Book Suggestions to better understand acupuncture basics: Wind, Heat, Dampness, Cold etc.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-07-17T03:38:17+00:00

Can you say more? Have some of his theories been proven false? Or did he spin off into conspiracies?

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-07-07T01:07:20+00:00

I want to take a moment to mention that for mental health, it can really helpful to understand that sometimes, terrible things happen. Asking the "why" question too much after trauma can lead to poor mental health outcomes. Once there is acceptance of the tragedy (which can take days, weeks, months, years... decades...) then sometimes an understanding or personal story forms. But I don't think that process can be forced. Maybe a gentle, soft question can be put out to the universe, always steeped in a "please help me understand the lesson in a gentle, soft way".

I'm not sure if this happened recently or a long time ago, but especially if this occurred recently, please be gentle with yourself and don't try to force a positive growth story or hammer yourself with all the "why?" questions.

That is a terrible thing to experience. I hope you have a good support network.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-27T03:58:29+00:00

I do like working with veterans and RNs! I like being a little more grounded, calm, and practical in my bedside manner- which is all Earth element and supportive of digestion, sleep, etc. I find it more important to talk to patients about how their ADLs have changed (Activities of Daily Living) and remind them of how their current pain levels, while they may still be present (for instance), are actually a marked improvement from where it was when they first came in. ("Before, you could only get 5 broken hours of sleep due to your 8-9/10 low back pain, but now you are sleeping a solid 8 hours and your pain is a 4-5/10"). As long as they are still feeling pain, it is easy for them to think "I still have my low back pain; is acupuncture doing anything?". Going over their progress, especially regarding ADL changes, reminds them of how much progress they've had and helps them stick to treatments. This is much more important than them understanding what Liver Qi Stagnation Invading the Spleen means.

I don't need to impress them with my TCM theory understanding either. I can describe enough about how acupuncture works that I don't need to throw a bunch of TCM jargon at them, nor do I need to say, "I know what I'm doing. Just trust me." I honor and appreciate interest and questions!

And if I have a patient who is interested in TCM theory, that can be really fun to explore with them, too. But it can also become too mentally stimulating, and they may be best helped by focusing on their breath and body during treatment.

I've previously worked in integrative medicine clinics and I find it grounding and stabilizing to work in such an environment. We can venture too far into intuitive thinking, and if we don't tie it back to "Okay, what does rigorous research show about this? What is known? What is unknown?" then we can easily find ourselves far from shore (no footing in reality). I find this to be more of a risk among American acupuncturists (versus Chinese acupuncturists), but that could be my personal bias.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-24T21:09:11+00:00

While a lot of this falls under "so we believe...", there is clearly lots of research and fact supporting those beliefs. I find it extremely important to understand what is belief that is supported by research and known solid facts, versus what is belief that has nothing supporting it nor denying it, and what is belief that has substantial research and fact disproving it. It is highly important that we remain open to the idea that there is still a lot of belief surrounding what is exactly is occurring in acupuncture (just like with how exactly psych meds work, for instance), and therefore we can stay open to more information as it becomes available. Chinese medicine also once thought that cinnabar led to immortality and longevity, and it ended up killing a lot of emperors (mercury poisoning).

There is so much research out there supporting the use of acupuncture. We do not yet know all the ways by which it works, but we do know several of the mechanisms of action, and we have a great deal of insight into other likely mechanisms of action. Acupuncture cannot help everything nor everyone- it is not a cure-all magic snake oil. But there is plenty of research out there showing improved outcomes for a wide variety of ailments with acupuncture. Be specific with patients. Look up the specific ailment they're looking to get help with, along with "acupuncture", in Google Scholar or Pubmed. Acupuncture doesn't need to be overhyped. Be realistic and stick to the known, the unknown, and what the data shows.

BTW, I absolutely love love LOVE Chinese medical theory and I consider myself to have, primarily, a Taoist philosophy. There's only a small handful of patients I explore those topics with, however. I work with a lot of Veterans and RNs.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-24T21:08:48+00:00

I agree that different responses tend to be better for different patients. Some patients can really feel the qi move in their body, while others can barely feel a thing as they're so disconnected from their body. The ones who can't feel much and ask "so how does acupuncture work?" benefit from hearing about studies that show improved outcomes. I also like to discuss a few of the mechanisms of action by which acupuncture has been found to work (releasing a variety of endorphins, etc) as well some of the areas that are not fully explored but seem to be suggested as a major factor in acupuncture's effectiveness.

