Author: Acupuncture NIrvana
Acupuncture Is Essential
With the increase in COVID cases and the variant being found in Saratoga Springs we understand that it can be scary to go anywhere. Acupuncture Nirvana is considered ESSENTIAL and will not be closing. Our goal is to treat pain, anxiety and addiction and to keep people out of the ER or having to visit their doctor. And we are here for all the usual issues, from infertility to indigestion.
We prescreen via a phone call 48 hours before an appointment, and 24 hours via email. When you enter for your appointment your temperature and O2 are taken and you are again asked COVID questions by the front desk. Then you are escorted to your private room for a treatment. Your practitioner is then notified by the front desk and meets you in your room. All bathroom facilities are cleaned after each and every patient. All treatment rooms have all linens changed and all surfaces disinfected between each and every patient, and an air purifier is in each room, reception and staff room to purify the air of viruses. At this point both providers have done the first covid vaccination. Everyone is masked during the treatment. So I think it’s safe to say we are at the level of a doctors office and if you need the help we provide, you can feel assured that it will be as safe as a doctors office. We want you to know we are here for you, and are taking every precaution to keep you safe. We understand that pain does not pause, and are here for you. 
Acupuncture Nirvana
Large Instestine 4 – the Headache Point!
Today we are talking about Large Intestine 4, also known as the “headache” point. Check out how to accurately locate it and give yourself a little acupressure!
Gua Sha for Pain
Back in the spring, I demonstrated how to use gua sha to alleviate a cough or shortness of breath and to improve lung health. This tool also has the ability to alleviate muscle tightness!
In this video here, I have a patient who came in with ankle pain and lateral lower leg pain. The source turned out to be a trigger point in the Peroneal Longus muscle. Trigger point therapy can be very intense for some people, so gua sha is an excellent tool to use to loosen muscles up for those that are sensitive.
Gua sha smooths the fascia that encases the muscle allowing the muscle to expand and relax more easily and it pushes lactic acid out providing pain relief in the area. Gua sha also breaks up blood stagnation in that muscle promoting better blood flow to the area.
If you are highly sensitive to needles or trigger point therapy – that’s okay! Gua sha can be a great tool for you as it’s effective, but more comfortable.
Alyx Soesman, Acupuncturist
Tools We Use at Nirvana: Cupping
Most people are familiar with cupping because they have seen circular marks on the bodies of athletes who are receiving cupping as therapy to help their bodies perform (and heal from) peak athletic performance. In Chinese Medical practice we typically use cupping to “clear stagnation”. And most often, this stagnation manifests as pain.
When qi and blood does not flow smoothly through the body, the result is pain. Cupping can help to break up and bring that stagnation to the surface, where it can more easily leave the body for good. The marks, or bruising, is a great sign of therapeutic release.
I also use cupping for lung issues. I have a patient with asthma, difficulty breathing, and a pattern that we call “Phlegm in the Lungs”. Cupping is a great assistant to acupuncture and herbs because it can pull that stagnation (this time in the form of stubborn phlegm), up from the depths of the inner body toward the surface where it can more easily be removed. After a few treatments I have had patients tell me that they can more easily breathe and that they feel less congestion in their chest/lungs; one patient was even able to begin running again, which they had to stop due to the pain it caused on their lungs. Thank you to www.nicolemantilla.com
Acupuncture Nirvana 