Would you like to be our photographer? Or one of our acupuncture models?

We’re working on a new website and would love to see you in pictures… So let’s host a clinic photo shoot!

We’re looking for a professional photographer to take photos of people receiving acupuncture and of the acupuncturists at work. We’ll use these photos to update our website, as well as our online and print marketing materials.

And we’re hoping some of you, our beloved acupuncture community, will want to come in for free acupuncture.  We plan to fill our schedule with a beautiful group of people like yourselves who’d be willing to be photographed while receiving acupuncture. When you come for the big shoot we’ll be asking you to sign a form stating that you will allow MetroWest Whole Health to use your photos for marketing purposes. It’ll be a special event and all appointments for the session will be exclusively for those being photographed!

If you are interested in being our photographer or joining in on the photoshoot as an acupuncture patient, please email NJ at and she’ll put you on the list. Or you can sign up at the front desk at your next visit

Depending on how many folks are interested we may not be able to include everyone who is interested, but we’ll take as many as possible. We’ll contact everyone in a couple weeks to schedule the big session. We want to be sure all of our chairs are full!

Stitch with Us!

March sessions

March 6th @ 7PM
March 20th @ 7PM

By now you’ve heard of community acupuncture. What about community knitting & crochet?  Think of the sewing bee gone 21st century…

Debbie Stoller is a yarn crafts expert and author of a series of sassy knitting and crochet books. She is the inspiration behind more than 1360! SnB groups around the country. (“SnB”? that’s stitch and bitch for the uninitiated.)  And ours is an official member of the SnB empire!

Here’s some nifty videos by Debbie Stoller for new knitters and anyone wanting to review the basics.

Whether you crochet or knit (or you want to learn!) you’re invited to join our group!

When
|  Every Other Wednesday
|  7-8:30PM

Where
|   MetroWest Whole Health

What to bring?
|  Your yarn projects

We’ll supply the tea and company!

Group Leader
Our very own Christine Hughes will lead the group. Christine is a prodigious knitter and excited to get her hands on a new pair of socks! She has been knitting for about 13 years. Christine knits both Continental and English, preferring to knit socks Continental style and English style with heavier yarns. Primarily a sock knitter these days, she also enjoys knitting sweaters and exploring new techniques.

Calling ALL Moms and Dads we’ve  helped with fertility and pregnancy

We’ve provided care to lots of new moms in the last few years and would love an update a on how you and your family are doing. We’re working on putting together a baby bulletin board with snapshots of your adorable little ones! If we’ve helped you conceive, supported you through your pregnancy, assisted you with optimal fetal positions, helped you get your labor started…. we’d LOVE for you to send us a photo of your beautiful baby for our MetroWest Whole Health Baby Bulletin Board. It could be a family photo, you and your baby or your baby alone, whatever you’d prefer.

There are 3 ways to submit a photo:

1) Email a photo to info@metrowestwholehealth.com and we’ll have it printed and shipped to us.

2) Snail mail a photo to us at
MetroWest Whole Health
89 Main Street, Suite 211
Medway, MA 02053

OR

3) Bring in a photo at a future appointment.

Thank You for building our community and for your participation!

A Community Acupuncture Event for You!

Join your community acupuncturists at this year’s POCA Fest in Rhode Island!

You’ll be in the fine company of lots of community acupuncturists from around the country, community acupuncture patients, clinic staff, POCA members, volunteers, supporters and their friends and families!

What’s POCA you ask?  POCA is the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture!

We are lucky to be have POCAfest held so close to home (thank you Chris Montaro at our neighbor clinic Providence Community Acupuncture for making this happen!) This year’s event will be held at a gorgeous summer camp just down the road in North Scituate, Rhode Island: Camp Aldersgate (less than an hour’s drive from MetroWest Whole Health: directions here).  Last year’s first ever POCAfest was held in San Francisco, and we aren’t sure when the next New England event will occur after this year’s.

