one another, but are also close to my heart. I consider myself lucky because I truly love Acupuncture and what I do. Getting to connect with others while empowering them to live with a renewed sense of relief, inner peace, and vitality are some of my greatest joys.
So if you are struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, the residual effects of trauma, a difficult transition, or other related symptoms, I am here to help you navigate and own your healing process.
SOURCES:
Amorim D; Amado J; Brito I; Fiuza SM. (2018, May). Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture for Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Research. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29705474/
Campos, M. (2017, November 22). Harvard Health Blog, “Heart rate variability: A new way to track well-being.” Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789
Chao, G.-Q., & Zhang, S. (2014, February 21). Frontiers In Genetics, “Effectiveness of acupuncture to treat irritable bowel syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.” Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3930986/
Cheng-Hao, MacDonald, Chen, Yi-Hung, & Iona. (2019, January 10). Frontiers in Psychiatry, “The Effects of Acupuncture on Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of the Literature. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00014/full
Lanyon, C. (2019, August 19). “What TCM has known for centuries: 'New' Brain-Gut Connection.” South China Morning Post. Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3022925/brain-gut-connection-how-tcm-has-known-centuries-what
Russel, D., et al. (n.d.). Acupuncture as a Therapeutic Treatment for Anxiety. Retrieved from https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/present-research/acupuncture-anxiety/
Can Beauty Hurt? How Chemicals in Skincare + Cosmetics Can Impact Your Health
Switching to cleaner beauty goes beyond skin deep. Learn how chemicals in your skincare items can be harming your hormones, mood, and physical health—plus what you can do about it with these easy-to-implement tips.
BY Dr. Lauren dyer
DAC, LAC, DIPL. AC (NCCAOM)
Spring cleaning isn’t just for your closets or yard anymore. Have you ever thought of updating your skincare routine? This blog is all about why…
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG)—a non-profit, non-partisan organization— “on average, women use 12 personal care products a day, exposing themselves to 168 chemical ingredients.” Men use six, exposing themselves to 85 unique chemicals.”
Think about that for a second...
How many do you apply a day?
Looking at the safety of cosmetics + everyday products is something I talk about with patients, especially if they are coming in with:
depression
anger + irritability
food/chemical sensitivities
headaches/migraines
pms-related symptoms
hormonal acne, hives, etc
waking from 1-3am regularly
Why am I calling out these symptoms?
They point to a root imbalance in the Liver.
Why does this matter?
It’s all connected. The chemicals in cosmetics + related products get absorbed into your skin and therefore, your bloodstream. Eventually they make their way to other other organs to be processed including, yep—your Liver.
LIVER HEALTH
The Liver is a known key detox organ. It filters your blood, breaking-down chemicals from food, drinks, drugs, plus personal/household products. It also helps keep your sex, thyroid, and adrenal hormones in check.
In TCM, we refer to these roles more broadly in saying the Liver ensures the free flow of qi and blood〰️When bombarded by chronic chemical exposure, my patients notice their mood, energy, skin, and hormones suffer.
How clean are your cosmetics?
To determine how safe your products are, be weary of ingredients you cannot easily pronounce, including these known endocrine disruptors:
Formaldehyde and formalin (shampoos)
Synthetic “fragrance” and “parfum”
Parabens (methyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-)
Phthalates (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others)
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and others
Aluminum chlorohydrate (deodorants)
RESOURCES
Can’t remember this list? No problem.
There are mobile apps that let you look up your go-to products & their ingredients!
You can even scan items through your phone & compare safety ratings before you buy:
Here are some apps I recommend:
Think Dirty
GoodGuide
Healthy Living
For more information, visit the Environmental Working Group’s Skin-Deep Database.
My Top Clean Beauty Picks:
🌿 Beauty Counter
🌿 Neal’s Yard Remedies
🌿 Badger Balm
🌿 Primally Pure
Not affiliated, just love these brands.
Hope you found this blog helpful. If you are ready to start cleaning up your makeup routine, know that your liver, skin, and mood will thank you.
Our Top Health + Wellness Gift Guide
We are sharing our top health-conscious gift ideas inspired by our favorite brands. Whether you need ideas for the athlete in your life, the chef, or the clean-beauty obsessed, we’ve got you covered. Learn how each of these items promote wellness to earn a spot on our list.
by lauren dyer, dac
As if the holidays were not stressful enough, finding the perfect gift for those you love only adds to the pressure. Even if you want to take advantage of the sales and buy for yourself, knowing where to start can be overwhelming.
To make things easier, here are our Top Picks for holiday gifts inspired by our care and favorite brands. With an emphasis on quality, functionality, and experiences, each item is meant to elevate your health and nurture your well-being. Plus, everything included is something we personally use and trust—so you know it’s legitimate.
this ARTICLE contains links for some Companies we are affiliated witH. However all opinions are 100% our own and we are TRue fans of everything we choose to endorse. the brands featured are ones we want you to know about so you can benefiT from them too.
FOR THE CLEAN-BEAUTY CONNOISSEUR
BEAUTY COUNTER
This is a skincare company that places their customer’s health as their #1 priority. Their mission is simple but powerful: to get safer products into the hands of everyone because “beauty should be good for you.”
