It appears this pandemic isn't going to be ending anytime soon, but we all still need our qigong! I miss teaching in a room with other people. I miss the community we were building centered on health and our own wellbeing. I miss a lot of things. 

Some of you know, and maybe even watched my Facebook Live classes I did for a bit. Others weren't on facebook and waited for my YouTube videos to be posted. But I've been transitioning away from social media, particularly Facebook, for a while now. In my attempt to find a better platform for qigong I ran across Patreon. It offers multiple "tiers" or subscription options which I have made to let people pick what amount they can pay. Using #Patreon as my launching platform I have started using Zoom classes for the actual attendance. I love it because it lets people decide what level of visibility they want to have in the class, and lets us start to see each other and start to build community again!

There are some extremely affordable options so don't hesitate to look and find out how easy it is to become part of our community. I look forward to seeing you in class soon <3

Here's a quick FAQ to help you get started with it! If you run across any problems please feel free to comment and I'll add your question in:

How much is it?
Well depending on what you want, it ranges from $1 to $125 so there's something for everyone

How do I sign up?
Go to www.patreon.com/calmafqigong and pick which tier you'd like to sign up for. You can create and account, or login with google or facebook. Just remember which one you used because you will need it to log in and watch the replays as well as get the zoom links for class.

Will I need to download anything?
Yes, you will need to download Zoom onto your computer.

How can I access the replays?
The replays will be posted to the Patreon feed each day there is a class. You will need to log into your account there to find it. 

In terms of tools you can use to treat your own pain through massage, not all things are created equal. Having worked in this field a long time, I've been lucky enough to find some of the ones that work best. Here's my top favorites:

Classic design, rebranded and sold by a lot of different companies - a wooden back roller is one the best things you can do for you back. One of the original designs - The MA Roller - has a great "how to" guide. And our friend, colleague, and esteemed practitioner Robert Gardner has some incredible tutorials on using it as well. Highly recommend grabbing this baby if you're struggling with any type of back pain. The one linked in the picture above is especially good because the rubber on the ends helps prevent it from sliding around on you.

Ok, with literally dozens of options and many more much cheaper, why this one you ask? Well quite frankly it's got the heft that some of the other ones lack. It doesn't give when you put a fair amount of weight on it, but it's solid structure also means that it tends to last longer and not start to fall apart on ya when you're running it through the ringer so to speak. Plus the grooves offer some good trigger point options if you're into that. 

This thing is incredible! It works wonders, especially when trying to roll around tendons and ligaments in weird areas like the knee. It's also great for the neck, hamstrings, and lower legs. This is the one that works best on the shin if you're struggling with shin splints. Basically if you've ever used a lacrosse ball and loved, this is one on steroids and you'll love it!

Stay healthy, friends!
​~The Red Raven

I didn't ever expect to specialize in foot pain and plantar fasciitis, but in hindsight it's been a long time coming. As a dancer and former martial artist, I was on my feet a lot, and punished them pretty constantly. I ended up with my own plantar fasciitis and this blog post is based on my experience. I was able to get rid of the pain and get back to doing the things I love, so have hope dear reader!  Over the years I've been lucky enough to have more than a few people come in with foot pain, and my personal journey with it has helped me become pretty good at treating it. They sent me more people with foot pain, and through all the experience I was able to figure out some of the best ways to treat foot pain fast! So without further ado, here are my experiences boiled down into my top seven ways to treat foot pain and plantar fasciitis with holistic and Chinese medicine:

• Diagnosis - The first step in treating your foot pain is to find out if it's really plantar fasciitis  or something else like a fracture, sprain, or even Morton's neuroma. Usually this is done through the location of pain. Plantar Fasciitis is often based in the heel, and coincides with tightness and/or pain in the calves and hamstrings. Pain in the ball of the foot is more related to a Morton's neuroma, and pain on the sides of the feet are more related to issues with the tendons and ligaments. X-rays can rule out fractures, and MRIs can, to an extent, confirm plantar fasciitis. Other ways to confirm plantar fasciitis include the following symptoms - worse in the morning, or after resting, and gets a little better throughout the day. In my experience, plantar fasciitis is related to reduced or "stagnated" blood flow to the feet due to tight muscles.  Movement increases the flow and helps reduce the pain. If this sounds like you, then let's keep going!
• Stretching the Calves - So we know it's plantar fasciitis and not something else, good. Then we need to start loosening up the entire chain of muscles on the back of the legs - collectively called "the posterior chain". You might be familiar with this term as many weightlifting exercises are great for strengthening it - deadlifts, good mornings, squats. But our focus is going to be to stretch it out rather than strengthen it. With that in mind let's look at some good stretches specifically for calves:​
  1. Eccentric calf raises - stand on a step and raise your toes up and down - letting the calves dip below the step and feel the stretch along the back of the leg.
  2. Toes on wall - lifting the toes up, placing them against the wall, then keeping the leg straight and brining your chest close to the wall.

