Tag: Wellness

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!


What is Qi?

You’ll hear us mention a term in the clinic called “qi”. But what is “qi” and what does it actually mean? Many proponents of Chinese Medicine may describe qi as the life force within any living being. This life force means there is the presence of qi and qi is necessary for life to continue. But, that answer doesn’t really allow us to fully comprehend the concept of qi, nor understand how and why we use the term around the clinic.

What does this mean?

To keep it simple, qi as an overarching label for all of the physiological processes happening in the body. From the action of the enzymes in our digestive tract, to hormones traveling through our blood stream to much more. Qi may also be compared to our breath. Breathing is the mechanism which helps assist in the exchange of oxygen at the capillary beds in our lungs, renewing and restoring chemical equilibrium. Qi is the energy, it’s the movement, it’s the descriptor of anything happening in our bodies. 

When our qi is off balance it might cause us to feel pain, tiredness, hormonal imbalances, or various other symptoms. In acupuncture, the acupuncture needle can be thought of as a messenger that helps realign the qi and helps the body return to it’s equilibrium. Research shows that acupuncture increases blood flow and circulation, boosts endorphins, the immune system and reduces pain.

So can you feel qi?

While this answer varies in each individual, most people describe the feeling of acupuncture as having a deep tissue massage but more relaxing. The nervous system reacts to acupuncture needles in the body and increases feelings of relaxation. At Maryville Acupuncture we strive to offer safe, comfortable, and effective treatments. That way, each treatment becomes a collaboration between you and your acupuncturist to move and nourish your qi to support your healing and well-being. 

How Does Acupuncture Work For Pain?

We hear a lot about how acupuncture can be helpful in treating all types of pain – back pain, knee pain, headaches, menstrual cramps – but how does it work?

Acupuncturists use many tools, but the most common are acupuncture needles. Acupuncture needles are small, thin hair-like sterile single use needles inserted into specific areas on the body.

Acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system. This, in turn, releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being.

Whether we’re treating the acute pain of a sprained ankle or the chronic pain of a bulging disc, we know that acupuncture treats pain in three ways:

1. Neurologic Disruption

Your body processes the stimulation from acupuncture using the same part of the nervous system that transmits pain. By sending different signals – such as the message your body receives from the insertion of an acupuncture needle – your acupuncturist can “disrupt” the pain messages transmitted from body to brain and help decrease your sensation of pain

2. Local Tissue Relaxation

When a part of your body is in pain, the muscles surrounding the painful area often tense to protect and compensate. This can cause additional soreness and decrease the body’s ability to move and heal naturally. These same muscles and tissues will respond to acupuncture stimulation by relaxing, causing decreased pain and easier movement.

3. Decreasing Inflammation

Injury to any tissue causes an increase in inflammation, which in turn, causes increased pain, and can cause swelling and reduced range of motion. Acupuncture activates your innate immunity, which will work to decrease inflammation throughout your body and decrease local and systemic pain.

Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found acupuncture to be effective for over thirty conditions and the list is continuing to grow.

If you have any questions, please call our office, email, or visit our website.

Maryville Acupuncture Opening June 21st!

Maryville Acupuncture will be accepting new patients Friday June 21, 2019. We are Maryville’s only acupuncture clinic and we look forward to serving this community. Our clinic will be a general care clinic and will treat symptoms such as pain, arthritis, headaches, digestive issues, and other internal conditions.

Maryville Acupuncture was founded in 2019 by Sarah Prater. As a Maryville resident, she was aware of the lack of integrative medicine options in Maryville, Townsend, Alcoa and the surrounding communities and felt called to open a practice in her home. Sarah says: “I am very excited to be bringing acupuncture to the Maryville community. With the recent opioid epidemic, many patients and doctors are looking for other options to treat pain. We offer a safe and effective treatment for pain and many other conditions.”

Maryville Acupuncture will be headed by licensed acupuncturist, Kate Sisson. Kate is an acupuncturist and soon-to-be registered nurse in the state of Tennessee. Since beginning practice in 2014, Kate uses her both her education and life experience – as a personal trainer, bellydancer, aerialist – to support her patients. She specializes in pain management, injury and surgery rehabilitation, anxiety and depression, women’s health and cosmetic enhancement.

We strive to work integratively for our patients, support the achievement of their health goals, and ensure they have access to the best possible care by working closely with your team of doctors.

We are excited to bring acupuncture treatment to our neighbors and look forward to being a part of your health care team!