Beauty Counter has become the gold standard in the clean beauty movement because of their strict sourcing and production qualifications. In fact, there are over 1,500 harmful and questionable ingredients they forbid from their formulations (The Never List™) whereas the U.S. government restricts only 30 ingredients while Canada restricts more than 600 and the E.U. more than 1,400 ingredients. If you are wondering why such a disparity exists, here is an eye-opening statement from Founder/CEO Gregg Renfrew:
“Decades of studies indicate that serious health issues (including but not limited to asthma, cancer, and infertility) are on the rise and are due in some part to our ongoing exposure to toxic chemicals—whether it's in the shower, on our commute, while we eat lunch at a local restaurant, or when we clean our kitchens at home. There are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market today. Many don't have any safety data. This is particularly true of those used in the skin care and beauty industry. What's worse is that the Food and Drug Administration (the agency that regulates cosmetics in the United States) does not have the authority to remove harmful ingredients from the products we put on our bodies and on our kids' bodies every single day, day after day.”
This brand don’t just advocate for change, they take action. Their founder recently testified as an expert witness in Congress for a landmark hearing on Cosmetic Reform, “the first time in 80 years since the U.S. government has passed legislation protecting consumers from harmful ingredients used in personal care and beauty products.” If passed, this bill would empower the FDA to screen ingredients and remove unsafe products from the market—finally.
When it comes to their products, there is something for everyone—men too . My everyday staples include their Dewy Skin Moisturizer, Charcoal Facial Mask, Vitamin C Facial Oil, Brow Gel, and Cream Highlighter. If you or someone you care about is wanting to make the switch to cruelty-free, safer beauty too, I cannot recommend Beauty Counter enough.
(NOT AFFILIATED, JUST OBSESSED)
FOR THE SELF-CARE ENTHUSIAST
FACIAL GUA SHA STONE & ROLLER SET
If you followed any major wellness blog in 2019, you have probably seen Gua Sha & Jade Rollers make a few appearances.
These Traditional Chinese Medicine tools have come into the spotlight for their ease of use and ability to smooth + sculpt facial muscles when paired with the right technique. Facial Gua Sha and Jade Rolling works by gently boosting blood flow to the skin, mobilizing connective tissue in the facial muscles, while stimulating the production of elastin + collagen. When done consistently, these tools can re-pattern the way the skin ages.
In Chinese Medicine, our face is a reflection of our life experiences, emotions, and internal health. Every line and wrinkle emerges from the consistent expressions of our lives and stories we tell ourselves. In that sense, our ability to glow and feel beautiful is truly and inside-out job.
Facial Gua Sha and Jade Rolling is also ideal if you get frequent headaches and jaw pain which can emerge from tension stored in the muscles of the face. It makes a soothing self-care ritual to start or end your day alongside your skincare routine (I prefer evening).
To find your own set, check out this review of the “10 Best Gua Sha Facial Tools” by Rank & Style. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but a nice resource to get you started.
I personally use the 6Babe Beauty Facial Bundle by expert Cosmetic Acupuncturist Amrit Singh, RAC in Toronto. Follow her Instagram (@6babebeauty) where she shares tutorials on her Highlights!
When it comes to proper use, you’ll need to learn the technique. So before trying it at home, check out Amrit’s videos or this How-To Video by Mind Body Green so you can get your glow on like a pro.
(Not affiliated, JUST sharing the love)
FOR THE FOODIE & CHEF
CLEAN COOKWARE
If you are like me and enjoy cooking, you probably know that using the right cookware for the job can make or break your meal. Nowadays with countless options on the market, there are bigger concerns like how safe (or not) non-stick cookware is, since not all are created equally. This scrutiny is in light of the FDA recently confirming “Toxic Nonstick Cookware Chemicals Are Contaminating Our Food and Water Supply.”
Here is an excerpt of their findings:
“The agency has been conducting studies on the prevalence of PFAS—a common chemical ingredient in nonstick pans—in various food and water sources. These chemicals (are used) as a means of repelling oil and water—but at the price of potentially leaching into our next meal […] The FDA presented its findings from three studies on the prevalence of PFAS at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry's [and] explained that these chemicals that have been widely used in nonstick cookware, contact paper, food packaging, cleaning products, and other industrial products have leached into our food and water supply, as well as contaminated our livestock and the sewage sludge used for fertilization. This is a serious problem as these “forever chemicals” are linked to liver damage, certain types of cancers, thyroid disease, infertility, high cholesterol…and several other serious health conditions.”
If you would like to switch to safer options, here is a reliable article on “The Best (and Worst) Cookware Materials” written by Chris Kresser, a fellow Acupuncturist and Functional Medicine expert. In summary the CLEANEST materials are: Cast Iron, Ceramic (Enamel), and Stainless Steel. The most TOXIC and questionable ones are: TEFLON (including cheap teflon replacements), COPPER (potentially less worriesome if stainless-steel lined), and ALUMINUM.
So whether you want to gift yourself or the beloved chef in your life some safe and quality cookware, now you know what to look for.
As for me, I’ll be adding some more Le Creuset to my kitchen this season.
