The Very Vital Vagus

If you’re tuned into health and wellness news you’ve probably heard about the relationship between stress, anxiety and the digestive system. A lot of people suffering from these complaints are finding relief through acupuncture and homeopathic medicine that targets the Vagus nerve.

Never heard of it? Keep reading our blog article to find out how this nerve can be treated with targeted acupuncture to help alleviate stress and regulate bodily functions that are in discord.  

Gone to China

Your favorite acupuncturist is headed to China! Don’t worry, I will be returning to Jacksonville after two weeks of study in September. The program I will be immersed in gives professional practitioners deeper knowledge into the ancient origins of Chinese medicine. We will be traveling and studying in Qichun County in the southeast and Sichuan Province in central China.

Much of my study in China will be in the area of moxibustion. Some of you have experienced this warming treatment protocol in the Acupuncture by Andrea clinic. Moxibustion involves burning the herb mugwort to activate specific actions in the body. Known as Hao-shu in Chinese, this herb is carefully harvested, dried and aged, then shaped into a cigar-like roll. This moxa is burned close to the skin to heat specific pressure points.

Treatment with moxibustion helps strengthen and support elderly and infirm constitutions and conversely to help turn breech babies. In the clinic, we often use moxibustion to treat back pain, boost red and white blood cells, and improve the immune system. I’m so excited to learn more about the historical techniques of using mugwort and apply these to modern practices that benefit my patients.

In this program we will also study and practice Qigong an ancient Chinese exercise practice that has recently gained popularity in the US. This movement form optimizes energy within the body, mind, and spirit, to improve and maintain mental and physical health.

Would any study in Eastern medicine be complete without classes on the ancient art of healing teas? China is the largest producer of tea on the planet. The medicinal properties of tea plants are believed to come from the soil in which they’re grown. The Chinese deeply believe in this concept and tea cultivation and production has occurred in the same areas, in the same fields, sometimes in the same manner, for hundreds of years. Longevity teas and how their medicinal value is evaluated and prescribed is the main area of study we will undertake. One of the instructors is an expert in longevity teas with over 50 years of research experience on this topic.

I am looking forward to both learning from these teachers and returning to share what I have learned with you, my faithful clients. 

The Acupuncture by Andrea office will be closed September 6-23. Please schedule your ongoing treatments with these dates in mind. I am happy to recommend acupuncture colleagues in the Jacksonville area should you need immediate assistance during my trip.

What's Up with Morning Sickness?

Morning sickness is a fairly common occurrence in pregnancy. Those who experience it have varying symptoms at differing times during their nine months of pregnancy. Expectant mothers often experience nausea and vomiting into the 2^nd and 3^rd trimester due to the digestive strength or weakness the mother has prior to conception. Because the fetus is developing so rapidly in the first trimester—growing organs and major body systems—the mother’s body quickly becomes depleted. In Traditional Chinese Medicine terms the qi (energy) rebels because the body is not strongly anchored to hold things down, thus throwing UP. If the mother suffers from emotional stagnation, then the liver is also involved and symptoms such as a sour taste in the mouth and more severe vomiting are present. If the mother is particularly energy deficient and the spleen/digestive system is weak, she may also experience severe fatigue and excess phlegm aggravating feelings of nausea.

In treating morning sickness, I focus on the organs causing the vomiting. For most patients, symptoms will be greatly reduced after a few weeks of treatment. I have treated patients who experience relief after a single session, but I have also seen patients struggle with morning sickness throughout their entire pregnancy. The state of the mother’s digestive system going into the pregnancy will determine the severity of symptoms. You can’t change your physical history overnight, but you can prepare for pregnancy with dietary modifications that will alter the intensity and severity of future symptoms. Your diet is a key to avoiding the unpleasantness of morning sickness. If you are pregnant or planning to be, schedule a consultation and we will discuss dietary and lifestyle changes you can make to have the happiest pregnancy possible!

A Study in Skin Rash

One of my patients, I’ll call her Kim, regularly receives treatments for a number of health concerns including an itchy and annoying skin rash that flares up at random. After several treatments to detox the liver—itching is a common liver-related issue—along with treatments of lung and heart points that are associated with dermatological issues, as well as a lymphatic massage, we hoped her issues had been resolved. For good measure, I recommended a liver cleanse using the herbal Liver Detox formula from Evergreen Herbs, or the Protocol for Life Balance supplement. Despite all our efforts, Kim continued to experience skin rashes at random.

At her next appointment, Kim and I sat down to discuss her history with the hope that she could recall medical or lifestyle changes that may have triggered these episodes. Kim is very self-aware, and she remembered that the itching had previously occurred in the spring and sometimes the fall in past years. I asked her questions about her childhood, including how she grew up and what she ate and if she had memories of the rash during her school years. When she shared that she had grown up in a farming household and was always in the barnyard—a common place for many types of parasites and worms—everything she was experiencing made sense. With this information, I prescribed Dragon Pearls from Heiner Freuhauf (I will be studying with him in China), a highly effective formula for treating parasites. After two weeks of taking the Dragon Pearls, Kim excitedly texted me with a fascinating story of her health changes. When she evacuated her bowels, she literally saw parasites in the toilet. Although this may be TMI (too much information!) for some of my readers, it was thrilling for Kim and I because what she saw were the eggs of the worms or parasites that had been infesting her system for many, many years, and they were leaving her! Starting on another bottle of Dragon Pearls, Kim then reported seeing actual flagella after using the bathroom. After three months of taking the Dragon Pearls formula, Kim’s rash has almost completely abated, and she sees less and less invaders with each evacuation.

Chinese herbs have long been used to eliminate worms and parasites in the body. Dragon Pearls address bacteria, spirochetes, viruses, mycoplasma, and fungal agents. Most anti-parasitic formulas use cold and bitter herbs to fight these invaders, but Dragon Pearls formula is unique in using indigo—the plant we might know as the blue used in dyeing blue jeans. This formula is highly effective for short term use. The cold nature of the herbs is hard on the digestive system and not recommended for long term application. Most herbal medicines are not lifelong prescriptions as so many western pharmaceuticals are. Herbal formulas may be switched or eliminated during the course of treatment as symptoms flare up and diminish.

Share Your Thoughts

Would you like to reach the heights of Happiness, Wellness, and Goodness? We would love to hear your ideas on what areas of Acupuncture, Massage, and Herbal Medicine you'd like to learn more about in YOUR monthly newsletter.

Take two minutes out of your busy day and complete this four-question survey and let us know what you need.

On Forgiveness

If we haven’t forgiven, we keep creating an identity around our pain, and that is what is reborn. That is what suffers.

—Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)