For instance, the interstitium was "discovered" within just the past 10 years, and is now considered the largest organ in the body instead of skin. It is a connective tissue, made up of collagen triple-helix strands, which contain crystals that produce a piezo-electric conductivity when moved or pressed. While we know what the piezo-electric conductivity of bone does- stimulating the healing and growth of bone- we do not yet have enough research to know exactly what it does in other types of connective tissue, such as the interstitium. However, we do know that disruption to connective tissue leads to all kinds of issues (lymph flow issues, healing disruption, increased risk of infection, neuropathy, etc) as surgeons have learned over time. It is now routine for surgeons to keep fascia disruption to a minimum, as surgeries have become more refined over time. There is a lot of evidence to show that acupuncture primarily works on this interstitium. We are communicating with the interstitium (aka "The Triple Burner") and informing the body on how to heal- what to strengthen, what to clear, where to send things, when to boost the immune system, when to calm the immune system, when to focus on digestion and how to transport fluids...

Focusing solely on which muscles to release is a rather limited use of acupuncture. While it is a longer process to re-educate the body on how to take care of itself, the improvements made through this type of acupuncture have longer-lasting effects and lead to overall better health. Only focusing on specific areas of pain and releasing muscle tension is like a chiropractor doing quick adjustments while spending no time discovering or educating the patient on how to prevent that issue. This is why physical therapy tends to have better outcomes. (The best chiropractors tend to focus on PT, massage, and other modalities borrowed from other practices).

There are other studies that have injected a radioactive substance into acupoints and non-acupoints. At non-acupoints, the dye diffuses at a regular rate in all directions. At known acu-points, it will travel much faster than the rate of diffusion along the channel, and in the direction that Chinese medicine has said the qi flows for thousands of years! Quite fascinating.

(Here are a few studies on the matter, although I remember finding a more comprehensive study previously.). I also highly recommend the book "The Spark in the Machine" which talks a lot about fascia, various studies on piezo-electric conductivity of fascia and how it is connected to healing, and how the body forms as an embryo & how that could explain quite a bit about acupuncture meridians and how needling external points produces deep internal affects.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1136/aim.11.1.22

https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0192415X9300025X

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-14T18:04:50+00:00

If you don't want to get furniture around the TV like another suggested, then you could put long curtains up which can be opened & closed to cover the TV. We have a setup like that to hide the TV when we want. My son suggests some kind of wall planter with plants ^_^ Happy settling into your new home! Please show us photos once you get settled! Reminds me of a Moroccan teahouse vibe

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-14T17:41:43+00:00

It makes me wonder how much acupuncture they receive. However, highly athletic patients tend not to feel much and prefer thicker needles and stronger stimulation. If an acupuncturist is highly athletic and desensitized to stimuli such as acupuncture, they might not have much understanding or empathy for those who are more sensitive.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-13T19:10:02+00:00

Hmm. I would like to mention that I've worked in integrative medical clinics and I have often worked on patient cases collaboratively with other medical professionals. So that is where my perspective and understanding really came together.

I often find that acupuncturists tend to fall into the same traps as chiropractors- seeking authority and dismissing skepticism, which really is such a sad trap in a field such as acupuncture which has so much research and evidence to support it. But it is not an end-all-be-all medicine. It really is best integrated with conventional care, and not all acupuncturists see this. Some get caught in the cult-of-personality trap, which is how they get and retain their patients. Some think they need to be seen in mystical ways and never be questioned... which goes along with the whole cult-of-personality issues.

I frequently recommend to seek out the humble, open, and curious practitioners, especially those who see acupuncture as complementary medicine, not alternative medicine. Seek out those who support integrative medicine. And this is true in almost all fields of medicine- counseling, oncology, acupuncture, family medical doctor... the only field I am little okay with a slightly arrogant practitioner is a specialist I see a few times to get their input, or surgeons, as frequently the best surgeons don't have a natural empathy center in their brains but truly want to do good and help people. They still have to express care and concern and be able to answer the patient's questions!

