Tag: wellbeing

Yin and Yang. Balance – in acupuncture and in life

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Most people will recognise the iconic yin yang circular symbol with an inverted ‘S’ separating each half. Black on one side (yin) with a small white circle (yang) and the reverse on the opposite side. It’s used a lot but it’s meaning is often misunderstood.

It could be defined as two halves of a whole. Nothing is completely Yin or completely Yang. Yin and Yang are interdependent so they never stand alone. They are opposing yet complementary. There is always some yang in yin (the white dot in the black) and vice versa. The nature of yin and yang constantly changes over time, and is influenced by many external factors. In relation to a person’s health, the acupuncturists job is to bring it back into balance.

But what is yin? And what is yang?

The word Yin is translated as the “shady side” and Yang “sunny side”. In TCM the yin element is cool, calm, slow, dark and feminine, the yang is warm, dynamic, moving and bright. As an example this concept is especially important for Chinese healing practices. So while it’s great to be warm, dynamic and moving, an excess of Yang can results in a fever and a deficiency would leave you shivering. And it’s wonderful if you’re feeling calm, cool and zen-like but an excess of Yin could mean suffering from water retention or a deficiency with night sweats. It’s all about balance.

When it comes to life, we can tend to think in absolutes: I’m always like this or never like that… But the balance of Yin and Yang can be skewed in relation to outside influences, so if the sun shines or you have a less stressful day at work, life can feel quite different. We are in constant flux and so is our health.

So while Yin and Yang aren’t the only factors in reaching a diagnosis, your acupuncturist is looking to achieve a level of homeostasis in relation to you as an individual. Neither too much nor too little yin or yang. So for example, maintain enough yang to keep you moving forward but not so much that you’re manic. And strengthen your yin so you’re calm but not so that you’re comatose!

Life offers many challenges and it can be hard to keep it all together. Acupuncture can help to keep you in balance. After a few treatments, clients often report feeling lighter and more grounded.

And we could all do with a bit of that.

Stressed out… Linda’s Story

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Like many people, Linda is a busy person juggling home and work life. Stress was definitely affecting her wellbeing but in addition, she’d had a shoulder injury that was preventing her from sleeping. Even after this had been resolved, her sleep was still disrupted which further compounded her stress.

Here’s her experience of the process:

I attended Rita’s stress buster group as I was having difficulties sleeping and dealing with the stress of everyday life. Within a couple of sessions I found I was more relaxed and more able to cope, shortly followed by my sleep pattern returning to normal.

I have also found I now have more energy….I would fully recommend attending this course and Rita is welcoming and friendly!

Linda Paterson, Crouch End

Stress free – six weeks to calm

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I hold my hands up. I don’t manage stress very well at all. I changed career from being a pretty high level corporate film producer, a well paid job I had done and loved for over 20 years to being an acupuncturist in an area where there’s as many therapists as there are cafes.

Although I enjoyed my work, it would often mean working in a relentlessly pressurised environment. My sleep, appetite and anxiety levels were all affected and I would often wake up in the night thinking I’d forgotten a prop or not printed out enough scripts for the following day’s shoot. Hardly earth shattering events – but that’s what stress is all about – not coping with even minor problems.

So, we all live with stress, but not all of us manage it well. There’s a reason for this. When we are stressed it triggers a ‘fight or flight’ response. Fine if an elephant is charging towards us, but not if we’re worrying about whether our boss thinks we took 5 minutes longer at lunch. Stress releases physiological and hormonal responses that are often inappropriate for the actual event we are stressed about, leading to increased anxiety, disturbed sleep, fatigue and depression and other distressing symptoms.

No-one needs to live with that kind of stress, and yet many of us do, for extended periods of time.

Of course, there are many things that help with stress levels such as meditation, exercise, cbt, and yoga. But if you are gripped in a cycle of stress and anxiety, it can be really hard to motivate yourself so reaching for a couple of glasses of wine after work is often the way people self-medicate.

In my clinic, I treat people for stress virtually every day. I also run six, weekly auricular acupuncture groups of no more than six people specifically for stress relief, which is particularly useful in helping clients to manage their lives in a calmer way. The process takes around 40 minutes in all, with just five very fine needles placed in each ear while you sit and relax. No need to lie down or disrobe. It really couldn’t be easier and clients have been known to snore for the 30 mins the needles are left in! I measure how they have been feeling the previous week and throughout the six weeks in order to evaluate the results.

