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My first back injury came at 16 years old -- a critical time for a teenager, when the final vertebrae are being calcified into bone. I loved horses and spent a good deal of time around the barn, especially during my summers -- I was doing a great deal of physical lifting and work including shoveling out stalls; and then school began and I loved plants so I joined the Sprouts Club and this included wielding a shovel once again, to dig in the school gardens. That tipped the scale for me and led to a back sprain or whatever they called it. Then in my early to mid 20-s came 3 car accidents within 2 years -- I was rear-ended each time, a major hazard of driving in Los Angeles.
A chiropractor took an x-ray of my whole spine, post-accident number 1, and asked me "what did you do to your low back when you were 16? It herniated your L4-5 disc." I was floored! He could see the scar tissue from my first injury, and it had healed badly. Lucky for me, I had begun doing a yoga practice at 17, about 6-8 months after that first episode. I did not realize it until much later, but my ongoing yoga practice actually helped my disc and spine to heal and to most likely prevent further problems over the years. I was practicing "yoga therapy" before it had a name. Still, I had to be careful because a weakness was created in that area of my lumbar spine.
Flash forward to 2001 when I lifted something heavy in a bad way and it sent my back into rebellion once again, but worse than I had ever experienced in my life. I must have pulled and strained muscles and the end result was extreme spasming up and down my entire spine. This is actually a defense mechanism/reaction by the muscles, designed to protect and hold the vertebrae in place in order to avoid further movement of the bones and damage to the discs. It still can be incredibly painful and scary when it happens to you.
At that time, I could do nothing but stay on the floor. I could barely move without experiencing excruciating pain. Laying on my back on the floor with knees bent was the only initial relief. Moving too much or too little sent currents of pain up and down my whole body. I pulled myself along on the hardwood floors to get from room to room, and used chairs to pull myself up to do basic, necessary things like prepare food and eat and use the facilities. I was only 37 years old, but I was completely incapacitated and scared.
After 3 days of this, I eventually was able to get down my stairs and into my car for an appointment -- there was an orthopedic surgeon's office about a 5 minute drive from me. They took an x-ray of my spine and the doctor told me that I had a condition called "spondylolisthesis" where my L4 vertebrae was slipping out in front of L3 and L5, which is a dangerous thing because it begins to pull and push the spinal cord and to stretch and pull and possibly herniate the discs as well. This most likely connected to my injury at 16. And I was told that the only way I would be able to live "pain free" again was to have a spinal fusion surgery. A spinal fusion back then would have consisted of 2 titanium bars screwed to my lumbar vertebrae to hold the bones in place. I was horrified as this was all explained to me. I walked out in shock and did not schedule another appointment. I was determined not to have anyone take a knife or scalpel to my lower back.
My next call was to my yoga center at the time, and 2 of my mentors, Hasita Agathe Nadai and Brahmani Liebman. I felt confident that gentle yoga and restorative classes could help me with my issue and relieve the pain. I began attending classes on a regular basis and quickly became hooked on this style and tradition of yoga which is heart-opening and breath-centered. I was able to put together a number of movements and poses that became my routine for healing the spondy condition. It took a year and a half, but when I went back for another x-ray, it showed no signs of the spondylolisthesis.
How did this healing happen? It's not mysterious or magical, but it did take time, creativity, commitment and intention. And trust in my body/mind/spirit's ability to heal. I used gentle breathing and yoga movements/poses to bring my muscles back to a relaxed state, and to release compression on my nerves. Yoga always calms the nervous system overall so my stress level went down. And then began gentle core strengthening over a period of 10 plus months. The pain relief came within 1-2 months, but it was a longer journey to maintain the long-lasting effects. Much like learning to ride a bike -- you start on 4 wheels and get up and moving, then go to a tricycle, then a bicycle with training wheels. And then you take the training wheels off and it becomes all about using your strength and your skills to balance on 2 wheels.
As a result of my extreme experience, I created a healthy routine for myself which evolved over time -- I got really smart about my own body -- using yoga as therapy -- tuning into the breath and coordinating it with the movement; noticing my edges and learning when I needed to stop and when I needed to keep going a touch more. I became more grounded and aware of how I was moving my body in each moment. And, most importantly, I was able to avoid a spinal fusion surgery and create lasting pain relief and a hug increase in quality of life for myself. This led me to train to become a yoga teacher and therapist, in order to offer my own learning and healing to others as an example. A little further down the road, I became a Licensed Acupuncturist which gave me another amazing set of tools to heal mind/body/spirit.
