Acupuncture For All Those Simple Aches And Pains

If, like me, you have quite a fear of needles and injections, then acupuncture, that practice of sticking needles onto different parts of your body to cure sicknesses might seem scary at first.

However, if you've been long been suffering from some problems like headaches or chronic pains and your regular visits to the doctor don't seem to be helping you, then why not consider a trip to an acupuncture specialist? After all, who hasn't heard of somebody's aunt somewhere suffering from arthritis and trying out everything that the doctors recommended all to no avail, only to finally be cured by a really good acupuncturist?

Perhaps you were wondering if it could actually work for you. You might feel a bit skeptical since traditional Chinese medicine doesn't immediately coincide with theories in modern Western medicine. In fact, the use of needles to cure people was discovered thousands of years ago in China long before microscopes or x-ray machines were invented or before bacteria and germs were discovered.

When you think about it, that might be something that the practice has going for it. If it has existed already for thousands of years and is still being practiced by millions up to now, then it must have worked already for quite a number of people.

What typically happens when you go to an acupuncturist?

When you go to an acupuncturist, you would typically first be asked about your medical history, how you're feeling and any symptoms of sicknesses you might have. The specialist would observe features of your face, including your tongue. According to specialists, your tongue is a good indicator of the health of your internal organs. The acupuncturist would listen to sounds that your body makes like the sounds coming from your lungs. How your body smells could also be an indicator of your overall health for the acupuncturist's diagnosis.

Based on what the acupuncturist finds out about your sickness, he or she would then formulate the treatment that your body needs. With traditional Chinese medicine, sicknesses are seen as a kind of imbalance and loss of harmony between your bodies' organs. You can consider the use of needles on your body as just a way to push your body and its organs back into balance.

The specialist would begin inserting very thin needles into the right places in your body. To many people, inserting these needles doesn't really hurt. After all, an acupuncturist's needles are usually much thinner than the needles that are used for injections. Many have claimed that inserting these needles actually calms them down and relaxes them.

How does the use of these needles help you?

A lot of problems have been claimed to have been alleviated through this practice. These include headaches, the common cold, arthritis, back pains, asthma and even infertility.

Even though acupuncture isn't part of Western medicine, Western medicine experts have studied it extensively. Some theories as to why it works involve acupuncture perhaps stimulating the brain's release of the body's natural painkillers. Acupuncture could also stimulate proper circulation in the human body.

Western medicine is still studying acupuncture and trying to find out how to best integrate it with practices in Western medicine. That is why, along with Western medicine and trips to the doctor, one could certainly try acupuncture.

It couldn't hurt and it might actually be the one to finally relieve you of a lot of your body's aches and pains and even make you healthier.

SIMPLE CAKE DECORATING IDEAS

Cake decorating is not as difficult as it seems. We look at the elaborately decorated masterpieces and feel completely intimidated. Here are a few simple ideas and hints to make your cake decorating project a winner.

• Buy readymade cakes, or make your cake from a mix.

• Make sure you have several pastry bags, a coupler, a flower nail, and 6 icing tips– #824 large open star, #23 small open star, #104 small rose, #125 large rose, and #109 and #129 drop flowers.

• A turntable makes icing a cake much easier. A lazy susan will work.

• Use decorations that are already made– fresh flowers, silk flowers, ribbons, and fruit are some of the items you can use.

• Always brush fresh fruit with a glaze to seal in moisture.

• Use a decorative cake plate or platter to present your cake.

• Use Ganache icing.

Ganache

1 pound semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp. unsalted butter

Place the chocolate in a bowl.

Combine cream, butter, and sugar in a pan, bring the mixture to a boil.

Pour the mixture over the chocolate, stirring gently until it is melted.

Using royal or buttercream icing, ice the cake with a thin coating, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet.

Make sure the icing is set, and place the cake on the cooling rack.

Quickly pour the ganache over the top of the cake and down the sides. You can use a spatula to smooth the surface if needed. The hot ganache will melt the icing, so only smooth as necessary. Tap the rack to remove any excess ganache, this can be refrigerated for later use.

Chill the cake until set, remove to a serving platter.

Fruit Flan

You can choose to purchase a pre-made flan, or bake one yourself.

Slice your choice of assorted fruit and arrange it on the cake surface in concentric circles.

Coat with apricot glaze.

Serve on a decorative cake plate or platter.

Apricot Glaze

12 oz. jar of apricot jam

2-3 tbsp. Water

Combine jam and water in a saucepan.

Bring ingredients to a boil.

Strain glaze and keep in the refrigerator until needed.

Heat to brush on fruit.

Piping

Using a pastry bag and the tip of your choice, you can create a number of cake decorations, ranging from flowers to simple borders. Basic icing recipes can be found on the internet. Work on a piece of waxed paper before you apply any icing to a cake.

Edible Flowers

Apply icing to your cake

Decorate the cake with piping if you desire

Distribute edible flowers in a decorative fashion

I hope that any, or all, of these tips will help you with your cake decorating projects. My suggestion is to gather all of the tips, tricks, and ideas you can find and print them out. Put your collection in a binder and the next time you are having a problem with your cake decorating project, you will have an answer at your fingertips.