In my most recent group, there was over a 50% reduction in stress, anxiety and sleep issues, with significant changes in weeks 3 and 4 and these positive results maintained over the full 6 weeks. Clients felt they were coping better, responded less negatively to events that would normally stress them, and were generally happier. Plus they enjoyed coming once a week as it offered them some ‘me’ time where they could properly relax.

The protocol* I use is well documented, incredibly powerful and used all over the world in health clinics, at natural disaster sites and by the American military. It works for conditions such as addiction, stress and post traumatic stress disorder. So if you’re considering giving up smoking, drinking or drugs, this protocol will support you.

If you’re interested in signing up for six, weekly group sessions, then drop me a line. Cost is £90 for the full course of six sessions.

Begin the new year with a new perspective.

Ask when a new course is starting.

*NADA protocol

Read about Linda’s experience here:

Giving up Smoking – Jenny and Norris’s stories

by  on  in Case Studies

Nicotine is highly addictive, both physically and psychologically, and acupuncture helps with the symptoms that make it so hard to stop. In particular reducing cravings and stress. Tiny needles are placed at specific points around the ear that help reduce cravings, support the detox process, keep your stress levels down, your immune system healthy and assist you in ‘letting go’. After the treatment which takes a relaxing half hour, small seeds or magnets are placed on certain points so the treatment is continued throughout the following week.

Hear from two clients who successfully gave up…..

I’ve been trying to quit smoking on and off for a few years. I’ve tried hypnotherapy, cold turkey, patches and vapours but each time the cravings got too much especially after a drink with friends who smoke.

Acupuncture has really made a big difference. I haven’t smoked since the first treatment, and this is because I haven’t had strong cravings. Hence not smoking has never been so easy.

I highly recommend it to anyone trying to give up. I’m now going regularly to Rita as I find its helping with other health issues such as hay fever.”

Jenny Rose, Crouch End

 

“I’ve have been a smoker since I was 13 and am now in my 50s.  I have lost count of the numerous failed attempts to quit.

I was persuaded to give acupuncture a try and contacted Rita. Within 3 treatments I felt absolutely no desire to smoke, I have more energy and people have commented on the changes within me. It’s been the most amazing transformation.”

Norris Cyrus, Finsbury Park

 

 

What can acupuncture do for me?

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Ever wondered what effect your lifestyle has on your health?

A survey of American acupuncturists discovered that 95% of practitioners treated the same kind of healthcare problems among their clients.* They were defined by what are known as ‘syndromes’: a series of symptoms that indicate certain pathologies. These became known as the American Syndrome. But actually this could apply to much of the developing world. It isn’t hard to guess what lifestyle issues were common to those seeking help. Stress, overwork, poor diet, worry, lack of exercise, chronic conditions. Familiar?

Along with lifestyle, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) equally recognises the impact of negative emotions. Anger, worry, sadness, fear and grief have a profound effect on health and this is treated with the same importance as physical symptoms.

Often people live with a combination of ‘niggles’ – complaining of feeling tired all the time, or constipated, stressed out, frustrated with people around them, demotivated or just running on empty – not anything you think you could go to your doctor for – but enough to affect your quality of life. Sometimes these issues lead to more serious health problems such as insomnia, diabetes, migraines or chronic pain.

Acupuncture aims to treat the root cause of the problem and getting your body to start working more effectively again. It may take a few sessions, usually four or five, to see real change, but acupuncture is cumulative so each session builds on the previous one. Patients report improved sleep (even when that isn’t their complaint), better mood, more energy, less pain, lower dependence on medication – and those are just the collateral benefits. Acupuncture supports your entire well being – it’s a genuinely holistic healthcare system.

Don’t be put off by ‘the needle’. It’s the width of a strand of hair and most of the time you won’t feel it anyway. Often people fall asleep on the treatment couch and leave calmer and more energised.

Try it. You’ll never look back.

Source: The American Syndrome. E. Douglas Kihn, OMD, L.Ac