Painful Solutions

Being an Acupuncturist, Herbalist and a personal pain sufferer I know how to cope with the extremes of menstrual pain, arthritic pain and internal pain from cancer.




For cold cramps during your period rub clove oil on your abdomen and the soles of your feet. This warms and alleviates pain concurrently making you a happy woman.



For damp arthritic pain where you can sense when it's going to rain eat rice and avoid alcohol, dairy and sugar. The "dampness" in your joints causing inflammation and pain is triggered by the dampness of the rain in the atmosphere. These tips will limit your damp feeling and pain.



For internal pain from migraines, irritable bowel or cancer your best guarantee is to go to an experienced acupuncturist. Often we can take your pain levels from an excruciating level of 10 to none by the time you walk out of the office and it has 2,000 years of medical proof to back it.



www.AmericanAcu.com Kristen N. Burris, L.Ac., M.S.T.O.M. is a nationally recognized Acupuncturist and Herbalist who has been featured in Parenting Magazine, Natural Health Magazine, National Public Radio (NPR), KUSI TV News and most recently won “Top Docs Award 2010”. Ms. Burris' expertise includes: women’s health, fertility, pregnancy, difficult menstrual cycles, menopausal symptoms, digestive problems, and pain. Ms. Burris has also taught acupuncture to graduate students at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. She and her husband Tony Burris, L.Ac., M.S.T.O.M treat patients with acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition as natural medicine in their family-owned, private practice, American Acupuncture Center in Eagle, Idaho. Ms. Burris has treated patients at Top Fertility Centers Nationwide, San Diego Hospice, University of California in San Diego (UCSD) Integrative Clinic, and for UCSD Dental Study. Kristen has served on the board of Resolve, the non-profit organization that supports couples with infertility. Ms. Burris also developed comprehensive fertility retreats to enhance fertility in women and men where 75% of participants successfully got pregnant and gave birth.

Picky Eaters Healthy Snacks

We teach food as medicine concept in our integrative medical practice and personally have two toddlers: one picky, one not. These recipes are sure to please and are power packed with nutrients that would make any parent proud.




Popcorn microwaved with natural butter and or olive oil

Sprinkle on Kelp flakes for added Calcium and Cancer fighting compounds



Super Shake 2 servings:

2 cups Raspberry liquid yogurt with acidophilus

1 lemon fish oil supplement (squeezed, discard casing)

1 Tbs. Wheat Germ

1/4 cup silken tofu

1 Tbs. maple syrup



Blend until smooth



Both of my boys gobble these up in a matter of seconds!

Enjoy!

Pediatric Pitfalls with Parents

With new technologies come new challenges. When children are coming in for care and parents are texting or surfing the Internet on their handheld phones they are unable to appropriately participate in their child's welfare. Unfortunately I see this most often in parents with children suffering from behavioral problems. One aspect may be lack of focused attention from the parent. They typically look up briefly when asked a question and say "Huh? or Yeah, ok." quite often.




What we love: parents who are focused and even bring in paper to take notes. This ensures the parents will follow through appropriately with lifestyle and dietary changes that could significantly enhance the child's health. Sorry Dads, but in my experience Mother's tend to be more focused and detailed oriented when accompanying the child during their visits.

Sensational Skin Divine Detox

For a divine detox this year go deep. Seek out an acupuncturist who knows about anti-aging and facial rejuvenation. There are specific acupuncture points on the body that improve the Liver's function aiding in detoxification of your entire body dramatically improving your skin's brilliance. A skilled herbalist can prescribe herbal medicine to slow aging, diminish wrinkles and fade liver spots. The same prescription can be applied topically to your face with a yogurt mask. This enhances the bio-available ingredients absorption producing glowing skin. The acupuncture improves tone, significantly reduces wrinkles and brings radiance to a dull complexion.
Hydrating moistens your skin externally and helps your body naturally detoxify. Be sure to drink a minimum of 64 oz of filtered water daily (the average person drinks 18 oz daily). Keep up with your vitamins particularly EPA/DHA Fish oils that are moistening to the skin 1,200 mg daily.
For sensational skin this is a must do:

Include 3,000 mg of vitamin C and drink 3 cups of Green Tea daily to slow aging and improve the quality of your skin. Apply the steeped tea bags as a facial mask to diminish your brown spots for 20 minutes a week.



Here are My Top Three Detox Anti-Aging products of 2010.
These go easy on your over burdened liver and kidneys from holiday indulgences. Due to their natural ingredients they are easier for your body to process meaning less toxicity in your body expressing more radiant skin:



Radiance Cleanser from Burt's Bees with Coconut and Sunflower oils with Jojoba beads and fruit acids with royal jelly. It's cleansing, gently exfoliating and makes your skin baby soft.