The theme for 2013 POCAfest is cooperatives and community with the aim of connecting community acupuncturists with patients and community acupuncture supporters.  All your acupuncturists from MetroWest Whole Health will be there to soak in good learning and to connect with our colleagues, POCA members, and POCA supporters like you from around the country.

Saturday, June 1st is open to anyone who would like to attend (and that’s YOU!).  A wide variety of presentations will be offered for learning and sharing, including ones geared to patients, POCA volunteers, staff, and folks just keen on learning more about cooperatives. Details you ask?

POCAFest 2013 will host

• a community acupuncture story slam
• clowning essentials (a playful communications workshop)
• future community acupuncturists:  ”So You Want To Go to POCATech?”
• a free on-site community acupuncture clinic for you to drop in on during the afternoon for a nice relaxing acu-nap
• outdoor games and circus arts in the afternoon
• beautiful walking trails for you to enjoy

You’ll get to meet lots of fantastic people from around the country.  Lunch is included.

Saturday costs $30-60 sliding scale and runs from 9-5
You can come for part or all of it
Your fees include lunch and a free acupuncture treatment!

It’s a great deal.  Come on down for the day and join us – we’d love to see you there!

Click here for more information about POCAfest, and to register online

Back in 2010 I posted a blog entry on cortisone steroid shots: see
my thoughts “On Cortisone Injections” and a related New York Times article.

Roll forward to 2012: Last month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published an overview for the internet reading public about these same injections.  In the wake of the fungus contaminated steroid injectibles, produced by a local New England compounding pharmacy which have killed 31 people and maimed over 400 more, yours and my concerns are even more relevant.

In short, cortisone steroid shots often don’t relieve pain. But in fact, research tells us they weaken tissues at the injection site, they’re expensive, and we know they hurt — no research needed there!  If you have pain, starting your recovery with a steroid injection may not ease your suffering.

Here’s the NIH’s recent write up on cortisone injections for sciatic pain.

researchers found that epidural injections (into the spine) of corticosteroids had no long- or short-term effect on sciatica back pain, and such a small short-term effect on leg pain it would make no difference to the patient.

“I think it’s pretty clear that this treatment is not good to do,” said Chris Maher, of The George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, Australia, who worked on the study.

“Spinal steroid shots may have little effect on sciatica,”
by Andrew M. Seaman
November 12, 2012

The recent history of dead, wounded, maimed and still suffering thousands who have received steroid injections raises questions of appropriate distribution of medical resources, medical ethics, exploitative pharmacy sales and marketing forces impacting our health care, and simple good sense.  That sounds dramatic but here’s a Globe article on the depth of our troubles.

And here’s my thoughts on what to do when we have pain…

To start, take a deep breath and remember:
Good health does not live in a bottle: it can’t be consumed or medicated.  We can’t buy it, eat it or steal it.  Good health is a *way* of life; when we have good health we’re able to work, play and relate to the things and people we love.  When our emotional or physical experience prevents us from being in a good relationship with things that bring joy we have lost “good health,” or at least misplaced it.  So then what?

First: I think we should look inward and search for the cause; I believe the vast majority of people can find the answer to the age old question of  “why do I hurt” within themselves.

For me personally, managing my weight has made a huge difference in my physical well being.  I knew that being overweight was a problem, but I didn’t think I’d like changing how I ate.  I was wrong! I LOVE my food and how I’m eating.  For some of us, looking at how we react to things we don’t have control over, like our partner’s employment (or lack there of!), national politics, traffic, or our children’s choices, is key to understanding why we hurt.  Other people’s behaviors don’t make us sick and hurt: our responses and reactions do!

