Christina Wolf Acupuncture

Ahhh, spring. Can’t you smell it in the air today? The sun is beaming, the temperature is rising, the snow is melting and it’s easy to imagine crocuses and daffodils pushing their way up through the thawing soil.

Then, someone sneezes, reminding us that allergy season is just around the corner. Some are allergic to molds, which are abundant in damp, spring weather, and some are allergic to the various pollens that will begin flying through the air in just a few short weeks. Allergies are rampant here in New Hampshire, but they can be successfully treated with Chinese medicine.  For best results, acupuncture for allergies should start 6 weeks before your particular allergen emerges, but it’s still not too late to reap the benefits of pre-allergy-season treatments. For cases that require daily treatment, I prescribe one of two herbal remedies: Allerease, a supplement that combines herbs which regulate the immune system, dry up phlegm and open the nose, and Bi Yan Pian (Nose Inflammation Pill) which focuses on opening, drying and quelling inflammation in the sinuses.

For some, the damp, cool weather of spring increases the pain and swelling of arthritis. Acupuncture, moxibustion (the application of heat to acupuncture points by burning a mugwort stick an inch away from the skin) and Chinese herbs come together to reduce pain and improve mobility. Arthritis doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying outdoor activities: hiking, gardening, etc., Chinese medicine can help!

Once you are out and about, what happens when you overdo and an injury occurs? The best time to treat a sore joint or pulled muscle is right away! Don’t let those early spring injuries linger into the summer. Usually one or two acupuncture sessions will help a recent soft tissue injury heal more rapidly and prevent it from becoming a chronic pain.

Lastly, as we transition from winter to spring, your body becomes preoccupied with responding to rapid and often dramatic changes in light and temperature (and changing the clocks doesn’t help!), creating the right climate for energetic imbalances to occur. Now is a great time for an acupuncture tune-up to tap into your body’s self-regulating mechanism and help smooth this transition from one season to the next.  Happy Spring!

To make an appointment with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here to book online or call us at 924-6624.

A new study led by researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, suggests that acupuncture can be used to reduce joint pain and stiffness associated with drugs that block the synthesis of estrogen, commonly used to treat some breast cancers.

Read more by clicking this link:  http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_acupuncture-could-relieve-joint-pain-linked-to-breast-cancer-treatments_1355527

Want to know more about the benefits of acupuncture or book an appointment?  Click here to make an appointment online or call our office at 924-6624.

Yesterday, we in the Monadnock Region of NH received over a foot of heavy, wet snow which got heavier and wetter as the snow turned to rain.  Everyone was out shovelling, snowblowing, plowing or otherwise moving snow around, just to get in and out of the driveway and create walkways to wood piles, cars, etc.  It had to be done!  But how many of us woke up this morning with sore back, elbows or shoulders?  Even after running my snowblower, a device designed to eliminate the physical work of shovelling, my back is sore for a day or two.

What happens if the pain doesn’t go away within a day or two?  First:  don’t wait!  Visit your acupuncturist, your chiropractor, your massage therapist, etc., but do get some body work ASAP.  The longer an injury lingers, the longer it takes to resolve with treatment.  Getting treatment early will likely result in a quick turnaround, allowing you to spend less time and money in treatment and more time and money living and enjoying your life.

Acupuncture prompts a reduction of pain and inflammation in a recently-injured joint by triggering a release of endorphins (your body’s pain-killing chemicals) and encouraging new blood cells to migrate to the injury, which will help repair damaged tissue and carry away old blood cells and other debris.  Most of the patients I see with a recent injury feel significantly better after just one visit and find their symptoms resolve after two to three visits.

If you’d like to make an appointment with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here to self-schedule online or call us at 924-6624 Tuesday through Friday to make an appointment the old-fashioned way.

Valentine’s Day is traditionally when we celebrate our love for one another: couples, families, friends, what have you. Qualities of selflessness and giving to others are highly valued in our culture, while paying attention to one’s own needs and one’s own care is not so highly valued.

