Good morning Readers,

Today we are going to discuss a more technical issue that is the source of many doubts among acupuncturists.

If you are an acupuncturist, you have certainly wondered whether you should “sedate” or “tone” acupuncture points. Perhaps you still have that doubt. In what situations should we give this stimulus and what are the differences between toning and sedating.

Thus, the purpose of this text is to help understand the techniques and why they are used.

Let’s start with SEDATE:

– For some time now, there has been a change in the way we teach the term sedate. For sedating gives the false impression that we are decreasing the function of an organ or a viscera and that is not correct. So many people that think that, often ask me: “But teacher, is it okay to sedate the Kidney?” The great truth is that we do not have the capacity to sedate an organ, but rather to DISPERSE the Excesses. That is, to disperse a pathogenic factor or even to disperse a Stagnation, be it of Qi or Blood (Xue).

– Based on this reasoning, we should Sedate (disperse) Excess diseases, that is, those that, by definition, have Stagnation of Qi or Blood and / or presence of pathogenic factor (heat, humidity, dryness, cold, wind or phlegm).

Examples:

1. A patient who has Stomach Heat – we can sedate point ST44 which has the function of removing the heat from the Stomach.
2. A patient who has Liver Qi Stagnation with breast pain in the Pre Menstrual Period – we can sedate the LV-3 point that has the function of moving Qi and Blood.

What about TONING?

– The way we teach Tonify, as well as Sedate, has been modified. The expression Tonify gives the false idea that we are making the organ function beyond its normal. This fact does not represent reality. Tonifying has the sense of NUTRING.

– Based on this reasoning, we must NUTRIT organs and viscera that are suffering from Deficiency diseases. Deficiency diseases are those that Qi, Blood and / or bodily fluids are not being produced correctly, in less than normal amounts.

Examples:

1. A patient who has a Spleen Yang Deficiency, with chronic muscle weakness, tiredness and diarrhea – we can tone the SP-3 point that will tone the Spleen Yang.
2. A patient who has a Kidney Yin Deficiency, with heat in the palms and feet, menopausal heat, lower back pain – you can tone KI-6 which has the function of toning Kidney Yin.

In deficiency diseases, it is important that the patient also receive guidelines for Therapeutic Food and Phytotherapy, since the points will help as long as there is raw material in the body for the formation of Qi, Blood and Body Fluids.,

And Harmonize?

– Harmonization is nothing more than a stimulus where we give the Central Nervous System the information that some function needs to be normalized, without the direct information of Disperse or Nutring. And it is often the best resource that the acupuncturist can use, because often, patients suffer from mixed diseases, where the dispersive and nutritious function of a point is desired.

Example:

1. A patient with Liver Yin Deficiency generating Internal Wind: Yin deficiency will cause itchy eyes, weak and malnourished nails, while the internal wind can cause tremors, paralysis and irritability. Based on these symptoms, we can harmonize the LV-8 point that will Nourish the Liver Yin and control the internal wind.
2. A patient with Spleen Qi Deficiency generating internal Humidity: deficiency of Spleen Qi generates weakness in the body, poor digestion, lack of memory while internal humidity will generate edema, weight gain, feeling of heaviness in the head accompanied by pain. For this situation, we can harmonize point SP3.

And what are the differences in treatments taking into account the definitions of the treatments above?

Sedating and Toning gives the Central Nervous System exactly the information that the body seeks to bring the patient into balance. Thus, treatments become a little faster. Harmonization, on the other hand, is nothing more than a way to let the Central Nervous System know that there is an error in the functioning of the organism, but it will have to find the correct way to rebalance. Thus, the treatment time is slightly longer.

Even so, all treatments are effective and the time difference between one and the other is not extremely great to the point that the therapist is concerned with using, in one session or another, only harmonization. In fact, many therapists use only harmonization 🙂

I believe that the basic theories are important for a better understanding of the subject, that is why this text was written. But the therapeutic approach is up to you, the therapist.

I hope you enjoyed.

A big hug to everyone.

Profa. Fernanda Mara

Good morning Reader

In times of pandemic, we will take the opportunity to talk a little about the consequences of wearing the mask on a daily basis and in the practice of physical activity.

We know that in addition to social isolation and constant hand washing, the only effective way to protect ourselves from Covid-19 is to wear masks when we are outside our homes. However, with the gradual resumption of activities, many people are using this protection for longer, developing symptoms and even thinking that they are contaminated.

