Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine with Michelle Kittsmiller

Good morning and welcome to Green Tea Conversations, the radio show that delves into the pages of Natural Awakenings Magazine to bring you the local experts who share progressive ideas and the latest information and insights needed so you can lead your best life. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle publisher the Twin Cities edition of Natural Awakenings magazine, and I've had the honor to meet hundreds of highly qualified professionals in the areas of natural medicine, sustainable living and healthy relationships. And I wanted to find a way to help them expand their reach and share their expertise with you.

 

Green Tea Conversations is our vehicle to do just that. We have in our studio today, Michelle Kittsmiller, who along with her business partner Connie Burck, on Awakened Living, an integrative health clinic located in Bloomington. Michelle and Connie also hosts a radio show called Awakened Living Infusion on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Right here on AM950, Welcome to Green Tea Conversations, Michelle!

 

Thank you for having me, Candi. I'm super excited to be here.

 

And you're such an expert at this because you've been doing it on your own.

 

So glad you think so.

 

Good to be in the thank you. I understand that you recently earned your doctorate in acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

 

Congratulations. That's an incredible accomplishment.

 

Thank you just this past year. So it was a lot of work, and I'm very happy to have it now done.

 

Yes. I can't even imagine how long, how long of a program that must be. So we'll talk about that in just a minute. But you are also trained in functional medicine, physical movement, stress management, and mindfulness.

 

Yes, I have over the course of time, picked up many interests and follow through to learn the learner exactly what can I learn and apply to help more people? That's really what it's all about.

 

Well, we certainly have a lot of things we can talk about today. So let's just jump right in and start to talk about acupuncture, since that's a main part of your education background? No.

 

Okay.

 

And like I said, I can't even imagine how long it took you to earn a doctorate degree in to acupuncture. And I'm just curious, is this something I'm not aware of, it being something that people have to actually have a doctor's degree or even a master's degree in acupuncture in order to practice well.

 

In order to practice acupuncture as an acupuncture, you do have to have a master's degree. So it's about a four-year program to receive that degree and a doctorate is then above and beyond and is optional. So all acupuncturists are then licensed through the medical board of their state and each state has different requirements. So California has the highest requirements for their students and their practitioners in the States. And then every state has a different scope of practice, basically. So the only people that can practice without the Masters of the doctorate are Chiropractors and MDS.

 

They're only required to take about a 200 hours certification course, which then really is a couple of weekends for them. And there's the good and the bad of all of those things. They already have a deep, deep knowledge of Western medicine, which we are also trained in aspects of. However, most of our education is in acupuncture Oriental medicine. And so there's just so much theory and application of the medicine that kind of gets left behind when you don't have the full education of it. So if you are seeking it out, I definitely recommend that you find someone who is licensed and doesn't have the background fully in acupuncture.

 

As you said, you started off with a master's degree so that you could start purchasing. I'm sorry, practicing acupuncture, and you have been practicing acupuncture for how long?

 

Almost ten years now.

 

Okay. And then you went on to get your doctorate. And what made you decide to do that?

 

There are a few reasons there are certain things that I would like to be able to do, and offer that I didn't feel within the scope of a Masters I could do. And so functional medicine is a component of that. And so the doctor actually provided me the one I chose provided me more of an education in integrative medicine and evidence-informed practice, which is definitely a more Western medical paradigm of it. And so it's really what can we learn from Western medicine and integrate into our medicine to make it better for people to really focus on issues that in theory we know it works.

 

But where is the evidence now to really amplify that? So not only only clinically, then does it provide a little bit more value in certain ways, but also in integrating Western medicine and Eastern medicine and being able to have that communication with other practitioners. So that when you do have patients that there's some overlap and you need to then relay information, it becomes a little bit easier. How can I talk their lingo so that they understand what I'm saying? Because we do have different languages, we have different words that we use for things, and we have totally different way of perspective of looking at medicine than Western medicine does.

