Allergy Elimination!!

Posted on October 1, 2012 by

This is about a week late however I needed some extra time to process the information that was given to me.  

A few weeks ago I attended an allergy elimination seminar.  I think it’s worth mentioning that I have been treating allergies for about a year now with above average success.  However, that weekend really opened my eyes to different treatment protocols and strategies some which were very new to me and others with which I’m familiar. 

Another thing that was interesting was that this information and treatment strategies given where not only used for allergies.  They’re also useful in the treatment of chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and a myriad of other chronic diseases as well as food and environmental sensitivities.  

I’m very excited to start incorporating these protocols and strategies into my treatments.  With that said, I’m offering a deeply discounted rates on the allergy elimination treatments alone, I am a professional and while I’m in the learning phase (ie. needing notes during treatments) I will be offering allergy elimination treatments for $25.  This is a third of my regular rates and will only be valid for the month of November 2012! 

If you experience food or environmental allergies I urge you to take advantage of this offer while it lasts!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Health tip

Posted on September 17, 2012 by

How about a quick health tip?  In Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine we view man as a part of his environment. This is no big breakthrough there, but let’s dig a little deeper. 

It’s getting to be that time of year when the leaves are turning and it’s still warm during the day but it’s getting a little chilly at night.  So, not thinking ahead too far, you go out in the afternoon to a Broncos game (Go Broncos) wearing your favorite player’s jersey and a pair of jeans.  

It’s 75 degrees outside and you’re quite comfortable in your clothing.  By the time the fourth quarter rolls around the temperature has dropped 15 degrees and now it’s a balmy 60 degrees.  You’re screaming and yelling at the Broncos to win the game (Go Broncos) and you’re almost sweating as much as one of the players.  Then after a triumphant Bronco victory (Go Broncos) you start the long trek back to your car, which may seem as if it’s parked in Wyoming it feels so far away. 

During your hump back to your car you rapidly cool off and develop a bit of a ‘stiff-neck’ or are a ‘little hoarse’ from the triumphant Bronco victory (Go Broncos).  Three to five days later you have the flu and blame it on someone at work or the bug that’s going around. 

Now I’m going to geek out for you.  In Oriental Medicine we would say that you have a wind heat or wind cold invasion.  Of the exogenous pathogens we see in acupuncture that wind is the most pernicious. Wind is also most commonly accompanied by heat or cold.  Your environment went from a warm 75 to a brisk 60. You went to an elevated temperature in the excitement from the Broncos game (Go Broncos) to a normal if not lower than normal body temperature due to no longer yelling and screaming with sweat evaporating on your skin and cooling your body. 

My suggestion:  bring a scarf or jacket with a good collar to the game. Protect your neck.  This is often where the external exogenous pathogens enter.  Oh, yes, and don’t forget: Go Broncos.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Understanding the Spirits in Oriental Medicine

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

This is not a religious topic and should not be in any way, shape or form be confused with one.  Although, there is some cross-over which I will touch on briefly this is not to be confused with any sort of faith, church or God.  You religion is your own and I respect your right to practice or not.  Please consider this at face value, an idea.  Remember ideas are easy to change beliefs are another animal all together.  So the point is consider these ideas and if they resonate with you great, if not, no problem; acupuncture works whether you believe in it or not.

In Oriental Medicine we see that there are 5 yin organs, and each are considered to have its own spirit; their connection to our world and universe as a whole which is characterized separately for each organ.  The 5 yin organs are the heart, spleen, lung, kidney and liver; the 5 spirits are the shen, yi, po, zhi, and hun respectively.

The hun or ethereal soul is the spirit of the liver.  The hun is your connection to the universe in a massive sense and your ability to connect with other people in a smaller sense.  The hun is each of our connection to the universal unconscious, and, if it helps you to understand the hun is your spirit connection to the universe.

The zhi or will power is the spirit of the kidneys.  In Oriental Medicine your will power is exactly as we in the west know it.  It’s your ability to persevere in the face of challenges in life; it’s your ability to make things happen when everyone else has given up or says it’s impossible, your belief in yourself and your abilities.  My favorite term for this is testicular fortitude; fortunately you don’t need testicles for this to apply.

The po or corporeal soul is the spirit of the lungs.  Your po is your connection to the earth.  Man in Oriental Medicine is said to be the connection between heaven and earth.  While the hun is your connection to heaven, the po is your connection to earth.  It has been said that when someone dies and they take their last exhale it is the po returning to the earth.

The yi or intellect is the spirit of your spleen.  Your yi is your ability to perform pensive thought.  It is your ability to memorize, digest, retain and regurgitate information.  Interestingly enough in Oriental Medicine your spleen is responsible for the digestion of the food you eat as well.  Hence, you not only digest food but information as well.

