Exploring the Healing Power of Acupuncture

You know, as we age, we often face various health issues and pains, and sometimes it feels like we're constantly reaching for medications or undergoing invasive procedures. But what if there was another way? What if we could tap into the ancient wisdom of acupuncture to find relief and healing?

Lola, who is a practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, shares her incredible knowledge and experiences with us. She explains how acupuncture works by stimulating specific points in our bodies to restore balance and flow of energy. It's like a gentle mechanic for our bodies, helping us release tension, reduce pain, and even address emotional and psychological issues.

What is fascinating is that acupuncture is not just about treating symptoms, but it's also about listening to our bodies and understanding the deeper messages they're trying to convey. Lola encourages us to slow down, be present, and truly connect with our bodies. By doing so, we can uncover the root causes of our pain and make lifestyle changes that support our overall well-being.

Some of us may have reservations or misconceptions about acupuncture, but Lola addresses those concerns too. She assures us that acupuncture is safe, even for those on medications or with specific health conditions. And for those of us who are afraid of needles (like John!), Lola's gentle approach and calming presence can help ease our fears.

So, my friends, if you're looking for a natural and holistic approach to healing, we highly recommend giving acupuncture a try. It's not just about the physical benefits, but also about embracing a new way of thinking and being in tune with our bodies. Let's explore this ancient practice together and discover the transformative power of acupuncture and explore how these practices can collaborate with modern medicine.

Transcript

John: 0:11

Hi, I'm John,

Erin: 0:13

and I'm Erin. You're listening to connect and power. The podcast that proves age is no barrier to growth and enlightenment

John: 0:20

tune in each week as we break down complex subjects into bite sized enjoyable episodes that will leave you feeling informed, entertained, and ready to conquer the world.

Erin: 0:32

Our guest today has an amazing energy all around her when you meet her. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest where the salty air meets the lush forest and the sun always even if it's behind the clouds. The beauty of the forest nurtures her curiosity of the natural world, and she's followed this path to receive an undergraduate degree in herbal science and a graduate degree in acupuncture, this along with her love of astrology and curiosity of all the cultures intertwined through a beautiful alchemy dance the unique medicine her gift to you, helping people transform physical, uh, energetic, emotional, and soul patterns as they walk the spiral of life she strives for every day. she's a multidimensional transformational guide and practitioner of acupuncture, herbal medicine, evolutionary astrology, holistic health. Radiant beauty. She's ready to share with us how she has transformed many lives through the use of acupuncture,

Lauren: 1:43

Welcome, Lola. Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. It's such an honor and a pleasure.

Erin: 1:50

I know when we were talking, we met a couple weeks ago at a women's event and we were standing outside in line and I was like, oh my gosh, we have to have her on like she. Like I said, she just radiates this energy and you get around her and you can't help but go, all right, I'm in a good spot. I'm in a safe spot. This is all here for me.

John: 2:12

I'm not just saying this, but I can feel it. Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty cool. It's pretty cool. So if you can share a little bit about your story, what you got in this industry what led you to specialize in acupuncture,

Lauren: 2:27

care and pain relief. Sure, yeah. I feel like my true north has always been, yeah. a resonance with the natural world. I loved to garden with my mom growing up, and some of the most potent memories I have were, staring at the stars at night when we were camping as kids, and Those things have always been like the little whispers in the background of our norm life, you know, are consistent, the machine of culture, I guess is what I'll call it. but they've been the whispers that have brought me home to myself. and so this circuitous path, to, the very, seemingly random, being a practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, It's, it was always nature that was guiding me. and Chinese medicine is a beautiful reflection of nature and the elements. So it's about the weather patterns. and so we would tend to the organ systems and the weather patterns within that reflect the weather patterns of nature without, and as a symbolic medicine, that's why, a 5, 000 year old medicine is still relevant today because, back in the day we might treat something, Like a hot phlegm, like a baked phlegm. This is you can just imagine what that might look like in your head. Yeah, And then maybe somebody has cancer that it is like a damp phlegm or a hot phlegm, and we're going to treat it the same way, as we would, across the board. Or maybe two people have the same type of cancer, but one presents more hot and one presents more cold. we're going to treat dampness and phlegm, but one we're going to be warming and one we're going to be cooling or siphoning off the excess of the heat. So it's really like you're holding these things a little more loosely, a little more symbolically. I like to think of character, a Chinese medicine and those radicals are almost like a bouquet of meaning. It's symbolic, And because it's symbolic, it evolve and change and still be relevant with what we're experiencing, in modern times. a tangent, but...

