Blog

​Ear acupuncture is a little different from full body acupuncture in that the ear is considered a microsystem of the body.  Although some ear points were mentioned in Chinese texts as far back as 500 BC, auriculotherapy as we know it today was developed by Dr. Paul Nogier, a French physician, in 1957.
 
Dr. Nogier noticed a scar on the upper ear of some of his patients. He found that all of them had been treated for sciatica pain by a local lay practitioner. This woman had cauterized a specific area of the external ear in order to relieve their low back pain. Dr. Nogier conducted a similar procedure on his own sciatica patients and found that their back pain was also reduced.
 
He then tried other means of stimulating this "sciatica point," including the use of acupuncture needles, and found that they too were effective in alleviating sciatica pain. Dr. Nogier theorized that if an area of the upper external ear is effective in treating low back pain, maybe other parts of the ear could treat other parts of the body. Nogier theorized that the ear represents an inverted fetus and points in the ear correspond to parts of the body.  Points for hands and feet can be found at the top of the ear, while the face is represented on the bottom of the ear.  What’s interesting is that a similar map of the body, called the homunculus, exists in neurons on the cerebral cortex (outermost sheet of neural tissues in cerebrum and some vertebrae), in the thalamus and in the brain stem.  This model was first presented to naturopathic practitioners in France in 1957, then spread to acupuncturists in Germany, and finally was translated into Chinese around 1958.
 
 During 1958 a large study on the effectiveness of this acupuncture technique was conducted by the Nanking Army Ear Acupuncture Research Team using over 2,000 patients. Dr. Nogier's theory of an inverted fetus was accepted as clinically accurate, and during the cultural revolution so called 'barefoot doctors' were trained in the simple techniques of ear acupuncture In 1990, the World National Organization conducted an international meeting and standardized auricular anatomical names for the points that had been used in Chinese and French auricular acupuncture for many years. By 1995, the World Health Organization, in tandem with the Chinese Government, defined the location of 91 specific ear acupuncture points.
 
Nogier acknowledged that Chinese traditional medicine had been using ear points for acupuncture prior to his discovery, but these had been considered empirical points for particular treatments and were not associated with representation of the homunculus in the ear.  This new discovery allowed for greater treatment possibilities.
 
In the US, Terry Oleson who has a PhD in pychobiology  published a paper on his research findings.  He had 40 patients examined to find areas of their body with musculoskeletal pain.  The patients were draped and doctors examined the patients' ears for elevated skin conductivity or tenderness with no knowledge of their medical conditions.  The correspondence between the medical diagnosis and the auricular diagnoses was 75.2%.  In addition, MRIs show  that there is a correspondence between points in the ear, sections of the brain, and areas of the body.
 
Ear acupuncture is a type of treatment that has not only been verified by science, but also leads to clinical success when used to the patients in my office. It works particularly well for pain, addiction and stress!

​Chinese medicine dates back over three thousand years. The oldest book on Chinese medical theory, The Nei Jing, was written between 300 and 100 BC. It describes the theory and application of yin and yang and the five organ, element system. It teaches the causes of disease, explains how to diagnose illness, and tells how energy flows through the body. It still serves as the theoretical basis of acupuncture which today is one of the most widely used forms of medicine in the world.
 
Although acupuncture is ancient, it has only been practiced in this country for about 50 years. In 1972, a New York Times reporter, James Reston, accompanied Henry Kissinger to China. While there he had emergency appendectomy surgery and was so impressed by the post-surgery acupuncture he received, he wrote about his experience. This created interest in the modality in the US.  In 1974, the first acupuncture school in this country, the New England School of the Acupuncture (NESA), was opened. I studied there, graduating and receiving my license in 1998.
 
Most folks don’t know this, but there are several different styles of acupuncture. These styles that evolved as Chinese medicine spread to different countries. Acupuncture arrived in Japan in 562 AD. Schools were established during the 8th century. Acupuncture was considered an appropriate vocation for the blind, and as a result, acupuncturists in Japan developed extremely sensitive kinesthetic skills. They learned to get information by feeling the pulse and palpating the abdomen. In Japan, acupuncturists apprenticed with masters and learned by observing their work.
 