Second: Seek support. We may need to ask family, friends or therapists of different stripes what they think is going on too. Gather information.  Find out what other folks who have similar situations have done and what they found helpful. Go to the public library and learn more about your issue.  Here’s a link to Massachusetts internet library resource

Decisions Tools

Third: Make a plan. Decide what should change and what support we need to make those changes.  Being overweight or not getting enough of the right exercise are the two most common reasons for pain — both psychological and physical pain.  The benefits of losing weight or exercising won’t ease pain immediately, but they may be your end goal.  Many conditions can be managed and even cured with a combination of daily exercise and weight management: things like diabetes, high blood pressure, infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, joint pain, plantar fasicitis, heartburn, snoring, depression, anxiety, skin infections….

When making decisions about getting care, start with the interventions that have the least risks.  Remember the Hippocratic oath’s phrase “first, do no harm.” And here’s where acupuncture fits in.  Research and thousands of years of acupuncture treatments show that acupuncture improves our immune systems — making it more efficient to fight disease, minimizing allergies and autoimmune conditions where our immunity is over-revved — improves sleep, lowers pain, and helps us relax.  These benefits are the foundation of good health, so for most Americans, regular acupuncture should be at the heart of their personal health plans.

Check out the “Decision Aid Tool” below that can be used to help understand options, risks and benefits as well as understand when it’s time to escalate — or de-escalate! — our health care choices.

Get out of pain, take charge of you well being and get healthy!

To your good health!

Gururas

People often wonder if quitting smoking really makes a difference. It does. It will help your health and save you money. If you or someone you love smokes, our Smoke Out program can help you manage your urge to smoke and make THIS time you quit the one that works for good.

What is a Smoke Out Treatment?

Addiction specialists and acupuncturists have developed treatment programs around the world to help people stop addictive behaviors like smoking. Each time you come in for a session during the November Smoke Out you will receive this special acupuncture treatment targeted to help you stop smoking for good. You’ll get the same treatment protocol that has helped tens of thousands of people change their lives.

Our Smoke Out Program is Simple

★ Get treatments when you need them: you (or the Pass holder) can come as often as you want. That’s right! You can come more than once a day and we’re here for you 6 days a week.
★ No appointments necessary
★ Each Pass is good for 7 days beginning the day you come for your first Smoke Out treatment
★ Treatments are comfortable and easy
★ We provide the same treatment each visit. It’s predictable and it works!
★ Minimal paperwork
★ Treatments last 30-40 minutes
★ Only focus of the treatment is to stop smoking
★ Each day of your pass we will send you resources and encouraging emails

What do you Need to Do?

✔ Purchase a Smoke Out Pass
✔ Come for care
✔ We help you make a plan to quit
✔ Learn your triggers
✔ Handle withdrawal
✔ Be ready for the challenges
❤ Celebrate being a non-smoker!

A Smoke Out Pass can be purchased by calling or

dropping by the clinic.

A pass is $50

Call us for more information 508.533.0808

Treatment Schedule

Smoke Out treatments are drop-in rather than by appointment throughout November. Smoke Out patients can come every day or even more than once a day for acupuncture during Smoke Out times:

Monday: 2 – 6:30PM
Tuesday: 9 – 11AM and 1:30 – 6PM
Wednesday: 4 – 8PM
Thursday: 1:30 – 6PM
Friday: 9AM – 1:30PM
Saturday: 8AM – 11:30AM

Short term benefits of quitting

More immediate rewards of quitting

I am so happy to tell you that Sabrina Sanchez has joined our clinic team.  This Autumn you can meet her on Mondays and Wednesdays when she’s treating patients.

Here’s some bio information….

Sabrina is a licensed acupuncturist with a master’s degree from the New England School of Acupuncture, one of the oldest and most respected academic institutions in the field.  Her clinical training includes pediatrics and adolescent care at Boston Medical Center, the only acupuncture internship of its kind in the U.S.  At Dimock Community Health Center, Winchester Family Medical Center, and Lynn Senior Center, she treated diverse conditions including ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, fertility issues, migraines, musculoskeletal issues, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis and poor immune function.

With a lifelong commitment to holistic health, Sabrina studied yoga, meditation and Tibetan medicine in India, where she worked for an institution to preserve Tibetan arts and culture under the chairmanship of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  She is a certified yoga teacher and trained in both reflexology and shiatsu  Drawing on her diverse experiences and trainings, Sabrina incorporates various techniques in helping clients work toward balance and peace.

