OAP’s Jeff Levin on the May Teachers’ Special
What made you want to do a Promotion for teachers this month?
Well, teacher appreciation day was a nice excuse, but it’s something that we’ve wanted to do for a while. Both Whitney and I are married to teachers: Mya teaches 8th grade and Katy teaches 5th. So, we see how hard they work and the effects of the stress of the job. Also, I worked as a substitute teacher which was brutal. I just couldn’t cut it: seems like you have to have the heart of a warrior to do that job. This was during a time when I was teaching yoga full time and the contrast was stark. For yoga I was cruising around town in my pajamas getting kudos and gracious namastes from everyone. As a substitute teacher, I had to put on slacks, get up at the crack of dawn, and try to wrangle a room full of kids bent on my destruction. So I can appreciate how tough the job is. A lot of teachers don’t get the kind of recognition they deserve: what they do is heroic, noble, and a huge positive contribution to society as a whole. I’m stoked that, here at OAP, we can spend a month dedicated to helping teachers out by making acupuncture a little bit more accessible than we normally do.
Have there been any teachers who’ve made an impact on you?
For sure- there was Mrs. Krimmel, my 2nd grade teacher; that was the first time I remember school being fun. She and my mom eventually became friends. I still have a book of quotes she gave me for my Bar Mitzvah which I still use. It has a very sweet note in the front. Also, David Bryan. He was my 8th grade English teacher, he gave me a D because he thought I wasn’t living up to my full potential, and in retrospect, he was right. Then in 10th grade, he was my “Mind/body fitness” teacher, which was basically yoga: we did standing poses, sun salutes, and savasana. I loved it. I couldn’t believe PE could include a short nap. Then, in my senior year, I took a political science class with him where we read Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. That totally rocked my world.
How can acupuncture help teachers?
I would say helping manage stress would be the number one way acupuncture can help teachers. We have quite a few teachers who come in after work just to help cool their jets. We use points that, as they say in Chinese medicine, “calm the spirit.” But stress can take its toll on our health in a lot of ways: headaches, digestive problems, insomnia, physical pain and chronic tension. Acupuncture can help with all these issues as well.
Acupuncture and Fertility- an interview with Sarah Liners
We recently spoke to Sarah Liners, one of our newer practitioners who works in the Grand Ave clinic, about fertility, pregnancy, and acupuncture. Sarah is especially interested in working with pregnancy and fertility-related issues and is in the process of completing a certification with the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM).
What kind of pregnancy issues to do you commonly see at Oakland Acupuncture Project?
Usually each phase of pregnancy comes with its own set of usual issues. Fatigue and nausea are frequently seen early on in the pregnancy. During the second trimester many women feel good and their bodies can feel very strong. During this time, as the baby is growing larger, there can be some issues with discomfort in the joints, frequent urination, swelling in the lower extremities, heartburn, or other digestive upsets. Often feelings of discomfort can increase as the end of pregnancy draws close. The body begins to prepare for the delivery and joint pain can increase. Often at the end of pregnancy discomfort can start to affect sleep and fatigue can become an issue again. Building a human from scratch is hard work, acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are useful tools to help support healthy and comfortable pregnancies.
How do you approach treating fertility with Chinese Medicine?
I look at the treatment of fertility and pregnancy as the practice of nurturing life, or “yangshen”. Early Chinese Medicine looked at the macrocosm (our environment) to treat the microcosm (our health). The growth and development of new life is a reflection of how our world works.
What kind of success have you seen treating fertility and pregnancy with acupuncture?
I have enjoyed treating women from preconception and fertility through their pregnancies all the way to the birth process. It has been my honor to observe and assist the body’s natural cycles throughout the childbearing process. I have treated various types of infertility with causes ranging from PCOS, hormonal insufficiencies, to non-specific female infertility. It is a process of reestablishing a woman’s natural cycles to support her body during conception and pregnancy. The success of fertility treatments vary and often depend on the willingness of the patient to commit to regular treatments.
How does acupuncture help?
Acupuncture is helpful in reminding the body how to function properly. Disharmony in the body can be seen as interruptions in the “normal” functions. Our bodies have pathways and delivery methods to circulate electricity and fluids, nutrients and chemicals, bringing nourishment and oxygen to our organs and tissues. When these pathways are interrupted, issues can arise which cause our bodies to function outside of what is “normal” or “usual”. Acupuncture can help reestablish the proper circulation of “Qi and Blood” to help our bodies function as efficiently as possible.
In celebration of spring, for the month of March, we are offering a discount on all fertility and pregnancy related treatments (including post-partum visits, up to 6 months after birth): $10 follow up treatment or, if you’re a 1st time patient, we’ll waive your initial $15 paperwork fee.
January Stoke your Spokes promotion
Cait Cain, one of our fantastic new acupuncturists, is an avid cyclist and is excited to bring together two of her passions with this month’s Stoke your Spokes promotion. Read on to learn more!
How many miles do you ride a day?
-12 to 17. Last year, I clocked about 4,000 miles total.
Wow. So, why do you ride?
-Well, it’s like they say at Rock The Bike, folks ride for all sorts of reasons be it for transportation, physical fitness or for the environment. I ride for all those reasons and I ride for the magic of riding and to be part of an amazing community of fellow metal cowboys and cowgirls.
Who’s Rock The Bike?
-They’re a group of inventors and bike advocates out of Berkeley who use Pedal Power to generate music performances and blend smoothies.
The bicycling community seems pretty eclectic, what other sorts of bike things happen here?
-There’s Red, Bike and Green, a group committed to getting more of Oakland’s African Americans on bikes. Walk Oakland/Bike Oakland and East Bay Bicycle Coalition are bicycle advocacy groups working for things like more bike lanes and a Bay Bridge bike expansion for cyclists. Oaklavia sponsors car-free city streets for a day. There are also lots of free bicycling safety classes offered here and social rides like the monthly East Bay Bike Party. There’s the Oakland Yellow Jackets. Oakland’s home to the Original Scraper Bike Team and scraper bike culture. Cycles Of Change also lives in Oakland at the Bikery Community Bike Shop on International Blvd. They do amazing work with our city’s youth. We had PedalFest in Jack London this past year and Tour de Fat rolled into SF as did the Bicycle Film Festival. And, let’s not forget Critical Mass.
If you could change 1 thing about cycling in Oakland, what would it be?
-I’d like more bike lanes and I’d like a more constructive and educated dialogue between motorists and cyclists. All of us want to arrive safe. Bicycle culture and bicycling is gaining popularity everyday, it’s actually changing the landscape of our nation’s cities. More bike lanes mean more safe cycling and more access to cycling which means a healthier, more relaxed and attractive cityscape.
On that note, what are some common physical complaints cyclists suffer from?
-Injuries, past and present, to the head or extremities; aches and pains in wrists, hips or ankles; stress and anxiety; reoccurring colds and flus; low libido/exhaustion. That, and anything else one who doesn’t ride could feel.
How can acupuncture help?
-Acupuncture excels in keeping the body balanced and it’s terrific at maintaining overall health and well being. This is important for folks who are commuting a lot or training for long rides, people who are asking a lot of their bodies. Acupuncture’s amazing for pain and it really helps speed the recovery process in terms of injuries. Regular visits to the Acupuncturist builds healthy immunity, relaxes the mind and body, builds stamina and helps to prevent exhaustion.
Any last thoughts?
-Take a ride or a walk over to OAP for a tune-up, you’ll be glad you did!
Check out the links above, and don’t miss these other bike friendly sites!
bikemandan.com
girlonbikewrites.blogspot.com
