Most of us are highly educated on the life-threatening effects of smoking so why do some of us keep doing it? There are many reasons ranging from having an addictive personality, to just not caring about the consequences later on, but what it really comes down to is this: Smokers like the feeling of smoking. I realise this sounds simple but it is very powerful. Smokers like smoking so much that it overrides any other negative issue associated with smoking that cigarette.

What this means is that if we can reduce your body’s need for that cigarette then we can help you overcome the urge to smoke as well as treating the withdrawal symptoms.

Long-Term Complications Of Smoking
There are many different complications of smoking but some include heart attack, stroke, cancer, amputation of limbs, emphysema, bronchitis, impotence, infertility, pneumonia, stomach ulcers, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, cataracts, and thyroid diseases just to mention a few.

Diet
The foods that an individual will need will differ depending on what particular effect the smoking is having on their body. However, as smoking causes a lot of heat in the body there will generally be heat clearing foods involved such as: barley, wheat, asparagus, zucchini, celery, cucumber, lettuce, bananas, kidney beans, tofu and many more.

Exercise
Smoking causes the liver to start losing its function which causes stagnation of energy in the body. People who exercise regularly will relate to the feeling of stagnation. When they stop exercising for a few days they start to feel ‘stuck’, unmotivated, and a little ‘down’ emotionally. This is because exercise is fantastic at moving energy around the body, but when you stop the energy flow starts to stagnate.

This stagnation causes heat in the body. There are many good reasons to exercise regularly but it is worth its weight in gold just for the reason of clearing heat and stagnation. Exercise is a great way to keep the blood circulation happening and uses up any excess heat stored in the body that might affect you.

The Pain-Free Acupuncture Solution for Anxiety
There are two parts to the way we treat people who want to quit smoking. Firstly, we use points specifically designed to treat smoking addiction, including some very well known points called NADA points.

Secondly, what we want to do is to treat the imbalance in the individual and restore equilibrium. You can have two smokers that have been smoking exactly the same amount each day and for the same amount of years but, because of their individual make-up, they will have two totally different imbalances going on. We treat these imbalances so that the need to smoke and the cause of the associated symptoms do not come back.

Acupressure points for Depression
We wanted you to take some general acupuncture points that you could apply acupressure to in order to help with the need to smoke. It must be mentioned that acupressure is not a substitute for professional diagnosis and acupuncture treatments specified for an individual. Acupressure is a great adjunct to acupuncture treatments as it is something that you can do for yourself in between treatments to increase the effects of the acupuncture.

Apply finger pressure to these points for around 2-3 minutes each day or when you are craving
a smoke:

Tim Mee (Extra Point)
Point Location: In the depression proximal to the anatomical snuff box on the wrist

Point Function: These are special points for smoking cessation

He Gu (LI 4)
Point Location: In the tender spot in the middle of the webbing between the thumb and the
index fingers

Point Function: It is a great point for helping to move qi around the body which therefore prevents build-up of heat in the body

Final Note
We hope you have enjoyed this article and got some insight into the world of Pain-Free Acupuncture and smoking. It is something that we are extremely passionate about helping.

If you know of anybody suffering from this condition please pass this on to them. Or if you have any questions about this article or anything else please feel free to contact us directly on 9008 1032 or 0432 198 865 at the acupuncture st kilda clinic and we will be more than happy to help you.

Dr Matt Roessler
Pain-Free Acupuncture
Brighton: Human Nature 604 Hampton St 9553 8777
St Kilda: Stable Health Clinic 22 Alma Rd 9525 3388
Direct: 0432 198 865
www.painfreeacupuncture.com.au

acupuncture anxiety

What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a state of feeling uneasy, worried, or overwhelmed. There are many different names for anxiety in western medicine but there are some commonalities between them all.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms can include the following:

• palpitations
• the feeling of not being able to breathe properly
• chest tightness
• feeling overwhelmed
• sweats
• over thinking/over worrying

What is the Western Treatment?
The way anxiety is treated is by using anti-anxiety medication to block the messages going to the brain in regards to ones emotions.

