It’s time for the Great American Smokeout®!

Each year in November the American Cancer Society® organizes the Great American Smokeout®. Quitting smoking is one of the absolute best things you can do for your health. In conjunction with the Great American Smokeout®, through the month of November we are offering a smoking cessation program for only $300. This includes four sessions of acupuncture and a week’s supply of herbs designed specifically to help with nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings. We want to do our part to help you become a non-smoker.  It’s time!  Call today.  860-448-6766.

Download the Acupuncture and Smoking Cessation pdf in Forms and Links.

It Was Perfect Weather for a Festival!

We couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was the perfect temperature and sparkling with sunshine, and everyone was having fun. At our booth at the Groton Fall Festival, Kathleen, Andrea, Robin, and Stacey were nonstop busy doing mini-acupuncture sessions and chair massages. Anne-Marie and Mary Ann kept us organized and answered all kinds of questions.

It was great to have Andrea back for the day and we really enjoyed being surrounded by so many of our fellow businesses. Our drawing was a popular event and three lucky winners will be coming in soon for an acupuncture session, a therapeutic massage, or an herbal consultation.

Thanks to all for supporting Groton and all our local businesses at the Groton Fall Festival.

We Love Groton Fall Festival!

October 9 is the annual Groton Fall Festival. This year will be even better, with lots of good food, crafts, music, classic cars, helicopters, skateboard contests . . . . . what’s not to like?  It’s a beautiful time of year for a festival and the Groton Business Association has done a great job organizing this event.

We’ll be there with an expanded booth (we’ve got two spaces) to accommodate everyone who wants to try a chair massage or see what an acupuncture treatment is like. We’ll have drawings for acupuncture, massage and herbal treatments, and you can sign up for our mailing list. (A newsletter is in the works, and you’ll want to be the first to know.)

For all of us who miss Andrea Elliott, she’ll be back with us for the day. Our staff will be on hand to answer all your questions about acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, and therapeutic massage. Come on out for some good old fun and be sure to stop by to say hi.

Itchy eyes and stuffy noses

It’s getting to be ragweed season. Itchy eyes, stuffy noses keep you from enjoying the end of summer. There are things you can do. Try chrysanthemum tea for some relief. Drink it hot or cool. Avoid windy weather and window fans, and keep the car windows closed. Make sure your sleeping area is clean and closed off to airborne allergens. If you hang your clothes outdoors to dry, consider throwing them in the dryer or hanging them indoors. Pay attention to air pollution reports in the news and limit outdoor activities accordingly. Take antioxidant quercetin, said to calm allergic histamine reactions.  Eat a diet rich in Omega-3. Naturopaths often prescribe stinging nettles. These products are easily available in groceries and health food stores.

And don’t forget to visit your acupuncturist when your eyes start watering  and nose gets clogged. We’ll give you a treatment and send you home with herbs that bring lasting relief. Or pop into our community acupuncture clinic for instant reprieve from allergy symptoms.

We have that chrysanthemum you are looking for, too.

What is a back-to-school acu-tune-up special?

It’s a stress reduction acupuncture session for only $50!

Get centered again after all the summer’s activity. Get your body’s energy in sync with the season’s change. Help your mind get back to a regular schedule. And build your immune system to withstand the autumn sniffles. Feel the stress and tension drain from your body. Let us jump start your Qi for you! Let us know if you have allergies when you come and we’ll take care of those symptoms, too. All for just $50.

Master Tung Points

Andrea Elliott has just completed a three weekend series of classes with Susan Johnson, an expert in the use of Master Tung’s special acupuncture points. The Master Tung system utilizes distal points (points on the hands, arms, feet, and legs) to effect changes in the rest of the body. This type of acupuncture can be used to treat all sorts of pain and ailments. It particularly lends itself to community acupuncture. Andrea is sharing her knowledge with the rest of us. Come on by to experience Master Tung acupuncture..

Feel healthier and more relaxed with Shiatsu and Amma.

Robin Vizthum, LMT,  has just completed 22 continuing education units in Shiatsu/Amma. Shiatsu is application of pressure on specific points along the acupuncture meridians. Amma is a Japanese form of massage based on the principles of Asian Medicine. Shiatsu can be performed fully clothed or added to a Swedish style massage. Both are excellent compliments to acupuncture and massage.

