Tag: immunity

How to Boost Your Immune System With Acupuncture As Fall Turns Into Winter

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Fall has arrived and winter is on it’s way.  In Texas, fall moves into winter with plenty of vacillating weather making it difficult for our bodies to adjust, then bang – cold weather is here!  Our immune and respiratory systems need strong natural support during this time, and regular acupuncture is an excellent way to provide that support.

In Chinese Medicine the immune system is strongly related to internal organ function, mainly the Lungs and Spleen which need extra care during the winter season.  When these organs are well-balanced they support the immune system and strengthen its function, this prevents you from being easily affected by external pathogenic factors such as cold and flu viruses and other infectious diseases.

A  long winters “acu-nap,”  helps  to calm and relax the body, reducing extra stress that can come with the winter and holiday season, and boosting immunity to help you sustain good health.

In addition to Acupuncture, plenty of rest, and daily exercise help keep healthy energies flowing strongly, and remember a diet, full of nutrition is vital to good health.  The abundance of  local fruits, deep rooted vegetables and herbal plants that grow in the winter season right where we live support our bodies as nature intends.  So visit and support your local farmers markets and grocery stores for a fresh colorful winter food supply full of the nutrition your body needs.  Making rich soup broths with plenty of healthy winter veggies, dark leafy greens, and healthy grains; eating good healthy fats, and drinking warm teas are all excellent winter rituals that fuel the body.  Here are a few more winter wellness tips:

  • Avoid eating much frozen or cold foods; instead partake in warming foods which help sustain your body’s energies during the cold season.
  • Be sure to get plenty of rest.
  • Avoid exhausting yourself with overwork, or overjoy!
  • Avoid stress and excess emotion by practicing good self-care and a form of meditation.
  • Keep warm and protect yourself from the wind and cold with proper clothing such as a hat and scarf in addition to your warm jacket.
  • Balance and support your body with natural medicine (such as acupuncture and herbs from seasons Health) before the change of weather so your body has what it needs to do well in the seasonal changes.
  • Dry your hair before going to bed or out in the cold.

Charlotte offers herbal consults over the phone to her patients, assisting further in strengthening the immune system as well as resolving health issues that do arise so you can rest at home while recovering. She will also give you valuable diet, nutrition and lifestyle self care tips specific to your individual needs.  Charlotte will set you up with a treatment plan to keep your body strong throughout the season, so remember Seasons Health can be a part of your  family’s Winter Wellness Resource.

Teens Love Acupuncture!

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It’s true — teenagers love and benefit from acupuncture in so many ways.  Acupuncture helps balance male and female hormone cycles, and when teens are first navigating hormone fluctuations it can feel intense for both teens and their parents!  Acupuncture helps teens unwind and relax, supporting them in the intense demands of the middle and high school years and the rapid growth of mind, body and spirit that happens in these years as they explore and learn who they are.

As us parents of teenagers know, it’s hard to slow them down – yet acupuncture actually does “pin them down!” . . . for awhile anyway.  Over and over in our clinic I witness teens easily go into a deep state of relaxation with acupuncture.  Yes, they sleep, unwind, and wake up refreshed and ready to conquer their multi-faceted day!

If your teens are exploring drug use, using drugs, or addicted to their smart phones or other screens remember it takes a village.   These difficult times are easier to navigate when you incorporate a solid self care support system for you and your teen.   Read this blog about an acupuncture treatment plan for addictions, anxiety and depression.  I can help!

Acupuncture helps unplug, reset and unwind that overtaxed teenage brain!  There is so much growing and transition from the teen adolescent years well into their 20’s — big hormonal changes, demands at school and in sports, and just learning to navigate the everyday stressors of life.   The transformation from adolescence to young adult is hard work.  My son is very active in sports and says acupuncture helps his tired muscles let go, relax and stay strong.   It helps him quickly overcome the bumps and bruises that come with the active teen lifestyle, and it helps him focus and study for big tests at school.  He often says hey mom “how ’bout some acupuncture!”

Here’s a personal acupuncture account from Isabel Luecke, a lovely accomplished teen writer who frequently visits my clinic and would like to share her experience:

“It was just the other day that, suffering from both writer’s block and the carpal tunnel that was the symptom of not having writers block, that I went to get acupuncture. This had not been my first visit and, unless I suddenly end up living solely in a survivalist bunker, it will not be my last. I use acupuncture to treat everything from colds to skin blemishes, to re-inspire and relax. It is truly something that I wholeheartedly recommend for people of all ages.”