At NESA, after the first year of training, students have to choose to study  between a Chinese or Japanese acupuncture track. I chose Japanese and began studying the style of a well-known acupuncturist from Japan, Kiiko Matsumoto. Kiiko, to this day, studies with the masters in Japan and brings their teachings to the US, carrying on a several thousand year old tradition.
 
I continue to study with her and feel honored to be a part of this ancient way of healing.

​I traveled to New Orleans a few weeks ago. I knew I had truly arrived when our Lyft driver said "How ya doing, Miss Bonnie?" I had made a lunch reservation and when we arrived I was greeted with "Welcome, Miss Bonnie." On a shuttle bus to Mardi Gras World the driver asked if this was my first time in New Orleans. When I said it was my second, he replied "Welcome Home."
 
New Orleans is a great place to travel to. The food, music, warm weather, welcoming people make it so special. Being there feels like getting a big hug.
 
But I want to tap into something deeper. The importance of social connection. Not just because it makes us feel good -- although this is important.  But because it makes us healthier.
 
Here's what the experts have to say:

• In the personal health section of the New York Times, Jane Brody has been reporting on research that loneliness can have a negative impact on health "by raising levels of stress hormones and inflammation, which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and dementia."

 

• Dr. Dhruv Khullar, a physician and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York writes "A wave of new research suggests social separation is bad for us. Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones."

 

• And research presented at the 2017 Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association shows that "Loneliness and social isolation may represent a greater public health hazard than obesity, and their impact has been growing and will continue to grow."

 
Here is "Miss Bonnie's" take on all this:

• Know that no matter what, you are not alone. Just take a minute and breathe that in. Say it to yourself. Write it in your journal. Breathe it in with each breath.

 

• Reach out. I mean this truly. I am here for you. Send me an email. Schedule an appointment. Acupuncture can help you connect more fully with yourself. I do think it can be an antidote to loneliness. And I will be with you, listen to you, open my heart.

 

• If I'm not the right person to help you, reach out to someone who is. I know there is someone out there who will be there for you. In all the ups and downs of my life (and there have been many), there was always someone. Sometimes it was a friend, sometimes a medical professional. Sometimes it was a favorite singer/song writer, a favorite author. A movie that moved me to tears.

 

• Be expansive in your outreach. We don't always know when/where/who what we need will come from. And sometimes it arrives from unexpected quarters. Just trust that it will be there.

 

• Practice making connections when you are out in the world. Take the extra moment to say hello to your mail carrier, the wait staff at your favorite coffee shop or restaurant, the neighbor walking their dog.

 

• Join a community of like-minded folks. Take a yoga or Qi Gong class. If it's your thing, go to a house of worship. Whether you are a believer or not, the spirit is always there for you.

 
One of the reasons that I love Eastern Medicine is because of its emphasis on connection. In the 5 element/5 organ system that we use no one organ/element exists on its own. The energy of the liver feeds the heart, the heart energy feeds the spleen, the spleen energy feeds the lungs, the lung energy feeds the kidneys, the kidney energy feeds the liver. The cycle is completed and begins again.
 
As people we may feel isolated, but we never exist in true isolation.
 
With you in spirit…
 
Bonnie

​Sources:
www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/well/mind/how-loneliness-affects-our-health.html
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/shaking-off-loneliness/
www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/lonely-die.aspx
www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html

Do you feel like you’re on go all the time? Do you feel the pressure of work, family and social obligations? We live in over-scheduled times. We have busy calendars and long to-do lists. You may be doing more and it may feel good for a little while. But take a moment to ask yourself if you are leading a truly meaningful and productive life.
 
From an Eastern perspective our culture focuses on the Yang side of life. Yang energy corresponds to activity, light, heat and daytime. It’s opposite, yin, corresponds to rest, darkness, sleep, cold, and nighttime.
 
