In Chinese medicine, we are always interested in how the environment plays a role in health challenges people are facing. A Chinese medical text, named Treatise on the Differential Treatment of Warm Disease (Wenbing tiaobian), which was written by Wu Tang (1758-1836), states, “Winter is supposed to be cold, but if it turns out to be warm instead, then yang is not going into its customary state of storage and the populace will fall ill with warm diseases as a result.”

Although winters are normally characterized by cold weather, this year we had an abnormally warm, rainy winter. Due to this seasonal abnormality, the weather may have allowed for a pandemic disease to occur and spread rapidly. Also, since there was a wetter climate, it allowed damp pathogenic influences to infiltrate the environment, and then into our bodies.

BUT, is this just Mother Nature’s way of hitting the “RESET” button, and reminding us of who is in charge?!

With global pollution always on the rise, environmentalists have been trying without much success to reduce the amount of pollution and wear on the environment that humans have. However, due to COVID-19 shutting down factories and limiting travel, satellite data over China and Italy have indicated that there are less harmful gases in the atmosphere, such as methane, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

Additionally, animals seem to be filling in the spaces where humans usually populate during this time of isolation. Dolphins and swans were seen swimming in the Venice canals, and monkeys are roaming cities in Thailand.

Although COVID-19 is serious, scary, and having negative ramifications on the human population… Maybe we can take this as a wakeup call when we think of moving forward, where Mother Nature kicked our butts and forced us to listen.

6 Reasons why Every Athlete Should have an Acupuncturist

September 30, 2016

Traditional Chinese Medicine can help athletes in a variety of ways. Below are six examples of how acupuncture can benefit athletes.

1. Faster Recovery.

Sometimes injuries occur, even after you have done everything correctly to take care of your body. This is especially true for athletes. Sometimes the body receives a hit, twists, overextends, is compressed, or goes through a repetitive motion too many times... Resulting in INJURY!

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine increases the body's ability to heal itself. Studies have shown that athletes who used acupuncture recovered twice as quickly as those who did not use acupuncture. Not only do athletes recover more quickly, but they also recover completely, which decreases the possibility for the injury to become chronic or recurrent.

2. Pain Relief.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine reduce pain experienced after injury or surgery. Research studies have shown that acupuncture is more effective than any pain-relieving medication that is out on the market (including intravenous morphine!)... And has no side effects! Acupuncture stimulates endorphins that reduce pain, while also stimulating the body's healing capacity.

3. Maintaining Strength & Endurance.

Athletes are always asked to go the extra mile. They push their bodies to the limits throughout their season. Eventually, performance suffers as a result of these high demands. The teams who perform best in playoffs are usually the teams that have the most gas left in the tank by the end of the season.

Traditional Chinese Medicine can help players 'refuel' so that their endurance is as strong at the end of the season as it is after the off-season, where they have allowed their bodies to adequately rest and recover.

4. Injury Prevention.

Every sport requires the body to be used in a repetitive manner. Over time, repetitive movements and high intensity performance without adequate rest weaken the human body. When the body is weakened, injuries occur.

For example, think of an elastic band. When you repetitively use this elastic band over time, eventually it becomes overstretched, causing it to snap and break. The tendons, ligaments, and muscles, which support the skeletal framework of your body all act in a similar fashion. Over time, the integrity of the parts of your body cannot maintain the demands placed onto your body, which results in injury.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has always been used to maintain wellness. Through regular acupuncture treatments, taking Chinese herbal medicine, and consumption of foods that uniquely support your overall health, your body will respond and adapt to the physical demands of sports. This will allow the elasticity of your tendons, ligaments, and muscles to remain intact, and your joints and bones to remain healthy and strong.

5. Prevention of Common Ailments.

Through receiving regular acupuncture treatments, your overall health will be improved. Common ailments, such as the common cold and flu, can be prevented. If such a problem does arise, Chinese medicine will allow you to recover quickly from these ailments so that you can get back in the game.

6. Mental & Emotional Support.

Athletes are known for their physical and mental toughness. Confidence intimidates opponents and helps athletes stay at the top of their game. However, it can be difficult to remain in 'competition mode' all the time. This may lead to problems such as performance anxiety, agitation, restlessness, or insomnia.

We understand athletic mentality, but we also understand that when you are mentally and emotionally supported, physical performance is enhanced. We are here for you.

We understand the high performance demands that athletes experience on a daily basis. We are committed to helping you maintain your health so that you can remain in the game.

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