WIRED AND TIRED

by Ann Zimmerman, LAc.

The combination of feeling both wired and tired is one that we see daily in our clinic and seems to be a current cultural trend.  Many of us, especially women, tend to have trouble unwinding or being restful, even at night. The combination of symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia are way too common.

Our culture considers success to be a measure of how much we can get done in a day or how much money can be made.  This fast pace combined with the ups and downs of life’s stress has many people feeling wired and tired.

In Chinese medicine the inability to rest, to be still or to sleep well at night is a reflection of lack of YIN energy. YIN represents literally the shady side of the mountain, the Talent/Ashland side versus the sunny Medford side of the valley.  Our YIN represents our quiet, still, moistening, substantial, anchoring, slower side of ourselves, versus the opposite of these qualities, which is the YANG.

Summer is a classic time of the year to feel out of balance with your YIN.  The nature of Summer is very YANG, fast, busy, outward, exciting, hot, etc. Its YIN counterpart would be winter.  However, regardless of the season we must find a balance of these qualities within us or we start to display symptoms.

The wired, tired, anxious combination indicates a lack of YIN in the body, and that the axis between YIN and Yang has swung toward more YANG tendencies.  It becomes harder and harder to settle down, to feel anchored….yet there is an underlying deep fatigue.  Its a strange combination, often self medicated with caffeine to get going in the morning and alcohol to settle down in the evening.  The anxiety fuels getting the errands done, the phone calls returned and even though you feel out of balance, the mind says at least we are getting “stuff” done.

Stillness is out of the question for many people, at least until bedtime.  Then it comes time to sleep, and we expect the mind to suddenly turn off, stop its chatter and instantly change patterns from the day to being restful.  This is where insomnia indicates a lack of YIN.   The mind cannot get anchored to allow the body to rest.  The body is tired and the mind is wired. This is also true of the anxiety symptom, the YIN anchors the emotions and allows you to feel settled and at ease, a lack of YIN leaves the emotions fluttering in the chest.

To increase your YIN, one needs to slow down and sleep well at night.  This often translates into lifestyle changes; scheduling less in each day, slowing down to eat and hydrate during the day, pausing between activities, less caffeine, deeper breathing. It is also helpful to spend more time around things that are calming, such as animals, nature, soft music, and activites such as meditation, yoga, qigong and journaling.

Many of us have trouble slowing down.  It seems to go against everything we have learned from our parents and society.  For some, slowing down makes them more aware of how unsettled their minds are and how much anxiety is under the fast pace.  These type of people likely will need the help of their local acupuncturist/ herbalist and/or therapist to help them work with whats fueling the pattern of being wired and tired.

Consider what your tendency is, how balanced are you in your activity(YANG) and your stillness(YIN)?

Allergies:  What is really bothering you?
By Clark Zimmerman, LAc.

A lot of people are mystified by their allergies.  When I ask patients about their allergies, I often hear stories of congestion and irritation of varying degrees caused by hay fever, pet dander, food sensitivities, mold in the house, etc.  But often times they are puzzled by the nature of the issue, and therefore have little direction for how to change the situation.

Allergies can effect so many things in the body.  They can create symptoms in the skin, digestive system, immune function, ears, eyes and respiratory system.  Though it usually involves doing some detective work, with dedication and direction there is a lot that can be done to treat allergies.  The first step in treatment is to identify the problem.  You begin with the most obvious things, examining your environment.  Do you live in a moldy house, do you live with pets, are you being exposed to toxic things in your home or work place?  If something is bothering you, then you need to avoid or limit your exposure to the allergen.  This sounds like common sense, but we often can overlook things that are in our environment.  Just as our surroundings can contribute to allergies, foods can too.  Many people find that working with their diet can drastically improve chronic health problems.  Foods that are common allergens include gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, and sugar.  There are several ways to diagnose a food allergy.  These include:  blood tests, muscle testing, skin tests, elimination diets, and cleanses.  While each method has its strengths, I believe that the most reliable method of discovering food allergens is the elimination diet.   An elimination diet involves avoiding suspected foods for 2-3 weeks, then reintroducing possible allergens one at a time.  If someone has a food allergy, it will typically show symptoms within 3 days of eating a certain food.  This is true detective work that can absolutely change someone’s life for the better.  Some people may also benefit from doing some sort of cleanse.  A cleanse is a way to clean out the toxins that may be stored in your body.  Toxins in the body can contribute to many health conditions, including allergies.  A cleanse typically involves some combination of herbs and dietary supplements and possibly saunas, exfoliation, and colon hydrotherapy.  It is helpful to work with someone who is knowledgeable about cleansing to create an individualized program that will work for you.  In addition to cleansing, it may also be helpful to strengthen aspects of the digestion and immunity by using supplements, herbs, massage, acupuncture, or homeopathy.

