Free acupuncture treatments are being offered this week through Acupuncturists Without Borders to help our community recover from the May 22nd tornado. Everyone is welcome to receive free acupuncture to help with stress, sadness, anxiety, fear, and fatigue associated with the trauma from this disaster. I will be volunteering my time to provide free acupuncture treatments on Thursday at the Center for Families and possibly some other days.

Location: The Center for Families, 3333 North 4th Street in Minneapolis

Mon 6/6 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Tues 6/7 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Wed 6/8 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Thurs 6/9 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Fri 6/10 at 12:00-4:00 pm

Acupuncture will be provided in a community-style setting, with participants sitting in chairs, fully clothed. Sterile needles are placed in the ears only using the NADA Protocol. All treatments are performed by licensed acupuncturists. Please come for a free acupuncture treatment at the Center for Families. No appointment is necessary.

We’ve been so excited about using the NADA Protocol from our training for Acupuncturists Without Borders in January that we’ve been using it on our patients.  The response has been phenomenal.  People feel more relaxed and recover more quickly when we use these 5 points on the ear in addition to their usual acupuncture treatment. So  we have decided to offer the NADA Protocol ear acupuncture as a stand-alone treatment to make it more affordable for people who would like to come in more often for treatment.

We’re excited to offer new ear acupuncture treatments for only $25.  The treatments will be done community style (seated in a chair) with the 5 needles in each ear for 45 minutes.  The NADA Protocol was developed to treat behavioral health and is used for addiction, mental health, disaster and emotional trauma.  We have been using it to treat a wide range of issues, including:

• Quitting smoking
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Daily stress
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Eating disorders
• Insomnia

To schedule a NADA Protocol ear treatment, give us a call!

There has been a huge movement in this country to eat more organic fruits and vegetables. But sometimes people are concerned about the cost when trying to transition from conventional produce to organic.  So a list has been developed called the Dirty Dozen, which includes the top 12 most important foods to eat organic because they are the most contaminated.  There is also a list called the Clean Fifteen that includes the 15 foods that are least important to eat organic.  These lists were put together by the Environmental Working Group and more information can be found on their website at http://www.foodnews.org/executive.php.

The Dirty Dozen (choose organic):

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Cherries
10. Kale/Collard Greens
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (Imported)

The Clean Fifteen (less important to be organic):

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangos
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potato
15. Honeydew Melon

So there you have it. And this is only the beginning, because really choosing organic dairy products and meats from free-range chickens and grass-fed cows is also important. By choosing high quality food, you are not ingesting products from animals given hormones, antibiotics, drugs, and feed that contains animal parts and genetically-modified products. So when people tell me that they don’t know if they can afford to eat organic, high quality food I ask them whether they can afford not to.

Ever since we remodeled my bathroom together, my dad has been telling me that I should enter it into a design contest. So I finally did. The actual entries are linked below, but first a little history on our design.

My father had a major heart attack just before I bought my first house. Together, we decided to completely gut and redesign the bathroom to incorporate the Craftsman style of my 1912 house with integrated asian characteristics along with sustainable materials.We moved the plumbing fixtures to more convenient locations to allow for a vanity with a countertop and installed a shower instead of just a bathtub. We used low VOC paint, slate tile on the floor, bamboo counters that I built myself, new beadboard, new lighting, all new fixtures, and a bath fan. I wanted the shower to look like the outdoor showers I’ve seen in tropical climates, so I used river stones, a bamboo fence, and shelves for plants in the shower. We did all of the work ourselves, except for some of the rough-in plumbing. We worked together, and I got to know my dad in a way that I never had before. He passed his skills and knowledge to me and I gained even more admiration for him.

http://youroldhouse.thisoldhouse.com/thisoldhouse/submission.jsp?id=115748

http://contest.bagsterwasteloss.com/contests/showentry/739607

While I was at it, I couldn’t resist entering my kitchen as well.

http://contest.bagsterwasteloss.com/contests/showentry/739610

As part of our commitment to provide a safe healing environment for all our patients, we have added some security measures at the clinic. Don’t worry, we have never had a problem with crime in this neighborhood, but we want to make sure we never do. So we had a lock installed at the front door that can be opened by entering a 4 digit code on the keypad. The code only works during clinic hours, and it means that we can keep the door locked while we are upstairs treating patients. If we haven’t already gone over the procedure for opening it, we will the next time you come in. But don’t worry – if you have trouble with the lock you can always ring the doorbell and we’ll come down to let you in. We think you’ll love feeling safe.

To further improve your experience here at Beautiful Ama, we just had a new high-efficiency furnace installed. This means you won’t freeze in the waiting room anymore and the temperature in our treatment rooms won’t fluctuate so much because the furnace is gently warming the rooms at all times. We also installed a humidifier and the best air filtration system available, so you’ll be breathing super clean air that has a comfortable amount of moisture in it (better for taking a little snooze while your needles are in!). Finally, we had central air-conditioning installed, so the waiting room will be cool this summer and we won’t have to run those loud window units in the treatment rooms. We think you’ll love the improvements so much that it will be even harder to get up off the warm treatment table and go home!

