George R. R. Martin said “nothing burns like the cold,” and since we are currently existing in the Arctic tundra – I must say, I have to agree with him. Winter is a great time to hibernate, but it can also put a lot of stress on your mind and body. During the winter months, we battle the elements daily and seasonal illness and depression become an all too common occurrence. What if there was a way to bring some warmth back to our bodies and our spirit?
Deliberate heat exposure can be a powerful tool when it comes to improving health and, ultimately, longevity. Take a sauna, for example. Sitting in the heat a few times a week has been proven to strengthen cardiovascular and general health, as well as help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease – just to name a few. But, your stinky, sweat-ridden gym sauna is not the only option out there. That’s why I spoke to the Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine and Rehab Center and Buffalo Holistic Center about their healing modalities that incorporate the element of fire and warmth into their treatments.
Acupuncture Chinese Medicine and Rehab Center
“When most people think of Chinese Medicine, they think of acupuncture, however acupuncture is only a very tiny part of Chinese Medicine,” Said Dr. Zhou, co-owner of the Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine and Rehab Center, in Amherst. “Acupuncture is only one of the modalities, and in fact the modality of Moxibustion or Heat Therapy is actually more widely practiced in China.”
Moxibustion – Heat Therapy
Moxibustion is a form of heat therapy used to ignite the body’s healing mechanisms, improve circulation, and decrease pain. Moxibustion involves burning moxa, a cone or stick made out of ground mugwort leaves (or Aì yè in Chinese medicine) near your body’s meridians or acupuncture points. Practitioners believe that the resulting heat helps stimulate these points and improves the flow of Qi (energy) in your body. By warming the areas of the body, it is believed to stimulate circulation and lymphatic flow while also having a detoxifying effect on the body.
Dr. Lisa (Yuehui Li) Zhou, who has two medical degrees in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Gynecology, is one of the only practitioners who performs this incredibly beneficial modality in Western New York. Dr. Lisa comes from a family of Chinese medical doctors and has over 12 years of formal training and 40 years of experience. Her husband, Dr. Zhou, also a licensed doctor in China, co-created this treatment center to bring ancient Chinese healing methods to Buffalo.
“The medicine in Moxibustion has a very special kind of pungent smell that you roll up in such a way that it looks like a candle.” Said Dr. Zhou. “You burn it, but don’t light it. It has an intense smell and it generates intense heat. Then you use this heat to get closer to the meridian points under the skin to promote healing.”
Unlike acupuncture, where you use needles to stimulate the movement of Qi, it is the heat and the aroma of the moxibustion candle that is said to remove blockages from the body, allowing the energy to flow freely. “The idea is that it will restore the body to it’s normal functioning by regulating the flow of Qi and blood, tonifying where there is deficiency, draining where there is excess, and promoting free flow where there is stagnation. … “No pain, no blockage; no blockage, no pain,” said Dr. Zhou.
Moxibustion is commonly used for conditions such as back pain, arthritis, headaches, muscle stiffness, fatigue, infertility, menstrual cramps, chronic kidney disease, digestive problems, hot flashes, breech birth and ulcerative colitis. It is also a simple and effective way to increase your energy, vitality and to boost your mood.
Fire Cupping
Dr Lisa’s lifelong training allows her to practice all of the modalities of Chinese medicine and another one of those modalities that she offers is “fire cupping.” This cupping treatment uses a flammable substance, such as alcohol, that is placed inside a glass cup and set on fire. As soon as the fire goes out, the cup is placed upside down on a specific body part. The cup is left on the skin for a few minutes, creating a suction that causes your skin to rise and redden within the cup. This process causes your blood vessels to expand, encouraging blood flow and increased circulation to the damaged areas. After a certain period of time the cups are removed and toxins can be seen escaping the surface of the skin. It is thought to promote increased circulation and allow the body to heal itself.
Fire cupping can be used as an effective treatment of several diseases and conditions, including acne, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, migraines, anxiety, depression, allergies and asthma. It can affect tissue up to 4 inches under the skin. So for example, if you place a fire cup over the lungs it may dislodge any mucus-filled toxins that are stuck inside of the lungs. This makes it a very useful treatment in these cold and flu ridden months.
Dr. Lisa is one of the most authentic Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors in Western New York, and will diagnose and come up with a treatment plan that suits your needs.
