Uptown Acupuncture

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

Although acupuncture has been an integral part of Traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, the idea of using acupuncture to help people overcome certain addictions is relatively new. In fact, the idea of acupuncture as a form of addiction treatment happened almost by chance in the early 1970s, when a patient who happened to be suffering withdrawal symptoms from an opium addiction reported his symptoms disappeared after receiving electro-acupuncture prior to surgery. Dr. Michael Smith ant Lincoln Hospital in New York and the Height-Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco began to fine tune the use of Acupuncture for the treatment of addictions and facilitating the breaking of this difficult cycle. From smoking cessation, drug and alcohol, addiction to sex and overeating, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can support the work of the client and sometimes make all the difference.

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

Western Medicine has a lot of great qualities, that is why I am a hybrid type practitioner who uses both modern and classic techniques in my practice. One aspect of Western Medicine that is not a strength, is what we call “supporting the righteous” Treatments are designed to block, reduce, counteract, and suppress. Chinese Medicine is big on shoring up what is weak to maintain balance and harmony. We have herbs that supplement and gently nourish the body and paints that stimulate the immune system to “keep your forcefeild strong” as I say. I have studied the works of Misha Cohen at the Quan Yin Center in San Francisco who was been keeping the immune systems of HIV+ people strong since 1983 and a pioneer in modern AIDS research. Her book on HIV wellness is a gem for all who want to learn how to optimize their immune system naturally.

In the medical community, there’s a new trend happening.

Many doctors are beginning to refer their patients to acupuncturists to treat their injuries. Acupuncture is a thousands of years old tradition based on healing the body along the hidden lines of energy that run along the body. When these points are stimulated, it allows the body to heal from injuries. Although the lines are not visible to the eye, through thousands of years of practice and research, acupuncturists have located all of the body’s hidden lines and meridians of energy and through effective application and stimulation of the points, a person’s body is made capable of allowing itself to heal of an infirmity or injury.

Acupuncture is also based on the premise that the body is resilient and will heal itself.

However, if the energy lines that run through the body of an individual are blocked, healing and freedom from pain are not allowed by one’s own body, making a person incapable of effectively getting better from their own infirmity. If the lines of energy running through one’s body are allowed to successfully run correctly without blockage, the body can and will heal itself. Though western medicine has for several centuries been skeptical of the efficiency and legitimacy of acupuncture, western medicine is finally coming around to realize the benefits of treating the problem and not merely the symptom when applied to medical problems of the human body. Hence, many Doctors of Western medicine have been referring their patients to an acupuncturist, enabling the individual to effectively become healed through holistic means.

Western medicine is finally coming around to realize the benefits of treating the problem and not merely the symptoms

Though acupuncture is gaining popularity amongst practitioners of Western Medicine, many referred patients find themselves arriving at an acupuncturist and are surprised by the seeming simplicity of the techniques used to heal them. Largely, that’s because traditionally, individuals in the West have become accustomed to only being treated for their symptoms and not for the source of the problems which causes their symptoms. The idea of an ancient system of medicine that provides for overall bodily healing amazes most newly familiarized individuals to acupuncture. They tend to be surprised due to the fact for all the years that they’ve sought expensive medical advice from Western Medicine, a much less expensive alternative to physical therapy through holistic healing has been available to them.

a much less expensive alternative to physical therapy through holistic healing

The acupuncturist himself is becoming a commodity which is a prized asset and a necessity in several communities. In the sports community, the acupuncturist has become someone that Western doctors will refer professional athletes to in order to treat sports injuries, chronic pain caused by sports trauma, and acute pain in such locations as wrists and ankles. Many acupuncturists have been the saving grace which have allowed an athlete to continue playing competitively without the worry of reoccurring pain. In the “blue collar” work community, doctors have began referring workers to acupuncturists in order to treat pains in such places as the neck and shoulder due to excessive lifting or excessive pain in the back due to improper bending. After being treated, the workers are capable of working again, making sure that they can provide for their loved ones. As well, individuals from the dance community have been referred to acupuncturists by Western doctors in order to facilitate healing in such places as their knees.

