7 Ways Acupuncture Can Help You Thrive This New Year

Acupuncture can help you feel your best as you kick off the new year! Here's how:

1. Winter encourages us to be Yin: to be still, patient, and introspective. When you have a job, a family, school, and New Years resolutions to hit the gym hard, it can be tough to find that Yin moment. Too much activity during a time of year that calls for slowing down can tax the Kidney energy and Qi.  Acupuncture allows for the time and space for relaxation and restoration. Treatments will help restore the Water element, strengthen Qi, and build vital substances like Yin and Blood.

2. In Chinese Medicine, every element is associated with an emotion, and every organ houses a spirit. The emotion of the Water element is fear. The spirit of the Kidneys is the "zhi", which translates as willpower. The Water element is especially vulnerable during the Winter, a time of retraction and stillness. An imbalance can lead to excess fear and lack of willpower and motivation. Acupuncture points along the Kidney channel are often used to help those who suffer from depression and seasonal affective disorder.

3. Did you set that resolution to drop a pants size? While acupuncture is not a magical one-time weight loss pill, it does offer a safe and natural way to increase metabolism and curb cravings. By regulating the bowels, strengthening the digestive fire, moving Qi and resolving damp accumulation, acupuncture can help you drop some pounds when coupled with a healthy diet and exercise.

4. Often, people seek out acupuncture treatments when they are already sick. This year, consider using acupuncture as preventative care and get your immune system in high gear to protect yourself from seasonal bugs. Increasing the body's Defensive Qi, or the body's first line defense, will not only help prevent illness but also encourage a quick recovery if you do get sick. Suffer from Spring allergies? You can find relief from your runny nose and itchy eyes by strengthening your immune system and addressing the underlying imbalance that is causing your symptoms before allergy season begins.

5. Will this be the year you quit smoking? Acupuncture can be very helpful for people who want to stop addictive behaviors and cravings. Used in a variety of clinical settings, The National Acupuncture and Detoxification Association (NADA) Protocol was developed to help people recover from substance abuse and alleviate withdrawal symptoms. In a NADA treatment, 5 designated acupuncture points in the ear are needled: Lung, Kidney, Liver, Shen Men, and Sympathetic 2. These points promote organ recovery, balance the nervous system, and treat stress and anxiety.

6. Chronic pain is commonly aggravated by cold weather. Cold constricts the blood vessels and impedes circulation, and this leads to pain. Chronic pain sufferers may also experience poor sleep, poor energy, and an overall lower quality of life. Winter can be especially aggravating to pain conditions. With herbs, acupuncture, massage, and moxabustion, Chinese Medicine offers a variety of methods to help increase circulation, warm the channels, and stop pain. Consider weekly or bi-weekly treatments if you hope to have your pain under control in time for those Spring marathons you signed up for!

7. Lastly, we find that many of our patients begin to think about fertility and family planning when the new year rolls around. In Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys rule the reproductive system and play a big role in conception and development. Winter is an especially great time to "warm the womb" and focus on building Kidney Qi and the necessary resources for a fertile environment like Yin and Blood.

Here's to a happy and healthy YOU!