Ritual Acupuncture Clinic

What is our idea of home? With Thanksgiving coming up this week and since we’ve been challenged this year to stay indoors with social distancing and wildfires how might we broaden our idea of home? Can we heed a call inwards? Consider these two articles on Home and Resilience: Ted Talk by Pico Iyer "Where is Home?" https://www.ted.com/talks/pico_iyer_where_is_home?... NY Times article "What Makes Some People More Resilient Than Others" https://www.nytimes.com//resilience-relationships-trauma.h An excerpt from Pico Iyer's talk: The whole place was absolutely silent, but the silence wasn't an absence of noise. It was really a presence of a kind of energy or quickening. And at my feet was the great, still blue plate of the Pacific Ocean. All around me were 800 acres of wild dry brush. ... And I sat down, and I began to write, and write, and write, even though I'd gone there really to get away from my desk. And by the time I got up, four hours had passed. ... And it really seemed like my concerns of the previous day were vanishing. And the next day, when I woke up in the absence of telephones and TVs and laptops, the days seemed to stretch for a thousand hours. It was really all the freedom I know when I'm traveling, but it also profoundly felt like coming home. #homeisafeeling #thanksgiving2020

| at ritual we often refer to the 5 M’s which is just an easy way to remember the daily pillars of a healthy routine: Meals, Movement, Medicine, Meditation/Mindfulness, and Maintenance. Try this: for the next 5 days, incorporate one of the 5 M’s into your daily rituals. It doesn’t have to be a huge change. First, reflect on what works for you and your preferences. Habits are easiest to keep when they fit your lifestyle. What’s your favorite way to get some movement? Ev...eryone’s answer will be a little different. From Joel: For Movement, I’ve personally been working on getting outside and appreciating the fresh air (when we can have it!) and sun before the winter season. It can be tough to center our health needs, especially in these crazy times when you probably have way more on your mind. Perhaps you need a little motivation or support? Send us a DM or a text! #wellness #wellnesswednesdays

If you’re stressed and overwhelmed by the constant ride that is 2020, centering your self, even just for a couple minutes, can help. Acupressure and self-massage is a super accessible way to stimulate the natural healing power within our bodies. Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, you can easily perform this simple self care routine. Spirit Gate, which is translated from the Chinese Shenmen is a powerful point in the TCM Heart meridian. This acupuncture point is... excellent for calming anxiety, worry, panic attacks, and emotional distress. It also helps to clear mental fog, reduces stress-related symptoms such as heart palpitations, chest tightness, or insomnia, and calms the spirit. In these difficult times, we can all benefit from a bit of attention paid to this point. Spirit Gate is a balancing and regulatory point, so it has many uses, even for seemingly contradictory issues: If you are easily affected by others’ moods and emotions, this point can help you maintain balance. On the flip side, if you are feeling emotionally closed off and cold, this point can help you to open up. If you are rushing and overly busy, this point can help calm you and bring ease into your day. If you are feeling lethargic and having trouble concentrating, this point will help clear the fog. If you have high blood pressure OR low blood pressure, this point can help. How to use: Find the impression just below your palm on the pinky finger side of your left hand. Apply pressure to the point while breathing deeply into your belly for 2-3 minutes. You may pulse the pressure or rub in a circular motion. Give your attention fully to your heart during this time. Meditate. Repeat on your right wrist. You may notice that one wrist is more tender in that case, spend a bit more time on the sensitive side. Sources: Five Elements Acupuncture, Balance Charleston, Acupuncture-Points.org #acupressure #selfcaredaily

what is functional medicine? Functional Medicine is a labwork-based approach to holistic medical care focused on treating the root causes of disease. It is effective for a wide variety of conditions and concerns including: improving digestive health, auto- immune conditions, mental health and stress-related disorders, hormonal imbalances, and toxicity, to name a few. Western medicine attempts to make sure that a patient is within the spectrum of Normal, which is great and e...ffective, but a lot of times, Normal still means unwell fatigue, pain, or other symptoms still present. The holistic- and systems-minded Functional Medicine framework utilizes bloodwork, lab data, and a certified TCM practitioner working closely with primary care physicians, to get patients back into the Functional range, so they can enjoy high quality of life, rather than just good enough. At Ritual, we integrate a blend of Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnostics with functional lab testing. If you are looking for a more complex and broad view of your medical condition, or you want to achieve optimal health, then our unique approach of functional medicine + eastern medicine is for you! Our Functional Medicine appointments are by request only, and may be recommended by one of your skilled practitioners. It will require extensive testing, consultation, and follow-up visits. Functional Medicine's philosophy is often visualized in the form of a tree: roots of the tree are the causes (like stress, diet, trauma, poor sleep, etc.), and the branches are the disease and health issues. One condition, many causes, one cause, many conditions. Institute for Functional Medicine, ifm.org. See our stories for more visuals. #functionalmedicine #wholehealth

Thank you, Ruth. May there be many more like you. #rbg

Thanks @pivotacupuncture! We must honor the legacy of this incredible human being!

