Can we call it "chiropuncture"? It just rolls off the tongue.

Chiropractic and acupuncture are the peanut butter and jelly sandwich of integrative medicine.

Chiropractic treatments focus on adjusting the spine to correct vertebral misalignments based within the nervous system.  If a vertebra is impinging on a nerve, it can cause disorders much further than just numbness or tingling. Think digestive issues, chronic headaches, even sinus issues. A chiropractor is able to adjust the spine and alleviate these obstructions.

Acupuncture comes in to help in two ways. First, acupuncture easily manipulates the soft tissues surrounding the spine to allow for an easier and longer lasting chiropractic adjustment. Secondly, it improves the function of the nerves that are now working properly after an adjustment. 

In other words, the acupuncturist gets the muscles to release their grip on the affected bones and joints. Once there’s room for the bone to go back to its proper place, the chiropractor places it there. Now that the nerve is able to function again, the needles get it to do so quickly.

That’s just the most basic of care that we can provide you. There’s also gua sha/graston and fire cupping which further releases the soft tissues and breaks up stagnation. Active Release Technique is a movement based massage that treats problems of muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. Electrical stimulation attaches to an acupuncture needle inserted into a muscle’s trigger point, which acts as a defibrillator (of sorts) for the muscle, getting it to “restart” and stop causing discomfort. Herbal medicine is personalized to each patient’s constitution and continues the healing while between treatments.

And this is why I am so excited to be seeing patients at Grow Chiropractic every Monday, Wednesday through Friday in Rancho Bernardo. I’m able to work alongside both Dr. Marc Grow and Dr. Ian Cooke to provide my patients with the most thorough treatments for their optimal health. Call (858) 433-5588 to schedule your appointments today!

Keeping your Acupuncture Appointment

It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I try to explain why it's important to keep your acupuncture appointment instead of canceling.

You caught a bug- If you're unfortunate enough to get a head cold right before your appointment- still come in! Acupuncture, gua sha, fire cupping, and herbs all in conjunction do wonders on cutting down the length AND severity of your cold or flu. If a cough is one of your symptoms, fire cupping on your back right where your lungs are located brings that cough and any phlegm up and out. Sinus headaches from rhinitis can be diminished instantly (see my blog post about Bi Tong, the magical sinusitis point) with acupuncture and herbs. The treatment is shorter, only about 30-45 minutes, so you can get off the table and crawl right back into bed. In the case of Open Channel, an appointment for treating a cold is shorter and only $55 which includes the price of herbs. 

Unforeseen flareup- A lot of patients are receiving acupuncture for chronic, even life-long, conditions. Flareups happen. It's so tempting to skip your acupuncture appointment for the week and recuperate in bed. This is actually the most important time to see your acupuncturist. Chinese Medicine is best known as a preventative medicine but it also really shines during the worse times. Just like a cold, it reduces the severity and decreases the longevity of your symptoms. If you're already on an herbal formula, I'll want to either give you a new formula or tweak your existing one to accommodate you. Acupuncturists are also on the look out for serious symptoms- it might be a small annoyance to you but could be an indicator of a serious condition. It's important that I can check you out and monitor you, as one of your healthcare practitioners. (On a side note: If you are experiencing a worsening of your condition and you don't already have an appointment- now is a perfect time to make one).

Too stressful of a time- I'm personally guilty of this one. I had a deadline approaching and I wanted to just pound through the assignment without any interruptions. After being chewed out by my acupuncturist for canceling (how embarrassing!) I vowed to never do it again. This is an especially important time to come in. Tell your acupuncturist about your stress levels and how they're affecting you. There are point combinations to improve your sleep, improve your cognitive ability, improve your focus, keep you from getting sick, decrease any pain from tensing up, and even improve your digestion from stress tummy. Think of your acupuncturist as your ultimate partner in keeping you grounded during hectic times.

