Sports and acupuncture have long been involved. I feel like when most people think of acupuncture and sports, they think of karate kid or yoga. But since acupuncture has evolved and we know more and more about the ability to treat various conditions, especially relating to sports, the more it is being applied. Acupuncture has become mainstrea...

 For over seven years now, I've been doing acupuncture in downtown Evergreen, Colorado. As a native of Evergreen, I wanted to provide my services to my friends, family and to all the good people of the foothills. It was just me, my dog and one treatment room for several years. In 2013, I expanded my clinic from 75 square feet to almost 2,000 s...

 Hormonal imbalances affect millions of men and women world-wide for a multitude of reasons. "Hormones" refers to all signalling molecules that can be reproductive hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone), stress/sleep hormones (adrenaline, cortisol, melatonin), and thyroid hormones (th...

 Your immune system is made up of many different blood cells and specialty components. For the most part, when we refer to your immune system, we are referring to your white blood cells that roam around your body attacking foreign invaders. Sometimes these invaders are too strong and your immune system is too weak so you come down with a nasty...

 Have you ever been told that you have a lot of inflammation? Or that a particular complaint you have is "just inflammation?" What exactly is inflammation in the first place, and how can acupuncture help? Inflammation is a broad term used because, well, it's a broad and complicated process. Inflammation in general is when the immune system is ...

 I highly doubt you have encountered the term Neuropuncture before, mostly because it is a new term to distinguish between acupuncture specialties. I challenge you to look at any acupuncturists' websites or to Google the definition of acupuncture and surely you'll find an explanation of "Qi and Meridians," or that magical energy flows througho...

 Let's be honest, no one really likes needles. I've never had a patient walk in my door and say they love needles...not even people covered in tattoos! Even if they say they don't mind, most folks have a healthy fear of needles. Unfortunately, to get the best benefit from acupuncture, you must have needles! There are numerous alternatives-to-a...

 Today's world is all about choices. There are now so many choices we have to make everyday that separating them can be tedious. Day after day we all make decisions that determine the overall state of our health. Something you may not know is that you have as many choices regarding your healthcare as you do when deciding what kind of chips to ...

 Have you been feeling unusually cold lately? Feeling like the change of season is getting you down? Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is great for that! They can not only help you feel less cold, but also help you have less symptoms from the ailments that coldness exacerbates. I'd like to share a few jewels of information with you. In Chinese ...

The death of Robin Williams three years ago was a loud reminder of the severe state of mental health in the United States. There has been a lot of talk about whether suicide is a choice or a disease. Regardless of what you believe, I am here to fight for a cause. The cause that we all talk about but rarely act upon, which is the topic of mental hea...

 In today's world we have diseases such as cancer, heart disease and autoimmune conditions that were not as prevalent 100 years ago. There also seems to be a lot of fear around these diseases, as if someone is coming to snatch random people off the streets and—bam!—you are plagued with cancer. Well, it doesn't work like that. Disease happens w...

Acupuncture is a mysterious thing. We're finding out more and more about it through science, successful cases and history. It seems that everyone now-a-days is giving it a stab (no pun intended). Did you know that many professional athletes use acupuncture to keep their edge? Some even have their own personal acupuncturists who travel with them! Ma...

 In my doctoral program I received specialized training in acupuncture, oriental medicine, alternative therapies and specialized techniques, along with western allopathic and biological studies. Starting this program, which was kind of a fluke for me, was the best journey I ever decided to endure. Each module (month) I traveled to Portland, I ...

For the average person acupuncture is confusing. Most people don't have a clue what it is. And truthfully, many acupuncturists don't even fully understand what it is! My goal in life, and what I've been tirelessly studying for the last 12 years, is to really understand what in the world is acupuncture and how in the world it works. One frustration ...

 Recently, I stumbled across an article on Facebook posted by Richard Dawkins who is a renowned and outspoken atheist and scientist. This article, titled "Acupuncture no better for menopause than 'fake' method, says researchers" is obviously an eye catcher. Richard Dawkins comment on the article post was simply "duh". Not to mention the over a...

 Qi (pronounced 'chee')... I really don't like this word! Not its spelling per se, but the elusiveness of its meaning. In acupuncture school, we were tested over and over again to know the 'correct' definition of this phantom word. Scholars will say: "Qi is the vital energy or life force in the body." I don't know about you, but that sounds li...

 Do you ever feel like you have some nagging health complaints but don't know where to start? Maybe you've tried a few different supplements; you've worked with your doctor and tried some medications; you've changed your diet and exercise routine but you still don't feel 100 percent. Look no further—there is a way to stop guessing! Have you ev...

 Believe it or not, acupuncture is much more than just poking people with needles! Acupuncture is part of an ancient holistic medical system. Part of what I practice is traditional Chinese medicine or TCM. TCM views the human body as one connected system. There is no such thing as 'idiopathic' (coming from an unknown cause) in Chinese medicine...

 Acupuncturist VS Physical Therapist April 18th, 2017 The Denver Post published an article about the new lawsuit the Acupuncture Association of Colorado served APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) of Colorado for Dry Needling. Let's take a look at the ambiguity in the debate over training hours spent needling. In the Denver Post articl...

 Earlier this year, the Acupuncture Association of Colorado (AAC) filed a lawsuit against the Colorado branch of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for the "unsafe use of Dry Needling." Why? Because less than 200 acupuncturists in the state of Colorado who are members of the AAC have determined that dry needling done by physical ther...

 A modality is a therapeutic method that involves the physical treatment of a disorder. How is this different from acupuncture? Acupuncture can also be defined as a modality. Technically it physically treats disorders, but I like to think of these modalities as subcategories of Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine is an umbrella term that sums u...

 Pain and the Brain: It's all in your head! The most common condition people seek an acupuncturist for is pain. Pain is such a subjective topic that most doctor's or healthcare providers cringe at the idea of treating pain because they feel it's so mundane or it's just in people's heads! Well, it is! Acupuncture excels at treating all kinds of...

 I'm often asked when inserting needles, 'what is that point for?' You would think it would be a one word answer! However, acupuncture is a synergistic medicine. Points work in combination together like a machine, much like our muscles work together to perform a certain action. Have you ever injured a muscle? Let's say you pulled your quadrice...

Have you ever gone into a doctor's office, waited for 30 minutes, spent 10 minutes with the doctor, then came out with no solutions? There are many, many reasons why this happens—mostly time restraints, cost and politics of the entire medical system. What I hate hearing, and I hear it often, is: "My doctor doesn't know anything!" I am here today to...

In 1971, President Richard Nixon and James Reston, a journalist for the New York Times, visited China when Reston came down with a severe case of appendicitis. It required emergency surgery and Reston was treated at the Anti-Imperialist Hospital in Peking. The surgery was routine and successful. However, the following day after surgery, Reston was ...

 Death from prescription painkillers (specifically opioids such as Methadone, Oxycontin, and Vicodin) have quadrupled since 1999 and is the leading cause of accidental death. (1) The CDC came out with these alarming statistics that estimated 165,000 people (with a majority ages 24-54) have died between 1999 and 2014 from opioids; that comes ou...