Schedule a 60 or 90 minute massage with Robin in the month of June and she’ll treat you to ten extra minutes of experiencing her newly learned techniques. We’re sure you’ll love them.

Start the day with rice congee.

In China, rice congee is a common breakfast food. It is made with rice cooked on low heat for a long time. White rice is used. We recommend this for breakfast in the morning because white rice is easier to digest than brown. Rice congee has a sweetness that awakens the digestion at the beginning of the day. Medicinal herbs may be cooked in rice congee for people who are ill, weak or convalescing. Congee tastes great as a breakfast food. For lunch you can make it with left over bits of vegetables and meats.

Rice congee is very easy to make. Take 1/2 cup of white rice and 2-3 cups of water and put it in a crockpot. You’ll have to play with the amount of water to find a consistency you like. It is like porridge, and we all know that some like it thick and some like it thin. Add whatever you want to cook with the rice. Turn the crockpot on low, cook overnight, and your delicious breakfast will await you in the morning. You may use a broth instead of water if you like.

Congee can be as simple as adding a little butter, chopped walnuts and dates or raisins. For the GBA meeting, Andrea made one with sweet potato cut into small pieces, red dates, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and gou ji berries, and another savory one with scallions and ginger. I often use chicken broth and cook it with pieces of leftover chicken. When it’s done I’ll add a vegetable like broccoli and cook it a little longer. For breakfast congees I enjoy adding seasonal fruits.

Congee is a versatile medium for many tasty meals. If you’d like to try Andrea’s sweet congee, above, give us a ring and we can provide you with a packet of the food herbs she used.

Water, water everywhere, and oh my, is it Damp!

The Southeastern CT/RI area is still recovering from the rains a few weeks ago. Businesses are reopening, roads are being repaired, and homeowners have a handle on the damage that was done. We New Englanders are showing just how resilient we can be. Almost everyone I’ve met has put a good face on it, found creative ways to deal with their situation, and cheerfully helped their neighbors in the midst of their own chaos. Rainy spring days no longer come without some apprehension in our region.

In the aftermath of such major flooding, some of the health risks are obvious. We need to be careful driving due to damaged roads, and plan extra time for for detours. Extreme stress can aggravate existing health problems. On a mental/emotional level, there is more than enough anxiety to go around. Many of us have been displaced from our homes and can not cook in our own kitchens. Our diets may suffer from eating more “junk” food than usual. Disrupted schedules keep us from our exercise routines. Many of us are still feeling overwhelmed by the sudden storm that hit our area with such force.

And there is Damp. Damp is a term used in Chinese Medicine to describe a “climate” or “pathogenic factor” that can invade our bodies. Working in a damp environment, being out in rainy weather too long, living near the shore, or spending time in a basement all contribute to the presence of Damp in our bodies. Some people are more prone to being affected by Damp than others. Torrential rain turning our streets into rivers and making our basements moldy is open season for Damp.

Damp can be internally generated in our bodies, as well. Eating too much dairy or consuming cold food and drinks are ways we increase the likelihood of Damp.

Some symptoms of Damp might include bloating after eating, nausea, water retention problems, joint pain aggravated by damp weather, foggy thinking, allergies with stuffy nose, or a sluggish feeling. Sometimes Damp slows down healing of other things.

A lot of times people go to their doctors with vague Damp symptoms that western medicine can’t make sense of. They bloat, but nothing is wrong, they get lingering headaches that don’t seem bad enough for prescribed medicine, or they feel a lack of motivation. Perhaps there is something not quite right with digestion or allergies make them unusually stuffy. Maybe they can’t shake a level of fatigue and feeling blah.

In Chinese Medicine, Damp is a very real problem. The good news is that we have ways to help it. There are acupuncture protocols to make the Qi or energy flow so Damp doesn’t get stuck in the body. Chinese herbs free the Damp by either transforming it into usable fluids or aromatically dispersing it. These methods are safe to use in conjunction with pharmaceutical medications. Sometimes people just need a little help to get through a season or event, in this case a major flood.