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Green Envee: Plant Powered Skin Care Products

If you’ve been around the clinic lately you’ve probably noticed our new line of skin care products from Green Envee. We are proud to partner with a skin care company that shares our values that your best skin comes from within. Scroll all the way down for a special offer just for our readers!

Prepare to immerse yourself in a world of plant-powered skincare and experience the incredible benefits of modern science combined with eastern modalities.

Passion for Holistic Wellness

At Maryville Acupuncture, we firmly believe in the power of herbs and holistic practices to enhance our health and well-being. That’s why we are delighted to partner with Green Envee, a brand that shares our passion for sustainable and earth-friendly solutions. This exquisite line of skin care products is not just skin care, it’s an experience.

The Green Envee Difference

What sets Green Envee apart from other skincare brands is its dedication to purity, transparency, and sustainability. Their commitment to using only the finest organic and sustainably harvested ingredients ensures that your skin receives the most potent, untainted goodness that nature has to offer. They call this their PURITY Promise, which starts from the seed to ensure the highest quality ingredients.

Green Envee products are 100% vegan, gluten free, allergen friendly, and the company is Leaping Bunny Certified ensuring that you know exactly what you are putting on your skin. They only produce in small, individually tested batches in the Chicago-land area.

Green Envee also has commitment to eliminating ingredients that are potentially harmful to health or the environment. Their philosophy is “Never Risk It, Always Nix It.” No federal law has been introduced to regulate cosmetics since 1983 and over 80,000 chemicals have been introduced since then. 1300 of these have been banned in the EU, while only 11 are banned in the US. Green Envee works to ensure that no potentially harmful substances make it in their products. They also have complete lists of ingredients showing possible allergens and pregnancy safe skin care guides.

By incorporating these products into your daily skincare routine, you can experience the following benefits:

1. Nourishment from Within: Green Envee’s formulas work in harmony with your skin, delivering essential nutrients and antioxidants that promote a healthy, radiant complexion.

2. Gentle and Effective: Say goodbye to harsh chemicals. Green Envee products are crafted with care to be gentle, yet effective, making them suitable for all skin types.

3. Eco-Friendly Green Envee embraces sustainability at every stage of their product’s lifecycle, from using fair trade ingredients that are sustainably harvested to packaging that is biodegradable and recyclable.

4. Plant Powered: Green Envee products are the perfect mix between nature and science with potent herbs and botanicals and bioactive essential oils delivering effective skin care without harsh chemicals.

5. Cruelty-Free: Green Envee is staunchly against animal testing, allowing you to indulge in guilt-free self-care. All of their products are vegan and the company is Leaping Bunny certified.

Our Top Green Envee Picks

To make your exploration of Green Envee’s offerings easier, the staff at Maryville Acupuncture has handpicked a few favorites that we know you’ll adore:

1. Soothe Herbal Cleansing Cream: This gentle, luxurious, creamy cleanser will wash away dirt, makeup, and impurities from your day without stripping your skin’s natural oils. It is packed with antioxidant rich green tea and calming chamomile to help nourish the skin barrier and balance skin’s pH. It is best for normal, dry, or sensitive skin.

2. H.A. Collagen Boosting Serum: This light serum can be used under any moisturizer or on its own. This serum is ultra hydrating helps to boost collagen with a blend of plant peptides, powerful antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and echinacea stem cells revealing a firm, toned, and more youthful appearance.

3. Nourish Replenishing Moisturizer: This deeply nourishing moisturizer contains Sacha Inchi and plant peptides to help energize cellular metabolism to promote healthy, firm skin while replenishing the skin’s natural moisture barrier leaving you with a dewy glow.

4. Clear Complexion Healing Mask: We love this mask not only for its ability to detoxify skin and absorb dirt and other impurities, but for its versatility. This unique, powdered mask is mixed with water to create a paste that is applied to skin. It can also be combined with your favorite toner or even added to a ready-made mask to add some detoxifying power to your normal routine. Charcoal and probiotics mix to promote cellular turnover, reduce excess oil, refine pores, and reduce breakouts revealing a radiantly clear complexion.

Unleash Your Natural Beauty with Green Envee

At Maryville Acupuncture we believe is supporting health in a holistic way, and that includes our largest organ, our skin! We are excited to offer this new line of products to our patients and use the within our family of cosmetic acupuncture and microneedling treatments.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Special for our readers:

Use discount code MARYVILLEA-10 for a 10% discount on your order over $100.

We may earn a small commission if you purchase through a link on this page.

Insurance Update: Starting January 1, 2024

After much deliberation, we will no longer be contracted with BlueCross BlueShield starting on January 1, 2024.

