Blog

As an acupuncturist working with patients, I find that as much as I would like everyone to eat lots of veggies, exercise & think loving and compassionate thoughts, life often gets in the way.

Healthy eating gives way to favorite (not so healthy) comfort foods.  Exercise routines get thrown out the window.  Struggles we think we have gotten over reappear.
 
I know this from a personal perspective as well.  Since Covid began, I have taken most changes in stride. I adapted to wearing a mask, going out less often, spending time on Zoom.  It seemed ok.  Then, without much warning, I began to feel overwhelmed.  I reached a point where it all just got to me. 

Maybe you have felt this way too!
 
Not quite knowing exactly what to do with feelings of uncertainty, doubt & confusion, I came up with my latest wellness plan.
 
Do
What
You
Can
 
No time to go to the gym, take a walk around the neighborhood.  If walking causes pain or discomfort, do some gentle stretches.  If stretching isn’t possible, take a few deep breaths. 

Give yourself the time and space to be less than perfect.  And in this place of imperfection, do what you can.
 
The "do what you can" philosophy brought me so much relief.  I realized that even when I couldn’t check everything off my to-do list, eat as well as I would like, feel calm and composed, I was still able to do something healing, life affirming, stress reducing.
 
It didn’t have to be perfect or ideal or a version of some fantasy life I created. It just had to be some small thing presently in reach. 
 
This idea is shaping how I think about the healing path.  'Do what you can" involves feeling compassionate and being present.  It’s helping me see how brave we all are just by showing up each day and doing the best that we can.
 
Take a moment right now, to think of all the “do what you can moments” of the past week.  Write them down even if they seem inconsequential.  This is an important part of the process.  You may be surprised at how well you take care of yourself. 

If you need inspiration, take a look at some of these blogs:
https://www.bonniediamond.com/blog/all-that-is-right
https://www.bonniediamond.com/blog/new-orleans-and-the-importance-of-connection
https://www.bonniediamond.com/blog/category/power-of-intention
https://www.bonniediamond.com/blog/the-twizzler-effect
 
And, as always, feel free to reach out to me.
​
With you in spirit,
Bonnie
 

Last week when I was treating a patient, she asked this question, “So how does acupuncture work?”  It’s a question that I had asked as a student at the New England School of Acupuncture.
 
The truth is that we don’t actually know how acupuncture works from a Western medical perspective. East Asian medicine has a model that is vastly different from science, which focuses on separating the different parts of the body and has an emphasis on cause and effect.
 
Acupuncture looks at the body as a whole and focuses more on the relationship of a part to it’s whole.
 
Western Medicine is more absolute, Eastern Asian medicine more relative.  Because these models are so different, it’s difficult to explain one in terms of the other. 
 
That said, we do have some clues about how acupuncture works from a Western medical perspective.
 

• Acupuncture stimulates secretion of endorphins
• Acupuncture interrupts pain pathways in the brain
• Acupuncture may change the levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine that are released by the nervous system.  This may explain why acupuncture helps people who are struggling with addiction and anxiety and depression.
• Studies on mice have shown that acupuncture has an impact on the immune system.  Neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School recently found that acupuncture quieted cytokine storms in mice with systemic inflammation – yes, the type that has been found in some Covid-19 cases.
• It’s been found that the connective tissue planes, form a network in humans that resembles the meridians described in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

 
All of this is exciting news because it offers confirmation of what I find when treating patients.  Pain decreases, the body goes into relaxed states, colds & flus last for shorter amounts of time.
 
Interested, intrigued by how this works and how it might help you?
 
I’m offering free 30 minute consultations.  Sign-up here.
 
With you in health,
Bonnie

Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S200529011300174X
 
https://oshercenter.org/2020/08/26/harvard-study-finds-acupuncture-can-tame-cytokine-storms-in-mice/

​
 

Every year I think about what advice to share as we complete another turn around the sun.  What can I write that will bring you more health, more joy and more ease?
 
There are so many possibilities – eat better, sleep more, find quiet time for meditation.  These are all good things, but I realized the magic missing ingredient in so many wellness and self-care programs is found in the act of taking stock.
 
It’s not enough to set goals.  We need to watch what happens when we put an idea out into the world.  We need to track our progress and record our thoughts and feelings each day.
 
I got this inspiration sitting at my desk, looking at my 2020 yearly planner.  It’s the place where I keep track of things.  Not my daily schedule filled with patient appointments, places to go and commitments to keep. These are stored electronically with a kind of efficiency only the digital world can provide.
 
