Frozen shoulder is a condition whereby the person is severly limited in their range of movement within the shoulder joint. It often stems from a history of repetive strain related to work for example long hours on a computer. Often during the day we will not utilise the full range possible with out joints moving only in a limited fashion to achieve a standard set of tasks. The inability to move properly can therefore seem sudden even though it has been building for a long time.

I have found using the balance method of acupuncture that treating frozen shoulder is very straightforward and successful. It does take time but the recipient should have reduced pain and should start to get the mobility back from the first session.

During the session the person will often experience a movement of hot or cold within the body. The is the blood and energy unblocking and starting to flow more freely. This is the start of healing. Pain should go early on but the range of movement can be a longer process.

The Balance Method style involves inserting acupuncture needles in distal areas of the body rather than in the injured area thereby avoiding aggravating any injury but at the same time ensuring a powerful treatment. This method opens up the channels in the injured area promoting blood and energy flow to enable healing. It is also less invasive as there is no need to disrobe. It is recommended that you wear loose comfortable clothing.

It is important to accept that once you have mobility back and are free from pain you must make some effort to change your habits so that the situation does not recur (or commit to long term acupuncture!). I do not recommend that you carry out any exercises or too much stretching until the pain has gone and movement is starting to ease. It is important not to aggravate your situation.

If you woukd like to or information or would like an appointment and live in the Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland area please contact me on 0870566431.

Wheat free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, refined sugar free

These muffins are light and fluffy and so easy to make.

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
1teaspoon baking soda
3 ripe medium sized bananas
1/2 cup oil
1cup rasins

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 180degrees celsius

Mix the flour and baking soda together. Make a well in the middle of the flour and mash in the bananas. Once the banans are mashed mix them through the flour as much as you can without making it into a smooth paste. Mix in the oil to form a light fluffly batter with chunks of banana through it. Stir through the raisins.

Spoon the batter into your muffin holders and put in the oven for 20minutes.

Delicious eaten hot or cold.

Bon Appetit!

Pain

Pain is the most common complaint that I deal with in my clinic.  It is debilitating to suffer from pain and clients often have adapted to experiencing pain for many years.  Gradually as the years go on it becomes harder and harder to cope and their bodies and minds become more fragile.

The Balance Method that I practise is very effective in treating pain.  I do not needle the affected areas but areas that reflect the area of pain.  By doing this I am able to clear the pain and avoid aggravating it.  I can also ask the client to move the affected joint or limb while the needles are in to help ease out the pain and identify more clearly where the pain is located.

Your session

During the session it is common for pain to move around.  For instance if a client is experiencing back pain on the left hand side it is possible the pain will move to the right hand side during the treatment or after the treatment.  It is important to tell me what is happening with the pain so I can "chase" it by adjusting the needle placement to treat your symptoms as they occur.

At the start of a course of treatments I would request clients attend two or three times during the week.  The close the appointments are together the better as it avoids the body returning to the pre-treatment state.  As the course of treatments progresses fewer treatments will be needed and attending once a week and then perhaps once a fortnight would be all that is required until you are satisfied that the pain has gone.

Testimonial

When i first met Justine i was very nervous of having acupuncture as i have a phobia of needles! There was no need as its such a non invasive treatment and having no clothes removed is an added bonus! Justine has a very warm, practical and holistic approach to addressing my concerns. She listens. 
I am always comforted by Justine's firm kind and honest answers to my many questions!
If you could benefit from a holistic honest and experienced person, you should ring Justine for further advice. Having endured many years of pain, 
I should have saved my hard earned cash for a real professional such as Justine. I am pain free for the first time in over 20 years...a miracle...or as Justine says..."thats the powerful effectiveness of acupuncture" i will be forever grateful to Justine. 

Marie Kerrigan

Transitioning from processed foods can be difficult.  Not only are processed foods highly addictive with large amounts of salt and sugar in them (as well as other ingredients you aren't sure what they are) but they are also convenient.

