- AcuMed Wellness2805 Fruitville Rd, Suite 250
Sarasota, FL, 34237(941) 250-6911 
Latest Articles:
- • Strategies to Stay Calm and Joyful During the Season •
- • How to Stay Mentally Resilient in the Colder Months •
- • Three Delicious and Healthy Soup Recipes to Keep Warm This Winter •
Aging
Christmas Spices & Heart Health – AcuMed Health Minute
Only a few people know about the powerful health benefits of common Holiday Spices. When these spices are consumed on a regular basis they can significantly impact the health of the cardiovascular system or the blood vessels and the heart. This includes helping to rid the arteries of plaque build up; thus helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Cinnamon is one of the scents of Christmas. It has been a holiday favorite starting in Medieval times when it was used as a food preservative because of its antibacterial properties. It was also used as a medicinal in the Roman Empire to aid digestion. It has been used in Classical Chinese Medicine for at least 2000 years. It is used to treat cold & flus, painful obstructions, arthritis (in the upper body), edema, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Today it is also used to treat myocardial infarction, angina pectoralis, and cardiac insufficiency. Try sprinkling cinnamon on your coffee and tea. It also pairs well with squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. This will allow you to enjoy the analgesic, circulatory, diuretic, and natural antibiotic benefits of this delicious spice.
Cloves have been associated with the winter holidays since the late medieval era. It was tradition to pierce the skin of an orange with many cloves, creating a Pomander. People hung these around and wore them to prevent the transmission of disease. It was also believed that they brought health and wealth. This is a festive aromatic craft for the whole family.
Research has shown that cloves lower bad cholesterol while protecting good cholesterol. This lowers the risk of atherosclerosis, plaque deposits in vessels, and improves overall cardiovascular health. Cloves can also be used topically to stop toothaches.
It is easy to add more cloves into your diet with clove tea, and adding it to curries and chutneys. If you need some recipes to try with cloves added, send me an email or give me a call. I would love to share some holiday deliciousness.
Star anise arrived in Europe in the 1700s via the Silk Road. It was initially added to desserts, jams, and jellies. The Chinese use it as a tea and in preparing broth and other dishes. It has many wellness benefits, including treating hernia, scrotal prolapse, and low back pain. It is full of antioxidants, making it Heart-Healthy. It is easy to add star anise to your diet by making tea or adding a couple of stars to your soup or stew.
If you need recipes to incorporate these herbs into your diet, contact me. I can also provide nutritional counseling.
AcuMed is serving Sarasota, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key, and Lakewood Ranch
Grief & the Holidays – AcuMed Health Minute
“Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year . . .” Is a favorite song for many people around the holidays. However, it is not the “most wonderful time” for people in their first year of grief. It is a year filled with firsts that no one wants to celebrate. The first time you laugh again. The first time you watch your loved ones favorite movie or TV show without them. Then there are the first holidays. Yes, holidays is plural because each holiday brings its own grief triggers and responses.
As an acupuncturist, I understand that each season is linked with a natural element,
organ, and emotion. Right now, we are in late Autumn, and the element is Metal, the organ is the Lung, and the emotion is Grief.
Metal Governs organization, communication and protecting boundaries. It also
represents an opportunity to finish up projects and reap the “harvest” of all the hard
work done during the active seasons.
The Lung is associated with the act of “letting go.” It is susceptible to wind and cold.
Grief is the emotion that is directly tied to the Lung. Did you feel like you could not breathe in deep grief? This emotion embodies “letting go” and grieving changes around us. Grief often feels like a negative emotion; It cleanses us of behaviors, beliefs, and rituals that were vital to our lives with our loved ones that passed on.
Autumn is a healing time to make your journey through grief rather than letting it stay buried inside.
In the days leading up to the winter solstice the days become shorter and the weather cooler. We can strengthen ourselves to face the holiday cheer with warm, spiced teas, pungent vegetables, and soups with delicious herbs that calm the spirit and warm the soul. Ask me for a list of teas and herbs!
We begin to hunker down into routine and structure and begin to let go of the past months, and breathe in the new times to arrive. Square breathing can reset your autonomic nervous system, allowing the body to relax.
Planning ahead for parties, gatherings, and surprise visits is crucial to surviving the first holiday season without our loved ones. Declining an invitation is allowed, attending a party is allowed, and canceling at the last minute because a sudden moment of grief washes over you is allowed.
Something that can help with all of the questions is making a card to bring with you that fields the questions for you. These questions can feel intrusive as people ask:
How are you doing?
How did your loved one die?
How are the other family members?
Why are you still grieving?
Friends, acquaintances, and strangers ask these questions, which can make coping with gatherings and parties near impossible. Printing cards ahead of time that say the amount of information you wish to share can allow you to politely let people know your boundaries.
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine can help you find balance and tranquility during your journey through grief. There are modalities that are excellent to help harmonize emotions and dull the sharp pains of grief: Japanese Acupuncture, Five Element Acupuncture, and Korean Acupuncture (to name a few).
As both a widow and an Acupuncture Physician in the greater Sarasota Area, I want to help you walk the path from grief to joy. Make your appointment today. Now serving Sarasota, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key, and Lakewood Ranch.