Until that point, you are welcome to use your insurance as you have been in the past. We will also continue to accept new insurance patients through the remainder of 2023.

We understand that this is a big transition, and it comes with a lot of intention. We deeply value our community and will remain committed to doing our best to help make acupuncture accessible. One of our goals is to launch a pilot program in 2024 to fill this need, which will supplement our current model of services. Please stay tuned!

We are grateful for the opportunity to play a role in your healthcare and look forward to continuing that relationship into the future.

We do (and will continue) to accept HSA and FSA cards.

We are also happy to provide superbills so you submit claims on your own and be reimbursed directly.

And, as always, we are happy to answer questions and help find the best way for you to continue care.

Acupuncture and Weight Loss

Acupuncture and Weight Loss…yes, kind of

At least once a week in the clinic, I get the question “Can acupuncture help with weight loss?” My answer – “yes… kind of” – has a long caveat in front of it, so let’s break it down.

Here’s a view of both sides

Here’s the bad news – acupuncture alone will (most likely) not cause you to lose weight. Let’s be real, I wish I had the magic bullet for weight loss as much as anyone. But, it’s more important to me to be honest; and my honest truth is that acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help support you in your weight loss journey, not make the weight fall off for you. Unfortunately.

The good news is, though, that even though there’s no mystical, magical weight loss point, incorporating regular acupuncture into a weight loss regimen can make your journey easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable. Here’s how:

Keeping you comfortable during exercise

Most weight loss programs incorporate exercise, and we all know that increasing exercise usually means some type of discomfort – like achy knees, backs, feet and shoulders. Acupuncture can help you recover quickly from any of these exercise related aches and pains so that you can get back to the trail, treadmill or pool.

Optimizing your metabolism

Healthy metabolism comes from healthy digestion. Acupuncture can help regulate your digestion so you’re absorbing nutrients and eliminating wastes optimally, which will fuel your metabolism and support burning calories.

Managing stress and maintaining motivation

Weight loss can be stressful, with all the changes to your lifestyle, schedule and diet. Using acupuncture to manage stress can help decrease your cortisol, which can support weight loss. And decreased stress allows your motivation to stay present and focused on your weight loss goal.

Keeping cravings at bay

This is about as close to a magical weight loss point as it comes – there are protocols, specifically involving auricular (ear) acupuncture, that can help diminish cravings. To be clear, this won’t keep you from eating unhealthy food, but it does give you a little extra emotional and energetic support when it comes to making the choice not to eat unhealthy food.

Maryville Acupuncture and acupuncture for weight loss

So, there’s the skinny on how acupuncture can support you on your weight loss journey. Making changes is hard and we’re here to help.

If you’d like to talk more about how incorporating acupuncture can support a healthier you, don’t hesitate to reach out via email (info@maryvilleacupuncture.com), social media, or give us a call at 865.315.3157.

Acupuncture and Surgery

Should you seek acupuncture around surgery?

There are times when surgery is necessary, and we often get questions from our patients regarding the use of acupuncture before and after surgery. In most cases, acupuncture is a great option to help ease symptoms before and after surgery, as well as to help you heal from your procedure.

Break it down

Here’s a little break down of how we use acupuncture to foster the most comfortable and healthy surgical experience.

Managing pain pre-procedure – The most common reason people receive surgery is because something hurts! And unless you’re receiving an emergency procedure, you’ll likely have to wait days or weeks from your time of diagnosis to your procedure. Although it won’t be able to repair the damaged structures causing your issue, acupuncture can help decrease your body’s pain signaling and tissue inflammation, which will do a lot to relieve your pain. Whether it’s from a shoulder injury, a colon issue, a car accident, or anything in between, if you’re in pain, acupuncture is a good option to help keep you comfortable until your procedure.
Decreasing the side effects of anesthetics/analgesics and recovering quicker from them – Another reason we see our patients before and after surgery is to help the body process the drugs needed for anesthesia and analgesia. These drugs that “put you to sleep” during surgery can have quite a few side effects, such as nausea, constipation dizziness and confusion. Acupuncture supports your liver’s ability to process these drugs and eliminate them from your body, so that you return to feeling “normal” quicker. It can also encourage bowels to move that have been slowed by analgesics, which naturally relieves constipation.
Wound healing and procedure recovery – Acupuncture has been shown to decrease post-procedural wound healing time and increase range of motion. It decreases systemic inflammation and upregulates your immune response so that the efforts your body is making to repair itself become even more effective and quicker. This anti-inflammatory effect will also extend to any joints that have been operated on, allowing them to move more comfortably when they are ready.
Managing stress – Regardless of the type of procedure you’re preparing for, and how your body is feeling, anticipating surgery can cause its own anxieties – about the procedure itself, the recovery, taking time off work, taking care of your responsibilities while you recover, etc. Acupuncture is especially helpful to calm your mind and body in these moments so that you can approach your procedure and the decisions surrounding it from a healthy emotional state.