The following chocolate recipes are for those times when you want chocolate but don't want the added processed factor!  Buy ingredients of the best quality to ensure you reduce the processed factor as much as possible.

In addition to being healthier I have found the recipes to be cheaper than buying chocolate bars.

Ingredients
1 heaped tablespoon of coconut cream
Cocoa powder to taste (I like a teaspoon)
Maple syrup to taste
A few drops of vanilla essence
Hot water to fill the mug

Method
Add all ingredients in the mug and stir until combined.

This quick hot chocolate recipe is creamy and delicious.  It is rich like hot chocolate made with milk and cream but doesn't have any dairy in it so you won't get bloated or mucous-y.  Most hot chocolate powders have dried milk added so this recipe ensures you don't have that processed food.  The maple syrup is a healthier form of sugar than the refined sugar most hot chocolate mixes are made with as well as having a light delicate flavour that adds to the hot chocolate aroma.  Make sure you use cocoa powder that is pure as some cocoa powders have added ingredients in them.  The ingredients list should just read cocoa.

Freezer Chocolate
Freezer chocolate is a healthier version of chocolate bars but it must be kept in the freezer as it will melt.  Its great for a quick pick me up when you need that chocolate fix but don't want to be unhealthy.  The resultant chocolate is smooth, rich and creamy.  How "dark" it is will depend on how much cocoa you add.  For a more "milk" style of chocolate reduce the amount of cocoa.

​Freezer Chocolate with Raisins

Ingredients
1/2 cup of coconut oil melted if necessary
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)
2 tablespoons of maple syrup 
1 large handful of raisins

Method
Melt the coconut oil and take off the heat.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the raisins which you will add later.  Stir until fully combined.  Line a freezer proof large rectangular dish with baking parchment paper.  Pour the chocolate mixture onto the paper and spread out until it is a few millimetres thick.  Sprinkle the raisins evenly on top and put in the freezer to set.  The raisins will give this chocolate a lot of sweetness so you don't need much maple syrup.

It should take 15 minutes to set (so quick!) and then it is ready to eat.  Once the chocolate is set break into pieces and keep in a container in the freezer. 
​

Ingredients
1/2 cup of coconut oil melted if necessary
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 large handful of slivered almonds

Method
Melt the coconut oil and take off the heat.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the almonds which you will add later.  Stir until fully combined.  Line a freezer proof large rectangular dish with baking parchment paper. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the paper and spread out until it is a few millimetres thick.  Sprinkle the almonds evenly on top and put in the freezer to set.

It should take 15 minutes to set and be ready to eat.  Once the chocolate is set break into pieces and keep in a container in the freezer. 

I love these chocolate recipes and make them whenever I need that chocolate fix.  I feel happy that I know what ingredients are in it and I can have any flavour I like.

I hope you enjoy.

Justine

Everyone needs help to clear pain.  Acupuncture will give you that relief and boost to your health so that you can get on with your life and not be held back by distressing sensations.

There is no need for anyone to experience pain. Clearing pain and treating its cause are key uses of acupuncture.

What is pain?

In traditional chinese medicine we view pain as obstruction.  Your qi (energy), blood and other body fluids are not flowing smoothly and easily through your body.  As a result your muscles and joints become stiff and sore and your organs don't function properly.  Your mind can become closed or 'one track', you may become depressed and unmotivated.

Pain is an umbrella term for many symptoms and sensations.  Weakness, numbness and tingling can be included as well as soreness, aches, stabbing pain, dull pain and so on.  Addiction, depression, long term or recurring anxiety, worry, grief and anger are emotional expressions of pain.  Strong aversions to change, withdrawal from society and compulsive or obsessive behaviours are all pain.

What they all have in common is obstruction.  This obstruction of the body, mind and spirit stops us from living life with a great sense of wellbeing and with full use of our limbs.

