Traditional Roots Healthcare
February Newsletter
Now Accepting Veteran's Choice Insurance
The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act (VACAA) of 2014, directs the establishment of the Veterans Choice Program to better meet the health care needs of our nation's Veterans. Under this program, eligible Veterans can obtain approved care in their community.
What is the Choice Program?
If you are already enrolled in VA health care, the Choice Program allows you to receive health care within your community. Using this program does NOT impact your existing VA health care, or any other VA benefit.
Call Traditional Roots Healthcare today to schedule an appointment using your insurance.
Community Clinic and Healing Exchange - Baja, Mexico
Thankful for the experience and ten intense days in Baja with Acupuncturists Without Borders. The community clinics we set up in Loreto had a much larger turnout than expected, and we were at capacity for the space we were using.
With each clinic, we focused on creating a group healing intention with a unified the breath. It created an energetic healing space where the whole group was able to go deep during the treatment. Most people were so relaxed they fell asleep in their chairs. After the treatment, people reported a significant reduction in body/joint pain and feeling more calm and relaxed.
To feel this sort of energy, shared between a common group of people, is powerful. There's something to be said of a shared healing experience!
Steering Away From Painkillers - Military's Approach to Acupuncture
Army doctors have been told by the top brass to rethink their "pill for every ill" approach to treating pain. For the 47,000 troops who've been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, some of the new options include less tried and true methods, like massage and chiropractic treatments. The military hopes to win over skeptics, many of them in uniform.
Wasserman is the top doctor for the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Campbell, Ky. To her own surprise, she's also now the unit's physician trained to do acupuncture.
"I actually had a demonstration of acupuncture on me, and I'm not a spring chicken," she says, "and it didn't make me 16 again, but it certainly did make me feel better than I had, so I figured, hey ... let's give it a shot with our soldiers here."
In recent years, military doctors have turned to acupuncture in special pain clinics and for troops in battle zones. Last year, the Army surgeon general began making the alternative treatments more widely available.
Remalia says his headaches have disappeared, and he's relying less on his cabinet full of pain medication. To Col. Kevin Galloway, that's mission accomplished. He's in charge of carrying out recommendations from the Army's Pain Management Task Force, which focused heavily on unconventional therapies.
"You can throw fairly cheap pharmaceuticals at the problem now and push the problem to someone else later if you're not really working on what the genesis of the pain is," he says.
Galloway says if soldiers get hooked on high-powered painkillers, the Department of Veterans Affairs may be dealing with the side effects for decades to come. Already, at least 40 percent of veterans entering the VA system are coping with pain.
Call For Volunteers
Traditional Roots is actively seeking volunteers for the following projects and initiatives:
Disaster Relief & Community Suffering Response Team
Interested in being part of a mobilization team during times of community suffering or natural disasters? We are looking for general volunteers, licensed acupuncturists and other healthcare providers who would be willing to help mobilize during times of need. All ages and abilities are needed!
Our goal is to recruit over 20 individuals and offer training in disaster responsiveness in June, 2016 through our official sponsors at Acupuncturists Without Borders who's mission and entire foundation is based upon relief mobilization.
UPDATE: We are currently working with the Minnesota Medical Reserve Corp and Department of Health towards creating a more unified approach for licensed acupuncturists and project volunteers to help in times of need. Stay tuned in for updates!
Contact us today for more information and to take part in the June training with AWB!
Healing Space for Survivors of Domestic Trauma/Abuse
We are looking for healthcare professionals available on a rotating basis to provide care/treatments/services for survivors of domestic abuse and trauma. Another options to help this project is to host an educational workshop on holistic care and other approaches. Together we can create a safe space for those seeking care!
Contact us today for more information.
Research Collaboration Update
After months of developing the research model, we are excited to announce the start early this spring.
With trauma is being experienced at an alarming rate, affecting multiple communities across a wide range of demographics. Current healthcare disparities affect access to care and quality of life measures. There is a growing need for new approaches outside of the standard drug and talk therapy options.