Sabrina graduated from Purdue University with a degree in English and earned paralegal credentials from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Her professional experience includes management positions with the national Center for Mind-Body Medicine, the National Hospice Foundation, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Norbulingka Institute, and various other non-profit organizations.

Please join me in welcoming Sabrina to MetroWest Whole Health.

Join Michele, NJ, Briana & Gurras at Blissfest 2012!

Call for your tickets today!
508-376-4525

For more information about the Ashram
Visit the Ashram’s website

My yard is full of poison ivy. Your yard probably has a fair amount too.

Lots of folks are coming into the clinic this summer covered in the telltale red itchy rash. I wanted to share a few things that may help should you suddenly find yourself accidentally holding a fist full of our hairy, itchy friend.

Prevention

When it comes to poison ivy, avoiding it is your best bet. Here’s a little refresher on how to identify poison ivy. As the old saying goes “leaves of three, let it be.” I feel the Harley String Band puts if best in one of my preschool son’s favorite songs, “Poison Ivy”:

Leaves of three and hairy vine
Send you running for the calamine
Your rash has a rash and your hives are hivey
You been a running in the poison ivy.

The Cougar of Haycock Woods, The Harley String Band

Take a good look at what you think is a weed in the garden. Poison ivy is three leaves on a single stalk on a hairy vine with hairy roots. Be careful hiking or exploring in the woods as well. Much to my amazement, I came upon a very well established poison ivy vine that was as thick as a tree branch, wrapped around a tree and growing into the bowers. Eeek!

Poison Ivy

Why so itchy?

Poison ivy contains an extremely potent substance called Urushiol oil. Even the slightest exposure to this oil can cause a rash or allergic reaction. Urushiol oil is also resilent. It can last over a year on clothing, tools, surfaces, and dead vines – don’t think you are safe just because the poison ivy vines you want to clean out are dead!

Remedies – Jewelweed

Urushiol oil bonds to skin quickly (under 15 minutes). If you wash the exposed area of your body with LOTS of cold water, you may be able to wash away the oil before it bonds and causes a rash.

My personal remedy of choice when dealing with poison ivy is jewelweed. Where there is poison ivy, chances are good there is a patch of jewelweed growing close by. Jewelweed contains a variety of chemicals that actually neutralize Urushiol oil, thus preventing a rash. If you are exposed to poison ivy (or as a preventative measure) break off a few jewelweed stems, crush them between your hands and rub the juice on your skin.

A patch of jewelweed

Jewelweed is easy to spot. It has oval leaves growing out of a hollow stalk. The stalk is full of a clear liquid. Once mature, jewelweed blooms with a beautiful orange or yellow flower. When it rains, water beads on the leaves in a way that looks like little jewels (hence the name). This is a picture of the jewelweed in my backyard. It isn’t flowering yet, but if you do a quick online search for jewelweed, you will find all sorts of great flowering jewelweed images.

Unfortunately, poison ivy shows up earlier in the spring then jewelweed, so you may want to have some products on hand that contain jewelweed, or you can make your own jewelweed ice cubes. Jewelweed ice cubes are also very soothing when rubbed on any scratches, bug bites or other outdoor exposure you skin may have acquired. I keep a bag in the back of the freezer just in case.

How to make jewelweed ice cubes

• Harvest enough jewelweed to fill a cooking pot half way.
• Break up the jewelweed stems so they fit in the pot.
• Add enough water to cover the jewelweed plus 1 inch.
• Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has reduced by half and turned a yellow/amber color.
• Strain the liquid. Fill a clean ice cube tray with the cooled liquid and freeze.
• Once frozen, remove the ice cubes from the tray and store in the freezer in a plastic freezer bag.

So just in case the Harley String Band comes singing, you have a plan.

Be well and don’t scratch!

Michele