Earth and Air Wellness: Acupuncture and Alternative Medicine of Walnut Creek is open for business.

We are conveniently located in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek at 1372 N. Main Street.

Open 6 days a week! Call 925-280-6026 for an appointment or book online today!

Our practitioners, Jenna Ferraiolo, L.Ac and Laura Metzdorff, L.Ac (that’s me!) are ready to share with you their knowledge of alternative health care and help make wellness a reality in your life.

Don’t forget to “Like” us on facebook and “Follow us” on twitter for updates, news and special events.

And stayed tune for the launch of our new website!!!

Thanks to all our family and friends for your love and support. We couldn’t have done this without you!

The pear is a member of fall’s bountiful harvest and a fruit not to be forgotten during this time of seasonal change.  Cooling in nature, sweet but also sour, this moistening fruit is known specifically for its affects on the lungs. Eating pears regularly during this time of year can help to clear heat and excess mucus (that’s the green phlegm you coughed up this morning). It also helps to stop coughing, eliminate dryness and quench general thirst. They have a low glycemic index and are actually recommended for diabetics to assist in the wasting and thirsting aspects of the disease. Of course you always want to monitor your blood sugar.

This week was the first time FarmFreshtoYou sent us pears. If the All-Star doesn’t eat them all, I think I’ll try adding them to my next salad.  Here’s a delicious sounding recipe brought to you by WeightWatchers.com. Roasted Beet and Pear Salad. Sounds like a healthy winner to me.  I wonder if beets will find their way into my veggie box this season….

Hope so.

Happy end of Summer Everyone!

So, what to do? I should take this opportunity to teach something important and profound.  Hmm..  How about just interesting…

First I’d like to say that I’m still totally bummed out about the Challenge being put on hold.  I know that I said I would start lifting weights, which I did, on Monday.  But yesterday and today I’m so worn out and tired from gimping around on this injured toe that I really don’t feel it smart to exert unnecessary energy that I could be saving to heal my body just so I don’t feel like a failure.  So I’m opting to take it easy.  It’s what I would tell my patients.

Speaking of patients, and this toe, I want to talk a little bit about Chinese Medicine.  After discussing some herbal treatment options with the smartest herb guy I know, I started to think about the channels that run to the toe and how this injury may be causing more than just toe pain.  As you may, or may not know, the “science” of acupuncture is all about this “energy” called Qi which runs throughout our bodies on “channels” called Meridians.  There are twelve major Meridians, (plus two Extra-ordinary Meridians), which are connected to twelve major organ systems, and these organs systems are what govern our body’s functions.  Confused?  It took me 4 years of a Master’s Degree to come up with that line, so I don’t expect it to seem crystal clear.  What you should understand is that the acupuncture points which we stimulate with the needles are along these meridians and are used to treat the associated organs.

So let’s think about the big toe for a minute, the one that I have injured.  There are two major meridians that run to the big toe.  One is that of the Spleen and the other the Liver.  Spleen’s element is Earth.  It transforms and transports the food we eat, contains the blood within the vessels, controls muscles and the four limbs and houses thought.  Typical symptoms of Spleen pathology are fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite, sluggish bowels or loose stools, foggy headed-ness and muscle weakness (many of these symptoms I have been experiencing since my injury.) The Liver’s element is Wood.   It stores the blood, controls the sinews, ensures the smooth flow of Qi, houses the (Ethereal) soul and controls dreams.  Students of Chinese Medicine most often associate the Liver with emotional frustration and irritability which I will admit I have also been experiencing lately, along with some dreams that would scare the socks of your grandmother.

Now, on the hands and feet are points that we refer to as Shu-Transporting Points.  It is at these points that the Qi of the organs flows closest to the surface and is most easily manipulated.  There are some practitioners that rely solely on these points to treat their patients and find them to be extremely effective for almost any ailment.  The very intelligent Dr. Richard Tan has developed an entire method (called The Balance Method) using only these points.

It is my hypothesis that, because I now have significant bruising on the Shu-Transporting Points of both the Spleen and the Liver Meridians, and that the energy there is so easily manipulated, that the energy of the associated organs is stagnating, leading to the symptoms that I described above, especially the nausea, foggy headed-ness, fatigue and bad dreams.  It sounds complex but it’s really quite simple.  If you can treat pathology by influencing the flow the Qi at these points, couldn’t an interruption in that flow cause pathology?   Therefore, it is my recommendation as a Licensed Acupuncturist and Practitioner of Chinese Medicine that I use this rainy week opportunity to take a load off, administer herbs both internally and topically to move qi and blood in order to return balance to my compromised system.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend Between Heaven and Earth by Harriet Beinfield.  It’s a great beginner guide to Chinese Medicine and an good read.