The problem with this is that the cause of the anxiety is not being treated… only the symptom. This means that once the block is lifted (when you stop taking the medication) it’s likely the problem will still be there.

Pain-Free Acupuncture Solution for Anxiety
I believe that there is no treatment that is safer and more effective at treating the cause of anxiety than Pain-Free Acupuncture.

Anxiety is treated by Pain-Free Acupuncture by concentrating on 3 major organs: the liver, spleen, and kidneys.

Liver Imbalance
The liver controls the flow of energy, nutrients, and information to all our cells. It is also the first organ to be affected by stress and emotions as well and alcohol and substance abuse. When stress attacks our liver, picture the liver tightening up. When it does this the energy, nutrients and information that was flowing smoothly in the channels now starts to stagnate as well.

This stagnation means that our cells and organs are not receiving the right amount of information and nutrients to function properly, and our body falls out of balance. When our body is out of balance and there is stagnation in our body we start to feel anxious.

People with liver imbalances tend to be wound up emotionally with a lot of frustration and anger which they internalise. This then causes heat and stagnation in the body leading to anxiety.

Quite simply Pain-Free Acupuncture clears the stagnation and heat and the person starts to feel better fairly quickly because the nutrients, energy, and hormones are flowing more regularly in the body.

Spleen Deficiency
When the spleen becomes deficient it is a lot harder for us to digest our food. When it is hard for us to digest our food guess what happens to the nutrients? They don’t get absorbed properly. Therefore we don’t have the right blood production.

When our blood does not have the right amount of nutrients our heart starts to feel a little weak and tired. When our body is fatigued we are more prone to feeling anxious.

Kidney Deficiency
In Chinese Medicine the kidneys relate to the water or coolness in our body. This coolness calms the mind and helps to keep the heat in check. If the kidneys are weak then the coolness is deficient and the heat takes over. Heat rises to the top of our body and effects our heart and mind causing anxiety.

The kidneys also relate to fear. So, when we have a major fear of something it weakens the kidneys and leads to anxiety.

Acupressure points for Anxiety
I wanted you to take some general acupuncture points that you could apply acupressure to in order to help with the feeling of anxiety. It must be mentioned that acupressure is not a substitute for professional diagnosis and acupuncture treatments specified for an individual.

Acupressure is a great adjunct to acupuncture treatments as it is something that you can do for yourself in between treatments to increase the effects of the acupuncture.

Apply finger pressure to these points for around 2-3 minutes each day or when you are feeling a bit anxious:

Neiguan (Pc 6)
Location: 2 fingers above the wrist between the two major tendons that can be seen by flexing your wrist.

Function: relieves stagnation and pain, clears the head, calms the mind

Sanyinjiao (sp 6)
Location: in the depression 3 fingers above the inside ankle along the bone

Function: strengthen spleen/stomach, strengthen coolness and blood, calm the mind

Final Note
We hope you have enjoyed this article and got some insight into the world of Pain-Free Acupuncture and anxiety. It is something that we are extremely passionate about helping.

If you know of anybody suffering from this condition please pass this on to them. Or if you have any questions about this article or anything else please feel free to contact us directly on 0432 198 865 at the acupuncture st kilda clinic and we will be more than happy to help you.

Jessica Stephens & Matt Roessler
Pain-Free Acupuncture
St Kilda: Stable Health Clinic 22 Alma Rd 9525 3388
Direct: 0432 198 865
www.painfreeacupuncture.com.au

acupuncture depression

What is Depression?
Depression is not just a low mental state. It is a serious condition which can be very intense and last for long periods of time leading us to feel despondent and lethargic.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms can include the following:

• moodiness, irritability, and frustration
• not wanting to be social
• loss of interest in food, sex, and other pleasurable activities
• insomnia, alcoholism, and increased health issues

What is the Cause?
It is not well understood in western medicine what the cause of depression is. All that is really understood is that the brain receives messages from all parts of the body. Sometimes the chemical reactions go wrong and the brain receives different messages to the norm, manifesting as depression.

