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By Dr. Teresa Shen, on February 24th, 2010
 The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are in full swing, and through such events as mogul skiing, speed skating, ice hockey and snowboarding, these world-class athletes have already taken there fair share of bumps, bruises, sprains, strains and muscle pulls.
Fortunately for them, they have a whole staff of physicians and practitioners taking care of them and keeping them in peak performing condition — including acupuncturists.
Acupuncture, acupressure and cupping already have a long history of helping Olympic athletes reach the best possible conditioning pre-Olympics and pre-event, as well as helping them recover faster and feel better following rugged competition.
As described in the AP article, Athletes in Nagano Using Acupuncture to Cure Their Ills, Canadian speedskater Kevin Overland used acupuncture to recover from an injured hip and went home with a bronze medal. Hockey superstar Jaromir Jagr was able to overcome chronic groin injuries in time to represent the Czech Republic in Japan. The list goes on and on.
Athletes utilizing acupuncture recover from soreness and fatigue faster, feel stronger, are less emotionally stressed and feel more balanced, just to name a few benefits. Focus and balance (both energetically and physically) are as important and physical performance in so many Olympic sports.
Acupuncture & The Beijing Olympic Games
 Chinese Olympic swimmer Wang Qun warms up for a race following a cupping treatment. Acupuncture was highlighted prominently during NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. That was in part because of how totally integrated sports medicine and acupuncture are for that host nation and in part because acupuncture was offered free to athletes and officials in the Olympic Village throughout the Games.
NBC’s Olympic coverage that summer also featured the well-documented story of New York Times reporter James Reston, who in 1971 was in China for President Nixon’s famous trip and while there needed an emergency appendectomy. For his post-operative pain he received acupuncture rather than intense painkillers, which was a revelation for Reston in its approach and effectiveness. Once Reston returned to the States, he wrote in The Times about his experiences, and that reporting became one of the primary gateways for acupuncture into Western society.
Now the presence of acupuncture is being felt across Canada as part of host Vancouver’s Winter Games. Photos are popping up on Flickr and articles are being written for local and national publications with athletes raving about the benefits of acupuncture treatments. Let’s hope that “The True North Strong and Free” is feeling the positive effects of acupuncture long after the Games leave.
By Dr. Teresa Shen, on February 9th, 2010
Thanks to the very popular Dr. Mehmet Oz, more and more people are becoming aware of the fantastic benefits of a simple, quick, painless therapy called fire cupping. As featured on The Dr. Oz Show on January 6 in an episode titled “Ultimate Alternative Medicine Secrets,” cupping involves sucking the air out of special cups and placing them somewhat like suction cups on the skin. The vacuum that’s created stimulates blood and energy flow, reduces stagnation and has a wide range of near-instantaneous health benefits.
 Dr. Oz calls fire cupping one of his "Ultimate Alternative Medicine Secrets on "The Dr. Oz Show." In celebration of this great new public recognition and the Valentine’s Day holiday, Eastern Medical Center is offering fire cupping FREE with acupuncture or acupressure from Feb. 15-19. The timing works out nicely because it’s the heart—the symbol of Valentine’s Day—that is pumping the blood throughout the body. But as blockage builds up in the body, the heart can use a little help to properly circulate the blood through the body. That’s where fire cupping comes in.
What to Expect with Fire Cupping
You’ll be resting comfortably face down with your back exposed. I’ll place the cups on your back and leave them for just 5-15 minutes. When I release the cups, you’ll feel surprisingly relaxed and refreshed. Tight muscles calm. Pain subsides. Stiffness releases. All in just a few minutes.
It’s called “fire” cupping because I use heat to suck out the oxygen from the cups before putting them on your back. The easiest way to think of it is like a reverse massage: Rather than pushing down on your muscles, it’s pulling up from the suction.
The Benefits of Fire Cupping
Fire cupping is tremendous for relieving back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain and really muscle stiffness in any part of the body. I have seen multiple patients come in to Eastern Medical Center with a totally stiff back—so stiff that he or she couldn’t bend forward. That’s built-up stagnation in the body. With just five minutes of cupping, that back stiff like a board relaxed and could move in ways with flexibility that person hadn’t experienced for years! And the relaxation of those muscles made that person a great candidate for acupressure treatment to keep things trending in the right direction.
Have tight shoulders from sitting at the computer all day? Knotted up like crazy from work-related stress? Dealing with nagging pains? Cupping gets circulation moving and quickly brings relief. Feel your immune system is depleted from winter colds and flu? Cupping boosts the immune system and can be used as part of a preventative medicine routine to keep your immune system strong and you healthy.