 

It provides. I think it's just a more well-rounded area of practice for me, with my patients as well as with other practitioners.

 

And so is one part of your aspect. One aspect of your business now are you looking at expanding your reach and being able to make partnerships with local doctors, medical doctors or practitioners who can. Then you guys can kind of cross-promote?

 

That is actually a really great way to look at it. And ideally, that would be a wonderful benefit of it. I think ultimately it's just the more we know, the more we can help, right? And being able to have that open line of communication, I think we're also seeing that there is an aspect of we're kind of coming into a healthcare crisis where there's not necessarily enough providers out there, Western medicine wise to help everybody that is coming in need of help. And so the more we have where I see the doctorate really being helpful.

 

And I'm going to simplify this in terms of that people will understand is it almost gives that that area of being a primary care provider. So I have and people with doctorates have more of that education to be that first line of defense. So every acupuncture? S they're going to help you, they can help you stay healthy. They can help you get healthy. They can do all those things. I think it's just that next level of where is that line of where we need to incorporate these other things?

 

And how do we do that? And knowing that I can only go so far, where can I help you guide you to the next step if you do need something above and beyond what I need. And I think Western medical providers, they know medicine, they know what happens when you get sick, but let's keep people healthy, so they don't have to get there. Yeah, that's what I want to do.

 

So in acupuncture. Really is it's an ancient practice that's been practiced for.

 

Yeah, it's almost A the number about is 5000 years. And so it's more clinically defined. We've figured out over the years what works, what doesn't work, what gets you to a certain place, what doesn't versus Western medicine has a lot of just research behind it, where they can put them in a lab and kind of figure out what does this do? And what does this do? We've just used time and experimentation to figure that out.

 

But now here in the US, there has been a lot more research with the efficacy of of acupuncture, and it's causing a lot more medical doctors to actually recommend people seek it out as part of their wellness practices.

 

For sure. Yeah. In the last few years, it's been amplified immensely. And I think now with the opioid crisis that we're looking at and people needing more options for pain reduction, acupuncture is amazing at it. And the research is starting not just starting but has been backing that up now for a while. But now it's really starting to become public where yes, this is one of the things that work, particularly for pain, and it works for other things to it. And research is leaving in all those directions.

 

And so one of the things that you're kind of bringing us right into this. So thank you so nicely for doing that. But one of let's just take something an Ailment that we can talk about and tell us how acupuncture can help it. So let's take, for instance, like Irritable Bull syndrome, or is that's something that a lot of people are struggling with? What can you use? How can you use acupuncture and helping clients treat IBS?

 

That's a great question. And as I alluded to earlier, we have a different way of looking at the body and the mind than Western medicine does. When you have someone that comes in with digestive disorders, let's say, such as IBS, they have specific symptoms to those disorders. And whether that be loose stool distension bloating, things might go the other way in regulation to the digestion. Acupuncture looks at the spleen and stomach as organ systems that are focused on that particular aspect. And there's a little bit more to it. Of course, I guess that trying to simplify everything to make it understandable.

 

But the spleen and the stomach is all about helping the body digests and to use them those nutrients to create energy or what we call Chi so that it can go about all these other functions in the body. And when you have symptoms like that, IBS presents, it shows that there's a dysfunction in there. Things aren't working. Your body can't create more Chi, which means you might also be experiencing low energy or things like that. And then there's another component to it, which is an emotional component.

 

So each organ, then also is related to an emotion and the Plains emotion overthinking. And so sometimes people who have anxiety will also have digestive issues like your table bowel or vice versa. And so what causes what we don't really know? And so what the acupuncture does, and we incorporate herbal medicine into this at times. Two is that it directs the body because we believe the body has everything that needs to heal. It just gets off balance. And so we take the symptoms. We look at that and we figure out what we need, how we can direct the body to the best of its ability to rectify those things.

