Stems and Branches, by Daria Casinelli, Lic. Ac.

Treating Gulf War Illness With Acupuncture

2011-04-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

The US government tried to protect soldiers who served in Gulf War I from nerve gas with pyridostigmine bromide and from desert insects with a variety of powerful pesticides. As a result, although the immediate casualties of the war were relatively low (approximately 850 dead and wounded), hundreds of thousands of veterans continue to suffer the effects of being exposed to very toxic chemicals. Most of the effects are neurological; weakness, muscle spasms, twitches, poor concentration and blurry vision. Other symptoms of Gulf War Illness (GWI) include fatigue and digestive distress. It is not PTSD, or a psychosomatic reaction to the horror of war, but rather "iatrogenic" that is, brought about by a medical intervention. If you know someone in the Boston, MA area who suffers from GWI who would like free acupuncture treatments, have him or her call 617 558 1788 ext. 269 for more information.

Insomnia, the black and white of it

2011-04-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Insomnia is a prototypical disorder of Yin and Yang. Yin is night, Yang is day. To be healthy, we are wakeful and active during the day, and passive and asleep during the night. Even with the energy of the sun and moon supporting us, sleep is a troublesome state for many people. Most sleep disorders fall into two categories; difficulty falling asleep and/or difficulty staying asleep. Add to that racing mind, restless sleep, and light sleep and it begins to sound like the eight types of snowflakes we all see when we're just too tired to function. It is a testament to the efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that major pharmaceutical companies are now marketing a sleep aid, Ambien, with a name amazingly similar to a standard TCM herbal formula. That is prescribing a sleep drug without distinguishing between the different kinds of insomnia, and thus, applying a bandaid, without first figuring out the source of the injury. When treating insomnia TCM practitioner, that is a licensed acupuncturist /herbalist will first determine what kind of insomnia a patient is experiencing and then choose acupuncture points or herbs that treat that kind of insomnia. That could include Anmien, or it could not. But don't let trying to figure it out keep you up at night, give me a call, I'll do the hard part.

PMS, the Pill and your teenage daughter

2011-04-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Every week I see women in my practice, mostly in their mid-thirties, who were put on the birth control pill a few months after they started menstruating because their menses were very difficult. For most of them this means more than fifteen years of unnecessary and risky medication.

The propensity of medical doctors to prescribe the pill for "new menstruaters" illustrates one of the differences between a scientific vs an organic understanding of the human body. The scientific approach works best with systems that change very little and very slowly, like the stars and computers. Since it is very difficult to calibrate the hormones in the birth control pill for the rapidly changing state of a teenage reproductive system, all a medical doctor can do is impose an unnatural uniformity on a changing system and hope that a young woman isn't killed by a wandering blood clot on his watch.

One alternative would be to give the patient's reproductive system a change to "get the training wheels" off. For the young women we are discussing, without some kind of other kind of intervention, this path would involve physical and emotional pain. Moreover, without a little help, the system might never correct itself and function in a healthy manner. Fortunately, acupuncture is very successful at eliminating menstrual discomfort of all kinds. And the rates of success are even higher for young women, for whom the energy of growth and change--if not stifled by a pharmaceutical--is the energy of healing. All it needs is a nudge in the right direction.

If you'd like to know more about how acupuncture can regulate your menstrual cycles, please feel free to give me a call: 617 312 7650.

peas,

Daria

New Study Finds Food packaging is the Main Source of Hormone Disrupting Chemicals BPA, DEHP

2011-04-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

This from the Mass Breast Cancer Coalition and the Silent Spring Institute.

Levels of BPA and DEHP Decrease over 50% When Adults and Children Avoid Food Packaging, Study Says

Grocery shoppers may want to avoid food packaged in plastic and cans and opt for fresh food prepared at home, according to a new study released today. The study, "Food Packaging and Bisphenol A and Bis(2-ethylhexl) Phthalate Exposure: Findings from a Dietary Intervention" tracked levels of the hormone-disrupting chemicals Bisphenol A (BPA) and the phthalate DEHP in study participants as they changed to a fresh food diet with limited food packaging. BPA is a weak estrogen mimic with evidence of promoting breast cancer in laboratory studies.

