Should I get acupuncture if I’m not sick? This is a question people often ask. For more than 2,500 years practitioners of acupuncture & Oriental medicine (OM) have emphasized the importance of preventative medicine rather than waiting until disease begins. Yang-sheng is the preventative branch of OM, yang-sheng means to ‘nourish life’. The tradition of drinking bone broth to nourish wellbeing comes from the yang- sheng branch of OM.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM, is a medical system that dates back nearly 3,500 years. This system uses modalities like acupuncture and botanical formulas to treat ailments and keep the body balanced. TCM acknowledges not four, but five seasons. The fifth season, Indian summer, occurs in late August through mid-September. Each season according to TCM has a pair of organs or energetic pathways it corresponds to. For Indian summer, these pathways are those of the spleen and stomach.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine is a medical system thousands of years old and incorporates many different modalities. TCM theory emphasizes that Mother Nature provides the right kind of food for the right kind of environment. For instance, if the weather is cold, then warming, nutrient-dense foods are best for the body. Likewise, when summer rolls around, it is best to partake of cooling foods and foods abundant during this season.
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Dear Patients,
Notting Hill Acupuncture is fully re-opened in compliance with the British Acupuncture Council’s Guidelines and have taken a number of steps to provide a Covid Secure and safe environment for our patients.
You will be asked to wash your hands and your temperature will be taken upon arrival.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a medical system that dates back nearly 4,000 years. Auricular acupuncture was first mentioned around 500 B.C. in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, which is the equivalent of the Bible for TCM practitioners. However, the method in which auricular acupuncture is practiced today is actually based upon discoveries that occurred in France in the 1950s. Modern auricular acupuncture is based upon the work done by Dr. Paul Nogier of France. (more…)
Everyone feels cold sometimes, but some people are perpetually chilled to a point where it interferes with their lives.
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, there are two different kinds of cold in the body: full cold and empty cold. Full cold refers to a condition where there is an excess of cold-type energy in the body leading to a feeling of cold, and most likely other health problems, as well. The other kind of cold is empty cold. This means there is not an abundance of cold energy but rather a weakness of the warm fiery energy. When there isn’t enough warmth in the body, you will feel cold – not because the cold is so strong, but because you don’t have enough fire to balance it out.
The large intestine is responsible for absorbing water from indigestible food and transporting the useless waste material out of the body. This is the second to the last part of the digestive tract in the human body. However, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Large Intestine is considered to be a functionally defined entity, not an organ. (more…)
A study published by the Natural Health Research Institute suggests acupuncture can improve the breathing ability of COPD patients. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a progressive disease that gradually decreases lung function. The patients in this study received daily acupuncture treatments for twelve weeks using the same points on each patient. Using the Borg scale to rate their ability to breathe, it was found that patients receiving the regular acupuncture treatments showed significantly better Borg scores. This study shows there are alternative options for COPD sufferers that can lead to an overall increased quality of life.
By: Kim M. Filkins, L.Ac.
Everybody gets sick at some point in their life. For some, it’s just a quick weekend thing. For others, it can last for several days and even weeks. Why do some people always get sick whenever there is a bug going around and others don’t? It all comes down to immunity. People who have a stronger immune system, tend to be sick less often. Those with compromised or weak immune systems, seem to get sick at the drop of a hat. There are many things that can be done to strengthen the immune system though. And Traditional Chinese Medicine is probably one of the best and least invasive ways to boost the immune system, not just during the winter months, but all year long.
Leukopenia is a term used when there are less than adequate white blood cells in the bloodstream. This condition may make those suffering from it susceptible to infections. Leukopenia is often seen in diseases such as AIDS, cancer and lupus, as well as in common occurrences like the flu or a cold.
Leukopenia can also be medically induced, as is often the case for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. While there are several prescription medications available to battle this condition, most of them also have multiple adverse side effects. But there are alternative natural methods that can increase white blood cell count without the side effects. One of these is Traditional Chinese Medicine.