• Stretching the Hamstrings - Then next thing you need to do is get further up the posterior chain and the best way to do that is with the plow pose from yoga:

If you are particularly tight and struggle with a pose like this, you can simply try to walk your legs up the wall and bring your tailbone as close to wall as possible while extending the legs straight up. You will definitely feel the stretch in the hamstrings, only go as far as you can while being able to take nice long, deep breathes. It should feel good if you take it slow. Listen to your body, move lightly but intentionally. 

This is my favorite foam roller for stretching out the lower legs:

• OMG  SHOES!  For real though, getting the right shoes can make or break you on this. Well, that's not entirely true. I would say AVOIDING terrible shoes is the best way to prevent plantar fasciitis, but if you're here then it's probably already too late. If not though, another thing to make sure of is the fit of your athletic shoes. If you're a runner it is imperative that you have a good fit or you will end up with not just foot problems, but knee and hip too! Find a running coach, a gait consult, or make sure you go to a store that has a fitting process. My favorite place for this is Fleet Feet, because of the great fitting process that you can read about here. It's pretty comprehensive and impressive imo. Other than that, finding some good quality shoes to soothe your aching feet can be done online. TBH this one is gonna take a little bit of tech savvy for you to figure out without breaking the bank. If you google shoes and plantar fasciitis you are gonna find some crazy results that aren't necessarily backed up by reviews. I ended up with these asics back in the day when my plantar fasciitis was really bad. I found them by searching through amazon reviews. Did you know you can search specific reviews for keywords like "plantar fasciitis"?! Game. Changer! Don't overspend on specific inserts or shoes unless you are fairly certain they work, often times these specialty products are useless. Also, listen to your body. I absolutely cannot  wear chucks anymore as they will bring on massive plantar fasciitis for me. The more I danced, the muscles in my feet got bigger and stronger. Shoes like all Chucks are too small and all that pressure really makes for an uncomfortable day. Figure out what your triggers are with footwear, and avoid them like the plague! 
• Contrast Therapy and Foot Soaks - Contrast what now? Contrast therapy is when you alternate hot and cold therapies in the problem areas - for us its the feet. This is NOT icing. NEVER do just ice for a muscular/tendon injury - and here's why. With Contrast therapy we start and end with heat because this is what opens the blood vessels and increases blood flow, which heals the area as opposed to just numbing it like ice, which also decreases blood flow and extends the healing process. So 3-5 minutes in a hot soak, and 1-2 minutes in a cold soak, alternating for 20-30 minutes. Now, to make this even more effective, you can make the hot soak an herbal foot soak like Hai Tong Pi Tong, or just epsom salts if you have those lying around. They can both increase the effectiveness of the pain relief and the speed of recovery. Find a local acupuncturist to get some herbal foot soaks asap!

• Topical Herbal Liniments -Chinese herbal medicine has some amazing liniments for all sorts of conditions, but my absolute favorite - Zheng Xie Gu Shiu - Evil Bone Water. This incredible ancient topical formula is now being handmade in small batches by an incredible practitioner in Florida. Check out the link above to see how he makes it and learn more about his process. We carry at Red Raven Acupuncture, so come on in anytime and try it out. This joint and muscle relief formula comes from martial arts injuries, focusing on pain relief, circulation & tissue repair. Used for tendonitis, sprains and strains, muscle aches, post-surgical healing, bruises, insect bites, all types of sports injuries, and all types of arthritis.​ At Red Raven Acupuncture in San Antonio we frequently use this liniment in our treatments so you will be able to find out how effective it is when you come in for treatment. 
• Acupuncture & Cupping - Acupuncture, especially using needle techniques like moxibustion and e-stim, can have a dramatic effect on the local tissue and accelerate your recovery. Find an acupuncturist with orthopedic and sports medicine proficiency and background, as well as someone who is adept with needle techniques. Often times, putting in needles and letting them just sit can be effective for underlying constitutional problems. But when treating musculoskeletal issues it can much more effective when your practitioner uses techniques and manipulation of the needles. This is the same idea behind cupping. Your practitioner will probably want to cup your calves, and if you're having plantar fasciitis then they will probably be extremely tight so this may be a little uncomfortable. Don't worry, you're gonna feel so great afterwards that you won't mind a bit.  You may be familiar with it after seeing many of the olympic athletes having had it done. The marks may look intense, but they are not painful so don't worry - you'll look like a badass walking around the gym with your cupping marks!

