My Metro Medicine
  • Home
  • Acupuncture
    • Forms & Fees
  • Tai Chi & Qigong
  • Media
    • Publications
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • YouTube Channel
    • Ask The Expert Show
  • Location
  • About Us
    • Our Staff
    • Mission & Vision
    • Contact Us

The Official Blog of
My Metro Medicine

The Battle of the Coronavirus: An Old Fight with a New Opponent (Published in "Acupuncture Today" - May 2020)

3/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Plastered across the headlines for more than a month now has been one word: coronavirus. With each day that passes, it becomes more and more difficult to join a conversation that does not include a discussion on the latest 21st century pandemic. The worrisome tone found in almost every continent breeds doubt for a cure and nurtures international despair. All caused by a single organism invisible to the naked eye that now goes by the name COVID-19.

The coronavirus has now touched all continents except for Antarctica creating widespread panic, crippling nations, and threatening the global economy. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020)  As the disease continues to spread freely, country authorities do their best to react swiftly and desperately to control the number of infections and, hopefully, the number of fatalities.
Being an acupuncturist in a country that has a lower number of infections compared to China, South Korea, and Italy, I cannot help but think of my own contribution in this seemingly endless episode of fear and terror. It is difficult to avoid contemplating the nature of this deadly, yet fascinating, microscopic beast--especially if we are on the verge of an outbreak ourselves.

External pathogens in OM are nothing more than an environment a person has created on their own through an already existing weakened state of health...

The Coronavirus in Oriental Medicine

Believe it or not, a pandemic like the coronavirus is old news in Oriental Medicine (OM). In 1918, an influenza pandemic, one of the worst pandemics in recorded history, "infected nearly one quarter of the world's population and resulted in the deaths of 100 million people." (Cheng and Leung) The International Journal of Infectious Diseases included an article in its July 2007 issue titled "What happened in China during the 1918 influenza pandemic?" The article stated:

"From 171 to 185 AD, there were several great pandemics in China. Thousands of people lost their lives. For this reason, Chinese medical practitioners in ancient China were already concerned with epidemics...Many Chinese medicine practitioners devoted their whole lives to the study of methods of prevention and treatment of pandemics. Since the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220) nearly every medical book has emphasized the importance of the study of epidemics." (Cheng and Leung)

Although classical texts did not write about viruses or bacteria (simply because they did not have the means or the technology to discover them), in modern times, we have found there is an equivalent, which is referred to as external pathogenic factors (EPFs), or something external to the body that breaks through the exterior and affects the body internally (e.g. a virus affecting the immune system). These external pathogens resemble, and are named after, elements of the external environment, which can cause disturbances to one's health by leading to the decline of one's internal environment. Here are a few of the EPFs most closely related to the coronavirus:

WIND = The closest EPF to a virus or bacteria in OM. It is likened to any illness that changes rapidly (rapid worsening of symptoms), moves locations in the body (headache, aches, pains), or leads to involuntary movements (e.g. tremors or seizures) or paralysis.

HEAT = A common EPF in patients experiencing fever, headache, cough, and sore throat; the beginning symptoms of the coronavirus.

DAMPNESS = An EPF that leads to localized pain. It also allows for development and accumulation of phlegm in the nasal passageways and eventually the lungs leading to airway obstructions that exist in conditions like the coronavirus and pneumonia.

An additional pathogenic factor (PF) involved in the development of the coronavirus is one that builds in strength and intensity over time if not successfully expelled from the body. This potentially life-threatening PF is known as:

TOXIC HEAT = Not an EPF, but a worsening of the previously mentioned pathogen, heat. This PF is related to viral latency in western medicine, or in OM, latent or toxic heat. It is also similar to heat that is burning internally and uncontrollably due to a lack of resources available to control it, almost like an internal forest fire. This fire could present itself as a severe chronic condition like it does in autoimmune diseases, or in this case an exacerbation of the coronavirus.
​

These three EPFs, plus toxic heat, if present, allow for the creation of the optimal environment suitable for an aggressive and predatory disease like the coronavirus to take root and begin thriving deep within its prey.

Strengthen Your Immune System with
Tai Chi Lessons w/Justin on YouTube

Treating the Coronavirus with Oriental Medicine

Allow me to lead this section with the phrase "Easier said than done."

I fully understand the challenges in treating a disease that emerges from the unknown. Currently, we only know that the coronavirus (1) resembles the common cold, (2) can be transmitted between people, and (3) has an estimated incubation time period of up to 14 days. We do NOT know, however, (1) if our estimates are accurate, (2) if the virus has the ability to transmute, or (3) if the virus can move into latency (become dormant inside of our bodies). With a new virus comes an endless line of questioning as well as uncertainty.

In treating a person infected with the coronavirus, acupuncturists can only examine existing signs and symptoms by way of our diagnostic abilities. Searching for a root cause will be necessary but not essential at the stage where symptoms have manifested and are quickly worsening. We must focus on controlling the pathogenic nature of any external influences, such as wind, heat, or dampness, before they exacerbate the person's condition. This approach should be aggressive to the point that the patient is strong enough to endure the treatment and still have enough strength to recover gradually.

