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Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has shown to help with acute and chronic pain. One of the reasons why people get addicted to opioids is because they have some sort of pain. Acupuncture will help with the pain and the opioid addiction. It has been recommended by the Joint Commission and the FDA as a first line of therapy to help with pain which in turn will help with the opioid epidemic.
Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City was featured in a news report about opioid addiction and how acupuncture can help.
Check out the news clip!
If you have been feeling that something is out of balance or you need some more exercise, we have an answer for you. Here at Master Lu’s Health Center, we teach Tai Chi. Tai Chi is a Chinese exercise that have proven to have significant health benefits.
Tai Chi has been shown to have many health benefits:
Harvard medical school has said that Tai Chi is not only “meditation in motion, but medication in motion”
Throughout China there are many different forms of exercises. One broad form of exercise is qi gong. I say broad because there are many different forms of qi gong. One famous set of qi gong is ba duan jin or eight sections of brocade.
Ba Duan Jin is one of the most popular forms of qi gong. It consists of eight simple exercises that will improve you health and wellness. Each exercise is able to improve organ function, blood circulation, and balance in the body.
Ba duan jin was originated in China sometime around the Song dynasty which was about 1000 years ago. There are different origination stories, but one story is General Yue Fei developed Ba Duan Jin for his soldiers to remain healthy and strong. In our modern times Ba Duan Jin is practiced throughout the world and has been shown to be effective to maintain health and wellness.
At Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City Ba Duan Jin is taught as part of the Tai Chi class. This post will be an introduction to Ba Duan Jin so you can practice it at home when you can.
Helps in stretching shoulders, arms, hands, and torso. Aids with breathing and digestion. Helps low back pain. This exercise will improve your heart and spleen function, and improve blood circulation
To do it: stretch with fingers interlocked, stretch to the sky, rise on toes. Repeat three times front and sides. Touch floor—repeat three times front and sides.
Strengthens wrists, hands, shoulders, spine, spleen, kidneys, thighs, and hips. The exercise internally will improve your lung function and breathing.
To do it: open feet to at least shoulder width, bend left knee, right arm straight with hand open. Move to the left, grab, pull back to right side, extend left arm with fist. Repeat other side.
3. Raise the Hand to Regulate the Spleen and Stomach (Yin Yang Arms)
Stretches and strengthens torso and upper extremities. Improves the spleen function and aids in digestion.
To do it: feet together, finger-tips touching. Move right hand up, palm toward the ceiling, circle hand. Slowly bring the hand down to other hand. Repeat with the left hand
Exercises neck and chest areas. Aids respiration and eyesight. Improves liver function which in turn improves the eyesight.
To do it: both hands on back near kidneys, shoulders straight, slowly rotate head to look behind. Repeat other side.
Exercises lower spine. Aids neck and upper back, thigh, knees, and ankles. Improves the Kidney channel, helps with back and knee pain.
To do it: Wide stance, sit down. Fists together in front with arms bent, elbows touching. Bend knees twist to the left. Repeat to the right.
Exercises hands, wrists, shoulders, thighs, knees, and ankles. Increases energy levels. Improves Liver and Kidney function and helps with the eyes.
To do it: horse stance, arm extended, open right hand, grab, pull back while thrusting left fist forward. Repeat opposite sides.
Stretches upper extremities. Aids respiration, digestion. Exercises ankles and calves.
To do it: fingers together in front, rise on toes, arms go to side then touch overhead. Bring down. Repeat.
Helps lower back and kidney areas, migraine headaches. This exercise will also improve the kidney function.
To do it: Hands crossed in front, hand side-overhead-touch, bring down, touch back of heels keeping knees straight.
Ba Duan Jin is a wonderful set of exercises that will help you improve your health and wellness. As you practice these exercises on a daily basis you will feel a difference and will feel fantastic.
If you are interested to learn more please don’t hesitate to contact Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City and we are more than happy to help you achieve your wellness goals.
There are many patients who ask how many acupuncture treatments do I need? That is a good question to ask. At Master Lu’s Health Center, we typically recommend on average five treatments and we will reassess. But then the question is do I need to keep coming forever? That is also a good question to ask your Chinese physician. Here are some reasons why continued care is good.
These suggestions come from Acupuncture Media Works. We think they are a good synopsis why it is good to continue with your acupuncture and Chinese medicine care.
1) Even though you may not be in pain or discomfort, it takes longer to heal than is indicated by how you feel. Your body continues to heal even when symptoms are gone. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine treats the root of the problem. So when symptoms are gone, the root of the problem may still need to be treated therefore it is a good idea to continue to get treatments so your problem will be gone.
2) Chinese medicine is about prevention. It is better to prevent an illness and maintain healthy. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will continue to strengthen your body so you maintain healthy.
2) Acupuncture and Chinese medicine builds upon itself. Each time you come for an acupuncture treatment it improves the healing process within your body. You should get better and better each time you come in for a treatment. In China, Chinese doctors will treat patients three to four times per week for a typical treatment course of ten. Then the doctors will reassess to see if treatments need to be spread more apart or if the patients has been “cured.” Stopping or missing treatments could have a negative impact on your treatments. If you came in for a treatment for low back pain then came back three weeks later, your pain may not have changed that much because too much time in between treatments went by. It is best to have several treatments up front close together then reassess.
3) Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will improve your energy levels and help you feel more balanced. We live in a stressful society. There are many factors that can cause us to feel stressed which in turn may have an effect on our bodies. By having regular acupuncture treatments, you can feels more balanced and reduce your stress.
4) “An ounce of prevention , is worse a pound of cure.” Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will help build your body and prevent illness. It is still highly important to change your lifestyle habits so you can achieve your optimum health and wellness.
I hope these tips help you. If so please sign up for our monthly newsletter with tips, research, and more about how Chinese medicine will help you.
Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City is a Chinese medical clinic that practices all aspects of Chinese medicine including acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy. Chinese medicine is a complete medical system that diagnoses and treats disease. It has been used for over 3,000 years and has shown to be a viable form of health care. One aspect of Chinese medicine that we don’t hear much about here in the West is Chinese herbs. There are thousands of Chinese herbs that help with many different health conditions. One Chinese herb that is very common is huang qi or astragalus.
Huang qi is categorized as a supplementing qi or boosting qi herb. That means that it will help you improve your energy levels, and improve the function of your organs overall. Huang qi is a sweet and slightly warm herb. It will enter into the spleen and lung channels. Huang qi grows throughout China, especially in the northern most regions of China.
There are many different functions for huang qi. The following are some the most common functions and indications for huang qi:
As you can see there are several functions of huang qi. How is it used when there are so many different functions and indications for this herb? The beauty of Chinese medicine is that it focuses on balance. Chinese herbs are used in formulas that are balanced and used for specific Chinese medical diagnosis. Huang qi will be part of Chinese herbal formulas. There are many different formulas that will use huang qi for very specific Chinese medical diagnosis. For example, huang qi is used in a formula called Yu Ping Feng San. This formula is good for allergies and recurrent colds. It will help with the immune system and improve your energy. Huang qi alone may help a little, but it works better when there is a formula involved.
Chinese herbs are a lifetime study and practice. They are utilized throughout the world and have shown to be effective. Huang qi is a wonderful herb for many different health conditions.
If you would like to learn how Chinese herbs may help you improve your health please give us a call today at Master Lu’s Health Center.
