When I am out and about in Atlanta, during the momentary lulls while running errands, people-watching becomes an inevitable activity. Through my training as a practitioner, however, I don’t see passers-by as just strangers with whom I happen to be sharing space at the moment. I scan them quickly, looking for signs that would indicate any health issues. Mind you, I am not staring at people. My teachers refer to it as a form of gazing, a type of indirect ‘looking’ that forms an awareness of the person being observed. It takes virtually no time to do this and to form a quick impression. I often find myself wondering how I could potentially help a particular person, and what I’d do for treatment if they showed up at my office. This isn’t effort for me anymore; it’s become a natural part of my daily existence and experience. So, if you ever see me somewhere in town, that quick glance that you got from me may actually have been a split-second assessment of your ki (energy), or your gait, or the underlying tone of your skin. If you are dealing with something in terms of your health, why don’t you consider acupuncture? It could make a real difference.

Kerri Winston, Ph.D., L.Ac., has a strong record of successfully treating many issues using acupuncture. If you would like to make an appointment with her or speak with her specifically about your case, please call Acupuncture Works at 404-949-0550 or write her at kerri@acuworks.net.

Most people have experienced headaches at one time or another, although occasionally I meet the patient who, upon routine questioning, says, “I have never had a headache in my life”. According to Harvard Medical School’s ‘Everyday Health: Understanding Headaches’ website, headaches can result when sensory nerves in the head are activated as local muscles, blood vessels and nerves temporarily stop functioning correctly (1). This is not in contrast to the way we think of headaches when we consider their causes and the solutions that acupuncture holds for stopping or curing them. From an East Asian medical perspective, headaches (along with dizziness, high blood pressure, and certain other health conditions, by the way) can occur when there is too much ki (energy) in the head and thus an imbalance in ki circulation in the rest of the body, where the ki can be put to productive use. Thus, one of the first goals in the treatment of headaches using acupuncture is to determine where the ki is overly concentrated and use the methods of acupuncture and moxibustion to redistribute it.  Certainly though, there are times when it is in order to seek the care of a qualified physician as the first course of action when experiencing certain symptoms, namely:

▪ a sudden, severe headache with or without neck stiffness 

▪ a persistent headache in someone who was headache-free 

▪ a headache with eye or ear pain

▪ a headache with fever

▪ a headache following a blow to the head

▪ a headache that interferes with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) 

▪ a persistent headache in a child, especially if occurring at night or upon waking in the morning 

▪ confusion or loss of consciousness (2). 

Additionally, Ikeda Masakazu sensei suggests seeking Western care if the entire head hurts, if it is the first time the person has ever had a headache with a severe quality, if there is vomiting with the headache, or for intractable headaches for which pain relievers offer no help whatsoever (3).  He finds acupuncture extremely useful for the type of headaches that occur at the temples and for the type of headaches that happen a couple of times per month; particularly those that occur in relation to the menstrual cycle in women of childbearing age (4).  Headaches can be treated effectively using acupuncture, both to stop a headache from coming on to full-fledged degree and also to help prevent future headaches by influencing the free flow of ki. For patients who come into the office with an existing headache, it is important to judge the value of the treatment by asking one simple question – “Is the pain gone, or at least substantially decreased, by the end of the session?” For me as a practitioner, the patient’s headache pain should be gone. I want to make sure that each patient who comes in with a headache leaves without one.  

(1-2). “Everyday Health:  Understanding Headaches.” http://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/headache/understanding/index.aspx

(3-4). Ikeda, Masakazu. ‘Acupuncture for Acute Conditions’. Lecture. Carrot Tower. Sangenjaya, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. July 6, 2008. 

Kerri Winston, Ph.D., L.Ac., has a strong record of successfully treating headaches many other issues using acupuncture. If you would like to make an appointment with her or speak with her specifically about your case, please call Acupuncture Works at 404-949-0550 or write her at kerri@acuworks.net.