Treatment designs and principles should consist of well-thought out acupuncture point prescriptions applied in an order that focuses on eliminating or controlling the environment that is allowing the coronavirus to remain harbored internally. Well-aligned herbal remedies, dietary therapy, and emotional training should be applied with a similar type of approach to keep healing on course.


As signs of recovery in a patient's health emerge, maintenance of this refurbished internal environment becomes top priority. And as the environment begins to thrive on its own, we can then transition towards treating the root cause of this illness to ensure the likelihood of contracting it again is minimal.

Final Remarks on the Coronavirus

Above all, we must recognize that we are not battling against a pathogen. You are welcome to counter by saying, "Of course we are battling a pathogen! It's the coronaVIRUS!" However, external pathogens in OM are nothing more than an environment a person has created on their own through an already existing weakened state of health (e.g. pre-existing conditions that lower the effectiveness of one's innate defense system) which opens the door for harmful organisms to seek refuge and survive inside of us.
​

As the coronavirus' grip tightens upon the world, it matters not whether you view the virus through a micro- or macroscopic lens. What matters most is the duty of every Acupuncturist and healthcare provider: to guide patients back to a healthy way of living by re-balancing their internal environment with the external environment.

References 
​

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/locations-confirmed-cases.html

Cheng, K.F., Leung, P.C. “What happened in China during the 1918 influenza pandemic?” International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol. #11, Issue #4, July 2007, 360-364. ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971207000355#! 
0 Comments

The Future of Acupuncture & My Contribution (VUIM Guest Blog by Joshua Ralls)

9/5/2019

2 Comments

 
The blog you are about to read was an assignment in a communications class I recently taught at the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM). Students were asked to answer two questions: (1) "Where do you see Oriental Medicine in the future?" and (2) "How will you be a part of it?" This is one of the blogs we decided to publish. Please enjoy and remember to leave a comment below! Great job, Joshua!
Written By Joshua Ralls
(Master's of Acupuncture Student at VUIM)

Happening, even today, is the eradication of culture and history around the world. Schools no longer teach medical history, other than in a single, short lecture. We are taught that the practices, and even thought processes, that brought us the knowledge of the healing properties of plants and minerals is mad talk of shamans and drug-induced practices. Now, it is replaced with scientific studies of compounds which have properties to alter or prevent an illness. We do not find the importance of the history behind it to be worth knowing, or even delving into more to see if we could find even more uses that are beyond our knowledge now. This is something that cannot happen within Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).                
I believe in the integration of Eastern and Western medical approaches, but I do not believe in blending them because this will lead to much of its eradication.
It’s understandable that in a “modern” age, where everyone is accustomed to prescription bottles and white-lab coat doctors, to have an ignorance toward alternative medicine. This is due to the loss of the history that is behind what made our medicine today. With so many people wanting to get acupuncture, possibly because nothing else has worked, Western doctors are now studying the applications and uses of Acupuncture and TCM. One such organization, the NIH, is doing just this on specific Acupuncture points. This, though, takes away many of the uses that these points have had for so long. For example, arthritis in Eastern medicine, would be called many things, one being dampness within the joints, due to an array of reasons. This would lead acupuncturists to use points that are known to transform dampness and treat the root of the issue that allows for the dampness to accumulate. The NIH did a study of how acupuncture can help with arthritis as the glucocorticoids in the body increase after needles have been inserted. This can be great for the person that is needing the evidence backed by the Western Medical community to help wrap their mind around how it works, but this should not be where it ends. This should be the gateway for the patient to see that it does work and can work on many other levels that modern science cannot explain, such as the use of elemental imbalances in the body.

​Listen to Our Recent Podcast by VUIM Students

In TCM, there are Five Elements: Earth, Water, Wood, Fire, and Metal. Each of these rule over an action and property within the body and corresponds to the twelve organ systems of the body in TCM. One of the oldest schools of thought in China is the Five Elements School, which focuses on the elemental imbalances within the body, as well as from the environment, and how to bring the body back to homeostasis. At one time, this was something almost everyone knew about to some extent, but now it is a mystery to many students due to school curriculums. Many schools, from what I have seen from the one I attend and have visited, have taken this practice out, due to the belief that it falls around the “mysticism” of ancient thought processes that do not hold a place in modern medicine. This will soon lead historical practices and the various modalities of TCM to die out, thus becoming another part of its history, lost and unused.

The need to keep the different modalities of TCM, such as the Five Elements of Eastern medicine, is important to the aspect of what acupuncture and TCM are. Where my education has lacked in such subjects, I supplement with my own studies and conversations with other students and acupuncturists. I cannot allow it to be information that only nourishes me, but also something that I fight to keep alive. I believe in the integration of Eastern and Western medical approaches, but I do not believe in blending them because this will lead to much of its eradication. Especially since Western medicine was brought to them only a little over a hundred years ago. Through my own work I will continue to keep this ancient knowledge alive, as to prevent it from becoming another part of a “foreign” culture to die.

