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Michigan Associates of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine

Acupuncture in Michigan

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7001 Orchard Lake Rd, Ste 120
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Call Us: (248) 737-7126

The Challenges of Infertility

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The Challenges of Infertility

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help

By Julie Shindler-Cohen, Dipl. Ac.

Whenever I visit a reproductive medical office, it boggles my mind that couples would undergo infertility treatment without incorporating acupuncture and Chinese medicine. The entire process of infertility treatment can feel like an emotional rollercoaster and acupuncture is a healing modality that can benefit both the mind and body.

There are countless studies coming out that show the benefit of integrating acupuncture with traditional medical treatment but, as a practitioner, I have come to realize many more benefits that are not so obvious. [Read more…]

Ask the practitioner

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What’s Your Favorite Wintertime Activity?

There’s still time to take advantage of the winter season before the cold, snow and ice is gone for good. Not a fan? Take heart: Spring begins on March 20!

 

Winter is a time for me to “hunker down” and enjoy the beauty of freshly fallen snow and sit by a fireplace.  I find that calming yet lifting for my psyche. I also try to nourish my soul by visiting family and friends in warm climates. I come back to Michigan once again appreciative of the quiet beauty of winter.

Karen Siegel Propis, Acupuncturist

Honestly, I am not a huge fan of winter. However, I realize the importance of each season and the benefit of each in terms of my body and the rhythm of the life force (qi) energy.  I stay warm with warming soups and stews, bundle up, get extra light from my full-spectrum lighting lamp and get adequate sleep! This said, I did buy a new pair of snowshoes last season that I have truly enjoyed using!

Julie Silver, Acupuncturist

 

My favorite wintertime activity generally involves hot chocolate.  It starts with a short outdoor activity such as sledding or ice skating or hiking — just enough to get my blood pumping and to enjoy being outdoors in the beauty of winter. Then I like to come inside, light a fire, and drink some hot chocolate with coconut milk, turmeric and cinnamon to keep it as healthy as possible.

Monica Mae Leibson, Acupuncturist

 

I love to walk outdoors on sunny, relatively warm winter days. With the right amount of warm clothing, I love the smell of winter and the reminder that nature is still alive even though it feels so frozen and dormant. It also helps to keep my “cabin fever” at bay!

Julie Shindler-Cohen, Acupuncturist

 

Acupuncture:  A New Alternative for Treating Depression

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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…]

Eating for Emotional Support

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Although not everyone falls victim to emotional eating, so many of us do! And more often than not, it tends to be foods that are NOT healthy. Chinese medicine tells us that our body tends to crave certain tastes depending on which energies are out of balance. For example, the spleen craves sweets, the liver craves sour and the kidney craves salty. Therefore, when we find ourselves craving something, there’s a reason why it’s happening.

For so many of us, emotional eating is the result of worry. The spleen’s energy is affected by excess worry, which can lead to sweet cravings. Also, frustration and anger affects the liver’s energy, which craves sour. These are emotions that touch so many of us on a daily basis.

Have a look at our delicious recipe that can help to soothe the liver and spleen.

 

Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs

 

[Read more…]

Flower Essences: Natures Remedy

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A number of years ago, while I was living in Chicago, I was going through a difficult and stressful time. I was in school for acupuncture, working full time and trying to manage the various aspects of my life. I was overwhelmed! It was during this time that a massage therapist told me about flower essences. I had not heard of them and went to a local health and healing store to find out more.

What I learned is that flower essences are liquid infusions (remedies) made from the flowering part of a plant. Interestingly enough, there is no physical part of the flower that is included in the remedy. The flowers are soaked in water and it is this infusion that is and made into a tincture.

Much like acupuncture, flower essences promote our own body’s ability to move toward healing – in this case emotional healing.

Flower essences are specifically designed to address emotional health and wellbeing. Flower essences do not address specific physical ailments; rather, they address emotional issues as well as the underlying emotional issues that accompany health issues. [Read more…]

Ask a Practitioner: How do you self-care after the hectic holiday season?

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My self-care begins with creating a balanced schedule at work and at home. I keep up the activities that keep me healthy – exercise, acupuncture, healthy eating, sleep. I try not to deviate much from my regular self-care so that returning to them is no big deal. I don’t make many New Year’s resolutions – though I reflect on the past year and the year ahead. Finally, I work on being grateful and thankful!