The study, conducted by Silent Spring Institute and Breast Cancer Fund, found that levels of BPA and DEHP declined by over 50% on average in study participants when they ate a fresh food diet that excluded plastic food packaging, cans, plastic wrap and other food packaging suspected to contain these chemicals. Reductions were more pronounced for the highest exposures, which decreased by over 70% for BPA and over 90% for DEHP. These chemicals can migrate from the lining of cans and plastic packaging into food and beverages, especially when broken down by acids and fats in food, and when they are heated.

"Women should not have to worry that using canned and packaged foods might be contributing to higher breast cancer risk," said Erin Boles, Associate Executive Director for the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. "Laboratory studies show that BPA stimulates breast cancer cell growth and can influence early breast development in ways that increase cancer susceptibility later in life. This is a clear example of how our current laws are failing us and need to be updated to reflect modern science."

Consumers in Massachusetts should be outraged, particularly because the state has among the highest breast cancer rates in the country, nearly 10% higher than the national average.

The new study supports stronger consumer protections. Last year the Public Health Council of the MA Department of Public Health voted to ban BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups, but dismissed a push by the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and other health and environment groups to pass a broader ban aimed at all food and beverage containers. This study provides compelling evidence that a more comprehensive BPA ban and substitution of safer alternatives is needed to protect health.

"This study provides compelling evidence that food packaging is the major source of exposure to hormone-disrupting BPA and the phthalate DEHP. Now that we know food packaging is a major source, we can take action to reduce exposure," according to Dr. Julia Brody, an author of the study and the executive director at Silent Spring Institute.

* Study and further information available at: http://www.silentspring.org/our-research/research-updates/new-study-shows-fresh-food-diet-reduces-levels-hormone-disruptors-bpa-

** A tip sheet on how to reduce BPA and DEHP exposure is available at: http://www.silentspring.org/six-steps

Hospice Residency, First Day

2011-04-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

The Hospice Chaplain told the acupuncture residents, including myself, that her mission was to help people transition with as few regrets as possible and that to do this she began by finding out what gave their life meaning. She used the example of "the bar" as something that gave an imaginary patient's life meaning. I was unsure whether she meant "the bar on the corner" or the legal institution, but before I could ponder this and the differences in the lives that these things gave meaning, her talk ended and the psychologist entered the room.

It was a day full of meaning, one to ponder, at a later date.

Low Back Pain!

2011-04-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

Low back pain is one of the most common ailments on earth! Traditional Chinese Medicine tells us that low back pain is usually a result of weak Kidney (reproductive Qi) because the Qi of the Kidneys supports all the structures in the low back. So whether your low back pain is ALSO attributed to a slipped disk, congenital malformations, misalignment, or soft tissue injury, the underlying cause is weak Qi.

Big News and Spring Tune-Up?

2011-03-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Patients,

Spring is here and things are popping up everywhere, including in my professional life. Within the span of one week, I have become a contractor for the Department of Defense, enrolled in a residency program, and started a patient education campaign.

The Department of Defense is paying acupuncturists to treat veterans suffering from Gulf War Illness. These soldiers experience extreme fatigue, muscle pain, and depression as a result of being exposed to pesticides and medicines designed to protect them from chemical warfare during Gulf War II. If you know a veteran who would like to enroll in the program, feel free to send me his or her contact information. I remain available to treat non-vets.

When I’m not treating patients, veterans or otherwise, I will be going back to school! The three month residency program focuses on providing care to patients in hospice. I will spend part of that time in a class room and part of it treating patients of All Care Hospice. Again, if you know of someone who being cared for by All Care Hospice (for now, until I finish the training) who would like acupuncture treatments, feel free to send me their name.