Erin: 4:40

No, I love look at it.

John: 4:43

and So for those... of our listeners that don't understand acupuncture Chinese medicine, correct?

Lauren: 4:51

yeah, yeah. Acupuncture is acu means cave, and so we're actually like engaging these. Places along the body, if the body is the body of the earth, the entire terrain of the body has rivers of tree, chi, these meridians, these acupuncture lines that flow, and along the flow there's a pool, and then it gets wider, and then there's the sheik cleft points along the body are these places where the qi or the energy, or the blood. dive deep into the body, and then

Erin: 5:59

life into your tomorrow? for some healing. Yeah, all kinds of that.

Lauren: 6:28

the main inflammatory response. There's a detox, and exchange of nutrients. And what we find in the most simplest terms, there's this saying, butongzitong, If not... Harmony and flow and a gentle movement, then pain and stagnation and cell death. Really, simple. It's like, what we're doing, I'm a little, I'm a body mechanic and I am helping to increase flow in the body where there isn't flow. there isn't flow, there's usually pain and cell death.

John: 7:04

pain and cell death. People that, as we age, we have certain symptoms or something that happens to us and we go to the doctor. They prescribe us a medication, and sometimes there's some pretty severe side effects. from those medications. And I for one don't love a lot

Erin: 7:31

we try to

John: 7:32

yeah. But it's a whole, it's a whole lifestyle, even our food food has so much, horrible things in it sometimes. and we have to be really careful with all Of that. So it's almost like, a lifestyle, I definitely think that acupuncture has

Erin: 7:47

its, place. And, I have so many questions because I'm so curious and I don't know which direction to go into. Go ahead. So just out of my own curiosity, I have an ankle pain. I was, we were in Bali and I got in a motorbike accident. would you suggest doing acupuncture

Lauren: 8:05

on it Absolutely. for healing? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, If there's like a physical rupture that's intended, something's wrong there. I would definitely support. The acupuncture is going to support the blood, coming in exchange of nutrients, any dead cells coming out. but yeah, like a lifestyle thing, I would also say maybe contrast hydrotherapy, where you're doing hot and cold water to help flush, again, flush. from a Chinese medicine perspective, going back to what you were saying about how we choose maybe pharmaceuticals. we are in a culture of convenience, and that actually comes at a great cost that we don't remember that convenience is actually stealing from our lives the actual experience. And because Chinese medicine is a reflection of nature, often the slower way, the more Persistent present way is going to be healing over the long run. If I choose to take a drug, I'm not actually present for my body. I'm not being there for my body. I would talk to your foot. I, would, of the practices I have with my son, my five year old son, is all we will tell our body that we love each other. I love you feet. And part of it is presencing in the body to get him to settle into his nervous system so he can In our culture, western culture, and we have to reorient how we even experience, natural medicine, holistic practitioners, acupuncturists, right? We are not sick care, western allopathic medicine is. It gets to a certain point and it has to be heroic in its medicine, and I'm grateful for that. If I get in an accident, I want that. But, as an acupuncturist, It is about educating people about preventative medicine. It's about little shifts in the lifestyle change. One of my favorite things about acupuncture is that it actually increases your awareness of your body. We have all these new and different sensations that we're experiencing with the pins that map new neuronal pathways and therefore as we move through our lives we become more aware of how we hold ourselves. So if I'm, if I have tension in my shoulders constantly and I'm not even aware of it, I don't have pain. and I, And then I might reach for the aspirin, when really all I need to do is have more awareness to take a breath And to settle in my system and feel more grounded, feel more connected. Maybe I wanna take my socks off and put my feet in the dirt. And it's really creating the spaciousness in our lives to attune to the

Erin: 11:15

I know that when I go to the dentist, they'll be like, your tense and your muscles, your teeth are, I don't know how to explain it. But it's like you say, I find that myself doing them and doing exactly what you say. I'm like, okay, I got to release, I got to relax, I got to let that out. know before we get talking a little bit more. I don't really know what acupuncture is or how it's done or what it's incorporated. So maybe explain a little bit what that is. I know we know it's needles, but really what is it? I'm coming to you or somebody and I'm like, Oh, I don't know.