Building your healthcare team

Here at Maryville Acupuncture, we’re committed to serving as part of your healthcare team. When you’re anticipating a procedure, we always request that you inform your surgeon’s team that you’re receiving acupuncture.

We’re happy to answer any question you — or your surgeon — may have regarding the safety and efficacy of acupuncture in respect to your procedure.

References:

Sang In Park, Yun-Young Sunwoo, Yu Jin Jung, et al., “Therapeutic Effects of Acupuncture through Enhancement of Functional Angiogenesis and Granulogenesis in Rat Wound Healing,” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2012, Article ID 464586, 10 pages, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/464586.

Jung, Se Yun et al. “Effect of Acupuncture on Postoperative Ileus after Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer.” Journal of gastric cancer vol. 17,1 (2017): 11-20. doi:10.5230/jgc.2017.17.e2

Forest Folk Fungi A Local Immune Boost

Maryville Acupuncture and boosting the immune system.

Here at Maryville Acupuncture we like to support and carry local products. We’re so happy to announce that we’re now carrying two formulas from Forest Folk Fungi to support your immunity during cold and flu season!

Mushrooms and their role in Chinese Medicine

Mushrooms have been treasured for thousands of years for their ability to keep us healthy, and modern science has proven their specific effects in upregulating our production of immune cells that fight infection.

Forest Folk Fungi Products:

The Elderberry Reishi formula is a delicious way to help keep you healthy by combining the strong antioxidant properties of elderberry with the bacteriostatic and immune regulation functions of reishi. It’s got a beautiful dark red color and flavored with ginger, cinnamon, lemon and honey.

The Thrive Adaptogenic formula blends reishi and cordyceps with schisandra, milky oat seed, eleuthero, rhodiola and ginseng to help your body resist the effects of physical, emotional and mental stress. This hefty dose of adaptogens will ease your nerves, soothe your stress and allow your body to respond fully to whatever cold and flu season brings.

Check out Maryville Acupuncture for local products!

All Forest Folk Fungi products are wild-foraged, organically grown and handmade in the Chattanooga area. Don’t miss out on these tinctures this month!

It’s important to us that you feel comfortable and informed about your treatment, so we want to make sure all your questions are answered. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email if we can help at all!

How Does Acupuncture Treat Allergies?

Since moving to East Tennessee, I’ve heard it called “the allergy capital of the world.” It seems that most people in our area suffer from seasonal allergies of some sort.

When we come in contact with an environmental allergen, like pollen, the immune cells in the mucous membranes of our eyes, nose and throat go into high gear, causing increased inflammation. This leads to swollen sinuses and increased mucous production – which causes all the symptoms we associate with seasonal allergies – runny nose, watery eyes, dry cough, headache and congested sinuses.

Acupuncture has been shown to effectively treat many seasonal allergy symptoms.

In fact, a 2018 study in Germany showed that an 8-week course of acupuncture treatment was more effective than cetirizine (Zyrtec) in managing allergy symptoms during peak allergy season.

When seeking acupuncture for the management of allergy symptoms, we recommend that you plan for 6-8 weekly treatments.

Although some people may experience immediate results on the table, it often takes a few weeks for the inflammation in your body to decrease such that you are symptom-free. Once you are feeling well, you will likely want to continue to see your acupuncturist every 6-8 weeks during the allergy “off-season.”

Whether you’re plagued by itchy eyes, runny nose, stuffy sinuses, headache, or dry cough, know that acupuncture can help. Give us a call or visit our website to schedule your first visit.

References:

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nccaom.org/

Lift Chair, Increasing Handicap Accessibility For All

We wanted to announce that our clinic is becoming even more handicap accessible—

We now have a new lift chair!

We hope this new addition will help our patients find their treatments more accessible and comfortable.

Lift Chairs are ideal solutions for anybody who has difficulty transitioning from a seated position to standing due to limited mobility or balance issues. The benefits of being able to extend far beyond assistance by simply sitting down and standing up.

At Maryville Acupuncture, we strive to work integratively to support the achievement of your health goals, and ensure you have access to the best possible care while we work closely with your team of doctors.

We’re honored to bring acupuncture to our neighbors here in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, and look forward to being a part of your health care team!

Acupuncture & Cancer Pain

Treating pain can be difficult, regardless of its origin, but treating cancer pain can be particularly tricky because it often has multiple causes.

