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As we head into cold and flu season, take advantage of one of Nature’s most powerful medicines for the lungs: ginger. It’s pungent, spicy quality is associated with Autumn and the Metal Element in Chinese Medicine and it is considered to be warming and clearing.  Drink it as a tea with a spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemon– it’ll make you sweat and help loosen any phlegm so that your body can move it out. Ginger is also great for soothing a queasy stomach, so enjoy!

Allergies are back in full force! Our immune system is in overdrive, trying to remove allergens from our body with itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and a profusion of phlegm. Acupuncture can be extremely helpful in regulating our immune response – both to strengthen it against viruses and infections, and gentle it when it overreacts to harmless substances like pollen or wheat. Limiting exposure to the offending substance decreases the allergic response, and a Neti Pot can be used to cleanse your sinus passages of pollen, dust and mold.

Physical Symptoms of Imbalanced Spring Energy:
Abdominal bloating
Acid reflux
Aversion to wind
Blurry and/or weak vision
Breast tenderness
Bruising
Constipation
Flatulence
Floaters in front of eyes
Gallbladder issues
Headaches or migraines
Hemorrhoids
Indigestion
Irregular menstruation
Lack of flexibility/ stiffness
Liver issues
Menstrual cramps/PMS
Nausea and/or vomiting
Painful menstruation
Pain on right abdomen
Stiff neck
Stiff muscles
Stiff shoulders
Weak and/or brittle nails

Anger is a normal part of our emotions.  It is a healthy response to an appropriate situation, it rises and falls and, when allowed to be expressed, is released and forgotten.  Anger that is unexpressed, repressed, or held onto is unhealthy and begins to have negative consequences for one’s overall wellbeing.  Learning when and how to get angry is one of the difficult challenges of life.  Many people learn to contain their anger so completely that they don’t feel angry even when they should.  This lack of anger is as much an indicator of an imbalance as is the constant feeling of anger and irritation that can come from blocked Spring energy.

Well, it’s been a very busy couple of months!  We opened the Crossings Community Acupuncture Clinic in downtown Silver Spring, MD and it’s been a wonderful success.  We’ve been treating folks with conditions ranging from the common cold to anxiety, back/shoulder/neck/leg pain, depression, chronic infection, addictions, exhaustion, dizziness, impotence, heart palpitations, and digestive troubles.  We spend 15-30 minutes with each client, talking and needling, then let them rest for the rest of the hour.  The sliding fee has allowed folks who would never be able to afford regular one-on-one treatment to be served.  It’s been a gift to us to tend our community with the skills we have while being financially inclusive – so it works for everybody!

$15-35 sliding fee
Individual Acupuncture in a Group Setting

Starting in September 2007, we will be offering individually tailored acupuncture in a group setting at Crossings Community Acupuncture Clinic in downtown Silver Spring, Md. We offer a sliding scale of $15-35 per treatment so cost doesn’t get in the way of you receiving the care you need. No insurance hassles, no referrals necessary – just affordable care to help you feel better in body, mind, and spirit.

There have been several studies illustrating the physical detectability of acupuncture points such as radioisotope tracing and low electrical impedance at the acupoints. There has been less scientific proof of the meridians that link the acupoints throughout the body. The “Use of Magnetic Nanoparticles to Visualize Threadlike Structures Inside Lymphatic Vessels of Rats” study brings to light a threadlike structure within lymphatic vessels that may be the first visualization of acupuncture meridians. Using fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles, the team was able to illustrate a new tissue previously undetected by simple stereomicroscopes (image A). The bottom image (B) is a line drawing to clarify the magnetic imagery.

Following are exercises to help you cultivate and nourish the gifts of Spring on your own. Adjust them to suit your style.

• Make a list of your goals for today. Feel the satisfaction as you check off completed tasks.

Springtime is here in the northeastern US. New shoots are busting through soil to new life. The energetic movement of Spring is up and out of the body – rising through the center and out the head. When this energy is stuck, we get headaches and migraines, are quick to flare in anger, or unable to see/create new possibilities. It’s an extremely frustrating place to be!

To support your health this season, add a few of these foods into your diet.

Beans (Sprouted): Adzuki, Garbanzo, Fava, Lentil, Mung

Fruit: Avocado, Blackberry, Date, Grapes, Grapefruit, Jicama, Lemon, Lime, Loquat, Olive, Orange, Strawberry, Tangelo, Tangerine

Grains (Sprouted): Barley, Buckwheat, Corn, Rice, Rye, Wheat