- Cloud 9 Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine22 West Padonia Rd. Suite A-203
Timonium, MD 21093 Follow Us!
Uncategorized
Ladies Night Out: Self-Care With A Bit Of Indulgence
Ladies Night Out: Self-Care with a Bit of Indulgence
DATE: Friday, March 9, 2018
TIME: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
LOCATION: Aluma Yoga
INSTRUCTORS: Melody Clark of Aluma Yoga & Laura Parks & Kelly Ferguson of Cloud 9 Acupuncture
COST: $65
We all know self-care is an absolute necessity in our wellness journey. This Ladies Night Out will relax, recharge, and refresh your mind and your skin – and also tantalize your taste buds.
The evening begins with a soothing, guided meditation that takes places while you receive your facial acupuncture procedure by our partners at Cloud 9 Acupuncture. Acupuncture facials nourish the skin by improving blood and energy circulation and increasing collagen production, which can lead to younger and healthier looking skin.
To top off the night (and your senses,) you’ll enjoy a decadent chocolate tasting and libation pairing by Parfections Chocolates and Troyer’s Liquors. Space is limited, so reserve yours now.
How to Know if You Are Having a Healthy Monthly Cycle- According to Your Acupuncturist
Written By Our Acupuncturist: Kelly Ferguson, M.Ac., L.Ac.
Have you ever wondered if you were having a “healthy” or “normal” monthly cycle? Here are some of the things an acupuncturist would look at to determine if you are having a “healthy” cycle.
There are 3 meridians in Chinese Medicine that we pay attention to when it comes to periods/fertility/pregnancy. They are Liver, Kidney and Spleen. Put simply, the Liver meridian is in charge of hormones and controlling blood, the Kidney meridian is in charge of Jing/Qi, and the Spleen meridian is in charge of making blood/ milk production and holding the baby.
What we want to see happen with treatment, lifestyle and nutritional changes are PMS symptoms no longer occurring, no clots, no breast tenderness, no abdominal distension, no cramps, and no back pain. Yes, you read that right. In Chinese Medicine, you should not be cramping nor having other period symptoms. You will become more Yin around your period which will mean you are a little tired, introverted and possibly nesting. Your period should be a smooth flow with no spotting, slow to start, hits a peak around day 2-3, begins to temper out, and ends completely at day 5. The blood itself should be red (not: dark, pale, bright red, black or brown) with no clots and not watery.
The menstrual cycle should be 28 days. In Chinese medicine, the menstrual cycle should line up with the lunar cycle. Meaning your period will take place with a new moon and ovulation should take place during the full moon. So if we look at the menstrual cycle in this way, your period will occur the first 5 days of your cycle. At day 12 in your cycle the LH surge will occur and you should notice an increase in cervical mucus. This is when you want to start having sex if you are trying to get pregnant. You want to start having sex before you are actually ovulating. The reason behind this is it takes time for the sperm to reach the egg. So on day 14 in your cycle when you are ovulating we want the sperm there. If you are not noticing cervical mucus around day 12 or ovulation at day 14 this is something that we should be aware of and pay attention to for further treatments. Another thing to note is around ovulation we want the cervical mucus to be a bit sticky and slick when you wipe and the more cervical mucus around this time the better.
The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle takes place from ovulation (day 14) until your cycle ends at day 28 or you become pregnant. We want the luteal phase to last at least 11 days because it takes fertile eggs 5-7 days to implant in the uterus and start hormonal changes. These hormonal changes need time to occur so that the body will not start the menstrual cycle if you are trying to get pregnant. So if you notice that your cycle is shorter or longer than 28 days, you are having symptoms around your period, your body is not creating cervical mucus, or you are ovulating to soon before or after your period it is something you can discuss with your acupuncturist. We will use acupuncture, diet, and lifestyle recommendations to help your body become balanced and have a “healthy” monthly cycle.
Join Our 7 Day Fall Cleanse! Registration Closes Soon
Why Cleanse?
Do you have extra pounds that won’t come off with diet and exercise?
Do you have headaches or feel lethargic during the day?