The best gift you can give a loved one (or yourself!) this Valentine’s Day is support in being healthy and feeling great. It’s only when you’re healthy that you can live the life of your dreams. So purchase a gift certificate or treatment session for acupressure or acupuncture and receive all the health benefits of fire cupping at no charge!
One last note: The best compliment someone can give is a referral, so I’d like to take a moment to say thank you so much for all your referrals!
By Dr. Teresa Shen, on January 27th, 2010
One day, a former football player came into Eastern Medical Center. He had terrible ankle pain, and he suffered through it for two years, walking with a limp. He was forced to give up football and hadn’t played since the injury. He didn’t even exercise anymore and had gained weight as a result of inactivity.
After one acupuncture treatment, the pain was gone he could walk normally again. He was at first in disbelief, and he probably was wishing he had come in sooner, knowing two years were lost to this injury. He wouldn’t have even come in at all if not for the urging of his wife to try something different in order to get a better result. But at least he came in when he did, still with years left to on some level enjoy playing the sport he loved.
This isn’t an isolated story; it happens here all the time.
Most professional athletes are now aware of the benefits of acupuncture and most pro teams either have an acupuncturist on staff or on a short call list for both new and repetitive injuries. But many recreational athletes—especially men—just don’t think to try acupuncture to recover faster (or recover at all) from sports-related injuries.
Maybe it’s a cultural thing, or maybe they’ve never had an opportunity to learn and understand what acupuncture and acupressure are all about. Whatever the case, too many athletes are in unnecessary pain and paying far more for other care that isn’t working.
What I would wish is for the club soccer players, the recreational football players, the pickup-game baseball guys and gals, the golf enthusiasts and even the ultimate Frisbee stars to THINK to come in for acupuncture RIGHT AFTER they suffer an injury or notice something “nagging.”
The sooner they get in, the faster they’ll heal. And often, all it takes is a single session—especially when caught early. So, we’re calling all sprained toes, sore shoulders, kinked necks, wrenched backs, damaged knees, “tennis elbows” and “dead” arms!
If you hurt it on the field, court, diamond, ice, slopes or track … make acupuncture your first resort instead of the last. And if you’ve already had a positive acupuncture experience, please spread the word. We want more play and less pain among our athletic friends in the Bay Area.
By Dr. Teresa Shen, on January 11th, 2010
We here at Eastern Medical Center hope you had a wonderful holiday and great start to 2010. For many, the New Year is a time of new beginnings and change. Businesses and individuals are reengaging after the holidays and assessing what they need (and want) to do now that it’s January. It’s an exciting time, but for many it’s also a stressful one.
In order to have a productive beginning to the year, it’s essential to keep anxiety at a minimum. Anxiety affects your thinking, health, mood … and just about everything else. There’s definitely “a lot to do,” but there’s help to ensure you’re not overloaded with stress in the process.
Acupuncture is a phenomenal way to alleviate anxiety — and stay balanced to you don’t have too much anxiety to begin with.
When you’re experiencing anxiety, that’s the body’s nervous system in overdrive. You’re in “fight or flight” mode, operating out of the sympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture balances the body’s systems, helping it switch back to the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the more relaxing, calming state. When your parasympathetic nervous system is engaged, you digest better, your immune system is stronger, you heal more effectively and reproduction works better, too.
In this life when we’re always on the go — especially to start a new year — you don’t relax your mind anymore. The ability to find relaxation and calm is crucial to effectiveness when you’re taking care of those million things on your list.
Quality of sleep is also key. When your nervous system is in balance, you sleep deeper, more soundly and more peacefully. Healing starts with the ability to sleep properly. That’s when your body detoxes and renews. You also experience less anxiety the next day because you awake refreshed and with the energy and clarity to get things done.
For really starting off 2010 right, take advantage of what a combination of acupuncture and acupressure treatments can do for you. Acupressure is that massage you dearly need while working the trigger points on the head and along the spine that allow you to completely relax and function better. Activate your body’s energy to heal itself! It is well worth your time, and will keep you healthy and strong throughout the year.
You might not be able to avoid the anxiety that comes with so much new and so much to do, but you have an outlet for relaxation, de-stressing and healing in Eastern Medical Center.
By Dr. Teresa Shen, on December 22nd, 2009
Eastern Medical Center wants to help you have a 2010 marked by improved health, better sleep and increased physical comfort. So, just in time for the New Year we’re introducing collagen peptide to the products and treatment options available at our Pleasanton location. So, what does that mean?
