Many high functioning people can’t eat, sleep or poop with ease or contentment. Weird. These are basic biological functions. How have we drifted so far from balance to miss out on these simple joys? Why do we think it’s normal to have difficulty in these essential areas of life? We actually need to do all…
Plantar fasciitis – also called a heel spur – is inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot. This tissue is called the plantar fascia. It connects the heel bone to the toes and creates the arch of the foot. When inflamed, it causes pain at the heel that varies from sharp…
Pregnancy is a whirlwind adventure. As your mind and spirit get ready for a new life and family member, your body is in full tilt. Most women get morning sickness. Hopefully it isn’t too severe and doesn’t last until delivery. Acupuncture is a great ally during pregnancy. It is very safe, and pharmaceutical free. It…
Xiao Yao Wan or Free and Easy Wanderer is one of the most famous herbal formulas available to help regulate your Liver, Gallbladder and Spleen Organ Systems, bringing about a balanced feeling of emotional and physical harmony. We prescribe this formula to many people and have seen widespread improvements to their individual issues. The Liver…
Lupus is an autoimmune disease causing inflammation of the connective tissue. Western medicine doesn’t understand the cause of this difficult disease that mainly afflicts women. Men can also get this disease, but 9 in 10 people with lupus are women. Ninety percent of patients complain of joint pain, and 40% of patients have skin conditions and…
Here at Jersey Community Acupuncture, we try to post on our blog about once or twice each week. Our posts typically cover content about acupuncture and herbal medicine, but we also post about Nicole’s experiences, local/clinic events, and updates about the clinic itself! Because we post so frequently, this means that some posts (such as…
Variscite – Authenticity and Truth Variscite is beautiful stone. When I look at it rough, I want to pick it up and hold it. It is formed through a sedimentary process on the Earth’s surface with the help of aluminum-rich rock and rainwater containing phosphoric acid. It fills in the cracks as it is deposited….
This post is from January 2015: I just finished up a weekend course on Daoism, Chinese Medicine and Health. I love taking CEU’s. It gives me the opportunity to take a break, take a breath and refocus on my vocation. Why am I doing what I do? How can I do my best at what…
Your femoral artery is located at the inguinal area where the thigh meets your groin area. By massaging this artery, the goal is to increase fertility. This massage increases the blood flow to the pelvic organs, providing more nourishment to the uterus and ovaries, testes and penis. By increasing blood flow to the area, the…
The best vitamins for our bodies come from real, whole foods. It would be a sweet life if our foods gave us everything we needed and we made all the right food choices everyday. I would eat a rainbow of colors. My foods would never be processed, always be organic and always be grown in…
Many women believe that painful periods are something that they will always have to suffer through. The most common western treatment for most things regarding a menstrual cycle is hormonal pharmaceuticals, such as birth control pills. Not every woman wants to be on the pill for years, due to concern over the long term use of…
(This post was originally titled Taking Care of Each Other – Election 2016. However, it seems that the point of this post still reigns true, so we updated it a bit.) We can easily start to believe our world is falling apart with the ceaseless barrage of soundbites and rhetoric that media outlets have been…
“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” -Aristotle, Metaphysica In holistic health, we speak about treating the whole person. It makes sense. We are complex beings with emotions, thoughts, and body parts. Each choice we make affects the whole of our being. We have made multiple choices to be who we are…
This is a popular question with a less popular answer. While acupuncture can be part of a larger weight loss program, there is no magic weight loss point. So how can acupuncture help? Acupuncture can support other weight loss programs by curbing appetite, quelling cravings, boosting metabolism, improving digestion, regulating obesity-related hormones and enhancing the…
The tradition and clinical application of Chinese herbal medicine is dynamic and time tested. The first written documentation on Traditional Chinese Medicine is the HungDi NeiJing or Yellow Emperor’s Cannon of Internal Medicine. HungDi NeiJing is the oldest medical textbook in the world, how cool is that?! Different opinions date the book back to between…
What are you doing with those needles? How do you know where to put them? This is a really complex question! It took your practitioners 4 years of acupuncture school, and a year of internships to figure it out. It’s hard to condense all that experience into a simple answer. Our main goal is to…
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. A diagnosis of PTSD is becoming more common. After…
Lyme disease is tricky. If the person is lucky, they present with an obvious bulls-eye rash and overt symptoms that easily lead to a quick diagnosis. A course of antibiotic therapy to rid the body of the pathogen, followed up with acupuncture and herbal medicine to help the body return to balance, is usually an…
Stress effects all of us. The more tools we have to reduce stress, the better we feel. Some tools work better at certain times than others and some aren’t always available. The more options we have, the more prepared we will be. So what can we do for ourselves to feel better and reduce stress?…
Eating 101. Eating, the process can be joyous; your taste buds are alive, your body is being nourished and sustained. Most people have some forms of joyous eating, followed by days of indecision. Stress and hurried lifestyle lead to a sad tummy, sad taste buds, and interesting bathroom visits. With all the food trends out…
There are many ways to use natural products in attempts to gain and keep our health and vitality. I believe that herbal medicine is People’s Medicine and that we have rich traditions that can address most of our complaints while they are still in the beginning stages. One of my goals is to share simple…
Opioid addiction has been a routinely addressed topic in the mainstream media for years, but is still begging for our attention as a nation despite the coverage. Opiates are used in attempts to relieve moderate to severe pain. Opiates have been used for many years, usually prescribed for people with long-term, severe pain and a…
One the goals of holistic medicine, is to halt the progression of illness. We may catch a cold, flu or virus, but if we can take good care of ourselves, hopefully that initial illness will not progress further into pneumonia or other illness that require more medical care. We also have many uninsured and under-insured…
Cold Care for Rainy Days The only constant is change. Mother Nature is such a good teacher of this simple, yet really hard to accept truth. These next few weeks of spring will have us gearing up for summer warmth with cold nights, high winds and intermittent rainstorms. As the weather shifts, our bodies require…
How Acupuncture Can Support Your Care Plan. *Note: This blog post was originally published to our original blog on 10/16/2009. The information shared in this post is still accurate and is quite important to the current functioning of our clinic space. Thanks, and enjoy. In June of 2009 I was able to attend an integrative…
“You’re Going to Put A Needle For My Back Pain Where?” Acupuncture is full of mysteries when we look at it with a Western Biomedical lens. Not so much when we look at it through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medical Theory. I often get asked why I would stick a needle in someone’s leg…
Amanda Crooke, of Locust Light Farm, and our very own Nicole Maniez, of Jersey Community Acupuncture will host a series of workshops to share useful herbal insights and practices for the community. The program will inspire you to start using simple, easy-to-find plants for health and wellbeing. You will learn about herbal allies from both…
Jersey Community Acupuncture values diversity, inclusion, and sensitivity towards all individuals and does not condone discrimination towards any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, size, or mental or physical ability. We are committed to…
Nicole Maniez, MAOM, Lic Ac, earned her Master’s Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the New England School of Acupuncture in 2008. She is Board Certified and licensed to practice acupuncture and herbal medicine in New Jersey and Pennsylvania by the Board of Medicine. Nicole became nationally certified in Oriental Medicine through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and…