In my paper planner, I write down goals and dreams, along with notes marking unexpected pleasures and themes for the month.  I use the planner as a journal of sorts, briefly recording my thoughts and feelings on a somewhat regular basis.
 
As I turn the pages, I’m able to look back and reflect. 

• January, February & March tell of the days before Covid when a trip to New York City to study the central and peripheral nervous system was still possible. 
• March is filled with canceled plans and an abrupt temporary closing of my practice. 
• April and May find me at home writing a food blog and missing my nephew’s college graduation. 
• From June to December, I return to some new normal – treating patients with masks and sanitizer. On days off, I make time to play in the mountains, lakes and rivers of this beautiful valley.

 
I might not have remembered any of this if I hadn’t jotted down notes as the year went by.  I barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday :).    So now I have this incredible gift – pages filled with remembrances, a record of days gone by.
 
As the new year begins, I recommend that you begin (or continue) to take stock.  Here’s how:

• Purchase a planner that you love!  You want one that feels good to look at and write in.  Here’s the one I bought. It has both monthly and weekly pages.
• Keep this book open on your desk or somewhere at home.
• Take notes, set goals and creatively doodle on the pages of this book.
• The healer in me recommends that you pick a health goal for each month. Keep it simple and sustainable.

 
At this moment, there is the initial pleasure found in the blank pages of the yearly planner that have not yet been filled.  It’s still an empty slate awaiting possibility.  You don’t yet know what the year will bring. (2020 taught us the role of the unexpected.)
 
You stand at this moment, closing one door and about to open another.  This is the time to dream, to imagine, to ask for the wishes that live deep in your heart.
 
Your yearly planner allows for this.  The empty pages are waiting to be filled with the moments & reflections that make up your life.  Write these down. Take stock. Be the creator of your life’s journey.
 
As we enter 2021, I send you blessings to guide you along the way.
 
Bonnie
 
Ps.  If this process sounds appealing, but you don’t have time to get a planner of your own, here's my Roadmap to Health Booklet/Calendar/Journal for you to print out.
 
And if you feel like you need help in the process of creating healthy habits for a healthy year, do get in touch to find out about my Roadmap to Health Wellness Counseling program.

I love the holidays and this time of year.  In the 5 element, 5 organ system of Chinese Medicine, we are entering the time of the kidneys and water. It is a time that connects us to our deepest energy.  Think of the image of a well that brings up water from deep in the ground, to sustain and support us.

It’s so interesting that the new year starts here because energetically it is a time of beginnings. A time to plant the seeds that will grow into life events and experiences – things that we will harvest in 2021.

I’m not a big fan of new year’s resolutions, as most of these get broken, leaving us feeling discouraged. 

But I am a fan of imagining, asking for what we want, digging deep into our souls for guidance and seeing what we find.

I encourage you to take time to reflect on the things that are most important to you.

My part in this process is to help you achieve your health goals.

In the spirit of thanks and generosity, I’m offering discounted packages that you can purchase for yourself or as a gift to a family ember.  These will be available through this link until the end of December.

May this season be filled with wonder and connection even as we wear masks and socially distance. 

Life continues to move forward.  Let’s make the best of it.

With you in spirit,
Bonnie

ps. If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving recipe instead of or in addition to the traditional turkey, here’s a yummy stuffed squash dish.

I look at my calendar and realize that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away.  How is this possible?

I see that I've added the word Cleveland from Tuesday, November 24th to Saturday, November 28th on my calendar.  In a moment of optimism, my husband and I thought that we would be able to drive to visit his family in Ohio. We would all get tested, wear masks and social distance. 

But a few weeks ago, we realized that keeping everyone safe from the spread of Covid was more important than gathering together.

I feel a little unanchored.  Thanksgiving for Dan and I has always been a time to travel. We either visit out-of-town relatives or indulge in one of our favorite things, a long weekend away from it all. Some years it has been on the quiet beaches of the Cape. Other times we've explored the back roads of Vermont.  In the 16 years that we've been together, we have never spent Thanksgiving at home.

This year we will. 

Are you starting to think about how to celebrate the holiday?  Have you canceled your usual plans, or will you take precautions and gather together?

Either way the holiday will be different.

In 2020, our lives have been upended.  It will take our creative spirits to make this year's Thanksgiving a meaningful one. 

Here are my suggestions:

1) Start to plan.

• If you're cooking a holiday meal, decide on your menu.  I'll be making roasted turkey thighs, stuffed acorn squash, stuffing and cranberry/mango chutney. Think about when you'll shop and put together a grocery list.

• If you're visiting someone, think about how to socially distance and wear a mask.

• If you need to get tested for Covid, research where and make an appointment if necessary.

