Karen Siegel Propis

Traditional Chinese Medicine for Spring Allergies

March 1, 2019 By Karen Siegel Propis Leave a Comment

Spring is almost upon us! In addition to beautiful weather, sunshine and flowers, spring brings seasonal allergies. For people suffering from allergies, the congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing can be debilitating!

Luckily, Chinese medicine has a treatment for seasonal allergies that treats both the “root” and “branch” of the disorder. TCM looks to the lung channel as the culprit of allergies. The lung is the body’s first line of defense against external pathogens. This concept is similar to catching a cold/flu, and seasonal allergies are treated in the same manner. Since seasonal allergies are so closely tied with the external environment, they are viewed as an external invasion. If the lung is not strong enough to ward off foreign invaders, the body becomes more susceptible to seasonal allergies.

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Dr. Tan’s Balance Method

July 10, 2018 By Karen Siegel Propis Leave a Comment

Karen Siegel-Propis , MSOM, MPH, R.Ac. Dipl CH, RD

A Different Take on Classic Acupuncture

Dr. Richard Tan was a practitioner and teacher of acupuncture. He brought old and new schools of thought together to create a powerful healing method. His family celebrates a long tradition of Chinese medicine, which gave Dr. Tan an understanding of ancient practices. He combined that knowledge with his education in engineering to create a new method that provides immediate relief for many patients.

How Does the Balance Method Work?

Chinese medicine utilizes an energetic model to provide healing and relief. Each organ in the human body and corresponding energy channels are connected to form a complex network. That means that one area can affect another.

The Balance Method requires deep knowledge of these channels to achieve a stronger effect whether the practitioner is using acupuncture, herbal medicine, or a combination of the two. For example, this method uses points associated with the channels causing discomfort. Pain on one side of the body may be treated by inserting needles into a point on the opposite side.

What is the Best Acupuncture Method for Me?

Knowing how to apply acupuncture requires significant knowledge and experience. There is a lot of potential for pain and symptom relief when working with a professional acupuncturist. The first step is scheduling an appointment with someone who understands traditional medicine and its applications. Contact Michigan Associates of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine in West Bloomfield, Michigan today to talk to and make an appointment with an expert. We can provide advice and make suggestions for holistic treatment options that could help you find a solution that best works for you.

Acupuncture: A New Alternative for Treating Depression

February 20, 2018 By Karen Siegel Propis 2 Comments

Depression is the most common of mood disorders. It is estimated that nearly 30 million Americans suffer from the often-debilitating disease and it is, in fact, one of the 15 leading causes of disability in developed countries. It is widely believed that depression may the body’s response to chronic and significant stress that seems insurmountable to most people.

While Western physicians are often quick to prescribe drugs, Eastern medicine, used alone or in combination with medication, can offer quick and lasting relief from depression.

The following signs describe someone who suffers from depression, with at least five of the symptoms lasting for at least 14 days:

* Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
* Markedly diminished interest in pleasure in almost all activities most of the day, every day
* Significant weight loss or gain without dieting, or major changes in appetite or eating habits
* Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
* Anxiety or lack of desire to do anything
* Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
* Ongoing feelings of worthlessness, guilt, desperation and psychic pain
* Inability to think or concentrate; indecisiveness daily
* Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

While drugs have largely been effective in providing temporary relief from acute depression and can assist in the therapeutic process, the side effects are proving to be a severe downside to treatment. In fact, one of the potential side effects is increased suicide risk in certain patients. Most recent studies have shown that number to be increasingly higher in teenage patients taking antidepressants. Another drawback is that the drugs often take up to six weeks to begin working. [Read more…]

Everything You Wanted to Know about Acupuncture Needles!

August 7, 2017 By Karen Siegel Propis Leave a Comment

Here’s everything (and probably more) that you always wanted to know about acupuncture needles, which are used to stimulate the flow of qi energy.

They are made from stainless steel and flexible are like a wire (but not hollow)
They’re not much thicker than hair, and much thinner than a sewing needle or the hypodermic needle used to give a shot

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Finding Balance When the World Seems Out of Balance.

January 17, 2017 By Karen Siegel Propis Leave a Comment

For each new year, we often set health-related goals. We want to eat better, exercise more, balance our lives, and try to behave in a kinder way in our world. When we strive for balance, we don’t often think about balancing our physical health and our emotional health. We tend to focus on the physical aspects of our being. However, our emotional health impacts our physical health in ways we don’t often realize.

Chinese medicine recognized thousands of years ago that an important relationship exists between emotions and physical health. The Chinese Canon of Medicine recognized that emotional and psychological factors are important causes of physical illness and can negatively affect the internal organs of the human body. It states that “anger hurts the liver, joy hurts the heart, brooding hurts the spleen and melancholy hurts the lungs.”

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A patient weighs in on how acupuncture helped her migraines!

August 5, 2016 By Karen Siegel Propis Leave a Comment

As an acupuncturist, we often get feedback about how our clients are doing. I was recently asked to share an exciting patient testimonial!

You’ve made me feel like a whole person again. I barely even recognize myself I feel so good.

This comment was from a patient who came in describing debilitating headaches each month, like clockwork, the week before her period. She also was very irritable and emotional with her PMS and had painful cramps during her menstrual cycle. The combination of the premenstrual migraines, the emotional volatility and menstrual pain put her out of commission for almost 2 weeks each month. [Read more…]

Traditional Chinese Medicine for Spring Allergies

Dr. Tan’s Balance Method

Acupuncture: A New Alternative for Treating Depression

Everything You Wanted to Know about Acupuncture Needles!

Finding Balance When the World Seems Out of Balance.

A patient weighs in on how acupuncture helped her migraines!

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