Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Kick off Fall with Acupuncture in Walnut Creek


As summer fades, you may notice symptoms including respiratory illnesses, colds, constipation, dry skin, sinus infections, coughing, a sore throat, or other pesky problems. 

Acupuncture is a powerful form of preventative medicine and a seasonal tune-up will only take a session or two, barring any other conditions.
You’ll be prepared to face the change in weather and absorb nutrients for a healthy winter. It’s important to keep your body in synch with nature’s rhythms and seasonal acupuncture will also reduce stress, boost your connection to the environment, increase energy, and offer an overall sense of wellbeing.
Any imbalance that exists within you will be aggravated by the change in season. Releasing stagnation through treatments with a licensed acupuncturist will bolster your immune system, prevent sickness, keep flare-ups of chronic conditions under control, and ease you into the shift in energy. Your practitioner may focus on the lung and the large intestine meridians, which tend to take a hit in the fall, as a preemptive strike against common ailments. Targeting the meridians associated with digestion, breathing, and elimination will alleviate discomfort and symptoms, as well as any underlying root causes.
If you, or a loved one is in need of our services, please make an appointment on your first visit. call us at 925-949-8911
May Love facilitate your healing process. 

Bless'ed Be!
Nico Bishop L.Ac.



Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Can Acupuncture Treatment Help Cancer Patients?


Can Acupuncture practiced for thousands of years be useful in the modern cancer care setting? 


The National Cancer Institute says YES! 

Acupuncture has demonstrated benefit to cancer patients in the following areas: Pain Management; Immune System Modulation; Inflammation; Nausea and Vomiting; Dry Painful Mouth and Throat; Sleep; Hot flashes.

By managing the side effects of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormonal therapies, reducing pain and inflammation, improving sleep, supporting normal digestive function and reducing stress the quality of life of cancer patients is improved by acupuncture treatments. Eugene Mak, MD, a board certified oncologist states that acupuncture " can also add to the patients' sense of well being and decrease the malaise associated with any chronic disease, especially cancer....and imparts a sense of well being and accelerates patients' recovery."
Research on the use of acupuncture in the cancer care setting is ongoing. Investigations include the benefits of acupuncture to treat many cancer related symptoms including loss of appetite, diarrhea, weight loss, cough, bone pain, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue and anxiety and depression in cancer patients.
Acupuncture is recommended to cancer patients . Today, many oncologists refer their patients for acupuncture treatment to manage cancer symptoms and cancer treatment related symptoms. Many cancer treatment centers now have Licensed Acupuncturists on staff to help patients manage the many challenges of the cancer journey.
If you, or a loved one is in need of our services, please make an appointment on your first visit. call us at 925-949-8911


May Love facilitate your healing process. 

Bless'ed Be!
Nico Bishop L.Ac.
                     Reiki Master-level practitioner

Monday, June 30, 2014

Summer Time is Heart time!

Learn Cultivation of Life in Walnut Creek Acupuncture!

Eating, drinking, and moving in accordance with the season can help guide your body back to its natural state of balance so that you can maintain good health .


Summertime is the season of the heart: it is the time of the hottest, most active time of year. Summer is associated with the fire element; for action, new adventures, and new relationships.The season of ultimate joy, summertime is a great time to reflect on whether your life, consider whether you activities fill you with joy, make positive changes, and find your passion.



The heart pumps oxygen and nutrients to our whole body through our blood, energizing our body and mind the same way that summer energizes us to move out of our comfort zone. Use that motivation! Exercise gets your blood moving and helps your heart energize your body and mind to get things done.  Get your blood moving and support your increased energy this season.
To find a focus between energy and calm, to avoid excess heat which can lead to agitation, insomnia, heartburn, and even mania. Meditation is a great way to calm the mind. Try taking a break to cool down inside with a meditation respite in the middle of the day. Sleep and wake according to the amount of daylight: wake a little earlier, stay up a little later, and consider takeing a nap during the hottest part of the day.
Avoid eating large meals and greasy, frozen (no iced drinks!), or sugary foods that easily cause indigestion in hot weather. Stick to small amounts of cool summer foods like cucumbers.but skip the greasy grilled meats. If you are prone to summertime indigestion, add some mung beans to your diet which prevent summertime indigestion, nausea, and vomiting.
Drink plenty of fluids to avoid that summer fire drying you out! Put some lemon, mint, or cucumber in your water or make some chilled (not iced!) chamomile or green tea to cool you down. As with every season, check in with your body. If you aren’t feeling healthy, your body should be giving you some indication: headaches, lethargy, insomnia, irritability, and over eating and drinking are just some of the signs of imbalance.
If you, or a loved one is in need of our services, please make an appointment on your first visit. call us at 925-949-8911


