Finding moments of tranquility and healing has become a necessity for me. A couple of weeks ago, I was styling a photo shoot and the model and I were discussing our insane jaw tension, clenching and teeth grinding.

She said YOU MUST MEET DR. HEIDI!!  And that is where this journey begins… because I met a truly modern medicine woman, Dr. Heidi from her recommendation.

First off, I have been dealing with two things. One, the jaw stuff. Yes, I have had Botox to release some tension but at night, the grinding won’t stop. Next, for the past year, I have battled a deep, ongoing pain in my upper back.

My transformative session with Dr. Heidi, a practitioner who seamlessly blends ancient healing practices with a modern understanding of the mind-body connection, relieved both in one session.

Dr. Heidi’s approach to holistic healing involves a combination of acupuncture, cupping,  facial massage and intuitive balancing – each contributing to not only physical but also emotional well-being. From the moment I entered her serene clinic, I knew this would be a unique journey towards healing.

Dr. Heidi’s gentle touch and deep understanding of the body’s meridians created an atmosphere of relaxation, allowing me to release tension and tap into a profound sense of inner calm. Beyond the physical benefits, Dr. Heidi’s work addressed my emotional imbalances, providing a holistic approach to healing.

Cupping, another traditional therapy, involves placing cups on the skin to create suction. This technique promotes blood flow, reduces inflammation, and releases muscle tension. As Dr. Heidi expertly applied the cups to my back, I could feel the tension melting away. But what struck me the most was her emphasis on the emotional release that often accompanies this process. She explained how our bodies hold onto emotions, and cupping serves as a powerful tool to unlock and release these pent-up feelings.

The facial massage that followed was not just a luxurious add-on but a key component of the emotional, jaw-tension-release, healing process. I love this process so much – gloves on, jaw muscles, buccal massage – all of it. More of that in detail later…

 

(ok hair looks super weird because I took screenshots from video!)

One of the most enlightening moments of my session was when Dr. Heidi identified the source of my upper back pain as the pericardial muscle, which protects the heart. She encouraged me to explore how I might be holding back or blocking emotions, manifesting as physical pain. This revelation highlighted the profound connection between our emotional and physical well-being, underscoring the importance of addressing both aspects for true healing.

A BREAK DOWN OF MY SESSION

• First, we did Acupuncture and cupping to align the spine, release tension around the organs (especially the heart and heart protector), and open the lymph nodes to flow between the head, neck, and body.
• Starting with this treatment releases old emotional holding patterns associated with a guarded heart, and fear or intimacy, lack of support, or not being able to see all options in life’s path.
• Cosmetic acupuncture & facial sculpting open the neck and face to release old emotions held in the muscles of the face and increase lymph drainage to reduce pain, improve circulation in the complexion, and support collagen and elastin production to provide a rejuvenated youthful appearance.
• Buccal massage with sculpting facilitates the release of any residual emotions and memories held in the facial muscles to let go. This also reinforces muscle memory to tone and lift the face to provide a sculpted look and youthful appearance.
• Sound healing, aromatherapy, and topical herbal and mineral products are used to enhance the results of this treatment.

Each treatment is custom to each individual and focused on balancing internal health, regulating the nervous system, and facilitating the experience with healing touch guided by unconditional love.

Here is some stuff I pulled from her website! 

Also check out her Services

Buccal Massage: WHAT IS FACIAL SCULPTING MASSAGE & HOW WILL IT BENEFIT ME?

The Sculptural Face Lifting Technique activates the internal resources of the body to enhance natural facial rejuvenation. It supports tightening or relaxed muscles and strengthening weakened facial musculature, while addressing the emotions held in the face to release inner blocks, soothe the emotions, and melt away stress.

The face becomes more sculpted and this technique and trains the muscles to firm up where sagging, and relax where overly tightened.

Perhaps you notice words you have held back from saying, or emotions you have held back from feeling. The body remembers everything you have experienced, and sculpting facial massage has the ability to bring it up to the surface and flush it out of the body, mind, and spirit.

