Amy Dickinson, L.Ac.
Amy Dickinson, BA, L. Ac., MTCM, grew up
in Boulder Colorado. Following her graduation from CU, she taught
English in Japan and traveled extensively in Asia. She earned
her Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the
prestigious Five Branches College and Clinic in Santa Cruz, CA.
During her four year course of study, she was an Advanced Intern
at the Zhejiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in
Hangzhou, China. She was able to study Gynecology, Cardiology,
Internal Medicine, and Gastroenterology under some of the most
respected Doctors of Chinese Medicine in the world. She passed
the California Acupuncture Licensing Exam, considered by many to
be the highest credential in the Western Hemisphere. Her
education strongly emphasized the use of Herbs and the
integration of both Chinese and Western Medicine.
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Acupuncture
and Sports Medicine
By AMY Dickinson
Many
of us in Boulder County have a passion for sports and
outdoor activity, and for many of us, the primary factor for
moving here in the first place. Being sidelined due to an
injury can have tremendous effect on us, both physically and
mentally. The goal of every athlete, whether we’re weekend
warriors or elite athletes, is to get back to doing the
sport that we love as quickly as possible. Acupuncture and
Chinese Medicine can be a useful addition to your ‘gym bag’,
and can keep you healthy and in the game.
Injury may occur as we push ourselves beyond our limits. In
our fast-paced lifestyle, we frequently don’t have the time
or the patience to allow ourselves to heal completely.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help you to recover
more quickly by increasing the circulation of your body’s
energy (Qi) and blood, and by encouraging your body to do
what it does naturally- heal itself. By using Acupuncture
and, if indicated, herbal therapy, you should recover faster
and with less pain.
Despite the strange vocabulary, acupuncture is neither magic
nor a folk-medicine. It is a scientific process that has
evolved over thousands of years. Acupuncture uses fine
needles (about the size of 3 of your hairs) to encourage the
circulation of your body’s healing and nourishing energy (qi).
We use the analogy of a plant and a hose- when there is a
kink in the hose, nourishment will not flow, and the plant
will suffer. Your nourishing qi operates under the same
principle- without proper flow, the muscles, tendons, bones
and ligaments will not receive proper nourishment. Signs
and symptoms of this lack of nourishment (Qi deficiency or
inadequate flow) include injuries which are slow to heal,
swelling, bruising, stiffness, tendonitis, and sub-optimal
performance.
As
an athlete, you may experience sprain, strain, repetitive
stress injuries, physical trauma, overexertion,
overtraining, or emotional stress. All of these can be
helped by improving the circulation of qi throughout your
body. Chinese herbal therapy may also be recommended.
External herbal therapy is applied directly on the injured
tissue to promote circulation and therefore the healing of
the injury. Internal herbal therapy may be recommended to
address constitutional imbalances that may be either
aggravating or slowing the healing of your injuries. Herbal
therapy may also be used during the training period (without
an injury) to address any health issues that may be
preventing the athlete from performing optimally.
Chinese Medicine works well in conjunction with other
therapies- an athlete need not choose between acupuncture
and other therapies. It can be used in conjunction with
massage therapy, personal training, and chiropractic.
Progressively-minded Physical Therapists are finding that
their patients PT regimens often go better when acupuncture
is used adjunctively. Chinese Medicine can be a very useful
addition to any athlete’s health care team.
Amy Dickinson comes from a long line of Sports Medicine
Doctors, but she is the first to use Chinese Medicine. Her
father was the Sports Medicine Doctor for the 1976 US
Olympic Cross Country Ski Team. She likes integrating the
precision of Western Medical Diagnosis with the
long-standing wisdom of Chinese Medicine. She has been a
ski instructor in Colorado, Alaska, and Japan.
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