Well, collagen is the most abundant fibrous protein in the human body. Up to 30 percent of all protein in the body is collagen and up to 70 percent of the proteins in the connective tissues are composed of collagen. It is made up of specialized cells in the skin, ligaments, bones and cartilage and is amazing stuff that will smooth your skin and support your body.
Here are just some of the benefits:
- Anti-aging – provides positive nitrogen balance, which is important in the nutritional support of age related degeneration. It is an excellent food product for individuals with a sedentary lifestyle
- Inflammation – helpful nutritional support for individuals predisposed to repetitive joint injury, pain and muscle discomfort
- Musculoskeletal injuries – helps supply nutritional materials for cell repair.
- Skin tone – by providing critical nutrients it helps support skin strength and texture. Healthy skin retains moisture better and is more elastic and less prone to develop fine lines and wrinkles.
- Hair condition – provides nutritional support for hair
- Nail strength – provides the building blocks for nails
- Muscle tone, strength and metabolism – are supported, especially for athletes
Long term effects of collagen include: reduced pain, improved sleep, support of repair of musculoskeletal injuries, reduced inflammation, improved hydration of connective tissues of the body, improved joint flexibility, improved signal induction, improved cellular calcium uptake and increased metabolic rate.
How Does it Work?
The body’s natural ability to repair supporting connective tissue (bone, joints, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, skin, hair and nails) and maintain hydration of the cells diminishes after age 25. Hydrolyzed collagen provides the missing link in supplying additional amounts of amino acids like glycine, lysine and proline, which are specifically needed by the body to build connective tissue structures and to regulate the functions of the cells.
Who Created This Product?
California nutritionist Dr. Bernd Friedlander worked with the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team and professional athletes from the Los Angeles Rams (now St. Louis Rams) and Oakland Raiders. He is well known for his intuitive chiropractic work as well as his nutritional formulas. He is a frequent speaker at the annual New Living EXPO in San Francisco.
A Healthy & Happy New Year
We’re extremely excited about this addition to the ways we can help our patients feel better and have a higher quality of life over the long term. Our collagen peptide products are easily assimilated and absorbed by the body, and they’re ready for purchase today!
So, we wish you happy holidays and a New Year of great health. Please call us or stop in so we can help you have a healthy and prosperous 2010.
By Dr. Teresa Shen, on December 10th, 2009
Who do you know who would greatly benefit from some pain or stress relief, yet will not spend money on themselves?
 Give the gift of a special holiday discount package of acupuncture sessions at a dramatically reduced rate! There’s a sad truth in our society that many people — including some of our friends and family — won’t spend money to invest in their own health. Something like making an acupuncture appointment to address a nagging (or even serious) health problem is “too expensive” or “not a priority.”
Sometimes money is tight and that has to be respected. But often it’s more of a barrier in thinking than a barrier in finances. Until you come in for a session and feel the difference in your health, it’s sometimes hard to understand how important that treatment is. And for whatever reason it’s a lot more straightforward to repair a roof that’s leaking or a car that’s breaking down than it is to go get care (an spend money on) a body that’s breaking down in some way.
That’s why the holidays is such a wonderful opportunity to give the gift of great health to someone you care about who you know won’t spend money to help him or herself.
For the rest of December, you can a special Holiday Discount package that dramatically reduces the price of each treatment in the 10-pack. The treatment package never expires, so that’s 10 sessions someone in need can use all at once or for 10 tune-ups next year with $120 in savings.
 Happy holidays from Eastern Medical Center! With 10 acupuncture or acupressure treatments, a loved one can get to the root of troubling symptoms and heal. A friend can finally be free of pain after months or years suffering from an injury that never fully went away. A family member can heal that sore shoulder, knee or back … or address insomnia, allergies or migraines. A spouse can experience revitalized energy, recapture youthfulness with a well-functioning body or enjoy a facial or acupressure body massage.
There’s really no limit to the benefits, and all treatments will work with the intention to help that person feel WAY better FAST. So, if you know someone close to you who will let money prevent them from taking care of themselves, this could be a truly life-changing gift to remember.
Please feel free to call (925) 847-8889 or contact us at Eastern Medical Center to talk more about the possibilities or purchase this special limited time discount package for you or someone you care about.
By Dr. Teresa Shen, on December 1st, 2009
Last week’s post talked about how PMS pain and discomfort is “expected” in the West — and how women are just expected to suffer through it with the help of over-the-counter pain medication. Of course if you read that post, you’ll know that women shouldn’t and need not suffer every cycle.