Joshua Ralls is a licensed Massage Therapist and Esthetician and a Certified Herbalist and Reiki practitioner. He seeks ways to blend Western and alternative approaches to his work. His love for healing has now lead him to study Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. 
2 Comments

The Future of Acupuncture & My Contribution - (VUIM Guest Blog By Ming Su)

9/5/2019

0 Comments

 
The blog you are about to read was an assignment in a communications class I recently taught at the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM). Students were asked to answer two questions: (1) "Where do you see Oriental Medicine in the future?" and (2) "How will you be a part of it?" This is one of the blogs we decided to publish. Please enjoy and remember to leave a comment below! Great job, Ming!
Written By Ming Su
(Master's of Acupuncture Student at VUIM)
I believe that Oriental Medicine (or Traditional Chinese Medicine) has a bright future ahead in the 21st century and beyond. Oriental Medicine is a holistic medical treatment which incorporates the use of acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion, physical therapies, and lifestyle changes to restore balance within the body.  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest continuous systems of medicine in history, with recorded instances dating as far back as 2,500 years.  Many TCM treatments are more effective than western medicine, especially in treating chronic conditions.  For thousands of years, TCM has been based on the observation of humans; the evolution of humans is ongoing, but they have not changed much for the last 600,000 years. Therefore, clinical data collected by TCM will be applicable to the current human population, if we can understand how to utilize this information. 
TCM offers a window into the body without any invasive or time-consuming procedures.
For example, a TCM diagnosis can reveal many conditions that modern image technology cannot reveal or detect.  Often times, there is something going on inside a human body that causes the person to feel sick, but there is no detectable mass or visible deformity that shows up in any image reading.  Most of time if you can see it, it is already too late. One of the major differences between Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine is the manner of treatment and procedures. While Western medicine is more fast-acting, it can be more invasive and the drugs prescribed to patients can also have unwanted side effects. One of the main benefits of Western medicine, however, is technology. Modern image technology can offer very detailed and precise images of the body that can help pinpoint the problem. On the other hand, TCM offers a window into the body without any invasive or time-consuming procedures. The best value for the patient is to combine aspects of both TCM and modern western medicine, which leads us to the next topic: Integrative Medicine. Integrative medicine will provide a great value to humanity. In the past, there have been many conflicts between TCM practitioners and Western medicine doctors due to misunderstandings.  I am very confident that the integration of TCM and Western medicine will provide tremendous benefits in caring for human beings.  That is why I believe TCM has a bright future. ​


​Listen to Our Recent Podcast by VUIM Students

By pursuing a degree in acupuncture, I believe I will be part of this bright future.  But I think for any TCM practitioner, practicing Integrative Medicine should be their top priority. One should not reject western medicine just because of their ideology.  We should embrace the advancement of western medicine and take advantage of the value it brings to patient care. For example, the modern western image diagnostic and blood panel tests can provide detailed information that will help in patient care.  By using my knowledge and expertise from my acupuncture degree and by embracing modern technological advancements, my personal goal as a licensed acupuncturist will be to develop an integrative physical examination that will utilize both TCM principles and modern technology-based tests and imaging to better serve my patients. By combining TCM and Western medicine, I believe I will bring my patients more and better options for treatment.

​Ming Su is pursuing a Master’s degree in Acupuncture at Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM). He earned a B.S. and a M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering. Ming is currently interning as an acupuncturist at VUIM clinic and wants to focus on senior healthcare, cosmetic acupuncture treatment, and individualized healthcare design. 
References:
  1. https://tmrwedition.com/2017/09/18/lessons-from-chinese-medicine-for-the-future-of-healthcare/
  2. https://www.outsideonline.com/2312896/should-athletes-try-chinese-medicine
  3. https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/health/traditional-chinese-medicine-who-controversy-intl/index.html
0 Comments

Checking Your Posture - A Wholistic View from Head to Toe

7/30/2018

0 Comments

 
Posture picture2Source: Pexels.com
As you begin reading this article, what position is your body in? Are you sitting down, standing up, lying down, or walking down the street perhaps? Whatever position you are in, stop and observe your posture. Would you consider this position “good posture”? If not, what would you change and how?

Chances are after reading these questions, you made an adjustment to your posture or at the very least thought about it. Here are two more questions for you.

  1. Why do you think the posture changes you made are in fact positive adjustments?
  2. How do you know?

As a health professional working in the industry for 20 years, I am stunned by the countless people suffering from the posture they are placing themselves in day after day. Of course, though, “bad posture” does not occur overnight, it takes time. Our bodies are built with protective mechanisms that help us unconsciously compensate through postural adjustment for injuries that make it difficult to place our bodies in certain static positions or move through normal ranges of motion. These mechanisms become learned responses that, if the injury requires a longer healing time, move towards becoming an unknown habit.