Acupuncture provides orthopedic treatment for knee pain

and can put a dancer back on the dance stage quickly. The dancers are then able to perform without the worry of falling on stage due to a painful injury during their performance. Several types of communities, as well as the common individual, that are in need of pain relief have started to be referred to acupuncturists by Western Doctors. The basic goal of all acupuncture is to heal, no matter the type of community an individual comes from. Here at Uptown Acupuncture San Diego, we welcome you, from whatever community you come from; be it the work community, the athletic community, the dance community, or just someone looking to heal. We’d like to help you to be free of your pain by our time proven method of acupuncture. Our office is here in beautiful San Diego, and

We believe you shouldn’t have to suffer from any pain, be it chronic or acute.

Through the ancient methodology of our practice in acupuncture , Uptown Acupuncture offers you an alternative to painful physical therapy to treat your injuries. Our prices are as low as $10 per visit and we have free insurance screening. We are capable of treating pain anywhere that you have it on your body and we look forward to treating you so that you can live pain free and healthy. It is our purpose to provide you with the best treatment to effectively heal your pain.

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

For some, this is the main reason for treatment, for others, it is a welcomed side effect. Acupuncture is very unique is its ability to calm the mind and anchor and settle the spirit. It is a common occurrence in the modern age for a client to comment as the needles are removed “Wow, I can’t remember when I felt so clear and relaxed”. Last time was probably their last treatment. Not only does that feeling stay with you, but just like in meditation, you can remember that feeling and pull yourself into that state in stressful situations in the future.
No pill, moment in the bedroom, or cocktail can equal that claim. I have one client who comes in for his weekly treatment to keep from killing his employees, and to stay on the top of his game. When he misses a week, they can tell.

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

If you were to walk up to someone on the street and ask them what acupuncture treats, chances they will say pain. Why? Because for over 3000 years Acupuncturists HAVE been treating pain with great results! Now with the integration of technology and western knowledge, we treat it better than ever. Sometimes the needles are put nowhere near the site of pain, which is best for those with swelling and tenderness at the point of pain. I had a patient this week with wrist pain so bad tears were streaming down her face. I had her focus on exactly where in her wrists the pain was and I placed needles in her opposite ankle at corresponding meridian points. I had her check her wrist again, not 10 seconds after putting the needles in and she lifts her head and looks at me stunned, “How did you do that?” she says as she hunts for the point of pain in her wrists,”3 years, a master’s degree in Chinese Medicine, and a big student loan, that’s how.

Have you considered the benefits of acupuncture?

Specifically the benefits of sports acupuncture therapy? Keep in mind that acupuncture is a medical science that’s an alternative to physical therapy that’s been around for thousands of years. That’s what we specialize in here at Uptown Acupuncture San Diego. The tradition of acupuncture therapy for treating chronic and acute pain is a true method of healing based on certain points in the body that when stimulated, allow the body to function better based on the body’s flow of energy. The overall benefit of acupuncture in comparison to traditional western medicine is that it treats the problem itself instead of the symptom.

“it treats the problem itself instead of the symptom”

Specifically, in modern times it’s gained popularity with professional athletes that have sought pain relief for their injuries. For many athletes, it’s made a lot more sense to get treated holistically with acupuncture rather than to have to suffer through a surgery that may or may not fix a problem that will leave the athlete scarred, and not fully capable of continuing in their career.

What are the benefits of receiving acupuncture to treat an injury besides traditional methods of physical therapy?

The first benefit would be that it works. You’ve heard the saying, “there’s nothing new under the sun”? Well that may or may not be true. In acupuncture the tradition of healing is so old that acupuncture methods have been time tested and proven to work based on various conditions and injuries throughout the ages. All of this time and knowledge has led to a considerable wealth of knowledge that we use to heal you at our office here at Uptown Acupuncture San Diego.
In fact, in the modern era of sports, acupuncture has not become a mere choice to certain professional sports teams and athletes but a definite necessity. As I mentioned before, many athletes receive acupuncture to avoid painful surgeries that take a long time to rehabilitate from. However, many athletes will use acupuncture before the point that they have to have surgery, in order to guarantee the longevity of their career. For example, Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins made the choice to use acupuncture to treat a painful groin injury. After his treatment was completed, he responded saying, “It’s too bad I didn’t do it last season, or earlier this season…I just took it once and it helped me. I’ve got no problem. No pain. And at least I know that if I have the problem again, I have a cure.” Jagr further responded about his treatment,

“…it was like a miracle to me and I’m glad I did it. At least I can play again.” ~Jaromir Jagr, Pro Hockey Player

When an athlete receives a painful injury, he or she has traditionally been confronted by a few thoughts. “Will I get over this? Can I still play? Will my injury affect the rest of the team? Will this affect my career?” Now however, for many athletes, the first thought is, “Will my acupuncturist be able to fix this before the next game?” In fact, athletes have helped to popularize the holistic practice of acupuncture due to the large success rate that it’s provided for them, allowing them to continue their professional sports careers. Not only professional athletes use acupuncture, but also semi-professional and college athletes have used acupuncture as well. In fact,

most professional sports teams now have a team acupuncturist.