Christmas Stress & Anxiety – AcuMed Health Minute
For many people the holidays are the best time of the year. The music, the decorations, the Christmas Cheer, the parties, family coming into town, gift buying and receiving, and getting together with friends are all part of our traditions. All of these things raise expectations, responsibility, and can cause stress and anxiety. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help you to relax and enjoy the magic of the holiday season.
There isn’t a single person on this planet who can say they’ve never experienced stress. So don’t fret! Acupuncture has been known to help reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety for those who use TCM as a treatment! Japanese Acupuncture and Five-Element Acupuncture are excellent techniques for balancing emotions. Ask me how. Call today for an appointment.
It’s time to put yourself first!
Make time to give yourself mental relaxation as well as physical relaxation. You can use prayer, meditation, quiet time, and other activities to achieve tranquility.
Allowing your body time to rest is crucial to your health! Balance is everything!
Learn more with Dr. Kitt, AP, DAOM. She serves Sarasota, Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key, Bradenton, and Lakewood Ranch.
5 Benefits of Glutathione Injections
Written by: Dr. Katrina “Kitt” A. Chojnicki-Hill, Acupuncture Physician
Glutathione injections are a powerful tool for physicians to use to support a patient’s wellness goals. It is a tripeptide and a potent antioxidant that has many health benefits, including anti-aging, weight management, lowering lipids, immune system booster, athletic stamina enhancer, and it detoxifies the liver. It also beautifies the skin, improves sleep quality, reduces inflammation, and supports emotional wellness.
It is important to note that depleted glutathione levels have been found in patients with neurodegeneration, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and bipolar disorder. One of the effects of the aging process is lowered levels of glutathione.
Glutathione is present throughout the cells in the body where it protects against oxidative stress. It also plays an important part in many of the physiological processes in the body. It regulates the immune system response and communication when fighting disease. It is part of a robust immune system. Meaning it helps to prevent you from getting sick!
It is possible to eat food to bolster glutathione levels with avocado, asparagus, and turmeric. Or eat foods rich in the precursors that the body uses to make glutathione such as lean meats, poultry, nuts, and seeds. Regular exercise can help stimulate the body to synthesize glutathione.
Be careful with the following glutathione killers: Lack of sleep and high-stress levels deplete the body of this antioxidant. There are also environmental toxins, alcohol use, smoking, and processed foods that will diminish the body’s ability to maintain healthy levels.
Glutathione supplementation is not for everyone. It is important to speak with a licensed and board-certified physician to see if glutathione should be added to your supplements.
Dr. Kitt is accepting new patients in the Sarasota area, including Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Lido Key, Downtown, Lakewood Ranch, St. Armands Key, and Myakka.
Glutathione, www.Drugs.com
Kennedy, L.; Sandhu, JK.; Harper, ME.; and Cuperlovic-Culf, M; Role of Glutathione in Cancer: From Mechanisms to Therapies. Biomolecules, 2020 Oct. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Dr. B. Subhadra, 15 Foods with the Highest Glutathione Levels for Health and Detoxification, https://biomprobiotics.com/
Acupuncture for Neuropathy
Written By: Dr. Katrina “Kitt” A. Chojnicki-Hill, Acupuncture Physician
Winter is a specifically challenging time of year for people who suffer from peripheral neuropathy. Walking on cold tile floors can make it nearly impossible to get the feet warm, resulting in horrendous agony from the feet. While peripheral neuropathy is a year-round problem, the cold of winter turns up the level of pain dial. If you suffer from peripheral neuropathy, you know the resulting pain and numbness can be almost unbearable. Are you ready to take charge of your pain, lower the tingling, burning, buzzing, and even walking on glass feelings? Acupuncture can help!
Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, has a different approach to wellness from the Western paradigm. Peripheral neuropathy is damaged nerves in the hands and or feet, or the peripheral nervous system. In TCM, the symptoms related to peripheral neuropathy can be associated with several diagnoses: Qi Stagnation, Blood Deficiency, Blood Stasis, and several Kidney Deficiency syndromes. The goal of an Acupuncture Physician is to restore the body to a harmonious state.
An example is a patient with neuropathy who is diagnosed with Qi Stagnation with Blood stasis in the lower legs with underlying blood deficiency; the treatment principle would be to Break Blood Stasis, Move Qi, Invigorate Blood, and Supplement Blood to relieve pain. The treatment could include Acupuncture, Injection therapy, BEMER therapy, Infrared light therapy, Fire Cupping, Massage, Auricular Therapy, Supplements, Nutrition therapy, and Herbal therapy. The Physician will discuss the various modalities with the patient and establish a treatment protocol.
Looking at the TCM treatment and translating it to Western “speak,” the treatment protocol restores circulation to nourish the various tissues to relieve pain. In particular to stimulate and restore the nerve endings.
Make an appointment with Dr. Kitt today to discuss your neuropathy challenges. She is located inside White Sand Therapeutic Massage & Facials and is conveniently located in Sarasota. She serves the Siesta Key, St Armands, Lido Key, and Longboat Key areas.