​"Spring has sprung, the grass is ris," why can't I get rid of this annoying sniffle?

Spring is a welcome sight here in New England.  Days are longer, warm weather leads to more time outside and a greater sense of ease.  However, for hay fever sufferers, the immune system overreacts to  pollen in the air causing some or all of these symptoms: a runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy eyes and a scratchy throat.

Antihistamines and decongestants offer some relief, but come with the risk of side effects.

Here are some natural approaches to allergies:

1. Know your triggers and try to avoid them.
2. Incorporate a nasal saline rinse into your routine. This rinses pollen from nasal passages and gets rid of any low-grade infection.
3. Cut out sugar, dairy and processed foods from your diet to reduce overall inflammation. Sixty percent of our immune system is in the gut!
4. Take 400-600mg turmeric with black pepper extract and 95% curcuminoids 1x/day. Add 100 mg Vitamin C 2x/day
5. Use acupuncture to improve lung functionality and balance the immune system.

You can find natural ways to get relief so that you can spend time in the beautiful outdoors.
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Wishing all a  happy spring!!

The more I treat people, the more I'm convinced that at least 50% of all illness in this country is completely preventable.  When we take care of our bodies, our bodies takes care of us. How revolutionary is that?

The beginning of my work with each patient starts with a complete health history which includes an inventory of prior illnesses and surgeries, medications taken, foods eaten and exercise routines.

I find that simple life style changes lead to seemingly miraculous and lasting results. This is the beauty of East Asian medicine.  Acupuncture looks at natural ways for treating diseases and has been used for thousands of years because of the body's innate ability to heal itself.

Think about it, how many things in life have the ability to repair themselves. Now think about how many times you, YES YOU, have recovered from colds, pain, sprained ankles, scraped knees.  Seriously, count the many times that you have gotten ill and have rid yourself of that illness.

Personally, I've never met an illness that I could not treat. With time and intention, healing is always possible. This is the cornerstone of the work that I do.

From an acupuncturist's point of view pain is caused by either stagnation --  too much energy in a painful area of the body -- or deficiency -- too little energy.  Another way to think about it is that there is a blockage either from stuck energy or lack of energy in one of the meridians that travel along the arms, legs, head and trunk of the body. Treatment consists of removing this energetic blockage or sending energy to a deficient area.

The great thing about this model is that it works with both acute and chronic pain. Even if an injured area has healed, acupuncture helps to restore movement to that area.
 
From a Western Medical perspective, chronic pain is often caused by a lack of movement.  In a recent article from Harvard Health Publications, Dr. James Rainville, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School explains that  "Movement seems to be the stimulus to normalize pain responses in the nervous system. Studies on animals with spinal injuries show faster pain resolution among those forced to exercise than among those allowed to move less."
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He goes on to explain, "This is probably the result of a survival mechanism…If an animal in the wild doesn't get moving, it is eaten or starves to death. People who get moving — back to the gym, back to cleaning the house — do the best,"
If you've been struggling with chronic pain, acupuncture with its emphasis on restoring movement to the body may be for you.
 

About 80% of adults experience back pain at some point in their lives, and I've had a lot of experience treating it in the 20 years that I've been practicing acupuncture.  I've always been curious about what contributes to the pain. Is it a pulled muscle or ligament, a weak immune system, osteoarthritis, a bulging disc, tight muscles or some combination of these? Read more about this.

Over the past few years, I've been studying a manual therapy called Visceral Manipulation that offers an additional explanation for pain and restriction. Jean-Pierre Barral, a French Osteopath, teaches that restrictions in the connective tissue around and between the body's organs cause pain, particularly chronic pain that is difficult to treat.  

Releasing these restrictions can be done by first feeling the actual pull of tissue in the body, testing to see which organ is causing the primary restriction and then gently treating the organ to restore its natural rhythm.
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My work has always been based on releasing restrictions. Now in addition to feeling blockages in the acupuncture meridians, restrictions and pain in the muscles, bones and ligaments, I've  been looking for restrictions in tissue around each organ. Also, I've been  making sure each  organ has its own intrinsic  healthy rhythm.
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It's been an amazing  journey for me and has enhanced the work that I do. It's another component of helping my patients can get lasting pain relief and a body that truly functions at an optimal level.

I'm truly on a mission to help you live healthier.  I keep sharing things that have worked in my own life.  Some of you know how jazzed I've been about my "miracle breakfast." I started eating this when I realized that I wasn't getting enough fiber in my diet, even with eating whole grains and lots of veggies. (We should be getting between 30 to 50 grams of fiber a day. Average Americans only get 8-15 grams.)

I knew I had to make some changes.  I realized that I was often leaving the house with a Kashi bar and not eating a full breakfast.  So I switched to a really healthy bowl of oatmeal with lots of yummy stuff.