 

And then we put the needles in specific points, then to help it do that. And the great thing is now they're science showing that. Oh, yeah. You're affecting them, the cortisol levels, and you're affecting these opioid receptors and all these other things, chemical responses in the body from the acupuncture, and people get better.

 

Okay. And so we're going to we're going to delve into that a little bit deeper when we come back. And I know one of the things that you're kind of alluding to is Meridian points. So we're going to get into when we come back, what are Meridian points? And how are they used with acupuncture? And if somebody wanted to make an appointment with you for acupuncture, what number is it that they should call?

 

Our phone number is 952-452-8583 or they can book online at AwakenedLivingInfusion.com. (New website: SpiritOfLivingDr.com)

 

Great to read Natural Awakenings magazine online. Visit NaturalTwinCities.Com. You can find a podcast of the show on AM950Radio.Com on iTunes or anywhere you get your podcasts. You're listening to Green Tea Conversations on AM950, The Progressive Voice of Minnesota will be right back.

 

Welcome back to Green Tea Conversations where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertise on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we're talking with Michelle Kittsmiller of Awakened Living and host of Awakened Living Infusion Radio show right here on AM950. Thank you for being with us today Michelle.

 

Thank you for having me.

 

Just before we left for our break, we were talking about acupuncture as one part of the Oriental medicine that you practice, and you were sharing with us how you would use acupuncture with different Ailments, such as IBS, and one of the things that we kind of touched on, or that I mentioned before the break was the meridian system in the body. So can you explain to our listeners what the meridian system is?

 

Absolutely. So in Chinese medicine, everything we do is based off the meridians. And so there are 14 main ones in the body. They all have a certain direction they flow, they all have a certain function in which they help the body do. And so some of them you could equate to being more superficial. And that would be more helpful in saying immune function. And so some of them are deeper, so they would be more connected, maybe two to intestinal function. And so what we do is we figure out what someone's pattern is, and everybody has a different pattern that to present with, depending upon what their symptoms are, what's going on in their lifestyle and that sort of thing that's creating whatever their disorder dysfunction or whatever there is they're coming in for help with.

 

And so we utilize the points on the meridians because every acupuncture point lies on a Meridian, and they all have a different function. So depending upon what your symptoms are, what your goals are, what we're trying to then help the body find balance in is how we determine which points we select together to use. And so some of that is based specifically on what meridians it lies on, such as in pain disorders, and then some of it is a function of the point on that Meridian itself.

 

Okay, so just to be clear, when you're using the needles in the Meridian points is that used to then open and close meridians?

 

Well, there's different functions of it. So sometimes the meridians function is for Chi to to flow through it, that underlying energy of the body that sort of directs everything else to do what it's supposed to do. And so sometimes the Chi can get stuck somewhere. And sometimes there can not be enough of it. Or sometimes there can be an excess of it in certain areas. And so what it does is almost creates, like an electrical circuit, like turning on a light switch. And so we want to tell the Chi where to flow, how to flow there.

 

So if it's stuck, we want to put it in some place that says, okay, you need to move more here because we don't want you congealing there. Right? We don't want you blocking things up. And then in other areas where there's not enough, you might stimulate it to say, okay, hey, we need more down here. So let's modify the flow so that we get more through here, because really, what you want is just a nice balanced flow of energy through all the meridians.

 

So how can you use acupuncture in order to help someone who maybe has chronic headaches?

 

Headaches are actually a really interesting and fun to find, because I don't want someone suffering should not be fun. What I mean by that is that when you go to a doctor and someone has a headache, well, you have a headache. Either it's a migraine or a cluster headache. They have just a couple of classifications for it. In Chinese medicine, there are many kinds of headaches, and it can be caused for many reasons. And so depending upon where on the head, the headache occurs, whether it's in the front part, the back part on the sides that tells us something about it.