In 2014, California re-classified acupuncture under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as an essential health benefit one that must be covered by federally-subsidized plans. Instead of paying in full, patients now pay only a $30 co-pay for acupuncture treatment. This was a huge step forward in increasing the accessibility of integrative healthcare for marginalized communities, and widening the variety of effective treatment options available. #acupuncture #holistichealthcare

To find and maintain optimal health, we recommend focusing on these five M’s: 1) Meals 2) Movement 3) Mindset / Meditation / Mood ... 4) Medicine (integrative) 5) Maintenance See more

Ritual as refuge COVID has changed a lot of things. A couple of the little changes (that remind us of the bigger, more devastating ones): we can’t use our cozy waiting room right now. We have to wear masks and shields with our patients.... But the changes also remind us of what stays the same: we’re still a healing sanctuary, a place of comfort, a place for you to re-center yourself. A place to belong, be heard and be healed. As we move into fall, and the Yang energy of summer transitions to the Yin of fall slowing down, taking stock, and getting ready for winter we want to thank our patients for their trust in us, and acknowledge our community for its strength. we’re grateful to be here with you. Pictured: Joel & Novella in their masks, our waiting room pre-pandemic, other shots of the Ritual clinic and some patient treatments. #acupunctureclinic #refuge

Some important self-massage points for mental health: HUNDRED MEETINGS aka Governing Vessel 20 or Crown Chakra can help alleviate depression, anxiety and overthinking. It is excellent for memory and can also help treat headaches, dizziness, and insomnia. HOW TO FIND IT: This point is located directly on the tip of your head. Trace upwards from the tips of your ears until your fingers meet. HALL OF IMPRESSION or Yin Tang or Third Eye, is found halfway between your eyebrows. It... is a powerful point for calming anxiety, relieving tension, and promoting general emotional well-being. It can also provide relief from headaches, insomnia, mental fog, and nasal congestion. HOW TO FIND IT: Directly between your eyebrows. Using a finger, massage this point in a circular motion. SHOULDER WELL or Gallblabber 21 releases tension carried in the upper body, and can help lessen anger, migraines, or high blood pressure. HOW TO FIND IT: Deep in the shoulder muscles about halfway from the spine to the rotator cuff. Important: Do not use this point if you are pregnant. CHEST CENTER aka Conception Vessel or Heart Chakra this point is helpful if you tend to hold tension in your chest, or have palpitations, tightness, or breathing disruption. It can also help clear congestion in the chest and alleviate acid reflux. HOW TO FIND IT: Located in the center of the ribcage directly between the nipples. SPIRIT GATE aka Heart 7 is helpful for all emotional distress. If you have anxiety, insomnia, chest tightness or heart palpitations, this point is for you. Can also be beneficial to relieve shock or panic attacks. HOW TO FIND IT: Follow the line between your ring and pinkie finger down to the wrist crease. THREE YIN CROSSING aka Spleen 6 is an excellent point to help treat digestive issues, menstrual cramps, menopausal symptoms, exhaustion/fatigue, or chronic pain. This point is the intersection of three meridians, and it gets easily out of whack during times of stress. HOW TO FIND IT: the point is located about four finger widths above the highest peak of the ankle. Apply deep pressure slightly behind the tibia bone. GREAT SURGE aka Liver 3 is an important point for the relief of anger, irritability, stress, headaches and TMJ. Great for menstrual and digestive issues as well. HOW TO FIND IT: Liver 3 is located on the top of your foot about two finger widths above the webbing between your big toe and the next toe. For all points: Press firmly for about 1 minute, breathing deeply into your abdomen. Sources: Balance Charleston, Miridiatech, UCLA’s Explore Integrative Medicine. #mentalhealth #stressrelief

Movement is medicine. Moving your body regularly extends longevity, boosts immunity, slows cognitive decline, improves mental health, and reduces the risk of developing diseases like Parkinson’s and Type II Diabetes. Dr. Joel recommends qi gong, yoga, running, pilates, and tai chi but however you’re able, in whatever way feels good to you, move that body! #movementismedicine #holistichealth

