Mission . Acupuncture . Cranial Sacral. Visceral Manipulation
Acupressure . Herbal Recommendations . Moxibustion . Cupping
Yoga Therapy . Integrative Movement Therapy . Treatable Conditions
Alterenative Health Care & Wellness Mission
- To utilize the knowledge I hold, and apply the skills and wisdom I have acquired, to best assist my clients along their individualized paths to health, wellness and self-discovery.
- To direct my full attention and intention towards resolving my client’s deepest concerns and health issues, without judgment of personal circumstances.
- To facilitate reconnection of body, heart and mind with the ground substance of all being, the place where all health and wellness reside.
- To understand life as a process and a continuum of lessons along the way.
- To not look upon illness as the enemy, nor see any client as broken or un-whole.
- To hold all who come to me within a broader vision of wholeness and perfection.
- To carefully listen to every health concern or issue that a client may present with, and not assume to know more than they do about their body and intuition.
- To work together with clients in a healing relationship in which I am fully involved.
- To educate, inform and present clients with choices that empower participation in their unique healing journey.
- To research to the fullest extent of my capabilities the many avenues of treatment available, so as to not only resolve a symptom, but also the underlying root cause of any current imbalance.
- To remain open to learning from clients and keep current on the latest advances in the practice of herbal medicine and manual therapies in use.
This practice supports organic and sustainable products whenever they are available and opposes the use of endangered species, which are sometimes used in Chinese medicinal prescriptions. Medicinal animal products, made from un-endangered species, are considered only when deemed necessary.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a primary system of health care that has flourished in China for well over 2,500 years and is used widely throughout Asia and in Europe today. The first Acupuncture training programs in the United States began in the early 1970”s. It is considered to be one of the newest and most promising health care modalities in this country today.
More than just the practice of inserting tiny, thread-like needles along meridian lines of the body, acupuncture is also a complex system of diagnosis that takes into consideration the person as a whole. This wholistic viewpoint allows the practitioner to discern a present- time pattern of disharmony that is unique to that person, rather than just seeing them as a set of isolated symptoms.
The medical goals of acupuncture are to strengthen and balance the physical body, prevent disease, transform the symptoms and pain of disease, improve circulation and increase longevity. Therefore, the aim of acupuncture is not limited to eliminating or relieving symptoms, but to actually improving overall organ and immune functions that offer the client more ease of movement and ultimately a better quality of life.
Finding Qi (chee) in the Pulses
As a means of diagnosis, ancients developed a system of determining the quality and mobility of Qi, or life energy in each person, by palpation of the 9 pulses on each wrist, which is still used today. By observing the qualities of each pulse, practitioners ascertain which channels of life energy are weak or overly strong and treat accordingly. This information may also be used to monitor the effects of the treatment.
To correct the imbalances in specified channels, very fine needles are gently inserted into specific points along the meridians. Stimulation at these points facilitates movement of Qi, or life energy. When this energy flows freely, pain is relieved and health is maintained.
Cranial Sacral Therapy
"The river taught us how to listen with a silent heart, with a waiting open soul."
Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse
Cranial Sacral Therapy is a gentle method of detection and correction, which enhances the function of every system in the body through balancing the subtle, yet palpable tides and rhythms of the craniosacral system. This approach can facilitate the release of deep-held tension within the connective tissues and other structures that hold and transport fluids and surround the bones and organs.
Using gentle touch and methods of detection and correction, Craniosacral Therapy (CST) practitioners listen to the body's subtle fluid impulses and rhythms. Fluids within the tissues, such as the cerebrospinal fluid, hold patterns of congestion or inertia brought about by injury, toxicity, trauma, shock or stress. These patterns prevent freedom of movement in our fluid body and the tissues subsequently become stagnant. Once a pattern of restriction is identified it can be followed and released to further allow the natural healing process of self-correction through the body's own physiology.