I want to challenge you to send some of that love to yourself in 2010. If you’re worried that that sounds too selfish, think of it this way: how can you care for your family and friends if you aren’t taking good care of yourself?  Good self-care means different things to different people.  Maybe you could use a weekly massage to combat the stiffness that comes from sitting at a desk all day.  Maybe you need to start taking a yoga or meditation class to reduce the impact of stress.  Maybe you need to get some psychotherapy to help you navigate a difficult life issue.  Maybe you need to try some acupuncture for that nagging pain in your back or neck that hasn’t gone away as quickly as you’d hoped.  Whatever it is, there is no better time than right now to start taking better care of yourself, and this is especially true when times are hard.  How else will we get through those hard times in one piece so we can enjoy the good times when come around again?

Here are my top five reasons to make acupuncture a part of your self-care routine this year:

• Deep Relaxation: Acupuncture triggers your body’s relaxation response, the opposite of the fight-or-flight response, triggered by stress or trauma.  During deep relaxation, your digestive system works more efficiently, your immune system can mount a better response to invaders, your breathing and heart rate slow - giving your heart a rest, blood vessels relax allowing for better circulation and your mind gets a break from thinking and planning.
• Balance: Acupuncture taps into that part of the brain which regulates temperature, blood pressure and circulation, levels of hormones and neurotransmitters, immune function, etc.  Regular acupuncture treatments encourage the body to “reset”, bringing attention to what is out of balance and needs to be regulated.
• Energy Boost: Most of my patients, regardless of why they’ve come for acupuncture, report feeling more energetic.  Some folks have even been able to stop taking their medications prescribed to treat fatigue!
• Improved Sleep: You might think that improved sleep and an energy boost would contradict each other, but that’s not true.  In healthy, well-balanced bodies, there is enough energy to do what needs to be done AND sleep comes easily.  When we trigger the relaxation response and balance hormones with acupuncture, it often leads to deeper, more restful sleep.
• Improved Mood: Acupuncture causes a release of endorphins, the body’s own pain-killing chemicals, creating a feeling of elation or well-being.  Along with triggering deep relaxation and promoting biochemical balance, this is no short-term high.  Acupuncture has been known to treat anxiety and depression, in many cases with better results than medications.

No one is saying that acupuncture is a “cure all”, but I will say that it is darn good medicine.  It is, however, a medicine that must be experienced to be believed, so I encourage you to try it and evaluate the results for yourself.

However you choose to take better care of yourself in 2010, stick to it.  Bring the same patience and determination to self-care that you bring to the care of others and over time you’ll see the benefits of your healthy choices begin to pile up.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Start incorporating acupuncture into your self-care plan, click here to make an appointment online or call the office at 924-6624.

I’ll admit it, most of my patients are women.  Maybe women are more proactive about their health, or maybe because I myself am a woman, women are more likely to seek treatment with me.  Whatever the case may be, I want men to know just how effective acupuncture can be for them too.  Check out this recent article in Men’s Health to learn more about the conditions best treated by acupuncture.

Ready to make an appointment?  Click here to make on online or call 924-6624.

Most of my patients come to me for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine precisely because they don’t want to take drugs (ie medications or pharmaceuticals, not recreational drugs).  Whether they don’t tolerate Western medications well or they are simply opposed to taking them, I believe these patients are onto something.  This is not to say that we shouldn’t use pharmaceuticals when absolutely necessary to stay alive or to improve the quality of our lives, but I do firmly believe that for most ailments, especially those due to overeating, overindulging in alcohol, tobacco or other substances, and a sedentary lifestyle, there are safer, more effective, non-drug alternatives that can lead us to better health.

A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that for people with mild depression, anti-depressants were no more effective than placebo.  According to USA-Today, as of August 2009, 27 million Americans (about 10% of us) were taking anti-depressants.  It’s not clear how many of those patients are mildly depressed, but the implication is that antidepressants may not really be of benefit to them.  Let’s consider just the common side-effects of Paxil, one of the medications studied:  anxiety; blurred vision; constipation; decreased sexual desire or ability; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; gas; increased sweating; increased urination; loss of appetite; nausea; nervousness; numbness or tingling of the skin; stomach upset; trouble concentrating; trouble sleeping; weakness; yawning.  Would it be worth risking these side-effects to take a medication that may not work?  Alternative remedies for depression recommended by the study include exercise, reading about the disorder, seeing the doctor, and getting psychotherapy.  Side effects?  None.