And here’s a personal quote from sweet Gracie, age 13 who also comes regularly for acupuncture:

“I have been going to Charlotte for acupuncture for a few months to work on relaxation for anxiety. I like it because it is relaxing and helps me get a grip on life.  It doesn’t hurt at all.  I love it!

Acupuncture helps teens learn a strong and steady pattern of  slowing their bodies down, letting go to rest, breathe and unwind when needed.  Self-care is a nice thing to teach our teenagers, it is a skill that gets refined over time and serves them well.   Believe me your teen will thank you for introducing them early in life to this ancient medicine for our sometimes overstimulating busy modern world.  Even if at first teens are skeptical or a little bit nervous, once they experience the deep relaxation and healing power of Acupuncture, they quickly become believers!

I’ve also noticed some of our teens are having allergies.   Here in Austin along with all the lovely bloomin’ green, and the beautiful lakes and rivers that support the nature that abounds — come the high mold spores, grass and tree pollen.  Sometimes we get an over-zealous immune response to this abundance of pollen inundating our body, causing symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, and swollen lymph glands — this is an overactive inflammatory response.  Acupuncture helps balance, soothe and support the immune system so it does not consider the pollen and molds threatening invaders requiring such arduous response.  A little proactive care at home helps too, nasal rinses – I recommend NeilMed, showers to rinse off the excess pollen from the day, a healthy diet free of inflammatory foods, a healthy gut equals a healthy body, and the right herbal remedies and supplements to support the immune system through the more challenging seasons in Austin.

Helping your teen set up a support network outside the vital support they get at home is nice because it expands their self-care knowledge and supports you in your job as parents — it takes a village!

So instead of here take this pill to fix what ails you — acupuncture says . . .  here try this needle it will remind your body of what it innately knows how to do . . . balance, relax,  heal and transform!  To add to your teens good qi flowing contact me here, I will support them in making positive changes in their health.

 

Insurance Sucks . . . Acupuncture Rocks!

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Are you concerned about healthcare in America, and where it’s headed?  Well I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately!  Let me introduce you to a great healthcare option — Acupuncture, and better yet – Affordable Acupuncture!

Health Insurance Sucks, the premiums are getting higher and higher and coverage less and less.  The good news is in many cases, you can rely less on insurance and prescription medications, and more on holistic healthcare like Acupuncture, and diet, nutrition and lifestyle changes to help you feel better.

I am one of the fortunate that Obama Care helped – and for now I have a decent policy.   I’ve used that policy for getting diagnostics this year, as I see the benefit of western medicine diagnostics especially when they are not particularly invasive.  However, after getting the diagnostics I feel I need, most often I then turn to the holistic healthcare model of care for gently and naturally guiding my body back into balance when needed and helping me stay healthy and strong.  We are lucky here in Austin as it is a city rich in holistic healthcare resources, and  Acupuncture is one of them!

Charlotte can help you resolve your health issues and feel better, see some of the many ways Acupuncture can help below:

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In many cases digestive symptoms, headaches, and even pain are due to stress, anxiety, overwork or depression.  Acupuncture helps bring your body back to a state of relaxation, so instead of the usual “here take this pill it will fix things — but be notified it could cause several other problems,” we say Try Acupuncture!  Acupuncture reminds your body what it is innately able to do – Heal, and it supports your body to do just that and stay in balance!

So remember, Acupuncture is a great option for many common healthcare issues.  We also help guide our patients when they are interested towards healthier diet, nutrition and lifestyle through Charlotte’s Herbal and Holistic Healthcare Consults!   When you feel the need for an MD by all means it’s important to go . . . however, when you feel your body needs more natural healing support which gets to the root of the issue and re-balances your body systems  Acupuncture is the way to go!   Our bodies are so smart and able to reprogram, adjust, and compensate as necessary when supported through a healing process holistically.  Healing works best when we tend to our diet, and nutrition, get plenty of rest, exercise and give our body gentle and loving support to guide it on its way.

That said, what will you do to care for yourself after your doctor checkup, and diagnostics?  Charlotte is here to help and would love to introduce you to the ancient medicine healing modality of Acupuncture, it’s still around because it works!