Menstrual pain- I'll let you in on a little secret: I have a plethora of ways to help you out during your period. Heating pads, direct moxibustion, moxa boxes, castor oil packs, all of these are heavenly for abdominal and lower back cramping. Feeling full of rage and so irritable that you chewed out your cat for looking at you funny? We have herbs for that. Did you cry earlier today because you dropped a spoon and it's just a metaphor for how your life is going at the moment? We definitely have herbs for that. 

The whole point of this blog post is this: Your treatment plan is modified and specific to you and your constitution. With that being said, it is not a strict regimented straight path to healing that cannot be changed. Acupuncturists are able to adapt and treat whatever problems you are walking in that door with.  

Magic Points Monday: Pericardium 6

That bandaid in the middle of the tattoo is a tack!

This point is an absolute favorite of mine. People who suffer from panic disorders respond so unbelievably well to acupuncture, Pericardium 6 has become a magic point for me. 

I like to say I have a bag of magic acupuncture points. They're the quick and easy points that give a patient instant relief. They're the 'Aha! This works!' of Chinese medicine. Pericardium 6 is definitely in my bag of tricks. A patient who suffers from chronic anxiety or frequent panic attacks benefits greatly from Pc 6.

First let's discuss what a pericardium is really quick. The pericardium encases and protects the heart (literally, in Western medicine. Not a figurative Chinese thing... this time). The Pericardium channel travels to the chest, right over the heart. Anxiety is (usually) seen as an imbalance with the Heart's Qi or Blood and possibly Yin- it's ok if that went over your head, it took years of school for that sentence to not make me want to quit trying to understand TCM. Long story short is that the Pericardium deals with the Heart and thus deals with anxiety like a pro. 

So what happens when you have chronic anxiety or you're in the middle of a panic attack? Your palms get sweaty. Your heart races and pounds and palpitates. You get tunnel vision or that sensation of looking through the bottom of an empty glass.You get nauseated or as I coined it, "anxiety tummy" that cramps up and makes it impossible to eat. You get dizzy. Your chest gets tight. And you can't think straight. Phew, this paragraph makes me anxious!

This handsome fellow is courtesy of meridiatech.com

Pericardium 6 goes to the chest- opening it up and allowing you to breathe, stopping the racing heart and thumping palpitations. This point stops vertigo and dizziness. It is an empirical point for nausea and vomiting, they even sell wristbands that put pressure on Pc 6 for motion sickness. Your spirit or 'Shen' is housed in the heart and is going crazy all over the place during an attack, which is what causes the racing and fragmented thoughts. Guess which point calms the Shen? Yep. Pericardium 6. 

So how do I employ this magical acupuncture point in my practice? Well when a patient is on the table I combine it with Yin Tang which is smack-dab in the middle of the eyebrows. These two points combined stops a panic attack dead in its tracks. I not only needle it in conjunction with other points to work on your constitution (such as that Heart Blood or Heart Qi I mentioned up above), but I put tacks in there. A tack is a small bandaid with a teeny tiny eentsy weentsy needle in it measuring only .02 millimeters. This tack constantly stimulates the point, working on that anxiety and panic around the clock. I use these on myself when I have something stressful planned for the day- a job interview, an important test, dental work, even while I'm working on my budget. 

If you or someone you know suffers from a pretty debilitating disorder, let them know that acupuncture can work wonders for them. And a treatment will include this amazing point, but is so much more than that.

Magic Points Monday: Gall Bladder 41

My entire family is prone to headaches and migraines. If we smell something strong, look at too bright of a light, or have something planned for the day- we are definitely going to end up with a migraine. I’m not talking about any ol’ headache. These migraines take us down. Needless to say, I know pain and suffering. And these migraines used to mean spending the rest of the day in a dark, cool, quiet room and almost overdosing on ibuprofen. At least, until I found the sweetest spot: Gall Bladder 41.

I like to say I have a bag of magic acupuncture points. They’re the quick and easy points that give a patient instant relief. They’re the ‘Aha! This works!’ of Chinese medicine. Gall Bladder 41 is in my bag of tricks. A patient will come to me when they currently have a headache and I stick this little puppy in their foot and they’re headache free by the time they get off of my table. To anyone who has had a severe headache or a migraine, that’s pure magic.

