acupuncture beaverton

Cold Truth About Ice

Someone rolls their ankle. Immediately, everyone has the same reaction; “Get some ice on it!” We, as a culture, have been icing injuries since the 1970’s, but has anyone ever stopped to ask ‘why?’ 

I did. I wrote my doctoral capstone on ice, titled ‘Ice: Misused and Over Prescribed.’ After digging into the history and evidence of icing injuries I found the following; ice is great for numbing pain, slows inflammation (which is an essential part of healing), prolongs injury and recovery, and can cause damage to tissue (though this is quite rare). This means that ice is overused and overprescribed. It should only be used to manage pain or slow biochemical decay (in instances like losing a finger with the possibility of it being reattached). Ice alone should not be used to expedite the healing process. 

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Terminal Illness, Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

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Terminal Illness, Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

When you or someone close to you is experiencing grief or the end of their lives, it can be life-changing. Ongoing acupuncture care and support for you and your loved ones during the last part of the human journey can provide a space for the processes needed. Making time for care and attention to these needs allows for a healthy and stable closure to this experience of death.

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Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Painful Periods

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Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Painful Periods

Painful menstruation is called dysmenorrhea, and refers the pain that occurs around the menstrual, or bleeding, phase of the cycle. There may be other associated symptoms like nausea, fatigue or diarrhea. While many people experience some cramping with their period, some have pain severe enough that it keeps them from doing their regular activities. They may rely on pain relievers and heating pads, but sometimes that is not enough. There are many possible causes for dysmenorrhea that can be explored with a gynecologist - endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, cysts, hormone imbalance, heavy periods, low back injury, past or present infection, pelvic nerve compression, pelvic inflammatory disease.

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The Year of the Water Rabbit

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The Year of the Water Rabbit

We are currently transitioning into the Year of the Yin Water Rabbit according to the Chinese calendar. It’s also going to be the year 4721! As I have been enjoying reading about the coming year and learning more about my chart as well as some of yours, I am reminded that astrology can provide an interesting prompt for exploration. Many of the customs around the new year serve to give us that opportunity - to celebrate, to set goals, to consider the value of relationships and the direction of our lives. Astrology, rather than fortune-telling, is a playful mirror to explore our potential. What follows is largely summarized from Tiger’s Play Astrology. I encourage you to read more there.

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Podcast Share: Huberman Lab

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Podcast Share: Huberman Lab

I first heard about the Huberman Lab from my partner, Allen.  He had previously been listening to a doctor who claims vegetables are toxic, so I don’t always take his recommendations.  However, I was intrigued by some of the research he was citing and Andrew Huberman, PhD has some solid credentials as a Stanford-tenured neuroscientist.  

Why a pill bleed is not a period.

Why a pill bleed is not a period.

File this under things they should have taught us in Sex Ed. It took me a long time to really understand that while on birth control pills, women do not get periods. They do not ovulate, they do not make progesterone, they do not have a cycle.

Facial Acupuncture and MORE! Facial Cupping, Gua Sha, Herbal Compresses...and why we love them

Facial Acupuncture and MORE! Facial Cupping, Gua Sha, Herbal Compresses...and why we love them

Someday soon, the masks will be coming off. Right? Regardless, we love skincare and cultivating a healthy, radiant complexion. Facial acupuncture also has more than just cosmetic applications, such as for sinus congestion, tension headache and jaw pain. It is especially effective when combined with another modality like facial cupping.

Fertility Acupuncture - How does it work?

Fertility Acupuncture - How does it work?

How does acupuncture enhance fertility? I am asked this question frequently. With declining fertility rates nationally, more and more people are seeking support on the path to conception, and infertility is one of the many things we treat regularly at Vitalize. Acupuncture can help in a variety of ways. While there are specific acupuncture points that “treat infertility,” like most conditions, each individual has their own set of health needs and we seek to provide treatment plans that are best suited to each specific case. In the most general terms, acupuncture has two primary functions for fertility:

  1. Acupuncture increases blood flow to reproductive organs

  2. Acupuncture calms the nervous system - decreasing stress hormones and promoting balanced reproductive hormones

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What is Five Element Acupuncture?

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A unique treatment principal of Five Element Acupuncture is that within each person there is thought to be one root cause of all imbalance, illness, pain, or symptom that the person experiences. By treating the causative factor, all elemental energies come into greater balance and the person starts to feel more like themselves while experiencing an improvement in symptoms.

Astragalus: Get to Know this Plant Ally!

Astragalus: Get to Know this Plant Ally!

Astragalus, or Huang Qi, is a tonic herb that is useful for a variety of conditions characterized by Qi deficiency and sinking Qi:

  • Fatigue, foggy thinking

  • Allergies, including skin conditions and food sensitivities

  • Frequent infections, lowered immunity

  • Diarrhea, loose stools

  • Heavy menses, or depleted blood

  • Poor appetite, weak digestion

Sacred Sexuality & Chinese Medicine

Sacred Sexuality & Chinese Medicine

Sexual energy is one of our greatest untapped resources. You know the energy you feel coursing through your body when you make eyes with that person you’re hungry for, maybe it’s your partner of 30 years, a second date, or a stranger on the street you’ll never see again. We’ve all felt it, chemistry, arousal, desire, passion, etc.; label it what resonates

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Functions Of The 5 Flavors

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Functions Of The 5 Flavors

Food should taste good, right? So why are so many medicines bitter? There are bitter flavor receptors throughout the whole body, and just like the other flavors, the bitter flavor has specific biochemical actions that we can benefit from. The 5 flavors are one of the most important concepts of Chinese Herbalism and food therapy. Here is a rundown of how each of the 5 flavors - spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty - functions in your body.

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Acupuncture For a Healthy Pregnancy

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Acupuncture For a Healthy Pregnancy

You may already know that we at Vitalize treat a lot of fertility and women’s health.  This includes pregnant women with their myriad complaints.  Let’s face it, as much as we may look like glowing goddesses, a pregnant body can be very uncomfortable.  So here are some of the things acupuncture can treat in pregnancy, a time when other treatment options are limited.

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Acupuncture Explained: DU 20, Crown Of The Head

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Acupuncture Explained: DU 20, Crown Of The Head

Do you ever wonder why your acupuncturist chooses a certain point?  There is always a reason, and a unique set of points selected for you.  But DU 20, Bai Hui, is a point that almost every patient will have at one time or another.  So, here’s the scoop on DU 20. 

Common Fertility Supplements: A guide to the Natural Fertility Medicine Cabinet

Common Fertility Supplements: A guide to the Natural Fertility Medicine Cabinet

Fertility treatments are commonly centered around the use of acupuncture and Chinese Herbs.  Even so, nutrition and lifestyle counseling is also a core part of a holistic treatment plan.  Often times this includes the use of supplements.  I may suggest a supplement, people may come to me having been given supplements by another healthcare provider or they may simply be going off of a recommendation from a friend, book, or website.  It can be difficult to sort through the information about many of these supplements and very few have reliable research to back up their claims.