Traditionally, injuries are the true thing that have made or broken athletes. The most common injury which has ruined many athlete’s career are knee injuries. With the constant pressure and on an athlete’s knees from running and jumping and bending and squatting, the knees over time if not treated can be a painful end to an athlete’s career. Orthopedic acupuncture is the answer to this potentially career ending problem. In a study of 570 osteoarthritis patients, or patients who have arthritis of the knees, that was conducted at the University of Maryland in 2004, some of the patients were tested with acupuncture treatments and others with traditional western treatments. The patients that experienced the most pain relief after their treatments were completed were those that received the acupuncture treatments. With information like this, who can say what really would have truly occurred in the all star career of the former New York Giants football player, Joe Namath. Had he received sufficient acupuncture therapy for his knees after they were injured from osteoarthritis, perhaps he wouldn’t have had to end his career early due to his knee injuries. During the time he played football in the 60’s and 70’s, however, acupuncture wasn’t a very popular form of sports therapy among professional US athletes. Here at Uptown Acupuncture San Diego, we don’t want your sports career to end early.

There’s free insurance screening and it’s as low as $10 per visit.

We look forward to making sure your sports career lasts as long and as pain free as possible.

At Uptown Acupuncture San Diego we’re ready to take your pain away through a time proven ancient system of medicine, treating the problem itself and not just the symptoms.

What’s wrong? Has that nagging elbow injury been bothering you? You know the one that you got playing Tennis with your best friend Bill 2 years ago. It’s the one that makes you have to wrap your elbow each time you still play tennis with him due to chronic pain and makes you wince when you have to reach down in that bottom desk drawer at work.

Ever heard of acupuncture or holistic medicine for sports?

I’m talking about acupuncture to treat your injury. No? Well maybe that’s the reason you still have pain.When most get injured in sports or otherwise, they often think the pain will go away by itself or with the help of an anti-inflammatory like aspirin or Motrin. I admit these certainly will help ease the pain and will take away the discomfort. However, they don’t treat the root of the problem. Acupuncture is the holistic source that will help take your pain away from that nagging old sports injury and make you function again.

How is this possible?

Well it’s a simple concept that goes back through thousands of years of Oriental medicine. Your body has energy lines. “Huh? What’s that you say?” Yes that’s right, lines of energy that affect your every movement. Acupuncture focuses on these points. When you injure yourself playing sports, your energy is disrupted and needs to flow naturally again. Otherwise the simple laws of physics come into effect, for every action has an equal and opposite reaction, or in laymen’s terms, action= you injured, reaction = OUCH!

“But they’re needles! That sounds like it’ll hurt!”

Well, actually, when the needles are applied, they’re applied to points on your body where you won’t feel a thing except for a prick an a dull achy sensation, often very minute compared to most sports injuries. “Yeah right, some needles stuck in me are gonna fix my tennis elbow that I received playing tennis with Bill by magic…Riiight.” No, not magic, energy lines. They go all the way from your head to your feet. “Ohh ok, that’s what I hear. Whenever an athlete gets injured they go to the magical acupuncturist and get healed by magical needles.”

Well, almost…they get healed, but it’s a thousands of years old system of holistic healing. The needles allow the body’s energy to be able to flow again and your body naturally heals. That’s what we do at Uptown Acupuncture. We take your pain away help you to heal.

What athletes use acupuncture you say?

Muggsy Bogues of the Charlotte Hornets used acupuncture to treat his knee pain. The pain was so bad that it nearly threatened his career in basketball. After being treated by a acupuncturist, he was back on the court in no time and pain free. Acupuncture ultimately saved his career. “Ok, but that’s just one athlete. He must have been a rare case.” No, actually he’s one of nearly hundreds of professional athletes and semi-professional athletes as well as college athletes that acupuncture has saved their career.