Why does Gall Bladder 41 work so well? Migraines are typically a combination of Liver Qi stagnation as well as stuck Qi and ‘Blood’. (Please keep in mind this is Chinese medicine speak- you don’t have a literal embolism every time you have a headache). GB 41 is aces at moving stuck Qi, especially in the Liver meridian. The Gall Bladder channel traverses all over the head- temples, side of the head, forehead right above the eyebrow, and surrounding your ear. Migraines are typically right in these areas and they usually wrap around the entire head.

The Gall Bladder channel on the head. Photo courtesy of: naturecuresclinic.com

Speaking of wrapping! Anytime you have a ‘wrapping’ pain in your body, it’s best to treat the Dai channel as it’s the only channel that wraps around the body. Guess what point is used to open up the Dai channel? Mhm. Gall Bladder 41.

But why would you stick a needle in the foot when the pain is in the head?! Qi follows the needle wherever it is inserted. If you already have a blockage and excess of Qi in your head, you don’t want to call attention to more Qi in that area. Gall Bladder 41 gets that excess Qi to drain down the channel and flow properly. When I sit with the needles in my feet I literally feel a draining of the pressure from the top of my head, to behind my eye sockets, even in my dang earlobes. All the pain and pressure simply drains. Heaven.

Next time you have a headache or a migraine, press on your Gall Bladder 41, most likely it’s really tender. It’s the sweet spot between the tendon and the bone of your fifth metatarsal.

Photo courtesy of Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Now the very best thing to rid yourself of migraines is regular acupuncture treatments. The best kind of medicine is prevention! And there is even an article about the efficacy of acupuncture on migraines and longer relief, even better than migraine meds (spoiler alert Gall Bladder 41 is mentioned):  http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1332-migraine-vanishes-with-acupuncture-and-tuina

And for even more science-y western medical research:  http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1422-acupuncture-migraine-relief-achievement 

Last week in Chinese Medicine - Youyou Tu

Photo courtesy of NobelPrize.org

Eighty-four year old Youyou Tu was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of the anti-malarial drug Artemisinin. This discovery is badass for a multitude of reasons:

1. She is the first Chinese woman to win this award. And this isn’t her first award! She’s been winning since 1980.

2. She is trained and educated in both Traditional Chinese Medicine and pharmacology and is NOW the Chief Professor at the Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. This means she’s not only a scientist and a researcher but a Chinese medicine practitioner as well.

3. She spent decades combing through thousand year old texts (ones still used in acupuncture schools today) and testing hundreds of herbal formulas before discovering that Qing Hao – Artemisia Annua or Wormwood- holds the chemical compound that 100% kills the malaria parasite.

4. Her father named her Youyou after the Chinese saying “The deer bleat ‘youyou’ while they are eating the wild hao”. Her dad literally named her after the herb. Awesome coincidence.

5. A panel of 50 scientists voted that this researcher’s herbal discovery was worth a Nobel Prize.

6. She reminds me of my old supervisor, Dr. Wei. A tough cookie with a plethora of knowledge.

7. This discovery has saved millions of lives.

So if anyone ever says that Chinese herbal medicine isn’t legit like pharmaceuticals, I dare you- say that to Youyou’s face. 

The Acupuncturist

Brittany Plummer

Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist

Aches and pains, grunts and groans, oh boy!

Orthopedic acupuncture isn't exclusively just for athletes. I've treated knee pain on an avid gardener. There's also chronic tendinitis on a barista's forearm. Or how about the shoulder pain from the military man pulling people into helicopters. Orthopedic acupuncture supports their bodies during their most loved hobbies but as well as their careers. I would never ask the gardener to completely stop her weekends full of walking garden tours or pruning her veggie garden. The barista can't just up and quit her job, and you can't retire from the military because of shoulder pain. 