The shen or consciousness is the spirit of your heart.  Your shen is actually a combination of all of the other spirits imbued on to your mind.  It is said that the heart is the emperor organ because all of the other spirits must pass through it.  With that being said, your mind is your consciousness, your overall problem solving ability. 

This has been a very broad explanation of the 5 spirits and the role they play in your life and body.  I’m curious, if you’re deeply religious person does this information offend you?  Does it sound interesting?  Is it complete non-sense?  Please feel free to share, I value your opinion.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Today I am a Wealthy Man

Posted on September 3, 2012 by

First and foremost I have to give credit to the late Jim Rohn for the title of this week’s blog. It was the title of one of his speeches I haven’t yet heard in its entirety. 

Today I am a wealthy man because I live in a country where I may disagree on national policies and have the right to do so.

Today I am a wealthy man because I live in a home I did not build, in a city I did not found, and enjoy the conveniences of running water, electricity, cell phone service, internet access, public transportation, etc.

Today I am a wealthy man because I can choose to go to work on my fortune or I can choose not to.

Today I am a wealthy man because I can flip a switch and a dark room will be illuminated.

Today I am a wealthy man because I can drive down a road I did not build to a place I have never been and not have to ask permission from anyone to do so.

Today I am a wealthy man because I can walk into a library I did not build, check out a book I did not write and do not have to pay to do so.

Today I am a wealthy man because I am not homeless.

Today I am a wealthy man because I can walk into a store in Colorado and buy potatoes from Idaho, lobster from Maine and oranges from California.

Today I am a wealthy man because I can appreciate the differences all around me.

Today I am a wealthy man because I have the right to choose how to live my life.

Today I am a wealthy man because I have a grandmother, mother, brother and a step father whom I love and care very deeply about.

Today I am a wealthy man because I may not at the moment have the financial abundance I desire, yet I know through hard work, perseverance, dedication and indomitable will I can achieve anything I can conceive.

Today I am a wealthy man because I choose to be.

All this and so much more are the reasons that today I am a wealthy man.

(Bring a copy of this blog and your next acupunture treatment is $30!   By appointment only.  Expires 9/7/12)

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Study, Practice and Teach

Posted on August 27, 2012 by

Last week I had the privilege to attend Southwest Acupuncture College’s 2012 commencement ceremony.  It was a very joyous occasion with some laughs, some serious moments and some tears of joy.  As a former graduate I realize it’s not just the students but close friends and family graduate as well.

To become a master in any discipline you must study, practice and teach.  One of Jim Rohn’s famous quotes in speaking on personal development was ‘study, practice and teach.’ 

There are four levels of learning:

  1. Unconscious incompetence
  2. Conscious incompetence
  3. Conscious competence
  4. Unconscious competence

Unconscious incompetence is simply you don’t know what you don’t know.  There is something in the world called acupuncture but you have no experience with it, you don’t even know it exists. 

Conscious incompetence is that you’ve heard of something but you’ve no experience with it.  “Oh acupuncture, that’s that stuff with the needles right?”

Conscious competence is what our previously mentioned graduates are in now.  They know what acupuncture is, how it works and now must ‘sharpen their blades’ though years of practice with patients.

And finally unconscious competence is the master.  This is the person who has been in practice for multiple years and has come to a point where he or she does things automatically. Very little if any effort is required to perform the tasks.  It has been said that anyone who has done a task for around 10,000 hours is considered to be a master.

Study

Commencement means beginning, and whenever one commences in anything that person launches a journey that will either make or break his/her destiny in dealing with an endeavor.  I believe that anyone can learn anything given the proper time and motivation. This is the time between unconscious incompetence and conscious incompetence.

Practice

Once one gets the studying of a subject to at least a rudimentary level of knowledge in any given area of study, practicing is the next step.  This is often the time between conscious incompetence and conscious competence as well as an opportunity to expand one’s knowledge into areas of interest more than the generalized area of study done during the study phase. One tends to specialize as a result of this period.

Teach 

The thing that brings most people to the next level in understanding is to vocalize and try to teach another person what they themselves have learned and how they do something.  This not only helps the student to learn but also aids the teacher in ‘fleshing out’ what he or she has been doing as a practitioner.  It gives the student to opportunity to ask questions which in turn helps the teacher to more greatly understand what he’s/she’s been doing. The teacher hears another person’s perspective and likely looks at things in a new way.