Other commonly prescribed drugs include those for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar, three conditions that could also be managed or resolved with an improved diet,  increased exercise, reduction of mental/emotional stress, acupuncture, massage therapy, dietary supplements and herbal medicines.  Yes, I do acknowledge that it is more difficult to change what you eat and how you behave than to take a pill.  But is it really?  What if, as is often the case, the side-effects of that one pill lead to the taking of another pill, and another until you are taking several medications, each with a long list of potentially dangerous side-effects?  Is that really less difficult?

Positive changes in diet, exercise and stress management deliver multiple benefits:  weight loss, increased energy, better sleep, improved mood, stronger bones and muscles, fewer illnesses and reduced stress.  Negative side effects might include:  withdrawal from and cravings for unhealthy food & drink (usually temporary) or occasional musculoskeletal injury.  I’m thinking of one patient in particular whose obesity has caused high blood pressure and diabetes.  The medications she takes have caused side effects requiring further medication, each of which makes her uncomfortable in one way or another.   Thought she’s finally taking diet and exercise seriously, and hopes that someday she can eliminate some of these medications, I can’t help but wonder what her life would be like if she had taken it seriously from the beginning.

What if you could convince your body to work better for you without drugs?   This is the goal of all natural therapies, including acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.  Of course there are instances where pharmaceuticals are absolutely necessary:  I have another patient with multiple sclerosis who absolutely needs medication to control the progression of her disease, but she also benefits from acupuncture, herbs, supplements, dietary changes and exercise which further improve her life and, I am convinced, will improve both her prognosis and her longevity; other patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment use acupuncture to combat nausea and vomiting, fatigue, muscle pain, insomnia and other side-effects, improving the quality of their lives and helping their bodies withstand and complete treatment.

We have to stop fooling ourselves that pharmaceuticals can take the place of healthy choices and that alternative therapies and natural medicine are either quackery or cure-all.  The truth is something much more simple:  healthy choices lead us to better health, most of the time, and when we get sick or injured, there are many side-effect free ways to resolve what ails us.  When these fail, pharmaceuticals may be needed to get the body back on track, but in my humble opinion should be used as the alternative rather than the norm.

To make an appointment with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here for her online scheduling system or call 603-924-6624.

Acupuncturists Without Borders is gearing up to send volunteers to Haiti to provide free treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to earthquake victims and people on the ground trying to help them.   Once the issues of food, water and shelter have been addressed in Haiti, volunteer acupuncturists will leave their private practices behind for several weeks to begin addressing the mental/emotional/spiritual crisis that is sure to linger long after victims’ physical needs have been met.  PTSD is defined by Medicine.net as “a common anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened…PTSD can occur in people of any age, including children and adolescents.”  Certainly, what Haitians have endured since last week’s devastating earthquake qualifies as “a terrifying event or ordeal” and while survival is at the top of the priority list, in order for the Haitian people to put their country back together, the issue of PTSD must be addressed.

AWB began as a group of acupuncturists responding to the victims of hurricane Katrina and has gone on to provide services to those affected by the 2008 Iowa floods and the 2009 California wildfires.  As an ongoing effort, AWB has been training acupuncturists to provide low or no cost treatment to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the Military Stress Recovery Project.  AWB uses a Community Acupuncture model to treat victims, medical and rescue personnel, treating patients in a group setting without the need for talking, in-depth examinations or feedback.  Primarily, AWB uses the five acupuncture points in the ear commonly used to treat patients in recovery from drug addiction.  These five points have been shown to have a profoundly calming effect on the central nervous system, triggering the body’s relaxation response and turning off the “fight or flight” response associated with PTSD.  In a disaster situation, this kind of treatment can be delivered to patients of all ages, wherever they happen to be:  outside or inside, sitting or lying down, on its own or while patients receive other medical attention.  These mini-acupuncture sessions are simple, cheap, do not interfere with other treatments, cause no harmful side effects and are highly effective.