As for the patient education campaign: Did you know that spring is a great time for a tune-up!? Many very painful disorders, such as migraines, Parkinson’s, Restless Leg Syndrome and acid reflux kick up in the spring. It’s also a great time to get ahead of allergies, and believe it or not, depression. Recently, several patients have asked me to help them wean themselves off of anti-depressants. The results were excellent. If you would like to avoid the side effects prolonged use of anti-depressants (loss of libido and all emotional response), please give me a call.

If you would like to learn more about why certain disorders are worse in particular seasons, feel free to find me/Milton Acupuncture on Facebook. Regular posts from my blog: http://stemsandbranches.blogspot.com/ will be appearing on my Facebook page, soon.

And please, let me know if you’d rather opt out of the “Patient Education Campaign” and I’ll take your name off of my list.

I hope you have a wonderful spring.

Daria Casinelli, Lic. Ac.

Welcome Spring! Welcome Readers!

2011-03-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Patients and Any One Who Happened to Drop By,

It's a beautiful sunny day outside. Spring, the season of new beginnings is definitely in the air. Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes spring as the time when our energy, Qi, rushes up and outwards propelling us into the world to do what we have to do. This can result in feeling kind of frisky! Or, if that energy encounters blockages, springtime disorders such as headaches, worsening of premenstrual syndrome, restless leg syndrome and other ailments. This is the reason that spring is the best season for acupuncture "seasonal tune-up".

If you'd like to know more about why your aches and pains are worse at different times of the year, feel free to give me a call or to check out some of the links on my blog, website and Facebook page. I will, in the spirit of the season, be posting more regularly and look forward to your comments.

peace,

Daria Casinelli, Lic. Ac.

Acupuncture Best Cure For Headaches

2011-03-08T07:25:00.001-08:00

Acupuncture best cure for headache
From AFP
16 March 2004

ACUPUNCTURE is the best treatment for people who suffer from chronic headaches, according to the largest study into the effectiveness of this therapy for treating migraines.

British doctors recruited 401 patients who suffered from several days of severe headache each week.

Patients were allotted randomly to a group that received up to 12 acupuncture treatments per week, or to a control group that received conventional headache treatment, based on medication.

Each volunteer was asked to complete a diary, detailing the frequency and severity of their headaches and medicine use, for four weeks at the start of the study; again at three months; and finally at one year.

In the acupuncture group, the severity of headaches fell by 34 per cent over the year, compared to a decline of 16 per cent in the control group.
The acupuncture group also experienced on averaged 22 fewer days of headache per year, used 15 per cent less medication, made 25 per cent fewer visits to their doctor and were absent from work through sickness 15 per cent than the control group.

"Acupuncture leads to persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine," the authors say.
The findings should be taken into account by policymakers when they have to assess the most cost-effective way of treating patients, they add.
The study, led by Andrew Vickers, a researcher at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, was published online on Monday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
AFP

What has Spring got to do with Coffee?

2010-05-05T06:33:00.001-07:00

Right now millions of tiny plants are urgently pushing their tiny heads through the soil, fighting for survival and rebirth. The energy of spring is incredibly strong. It surges with the force of reproduction, more so when we're young. When we're young not only is the Qi of our reproductive system abundant, our bodies are relatively free of stagnation. So, when the crazy Qi of spring, also known as Wood or Liver Qi, starts moving, there are fewer blocks to its free flow. We feel frisky and happy. But, as the years pass, Qi that didn't move when it was supposed to creates stagnation. Imagine a pond where crud has jammed up most egress. If that pond suddenly had a giant influx of Qi/water, it would either overflow, or just become more stagnant. In your tiny body ecosystem, the giant influx of Spring Qi can make you frisky, or just plane grouchy, all depending on how much stagnation there is accumulated in your body. Lots of things move Qi stagnation. The two most common however, are exercise and coffee! However, if you find yourself unable to function without large influxes of either, you should consult and acupuncturist. Stagnation is the starting point of many disorders and while coffee may feel good, it isn't a long term fix.

