My Blog

I would like to try Acupuncture, but...

02/01/2012 20:39:00

I would like to try Acupuncture, but...

...I don't know if it is appropriate for my ______________________ (write in your illness, condition, or concern here). Acupuncture and herbal medicine are complete medical systems from China covering every disease imaginable, and have been for over two thousand years. However, like all human medical systems they are better able to treat some illnesses than other illnesses. Some of the things that Chinese medicine is able to treat are surprising to Westerners. Take the common cold for example. We have been told over and over by Western medical science that there are no cures for the common cold, yet Chinese medicine is highly successful at stopping an oncoming cold or reducing its intensity and the length of recovery time. Diseases that Western medicine finds difficult to treat are often the kind of diseases that Chinese medicine is successful at treating. The message here is that Western medicine does not have a monopoly on the ability to treat disease. If you have a condition that Western medicine has found to be difficult to treat, then perhaps now is the time to see if it can be made better by Chinese medicine. If you are still hemming and hawing then come in for a free consultation to find out if Chinese medicine is appropriate for you.

...I'm scared of needles. And who wouldn't be after being poked by a hypodermic needle at the doctor's office many times during your life. However, the needles used in acupuncture are thinner than a human hair and cause very little or no discomfort at all. Most of the time there is no discomfort, but when there is most patients compare the prick that they feel to an eyebrow hair being plucked out. Your acupuncturist is trained in correct needle placement and how to minimize the discomfort that you may feel. Many patients find acupuncture to be so relaxing that they are asleep on the table before all of the needles are in.

...I don't know what to expect. The procedure starts with filling in required paperwork of a legal nature (the same as at the doctor's or dentist's office). Following this you are brought into the treatment room to have an in depth discussion of your concerns with the acupuncturist. The acupuncturist will then take your blood pressure, feel your pulse, and observe your tongue. (You should avoid brushing your tongue before coming in). The acupuncturist then works out a needle prescription according to your pattern. Other modalities such as cupping, moxibustion, tui na (Chinese medical massage), or herbal formulas may be prescribed as well. Then needles are placed and the patient is allowed to rest for 30 minutes. After treatment you are ready to go. You should know that it may take one or many treatments before your illness is successfully treated. Acute illnesses take less time to fix than chronic illnesses.

We do our best to accommodate our patient's needs in every way. If you have any questions about acupuncture and Chinese medicine please contact us at Body and Soul Spa Retreat for more information. 630-617-4600

20 More days to be Present.

12/05/2011 12:57:00

It's Monday morning and you all are probably working, sneaking in time to cyberbrowse while working. 20 days left. The search for the ultimate gift. The one that makes up for the long nights, short days and basically time that you wish you had with that loved one. This year why not give just that? The gift of time. The gift of a blank mind where a person can feel completely cared for, soothed, pain free and present for themselves. The soothing scents, sounds and feel of a really great massage is like a tandem meditation. The ultimate seduction of the self by the self. I once worked on a small boy as a sample and he called it "taking a bath in hands". Who wouldn't like that?

In the present, we have no past. We have no future. No one to fix or take care of. No one to listen to. All possibility is a single moment. We can have it all in that moment.

We can have it all. We can have it now. Just claim it.

7 Step Game Plan to Avoiding Holiday Stress

11/12/2011 13:22:00

The good news is the Holidays are coming! The bad news is that along with them comes the stress of having too much to do and too many places to be on top of our normal schedule. So what is the game plan to avoid stress and anxiety? Read on for some answers...

Plan ahead for the holidays starting right now. We live in such busy times that if we don't plan ahead, then we plan to fail. Get out your calendar and note dates to remember, places you have to be and schedule in time for organizing and executing your holiday plans. Plan to give yourself personal down time as well, including massage and acupuncture, to ease anxiety and stress over the holidays.

The next step is to get started early. There is nothing like the stress that you will experience at 9 PM Christmas Eve trying to find the perfect gift for Mom or Dad! (Been there, done that!) So start now! Get wish lists from family members, make preparations, shop, make food and freeze it, and get those greeting cards written. Get as much done before Thanksgiving as possible and you will thank yourself later.

Avoid the mall! A day at the mall sounds like a great way to accomplish your gift and card buying mission. But rarely does it accomplish everything, often accomplishes nothing, and actually may raise stress and anxiety levels due to overcrowded parking lots, long lines at the cash register and at mall restaurants, noise and confusion, as well as the post shopping spree traffic jam. Instead try online and catalog shopping and please remember to visit small local businesses and merchants whose very survival depends on your patronage. Have gift wrapping done in the store unless you particularly enjoy that activity.

Spending less during these tough economic times is also beneficial for your budget and your stress level. Try making gifts that you know other people will value and cherish. Every sweater knitted or piece of furniture made will be treasured by someone, but simple gifts that you make will be valued as well. Homemade soap is appreciated and costs just pennies to make.

Delegate some or all of the holiday preparations to other people in the family. Children can address greeting card envelopes and be in on signing them. In return for completing the task, promise them something fun like an evening at the movies or skating at the local park.

