How To Support Restful Sleep

How To Support Restful Sleep

by | Jan 13, 2020 | Acupuncture

We all could use a little restful sleep, yet many of us rarely take time to make getting a full night’s rest a priority.

Finding A Night Of Sound Sleep

restful sleepGetting a good night’s rest promotes a robust adrenal system and reduces stress. Different generations have handled sleep time in their way. The truth is we didn’t know how vital sleeping was for our health, aging, and mental state until recently. For a time, it was a badge of honor to be able to function on little sleep. But were we really functioning?

We know better now. Productivity happens best in healthy people who get restful sleep.

Making Your Sleep More Restful

Here’s a quick 5 step protocol to ensure you rest well every night.

    1. Don’t Eat 4 hours before bed. Most studies say 3 hours before bed though recently new research suggests the longer, you’re fasting period the better. To learn more about this, look into Intermittent Fasting.
    2. Take a Walk. Or exercise every day in some way. It doesn’t matter if you walk in the morning or later in the day. Doing something to improve circulation has been found to help you relax.
    3. Come Mediate. It doesn’t take long to calm your mind, even a busy mind. Most people think they have to have a ‘blank’ mind. All you need is to calm the run-away-train of thoughts. To do this, focus on your breathing. When a thought about the laundry, the rebellious teenager in your kitchen, or the pile of paperwork on your desk walks across the stage of awareness notice, it’s there and tell ‘it’ goodbye for now.

concept of sleep, kitten and puppy

  1. Make the bedroom sacred. Don’t use your bedroom for TV time or even reading time. It’s for sleep and intimacy. It’s that place you take pleasure in a deep dream state or sharing your passion with that particular person.
    If your only private place in your home is the bedroom, try to add a comfy chair or something else to sit in while you read or watch TV. Take the TV out of the bedroom and back into the family room.

    Getting A Little Help From Nature

  2. Supplements To Support Restful Sleep, I want to share six products that can be used to promote better rest and less stress in your life.
    1. 5-Hydroxytrophtophan 5-HTP increases serotonin levels to promote restful sleep, manage stress, and decrease sugar cravings
    2. PharaGaba- GABA’s natural calming effect on the brain has led to countless claims about the use of GABA supplements to reduce stress. Too much stress is linked to poor sleep, a weaker immune system, and a higher risk of depression, among other things.
    3. Magnesium Bisglycinate—The ‘Bis’ means instead of one glycinateamino acid (like in magnesium glycinate), there are two glycine amino acids.  Bisglycinate has twice the protection from stomach acids and gets into the gut in a more organic form than with a regular glycine.
    4. Recovery Pro is s a blend of alpha-lactalbumin, natural-source GABA, and magnesium bisglycinate. If you want to have fewer supplements to take this is a great tasting
      Chocolate-flavored powder that mixes easily in water and tastes great hot or cold.
    5. Melatonin-5 By Thorne supports restful sleep, helps balance circadian rhythms, and provides benefit for shift workers, those with jet lag, and individuals with an age-related decrease in melatonin.

      woman soundly sleepingForward With Restful Sleep

      However, I often prefer to use a timed-release formula that contains 6.5 gms of Melatonin the supports a 6.5-hour sleep cycle minimum.

    6. Remora Plus is a must along with the other formulas. Relora Plus blends two botanicals used in the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 1,500 years and six B vitamins. It supports restful sleep and balances cortisol and DHEA levels.

Restful sleep doesn’t begin with your head hitting the pillow for most people. We live busy lives full of stress and drama. The goal of sleeping is to regenerate and be ready for the next day. That starts the day before when you wake up.

To learn more about how to support restful sleep contact our office or email us!

 

Reducing Joint Pain Without Surgery

Reducing Joint Pain Without Surgery

by | Dec 10, 2019 | Acupuncture

upper back muscle pain
Peripheral Neuropathy Pain In Elderly Ageing Patient On Hand, Joint Pain

Maybe I’ve share this with you privately. Do you suffer from pain?  Here’s my take on why surgery is a last resort! Muscle pain and joint pain both have options.