2) Think about what is most meaningful about the holiday for you. Is it the food, visiting friends and family, watching football? Find ways of enjoying your favorite rituals even if they look and feel different this year. 

• Perhaps you'll be preparing your mom's mashed potato recipe or your uncle's pumpkin pie for the first time.  
• Maybe you'll visit over Zoom.  

• Maybe you'll save loud football cheers for a time when we can once again yell without the risk of infecting someone :)

3) Remember that we're starting the holiday season.  That gives us the opportunity to have small celebrations, small joys through New Years.

• If you can't visit, send a card.  Write a personal note about how you value your relationship with the person you're sending the card to.

• If you're not having company, still decorate your house.  Mark the holidays in some concrete way.

• If you're missing loved ones, create a photo album of holidays past.  Put pictures up to remind you of the people that you're missing.

4) Take a look at the blog,  A Holistic Approach to the Holidays,  that I send out each year.  

5) It is a season of gift giving.  I'm offering these holiday packages so that you can give the gift of health to someone you love.

Most of all, remember that you're going to get through this.  Be a little kinder to yourself and those around you.  We're all feeling the specific challenge of a very unusual time.  My holiday blog talks about the gift of imperfection.  This is an imperfect year.

Strive on. Find joy. Be well.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Bonnie

Pain is one of those pesky things we think we have to live with. You, like many of my patients, may have experienced sciatica.  It’s something that generally isn’t serious in a life-threatening way, but creates so much distress and discomfort.  If you have sciatica, you probably will be in pain doing your normal daily activities, like walking, sitting or sleeping.
 
Your doctor may want to help you, but has minimal tools – anti-inflammatory drugs and cortisone shots – both of which come with side effects.  Also, they don’t fix the problem.
 
Here’s where being open to trying a new modality like acupuncture can be helpful.  Treatments reduce inflammation, relax muscles and treat areas of the spine that may be pressing on the sciatic nerve.
 
That’s what Phil Chmura found out when he came to see me.  Phil suffered from severe sciatica. The pain interfered with his daily life to the extent that he couldn't stand for more than 3 minutes before the pain started and continued to increase. He had already tried treatments like chiropractic and anti-inflammatory drugs to no avail and he wanted to avoid cortisone shots.

He finally decided it was time to turn his life around and came to see me after getting encouragement from his daughter and friend of mine, Amber Ladley.
 
After just nine weekly treatments, we were able to virtually eliminate his pain!
 
Phil was able to get back to biking – one of his favorite activities.  When I reached out to him, about a year and a half after treatment, he responded with these words:
 
"I have fortunately been relatively pain free since the completion and have just recently signed up for my second bike trip across the USA.  I cannot thank Bonnie enough for getting my life back to normal and would highly recommend  her services."
 
I thank Phil for sharing his story. With pain, you have options.  By being open to complementary forms of treatment, like acupuncture, you can find ways of reducing and eliminating pain.
 
You might be a little nervous to try something new.  I understand that.  People have concerns about the needles, the safety of treatment, trying something outside of Western Medicine.
 
That’s why I offer free ½ hour, online consultations.  I’ll listen to what is causing you pain and discomfort, review your health history and honestly let you know how I can be helpful. 

Please know that you don't have to suffer in silence if you're in pain.​

​​Sciatica is caused by inflammation of the sciatic nerve – the longest and widest nerve in the body.  It’s about the thickness of your little finger.
 
While sciatica often isn’t serious, it can create a lot of discomfort.
 
From an acupuncture perspective, there are two meridians (energetic pathways) that are involved, the bladder and gall bladder meridians.  Note: Inflammation in these meridians does not mean that you have bladder or gall bladder problems.

When there is the smooth flow of energy through the meridians, there’s health in the body.  Notice how the meridians run along the same area of the sciatic nerve.
 
Treatments can help:
-open up restrictions in the meridians
-reduce inflammation along the spine in areas that are pressing on the sciatic nerve
-relax muscles that are contracting and causing pain
-teach you to eat in a way that reduces inflammation in the body

Here it is, June 3rd, and I'm slowly reopening the office. It's been encouraging to go back to doing the work that I love.  And with masks and lots of sanitizer, I'm finding that it's possible to continue to practice. For that I feel enormously grateful.

Over the past two and a half months, I've been bunkering down here at home. I'm feeling appreciation that I have a place of safety, a refuge that Dan and I created in a very uncertain world. It's funny how things that I took for granted just a little while ago have become so precious.Things like a comfortable home, a backyard, a grill and of course, my kitchen and all the foods in it.