Oh yeah, and here’s this week’s How to Win Friends and Influence People flashcard principle…

“Be a Good Listener”

Cupping is just one of the modalities of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. The cups are applied by reducing the inside pressure, through either suction or flame, which draws the skin up into the cup and creates a hold.  I used a plastic cupping set with a suction pump.  This is much easier and safer than the classic glass fish bowl looking ones.  Cupping is often used for such ailments as respiratory illness, gynecological issues and pain.  The intention is to break up underlying stagnation that is causing the condition.

Since John was presenting with congestion or stagnation of phlegm in his chest that he could not cough up, cups seemed to be the perfect choice for treatment.  I first treated him with needles and let him rest for a while. I used mostly tonifying points in order to boost his immune system and help him fight the illness.

John showing off his freshly cupped back

After John’s acupuncture treatment, I applied cups on either side of his thoracic spine and slid them up and down his back as if I was giving him a massage.  What began to appear were the dark colored marks that you can see in this picture. He felt some slight tenderness but no pain. After a few minutes, I removed the cups and let him sit up.  Immediately he explained that his chest felt looser and he looked a lot less dreary.

Now as I write this he’s starting to cough up the phlegm which had been lodged in his lungs for two days. The marks will last about a week or so. No backless Halloween costumes for him. He has been careful to keep the area covered as he is now more susceptible to the elements. Tomorrow he’ll be able to take a warm shower and should be feeling much better. Hooray to acupuncture and its mysterious modalities.  Hooray to John for forgoing over-the-counter decongestants and seeking out a healthier method of treatment.

An acupuncturist inserts needles into a patient. (M. Spencer Green/AP)

Treatments for breast cancer can lead to unpleasant side effects for most women, including hot flashes, sweating and lack of energy. Now, new research suggests relief can come from an unconventional therapy — acupuncture.

Research from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, presented this week at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s annual meeting in Boston, studied acupuncture use among 47 women who were receiving anti-estrogen treatments, including tamoxifen or anastrozole (Arimidex). The drugs are known to lower the risk of breast cancer recurrence, but they can trigger menopause-like symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats. Half the women were given the antidepressant Effexor, which has been shown to reduce hot flashes in breast cancer patients. The other half received acupuncture therapy once or twice a week during the 12-week study.

The acupuncture worked just as well as the antidepressant Effexor to curb hot flashes. Women who received acupuncture also reported fewer side effects and more energy, and some reported an increased sex drive, compared to women who used Effexor, the study showed.

Dr. Eleanor M. Walker, director of breast radiation oncology at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, said that while she expected to see some benefits from acupuncture, the results were surprising.

“I was surprised by the duration of the effect,” Dr. Walker said in an interview. “I didn’t realize it would last so long or result in an increase in sex drive and energy. That was a surprise.”

Last year, a report in The Journal of Clinical Oncology suggested a benefit of acupuncture compared to a “sham” acupuncture treatment, but the results didn’t reach statistical significance.

Because the most recent study lasted only three months, it’s not clear how long the benefit of acupuncture lasts. The study authors said that more research is needed to find out if regular “booster” sessions after the initial treatment period will continue to relieve a woman’s symptoms.

Based on the formula, Xiao Chai Hu Tang Si Wu Tang Jia Jian (that’s Chinese for a bunch of herbs mixed together), this herbal supplement can be used at first sign of common cold and flu, characterized by sore throat, fever and headache. I take 3 capsules twice a day for three days and, more often than not, my symptoms are resolved and I never miss a day of work.

In most states, Cold Quell and other herbal supplements can only be distributed by a licensed professional.  To find a Chinese Medicine practitioner in your area visit the Acufinder website.

While the scarf may go in and out of the fashion trends, it should always be a staple in any wardrobe.  Even on the warmer days there may still be a strong breeze that we need to protect our bodies from, especially the neck. In Chinese medicine, the Urinary Bladder channel, which helps to govern the exterior of the body, passes through the back of the neck.  External pathogens such as Wind and Cold can easily enter the body through this channel and cause common cold symptoms.  When your mother said, “Put on your scarf or you might catch cold,”  she wasn’t just uttering an old wives’ tale expression.

The same goes for you So. Cal residents.  Even though the temperatures may still be high, those Santa Ana winds are on their way and they are no more merciful than their colder counterparts.