There are many other therapies to try first. Depending on where your pain is you can use some or all of these methods. Note, these links are to research articles and other blog posts. If you want more research there’s plenty about these topics.

Five Things You Must Try Before Surgery

 

  1. Stretching exercises. I can’t say enough about doing this three or more times daily. When I had Plantar Fasciitis, this helped me walk without pain. Sciatica and neck pain will never improve if you don’t stretch your back, legs, and arms – daily.The best time is when you wake up and right before bed. Doing exercise benefits both muscle pain and joint pain. Arthritis pain benefits too.

Natural Ways To Reduce Joint Pain

2. Eat to reduce inflammation. If nightshades cause you pain, you’ll need to avoid them. For many arthritis patients they do. In my 30 years of practice, I’ve seen this group of foods be problematic for many people with pain. Joint or muscle pain both can increase with certain foods.

Nightshades seem to also bother people with autoimmune illness. They can cause pain and inflammation. If you suspect this is a problem for you, don’t eat from this food group for 14 days. Then add one item back per week to determine what bothers you.

3. Make sure you stay away from grains, sugar, and dairy as much as possible. Each day there’s more evidence that eating these foods are harmful to you in many ways. Sugar is the worst. It is said to be very addictive. Have you ever tried to stop eating sugar? Bet you can’t do it for a full year! 

Grains are another one that’s hard to kick, so slow down and eat other things. Look at your day. Do you have grains at every meal? If so, plan to have grains at one meal each day.

hamstring muscle pain image.

4. Acupuncture is the best treatment next to Acupuncture injections. Insurance is including this as a standard benefit because it works so well. The research is immense that it can help with sore muscles, arthritis, and more. 

Quality acupuncture will include bodywork and cupping. The circulation and nervous system become engaged through proper bodywork before and after acupuncture.

Painful Joints
  1. Prolotherapy or acupuncture injectionsAt the top of my list and that of many others is this form of treatment because it is so safe and effective. The American Osteopathic Association of Prolotherapy Regenerative Medicine recommends Prolotherapy. I am fully trained and licensed to provide this care. 

Muscle pain and joint pain both respond well to prolotherapy or acupuncture injections.

In conclusion, things I have little experience with but would suggest you look into depending on the type of pain and location. Stemcell and PRP therapy. You’ll need to do your research on who to see or if these would benefit you. 

I always say pain is no laughing matter, and it’s not. I’ve had my share too.

Things You Can Do For Bursitis Or Hip Flexor Pain

Things You Can Do For Bursitis Or Hip Flexor Pain

by | Sep 10, 2019 | Acupuncture

Recently hip pain has come up quite a bit in my practice. It’s one of the things I’ve been suffering. It seems as a fellow human, whatever ‘problem’ I have, I attract. Many practitioners have this experience.

My Hip Pain

Most health providers have the same experience. If we pay attention to our problems, we become better doctors. It’s that simple. A few things I know about discomfort is whether it’s a bursitis hip or hip flexor pain. These simple tools will alleviate 80-90% of your daily pain or range limitation.

If you suffer hip arthritis, you’ll reduce the discomfort and keep your Osteoarthritis from worsening.

 

3 Ways To Relieve Hip Pain

 

Inflammatory Foods and A Bursitis Hip

My favorite food is oatmeal. Well, that’s one of them anyway. It can cause slow digestion and fermentation in the gut. Who would think oats could be inflammatory?  If a food causes you gas, bloating and stomach problems it’s going to inflame tissues. Hip arthritis is inflammatory.

We think of the AIP diet – yuck! Right?  Instead of going anti-inflammatory try to limit these food groups to once or less daily.

