Social Workout

Scientific

Acupuncture and the Super Placebo

Some people swear by acupuncture, others are skeptical. Score one for the skeptics. A new study run by the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center administered real and "fake" acupuncture to 455 patients with arthritic knees, and found that the sham treatment produced exactly the same, small, positive results as the real thing. Tara Parker Pope reports for The Times:

In the real treatment group, needles were inserted at specific points on the body and manipulated in accordance with traditional Chinese acupuncture techniques. In the sham treatment group, needles also were inserted, but not at the locations traditionally used for acupuncture. Electrical stimulation was also used, although those in the sham group received lower voltage and far shorter treatments....

First Acupuncture Experience

Last week the pain in my right foot was so bad, I decided to bite the bullet and get acupuncture.  A few years ago I was told I had plantar fasciaitis and last summer, when my big toe wouldn't bend all the way, I was told it was halux limitus-- basically the joint had fused so that mobility had become limited.

Other Places

My Body

Beth Hooper on the Stuff That Makes Toothpaste Bubble and Moderation in All Things

Beth Hooper is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist with a private practice in New York City. She is also one of the founders of Shē Essential Beauty.

The big fear I hear from people all the time is, "I don’t like needles." Of course that’s the first thing that comes to mind. You have this horrible memory of when you were a child, and you had a shot and you cried, and you think, "Why would someone subject themselve to that?" Acupuncture needles aren’t the same. The needles are about the width of one hair. You may feel a little prick or some energy moving toward the needle, but it’s not a painful sensation. That’s the hurdle you have to get over. I used to get migraines, but I knew that I didn’t want to depend on taking modern medicine every time I got a headache for the rest of my life — I was only in my 20s. So I tried acupuncture, and sure enough my migraines went away. It inspired me to go to graduate school to study chinese medicine.

My Body

Aimee Raupp on Sleep, Soy, and Skinny Bitches

Aimee Raupp is a licensed acupuncturist with practices in Manhattan and Nyack, New York, and the author of Chill Out and Get Healthy.

The most important part of being healthy is being in touch with yourself on an emotional and physical level. Being in touch with your reactions to situations. How they make you feel, how you express your emotions, what are you using to manage your stress? Then it's sleeping and eating sensibly, as wholesome and clean as possible. We're losing touch with our physical and emotional selves. Be in your body. If you're not in touch with yourself, good luck with that. Check in with yourself. Notice that you feel like crap when you eat that Snickers bar.  

Newslinks

Scalp Massagers, Thrustmasters, and Gwyneth Paltrow's Ankles

• Get faster by training less. A new study shows that runners who cut the volume of their training by 25%, but who add wind sprints, are faster and have better endurance.  
• The "Headtime Scalp Massager" provides scalp massage, accupressure, warmth and soothing sounds all in one. And it's wonderful and terrifying to behold. 
• The Globe and Mail thinks Wii Fit junkies should buy the Thrustmaster T-Fitness Pro Pack. It's just a bright green bag which sells for $50 and comes with ankle weights, yoga mat, headband, and a battery recharger; but it's a helluva name. 
• The Times of London wants to help you slim your ankles with Gwyneth Paltrow-inspired workouts. The secret? Ankle circles.
• Yoga Journal just launched iPractice 2.0. We hope it's better than version 1.0. 

Health Insurance

Getting Your Health Insurance to Pay for Fish Oil and Acupuncture

You like you some acupuncture, and dammit, a quarterly massage keeps you sane. But you never really dreamed that your lousy, expensive health insurance would pay for it. Well, you're probably right. BUT MAYBE NOT TOTALLY RIGHT! The Times' Patient Money column takes an exhaustive look at the ins and outs of getting health insurers to pay for things like acupuncture, vitamin supplements, and, yes, fish oil treatments to reduce inflamation. In case you didn't know, the official lingo for all these treatments is CAM, a.k.a. "complementary alternative medecine," and Americans apparently spend upwards of $40 billion a year on them. Bottom line: If you're willing to do battle, you might just get your insurer to pay half the tab. Assuming you have an insurer....

Workout

zen and the art of novel writing

Vinyasa class this morning at 9am, with the light pouring into those big beautiful windows over at Bread & Yoga onto their gorgeous bamboo floor.  I have some nice hardwood floors at home, but it's official: I have Bread & Yoga floor envy.  A solid class, too, though I do have to say the guidance of the flow series this morning felt a little chopp

Acu-PLEASURE!

I am gearing up for the NYC Marathon in less than two weeks.  All my long runs are complete, now it's all about maintanence with 4 & 5 milers thru Bklyn.  I have been suffering abit from some ache and discomfort in my left inner ankle and left wrist.  I decided to hit up my favorite acupuncturist (who relieves me in allergy season) to see what she could do.

Yoga Retreats

Holy Trinity: Yoga, Acupuncture, and Surfing in Costa Rica

Ariane Hundt, ass-kicking founder of Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp, told us about Stefanie DiLibero. "Excellent acupuncturist," she emailed. We got in touch. Stefanie's founded Gotham Wellness, based on 26th Street in Chelsea, and specializes in a zeitgesty combination of acupuncture and yoga. We don't have first hand knowledge, but we like the bio: DiLibero, is certified in both acupuncture and yoga, with over 500 hours, and has worked, taught, volunteered and lived in Asia, Africa, Central America and the South Pacific. The woman's got to have some chutzpah. So here's today's tip, and perhaps your first calendar item for spring: DiLibero is leading a week of yoga, surfing and relaxing in Nosara, Costa Rica in May. For the surfing part, she's teaming up with the coaches of the National British Surf Team. Brit surfers? Whatever, it's an island. And the retreat is cheap! Pencil it in.

Inner View

Live From 27th Street: Ayla Yavin, Acupuncturist

[When friends ask me for an acupuncturist recommendation, which they sometimes do, I send them to Ayla Yavin. I go to Ayla, and have for years. She's talented, but not dogmatic, or weird. She rides her bike from Brooklyn to her practice in Manhattan, and I feel comfortable with her. She was a dancer --used to be in De La Guarda! -- and she understands both the body and busy urban life. I caught up with her to chat, and got her to talk about what she does, and why.... ~MR.]

I started having acupuncture in high school. I was originally a dancer and I was in excruciating pain because my hip sockets were inflamed. The pain went away after I tried acupuncture. Then I went on to pursue a career in dance. I danced for ten years professionally, but then I tore a ligament in my knee. As part of my rehab I started seeing an acupuncturist twice a week. I started to change my diet and my habits and I started living a more balanced life. I decided I wanted study acupuncture to help other people. I started eating more vegetables and fresh food. I sat still while I ate and paid attention to what I was ingesting. I stopped smoking and drinking coffee. Acupuncture helped me realize that injuries were opportunities to improve yourself.