Wellness

  • Chinese Medicine, Wellness

    How Many Acupuncture Sessions Do You Need?

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    If you are new to acupuncture, then you are probably wondering how many acupuncture sessions you will need to see results.  The short answer is: It depends.  It depends on what you are seeking treatment for, how long you have had symptoms, and how frequently you can get treatments, among other things.  I’ll share some of my insights from practice and what you might expect for certain conditions. 

    The Acupuncture Treatment Plan

    It’s important to think about acupuncture as medicine.  Like other medicines, it must be given in the proper doses to be effective.  The dosage is determined by your acupuncturist and outlined in a treatment plan.  When I give a patient a treatment plan, I think about it in three phases: Relieve, Restore, and Maintain.  

    Relieve Phase – this phase is designed to help alleviate your discomfort and decrease the severity of your symptoms.  Frequency and consistency are essential in this phase, and it may require two or more acupuncture treatments per week for several weeks.  Once symptoms start to diminish, you will move into the Restore phase. 

    Restore Phase – this phase is designed to help rebuild and restore the function of your body so that symptoms don’t return.  This phase is tricky because people often feel better, and so they are inclined to stop treatments. I totally get this line of thinking!  Just like you would stop taking Advil once a headache subsides, it’s tempting to think everything is fine again. But what is keeping that headache from coming back?  Only by correcting the underlying cause of the headache can we truly solve the problem.  That is what the Restore phase is all about.  

    Typically, in this phase, we can start to space treatments out a bit further to maybe once per week or every other week, depending on how a person responds. This phase usually lasts a few weeks.  Once it appears that a person is well-balanced and symptoms are not returning, then we move to the maintenance phase. 

    Maintain phase – This phase could essentially be lifelong. Acupuncture is both restorative and preventative medicine.  I generally recommend 1-2 acupuncture treatments per month for the maintenance of health and well-being. 

    Is one acupuncture treatment ever enough?

    It’s a common misconception that acupuncture is a one-and-done type of treatment. I wish this were the case, but unfortunately, it will take time and commitment to really see the benefits of acupuncture. 

    That being said, after your first treatment, you should feel something. Maybe you feel little calmer, and less stressed, or you sleep better that night, or your digestion seems to improve.  Any change or improvement after your first treatment is a good sign that your body responds well to acupuncture, and you will likely see results from continued treatments. 

    Acupuncture Treatment Plan Examples

    I want to provide a few scenarios of how many acupuncture treatments you will need, but note that these do not apply to all people. Treatment plans are determined on a case-by-case basis. 

    Acute pain (muscle strain, sprain, spasm, etc…)

    • Relief – Acupuncture daily or every other day until the pain improves
    • Restore – 1-2 treatments per week for 4 weeks
    • Maintain – 1-2 treatments per month ongoing

    Chronic pain (chronic back pain, knee pain, chronic pain of unknown origin)

    • Relief – Acupuncture treatments 1-2 times per week for 4-6 weeks
    • Restore – Acupuncture 1 time per week for 4-6 weeks
    • Maintain – 1-2 treatments per month ongoing

    Menstrual Irregularities

    • Relief – Acupuncture weekly for at least three months to gauge the regularity of the cycle
    • Restore – Acupuncture treatments every other week for two months
    • Maintain – 1-2 treatments per month ongoing

    If these numbers feel a little bit daunting and you are thinking, “There’s no way I can afford or make time for that many treatments!”  What I like to tell my patients is that while the best results are achieved with frequent and consistent treatment, some acupuncture is better than no acupuncture. Just do the best that you can.  

    You might also check with your insurance provider to see if treatments are covered. Acupuncture is gaining traction in the world of medicine, and more and more insurance carriers are covering treatments. 

    I hope this post has given you some idea of how many acupuncture treatments you will need.  If you have more questions, feel free to reach out.

    Acupuncture services with Dr. Leah Chischilly, D.Ac, L.Ac., available beginning February 14th, 2023 at Tatum Chiropractic and Wellness. To book an appointment, visit tatumwellness.com

  • Chinese Medicine, Wellness

    What To Wear To An Acupuncture Appointment

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    “I’m sorry, I had no idea what to wear for acupuncture.” This is a comment made by more first-time patients than I can count. No need to apologize! Most acupuncturists can work with any clothing scenario, but I thought I might highlight some “best practices” when it comes to acupuncture attire.

