September 5, 2010

Acupuncture and Foodie Fun in Charlotte

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

Vegetarian Breakfast + Brunch Snacks
28 comments

Guess what I did yesterday?

I got acupuncture for the first time!

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Caitlin’s husband, Kristien (who is British and has the cutest accent), is a licensed and nationally board-certified acupuncturist and recently co-founded The Holistic Wellness Center of Charlotte, which focuses on Chinese medicine and herbology as well as acupuncture.

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I was talking to him this weekend about how I find acupuncture and eastern medicine in general fascinating, so he offered to do a practice session on me. How cool! He did a full intake, asking me all sorts of background questions about my health, stress levels, lifestyle, etc., and then based on that, gave me a customized acupuncture session!

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I had no idea what to expect, but it was really cool and didn’t hurt at ALL! The needles are as thin as a strand of hair, so you don’t feel them go in. He put a few needles around my ankles and legs (in the same places on each leg), and then one in my forehead, which was pictured above. Interestingly, I hardly felt anything in my right left, but in my left leg, there was some tingling radiating out from the needles. Kristien said this was normal; most people feel the response more acutely on one side of their body. Very cool! He said it would take a series of treatments to feel any real changes, but I definitely felt more relaxed afterward. Have any of you ever gotten acupuncture before?

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The rest of my time in Charlotte was spent eating delicious food and relaxing! We had tacos:

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Wandered around the city in the beautiful weather:

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Played with cute dogs (Caitlin and Kristien have two dogs, Maggie and James, and their visiting friends Sarah and TK brought their dog Lady Bird with them, too!) in the house:

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Drank green smoothies (I love staying with other healthy living food bloggers that feed me healthy snacks and meals!):

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Ate a delish veggie dinner prepared by Caitlin — roasted veggies and chickpeas with brown rice:

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And, this morning, after a fun night out and a couple glasses of wine, we had a delicious breakfast — waffles! Love.

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Topped with honey Greek yogurt and banana and berries 🙂

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Thanks again for being such awesome hosts, Caitlin and Kristien 🙂

I’m back in Chapel Hill now and have a very sleepy Matt on my hands — he was literally around the globe for a work trip this past week and spent all of last night on a plane! I picked him up at the airport on my way home from Charlotte this afternoon. It’s nice to have him back home 🙂

Goodnight, friends, and happy early Labor Day if you’re in the U.S.!

- anne

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28 comments
  • I have never had acupuncture! I am deathly afraid of needles, so I am not sure how it will work out ;)
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  • i don't know why, but i still get so so nervous about acupuncture! it took me forever to be OK with chiropractic though, so i'm sure i'll be curious to try it sometime in the next year or so :)
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  • LOVE acupuncture, even though I am deathly afraid of all other needles. It is SO relaxing, and I'm a little sad that my go-to acupuncturist has moved across the country. :( Insurance doesn't cover it, but it's totally worth going to once in awhile to work out the kinks.
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  • I've had acupuncture... lots. I hate needles, I hate having it done, and I've had moderate success sometimes. Not with conventional "needle is in and wiggled" acupuncture, but IMS. And that is invasive as all get out, and once it made me cry... and sometimes the needles bend... but like I said: sometimes, I've had results. :) Good to try something new!
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  • Awesome looking meals -- but will hold on the acupuncture for now! Glad you had such a good trip!
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  • I have had acupuncture quite recently, as I had some strain in my arms from being on the computer too much (doh), and 2 sessions totally fixed it! It's weird how it works - totally fascinating! The waffles look totally delicious.... mmm :)
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  • Great trip! Glad you enjoyed such a wonderful weekend! ;)
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  • All looks fabulous. I love get togethers with friends who understand you and have so many of the same interests. Always makes for a good time. :) I've never had acupuncture but the more I hear about it the more intrigued I am. I don't know if I'll ever do it though bec of the cost sadly. We have a pretty tight budget.
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  • I've nver had acupuncture before but it kind of scares and intrigues me at the same time! I'm glad you enjoyed the experience. It looks like Caitlin has been treating you very well indeed!
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  • I love acupuncture, my chiropractor does it for me in my neck and back and he runs an electric current between some of the needles, which sounded a bit freaky at first but it really helps everything in that area relax, which is exactly what I need. Plus, getting to lie still for 20 minutes and not being able to do anything is a nice way to spend any day : ) I'm not sure if I could handle it in my face though, being able to see the needles coming might produce a totally different reaction in me! Those waffles look sooooo good!
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    • Thankfully since the needle was at my hairline, I couldn't see it coming! :) The electric current does sound scary, but makes sense. Kristien was turning my needles to elicit more of a response - probably the same idea!
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  • I am willing to try acupuncture if I ever have a pain. I am so fortunate to be a pain free senior. I hope I didn't just jinx my luck.
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  • I have always wanted to try out acupuncture! It's nice to know that the needles don't hurt at all!
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  • If acupuncture weren't so expensive I would definitely try it. Your meals loom delicious too! Chick peas always look so delicious but I'm pretty hesitant to try them. My mom absolutely loves them so they're around the house a lot. If you don't mind me asking, what do they taste like? Maybe I might try some some time. :)
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    • You'll just have to try them to find out ;) They are delicious, don't be nervous! The ones we had were covered in chili powder and roasted for about 10 minutes in the oven. They're also good covered with cumin!
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  • I have never had acupuncture but I would love to try it. I love eastern medicine. There are so many things that you can do without having to use drugs. I don't like putting all sorts of chemicals into my body.
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  • Your blog always makes me so hungry, I think I need to stop reading it at night and do it before breakfast instead! Mmm, what I wouldn't do for a fish taco right now. Cute dogs, the first one reminds me of my new baby. American Bulldog perhaps?
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  • Got the recipe for the chick pea and roasted veggies? Looks fab. Would love to have it. Thanks for the super blog.
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    • Caitlin just roasted them, that's all! The chickpeas were covered in chili powder and roasted - the veggies probably just with a little salt and pepper and olive oil!
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  • I've always wanted to go to acupuncture but I'm SO scared of needles that I don't know if I'm able to do it :D
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  • I LOVE acupuncture! I started doing it when I found out about some 'womanly issues' I was having and have since fallen in love =) And your food, by the way, looks amazing!
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  • Did you roast those chickpeas? I love chickpeas but have never had them roasted!
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    • Yep, they are roasted with chili powder. Delish!
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  • I too am a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, like your friend's husband. I find the first thing people are afraid of are the needles. Just like your experience, they shouldn't hurt. Every practitioner is different, some like to give a lot more stimulation and some ( like me) are very sensitive and gentle. Just make sure to tell your practitioner your fears; this is to be an open dialogue to share what you're feeling. If someone is afraid, then I always start with just one needle. See how they're feeling and go from there. In my experience, every single time they are surprised that it didn't hurt. :) And if needles aren't for you, we can prescribe herbs and supplements, which are amazing all unto their own. :)
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