Posts Tagged ‘wellness’
September Snooze
Curling up in the covers - Photo by Danny G By NIKKI FLECK L.Ac. NTP Do you know that every single mammal sleeps? Although mammals are more vulnerable during sleep, not one has yet evolved to eliminate their sleep requirements. This clue alone tells us sleep must be pretty dang important for survival and overall health. Getting an adequate amount of quality sleep each night is essential in supporting our bodies and brain. Most adults need 7-10 hours of sleep each night, but many fall short. Researchers have found that during sleep our brain consolidates memories, processes and files experiences of the day so we can make sense of our world. Sleep supports optimal cognition, attention and motor skills. (This is why driving sleep deprived can be even more reckless than driving intoxicated). While we sleep, our skin regenerates and our bodies absorb, process, and assimilate nutrients while detoxifying what is unwanted. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sleep is important to [...]
Cupping Therapy
Photo Caption: Glass cup used in fire cuppingPhoto Credit: Nikki Fleck By Nikki Fleck NTP, L.Ac. Therapeutic cupping has been around for a long time. It has been used in China for thousands of years and also in many other cultures around the globe. Cupping is the practice of creating reverse pressure or suction on the skin by using heat (fire) or manual suction with various cylindrical, hollow tools. Historically, some communities used bull horns, gourds or bamboo to cup but today tools like glass are more common. In my own practice today we use glass to allow for adequate disinfection of the cups. Cupping creates a vacuum-like action which pulls skin and muscle tissues up and away from the body which provides a delightful releasing and relaxing sensation for the patient. Many patients even fall asleep during treatment.Although many western trained providers offer cupping today, there are some notable differences when receiving cupping from practitioners properly trained from an [...]