These two types of energy are found  in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the system that operates mostly unconsciously and regulates many body functions such as heartbeat, respiration and digestion. The ANS consists of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
 
The Sympathetic Nervous System (your Yang energy) prepares your body for action when it senses danger by pumping adrenaline into your blood stream. During this “fight or flight” response, the following occurs:

• Your heart rate increases
• Your pulse and blood pressure go up
• Small airways in your lungs open so that your body can take in more oxygen
• Blood sugar and fats are released into your bloodstream giving your body more energy

 
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (your Yin energy) serves as a brake to this revved up energy. This “rest and digest” response slows things down in these ways:

• Your heart rate slows to conserve energy
• Your intestinal activity increases
• Sphincter muscles in your GI tract relax

 
Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are important. They are needed to balance one another as they perform opposite but necessary functions. However, we live in a stressful culture. Each stressor activates the sympathetic nervous system keeping our bodies in sympathetic overdrive. For many of us there is too much go, go, go and not enough rest.
 
Acupuncture treatments regulate the autonomic nervous system by releasing neurotransmitters and hormones, or in Eastern terms, balancing yin and yang.  I find that patients go into a deeply relaxed state and report sleeping better after treatments. Over time pain decreases, digestion improves, anxiety is diminished. This leads to improved health, relationships and life choices.
 
"One of the great things about a treatment with Bonnie is afterwards I feel very focused, clear and centered.  Each treatment also has a calming effect and allows me to sleep better."   

Pat P. - Sunderland

Nutrition is a part of the tradition of acupuncture. A balanced diet is considered essential to good health. Eastern nutrition focuses on the energetic qualities of food. Certain foods (like dairy products) cause cold and dampness in the body – both of which weaken the digestive system. Certain foods (like ginger) are warming and help strengthen digestion.
 
When I work with patients around nutrition and weight loss, my approach is fivefold:

1. I’ll teach you to fill your kitchen with real food – the nutritious and delicious kind that sustains and nurtures you.
   
2. I’ll help you get moving at least 30 minutes a day in a way that makes you feel good. Together, we'll find the right exercise plan for you! 
3. We’ll use acupuncture treatments to improve your digestion, reduce your stress and regulate your sleep. All of this leads to EATING LESS, HAVING MORE ENERGY and FEELING BETTER. 
4. I’ll share wisdom from Eastern Nutrition to make sure that you’re eating the right foods for your body. While there are certain fundamental principles of nutrition, there are ways to tweak your diet so that it works best for you. 
5. We’ll create simple affirmations to keep you on track and to make sure you are treating yourself in the most loving way possible. 

I’ll share a weight-loss secret that has helped me take and keep off those few extra pounds.  Eating well and obtaining and maintaining your ideal weight is within your reach.  The wisdom of acupuncture can give you the tools that you need to love and nourish your body for life.

​Halloween candy reminds me of a theory that I have been pondering over the last few months. I call it the "Twizzler effect:"

It goes back to the Twizzler licorice that I ate as a kid -- those strands of licorice twisted around each other. In my mind, they represent two aspects of any situation.  One strand represents the aspects of life that you cannot change. If it's raining outside, you can't stop the rain.
 
But, there is also another factor – your relationship to the first aspect. This is the second strand.
 
You can’t stop the rain, but you can open an umbrella and stay dry. You can appreciate that the rain helps to grow the fruits and vegetables that you eat. You can jump in puddles or curl up with a good book. You can look for rainbows.
 
The Twizzler effect applies to your health. You are aging. At some point in your life, you are bound to feel the effects of illness and disease. (I say this so you don’t feel bad or blame yourself when this happens.)  But, this is only the first strand. It’s not the whole picture. There is hope.
 
Hope exists in the second strand, the things that you do to care for yourself. This includes the foods you fill your body with, the thoughts you fill your mind with, the people you surround yourself with and the healers you go to. It’s this second strand that you have control over.

By focusing your energy on the things you can change, you can create a space of health and well-being. You can find deep acceptance of who you are AND make conscious shifts to become the person you want to be.

My life’s work is helping people reclaim their power to heal. That’s right. Whatever your situation, however much pain you may be in, you have that power.
 
When our lives go awry; when we get sick or suffer loss, it’s natural to think that we have no power. No one plans on pain. No one plans on illness. It can be devastating when we feel that our bodies have betrayed us.
 
That’s how I felt many years ago when I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I ate well and exercised. It was hard to understand how I could get so sick. Also, there was no clear path to recovery.
 
