So many patients have been telling me they are sore from all the extra action lately.  All the hiking, biking, gatherings…er I mean housecleaning to get ready for the gatherings, and the yardening–a patient taught me this smooshed word because lets be real, gardening sounds like smelling the flowers and what we’re all doing right now is weeding, digging, pruning, and fixing the drip system.  The late spring and pre-summer vibes are fun but hello achy joints, sore muscles, and stiffness when you stand up!

So I’m going to continue letting you in on my top recommendations on having more fun–this time by keeping moving.  Because self care can be easy and fun!

My Top 5 Tips For Treating Aches and Pains and Keeping Moving

1. Heat or Alternating Hot and Cold

Chinese Medicine says for anything painful or achy use Heat Heat Heat!!!  This is because heat helps keep circulation moving and that fresh blood flushes out inflammation and brings in healing nutrients.  I grew up being told to use ice because heat would increase the inflammation.  But let’s be real, a little external ice isn’t going to stop the internal process of inflammation that is happening for the sake of healing.  Moving the circulation will allow the area to flush and the appropriate internal healing inflammation process will continue.

If you like ice (always listen to your body) or want to do a more aggressive treatment–use alternating hot and cold.  This expands and contracts and pumps out the area.  Use heat for longer (because it takes longer for things to relax), and ice for shorter (because the body is quick to contract).  As an easy way to remember it I say: 3 Minutes HOT, 30 Seconds COLD, at least 3 Times, so you can end on cold or hot depending on what feels good to you.  This works particularly well on hands and feet which can struggle with circulation, or you can do it on your neck, low back, elbow, knee, wrist, you get it.

So if you overdid it, pull out that heating pad, microwavable hot pack, or a bowl of hot water and apply it to the effected area for 20 minutes.  And if you like ice or feel like you need a more aggressive treatment, pull out the hot pack AND an ice pack or a bowl of icy water and alternate applying it to the effected area.  I’ve had patients hit a plateau in resolving something painful and start using alternating hot and hold and it gets that final 10% to resolve.  They often comment, why didn’t I do this earlier?  You don’t have to wait until you’re stuck.  You can do it at the start of something painful or stiff.

2. Evil Bone Water

We have a couple amazing topicals but the best one to have around for Spring and Summer is Evil Bone Water.  It’s an herbal liniment (liquid) that is great for anything achy, sore, and painful.  It’s especially great for bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments.  It’s literal translation from Zheng Gu Shui is Rectify Your Evil Bones–in other words it’s so good it will even heal your broken bones.  It has strong menthol for quick relief as well as potent herbs to support healing for the long term.

The reason why it’s my top pick for Spring and Summer is because it’s also amazing for skin issues that are common this time of year like sunburns, bug bites, rashes, fungal itching, cuts and scrapes (it will sting but it will stop bleeding and heal faster).  It’s also a great bug repellent.

We have large and small bottles that you can pick up next time you are in to have in your medicine cabinet or purse.  For aches and pains it’s best to spray it into your hand and then rub it in–the rubbing is important to start the blood moving.

3. Magnesium

Magnesium is the relaxation mineral that treats anything tight–your muscles, mind, digestion.  If it’s tight, bound up, or stuck, magnesium can help sooth, ease tension, and restore function.  It’s hard to get enough magnesium from our modern diet.  It should be in our soils and then in our veggies, but even the organic veggies come from soils that are lacking minerals.  Because it’s so helpful for so many things and it’s hard to get in your diet, it’s one of the few supplements I recommend to most everyone.

If your muscles are feeling stiff and sore or they seized up, take 300-600mg of magnesium spread out throughout the day.  It will help the muscles relax and function better.  And you’ll sleep better which is prime time for the body to do repairs.

We recently started carrying magnesium in the clinic to make it easy for patients.  We have 2 kinds because magnesium at a large dose can be a laxative.  So we have one that is easy on the digestion for those that don’t want to loosen the bowels–Magnesium Glycinate.  And one that’s good for those that want help moving the bowels–Tri Magnesium with Citrate, Oxide, and Malate.