Perhaps the most important factor that can contribute to allergies is our emotions.  While we often search for causes in our external world, excessive worry and stress can cause us to be “sensitive” to the world around us.  If people feel vulnerable to the world around them, it can manifest as physical symptoms.  In this situation, it is important to change the aspects of life that do not feel supportive, and invite in more experiences that truly nourish our soul.  This is where meditation, yoga, massage, counseling and prayer can be helpful.  It is also helpful to create and nourish healthy friendships and community;  The more we feel supported in our life, the less we feel the need to react to stress that occurs.  It is truly amazing how cultivating happiness can positively effect our physical health!

Darkness is merely the absence of light. I am inspired by this thought. It reminds me that all it takes to dispel darkness is to shine a little light on a situation, and things begin to improve. Ann and I were fortunate to recently spend some time with an Indian saint named AMMA (or Mata Amritanandamayi devi) . She is a living example of God’s love in human form. She travels the world for most of the year giving out her blessing in the form of a hug. She also tirelessly raises money to give to her various charitable organizations. It is amazing to witness people like AMMA, and their ability to illuminate the darkened places of our world. Such people remind me that it doesn’t take much to be of service to others. Whether the gifts the you share is some volunteer time, money, or simply a smile, these offerings have the power to change the world. So I encourage everyone to do a little more for others, without expecting anything in return. This selfless service is the only balm that can heal this suffering world. Get involved in something that calls to you and your particular interests, and you will reap the benefits that only kindness and service can give. Blessings.

by Clark Zimmerman, L.Ac.

We all have some experience with pain. While pain can be helpful in pointing out problems in our life, it can also limit us from being present and productive in our daily activities. Whether it is a headache, muscle strain or indigestion, many patients seek medical advice when pain or discomfort appear. Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is very effective at treating most causes of body pain. TCM’s approach to pain is similar in some ways to western medicine, but there are many differences as well. In this article I will explain the similar and different views of pain according to both TCM and western medicine, as well as discuss different treatment options.

Western medicine views pain as an action of the nervous system. It describes pain as the stimulation of specific nerve receptors known as nociceptors. These are present in many different tissues, and are stimulated by tissue damage. When these nociceptors are stimulated, they send a message to the brain that something needs to be done to address the underlying cause of the pain. For example, if you are working in the yard and you lift something that is too heavy and it causes damage in a shoulder muscle, the nociceptors in your shoulder sense that your muscle is damaged and create the sensation of pain to encourage you to stop doing the activity that created the pain. This is a very helpful response to a damaging situation. After the initial cause of the pain is removed, the continuing pain reminds us to be aware of the damaged area and protect it so it can properly heal. This can be helpful in the healing process, but it can also overly limit our movement which can lead to increased muscle tension which serves to slow down the healing process.

Pain is treated in a variety of ways with western medicine. Patients are often given some kind of over the counter or prescription medication such as pain killers, anti-inflammatories, or muscle relaxers. A doctor might also recommend physical therapy to strengthen and stretch the effected area of the body. If these methods are unsuccessful then stronger medication, such as steroid injections, or surgery might be recommended. There are many occasions that western medicine is quite effective in the treatment of pain. It is also true that often these treatment strategies simply cover up the pain, but don’t address the underlying problem. Sometimes covering up the pain can serve to make the issue worse, by allowing a person to ignore a more severe injury instead of seeking proper treatment. Medications may also cause unwanted side-effects, such as anti-inflammatories causing stomach problems.

