Addiction is defined as the compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance, which means addiction can come in a lot of different forms. People can be addicted to illicit drugs like heroin just as easily as they can be addicted to sugar. But for the purpose of this article, let’s stick to illicit drugs and alcohol.
According to the Health Services Administration, 23.5 million people ages 12 or older have needed treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. And the treatments provided aren’t guaranteed, nor are they always easy. Luckily, there are alternative treatment options that can help. continue reading »
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In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each season is ruled by a particular organ system and spring is connected to the liver. What does this mean? Well, you probably notice changes in the way you feel, both physically and mentally, as the seasons change. I know I tend to feel a bit more contemplative and introspective during the winter months. Once spring hits, I’m ready to recharge and get things done. The liver energy is strong and assertive, the type of energy you need to create plans and then propel them into motion. However, if your liver is a little out of balance, you might notice you are more irritable or on edge than usual. Here are a few signs that your liver is in need of an acupuncture tune-up: continue reading »
You Can Reduce stress & generate emotional well-being Quickly with Acupuncture & Essential Oils!
Are you tired of feeling stressed, anxious, worried, depressed or overwhelmed?
Is stress ruining your life?
Are your relationships suffering?
Is your work life or career not what it should be?
Is it affecting you physically with headaches, muscle tension, high blood pressure?
Poor sleep patterns, Does it keep you awake at night?
Digestive issues?
We know that stress has negative physical impacts on the body such as:
Prevents or slows healing time
Disrupts our immune system
Inhibits good gut bacteria
Depletes our bodies of nutrients
Creates unhealthy inflammatory responses
quick tips on How you can release stress and feel your best:
Go for a brisk walk, be sure to exercise regularly at least 3-5 times per week. As a plus, you can rub peppermint essential oil onto your temples, or rub into sore muscles before or after exercise.
Get Adequate fresh air and sunshine, at least 15-20 minutes per day. Just for your information extra virgin coconut oil has natural SPF properties of 10, and lavender is a wonderful oil to blend with it for added soothing sensation to the skin. Not mention lavender naturally helps ease feelings of tension.
Take time each day for meditation at least 5-10 minutes. Try yoga, or Tai-Chi. Great essential oils to diffuse in the air or rub onto your temples and third eye (center between eyebrows) is arborvitae and frankincense.
Start each day with gratitude and positive affirmations. Lemon essential oil may help stop the negative self-talk. Lemon oil is uplifting to the mind, and when applied on the base of the skull gives a sense of courage and hope.
Use a daily planner to stay organized and on track. This helps minimize overload, and feeling overwhelmed. Many people are turning back to a written planner that allows you to plan both personal and work priorities. Examples of planners are The Law of Attraction Planner or Passion Planner. You might like to try peppermint, lemon, or melaleuca essential oils rubbed over the middle to outer edge of your right foot, and on the base of your skull, and temples.
Eat a healthy balanced diet. Rub diluted oregano and melaleuca oil on the bottoms of your feet for a cleansing feeling, and ginger and peppermint oil over your tummy to support digestion.
Acupuncture can help to keep your Qi-energy balanced, improve circulation, balance hormones, and reduce stressful feelings. Treatments are designed to build upon the next with a cumulative effect. Each treatment is created with you in mind to help you move from where you are right now to where you’d like to be.
Are you ready for transformation?
Stress free, feeling good
Stop feeling out of control, unorganized, irritated, short tempered, overwhelmed, or repressed without a sense of purpose!
Instead feel refreshed, confident, vibrant & ready for the day every morning!
Find passion, clarity and purpose with the ability to handle life stresses.
Build up those relationships, find forgiveness, while feeling calm, collected, sure and confident.
What Will Happen if You Do Nothing?
Loss of income due to time out from illness, poor immunity
Loss of job from poor performance
Loss of marriage and family, relationship breakup
Poor heath with high cholesterol and blood pressure
Feeling bad about your self, irritated, not fun to be around
Low energy and poor body function because vital nutrients are depleted
Chronic pain issues from inflammation, tension and poor circulation of vital Qi-energy and blood.
You can Stress Less & Feel Your Best using Acupuncture and Essential Oils
The series of treatments provided addresses and balances each of the vital areas related to our constitutional emotions, spirit and well-being. The most basic constitutional emotions we all feel are anger, joy, sympathy, grief, and fear. The five essentials of well-being are Career-Purpose & Passion, Social & Family-Love & Relationships, Helping Others-Community & Accomplishments, Spiritual-Inspiration & Faith, and Financial-Security & Confidence. Also, sexual, physical, and mental-emotional health.