So there you go, my top 7 ways to treat plantar fasciitis naturally at home and using acupuncture. Have some personal experience with it? Share your own tips for plantar fasciitis relief in the comments below!

Stay healthy, friends!
~The Red Raven

Fall in Central Texas sucks if you have allergies. Yeah, I said it!

The problem is the constant change from 80 degrees to 30 degrees. You don't know if you should wear your winter coat or a tank top. Think about how the plants must feel. Is it time to die and hibernate, or is it time to pollinate?! For Texans this means our whole winter will be a constant battle with pollen and allergies. But you didn't come here for a reason why, let's get down to business. Here's a some things you can do to help with your allergies this year.

• Neti Pot - it's a handy little teapot looking thing you can fill with sterile water to manually flush out your allergies. It's a little disconcerting if you've never done it before, but for those that like it, it's a game changer. A couple words of warning - if you're already extremely congested it can be difficult for the water to flush through the system so use it preventively or at the first sign of problems. Also, do not use tap water. Use sterile water like distilled water, as there are microorganisms in non-sterile water that you don't want in your nose.
• Local Honey - Make sure it's local though - bees made that using the pollen you're struggling with which is the theory behind why it works. put it in some hot tea, your morning coffee, or even just use it as a facial wash topically. Its antibacterial and antiviral properties will help during this flu season too!
• Acupuncture - It works wonders! Allergies are just a histamine response and the immune system going a little nuts. Acupuncture helps calm the system down, not only alleviating symptoms but even preventing them!
• Herbal Remedies - Chinese and Western herbs have both been shown to alleviate symptoms. If you have an acupuncturist already,  go in a month before you typically start sniffling and ask about Yu Ping Feng San or Jade Windscreen. This is a preventive formula designed to get your body rebalanced before anything even goes down! If you can't make it into an acupuncturist, or there isn't one near you, here are some over the counter herbs that work wonders:

Got some other tips? Comment below and let us know what worked for you!

​Stay healthy, friends!
​~The Red Raven

There are five elements in Chinese Medicine, and each one is associated with a season:

• Fall- Metal
• Winter - Water
• Spring - Wood
• Summer - Fire

         AND

• Late Summer - Earth

Late Summer starts at the end of summer and is characterized by unusually warm days. It's the end of the most active and yang time of year and begins the transition towards winter, the most yin time of year. It's a bit shorter than regular season, and chops a bit off the end of the traditional time for summer (here in Texas we definitely don't mind lol) and moves on into the beginning of fall.

In TCM (traditional Chinese Medicine) and daoist philosophies, the Earth element is the center of of the five elements and is the base everything is built upon. So this associated season can be one of the most powerful places to start to maintain your health. The earth element is also said to nourish the muscles in the body, so this is a great time to make some changes if you are dealing with stiffness, fatigue, or chronic pain related to muscle injuries. 

To honor this season and your body there are a number of things you can do to harmonize with Late Summer:

• Watch the sunset, go for a walk with the cicadas - spend time observing the environment around you begin its transition from hot and dynamic yang energy to the more subtler, gentler (and thankfully cooler) time of year.
• Nourish the Earth element associated organs the stomach and spleen by eating easily digestible foods like soup and congee. Ginger is a great tonic for the spleen, so try adding it into you cooking. The color of earth is yellow, so eating  foods like gourds with their yellow, orange, and brown colors will help nourish you right now.
• The tissues associated with the earth element and late summer are the muscles. Ease your muscles with regular body work or acupuncture. Take a hot bath with epsom salts. Try doing more stretching and yoga or qigong instead of cardio or strength training. Our free community classes just started, so come check them out here. 
• The emotion associated with this time of year is 'worry', 'pensiveness', and 'overthinking'. Meditation and prayer are great ways to learn how to leave these troubles behind and not linger on bad thoughts. Herbal supplementation is particularly helpful in this area. So contact your local herbalist, curandera, or acupuncturist to see what plants can help support you this time of year.