Make the holidays a time for family togetherness. Take the family far out in the countryside to cut your own tree and guarantee some family time together. Or take in one of the holiday musical performances as a family. One of the many do-it-yourself Messiah performances is perfect for children who can read, but can't sit through a non-interactive music performance. Let's recognize, however, that no matter how much we love them, difficult family members can turn the holidays into living hell. There are no easy answers here, but limiting the amount of time with them is a good first step. There is no reason why the holidays cannot be spent with other family members or friends and lonely distant relatives might appreciate the company.

Eating healthy throughout the holidays keeps our energy and spirits up. Taking time out for a good meal is taking time out for your self and reduces stress. Avoiding fast food and junk food is a good way to avoid the inevitable holiday weight gain. And keep alcohol consumption to a minimum to avoid hangover induced ineffectiveness.

Finally, if holiday stress and anxiety become overwhelming, then book yourself for a $50 stress and anxiety reduction acupuncture session with Roger at body and soul spa retreat.

Making Points with Patients

11/07/2011 16:33:00

I am proud to introduce our newest blogger, Roger Rutz, L.Ac who will be Tsubomono (point man) for all things acupuncture! Watch this space for all your questions about this ancient healing art.

10 ways that stress affects us

03/19/2011 02:23:00

Do you feel it? Maybe you are feeling it right now. That pulse pounding sense of wiredness directly under your skin, the thing that wakes you from a sound sleep with that feeling of dread. The nameless boogieman under the bed - are my kids ok? Will I find a new job? Will I be able to pay my mortgage this month? Is my family healthy?

Yes its the raw undercurrent of stress that is so often the background noise that is running us. What sane person would not be reacting to what's happening in the world right now? All one has to do is turn on the TV for the latest disaster. Shootings, earthquakes, tsunamis and years of war have left all of the world with a big case of post traumatic stress that is beaming into our homes on a daily basis.

The human body is only designed to handle so much. It stores up the same chemical signals today that it did when the cave man met the dinosaur. The world itself is perceived as a threat that causes the adrenals to go into full alert, cortisol to flood our bodies and as a result cause us to be on almost constant panic mode. We fight it by working harder, kicking the dog, fighting with our spouse or loved ones and in general missing out on what is right in front of us. Life - here and now passes us by, while we actively run from it. Some of us work out, some just work harder. We try to soothe it with distractions, deaden it with sugar, caffeine and booze. We go into prayer and meditation, We eat or sleep too much or not enough.

Our bodies manifest this as pain, headache, digestion problems or illness, We sense that these things are just part of regular life, They aren't.

Trauma when lived out daily wears the body out. Jaws clenched become TMJ. Fatique becomes fibromyalgia. Anxiety turns into panic attacks. Evidence suggests that stress is implicated in all inflammation in the body leading to heart disease, stroke and cancer.

So now more than ever,, don't we need ways to calm the mind, the body and get back to now? Get massages, take those walks with the kids, play with the dog and instead of working out, get up and dance. Life is more than this rush from things. Our destination is always uncertain. We must lead with grace and calmness by first treating these bodies better.Turn of the TV, step away from the cell phone. Breathe. Just stop and realize how little any of us can change the big picture. But we can, we must be true to our hearts and start living our lives. It is all here, its all now. Are you breathing? Good.

Every thing else is a bonus.

Could Push Button Spas be the Next Big Thing?

12/19/2010 02:18:00

I just found a new business in town that is part of a national franchise that features automated 20 minute mini services that feature steam, massage and photo facials that equal high end spas but at a fraction of the cost. How? They are all by machine. No Human touch is involved. The concept sounded intriguing to me. As we become a more plugged in society than ever the whole concept of human interaction has become so devalued that even to relax we need robots. Wow, for the business owner this must be great! Never complains, no health care costs or issues and broken parts can be replaced. The initial set up is quite costly, over $225,000 and for a mere $99 per month the member gets unlimited use of the spa services subject to scheduling the room/machine time. But what machines can listen when a client cries over a loss parent, or confides that their marriage is ending, or laughs at the stupid day he has had. What machine can supportively ask clients to breathe through discomfort or educate the client about proper stretching to avoid the next injury?Are we really so uncomfortable with touching that we'd rather have a machine do it? Gosh I hope not. Yet I am game to try this new concept to see how it works, The Unspa. Now at a location near you.

Preholiday Panic - how do you handle it?

11/17/2010 19:18:00

Is it my imagination or does time speed up at this time of year or does the space time continuum slip just a bit so that we are all a bit more sleep deprived, sugar buzzed caffeinated and crabby just as the days get shorter? Wasn't the idea of the winter holidays to STOP, reflect and be grateful for what we have and share in the warmth of hearth and home. Now it seems to mean RUSH to SHOP, work harder, see friends less and want more than we possibly can use or need. I am trying to get back to basics this year as regifting has become the new recycling, be green instead of mean, slow down instead of speed and give kindness and massage instead of stuff. Check out our Hearts and Hands for the Holidays project to join us as we pledge a percentage of what we earn in December to give to Bridges Communities, a Dupage based organization that helps people who have lost their homes get back to a nice place to live.

Welcome to Body Blog!

11/17/2010 19:07:00

Hello body+soul spa retreat friends and fans!

Well you knew it was just a matter of time before this opinionated massage therapist started posting thoughts about bodywork and the latest in massage news, health and wellness topics and other posts of interest here!

What topics might interest you? Ask questions or leave comments here!