Kristin Ebbert Acupuncture on Larchmont
“Stomach 36, Lung 9, Spleen 6…” what do these things mean?
Well, they are meridians or points of energy on my body that had needles in them…and I actually LIKED it. 🙂
This past weekend I had the pleasure or experiencing an acupuncture treatment from Kristin Ebbert, who has a lovely and tranquil clinic in an a classic craftsman style house on Larchmont Blvd. I’ve been to a small handful of acupuncture specialists (mostly for stress/insomnia issues), and the experiences have ranged from “meh” to “ouch”. I liked Dr. Cathryn Hu a great deal (she is located on 15h and Arizona in Santa Monica) but I live nowhere near Santa Monica any longer. I am thrilled to have found someone close to my new ‘hood who is so great!
Kristin led me into her main practice room, which is clean, inviting and comfortable. She asked me a series of questions about how I’m eating, sleeping, feeling, etc. She took my pulse in various ways and noted that I had a very strong “kidney chi” (apparently indicative of a strong constitution and overall vitality) but weak “spleen chi” (which can account for poor digestive issues–something I’ve had to deal with for sure) and somewhat weak “lung chi”, (which, if I remember her explanation correctly, accounts for poor dispersal of chi throughout the body). The redness on the tip of my tongue made her suppose that there was “a bit of fire in my heart that might be causing the insomnia”. She also suspected that my blood might not be cleansing and turning over its renewal as efficiently as possible, and my immune system might not be in tip top shape. The most interesting thing we discussed was the fact that my diet of too many cold, raw vegetables and fruit might be hurting me a bit. The irony is that a raw food diet can be hard on your body to digest, and you might not be assimilating the nutrients into your body. Kristin’s explanation corroborates exactly with what an Ayurvedic consultant, Eleni, told me: “eat more warm, cooked foods like soups and stews and less astringent and cold foods like apples and salads to balance your chi.”
Overall, I think she was spot-on in diagnosing a complex mixture of things going on with me, and I know that with a few more visits/treatments, she can zero in more accurately on the issues and how to treat them. Her beside manner is very friendly and her way of explaining things is very easy to understand.
Kristin performed a light treatment on me to tonify my body and help soothe my nervous system. I immediately felt extremely relaxed and almost fell into a deep sleep on the treatment table. I definitely felt a lot more calm and balanced. She sent me home with a small bag of herb capsules (suan zao ren) that would help me fall asleep. I told her about some jujube I was prescribed by another doctor that had no effect. “Oh, yeah those are pretty mild. These should do the trick.” And did they ever! I can honestly report I slept a lot more soundly through the night. I usually need at least an hour or two to fall back asleep when I wake up, but not so with the herb. I could tell when I woke up I had a lot more energy and a much better mood. I’ve been dealing with some mild, fleeting bouts of depression that I am convinced are related to lack of proper sleep.
So, all in all, a very pleasant, affordable and transformative experience! Highly recommended.
Kristin is located at:
435 N. Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
Phone: 310-403-9604
http://www.ebbertacupuncture.com
McKenna Rowe is the Founder of Chakra 5 Mobile Yoga, an experienced team of corporate yoga instructors that provides mobile yoga classes on location and by appointment at businesses, schools and organizations throughout greater Los Angeles. Call us to start your corporate wellness program today: 310-853-3885.