Thanksgiving schedule:

The office will be closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Be sure to schedule your appointments for before and after the holiday break!

Have a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Chinese Herbs: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

In today's world of too-much-hurry and too-much-worry, peace and enduring happiness can be hard to find. In today's high tech environment, the pathway to health remains constant. One sure approach is to look to times past to seek the wisdom of the ancients. Timeless answers apply to today's modern problems. Ancient traditions applied in modern times can restore harmony to a life out of balance—and balance in life is synonymous with good health.

For thousands of years, the Chinese carefully observed and charted the interaction of herbs in the human condition. The Chinese developed a strategy and system of herb use that remains unsurpassed in the world today. Critical in understanding the basics of this complex system is the foundation upon which it rests: Chinese herbal medicine works by restoring natural balance in the body. Everyone has an innate ability to heal. The proper herbs release this divinely-appointed power to heal from within.

The Law of Yin and Yang describes balance. According to this theory, all things can be categorized in this system. Yin and Yang are opposites and yet complimentary traits. For example, view the following chart:

By analyzing the patient's life and health, the corrective treatment can be prescribed. And by careful examination of the patient, a pattern emerges. This pattern is descriptive of the patient's health status. Treatment by herbs or acupuncture is applied to that pattern.

     

As the pattern of health improves, so does the patient's health and well-being. 

It is paramount that the patient understand the focus of the treatment. In Chinese and Chiropractic medicine the focus is on health, not the offending disease. Here is a helpful analogy: Darkness, by definition, is the absence of light. Darkness is actually nothing; just the lack of something. 

Disease, like darkness, is a simple lack of something—specifically a lack of health. In and of itself, disease is really nothing. As a result, the treatment of health is very different from the treatment for disease. The herbs are designed to restore healthy balance. 

This perspective of health and disease is further demonstrated in the following chart:

Chinese herbs are used to restore maximum health. This process can be quick or it may take a long time. The duration, severity and seriousness of the condition, as well as the patient's ability to heal, are all critical factors in determining the outcome and length of care. Old habits often must be changed. Emotions must be harmonious, and lifestyle needs to be consistent with a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

Dr. Olson has been using Chinese herbs in his practice for over 20 years. He studied for twelve years with Master Guo, a sixth-generation Traditional Chinese Herbal practitioner. The use of Traditional Chinese Herbs is the greatest, most intricate system of natural medicines in the world. Many conditions are best remedied through a personalized herbal approach. The power in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine is that it changes the condition from a diseased state to one of health. Once the condition is changed, you will no longer need to take the herbs.

Guidelines: 

Normal doses for the herb is 3 pills/capsules, 3 times per day (a total of 9 pills of each type recommended). The herbs may be taken with meals. Plan to continue the recommended herbs until you are instructed to stop them. Discuss them at each visit. Normally herbs will show a positive effect within two weeks. 

There should be no side effects: If you experience side effects, stop taking the herbs and contact the Doctor. It doesn't mean the herbs are bad for you, they are just not right for your particular situation. Herbs, when properly applied, are safe. Many news stories have surfaced about dangers with herbs. The fact remains that herbs, properly acquired and utilized, are safe and very beneficial. 

For a wellness program to be complete, herbs should be considered. When harmony is reestablished in the body, harmony in life becomes attainable.

October schedule

Frequently Asked Questions about Acupuncture:

Q: What is acupuncture?

A: In this treatment, Dr. Olson strategically places extremely thin needles into specific points of your body. The stimulation of these miraculous pressure points will help your body to balance its vital life energy. After the needles are placed, you will comfortably relax in one of our soothing treatment rooms for 15 minutes of energetic rejuvenation.

     Acupuncture is an ancient form of healing originating in China. Its beginnings date back nearly 4,000 years. It began as a philosophy and expanded to become a healing art. The premise is based on the belief that there is a substance that causes all movement and stimulates all life in the universe. This substance they call ‘Qi.’ The best label in our language for this substance in non-religious terms would be ‘life force’ or ‘energy.’ Each and every living being on our planet has this energy in their body. It is channeled in pathways or meridians that run throughout the body. Each meridian connects to a different organ or controls a function in the body.

     If the Qi in the body is of proper quantity and moves freely in its designed pathways, health reigns supreme. When the Qi is out of balance or flows improperly we enter the phase where disease occurs. Disease is when we are not at ease with our environment, and our ability to adapt and react properly is limited. This is when we eventually get ill. Acupuncture is designed to correct imbalance in these meridians to prevent the development of disease as well as to treat problems that may occur in our life.

Q: How does acupuncture work?

A: Acupuncture works by manipulating the energy channels via points along these channels called ‘acupuncture points’ or ‘pressure points.’ Each point has a different effect on the energy in the body. Point selection and the method of working the point is determined. Properly applied needles, lasers, massage, or other forms of mechanical stimulation will ensure correction in the energetic imbalance. When the imbalance is corrected, health returns.

Q: What can acupuncture help?

A: Acupuncture has been used historically for a wide variety of conditions. In our practice, patients who suffered from the following conditions have been helped: multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, headaches of various origins, menstrual problems, infertility, digestive disorders, learning disabilities, joint injuries, arthritic conditions, sinus problems, allergies, frequent colds and flus, depression and many, many more. What acupuncture really treats is health. As your health fully returns, the body fulfills it's innate self-healing work, and symptoms will leave.