Acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping can make your everyday workouts better. Oriental medicine provides remedies for everything from preventing injuries to speeding up recovery to boosting endurance Runners, golfers, and regular gym members are among the holistic health center clientele lining up to receive these treatments.
To reduce pain, try acupuncture.
If you’re limping around with a pulled muscle, the thought of getting pricked with dozens of tiny needles doesn’t sound pleasant, but hear me out on this one. In Chinese medicine, pain is a sign that a blockage of blood, fluid or energy (qi) is throwing off balance in the body. When everything is balanced, circulation moves in an ordered manner. When you experience pain or stress, it’s a sign that circulation is impeded. To get things moving in the right direction, carefully placed needles increase the flow of blood, fluid, and qi to areas of the body where there’s discomfort.
Besides acupuncture, I employ modalities such as cupping, gua-sha, tui na, and other forms of body therapy, and Chinese herbal medicine.
For an endurance boost, try cupping.
Struggling to squeeze in that last rep? An accumulation of toxins might be holding you back. But extracting these pollutants from your body can boost endurance. Just like the name implies, tiny cups are placed at various points from head to toe. The cups create small vacuums that naturally draw out impurities.
To speed up recovery, try moxibustion.
Turning up the heat is an important part of the post-workout cool-down process when you give a moxibustion a shot. It’s a form of heat therapy where an herb called mugwort is burned near or on specific acupoints. The results? Less pain and a faster healing process.
Before a marathon, come see me.
Anything going on that is inhibiting you, I’ll help you take care of that. Not everyone can run a marathon, but if that is your goal, I can help maximize the potential of your mind, body, and spirit. The chances are, you have untapped resources that I can help you to actualize.
Making a commitment:
Acupuncture is like going to the gym. You can’t go once and say that you are in shape. It requires a commitment and builds over time. The longer you do it, the longer the results will last and the less you’ll need to come in. If you’re rehabbing an injury, you’ll go frequently, i.e., once or twice a week at first, and then taper off as your healing progresses. If you’re using alternative medicine to boost your race-day performance, the best thing to do is to have a couple of weekly treatments before the event and then come in right after the event.
Know when to see a medical doctor:
Depending on the severity of your sports injury, an acupuncturist won’t always be your first and final stop. If you’re experiencing a ton of swelling and pain, see your regular doctor for an x-ray. Broken bones or torn muscles require the attention of an MD, who can set the injury and/or rule out surgery. If I suspect that there is a fracture, severe sprain, or a condition beyond the scope of my practice, I will refer you out immediately. All forms of healing that their strengths and their limitations, and my duty as a healer is to recognize and honour all forms of medicine.