 

Okay. Sometimes the headaches occur because you have too much of that energy or Chi and your meridians that are all trying to rush to the top of your head at the same time. And sometimes you have a headache because you're not getting enough Chi up there. And so we look at whatever that pattern is. So 15 people could come in with all sorts of different kinds of headaches, and everybody get a very individualized treatment depending upon what we're trying to accomplish in that. And so migraines stress, headaches, any type of headache is treatable a Chinese medicine.

 

It's just a matter of how we approach it with each individual person.

 

So really, having an extensive background in acupuncture is important. It sounds like it's all very, very specialized and individualized for each person.

 

Absolutely. That is the one thing I think that's really remarkable about it is that it is individualized. So even when your doctor tell you if you were to have diabetes, if you see a Chinese medical practitioner, they're not going to label it as diabetes. They're going to look at all the other things going on, all the other symptoms to kind of figure out what the pattern is in your body. And so diabetes can be heat, it can be a deficiency. It can be all sorts of things and different for everyone.

 

And everyone will get an individualized treatment.

 

Okay. So another aspect of your business of the services that you provide. First of all, I just want to say to our listeners, I wish everyone could see Michelle as she's talking about this because that is the one thing that I love about working with health care professionals and the integrative health fields is how excited people get about what it is that they do. And she actually you actually become very animated, which is so fun to see people passionate about what they do to you. So another aspect of what you do is something called cupping.

 

And we did talk about this a couple of shows ago with Dr. Una Forde, and she mentioned it as well. But I wanted you to share with people about the type of cupping that you do and why it's effective. And so for people who don't know, got some notoriety. I guess this year with the Olympics, some of the swimmers had been using it between their meets, and they were showing up at their meets with kind of bruising on their backs. And that brought attention to what cupping is.

 

So explain to us what kind of cupping you do.

 

I do something called fire cupping. And so there's fire cups and then suction cups, and they both do the same thing. Really, it's just a matter of preference on how the practitioner wants to apply it. So fire cups use use glass cups, and we take a cotton ball soaked in alcohol and light it on fire, and we suck the oxygen out of the cup before we place it on the body. So what that does is it creates this negative vacuum, which then pull a ton of blood and oxygen into a specific area.

 

And so cupping can actually be applied in different ways. So whether again, suction cup, fire cup. That's just how it gets on the body. But you could have something called static cupping, where it just stays in one place on the body, which is. So when you saw the Olympiads with the bruising, how that happens? But there's also sliding cupping where you apply lotion, and you can rub them the cup itself and create more of a massage effect. And then there's something else called twinkling cupping, where you kind of pull it on and off pretty quickly, and they all create a different effect.

 

But the greatest benefit of it is that what happens is when your muscles get tight or spasmed, they basically choke off the blood supply. And what oxygenates? What really relaxes them as the oxygen which the blood carries. And so the cups create this amazing effect of just pulling all this fresh blood into the area with all this wonderful oxygen that your muscle otherwise doesn't have access to. And so you could go get a deep tissue massage for 60 minutes and not get the effect you would during a cupping session, which can last 10, 15, 20 minutes depending upon the needs of the person.

 

And so cupping is basically used primarily for muscle pain.

 

It is yes.

 

For working with the muscles.

 

It can be used for other things. That is what it is most well known for and widely accepted for.

 

So if someone wants to make an appointment with Michelle, they can call Awakened Living at 952-452-8583. And when we come back, we're going to continue talking with Michelle Kittsmiller of Awakened Living in regards to Oriental Medicine. And we'll get into other aspects of that in just a bit. To read Natural Awakenings magazine online, visit NaturalTwinCities.Com you're listening to Green Tea Conversations on AM950 to Progressive Voice of Minnesota. We'll be back in just a bit.

 

Welcome back to Green Tea Conversations where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertise on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we're talking with Michelle Kittsmiller of Awakened Living and host of Awakened Living Infusion Radio show right here on AM950. Thank you for being with us today Michelle.

 

Welcome back to the show Michelle.