CST was discovered over 100 years ago by Dr. William Sutherland, who had insight as well as experience of articulating movement within the cranial bones and its intimate connection to interrelated tissues and fluids at the body’s core.
The therapeutic goal of this modality is remarkably similar to that of Traditional medicine and its concept of Qi, described as a subtle energy which circulates throughout the body along pathways called meridians. Accordingly, when there is blockage in these pathways, then there is pain and disease.
Similar to acupressure, the craniosacral rhythm can be contacted at traditional acupuncture points and used to release and unwind meridians diagnosed by traditional medical diagnosis as imbalanced.
(PICTURE OF THE CRANIAL SACRAL SYSTEM)
“Worms will not eat living wood where the vital sap is flowing; rust will not hinder the opening of a gate when the hinges are used each day. Movement gives health and life. Stagnation brings disease and death.” - Proverb in Traditional Chinese Medicine
CST effectively complements your body’s natural healing process and has been known to help alleviate a wide variety of problems including:
- Central Nervous System Disorders
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- TMJ
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches/Migraines
- Anxiety/Nervousness
- Insomnia
- High Blood Pressure
Visceral Manipulation
Visceral Manipulation is a gentle hands-on therapy that works through the body’s visceral system (the heart, liver, lungs, pericardium, kidneys, spleen, intestines and other internal organs.) This modality is used to locate abnormal tone, adhesions or displacement and alleviate abnormal points of tension throughout the body, to facilitate and re-establish the flow of healing Qi.
Acupressure
Acupressure is a form of bodywork similar to acupuncture, with the aim of stimulating specific points along the energy lines of the body to establish overall health and vitality by balancing Qi (energy) flow. Unlike acupuncture, however, a firm yet gentle pressure to specific points is used, rather than needling, yet produces similar therapeutic results.
This method of touch is used to reduce tension, increase circulation and enable the body to relax deeply, which allows for a deep unwinding of the energy system at the core of one’s being. Thus, by relieving stress, acupressure therapy strengthens resistance to disease and promotes wellness.
Individual clients are instructed in the use of self-acupressure techniques for their personal use, outside of and between regular treatment sessions, in order to continue the effects of the acupuncture and manual therapy treatments.
Which conditions respond best to Acupressure?
* Pain relief
* Relaxation of Body and Mind
* Stress and tension relief
* Increased blood circulation
* Increased energy levels
* Aids with digestion and toxin removal
* Improved internal organ function
* Relief from bad habits and addictions
* Greater sense of overall well-being
Herbal Recommendations
Herbal medicine is, by itself, a powerful method of healing. Western drugs are usually used to control symptoms but do not alter the disease process. For example: antibiotics kill bacteria, but do not improve a person's resistance to infection; diuretics drain excess fluid from the body, but do not improve the kidney function. Chinese herbs can rid the body of disease like Western pharmaceuticals, but they also nourish and balance the body in very specific ways, thereby improving organ function and building up a person's basic constitution and immune system.
Chinese herbs are traditionally given as a very strong brew, or decoction. Although, more often than not, the practitioner will prescribe herbal tablets, powders or tinctures, instead of the traditional raw herb formula. This is because a modern, busy life style does not usually allow for so lengthy a process as preparing and cooking herbs. Simply put, already prepared formulas are more convenient. However, raw herbs are usually more quickly effective, and therefore, available upon request.
Moxibustion
“Moxa” therapy, or “moxibustion” has been used for healing purposes throughout Asia for thousands of years. It is a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort (Artemisia Vulgaris), a small spongy herb, to facilitate healing.
The Chinese dry and render this species of mugwort into a cottony mass and then burn it directly on the skin. The consistency of this substance makes It ideally suited for this since it burns quickly at such a low temperature. Its volatile oils also help promote blood circulation and relax the underlying nerves,
Usually, three or more small rice grain-sized pieces are placed on the skin, which has been prepared with a special ointment for protection. It is then lit with an incense stick and allowed to burn down to 
the skin.