Welcome to Spring 2010 and the first post to Stems and Branches, the blog of Milton Acupuncture!

Personal Statement from Daria Casinelli: Why I do what I Do

2010-04-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

“Recovering from the chicken pox, which I contracted when I was 29, was a grueling multi-dimensional process. The sequellae of the virus – diagnosed as fibromyalgia – whittled away at my life until there was almost nothing left. Acupuncture, Chinese herbal remedies and meditation eventually cured my condition. Acupuncture specifically set into motion a process that connected me with the Qi of destiny and that, in turn, lead me to become an acupuncturist myself.

Before contracting the chicken pox, I was extremely “heady” and approached life from a predominantly left brain perspective. This made me very well read, but it didn’t make my any happier or healthier. Nor did it – or the talk therapists I consulted – lead me to any fantastic level of self-understanding. Today, I am someone who believes that the experiential, non-rational, spiritual, right brain world is as valid as all that other stuff. Although I believe in talk therapy, I believe that astrology is an equally valid method of learning about oneself. This is the journey that has led me to bring the spirit-centered healing that I describe in my About Our Services to my patients.

The world’s pain quotient is increased exponentially by people who feel sick, powerless and confused. Eastern philosophies and healing methods can ease this burden and kindle the fire of enlightenment. By practicing TAM and craniosacral therapy I can live my commitment to a more peaceful world and actualize my own true nature as a healer and guide. I deeply believe that if people live in accord with their true nature, the world will be a much better place. And what more could one ask?”

Frequently Asked Questions about Acupuncture

2010-04-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

How can acupuncture help physical ailments?
In general, acupuncture can help “rewire” your body so that you are not aware of certain tendencies or physical ailments. Spinal abnormalities are a good example of how properly flowing Qi can obviate a physical disorder. Thousands of people have slipped disks, genetic abnormalities, bulging discs, and other issues with their spines. Some are painfully aware of them and others blissfully ignorant. Acupuncture can help make you one of the blissfully ignorant.

How do Milton Acupuncture treatments differ from other acupuncture treatments?
Many acupuncturists practice several different kinds of acupuncture, run several rooms and/or treat several people at one time and/or prescribe herbs. At Milton Acupuncture, an acupuncturist runs one room at once and practices only Japanese method acupuncture.

In addition, treatments are augmented with craniosacral therapy, healing meditation, and consultations on spiritual-physical issues. This means that after the needles have been inserted, instead of leaving the room and interviewing another patient, the acupuncturist will either perform a craniosacral treatment or meditate on your well being.

In addition, if you so choose, Ms. Casinelli will consult with you about your condition by interpreting your astrological chart and explaining to you at length the Traditional Chinese Medicine metaphysics of your disorder before or after your treatment.

What is craniosacral therapy?
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle fine tuning of the rhythms of the craniosacral fluid. The practitioner cups the patients head in her hands and presses almost imperceptibly on his or her skull to gently encourage the craniosacral fluid to come back to “true”. This method uses the power of the nervous system to heal disorders in the entire body.

How is Japanese method acupuncture different from other kinds of acupuncture?
In the Japanese method which we practice, the needles are thinner, the insertions very shallow (i.e. no more than 3 millimeters) and more moxa is used. In addition, the emphasis is purely on the meridians. Five phase treatments figure prominently as do using ion pumping cords to activate the Extraordinary Vessels.

There is no electricity in the ion pumping cords invented by Yoshio Manaka, MD. The plastic coated wires, diodes, and alligator clips provided amplify and ordinary treatment.