With increased awareness and research concerning Post Traumatic Stress symptoms, we now know that extreme stress shuts down the frontal cortex. This part of the brain is responsible for analytical, executive functioning of the body. Acupuncture helps reset the stress hormones and revives proper function of the frontal cortex, allowing the body to heal itself. Acupuncture has also been shown to release endorphins to help alleviate pain. As the abuse of prescription drugs becomes a headlining story in politics and the media it becomes prudent to offer non-drug based therapie
Health Benefits of Ginseng
Containing more than 40 different ginsenosides, ginseng is considered a cure-all herb that may be useful in treating a variety conditions. In addition to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and immune-boosting properties, it may also improve blood circulation, nurture the nervous system, and even help to balance hormones.
According to the University of California, Berkley, several studies have shown good evidence that Asian ginseng can help lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin. Still, the long-term effects are unknown, and a separate study actually found that Korean ginseng in fact did not benefit blood sugar levels in overweight people with diabetes or poor blood sugar control.
Other research has demonstrated American ginseng’s potential to benefit immune function and lower the severity of cold symptoms. Cold-FX is just one popular natural cold remedy product that’s derived from American ginseng, claiming to reduce the frequency, duration and severity of both cold and flu symptoms.
Ginseng may also temporarily benefit mental performance by enhancing concentration and learning. A South Korean studyconducted on people with Alzheimer’s disease found that taking ginseng for 12 weeks improved their cognitive test results, but a lack of quality data means that real proof of this still remains unclear.
Even though ginseng is one of the most researched herbs in the world and its health benefits sound pretty remarkable, more extensive research is needed to determine the real effects of its medicinal purposes. The type of ginseng, the part in which is used (the root, the leaf or the stem), the dosage and even how the ginseng is processed can produce different results.
You can purchase ginseng as an herbal tea, in energy drinks/foods, or as a supplement in powdered or capsule form from your local health food store or online. Since the amount of active ingredients vary depending on the product and the company that makes it, there’s no standard dosage to recommend.
Ginseng is an expensive root, so when you’re researching brands, make sure you’re buying products that include ginseng from reputable companies. According to a 2010 report from Consumer Lab, some products from supplement companies did not contain the amount of ginseng that was stated on their labeling.
5 Reasons to Do Downward Facing Dog Daily
Downward facing dog, known as Adho Mukha Svanasana in Sanskrit (which literally translates into downward facing dog) is probably the most visited pose in any Vinyasa yoga class in North America, and many other parts of the world. Not only is it a frequently used yoga pose, it is also an incredibly therapeutic pose with a multitude of benefits for your physical body. So give yourself 5 more reasons to practice downward facing dog every day!
1. Opens the Armpit Chest
You may be wondering, what is the armpit chest? It is basically the part of your body where your chest meets your shoulder, right above your armpit. This is an area of the body that houses a large concentration of lymph nodes, which are responsible for the health of your immune system. Keeping the armpit chest open and allowing the the healthywhite blood cells that lymph fluid consists of, to circulate throughout your bloodstream, and thus your entire body. When you are in downward facing dog, make sure you are reaching your arms as if you were pushing the front of your yoga mat away from, as this will create more opening in the armpit chest.
2. Lengthens the Hamstrings
The traditional form of downward facing dog is practice with the legs straight, which allows the hamstrings to stretch. When you’re in the pose you can see your legs, and so see if they are actually straight. The catch here is that you really have to straighten your legs fully, and then you have to engage the quadricep muscles in both legs so that you can fully stretch the hamstring muscles. Stretching and lengthening your hamstrings is so important for your physiology, as short hamstring can cause severe back pain. Many of our daily tasks involve sitting, which shortens the back of the leg, so reverse that with downward facing dog!