Dairy, Starches, and Sugar, to name a few are foods to limit. Some people include nightshades.

hip pain
hip pain

Stretch Out Your Hip Flexor Pain

Many patients, myself included can’t sing enough phrases  for taking time daily to stretch. Not once but two or three times daily. As part of my acupuncture treatment program for hip flexor pain, I recommend a set of 10-minute stretching you can do almost anywhere.

These work for bursitis hip pain too or Osteoarthritis of the hip. Make a point to walk a mile or more daily. If you can do more exercise, including lungs and squats, go for it as they move the circulation and remodel the muscle. Our tissues remodeling creates younger, healthy muscle tone.

Acupuncture Injection Therapy

Prolotherapy or acupuncture injections are part of a great way to handle muscle or joint problems. Don’t take my word for it since millions of Americans use it every year successfully. The injections are natural substances that don’t harm like cortisone shots. Considered painless injections because they use a much smaller needle just like painless acupuncture. Talk to me about this procedure or try our premiere acupuncture treatments.

Several other things are patient-specific. We can customize your treatment plan. Cupping, for instance, helps many people. Regardless if you have bursitis hip, or hip flexor pain it can be treated successfully without drugs or surgery. Hip pain doesn’t need to slow you down.

3 Tips To Keep Your Knees Healthy

3 Tips To Keep Your Knees Healthy

by | Aug 6, 2019 | Acupuncture, Health, Health Coach

Yesterday I had three new patients all with knee pain. I think summer takes us outside more, don’t you? Whether it’s running around with the kids or going for a run, we do more outside when the weather is beautiful. So here are 3 tips to keep your knees healthy over the summer.

 

3 Tips To Keep Your Knees Healthy

How To Help Your Knees Stay Healthy

 

  1. Improve leg muscle strength and flexibility.

These new patients had one thing in common. They all were stiff in their legs. When I examined them their backs as well were super tight. Whether you exercise at a gym, walk, or need to start, everyone needs to stretch 2-3 times daily. If your hamstrings, Quads, and back are tight it’s hard to keep your knees healthy. that’s where daily stretches come in.

Think back to when you were a child. You rolled around on the floor, darted over to what you want, and did all kinds of kid-inspired twists as you ate, watched TV or danced to the radio.

As we age, we forget to move. I sit on the floor with my legs out in front of me when I wake up. I do it before bed too. Using stairs, I stand on the bottom one with only my toes and flex my feet and ankles.

There are plenty of great books on how to improve your flexibility. In working with patients with the pain, we create a program which includes stretches for the busy person to do daily. Want to end knee pain, be active.

 

Investing In Your Body’s Health

  1. Stand straight and wear good shoes.

I loved my old high heels, but they weren’t the best shoes for my feet, knees, or posture. Most of us have turned in our 6-inch heel for a flatter flattering look. Still, finding a good shoe is an investment. This is where posture comes in too.

Wearing a cheap of low-cost shoe may cause you to stand bent over. This overtime puts your knees into a position that wears on the joints as much as hard labor. Try to stand tall. Push your shoulders back and down. Then walk. If the shoe doesn’t feel comfortable, it’s the wrong one for you. To keep your knees healthy invest in great shoes.

Prevention Is Your Top Goal – Rehabilitation Is Your Optimal Answer To Knee Pain

3. Acupuncture for recovery and prevention.

Most people wait until their knees hurt before seeking any help with the pain. What if you decided to be proactive and get acupuncture regularly?  What if you chose to take care of your body before it gives you trouble? Our knees are important for walking, running, even sitting. Prevention can keep your Knees healthy as you age, exercise or work.

Most of us do this with our mode of transportation.  If you bike or own a car, you likely do regular check-up and tune-ups. It gets costly to have your car break down. There’s the cost when you have to pay for repairs or a new vehicle. Let’s not even mention the time off from work.

You have two options wait until you have knee pain or be proactive and get acupuncture to stay in optimal shape. These 3 tips to keep your knees healthy are all preventive. However, if your knee hurt then begin now to stop the pain with these tools.

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