What role does astrology play in Milton Acupuncture Treatments?
This offering was developed in response to requests from patients for more information than can be communicated during a traditional acupuncture session. A one hour or 30 minute consultation allows us to discuss your condition from a TAM, Hindu astrological, yogic, and Buddhist perspective. These Asian philosophies offer a way of understanding bodies and the world that is very different from science, psychology, sociology and other western traditions.

More Jung than Freud, more inductive than deductive and much older modern frameworks, the categories used by most Asian philosophies, such as: metal, earth, water, air, wood, fire, are rooted in thousands of years of observation of natural phenomena, not the scientific method.

Astrology, as used by Milton Acupuncture, ascribes basic demographics and genetics to birth karma. We were each born into a time, place and body because of the karma generated in previous lives. This is our only harvest from those times. We are not culpable for anything that happened in a previous life; and we are completely responsible for all our actions in this life.

Genetics encompasses our physical inheritance and our mental and emotional proclivities. You can think of your astrological birth chart as a genetic map written in the language of poets. Before our session, we will use a computer program to cast your birth chart. The consultation sessions focus on your health. If necessary and desired, we will introduce you to the field and teach you how to use so that you can continue to explore your birth chart. If we feel you need more in depth astrological counseling, we will refer you to one of two recommended astrologers.

All discussions are confidential. Although I am not a therapist, most people come into such a discussion looking for answers, so I do my best to provide them. In this way, our approach is also different from most therapists. Our role is not to help you to understand mental/emotional terms, but to interpret what you were given at birth.

Does acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture needles are very thin, smooth and solid, unlike the needles used to give injections or draw blood. They are inserted very quickly through the surface of the skin so that you either feel a slight pinprick or nothing at all.

Is acupuncture safe?
The needles Milton Acupuncture uses are all pre-sterilized with ethylene oxide gas, used once and then thrown away. In addition, acupuncture needles are typically only inserted into the skin – and only occasionally into muscles and connective tissue. They are not inserted into nerves, blood vessels or bones.

How much does it cost and is acupuncture covered by insurance?
The nature of illness and healing raises deep spiritual and moral issues for any healer practicing in a commercial environment. We by inviting patients who are able to make a donation to Physicians for Single Payer Health Plan.
Rates for all our services are: $90 for an 1.5 hour initial intake session and $60 for an hour follow-up or ongoing session.

Most Flexible Spending or Medical Savings Accounts available through employers will reimburse people for acupuncture treatments. Please speak with Milton Acupuncture if you believe your insurance covers acupuncture and we'd be glad to discuss how this typically works.

How many treatments will I need and how much time will they take?
The number of treatments you will need depends on your age, overall health, the nature and duration of your condition. We recommend that you come for acupuncture at least 4 to 6 times at intervals of once a week. Within those 4 to 6 visits, it will become clear how well acupuncture is working for you, and we will make recommendations for further treatment or refer you to another type of practitioner if specific follow-on treatment would be beneficial.

Modernity- Scientists discover

2010-04-22T15:38:00.002-07:00

Compelled by the positive results experienced by thousands of patients, modern science is coming closer to defining Qi as a pathway where chemical reactions occur faster than in other parts of the body. Ask your acupuncturist for copies of articles describing how magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) has traced the effects of Qi. Or better yet, come in and experience it yourself.

Waking Up- What happens during a treatment

2010-04-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

There are over 400 known acupuncture points, each with its own unique effect on Qi and overall health. The most frequently used points are located below the knees and elbows. When the needles are inserted most patients feel a very small pinch, less than a mosquito bite, followed by a sensation of warmth or heaviness. That sensation is the Qi waking up and traveling through the channels to the affected area. Once the needles are inserted they remain in place for 10 to 30 minutes. During this time most patients are pleased to find that they become deeply relaxed.