Lauren: 11:47

I'm nervous..Yeah, sure. What I doing? Yeah, I wanna share that I was in the a a naturopathic. program for two years. So I did the first two years of medical school, like the hardest two and I remember being in a lab diagnosis class where, you know, all of the labs that you would take, your cholesterol, all of those things, and I just remember feeling wow, I would rather have real life present skills then have to rely on, sending everything out to a lab. And then being, reinterpreting, it was too

Erin: 12:26

or, maybe that's not the word. Like the touch, the

Lauren: 12:49

there can there,

John: 13:52

Yeah, that's awesome. so, somebody comes to you, they give you a little bit of information on what they're coming to you for. and then you create a plan of care based upon a lot of different Diagnosis that you look at the like their tongue or their mouth or feel their belly and just different things and then you create a treatment plan that includes acupuncture, herbs, different things to heal them

Erin: 14:21

But what I love about this and people goes, Oh my gosh, it's so homeopathic and it's so crazy. But before we had modern medicine, what did we do? What did our ancestors do? they used the plants, they used the dirt, they used the trees, the shrubs, the water. They used

John: 14:36

everything to heal people. Cause that was the only option back then, and, And suddenly they came out with these, pharmaceuticals and stuff like that that they felt like, now if you take this pill, it gives you all these, quick healing effects. That, that's a problem, man. And you're so right, Lola. I mean it's like we live in a very fast paced, very reactive world. And, I don't think our world, or I don't think people are taking enough time to I understand Who they are as individuals and what they truly need to stay healthy and live

Erin: 15:14

Well, because we're being told, right? It's like working out. We're being told go hard and do this. But if you slow down and you feel the muscles and you breathe while you're doing it, you're going to understand your muscles. Just like if you slow down and feel your pain, you're going to know right where it's at to be able to treat it and go, Oh,

John: 15:31

it's not my knee. It's my foot, it's also understanding What those options are. Like for instance, I told you earlier when you arrived, at the house, I said I'm terrified of needles, right? I'm terrified of pins or anything poking into my skin, throw me off a bridge I'll base jump or I'll kite surf or I'll take extreme risks But you put me down on a table and start poking me with all these things then I panic, right? It's and so how do you It's a practitioner, how do you calm that fear? How do you help people understand? That this is something that could and they don't have to fear. Yeah.

Lauren: 16:22

And the other, I think the presence that I bring is just as important as any needle that I'm, inserting. and I try and help people relax. deeply and especially if they're nervous, I'm going to use tuning forks and other things that get them into that parasympathetic, rest and digest nervous system state, so that they can be settled and open before. I do any acupuncture And even after that there might be a little we're going to experience a little endorphin rush. Again, I'm trained in a little bit of hypnosis, and so I'll talk people through unfurling their nervous system so they can actually receive, the treatment on

Erin: 17:05

the treatment on a deep level. And the tuning fork, just so people know, it's like a two prong, right? And you just tap

Lauren: 17:10

you just tap it, and it's a tone that resonates on it? Yeah, it's a resonant frequency that can, move transdermally, it moves through the system, of the body and the bones to help all of the cells resonate together. So again, we're creating, resonance throughout the system that creates flow. It opens the cells to have greater expansion, better communication, cellular exchange, detox,

Erin: 17:39

like our sound bath we went to. Yes. It was the first time I was ever able to hold still for a

John: 17:45

I was ever able to hold still for a full hour. I did not move. Neither one of us did. I'm Very distracted. I'm always very busy person. and yeah, fidgety and moving and stuff, but I was like completely in a trance, so. It was very interesting, but yeah, I, I definitely want to try a treatment,

Lauren: 18:02

you get more done when you slow down. You're more present. yeah,

John: 18:07

focused. Yeah,

Lauren: 18:08

Yeah, more

Erin: 18:09

focused. for sure. Yeah. So as we age using acupuncture, it doesn't necessarily mean we need to see you because something's wrong. We can come and go, maybe I'm feeling a little off today. Or maybe even, maybe a little arthritis is sudden, or what are things that. They would truly come to you and that you can see a difference and

Lauren: 18:30

difference yeah so some of Those things, once they've gotten far enough along down the road, they're difficult to manage, I'd love to speak to, your listeners directly, like, now is the time to... start implementing the lifestyle things that slow down, Be more present with your body. Listen to your body. Reorient, to, putting yourself in the

Erin: 19:31

your body. When you say listen to your pain, What exactly

Lauren: 19:38

So when you hear your body, and it takes the spaciousness that it does to unravel the terrain to understand what our pain is

Erin: 20:44

sometimes, It's because we're moving so fast. We never slowed down to begin with, right? I worked at an independent living facility. I was caregiving And I fell down the flight of stairs, went, they're like, your bones are fine, nothing's, you're fine. I hurt for a good week. And then about a year later it came back and it's caused all this chaos in my life. Cause I'm like Oh, I can keep walking. I'll keep doing it. They say that I'm fine. I don't need to worry about it. I just need to compartmentalize it and brush it out. But now it's coming back. And sometimes I'm like, it's telling slow down in life.

John: 21:21

and I'm telling her to speed up. Come on, We got to go hike this mountain. We got to do this. We got to do that. Go in and get surgery. You got to get that thing healed. Because, We can't slow down. We have

Erin: 21:31

to experience. But what she's saying, maybe I'm supposed to slow down and I have to pay attention to why is my body telling me to slow down? Is there something else brewing? Or maybe it's being more creative for something I'm supposed to create for work or for my kids, my family, for us.

John: 21:47

like why is my body getting slowed down right now? Yeah. one of the things that I'd like to ask too is when it comes to holistic health or things like chiropractic treatment. what are some of the, or acupuncture, what are some of the misconceptions that people, like they shut down right away, right? They, I've always been very curious about so many different things, and very open to trying different things. If I'm not fearful, of course, like I am of needles. But, what are some of the misconceptions that you feel stop somebody from just giving it a chance?

Erin: 22:28

blue, Socially

Lauren: 23:24

and in terms as humans, it's the root. It, modern allopathic medicine is

John: 23:34

I love what you said in the beginning, too, because It's not like you're completely against, medicine. the way a lot of people view it, if you're in a car wreck or something like that, and you need some emergency care, you're all for it, However, we shouldn't just reach out immediately, like a knee jerk reaction, and just choose what a modern society has told us to choose.

Lauren: 24:18

principle of going direct and maybe this. We need quick action, right? Whereas the yin is let's take the spaciousness to really unfurl And understand this symptom or this pain, this experience we're having.

Erin: 24:33

have a question. Is this safe older, putting needles or

John: 24:44

doing stuff. Yeah. The skin is thinner.

Erin: 24:46

Yeah. I'm on different medications. My blood is maybe thinner or my blood may be thicker or I have a heart

John: 24:54

And yeah. Can I do this with the medications that have been prescribed to me by my primary physician or my specialist?

Lauren: 25:08

so I am supporting people in their very end of life Where all of those things are present, friable skin, for sure, heart conditions, COPD, all of those. I see all of them. and yes, it's safe. I can use very thin needles, so the thin skin is not an issue. I

Erin: 25:40

And, if you

Lauren: 25:55

in that interaction because of the wisdom of her, whole experience of life. It was beautiful. And I helped her with, with, hip pain and digestive, pain. She always slept better and longer after our treatments.

John: 26:12

That's awesome. Now, when it comes to the aging population and they want to try this out, do they ever come to you and then suddenly you have some pushback by the family because they're like, Mom, what are you doing? Going to see somebody for, acupuncture

Lauren: 26:30

It's usually the opposite. The family is advocating for the acupuncture because they've had experience with it and they think it. could help their

John: 26:38

Their mom or their dad. Yeah,

Lauren: 26:41

Yeah. That's great. Yeah. Yeah, it's, once, once you've experienced acupuncture, you may not be able to understand or describe it, but you can be a fan of it, really. And that goes a long way, though, you

Erin: 26:56

want everyone in their life to try it. and that kind of goes to where in my mind I'm thinking, I'm now seeing. I'm an acupuncturist for my hip Do you see the progression as you come and treat them? And like, how long is that progression? Is it an immediate, Oh my gosh, I feel so much better. Or sometimes like we were saying, it's a slow progression. You may feel

Lauren: 28:44

up. where they're in balance, and they get to to that state of balance.

Erin: 28:49

It's kinda gonna a chiropractor, right? When your body just is not aligned and you go and they fix you. Yeah. It's very similar, right? Yeah. You're just getting our body back in alignment.

John: 28:59

Mm wow. Yeah. I'm

Erin: 29:02

excited. Sign me up. I know. It's

John: 29:05

I, it's funny because, there's So much we're discovering with these podcasts, and we're to share with our listeners because a big part of, The importance of our health is through education, and understanding and if a lot of times people don't want to just read it, but when they hear about it and you're able to ask questions and when you've never experienced anything like this, it's a completely different way of digesting

Erin: 29:33

that information. thank you. and we talked about I should say Lola talked about. that you're on hospice or if you're on some kind of medication, you can also do acupuncture at the same time to help support what's currently going on. You don't have to do one or the other. They can support

John: 29:52

each other. Correct? Yeah. is there a little different levels of care that you provide, for different ages? Like when you're younger, you get this type of, or when you get older, you get this

Lauren: 30:12

to have a deeper and more nuanced connection with their self, so greater awareness of their own body. I would, the best, most amazing thing you could do, I think, is the practice of a gentle movement, gentle that incorporates breath. And body, Qi Gong or tai chi, this is slowing down, for you, I would say slowing down, be present to the spaciousness that you can find within your own body, because then you might be able to catch something make

John: 30:53

Oh, for sure, I've studied more and more recently about it. the importance of meditation, and breath work, right? Being there and being present, and it's powerful, right? We're finding more and more incredibly successful people in the world. Are making that a daily practice right that along with gratitude because We are, we get so worked up. We get so busy and then stress creeps in and that's when we start having a lot more

Lauren: 31:23

issues Stress wreaks havoc on the system It decreases your immune system yeah, You have way less

Erin: 31:30

capacity for resilience I know we've been talking about acupuncture, mostly for physical elements of our body, but really, how can it help us emotionally,

Lauren: 31:41

Or, I think that's, Especially at end of life care, that's where I, I almost feel like I'm like a earth angel. I come in and I can hold the space for Those that are being asked at the end of life, Yeah. And, you asked the question, I'm in my fifties. What I think that people should die a thousand before they get to their own death. And what I mean by that is letting go of the things that are not in alignment with your truth. working through the shadows. If you're constantly running to find some, you know, the next adventure, what are you running from is the question. And so to be present with that? and to let go of the burdens that your body is subconsciously, unconsciously carrying. That's what I mean. let go of the things that are not in alignment with your life just because culture says it's what you should be

Erin: 32:46

doing, that

Lauren: 32:46

keeping up with the

Erin: 32:48

But how do you do that? Yeah. Because we

Lauren: 32:50

can say that, but how do you okay, let go? Yeah. And I think it comes with a global consciousness ship that needs to occur, that's reflective of our food systems, for example. we're learning more but how actually make that last step into returning into the earth as soil, as composted nutrients that need to return. Now they go into these other, um, you know, this garbage system that locks up all the nutrients that need desperately need to return to the cycle of life. and I I've right or wrong. If we can yeah. fear in my heart here, but I also can. breathe into the joy that I feel also in this moment. That in itself is the Enantiodromic moment. That's one of my favorite

John: 34:52

antiodromic. I've never heard that word. I can't either.

Erin: 34:54

I

Lauren: 34:57

Essentially, it's like The solstice, the peak moment when light turns to dark or dark turns to light, it's the transformation, the alchemical moment. So if we could hold that moment, that's what I mean to die a thousand deaths, to let go of something while holding the birth of the next the same moment.

John: 35:19

Yeah. Well, Lola, Because I know as we age, sometimes people retire and they're on a fixed income. And maybe they want to see somebody such as yourself to develop a game plan, a holistic game plan to keep their health And it's levels. And so, people that practice such as yourself, do

Erin: 35:40

an acupuncture

John: 35:41

and all this. Yeah. yeah. can you, yeah. Can you give us a little bit of that information? and it can be, it doesn't have to be exact, but like, on the average, A range, of what?

Lauren: 35:53

charge for what you do. Sure. Yeah. most treatments are about an hour long. you'll probably have an initial treatment that's a little bit longer, and in that initial treatment you'll have a whole, intake process that goes over your entire lifetime. we'll talk about the highlights of, trauma physical trauma, surgeries or anything like that, that, have, that you experienced. And then the overall constitution, like what do you generally, oh, I've had whole life. that's something I'll ask and that's important. We'll talk about

Erin: 36:26

poop. You're speaking his language. Yeah,

Lauren: 36:35

That is a longer treatment and it's, the average is 135 to 155 in a cash practice. Yes, insurance covers it if your insurance is covering it. You can, have a copay, a small copay. the hour long treatments range anywhere in Idaho from 85 to 125 a treatment. I've seen upwards to 140. And it depends. Some acupuncture, and there are as many types of acupuncture as there are acupuncturists and so for me currently I am treating the entire hour I'm present with you. I'm moving and tending to the energy flow in your system. I'm using cups I'm using tuning forks and doing the whole diagnostics. All of that is, I'm present with you for the full hour. I

Erin: 37:22

charge 1. 11

John: 37:25

1. 11 that I'm always seeing, yeah. I'm always

Lauren: 37:30

Um, number, and it's the difference, like that's the same cost as deeper than just psychotherapy. and maybe you go to see a doctor and you're spending about that much, right? But they spend 15 minutes with you of that hour, a long time that they're charging. So, I think, finding the right acupuncturist, someone you resonate

Erin: 38:14

with, someone you feel comfortable with. how do I find an acupuncturist that's right for me? What are questions I

Lauren: 38:20

should ask? What should I be looking for Yeah. I think With aging population, you want someone that's gonna be gentle. I studied some Japanese style forms, a lot of the Japanese, acupuncturists are blind. And so there was a tradition. and of course the

Erin: 38:37

and we can celebrate that about that

John: 39:22

Do you do a collaboration of care with physicians? Like, for instance, are there certain types of physicians that are in practice that might feel we need to change this approach a little bit, and you need to... go and see Lola as well as see me and we can collaborate and come up with a

Lauren: 39:43

I I haven't bridged many of those, gaps and I want to. but I yes, I can see them all. say, chiropractor, you can crack your bones into place as long as, the day is long. But you, if your muscles are so tight that they're pulling you out of

John: 40:20

Come and listen to me. again. I love that. I think that in our world, we need community. We need collaboration. You have a lot of different people collaborating and coming up ways in an app. Yeah, like a tribe, you each have your tribe Cause we're all different.

Lauren: 40:55

daily

Erin: 41:00

life. and we, always talk about this and it up more and more about community as we age. Our significant others pass, our friends die, our family gets super busy, or they live somewhere else where they don't see us, we get depressed, we go on medications, we get anxiety as we age, so we don't go out and do the things that we used to love, and then we isolate, but yet we need that connection somewhere. We need to have that purpose. We need to have

John: 41:32

I think it starts out as we're young and that's what we are creating a movement because what we want people to do is we want to help people understand that there's options. there's so many different amazing options out there. don't just get fixated on what you think Or what you've been told, be open minded. try things, experience things because you may be shocked and how much it will help you. I've learned so much from you some of our previous guests about our feet and different things that this is so empowering just for me. For my life, for my care, Right?

Erin: 42:10

that we say people go, who's your audience? Our audiences are aging adults that are going through it now, and we want them to give them hope and go, Hey, there are other alternatives for you. and this is how you reach it. But our second audience is really as we're aging, as we're all going through this together, our, we're parents, our children, our grandchildren. If we can can learn stuff now. for that longevity and better health. Let's do it. Let's be open. Let's not just go, this is the way you do it and you have to do it this way and you have to use this person and this is your only option.

Lauren: 42:43

So much of, what I've learned in hospice is how I, die. Do you share that? Yeah. there's pain and there's, sadness and there's just, it can be a really gross. Shitty, horrible process. Right? And that's all true. But there can be grace and there can be beauty. surrender in the And and forgiveness, understanding that the oneness of all things. But if you've been siloed your whole life, and feeling like you're alone, and you don't have connections, before you want to have these uncomfortable, conversations with your family and your loved ones. How do I want to die? To the connection to all of life.

John: 44:34

Yeah. so many times we do, we get wrapped up. But it is a mindset, right? It starts with a mindset of acceptance and openness and being present

Lauren: 44:46

that moment of awareness, and not from a place of bypassing what you're actually feeling. Your body's feeling it. Be like, oh, yeah, welcome anxiety. Like, welcome fear.

John: 44:57

okay, I can

Lauren: 45:04

to the anxiety and the fear that I am experiencing. But not trying to bypass what I'm actually experiencing. honor your body

John: 45:17

and your

Erin: 45:19

When it comes to hospice and other special techniques that are better or one over the other?

Lauren: 45:26

hey,

Erin: 45:27

I'm on this still feeling this way. I need, acupuncture to help relieve this, or can it help my inflammation? Can it help me sleep better? What techniques or So just anything I can call for anything and be like, Hey, this is what's Not just the pain, not just. Mental, physical, emotional, nausea. that's a huge thing too. A lot of

Lauren: 46:14

from Nausea, why acupuncture can treat all of that it's a medicine grounded in the reflection of nature and nature has these weather patterns. It's all about patterns and being able to balance excess and deficiencies out in the system. shift the energy around the body to create balance. I can approach any situation that way.

Erin: 46:46

mentioned mobility. Can acupuncture help somebody in their mobility to be better, so they're not maybe shuffling their feet? I'm new to this, so I'm Not sure

Lauren: 46:56

Yes. Not asked the right question. Yes. On levels. So on the physical level, we can release muscles that greater mobility. yeah. So this goes back

Erin: 47:09

to how, Acupuncture and other can work like and physical therapy. Maybe your muscles are tight because of surgery you had or something happened. She can help those

John: 47:24

So the other disciplines you're talking about the other disciplines, like for instance, home health, there's physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech, there's all these things. And, it goes back to what I said earlier about that collaboration of care working with a team and saying, okay, I understand what you're providing and this is how I can support Port you and together we can create this synergy for the patient that makes the experience so much synergy

Lauren: 47:55

great word. Yeah, I don't know if this is a tangent or if it's helpful, but, it's the same theme we come back to over and over again, is that the more connections you have, the more integrated you are. the more synergy you have amongst modalities. the more support you have, the more community you have, the more connected we are to the life cycle, the process of, growing our food and then composting it and life and death is all one. and it's, it generates the vitality that, is the fodder for a beautiful

Erin: 48:29

Yeah. Yeah. We, earlier we talked about nutrition and lifestyle to support the acupuncture. Does that mean eating the right way? Does that mean hydrating the right way? Or does it mean

Lauren: 48:40

yeah. So as we age, we have less and less what is called Jing. Jing, translates as essence, and it's stored in our kidneys. So in the West we think of it as adrenals, like your hormonal adrenal capacity is lessened the span of your lifetime. this affects your bones, it affects your hearing, it affects your seeing, it affects your cognition. in general, it's deficiency. And so, to be mindful, as goes, of the things that are nutrient dense, also taking out the things that are depleting, coffee.

John: 49:16

Oh. The world runs off of coffee. Yeah, you got here. That's probably why my stomach all these crazy

Lauren: 49:36

food, fried food, like a quick fry. yin, deep, slow, dense nutrients, we're talking about bone broth. and soups, And stews, and the time it takes to actually put the energy and the love into your food. love

John: 50:32

I always think that, in our world we've overcomplicated things by adding sugars and salts and stuff, but by eating whole foods, things like a fresh peach off the tree, right? Or, a pear or some of these...