Take this patient, for example: Jennifer is a typical middle-aged office worker who spends the majority of her work week in a chair staring at a computer screen and sitting in back-to-back meetings. She decided to visit me for neck pain that comes and goes and ranges in severity from a 2 to an 8 out of 10. When she first arrived, I noticed that her head shifted off to one side just slightly, but I did not bring it to her attention right away. Interestingly, the direction her head shifted was towards the same side she was experiencing the neck pain. Later in our conversation, I brought this observation to her attention and she didn’t believe me, until I asked her to look in the mirror. She was absolutely shocked that she never noticed it before and even more shocked that all of the health practitioners she had been to for the pain had not seen it either. It was obviously too subtle for her to notice, and furthermore, it didn’t feel out of the ordinary.

Schedule a FREE Consult Today & Get Your Posture Checked
What was the cause? It turns out, while using her computer at work for long periods of time, she would often get tired quickly and lean to the right side onto her desk while she maneuvered the computer mouse with her right hand. Over time, this change in position, due simply to lassitude, unconsciously formed into a debilitating habit. Aside from this, there was no other indication, past or present, that pointed to an event that might have led to the neck pain. Furthermore, she had been at the same job for nearly 15 years. She is lucky that all she had was neck pain!
Posture Picture
Source: Pexels.com
Our posture determines not only what types of aches and pains develop, it also affects specific aspects of our physical and mental well-being, such as our breathing, our digestion, our balance, and not to mention, our mood. Emotionally, if you feel constantly depressed or upset, your posture will change to reflect this. And by holding on to this emotional stressor, you will find yourself letting go of “good posture”.

In Oriental Medicine, posture will determine the quality of Qi and Blood circulation throughout the body. In the example above, Jennifer experienced one-sided neck pain that began to radiate to other areas like her upper back and affected the big picture of her overall posture forcing her to reposition her body more so to one side rather than being balanced in the center. She allowed for weakness to develop on one side and severe regional tension on the other. Needless to say, the quality of Qi and Blood circulation easily transformed into stagnation and excess on one side with a deficiency on the opposite side. Had we not addressed it when we had, it might have reached the point of stasis or an even worse condition.

As an acupuncturist, I am always analyzing my patients’ posture every time they come for treatment. If something stands out, I tell them directly, and we work on it from head to toe. We look together at how they stand, how they sit, and how they walk. When they lie down on the treatment table, I observe what position they place themselves and also where they end up (on the table) by the end of the session, if the tools being used are not forcing them to remain in one position.


Understanding one’s posture is the key to understanding one’s health. And healthy posture is the gateway to good health in addition to providing you with more energy. Here are a few basic tips for examining posture from head to toe. You can easily do these yourself or prescribe them to your patients.

  • HEAD: Raise the crown of your head (not your chin) as if a string is attached pulling your head upward.
  • SHOULDERS: Regardless of where your shoulders rest, gently raise them up, push them back slightly, and rest them down comfortably in their new position.
  • PELVIS: Roll your pelvis forward (from the bottom) as if someone is pulling your tailbone from back to front while you gently contract your abdominal muscles to lift the front of your pelvis.
  • HIPS TO TOES: Relax your hips and rotate your feet until your toes point forward and your feet are parallel with each other.

How do you feel? If you feel slightly uncomfortable, that sounds about right. You probably need a little more practice to help your body adjust to this new “normal”. But over time, you will notice a significant difference in how you feel, the amount of energy you have, and maybe even how you look!

Don’t believe me? Go look in the mirror.
Picture
0 Comments

Why See a Yoga Therapist? - (Guest Blog by Asya Haikin, C-IAYT)

7/3/2018

4 Comments

 
Asya HaikinAuthor: Asya Haikin, C-IAYT
Today over fifteen million Americans regularly practice yoga. It is easy to find a yoga class to fit your needs and your schedule. Why go an extra mile and see a yoga therapist? Who might benefit from that?

Yoga therapy is the application of yogic tools such as physical postures, breathing, chanting and meditation to the specific needs of an individual. In our minds yoga is firmly connected to the class format, but a yoga class is, in fact, a fairly recent phenomenon, dating back to the early 20th century. During that time the yoga of the physical postures (asanas) was gaining popularity in India, partly under the influence of emerging western interest in physical fitness. From India, Yoga was transported to the West, where the class format became the most popular way of practicing yoga.

Picture
Before yoga classes gained popularity, yoga was often transmitted one-on-one, from teacher to student. The practice was adapted to the individual, made to address whatever issues the student was dealing with. With most yoga classes around nowadays being highly athletic and physically demanding, there is a movement towards making yoga more accessible. Yoga therapy is part of this movement to make yoga responsive to the needs of the individual, and bring it into the field of integrative healthcare. Here are some of the reasons you may want to see a yoga therapist:

  • Do you suffer from chronic pain? Persistent pain has been shown to respond well to a combination of gentle movement and mindfulness that yoga therapy provides. We know that, although pain originates in the body, it is often intensified by our mind’s reaction to it. Yoga’s mind-body approach can help us reduce our perception of pain.
  • Chronic illness can be well supported by yoga therapy. Yoga therapy encourages a healthier lifestyle, brings relief from the stress associated with the illness, and can change your relationship to the illness itself.