Moxa - Increasing Effectiveness of Acupuncture

2010-04-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

Moxa is one of several adjunct modalities that help make an acupuncture treatment more effective. Moxa wool, made of dried Mugwort leaves (Artemisia Vulgaris) is burned either above the skin, on the head of the needle, or directly on the skin over a layer of ointment. When burned, moxa produces an intense dry heat that moves your Qi and warms your body. Moxa is especially useful if you always feel cold or if your condition worsens in cold weather.

Asia- A Healing History

2010-04-22T15:35:00.002-07:00

Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known at Traditional Asian Medicine, was born in China as herbology and acupuncture. In China the categories of herbology were grafted onto the parallel system of acupuncture in a way that doesn’t do acupuncture justice, in spite of their common heritage. Both methodologies migrated around Asia and were the dominant healing method for hundreds of years. During the modern era in Japan western medicine predominated and included acupuncture. Herbology fell out of favor but acupuncture grew and flourished. As a result herbology is much more developed in China than in other countries and the acupuncture practiced in Japan has more in common with science than Chinese style acupuncture. This is primarily because of the work of Yoshio Manaka, MD.

The Black Box- Penetrating interview, painless insertion

2010-04-22T15:35:00.001-07:00

By inserting sterile, disposable, hair-thin needles into specific points on the body, an acupuncturist regulates the meridians and restores good health. Although the insertions are simple (and painless!) the procedure for choosing the points is not. Your acupuncturist formulates a TCM diagnosis and treatment plan using information gathered during an extensive interview and drawing on years of clinical experience and academic training.

The ancient Chinese were remarkably adept at figuring out what was going on inside the "black box" of their patients' bodies. As their heirs, our most important diagnostic tools are deep listening and careful observation. Today's acupuncture diagnosis is based on what, during an extensive interview, you tell your acupuncturist about your health; the quality, shape, size and speed of your pulse, what the acupuncturist sees when she looks at you and what she feels when she palpates your abdomen.

The Weather- Acupuncture diagnosis and the environment

2010-04-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

A traditional Chinese diagnosis is very different from a western diagnosis. To the untrained ear it may sound more like a weather report than a medical condition. For instance your condition may be called "damp" or "stagnant." This is because the ancient Chinese believed that the rules that govern the natural world also govern our bodies. Thus, they described bodily processes in environmental terms. The relationship between your body and the environment is one reason your acupuncturist may prescribe a seasonal tune-up.

Energy Channels and Waterways

2010-04-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Qi flows in meridians

The best analogy for the all the communication systems in the body – meridians, circulatory, hormonal, nervous – is that of the earth’s waterways. Water flows through oceans, rivers, swamps, brooks, and tiny temporary channels the same way biological information flows through the meridians, nervous system, digestive system etc. The acupuncture meridians, also known as channels, are the most subtle of all the body’s waterways, comparable to vernal streams that only appear when full. Filling or draining these channels as necessary is the aim of the acupuncturist.

Like all waterways our bodies are under the guidance of the moon and susceptible to other natural phenomena. For this reason your acupuncturist may, particularly for menopausal women, time your treatment with the phases of the moon, or question you closely about how you feel during particular seasons.

You are a Cloud (A Very Old Interpretation of Illness)

2010-04-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Imagine your body as cloud made up of gases instead of a bag of liquids. That is, trillions of chemical reactions which happen faster in the cells located by acupuncture points. Now imagine that instead of grouping those chemical reactions by the organ in the vicinity of where they happen, you instead divided them into Five Phases. These Five Phases are one of the most basic concepts of TCM. Each phase has a physical and emotional aspect and encompasses hundreds of symptoms that may or may not overlap with western organ or disease categories.

The Five Phases operate like a circuit, each one leading to the next. Understanding the interaction of the phases, especially which Phase is distressed, is the key to diagnosis, especially when practicing Japanese method acupuncture.

