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HAPPY SUMMER!

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Hello and Happy Summer!

I am out in the garden and feeling the muscles working more. This seems to be the common
theme at the clinic as well. Lots of us love being more active in the warmer climate. Weeds are
also getting pulled so we see more back and neck pain as a result. Muscles are attached to
bone via tendons. Tendinopathy or pain and inflammation in the muscles and tendons, has
been traditionally treated with medications, exercise and injection treatments; which are
helpful but don’t usually fix their problem. I believe the best way to treat tendinopathy or pain
in the tendon is through acupuncture.
Acupuncture assists in the muscular skeletal pain through stimulation of the nervous system
producing a pain-relieving affect. The insertion of the acupuncture needle releases
neuropeptides involved in pain management and creates a local vasodilation a.k.a. blood flow
which facilitates healing. Acupuncture needles bring blood to target a tissue and breaks up
lactic acid which heals the painful tendon. Research shows that cell death occurs more within
tendinopathy so I use an acupuncture needle to draw oxygenated fresh blood into the tissue to
reverse this pattern. I’ve been seeing a lot of Achilles tendons (calf/heel pain) that are tight
with limited range of motion. When I needle these points around the ankles, I know I increase
circulation and the oxygenated blood will work to heal for hours even after I remove the
needle.
Acupuncture combined with turmeric benefits the liver which benefits the tendons. The beneficial effects of combining curcumin and acupuncture have been proven to
be very helpful for people with an injured liver which could come about from autoimmune
conditions, alcohol or drug misuse, metabolic disease or viral exposure. If you’re on blood
thinners you should not take turmeric/curcumin because it has anti-inflammatory and blood
thinning properties.
Here’s to getting these muscles in shape! I need to keep my body strong for so many reasons,
one being to keep up to the little ones!

Best,

Sarah Atkinson L.Ac. MSOM

Carmen’s Success Story

Carmen Dudek came in for acupuncture looking for relief with neuropathy. She had been suffering from discomfort for over four months. After seeing Sarah and Corrine at Healthy Living Acupuncture & Wellness, Carmen started to gain feeling in her teeth, face, and muscles again! Carmen is currently experiencing no pain and strongly recommends Acupuncture for those seeking support in their health and wellbeing.