(NOT AFFILIATED JUST A FAN)
FOR THE GO-GETTER + ORGANIZER
DAY DESIGNER PLANNER
This planner is a game-changer if you thrive on routine, structure, and organizing. Being “Type-A” is a badge I don’t mind wearing and if you can relate, neither should you. I began using Day Designer’s Planners at the start of 2019. When researching options, I was drawn to how different their layout was compared to most agendas. Instead of trying to fit your daily goals and to-dos in an inconveniently small rectangle that covers 1/4 of the page (since most planners cram Monday-Wednesday and Thursday-Sunday onto two pages), Day Designer’s layout is a breath of fresh air. They give you—get this—an ENTIRE PAGE for every day of the year. Genius.
Now, if you are thinking that’s unnecessary, I assure you it’s not. Their daily spread gives you a nice balance of structure and space. You have an area to list your “Top 3” priorities, a free-form section for listing your to-dos on paper as well as a hourly break-down to schedule-in more time sensitive tasks and appointments. I regularly used their “Don’t Forget,” “Dinner” and “Daily Gratitude” boxes too. After using Day Designer for a year now, I can confidently share how thankful I am for the ability to go about each day with clearer intentions and efficiency.
You can take a close-up look at their layout here.
As a bonus, these planners are just as durable as they are aesthetic: their brass binding, hardcovers, and chic patterns all convey how this brand is for those who are serious about planning (and living) their best life. Be sure to check them out and you can even sample their free printables before investing!
(NOT AFFILIATED, JUST OBSESSED—AGAIN)
FOR THE ATHLETE IN YOUR LIFE
WHOOP FITNESS TRACKER
Whoop is the next generation of fitness trackers. This all-in-one, light weight strap monitors your heart rate, calories burned, sleep (including the breakdown for how much of each stage you’re getting) plus Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to determine your daily strain and recovery levels.
What is HRV? It measures the time between individual heart beats, reflecting your central nervous system’s (CNS) response to stress. A high HRV is positive: it shows your CNS can easily shift out from a sympathetic “fight or flight” state to one that can “rest and digest.” Low HRV is seen in those with poorly managed chronic stress, where the CNS becomes stuck on high-alert, often associated with anxiety, depression, insomnia, and cardiovascular issues. HRV is considered a new way to measure overall health and fitness—and it is a metric Whoop accounts for unlike other trackers on the market. To learn more about HRV and its benefits for athletes, read Whoop’s blog about it here.
Dr. Travis Dyer actually uses Whoop to optimize his training and loves it. As a clinician, competitive powerlifter, and coach, he always says “if it can’t be measured, it can’t be managed.” This is especially true when it comes to athletes looking to build strength or endurance while managing fatigue. It can be a hard balance to find which is why knowing the ins-and-outs of how your body works is, in his opinion, the key to performance. What sets Whoop apart is its ability to help you intuitively understand your strain + stress + sleep levels to optimize your performance.
Features any athlete will appreciate:
WHOOP LIVE: Record yourself your during a workout, going for a big lift, a sprint, etc. and see your metrics change in action.
STRAIN COACH: Know when to go all out and when to dial-it-back. Whoop’s Strain Coach lets you know what your exertion levels should be for your training that day based on your recovery.
SLEEP COACH: Find out what time you need to go to bed by and how many hours of sleep you need to recover from daily activities. You can alter these metrics based on whether you are trying to “Get By” “Perform” or “Peak.”
GET A FREE WHOOP 3.0 STRAP Plus $30 TOWARDS YOUR MEMBERSHIP WHEN YOU JOIN below:
(dR. TRAVIS Dyer IS A WHOOP member and ATHLETE)
FOR THE OVERWORKED & OVER-STRESSED
DAO LABS CHINESE HERBAL TEAS
If you’ve worked with us, you have probably heard us recommend DAO Labs as a way to compliment your care—and for good reason.
Each tea is a modern adaptation of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine but with better taste, delicious flavors, and hassle-free enjoyment: just pour in water, stir, and sip! We trust DAO Labs for our patients because they have the highest standards for quality control and sustainable sourcing—with third-party testing to ensure the integrity of each formula. All of their teas are made and tested in the USA without any artificial ingredients or fillers. They also donate a portion of each sale to Wildaid to end illegal wildlife trade.
The teas that we recommend (and our patients love the most) are:
EMOTIONAL BALANCE
Inspired by the calming, popular and powerful herbal blend Free & Easy Wanderer (Xiao Yao San), this formula is ideal for those with overwhelming stress and a tendency towards irritability. It is also beneficial for mood swings due and symptoms due to PMS.
MENTAL TRANQUILITY
Mental Tranquility is for the stressed sleeper whose mind won’t turn off in the night, leaving them stressed and restless—then fatigued the next day. Inspired by the classic Chinese herbal bled Return to Spleen (Gui Pi Tang), this natural, non-habit forming formula is for those with a tendency towards worry, daytime anxiousness, and a racing mind that makes it hard to fall asleep or fall-back to sleep if wakened during the night.
PHYSICAL TRANQUILITY
Physical Tranquility is for the physically restless and overheated sleeper, who wake repeatedly or toss and turn through the night, leaving them agitated the next morning. Inspired by the classic formula Emperor of Heaven Elixir (Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan), this natural, non-habit forming sleep formula is designed to calm and cool the body during the night, delivering peaceful rest and more energy the next day. I also like to recommend this formula for women looking for relief from menopause-related hot flashes.