 

It's great to be here, Candi.

So, Michelle is a doctorate of Chinese of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

 

Correct.

 

And we have been talking about acupuncture as well as we just started getting into a little bit of the cupping. And now I want to go into something that I had never heard of before I had met you and something that I found very fascinating. And it's called face Reading. And you wrote an article in the June 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings, which people can find online at NaturalTwincities.Com called Five Reasons to Love Your Lines. And in that article, you talked about kind of giving people information a little bit of information about what face reading is.

 

So for our listeners, explained to us what is face reading?

 

Face reading is a very specialized aspect of Chinese medicine, so not every Acupuncturist store list and doctor practices it we are exposed to it in school and taught a little bit about it. I have taken some further certifications in it and been super interested. So just Dove right into finding everything out about it. I could. And it is super fun. So the idea and the concept is that every line, every feature, everything on our face, including our ears, tell something about us so far as to even like the corners of our eyes, can tell how we communicate with other people.

 

And so when we look at each other there obviously we can tell from facial expressions, how someone's feeling that sort of thing. But this goes further into telling more about someone's character, some of their life lessons, some of their experiences when they've had those experiences, and the article in general reference, why shouldn't we embrace all the beautiful things that we've experienced and been through in life that's etched on our face as we move forward? Because it really tells a beautiful story about us. And not everyone knows how to read that story.

 

But to some extent, you can tell when you see someone in their face, you can see the joy lines around their eyes and some of the things that maybe some of the sadness that shows on their face as well. And so face reading just goes much deeper into personalities. And like I said, characteristics that people bring with them.

 

And so I actually had the full face reading appointment with you, which I found very fascinating. And so when people come in and they do this, I came in and you took some pictures and some very close-up pictures from what I remember, which felt a little odd. A camera right next to my temple. Sorry, but you took the pictures. And then what do you do with those?

 

Basically, I use that for the analysis. So I need to spend a little time looking at every feature and what all of it tells. That because part of that process was I write it all down for you so that you have it to take with you to try to do that in one session with someone sitting in front of you is a little complicated. So for me, it's just important that you always have that with you to know those things about yourself and maybe not forget something.

 

And I used the pictures to look at the lines still at the features, and then do the analysis of what those things are saying to me and what they say about your life so that you can have that feedback, because what happens is sometimes we have issues in our lives, and we don't really understand why that's coming up. But the more we know about ourselves, the more self-aware we are, the easier it can be to sometimes deal with those things. So if we know that it's really challenging and frustrating for us to communicate our feelings to other people, whether or not we we are consciously aware of that.

 

If you have someone tell you that and that it shows on your face, you can then look at and be like, oh, that's why I'm challenged in this relationship to communicate in a certain way. Or that's why I don't tend to open up in a certain way. And it's not to give you an excuse not to be or to be in a certain way, but just another element of personal growth. How can I use that information, then, to be better meat or to kind of deal with some of my issues that maybe I don't understand where they come from, but I see that is actually innately has come with me in this lifetime.

 

And so what can I do with that?

 

I found it very fascinating. I love the report that I got. It was very thorough, and so I continue to go back to it and look at it, especially if I need a little bit of a boost once in a while or a reminder. It always is helpful. And so I very much appreciated that. And I very much recommend it for people to come in and see you to do that, because it really did help me gain some good insight that I needed in my journey. And I also decided I'm no longer calling the wrinkles they are from this day forward etchings.

 

Lovely.

 

Which is Nicer. So you also have an extensive education with your extensive education as a doctorate in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. You also have another aspect of your services that you provide, which is the herbal medicine. So how do you use herbal medicine with your clients?

 

Herbal medicine can be used as an adjunct therapy to acupuncture or a standalone therapy. And it's not meant to be like a pharmaceutical long-term fix it where you go to the doctor, you get a pill or you have to take that for the rest of your life in order to feel better. What it does is the same concept of acupuncture is it helps the body rectify whatever the imbalance is to get you back where you need to be. And so it's meant to be temporary. Temporary might be two weeks.

