Winter Acu-News 2022 1. Now's the time! How to do a 30-day Sugar Detox
2. Curious about Korean Facial Rejuvenation?
3. Community Acupuncture is back on Saturday Mornings!
4. Acu-blog post by Grace Rollins: "Cleaning the Corners"
5. Our flexible winter weather cancellation policy
6. Our COVID precautions continue (and we continue to care!) | It's a new year, and an excellent time to press the reset button on your habits. Eating sweets can be an easy habit to slip into during the holidays, but with significant impacts on your health. Each time you eat refined sugar, or even refined forms of carbohydrate like fruit juice, alcohol and white flour, your blood sugar spikes, triggering the hormone insulin. Insulin then sends a message to your cells to store that sugar away. If there's no immediate metabolic need for the stored sugar, it is converted into fat. Widening Waistlines and Insulin Your body is very strict about rushing sugar out of the bloodstream, because it damages your nerves, blood vessels and kidneys (as is found in uncontrolled diabetes). However, your cells also have to limit the amount of glucose they can accept at one time, and excessive insulin exposure
will cause them to down-regulate their insulin receptors. Therefore, over time your body will secrete increasingly higher doses of insulin to do the same job of lowering blood sugar and keeping the body safe. This vicious cycle is called "insulin resistance," and is something virtually every person with a widening waistline has (even if they aren't yet considered "obese"). The more we are exposed to insulin, the harder it is to lose weight-- even if you are otherwise restricting calories or getting a lot of exercise. Insulin basically says, "Store energy, store energy!" -- so it is hormonally an uphill battle to lose weight in the context of frequent insulin spikes. Excess insulin also disrupts other hormones in the body and increases inflammation levels, which can be related to a wide range of endocrine imbalances, chronic pain and illness. Sugar as a Drug The problem is, sugar is highly addictive. In fact, it's better thought of as a drug than a food, due to the rapid change it can have on both your physiology (different from the impact of a real food!) and on your brain. That quick rush of serotonin leaves you wanting another brain change, and the hormonal destabilization caused by erratic blood sugar even makes you physically feel like you "need" another hit of the stuff. Your very creative brain will then craft any number of excuses and justifications to seek it out and continue eating it. As with other forms of addiction, certain individuals are more susceptible than others. If giving up sugar "cold turkey" feels like an impossible proposition, then it's time for a reckoning. Sugar Reset A perfect "sugar reset" is a strict 30-day period where all forms of refined sugar are avoided. This gives your endocrine system and neurophysiology enough time to normalize from the rollercoaster effect of habitual sugar consumption. To up the ante and improve your results, also avoid all forms of juice, alcohol and refined carbohydrate during your 30 day period (basing your meals and snacks on whole foods instead). Being "flexible" with a sugar detox, instead of making a full commitment to a 30-day period, tends to backfire. Permissiveness leads to more permissiveness. So-and-so brought cookies to the office, it was someone else's birthday and you felt bad to not eat the cake, and how could you turn down a sugary coffee drink when meeting your friend at the Starbucks? Before you know it you're back to square one without having given your brain and hormones the necessary reset. Commitment to a mere 30 days, on the other hand, allows you to set boundaries even in the midst of our culture of sugar consumption. Friends and co-workers, even family members, tend to understand the concept of a time-limited "detox" and will respect your boundaries if you turn down that birthday cake or sugary desert. After the 30 days, our patients always find they feel more "grounded" in the presence of sugar and often don't feel the desire for it. If they do eat some, it's not as satisfying and less likely to trigger the desire for more. Having the "option" but not the "impulse" to eat it can help you choose to enjoy sugar on a special occasion but skip it as a daily habit. After all, it's a drug, not a food. | Using acupuncture to help sugar cravings If you feel like it would be too hard to give up sugar for 30 days straight, you need acupuncture! In Japanese style acupuncture we use a set of "sugar points" that we find work tremendously well to subdue the sweet tooth and get you through the initial cravings. For those who need this kind of suppor we recommend coming in once per week for 3-4 sessions during your 30-day reset, or if you're really in need of extra support, twice during the first week. We also can provide "ear seeds," small acupressure beads, that you can wear home to stimulate ear points on the ear to help with sugar cravings. We are passionate about helping people regain health by trying this Sugar Reset. Let us know if we can be of help in your case! Contact us or book at bridge.janeapp.com. | What is Facial Rejuvenation? In what is sometimes called an "acupuncture face-lift," your body's natural restorative ability is harnessed through the use of very fine needles applied to the face, scalp and neck. Our expert is certified in the Korean-style F.A.C.E. system of facial rejuvenation, which helps to relax muscle tension, smooth lines, gently promote collagen production and stimulate healthy circulation and lymphatic flow. This treatment may also benefit those who suffer muscle tics, tension headache, TMJ, dermatological conditions, and muscle weakness. Patients of all ages experience both immediate and cumulative effects that help them look and feel their best. We currently offer two types of sessions - the 60-minute Lite session which offers the complete F.A.C.E. protocol and abdominal heat pack; and the 90-minute Pro session which includes the F.A.C.E. protocol, an abdominal heat pack, plus a specialty Korean sheet mask and rejuvenating body