Acupuncture, acupressure and cupping are some of your most powerful tools in keeping toxins going out and nutrients coming in with the proper healthy flow. These treatments activate the body’s healthy energy and entice more toxins to move out. Our acupuncture and acupressure treatments have a lymph drainage function to assist in good flow. When proper flow is restored, any symptoms you’re experiencing will go away.

Studies have shown that toxins will actually leave through the acupuncture meridians stimulated during treatment. And anyone who has received acupuncture knows what it feels like to have a point with a lot of blockage stimulated, where the circulation starts moving better. When a more serious lymphatic issue is present, I will work on particular channels such as the spleen and stomach channels to help the body recover.

Because the lymphatic system doesn’t have its own pump (like the heart), cupping is particularly effective in inducing the proper flow. The suctioning affect cupping creates forces the movement the lymphatic system needs to clean out toxins. It’s like clearing a traffic jam that bogged down the body. Cupping can be used on the arms, shoulders, back, legs and even stomach to compel energy to move and force out stuck toxins. Cupping is also a fantastic alternative for anyone who is squeamish about being poked with needles during acupuncture.

All of these techniques help the whole body to feel better, more relaxed and better balanced. When everything starts flowing well, you feel stronger, more centered and more alive.

If you know your body could use a little help or you could really use some calming, balancing and relaxation, now is a perfect time to come in to Eastern Medical Center. We’re currently running a cupping special and offer acupuncture treatment packages. Please call (925) 847-8889 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

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!

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.