 

Temporary might be a few months, but never supposed to be ongoing for the rest of your life, which is awesome, because who wants to be responsible for taking something all the time? And it's extremely effective as well. And depending upon what the issue is, how chronic it is, will also determine how long you take something or don't take something.

 

And it is again, something that's very personalized. You said that there are over 450

 

Herbs in the Chinese Pharmacopeia.Yeah. So we're trained in what all those herbs are and what they do and how to combine them to get certain effects in Chinese medicine, just like with the body. Herbs and food have an energetic value to them. Be warm, they can be cold so they can inspire a good word, a change in your body. And so if someone comes in and they have a lot of internal colds, and that's why they're presenting with certain symptoms. We're going to give them more warm herbs and even what would be considered neutral to warm that aspect up to create more balance in the body.

 

And same with if it was a warm condition. Getting more cold herbs.

 

And so the herbs that you use, they're very powerful, and they're very common. They're things that we hear a lot about it.

 

Some of them are and some of them are.

So one of them that is used in Chinese medicine. And that's gotten a lot of attention lately in the last couple of years. And people tend to take it quite often is cinnamon. And I have friends who take cinnamon every day. Is that something that you recommend?

 

Yes and no. Again, it's because of the individualized aspect of our medicine and cinnamon. Yes, it has great Western medical information about it. As far as being good for your heart and circulation. High antioxidant benefit. It's good for inflammation in Chinese medicine. Again, when we look at people who have cold or heat conditions, cinnamon is actually really hot or warm, warm, hot spice. And so people who already have a heat condition, if they're constantly taking things in that make that that worse, it can inflame their symptoms.

 

And so whether that maybe be some bowel issues from heat or stomach issues, and whether that be acid reflux, the cinnamon can actually feed those issues. And so even though you might be getting the other benefits, it might be causing havoc with other symptoms. And so we would want to be a little bit more cautious with cinnamon from the aspect of Chinese medicine on who's taking it, how much they're taking relative to what's going on with their bodies.

 

I'm curious when you say if they're having heat issues, what do you mean by heat issues?

 

Well, the body has a cooling system and a heating system. And so when those get off of balance, the body can go one way or the other. And sometimes cold symptoms can show up as like maybe lower abdominal pain. Even when we look at colds, we have something we call the wind-cold or heat cold. And so if you have a sore throat, you have more heat in your cold. If you have a tickly throat, you have more cold in your cold. And so then that would also vary what herbs we would give somebody or how we would treat them with acupuncture.

 

And so there's always sort of this element of how do we keep it all in balance? And so we can have acid reflux usually is a heat issue and things like that. And so we look at temperatures and energetics of things as well.

 

And I guess why I'm asking is because I'm trying to trying to understand myself when you say heat issues you're not talking about. I'm constantly running hot. I feel like my body is always hot or my hands and my feet are always cold. That might be an aspect of it.

 

Correct. But it wouldn't necessarily define everything that's going on.

 

Okay. So another part of functional medicine, one of the things that you had shared with me at one time was about an herb called Ephedra.

 

Yeah. Very interesting. So the great thing about having an education and herbal medicine is that your you learn dosages, you learn the benefits in a certain amount. Right. Not everybody has that information. And not all herbs and supplements are regulated in the United States. So ephedra a few years ago really came under some cross-examination, I guess you could say, because people are using it for weight loss, and they were using it for long amount of time. Well, if ephedra is an extremely powerful herb in the herbal pharmacy, and it's used mostly for colds and kitchen colds out.