 But there’s another related topic that could almost be considered Part II of what women need to know: Prescribing birth control pills to regulate your cycle is NOT normal, either! It happens all the time. In fact, it happened to me.
During my college years, I went through a two-year period where I just didn’t have a period. Something was clearly out of balance. My mother was very concerned and wanted to be as thorough as possible, so she took me to a Western specialist for an examination. That doctor’s solution to my menstruation problem was birth control. I immediately resisted the idea and asked how long I’d need to take the pills. The doctor said, “For the rest of your life.
That wasn’t an option for me, but acupuncture treatment from my father, Dr. Mason Shen, certainly was. After two weeks of my father’s expert acupuncture care, my period came and was completely normal. There were no pills … and certainly nothing I had to take (and pay for) for the rest of my life. Just a little natural help to get my body unstuck.
What’s important for women to remember is birth control pills mess with your hormones and body chemistry. Ingestion of hormones (or anything extreme or sudden) forces the body to regulate itself and go into homeostasis. To use the common example of Yin and Yang, suddenly you’re ingesting a whole lot of one, overwhelming the other. Now, your body has to react and go through changes to try to create the equilibrium of the image you see in this post. The more pills you take, the more you put your body through.
I think most people taking Western medication realize this in one form or another. They think, “This can’t be good,” referring to side effects or long-term impact. It just makes common sense to treat an issue in a natural way that’s easy on the body, whenever possible.
So, if you or someone you know is experiencing PMS discomfort or is regulating cycles with birth control, call us or come in for a consultation to talk about natural options to support your health and rebalance your system. That way, you won’t be reliant on pills for the rest of your life.
By Dr. Teresa Shen, on November 24th, 2009
In Western society, it is considered normal to have PMS and menopausal symptoms. The discomfort and pain and problems are actually expected and quickly dismissed.
But it’s not “normal.”
No woman should have to suffer every month, and from the perspective of Chinese medicine, you shouldn’t have those difficult symptoms. “Normal” from an acupuncturist’s point of view is a body in balance — a body that’s not exhibiting signs of Qi stagnation. PMS as we known it is the result of blocked energy. That’s what causes the swelling, cramping, distention pain and imbalance (physical and emotional).
Different women regularly experience different kinds of pain. Pain before menstruation suggests energy blockage and blood stagnation together, along with other lifestyle and emotional factors. Pain now and after menstruation is likely a result of a deficiency from having lost so much Qi and blood during the cycle. Pain in a particular part of the body is a combination of energy and lifestyle: Some have low back pain, whereas others have breast distention or are emotionally distraught.
What acupuncture is able to do is replenish or free up the energy the body needs to function properly. We’ll open up the liver or gall bladder channel, strengthen and tonify kidney energy, remove blood stagnation — whatever the particular situation calls for. In doing so, we’ll eliminate much of the pain and allow you to get back onto a regular, far more comfortable cycle.
“Regular” can refer to the amount and the timing. Acupuncture and medicinal herbs well help balance both by balancing the body’s hormone levels.
How Long Will it Take to Get Relief?
As a general rule, I say to receive regular acupuncture treatment through the course of three menstrual cycles to enjoy all the potential benefits. When the body’s natural energy and blood is flowing and its hormones are nicely balanced, the change can be tremendously significant. For some women, one treatment is enough to feel very different; they just need that little boost to get back on track. Some women take longer, depending on the other lifestyle factors in play.
Anger, unhappiness and stress can put additional stress on the body and work against the treatment’s balancing benefits. Anything that brings a person farther out of balance will require more help to bring back. So, to avoid rocking back and forth from improvement and regression, it’s helpful to address the pain holistically. What lifestyle changes can be made that will complement the treatment and lead to lasting relief and improvement?
Good information is also key. Many women don’t realize that eating cold food and drinking ice-cold beverages at that time of the month has a “numbing” effect that slows down blood flow and works against a natural, comfortable cycle. Constricted blood vessels will not help menstruation flow. On the other side of the equation, drinking warm liquids and eating warm foods will increase circulation and help keep things open. Many women having extreme discomfort will drink ice water and other iced drinks simply because they don’t know it will make them feel worse.
At Eastern Medical Center, we hope to be a source of helpful information through this blog and private in-office consultations, as well as a source of healing and relief through acupuncture treatments. If you’re in intense (or even marginal) discomfort every month, it’s not to be expected. There are straightforward steps we can take to improve your health and comfort level.
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Eastern Medical Center provides natural, non-invasive healing techniques from ancient Chinese medicine.
Free up the body's natural energy for effective (and side-effect free) pain management, beauty enhancement and healing.
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