To find my power, I needed to look outside of my current life experience. I needed another way of understanding the world. I found it with acupuncture.
 
Here are some of the secrets I learned:

• The body has an innate ability to heal.

• Illness is an imbalance in the body trying to correct itself.

• There are always ways to bring the body back into balance.

• An energetic system of meridians runs through the entire body. Seem unbelievable? We know each cell has protons and electrons, which have positive and negative charges.

• What we eat, how we breathe, the way we move, what we think all have a significant impact on how we feel.

• Various seemingly unrelated symptoms in the body may be connected. The body functions as a whole.

 
Whether you have a specific diagnosis, are feeling lousy for no apparent reason, or pulled a muscle, you deserve to feel listened to and receive treatment.
 
I found my power to heal, and I want to help you find yours!

​Our health consists of habits formed over a lifetime.  What we eat, how we move, the thoughts we think -- all of these contribute to the ways our bodies respond to our environment.  We become more powerful as we consciously choose and create these habits. What better new year's gift to give yourself than creating one new healthy habit.

The following steps will take you through the process of choosing and integrating one habit that will enhance your life in a positive way and become part of the foundation for a healthy balanced life.
 
Create Your Activity
1.  Choose Wisely
Choose something you want to do, rather than something you think you should do.  Choose something that you want to do tomorrow and also three years from now.  Choose an activity that you can do given the present circumstances and resources of your life.  If, for example, you want to join a gym make sure there is one that you can easily get to and that is open at hours that are convenient for you.  Make sure that you can afford the cost of membership.  I believe that each of us already knows of at least one thing we can do to improve our lives.  If you have a long list of things, choose the one that feels most meaningful to you.
 
2.  Think Small, Stay Simple
Begin with a small, achievable task rather than elaborate, unattainable goal.  Focus on the task itself.  If you dream of writing a novel, you might want to begin by setting aside a certain amount of time each day to write.  Focus on the activity, rather than the goal.  Goals are admirable, but generally achievable only if we focus on the activities that are necessary for their fruition.  Thoreau said, “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

3.  Be Creative
Sometimes we are in situations where we are unable to do the things we want to.  Here’s where creativity comes into play.  If your activity is to spend an hour each week at the ocean but you live in landlocked Iowa, you might get a video of ocean scenes, a CD with the sound of waves breaking on the sand, suntan lotion and some shells.
 
Develop Intention
4.  Commit to the Activity
Commit to spending at least one hour each week on this activity for the next three months.  This can be 10 minutes everyday, 20 minutes three days a week or one hour once a week.  If you cannot or do not want to commit to one hour a week, choose something else.  If you are already committed to spending time each week that supports a balanced life, than commit to bringing more attention to that time. (See Step 10.)
 
5.  Write It Down
There is something about the act of writing something down that solidifies it.  It serves both to define the action and as a symbol of intent.   There is a shift that happens when something goes from idea to tangible form.  There are many ways of writing something down.  You can do it very privately, on a folded up piece of paper or in a journal.  You can write something and put it on your mirror or refrigerator.  Just as the action itself comes from an inner, personal space so will the writing of it.  Do what feels right to you.
 
6.  Begin
If this activity is worth doing, it is worth doing now (or at least within this week.)  This piece is often the most difficult.  Waiting for the perfect moment may mean putting off something indefinitely.  Just start now.
 
7.  Begin Again
None of us are perfect.  Our lives are complicated.  Stuff unexpectedly happens.  So if you are unable for whatever reason to do your chosen activity for a day, a week or even a month, begin again.  Learn from your experience.  Sometimes it takes a few false starts to develop a good habit.  In the long run you are better off starting again then giving up on something important to you in your life.  I once read that the people who succeed the most are also those who fail the most. Winston Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
 
8.  Get Help
Bring into your life people who support you in your journey towards health whether it’s a friend, a medical care provider or a significant other.  Sometimes we need help.  Intervention is often necessary to keep our bodies healthy.
 
9.  Reward Yourself
Taking care of yourself is an accomplishment.  Often our busy lives do not support choices that keep us healthy.  Acknowledge the time and effort put into your new habit.  Congratulate yourself.  Tell your friends.  Go wild!
 