Our patients sometimes ask us whether the herbal formula we are prescribing for them contains common food allergens. Being board-certified herbalists, we undertook a project to figure out exactly which formulas we can safely prescribe to our patients with food allergies. We have completed a list of common allergens that are not usually contained in the formulas we use (corn, eggs, fish, milk, and shellfish) and ones to watch out for (gluten, soy products, and tree nuts). We made handouts that list the Chinese and common names of herbs that are common allergens, the formulas containing those herbs from each of our 3 herbal manufacturers, and the base materials used to stabilize the herbal tablets. If you would like to take home this information, please ask the next time you have an appointment and we’ll be happy to share it with you.

In January, we attended 15 hours of training for Acupuncturists Without Borders, where we learned more about using ear acupuncture and the NADA Protocol. This technique was developed to treat addiction (including smoking, alcoholism, and street drugs), but can be applied to a wide range of conditions. It uses 5 needles in the ear and is the system used by Acupuncturists Without Borders to treat trauma victims, including the wildfires out west, flood victims, hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and a variety of other emergency situations. We are a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders and hope to travel to Haiti or Nepal later this year.

In the meantime, since the NADA Protocol helps reduce stress, improve sleep, and improve wellbeing, we are using it in our clinic along with regular acupuncture to treat mental health, insomnia, weight loss, and quitting smoking. The overwhelming response has been that our patients love the technique because they feel so much more relaxed and balanced after treatment. If you’re interested in trying it out, come in for acupuncture and ask us to add these points in your ears as part of your regular treatment. We hope you’ll love it too!

We recently became members of Acupuncturists Without Borders and are super excited! The clinic will be closed January 26th to 31st while we are in Arizona for training.  This will prepare us to set up volunteer clinics in areas where people are suffering from natural disasters and other traumatic events. We’re excited to be able to contribute our skills on a larger scale and hope to volunteer in Haiti later this year!  For more information on what Acupuncturists Without Borders does, check out the website and a description of what we do below.

http://www.acuwithoutborders.org/

“Treatments last from 30-60 minutes with people receiving treatment while sitting in a chair fully clothed. Under the NADA protocol needles go on the ears. The treatments done by AWB acupuncturists are effective for helping people facing enormous stress, anger, frustration, depression, fatigue and other emotional and physical pain. The therapeutic effects happen quickly and can last a long time. These simple acupuncture treatments can have a transformative effect without requiring the traumatized client to talk. Done in groups, community acupuncture can help break the isolation often felt after traumatic events. Even those who resist traditional treatment for Acute Stress Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are often willing to receive acupuncture. Treatments support rebuilding strength and resiliency, essential for the recovery process. Acupuncture treatments have a calming effect and help those struggling with anger, hostility and frustration. Our treatments are free and available to all who need them. We are committed to helping the primary survivors of traumatic events, as well as emergency responders, relief workers and others affected by the emergency.”

I have been suffering with recurrent major depression and cyclothymia for most of my life. I’ve learned good coping skills and have a great support system, but some days and weeks are still difficult for me. I’m in the midst of a particularly trying few months, so I’ve decided to share my story. I hope this will give me some comfort, as well as encouraging others in my lifelong mission to reduce the stigmas of mental illness.

When I was first diagnosed with depression as a teenager, I didn’t really understand what that meant. I was put on an antidepressant but I didn’t think it made much difference, so I quit taking it after awhile. By the time I was 21, my moods and emotions were starting to take over my life. I struggled with feelings that bounced back and forth between being overly sensitive and being angry. Eventually, I was so overwhelmed with suffocating emotions that I was scared to be alone.

I was suicidal and after spending a week at my sister’s house (so I could finish final exams, me being the overachiever that I am), we finally decided it was time to admit me to the psychiatric ward at Abbott Northwestern hospital.  I was voluntarily admitted for 72 hours, but decided to stay for 5 days because my experience there was saving my life and I knew it. It was there that I learned to take very seriously my responsibility to myself to get help when I need it. I participated in group therapy, individual therapy, and all kinds of meetings and support groups. I was put on antidepressants as well.

There are many important things that I remember from those 5 days that were already 12 years ago. What I learned was that although I was afraid to talk to my parents about my feelings (because I didn’t understand my feelings myself), they would learn alongside me to figure out what it was that this disease meant for me. I learned that the most important thing to me was my faith and I have never stopped remembering that, no matter how hard life has seemed. I learned that acquaintances became really good friends when I needed them (which I saw when a room full of people showed up to sing church songs with me). I learned that no matter how hard it was to look at myself in the mirror, I would get through it. And most importantly, I learned how to survive no matter what. No matter how difficult, or how impossible, or how painful. I could survive.

I will never forget for the rest of my life how the little old ladies who were also hospitalized for depression looked at me while they told me to stay on my antidepressants so I wouldn’t waste my whole life going in and out of the hospital like they had done. Still, I have been able to come off my medications a few times, but the results were always disastrous. I have now accepted that I will be on antidepressants for the rest of my life. I think it takes just as much courage to be on them as it does to try to live without them.