So, I will explain some symptoms and why they occur:

1. Intense tiredness:

We are used to breathing without a mask, so the flow of oxygen into our lungs is greater than when we breathe with a mask. Thus, receiving less oxygen, the lung will have less raw material for energy production.

In Chinese Medicine, the Lung is the largest energy producer in the body. Responsible for receiving Air Qi and producing Wei Qi (defense energy) Ying Qi (nutritive Qi), when there is less oxygenation, the entire energy production chain is compromised, leading the patient to tiredness and sluggish functioning. of various organs by decreasing nutrition Qi.

In addition, spending many hours wearing masks can lead to decreased immunity.

In short, intense tiredness comes from the lower overall energy production of the body.

2. Headaches:

The headaches caused by wearing a mask are related not only to the tiredness explained previously, but also due to muscle mechanics.

When we use the mask, we inhale less O2 (oxygen) and more CO2 (carbon dioxide), leading the body to understand that we need to oxygenate better, the inspiration muscles go into “forced inspiration mode”.

Normally, we use the muscles: diaphragm, internal intercostal and external intercostals to inspire. When we are forcing the inspiration, the muscles come into play: scalene and sternocleidomastoid (ECOM), which are located in the neck.

With greater activity than expected from these last two muscles, they go into fatigue, generating points of tension, known as myofascial trigger points. The trigger points of these muscles generate pain radiated from the side of the head, neck and interscapular pain.

This justifies the headaches added to the intense tiredness.

3. Shortness of breath and feeling of incomplete breathing:

These symptoms happen due to the two previous symptoms. With less oxygenation, decreased energy capacity of the Lung and muscles that should not be recruited coming into full operation, the consequence is a difficulty in breathing range, giving the sensation of shortness of breath and incomplete breathing.

If the patient does not have a fever, difficulty in smelling or tasting, in principle, there is no reason to believe that he is infected with Covid-19.

It is important to note that all the above symptoms worsen when the individual practices any physical activity using masks, as the energy consumption is naturally higher, as well as the need for more efficient breathing.

How to alleviate these problems?

To alleviate the above symptoms we can do a few things:

• Stimulate points LU7 and LU9, on the wrist, bilaterally to improve the energy of the Lung and preserve the Defense Energy. The stimuli can be done from 1 to 3 minutes per point, just pressing, from 1 to 2x per day.
• In the ear, Lung and Ping Chuan points (Upper and Lower) can be stimulated to improve immunity and strengthen the Lung.
• Feed on neutral foods from the Metal element table to keep your Lung strong. You can find the tables at: https://www.facilitatingacupuncture.com/therapeutic-food-tables/
• Massage the trigger points of the Scalene and ECOM muscles to decrease the tension in the neck and the pain radiated through them. The movements can be done in circles, from 1 to 3 minutes, bilaterally with or without the aid of sliding oils.
• Every 2 hours wearing masks, spend at least 15 minutes without them, in an environment that is considered safe. Nowadays, with the return of many people to work, many employees need to stay inside shops and closed offices wearing a mask all day. This 15-minute interval is suggested to relieve your muscles and breathe fresh air.
• Don’t forget: wet masks lose protection. Change every 2 hours when needed.

Together we will overcome all these problems together!

Let us be careful and wise! And all will be well!

I hope you enjoyed.

A kiss with great affection to all.

Profa. Fernanda Mara

Readers!

Today we are going to discuss a little bit about Pediatrics and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

I always receive many emails asking me if one point or the other can be used both in adults and children, if children can do acupuncture, if they have the same benefits, and this text is to clarify that YES, Chinese Medicine in general is extremely useful and beneficial for children of all ages.

What we need to consider are the different treatment modalities that are most appropriate for the child and also the difference in assessments.

Children have physiological differences in relation to adults, and therefore, when an acupuncturist starts the assessment on the child, he must be aware that these differences will be present in the assessment of the tongue and pulse (when the latter is possible).

Thus, it is common to observe physiological Liver ande Heart heat (bringing irritable, agitated and anxious behaviors, which are considered normal) and also a physiological Spleen and Lung Deficiency (leading the child to easily have digestion problems such as vomiting and diarrhea and respiratory problems). Based on these differences, the evaluator will be able to make a safer diagnosis and more effective treatment.

These differences can remain until the child’s 11 years, undergoing some changes until the age of 14 and after that age, they can already be assessed as an adult, as their physiology becomes the same.

Regarding the materials used, we can always use needles to treat a child. But it is important for the therapist to consider that children can develop severe psychological trauma, especially if they are under 7 years old, if they are forced to be treated with needles.

