If you’ve ever experienced sciatic pain, you’re on first name terms with that pain that starts in your butt and travels down the back or side of your leg.  This is not just any pain; it can be sharp, electric, and stabbing, and it can be accompanied by numbness and tingling.. My brush with butt pain happened about three days into a week long kayaking trip in the middle of nowhere.  I woke up one morning and tried to walk down to the beach to wash my face, but my leg, or more accurately, my butt wouldn’t cooperate.  I could walk, but just barely, because a nagging pain on the right side of my...

When I was young, my mom always made sure I was bundled up before going outside during those cold New England winters.  Her reasoning was that I’d get sick if I got cold, and sending me outdoors looking like a large ball of yarn was the sure antidote.  While scientists haven’t been able to prove that getting chilled will make you get sick, the stress on your body of being cold can lower your resistance to getting the colds and flu that are going around. The Chinese have a different take on the cold, however, in that cold can actually make you sick and cause pain.  One of the foundations of...

What do inner ear infections, head trauma, Meniere’s disease, anemia, high or low blood pressure, and having too many cocktails have in common?  All of these things have the potential to make you dizzy. While a number of conditions may be the cause of dizziness, not all dizziness is the same.  The severity of symptoms can run the whole gamut from disabling to mildly annoying.  People who suffer from vestibular (inner ear) problems may describe their dizziness as the sensation of the whole room spinning, or vertigo, with severe balance problems.  In contrast, someone who has low blood pressure...

Mindy is an athletic woman who has been coming to me for wellness acupuncture for years.  In her mid-fifties, Mindy is concerned about eating well and getting enough exercise to maintain her health.  Unfortunately, Mindy’s diet could use some help.  Despite my repeated urgings, Mindy has the notion that all fats are bad and should be avoided at all costs.  This black and white idea that a food is all good or all bad has its consequences, and for Mindy, the result is readily apparent in her skin.  Without the moisturizing effects of dietary oils and fats, Mindy’s skin is so dried out, that she...

If you are one of those women who are doubled over each month with menstrual cramps, here’s some good news:  acupuncture can help.  Think about it; acupuncture is really good for pain relief.   It makes sense that it would also be helpful for that day or two each month when cramps leave you on the couch with the heating pad or popping ibuprofen like there’s no tomorrow. The underlying premise behind acupuncture is that it’s an energetic form of healing.  While that may leave you thinking about your old mood ring and Earth shoes, the reality is that every cell in your body produces energy. ...