Listen to our "Ask The Expert" Interview with Asya Haikin


  • If you are a caregiver by profession, or if you are taking care of a loved one, you can benefit from the stress reduction and self-care aspects of yoga therapy.
  • Neurological conditions, like Parkinson’s, MS or brain injury, can benefit through our brain’s quality of neuroplasticity. Working with the body and with the nervous system can positively affect the symptoms of these conditions.
  • Yoga therapy has been successfully used as a supporting therapy in mental health, benefiting people with anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Even if you are just dealing with everyday stresses and with life cycle events like pregnancy, or natural effects of aging, yoga therapy can be a great way to support yourself through those life transitions. To find a qualified yoga therapist near you go to:
www.yogatherapy.health

About the Author

Asya Haikin is the Owner of Peaceful Mind Yoga Therapy in Falls Church, Virginia. She is a Certified Yoga Therapist working with people with persistent pain to improve wellbeing and quality of life. Her mission is to make yoga safe and accessible, and to raise awareness about the benefits of yoga therapy. Asya has been using mindful movement, breath and body awareness to help individuals move beyond pain for over fifteen years. She has a private yoga therapy practice in Falls Church, VA, and also teaches several public yoga classes in Arlington and Falls Church. Asya is also a Reiki Master, a Tibetan Tones (vibrational sound healing) practitioner, and has an MA from University of Pennsylvania.​

To learn more about Asya, visit her website at www.peacefulmindyogatherapy.com
4 Comments

No. You Don't Have to "Just Live With It" - (Guest Blog by Dr. Stacy Snow, DPT)

5/25/2018

0 Comments

 
PictureAuthor: Dr. Stacy Snow, DPT
If you’ve ever had an injury or aches and pains that just wouldn’t go away, (and who hasn’t, really?!), you know how much that can affect your life. You’re trying to be healthy, you’re eating better, and trying to go out for a run or to that yoga class you love, but the pain is so distracting and makes it hard to be present with what you’re doing. You used to love tying your shoes to go for a run or stepping into class, or even just getting down on the floor and playing with your kids. But now it’s not even fun anymore because all you’re thinking about is how to get into a position that doesn’t hurt.

You don’t have anything ‘major’ going on. It’s just the nagging knee pain or the pain in your heel every time you put your foot down. You feel like it’s not so serious that you need to go see someone for it. And really, who would you even see for such a thing? It’s just something you have to live with, right? I mean, you are getting older and that just goes along with it, doesn’t it?

As a holistic health physical therapist, I can tell you that the answer is  No.  More than likely, you don’t have to "just live with it!" These types of things are what we specialize in. If you are having a problem that has lasted more than a couple days, that isn’t going away on its own with rest, ice, heat, or exercises that you may have learned on Google, then you should schedule an appointment with a physical therapist.

(Pain) You don't have to "just live with it!"
More than likely, you have some soft tissue or joint restrictions going on that require specific manual therapy to fix the issue and start the healing process. You probably also need some help figuring out better ways to move your body or little tweaks to improve your posture. You could also benefit from a program of the right exercises for your specific problem, instead of just basic ones found on the internet. It’s commendable that you’ve tried so many things to help yourself, but sometimes those things just aren’t enough and require a little more specialized treatment.
Picture
When you work with a holistic physical therapist, no problem is too small. If it is bothering you and keeping you from doing what you love to do or causing pain or discomfort while you do it, then it’s worth looking into. We will do a comprehensive evaluation to look at what’s going on, see how your joints are moving, what the muscles, tendons, and ligaments feel like. We will check your strength, your range-of-motion, and see how you do with specialized movement tests. We’ll chat about how long it has been going on, if you’ve had other problems before, and what other areas of your body are feeling like. We’ll talk about what else is going on in your life, such as are there any stressful events or are you having trouble falling and/or staying asleep? We’ll figure out how this problem has been affecting your life and what it has been keeping you from doing and why it is causing you to feel pain while you do it. Together we’ll create a treatment plan that takes all of those things into account, with a goal of getting back to doing whatever it is that you need or want to do as quickly as possible.

Listen to our "Ask The Expert" Interview with Dr. Snow

​Going to physical therapy doesn’t have to be a big event! It’s just something you do when something isn’t feeling quite right and you know you just need a little assistance with feeling better and getting back to the important things in your life. An expert physical therapist can show you how to take your health back, put the pain behind you, and learn ways to prevent it from happening again in the future!