In addition, it is unlikely that a child will be able to remain calm long enough for the needles to take effect.

Therefore, it is important that when they are younger, children are asked whether or not they want to receive needle treatment. If the answer is negative, the therapist should choose less invasive techniques, such as the use of massage, stimulation of the points with laser, placement of Stiper or Magnets, cupping, among others.

Regarding the Magnets, it is important that the therapist judge the safety of the treatment. It is important to advise parents that children should not ingest Magnets. It can be dangerous to ingest magnets as they may cause the bowel loops to collapse, with the risk of interrupting the passage of feces.

Auriculotherapy is also an excellent resource for pediatric treatments and its effectiveness is the same with needles or seeds when it comes to children. In general, children usually like to pinch the points in their ears and the secret is that the therapist uses the treatment as something playful. Saying that by pressing the spheres the children will be “stronger”, or will be able to “get higher grades”.

In summary: knowing the physiological differences between children and adults, we can perform treatments with the same reasoning when choosing stitches for an ordinary patient. Choose the technique that the child is most interested in and the goal will surely be reached quickly and successfully 🙂

I hope it was helpful. And let’s take care of the little ones!
A big hug to everyone!

Profa. Fernanda Mara

Hello dear reader

Today I’m going to talk a little bit about the impact of dairy products in the autumn / winter period, especially for people who suffer from recurrent sinusitis.

Autumn and winter are seasons of the year with characteristics of cold and dryness. Thus, it is in these seasons that we often feel the skin, hair and mucous membranes of the body most dry. The skin can be scaly and itchy, the hair tends to be dull and brittle and the mucous membranes are very dry, causing irritations in the eyes and nose, mainly.

In Chinese Medicine we know that dryness is a pathogenic factor. It has the potential to consume body fluids and generate symptoms of internal heat, such as inflammation.

Given the dryness of the mucosa, breathing becomes more difficult, air filtration less effective, predisposing to respiratory diseases, such as Sinusitis.

It is at this time of the year that the body, in an attempt to balance itself, gives the individual the desire to consume foods that are considered moist, especially milk and milk products. In a small amount, for people suffering from internal dryness, they are even indicated, however, the complication occurs when there is an exaggeration in the consumption of these foods.

Milk and dairy products are difficult to digest, according to Chinese Medicine. Because they are excessively moist, they block the Spleen’s ability to remove excess of dampness and what is left of this incomplete digestion, we call it Phlegm.

Phlegm, is the pathogenic factor that appears as a consequence of the dampness maintained in the body without circulation or elimination for a long period. It is a mass maker, such as cysts, polyps, localized fat and secretions in general, including those that we find blocking the sinuses in sinusitis.

In addition to the milk and its derivatives already having the moist essence, predisposing to the situation described above, during Autumn / Winter, due to the external dryness itself, the body will go as a form of protection, retaining more dampness that it receives externally. Thus, these foods become even more, the villains of the cause and worsening of chronic sinusitis.

Thus, Chinese Medicine professionals should contraindicate the consumption of milk and dairy products throughout the winter for patients who are suffering from Sinusitis or who have frequent cases of this pathology.

And what should we indicate?

Foods that are considered fresh for the Earth element are indicated to make the body promote greater production of Jin Ye (body fluids), which are fluid and healthy for the body. It is often said that Jin Ye are clear, while Moisture (as a pathogen) and Phlegm are cloudy.

They are fresh foods for the Earth element: cucumber, tomato, tangerine, apple, among others, found in the following link: https://www.facilitatingacupuncture.com/therapeutic-food-tables/

It is also important, in the autumn and winter period, to keep the Spleen and Lung strong, since the defense energy of our body, that is, immunity, depends on the proper functioning of these two organs.

Thus, I recommend the use of points: SP3, SP6, LU7 and LU9, which in addition to needles, can be worked with moxa or acupressure.

Keeping the body moist with healthy foods, removing foods that help the Phlegm perpetuation and making the immunity organs strong, without a doubt, the patient will experience many, many months without suffering from sinusitis.

I hope I helped you and that you liked the text.

A big hug.

Profa. Fernanda Mara

Olá Leitores!

Na última quinta feira tivemos um vídeo sobre Labirintite com muitas dicas para melhorar  esse desconforto!

Para assistir, basta clica no vídeo abaixo:

** Pensando na inclusão, o vídeo possui legendas em português e inglês 😉 Basta selecionar a opção no próprio Youtube.

Espero que gostem!

Um grande abraço,

Profa. Fernanda Mara