Spring Wellness & Chinese Medicine
In Chinese medicine, we often look to the Five Elements (or Five Phases) for balance and harmony within our systems. Spring is the Wood element; the organ it governs is the Liver – one good reason why it’s not the worst time to do a spring cleanse on ourselves, spring clean our houses, and we feel the itch to move, do and change. As the earth’s energy shifts and changes, so does our inner climate; our bodies feel the same Spring arising inside. As buds are about to emerge, that budding energy also rises within us – it’s painful! Most people think SPRING! It’s exciting! Flowers! Shorts! My $200 sunnies! But most of my patients are actually pretty agitated at this time – they’re it’s difficult to move out of winter into spring, let alone in the Pacific Northwest – just this week we had a 72 degree day and today it’s raining and 51!
Read moreMany of my patients come to me during this time and tell me the Summer to Fall transition is a hard time of year for them. They may not know why, or be able to recognize what is causing them to feel the way they are feeling. Right now, a lot of us are having a difficult time because it is WAY past the Equinox and we are still combating the wildfire smoke!
Read moreWhat is the difference between cosmetic acupuncture versus botox? Are they even comparable? Yes and no! Since I am an acupuncturist and specialize in cosmetic acupuncture, my opinions are a bit biased of course, but I will do my best to give you the most neutral outlook! Let’s look at a few things…
Read moreWell you’ve done it! You’ve finally considered acupuncture, or maybe you’ve even booked your first appointment. Now what? What is the appointment going to be like? Will the needles hurt? Do I just walk in and someone starts poking me?? Every acupuncturist and their office of course will be different, so here is what it’s like here at Moonlight Medicine:
Read moreHow can I get more glowing skin at home and in-between my cosmetic acupuncture sessions?
Here are a few that I often suggest to patients!
1. Look at your Vitamin C and protein intake!
These are both pretty essential building blocks for building collagen! My preference always is whole food, like add a little boiled chicken to your meals each week or bone broth to bases like sauté veggies with bone broth, add it to your oatmeal, etc. For my veggie folks, make sure you’re getting a lot of good, whole protein sources and not just powders & supplements! You can add strawberries, citrus fruits, spinach, broccoli, and peppers to your diet (eat the rainbow every week, if you’re not seeing a lot of color in meals, check out the produce section in the grocery store!).
Read moreSo you’ve heard me talk about Celluma, but does it really work? In my clinical and personal experience, YES it absolutely does!
Some things I love about these devices:
Increases collagen production
Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
Destroys and kills acne bacteria
Energizes damaged cells to accelerate and improve results
Leaves your skin glowing!
Read moreHydrojelly Masks - A Luxurious Addition to Your Cosmetic Acupuncture Session!
What is a Hydrojelly Mask?
I get this question all the time and I love these hydrojelly masks so much!
They are made with all natural plant ingredients, herbs & electrolytes and are rich in minerals like potassium, magnesium and sodium! Made primarily from kelp and seaweed (cool!), they hydrate and soothe the skin and are the perfect add-on to your cosmetic acupuncture session.
Drinking water won’t always hydrate the skin, especially if your electrolyte balance is off - these add and seal moisture into the skin and balance electrolytes! Other ingredients like oats, rice and willow bark soothe, cleanse, lightly exfoliate and astringe the face as well!
Read moreWhat is light therapy?
Light Emitting Diode (LED) phototherapy is the application of light energy to tissue to obtain therapeutic benefits and improve cellular performance. Phototherapy is known for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties and has a variety of applications across many fields! In my clinical practice, I mainly use it during cosmetic acupuncture sessions to help with aging and acne, but it can also help with pain! Research has shown that it can help increase circulation, accelerate tissue repair, decrease wrinkles, decrease inflammation, improve skin tone and wrinkles, improve texture, ease muscle and joint pain, ease stiffness, kill acne bacteria and more! So in other words, it’s really frickin cool!!!
Read moreI wanted to share some cosmetic acupuncture before & after photos from my practice! I am not a photographer, nor do I have fancy equipment, so I just did my best taking them at the same time in very natural light. These were taken with patient permission, of course! And thank you so much to my willing participants!
Read moreWhen most people think about what to receive acupuncture for, they think of getting treatment for pain. I’d say part of my practice is folks coming in for various pain but the other portion is mental health, internal medicine and (if you haven’t figured out by now), cosmetic acupuncture! Did you know that there is a lot of research to back up acupuncture helping with anxiety?! Let’s see…
Read moreHow many cosmetic acupuncture treatments do I need?
You can see below in this amazing photo, results after just ONE session! WOW! (Admittedly, we both laugh-cried afterwards). But the question is, does it last? The answer is, yes and no. Ha! What do I mean then?
Read moreIt’s so common in summer, especially in Washington where we really cherish the warmth, to… well, overdo it a bit. Excessive drinking, lots of cold brew, eating sporadically and not well (hello, pizza) and blazing in the sun for hours – sound like a lot of your summers? What does Chinese medicine say about staying healthy in the summer months?
Read moreWhat is Cosmetic Acupuncture?
Cosmetic acupuncture, also called Facial Rejuvenation, is a gentle, effective way to combat the signs of aging without surgery or injections. It boosts collagen, encourages lymph flow and increases circulation in the skin! It is not a traditional facial with extractions & peels, but involves inserting hair-thin needles into the face (facial acupuncture), facial cupping/gua sha, and massage. The result is that your face looks more like you, which these other methods don’t! It also doesn’t pump your body full of chemicals, does not paralyze the facial muscles (like Botox injections do), and you don’t have to risk surgery or long recovery times. Your face will generally look more toned, brighter, and have a more even complexion.
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