You don’t have to understand how each of these are related to your organ-meridian systems, but I think you may get the idea if you imagine how you feel when you are angry. You hold your breath, clench your jaw, and shout at someone! Your shoulders and chest rises, your breath is shallow, your eyes feel full, your face may even become red as you blow your top! Imagine if you feel that way all of the time even without an appropriate trigger, what does that feel like?
With an emotional imbalance in even one area there is obstruction of the flow of Qi-energy that disrupts a healthy emotional cycle, dysfunctional emotional response, distressed feelings, and is a cause of physical disease as well as a symptom of poor organ function.
Initial Consultation and Treatment 60 minutes. $130
Subsequent visits may be 30-45 minutes.
Package of Four treatments $340. This level of sustained care and healing will make an incredible impact on your well-being. Two sessions per week for the first 2 weeks, then 4-6 weeks of weekly and then bi-weekly sessions. Each visit builds upon the next in a sequential manner. This is why I require a commitment from you for at least 4 sessions after the initial exam and acupuncture.
Individual treatments at $95 are available once we have changed the level of care needed to wellness care for sustained results. Typical sessions are scheduled bi-weekly or monthly. You still have the option to purchase the discounted package of 4 at $340.00 as long as you come in once per month. Otherwise, purchase one at a time.
Michele Arnold-Pirtle is a Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine (DACM). She has specialized in stress relief, emotional well-being, and balanced Chinese Medicine dietary therapy for over 16 years.
As an expert in essential oils, Dr. Michele can help you safely & confidently use essential oils in your own home for everyday life for you and your family.
FAQ: Do you take insurance? No, I don’t take insurance because it is not holistic, and does not support the level of care and expertise that I want to provide. Although, I do take FSA or FSA cards, and I can provide you with an invoice for your HR Department if it’s asked for.
This is For all new patients or established patients wish to experience the Stress Less, Feel Your Best with Acupuncture & Essential Oils.
Works Cited:
Bailey MT. Psychological Stress, Immunity, and the Effects on Indigenous Microflora. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;874:225-46. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-20215-0_11. Review. PubMed PMID: 26589222.
Enlighten. (2016, Oct. 30). Emotions & Essential Oils, 5th Edition: A Modern Resource For Healing. Amazon Digital Services LLC.
Marsland AL, Walsh C, Lockwood K, John-Henderson NA. The effects of acute psychological stress on circulating and stimulated inflammatory markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2017 Jan 12. pii: S0889-1591(17)30011-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2017.01.011.
Maciocia, G. 2009, Aug. The Psyche in Chinese Medicine: Treatment of Emotional and Mental Disharmonies with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Churchill Livingstone; 1 edition
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Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States with about 60,000 deaths from it every year. Like all cancer, treatment can be long, uncomfortable and come with many side effects. Those getting chemotherapy may experience nausea, vomiting, postoperative pain, cancer related pain, insomnia and anxiety. The chronic pain can significantly impact quality of life. Most patients are prescribed medications such as opioids for pain that have side effects and are highly addictive. continue reading »
Have you been wondering about whether or not you should take Turmeric because it was recommended by your doctor, or you have seen it advertised? I find this a bit annoying because it is indiscriminately recommended for everyone. So, let’s look at what it’s for.
Turmeric is an Indian spice and can be used as an herbal supplement. It contains Curcumin, the primary chemical constituent that gives it its anti-inflammatory properties along with its yellow color. It widely used as one of the spices in curry powder. It has become very popular, and is widely recommended as a dietary aid for inflammation and pain. Some people have questions about it, and they wonder whether or not they should be taking it. It may help if I break down its uses, and clarify when it wouldn’t be appropriate for someone to take it.
In Chinese Medicine this herb is called Jiang Huang (Turmeric). Its flavors are spicy, bitter, and has an energetic warming affect on the body.
This herb helps blood circulation, and breaks up coagulation that may be the cause of pain related to traumatic injury, and it helps speed healing. It moves Qi-energy of the liver, which means that it protects the liver from toxins, has antioxidant qualities, lowers cholesterol, reduces menstrual pain, and decongests the liver. The bitter and warming qualities improves joint swelling, shrinks uterine tumors, dissolves gallstones, and improves ligament flexibility. Dosage as a single herb is 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. daily. It is best when taken along with cinnamon bark (Rou Gui) or cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi) for dysmenorrhea, or joint pain such as in the shoulders. It is usually added as an adjunct herb to enhance effects for relieving menstrual pain in an herbal formula such as Bupleurum and Dang Gui (Xiao Yao Wan) for instance.