acupuncture points. What is a session like? A session involves the placement of many tiny needles around the face, neck and scalp. They are the very smallest and highest quality needles available, in order to minimize discomfort. A single session might use 50 needles on the face, scalp and neck. Many of these are so small and shallow that they will not be felt, though some will be inserted more deeply in order to achieve the needed effects of stimulating ligaments, relaxing muscle tissue and building tone. Our acupuncturist Misook Lee, LAc is one of the few practitioners in the US who is certified in the F.A.C.E. protocol. She has been attracting a loyal following for this unique service, which is free from serious side-effects and offers a great alternative to more aggressive cosmetic procedures. Keep reading about Facial Rejuvenation here or book your session now! | Community acupuncture treatment is received while seated in a comfortable zero-gravity recliner, where the practitioner can reach many powerful points on the limbs, ears, head, etc. Sessions are booked individually like any of our other appointments, but up to four patients are treated in the room at one time. Masks are required, the air is continually filtered, and surfaces are sanitized between patients. These are more streamlined treatments than our private acupuncture sessions, but the affordable price can make treatment an option for many common complaints like muscle tension, allergies, headaches, TMJ, digestive symptoms, anxiety, menstrual pain, repetitive strain, and stress. See bridge.janeapp.com for current pricing and to reserve your spot! | New Bridge Acu-Blog post: "Cleaning the Corners," a message to inspire health in the New Year (By Grace Rollins, MS, LAc) I've practiced Zen for close to 20 years. Though the primary practice is seated meditation (Zazen), there is a lot more to it, even for a layperson like me. In the past I've traveled several times to a Zen monastery for special week-long formal trainings known as Sesshin. There I would practice Zazen, walking meditation, chanting, formal meals, strict etiquette, and cleaning. Yes, cleaning. I was actually fond of the twice-daily cleaning periods during Sesshin because it let me move my body out of the sitting position I was in for so many hours of the day. Probably because I was among the younger and fitter, the monks usually assigned me to floor cleaning duty. In the common Japanese way this involved mopping the floor by hand using a zokin (cleaning rag). To clean the long monastery hallways I'd run in a crouch, pushing the zokin out in front of me in the traditional fashion. The faster, the better-- it was invigorating, and if I'll be honest my martial arts buddies and I were probably showing off to see who could finish their floor section first. Plus, if I finished my chores early, I could have a longer break before the next sit! One evening I was cleaning the tile stairs that led up to the old head priest's quarters when I saw him coming up the stairs. Click to read more |  Our new front room, where we hold meditation classes | Friday mornings at 8am Zazen, also known as seated Zen meditation, is a formal style where practitioners maintain silence and stillness during the sit, while focusing on posture and breathing form. Sits are led by Grace who has over 15 years of experience and has trained in both monastic and martial arts communities. Free or by a suggested $5 donation. Group size is limited. BYOC (Bring your own Cushion). We can provide a folding chair for those who need one. Sign up on our scheduling website, bridge.janeapp.com or contact us for more information. The next sit will take place on January 14th. | Our flexible winter weather cancellation policy During any predicted storm we always accept same-day cancellations if road conditions are unsafe or unpredictable. In other words it's ok to see how the weather turns out and then call or email us the same day to reschedule if it seems unsafe to come in. We also will try to accommodate requests to reschedule in advance! | Early in the pandemic, many medical practices, including ours, closed or reduced capacity to admit only those cases deemed "essential." This took place from late March until about June of 2020. Since then, we and other health care providers have continued to offer our highly needed services. It was clear that we had a role to play even in fighting the pandemic-- helping to support those with immunity weakened by cancer treatments, stress or congenital issues; offering a relatively safe, low-contact treatment environment for pain management; and supporting those suffering from high levels of stress, social isolation and anxiety due to an uncertain future. Deferring needed health care has consequences. Though venturing out is a calculated risk in the COVID era, we want to help you feel confident in the choices you make. Therefore here is a review of the practices we have followed in our office since the start of the pandemic, which we further enhanced in our new office: -HEPA filtration in every treatment room, our waiting room, reception desk area, and in our central HVAC
-UV-C light and ozone air decontamination ("Reme-Halo" system in our central HVAC)
-Ventilation system in our treatment rooms to further increase air turnover
-Virtually no waiting times or social contacts with other patients! Most patients can be brought straight to a private room on arrival, or need wait only briefly in our vaulted, socially distanced waiting room
-Staff and practitioners that wear N-95 or KN-95 masks
-Credit card "on file" option for expedited check-out
-Surface sanitization between treatments with a non-toxic, CDC-approved antiviral disinfectant Though it's impossible to eliminate all risks in this uncertain time, these precautions go above and beyond those of most other businesses in keeping our visitors safe. We hope these reminders help you feel proud of choosing Bridge Acupuncture for supporting your health and wellness. | Bridge Acupuncture
http://bridgeacupuncture.com
264 W. State St, Doylestown, PA 18901
For appointments contact:
bridgewellness@gmail.com
office 215-348-8058
Schedule online! | |
