Natural Therapies and Services Currently Offered at the Clinic
Dr. Kindred provides a wide assortment of natural therapies from Oriental and Western origins.
Oriental medicine works by unraveling and redistributing the qi blockages that have accumulated in your bodymind system from the impacts of responding to the challenges of life. It’s not magic. It takes time, sometimes years to undo the accumulated imbalances that have set into your system. Treatment with acupuncture and herbs has the capacity to unravel tensions that are embedded in deep tissues and organs of the body. Left untreated these tensions lead to the demise of physical tissues and through the qi creates distortions in the natural flow of the mind and emotions. (Perhaps – the example of the grouchy, middle aged man with heartburn will bring this message home to you).
It is best to prevent the accumulation of day to day tensions from “setting in” and to prevent getting so wound up that chemical stimulants slow you down.
Qi cultivation and deep relaxation are the basic goals of oriental health maintenance and disease prevention.
Longevity is highly revered in the East. This led to the development of highly sophisticated health maintenance exercises. The most potent being the bodymind fitness exercises called Qi Gong. Practiced routinely, these exercises clear tensions and replenish qi reservoirs deep in the body. This generates all the positive physiologic effects of deep relaxation. We experience this as feeling good. Feeling good is more than the absence of illness or symptoms. This is the standard of health one can strive to attain with dedicated practice of a bodymind fitness discipline.
Dr. Kindred utilizes Oriental and Western natural therapies synergistically to personalize and enhance treatments. Click on each link for background.
Treatment response varies from person to person and with different problems on the same person. Health status, stress levels, diet, lifestyle, and severity of condition all factor into one’s ability to respond to natural treatments.
Generally, a person will feel 20-30% better after their first treatment. The effects of treatment generally will not sustain themselves indefinitely. Treatment should be scheduled before the effects of the first treatment wear off – generally in 2-3 days. Minor problems may need as little as one treatment. Stubborn problems that have been around for years will take a longer course of therapy. Steady gradual improvement can be expected with some peaks and valleys along the way.
Symptoms may be aggravated or discomfort may develop in another area of the body during or after treatment. This occurs about 10% of the time. A treatment induced aggravation will subside in 12-36 hours and afterwards the patient’s condition will improve. The aggravation is an indication of the body maneuvering to return to normal. After a treatment induced aggravation the patient feels better. Thus an aggravation is regarded, in general, as a good sign.
The pain from an injury will usually be the first thing to disappear, usually long before the damaged tissue is fully healed. Therefore it is important to continue to ‘baby’ your injury and be cautious about resuming activities.
5-Element Acupuncture
Most Oriental Medical Colleges in the United States teach “Traditional Chinese Medicine” (TCM). Dr. Kindred’s Oriental Medical College taught “5-Element Acupuncture”. The latter is a holistic system using the cyclic movement patterns of nature to diagnose and treat a patient’s body, mind, and spirit. The Five-Element system is particularly suited to preventing health problems by diagnosing subtle disturbances it is able to identify well before Western medicine can find anything wrong. This is very useful for annual health screening exams and also identifies when follow-up treatment is indicated. In this system, acupuncture aims to erase the record of tension that has accumulated in the meridians over the year(s). Acupuncture works to enhance the flow of vitality, or Qi (pronounced like chee), throughout the body. Treatment can be “local,” at the site of a sprain for example, or “systemic,” as when rehabilitating a blood sugar disorder. It can also be aimed at the psyche as well as the body in cases of stress related problems. There are numerous systems of acupuncture. Each system has some unique exam parameters and treatment protocols. In a comprehensive exam six different systems are evaluated. The strongest signs of Qi blockages from each system are included in the patient’s diagnosis to ensure the core of a problem is thoroughly identified. Five-element acupuncture evaluates for disturbances in organ systems by assessing color, sound, odor, and emotional presentation of a patient, according to the Law of 5 Elements and its map of the bodymind connection. Blockage in Qi circulation is also identified from the pulse exam as entry/exit blocks between meridians or blocks in the cycling of the 5 Elements. Treatment is designed to “tune-up” distressed organ Qi, clear blockages, and reestablish and stabilize Qi function throughout the body. |
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine evaluates pattern categories based on information from the patient about their symptoms plus pulse and tongue examinations. Treatment is aimed at the symptom in the context of Traditional Chinese categories of what causes such a symptom to develop. In light if this diagnosis, lifestyle and diet counseling is performed to stop the problem from recurring. While useful in a prevention context, this system is especially useful for treating established diseased conditions.