So don't just let this time of year pass you by unnoticed. Take your health to heart and give yourself some nourishment as we head into fall and you'll breeze through cold and flu season easily. And to my fellow Texans, I can't wait to see y'all outside on the porch now that this brutal summer is winding down!

​Stay healthy, friends!
​~The Red Raven

Do you struggle with symptoms related to anxiety and stress? I've got some ways to help with that!

I could tell you all about how it's super common, and link to all the statistics and sites that say it's becoming an epidemic of the modern age. But you already know this, so I'm not gonna waste your time or mine. Instead I'm just gonna get straight to the point - what can you do help reduce your own stress and anxiety?

1. Exercise - Yeah I know, you've heard this before - but it's true!  Exercise will not only increase endorphins and dopamine, but also make you tired so that you can actually sleep at night instead of worrying about everything under the sun. Not sure how to start exercising, or exercising more? Check out this post to get some tips on how to get and stay motivated to exercise. 
2. Qigong/Taiji/Tai Chi - Okay, first let's get some definitions down. Qigong (pronounced cheegong), for the purposes of this article, is tai chi. And Taiji is just another spelling. You see, Chinese uses characters instead of letters so when words get translated into English, often times they get multiple different spellings. Which leads to a lot of confusion, but really it's all the same thing. And yes, it's that stuff that you see old people doing in the park, because they know what's up and you should learn from your elders. Experience is a real thing y'all. But isn't this just another form of exercise? Nope! Tai Chi & Qigong are actually more like meditation and self healing wrapped up in a package that looks like exercise - but in reality it is so much more. These forms use the bodies innate knowledge to stretch the muscles and tendons, opening the channels allowing qi to move and rebalance throughout the body. All pathologies can boil down to qi getting stuck (or stagnating as we like to say) and causing an imbalance in the body. I know, it sounds a little out there, but there are plenty of studies showing the efficacy of qigong and tai chi in healing and healthcare. A couple articles from Harvard can be found here and here. Here are some comprehensive lists of research being done, as well as a meta analysis. It's a tremendously powerful medicine that is yours for the taking. Still unsure? Here's a video of one of the basic moves. Do this movement 15 times at 3 different points throughout the day and see how calm and centered it makes you feel! 
3. Talk About It! I recently had a patient come in and tell me that they think they have a pretty severe social anxiety disorder. Having worked with this patient for a number of months, it really struck me as odd. Sure, when they came in they were dealing with acute anxiety, but had really come through it to a place of ease using acupuncture, counseling, and psychiatry. I asked what symptoms they were having that made them feel like this was the case- and to be quite frank it sounded like normal social anxiety for a person that is generally a little shy. It can be hard for people who have struggled with severe depression, stress, and anxiety to recognize when they are just having a bad day, or having a normal anxious response to a social situation. Sometimes feelings like that can be a trigger in and of themselves, bringing back memories of severe anxiety attacks and making it feel like it's all about to happen again. Talking with someone can help us remember that this might not be true. That being anxious can sometimes be a natural part of being human. Speak to your friends about your feelings and make trusted companions your sounding board, a licensed professional counselor is also an invaluable tool.

​Stay healthy, friends!
​~The Red Raven

​Steroid injections work great for some people, but for many people the relief is temporary. New studies are showing that long term use of steroids increases cartilage loss in knees. Acupuncture and Tai Chi provide many people with relief without any side effects. Why not try it before you and your doctor decide to do an injection? 

Here's some highlight from this study on Medscape:

"Patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging at the beginning and end of the study to provide data on cartilage volume and soft-tissue structures. Among the 119 patients who completed the study, those receiving triamcinolone lost about twice as much cartilage as those in the placebo group. Specifically, the intervention group lost an average 0.21 mm in index compartment cartilage thickness compared with 0.10 mm in the control group (for a mean difference of −0.11 mm: 95% confidence interval, −0.20 to −0.03 mm)."

tldr? those taking steroids had twice as much cartilage loss in their knees.