About the Author

Dr. Stacy Snow is the Owner of Tranquil Place Physical Therapy & Wellness in Falls Church, Virginia. She holds a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and is a holistic health physical therapist who focuses on helping her clients feel better and get back to doing what they love to do. To schedule a complimentary 30-minute in-office Discovery Session to see if physical therapy is the right solution for you, you can reach Stacy at Dr.Snow@tranquilplacept.com or by scheduling here. Your health is your greatest asset. Stacy can help you create a plan to take the best care of it, and you!
0 Comments

Can a Life Coach Help You Be Happier? (Guest Blog by Joanne Creary)

5/11/2018

0 Comments

 
Joanne CrearyWritten by Joanne Creary (Owner of Well Woman Coaching)
We complain often that we’re living in an age of information overload. It seems everywhere you look there are experts telling you how to improve yourself—Lose weight! Eat better! Exercise more! Magazines, newspapers, and TV programming are loaded with ads pushing the next best thing to help you sleep better, earn more, get the perfect job, choose the coolest clothes. Each day a new self-help book appears on the must-read list, claiming to have a foolproof method for clearing out clutter, finding the perfect mate, getting the raise you deserve. Oh, did I mention, there’s an app to help you track your cardio workouts, count your calories, budget your money wisely?
​

Yet, four out of five of us continue to live with levels of stress that affect our physical health and emotional well-being. Why do you suppose that is? 

The truth is, old, harmful habits are hard to break, and it takes time to replace them with habits that are helpful. Not many of us can go it alone successfully. That’s where a life coach can help.
​

Picture

​Five Ways a Life Coach Can Help You Achieve Lasting Change
​

Identifying what needs to change. Most of us have a feeling that our lives can be more satisfying, but we sometimes find it hard to decide why that is, or what we can do about it. A life coach listens closely to hear what’s going on with you, asks questions to help you explore your feelings, and gives you honest feedback.

Casting a vision. It’s easier to make the decision to change, and to actually take action, if you’re clear about where you want to go. A life coach helps you explore your values, creates a safe space where you can imagine what’s possible, and encourages you to dream with no judgment.

Formulating a plan. It’s said a dream isn’t a goal until you make a workable plan to make it happen. That’s where a life coach comes in, to help you “put the pedal to the metal,” by working with you to identify steps you can take to make your dream a reality, and challenging you to dig deeper for answers instead of being satisfied with the obvious.

Helping you stick to it. Change can make us uncomfortable, even when we desire it, which is why it’s so hard to stay the course. A life coach will hold you accountable for doing what you say, cheer you on as you take baby steps in the right direction, and challenge you to keep going when you falter.

Dealing with what gets in the way. Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy, able to devise clever ways to sabotage our own best intentions, and sometimes the people closest to us become uncomfortable when we try to make changes. Your life coach knows this, and will help you to avoid self-sabotage, overcome obstacles that others might put in your path, and keep you moving toward the goal of having the life you want.


The experts are right—you can have a life that’s happier, more meaningful, and more satisfying! And a life coach can help you make it a reality.

Listen to the Podcast of Joanne's ASK THE EXPERT Interview

Also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and Amazon Alexa.

Watch Joanne's LIVE Interview Here!

About the Author

Joanne Creary is the Owner of Well Woman Coaching based out of Northern Virginia. She is an associate member of the International Coach Federation, holds a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, and is a member of the Christian Coaches Network. As a professional life coach, Joanne uses a variety of coaching techniques tailored to meet your unique needs, to help you identify your calling and the steps you can take right now to live with passion and purpose.

Contact Joanne today to schedule your first coaching session!
0 Comments

Raise Your Standards To Lower Your Expectations

4/16/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
It has been an interesting 2018 so far. Hasn't it? And the year is still just getting started it feels like. Especially now that spring has finally arrived. So, as you begin getting more active, I hope you remember the lessons from our podcasts and blogs this year that will guide you to a year of fulfillment and a year of doing what you absolutely love most. One word of caution though. Be aware of your expectations you have for yourself.

The old saying goes "expectations breed pain". This doesn't mean that you should have ZERO expectations. It simply means you should focus on raising your standards rather than your expectations. Your standards define who you are in life and are the foundation for all decisions that you make. Standards are completely in your control. Expectations, on the other hand, are typically in relation to other people and are not entirely under your control because of this. For example, you expect that your child will pick up after him or herself, or you expect your boss will give you enough time to complete a project on top of all the other work you have piling up on your desk. If you are familiar with either of these, then join me in saying good luck with these expectations! 
Your standards define who you are in life and are the foundation for all decisions that you make.
Standards on the other hand, define you on the inside and are the root of every action you take. Standards build morality; they strengthen character; they control your thoughts and your emotions; and they instill in you the qualities of the type of person you envision yourself becoming in this world. Your standards are the foundation for your entire life and determine how far you will go and how much impact you will have on the world. Think of it this way: When you get excited about something, and jump high into the air screaming with joy, there are a few things you need. You need something under your feet to push off of; enough space to jump as high as you can; and the ability to express yourself freely in the biggest and loudest way possible. In this example, your standards are like the ground beneath your feet. They provide you with a solid base to push off from. And when combined with your internal drive to seek fulfillment in your life (this being your expression of your excitement in the previous example), you will have the potential to reach as high into the air as possible and feel totally uninhibited and larger than life.