    Comfort is key

    During your acupuncture treatment, you will be resting with needles in place for anywhere between 15-45 minutes. Wear clothing that is comfortable and will allow you to relax. Soft, breathable fabrics are encouraged.

    Wide-leg pants or shorts are helpful.

    I love my athleisure wear just as much as the next person, but please leave your leggings at home. There are a lot of powerful acupuncture points located on the legs, so easy access is always appreciated. I’ve found that trying to roll up leggings or skinny jeans is really uncomfortable, so save yourself the trouble.

    Show us your guns!

    Tank tops and short sleeve shirts allow full access to the arms, another popular location for acupuncture needles.

    Bring back the low-rise waistband.

    I agree that the high waist is a much more flattering look, but let’s bring back the low-rise waistband, if only for acupuncture treatments. Again, it’s all about access. There are a lot of great points on the abdomen, and it can be tricky (although not impossible) to work around the high waistband.

    What if I have to come straight from work?

    Maybe you don’t feel like packing an extra set of clothes before you head out for the day, or you booked your appointment last minute and don’t have a change of clothes with you. It’s all good! Most acupuncturists will have extra sheets or drapes available to make needed areas accessible. There are also several methods of acupuncture that only require access to areas of the body such as the lower arms, lower legs, and head.

    The suggested clothing options may make your appointment run more smoothly. However, I assure you that no matter what you wear for your acupuncture visit, your practitioner can work with it.

    Acupuncture services with Dr. Leah Chischilly, D.Ac, L.Ac., available beginning February 14th, 2023 at Tatum Chiropractic and Wellness. To book an appointment, visit tatumwellness.com

    Think you might have a hormone imbalance?
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  • Life, Wellness

    4 Top Tips for Thyroid Health

    If you are joining me for the first time, this post with tips for thyroid health is the third in a three-part series on the thyroid. In previous posts, I discussed the signs and symptoms of underactive thyroid and lab tests to request to get a full picture of your thyroid function. In this post, I want to share some tips for a healthy thyroid and what you can do if you are hypothyroid to help your healing process.

    In this article:

    First and foremost you must seek to find the root instead of treating symptoms.

    Low thyroid function can come with some pretty uncomfortable symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and dry skin. While it may be tempting to try to treat the symptoms with things like caffeine, ibuprofen, and topicals, it won’t solve the problem. When I was at my worst, I would wake up with splitting headaches and feeling like I had a horrible hangover without having a drop to drink the night before. I tried everything to get rid of my headaches like acupuncture, chiropractic, essential oils, and I even resorted to Advil (which is the only thing that gave me relief). I didn’t want to rely on taking medication, but I had no idea how to fix the issue. The problem was that I was treating the headache and not the real problem, which turned out to be low thyroid function due to nutrient deficiencies and stress.

    Many of the tips I am offering here aim to address root causes rather than just relieve symptoms and will help improve your thyroid health naturally.

    Thyroid Health Tip #1 – Nourish your body

    It is so important to eat a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits and offers a wide variety of nutrients. Some (but certainly not most) people may be able to get what they need from food alone, provided they have a varied diet that includes nutrient-dense, whole foods. It turns out that I am not one of those people. I, personally, have to rely on supplements to feel my best. The only accurate way to determine if you are getting all of the nutrients you need is to have your levels tested. I highly recommend doing this because it takes the guesswork out of it. I spent a lot of money trying out different supplements based on what I thought I needed, and it turns out the nutrients I was deficient in were not even on my radar.

    There are some essential nutrients that your thyroid depends on to function optimally, so if you are low on any of these, you may not be at your peak.  Consider taking supplements for your thyroid health. (Disclaimer: these are suggestions only and not intended as medical advice.)

    Iodine

    Did you know that women require more iodine than men? This is especially true during times of stress. The thyroid cannot function properly without an adequate supply of iodine. While many people believe that the addition of iodized salt to the diet eliminated iodine deficiencies, this isn’t always the case. If you mostly eat at home and have swapped out table salt for sea salt, for example, you may not be getting enough iodine.