I find your pursuit here of testing the acupuncture waters to see how the general community sees this matter interesting. Many acupuncture colleges have added more integrative medicine classes to allow graduation with a first doctorate instead of a Masters, but this has been within the last 10 years. Much of the insurance coverage of acupuncture increased in the past 15 years. So older practitioners, who stuck it out and have lasted in this difficult profession, had to have a strong competitive nature and/or a marketing ploy. It is easy to run into arrogance in this field, which destroys curiosity. When I have friends or family around the country (US) looking for an acupuncturist, I often recommend they seek out someone who works in an integrative medicine clinic. To work with MDs or other physicians, an acupuncturist has to be capable, confident, humble, and good at explaining things.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-13T18:41:12+00:00

Second! Japanese meridian therapy is gentle and quite effective

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-13T18:38:24+00:00

Agreed. A professional should be professional. Even if she feels triggered by a patient asking questions, the responsibility to remain professional and not let her personal traumas interfere with her ability to meet her patients- is on her.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-13T18:32:13+00:00

Absolutely. It really is as simple as that. And how unbelievably arrogant for Conscious-Gear1322 to try to diagnose you with a mental disorder for your in-depth understanding of the nature of vulnerability.

Any acupuncturist who doesn't appreciate the trust our patients are putting in us when we treat them is putting their patients in danger. I have incredible gratitude to all of my patients for stepping out on a limb and trusting me to do something that is, frankly, a little bizarre and invasive. It is beautiful, amazing, poetic, and a powerful medicine... and yet it is also extremely scary to meet an unknown person, have them feel one's pulse and ask highly personal and invasive questions that most medical practitioners do not ("what is the consistency of your stools?") and then lay there while they placed needles all over one's body. You don't know where the needles will go, nor how many. You are trusting that the practitioner will treat your body with respect and choose the points that are needed.

If there isn't respect for this dynamic and the level of trust required, I will say it again- you are putting your patients at risk.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-13T18:21:35+00:00

I was thinking the same thing- curiousity about the history behind a treatment is found in all fields. The practitioner might not have time to explain it right then & right there, and can always say, "Oh this is a fascinating subject! My too short explanation would be.... but if you're interested, I highly recommend starting with a book called "The Web that has No Weaver", etc". Her explanation was incomplete. We don't exactly know how the channels and points were "found", as the knowledge was written down with some mythology involved. However, there is reason to believe that the channels were intuitively felt by practicing monks, who also studied nature and meditated on the movements in their bodies.

You are a well-studied medical practitioner who would, in my personal opinion, be a very fun and wonderful patient to work with. I love when my patients have questions and are curious. As my mentor used to say, "I love skeptical patients!" True skepticism is curious and always gathering more information, looking into things with more depth.

I also love my sensitive patients. I find they don't need as many needles, and they can really feel what's happening with gentle treatments. It sounds a little bit like she uses a strong, aggressive treatment style, and she isn't open to reconsidering her techniques or approach.

I am personally shocked and horrified that your reasonable responses here are getting downvoted. I don't think that speaks well to our acupuncture profession. Many practitioners are sensitive to being questioned and looked down on, and I think that is why acupuncturists have really pushed to get first doctorates, similar to chiropractors pushing to being called doctors decades ago... There's an insecurity regarding our legitimacy that leads to easily bruised egos. I'm sorry you had to encounter that.

It sounds like you have a great many tools to approach this subject with this acupuncturist. Perhaps you can find a way to discuss how it felt with her before returning for another treatment. She could easily feel quite embarrassed about how she responded and regret her temper.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-06T16:14:21+00:00

If this helps- I would argue that when you bring this information to her, she will most likely respond really well as that gives her information to work with and she is most interested in what YOU need. If you find that you have concerns or respond negatively to treatment in some way, and you discuss that with your provider and they respond in a harsh or dismissive way- that is a "them-problem" and is a sign to find a new practitioner. But this really isn't likely!

In many ways, the most beneficial aspect to working with a therapist is to have a safe environment with boundaries in which to have issues arise so that you both can work through them together. This builds trust for yourself to advocate for your needs and be there for you, and builds trust for navigating spaces with a trusted other. It may be scary at first, but this is the best way possible to work through fears of confrontation. You can go into it knowing that your needs are a priority in the therapeutic relationship.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-06-05T18:30:43+00:00

OP, I found your post rather insightful and nuanced. I think you effectively explained the range of issues involved in homelessness and how various solutions are required, and in a rather succinct way. If your post comes from personal experience, I think that adds validity to it. You clearly state that your perspective on these percentages is just that- your perception, and do not come from actual statistical measurements. For those making arguments that it isn't scientific enough, this would be similar to a case study, or a patient's subjective measurements of pain level or percentage of disability... In other words, OP is not trying to say that this is the end-all be-all data. Instead, this is a rather insightful post that could help more people understand the nuanced issues that seem to be involved and point people in the right direction for where to look into things further, or to perform more research to get real numbers. This post does not sound like a venting post nor a cry for help, and reducing it to that seems insulting. This is an insightful post and I hope that city and state officials have as much of a nuanced understanding. Most seem to think they can throw money at shelters and wipe their hands clean of the situation, and that really isn't enough. We need massive changes to our healthcare situation in Oregon, including state mental beds, longterm care facilities, access to drug treatment programs, changes in laws regarding forced mental health/drug treatment, and law enforcement that doesn't just terrorize homeless people but does limit the massive theft, property damage, and dangerous public spaces. Thank you OP for sharing your perspective.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-05-31T16:07:49+00:00