Dr. Lisa (Yuehui Li) Zhou, L.Ac. & MD (China)
NCCAOM Certified, Licensed Acupuncturist in NY and Georgia
Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine & Rehab Center
4229 Maple Rd. (Corner of Maple and Sweet Home)
Amherst, NY 14226
Tel: 716-803-8899Cell: 716-961-8926
acumedrehab.com
lisa@acumedrehab.com
Moxibustion Patient/Model: Lydia Iglesias – @lydsiglesias
Buffalo Holistic Center
Buffalo Holistic Center offers a wide variety of evidence-based holistic therapies. “Each person comes through our doors with a different story and a different ailment. Our job as therapists and healers is to find the root sources of pain and malfunction. Then to align them naturally with care, patience and practice.” At their holistic center they offer a variety of services including massage, wellness and skincare. And unsurprisingly quite a few of their services revolve around heat.
“Heat has so many benefits, and it has so many different ways to help the human body system.” Said Katrina Galla-Allen, owner of Buffalo Holistic Center. “Our body systems store all sorts of things inside, including trauma. Heat draws things out and it helps with the healing process. It is such a crucial thing for people, especially with seasonal depression during the winter months in Western New York.”
Sunbox Light Therapy
Unfortunately, seasonal depression is an all too common occurrence in Buffalo. That is why Buffalo Holistic Center offers Sunbox Light Therapy or “SAD light therapy.” A specific treatment that is used to uplift people’s spirits and increase their sense of well-being.
People are put in a room with special lights that mimic the sun’s rays. You can read or talk on the phone as you’re receiving light therapy, as long as your eyes are open, you’re facing the light box and there’s a proper distance between you and the box.
This therapy shifts your circadian (wake/sleep) cycle, so it is used as a great treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It can also prevent jet lag, minimize work shift change fatigue, and help abnormal sleep phase insomnia. The aim of the light therapy is to release and suppress serotonin at different parts of the circadian cycle, improving sleep and lifting your mood.
“It makes you feel better.” Said Katrina. “It helps you sleep better at night, you just get an all around sense of being lifted up. We called it the happy light.”
Hot Stone Massage
Smooth Himalayan salt stones are heated and lubricated essential oils and placed on the specific areas of the body that are in pain. The therapeutic effects of the heat relaxes the muscles more deeply, providing a unique experience many find to be tremendously calming and centering. Himalayan salt stones lightly exfoliate and nourish your skin with 84 minerals. The heat from the stones soften up the myofascial connective tissue, giving the massage therapist the ability to work deeper in the body system, and open up pathways and blockages that perhaps would not have been cleared without the heat.
“We do strokes with the hot stones that are geared at improving the circulation in the body and pushing the blood back up towards the heart,” said Katrina. “Hot stone massages bring down inflammation, help with eczema and skin issues and promote mental wellness. We also mix in jojoba oil or coconut oil with maybe lavender or eucalyptus which adds to the benefits and experience.” So not only is it great for the heart, it’s amazing to help you shed that dry scaly winter skin just in time for the spring.
Infrared Saunas & Near Infrared Saunas
An infrared sauna is a dry heat that flushes toxins from your system, relieves stress, and cleanses your skin along with many other benefits. You can burn 600-900 calories in a 30 min session.
“What it does is it heats you from the inside out, so the infrared heat feels like the sun, which we are all missing here in Buffalo.” Katrina said. “We also have infrared lighting in the majority of our massage rooms.”
Near-infrared waves are a little different. They have a shorter frequency range and penetrate through the epidermis layer of the skin. Through this process, a near-infrared sauna session encourages tissue growth, increases muscle recovery time, and it strengthens the immune system.
“The near infrared sauna goes about 2 to 3 inches into the skin,” Katrina said. “It pulls out the toxins in the body, so 70% of what we sweat in an infrared sauna is water, 30% are metals and toxins. Both Near and regular infrared saunas work on the same premise of detoxifying, and they are both great. These days more and more people are turning towards alternative preventative options, because oftentimes they come in with a problem and it is much simpler than what they would have thought.”
Nothing beats the calm serenity that comes with sitting by a warm fire in the wintertime. For centuries fire and heat have been incorporated into preventative treatments throughout the world. As winter is coming to a close (I hope), why not set yourself on fire in order to transform for spring?
After all, in order for the phoenix to rise – it first had to burn.
BUFFALO HOLISTIC CENTER (Two locations)
39 Delaware Rd, Buffalo, NY 14217
Tel: 716-877-7077
2202 Niagara Falls Blvd
Tel: 716-870-0364
buffaloholisticcenter.com
BuffaloHolisticCenter@gmail.com
This series is sponsored by Project Best Life. Buffalo Rising and Project Best Life have teamed up to produce a series on wellness inspiration and advice to direct readers to the people, places, and experiences in Buffalo and beyond that will help them fulfill their health, nutrition, and wellness goals. For more information on how you can live your best life, subscribe to the Project Best Life newsletter.
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