 Acupuncture for back pain… in a recliner chair? I’ve been treating one of my neighbors up in the Cazadero Hills most Friday afternoons, along with his family. He’s a very athletic person, strong and fit, and so he was quite surprised when a moment of lifting firewood in an awkward position left him with back pain that just wouldn’t quit.
“Will you be able to treat it,” he texted me, “in a recliner chair?” It’s a question I’ve gotten many times in the past 13 years of doing community acupuncture, and I’m happy to say the answer is yes. But how? In Chinese medicine, practitioners view the body as being lined with meridians, much the way a landscape is lined with rivers and paths. When there is pain in an area, we understand that the meridian that moves through that part of the body has been blocked. By using a needle to stimulate the movement of energy through the meridian- in a point anywhere along that pathway- we can help the body unblock the area and restore a feeling of ease. Over years of practicing and giving thousands of treatments, I’ve come to realize certain points are much more effective at moving energy than others. That’s why if you come in with low back pain, you will find me taking time to needle several points along the sides of the foot. These points have been used since antiquity for their powerful effect on opening blocked channels and relieving pain, and I find them to be very reliable. I have also found that ensuring you are in a comfortable position will allow your nervous and musculo-skeletal systems the space to relax and come back to a place of harmony. That’s why I always take the time to check if you need a boslter or a blanket, or to make any adjustments to your position before we get started. It’s worth it!
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Welcome to our new monthly Community Room newsletter! In this month’s edition:
 Welcome to the Year of the Yin Water Rabbit! Did you feel that? A shift in the ambient energy, culminating in a sense of more ease and space? A few days ago, the wild year of the Yang Water Tiger ended, and- heralded by the appearance of that beautiful sliver of new moon in the western sky- we entered the new year of the Yin Water Rabbit. I often see rabbits near my home. If I'm driving at night, my headlights will catch them darting rapidly this way and that, doing their best to distract me from the dens they have raced away from. If I'm walking along in the daytime, I'll often spot them motionless, watching me closely, having heard me coming- or rather, felt the vibrations of my footsteps through the earth- long before I got close enough to see them. After an intense few years (wouldn’t you say?), it’s a great relief to announce that the energy is calming down for a spell. This year, which lasts through February 9th, 2024, will allow us a chance to rest, to reconnect with our intuition and creativity, and to adjust to the new reality of the ever-changing word that we inhabit. Rabbits, in the Chinese astrological tradition, are considered to be wise, peaceful, adaptable, and strategic. If you were born in 1939, ’51, ’63, ’75, ’87, or ’99, you are a rabbit, and for those of you born in 1963 (Chinese astrology moves in sixty-year cycles), this is the first time the element of Yin Water has returned for you. This year is giving us a chance at collective rest before another few years of intensity and change, as 2024 is a powerful Year of the Wood Dragon. To prepare, it’s highly encouraged to take every available opportunity to restore your energy, build practices that support grounding and intuition, and honor your need for security and community. This year is a Water year, and we can observe and learn from the Water element in the natural world: as a river flowing easily around obstacles, and as the ability to shift as needed from fog to cloud to rain to ocean. As the ancient Roman poet Ovid taught, a drop of water, falling again and again over time, has the power to shape something as hard as stone through its persistence: we use this metaphor often in our medicine to illustrate the profoundly transformational power of a gentle practice like acupuncture given repeatedly over time. Feng Shui practitioner Gaela Morrison, writing for The Power Path, reminds us: “Kidneys need extra rest with all the forward growth movement. Lying down is medicine for the kidneys so cultivate napping!…Inner work, meditation, particularly breathing exercises, spiritual practices, acupuncture, Chi Gong and other healing modalities will all contribute to health and staying in balance.” We couldn’t agree more! Now more than ever, we can benefit from the power of healing in community, of resting together. We hope to see you often in this year. Take advantage of the chance to catch up and fill your cup before the fire of the dragon flares up in 2024!  Thank you for reading! As always, we gladly welcome your feedback; tell us what is working for you, and please let us know what we can do better!
Take good care, Demetra Demetra Markis, L.Ac., Community Room Director Cotati Community Acupuncture Want to share with a friend? Please feel free to forward this email, or the next time you’re in, pick up a card for a friend to give them a discounted First Visit to the Community Room. |
Kieran Jones MTCM L.Ac.I'm Kieran, clinician and owner of Cotati Community Acupuncture. I'm an acupuncturist, herbalist, and functional medicine practitioner for the past 14 years. I have a deep curiosity in health, biology, culture, medicine, history, and a healthy obsession with the pursuit of the perfect state of health. Archives
July 2024
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