3. Extends the Spine
When you reach your arms and fully straighten your legs in downward facing dog, you begin to affect your spine. When you can extend your spine, you take the pressure off of it, and help re-establish the natural curves of your spine. This has such sustainable, positive effects on the central nervous system, which runs right through the spine; your shock absorber for life. Another tip to help you extend your spine is to lift your sitting bones – just remember, if you tend to be on the flexible side, you don’t want to let your whole ribcage slump toward the ground, so keep your ribs contained while you lift the sitting bones.
4. Widens the Carpal Tunnel
There is a very specific alignment of the hand that allows the carpal tunnel to widen; have your hands shoulder width apart, point your middle fingers straight ahead, and press down very firmly through the index finger knuckle, thumb knuckle and inner wrist of both hands. This action widens the pads on the heels of your palms that surround the carpal tunnel, taking the pressure of the nerves that pass through the tunnel.
5. Lengthens the Back of the Neck
In the traditional alignment of downward facing dog, your gaze is toward your belly button, or in between your thighs. This allows the back of your neck to lengthen and relax. When the neck remains long, you support the calming of your nervous system, allowing you to breathe fully and deeply when in the pose.
Our Mission
Traditional Roots Healthcare is a Minnesota based, 501c3, non-profit dedicated to heal, strengthen and empower through traditional medicine.
Our vision is to organize sustainable, safe, and culturally diverse healing spaces that incorporate elements of traditional medicine such as, acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary and lifestyle guidance. Especially for underserved communities affected by acute, chronic, secondary and generational trauma.
Our goals include:
- Offer services to groups such as: Veterans, American Indians, refugee, and victims of assault and natural disaster
- Stay true to patients’ cultural traditions
- Provide support and relief during natural disasters and community suffering
- Educate communities with traditional medical techniques to empower them through life’s journey
- Serve underserved communities
Schedule Today
Schedule online, by phone or email
~ walk-in's welcome ~
165 Dunlap Street N
St. Paul, MN 55104
651-447-2196
Valerie Overby- Wed - Sat
Acupuncture Services Offered
- Ear Acupuncture uses specific ear protocols, typically 5 needles per ear. Suitable for adults and children/young adults. A great non-verbal and introductory approach to care!
- Community Style Acupuncture Treatments are treatments is a community setting and typically use points on the head/ears, hands and lower limbs.
- Individual Acupuncture Treatments are private 60 minute treatment and can include cupping, tuina, gua sha, essential oil, tuning fork, and electro-stimulation therapies as part of the treatment. Individual Acupuncture treatments also include an in-depth treatment plan including lifestyle, herbal consult, and dietary recommendations.
Additional Holistic Options
- Cupping Treatment (lymph, circulation, and soft tissue techniques)
- Dietary Guidance
- Essential Oil Treatments
- Guided Meditation
- Gua Sha (increases lymph, shown to reduce fever)
- Herbal Remedies
- Lifestyle Guidance
- Magnet Therapies
- Acupressure Treatments
- Tuning Fork Treatments
- Tuina Treatments (soft-tissue work/traction techniques)
Your Treatment Counts!
Price breakdown and how it helps us serve those in need:
- Any payment above and beyond the sliding scale fee for treatment is considered a donation and tax-deductible.
- For example, by purchasing a treatment for yourself at $55, allows us to provide 3 community style treatments or 1 individual acupuncture treatment.
Our organization relies on the generosity of individuals like you. Without these donations serving these populations would not be possible. No donation is too small and ALL recommendations for patient engagement are appreciated. We are amazed by what acupuncture has done for us, and what we have witnessed it do for others. We hope to spread our excitement for oriental medicine and its 4,000 years of history. Our bodies are truly amazing when they are given the support they need.
Thank you in advance for your assistance and generosity!
Contact Us
Email: info@traditionalrootshc.org
Website: www.traditionalrootshc.org
Location: 165 Dunlap Street North, Saint Paul, MN, United States
Phone: 651-447-2196
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traditionalroots/