DIGESTIVE HARMONY
Digestive Harmony, inspired by the classic herbal blend Preserve Harmony Decoction (Bao He Wan) is a soothing yet powerful solution for balancing one’s stomach, upgrading digestive health, and generally delivering gut happiness when other western options have fallen short. It provides fast digestive balance and harmony after over-indulging, when you’re in an urgent digestive pinch, as well as daily support to keep your stomach settled.
I like to recommend this formula for those who get digestive disturbances that are clearly linked to (and worse with) stress. However, its also best for bloating, heartburn, acid reflux, and indigestion/nausea after meals.
USE THE CODE *EMPOWER* AT CHECKOUT TO SAVE 10% ON YOUR FIRST ORDER!
WE ARE AFFILIATEs OF DAO LABS
FOR THE EXPERIENCE-SEEKER
GIFT A TREATMENT
SHARYN PEAVEY PHOTOGRAPHY
SHARYN PEAVEY PHOTOGRAPHY
If buying “stuff” is not your style and your loved ones would much rather have an experience dedicated to elevating their health, we would be grateful to serve them.
Our practice specializes in supporting those in our community with Chronic Pain, Sports Injuries, Chronic Stress, Burnout, Anxiety, Depression, Digestive Imbalances, and more. If you are wondering if we are the right practice for you, feel free to contact us.
HAVE A RESTFUL and HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON!
Disclaimer: Information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, or replace the care for any health concern or medical condition. Please seek out professional advice from a licensed medical provider for any concerns you have.
Can Your Joints Predict The Weather?
Joint pain? Achey muscles? Arthritis? Learn what it means when your pain flares up with the specific weather patterns in Chinese Medicine and how Acupuncture can manage your pain naturally.
Dr. Lauren Dyer
You know when it’s coming…
The rain, the next cold-front, or maybe the hot and humid weather bother you more instead. When the aches and pains first started, you suspected the weather might have a role to play, but by this point the connection is clear—and it’s not enough to blame the barometric pressure. The good news is, Chinese Medicine has understood and validated the relationship between how the environment affects our bodies and health for centuries.
If your pain is worse with certain weather patterns, this is an important diagnostic clue. Understanding the types of weather that your pain worse is one of the many ways Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM) looks beyond your symptoms and conventional diagnosis to treat the root cause(s) to your pain.
So what can it mean when your pain flares up with windy, damp, cold, or hot weather?
This can point to a Painful Obstruction (Bi) Syndrome.
PAINFUL OBSTRUCTION SYNDROME
In TCM, there is a saying: “where there is free flow, there is no pain; where there is a lack of free flow, there is pain.” Painful Obstruction or Bi Syndrome refers to acute or chronic pain and stiffness in the musculo-skeletal system (bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles) due to the obstructed flow (stagnation) of qi and blood. With Bi Syndrome, there can be varying qualities of pain, numbness, tingling, heaviness, swelling, sensations of heat or coolness, and decreased mobility. However, a defining quality is pain that is worse with the presence of natural elements: WIND, DAMP, COLD, and HEAT.
What Causes IT?
Our bodies are reflections of our external environment, and they are always adapting to keep up with day-to-day and seasonal changes. Just like how viruses, bacteria, and allergens are key culprits for externally-contracted illness conventional medicine, in TCM, our environment, and the elements that define it, can become pathogenic as well. These elements are more likely to “invade” and become generated internally from:
Prolonged exposure from living, working, or exercising in a certain climate
Acute exposure from dressing inadequately for the weather
Weak digestion, poor appetite, dietary influences
Overuse of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory (“pain-killers”), Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI), etc.
Genetic predisposition; lowered immune resistance
Overwork (physically + mentally) as well as insufficient exercise; poor ergonomics
Direct Injury (creates blood stasis) or Post-Surgical Pain (build-up of scar tissue and/or use of metal internally)
In summary, Painful Obstruction can affect individuals who are both chronically stressed and suffer from Qi + Blood Stagnation as well as those with a Qi + Blood Deficiency, each of which creates an environment for pathogens to invade and become lodged in the body.
CONVENTIONAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE RELATED
From a biomedical perspective, Bi Syndrome can correspond with:
injury due to biomechanical strain
Osteoarthritis
Tendonitis
Bursitis
Fibromyalgia
Carpal Tunnel syndrome
Sciatica
degenerative joint disease
Gout
Scleroderma
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Rheumatoid + Psoriatic arthritis, and more
(Please note this is not an exhaustive list)
TYPES OF BI syndrome
Chinese Medicine requires careful differential diagnosis to specify the underlying causes and pathogens causing the painful obstruction in the first place. As mentioned above, there are both internal and external causes that can contribute to Bi Syndrome, as well as different patterns based on the location and nature of the painful obstruction. What follows is a generalized pattern differentiation according to the most common Bi Syndromes due to external pathogens in TCM.
WIND BI: Pain comes and goes, rapidly moving to different parts of the body; creates stiffness with limited range of motion. The location is not-fixed. Wind makes the pain worse. Because this type moves of Bi from area to area, it is also known as "Wandering Bi."
COLD BI: Pain is constant, severe, tight, or sharp in nature; it is fixed in location. Cold temperatures worsen the condition, and warmth improves it. You might have an aversion to cold. Because this type of Bi usually results in severe pain, it is also known as "Painful Bi."
