Baltimore Acupuncture Center

07/18/2024

Another great review from a client😊

“I have been working with Chris for a year and a half for a variety of issues including overworking, anxiety and digestion. What has stunned me is how Chris picks up on issues that I didn't even think were relevant and linked it to my overall condition. My partner also started working with Chris and after one session had a transformative mind-body response. I can't recommend Chris enough--thoughtful, technical, deeply experienced, and has a fantastic bedside manner. He's also trained in yoga and recommended exercises for blockages in my hip”.

L.L. - Professor at Johns Hopkins U.

06/11/2024

A recent testimonial from an acupuncture patient.

“Chris is a skilled and compassionate practitioner of acupuncture. I have been seeing him for a year and a half now. His knowledge of the human body and mind connection is extraordinary. No matter what issue I am dealing with, from back, shoulder and neck pain, to general stress and anxiety, I always find relief from my sessions with Chris. He has been particularly helpful in my return to full health from heart surgery. Beyond the needle work, he has excellent recommendations on natural, holistic options to health issues from herbs for sleep or energy, to blue light blocking glasses, grounding mats and the like for dealing with our highly stressful and environmentally challenged lives. I highly recommend Chris, especially if you are new to acupuncture”.

Daniel M.

We offer acupuncture which is effective in treating chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, menstrual issues

09/11/2023

Yoga backbends are a powerful way to open up energy in the chest, and greatly energize the heart and the lungs, they are usually done as a climax to a yoga practice before relaxation poses.

In Chinese Medicine, the inner heart is seen to be very pure, it’s open and vulnerable and feels love. The Pericardium is seen as the protector to the heart, it absorbs all of the insults, hurts and blows from life. When the pericardium is circulating energy and blood, this shows up as the different emotions, the pericardium is also the ambassador of expressing love.

When the pericardium is overwhelmed or when there’s resistance to life, there’s a protective mechanism to protect the inner heart which tightens and constricts the circulation of energy in the chest and restricts the feeling of emotions and love. Backbends can significantly relax this protective mechanism and allow the circulation of the pericardium to flow.

Symptoms of a person with a tight/ constricted chest and heart Qi may be not being able to relax and rest in oneself easily, feeling numb to emotions, difficulty feeling emotionally connected with others, overly abstract and intellectual thinking, disconnected busyness, shallow chest breathing, insomnia or restless/surface sleep, anxiety or dis-ease, depression, frustration from bottled up emotions, lacking compassion for self or others, long term can lead to heart problems.

A person with energy more opened up in the chest and heart Qi flowing will feel more connected to themselves and others, will feel the flow of feelings and can access love, can rest comfortably in themselves and also sleep deeply, their intellect is connected to their heart, will feel at ease within themselves and more at peace even within a chaotic world, will be able to express themselves easily, will be able to breath deeply.

In Chinese Medicine the organs are seen as a hierarchy of officials, the heart is the monarch and the center of the kingdom. When all is well with the heart, all is well in the kingdom of the body. When the heart is not well, chaos ensues in the kingdom. This might be analogous to the chaos we see in the United States because of the lack of strong leadership.

In this reflection, yoga backbends are a wonderful way to open up the heart and release the protective mechanisms which may inhibit that.

I am an acupuncturist practicing in Baltimore and Columbia Maryland. If you would like to schedule an appointment, go to www.BaltimoreAcupunctureCenter.

09/01/2023

http://www.baltimoreacupuncturecenter.com/acupuncture-and-natural-treatment-options-for-premenstrual-syndrome-and-syndrome-and-menstrual-cramps/

In my private practice, PMS and dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps) are certainly common reasons for seeking treatment with acupuncture with herbs, as these holistic methods tend to be very effective and safe options for most women. Chinese medicine and acupuncture have enjoyed a rich history in treatin...

09/01/2023

Sitting here between acupuncture patients, Happy Friday 😊

08/25/2023

Emotions in Health and Disease

Emotional health is a very important component of overall health. Out of balance emotions are a significant cause of disease according to Chinese Medicine. This is especially so given modern day stress. Emotion is a term meaning energy in motion, wherever our minds go, energy follows. Emotions are a part of life. We should strive to cultivate positive emotions because they keep our body and mind in harmony. However, it is the negative emotions which are problematic over time. What we generate in our minds become embodied.

The Chinese texts state that anger injures the liver, too much excitement injures the heart, worry injures the spleen, grief injures the lungs, and fear injures the kidneys. Lack of emotion is problematic too, indicating chi deficiency or blockage of the meridians. What we should practice is a balanced emotional life.

Optimally we have equal access to all 5 emotions. They flow through us without getting stuck. Problems arise when we become habituated to one form of emotional expression over others and tend to live from that place. It’s like the needle on a record player that gets stuck in a groove preventing the music from playing on. One indication of this is when someone expresses emotions that are not appropriate to the situation. For instance, someone goes into a rage about bearing a slight inconvenience or someone shows a lack of assertiveness when being taken advantage of. These examples point to a habitual way of being which indicate how the body is functioning or malfunctioning as well.

For most of us these habitual ways of reacting go back to our early life. Over time, layers upon layers of reaction have created the neural circuitry of our bodies. On the body level acupuncture is great at breaking through this body level programming, and mindful awareness is great at reconditioning the mind to respond to the world in a more healthy way.

Emotions are a form of chi. Chi is the immaterial energy of the body and is colored by the emotional lens. This is why acupuncture is so powerful with working with the emotions because it’s working at this causal level. Anger originates from the liver, joy from the heart, worry from the spleen, grief from the lungs, and fear from the kidneys. Acupuncture points along the respective meridians release or reduce excess emotion and supplement deficient emotions. They are powerfully effective at getting you out of the emotional whirl pool and cutting through it. This is why acupuncture is a great compliment or alternative to talk therapy; because it gets down to the energy behind everything. When we are out of the emotionally reactive place then we can approach our life from a fresh place and choose to respond in a more mindful way.

06/27/2023

http://www.baltimoreacupuncturecenter.com/acupuncture-and-natural-therapies-for-fatigue/

06/27/2023

http://www.baltimoreacupuncturecenter.com/acupuncture-and-natural-therapies-for-fatigue/

It is estimated that over 50% of the American population experiences chronic fatigue. The most common causes are stress, overwork, insomnia, depression, and various malfunctions in the major systems of the body (endocrine, cardiovascular, digestive, etc.) Western medicine is decidedly lacking in saf...