MICRONEEDLING
Microneedling is shallow insertion of very fine and short needles into the skin, to either increase collagen production in the skin or to increase transdermal absorption of cosmetic or medical applications. This is usually achieved through the use of rollers or stamps with up to 200 micro needles attached. The needle depth is 0.5 mm or less for most areas and slightly deeper to break up dark spots or scar tissue. This treatment can be done in most areas of the face, neck, or hands plus scar tissue almost anywhere. It is also very useful to clear up acne or acne scars and for restoring head hair that has thinned. Microneedling has been extensively researched, because it is a useful means of drug delivery for the pharmaceutical industry and is an effective and rapid way of inducing collagen production in both scarring and simple anti-aging treatments. Peruse the documents below for additional information regarding the theory, history, protocols, and pricing of this service. |
MOXIBUSTION
Moxibustion is a treatment that adds heat and Qi at acupoints on the body by burning a ground herb called mugwort. In addition to strengthening the area and organ associated with the treated acupoint, the herb also relaxes the area and organ treated. |
CHINESE HERBAL THERAPY
Chinese herbal therapy is a sophisticated healing tradition. A full line of formulas are available at the clinic. |
ULTRASOUND
Ultrasound therapy utilizes sound waves at high frequency to aid healing processes in areas of injury or disease. Specifically, its effects are to generate deep tissue heat, relieve swelling, break up pockets of waste toxins and relieve pain by micro-massaging the muscles cells. The combined effect is to accelerate healing and ease pain. |
ALLERGEN DESENSITIZATION
Allergen Desensitization therapy utilizes muscle reflex testing to identify allergens and / or sensitivities. Treatment includes an acusparker, color therapy glasses, abdominal massage, tuning forks, joint motion correction and bodymind releases. The body is brought into balance in the presence of the allergen and thus taught not to feel threatened by it. The patient is required to avoid the offending substance for 24 hours to allow the treatment to stabilize. Occasionally more than one treatment is required. In some cases the allergens need to be treated in various combinations. Once cleared the allergic pattern is broken. Overuse of a former allergen can, however, lead to a recurrence. Also, the patient may become vulnerable to the substance again when under stress and need to be treated again. Health maintenance is an ongoing process in our complex lives. |
MUSCLE REFLEX TESTING
Muscle Reflex Testing is derived from a system of chiropractic called “Applied Kinesiology” or “A.K.”. Dr. George Goodheart, D.C., developed “A.K.”; in 1964. “A.K.” gradually grew into an international organization for chiropractors, osteopaths and medical doctors. Now, as of 2011, many Naturopaths are training to use it. “A.K.” is a means of evaluating structural, biochemical and psychological aspects of a patient. It enables the doctor to detect and treat disturbed functions even before they develop into diseases. |
ELECTRICAL MUSCLE STIMULATION
Electrical muscle stimulation is used to relax spasms, heal injuries, and relax deep tissues. |
ULTRASOUND COMBINED WITH ELECTRICAL MUSCLE STIMULATION
This therapeutic combination provides unique capabilities to draw tension out of muscle spasms and break down fibrotic scar tissue and trigger points, thus restoring suppleness to chronically tight or previously injured muscles. |
BODYMIND THERAPY
There are now numerous techniques that have been developed to unload the body of past or simply unconscious stress reactions being shock absorbed by the body. I have been working with bodymind therapies since the mid 1980’s. Since 2000 I have been developing a bodymind fitness system that I now teach at the clinic. It has two parts: I. TUNING – Physical Techniques for restoring QI FLOW. These are variations of manual clinical therapies. II. EQUILIBRIUM – Visualization exercises to restore balance between the conscious and unconscious bodymind.
BRAIN HEALTH THERAPY
Dr. Kindred is currently training in the latest brain health principles which include bio-identical hormones and neurotransmitter nutritional precursors as well as botanicals to reactivate synapses after they get chronically overused.
This addresses principles to treat and prevent memory problems, mental health problems and early Alzheimer’s. Keeping the brain healthy enhances all the rest of the body’s nerve tissue vitality and enhances healing processes. This is a very exciting new arena for providers and patients who work diligently to restore normal body functions. BTW: Gluten intolerance and intestinal inflammation from other causes may also impair brain health.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Chiropractic medicine was founded in 1895 by D.D. Palmer and is now practiced in over 100 countries.
Chiropractic care is an alternative health care profession that focuses on a holistic approach to patient care. Although it involves the treatment of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system in order to improve the overall health of the body, it places specific emphasis on injury and illness prevention. Chiropractic care is noninvasive and focuses on the body’s inherent ability to heal itself.
The exact chiropractic approach used and treatment plan decided upon depends on both the doctor of chiropractic medicine and the patient’s condition.
MYOFASCIAL THERAPY
Fascia is the connective tissue that covers and connects muscles, organs, and the skeletal system of the body. Muscle and fascia are collectively called the myofascial system. Injury or stress to any point in the myofascial system can spread over time and eventually affect large portions of the body. Myofascial therapy strives to release fascia restriction and restore tissue wellness. Myofascial release is usually performed through a system of soft tissue manipulation techniques. |