Services
Cupping
Cupping is like a reverse massage - instead of pushing the tissues down, negative pressure within the cup pulls the tissue up! This allows for greater movement of blood and interstitial fluids to improve local circulation. Cupping also stretches connective tissue and muscle fibers to relieve adhesions and knots.
Cupping is often used to treat traumatic injury and improve healing time by bringing fresh blood to the area and flushing out deoxygenated blood filled with metabolic waste products. Cupping is very relaxing and can benefit those of us with stress-related tension.
It is important to know that cupping does leave circular marks that fade over several days. Pictures of Michael Phelps and Gwyneth Paltrow with cupping circles have sparked many conversations about cupping and can be viewed as an example of what the marks look like.
Tuina
Tuina (“twei-na”), which translates roughly to “push and grasp,” describes Chinese medical massage. It is the bodywork aspect of traditional Chinese medicine and can be used with acupuncture, cupping, moxa, or on its own. My style of bodywork emphasizes acupressure and channel massage while incorporating aspects of qigong, Thai massage, Japanese sotai, reiki, and reflexology.
For those of you that really don’t like needles, worry not! While acupuncture needles are very effective at stimulating body tissues, especially because they can be inserted and retained, we can also stimulate these points in other ways. Acupressure can be done with noninsertive tools as well as hands, and who doesn’t love a healing massage?
Nutrition
Food is medicine. What we put in our bodies on a consistent basis will play a significant role in our long term health and how gracefully we age. This includes what we choose to eat, how we prepare it, and how we eat it. Our conversation will likely start with a discussion of Spleen qi and an assessment of how your Spleen is doing.
In Chinese medicine, the Spleen (also translated as Pancreas) is the organ that oversees the processes of digestion by transforming our food and transporting the obtained nutrients to the rest of the body. Spleen Qi Deficiency is a common diagnosis in the modern era due to an escalating reliance on processed foods, high sugar intake, rushed eating, increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and easy availability of healthy vs not-so-healthy options. A deficient Spleen means that our digestive system is having difficulty properly breaking down our food and absorbing the available nutritious elements. So let’s talk about food and see where we can make some improvements!
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a minimally invasive medical procedure that promotes the biochemical reactions of wellness within our bodies.
Following a thorough assessment, I will diagnose your primary concern, determine a point prescription specific to your case, and apply tiny stainless steel pins in specific places that mobilize your body's internal mechanisms of healing. Every acupuncture point has its own functions based on the anatomy of its location and the physiological activity of the surrounding tissues.
Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine is one of the oldest systems of medicine in human history. For thousands of years, cultures all over the world have used naturally found substances, primarily plant species, to prevent and treat disease as well as propagate wellness. Chinese herbal medicine is particularly extraordinary because it is the only ancient medical system with an unbroken written history of clinical use.
This herbal system is impressively sophisticated. Chinese herbal medicine does not simply use individual herbs to address symptoms; it uses an extensive catalog of formulas that treat not just symptoms but the underlying pathological mechanism causing those symptoms. Chinese herbal formulas commonly contain anywhere from three to three dozen individual herbs! These combinations are meticulously chosen to create synergistic interactions that far enhance the action of any single herb. Instead of a single instrument, Chinese herbal formulas create a symphonic orchestra!
Each herbal formula I write is specific to your needs and is individualized just for you. By adjusting and modifying traditional formulas, I create herbal medicines unique to your constitution and symptom pattern.
End of Life Doula
Yin Yang theory teaches us that all things exist in dynamic balance, a universal dance among the forces of nature. Without light, there is no darkness. Without sorrow, there is no joy. Life is no different - there can be no life without death.
Death is not a medical failure. It is a natural and inevitable process of life. During our time on this physical plane, we attempt to live as much as we can, as well as we can, until the time comes to say goodnight.
Whether we are approaching the end of life or far from it, it can be an important practice to discuss thoughts surrounding death. We are all mortal beings and being able to share the experience of mortality with others can be a freeing and empowering experience. It brings me great honor to act as a guide for those nearing the end of life, those grieving the loss of a loved one, as well as those interested in planning their own end of life experience, often referred to as a vigil.
“The formulas in Chinese medicine are not mere collections of medicinal substances in which the actions of one herb are simply added to those of another in a cumulative fashion. They are complex recipes of interrelated substances, each of which affects the actions of the others in the formula. It is this complex interaction which makes the formulas so effective, but also makes them more difficult to study.”
- Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas & Strategies,
by Volker Scheid, Dan Bensky, Andrew Ellis, and Randall Barolet