I will also never forget the written contract I signed, promising to always call someone for help if I didn’t think I was safe being alone. I have put aside my pride dozens of times and asked my mom or sisters to drop everything they were doing and come be with me. I have driven to be somewhere safe with other people to comfort me in times of complete darkness and sadness that is so consuming it is almost blinding. I have kept my promise and I always will, no matter how hard that is.

So by the time I left the hospital, I had figured out who and what was important to me. And I know that being there saved my life, because I wouldn’t have lived even one more day with this life-threatening depression that I have. I also made it my personal mission in life to speak out about depression and mental illness in hopes of helping others and reducing the stigmas.

Over the years, I have learned a lot about this disease and myself. I volunteered for awhile with an organization called SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education). Most of the people involved were parents that had lost children to suicide. I learned that no matter how worthless a person suffering from depression feels, their family is never better off without them. The pain I saw in those parents’ eyes is something that I don’t think can ever go away. I’ve remembered this when I feel I’m burdening my family too much.

I’ve been through a lot of psychotherapy and I am a huge advocate of talk therapy to process feelings, learn coping tools, and to help disperse that deep feeling of being alone. For someone with depression, telling them you understand and you love them is wonderful, but sometimes they still feel really alone way deep inside. At least I do. Sometimes.

And sometimes I wonder how the crushing sadness I feel can possibly be masked by my outward personality. My psychiatrist explained to me many years ago that people with depression who are extremely intelligent express it in a different way. For us, we can talk about our disease in a very detached way, as if it is something we can control. We may talk normal and seem happy, even when we are hurting inside. I have to remind myself to be vulnerable and tell people when I’m depressed, because I’m too good at hiding it and I need emotional support.

One of the greatest gifts I’ve discovered to help my depression is Traditional Chinese Medicine. Because acupuncture releases serotonin (happy chemicals), it helps balance the chemical imbalance that causes depression. I also take herbs that not only reduce the side effects of the very strong combination of antidepressants that I’m on, but also help them work better. With regular acupuncture and herbs, my quality of life has gone up tremendously. I also believe that a person’s lifestyle affects their body and mind, so I do yoga and qigong exercises in the morning and meditation in the evening. I exercise regularly (kickboxing, yoga, and walking), eat mostly organic food that I cook from scratch, sleep 9 to 11 hours a night, and take supplements like fish oil and b vitamins that help balance brain chemicals. All of these things balance me and keep me from feeling overwhelmed, even when I’m struggling with my disease.

Most of the side effects from my medications can be controlled fairly well with herbs, but my weight is the one area where the antidepressants won’t allow me to be quite as successful as I would like to be. So I’ve learned to love myself as a plus-size woman and I’ve decided that I’m just as beautiful with a bigger body. Would I like to be thinner? Of course! But is it worth worrying about? No way! I’ve got much bigger struggles to worry about. So I continue to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and reduce my stress. And I’m happy with myself and my body.

The other day one of my sisters reminded me that although living with depression is hard, it also means that I feel everything more deeply and I experience joy in a way that nobody else does. She was right. I’ve seen that life can be hard, so I try to notice all the little tiny things that make me happy every single day and the result is that most of the time I’m extremely happy. I love gardening and will spend 10 hours outside planting, weeding, and mulching just because it brings me joy. I love cooking, so I do lots of canning and preserving as well as keeping a personal 500+ recipe cookbook of all my favorite recipes. And I express my joy with loud laughter, lots of enthusiasm, and a general awareness of life’s innumerable beautiful moments. Because I know that when things are dark and sad for me, I will have trouble remembering these things and I want to experience them as often as possible when I have the chance.

I take responsibility for how I run my life and I don’t use my depression as an excuse. Because of that, I have 3 college degrees – my AS in Pre-Engineering, BS in Mechanical Engineering with Biomedical Emphasis, and MS in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. I am a licensed acupuncturist by the MN State Medical Board, am nationally board certified as an herbalist, and am a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders.  I own my home, am very close to my family and friends, help others when they need it, and have a strong faith. I am proud of how successful I am and I know that I am the one who brought myself here. Nobody did it for me. I am strong and independent and gifted.

With all of these accomplishments, I recently found a new inner power that I didn’t have until now. Although I will always rely on my family and friends for support, I am the one who gets through the tough times all on my own. I don’t need anyone to take care of me or save me. I live with severe depression and it makes me more compassionate so I can help others heal. I love myself and I’ve made my depression into a gift that helps me love people very deeply, live every single day with passion, and help others find their inner strength. I am whole and complete the way that I am.

Because I have received such an overwhelmingly response of support from people wanting to send money to my family in Nepal, I am going to do 100% matching of everything donated which means anything you donate will be doubled.  In a country where even $10 makes a difference, think about the huge impact you can make.  And my family gets 100% of the money because I wire it directly into their personal bank account.  If you’re thinking of helping someone in desperate need this holiday season, please consider sending money to this family with 4 children who are struggling to survive.  I consider every donation to be a gift to me as well, because their quality of life is something that is most important to me. I will be sending the money on Friday, December 17th. Thank you all so much for your generosity.