This method is performed without the use of surgery and injections – it is done manually by toning, strengthening and relaxing the basic facial muscles. As a result, facial muscles relax and muscle tone returns to normal; spasms are removed, which in turn restores the natural posture of the face. Appearance and elasticity of the skin improves via improved blood and lymph circulation, stimulating cell turnover and regeneration.

HOW IS THE PROCEDURE PERFORMED?

The procedure is performed first on the neck and face to open the lymph nodes and increase circulation in the neck, bringing more nutrients to the face that may be blocked due to tension in the spine.

With gloved hands, a tailored protocol will be performed usually involving external facial massage followed by internal facial massage.

Internal facial massage includes going into the mouth and massaging the muscles that support the structure of the face and realign the muscles that attach to bones in the skull, and hold the power to balance the cranial bones and hormones. For example, the lateral and medial pterygoid muscle attaches to the sphenoid bone holding the pituitary gland, the master CEO of your endocrine system. Although slightly uncomfortable for this part, each session will go slowly to release these structures and bring your body into balance at your own pace.

Acupressure is also performed, providing a deeper treatment to tone the muscles and release stuck energy.

Cosmetic Acupuncture

Remember when your mother said: “Don’t make that face or it may stay with you forever?” Emotions and stress have been known to show up in the face as expressions get repeated, resulting in wrinkles and tension. As we age, bone loss and collagen matrix degrades, showing signs of sagging, hollowing, swelling, discolored, or dehydrated skin.

Are you seeing the signs of aging but don’t want to undergo painful and invasive procedures? Are you interested in working on your true health to prevent disease and release emotions that have been reflected in the face, along with enhancing your natural beauty and vibrancy?

Discover Cosmetic Acupuncture- a 4,000 year old secret to turning back the clock, addressing the pillars of health, and preventing disease. Acupuncture needles are as thin as a human hair and painless, making this option minimally invasive while working on internal health. You may even fall asleep or go into a trance state!

Cosmetic Acupuncture can enhance collagen and elastin production, smooth tension, lift muscles, and increase circulation in the complexion for a healthy glow. Cosmetic Acupuncture also addresses sleep, digestion, energy, mental health, hormones, and temperature regulation to balance the internal organs providing deep nutrition to the skin.

Have your friends and family members asking “whats different?… because you are glowing!”

These treatment programs are the perfect addition for confidence boosting and looking great for community events such as gatherings, weddings, family photos, social media posts, or new phases of life requiring inner reflection, or because you’re ready to feel like your most vibrant self!

Simply put, you deserve to feel beautiful and radiant naturally.

WHAT IS COSMETIC ACUPUNCTURE?

Cosmetic acupuncture is a beauty-focused form of acupuncture that targets the root cause of health imbalance that is reflected in the complexion of the face. Needles are gently inserted in the superficial levels of the epidermis of the face to stimulate collagen production, improve skin quality, encourage healing, promote blood flow to heal scars, and promote overall wellness to the body to treat the root cause imbalance. By creating a micro-trauma, the skin in turn begins to repair and use collagen and resources to tighten and renew the skin.

In Chinese Medicine, the skin complexion symbolizes circulation, hydration, and longevity. The skin is simply communicating what the body needs for extra support. When the signs of health imbalances are left untreated, over time the skin begins losing it’s elasticity and collagen, or hyper-pigmentation, pustules, or wrinkles begin to form. acupuncture corrects what the body needs and supports regeneration of tissue. With Facial Rejuvenation, the health of the individual is always the focus for the root treatment on the body.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE INITIAL TREATMENT?

During the initial treatment, facial diagnosis will be recorded to note root imbalances of the skin and constitution. Before & after photos are taken for Electronic Medical Record progress reports during your course of treatment and to provide tracking proof of the changes your skin is undergoing with lifting and tightening. It is encouraged that only generally healthy individuals with no underlying health conditions focus on facial rejuvenation. By avoiding treatment for serious conditions, the body will fight harder to heal itself and mixed messages are given, resulting in mediocre results. This is why an initial treatment is important to discuss options.

