Welcoming Spring

The first signs of spring warmth are just around the corner. This is the perfect time to remind yourself to keep your body moving. If your weather is not desirable for outdoor activities you can always keep moving inside. Try these 3 stretches for back pain. As always, check with the doctor first before doing any exercise at home. 

Hip Flexor Stretch

1. Kneel on your right knee, and place your left foot flat on the floor in front of you, keeping your torso upright, and rest your hands on your hips.
2. Gently push your hips forward as far as you comfortably can, while keeping your torso upright. You should feel a stretch in the front of your right hip.
3. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch leg positions and repeat 

Knee to Chest

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Bring one knee to your chest, keeping the other foot flat on the floor (or the other leg straight, whichever feels better on your lower back). Keep your lower back pressed to the floor. Hold for at least 15 to 30 seconds.
3. Relax and lower the knee to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
4. Repeat 2 to 4 times with each leg.

Pelvic Tilt

1. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent.
2. Flatten your back against the floor by tightening your abdominal muscles and bending your pelvis up slightly.
3. Hold for up to 10 seconds. Repeat.

4 Ways Acupuncture Can Change Your Life

1. It can help you sleep.

Insomnia is one of the most common complaints seen by acupuncturists, and acupuncture can be highly effective at helping it. But even in people who do not recognize or mention sleep as a problem, acupuncture has a tendency to produce more restful nights. This often goes unnoticed until asked about on a follow-up visit. Many acupuncturists hear this refrain multiple times a day: “You know, now that you mention it, I have been sleeping a lot better since I started coming for acupuncture.”

2. It will get you thinking differently about food.

Whether you’re Paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, or free of any restrictions, acupuncture will lend some interesting perspective to your food choices. In acupuncture, foods often are thought about in terms of temperature. Some people, because of their constitutions or root imbalances, need warming foods while others need foods that cool. And this can change significantly based on the seasons. Everyone is different. Acupuncture dietary theory sheds light on why some people can eat certain foods and feel unaffected while others can’t even look in their direction.

3. It will help you embrace change.

Conventional medicine requires us to think in absolutes, to label things good or bad, black or white. We’re either sick or we’re healthy. Our numbers are too high or too low. We’re happy or we’re depressed. Yet in between these extremes, subtle yet significant shifts occur. Acupuncture works in this gray area and teaches us to reflect on the small changes happening within and around us all the time. In acupuncture, this is progress.

Unwillingness to accept change is a huge source of stress and anxiety for many people. Through reframing change as a marker of progress rather than something to be scared of, you will learn to love it.

4. It will give you something to talk about at parties.

Acupuncture is a crowd pleaser! Next time you’re feeling awkward or bored at a social gathering, mention that you recently had acupuncture. You’ll be an instant sensation. People love learning about acupuncture. Did it hurt? Did she stick them in your eyes? People also love sharing their own acupuncture experiences, so it’s a quick way find common ground and make friends.