Good news for Kaiser patients: I accept Kaiser referrals in both Eastlake and Santee. Talk to your primary doctor about acupuncture for your pain and give me a call!
3 Comments
On Monday, October 2, from 5p-7p, we are hosting an Open House at Simply Spa located at 9470 Cuyamaca Street #120 in Santee. Attendees may enter a free raffle and win services donated by Simply Spa, Skincare by Kirsten, and yours truly! Hope to see you there!
![]() Appointments are now being accepted for Mondays in Santee! I will offering TCM treatments including acupuncture, cupping, and moxabustion, beginning in October. Caroline Hootman, owner of Simply Spa, located at 9470 Cuyamaca Street #120, has graciously accepted me into her establishment. Together, we will be helping East County residents improve and maintain their health with acupuncture and massage. We will be hosting an Open House where our clients can enter a free raffle and observe presentations about our services. Date and time to be determined. I have been certified to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid, and an automated external defibrillator to infants, children, and adults for the last six years. My American Heart Association-approved certification was obtained through a hands-on full-day course taught by Save a Life Educators.
While the rest of San Diego (so it seemed) was at Comic-con, I spent my Saturday renewing my life-saving skills. Certificates are valid for two years and required to obtain licensing as an acupuncturist in California, but not required to renew. It just gives me peace of mind knowing what to do in an emergency. When people first come to me for acupuncture, more often than not, it is because something is wrong and either they have tried "everything else" and nothing is else is working, or they are tired of taking prescription meds for the condition, either because the pills are, or have become, ineffective, or the clients just don't want to be on long-term meds because of the side effects or potential damage down the road.
I find myself explaining that acupuncture is not a magic pill. One treatment is not going to fix you. Especially not if you have been living with the condition for an extended period of time, or it's a chronic or degenerative condition, or if you are older, or have poor lifestyle habits, or "bad genes." But it can help. I treated an obese man in his fifties who had endured multiple neck, back, and knee surgeries beginning in his twenties. After three acupuncture appointments in two weeks, he gave up because his surgeon told him he still needed a procedure that was already scheduled. The man admitted that he had hoped acupuncture would cure him in that short time so that he would not need the surgery. The best I could offer at that point was acupuncture to support his pre-op preparedness and post-op healing. Acupuncture is a lifestyle, like eating right and getting adequate exercise and rest. It can help you get healthy and keep you there, but it takes a commitment from you. I always tell people about my internship experience in China: People would get acupuncture every single day until their condition was resolved, or improved enough for them to get treatments less frequently. I also tell them I realize that is not very realistic to expect daily appointments from people here in the US where we have different priorities, demanding schedules, and limited finances, but the more frequently you go, the more quickly you will see results, and the more significant those results will be. Please consider that you can spend the money now and maintain your health, or you can spend it later when you become ill. It may take awhile for your body to respond to treatment, not unlike any other method, be it traditional, holistic, pharmaceutical, or surgical. You may have a condition or "pattern" (as it's referred to in TCM) that responds to one needle protocol but not another, even though the point functions are all similar. Maybe you need a different combination, more stimulation, or less. This all reveals itself with continuing sessions. I know a 57 year old woman who began her acupuncture journey two years ago to resolve hot flashes associated with menopause. She now regularly takes herbs and I give her acupuncture treatments every month. She does not suffer from hot flashes, and she hasn't contracted so much as a cold since I've known her. I also know a 41 year old man who lives a physically demanding lifestyle. When I first met him nearly three years ago, he had chronic shoulder pain from decades of throwing a ball, swinging a bat, and working blue collar jobs. With regular care, and listening to his body, I can't remember the last time he complained of shoulder pain, and he is still working and playing ball. Neither of these people saw immediate results after the first session, but with continued care they have improved and maintained their health, and continue to do so. Personally, I receive acupuncture every other week, and an average of three massages per month. In addition to eating right, getting regular exercise, and adequate rest, that's what I need to feel healthy. Acupuncture is a key part of my preventative self-care. You'll see results with acupuncture, but you have to do your part as well. I currently accept acupuncture and massage appointments four days per week at Eastlake Acupuncture and Massage in the South Bay. I am looking to acquire a second location and offer acupuncture appointments possibly in the East County one to two days per week. Please send your positive energy this way and stay tuned for an address and business hours!
One day, a few weeks ago, the side of my thumb, next to the nail, started to feel sore. The next day the soreness had increased, so I tried to relieve the disharmony with acupuncture- just one needle on a point located within the affected area.
Acupuncture didn't seem to help because, the next day, the entire area had grown swollen, red, and hot. I obviously had an infection so I lanced the area and extracted an impressive amount of pus. Unfortunately, relief did not come; in fact, the condition seemed to worsen, so I headed to Urgent Care where they did exactly what I expected: took my temperature (a fever confirmed the infection) and prescribed antibiotics. I was diagnosed with paronychia and told that if the antibiotics did not work I would likely require a surgical nail bed removal. I am all for emergency medicine when necessary but the prescribing doctor did not know whether my infection was viral, bacterial, or fungal, so the 3x/ day for 10 days prescription was not guaranteed to work. I knew, however, I was guaranteed to get a secondary infection as a result, because antibiotics wipe out ALL bacteria, including the beneficial kind that keeps the body healthy. The antibiotics didn't do much for my thumb besides reduce the inflammation, and, as expected, I suffered a secondary infection elsewhere, and after ten days, the paronychia returned with a vengeance. Enter my colleague, Tony Provencio, who gave me a topical herbal formula called Qing Dai Gao, which he made from indigo, tree bark, gypsum, and talcum. In less than one week of haphazardly applying the ointment to the infection, it has almost completely resolved. Photos to come! :) ![]() During my final term, I will be available for acupuncture appointments Monday and Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in Mission Valley. My supervisors this term will be the following doctors: Steve Levitt Catherine Austin and, again, Barry Xin. Please contact PCOM clinic to make an acupuncture appointment, Eastlake Acupuncture and Massage for a massage at Village Arts Medical Center, or contact me directly for outcall massage appointments. |
AuthorCalifornia Licensed Acupuncturist, mother of two, zoo member. Archives
November 2017
Categories
All
|