DAMP BI: Pain is characterized as soreness, dull, achy, and throbbing. Dampness tends to linger and sink in nature: there might be swelling in the skin, muscles, and joints, especially in the knees and ankles. Pain can also be accompanied by sensations of heaviness or numbness. The pain tends to remain fixed. Dampness worsens the condition and you usually have an aversion to rainy, humid weather because of it.
HEAT BI: Heat predominates when a Wind-Cold-Damp pathogen becomes entrapped over time, creating a move severe form of qi stagnation—qi constraint. When constraint forms it festers, and unable to “vent” or be released, it generates heat internally. Heat Bi is characterized by inflamed, red, swollen joints. You might have an aversion to heat since that makes the pain worse.
Bi Syndromes can develop as combinations, such as Wind-Cold, Cold-Damp, Damp-Heat, Wind-Heat, etc. Only a Licensed Acupuncturist can accurately diagnose Painful Obstruction Syndrome and differentiate which type of Bi you have, if any shared above.
ACUPUNCTURE FOR HOLISTIC PAIN RELIEF
There is a dire need to manage pain more holistically in our healthcare system. Between the Opioid Crisis, emerging evidence on the dangers of steroid injections, and a culture where popping pills is a reflex at the first sign of discomfort, the status quo is problematic because it promotes superficial symptom support—not healing. I am grateful to be able to share this medicine with others, because it can be a transformative experience when you allow yourself to tune into what your body is telling you through our symptoms. It is with this awareness that we can begin to address the root of the issues you are experiencing instead of settling for “quick-fixes” with potentially harmful side effects. Whether you are considering Acupuncture as your first-choice or last-resort, at our practice we will help you navigate your health with personalized care—giving you the resources and tools to improve your pain beyond your treatments and time working together. That is how we strive to give you a foundation for long-term wellness and sustainable pain relief.
“I have had neck pain from arthritis that became excessive from a fall and now I can say I am pain free thanks to the treatments of Dr. Lauren Dyer. My everyday is more comfortable. I had some strong doubts of any improvement because arthritis is not curable but have been shown it can be improved. I will recommend her to evaluate any concerns. Very personal treatment plan for each need. I am very happy having gone to Empower!”
You are more than your pain.
You are more than your diagnosis.
Just because you have been told you have a condition does not mean you need to live with it, or in pain, for the rest of your life.
If you are ready to start feeling better, I would be happy to connect with you.
Burnout: How To Recover Naturally
Burnout isn’t something you “bounce back” from. Find out the toll it takes, what to watch out for, plus how Acupuncture can help you regain your balance and boundaries.
Dr. Lauren Dyer,
DAc, LAc, Dipl. Ac (NCCAOM)
On the Acupuncture-side of our practice, I work with a lot of people who are, let’s say, totally overwhelmed.
This is beyond stress. I am talking about taxation on a physical, mental, and emotional level.
My patients are givers, go-getters, parents, students, executives, care-takers, and self-proclaimed workaholics. But they are over-worked, over-tired, and all share how they are running on empty. They have all of the responsibilities, but hardly any of the rest and support outside of our time together. Many of them enjoy their jobs—they’re good at it and have high satisfaction—but they still feel overwhelmed and have a hard time turning "work-mode” off.
The more I hold space for and support those who experience burnout, the stronger I felt I had to share more about this condition.
My intention for this article is to create awareness of all of the ways burnout can affect you and how I approach it with Acupuncture + Chinese Medicine. At the end, I offer some things to consider to help you recover, re-establish healthy boundaries, and prioritize yourself for better health.
So, let’s get into it…
If it seems like “Burnout” is talked about as if it was a national epidemic, you would be correct. What makes this phenomena so unique is that even though it is not officially recognized as medical condition, it is as real as the people who experience it.
Burnout has become so pervasive that research can now measure the cost and toll this syndrome takes on individuals and our health care system:
“A 2018 Gallup study of nearly 7,500 full-time employees found that 23 percent of employees reported feeling burned out at work very often or always, while an additional 44 percent reported feeling burned out sometimes.”
Job burnout costs an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion in health-care spending each year.
Current research through the National Institute of Health “has attributed it to type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, high cholesterol and even death for those under the age of 45.”
(Statistics are from CNBC News with direct links to findings above)
“Never give from the depths of your well,
but from your overflow”
What is Burnout exactly?
Formally, the World Health Organization describes it as a syndrome that develops from chronic, poorly managed workplace stress resulting in exhaustion, apathy, pessimism, and decreased productivity.
From my experience in working with hundreds of patients who experience work-related stress, I agree that burnout include these symptoms—but there is so much more that happens. The toll burnout takes is often deeper and widespread, affecting a person’s nervous, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems. In other words: our bodies internalize stress in several uniquely different ways.
This is why, through Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture, I consider each person’s experience of burnout individually. We discuss how it impacts their emotions, sleep, energy levels, relationships, self-esteem, digestion, and more. Symptoms are important, but treatments always address their root pattern(s) to recover holistically.
Re-Kindling The Kidneys
The Root of Burnout in Chinese Medicine:
In Chinese Medicine, there is a saying: “one disease, many roots; one root, many diseases.” Just like how burnout presents in slightly different ways depending on the person, there is still a common root that is typically to blame for burnout— it’s called a Kidney Deficiency.
My Kidneys are What?!
