This is the time for setting goals and resolutions for The New Year! Many of the top New Years’ Resolutions focus on self-improvement and taking care of oneself. If this is the case for you as well in the new year, acupuncture and traditional East Asian Medicine may assist. Here are some helpful hints for fulfilling some of the most common resolutions:
1. Getting in Shape: Acupuncture can help with weight loss in a number of ways. Often there is a medically treatable condition underlying weight gain such as thyroid imbalance or depression. Diets try to override these conditions without properly addressing them, but once treated they yield to more sustainable weight management. Moreover, if your fitness routine has been derailed due to injury or pain, an acupuncturist can help get you back to where you can enjoy sports and exercise activities once again. 
2. Eating Healthy: Incorporating a proper, healthy, well-rounded diet into a fast-paced or active lifestyle can be difficult. There is also a lot of conflicting information about what is and isn’t healthy that can be hard to wade through without a health professional. In my practice, I blend wisdom from traditional East Asian dietary theory with the modern Western biomedical approach I learned during my studies at Hippocrates Health Institute. I draw from different parts of each of these approaches to tailor dietary recommendations that will augment treatment on a case-by-case basis.
3. Quitting Smoking: Auricular, or ear, acupuncture is often used in the treatment of addictions and treatments may use auricular points alone or along with other body points. For instance, studies show strong evidence for the effect of the NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) protocol, a combination of five auricular points, in improving patient outcomes in terms of reductions in cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance and need for pharmaceuticals. Acupuncture treatment, including but not limited to the NADA protocol, can help with other cravings such as sweets and coffee as well as nicotine.
4. Saving Money: Preventative medicine like acupuncture can also save in health care costs over time. I offer treatment at a reduced self-pay rate to make acupuncture more affordable.