10.  Bring Intention to Your New Habit
Rather than going through the motions, use your time each week to connect more deeply with yourself.  Good health is a sensory experience.  If you are eating healthier take this opportunity to fully taste your food.  If you are spending an hour each week listening to music or looking at art, fully see or fully hear.  Whatever you have chosen to do be sure to notice your breath.  We cannot live for more than a few minutes without breathing.  The quality of our breath, the way we breathe, to a large extent determines the quality of our lives.  Whatever you are doing you are also breathing.  As you embrace your newly chosen activity, breathe deeply into your lower  abdomen.
 
GO BACK TO STEP ONE
Whether you have successfully integrated a new, healthy habit into your life or have experienced three months of hell, or most likely, are somewhere in between, go back to step one.  Learn from your accomplishments as well as your mistakes.  You now have the advantage of experience in this process. 

​Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction), said “As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than there is wrong, no matter how ill or how hopeless you may feel.”

Take a moment to reflect on this.  As humans we often focus on the things that we have done wrong. We could be better, smarter, richer, thinner... fill in your own adjective. I encourage you to begin a practice of remembering and acknowledging all that is right with you. Do it now, as you read this. 

1. Focus on your body. Write down all the things that are right about it. For example, 

• Your blood is circulating and carrying oxygen to all of your cells.
• Your skeleton is carrying you, and along with your muscles, tendons and ligament, allowing you to walk.
• Your brain is making plans.
• Your sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose,  and mouth) are helping you to connect with the outer world.

2. Focus on your actions. Write down a list of all the things that you have done to take good care of yourself and those that you love.

3. Focus on your thoughts. Write down all the thoughts that lift you up. Look to your favorite quotes for inspiration.

4. Focus on your emotions. Make a list of times when you felt complete, happy and at peace.

5. Focus on your connections. Make a list of all the positive connections that you have had with people in your life. 

• Start with those closest to you -- your partner, your children, family members, close friends. 
• Then think of people in your community -- those you work with, those in organizations that you belong to, your children's teachers. 
• Finally, those people who you come in contact with when you are running errands -- the cashier at the supermarket or drugstore, your car mechanic, wait staff at the restaurants you frequent. And those at the periphery of your life -- a neighbor you wave to, someone you greet as you when you are out walking or jogging.

6. Focus on your accomplishments. Make a list of your accomplishments over the past year. Include projects big and small.

You are an amazing being!

Revel in this. Take your list of all that is good and right with you and post it on your bulletin board or on your refrigerator. Acknowledge yourself fully and completely.

When you find yourself being critical about something that you have done, switch to being gentle. Surround yourself with love and kindness. Lift yourself up when times get hard. 

Look at your list of all that is right with you EVERY DAY. I promise that this practice will transform your life.

Acupuncture plays close attention to the cycle of the seasons. As shown in the diagram, each season corresponds to a particular element and organ. Balance between these entities is key for achieving harmony in the world and health in the body.

The earth element comes into play at this time of year. This element is a central one. It is activated in late summer and also for short periods of time at the end of the other seasons. The earth element is associated with transformation. It's perfect in helping us make the shift from the relaxing, playful days of summer to the busyness of work and school.

Each element in the five element system has a corresponding organ, emotion, color, season and tissue. For the earth element, the organ is the spleen-pancreas (our digestive system), the emotion is ruminating or over-thinking, the color is yellow, the season is late summer and the tissue is muscles.

Here are ways to keep your spleen energy strong and improve your health at this time of year:

• Get good nutrition. In particular, limit your intake of dairy and sugar. These foods weaken the spleen. 

• If you find yourself thinking about the same thing over and over again, simply allow the thought to be there. Then picture it as an image and watch it float off, saying good-bye to it as it goes away.
  


• As you are reading this, rub your bare feet over the floor or carpet and feel your connection to the earth.
  


• Go out and take a walk. You'll connect with the earth and add movement into your life.
  


• Raise your shoulders up to your head. Now slowly release them and feel the tension dissipate. Bring focus to any areas of tension in your body and slowly release them.
  


• Massage the acupuncture point, spleen 9, located just below the knee. This helps you to relax your muscles and strengthen your digestive system. It is often a very tender spot.