According to Paley, et. al.: “Moderate to severe pain is experienced by 40% of individuals with early or intermediate stage cancer and 90% of individuals with advanced cancer. Up to 70% of all patients with cancer pain do not receive adequate pain relief, diminishing their quality of life in terms of both physical and psychological well-being.”

Tumors can compress structures, nerves can become irritated, inflammation multiplies, bones and organs can be taxed in their response to tumors or therapies – each pain is complex and often will often be prescribed a new therapy or drug in response.

But, acupuncture provides an accessible and safe alternative to pain management without the need of added pharmaceuticals.

In a recent position paper published by the research group Evidence Based Acupuncture, a literature review showed that many studies found a moderate effect size of acupuncture on cancer-related pain, and concluded that: “…acupuncture is effective in relieving cancer related pain, particularly malignancy-related and surgery induced pain.”

Here at Maryville Acupuncture, our practitioners utilize their years of experience treating pain of all sorts.

Each visit, your acupuncturist will assess the quality, intensity, duration and frequency of your pain, as well as your current treatment regimens with your oncologist and other physicians.

We strive to be another source of excellent care as part of your integrated healthcare team.

Resources:

“Acupuncture as a Therapeutic Treatment for Cancer Pain.” Evidence Based Acupuncture, www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-cancer-pain/.

Paley, C.A., Johnson, M.I., Tashani, O.A. and Bagnall, A.M., 2011. Acupuncture for cancer pain in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 1(10).

Acupuncture Needles

What are acupuncture needles?

Acupuncture needles have been used for many centuries. While the majority of acupuncture started with less modern materials, such as bones, sticks and bamboo.

Acupuncture needles have advanced with new technology. Modern needles are fine, filiform (no hole down the middle of the shaft) needles made from surgical steel and come in sterile packs.

They range in thickness from 30 to 40 gauge, which is about the diameter of a hair (in contrast, the needle that a phlebotomist uses to draw your blood is between 18 and 22 guage, which is much much thicker).

Acupuncture needles range in length from about 0.5 inches to 4-5 inches, but most often in the clinic we use 0.5-1.5 inches.

Do acupuncture needles hurt?

Acupuncture is generally considered to be painless by most of our patients. We understand that sensitivity can be different for everyone. The majority of people would say no and that they can’t even feel them. Though, there are many different sensations associated with acupuncture. Some people can feel the “Qi” some don’t and that’s okay.

We’ll link to our article about Qi here.

What do you do with your needles?

At Maryville Acupuncture, all of our needles are single use, sterile and disposed of in a sharps container. We never reuse needles.

These needles are left in place for 20-25 minutes while you rest comfortably.

What else should I expect during a treatment?

There are additional modalities such as cupping, electro-stimulation, lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, stress management) and traditional Chinese medicinal practices that are occasionally incorporated into your treatment to give you the best benefit.

What Happens During a New Patient Acupuncture Appointment?

I’ve heard that acupuncture can help me, but what happens during an acupuncture treatment?

When you come to our office for your first visit, you’ll be greeted warmly by one of our staff. You may have some new patient paperwork to complete – we keep all digital records – and will send you an email with a link to the paperwork or if you prefer to fill out the paperwork in office we’ll hand your our office tablet to work with.

Once your paperwork is complete, your acupuncturist will escort you back to the treatment room. She’ll begin by talking to you about the reasons you’re seeking acupuncture, as well as your relevant health history. She’ll also make sure to answer any questions you have regarding acupuncture and how it can help. Once your questions have been answered, she’ll leave the room and allow you to undress – most people choose to undress as if they were to have a massage, clothes off, underwear on – and get comfortable under the sheet on the table. If you have any questions please take the time to ask, we want you to feel comfortable.

When your acupuncturist returns, she will assess you – feel your pulse, palpate your channels, gauge your muscle tension, and other assessments to complete her diagnosis. She’ll then insert very thin, fine acupuncture needles at specific points in your body to support your symptoms. Once she’s completed the first set, your acupuncturist will leave the room so you can rest for 10-15 minutes. She’ll return, do another assessment, maybe add or take away some needles, and then let you rest for 10-15 minutes more.

After your treatment, your acupuncturist will return to remove the needles. She’ll leave the room so you can take your time getting up and getting dressed. Once you’re ready, you’ll open the door and your acupuncturist will join you to talk about her evaluation and treatment plan, the changes you can expect and when to return.

We usually book 1.5 hours for new patient visits and 1 hour for follow up visits. We can absolutely help you schedule your next appointment before you leave our office or you are welcome to utilize our online scheduler.

Here at Maryville Acupuncture, it’s important to us that you feel comfortable and informed about your treatment, so we want to make sure all your questions are answered. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email if we can help at all!