Jason Natural Cosmetics Hyper-C Serum Anti-Aging Therapy for a deep moisturizer that smells great and slows the aging process.


Sierra Sage Aloe-E Daily Skin Repair Salve and Eye Cream- It is organic, luscious and fabulously moisturizing for my eyes, lip creases and dry hands. You can buy all of these products directly from American Acupuncture Center in Eagle, Idaho. 

Hurting Heads

Headaches are debilitating for millions of people every year. Most people pop pills when they feel a migraine or headache emerging. However, a healthier and safer option is actually acupuncture. Researchers from the prestigious Duke University Medical Center analyzed studies comparing acupuncture to over-the-counter and prescription medications, they reported that a whopping 62% of acupuncture patients complained of fewer and less painful headaches compared to only 45% of those taking drugs.

Next to back pain, headaches and migraines are the most common health problem we treat. 

At American Acupuncture Center we customize each patients acupuncture treatment and herbal prescription tailored specifically to their headache pain. Frequency, location, duration and triggers all affect our personalized medical advice.

Kick the Crying Habit- How to Soothe a Crying Baby

As a mother of two and practitioner whose expertise is infertility and pediatrics I have a lot of advice to give. Both of my children suffered from GERD (severe reflux) and one had colic. If the following suggestions don't succeed in soothing your baby demand to see a specialist where they scope your babies throat to diagnose GERD. If your pediatrician refuses, get another pediatrician immediately.


Here are soothing tips to stop crying. Try these and then go with whatever comes to mind as you may know better than anyone how to soothe your own baby. What works for one baby or parent doesn't always work for another.

1. A warm bath (this was the ONLY guarantee for my colicky son not to cry)

2. Pat your baby's back so their cheeks jiggle in one of the following positions: over the shoulder, on your knee or lying on its' tummy (for GERD babies upright is key)

3. Rock your baby with the vacuum going. You can also buy vacuum and hair dryer CD's from the Colic Shop Online. We used headphones on our colicky son and it worked moderately well.

4. Change of scenery and get into nature. This helps babies work out the stress and they love the different things to look at. For GERD babies a Baby Bjorn or upright carrier is the best for it keeps them upright. For other babies, try a sling.


www.AmericanAcu.com Kristen N. Burris, L.Ac., M.S.T.O.M. is a nationally recognized Acupuncturist and Herbalist who has been featured in Parenting Magazine, Natural Health Magazine, National Public Radio (NPR) and KUSI TV News. Ms. Burris' expertise includes: pediatrics, women’s health, fertility, pregnancy, difficult menstrual cycles, menopausal symptoms, digestive problems, and pain. Ms. Burris has also taught acupuncture to graduate students at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. She and her husband Tony Burris, L.Ac., M.S.T.O.M treat patients with acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition as natural medicine in their family-owned, private practice, American Acupuncture Center in Eagle, Idaho. Ms. Burris has treated patients at Top Fertility Centers Nationwide, San Diego Hospice, University of California in San Diego (UCSD) Integrative Clinic, and for UCSD Dental Study. Ms Burris was the creator of fertility retreats for couples and served on the board of RESOLVE, the non-profit organization supporting couples with infertility.

Healthy Kids Snacks

I am both a mother of two boys (one a picky eater) and an advocate of "food as medicine" serving whole foods to my family every day. I teach patients how to eat for life, healthily and deliciously.


Power Packed Pudding

This is a favorite of my boys and they think they are getting a treat when it's loaded with Omega-3's, unsaturated vegetable proteins, healthy fats and it's so good they ask for more.

Parfait bowls and Curly Straws make this recipe a winner every time. Buy organic if you can:

1 Banana

1 avocado ripe

1/8 cup of soft tofu

1/2 cup of healthy yogurt shake raspberry is our favorite

8 cashews

1 TBS. Cocoa Powder unsweetened

1 TBS. Pure Maple Syrup

1 TBS. Ground Flax Seeds

Blend until really smooth and enjoy!
For an extra power packed boost add 1 Tsp. of Seaweed Granules or 1 Tbs. of Powdered Greens Drink you can find at your local Co-op



Easy Snack That Tastes Delicious:

Hint: Have your child shake on seaweed granules to their liking:



Orville Redenbacher Popcorn with Olive Oil and herbs

Pop

Sprinkle on 1 Tsp of Seaweed Granules

Pour into brown paper bags for movie style feel

Seaweed is packed with Calcium and Cancer fighting compounds and the olive oil has heart healthy oil that tastes great!