Stress and Fatigue – Page 4 – Medford Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic

Caution vs. Fear: When concern goes too far

Written by Ann Zimmerman on January 10, 2015. Posted in Immune Health and Balance, Stress and Fatigue.

By Clark Zimmerman, LAc.

My Step father just retired this year at the ripe age of 81. During his career as an OBGYN, he commonly spent a lot of time in the hospital preforming surgery or helping women give birth. During my entire childhood I never once remember him calling in sick. A few years back I asked him how he managed to pull this off, considering he often missed sleep, ate hospital food and spent his days in a place full of sick people. He credited his good genes a little, but he mostly attributed his good health to his lack of worry about getting sick.

In this day of media bombardment and sensational sound bites, you could easily think that all of the world is a frightening place. That we simply live one event away from major catastrophe. While it pays to be informed and cautious, at what point does too much worry become a problem? It is good to be cautious. Caution can keep us safe by limiting our exposure to potentially dangerous situations. However when caution becomes fear or paranoia, it can have a negative effect on our life. Fear has very noticeable physiological effects on your body. It can effect your appetite and digestion, mental health and sleep in ways that are not only uncomfortable, but can also make you sick. Stress and worry lower your immune function, making you less resistant to illness and disease.

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.