4. Electrolytes

So many people are running around dehydrated.  It’s partially because we don’t drink enough water, but it’s also because our water doesn’t have minerals in it and without those we’re not holding onto the water we are drinking.  A good electrolyte will have magnesium in it as well as essential minerals for keeping you hydrated and helping your muscles function better.

Especially as it heats up it’s good to drink electrolytes before, during, and after you exercise or work around the house.  If you’ve overdone it, pull out the electrolytes and keep drinking some throughout the day to help with your recovery.  You’ll feel your muscles start working better and your energy will perk up too.  

I like to drink electrolytes without flavor because I don’t want extra sugar and I’m one of those people that can taste the non-sugar sweeteners–blech!  I drink Boulder Salt every day because it’s lower sodium and easy to drink.  If I’m going to exercise and sweat I’ll drink unflavored LMNT because it it has more sodium to replenish you after sweating.  LMNT has some flavored varieties if you like that.  I sometimes squeeze some citrus in my unflavored electrolytes.

I’ve converted many of my friends to regular electrolyte drinkers by bringing them to set out at the end of the drink station when we gather.  They all noticed they really felt better drinking electrolytes.

5. More Protein & Less Sugar

When our body wants sugar it’s sending a message that it needs energy.  The body is smart and it’s not a bad message, but sugar isn’t the best way to satisfy it because it’s just a quick hit.  Protein is the long term source of energy and it has the building blocks for muscles and soft tissues for repair and function. 

The key to eating more protein and less sugar is to plan to have protein around so when you’re on the trail, just got home from the pool or the river, or you’re feeling run down you can eat that more easily than a cookie, pastry, candy, ice cream, etc.  Those things are a fun treat, but not great to support recovering from extra action summer fun because they don’t have that many nutrients and sugar increases inflammation.

If you have muscle aches, spasms, or injuries double up on your protein for a few days and I bet you’ll start to feel the difference.

Here’s what I keep around: nuts, nut butter, cheese, sliced meats, plain yogurt, cooked bacon, hummus, good quality protein powder, you get the picture.  You can stock up on what works for your preferences if dairy doesn’t agree with you or you don’t eat meat.

Staying Healthy and Keeping Moving Is Fun!Some of these tips you can start right now depending on what you have around the house.  If you want to pick up some Evil Bone Water or Magnesium and you don’t have an appointment reach out ahead of time so we can set up a pickup time when we’re not at lunch etc.

If you have questions about how to incorporate these strategies into your life so you can keep moving with less pain, recovery time, or injuries we can talk about it your next appointment.

And if you overdue it, aggravate an old injury, or strain something new, come on in and we can treat you to get you moving and having fun!  Schedule an appointment through our online booking system or get in touch via phone or email.  I specialized in a style of acupuncture that is renowned for helping people feel better fast and we’ll create a simple plan to keep you feeling good and moving all summer long.  Because feeling health is Fun!

Price Update For July 1

In case you haven’t seen it through our newsletter, socials, or in the office…
In order to continue providing the best care possible, starting July 1 our prices will be:

Follow up Acupuncture Treatment (time of service/non-insurance rate):

• $120 Per Treatment

-OR-

• Packages that work out to be $100 per treatment:
  • $600 for 6 Treatments (Buy 5, get 1 Free)
  • $1200 for 12 Treatments (Buy 10, get 2 Free)

Packages never expire so you can buy one before July 1.  Let us know next time you are in or reach out by email or phone and we’ll be glad to help you.

No Change To the Missed Appointment Fee: $75 for cancelling less than 24 hour before a follow up appointment or less than 48 hours before an initial appointment.  We do not charge the missed appointment fee if you are sick/contagious, but we appreciate an early heads up.

We appreciate your commitment to your health and wellbeing and we’re honored to share the journey with you.  Thank you for being the best patients around

What We’re Treating In The Clinic

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• SIBO
• Diverticulitis
• Gallbladder Imbalances
• Food sensitivities
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Dysbiosis
• Hemorrhoids
• Stress related gut problems

If you want help getting your gut back on track make an appointment through our online booking system or get in touch via phone or email because I’d love to celebrate good digestion with you!