    Easy self-test for iodine deficiency

    There is a really cheap and easy way to test yourself for iodine deficiency at home. All you need is a USP tincture of iodine (you can purchase at your local drugstore or online) and a cotton ball. Dip the cotton ball into the iodine and paint about a 2-inch circle on an area of soft skin such as your inner thigh or the inner upper arm. This will stain your skin a yellowish-orange color. If the stain disappears rapidly, like within an hour, you likely lack enough iodine. If the stain lasts more than four hours, then your iodine levels are likely fine. If you find that your iodine is lacking, consider adding more iodine-rich foods to your diet or possibly incorporating a supplement (be sure to work with a professional for dosing instructions).

    Foods that contain iodine:

    Seaweeds are nature’s richest source of iodine. Kombu, Wakame, and Nori are a few examples. If eating seaweed is new for you, here is a great article that gives you some preparation ideas. https://www.integrativenutrition.com/blog/2015/11/7-ways-to-eat-more-seaweed-and-why-you-should

    Selenium

    Selenium is a trace mineral that has a variety of functions. Among them is assisting in the production of thyroid hormone. Selenium is an underrated mineral, and I will talk about all of its benefits in a later post. For now, just know that it is essential for optimal thyroid function. Unfortunately, there’s no easy self-test for low selenium. Micronutrient blood testing must be done to know for sure.

    Foods that are high in selenium

    Many foods contain selenium in varying quantities. The quality in which your food is grown will impact its overall nutritional profile as well as the selenium content. Some selenium-rich foods to consider adding to your diet are Brazil nuts, fish, grass-fed beef, lentils, oatmeal, cashews, and bananas, to name a few.

    Zinc

    Zinc is another trace element that plays a role in the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Changes in Zinc levels may correlate with changes in thyroid function, and changes in thyroid function may correlate with changes in levels of Zinc, so it is easy to see that they are interconnected. Zinc also plays a vital role in immune function, and some theories suggest that previous infections may be a trigger for Hashimoto’s. Adequate vitamin D is also necessary for proper immune function.

    Foods that are a good source of Zinc

    Brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, kelp, legumes, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, seafood, and soybeans are a few foods that are a good source of Zinc. It can also be found in many types of meat and liver.

    Thyroid Health Tip #2 – Avoid Gluten 100% of the time

    As mentioned previously, the autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is the most common cause of low thyroid function. Research shows that there is a strong link between autoimmune thyroid disorders and gluten intolerance. You have probably considered cutting back on gluten, but If you have an immune response, it can last for several months. This means that each time you consume gluten, it’s like starting all over again. Your best bet is to eliminate gluten entirely.

    Thyroid Health Tip #3 – Love your Liver

    When it comes to your thyroid function, you probably don’t give much thought to your liver, am I right?! Well, it turns out that your thyroid and liver are very intricately connected. A healthy thyroid is more than just sufficient thyroid hormone production. It also depends on the delivery and metabolism of those hormones. A healthy liver is essential to this process. For tips on how to give you liver a little more love, check out this post.

    Thyroid Health Tip #4 – Stress Less

    When faced with chronic stress, your body will produce excess cortisol. Among other troubles that excess cortisol will cause, it also decreases the production of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) and increases the conversion of T4 into RT3 (reverse T3). Reverse T3 as you might recall, is an inactive form of thyroid hormone. When more T4 is converted to RT3, it means less is being converted to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. So not only will your thyroid produce fewer hormones in general, your body will convert less of those hormones into their most useful form. The result is a much slower metabolism and all the woes that come with it. Finding a stress management technique that works for you is crucial to your thyroid health and overall health.

    Implementing any of these tips can be helpful for maintaining or restoring proper thyroid function, but I always encourage you to consider the bigger picture. Even if you are getting all the nutrients you need, but are stressed to the max, or have a sluggish liver, it may not do you any good. It is a combination of actions that will have the most significant benefit. Modern medicine likes to treat the parts without addressing the whole. My philosophy is always to treat the whole to benefit the parts.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746228/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11115789/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30060266/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15244201/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9872614/

    https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/95/9/559/1574610

  • Nutrition, Wellness

    The Best Foods for Estrogen Dominance

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    Last week we talked about some of the signs and causes of estrogen dominance, and some things you can do to help prevent it. This week I want to highlight a couple of power foods that can help you out even more. By adding these two things into your daily diet, you can potentially balance out high estrogen levels and experience a decrease in signs and symptoms.

