Turning Breech Babies with Moxibustion

You might be 34+ weeks into your pregnancy journey, and it has recently come to your knowledge that your baby is in a breech position! Meaning the baby's head is up instead of down in the birth canal. While medical interventions like cesarean sections are available, you might be eager to seek alternatives to facilitate a natural birth process. One such alternative is moxibustion, which involves burning herbs to stimulate specific acupuncture points. In this blog, we'll delve into the practice of moxibustion for turning breech babies and explore its effectiveness and safety.

Similar to the network of blood vessels or nerves that interconnect the body, Traditional Chinese Medicine also sees the body as interconnected via a network of meridians. As such, there is a meridian or network that connects to the uterus and bladder. This is great news, as it provides an opportunity for your acupuncturist to stimulate points to help turn the baby out of a breech position.

Moxibustion involves burning the herb mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) directly on the skin. The purpose of moxibustion is to promote the flow of Qi (life force energy) and blood in the body to restore balance and health.

The Technique: When it comes to turning breech babies, practitioners typically focus on a specific acupuncture point called BL67(point on the Bladder/Uterus meridian), located on the outer corner of the fifth toenail. Moxibustion is applied to this point bilaterally, usually starting around the 34th week of pregnancy, or later depending where you are at in your pregnancy. The heat stimulates the acupuncture point, encouraging the baby to change position and move into a head-down (vertex) presentation.

Safety Considerations: Moxibustion is generally considered safe when performed by trained practitioners. However, it's essential to consult with a qualified healthcare provider before undergoing any alternative therapy during pregnancy. Additionally, moxibustion should only be administered by someone with expertise in TCM/Acupuncture to ensure proper technique and minimize risks.

Turning a breech baby can be a stressful experience for expectant mothers, but alternatives like moxibustion offer a gentle and non-invasive approach to encourage optimal fetal positioning, while avoiding a C-section. As with any intervention, it's essential to weigh the potential benefits and risks and make an informed decision in consultation with healthcare professionals.

While moxibustion may not be suitable for everyone, many women have found success with this ancient practice, ultimately leading to smoother and more natural childbirth experiences. By tapping into the wisdom of traditional healing modalities like moxibustion, we hope to provide you with a natural alternative to turning a baby in breech, while honoring the body's innate ability to birth new life. If you would like to consult with a professional, click the link below to book your initial consultation (treatment included). We offer direct billing for select insurance providers.

Cancer, Chemo & Acupuncture

Going through cancer can feel like a very stressful, exhausting, and physically painful experience. It may not be the cure, but acupuncture can make your cancer journey a whole lot better. From managing fatigue, reducing inflammation, and alleviating pain, acupuncture can be a great resource for those going through chemotherapy treatments. How, you might wonder?

Acupuncture works by stimulating the body's nervous system to respond to the acupuncture needles depending on where they are placed. Each point elicits a different response, thereby allowing your practitioner to guide the body in reducing your pain, promoting circulation, or reducing inflammation. In addition, acupuncture may help regulate dopamine production allowing the body to relax, and help your mood[1]. When your body’s less stressed, your immune system may be able to respond better[2,3].

Does it matter what type of cancer you have?

Yes, and no. Regardless of what type of cancer you have, acupuncture may help alleviate your symptoms. However, knowing what type of cancer you have can allow the practitioner to also focus the treatment on treating the cancer as well. Also, knowing what stage of cancer you are in, whether that is stage 1, 2, 3, or 4, will be helpful in determining how gentle or strong of a treatment your body can handle. Usually we perform a gentler treatment for more advanced stages of cancer.

What symptoms can acupuncture help with?

When treating symptoms related to cancer or effects of chemo, some individuals can show up with heightened levels of inflammation. This can be burning eyes, dry mouth, or even mouth ulcers. Acupuncture can be done to reduce inflammatory effects of the chemotherapy, and have you feeling better and more balanced as you go through chemotherapy treatments.

Some individuals may experience fatigue, or tightness in the neck and shoulders. In fact, these symptoms can be related, in that when our circulation is poor, we feel fatigue and tightness. By improving circulation in the body, acupuncture can help you feel more energetic, and less tense.

Nausea, vomiting, & diarrhea

These symptoms are a result of a heightened level of inflammation in the body. Often times by clearing away the heat from the body, or reducing inflammatory levels internally, these symptoms tend to subside as well.