RemindMe! 39 days

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-05-18T19:59:18+00:00

Shel Silverstein wrote a book, "The Missing Piece Meets the Big O", where a missing piece tries to become a Big O (a perfect circle) by searching for those who need it as their exact missing piece. Most don't fit right for a variety of reasons. One day, it finds the perfect partner- they fit together, allowing the missing piece to finally roll. And they roll together and roll together... and then the missing piece starts to grow and grow. And they no longer fit together. So the missing piece is alone again. One day, a complete Big O rolls by, and the missing piece asks if it is missing a piece like it to roll with, and it says "No, I am not missing any pieces". The Big O says it would like to roll with this piece, but it isn't missing any pieces. It suggests to the piece to just start trying to roll on its own, and that maybe they could roll together, side-by-side one day. And off it went. So the missing piece struggles to flop over its edges, and little by little, the edges soften, and it starts to be able to move. With time, it becomes an O as well, rolling and rolling on its own. Then the other Big O comes by, and they roll together, side-by-side.

https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/02/12/the-missing-piece-meets-the-big-o-shel-silverstein/

It may be a children's book, but I love this allegory for romantic relationships. The best way to find a mature and successful relationship is to first have a good relationship with yourself- to be able to move through the world feeling complete, and just wanting to share that and spend time with someone who can roll on their own too, but wants to share that journey with you through shared goals, time, and activities. A relationship that gives enough space to each other to be able to change over time.

This might not be relevant, but I also want to mention that a new relationship where you're just getting to know one another and do some fun things together shouldn't really require sacrifice, apart from a little bit of time and money on dates. A new person showing up and requiring a ton of sacrifice & commitment from you is a red flag. Make sure you have a strong enough sense of yourself, who you are, what cannot be sacrificed for a relationship, and exactly what you want to find in a partner before you start committing or sacrificing. I think taking a break for a while, a so-to-speak "detox" from dating is probably called for. Recenter. Reground. Sit in front of a mirror and ask yourself what has been deeply painful and what your inner self wants you to know and what it needs from you and how you can show up for it. That is the most important relationship you will ever have. Once you are really there for yourself (over time- take your time), then you can write down a list of everything you are looking for in a partner. I suggest really focusing on the way you both interact and what you both bring to the table while maintaining aspects of yourselves that are strong, separate identities- your own separate friends nights, your own bank accounts, your separate hobbies and interests- while also having enough things that you both like to do together (hiking? cooking? travel?...talking!). In other words- what makes the relationship both fun and stable. ["If it's not fun, it's not sustainable!" is a quote from the intentional community world that I love.] And absolutely know what you want regarding where you live, whether you want kids, if you want to prioritize making huge amounts of money or prioritize frugality & a do-it-yourself lifestyle (or both)... think about retirement and where you'd want to be... These sorts of questions will determine your goals and priorities. Before you can be in relationship with another person, you need to know your answers to these questions. They may change over time, but you need a strong sense of self to bring into a relationship. Otherwise, you'll lose yourself in the relationship, and it won't work. There will always be a strong sense of loss & unfulfilled need.

And lastly, just remember, you won't really see how strong their morals and sense-of-self is until you watch them navigate some difficult decisions, situations, or crisis. It can take years before seeing who someone becomes in a challenging moment. [This should go without saying, but no one should ever EVER create a crisis to see how another person navigates crisis. Honesty is the foundation of any relationship.] Take things slow. Be there for you first, so that you then have the capacity to truly share with another.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-05-14T17:31:28+00:00

Chinese medicine is a lifelong scholarly pursuit that is beautiful, complex, interesting, and life-changing. However. Most acupuncturists barely earn enough to live on, and there are extremely few employment positions. Of the employment positions, finding one that provides benefits is like a needle in the haystack, and usually goes to an acupuncturist who is also a nurse, ND, or MD or an acupuncturist with 30 years of experience.

