Services
Acupuncture
The practice of acupuncture has a roughly 3,000 year history in China. Its theoretical framework is complex, but it is not inaccurate to sum it up simply, movement = life. Good health requires the harmonious movement of bodily substances (blood, lymph, waste products, etc), energy (physiologic processes), thoughts and emotions. When this flow is impeded, pain and disease develops. The goal of acupuncture is to identify and remove such obstructions.
A typical acupuncture session involves the insertion of very thin, single-use, sterile needles into specific points on the body. Unlike the hypodermic needles used for injections and blood draws, acupuncture needles are not hollow, but come to a fine point. They, therefore, tend to be much less painful. The needles are usually retained for twenty to thirty minutes and may be used in conjunction with other modalities such as gua sha, cupping, and moxibustion when appropriate.
Clinical Bodywork
Musculoskeletal pain or disfunction is one of the most common clinical presentations and can cause a great deal of suffering and loss of participation in life activities. The ability to manually assess and treat such conditions is often a vital part of recovery. The techniques I use in bodywork sessions are drawn from a variety of therapeutic models. Some are traditional, such as Tui Na, Thai massage, Shiatsu, and Lomi Lomi. More modern methods include PNF stretching, myofascial release, and Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy.
Clinical bodywork is suitable for acute or chronic pain and dysfunction related to sedentary lifestyles, physical injuries, and recovery from surgery. No matter the location or nature of your pain, the right combination of techniques from among these methods can often provide relief. Acupuncture, cupping, and gua sha can easily be worked into a bodywork session when needed.
Herbs
The human body is not an isolated self-sufficient world in itself. It is highly dependent on the outside environment and, therefore, what we put into our bodies can have a profound influence on our health. This is the basis behind all pharmacotherapy, including herbal medicine. Traditional Chinese herbology has one of the most extensive pharmacopoeias in the world. Typically, several herbs that have synergistic or complimentary effects are combined in a single formula, enabling the treatment of a broader range of symptoms. This strategy also allows the herbalist to tailor the formula for the specific needs of the patient.
Many of these herbs are the leaves, twigs, and roots of rather obscure plants that most people will not recognize. Some, however, are variants of common household items such as ginger, peppermint, and cinnamon. Today, herbal formulas are usually prepared in the traditional way by boiling the herbs together in water to produce a decoction, which can be given to the patient to drink, or can be further processed into a powder, pill, or capsule with a longer shelf-life.
Health Coaching
We all want to be as healthy as possible for as long as we can. Medical knowledge and technology are greater now than ever before. And yet, chronic diseases, mostly diseases of modernity, are endemic. Usually, these diseases are not due to a lack of medical intervention, but to lifestyles and modern environments that are at odds with our physiology. In the struggle to balance work, family, and leisure, most of us find the prospect of making healthful changes to our lifestyles overwhelming. But the essentials of healthy living are a lot simpler than we tend to think, and the process of improving our health does not need to be such a struggle!
My method involves reorienting the patient’s understanding of health around the four nonnegotiable pillars of healthy living: exercise, diet, sleep, and stress management. Together, we take stock of each of these four categories and identify where improvement is needed. I then help the patient identify actionable steps and strategies that they can implement to start improving their health without becoming overwhelmed. This is a non-judgmental process in which the patient finds an ally and guide who is willing to go as far as they are in the pursuit of health.