TCM describes pain as the result of qi and blood stagnation. Qi (or energy) and blood move in conjunction with one another. When they flow freely, the body remains healthy and comfortable. Qi and blood can become stagnant because of trauma, overuse, or a lack of proper nutrition. Strong emotions can also cause stagnation of qi and blood. Since stagnation of qi and blood are the cause of pain, the remedy is simply to move the qi and blood and address the underlying cause of the stagnation. For instance, in the case of repetitive use injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, a patient would be treated using acupuncture, massage, and an herbal prescription to move qi and blood. Herbs and dietary recommendations may be included in the treatment to address an underlying deficiency (of qi, blood, yin or yang). The patient would also be encouraged to notice what actions elicit the pain, and modify or limit such activities. This treatment strategy is different than western medicine in that it lessens the pain, while also encouraging the proper flow of qi and blood, which then bring more oxygen and nutrients to a damaged area to help the tissue heal.

Western medicine and TCM both have their own strengths and limitations. If a pain condition involves severe structural damage, such as a major tear in a ligament or a broken bone, then western medicine is invaluable in helping to remedy the underlying cause. In these situations TCM can be used in conjunction with western medicine to accelerate the healing process and addressing the pain and discomfort that accompany the injury. If the damage does not involve such major structural damage, then TCM can used alone as an effective treatment.

Chinese medicine often speaks of the influence that each season has on life. Each season has a unique set of qualities that effect the way we feel, eat, rest and work. The spring time is the season of wood. Wood can be seen as a physical and tangible entity, as is the case with trees and plants, but it can also be seen as a symbolic representation of the qualities and characteristics that wood exemplifies. Many people enjoy the spring season because it is a time of new beginnings. It is the time when the rest and solitude of winter give way to action and fresh ideas. This is demonstrated by the wood element. When a seed sprouts, or a perennial plant begins to put up new shoots, we see the potential energy of wood become manifest. Each day as I walk through our gardens, I marvel at the noticeable changes that occur over a short time. I am particularly enamored with the bamboo; it’s new shoots seem to grow right before my eyes. This demonstrates the power of the wood element to create change and movement. The wood element relates to the liver and the gall bladder. It is these two organs, particularly the liver, that are responsible for creating movement in the body. If the liver is challenged or sick, than it can not effectively preform its duty to move the body’s qi. When this happens it can cause a number of different problems in the body. To begin with it causes one to feel stuck, and possibly irritable. I liken it to being stuck in a traffic jam. When caught in traffic, we are usually trying to get to somewhere in particular, so the fact that we are not moving causes irritability. It may also cause our muscles to tighten as we internalize the stress that we are feeling. In addition, it might cause pain, high blood pressure, headaches, dizziness or digestive problems. All of these functions are dependent on a free flow of qi to function properly, and if the qi is slowed or stopped, than the body begins to show signs of illness. So in the springtime it is especially important to keep your liver qi moving.

Five great ways to move the liver qi
:
1) Get regular exercise. It can be cardio or weights or both. Even a daily walk can do wonders for your liver qi.
2) Eat a diet that is high in foods of the springtime. Especially fresh bitter greens such as kale, chard, dandelions, spinach or salad greens. The foods that appear in a certain season are the ones that are most appropriate for our bodies at that time. The bitter foods available in the springtime help move our qi and they help the body to detoxify from all of the excess dietary fat and inactivity that we tend to see in the winter time. It is also a good time to limit the greasy/ fatty foods commonly consumed in the winter.
3) Practice some form of relaxation. In can be meditation, qi gong, yoga, deep breathing, pilates etc. In can also be something like gardening or knitting, as long as you make an effort to relax while you are doing the activity. In other words, if you are gardening, don’t worry about work while you are doing it.
4) Get an acupuncture treatment or a massage. Both of these healing modalities can help move the liver qi.
5) Experience the wood element. Garden, take a hike, walk in the park, etc. Acknowledging the character and tendencies of the wood element as it exist in nature and in the human body can be very therapeutic.