The tree is frequently used as a metaphor in our medicine. You come in to see me with symptoms/ complaints -- these are your "branches." And the most visible part of a tree, but just because your branches are painful and sick, weak or broken, doesn't mean they are where the issue started. This is only where it is showing up. Your branches did not become compromised "overnight" -- for instance, with extreme pain or systemic inflammation/auto-immune disorder -- just as with a real tree, it takes years for deep sickness to travel from the root to show up on the surface, but the first sign of real trouble is usually discoloration or spots on the leaves or the branches losing their leaves or becoming brittle. Of course, when it comes to a traumatic accident or injury, or if a woman is pregnant and has symptoms due to her condition, yes, we DO know the root right away, but this approach still comes in handy: sometimes injuries don't heal properly or quickly due to underlying conditions that were present before the incident. And likewise, a woman's pregnancy will definitely be impacted by her overall underlying health before conception. And each pregnancy will also be different. Why is this root and branch approach so important? My job is to use all of the information your give me about your leaves/branches, in addition to looking at your tongue and taking pulses, as well and anything else I observe about you, and find that "root" cause of your symptoms. The more chronic your situation and the more multi-layered it is, the more detective work it takes on my part to find that root, but honestly, that's what makes my work so fascinating and satisfying: No two patients are ever the same -- they may come in with the exact same western diagnosis and symptoms, but I may only use a few overlapping acupuncture points because their underlying conditions and tongue and pulse are completely different. They each have a different root issue, but the branches/surface may look the same. The acupuncture points and combinations are always the same, it's the application of them that changes. Why? Because every human being is entirely unique. And acupuncture and TCM acknowledge and support this -- and as a practitioner, I am trained to go with that flow: to take everything I've learned over the years and apply it to each individual patient as appropriate and necessary. This is in stark contrast to western medicine which takes a "one size fits all" approach to health and focuses on managing symptoms through medications. ******** When it comes to understanding treatment strategy, the tree metaphor is also extremely helpful. For instance, pain is a "branch". I do treat this branch first in order to help bring relief, but at the same time, I am also searching for and treating the underlying root. As the pain diminishes over time, it will no longer be taking "center stage" and other branches will then "rise up" and become more prominent and then can be addressed. Your branches all give me clues as to the root treatment that's needed and whether we are on the right track or we need a detour. And as healing proceeds, other root causes may also be discovered. Sometimes people get excited with immediate results and I am always quite happy for these patients, but I still say "keep going with your treatment plan, don't stop now." Most of you do, but sometimes patients do stop too soon and they back-slide and are left with the impression that "it didn't work," but they actually don't know for sure. If you don't follow the plan or try to mix in different therapies and supplements, it can muddy the waters and make it very difficult to decipher what is actually working and what isn't. On the flip side, some people get impatient and stop after 2 or 3 treatments because they don't feel anything is happening yet -- there have been no "earth-shattering" results. Don't be fooled by this -- you may just be a slow-starter, especially if you are on a laundry list of western medications or have a history of serious illness such as cancer. And it is simply not realistic to expect that a 15 or 20-year chronic condition is going to be eradicated in 1 or even 3 months. Actually, if any health care practitioner promises you some "miracle" like this, please run the other way! Healing is rarely, if ever, a linear, straightforward process. You need to bring your trust, patience and determination to the table, especially when dealing with serious or long-term, chronic illness. And even when you think "nothing" is happening inside of you, remember what a wise teacher once observed: “When you dig a well, there's no sign of water until you reach it; only rocks and dirt to move out of the way. When you have removed enough of the debris, the pure water will flow.” Ultimately, the body has the power to heal itself and acupuncture creates a supportive inner environment to encourage and facilitate this process. Besides being cumulative, it is also curative, meaning that it does not simply manage or suppress symptoms as synthetic drugs do, but it actually heals and cures the body-mind at a deep level. With consistent, regular treatments, we heal your roots and your branches. As always, I am honored to help you clear the debris and get to the root of what's blocking you from flowing in your life and health through the wisdom and knowledge of this ancient medicine.
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Here’s a short list of easy and practical things you can do and choices you can make for yourself to prevent illness during any seasonal change. We tend to be most susceptible when the weather and elements are fluctuating to the extremes. The body-mind, though very resilient, has a very delicate and fragile balance that needs to be honored and preserved. As we move from the cold/damp of Spring into the warm/damp or hot/dry of Summer, try some of these tips: 1) Stick to warm, cooked foods for your main meals. If you eat greens, steam or cook them. If you want to have a salad, go more for room temperature lettuce and vegetables and dressing. Cold and raw are not so easy to digest – the salads are better in Summer and early Fall. 2) Stick to warm or room temperature beverages. Herbal tea and water are best, but if you must have juice, cut it with half water to reduce the sugar (and the inflammation that follows). Cold creates more phlegm/mucus in the system, which can accumulate and cause blockages. 3) Do your best to keep warm – stay out of drafty areas. 4) Keep your neck and throat wrapped with a warm or a decorative scarf. 5) Keep a sweater and light jacket in your car, just in case you end up in a cold, air conditioned building, or the weather suddenly turns cold and windy. 6) Take your Jade Windscreen herbal formula regularly to boost your immune system and prevent illness (Gan Mao Ling may also be used if you notice more of a difference taking it.) 7 ) Vitamin C and D3 are excellent supplements to add to your daily regimen if you haven’t already. 8) Stress makes everything worse, so practice your breathing and letting go. You just need a few minutes, once or twice a day to sit quietly and meditate by counting the breath. Ask me for more details. 9) Make sure you get to bed at a decent hour and get enough good quality, deep sleep . 10) If you have a family with small children, do your best to keep yourself and them well – wash hands often, ask me about “Children’s Jade Defense ” which is a liquid, sweet tasting version of Jade Windscreen for kids. 11) Come on in for an acupuncture immune boost or two!
Coming soon!
Use food as medicine -- from Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine -- eat cooling foods to heal inflammation.
Do acupuncture needles hurt when inserted?
Thoughts and musings on "The Art of Letting Go" as a path to deeper, more holistic healing.
How does one care for and feed their "soul?" Thoughts, ideas and inspiration for living a more Soul-Full life.
My personal experience with healing Spondylolisthesis through yoga therapy.