 

And it is only meant to be taken for a short amount of time. I know that because I went to school before I have to learn that. But not everybody knew that right. And so people actually started dying from taking an ephedra long-term. And so it was eventually pulled off the market. Nobody can get it. We can't get it for the medicine we do. It's just illegal in the United States. And so there are other herbs that have come under fire like that. And so even though there's some great information out there about supplementation and herbs, it's still really good to talk to somebody who actually has an education so that, you know, you are taking them in the proper manner and what you're putting in your body and how much because it really does affect what's going on.

 

Obviously, if people can die from overuse.

 

Right. So you said that it is a very personalized approach again. And so you customize everything to people. But there are some things that are pretty effective across the board. And you, for instance, with menstrual cramps.

 

Yes. So we look at patterns for people. But there are patterns that different people can have all the same pattern. They could have different symptoms, but it can still fall within a pattern. And so a lot of times, what will happen with PMS is the emotional component with the cramps. And there is a specific herbal formula that many of us use to deal with that with our patients with high, high, high success rates. I've had people come in and take I have just months and years of issues and take it in their first menstrual cycle there.

 

It was such a drastic difference. I can't even tell you I feel like a totally different person this month. And then herbs like that can sort of be dosed intermittently, sometimes depending upon where you get the body so that it can just be helpful full in certain situations like that.

 

So if people want to make an appointment with you again, Michelle, what is the number that they can call?

 

It's 952-452-8583.

 

And once again, you are listening to Green Tea conversations, and we are talking with Michelle from Awakened Living and Awakened Living Infusion Radio, which is on AM950 here on Saturday mornings. We will be back in just a minute.

 

 Welcome back to Green Tea Conversations, where we delve into the pages of Natural Awakenings magazine and talk to the professionals who share their expertise on natural health with you. I'm your host, Candi Broeffle. And today we're talking with Michelle Kittsmiller of Awakened Living and host of Awakened Living Infusion Radio Show here on Am 950. Welcome back to the show, Michelle.

 

Thank you.

 

So just before we left, we've been talking about kind of all aspects of Oriental and some of the services that you provide Awakened Living that you yourself provide. We've talked about acupuncture, and we've talked about herbal medicine, and we've talked about cupping and face reading. And so one of the things that I also wanted to talk about is you also provide some bodywork. And so you have different types of bodywork that you actually can help people with.

 

Yes. So I was originally trained as a massage therapist, so I did a lot of deep tissue work, myofascial those sorts of things. But part of the training, when you hear someone say they're an acupuncturist is that we do all these other aspects, right? We learned cupping. We learned something called Gasha. We learned Tuina. And Tina is actually considered Chinese medical massage. And so even though there is some overlap with massage therapist in what they do in some of their movements, it has a lot of standalone movements that are done as well.

 

And so it's usually done fully clothed. And there is an aspect of the best thing to equate is physical therapy. And so there are very therapeutic movements that can be done with injuries and things like that. The acupuncturist or the practitioner you're working with can help you with. And so it's not just normally lying there passively and just relaxing. You definitely get a more therapeutic effect from it.

 

And so we're talking about Tuina now.

 

Yes.

 

Okay. So say somebody came to you and they presented with what would be like a common thing that you may use Tuina for?

 

 Frozen shoulder would be a great one knee pain, low back pain. You can use it for any type of pain. It's just again, there are movements specific to how to help those different areas of the body. And so when I apply Tuina, I usually do it after acupuncture session or before, depending upon what the needs of the person is. And sometimes it does have a more relaxed, a sort of bent to it. And then sometimes there's the more therapeutic like, how can we get this joint to loosen up more? How can we create a larger range of motion by using different sorts of manipulations in there to help open up those joints?

 

And then you can also we send people home with exercises just like a massage therapist would stretching that sort of thing.

 

Okay. That's very interesting. That is something that I had never heard of before. So something that had piqued my interest. And another aspect of what you do is you guys offer a lot of classes. You offer a lot of classes that people can come and learn in many different aspects of our lives. You guys are really awakened. Living is really an integrative clinic. And so you integrate all all aspects of the person. Correct?

