Immune Health and Balance – Page 10 – Medford Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic

Wired & Tired

Written by Ann Zimmerman on October 4, 2011. Posted in Immune Health and Balance, Mental and Emotional Health, Stress and Fatigue.

WIRED AND TIRED

by Ann Zimmerman, LAc.

The combination of feeling both wired and tired is one that we see daily in our clinic and seems to be a current cultural trend. Many of us, especially women, tend to have trouble unwinding or being restful, even at night. The combination of symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia are way too common.

Our culture considers success to be a measure of how much we can get done in a day or how much money can be made. This fast pace combined with the ups and downs of life’s stress has many people feeling wired and tired.

In Chinese medicine the inability to rest, to be still or to sleep well at night is a reflection of lack of YIN energy. YIN represents literally the shady side of the mountain, the Talent/Ashland side versus the sunny Medford side of the valley. Our YIN represents our quiet, still, moistening, substantial, anchoring, slower side of ourselves, versus the opposite of these qualities, which is the YANG.

Allergies: What is really bothering you?

Written by Ann Zimmerman on September 28, 2011. Posted in Immune Health and Balance, Stress and Fatigue.

Allergies: What is really bothering you?
By Clark Zimmerman, LAc.

A lot of people are mystified by their allergies. When I ask patients about their allergies, I often hear stories of congestion and irritation of varying degrees caused by hay fever, pet dander, food sensitivities, mold in the house, etc. But often times they are puzzled by the nature of the issue, and therefore have little direction for how to change the situation.

Allergies can effect so many things in the body. They can create symptoms in the skin, digestive system, immune function, ears, eyes and respiratory system. Though it usually involves doing some detective work, with dedication and direction there is a lot that can be done to treat allergies. The first step in treatment is to identify the problem. You begin with the most obvious things, examining your environment. Do you live in a moldy house, do you live with pets, are you being exposed to toxic things in your home or work place? If something is bothering you, then you need to avoid or limit your exposure to the allergen. This sounds like common sense, but we often can overlook things that are in our environment. Just as our surroundings can contribute to allergies, foods can too. Many people find that working with their diet can drastically improve chronic health problems. Foods that are common allergens include gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, and sugar. There are several ways to diagnose a food allergy. These include: blood tests, muscle testing, skin tests, elimination diets, and cleanses.

Anti-Aging

Written by Ann Zimmerman on April 12, 2011. Posted in Immune Health and Balance.

Anti-aging medicine and nutrition is big business these days, as most baby boomers are trying anything and everything to look and feel younger. In our acupuncture practice, many of our patients have asked us if we do cosmetic acupuncture or if we know much about using food and herbs to take a few years off their appearance.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to look and feel younger, this desire can easily block us from the deeper issues that deserve our attention. The questions that we always come back to are, ‘What is causing you to look or feel older than your years in the first place?’ and ‘Is it fundamentally healthy to desire a more youthful appearance or is it a sign that we are denying the very natural process of birth, old age, and death?’

So, what is the real cause of premature aging? Why are so many people feeling worn out before their years? Why are so many women hitting perimenopause in their late 30’s instead of their late 40’s? Why are degenerative illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis increasing at astonishing rates?