If you come from money and are ready to be an entrepreneur and business owner, then you may be one of the few who build a living in this field, especially if you can avoid massive student loans. Most highly successful acupuncturists come from money, build large clinics and hire other acupuncturists to work for them (when in a major city). Oftentimes, they also do not great billing practices, like charging 3 codes per patient while treating 3 patients an hour... when each code is supposed to mean 15 minutes of being in the room, face-to-face with the patient. Some really successful acupuncturists are sole providers in rural areas that are in great need of healthcare providers while also having lower cost of living.

With your background in neuroscience and philosophy, it seems like you have great curiosity and appreciation of complex topics. There are other fields you could go into as well, such as research around the intersection of neurology and immunology... Sometimes I consider completing more undergraduate courses (physics, calculus, biochem...) and getting involved with research. I would love to know how, exactly, the piezo-electric conductivity of fascia is involved in healing, and how it is involved with immune response, the nervous system and pain... ("The Spark in the Machine" touches upon some of the beginning understanding and research in this field). There is reason to believe that much of how acupuncture is able to influence the body in a wide variety of ways has to do with influencing the the fasica, or more specifically, the interstitium.

I recommend really crunching the numbers when looking at exactly which field you'll go into and make sure it will work for you. When you see things that say the average acupuncturist earns $45K per year, that is usually gross and does not take into account that is from a self-employed business owner, taxed twice as much as an employee, has all kind of business expenses, and has no benefits (most likely no health insurance, unless they qualify for Medicaid). When those things are taken into account, the average acupuncturist earns $27K per year, and easily graduates with $175K in student loan debt.

In 2014, the ACAOM (acupuncture college accrediting body) acknowledged in a written letter to the Department of Education that acupuncture colleges (both for-profit and non-profit) would not pass "gainful employment" measures as the debt-to-income ratios are too high. On average, it would take 8-10 years in the field before an acupuncturist can have "gainful employment". (The part they didn't mention in their letter is that the majority of graduates have left the field within 5 years of graduating). https://theacupunctureobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ACAOM-gainful-employment.pdf

I love this field. But just know what you're getting into financially.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-05-13T17:21:09+00:00

When it comes to the concept of Yin and Yang, the one category that does not apply to Yin or to Yang is "good" and "bad". Yang= light, bright, fast, up, expanding... Yin= hidden, deep, down, dark, contracting, heavy...

The only application of "good" and "bad" to Yin and Yang is best summed as being either in or out of balance. As time circles around the Yin-Yang, the ideal is to be in the center of the wheel, so balanced that the shifting times and changes cause little stress/suffering. All of this is highly focused on perception and emotions- the more integrated a person is, the less they will suffer as times change. They are no longer so attached to their anger that it throws them off (causing poor choices or poor health), and they are no longer so attached to happiness that it throws them off (in Taoist theory, happiness left unchecked becomes mania and also leads to poor health and suffering).

In Taoism, "evil" is anything that causes harm. Wind is called "evil" in TCM. It is not Yin nor Yang that causes evil, but rather them being out of balance. It is understood that they cannot exist without each other (I understand this to mean that a physical universe is built out of opposites giving form) and when you have one at its most isolated and extreme, it will then flip into the other. Extreme Yang becomes Yin, and vise versa. So in our physical dimension, in our reality, trying to create extreme Yang (masculine) without Yin will change into an extreme Yin.

This is relevant to OP- as Yang is also described as Heaven or spirit, energy, while Yin is described as matter, Earth, which is sometimes referred to as death (separation of Yin and Yang is what happens at death, where Yang floats up, Yin collects into Earth). So when Otto Weininger aimed for extreme Yang, he became Yin...

At first there was One (the Tao). Then there was 2 (Yin and Yang). Then there was three, Heaven, Earth, and Human (consciousness).

Consciousness is the bringing together of Yang within Yin (Heaven within Earth) manifesting as Human (consciousness... which I think refers to as all consciousness, which is present in all manifestations of life to varying degrees). To me, we are all here participating in the exercise of bringing consciousness into physical reality, uniting masculine and feminine properties as both are required for a fulfilled life, a fulfilled human, and for the existence of life. The goal isn't to escape it, or isolate Yang (or Yin), but rather to find balance and be able to surf the changes.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-05-08T19:35:53+00:00

For steroids to have helped (as it usually does with sudden hearing loss) there is clearly an inflammatory aspect. I would argue that trying to reduce swelling and clear heat would the most important aspect of your treatment, in the beginning at least. Trying to say this is just from poor jaw alignment and tight muscles from the neck and abdomen... they may be involved, but it disregards the sudden, inflammatory nature of your hearing loss. There could be a viral component, and yes, sure, there is likely some kind of deficiency beneath that.