Somehow this time has been productive for me. I started a food blog, planted a garden, fenced in the yard and am in the process of getting a dog.  I've been taking an online Tai Chi class and learning to slow down.

For some of you reading this, the last few months have also been an oasis, a chance to have more time with folks you love, catch up on the things you have been putting off, and a pause in an otherwise overscheduled and over busy life.

For others, it's been a time of deep anxiety.  An illness without a cure is spreading; the fabric of our nation is being tested; our economic well-being is insecure.

I have been wondering, "what's my place in all of this?", "what should I be doing", "how can I help?" 

The words that are whispered in my ear are, "find places of safety"," find moments of tranquility"," help others find these as well."

I write to tell you to find harbors to weather this storm. Simple things such as time in the morning for quiet and gratitude and prayer can be so important.  Having a space in your home filled with things that you love can ground you and bring joy.  Planting a garden or even an herb or flower and watching it grow, can give you a sense of control and purpose in an uncertain world.

Each day, write down three things for which you're grateful. Take walks. Smile at your neighbors. Be kind. Find the love that exists along with trauma and tragedy.

I've lived through a lot in life, and I can tell you with certainty, love is always there.

Please know that as we collectively go through this time, my spirit is with you. I pray that each of you reading this will find your way in these unchartered waters.

The spirit is boundless and mine is always there for you. In times like these, you may need a little more than that.  A lot is being asked of us right now.  You may need support. You may need guidance to find the path that truly serves you.

Here are a few ways to connect with me:

1) Sign up for my food blog.  This is filled with healthy, yummy recipes and a look into what's cooking in my kitchen.

2) Schedule an acupuncture appointment or free consultation. Together we can find ways for you to live healthier and happier, with less pain and more ease.

3) Reserve a spot in the class I'm offering through the Gaylord Library in South Hadley.  It's called, "Yummy Healthy Food: How Eating Well for 30 Days Can Change Your Life"

Please know that no matter what is happening in your life in this moment, you are not alone.

Sending healing energy…

Bonnie

I know these are unusual and uncertain times.  Years from now we will look back on this and be able to share with each other where we were, what we were doing and how this experience changed us.

You see, the story about the Coronavirus that you will tell your friends and children, maybe even grandchildren, is a story that you are writing now. What you do today and tomorrow and the next day will become that story.  And because this is a specific moment in time that we all share, it's going to be an important story.

This moment reminds us that we have choices about how we want to live our lives.  And just because humanity (at the moment) can't completely control how the virus will spread, it does not mean that we have no control over our lives.

So in writing this, I'm offering you the possibility of feeling empowered.  Because you, in this moment, have the opportunity to make choices that are healthier and will give you more satisfaction, more ease, more hope.

As I write this, I take a moment to check Facebook, which just so happens to provide me with this quote. (Thank you, universe!) "In the rush to return to normal, let's use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to." Dave Hollis

How powerful is this statement? Read it again. It's a reminder of something that I've been thinking about.   You can look at the Coronavirus as a crisis (which it absolutely is) and also a moment of awakening -- a moment to pause and think about what is most important for you and your life. So that 1 year or 10 years from now, you'll be telling the story you want to tell about what you did during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

I encourage you to think about the story you want to tell.  While I can't see you in person, I am offering my wellness counseling program called Roadmap to Health.  The program is based on 30 years of life experience that includes living with and recovering from chronic illness, 20 years of practicing holistic medicine and thousands of years of teachings from healers in China and Japan who came before me and created and built upon a system of medicine that focuses on creating balance in body, mind and spirit; and our connection to the natural world.

I created Roadmap to Health about a year ago, but now is the time when it's particularly important because it's easy to forget how to take care of ourselves -- particularly when we're stressed and there is so much conflicting information out there.

 At this moment, when your health may be at risk, it's particularly important to have some guidance on how to stay healthy, keep your immune system strong and protect yourself from the Coronavirus.
 
Using the wisdom of Eastern Medicine, you’ll learn the principles of healthy eating, breathing, movement, meditation and connection.  You’ll go through the process of choosing a health goal specifically for you. You’ll receive a book to track your progress, and you'll get encouragement from me.  You'll also get a chance to reflect on what your experience has been like.

Roadmap to Health is not a one-size fits all package.  It's a program of wellness principles that have helped my patients, and myself, live and feel healthier.  And it's INDIVIDUALIZED especially for you. 

If this sounds interesting to you, please do schedule a time to meet online or by phone with me.  It's a completely free conversation to see if the program is a good fit for you.

You can also get more info, at bonniediamond.com/roadmap-to-health.

Wishing you health and well-being,

Bonnie