How can treatments address cancer?

In addition to alleviating symptoms, there may be days where the majority of symptoms are at bay, and under control.

In those situations there is an opportunity to treat the actual cancer with a slightly different therapy called moxibustion. Moxibustion is where we would apply a herb to the acupoints and burn it. In doing so, this adds an element of heat to promote blood circulation in the organs. For example if you have colon cancer, we could target points that relate to the large intestine. Alternatively, for liver tumors, we would target acupoints that affect the liver.

You can think of it like we are trying to accelerate the immune response, and removal of cancer cells from the organ. Don’t worry, the burning herb is extinguished before it makes direct contact with the skin, thereby preventing burns & scalds. This type of therapy, if practiced correctly, can be very gentle and soothing.

So if you're struggling with chemo, or just want to overall feel better through your cancer journey, consider adding acupuncture & moxibustion to your regimen.

1. Szmelskyj, Irina. https://cam-therapies.co.uk/acupuncture/how-does-acupuncture-work/

2. Mustafa, Zainab. (Apr 14, 2022) How does stress affect your immune system. https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-does-Stress-Affect-Your-Immune-System.aspx#:~:text=Prolonged%20periods%20of%20stress%20can,a%20statistically%20significant%20health%20risk.

3. Peck, Molly. (April 22, 2022) Is there a connection between chronic stress and cancer. https://www.cityofhope.org/living-well/is-there-a-connection-between-chronic-stress-and-cancer#:~:text=Stress%20can%20speed%20up%20the,released%2C%20which%20stimulate%20cancer%20cells.

Lupus; Symptom Management With Acupuncture

You may find yourself waking up with stiffness in the joints, neck pain, or a deep fatigue. Occasionally you may have rashes, flareups of chest tightness, or shortness of breath that come and go. These symptoms have been generally tied to the inflammation you experience as a result of lupus. You may be taking steroid, and anti-inflammatory medications to manage your condition, but you’re also seeking natural alternative therapies to give you a leg up. That’s exactly where acupuncture can help.

How would it feel to wake up one day without pain or stiffness, and feeling full of energy? Or not needing to avoid specific triggers that bring on the rash and chest tightness?

Pain that is more pronounced upon waking up is a sign of a circulation issue. You can think about it like trying to workout before warming up. The muscles need some light stretching or movement to get the blood flowing. Similarly, when you first wake it, it takes time for your the blood to fully circulate to all parts of the body.

This may be helped by stimulating acupoints to improve circulation in the heart.

Feeling heaviness, shortness of breath, or tingling hands are also signs of heart circulatory issues. The heart in Chinese medicine is easily affected by heat, or inflammatory conditions. Lupus falls in the category of autoimmune disease, which causes an increased level of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is another way of describing heat. This again, can be reduced or cleared out of the body by stimulating acupoints to improve heart function, or reduce heat in the body.

How many treatments does it take? Because autoimmune disease is a systemic disease, we recommend starting with a course of 10 treatments. These treatments are usually spaced out twice a week for optimal results. With each session we focus on understanding which symptoms are of concern that week or in that very moment.

As we knock down one symptom at a time, your body should feel better overall with less pain, less stiffness, and more energy. You should also notice a reduction in flareups and sensitivity to triggers. To book your first visit click here.

Bell's Palsy Acupuncture

You woke up one day, and half your face felt off, weak, or frozen. Whether you are experiencing an eyelid that won’t close, a lack of mobility, or numbness on half your face, Bell’s Palsy can be a debilitating condition to live with. Not only are you aware of the symptoms, but it becomes apparent to others too that you are dealing with an unusual condition. However, with early intervention by way of acupuncture, many symptoms can be resolved.

If treatment is effective, you should begin noticing an improvement within the first 2-3 sessions of acupuncture. Although every individual heals at their own rate, we usually recommend sticking with a treatment plan of 8 acupuncture sessions, with a frequency of twice weekly. In some cases, the Bell’s Palsy fully resolves within 3-6 sessions. With each session we are signalling to the body to improve circulation, and remove blockage from the facial region through its nervous, vascular, and energetic circulatory system. This will lead to improved mobility, and muscle function. Often times, the needles do not need to be placed on the face to experience improvement.