As a health care practitioner who spends lots of time with patients one-on-one behind closed doors, I hear a lot of confessional statements from them about situations in their lives. A patient the other day said, “Acupuncture makes a person talk! It’s been a long time since I opened up or even thought about the topics I’m discussing with you.” Sometimes, I feel that I have heard it all, from admissions about affairs that they are considering having to what they really do for a living (high-priced call girl, etc.) to health conditions they have that they haven’t mentioned to their spouses yet. When placed in this role, it is my job both to listen without judgment and, in some cases, to make the suggestion the patient see a trained, licensed counselor or therapist for additional assistance. But most importantly, I have to assess how what they’ve just disclosed to me is affecting their health that day. Often, there’s something; some link that can be drawn between what we have discussed in hushed tones and the condition of their body. Our emotions show up all over our bodies and it serves us to know what to observe. I am honored to be able to act as a sounding board for them in that way. Sometimes people just want to be heard. Especially when they’ve sought acupuncture for some kind of a pain condition, these patients usually get better fast. 

Kerri Winston, Ph.D., L.Ac., has a strong record of successfully treating many issues using acupuncture. If you would like to make an appointment with her or speak with her specifically about your case, please call Acupuncture Works at 404-949-0550 or write her at kerri@acuworks.net.

 I have recently returned to Atlanta from visits to Japan for most of December 2007 and for about 12 days in July 2008. Both trips were wonderful. I went to learn from my teachers, and came back infinitely richer in many ways than before I left. My Japanese language skills seem to be both improving and getting rusty at the same time. I always know when I plan to return to Japan that I will be so glad I made the journey, and I am never disappointed.

Some of you who have been in for treatment or who know me personally have heard some of my stories about my adventures in Tokyo and Imabari, a small town on Shikoku Island where my senior teacher lives and practices. Life is so modern there in many ways but so different from living in the United States. In Tokyo particularly, people live very close together, in public and private. Here in Atlanta, and in the United States in general, people spread out and take up lots of personal space around our bodies and around our possessions. It can be startling to ride crowded trains, walk along packed sidewalks, and, when indoors, be very closely surrounded by four walls at all times. However, these conditions can be adapted to easily and then I start to wonder why I feel the need for so much space at home anyway. In Japan’s countryside areas, people take up more room but still, the life is physically compact by American standards. There is order everywhere, though. Passengers boarding trains wait patiently until every departing passenger steps off. On the escalators, standers stand to the left and walkers walk up on the right. I get riled up myself to see some oblivious Westerner standing on the escalators, blocking the way for others to get by! At traffic lights, pedestrians wait for the light to change before crossing. Of course there are exceptions, but the order I observed astounded me. It was as if everyone knew the rules for being in crowds and followed those rules to the letter. All the space we’re used to in the States must allow some of us to disregard such courtesies in order to get where we’re going or get our bearings; we’re just thinking about our own little paths, not about how orderly transportation could run for everybody if we just paid more attention to our surroundings and to efficiency. Societies become reflected by glimpses such as these. 

Kerri Winston, Ph.D., L.Ac., has a strong record of successfully treating many issues using acupuncture. She visits Japan for training on a regular basis. If you would like to make an appointment with her or speak with her specifically about your case, please call Acupuncture Works at 404-949-0550 or write her at kerri@acuworks.net.

A few definitions are in order before discussing an East Asian medical approach to sprains and strains. First of all, what are they, and what are the differences between them? A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament, the connective tissue between bones at joints (1). A strain is a stretched or torn tendon (tendons connect muscles to bones), or a stretched or torn muscle (2). Most of the time, these kinds of injuries are characterized by sudden activities that disrupt protective body mechanics; in a reactive attempt to correct the loss of balance or application of force, the person with either of the above types of injuries has usually had an accident that resulted in a stretch or tear of the relevant structure. The most affected areas are the ankles, knees, and wrists (3). In acupuncture practice, I see ankle sprains far more often than any other type of sprain or strain. Depending of the severity of symptoms, it is recommended that the injured party see a physician as soon as possible to rule out or confirm the possibility of broken bones, fractures, or other serious conditions. During all aspects of recovery, acupuncture and moxibustion can be helpful to reduce swelling and the need for medication. These techniques can also help to speed the healing process. Read the rest of this entry »