Specific Conditions

Book cover of "What Fresh Hell Is This? Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You" by Heather Corinna. Black text over orange, yellow, red and white flames.

What Fresh Hell is This?

I just finished reading “What Fresh Hell is This? Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, And You” by Heather Corinna. I recommend it to anyone who has or has had a utero-ovarian system. It offers practical, supportive and kind advice for getting through perimenopause and menopause, grounded in science and feminism from a smart, witty, non-binary sex educator. 

Dramatic image of a stormcloud in shades of white, grey and orange, against a dark blue sky.

Talking about the weather

I think we underestimate weather’s impact on our physiology. City dwellers in this part of the world tend to spend a lot of time indoors, especially in a pandemic, so it’s understandable, but weather changes are no joke. At the beginning of spring we tend to see increased headaches, irritability and insomnia in the clinic — this year we’re also seeing an unusual uptick in tinnitus complaints. So take this as a seasonal reminder that if you’re feeling off, it might just be the weather, and acupuncture can help.

A person in a surgical mask and red hoodie give acupuncture treatment to someone with long dark hair and a grey mask while they lean back in a recliner covered in a yellow sheet.

Lyme

We know it can be risky for someone to identify themselves as having chronic or late-stage Lyme disease. We believe our Lyme patients.

Four acupuncture patients sleeping under red blankets in four recliners lined up against a wall lined with plants.

Foot pain

Foot pain is a common complaint in our clinic. We see a lot of people get significant relief from foot pain with acupuncture treatment.

A person in a surgical mask and red hoodie give acupuncture treatment to someone with long dark hair and a grey mask while they lean back in a recliner covered in a yellow sheet.

How to Tell That Acupuncture Is Working Even Though You’re Still in Pain

We see many people in intense, long-term chronic pain. Some of these people get immediate and dramatic relief, but it’s much more common for regular treatment to slowly chip away at an issues that are chronic. And sometimes progress is less straightforward. How do you tell if acupuncture is working even though you’re still in pain? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

A black and white line drawing of the back of the legs, showing the nerves that travel along the back of the legs, with the sciatic nerve shown in red.

Sciatica

Sciatica can cause a frightening amount of pain and/or numbness and lower leg weakness, but most people recover from sciatica within a few days or weeks without lasting damage. We have seen community acupuncture offer considerable pain relief for people suffering from acute and chronic cases of sciatica.