LANSHIN

For those with underlying heart conditions, the combination of a hot, overheated body and drinking ice cold water (or beverages) can be dangerous. And for others without obvious health challenges, ice cold water can still produce a significant amount of discomfort when consumed during/after workout before the body naturally cools down. During hot summer months, this could even cause heatstroke (TCM concept). For most of us, drinking ice water during/after workouts (or post sauna, hot weather exposure) won’t send us to the ER. But what this man’s story tells us is the impact of ice water can be stressful for the body in this circumstance. And whether you experience discomfort depends on the underlying state of your health. To prevent this from happening, he could: 1. Ditch the ice and leave the water room temp 2. If he chose to drink cool (not iced) water, he should wait until his body has naturally cooled down. This is one reason why post workout cool-downs are so important. 3. Never chug large amounts of cold water at once when your body is overheated. Again, room temp is best. 4. Be sure to hydrate well BEFORE working out TCM gives us an additional layer of explanation on how the Heart ❤️ goes into heat overdrive in this hot body/ice water scenario. I went over this in our newsletter so make sure you check your email or go to the link in bio to subscribe. #icewater #urgentcare #lanshin #Cupping #Acupuncture #GuaSha #TCM #ChineseMedicine #TCMTips@Franklin Uzoma Aribeana

Most research on cold plunge therapy is done on young, healthy men. A specific population whose results from cold exposure I would NOT extrapolate to most women, people with compromised immune systems or chronic illness, those above age 60/70, etc. In TCM there isn’t any research that answers questions like: what are the LONG TERM health impacts of cold exposure on the body? What happens to the health markers of people 5, 10, 20 years after regular exposure to ice baths? Would research validate what we’ve long known in TCM - that cold exposure negatively impacts the menstrual cycle and hormonal health in menstruating women? Would the shock of cold exposure to the point of shivering negatively impact those with weaker constitutions? How would cold exposure therapy impact menopausal women or men older than 40, 50 years of age? While the stress of cold exposure creates a hormetic response that mobilizes the immune system, dopamine, etc….what is the cost to the body for calling on this survival response on a regular basis? Of course, spending 60sec running cold water on yourself after a hot shower is very different than forcing yourself into a 40 degree ice bath for 5 minutes until the point of shivering. There are degrees of cold exposure therapy that I think are more reasonable and possibly beneficial to health *depending on your individual constitution*. I would recommend it only after heat exposure from sauna or hot shower. And I would start with cool, not ice cold water. You also don’t need to immerse yourself for the length of time young, healthy men do to the point of shivering. Remember there is such a thing as bio-individuality - an important consideration in TCM practice that most healthcare research doesn’t account or measure for. #Lanshin #coldplunge #sauna #huberman #TCM #ChineseMedicine #tcmtips

While I appreciate dermatologists for the time they spend educating their audience about Gua Sha, I do have to say, with respect, that @Lizzo does a better job….#IYKYK I’ve not seen any influencer, MD or anyone outside of the TCM community who shows Gua Sha and TCM practitioners the kind of respect and mindfulness that @lizzo does whenever she posts about her Gua Sha experience. Queen! 👑 So about the ice….As a TCM practitioner, you know we avoid ice like the plague - but I also understand that it feels good for many of you. So my only suggestion here is to try using heat to open and stimulate the energy channels first, then use cold after that (if you must). Finally, I’m not here to pick on derms, they are great at what they do. And they know their medicine well. I listen to them on everything from lasers to retinol. But because they don’t have the training we have as TCM practitioners, I find their opinions on our Gua Sha technique not the most accurate. Lizzo’s take is much more in alignment with what I see in my clinical practice and from my students. #lanshin #guasha #tcm #guashafacial #doublechin #lizzo

Love or hate Gua Sha, it’s not a “snatching” technique so much as it’s one of the oldest healing techniques in the world. Used in East Asian medicine to successfully treat illness and disease well before the advent of modern allopathic medicine, it has now also gained popularity as an anti-aging technique. But remember, its ability to help the face and skin look better is because of its ability to bring better blood flow, and circulation to wherever it is used. If you’re not getting a satisfying “snatch” from face Gua Sha that might not be what you actually need. Perhaps instead you might find your skin is more even, more glowing. Perhaps your jaw is lense tense, your sinuses less congested and your headache relieved. There are many uses for Gua Sha from severe pain relief to immune system boosting to creating lifted appearance and softening lines of the face. Want to learn proper Gua Sha from legit TCM practitioners? Join us in our classes. Next up: Gua Sha 3.0 Unwinding Brow and Forehead lines (see link in bio). #lanshin #guashatutorial #callherdaddy #guashafacial #chinesemedicine #tcm #cupping #acupuncture #guasha #tcmdermatology #botox

Spring might be the hardest season to transition into. By the time spring arrives, we’re SPENT from getting through winter. We call this Qi Deficiency in TCM. And it’s even more the case if you didn’t get enough rest + restorative time during winter. Treating patients I’ve always noticed that even though we get more sunlight hours and warmth, the initial phase in to spring season often brings out a lot of inflammation. From allergies, to skin eruptions, to fatigue and brain fog - waking up into spring is a bit like a toddler waking up from a nap, it can start with with a dollop of cranky. This can cause stagnation of fluids, microcirculatory blood flow and Qi movement in your channels - which often affects your head. This in turn can exaggerate certain features of our face - nasolabial folds, jowls, under-eye puffs, etc. So I just want to make sure you know - you’re ok! Your body is just having a tough time transitioning into the pollen filled, sun-party that is spring. Don’t worry, start working on some TCM Spring health basics, starting with opening your neck channels. In clinical practice, I am constantly freeing the neck of tension and blockage to treat allergies and any inflammatory issue affecting the face + head. For more guidance, subscribe to our newsletter (link in bio) for free access to our TCM Library where we have playlists for working with the neck with Gua Sha or Hot Massage. My next follow-along is all about this too! Gua Sha 3.0 - Nasolabial + Allergy Relief. Did you know most of the points we use to treat sinus congestion, watery eyes, headache are the very same points that help reduce nasolabial folds, facial heaviness, under-eye puffing, etc.? Link in bio to join me! **Not medical advice. Please always check with your physician or Acupuncturist if you suffer from serious health conditions. #lanshin #guasha #tcm #allergies #jowls #springallergies #nasolabilfolds