Healing from Home: Points for Cold and Flu

While there isn’t a perfect substitute for a full acupuncture treatment, there is much that can be done at home to help support your health when you can’t make it in to your practitioner for some reason. The Healing at Home blog series offers some options for using diet and acupressure to help you support your health between acupuncture appointments.

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When the inevitable cold comes calling despite your best preventative efforts, you can’t always get to your friendly neighborhood acupuncturist.  There are still ways that you can help to speed it on its way using acupressure at home.  In addition to those points in the Immune Boosting guide, use the points below that best fit your main symptoms.  Rub each point with gentle pressure in small clockwise circle at least once per day.

Conception Vessel 17 (CV17):

Located on the sternum, this point helps to open the chest.  It is helpful for chest tightness and congestion as well as cough.

Large Intestine 11 (LI11):

Located at the thumb side of the elbow crease, this point has two useful actions for colds.  The first is to release heat, making it useful for fever.  The second is to “release the exterior” which helps the body to expel pathogens.

Stomach 40 (ST40):

Located at the midpoint of the calf on the tibialis anterior muscle, ST40 is an excellent point for congested sinuses.

Spleen 9 (SP9):

Located on the medial side of the knee, this point is excellent for dealing with excess damp and phlegm.  It is helpful for colds with mucous and phlegm.

Kidney 27 (KD27)

Located just under the collar bone, KD27 is helpful for chest tightness, cough and phlegm.

Large Intestine 4 (LI4)

Located in the area between the thumb and index finger, LI4 is a control point for the head.  It is helpful for symptoms such as headache and sinus congestion.

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In Memoriam: Sophie

Many of the patients who have come to see me have had the good fortune to be welcomed by my dog Sophie. She loved going out to the waiting area to greet anyone who came in and to then show them the way into the room. During a treatment she would often let out a deep sigh as if to remind all in the room to just take a breath and relax. Sophie also saw it as her job to show patients back out to the waiting room at the end of their treatment.

The only payment she requested, often with a gentle lean on your leg or by standing right in the middle of the waiting room so you had no choice but to pass by her, was scratches and pats. She helped to hold a calm, accepting and healing space with her quiet presence.

A few months ago, Sophie was diagnosed with lymphoma. After her treatment was started, a second cancer in her hind leg was discovered. Sadly, it recently became clear that the chemo wasn’t putting her lymphoma into remission and the pain from the tumor in her knee became unmanageable.

Thanks to the help of a wonderful vet, Sophie was able to be eased out of her pain at home, surrounded by love on a beautiful day with a gentle breeze and sun on her fur.

Her calming spirit can still be felt, but her physical presence will be sorely missed.

Sophie Revett September 5, 2008 - September 22, 2019

Spring Linen Drive to Support Furnishing Hope of Massachusetts

Spring is a wonderful time of renewal as plants, animals and humans wake from their winter "hibernation." It is also the perfect time for a bit of spring cleaning. Synergy Acupuncture and Wellness has volunteered to be a "Linen Drive Captain" for a Cambridge nonprofit called Furnishing Hope of Massachusetts, Inc to help you clear out some of the clutter while helping neighbors in need.

Furnishing Hope collects furniture and household goods, and in partnership with local social services agencies, distributes them to families transitioning from homeless and domestic violence shelters. These families are often without even the most basic furniture and household items in their new homes many months after they have moved in.

Furnishing Hope supplies a variety of home goods “Starter Sets” to families. Bedding and towels are among the items Furnishing Hope goes through the fastest – as quickly as they come in, there are families in the community who need them - and I have volunteered to reach out to my friends, family and coworkers to help build up their linen supply.

So… Do you have any new or gently used linens that you no longer want or need?

Furnishing Hope urgently needs:

• Sheets & pillowcases - matched sets (queen, full and twin – children’s sheets sets are particularly welcome)
• Blankets, comforters and duvets
• Towels - individual or sets (bath & hand towels, and washcloths)
• Bathmats
• Shower curtains and hooks

*If linens are used, please make sure they are clean and in good condition – no tears or stains – before donating.

To arrange for a drop off of your donation, feel free to bring them with you to your next appointment (spring is a wonderful time for a "tune-up" if it has been a while). You can also email me at tracy@synergyacu.com to arrange a time to drop them off at the office at 366 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 204, Arlington, MA.

If you’d like a confirmation receipt of your donations from Furnishing Hope, you can fill out the FHMA Spring Linen Drive Donation Form once you’ve dropped off your linens with me.  After you submit the form, you will get an email with a FHMA donation confirmation letter attached that can also be used for your tax purposes.

If you don't have any items to donate but would like to support Furnishing Hope's work, you can make a donation at www.furnishinghopema.org.

Thank you so much for helping to give families a better chance as they rebuild their lives.