How early should you seek treatment? The sooner the better. Although Bell’s Palsy may resolve within the first two weeks, it may be better to seek treatment early-on to avoid a worsening of the condition. If the condition is left untreated, and does not resolve within 6 months, it may be more difficult to treat, as the muscles may have atrophied significantly during this time.

At AcuSoul we take a unique approach to identify the root cause of your condition, and how to resolve it efficiently. When you come in for an initial consultation (treatment included), you will have an opportunity to explain your symptoms, how they occurred, and any aggravating factors. The practitioner will then evaluate your overall physical health and mental wellbeing. Once the assessment is complete, they will then proceed to explaining and treating the root cause of your symptoms. You can contact our clinic at 647-985-3838, or book online. We offer direct billing for select insurance providers.

Acupuncture For Irregular Menstruation

Every 28 days, you’ve been told is the normal cycle of menstruation. Yours might be considered a short cycle(21 days or less), long cycle(35 days or more), or a bit of both (irregular cycle) – making it impossible to predict. Even your app can’t figure it out – so much for AI.  Your period could also be considered heavy or light, and possibly more painful than you think is normal.  Irregularities in your menstrual cycle can be annoying to live with.

You’ve been to the doctor or gynaecologist. Although they acknowledge you have an irregular period, their recommendation may be to take birth control medication to regulate it.

“Is that it?” you might wonder.

You understand this solution makes sense for the time being. In the long run, however, you want to be off of the meds because you are potentially thinking of having children one day, and are just generally concerned about taking any medication for too long.

What if the type of menstruation you were experiencing – irregular cycle, long cycle, short cycle, light bleeding, heavy bleeding, hormonal acne, intense pain before/during menstruation – each could be understood as an internal imbalance, and therefore treated, and corrected for the better!

At AcuSoul, we take a holistic approach in understanding your current state of health. An irregular cycle is definitely an indicator of an imbalance in your health – which DOES have the potential to change.

Hormone imbalances can be a cause of irregular periods. So, how can you regulate hormones such as estrogen and progesterone? In women, these hormones are produced by the ovaries – which are governed by your Kidneys according to Chinese Medicine. If we could somehow regulate ovarian and kidney function, menstrual cycles may become more regular, bleeding normalized, and pain reduced. Well guess what? That’s exactly what acupuncture does – it regulates imbalances within the body.

After doing an in-depth health assessment, we come up with a treatment plan to take care of any imbalances in your menstruation. By stimulating points on the body that regulate the kidneys, ovaries, and uterus for instance, this sends a signal to the brain to focus on and address areas of imbalance in your reproductive health. Over the course of treatments, you should notice your cycle becoming more regular in terms of flow, less painful, and overall more predictable. These are all indicators that your reproductive health is moving in the right direction.

If having a baby is a future goal you have in mind, it’s best to start early. The sooner we regulate your cycle, the sooner your body will be in a better place to start conceiving. Interested in taking the next step?

You can book a session with one of our great practitioners here! All acupuncture needles are sterile and disposable – meaning we never re-use needles. Your practitioner will wear a mask, and disinfect the treatment room surfaces before and after every visit. We are located in downtown Toronto, and provide an e-mailed receipt for insurance purposes. We look forward to starting your journey to better menstrual health!

Eliminate Dry Eyes With Acupuncture

Do your eyes feel like a DESERT at times? You may have noticed them especially at the end of a workday - after staring at a computer screen for hours. Hopefully your boss doesn’t need you to do overtime because your dry eyes will likely be screaming “NO MORE!”. The worst are evening events. You always know you’ll be feeling the urge to switch into glasses mid-way through the night. Party pooper.

Wouldn’t it be great if your eyes could just self regulate? Wouldn’t it be great if they felt adequately moist, and not dry or stingy at all? Well, did you know that acupuncture is great for treating dry eyes? Not only does acupuncture help with alleviating dry eyes, but acupuncture also treats the underlying causes leading to dryness of the eyes. Don’t worry, the needles don’t go anywhere near your actual eyes.

You may have been told that this is just a sign of aging, that you have a higher level of inflammation in your eyes, or that your eyes just don’t produce enough tears. You may have also been told that you would likely have to live with this condition for the rest of your life. Although valid points, at AcuSoul we believe your body has the ability to change. By looking at your health from a different perspective, we can find alternative solutions to dry eyes that western science may have missed.