Other athletes such as Steffi Graf,

a Wimbledon champion used sports therapy acupuncture to get rid of pain in her left knee.An Olympic bobsledder, Brian Shimer, used sports therapy acupuncture to get rid of aches and pains he had in his back and legs. He was ready to bobsled again with literally “the best of them” after his treatment. If NBA players, Wimbledon champions and world ranked Olympic champions have found out the benefits of acupuncture, don’t you think you should give it a try?

Does this sound like you?

“But I’m no professional athlete. Gees, I’m just a guy that likes to play tennis on the weekend with Bill.” Yes, maybe, but do you want to continue to stay in pain and only allow your injury to get worse over time or do you want to heal and be pain free?

Visits to us might cost you as little as $10.

We offer free insurance screening and in this troubled economy, you should should have access to quality treatments at an affordable price.

Acupuncture works!!

That’s what I want you to understand. Time and time again holistic acupuncture has healed athletes of their injuries and allowed them to continue their profession pain free. Even if you’re not a professional athlete or a world class Olympian, why not get healed as well as one? The longer that you take to decide to fix that injury, the worse it will become. Come to San Diego Acupuncture and let us help you. We’ll apply treatment to you so that overtime, your injury and pain will be a distant memory and you’ll be yourself once again.

Tabouleh

Today we profile Parsley the partner to Bulgur (the sister to cracked wheat) in the fabulous Middle Eastern salad known as Tabouleh. Parsley is native to the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe. While it has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years, parsley was used medicinally prior to being consumed as a food. While parsley is a wonderfully nutritious and healing food, it is often under-appreciated. Most people do not realize that this vegetable has more uses than just being a decorative garnish that accompanies restaurant meals. They do not know that parsley is actually a storehouse of nutrients and that it features a delicious green and vibrant taste.

“parsley is a wonderfully nutritious and healing food, it is often under-appreciated”

The flavonoids in parsley-especially luteolin-have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. In addition, extracts from parsley have been used in animal studies to help increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood. That means more of a good thing!

In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids,

parsley is an excellent source of two vital nutrients that are also important for the prevention of many diseases: vitamin C and vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene). Parsley is also very high in Vitamin K.
The two most popular types of parsley are curly parsley and Italian flat leaf parsley. The Italian variety has a more fragrant and less bitter taste than the curly variety. Depending on the recipe, one may be preferred but either can be used if it is what is in your fridge. Italian Parsley (flat leaf) looks a lot like Cilantro so if you are not sure, treat off a leaf and taste it, and then you will know. Nothing worse that spending lots of time in the kitchen on a recipe only to get thrown under the bus by a wrong ingredient. Back in my juicing phase, I would juice carrots, beets, spinach and parsley, put it in an old spaghetti sauce jar and sit it throughout the day. It was about 7% parsley and a great way to get your veggies. When caring for your parsley, store it in a plastic bag in the fridge and do not wash it until you are ready to use it. You can dry out and save flat leaf parsley but freeze curly leaf and put it directly in the food from the freezer.

Parsley is the most popular herb in the world

and the best recipe to profile it’s taste is Tabouleh. Tabouleh is a salad like no other. Made with fresh veggies, olive oil and spices, it can be eaten in pita bread, scooped onto pita bread, or traditionally with a fork. In the Middle East, fresh grape leaves are used as a scoop. Tabouleh can be made with a variety of veggies according to taste. You can add carrots, cucumbers, red or green onions. I always suggest tasting as you go along in preparation. You can also add romaine lettuce for a fuller salad.

Tabouleh

Ingredients:

•    2 bunches of fresh parsley (1 1/2 cup chopped, with stems discarded)
•    2 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped
•    I medium onion, finely chopped
•    6 medium tomatoes, diced
•    1 tablespoon salt
•    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•    1/2 cup bulghur, medium grade
•    6 tablespoons lemon juice
•    6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•    Romaine lettuce or grape leaves to line servicng bowl (optional)

Preparation:

Soak bulghur in water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in cold water until soft.

Squeeze out excess water from bulghur using hands or paper towel.

Combine all ingredients, except for salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Line serving bowl with grape leaves or romaine lettuce, and add salad.

Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper on top.

Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.