Why oatmeal? From a Chinese medicine perspective it's a food that strengthens the digestive and nervous systems, removes cholesterol from the body, and renews bone and connective tissue. From a sense of ease perspective, it's something that can be prepared in minutes and available wherever you are. (Just be sure that it's the kind with no added sugar.) I often bring packages of instant oatmeal and a mix of almonds, flaxseed and fiber when I'm traveling.
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Here's my miracle breakfast with amounts of fiber.
                                1 package instant organic oatmeal                            4 grams
                                1/4 cup almonds                                                            3 grams
                                4 TBS ground flaxseed                                                  6 grams
                                1/3 cup Trader Joes Frozen Berry Medley                3 grams
                                1 TBS Great Shape Natural Fiber Supplement*       5 grams
                                                                                                                        ________
                                                                                                                             24 grams
                                *You might want to add this slowly to avoid gas and bloating.
 
If I still haven't convinced you, take the challenge. Try starting everyday for 3 weeks with my miracle breakfast. Let me know how you feel.

Interested in learning more about how to live a healthy life with ease?  Find out about my Roadmap to Health 6 Week Class.
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Wishing you health and well-being,
​
Bonnie

​We are approaching our national holiday of love. It's a whirlwind of buying flowers and chocolate. I happen to be a card person, and I'm having trouble resisting getting yet one more each time I walk into a store.
 
Lately I've been thinking about an aspect of love that often gets overlooked. This is self-care -- the act of putting time and attention to make sure that YOU are living a healthy and happy life. Self-care is one of the highest forms of love.
 
It took a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for me to wake up to the fact that I was not taking care of myself -- body or spirit. I was working long hours at a job that didn't fulfill me. I was in default mode, doing what I was told to do, not what I really wanted to do.
 
The illness was my body speaking to me, saying that the life I was living wasn't right for me. Because I had limited energy, I had to make choices about what was most important. I had to slow down and listen. In this process, I discovered acupuncture and the idea of living a life in balance. I changed what I was eating, who my friends were and my profession. I got out of a relationship that wasn't right for me.
 
But most of all I started a journey to become and stay healthy. The limited resources that I had went to doctor's visits, acupuncture treatments, psychotherapy and studying acupuncture -- one of the oldest and most widely used health modalities in the world.
 
I learned about these five aspects of health that correspond to the Five Element/Five Organ system that is part of the practice of acupuncture.

• Nourishment -- principles for healthy eating (Spleen/Earth Element)
• Immunity -- using the breath; protection (Lung/Metal Element)
• Resilience -- rootedness; core energy; meditation (Kidney/Water Element)
• Direction -- movement; ability to plan and follow through (Liver/Wood Element)
• Connection -- gratitude, joy, relationships, celebration (Heart/Fire Element)

 
Using these principles my life changed in ways that I could only imagine.

• I found work that I loved.
• I met the man of my dreams.
• I stopped dieting, stopped weighing myself and started eating nutritiously.
• I found a spiritual community that supported me and fed my soul.
• I started spending more time outdoors, cooking, reading and connecting with friends.

 
All these things were acts of self-care. They are things that I continue to practice to this day. Even when I get off course, when things get busy and life gets stressful, these are things that I return to time and time again.
 
Out of this experience came a desire to help other people, possibly you, live healthier and happier lives. If this journey interests you, consider signing up for my Roadmap to Health 6 Week class. This is for you if:

• You want to get healthier, but are not sure where to begin.
• You have tried various diet and exercise programs, but none has stuck.
• You are interested in learning more about Chinese & Japanese medicine.
• You experience pain & are looking for natural solutions.
• You are looking for a group to offer support and encouragement.

 
This class begins on February 19th -- it's been postponed one week due to snow.
 
For more information and to sign-up at a special rate, simply visit me at www.bonniediamond.com/roadmaptohealthspecial
 
This Valentine's Day do something nice for yourself!

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​If you’re part of the over 60% of people who make New Years resolutions with good intentions but are unable to keep them, this newsletter is for you.
 
You mean well, you try hard, but life gets in the way.
 
Think of a resolution as a seed that gets planted.  We have an idea. We want to make a change in our life. We’re excited. We set goals, make promises, tell ourselves this year we’ll eat our vegetables, exercise more, be kinder. We truly mean these things. Yet for many of us by April we’re back to our same old habits. What has happened?
 
I think that we have forgotten to nurture the seed. No one expects a seed to grow without water and sun. And no one expects the seed we plant today to turn into a full grown tree tomorrow. Growth and change take time.
 
When you make a resolution, ask yourself these questions:

• What am I going to do to nurture this dream?
• How often do I have to metaphorically water it?
• What environment will it grow best in?
• How many weeks will it take for my resolution to take root?
• How will I know when the tiny seed grows roots?
• When will my seedling send up shoots through the soil?
• What will my plant (resolution) look like when it’s fully grown?

 
Take time to answer these questions.  It may require many hours.  Pay attention to how easy or difficult  this process is.  Write your answers down.  If you’re not able to do this, you might want to pick a new year’s resolution that is easier to implement.
 
With nurturing and care and love our dreams will take form. Do get in touch with me if you need help in this process.
 
Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Bonnie

"With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown" ~Chinese Proverb

​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.