The liver in Chinese Medicine is related to hypochondriac pain, tendons, healthy nails, and last but not least your eyes. According to western medicine the liver is an organ that filters toxins from your blood. Many things can lead to an accumulation of toxins in the liver, such as: alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, fried foods, and junk food.

At AcuSoul we also take into consideration your mental-emotional health. Emotions like frustration, anger, or constantly feeling under pressure can cause the liver’s performance to decline. An overworked or toxic liver can lead to inflammation - manifesting as DRYNESS OF THE EYES.

So how does acupuncture for dry eyes work?

With the above condition, we would use acupoints on the liver meridian to help detox the organ and eliminate dry eyes. The Liver meridian is an energetic channel that connects to the organ, with accessible points along your legs and feet.

You might also be wondering how many acupuncture treatments it would take to eliminate the dry eyes? Everybody heals at a different rate, but typically we recommend starting with 8-10 treatments. Over the course of these treatments you can see for yourself the progress we are making after each acupuncture session.

If you’ve never tried acupuncture before, we use an extremely gentle technique with thinner needles, leading to a pain-free experience. We usually target leg, abdomen, or back points, so nothing actually near the eyes. We also provide dietary recommendations so your body can continue detoxifying the liver in between treatments. So, if you’re in Toronto, and looking to get rid of irritating dry eyes with acupuncture, book a session today - You won’t regret it!

What Gluten Intolerance And Stress Have In Common

From bloating, to diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain - gluten intolerance can be a pain to live with. Trying to avoid gluten can be a mission in itself. But did you know that gluten intolerance, and stress have a common link? And that by controlling one you may be able to control the other?

Gluten intolerance is essentially a form of inflammation – the body’s hyperactive response to a protein(gluten) found in wheat[1]. What if I told you that stress also creates an environment in your body, which makes you more prone to inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, and celiac disease[2]? And what if that minor clue, was in itself, the solution and cure.

Here I’m going to discuss how you can get gluten intolerance under control by managing your stress levels and inflammation with acupuncture & food therapy.

Many clients of ACUSOUL who suffer from IBS, celiac disease, or gluten intolerance – have noticed that it gets worse in times of stress. More importantly, the illness itself may have began during a time of high stress.

For example, when you entered the workforce your stress levels may have been more elevated than when you were in school[3]. That may also be the time when you noticed the gluten intolerance began. It may not have been flaring up consistently everyday, but that’s because your stress levels also vary day by day. Paying attention to the environment, your lifestyle, and emotionally how you felt when the illness began is critical to addressing it.

What stress does is increase blood pressure, cortisol levels, and your body’s inflammatory response[4]. This increase in cortisol, and blood pressure has an obvious impact on your heart health. At the same time the inflammation being increased makes the gluten intolerance and IBS more pronounced in the intestinal organs.

Thus, with acupuncture we would target the Heart to bring down stress levels and the intestinal organs to control diarrhea and constipation. As a result you may notice better sleep, feeling more relaxed, and less tension in the upper back and jaw, as well as less bouts of diarrhea or constipation, and less bloating. If you’re not familiar, feel free to read our article on "How acupuncture works”.

From a food standpoint, here are some foods that help reduce inflammation, regulate the heart, and may help with symptoms of gluten intolerance:

1. Turmeric – with high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, digestive regulating properties, this spice is great for inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, or celiac disease.

2. Beets - Calm the heart, lubricates the intestines to help with constipation.

3. Watermelon – Clears heat from the heart, stomach, and bladder. Alleviates thirst, and induces diuresis. Essentially promoting the body’s ability to clear inflammation, and rehydrate.

 If you’re interested in seeing what acupuncture & food therapy can do for you – book a session here. We’re an acupuncture clinic located in the heart of downtown Toronto, and Vaughan. We’ll discuss your health concerns in detail, come up with a treatment plan, and provide food recommendations customized to your body’s intricate needs.

1. https://nyulangone.org/conditions/celiac-disease-gluten-sensitivity-in-adults/diagnosis

2. https://www.rn.com/featured-stories/stress-inflammation-immunity/

3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlynborysenko/2018/11/01/generation-z-is-coming-to-work-and-their-stress-is-already-high/#40e00704273b

4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/signs-you-are-gluten-intolerant

5. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/1999/06/04/27924.htm