Hello everybody!
First off, let me welcome anybody who is new to my website and thank you for taking the time to check out my practice. I hope that I can inspire and help you all to obtain and maintain optimum health, not only through these blogs, but also through my clinic.
I get asked frequently “What brought you to acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine?”. It was a combination of things really. I was working as a registered veterinary technician and while I love working with animals, I felt like Western medicine and many of the doctors involved in it, weren’t really doing what was best for the patients. So there I was, working in a field I loved but not enjoying my work because I felt there was more to it and something that I was missing.
At the same time, I was involved in Wing Chun Kung Fu, which is the form of martial arts that Bruce Lee first studied. I was hooked from the first moment I walked into the dojo. I loved being enveloped by the tradition and peacefulness that came with learning the art form. I wanted more of the serenity that I got when I was on the mat and in tune with my body as a whole.
Being displeased with my occupation and looking for alternative ways to use my bachelor degree, I started searching for other career options and I stumbled upon acupuncture. I had heard of it and knew just a little about it from my Wing Chun studies. But like most of us, I didn’t know how in depth the subject was and the rich, vibrant history that it is part of. So I toured a couple of universities and found one that I really liked. I applied, got accepted and the rest, as they say, is history.
It wasn’t until about 2 1/2 years into my schooling that I really felt the deep connection to the medicine though. About 15 years prior to all of this, I luxated my patella (kneecap) and had to go through several weeks of physical therapy just to be able to walk normally again. And while the physical therapy worked, it was a long process. Now about this same time, I was walking down some stairs and suddenly I couldn’t bear any weight on my right knee, the same knee I had injured many years prior. I managed to get home but I was in severe pain and unable to bend my leg. I contacted one of the professors from my school and she made a house call that very afternoon. Immediately after having needles placed and some bloodletting performed, my leg began to feel better. The next few days, I received several acupuncture treatments and with each one, my leg felt better. It was truly amazing! In a matter of days, the pain and swelling had been reduced. I then got paired up with a sports medicine massage therapist who worked on my legs for a few more weeks to help me strengthen the muscles that hold the patella in place.
From that moment on, I was hooked. I became a devout believer in traditional Chinese medicine and I felt like I had found my calling. So now that I’m done with school and I have begun my own practice, I am hoping to make many more believers through my treatments.
I am very pleased that you are here and I look forward to helping you, treating you and sharing experiences with you. Please feel free to submit questions or suggestions on blog topics that you would like for me to address. And above all, I hope to help bring wellness into your lives.
Kim M. Filkins, L.Ac.
Natural menopause – the absence of menstruation for longer than 12 months – often comes with a wide range of unpleasant symptoms, such as insomnia, anxiety, irritability, night sweats, and of course hot flashes. However, a recent study found acupuncture to reduce or even eliminate some of these systems, improving quality life and reducing stress/anxiety in women going through menopause.
Do you suffer from poor posture? Whether you’re sitting down at a desk, standing, walking or running, you should focus on maintaining your body’s natural position. This means keeping your head and neck up while avoiding slouching or slumping. The good news is that you can reverse the effects of poor posture by following some simple steps.
You are what you eat is an adage that holds more truth than you may realize. Unfortunately, many people today focus their diet around processed foods that are high in sugar, sodium and fat. Diets such as this can increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and more. You can protect your body and health against such illnesses, however, by eating lean meats, fresh vegetables, and by adding the following “superfoods” to your diet.