""Also, the rate of cartilage loss in this study was commensurate with that observed in prior natural history studies, so it is likely that the difference in cartilage loss rates between groups was due to an adverse effect of intra-articular corticosteroids on cartilage rather than a benefit from intra-articular saline," the authors write."

But what's it mean? The authors thought it pertinent enough to point out - it wasn't so much that the saline injections created good outcomes, so much as the steroid injections created worsening conditions for cartilage. Damn. 

​Stay healthy, friends!
​~The Red Raven

Well last week was the solstice, summer is officially here!

The is an auspicious day in Chinese Medicine and Daoist philosophy, because it represents the most yang part of the year. Yang is represented by the sun and summer time, by warmth and activity, so the longest day of the year is also the yangest day of the year. 

So this is a good time to seek balance with yin, which is represented by the moon and nighttime, winter and cooling darkness. Day time is longer, so we should be getting up earlier with the sun, and staying up later too. Wait, get up earlier and stay up later you say? Yup. 

But how exactly do we do that? Well, people in hotter climates have known for years - afternoon naps, or Siestas here in South Texas. I know, I know, that's not always doable for some of us. But we can still try to embody the idea by making sure we don't overdo it during the hottest the part of the day. So try not to go to the gym between 3-5, maybe wait and go the evening class, or wake up extra early and go before work. Just make sure that during the heat of the day, late afternoon, you can find shade and do activities that aren't too strenuous, and let yourself stay up a little later to enjoy the cooler evening this time of year.

Another thing we need to focus on during this time of year is hydration. Drink up all the water! And you're not gonna want to hear this, but try to avoid the ice. For real though. Ice makes your stomach work harder to heat up the water, which raises your overall body temperature in the long run. Room temperature water, or even hot tea is better. Hot water opens up the blood vessels and increases blood flow, reducing body temperature overall in the long run. Mint and Chrysanthemum flowers are both great cooling herbs to put in those teas. I've got some 8 treasures tea at the clinic right now which contains some organic chrysanthemums, stop by to grab one before we run out!

Speaking of herbal medicine, did you know that watermelons are basically the best thing you can consume during the summer? They are naturally cooling, contain great electrolytes, and are more hydrating than water! Food is medicine! The strongest part of this medicine though, is in the white rind, so eat down as far as you can at that bbq this weekend. Mung beans are another great cooling food to add to your summer diet. You can make a side, a soup, or even turn your soup into a cooling summer mung bean popsicle. In fact, you definitely should, as Betty pointed out, they are cooling, and drain damp heat. With all the rain we've been getting this year, it's important to drain it out. 

This is especially important during the summer, because you know what else causes damp heat? Basically everything we eat during a BBQ. Unfortunately. Fatty foods, butter, cheese, charred and grilled meats, these all cause dampness and heat. What is damp heat? Well its that time of year where it gets hot and wet, and then we put all the hot and wet food on top of it and we get common symptoms such as:

• diarrhea or loose stool
• fatigue
• fevers and sweating
• nausea and dizziness

Ever wonder why people always catch a cold in summer? Well, sometimes it can just be what we're eating and drinking, and how we're treating our bodies during this season. Of course, it can be something very serious and if your symptoms escalate to include dark colored urine, throbbing headaches, fainting, seek medical attention immediately. 

If not though, use the above strategies to keep cool and stay healthy this summer season! 

​Stay healthy, friends!
​~The Red Raven

People ask all the time, what exactly is acupuncture and how does it work? This is not a simple question to answer, but in this post I will attempt to provide an easy to understand explanation for the basic mechanisms and principles behind acupuncture.

Acupuncture is an ancient form of medical treatment that has had millenia to evolve into a complete holistic health care system. Licensed Providers use acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a treatment method helping millions or people become well and stay that way. Its non-invasive approach is not only almost completely painless, but has relatively few risks and side effects when compared to traditional Western medical interventions like pharmaceuticals and surgery.

Acupuncture encourages the body to heal itself naturally by enhancing immunity and the inherent recuperative powers we have. Through natural approaches, it improves overall function and well-being. One if those approaches is through the process of balancing 'Qi'.

Qi (or Chee) is an innate property of the body that flows through pathways which are called meridians in TCM. This substance provides nourishment to organs and cells in the body through the use of specific points activated by tiny needles. When this system gets blocked there is an imbalance which causes illness and symptoms to appear.