Make the choice to depend on yourself first, just like when putting on your oxygen mask on the airplane. Go on a journey and explore what you love most in life and what you believe you are or capable of. Discover what fuels your fire to live and search for more of it. These are the key components of your personal standards that will help them to grow and thrive. Standards that no one can create for you. We on the outside can only see your potential when you have forgotten what it looks and feels like. We cannot see the standards you create for yourself. However, we most certainly CAN see the standards you choose NOT to live up to.

Your next decision after raising your standards should be to lower all of your expectations to a level that you know will not impact your mission in life and your life's purpose. If expectations breed pain, you will either have too many of them or you will invest yourself too much in the few you do have. Redirect this energy NOW into developing your standards so that you can sculpt your own Sistine Chapel of inner confidence and self-understanding. 

These powerful instructions should give you the boost your need to achieve what some people refer to as happiness, others refer to as fulfillment, and we all experience as a sense of satisfaction. If we can learn to raise our standards and lower our expectations, we could all walk out into the world each day knowing who we are.
Picture
0 Comments

A Clean Bill of Health

3/23/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
In a world where we spend the majority of our money paying our bills and a significant amount of time organizing our finances, we somehow manage to find ourselves with a clean bill of health. Strangely though, it is believed by many that the United States provides some of the best healthcare in the world even though we soar past everyone in terms of healthcare expenditure. It is also believed that we Americans are some of the unhealthiest people in the world even though we are a nation of immigrants which means that it is not one group of people who are the unhealthiest, it is the lifestyle of every person who lives here.

The phrase "a clean bill of health" is usually provided to someone who is recovering from an illness or injury and is finally able to function on their own without assistance or any apparent risks to his or her well-being. It is a phrase that has been adapted to fit every aspect of our society. Vehicles are given clean bills of health. Buildings are given clean bills of health. Even technology is given a clean bill of health. And, of course, humans are as well.

This process of routine inspection is often done by an outside professional, e.g. primary care physician, who is skilled in searching for potential problem areas that could place an entire system at risk. Essentially, they are on a mission to find what is wrong. But has anyone been hired to search for what is right or functioning well? Why is it that we don't spend time highlighting these parts and, as a result, take them for granted?

Think about it. What phrases do you most often hear in a workplace? Do any of these sound familiar?

"There's a crisis at work."
"I have too much on my plate right now."
"What issues [problems] should we focus on?"
"Come up with a resolution by the end of the week."
"We've been fighting with this for a long time now."

And then there is the frightening word "deadline", which connotates something different altogether.
A "clean bill of health" is more than the erasure of harmful elements from one's physiology. It is a realization of one's individual responsibility to his or her state of being.
It is very easy to see a system that is functioning well and put it aside until it reaches a state of dysfunction. By doing so, we can then put on our perfectionist glasses and work towards adding to this well-functioning system by diagnosing, and ultimately correcting, what is imperfect. Over the course of time, humans have successfully created a culture of fix-it mentalities. We are trained to look for problems, and we are just as determined to solve them. This approach has formed the idea that a "clean bill of health" is dependent upon the absence of negative influences and little to no risk to well-being.

So whose responsibility is it to determine and maintain this "clean bill of health"? Well, of course it is up to us all individually. So then, what if we started looking at our own "bills of health" from a different perspective? What would happen if we highlighted the accomplishments of our health and focused on enhancing them on a routine basis that would effectively remind us of the positive changes constantly occurring in our lives? Might this eventually reverse the negativity programmed into the standard approach to care; the constant need to fix things?

A "clean bill of health" is more than the erasure of harmful elements from one's physiology. It is a realization of one's individual responsibility to his or her state of being. It is a bill that needs neither paid no passed. It simply requires your attention one day at a time to remind you how to thrive rather than just survive.
Picture
0 Comments

A Whole Note in the Key of Life

3/16/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
A whole note is, according to the almighty Google, "a note having the time value of two half notes or four quarter notes, represented by a ring with no stem. It is the longest note now in common use."

For those of you who don't know me that well, I have a strong music background. I've played numerous instruments, written music, and practically made it my life by deciding to go to college and play piano professionally. During that last one though, my life took a sharp turn in a different direction, and to this day, I wonder what my life would have been like had I continued on that musical journey. Would I have become a professional musician? Would I have become a famous artist? Would I have become a music and song-writer like I had once dreamed of at a young age? Frequently, I ponder this alternate universe that I chose to leave behind nearly 20 years ago.