Orthopedic acupuncture allows you to continue doing what you love without pain or restricted movement. I'm here to support you!

So what exactly is 'orthopedic', anyway? Let's say you have a pinched nerve, your sciatic nerve for example. Nine times out of ten it's your piriformis muscle (located in your glute) constricting and pinching that sciatic nerve. That's where you get the shooting pain down to your butt cheek or even all the way down to your foot. My job is to go into that muscle and get it to release and relax... and that gives your sciatic nerve a break. This is true for all the nerves pinched by muscles! I go in, get it to back off, and your nerve can breathe. There are also trigger points for every muscle in your body. When I hit those trigger points (painless to you!) I get tight or knotted muscles to release. This is great for you yoginis or body builders.

Any questions? Don't hesitate to email Brittany at OpenChannelAcu@gmail.com

The Acupuncturist

Brittany Plummer

Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist

Or let's say you have a bulging disk that's pressing down on a nerve and giving you back or neck pain. I have those muscles surrounding your vertebrae release and create more room for that bulging disk. We're not talking about inches of space though, all you need is a few millimeters in order to stop the nerve from being pinched. I can't put a disc back into place but I can definitely help alleviate the pain it causes.

Prescribing you herbal formulas is also immensely helpful. For the athletes,  you'll experience better endurance and recovery time, less joints locking up and muscles knotting, and less soreness from an intense workout. The gardener gets an increase in blood flow and synovial fluid in her knee joint. The barista's forearm tendons let her work a full eight hour shift now. And the man on active duty has better range of motion in his shoulder. Orthopedic acupuncture is for every body.

And hey look, there's a study to back this up! http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1512-acupuncture-frees-movement-from-sports-injuries

Have you been treated with acupuncture for your aches and pains? Comment below about your experience! 

Here, let me just smooth that out for you...

Facial rejuvenation acupuncture! I've had a lot of questions about this subject so here's the end-all be-all of information about perkin' you up. 

How does it work? The point of facial acupuncture is to naturally and safely erase years off of that gorgeous mug of yours. Instead of injecting muscle-paralyzing toxic syrups into your face, I have your skin improve itself.  Using different acupuncture points as well as placing the needles directly into the wrinkle/scar/blemish, your skin reacts by increasing collagen production and blood flow. This reaction is what reduces the wrinkles and scars. I also utilize Gua Sha to relax the facial muscles and further increase blood flow (which increases the health of your skin). On top of the local needles in the face, I also work on the underlying problems that are attributing to your face's health. Whether it be hormonal, stress-related, or simply just your age, you get a complete treatment. And if it's appropriate, I'm also a licensed herbalist and can find the best formula for you.

What are the benefits? The main benefit would have to be that your own body's reaction is what helps achieve a more healthy look and feel to your skin. You aren't being injected with a pretty dangerous toxin, you aren't being cut open, and you aren't just covering your problem areas with makeup. This is a much more permanent solution without taking drastic measures. 

Who reaps the benefits? A variety of people! Facial rejuvenation is great for wrinkles, fine lines, frown lines, smile lines, acne blemishes, and acne scars. This isn't just for deep rooted problems either... this is great as a preventative measure. 

So what's the plan? Typically, I ask that my patients dedicate twelve weeks to these treatments. Come in once a week for a 45 minute treatment for twelve weeks in a row. Then after this more 'intense' regimen, we can go down to once-a-month maintenance appointments. 

Mkay, now what's the cost? Firstly, come on in for a free thirty minute consultation. This isn't a hook-line-sinker meeting where I try to sell you a package. We just go over the basics: your health, your habits, and your skin. That way we can get a clear idea of how many appointments you may need and how well you will respond to and benefit from the program. Once we get you scheduled, each 45 minute appointment is only $75. 

And hey! Popsugar wrote an article about it too! http://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Skin-Care-Benefits-Acupuncture-37224421#photo-37224421

Facial rejuvenation for acne scars and an added bonus of crazy eyes!

The Acupuncturist

Brittany Plummer

Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist