I have a bit of an obsession with travel, especially to developing countries where we love exposing our girls to different cultures, unique foods and inevitably, the occasional food-borne illness or pathogen.

We just got back from a family trip to Indonesia and I thought I’d share a few of my travel first aid kit must haves.  While some of these would be appropriate for any kind of vacation, we tend to frequent more of the underdeveloped areas where hygiene and medical services are a bit lacking, hence the heavy gastrointestinal theme.  So, without further adieu, I give you:

Durango Acupuncture Clinic’s officially unofficial and ever-changing list of travel first aid kit must-haves.

1. Probiotics: Because digestive issues happen, especially with travel.  These help prevent travelers diarrhea and keep you regular while also bolstering the immune system.  I prefer spore based as they don’t require refrigeration and can survive extreme temps as well as your digestive system. 🥘

2. Activated Charcoal or MegaIGG imunoglobulins:  Chances are that if you’ve ever visited a developing country you’ve encountered some sort of dramatic gastro-intestinal funkiness that resulted in you visiting a number of traumatically disgusting bathrooms (there’s a truly terrifying bathroom in Hanoi I had to take my then 8 year old to that haunts me still).  Activated charcoal is great for absorbing a wide range of toxins, viruses, and bacteria, stopping gas and diarrhea in their tracks and MegaIGG is even stronger. 🚽

3. Oil of Oregano capsules:  Protects against food poisoning from pathogens like  E. coli, staph and salmonella. As one of nature’s strongest antibiotics it can prevent colds and flus and is great to dose yourself with for your plane ride.  You can also break a capsule to apply on insect bites as it has powerful antihistamine properties, I used this on nasty Bott fly bites in Belize and they worked incredibly well. Lastly, this is my go-to herb for killing parasites, so if you’d like to return from your travels alone, this is your friend. 🦠

4. Melatonin or ortho sleep: Got a 14 hour flight in economy coach? A hostel mattress that feels like an ironing board? A 10 hour death defying ride on a night bus with seats seemingly designed for children?  Either of these sleep inducing and nervous system calmers is your favorite bed companion. 😴

5. Berberine: Ice cubes in a margarita in Baja sent me packing with a gastric little friend who just wouldn’t evict, 2,000 mgs of Berberine daily helped to send her packing. Excellent for bacterial or viral induced diarrhea. 😷

6. Digestive enzymes with HCL: Tonsai tummy; a gastrointestinal nightmare experienced by most of the climbers visiting Tonsai Thailand is the love child of food-borne bacteria.  We credited this ailment to the fact that soap is non existent in the bathrooms of any of the kitten and chicken infested outdoor restaurants and guest houses which meant that little if any hand washing was taking place.  HCL increases stomach acid resulting in better digestion and the killing off of potential food born pathogens when taken with meals. 🤢

7. Thieves essential oil:  On our flight back from Tokyo a few years ago, one of our daughters was seated in front of a man with the most disgusting hacking cough, Fortunately, I doused us all head to toe in Thieves essential oil.  Let’s face it, a 12 hour plane ride is akin to bathing in a Petri dish of germs, and thieves essential oil is excellent for protecting you from other peoples funk. 😊

8. Arsenicum album 30c:  Because, as mentioned before, diarrhea happens, ditch the Imodium as it will only make things worse, instead, opt for homeopathic arsenicum.  This stuff works incredibly well without stopping you up for good. 💩

9. Grape Fruit Seed Extract: Ten drops of this magic sauce in water two to three times daily can kill off viruses and bacteria both prophylacticaly and once the damage is done. This is also great to add to the rinse water on camping trips to help kill off any bad bugs.

Lastly, beware of Monkeys, the pictures above are of my daughter being bullied by monkeys in Indonesia.

Other travel tips:

*Always book an aisle and a window seat when traveling with family or friends in the hopes that the middle seat will be empty, whoever has that seat will be happy to trade.

*Bring a sarong: it’s a skirt, it’s a towel, it’s a blanket on a hyper air conditioned flight, it’s a picnic blanket, it’s ahead scarf, instant sun screen and a sanitary bed sheet for those questionable budget lodgings.

*Bring a plug converter, after lugging it to the most remote areas all over the world and never needing it, we found ourselves in desperate need of one in Indonesia, of course, we’d left ours at home.

*Bring a reusable water bottle, trash has become a real problem in most developing countries and there’s a real push to limit plastic water bottles, we were happy to notice that nearly everywhere we stayed had water stations for us to fill up at.

*Don’t mess with monkeys

What is Cupping?

Chances are that if you've had a treatment with me at Durango Acupuncture Clinic, you're familiar with the warm massage-like suction sensation of cupping.  I use a technique known in Chinese Medicine as fire cupping, where fire is introduced into a glass cup to create a vacuum which is then suctioned to oiled skin.  The cups are then moved along the meridian or myofascial pathways to increase circulation.  Don't worry, I rarely produce anything close to the large bruises you see on the Olympians as I use a very gentle technique. 

Why all the cool kids are cupping 

There's nothing new about cupping, in fact this simple and effective healing technique has been a major part of Chinese medicine since 1000 B.C.  

The tell tale marks of cupping have been made trendy by Hollywood stars for years and have recently been brought into the lime light by its popularity among nearly half of the U.S.A Olympic swim team. 

There's a reason why cupping is gaining in popularity, because it works!

Why you should too

You don't have to sport a speedo to reap the benefits of cupping (though that would be entertaining).  If you suffer from muscle pain, respiratory, digestive, skin or stress issues, basically, if you are alive...Cupping can help. 

Benefits of Cupping

1.  Reduces Pain:  Clinical trials and people with six pack abs agree that cupping is thought to release tissues deep inside the body, relax tense muscles and ease stiffness associated with chronic back and neck pains, migraines, rheumatism, and fatigue. Some athletes have been known to use cupping therapy to naturally improve performance and reduce stiffness, muscle cramps, joint pains and scar tissue caused by injuries.

2.  Promotes Relaxation:  By lifting away pressure from tight muscles and sedating the central nervous system, cupping decreases, anxiety, stress and depression.

3.  Boosts Skin Health:  That's right, cupping can reduce cellulite, acne, skin inflammation and even herpes by increasing blood flow and expanding capillaries.

4.  Improves digestion:  IBS, gastritis, gastrointestinal diseases and water retention can all be benefited by the circulation improving powers of cupping.

5.  Treats respiratory infections:  By moving blood and lymphatic fluid, cupping has been shown to speed healing time for colds and flus and clear away phlegm and congestion.  It's even one of the worlds oldest treatments for tuberculosis!

6.  Speed healing after surgeries:  Medical doctors are beginning to prescribe cupping to their mastectomy patients prior to surgery to accelerate tissue formation and nerve regeneration.

I include cupping in all Acupuncture treatments when necessary and offer it as a separate treatment with Asian massage for $40 for 30 minutes. Call or Schedule yourself online to reserve your space today!

Pediatric Acupuncture and why it’s all the rage among toddlers and babies in Durango.

While a life of sleeping, pooping and snuggles may seem easy, being a baby can be tough. immature digestive systems that lead to colic or reflux, teething troubles, eczema, difficulty sleeping, and underdeveloped immune systems susceptible to respiratory and ear infections, can all contribute to fussy little ones. Enter early childhood and bed wetting, nightmares, anxiety, and ADHD can be added to the list of possible pediatric ailments.

Fortunately, at Durango Acupuncture Clinic, I have a gentle and effective, needle-free solution to all of those common munchkin woes, and it’s called Shoni Shin. Shoni Shin is a Japanese form of Pediatric Acupuncture which uses tiny little tools to activate meridians and Acupuncture points without the use of needles. This method works best for those under age 7 and often results in some very happy little patients. Regular visits are also wonderful for keeping your little one in tip top shape, by strengthening their immune and nervous systems and establishing a life long resiliency to colds and flus.

I’ve been combining Shoni Shin with Pediatric Tuina (a form of Oriental physical therapy) to treat children for over ten years. I’ve had great success in reducing colic, fevers, allergies, chronic ear infections, fevers and anxiety issues in babies and young children. A typical half hour visit can involve these modalities in addition to; turning forks, Moxa heat therapy, dietary and supplemental advice and I often teach specific Chinese massage techniques for mom and dad to try at home.

Additionally, I carry a line of safe and effective Chinese Medicine Pediatric tinctures to help with anything from chronic ear infections, to tummy troubles, tender teeth, colds and flus and to help your little one focus at school.

Don’t let your little hipster miss out on the benefits of Chinese Medicine, pediatric visits at Durango Acupuncture Clinic are only $45 and even less with pre-pay packages. Schedule your Pediatric Acupuncture appointment today!