Optimizing the therapeutic value to the rest during Vivacity Acupuncture treatments

Here in the U.S., the most common conditions that people seek acupuncture for is chronic pain– a primary source of which is muscular knots or myofascial trigger-points. Interestingly, science shows us that trigger-points are most likely to release when you are laying down in the dark. Laying down deactivates postural muscles allowing them to effectively release tension, while a darker environment reduces nervous system arousal and electrical over-firing of the muscles essentially relaying that it is safe to release tension. It doesn’t take long; just 10 or 15 minutes can make a substantial difference. This timeframe also allows for the local blood supply to return to higher levels after being impeded by muscle tension. This increased circulation brings the fuel (ATP) required by muscle fibers to physically unclamp and release.

The reduced hyper-arousal of the nervous system achieved during the rest period also fosters beneficial physiological states including resilience and coherence.

Physical resilience is associated with endurance, strength and peak performance, while emotional resilience is reflected in the ability to self-regulate, degree of emotional flexibility, positive outlook and supportive relationships. Mental resilience is reflected in the ability to sustain focus and attention, mental flexibility and the capacity for integrating multiple points of view. Coherence is a sense that life is comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful and correlates with enhanced ability to function in the face of changes. Being in coherence has even been found to moderate pain by inhibiting spinal thalamic pain pathways [1]. Beyond pain conditions, stress and ‘negative’ emotions have been shown to increase disease severity and worsen prognosis for a number of different conditions, while ‘positive’ emotions and effective emotional regulation have been shown to prolong health [2].

The science behind this phenomenon is ‘neurocardiology,’ which illustrates four types of bidirectional communication between the heart and the brain: nerve impulses, biochemicals (hormones and neurotransmitters), pressure changes and electromagnetic waves [3].

These messages affect perceptions, behavior and performance through activity in the frontocortical areas and motor cortex of the brain, affecting numerous psychological factors [1,4] such as motivation, emotional processing, as well as attention and perceptual sensitivity [5]. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a measure of beat-to-beat changes that create the dynamic rhythm comprising a responsive indicator of current stress and cognitive processes. You want this to be in an optimal range that is not too high or too low. As a researcher, HRV is very interesting because it can be an objective indicator of this mind-body benefit from acupuncture treatment. As a clinician with a bustling private practice, I love that this simple technique helps with decision-making, creativity, listening ability, reaction times and coordination and mental clarity [6].

• Thoughts and even subtle emotions influence the activity in the autonomic nervous system.

• The ANS interacts with our digestive, cardio- vascular, immune, hormonal and many other bodily systems.

• Negative emotions/feelings create disorder in the brain’s regulatory systems and ANS.

• Feelings such as appreciation create increased order in the brain’s regulatory systems and ANS, resulting in improved hormonal- and immune-system function and enhanced cognitive function. 

To maximize this effect in the midst of your acupuncture treatment, Vivacity now offers in-office coherence training with a HeartMath sensor– this sensor detects your heart rhythm and provides a tone to guide your breathing into ‘coherence’ with your heart.

If you’d like to take advantage of this benefit during your treatment, just download the HeartMath app on your phone and let us know at the start of your session. During your treatment, a sensor will be placed on your ear to detect your heart rhythm then the app will play a subtle tone to guide your respiration in time with your heart. Even just a few sessions in our office will allow you to access greater coherence in your daily life. While it is commonly thought that the brain is the master controller and regulates the heart, research shows us that the heart operates independently and even has short-term and long-term memory functions.  Because of this, optimized HRV and coherence training is like building a muscle or implicit memory that organizes perception, feelings and behavior (i.e. emotional intelligence) [3]. The app will show you your progress over time, and we look forward to sharing this technique with you.

References:
[1] McCraty, R., Atkinson, M., Tomasino, D., & Bradley, R. T, The coherent heart: Heart-brain interactions, psychophysiological coherence, and the emergence of system-wide order. Integral Review, 2009. 5(2): p. 10-115.
[2] McCraty, R. and D. Tomasino, Emotional stress, positive emotions, and psychophysiological coherence, in Stress in Health and Disease, B.B. Arnetz and R. Ekman, Editors. 2006, Wiley- VCH: Weinheim, Germany. p. 342-365.
[3] Gahery, Y. and D. Vigier, Inhibitory effects in the cuneate nucleus produced by vago-aortic afferent fibers. Brain Research, 1974. 75: p. 241-246.
[4] McCraty, R., M. Atkinson, and R.T. Bradley, Electrophysiological evidence of intuition: Part 2. A system-wide process? J Altern Complement Med, 2004. 10(2): p. 325-36.
[5] Montoya, P., R. Schandry, and A. Muller, Heartbeat evoked potentials (HEP): Topography and influence of cardiac awareness and focus of attention. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1993. 88: p. 163-172.
[6] McCraty, R. and D. Childre, Coherence: bridging personal, so- cial, and global health. Altern Ther Health Med, 2010. 16(4): p. 10-24.