It can be triggered by many things including a traumatic experience such as a broken relationship, car accident, or loss of a job. It can also be brought on by a chronic illness where the body has not had the correct treatment to be able to heal properly. One of the most common causes of depression at the moment is substance abuse.

What is the Western Treatment?
The way it is treated is by using anti-depressant drugs to block the messages from reaching the brain. It therefore shields us from feeling extreme emotions. The result of this is that we don’t really feel anything.
The problem with this is that the cause of the depression is not being treated. It is merely a mask for the symptom . This means that once the block is lifted (when you stop taking the medication) it’s likely the problem will still be there.

Pain-Free Acupuncture Solution for Depression
I believe that there is no treatment that is safer and more effective at treating the cause of Depression than Pain-Free Acupuncture.

Depression is treated by Pain-Free Acupuncture by concentrating on 3 major organs: the liver, spleen, and kidneys.

Liver Imbalance
The liver controls the flow of energy, nutrients, and information to all our cells. It is also the first organ to be affected by stress and emotions as well and alcohol and substance abuse. When stress attacks our liver, picture the liver tightening up. When it does this the energy, nutrients and information that was flowing smoothly in the channels now starts to stagnate as well.

This stagnation means that our cells and organs are not receiving the right amount of information and nutrients to function properly, and our body falls out of balance. When our body is out of balance and there is stagnation in our body we start to feel depressed.

People with liver imbalances tend to be wound up emotionally with a lot of frustration and anger which they internalise. This then causes heat and stagnation in the body leading to depression.

Quite simply Pain-Free Acupuncture clears the stagnation and heat and the person starts to feel better fairly quickly because the nutrients, energy, and hormones are flowing more regularly in the body.

Spleen Deficiency
When the spleen becomes deficient it is a lot harder for us to digest our food. When it is hard for us to digest our food guess what happens to the nutrients? They don’t get absorbed properly. Therefore we don’t have the right blood production.

When our blood does not have the right amount of nutrients we feel depressed because we don’t have enough energy. People with this condition tend to become tired and overwhelmed very easily and are prone to weight gain.

Kidney Deficiency
The kidneys act like a reserve battery for the body. Due to our genetics we all start with a different level of reserve. Some will have a full battery and some will have a small reserve. The kidneys also look after the energy of the rest of the body. So when the kidneys are deficient due to genetics or a chronic illness again there is overwhelming tiredness.

4 Step Wellness Program
The well known but very underused secret to feeling better in 30 days is a simple combination of diet, exercise, emotions, environment management, lifestyle, and treatment.

It is something that you can do for yourself to help enhance the effect of the treatments on your health. The reason I wrote this was so that I could empower you to take part in your move towards a healthier you. If you would like to know about the program feel free to call me on
0432 198 865.

Acupressure points for Depression
I wanted you to take some general acupuncture points that you could apply acupressure to in order to help with the feeling of depression. It must be mentioned that acupressure is not a substitute for professional diagnosis and acupuncture treatments specified for an individual.

Acupressure is a great adjunct to acupuncture treatments as it is something that you can do for yourself in between treatments to increase the effects of the acupuncture.

Apply finger pressure to these points for around 2-3 minutes each day or when you are feeling a bit low:

Taichong (Liv 3)
Location: halfway between the costal angle and the belly button
Function: relieves stagnation and pain, clears the head, calms the mind

Zusanli (ST 36)
Location: 3 fingers below the bottom end of the knee cap, 1 finger outside the tibia
Function: strengthen stomach/spleen, increases our energy, nourishes our blood, clears fire and calms our mind
We hope you have enjoyed this article and got some insight into the world of Pain-Free Acupuncture and depression. It is something that I am extremely passionate about helping.

If you know of anybody suffering from this condition please pass this on to them. Or if you have any questions about this article or anything else please feel free to contact us directly on 0432 198 865 at the acupuncture st kilda clinic and we will be more than happy to help you.

Jessica Stephens & Matt Roessler
Pain-Free Acupuncture
Stable Health Clinic 22 Alma Rd St Kilda 9525 3388
Direct: 0432 198 865
www.painfreeacupuncture.com.au