In TCM, our Kidneys (combined with our Adrenal Glands) are one of the most important organs systems. Together, they connect our brain to our instincts and intuition. The Kidneys influence our hormonal rhythms and response to stress, shock, fear, and trauma: think, the release of cortisol and your body’s Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis (the pathway responsible for regulating your body’s sympathetic “fight or flight” response) .
In TCM, the health of the Kidneys are expressed through the brain (cognitive functioning), bones (their integrity), ears (hearing) and hair (quality). After considering this, it makes sense why the more our Kidney Qi (energy) naturally declines with age that mild memory loss, osteoporosis, deafness, and hair thinning become more prominent. However, there are environmental and lifestyle factors that weaken the Kidney Qi prematurely: sleep deprivation, substance abuse, nutrient deficiencies (from poor appetite/diet), and long hours of physical/mental exertion without rest. Sound familiar? These are all side effects (or coping mechanisms) of burnout.
On an energetic level, the Kidneys are the sacral root of our body’s Life Gate, as they withhold our reserves of Inherited Qi and Vital Essence (Jing). In this way, I like to think of the Kidneys as our body’s deepest well...a reservoir that we too often take from but forget to replenish.
When your Kidney Qi is abundant, you’ll have a healthy sense of self, direction, and will-power to pursue your goals.
You can take on the demands of the day with ease while making deliberate choices in what (and who) you give your energy to.
How is your Kidney Qi?
Signs & Symptoms
What to pay attention to:
These are signals the body gives when the Kidneys/Adrenals are taxed…
MENTAL + EMOTIONAL symptoms
Feeling “burnt out” and exhausted
Feeling numb or apathetic, little motivation
Foggy-headed, trouble concentrating
Poor memory, trouble recalling words
Trouble falling and/or staying asleep
Chronic worry, overthinking
Increased irritability and anger
Substance dependency (caffeine, alcohol, recreational drugs)
If there is a history of trauma (which is stored in the Kidneys), there can also be uncontrollable fear and hyper-vigilance
PHYSICAL symptoms may/may not include:
Low Back & Knee Pain
Thyroid & Hormonal Imbalances
Premature Aging & Hair Loss
“If you do not set consistent times in your life for personal rejuvenation then you cannot expect to have mental and physical resilience during difficult moments.”
Now What?
Things to consider:
If you have read up to this point, first of all, thank you. Second, please know that your symptoms, any supposed Kidney Deficiency, and Burnout do NOT have to define you. As a clinician of Chinese Medicine, I am sensitive to how my patients may have been treated by other providers (many share how they have felt dismissed or discouraged) but are hopeful in coming to me for solutions. That is why I help them look at their TCM diagnosis not as a sentence, but a starting point. By identifying the imbalances, only then we can start to have a conversation about how to address them.
With that said, I think it is worth stating that just as burnout is not something that happens overnight, it’s not just something you bounce-back from. So how do you begin?
Here are my thoughts…
Recognizing the need to create space for your recovery and well-being takes a deep sense of self awareness. What is your body trying to tell you? What physical, emotional, even hormonal symptoms are showing up to say there’s an imbalance—that it’s time to make a change?
Creating space benefits you the most when done consistently: rather than trying to balance the endless to-do’s, establish the key priorities and build boundaries around when you will address each item. Actively maintaining your boundaries with your time and energy leads to balance.⠀
You have to WANT to create space so that you can give more to the jobs, relationships, and hobbies that matter most without sacrificing your health in the process.⠀
Creating space takes patience, practice, but you know what else? Permission. Give yourself the permission to start as well as permission to not be perfect. Maybe one day you have to cut your time short, or skip it altogether. It’s okay. Breathe, forgive, and look forward to the next time. ⠀
...How are you creating space for your recovery?
How Can Acupuncture Help?
Acupuncture is a gentle, safe, and effective therapy that promotes your body’s own physiological processes which become weakened or pathological from chronic stress, trapped emotions, as well as long-standing illnesses and injury.
In other words: Acupuncture reminds the body how to repair, regulate, and heal itself again.
From a TCM viewpoint, Acupuncture can help you recover from burnout by improving circulation of qi and blood to the Kidneys, Adrenals, and other affected organ systems based on your clinician’s findings. From a Western-scientific, it:
Down-regulates your body’s stress response by shifting it from a “fight or flight” state to one that can “rest and digest.” This is why patients fall asleep during treatments, feel a deeper sense of calm, and report having better quality sleep sometimes in as little as one treatment.
Increases body’s natural opiates, endorphins, and enkephalins (feel-good hormones) to reduce pain.
Reduce cortisol and increase serotonin to alleviate anxiety, depression, irritability, and stress.
Promotes bloodflow to the brain to improve cognitive functioning as well as the viscera to regulate autonomic functions (heart-rate: reduce palpitations, digestion: improve nutrient absorption, appetite, and energy levels; regulates bowel movements).
Increases circulation to relax tight muscles and reduces joint stiffness
Enhances the body’s the body’s immune system to decrease inflammation and quell inflammatory & auto-immune related conditions.
For those who see me during and in the aftermath of burnout, their Acupuncture appointments are their designated time to unwind, re-cultivate their energy reserves, and re-establish resilience to life’s stressors. It’s a time where you are not on high-alert so your body can heal in the ways it needs to.