  • Julie Silver, Acupuncturist

 

I schedule some time to reflect on the past year and create a new vision for the future. This is my favorite form of self-care. I often journal regarding what I’ve learned from the year, be it through my own personal experiences or from the more global shifts. I then choose a few key words and ideas to be the “theme” of the next year, so that I’m able to see life through the lens of that ideology. In the past I’ve chosen words like “Joy,” “Serenity” and “Transformation.” It is an honor and a privilege to be able to create the context of our lives and shift how we view situations. Every year during this time I enjoy newly creating my goals for myself and for the world at large.

  • Monica Mae Leibson, Acupuncturist

[Read more…]

Amazing Acupuncture! Good for what ails you!

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Imagine that someone tells you that there is a type of medicine that can proactively help support your body in healing itself. In addition, this type of medicine can prevent illness from occurring. Imagine being told that you will feel better and build a foundation of health and wellness for your body.

This medicine does not involve taking any chemicals or synthetic pills. There are no gimmicks or false claims. It’s not a quick fix or a “one-size-fits-all” prescription.

Imagine being able to achieve this while relaxing on a warm bed in a quiet room with soothing music and dimmed lights. Imagine coming out of this room feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, knowing you have done something good for yourself!

What if someone told you that there are many different health concerns this medicine can address? That it helps everything from subtle issues like insomnia, fatigue or anxiety to more chronic health concerns like inflammation, autoimmune issues and cancer?

Hey! What is this medicine, anyway?

It’s Traditional Chinese Medicine and its most respected tool: acupuncture.

[Read more…]

Acupuncture to heal the past

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Eran

How does our pain and illness relate to life experiences?

Life is a constant change of events. From the time we are born through childhood and into adulthood, we go through numerous life experiences that shape us as the individuals we become. Some of these experiences are positive and some are not so pleasant.

Any life experience exposes us to energy. How this energy affects us and to what extent is determined by two factors – how resilient and strong we are verses how traumatic the experience is.

life experiences can be overwhelming at times and hard to process, especially at a young age. They can alter who we are as individuals, cause us to change the way we make decisions and prevent us from being true to our own nature.

Some of these emotions are passed on to us by our ancestors (and present for many generations in the family), some are due to traumatic events we have had to endure, and some are related to unresolved past issues.

A great deal has been written in ancient Chinese writings about emotions, and in the cases mentioned above, they are viewed as “demons” that can gain control of our lives. Internal and external “demons” are “parasite–like”; consuming our energy and prohibiting from us to be true to our heart. The energy associated with these “malicious demons” can contribute to disease.

There are specific techniques in acupuncture to help patients process these life events without digging in or dwelling in the past. By using specific acupuncture points at specific times, the treatment allows the body to let those “demons” go. In order for healing to be successful, such a process is essential. Without it, the “demons” will continue to harm the body.

It is written in the The Yellow Emperor’s book of Internal Medicine, (which is considered to be the doctrinal source of Chinese medicine)

“In order to make all acupuncture thorough, one must first cure the spirit.”

You are welcome to contact our office if you have any questions or make an appointment.

Eran Reznik – Dip. Ac. NCBTMB

Making friends with our emotions

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As acupuncturists, we sit with our clients and talk with them about their emotions.  Emotions are an important part of the intake process for Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Emotions affect our physical health and physical health affects our emotional well-being.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine – most organ systems have an emotion associated with them.  When someone is angry or irritable, we think of the Liver and how to work to balance the flow of Liver Qi.  Fear is associated with the Kidneys, Grief, the Lungs, Heart – joy,  and the emotion associated with the Spleen is worry.  Since we so often experience many emotions, one can speculate the effect the emotions have on our health.

I want to make a pitch for making friends with our emotions. So often, we try to push our feelings away. This may be done through drugs and alcohol, food and other addictions, exercise or medications. An informal industry has been developed in order to support us in NOT FEELING.  What this ultimately does is add an additional layer to our pain and suffering. We still feel the emotions we don’t want to feel and we self medicate ourselves to get away from the feelings we still feel! Doesn’t make sense! [Read more…]

Book Review: Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life

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When I first heard about Dr. Claudia Welch’s Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life, Ihappy to read a book that marries the practices of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda.  The book was an excellent source of knowledge for the newcomer to any form of Eastern medicine, TCM or Ayurveda.  Dr. Welch begins by explaining the most important concept of yin and yang, which is the foundational principal of TCM.  With this basic knowledge, the rest of the book uses the principals of yin and yang to describe hormonal balance (and imbalances) within the body.  She then continues going through specific hormonal problems that affect women throughout their lifetime, such as osteoporosis and heart disease.   [Read more…]

Contact Information

Michigan Associates of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine
7001 Orchard Lake Rd, Suite 120,
West Bloomfield, MI 48322

Phone: (248) 737-7126
Fax: (248) 737-7127

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