 

Absolutely. We do classes on physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. It's all about personal growth, how to be the best versions of ourselves again. And so throughout the year, we have different programs that come up later on in the year. We have a whole series that starts with the physical component, from nutrition to what our environmental factors are that affect our health relationships every step of the way. It's a ten-week program like, how do we embrace life and move through these issues that we might have? Currently, we have one called 20 Wishes.

 

We started this month, but we do have ongoing enrollment for the next couple of months. And that really is about creating the life of our dreams. What are the things that we sort of go by? The wayside that bring us passion? Is it dancing? Is it crocheting? Is it learning a new skill? What are some of the things that we can incorporate into our lives? And how do we get there? So we did a show. It was called Wishes versus Resolutions. And Resolutions tend to focus more on that negative aspect.

 

What do I need to do to be a better person? What am I not good at that? I should be better at where wishes is really just like, what are those awesome things that I can bring into my life that just make it amazing. And so the idea is just to create a group where we can connect and affirm and help and support people through the process this year of what did they want to bring into their lives? How are they going to manifest that? And what can we do to help each other do that in the process?

 

I find that so interesting. Even when you say that resolutions versus Wishes and resolutions, you think of resolute, right? I'm going to be resolute about this. Or however, you say that it's almost like I have to. Yes, if I have to and wishes are I get to I get to do this. This is something that I'm doing for myself so people can come and they can join at any time, even though you have had one month ready.

 

But it's free every third Tuesday night of the month at 6:30 to 8:30.

 

And we welcome everyone and they can they can just stop by the clinic.

 

They can register online.

 

They can give us a call or stop by just at the night of the class just to let people know your clinic is located in Bloomington. But what is the address?

 

It is 36 and one Minnesota Drive. And we are in suite eight. Two five. It's right off the corner of 494 in France.

 

Okay. And it's in the building called Grand Place. You also have a class called The Four Week Life Transformation, letting Go of the Past and Embracing the Future. And that one is starting on Tuesday, March 6.

 

Wednesday. Yes.

 

Sorry. It's Wednesday, March 30.

 

Yes.

 

That one is going to be amazing. So this one is based on guided imagery and group guided imagery. Well, so Connie will be the one doing the programming and she does interpersonal guided imagery. So, yeah, she's amazing. Anyway. So the class is really about what in the past year are we hanging onto that? We no longer need that no longer serves us. How could we move through that and either effectively get rid of it, or do we even need to deal with it? Is it just something that maybe is weighing us down?

 

But really, he doesn't have any bearing on her life whatsoever. And so through the four weeks, it's a progression of learning what those things are, how to move through them, how to let them go, and then how to embrace what you need to do to have your greatest growth in the coming year.

 

And I believe Connie was on the show on the 17th on February 17. So if people want to find out more about guided imagery, they can listen in there. Now, you guys also have a big part of what you do is about educating in which you do through your classes. But you also do that on your radio show called Awakened Living Infusion. And again, that's on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. And So you have some shows coming up that have a specific focus. On March 9. Your show is on forgiveness.

 

What can you tell us about that?

 

Well, forgiveness is kind of a big life lesson for certain people. Many people look at that as though it's something you give someone right. And so we'll talk a little bit about that. But we're also going to really delve into what does forgiveness do for yourself. And how do we apply that on a personal level for our own growth?

 

And you have other shows coming up on March. Letting go March. Self Esteem Michelle thank you so much for being with us today. This is pretty much the end of our show now.

 

It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

 

You have given us so much information and I really do look forward to digging in deeper with you in future shows. Thank you for joining our conversation today as we awaken to Natural Health to read the online edition of Natural Awakenings magazine, or to check out our complete online calendar of events, visit Natural Twin cities. Com. You can find a podcast of the show on AM950Radio.com on iTunes or anywhere you get your podcasts. You've been listening to Green Tea Conversations on AM950 The Progressive Voice of Minnesota and I'm wishing you a lovely day!