May Love facilitate your healing process. 
Bless'ed Be!
Nico Bishop L.Ac.



Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Feel Stuck ? Finding Happy and Healthy: Simultaneous Treatment of Mind and Body With Walnut Acupuncture


What do we do when we feel stuck in our lives? 
Where do we turn when we feel confused? 
How do we cope when we find ourselves lost and uncertain where to go?

For most people, an acupuncturist is not the first person they’d think to visit with these issues.
All healing is essentially a spiritual process. Classical Chinese medicine is a holistic system. Every part of the body is seen as linked to everything else. The mind always has an effect on the physical body. The body always has an effect on the mind. The spirit is seen to interpenetrate all: mind and body. I always find it fascinating how the ancient Chinese doctors described working with the mind and body together in very practical ways.
Depression, for example, can relate to a deficiency of blood, an extreme stagnation of functional energy, or phlegm accumulation in the lungs. Sometimes this occurs from an emotional shock or disappointment in the person’s life. In acupuncture treatment, the physical and humoral (blood and fluid) aspects of the body are always addressed, along with the emotional specifics.
Physical pain is usually the result of stagnation in the blood (or stagnation of “qi” functional energy) flow in the organs and body tissues. In addition to trauma and injury, blood and qi flow can also become stagnated through faulty thought processes and insufficient emotional expression. When treating any condition of the mind and body according to Chinese medicine both aspects of the human system must be addressed.
Anxiety is often attributed to inflammation in the body, or deficiency of blood and hormonal fluids. It can come about from anything that creates heat in the body – diet, lifestyle, the emotions or another physical disease.
Supporting happiness, animation and well-being is one of the best healing and preventative medical practices we can do.
If you, or a loved one is in need of our services, please make an appointment on your first visit. call us at 925-949-8911
May Love facilitate your healing process. 

Bless'ed Be!
Nico Bishop L.Ac.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Walnut Creek Acupuncture for Cupping Therapy Detoxification (2)



“What Every Person Ought To Know About Cupping marks & Post Treatment Care”


When circulation is sluggish or compromised in an injured or diseased area of the body, the cells receive insufficient oxygen, and there can be a local build up of waste products. The deposits dissipate from a few hours up to several weeks, depending on the amount of stagnation and the patient’s post treatment activities. 
Usually, you will see the greatest amount of deposits being drawn to the surface in the first few treatments - this is a good thing. The deposits will lessen in intensity as the deeper issues are resolved and the stagnations and toxins have been dredged up and flushed out via the bodys' own circulatory systems, expulsion from the pores and sweat. Sweating and Drinking warm water are greats after treatment followup for you to help get rid of the garbage released.Although the marks look painful, they are not.
Patients usually feel an immediate sense of relief.
For four to six hours following a treatment you should avoid any strenuous activity, cold weather and unpleasantly hot environments. Cupping opens the pores and because of this the absorption of liniments, analgesics, plant hydrosols or essential oils will be aided. Drinking more water than is typically necessary following treatment is helpful for oxygenating cleansed tissues.

If you think that Cupping Therapy would  be beneficial for you, please call us at 925-949-8911 for your appointment.

May Love facilitate your healing process. 

Bless'ed Be!
Nico Bishop L.Ac.




Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Walnut Creek Acupuncture treat Cellulite with Cupping therapy


Massage cupping is effective in treating cellulite. A light suction provides drainage, while heavier application can be used to stimulate circulation and loosen adhesions.
What are the other benefits to Cupping Therapy?
Cupping is used by our practitioners to treat colds, gastro-intestinal disorders, 
lung diseases (especially chronic cough and asthma), lung infections, and problems in the internal organs.
It is also used to treat pain in muscles and joints, particularly on the back and paralysis. Cupping promotes local blood supply that will nourish the muscles and skin and allow toxins to be carried away.
Cupping has also been found to affect the body up to four inches into the tissues, causing tissues to release toxins, activate the lymphatic system, clear colon blockages, help activate and clear the veins, arteries and capillaries, activate the skin, clear stretch marks and improve varicose veins.
 If you, or a loved one is in need of our services, please make an appointment on your first visit. call us at 925-949-8911
May Love facilitate your healing process. 

Bless'ed Be!
Nico Bishop L.Ac.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Cupping Therapy Detoxification in Walnut Creek Acupuncture


“What Every Person Ought To Know About Cupping marks prior to Cupping Therapy Detoxification

A word on Cupping marks
The most common misunderstanding regarding one of the most powerful and beneficial after effects of Cupping, is the marks that sometimes result.
When injuries occur deep in the muscle, bleeding often occurs causing deep bruises. There will also be edema in the area involving the coagulation of sticky proteins. The combining presence of these elements usually results in stagnation of circulation to the area - resulting in pain, dysfunction, and chronic conditions.
The vacuum formed by Cupping draws up the old non-circulating stagnant blood and sticky fluids from the area, bringing them up to the surface and away from the injury so that healthy free circulation can be restored to the affected area, thus creating space for oxygen, living cells and nutrients for faster recovery.
Where there is dead, static blood, lymph, cellular debris, pathogenic factors, and toxins present in the body, Cupping can leave marks which indicates that the stagnation or disease has been moved from the deeper tissue layers to the surface.
In many countries - this is a non-issue, they've experienced themselves the amazing detoxifying effects suction therapy can provide. But in some industrialized countries, where Allopathic Medicine still over-shadows more holistic, natural approaches, these surface discolorations are misinterpreted as damage rather the result of debilitating agents being drawn to the surface. Westerners also live in an image conscience society that also has a heightened sensitivity to domestic abuse... so, without sufficient understanding, some people are unnerved upon seeing this important after effect.
Once people understand what these marks are, and feel the results - the concerns disappear.
The color and pattern of the marks depend on the level of stagnation in the area, and range from a bright red to dark purple, usually lasting 3 days to a week - sometimes longer if the person is very sick or sedentary. If there is no stagnation present, there will be only a pink marking which disappears in a few minutes to a couple of hours.
If the person receiving treatment sweats a lot on a daily basis - no marks may ever occur.
People who live/work/play in toxic environments (or were exposed to a heavy dose of toxic material) may consistently mark.
The chemicals used in the pools that these althletes train and compete in for many hours every day is highly toxic. Cupping draws these toxins out of the body which would otherwise lead to stagnation, blood poison, pain and disfunction. Many althletes rely on cupping on a regular basis to detoxify and enhance their performance.
Sites where there is old trauma or injury may require multiple Cupping treatments to remove all stagnation. You will find in follow up treatments the marks will be progressively lighter as the pathogens are systemically removed from the body.
Those unfamiliar to Cupping Therapy, believe the Cupping marks to be bruises. In North American society bruising is considered an injury.

Often, when a condition exists within deeper structures where sufficient pathologic factors and stagnant fluids (toxins, blood and lymph) are dredged up during treatment, discoloration will appear on the epidermis. As treatments cumulate and the release of stagnation and buildup has been released, dispursed and drained – (sometimes quickly as the 2nd treatment) no discoloration is likely to occur at all - even though each time the cupping may have been focused on the same area, for the same duration, and with the same amount of suction.

This action is the result of having internal unwanted toxins systemically purged.
 If there is concern about leaving discolorations on clients is unwanted – then suction cup therapy is not for you.
And, there are simply people who will not want such marks - no matter how potent the health benefits. And, being uneducated about the marks (like the "significant other", and yes, even other health practitioners), upon seeing it on the skin can perceive it as bruising and become very concerned.
We are here to carefully screen, educate and support you in 
Cupping Therapy Detoxification.
If you, or a loved one is in need of our services, please make an appointment on your first visit. call us at 925-949-8911
May Love facilitate your healing process. 

Bless'ed Be!
Nico Bishop L.Ac.