Patients ask me all of the time how acupuncture works and how do we, as practitioners, pick which points to needle. I see each acupuncture session sort of like a piece of music played by an orchestra. Each acupoint has its own qualities and actions or job sets. They are kind of like notes. When you put different notes together, they create a melody which when played by different instruments, creates a unified resonance. In the same way, an acupuncturist chooses a group of acupoints that will work together to create a unified strong message to the body. Like a conductor of the orchestra giving the signal to play a particular part Pianissimo, Grande, or with Crescendo, the acupuncturist manipulates each needle, considering both depth and movement of the needle. We take into consideration whether that acupoint needs to be tonified (bringing energy to the area) or dispersed (releasing a blocked area that holds too much energy), as well as what level of tissue we are trying to affect. When well “composed and played”, the resonant message continues to “play” well after the session is over kind of like continuing to hum the tune well after leaving a concert.
In our daily lives we are all bombarded with stressors of one kind or another and sometimes find it difficult to carve off time for ourselves and decompress. In this video I show you three acupoints that are very good at calming the nervous system as well as a breathing exercise. They are great to have ” in your back pocket” since they are not only very effective, but using them doesn’t require much time and are at your disposal whenever you need them.
There are so many great ways to help alleviate our day to day muscle tension. We can stretch and do aerobic exercise to get the blood flowing, but sometimes you just need to massage those tight muscles for them to release. There are many tools and techniques that we can use at home when we can’t go see a Massage Therapist or for those times in between massage sessions. One great tool that is incredibly easy to use, inexpensive to buy and simple to make is a ” ball tool”. In the above video I show you how to make it. I find myself using it all of the time and always take one with me whenever I travel as it doesn’t take up much room in my luggage but is invaluable. There are so many ways that you can use this simple tool, but for today I am focusing on showing you how to use it to help loosen your Paraspinal muscles ( the muscles that run along either side of your spine) as well as your Gluteus muscles. In other videos I will show you how to use this versatile tool to address other areas. Once you get the idea of how to use it, you can be creative and find great new ways to use it yourself.
Recent Comments