All in all, AWB does great work!  If you’ve already donated to relief efforts for Haiti, the world thanks you.  If you feel moved as I do to also donate to AWB’s Haitian relief efforts, please visit their website at www.acuwithoutborders.org.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!  What’s that?  You’re too nauseated to celebrate?  Unfortunately, this is the reality for many women in their first trimester (and sometimes in the second and third as well).  Nausea, dry heaves, vomiting and heartburn can all eclipse the joy of knowing you’ll soon be a mother.  Luckily, there are tried and true ways to combat “morning sickness” (in quotes here because it isn’t just confined to the morning):

• Try to eat frequent, small meals.  For some women, keeping their stomachs full will considerably reduce nausea, even though it seems counterintuitive to eat while you’re feeling queasy.
• Ginger is a wonderful, readily-available herbal remedy that’s been prescribed for thousands of years by Chinese physicians.  Put a raw slice of ginger under your tongue, chew on a piece of crystallized ginger, drink ginger tea or take ginger capsules frequently throughout the day.
• Trust your cravings!  Avoid the foods/smells that seem to make your stomach lurch and eat the foods you are craving, sometimes those foods will stave off nausea for a few hours.
• Acupuncture can be very helpful for reducing the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.  Pericardium 6, an acupuncture point located about two inches above your wrist crease, on the inside of your forearm, between the two big tendons there is well known for treating any kind of nausea and vomiting.  Some pharmacies sell wrist bands that apply pressure to this point and can be worn all day long.

Still sick after following these suggestions?  Get some help!  Your acupuncturist has other Chinese herbal remedies that may help you, the ND can offer homeopathy and other supplements, your chiropractor can make any necessary adjustments, etc.  Of course if you are seriously ill and cannot keep even water down, you may become dehydrated, so it’s important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Remember that this too will pass and the rewards of parenthood will far outweigh the discomforts of pregnancy.  Hang in there mamas-to-be!

To make an appointment for acupuncture with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here.

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Moxibustion, or moxa for short, is a technique used by acupuncturists to warm an acupuncture point, needle or an area of the body by burning an herb called mugwort (artemisia vulgaris) over or on the skin.

Indirect moxa describes the use of a moxa pole that looks like a cigar and, when lit, glows like a piece of charcoal.  The lit moxa pole is held about 1″ away from the patient’s skin and moved in small circles for a few minutes until the patient says it feels too hot or the skin under it gets pink.  Direct moxa describes the use of a tiny, sesame-seed-sized piece of moxa wool (dried, processed mugwort leaves that has a wooly, spongy quality) placed on the skin over a layer of protective ointment.  The piece of moxa is lit, burning itself out within seconds, creating the sensation of a hot pinprick or just heat at an acupuncture point.

As crazy or foreign as these techniques may sound, they are extremely effective and widely used by acupuncturists all over the world.  Some common uses of moxa include:

• Reduce the pain and swelling of arthritis, especially when the arthritic joint feels worse in cold, damp weather
• Relax tense, knotted muscle tissue by warming the muscle and bringing blood flow to the area
• Reduce the pain of endometriosis, ovarian cysts or garden-variety menstrual cramps by warming, relaxing the uterus and promoting better circulation
• Encourage a baby in the breech position (feet down rather than head down) to turn by warming a point on the smallest toe with a moxa pole, once per day for 10 days - usually this treatment works best when performed around 34 weeks of pregnancy
• Direct moxa works extremely well in the treatment of plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, as it can stimulate acupuncture points in eares where it may be too painful to insert a needle

Do you want to learn more about Chinese medicine?  Click here to return to scroll through our blog topics.  To book an appointment online with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here.

Research has shown that acupuncture can be an effective tool to treat and manage all kinds of pain.

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