This does not mean though that my fingers don't hunger for the smooth glide across the steel strings of a guitar or yearn to fly up and down the ivory steps of a piano in an emotionally-driven whirlwind. I could not survive without immersing myself in the freeing experiences that music has blessed me with. It is an escape from all sense of time. Perhaps, even, it might be why I enjoy using my fingers to type this very blog; because my fingers yearn to dance again on the musical instruments they befriended many years ago.
Music has always been the easiest metaphor for understanding my life.
Regardless of where I once was though, I understand my life is here and now. My life is just as magnificent as it could have ever been had I continued my journey with music two decades ago. I firmly believe that. Just as I have always believed that life will guide you through your choices and will leave breadcrumbs along the way to remind you of where you came from. My life in music has defined who I am as an individual. Every person has experienced the joys of music at one time or another. For music is an opportunity to step beyond the boundaries of a confined lifestyle and live freely once again, even if it's only for the length of a short song playing through your headphones.

I find it interesting that the whole note is partially defined as "the longest note now in common use". It seems synonymous with life itself. Our lives are meant to be whole, just as this particular note is meant to be whole. It is the longest note in common use just as life should be lived as a continuous process following the rhythm of everything that has come before it. And the whole note is what leads and flows into the rhythm of the entire piece after it.

A whole life does just the same. It is complete; it is filled; it is never-ending; it is whole. The rhythm of your life is set by all of the experiences that come from the moment you are created. The rhythm you set in your life will also determine the rhythm that is set for the lives that follow yours. So your life is meant to be played like one glorious song. One WHOLE glorious song, to be exact. 

Music has always been the easiest metaphor for understanding my life. Anytime I struggle or meet a new challenge, music frees me. It empties my mind by stirring my emotions and preventing them from stagnating inside of me ultimately leading me away from pain and towards movement, towards freedom, towards wholeness. A whole note to some may simply be the addition to all the other notes and viewed as a part of music that can be broken down into parts or counted as a sum of a particular number of beats. To me though, a whole note is not just a black empty circle hanging randomly from a line on a funny looking sheet of paper. It is an extended moment filled with a magnificent story driven by emotion, driven by the past that carries onward for as long as one chooses. This whole note becomes a whole vibration once the hammers strike the metal strings within signaling a whole resonance that invades and heals every space of your whole body. The only question left is, are you living whole enough to hear it?
Picture
2 Comments
<<Previous

    RSS Feed

    Acupuncture DC VA

    Posted here are...

    inspirational ideas on healthy living through eastern medicine, optimism, and possibility through empowerment.

    Archives

    March 2020
    September 2019
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    February 2016
    September 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    Achievement
    Acknowledgement
    Acupuncture
    Acupuncture School
    Appreciation
    Attitude
    Autumn
    Believe
    Be Present
    Breath
    Breathe
    Challenge
    Children
    Coaching
    Communication
    Compassion
    Confidence
    Confucius
    Conservation
    Conversation
    Courage
    Destiny
    Diet
    Dream
    Dreams
    Eat Well
    Education
    Elders
    Emotions
    Empowerment
    Encouragement
    Endurance
    Energy
    Ethics
    Excellence
    Exercise
    Existence
    Expectations
    Experience
    Finding Purpose
    Fitness
    Five Senses
    Food
    Future
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Growth
    Happiness
    Harvest
    Healing
    Healing Wisdom
    Healthcare
    Healthy Living
    Holistic Health
    Humble
    Humility
    Injury Prevention
    Kindness
    Korean
    Letting Go
    Life
    Life Coach
    Live Well
    Longevity
    Love
    Loyalty
    Martial Arts
    Martial Morality
    Mastery
    Meaning Of Life
    Medicine
    Mindful
    Mindfulness
    Morality
    Mother Nature
    Motivation
    Music
    Nature
    Non-Communicable Diseases
    Nurturing
    Nutrition
    Oriental Medicine
    Pain
    Pain Management
    Passion
    Patience
    Patient Education
    Patriotism
    Peacefulness
    Perseverance
    Philosophy
    Physical Therapy
    Physiology
    Pilates
    Posture
    Potential
    Power Of Words
    Presence
    Present
    Purpose
    Qigong
    Reason
    Regret
    Reminder
    Respect
    Righteousness
    Seasons
    Seeing
    Self Care
    Self-care
    Speaking
    Sports
    Standards
    Stress
    Stress Management
    Stressors
    Stress Relief
    Success
    Tai Chi
    Tcm
    Thankfulness
    Thank You
    Time
    Tradition
    Traditional Martial Arts
    Transformation
    Transition
    Trust
    Vuim
    Warming Foods
    Wellness
    Western Medicine
    Winter
    Wushu
    Yoga

    View my profile on LinkedIn

HOURS & Location

HOURS OF OPERATION
Saturdays   1:00-6:30pm

1980 Gallows Road
Vienna, VA 22182
(Acupuncture Appointments Only)

CONTACT Us

(202) 505-2805
jflinner@mymetromedicine.com

    ASK a Question

Submit
Photo used under Creative Commons from mockstar
  • Home
  • Acupuncture
    • Forms & Fees
  • Tai Chi & Qigong
  • Media
    • Publications
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • YouTube Channel
    • Ask The Expert Show
  • Location
  • About Us
    • Our Staff
    • Mission & Vision
    • Contact Us