What I love most about my job is having the opportunity to witness change within a person. The world around us is ever changing, and so are our bodies. But sometimes we need just a little help to achieve the changes that we want. With a new year upon us, you may be setting goals for the changes that you want to make in the upcoming year. What you may not know is that acupuncture is a great tool for achieving these goals. Here are 5 ways that Acupuncture can help you achieve your New Years resolution: |
Along with diet and lifestyle changes, acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help boost metabolism and help you towards your weight loss goals. Acupuncture can help decrease food cravings while Chinese herbs can help your body digest and metabolize your food more efficiently. Acupuncture can also increase energy levels, which can help give you that extra motivation to start moving and exercising more.
2: Improve your diet
Today, there is an over load of information of the “shoulds” and “should nots” of what to include in a “healthy diet”. Finding a diet that allows your body to flourish and thrive can be challenging and overwhelming. However, it is my belief that every body is different and there is not one diet that is perfect for every one. This is why at Nourishing Roots Acupuncture & Wellness we give dietary recommendations that are personalized for each individual’s needs. But not to worry, we keep it simple. Setting reasonable goals and taking small steps will help you make lasting lifestyle habits, rather than trying to make drastic changes that are short lived and end with disappointment.
3: Addiction
Are you battling an addiction that you are ready to put an end to but you need some extra help? Addiction can have a strong grip that can be difficult to break free from, mentally and physically. Chinese medicine takes a whole body approach to treatment, treating the mind, body and spirit. Acupuncture can help to decrease cravings associated with addiction, while also treating the emotional ties to the addiction. Acupuncture is effective at calming the nervous system and can alleviate feelings of frustration, irritability and restlessness. At Nourishing Roots Acupuncture & Wellness we provide a safe space free of judgment where you can work towards putting an end to your addiction.
4: Reduce & manage stress
We all know that chronic stress is detrimental to our health. When we are stressed, our sympathetic nervous system kicks into overdrive and we enter the “fight or flight” response. When we are in this “fight or flight” response state our heart rate increases, muscles get tense, digestion slows, and respiration becomes shallow and rapid. When we are chronically stressed, it not only affects our emotions but our whole body; and it can have a detrimental effect on our immune system, hormonal functions and our body's ability to heal. Acupuncture can help to reduce stress by triggering the parasympathetic response, allowing the body to “rest and digest”. During this process our heart rate slows, blood pressure decreases, muscles relax, digestion increases, and we can finally take a deep breath and relax. Acupuncture helps guide the body away from a state of survival to a state of recovery.
5: Be Present
During your acupuncture treatment, you have the time to rest quietly and be present in your body. This can be a seldom occurrence in today’s fast pace society that we are so plugged into. When we have the time to slow down, we can begin to notice subtle changes within the body, allowing us to understand what our bodies need in order to heal. I also believe that when we become more present within ourselves, we can be more present with those around us.
As the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu once said, “if you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading”. So, are you heading in the direction that you want? If your answer is no, feel free to contact us and we can talk about how Chinese medicine can get you where you want to be.
Nourishing Roots Acupuncture & Wellness wishes you a happy and healthy New Year and we look forward to helping you achieve your health related goals!