Introduction to Acupuncture and Traditional Asian Medicine

2010-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Qi and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Acupuncture works by moving the natural energy of your body through twelve channels that connect your internal organs with your body's surface. In ancient China this energy was called "Qi" (pronounced 'chee') and was ascribed many spiritual, emotional and physical powers. If Qi is abundant and flowing smoothly, then an individual enjoys good health. Pain and other physical and emotional disharmonies are the result of Qi being deficient or not flowing smoothly.

There are several different kinds of Qi and each can be likened to a kind of electricity that travels through the meridian system of the body. Pre-natal Qi is the Qi of destiny. Its mission is to compel us to manifest our genetic and spiritual blueprint and it connects us to the metaphysical world. This is one of the reasons that acupuncture treatments feel so good.

During a treatment you may feel as if you’re having a transcendent experience or as if you are an embryo floating in the primordial womb. This is because when the pre-natal Qi is activated you are in touch with the metaphysical world; it is coursing through your body. And, because the meridian system is the communication system of the embryo, during a treatment you are an embryo again, that is nature before nurture. Your body is hearing and implementing its genetic message without interference from all that has passed since birth.

Consultations offer multiple understandings

2010-04-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

“It is important to enlist patients’ conscious energies in the healing process. Understanding how it all fits together helps.”

Daria Casinelli, Lic. Ac.

Our Consultation offering was developed in response to repeated requests from patients for more information than can be communicated during a traditional acupuncture session. A 1.5 hour or 30 minute consultation allows us to discuss your condition from a TCM, astrological, yogic, and Buddhist perspective. These Eastern philosophies offer a way of understanding bodies and the world that is very different from science, psychology, sociology and other western traditions.

More Jung than Freud, more inductive than deductive and much older than modern frameworks, the categories used by most Eastern philosophies, such as: metal, earth, water, air, wood, fire, are rooted in thousands of years of observation of natural phenomena, not the scientific method. Astrology, as used by Milton Acupuncture, ascribes basic demographics and genetics to birth karma. We were each born into a time, place and body because of the karma generated in previous lives. This is our only harvest from those times. We are not culpable for anything that happened in a previous life; and we are completely responsible for all our actions in this life.

Genetics encompasses our physical inheritance and our mental and emotional proclivities. You can think of your astrological birth chart as a genetic map written in the language of poets. Before our session we will use a computer program to cast your birth chart. The consultation takes your physical health as a starting point. If necessary and desired, we will introduce you to the field and teach you how to use astrology so that you can continue to explore your birth chart. If we feel you need more in depth astrological counseling, we will refer you to one of two excellent astrologers.

Although these discussions are confidential, differ significantly from therapy sessions in that: 1. Our role is not to help you understand your life and health in mental/emotional terms or to decipher your personal history, but to interpret what you were given at birth and 2. most people come into such a discussion looking for answers, we do our best to provide them within the framework described above.

A Step Beyond Acupuncture

2010-04-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Milton Acupuncture’s philosophy takes us beyond acupuncture that only focuses on healing physical disorders. Many people understand that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a way to manipulate Qi to heal a range of physical disorders including but not limited to: muscular skeletal injuries, asthma, diabetes, insomnia, constipation, fatigue and reproductive issues. A treatment at Milton Acupuncture goes a step further – it is a deep, body-centered, experiential remembering of why we were born and what our mission is here on earth.

Our treatments always include treating the pre-natal Qi that is a direct link to our individual ancestors and the entire human family. This inherited Qi sets the course of our life. Because the body is the medium that transmits the message time can obscure but not erase its signals. Every physical disharmony is a message ranging from the mundane (e.g. “Drink less alcohol”) to the earth shattering (e.g. “Change careers”).

It is therefore not uncommon that after a series of acupuncture treatment patients find that their lives are very different than what they were before the treatments.

Daria Casinelli of Milton Acupuncture

2010-04-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

Daria Casinelli is a graduate of the New England School of Acupuncture and licensed to practice acupuncture in Massachusetts since 2002. She has been actively involved in promoting natural alternatives to healing for over ten years and has a wealth of information to share about many modalities.