Did you know that I’ve been working on an additional masters program through Tufts School of Medicine? If you didn’t, then you probably didn’t realize that I just COMPLETED my masters from Tufts! Cue the celebration :) As an acupuncturist, I see a lot of patients in pain. Chronic pain is a growing epidemic in our society. And while I felt acupuncture school left me well-equipped to treat pain, I still wanted to know more. I wanted to better understand the physiology of pain, know what treatment options are available for different conditions, be trained in the social, emotional, and societal issues surrounding pain, and connect with the latest that Western medicine has to offer the ever-e
Cost is not the only reason why people don’t try acupuncture. There are many additional reasons and concerns that keep people from booking an acupuncture appointment. “I’m afraid of needles” I have to be honest with you, this is one of my least favorite objections to acupuncture. I mean I get it, you’ve probably only ever been exposed to large hypodermic needles when you’ve had blood drawn or received an injection- literally no one likes those. But those really aren’t in the same category as acupuncture needles, they’re nowhere near the same thing. In fact, some acupuncturists don’t even call their tools needles, preferring instead to call them “pins.” Who’s afraid of a little pin? The di
As an acupuncturist, I hear many reasons why people won’t try acupuncture. Some reasons come from people who are looking for an excuse, and some from people who can acknowledge the benefits. The most common reason I hear is that the cost is too high. This comes in two forms: time & money. While people can easily assess and quantify what it will cost them to try acupuncture, many are not willing to really analyze the benefits. Almost more importantly, many do not assess what it will cost them if they don’t invest in their health. “I don’t have enough time” Most acupuncture appointments are about an hour long. I get it- when you add in travel time and a buffer for traffic and parking, we’r
Stress is a necessary part of life. It is a tension that motivates us, and gives us the drive to do work and complete tasks. Our nervous system responds to stress and amplifies the response by kick-starting our sympathetic nervous system, releasing stress hormones, and switching us into flight-or-fight mode. While stress can be a healthy part of life, excess stress can cause a number of negative effects on our health. Mismanaged stress can interfere with sleep, raise blood pressure, and decrease immunity. One of the most significant side effects of high stress that I see in my practice, is increased pain. Not only does stress affect your neurotransmitters, and therefore your experience
