You may find yourself waking up with stiffness in the joints, neck pain, or a deep fatigue. Occasionally you may have rashes, flareups of chest tightness, or shortness of breath that come and go. These symptoms have been generally tied to the inflammation you experience as a result of lupus. You may be taking steroid, and anti-inflammatory medications to manage your condition, but you’re also seeking natural alternative therapies to give you a leg up. That’s exactly where acupuncture can help.

How would it feel to wake up one day without pain or stiffness, and feeling full of energy? Or not needing to avoid specific triggers that bring on the rash and chest tightness?

Pain that is more pronounced upon waking up is a sign of a circulation issue. You can think about it like trying to workout before warming up. The muscles need some light stretching or movement to get the blood flowing. Similarly, when you first wake it, it takes time for your the blood to fully circulate to all parts of the body.

This may be helped by stimulating acupoints to improve circulation in the heart.

Feeling heaviness, shortness of breath, or tingling hands are also signs of heart circulatory issues. The heart in Chinese medicine is easily affected by heat, or inflammatory conditions. Lupus falls in the category of autoimmune disease, which causes an increased level of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is another way of describing heat. This again, can be reduced or cleared out of the body by stimulating acupoints to improve heart function, or reduce heat in the body.

How many treatments does it take? Because autoimmune disease is a systemic disease, we recommend starting with a course of 10 treatments. These treatments are usually spaced out twice a week for optimal results. With each session we focus on understanding which symptoms are of concern that week or in that very moment.

As we knock down one symptom at a time, your body should feel better overall with less pain, less stiffness, and more energy. You should also notice a reduction in flareups and sensitivity to triggers. To book your first visit click here.

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From bloating, to diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain - gluten intolerance can be a pain to live with. Trying to avoid gluten can be a mission in itself. But did you know that gluten intolerance, and stress have a common link? And that by controlling one you may be able to control the other?

Gluten intolerance is essentially a form of inflammation – the body’s hyperactive response to a protein(gluten) found in wheat[1]. What if I told you that stress also creates an environment in your body, which makes you more prone to inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, and celiac disease[2]? And what if that minor clue, was in itself, the solution and cure.

Here I’m going to discuss how you can get gluten intolerance under control by managing your stress levels and inflammation with acupuncture & food therapy.

Many clients of ACUSOUL who suffer from IBS, celiac disease, or gluten intolerance – have noticed that it gets worse in times of stress. More importantly, the illness itself may have began during a time of high stress.

For example, when you entered the workforce your stress levels may have been more elevated than when you were in school[3]. That may also be the time when you noticed the gluten intolerance began. It may not have been flaring up consistently everyday, but that’s because your stress levels also vary day by day. Paying attention to the environment, your lifestyle, and emotionally how you felt when the illness began is critical to addressing it.

What stress does is increase blood pressure, cortisol levels, and your body’s inflammatory response[4]. This increase in cortisol, and blood pressure has an obvious impact on your heart health. At the same time the inflammation being increased makes the gluten intolerance and IBS more pronounced in the intestinal organs.

Thus, with acupuncture we would target the Heart to bring down stress levels and the intestinal organs to control diarrhea and constipation. As a result you may notice better sleep, feeling more relaxed, and less tension in the upper back and jaw, as well as less bouts of diarrhea or constipation, and less bloating. If you’re not familiar, feel free to read our article on "How acupuncture works”.

From a food standpoint, here are some foods that help reduce inflammation, regulate the heart, and may help with symptoms of gluten intolerance:

1. Turmeric – with high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, digestive regulating properties, this spice is great for inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, or celiac disease.

2. Beets - Calm the heart, lubricates the intestines to help with constipation.

3. Watermelon – Clears heat from the heart, stomach, and bladder. Alleviates thirst, and induces diuresis. Essentially promoting the body’s ability to clear inflammation, and rehydrate.

If you’re interested in seeing what acupuncture & food therapy can do for you – book a session here. We’re an acupuncture clinic located in the heart of downtown Toronto, and Vaughan. We’ll discuss your health concerns in detail, come up with a treatment plan, and provide food recommendations customized to your body’s intricate needs.

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1. https://nyulangone.org/conditions/celiac-disease-gluten-sensitivity-in-adults/diagnosis

2. https://www.rn.com/featured-stories/stress-inflammation-immunity/

3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlynborysenko/2018/11/01/generation-z-is-coming-to-work-and-their-stress-is-already-high/#40e00704273b

4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/signs-you-are-gluten-intolerant

5. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/1999/06/04/27924.htm