Lauren: 50:52

as a practice, between each season, or transition, we eat more simple foods, like more gruels, more, congee, which is just like a rice gruel. And it helps reset your system. But as we age, like maybe incorporating more of those. simple, easy to digest foods, But bone broth is a key, a staple, your dark leafy greens key take it slow,

John: 51:31

I'm so excited for our listeners to hear this because, at first, I had a little bit of judgment, to be really honest. I'm like, I haven't gone to see an acupuncture, I'm terrified of needles. I bet you 90 percent of our listeners are afraid of needles to and afraid of all this. But, it's about your approach to medicine. It's about your approach to life that I've learned so much. And it's really opened up and it's made me go, Oh my gosh, step back from judgment. and John, you're somebody that this the most. I'm excited to try this out and experience it and learn how I can utilize it to support a better life for myself, better health,

Erin: 52:11

listeners are too, if somebody's very hesitant in trying

Lauren: 52:14

this? what is the I want to empower, your listeners. To know that they are the most wise and intelligent and, and sovereign, in their own life and process. And so, to come with that sense of empowerment that we haven't learned. And so maybe you're trying that on and you're stepping into that knowledge, that you are the most wise and intelligent being in your own life. and to really honor your body, not just your brain As the leader of that intelligence, because that will serve you the best in the end, and through the

John: 53:21

journey.

Erin: 53:25

question to ask, we'd love to travel and I'm sure listeners like, we know you love to travel. We'd love to travel. what is on your adventure list or where have you been someplace that you're like? If you can go there. You'll be I want to go there and be inspired. already And yeah, my eyes are watering. I'm trying not to cry because this is we were just there for six weeks and I grew up around the world. And this is John's first real experience and immersing in a culture. And exactly. See, I didn't plan on this. Exactly it is how I feel. You walked away with it. It's such a beautiful

John: 55:16

it transforms your life. I love adventure. I love Discovery. I love learning. about different cultures. I did not realize The effect, Indonesia would have on me. the community was so incredible, right? The way they take care of each other, the way these little villages come together, these communities come together and support each other. their pace of life is different. It's slower. It's more enriching. It's, The people are so compassionate and caring and they have so little but they want to give so much. And, at first there was a part of me that said, we're tourists, we have the money, and so they want to be like that because they want to get money. But it's not that way. I was wrong, and there was an amazing gentleman that was one of our drivers and, Cadet. And he. He invited us to his home, and even though they make 10 a day or whatever, he and his wife and twin boys cooked us this magical feast, this amazing big huge meal. And, and his father and mother, who also lived on the same property, had shared with us about these amazing spiritual fountains. I'm drawing a blank of the name of them, but, the story behind them, and, it's How, yeah, What you go there for and all of this and it was so beautiful. It was hard to leave. we went to six different islands or five different islands. And, with each experience, it was something that Changed me as a person, made me more open. and yeah, I absolutely loved it. So you're right. So I, for people that haven't been. There or are worried because maybe they're worried because they speak English and they don't speak another language. It's not like that. there. you feel so accepted and you can And, um, the. Yeah. And the food, going, not that we want to get into a huge discussion about Bali, but what I found is they don't have all the processed foods that we have here. And so, I literally ate tons and tons of food and I felt amazing. I felt great. I feel energized. I, didn't feel all these adverse effects. so yeah, Yeah. I'm right on board with you about Bali. It's a, yeah, holds a special

Lauren: 57:35

also just, say you can't make it to Bali. What I learned from Bali and, from most of all of history is that we're, from being animist, where we feel and experience and know, not all things around us are alive. And when we orient to that aliveness, how can we manage too much stuff? Like you'll never have enough of what you don't need. It's this hungry ghost that goes away when you can be present with the things in your life that are material. Like this chair, is has its own personality and it's like supporting me. Thank you

Erin: 58:40

thank you, Lola, for being our guest on Connecting Power. It was truly an honor and pleasure to have you today. and I knew we'd walk away with all kinds of good stuff and feelings and understanding and being open to and how it can heal us

John: 59:00

physically.

Erin: 59:01

It's so

John: 59:01

much more that you do

Erin: 59:02

besides Yes. So thank you. Yeah. and there's so many benefits it brings, right? It brings benefits to if you're in hospice, then you're in pain, but also as we're aging, to really pay attention to our body and listen for why we need to heal it. Yeah. So thank great.

John: 59:26

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Connect Empower. We want to express our gratitude to you for being part of our community, and we hope today's episode has provided you with valuable insights and inspiration to enhance your life and that of a loved one.

Erin: 59:40

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John: 1:00:01

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Erin: 1:00:16

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John: 1:00:37

I'm John.

Erin: 1:00:37

I'm Erin. Until next Wednesday.