WHAT WILL I EXPERIENCE DURING MY SESSIONS?

During your cosmetic acupuncture sessions you will experience acupuncture for the body to communicate to the organs to send nutrients to the face, facial acupuncture to induce collagen and elastin production, neck and facial massage with clean beauty skincare products, and energy healing.

Cupping

Fire cupping is one of the oldest forms of medicine recorded, loved by every ancient civilization and still providing pain relief after 6,000 years. Evidence of the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Chinese, Indian, and Latin Americans using cupping as a healing modality is very real millenia ago, and still to this day.

This ancient technique is based on a vaso-pneumatic suction system that uses “negative pressure” from fire to pull adhesions, aka knots in tissues apart. This mechanism quite literally vacuums the tissues, and detoxifies muscles and blood overwhelmed with lifelong toxin accumulation.

Tissue is suctioned up into the cup, and stretches the tissues that hold the muscles in place. Cupping relaxes muscles and if a muscle is tight, cupping can stretch and open up the muscle tissue for releasing and re-oxygenation. Cupping also helps with capillary permeability,  relief of muscle and fascia congestion and pain relief. Ultimately it benefits myofascial release,  muscle relaxation, and improved blood circulation.

When we are “toxic”, interstitial debris floats in the blood stream and saturates tissues, which over time creates inflammation and dehydrates the muscles, leading to pain, stiffness, and discomfort.

In studies, cupping has been found to promote the production of heme-oxygenase-1 and 2, which promotes the production of new blood in the body. Cupping also promotes vasodilation of tissues in the body, promoting circulation locally and systemically, creating space for interstitial fluid to move, helps pull toxins out to be metabolized, and removes knots (known as adhesions) and stagnation in the body. Cupping marks tend to disappear quicker the more frequent patients are seen.

Cupping’s effect on the digestive organs is to increase their digestive secretions and enhance their peristaltic movement.  Cupping can awaken the appetite, strengthen the stomach and digestion, improve the bile flow and metabolism, relieve constipation and promote regularity of the bowels.

Cupping has a dramatic detoxifying effect on the skin and circulatory system.  By increasing the flow of blood and plasma through the veins and arteries, cupping enhances the cleansing and removal of toxins.  This detoxification may not be observable after just one treatment, but after about three to five treatments, there will be a noticeable improvement in the color of one’s complexion.

Cupping is beneficial and indicated for multiple disorders affecting multiple organ systems:

• Digestive system:  constipation, diarrhea, (IBS) irritable bowel syndrome.

• Metabolic:  low energy, fatigue, anemia, atrophy of the tissues, cellulite, emaciation, weight gain – normalizes body weight.

• Musculoskeletal:  Local application, as appropriate, for back pain, arthritis, traumatic injuries, lumbago, sciatica.

• Respiratory & Circulatory:  asthma, bronchitis, common cold and flu, high blood pressure.  Increased blood flow to the skin is therapeutic for many different skin disorders.

• Nervous system:  headaches, depression, emotional problems – balances the nervous system.

• Gynecological:  menstrual pain, suppressed or irregular menses

About Dr. Heidi: DOCTOR OF EASTERN MEDICINE & ACUPUNCTURE

Dr. Heidi Keating L.Ac., DACM is a Doctor of East Asian Medicine and Acupuncture, Visionary Medicine Woman, and leader in the field of Detoxing with Chinese Medicine.

She practices medicine with joy that is rooted in her own experience of acupuncture and East Asian Medicine and is informed by her over seventeen years of study and practice in the world of natural plant medicine.

Dr. Heidi specializes in healing mental-emotional-physical pain, detoxification, and dermatology.

Her style encompasses detaching from the parasite mindset, personal empowerment, and harmonizing the spirit, mind, and body by releasing emotions that no longer serve the person’s desire to transform and elevate.