I am grateful to offer a safe space as well as the time, attention, and compassionate presence where you can vent, cry, laugh, celebrate, and be heard. In addition to your Acupuncture treatments, we can discuss some mindset, lifestyle, and/or Eastern Dietary tweaks to start shifting your mind + body into a better place where “burnout” isn’t your new normal. In the meantime, start by creating space for yourself everyday, even in small ways to start.
If you know you need a little more guidance, significant relief, and deeper healing, Acupuncture with me is a wonderful place to start.
“Being resilient isn’t synonymous with
not needing support”
**Please note, the information presented in this article is not meant to diagnose or replace the treatment for any medical condition: it is meant to be educational only. Regarding Chinese Medicine diagnostics, only a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc) can confirm if patterns discussed in this article (or others not discussed) are contributing for your health concerns. Please seek out professional care as needed. Feel free to reach out and direct any questions to hello@empowerchiroacu.com**
Sources:
Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. (2019, May 28). Retrieved June 20, 2019, from World Health Organization: Mental Health, https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/burn-out/en/
Salvagioni, D. A., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & Andrade, S. M. (2017, October 04). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5627926/
Sheryl Kraft, S. T. (2018, August 28). Companies are facing an employee burnout crisis. Retrieved June 20, 2019, from CNBC News: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/14/5-ways-workers-can-avoid-employee-burnout.html
Acupuncture for Depression
In Chinese Medicine, Depression is far more than a mental health condition: it’s an emotional and physical one too. Learn how Acupuncture can help plus what research has to say on its effectiveness.
Lauren Dyer, DAC
If you were to look up depression, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-V) defines it as an “episode” that lasts at least two weeks where the person experiences a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. This mood must be present along with at least five other symptoms, including:
Sleep issues on almost a daily basis (either difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much)
Changes in appetite and weight (change of more than 5 percent body weight in a month) or a decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day
Decreased energy or fatigue almost every day
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and thinking clearly
Psychomotor agitation or impairment that is observable by others (slow physical movements or unintentional or purposeless motions)
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, a suicide attempt, or plan
This definition is fine and formal, but in reality, depression is different for everyone. Yes, there are some shared experiences in the energy dips, low spirits, and diminished drive for those who have it. But there are others who are high-functioning and hide it well. Depression is unique in that it is irrational and unpredictable. Unlike anxiety that tends to worsen in a linear progression, depression can vacillate between numbness and hopelessness; one day you can wake up feeling nothing and lack motivation, while another day you are feeling everything too strongly and find yourself in a downward-spiral of self-loathing.
Although depression is considered a mental condition, in Chinese Medicine it is just as much of an emotional and physical one too.
If you read my previous blog on “The Physical Effects of Emotions,” bear with me as I reiterate one of the most important points that demonstrates this:
“In Chinese Medicine, each emotion is associated with an internal organ—and when one emotion is too intense, it impacts the ability of that organ to function properly. This is because each emotion impacts the circulation and direction of energy (Qi) in the body in distinct, but predictable ways.
As opposed to Western Medicine where mental and emotional processes are connected to the brain (reactions in the cerebral cortex, limbic system, and hypothalamus), in Chinese Medicine, these processes are driven by the internal organs themselves. If you’ve ever heard anyone say they had a “visceral reaction” to something, that’s why: when emotions are felt strongly, we feel them physically.
In other words, our psychology affects our physiology.
Of course, emotions are natural and healthy, but when one is experienced repeatedly, inappropriately (out-of-context), or repressed for too long, that emotion can manifest physically as symptoms associated with the internal organ it is paired with. The same is also true in reverse: if the functioning of a certain organ is impaired, its dysfunction can reveal itself through its paired emotion.
In this sense, Depression does not just describe an emotional affect, but the presence of poor circulation (stagnation). This is why emotional depression and the “depressed” movement of qi/blood are often seen hand-in-hand. This also explains why depression can manifest as physical ailments and behavioral patterns such as:
Chronic Pain
Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue
IBS & GI Disorders
Auto-Immune Conditions
Substance Dependency
and more…
When it comes to treating it with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, my approach is different for each person I work with. This is because, as opposed to conventional medicine, not everyone’s depression expresses itself the same way. So why would I treat it the same? Any two (or even 10) people can have depression—but what activates it, the predominant emotion(s) and organ(s) involved, their symptoms, plus aggravating factors can be completely different.
Taking these nuances into account is the key to effectively diagnosing and treating the underlying imbalance.
What follows are some of the most frequently asked questions I get from those wondering if Acupuncture can help them with depression.
What should I expect?
As mentioned above, treating depression with Acupuncture is not a one-size-fits all (not even a one-size-fits most) approach. You can expect an individualized treatment plan to support your process because I tailor everything about your care to you—from the Acupuncture points I choose and additional modalities I incorporate, to the foods/herbs and lifestyle recommendations I offer. During our initial 1.5 hour long appointment together, we will talk at length about you, your medical history, and story—what brought you to where you are today?
I ask several questions not only about what your depression looks like to you and how it physically manifests, but about other areas of your life that might seem unrelated—like your digestion, what you eat (or what you can manage to eat) on a daily basis, what your home and work environments are like, your relationships, sleep patterns, whether you have tendencies for physical pains or get sick often. These are just some areas I like to touch on, but they are pretty important so I can make connections and look at the bigger picture of what imbalances are taking place internally.
