What’s your ideal balance between work and relaxation? What changes do you want to make for yourself? What lessons and personal acknowledgments has 2020 and its challenges made you aware of?
If you follow me on social media, you may have seen a short video clip during which I talked about a recent medical conference I attended. It was a first for me and I assume everyone present. Participating in a medical conference wearing a mask, in addition to social distancing table and seating arrangements, was something new for all the attendees and presenters. I am not sure what our new norm is, and I don’t believe anyone knows. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to be able to participate in a live medical conference during these challenging times. This was a continuation of a modality I have been studying recently both live on line, as well as recorded webinars. Think of it as Acupuncture on Steroids!
During recent months, after having recovered from COVID-19, I utilized much of the time spent in quarantine to continue to enhance my knowledge. I am a firm believer that education never ends. Any knowledge or enhanced techniques to learn and grasp so that I can help my patients feel better, is worth it! Of course, being able to attend the conference live is the absolute best. Meeting and communicating with like-minded holistic Doctors of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine gives me a natural high. There is a common language of medicine that we share. We can converse about challenging patient cases with ease and share ideas for enhancing treatment.
I am a perfectionist to a fault, both in practice and in grasping of techniques. When implement something, I need to grasp it to its fullest, and be able to utilize it properly when applying it to my patient’s treatments. I have been thoroughly exhausting the Electric Acupuncture Medicine modality in order to fully comprehend all of its benefits. The methods and concepts of this system are on the cusp of the newest technology. It offers the most innovative techniques in utilizing specific frequencies of Electric Stimulation in its medicinal applications. Simultaneously it incorporates some of the oldest techniques to enhance the Acupuncture treatments. I love the blend of old and new, classic and innovative. The techniques are being studied, examined, proven, and then passed on to other Doctors of Acupuncture to be able to help more patients.
I frequently utilize Electric stimulation in my practice. I often joke that Acupuncturists are much cooler than Physical Therapists or Chiropractors who utilize Tens units. The technology is very similar. The application however is a vastly different. PT’s and Chiro’s utilize Tens applied to a patch on the skin similar in size to that of an alcohol pad. Acupuncturists utilize Electric Stimulation by clasping it with a butterfly clip to the needles that have been inserted into the body. Imagine the difference when the stimulation via the Acupuncture needle, penetrates into the corresponding soft tissue and muscle! Some of my PT and Chiro friends and colleagues may call me out on this, but they tend to agree with me when I demonstrate it on them!
I have had amazing results to date with the Electric Stimulation I just described. But why stop there? The latest modality I am learning goes even further. It studies how specific Hertz of electron transmission into the body at specific levels, within specific frequencies, and for specific time intervals… (what a mouthful) can treat various illnesses, syndromes, symptoms in various ways. It sounds complicated and in some ways it is. In other ways it is pretty basic. Let me explain.
The techniques vary depending on the preferred outcome. For example, stimulating the sympathetic or the parasympathetic nervous system yields very different results. Many have heard or studied the fight or flight response. A patient who is suffering from exhaustion, and has little drive, may benefit from stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. This would give them an energy boost and push them forward to more of a fight mode. Many changes happen so quickly. The body is really a wondrous thing. There would be an increase in heart rate, slowing down of digestion, the eyes dilate all to help focus the entire body on the ability to respond in an emergency situation. That is what we know as fight mode. On the flip side, many of us, especially New Yorkers! suffer from an exhausted sympathetic nervous system. We have become so accustomed to being in overdrive that we often don’t know how to turn it off. I definitely fall into this category. I am so accustomed to being on ‘go’ that I find it difficult to turn off my brain and settle down. Even while trying to relax, I find my thoughts wandering and over thinking medical challenges, and observances. This would be a great example of someone who could benefit from enhancing the parasympathetic nervous system. Stimulating the flight response enables helping that person switch to restful mode. The heart rate would slow down, digestion may increase, the pupils would constrict. The person would be able to settle, sleep or just relax.
Balance is the key. Achieving the perfect harmony is essential. You do not want to always be on the go. Likewise, you shouldn’t always be in a state of rest and relaxation, or it may lead to laziness, and a lack of motivation. This was something we witnessed too much of with our recent global meltdown. The enhanced unemployment benefits lead to a shortage in the work place and eventually a poor work ethic. We have seen this begin to change recently as people look to get back into the swing of things. We need to stimulate their sympathetic nervous system so we can rejuvenate our work force.
Understanding why we need to be focused on our intended goal with the particular patient is essential. The specific frequency, Hertz, and Amplitude of the sensitive Electrical Stimulation devices can help achieve that goal. For example, a lower amplitude and lower frequency would be utilized for a higher level of pain in order to release endorphins which are our body’s natural pain killers. A higher amplitude used for a shorter span of time would be beneficial for a low or moderate level of pain. Various settings can help reduce inflammation in the entire body, restore one’s immune system, even help with scar tissue, as well as stuck emotions from past trauma.
Seek tranquility. Utilize Electric Magnetic Acupuncture to help realize the perfect balance. Harmony between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, fight or flight, GO or rest mode, is essential. Even as New Yorkers, even during these challenging times, we can teach our bodies to react appropriately. We can and should allow ourselves the right focus and balance between work, productivity and rest. Acupuncture on Steroids can help!