Physical pain can be felt anywhere and it can move around the body or seemingly disappear for a while before coming back in the same or a different place but with a different quality. Perhaps it is duller or there is accompanying weakness.  Many people experience pain that moves from one side of the body to the other.

In traditional chinese medicine we would not view these as different problems but as the one problem expressing itself in different ways as your body tries to heal itself. The only instance where this would not be the case is if there was a new injury causing the pain.  

What will acupuncture do?
Acupuncture will open up the channels of energy flowing through the affected area and allow blood and other body fluids to flow smoothly and freely again. By removing obstruction the body can start to heal itself more effectively and the pain will go.  This is for all forms of pain.

Your acupuncture session(s)
Most people will need more than one session. 4-10 sessions would be typical.  Dr Tan's Balance Method is very effective at clearing pain.  Most people will feel a difference after their first session.  During the session the pain may move - let me know so I can adjust the needles and 'chase the pain' thereby clearing it more effectively.

For people with strong pain sensation I would recommend having 1-2 or even 3 treatments per week.  Each session builds on the previous and having them close together means the body will heal more quickly as it has no time to slip back into old patterns or ruts.

I insert the needles away from the sore area in a part of the body that mirrors the obstruction and pain. This means that I do not aggravate the already sore area and the client is able to test by movement if pain is still felt and if range of movement has increased while the needles are in.

Will acupuncture work?
The short answer to this is yes.  In the majority of cases pain can be cleared completely and as long as you don't re-injure yourself it will not recur.  

The number one rule of thumb is that pain that is treated early on will heal more quickly than pain that is left to develop.  Get treated as soon as you can!!

Most commonly for athletes or people who work long hours at the computer or who work in jobs that require a repetitive movement, use damaging equipment or spend the majority of their time driving the pain will eventually come back. These clients can either change their lifestyle so that they no longer do these things or find some method of stretching and exercising that counter-acts the cause of their pain.  Alternatively or additionally clients can come for acupuncture on a monthly basis to keep the pain away. 

People who have undergone surgery and have had the structure of their body changed may only be able to manage the pain rather than get rid of it completely but each case will be different and I would still recommend trying a course of acupuncture treatments.

Fibromyalgia responds very well to acupuncture and in addition I sell magnesium transdermal supplements that are highly recommended in that situation.

Emotional pain and lack of mental clarity
Acupuncture is very good for clearing these types of obstruction but it can be a slow process depending on how long people have been suffering for and how much medication people take.  Diet and other lifestyle changes are also recommended.  It is common for clients who come for a physical symptom to notice changes in their mental and emotional states after a few sessions. Often they had not realised that they were obstructed in these areas and the more 'upbeat' and calm emotional state is a wonderful relief to their daily lives.

Diet
In addition to acupuncture and magnesium supplements I always recommend a diet free of processed food and primarily plant based.

Healing crisis
The healing crisis is the term used to describe the different symptoms a person may have while healing. It may sometimes happen that the day after the first one or two sessions the pain comes back strongly before clearing.  This is a natural part of healing and is not to be viewed negatively.  The pain may also come back part way through your course of sessions before clearing again.  I find that these experiences indicate a deep healing within the body and clients report the pain to be significantly reduced after these experiences.

At the first hint of good weather I am ready for big salads.  My favourite is to have a big micro salad - that's a micro salad with lots of toppings.

Basic Micro Salad Recipe

1 medium sized carrot
1 celery stalk preferably with lots of leaves
1 handful of cabbage (any colour but white is easiest to chew)
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

Additional ingredients if you want a change in flavour:
apple
sweet pepper / capsicum
fennel
herbs (parsley, basil etc)


Toppings
Top off your micro salad with handfuls of chopped:
sweet pepper
tomato
cucumber
baby spinach
lettuce
nuts and seeds
artichokes
sun dried tomatoes
baked sweet potatoes
pomegranate seeds
etc...

Enjoy!