This technique powerfully stimulates the immune system and associated meridians or nervous system, depending upon the acupuncture points selected. It is specifically indicated for all conditions associated with coldness and deficiency and as such has a better effect than the use of needles.
A more common and alternative method to the direct burning on the skin is to roll the moxa into a cigar shape, then lighting one end it is passed over a specific point or area in a clockwise motion until it becomes hot. This is repeated several times and is effective in removing chronic cold spasms and pains, including pain from recent injuries.
Cupping
The history of cupping goes back to very ancient times when cups were made of bamboo, animal horns, porcelain, iron, brass or copper. They were used primarily for draining infected sores, bleeding, pulmonary TB and rheumatic pain. In modern times cupping functions include warming ,moving Qi and blood in areas of congestion (causes of pain).
Cupping is a simple and effective technique utilizing a cup or canister. Heat is introduced into the cup, as from a candle flame, and then inverted onto the skin surface. The skin then is drawn upward by suction forming a firm grip around the rim of the cup, causing a rush of blood into the area.
Cupping treats the following conditions:
* Headache/Dizziness
*
Cough/Asthma
*
Pain in Tendons/Bones
*
Abdominal Pain/Vomiting/Diarrhea/Indigestion
* Acute Sprains
* Common cold/Menstruation pain/Poison snake bite/Furuncles
* Arthritis and Rheumatism of Lower Back,/Shoulder/Leg
A Yoga Therapy Approach to Relaxation
- Asana – bring your whole awareness into the physical body. Experience the body in a total/global way, as if you could see and feel around the body for 360º.
- Pranayama – Once you have full awareness of the body, fill this form with breath and energy, allowing the breath to flow through every part of your being.
- Pratyahara – Use the breath as a vehicle to allow your awareness to become completely engaged in sensations as they expand throughout your being.
- Dharana – Allow yourself to be fully aware of the body, breath, and sensations while focusing your attention on a single point, such as the Ujjayi breath moving through the throat. Witness all of the experiences in the body, breath and mind.
- Dhyana – Allow body, breath, sensation and feeling to merge together into a synchronous flow. Allow all parts of your being to integrate as you hold the pose as an effortless meditation.
- Samadhi – As you release the pose and come back to Tadasana (standing pose), place the hands in prayer position and relax completely. Release any sense of an individual doing Yoga poses and relax in the space of infinite union.
Yoga Postures/Stretching
Janet has studied extensively with Continuum founder, Emilie Conrad and her associate Susan Harper. Continuum is the practice of using breath as a vehicle for our attention. Attention is one of our greatest tools for making contact with our self on a purely organismic level and how we relate within an ever expanding world of living organisms. The experience of ourselves as part of a greater whole, as only one organism in rhythmic relationship to trillions of other organisms, not only expands our personal sense of “I’, but also creates the potential for increased immunity.
Becoming aware of the way we are breathing, or rather being breathed, can affect the way we feel in more ways than one. It can be like taking a vacation from a life filled with demands and pressures. It can also deepen the experience of being in a body and in living fully moment by moment. Awareness is expanded and our perception of sensation becomes amplified to the point of actually being moved by the Qi or energy innately at work in our lives. Self-produced sounds and observing the resultant waves of movement in naturally held poses assists with de-programming the nervous system and to letting go of negatively held postures (un-posturing), or repetitive movements that lead to degeneration of joints, tendon and bones.
Conscious observation of our breathing patterns and sounding into areas of pain are sometimes invoked into a treatment, especially when our aim is to decrease the frequency of chronic pain and encourage pain-free movement.
Treatable Conditions
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Santa Cruz Licensed Acupuncturist & Herbalist, Certified Massage & Cranial Sacral Therapist, Qi Gong, Tai Chi
Mission . Acupuncture . Cranial Sacral. Visceral Manipulation
Acupressure . Herbal Recommendations . Moxibustion . Cupping
Yoga Therapy . Integrative Movement Therapy . Treatable Conditions