This herb is not for you if you have blood deficiency without stagnant Qi-energy or blood stasis. This means you don’t experience localized pain of a deep, sharp and piercing nature and inflammation that is worse at night, that is swollen, or you don’t have palpable solid, immobile masses, dark complexion, purple lips, fragile dry hair and skin, a purple tongue with purple spots. If you feel weak, exhausted, have a pale complexion, experience light thin menstrual blood flow during your periods, dizziness, pale tongue or conjunctiva this herb is not for you. Use caution if you are taking an anti-coagulant, anti-platelet medication.
I hope this helps?
*How Herbs are Prescribed in Chinese Medicine
*Let me start by saying that using herbs and spices in your cooking for flavoring is not necessarily the same thing as taking them as an herbal supplement. Although, there may be some dietary value, there is not necessarily a therapeutic value that comes with potency and dosage. The spices and herbs found in your spice isle of the supermarket are going to be of a different quality, grade, and concentration than that found in an herbal tea or supplement. Chinese Herbalists use high quality pharmaceutical grade herbs with high potency and bio-availability along with correct species identification. The dosage matters as well. In addition, herbs aren’t typically given singly, they are compounded together in a balanced formula that may include anywhere from two to ten or more herbs. This way each herb works in a synergistic manner, and counteracts any negative affects. This is much safer than taking only one ingredient long term. As an example, you will find quite often that fresh ginger (Sheng Jiang), honey-fried licorice (Zhi Gan Cao), and red dates (Da Zao) are added to formulas to protect your stomach, and to harmonize all of the ingredients together. Chinese Angelica Root (Dang Gui) is often combined with Ligusticum (Chuan Xiong), and White Peony (Bai Shao) to nourish blood, regulate the movement of blood, and sooth PMS symptoms and pain without causing too much thinning of blood, hemorrhage, or blood stasis and coagulation. The flavors of bitter, sweet, spicy, salty, or sour as well as the energetic temperature of hot, warm, cooling, cold, have beneficial qualities on the body. The herb’s flavors and temperature are taken into consideration when choosing an appropriate herbal remedy per one’s constitution. Curcumin (Yu Jin) is spicy, bitter and cooling on the body. Thus, it may not be for everyone. You would need to consult with an expert herbalist that can evaluate your constitutional pattern of disharmony and recommend an appropriate herbal formula.
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• Delicious Recipes Using Spring Fruits and Vegetables •
Hours
Monday
8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday
8:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday
8:30am-4:30pm
Thursday
8:30am-4:30pm
Testimonials
“Dr Michele knows how to diagnose and heal you. She has a variety of methods she can utilize to work with your mind and body to produce the healthiest you!”
~ Carol Prokop. Also posted on Google Reviews!
I needed relief from chronic pain in my back, hips, and sciatic nerve. I have had these problems for a number of years. My doctors used physical therapy, and pain medication. I can no longer take anti-inflammatory medication. My acupuncture treatments have helped a lot. I can now relax, and I feel almost pain free. It has helped my attitude also. My activities have improved. Michele is a wonderful person, caring, compassionate, and an excellent acupuncture therapist!
C.T.
After two back surgeries, I was still having a great deal of pain. A friend told me acupuncture helped him with shoulder pain. I was a little skeptical but decided to give it a try. I didn’t want to stay on Percocet pain killers forever. After receiving acupuncture treatments, I was amazed how it helped with the pain. It isn’t gone but it is at least bearable. I only occasionally need to take a pain killer, and that is when
A letter as copied to her doctor: Ms. Michele Arnold has been working with me since I begun experiencing hot flashes and has been able to manage them for me. I know it works because I took a five week hiatus from acupuncture treatments and experienced hot flashes so severe that I actually did not want to live. With four treatments I was back to feeling great with only a very occasional minimal hot flash. Acupuncture is relaxing and uplifting.
Acupuncture has helped relieve so many symptoms, its hard to list them all. I have MS (multiple sclerosis) and acupuncture has helped with my vision, balance, and overall energy level. It also completely addressed the pain from a torn shoulder rotator cuff. Thank you Michele!