2020 has been a YEAR....and we’re only seven months through it. This week we wanted to help with a few simple, low cost, and non-social ways you can lift your mood! <3 1. Ground yourself (literally). Grounding, or Earthing as some refer to it, is the simple act of standing, sitting or laying on the earth (dirt, grass, etc) barefoot. This connects us to a fountain of electrons that are released by earth’s magnetic field, which enter our body and neutralize free radicals. ...Studies have shown many benefits, including better sleep and reduced pain. 2. Buy a houseplant or four. Aside from their air-cleansing properties, plants provide many powerful benefits to the humans who dwell in their midst. Tending to plants has been proven to lower cortisol levels, improve mood, and even combat dementia. Not to mention they’re just nice to look at! Lately we have been addicted to @plantkween ‘s super helpful tips on keeping your green gurls healthy :) 3. Take a bath with epsom salt. A warm bath helps to relax muscle tension, and adding epsom salts helps to manage your body’s magnesium levels, which can promote healthy sleep and lift mood. 4. Journal. Write down your fears or negative thoughts. It can help to just get them out on paper and lift the weight from your shoulders. You can even go one step further and throw away or burn the paper after writing them down a body image study in Spain found that when teens wrote down their negative thoughts and then physically threw them away, the thoughts did not later impact them. 5. Take a nap. It’s simple, but so important! Sleep debt is a common cause of stress. Even just a quick 15 minutes of shuteye can help clear the mind and lift your spirits. We are loving the daily reminders from @thenapministry go lay down, you won’t regret it :) Sources: SagePub, PubMed.gov, US National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, Medical News Today

Ritual Babies turn 5 this year! These cuties are celebrating their 5th trip around the sun. Their mommas had a first IVF treatment, which unfortunately didn’t work, but their second go-round was successful with #fertilityacupuncture twice per week. IVF with acupuncture increases odds of pregnancy by 65%, and increases the odds of a live birth by 91%, compared with IVF on its own. (Source: a UK National Health Service study)... #fertilityjourney

ACUPRESSURE FOR MENTAL HEALTH Yin Tang, or the Hall of Impression, can be found halfway between your eyebrows. Also called the Third Eye, it is a powerful point for calming anxiety, relieving tension, and promoting general emotional well-being. It can also provide relief from headaches, insomnia, mental fog, and nasal congestion.... HOW TO FIND IT: The point is easy to locate it's right between your eyebrows. Using a finger, massage this point in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes. Breathe in deep, cleansing breaths. Sources: Balance Acupuncture Charleston, Best Health Acupuncture. #mentalhealth #stressrelief

This week we are honoring the deep history of acupuncture as a healing practice in the Black community. The Black Panther Party who have been vilified in mainstream history narratives did not only focus on copwatching to fight police brutality, as some would have you believe, but spent much of their energy maintaining community programs, like education and health care. The Panthers opened free community clinics in cities across the states. In fact, one of the first acup...uncture schools in the US, Harlem Institute of Acupuncture, was founded by the Black Panthers’ own Mutulu Shakur, Tupac’s stepfather. The Panthers and the Young Lords brought knowledge of acupuncture to help with addiction treatment in the South Bronx in the early 1970s. Sources: US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Al Jazeera Plus, New York Times, Gatehouse Treatment #acupuncture #blackpanthers #blacklivesmatter

Acupuncture for Pain An effective treatment for physical and emotional pain, acupuncture has been used for centuries to facilitate the body’s recovery from injury and stress. From sports injuries, to work and repetitive strain injuries, to surgery recovery, to help with opioid medication reduction, to relief from depression and anxiety the benefits of acupuncture for pain are at once holistic and targeted. Alleving pain and having an improved sense of physical and emotiona...l well-being is more than possible! We will help you get there. #acupunctureforpain #painmanagment

Introducing Novella: our pain-management healing guru! Novella Leimberg is a bright light at our clinic. She has been involved in the healing arts since 1995 and is a California Board licensed acupuncturist. Trained in a variety of healing traditions and techniques such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Western herbalism, Chumash herbalism, and Tuina, along with Taoism, Buddhism and Shamanism, she is highly educated by renown teachers. Her experiences previous to Ritual have ...brought her a great range and depth of experience in community work: from treating the HIV-positive community in LA, practicing at a pain clinic, and treating professional athletes in Oakland, she has honed her skills in chronic pain management. A couple notes from her patients: "Novella is not just an incredible health practitioner and acupuncturist, she is like the spirit healers of bygone time." "Novella is working with me now, and we have made huge strides in my healing process. Chronic pain, depression, fatigue, bladder/kidney weakness I have a long list, and all are being addressed." If you are looking for help with pain management, we can help. Get in touch! ritualacupuncture.com/book-appointment #acupunctureforpain #painmanagment