All of the methods used at Dr. Lu’s nourishing life clinic are rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Eastern healing practices. These methods include Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Traditional Chinese Bodywork Therapy, which includes cupping, gua sha, tui na and reflexology. The objective of the treatment is to see the patient as whole. We help to restore balance on the physical level, allowing patients to achieve harmony in the emotional and spiritual realms.
We, at Dr. Lu’s Nourishing Life, believe that diet and nutrition are a fundamental aspect of self care and of great importance in achieving and maintaining wellness. As part of your treatment plan, Dr. Lu will recommend an appropriate diet to support your healing process from a TCM perspective. Specific eating times are also recommended.
A guided self care regimen is an essential aspect of Dr. Lu’s individualized treatment planning. It can be said that, after all, the most important thing is how you treat yourself! We emphasize proper diet, elimination, and sleep, as well as minimizing overindulgence and managing stress well.
The treatments administered in our clinic will help to get your body back into a state of balance, and there is a lot you can do to support your self during this process! For example, we encourage you to learn how to cook delicious and nourishing meals! Dr. Lu has a variety of herbal blends that can be added to meals to increase the flavor and healing benefit of your meals. We have an array of recipes that we can share with you to help get you excited about cooking healthy meals. Dr. Lu will also recommend qi gong exercises and/or self care acupressure massages specific to your needs. These will be taught during your practitioner visits and can be done at home as part of a regular self care routine. We also often recommend doing foot soaks and working on specific reflexology points at home to improve your health. Our goal is to help you regain balance and good health and to help you acquire the knowledge and skills required to maintain it.
Chinese Herbal medicine is a cornerstone of Traditional Chinese Medicine with an extensive history and tradition. Different parts of plants such as the leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds are used. Usually, herbs are combined in formulas and given as teas, capsules, tinctures, or powders. Dr. Lu’s Nourishing Life clinic has an extensive Chinese herbal pharmacy containing nearly 150 individual herbs. Dr. Lu prepares custom herbal formulas for his patients by combining the art and science of herbalism to be used internally or as external applications.
Dr. Lu’s nourishing Life clinic uses only organic herbs, free of contaminants and heavy metals. Dr. Lu’s formulas are safe and efficacious, and most of his formulas have been passed down for many generations. He takes exceptional care to assure his herbal inventory is comprised of the highest quality ingredients available. The organic herbs used in our clinic are freshly powdered using no fillers or anti-caking agents.
Acupuncture is a therapy in which needles are used to stimulate acupuncture points along channels that run throughout the body. There are 12 primary channels, each corresponding with an internal organ. The channels, and the points along the channels, are a ways to communicate with the internal organs. By palpating the channels, and the points along them, it is possible to assess the state of the internal organs for diagnostic purposes. Each point plays a specific role impacting its corresponding organ, and in contributing to the balanced function of the body as a whole.
Once a diagnosis is reached, specific points are selected and stimulated with needles to affect change in the body: to strengthen in cases of deficiency or to reduce in cases of excess. Traditional Chinese Medicine has its foundation in the theory of balance: the interplay of yin and yang can be observed in all areas of life. When the body finds itself in a state of disarray, acupuncture can be used to guide the body back to balance.
Cupping is one of the oldest methods of traditional Chinese medicine, and is frequently used in our clinic. The two types of cupping used in our clinic are fire cupping, and a more modern variation of this ancient tradition; pump cupping. During fire cupping, a flame is ignited and introduced into a glass cup. The flame consumes the oxygen inside of the cup creating a vacuum effect. This enables the cup to be adhered to the skin. The cups are left on the skin for ten to twenty minutes to achieve a therapeutic effect. Cupping warms and promotes the free flow of qi in the points, and has the added benefit of detoxing the body and internal organs. The cups may feel tight with initial application but this sensation usually lessens within a few minutes. The overall experience of the treatment can be very relaxing. The procedure is generally void of any pain, and there is no bleeding. Upon removal of the cups, discoloration or small blisters may sometimes be observed, these marks typically fade within days or weeks. This response is normal and expected, and is a sign that the therapy has been effective. Generally, cupping is combined with acupuncture in one treatment, but it can also be used alone.
Dr. Lu commonly utilizes pump cupping as a part of his diagnostic assessment. In this style of cupping, a hand pump is used to apply plastic cups to the skin. A cup is placed on an acupuncture point and the air is pumped out of it, creating suction. Dr. Lu interprets the way the points respond to this technique and this information helps to guide accurate diagnosis.
Foot reflexology involves using a tool to apply focused pressure to specific reflex points on the feet, which correspond to internal organs. The therapy is intended to stimulate the activity of internal organs, improve blood and lymph circulation, and support an individual’s well-being. Reflexology is done as a part of some of the procedures in our clinic. We also commonly teach our patients how to work on their own feet at home. This powerful self care technique can be used to accelerate the healing process.
Gua sha is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that has been used to treat everything from fevers to digestive problems to back pain. Gua sha involves using an instrument to gently scrape the skin, in order to stimulate movement of the body’s energy. It can be used alone or in conjunction with acupuncture to enhance its effect. It is not painful. There is no bleeding or scabbing. Skin discoloration may occur that will last 1 to 3 days.
Herbal seeds are a healing tool consisting of a vaccaria seed attached to an adhesive bandage. Seeds are placed on acupuncture points on the ears or body to stimulate a healing response. The seeds can be left on for three to five days as a ‘take-home’ treatment. Seeds can be pressed on or massaged several times a day, enhancing and prolonging the effectiveness of their treatment in clinic. Seeds can also be used in lieu of acupuncture needles for children or patients that are needle sensitive.
A traditional Chinese medicine therapy using moxa made from dried mugwort. Moxibustion is the application of heat resulting from the burning of a small bundle of moxa. Practitioners use moxa to warm meridian points with the intention of promoting circulation of blood and energy. It can be used alone, or in conjunction with acupuncture.
Many different kinds of body work are utilized at Dr. Lu’s Nourishing Life clinic.
One frequently used technique is meridian line massage. This involves the use of the hands to stimulate different acupuncture meridians. It removes blockages and keeps the energy moving through the body, effecting both physical and mental health. Your practitioner may train you how to perform this massage, as it can easily be added to any home self care routine!
Another example of body work that you may experience at the clinic is spine rolling, or Nei Ji. Dr. Lu brought this technique to us from the monastery where he was raised. It involves the systematic rolling of the skin over the spine to stimulate the flow of energy through the Du Meridian, or Governing Vessel. This is the acupuncture channel that runs up the spine, and into the brain, and has many applications.
Practitioners may also utilize elements of Tui Na, or Chinese medical massage. This is a type of bodywork where the muscles and tendons are massaged, while an acupressure technique is applied to directly affect the flow of energy at different acupressure points of the body, thus facilitating the healing process.
2000 Hogback Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