    I always like to reiterate that health is holistic, meaning that just doing one thing might not make a big difference if all other things are working against it. So, adding these two foods to your diet can help, but it won’t fix the problem if you’re not sleeping well, your stress is through the roof, or your diet is a mess (no judgement…I’ve totally been there!)

    The good news is that it is a step in the right direction and a small win.  Mastering one healthy habit at a time is what it’s all about. It takes patience but the little things add up to big victories down the road.

    Now on to the superfoods!

    Superfood #1: Flaxseeds

    The health benefits of flaxseeds are many and magnificent.  Flaxseeds are one of the most concentrated food sources of the omega-3 fatty acid ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). ALA is the precursor to EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which are the fatty acids found in fish. Omega-3’s are well known for their anti-inflammatory properties and an anti-inflammatory diet is essential for natural hormone balancing.

    Flaxseeds and hormone health

    Flaxseeds are a concentrated source of lignan phytoestrogens. While it may seem kind of strange that a food that is considered a phytoestrogen would actually help lower estrogen levels, just stick with me on this one. The lignans in Flaxseeds can actually help change the way estrogen is metabolized, pushing it down the more beneficial metabolic pathways, rather than the potentially harmful pathways. Like I’d mentioned in the previous post, estrogen dominance isn’t usually caused by the overproduction of estrogen, but rather how it is used and excreted by the body.

    Flaxseeds and digestive health

    Part of clearing excess estrogen properly is having healthy bowel movements daily. Flaxseeds are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber that can help combat constipation and get things moving as they should!

    The best way to eat Flaxseeds

    Flax seeds should be purchased whole and ground just before eating to prevent oxidization. Ideally, you want 2 TBSP per day. The ground seeds can be sprinkled into smoothies, on top of salads, into oatmeal or yogurt. Or, you can mix the ground flax seeds with water and drink it straight.

    How to store Flaxseeds

    Whole Flaxseeds should be stored in an airtight container in a dark, dry and cool place (i.e. the fridge or a cool pantry). They will keep for about 3 months and can be frozen to extend shelf life for up to 6 months.

    Superfood #2: Broccoli Sprouts

    Before broccoli matures into beautiful green florets, it starts as a bunch of sprouts. While you probably haven’t given them much thought, broccoli sprouts pack a powerful nutritional punch and are helpful in the detoxification of excess estrogen.

    Health Benefits of Broccoli Sprouts

    Broccoli sprouts contain compounds known as glucosinolates, more specifically, indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane. These compounds have been shown to have anti-cancer effects and increase the ability of the liver to detoxify toxic compounds. While initially researchers were investigating the beneficial compounds in broccoli, they discovered that the broccoli sprouts contained these compounds in much higher concentrations (like 30-50 times higher). Sulforaphane may also be effective in getting rid of H. pylori, the bacteria most responsible for peptic ulcers.

    How to get more Broccoli Sprouts in your life

    Ideally, you want to consume about ½ cup of broccoli sprouts per day to reap all the benefits of this powerful food. You can add them to salads and sandwiches or even blend them up with some filtered water, lemon juice, and sea salt for a quick shot.

    How to shop for Broccoli Sprouts

    You can find broccoli sprouts at most health food stores in the produce section. They often come in small plastic clamshell tubs. Look for green tops and white stalks and they should have a fresh smell (don’t be afraid to smell them on the spot at the grocery store!)  If there is an unpleasant odor then they aren’t fit for consumption

    How to store broccoli sprouts

    I’ve heard various opinions on the longevity of broccoli sprouts, but I like to err on the side of caution and eat them within four days of purchase. Unfortunately, broccoli sprouts don’t maintain their benefits (or taste) when frozen.

    I haven’t tried it yet, but apparently, it is really easy to grow your own broccoli sprouts.  When I do, I will be sure to post a tutorial.  If you get there before I do, I’d love to hear about your experience!

    So there you have it, the two best foods to help with estrogen dominance. I’d love to hear the creative ways you are incorporating them into your diet. Feel free to send me a DM on Instagram.

    Think you might have estrogen dominance but not quite sure?  Take the quiz below to find out.

    Think you might have a hormone imbalance?
    Take the quiz to find out.