After the intake process, I will look at your tongue (yes, really) and feel your radial pulse on the inside of your wrists. Both are important diagnostic tests that reveal another layer of what organ systems are implicated in your pattern of depression. I also like to create space before the Acupuncture itself so you can ask any questions you have. Once your treatment begins, you can relax and even nap if you want.
Do I have to do anything between my appointments or do I just show up?
Acupuncture is a powerful and transformative therapy all on it’s own, however, my goal is for you to not have to rely on it to solely relieve your depression and the symptoms you experience. In fact, you will most likely notice quicker results when you participate in your care.
I encourage patients to do this by engaging in their treatments anytime they are out of the treatment room itself, like at work or home. You can do this by following through on the lifestyle and/or dietary guidance I offer, which is given to help accumulating progress from treatment to treatment. Especially with depression, I ask my patients to pay attention to any changes (subtle or substantial) that you experience in between sessions. This awareness helps inform my decisions making when it comes to adapting treatments to meet where your body, mind, and emotions are on that given day. If you are rather record these changes on paper, I welcome you to do that too.
How does Acupuncture help relieve depression?
Science and allopathic medicine recognizes how Acupuncture is able to alleviate depression by:
Naturally promoting the body’s release of serotonin and endorphins—your “feel-good” hormones
Releasing vasodilators which relax the blood vessels to lower blood pressure and promote circulation (remember, when qi and blood are stuck, physical pain and depression are more likely to develop)
Relieving pain by blocking pain signals in the spinal cord and brain; given how common it is for chronic pain and depression to be seen together, this finding has encouraged the American College of Physicians (ACP) to recommend Acupuncture as a treatment before prescribing opioids.
Relaxing the sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system which tells your body it’s in “crisis” mode; Acupuncture dials-down this response while allowing your nervous system to shift into a parasympathetic “rest and digest” state so it can repair and regulate itself. This is especially helpful when caught in that “downward spiral” with self-loathing thoughts.
What if I am taking an anti-depressant—how will that impact my treatments?
To many people’s surprise, Acupuncture is commonly used in conjunction with anti-depressants. Not only that, a 2015 meta-analysis and systematic review (which is the highest-quality level of research because they compile the results of every study done on the subject) has demonstrated that Acupuncture actually enhances the effectiveness of selective-serotonin reuptake inbihibitor (SSRI) medications. When comparing the use of Acupuncture-alone for depression vs. the use of Acupuncture combined with SSRIs, the combination was shown to be more fast acting, safe, and effective than SSRI use alone.
So if you are taking an anti-depressant, it will not negatively impact treatments—it can help! If getting off of medications is a goal of yours, which it is for some patients I work with, I ask that they have that conversation with their prescribing provider so the transition can be carefully managed.
I have had depression for (insert length of time here), how long will Acupuncture take to help?
I wish there was a predictable answer to this question, but the length of time to start noticing significant, sustainable changes depends on a couple of factors: how long you have had depression for, the severity of it, your willingness to collaborate on a treatment plan, your ability to engage in your treatments and embrace recommendations given outside of the office, etc. I will confidently share that almost everyone feels more relaxed after their first treatment, which is a good thing because it shows the body is already responding! Acupuncture is sometimes a quick-fix, but not usually when it comes to depression. Think about how many months or years you have felt stuck, numb, in pain, or overwhelmed emotionally—whether it’s due to life circumstances, trauma, loss, or reasons you can’t even pinpoint? It will take a little bit to shift that. A typical course of Acupuncture is 10 treatments, and most patients notice changes by their 4th-6th visit.
What are the benefits of Acupuncture for depression?
The benefits of Acupuncture for depression are well-known to include positive changes in your physical health as well as your mental/emotional outlook. I have had patients share that they experience:
More resilience: their ability to handle situations that would typically overwhelm or send them into a crisis improves
Feeling “lighter” emotionally: sometimes the weight of what depresses us—memories, experiences—does not get a chance to escape because we hold it in. I have patients report this sensation in a few different ways, but it all relates to a feeling of relief as circulation improves and things become “un-stuck.”
Better quality sleep: being able to fall asleep more easily or stay asleep longer without tossing and turning.
More energy: with depression, energy is your currency—you have to know how and when to spend it wisely or you run the risk of over-doing something which leaves you even more depleted, or you just don’t do anything, and feel paralyzed by daily activities. I have patients who could not gather the strength to clean their home, take a shower, etc. come back to say that they were able to accomplish more during the day than they were able to before.
Improved appetite and digestion: Acupuncture plus personalized herbal and dietary suggestions can do this by reducing stagnation in the digestive organs
Improved will-power and ability to make decisions: By influencing the nervous system and treating the organs that govern these mental processes, this is a benefit patients are sometimes surprised by—they report getting their “fire back” and can commit to things without second guessing themselves.
I hope you found this informative.
If you are struggling with depression and are ready to get support naturally, I would be happy to share this medicine with you.
“I have Bipolar and found it hard in the past to regulate my mood swings, even with proper care and regulation. Mentally after about 3 months of seeing Lauren, my family noticed my mood swings were less unpredictable. My bouts of every two week meltdowns evolved to an even keel. My psychiatrist was baffled, as he has tried for over 2 years to relieve any of my symptoms. Acupuncture ended up turning my life around. ”
— DL, AUBURN