Spring 2019

Points to

PonderHealing, Health, & Well-being

Through Acupuncture

Shannon Considine Licensed Acupuncturist

Spring: A Time to Rejuvenate

Nerves on edge? Feeling antsy? Tired of spending so much timeindoors? Chances are you're more than ready to put the limitationsassociated with winter weather behind you and move to a better place.That better place is spring and, fortunately, it is upon us.Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has �ve seasons and �ve elementsassociated with it. The seasons in TCM, each of which has its own setof properties, are winter, spring, summer, late summer, and fall. Theseasons and their elements create a balance within the body.Spring not only brings a renewal of the land as seeds sprout and�owers bloom, but a renewal of our body, minds, and spirits as well. InTCM the season of spring is associated with the wood element whichgoverns the liver and gallbladder. You may recall that in TCM there aretwo complementary forces–yin and yang–that complete a dynamicwhole.

The liver is the yin organ and the gallbladder the yang organ. As theliver is an organ with a capacity for regeneration, it seems appropriatethat it is linked with the season of the year when things are renewed.According to TCM, when the energy of the liver is out of balance youcan experience irritability, depression, anger, frustration, nausea, andmuscle stiffness. These symptoms can be worsened if the gallbladderalso is out of balance. Acupuncture is an effective means of restoringthe balance of the liver and gallbladder.By the way, green is the color associated with spring in TCM. This isunderstandable when you consider that we begin to see plant growthin the spring. Eating fresh greens is useful and helps the liver in itsfunction of removing wastes from the blood, so be sure to includethem in your diet.

Call to Schedule Your Acupuncture Treatment (410) 598-9836

What is Acupuncture?

You most likely know that acupuncture involves treatingconditions by placing needles at speci�c points in the body. Butdid you know there is quite a complex system behind it?According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, a system that hasbeen around about 3000 years upon which acupuncture isbased, energy �ows along the surface of the body and throughbody organs along paths called meridians. The meridians arenamed according to the organ they �ow through (such as theliver). A blockage of the energy �ow can cause illness.With acupuncture treatments needles are strategically placedalong speci�c points on the meridians to restore energy �ow.Acupuncturists receive training as to how to identify whichmeridians are blocked based on a person's symptoms and wereand how to place the needles to stimulate speci�c points. (Besure you receive treatments only from a licensed acupuncturist!)Research has shown acupuncture is effective for a variety ofconditions, such as headache, stress, nausea, and pain. Peoplehave found it highly bene�t as a means to control stress andboost motivation to address issues such as adhering to anexercise plan and getting their lives in order. Increasing numbersof health insurers are now paying for acupuncture treatments.

Time For Spring Cleaning – Inside and Out... This is a good time of year to do cleansing both internal and

external. Ask Shannon for suggestions!

National Center forComplementary andIntegrative Health

There was a time when acupuncture,herbal medicine, and mind-bodytherapies were viewed as "alternative"forms of medicine that were in con�ictwith conventional medicine as we knowit in the U.S. That thinking has changed.As a greater understanding of thesetherapies and scienti�c evidencesupporting their effectiveness havegrown, these therapies now are seen asbene�cial partners to conventionalmedicine in treating a wide range ofconditions.

The National Center for Complementaryand Alternative Medicine has beenformed to foster health promotion,disease prevention, and theimprovement of hard-to-managesymptoms using therapies beyond thescope of conventional Westernmedicine. It studies various therapies toassure claims made are based onscienti�c evidence rather thanunsubstantiated claims.

It is encouraging that in the 21st centurywe now accept that a variety oftherapies can be used for healing andhealth promotion. Therapies such asacupuncture now are used in concertwith medications, surgeries, and otherconventional methods. As many of thecomplementary therapies carry a lowerrisk of adverse effects than conventionalmethods, they are having a growingpresence in medical practice.

To learn more about the National Centerfor Complementary and IntegrativeHealth visit their site: nccih.nih.gov

About Shannon Considine

Shannon Considine, L.Ac., a graduate ofTowson University, is a licensedacupuncturist who earned her Master ofAcupuncture degree from MarylandUniversity of Integrative Health(formerly Tai Sophia Institute) in Laurel,Maryland. She is trained as a "�ve-element" acupuncturist, which honorsthe tradition of nature's cycles forseasons and life; the �ve elements are�re, wood, metal, earth, and water witheach related to a different season of theyear and a different stage of life.

She is a Board Certi�ed Diplomate inAcupuncture through the NationalCerti�cation Commission forAcupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Shannon is also a Certi�ed AcupunctureDetoxi�cation Specialist, recognized bythe National Acupuncture Detoxi�cationAssociation.

Gift Certi�cates

Available!Please visit my website toshop locally, and give the giftof healing this year!Acupuncture helps back pain,knee pain, arthritic joints, aswell as emotional balance torelieve anxiety.

AcupunctureByShannon.com

Call to Schedule Your Acupuncture Treatment (410) 598-9836

Acupuncture by Shannon & Towson Wellness

Center

Shannon Considine, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac200 E Joppa Rd, Ste 402, Towson, MD 21286

AcupunctureByShannon.com • info@AcupunctureByShannon.com410-494-1152 • Hours: Call for Appointment