History of Acupuncture for Beauty

For many people, appearance and how they look effects how they feel about themselves.  Thousands of years ago in Chinese culture, it wasn’t considered a vanity to want to present your best face to the world. Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors have been treating skin complaints and signs of aging for centuries.

The goal of achieving immortality and slowing down the aging process contributed to most of the last 5,000 years of trial and error using not only acupuncture and herbs, but also nutrition, qi-gong and tai chi exercises, meditation, massage, and many other Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques. Acupuncture as a means of facial rejuvenation have been linked to the Ancient Chinese empress and the Emperor’s concubines in the Song Dynasty (960-1280 A.D.).

Benefits of Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture

Facial acupuncture, commonly known as cosmetic acupuncture, facial renewal, facial rejuvenation, and acupuncture facelift, treats the person as a whole with an emphasis on the face. Facial rejuvenation treatments are not only focused on a persons outer beauty, but also harmonizing ones inner health, strength, and vitality.  This goal of looking healthier on the outside goes hand in hand with feeling healthier inside.

As we get older, it becomes more difficult for qi to flow upwards to “lift” and hold the face. This leads to decreased muscle tone and therefore over time wrinkles and sagging skin start to show. There are many factors that we encounter on a day-to-day basis that contribute to this, such as:

- Poor diet
- Poor digestion
- Poor circulation
- Emotional stresses
- Environmental factors.

Facial rejuvenation through acupuncture works by increasing circulation of qi and blood of the face, which then stimulates collagen production. Benefits of Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture are:

- Increased production of collagen and elastin
- Improved facial muscle tone and tightened pores
- Improved lymph and blood circulation
- Decreased appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,
- Improved facial complexion, reduces acne and rosacea

Looking at Beauty in a Different Mirror

Beauty in Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn’t yield to an ideal that is unnatural or unhealthy. Traditional Chinese Medicine goals are to teach people to love their faces and bodies. Everyone has facial features that indicate our life’s gifts and challenges. An example is strong eyebrows indicate strong characteristics for both passion and anger. Anger in excess can have health consequences, but the passionate aspect gives strength for achieving goals. Someone with this trait must learn to redirect anger into passion.

Food Therapy for Nourishing Beauty

In Oriental Medicine food therapy plays a significant role on how our body functions, processes and heals. Sweet black rice, longan berries, and Chinese dates work together to enhance beauty and longevity by promoting smooth flow of qi and tonifying the blood.

                   Sweet Rice Congee (Nourishes Blood and Qi)
Ingredients: Sweet black rice, longan berries, Chinese dates, and fresh ginger

Directions: In a large saucepan, add 6 cups of water, black sweet rice, longan berries, dates and 2 tbsp of raw sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours, stirring constantly.  Chop ½ inch piece of fresh peeled ginger into thin slices and garnish over congee before serving. Makes four servings.

Asthma is a serious, life-threatening respiratory disease that affects over 20 million people. The rates of asthma have risen tremendously over the past twenty-five years. There are two types of asthma, allergic asthma and non-allergic asthma. Allergic asthma is due to the body’s immune response to airborne particles or allergens. This triggers the release enzymes that line the bronchi surface and therefore, causes bronco-spasms in the lung, inflammation of the bronchial lining and production of mucous. Spasms, inflammation, and mucous causes the a suffocating feeling that is commonly experienced with severe asthma attacks, all due to a reaction to an airborne irritant.  This type of asthma is mostly seen in early childhood, rise in asthma is predominant in the ages of 5-14. Non-allergic asthma is not triggered by allergens, but is brought on by exercise or infections and commonly occurs to individuals later in life.  Non-allergic asthma, on the other hand can triggered by airborne irritants causing inflammation and bronco-constriction, but the body’s immune response does not react the same way as allergic asthma.

Conventional treatment options are limited to steroid inhalers and bronchodilators. These medications are effective in relieving the symptoms of asthma, but the side effects of long-term use can be severe. Common side effects such as:

• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Nervousness and anxiety

Long-term usage can contribute to side effects such as:

• Decrease in bone density
• Easy bruising
• Lowered resistance to infections
• Changes in vision

Nutritional supplements and herbal formulas are beneficial and effective in treating chronic asthma without the side effects that conventional medications may have. One of the most popular alternative treatments for asthma is acupuncture. The World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health have both listed asthma as one of the 40 diseases for which acupuncture is beneficial.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine treatment aims to treat the root of the condition rather than just treating the symptoms. Acupuncture aims to treat asthma by:

• Strengthening the lungs and immune system
• Reducing inflammation of the lungs
• Opening the lungs and bronchial airways
• Clearing phlegm
• Decreasing overall stress

Herbal medicine and nutrition also play a key role in treating asthma. Change in diet may help alleviate symptoms of asthma and also prevent an attack. 
Eliminating these food items will reduce the production of phlegm that clog the airway:

• Greasy foods,
• White sugar and white bread
• Dairy products 

Simple food items such as these will help alleviate symptoms of asthma:

• Honey
• Tangerines
• Almonds
• Loquats
• Mustard greens
• Apricot kernels
• Carrots
• Pumpkins
• Winter melon. 

In treating asthma, the goal of acupuncture and herbal medicine is to correct the immune system imbalance and strengthen the lungs defensive mechanism. It’s time to let your body regain control of its natural healing capabilities and to stop poisoning your body with medication. For more information and to set up your consultation call (310) 540-8333.