Do you have cravings for sugar or starchy foods?
Do you have allergies, difficulty focusing or experience foggy brain?
Do you experience pain, muscle aches, or stiffness in your joints?
Do you feel addicted to foods that you know aren’t good for you… and yet you can’t stop?
Do you feel anxious, upset, nervous, or downright cranky?
Join Us for Our Cleanse Oct. 16th thru Oct. 22nd!
This Cleanse is an excellent way to jump start your weight loss, double your energy, or gather information about a potential food sensitivity that could be causing your chronic symptoms.
Register by Final Deadline Sun. Oct. 15th to join this Group Detox.
You will receive group support and a private session with your Health Coach, Laura Parks. You will receive a shopping list, meal plans and recipes for REAL FOOD, 3 meals per day plus a snack or dessert.
There will be 3 group calls during our Cleanse which will be accessible online. If you can’t make our calls online at the dedicated times the call will be recorded for you to access later instead.
Questions? Email Laura: AcupunctureByLaura@gmail.com or Call 443-521-3583
Fall 7 Day Cleanse
$99 Early Bird Registration Ends Wed. Oct. 11th!
Register Now
After Oct.11th Registration Jumps Up to $147
It’s About to Get Personal (Self-Care)
This paragraph is about to get personal. This past April, I turned 34 years old. The last 5 years or so, I’ve made a commitment to treating myself well for at least a month after my birthday. I think of it as my reward for making it this far through life – – so far! Well, this last year was especially trying. My dad, Earl, was diagnosed with cancer last August and he passed two months later, on October 7th. In the blink of an eye, he was gone and I was left shocked. He was one of the most vibrant people I knew. In his 50’s, he was doing tree work and a tree fell on his head and partially scalped him. He kept working! At 60 years old, he was hiking Colorado mountains over 10,000 feet high.
Dad called me last year to tell me he went on a night hike in the Colorado mountains, only to see mountain lion foot prints on top of his own when he finally headed back towards the car. He said he understood why people called them “Ghost Cats” – you’ll never see or hear a mountain lion until it’s too late.
My point in telling you all this is this – You will never know when your time is coming. You can live a full, healthy life and then one day out of the blue you’ve got some terminal disease and the clock is ticking. Death comes for everyone eventually. That’s why Self-Care is so important. Not because I want you to feel disillusioned that you are cheating death by taking better care of yourself. No, you should have a killer (awesome!) self-care routine because life is short and all we have to do is give ourselves permission to have a better quality of life, less suffering and more joy.
One of my dad’s friends’ favorite things to say was “one more day to chase happy.” She would line up her day off with her favorite self-care activities, hair cut, pedicure and manicure, time with her girlfriends, going to dinner, dancing, going hiking or traveling. Self-care is personal. It’s what’s going to make you happy and fulfilled, we’re going beyond “make sure you take your blood pressure meds every morning” type of self-care.
What makes you light up? What makes you feel most alive? I know for me, part of my self-care is spending time with people who make me feel loved. Hanging out with people who I can share joy and laughter with. I buy myself fresh cut flowers, often. A necessity for me is sunshine and blue skies, spending time outside with my dog. Another practice that keeps me sane is my daily meditation and connecting with my intuition.
Every season, I adore my precious time spent with the sky. Ocean, mountains, forest, desert I love it all. Travel is part of my self-care. A good story is part of my self-care too. Sometimes I get my stories from a good book or t.v. show, or even from my patients sharing their hearts with me. Storytelling is part of what feeds the soul.
When I go in for my regular acupuncture treatments, my whole spirit starts to open up. As I lay on the acupuncture table with those tiny needles in, my soul travels through all my recent stories, weaving in and out of dreams, reality and all the poetic metaphors that paint a picture that everything is alright, I am alright and I am home. I feel fully integrated and complete, grounded and at peace. Sometimes I literally feel as if I am floating, which is partly how I came up with the name, “Cloud 9 Acupuncture.”
Whatever your self-care is, I hope you find the proper dose . . . And then double it!
Manifest Your Desires Using the Feminine Principles
|
|
|