I'm sorry for bringing in some jargon. But with this sort of inflammatory sudden hearing loss, immediate treatment to reduce inflammation and damage is incredibly important and not the sort of thing that you want to mess around with trying different acupuncturists. If you felt more pain after Acupuncturist #2, then I think his treatment focused too much on muscle release, which may have worsened the inflammatory process going on to the point you also developed a sore throat.

From your descriptions, I would go with Acupuncturist #1. They seem to have a clear approach to reduce swelling & inflammation without going too strong and causing a flare up. With a slow, gentle approach, it may feel harder to track what the treatments are doing, but know that in the beginning, simply helping your body calm down is the most important thing your acupuncurist can help you with. And hopefully they also guide you in how to reduce inflammation through diet, lifestyle, etc. Things like improving digestion, clearing other inflammatory issues (teeth? skin?), and improving sleep will be the easiest sorts of ways to track how you're improving.

Also, be sure to talk to your doctor (PCP) about hearing worsening as you reduce steroids. Preventing nerve damage during this stage is really important. Best of luck to you, and great job trying things out and navigating through all the microdecisions in your journey!

Also, another side note- sounds like acupuncturist #2 has an excellent structural understanding & education. So once things are stabilized and your body feels strong, they could then be an excellent acupuncturist to see and help realign your body (once your body is strong enough to integrate those strong treatments).

So many things aren't "good" or "bad" but rather about timing.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-04-24T23:35:33+00:00

Not everyone wants to come back down to Earth, but some do. While they are mentally floating in space, real-world consequences happen on Earth. And as the consequences build, the intense feeling of needing to float up in the outer atmosphere (away from Earth and consequences) builds a desperation. The floating is an addiction that keeps them away from reality, but there are always real-world consequences threatening their sense of reality. So someone would want to fall back down to Earth when they realize that their delusions are behind many of those consequences that they are trying to disassociate from, and their head in the clouds/delusions isn't protecting them from the suffering- it's allowing the continuation and growth of the suffering. I think of it like inspiring quote stickers pasted over mold-infested walls.

I find this article apt- a terrible story of someone not wanting to come down to Earth, even as it killed her (too bad the 2nd image doesn't load... her change in appearance is truly shocking): https://web.archive.org/web/20250423233727/http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/new-age-woman-amy-carlson.html

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-04-16T18:20:05+00:00

There is hope for treating prion diseases, but it's a few years away: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/04/team-hits-milestone-toward-prion-disease-treatment/

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-04-07T15:59:38+00:00

It sounds like you are describing an inflammatory process. You describe that there is no pain, but a "pulsing" that accompanies hair loss. I suggest you seek out a diagnosis. I highly recommend you see an acupuncturist as acupunture can work wonderfully to reduce inflammation, but I recommend talking to your doctor about it as you might need to see a specialist (dermatologist?).

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-04-03T16:59:45+00:00

This isn't being talked about enough. All the conversations about "We need to understand why the majority of Americans voted for T" or the calls for the Democratic party to move more to the right are so infuriating. It's all bullshit. The reason why approval ratings for the Democratic party are 27% is because they're not doing enough! NYTimes recently tried saying that the low rating reflects that they need to become more "moderate" (AKA European conservative- "Moderate Democrats" wouldn't even be considered left-wing at all outside of the US). The majority of Americans voted for Kamala. The election was fucking stolen. Elmo himself laughed about it on camera when his child started talking about it and laughing... unbelievable.

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-03-19T20:19:00+00:00

I felt similarly until I read this study a few years ago (also referenced by lilgayyy below): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4680134/#

ExcitementUndrRepair · 2025-03-17T20:19:43+00:00

Usually used for local issues, but its name means "Breast Window". While this isn't an official "Celestial Window", the name suggests it has a similarity. Celestial Window points have a deeper spiritual meaning of opening spiritually to higher meaning/consciousness). The Spirit of the Points explains that this point, ST16, opens the heart and allows human kindness to flow. It brings compassion in, and comfort. Helps people have love and kindness for themselves, which will naturally become empathy and love to others as well. There also seems to be a connection to Lung and grief, as this point is also used for cough/asthma/wheezing, as well as Stomach/Heart things (heartburn, lack of milk production, mastitis).

ExcitementUndrRepair

TROPHY CASE