Anxiety

The One Hour Vacation

It’s time for a tune up!

In Chinese Medicine, we acknowledge that Summer brings the gifts of laughter, partnership, and joy. This is seen by our desire to vacation with loved ones, have fun and break loose, and have more get togethers with old and new friends. In Summer, our Heart, Pericardium, Small Intestine and San Jiao are at their peak of functioning and at their most vulnerable. If challenged, you may notice some issues with regulating your body temperature or fluids- hello edema! Swollen ankles, anyone? If this is an issue for you, you can add 2 handfuls of watermelon to your diet daily or try Job’s Tears… and don’t forget your regular acupuncture treatment.

Late Summer brings the gift of harvest time, all of our hard work is paying off and especially for farmers and gardeners we can see the ripe fruit and vegetables in abundance to eat. We get a feeling of “life is good and easy” because there is plenty of food and a general sense of putting our feet up to relax. The gifts of Late Summer are empathy, sympathy, mothering oneself/tending to oneself versus how we take care of others. There is a lot of digesting life, making life a part of us- the way we go on vacation to a new land, consume the culture, the food, the energy of a beautiful and interesting place as we try to take it back home with us as part of our new life experience. In Late Summer, our Stomach and Spleen are at their peak of functioning and at their most vulnerable. If this is a difficult time for your body, you may notice more loose stools or irregular digestion, stomach bloating or cramps, or gas. Try fresh mint in your diet, add to smoothies or salads, or as a cup of tea.

If you’re finding Summer or Late Summer a difficult time, emotional or physically, don’t suffer alone. It’s time for a tune up. Schedule your appointment with one of our wonderful acupuncturists, available in White Marsh or Timonium, Monday thru Saturday as early as 7am, as late as 7pm.

Acupuncture is the perfect one hour vacation, with benefit to your mind and body.

Seven Ways to Set and Achieve Your Goals

No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, setting goals is one way to help you get there. Often, when people have no goals, they lack motivation, focus and direction. Setting goals also provides a benchmark to determine whether or not you are succeeding. But how do you set goals if you’ve never done so before? Or what if you have set goals in the past, but you didn’t achieve them? Do you just give up and tell yourself that goal setting doesn’t work? That’s one option, but let’s put things into perspective. continue reading »

9 Benefits of Aromatherapy

Essential oils are used for myriad reasons. They’re the natural compounds extracted from plants and are known for being fragrant. While some people choose to massage them into the skin others use diffusers to inhale the aroma. Regardless of the method, people turn to essential oils to unlock the many benefits of aromatherapy.

As a form of self-care and holistic wellness, aromatherapy is used for physical and emotional purposes. It’s an alternative to more traditional treatments and many people find joy in creating their own unique blends. Aromatherapy is perfect for in-home wellness or combined with other services, like a massage or acupuncture.

1. Great for Stress

Aromatherapy is an excellent way to reduce your stress. That’s because essential oils have proven to alleviate stress symptoms, including fatigue and restlessness. Lemon and thyme oil are both great options for stress and nervousness.

2. Get an Energy Boost

People who live busy lives are often faced with the possibility of burning out physically and mentally. However, not having the energy doesn’t stop us from having responsibilities. Aromatherapy is a great way to get an energy boost in the middle of your day. Some people even have a diffuser in their office for a midday boost. Try some wild orange, bergamot, grapefruit, or pine.

3. Help for Headaches

Anyone who has ever had a headache knows how debilitating they can be. If you’d prefer not to rely on traditional medicines, you can mix your essential oil with a carrier oil and gently rub them into your scalp and temples to relieve the pain. Mix lavender, rosemary, or chamomile oil with a carrier like almond or avocado oil.

4. Sleep Better

If you’re having trouble winding down and getting to sleep at the end of the day, try placing a diffuser on your nightstand or using essential oils in the bath. If you experience insomnia, anxiety, or restlessness, use ylang-ylang, neroli, or cedarwood.

5. Improve Digestion

Not all essential oils are safe for consumption but of the ones that are, they can be beneficial for conditions like nausea and help facilitate digestion. Add a couple drops to a cup of water, take them in a capsule, or cook with them. Ginger is an excellent essential oil for nausea and indigestion. Fennel essential oil works well to remedy upset stomach, bloating, and heartburn.

6. Mood Enhancement

Don’t forget that you can create your own essential oil blends with your favorite oils. This is a great way to enhance your mood by combining your favorite smells. Inhaling essential oils is known for inducing a sense of calm, relaxation, and positivity.

7. Breathe Better

Speaking of inhaling, there are some essential oils that contain antiseptic properties that help get rid of bacteria and mold, clearing the air and helping you breathe better. If you’ve noticed that you’ve been sneezing and coughing more often at home because of the change in weather, try diffusing some eucalyptus, oregano, or geranium.

8. Improve Complexion

If you experience acne or other frequent blemishes, you might think that putting oil on your skin would be counterproductive. However, there are essential oils that contain the right amount of qualities that help calm irritated skin and even brighten and even out the complexion. Mix the essential oil with a carrier to create your own moisturizing blend. Tea tree oil contains anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Rose essential oil counteracts dryness. Carrot seed oil is an antioxidant for skin renewal.

9. Great for Pain and Inflammation

For athletes, people who have active lifestyles, and older people who often experience aching joints, inflammation, swelling, and sore muscles, essential oils can be a great addition to your pain management regimen. Massage some peppermint, sandalwood, cypress, or clove oil into the affected areas for relief from your symptoms.

If you are interested in learning more about essential oils contact Cloud 9’s owner, Laura Parks, with your aromatherapy questions today.

At Peace Instead of In Pieces

Lately we’ve had a huge surge in New Patients. Most of these patients are completely new to acupuncture, some are not. Some saw another acupuncturist years ago for a few visits perhaps. One of my takeaways as one of the 6 acupuncturists here at Cloud 9 from the past few weeks is a reminder of just how powerful it can be to have a practitioner provide deep listening.

What do I mean by “Deep Listening?”

Many of our patients recently have said their peace and then looked at me with a soft smile and said, “wow, I feel like I’m talking to my therapist, but I’m more relaxed. I feel so much better.” Usually followed by, “Does anyone else ever tell you that?”

The answer is Yes. Many times. The reason patients have this healing experience so often is because we set a supportive environment where patients can bring any of their concerns or life difficulties to the table to be tended to. As an acupuncturist, I was also given years of training as a Wellness Coach, giving mindset shifting tools to carefully craft and curate for each individual patient at hand.

That’s not to take away from a psychologist or therapist. We refer out to therapists all the time and we respect the amazing work they do. At the same time, we acknowledge that acupuncture brings healing to what the Ancient Chinese described as “Body/Mind/Spirit” and we tend our patients knowing that what ails the mind will show up in the body, and what ails the body will weigh heavily on the mind. We are here to tend you by looking at you holistically (and as a whole).

I look forward to seeing you on the table soon, so we can continue to help you Find Peace, and Bring Your (maybe not so broken?) Pieces back together.

Q & A with Acupuncturist Kelly Ferguson

Check out a few of our Acupuncturists discuss Questions such as:

Does Acupuncture Work?

Why Did Kelly Become an Acupuncturist?

What’s Kelly’s Favorite Acupuncture Point?

What are Kelly’s Favorite Conditions to Treat?

Kelly is in Timonium on Tuesday & Thursday, 12pm-8pm, Saturday 10am-3pm

Is White Marsh better for you? Check out our New Acupuncturists Nancy & Jaeok!

https://youtu.be/5grqCkh3evw