- Cloud 9 Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine22 West Padonia Rd. Suite A-203
Timonium, MD 21093 
Latest Articles:
- • Outdoor Activities Best Enjoyed During Spring •
- • The Health Benefits of Spring Cleaning •
- • Delicious Recipes Using Spring Fruits and Vegetables •
Health
Earth Constitutional Factor
By Kelly Ferguson, L.Ac.
You may hear your practitioner speaking about your CF or Constitutional Factor, and you are probably asking yourself what that means? In Five Element Acupuncture Theory there are five elements or seasons that we use to help diagnosis and understand our patients. We have each of these elements within us, but we prefer one to two of them over the others. Those elements that we unknowingly prefer or align with are what we would call a person’s Constitutional Factor or CF. Within each CF there are the meridians, colors, odors, sounds, emotions, personality traits, seasons, etc. that go along with it.
One of these Constitutional Factors is called Earth. The season for this element is Late Summer which we are getting ready to head into. This element is very grounding or centering. It allows us to nurture ourselves and those around us. Earth CF’s can sometimes sound like they are singing as they are speaking. They tend to have a yellow complexion to their skin around their eyes, and their odor can be a bit sweet smelling. The meridians that go along with Earth are spleen and stomach meridians.
Kelly sees patients on Tuesdays & Thursdays 12p -8pm, Saturdays 10am-3pm in Timonium, and Wednesdays 12:30pm-7:30pm in White Marsh. Read more about Kelly at https://cloud9acuclinic.com/kelly-ferguson-acupuncturist/
Meet Our New Acupuncturist! Bradley Stiles
We are proud to announce Bradley Stiles, M.Ac., L.Ac. as our newest acupuncturist. Starting on July 30th, Brad will be seeing patients:
Monday … 7am – 11am
Tuesday … 7am – 12pm
Wednesday… 7am – 11am
Brad is ready to see patients with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna and Aetna plans.
Read a little more about Brad…
Bradley Stiles’ path to becoming an acupuncturist started out as a skeptical patient. He went into treatment to find help for the chronic back pain that comes from his scoliosis. Surprised by the results, Brad decided to study acupuncture. He completed his Masters degree of Acupuncture in September 2016 at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Brad has a clinical interest in sports medicine acupuncture and creating improvements in injury recovery, pain management, and the side benefits (instead of side effects) of acupuncture creating better overall health and well-being.
Brad is Certified in Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture and received his training under Virginia Doran. Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture uses acupuncture to reduce the impression of fine lines and wrinkles. Facial Acupuncture uses needles in certain areas to reduce the effects of sagging portions of the face including the jowls, cheeks, or eyebrows.
When Brad isn’t working he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife and twin girls, traveling to new and interesting places (with plans to visit Thailand and Peru soon!), and enjoys staying active by doing weightlifting, yoga, and running. He occasionally finds time to put together a star wars Lego set for fun.
Acupuncture Happy Hour at Cloud 9! Time to Party!
Acupuncture Happy Hour!
Join us at Cloud 9 as we show our appreciation
Free Acupuncture & Free TCM Tongue Diagnosis
Lite refreshments will be served.
OPEN TO ALL PATIENTS & FRIENDS OF CLOUD 9!
Wednesday May 9, 2018 from 5-7pm
at Cloud 9 Acupuncture
With Special Guest Speaker Dr. Pamela Woodward
from First Step Chiropractic!
RSVP Today Call: 443-521-3583
Cloud 9 Acupuncture
22 W. Padonia Rd. Suite B-324
Timonium, MD 21093
How Can Cupping Help Me?
by Kelly Ferguson, L.Ac.
Cupping is one of the many tools an acupuncturist has in their arsenal. It has been used for thousands of years and by many different cultures.
How Cupping Works
An acupuncturist or trained professional will take a glass cup and momentarily place a flame within it, removing the air and creating a vacuum or suction when applied to the skin. The cups will remain on the skin for 5-10 minutes and will either remain in place or be moved around by the practitioner.
Cupping helps to resolve blood stasis, remove lymph or fluids in the tissue, and relieves muscle tension in the body. Cupping essentially increases the circulation of blood and lymph in the body. Did you know you have more lymph fluid in your body than blood? Lymphatic fluid helps remove toxins and muscular waste from your body and is excreted through your sweat, urine and bowel movements.
When you receive cupping, the lymphatic system is removing the toxins and muscular waste, while fresh oxygenated blood rushes in to the area of cupping to help heal muscle tissue much faster (especially in the case of muscle injuries).
Further, cupping is often used for Allergies, High Blood Pressure, Respiratory Conditions such as a cold or bronchitis, and Musculoskeletal conditions like back, shoulder or neck pain/tension. Last year when Michael Phelps had cupping marks at the Olympics, we received many questions about cupping.
Hopefully this article helps answer some of your questions and perhaps help you form more questions. Please contact us with your new questions and curiosity about cupping if you or your family member is ready to try this awesome modality.
Prevent Springtime Allergies with Acupuncture Today
By Kelly Ferguson
Are you an allergy sufferer? Do you dread the fall or spring due to your seasonal allergies? If you are, you are not alone. Researchers estimate that nearly 50 million people in the Unites States have allergies making allergies the 6th leading cause of chronic illness.
An ‘allergy’ is hypersensitivity in your immune system to foreign substances. These foreign substances are known as ‘allergens’ and are recognized by your body and create a response in your immune system. Common allergens are animal dander, pollen, dust, nuts and mold. However, there are many different allergens and if you are not sure what you are allergic to it can be helpful to speak with an allergist who can test which allergens your body is having a reaction to.
In Chinese medicine there are four meridians we use to reduce/stop your allergy symptoms. These meridians are Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Large Intestine. The gut plays a large part in your immune system. Your gut or gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the main route for external stimuli entering into your body every day. It is important that we work on keeping your GI tract healthy so that it can better handle the external stimuli.
There are various points that can be used to help with allergies, and these points will be chosen based on the individual, their symptoms, pulses and their tongue. A couple common ones are Large Intestine 4 which helps the body to clear toxins and reduce inflammation, and Lung 9 which helps support the Lung meridian and build qi.
Along with using acupuncture to help stop your allergy symptoms, your acupuncturist will also talk to you about your diet and daily lifestyle. For most these are simple changes. An example of this could be: over eating sweets. Sweets are actually very damaging to your Spleen and Stomach meridians which can make your allergies worse. Likewise, getting a shower at the end of the day to remove any allergens that might be attached to your skin, hair or clothing after being outside during the day. Some other tips are getting a new pillow every few months, buying a pillow cover that protects against allergens, and changing your filters in your car and HVAC.
As we near closer to spring time it is important to consider adding in or making some changes in our day-to-day life so that we can help prevent allergies. Be sure to schedule your acupuncture appointment this spring to help with the upcoming allergy season or any other spring symptoms you may be experiencing.