What do you study, practice and teach?  What experiences do you have with this?  Do you find this to be true?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Change Your Mind

Posted on August 20, 2012 by

 “You’re saying that having beliefs is a bad thing?”  “I just think it’s better to have ideas..I mean, you can change an idea, changing a belief is trickier.  People die for it. People kill for it.”  Bethany asks Rufus –Dogma

Patients with stress and/or anxiety at times experience insomnia in some form or another.  Often times the reason for the insomnia is due to what we refer to in the Oriental Medical field as deficiency or vacuity of yin (to be more succinct.)  Deficiency of yin*  in today’s society is common place.  So what can you do to about this?

Firstly, I would suggest you do nothing about 30 to 45 minutes before you go to bed.  It was suggested to me by one of my instructors; what you do is turn everything off: TV, cell phone, computer, music, etc no books either!  At this point wherever you are should be completely quiet.  Next sit comfortably and try to quiet your mind.  It’s natural for you to all of a sudden have thoughts about something that you forgot to do or a reason to get up.  Resist this urge and just sit.  When a thought enters your mind, just realize it’s your minds nature to keep moving and this sudden stillness is foreign and often uncomfortable.  Just relax and allow your thoughts to pass for about 15 min.  I’ve been suggesting this to patients for years and in all honesty I’ve never done this myself, until recently.   The mood was right a few nights ago and I gave it a shot.  I must admit after the initial restlessness of sitting still I found the experience quite peaceful.  And got probably the best night’s sleep I’ve gotten in months.  So I stand by the suggestion given to me and I pass on to you.

Next, I would suggest a massage.  I received a massage from Angela the massage therapist that works out of North Suburban Chiropractic last week and adamantly endorse anyone taking advantage of her services.  She is very professional and through.  While getting the massage after getting the pleasantries out of the way try to stay as quiet and calm as possible.  Regulate your own breathing and relax as she does her work.  You will be extremely pleased with the results.   If you’re interested her phone number is 720.364.1612.

Finally, I suggest some form of yoga or deep stretching.  I say yoga because being in a class environment often times gets patients more involved in their own self-care.  When in a group or community environment we feel more part of something and, if you get to know people in your class, are much more likely to continue your practice on a regular basis if just not to go and see your friends.  A yoga buddy or workout partner works the same way.

These are some examples of what we acupuncturists refer to as ‘yin time.’  With one or more of these practices, combined with regular acupuncture treatments your bouts of insomnia will soon be a something of the past.

 I’m curious what do you think?

*If you’re interested to learn more about yin and yang you are welcome to read one of my earlier blog posts:  http://acujitsu.com/2011/03/23/theconceptofqi/

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Price vs. Cost

Posted on August 13, 2012 by

In today’s world we have an unbelievable number of choices as to where, how, why, on what and with whom we spend our hard-earned money.  We have choices galore of dish soap, cell phones, cell phone carriers and clothing lines. Similarly we have chiropractor, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, massage therapist and acupuncturist options as well.

You can pay full price at your local grocery store for a bottle of Tide or you can buy the ‘store brand’ stuff and say “It’s the same thing.”  In truth everyone knows it’s really not the same.  You buy some store brand detergent because it was on sale or you just didn’t feel like anteing up for the good stuff.  I’ve been guilty of this on more than one occasion.  And every time I do cave I notice that my clothes just aren’t as clean. They don’t smell as fresh and those little stains are sometimes still there after that first wash.  So I wash them again.  I notice I go through twice as much detergent in the same amount of time and in the end I’m not really pleased with the results.

I once knew a friend who bought a knock-off t-shirt that was promoting a huge boxing event in Las Vegas.  The regular price of the shirt being sold at the vending booths inside the venue was $30.  A hawker in front of the venue was selling what looked to be the exact same shirt for $10.  He bought two shirts from the guy out front and was extremely pleased with himself that he had gotten two shirts for the price of less than one of the originals.  When he got home he washed both shirts and decided to wear one the next day. The shirt ripped right down the middle when he attempted to pull it on.  The second shirt didn’t fare much better as it quickly developed a hole that that got larger with each washing.  Less than a month later he was out $20 and two t-shirts.

There’s a similar issue in the health field.  When prospective clients ask me the price of my services I often contemplate asking them, “Are you asking what the price is or are you asking what is its value to you?”  The price is how much I charge for my services.  The value can be seen as the many benefits of a healthy lifestyle: getting better quality sleep, feeling more at peace and less stressed and how about getting rid of that back, neck, shoulder or whatever pain?  The price is a fixed monetary amount. The value is quality of life.

I’m definitely not saying that you cannot or shouldn’t find value for the money you spend.  Nor am I saying that you should buy the most expensive product or service because it’ll always be the best.  But what I am suggesting is to shop around. Try different products or services so that you can judge which is best for you without focusing on the price by itself. Rather, what it will cost you in the short and long term? 

I’m curious. Do you agree or disagree?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments