This is the introductory blog for Modern Point Acupuncture and Sports Medicine. In it I am going to introduce our practice to you and give you some winter health strategies.
Each Modern Point Acupuncture location has an acupuncturist- Lindsay Long in Colorado and Dr. Selene Silva is in Minnesota. We are both licensed acupuncturists (L.Ac.), which means we have graduated from 3-4 post grad years of Chinese medicine and are licensed by the state of Minnesota to practice acupuncture. Lindsay Long has also been certified after an additional year and a half of study in Sports Medicine Acupuncture– hence the “Sports Medicine” at the end of our business title.
We are all passionate about acupuncture and Chinese medicine and how we can use it to best treat our patients. The human body is varied and complex. One tool does not work for every patient. I have found through over a decade of treating patients that having a number of options for each case leads to better outcomes. We draw from unique styles based in San Diego, Portland, Boulder, Minnesota, Boston, and throughout China and Taiwan. So we can draw from a variety of approaches and confer on our most difficult patients to improve our results. It is also a lot of fun learning about the myriad ways to practice our art from different parts of the country. It keeps us engaged as students as well as clinicians, allowing the “beginners mind” to nurture our growth.
Today is Halloween, and temperatures are beginning to drop. As the flora and fauna prepare for winter we should do the same. Responding to the change of season preserves health and adds harmony to our endeavors. We now shift to more internal, contemplative activities. Reading, studying, meditation, and mindfulness take the place of the chaotic yang activities of the summer. (Maybe that is why I finally got around to blogging.) Our food should be cooked longer and include more warming spices, like cinnamon, ginger, anise, peppers, cloves and fennel. If salads are eaten, they should be paired with a hot beverage. The digestion, ruled by the Spleen in Chinese medicine, loves warmth, and is stressed by cold. Our joints normally dislike cold as well and benefit from the enhanced circulation of many of these spices.
So, when you are exploring the corn mazes around Maple Grove and Plymouth, readying for the freeze on Lake Minnetonka, take in a good book or start a new meditation practice, spice up your food and drink some hot tea, and join us in the clinic if your body still is not cooperating.
In health,
Modern Point Acupuncture
