Jonah Ewell Acupuncture & Martial Arts

If you can’t do this for yourself, go see an acupuncturist.

Judo twice a week, muay thai three times a week, Brazilian jiujitsu whenever the schedule allows, running four times a week and weightlifting twice a week. I’m in my mid-30′s and I ask a lot of my body, so I usually have a few minor training injuries. But if I take enough time off to completely rest and heal, I’ll lose weeks and weeks of training and get off course from my goals. Additionally muscles will get weak, cardiovascular endurance will go down, and when I return to training it will take yet more weeks to get back to where I was. No matter what sport you train, if you push your body you will face the same dilemma.

What to do? I do a regular acupuncture trade with an acupuncturist friend of mine, Leon Kenin (Leon also happens to be my co-teacher at Oakland Judo!). When Leon isn’t available, I stick myself with needles. Even when I don’t have an acute injury, regular acupuncture is an excellent preventive medicine. If you’re an athlete I recommend getting regular acupuncture from an acupuncturist who specialized in sports injuries and rehabilitation, such as myself (if my office isn’t convenient for you I have other recommendations in the area).

There are also a number of things you can do for self-care. For all athletes (but especially if you do contact or combat sports) I recommend the following:

Eat clean, protect your sleep, stay hydrated – This is the holy trinity for athletes, the pyramid base on which you build your accomplishments. If you’re not sure how to eat clean, start by cutting out all junk food and fast food and upping your intake of green leafy vegetables. I’ve written a lot on this blog about this subject, try clicking on the Healthy Eating category. Sleep is also key – this is when your body rests and repairs itself. Try and get an average of 7-8 hours per night. Some nights I can only get five hours due to my schedule, but in the next few days I catch up with 8-9 hours when I can. Hydration is another no-brainer. When you work out hard, you lose fluid. Unless you’re running a marathon, plain water is fine for rehydration. If you do choose a sports drink, read the label and choose wisely. You don’t want a bunch of artificial colors and sugars clogging up your system. Pedialyte is probably the best thing when you need intense rehydration.

Dit Da Jow – (跌打酒, pronounced diē dǎ jiǔ in Mandarin) Also known as trauma liniment or sometimes just liniment or jow, this is an alcohol-based formula that is excellent for all types of bruises, knocks and falls. I currently use the house brand from Draline Tong Herbs in Oakland. They are located at the corner of 10th and Webster in Oakland’s Chinatown. There are many different formulations out there, and you can also make your own by soaking herbs in vodka. Every night after a shower I massage in dit da jow on my bruised toe, my left leg where it’s been tattooed by kicks, and anywhere else that hurts. It does stain  your skin so be careful. Do not use on broken skin and DO NOT INGEST – this is external only. 

Dit Da Wan – (跌打丸, diē dǎ wán) This is a pill taken internally that consists of herbs that improve circulation and reduce inflammation. It’s good when you have an active injury, not for prevention. The brand I use is called Jin Gu Die Shang Wan (筋骨跌伤丸, literally “sinew bone injury pill”) by Nuherbs, a local herb company from Oakland. Do not use if you are pregnant or nursing.

Self-Massage – One of the good things about using liniment is that it forces you to massage yourself. You can also get benefit from massaging yourself without liniment. Don’t underestimate the value of simple pressing and rubbing on a sore or injured area. In the future I may do a blog post about specific self massage techniques. If you are my patient I usually give you a regiment of self-massage to follow for quicker recovery.\

Wu Yang herbal plaster, available in my office and most Chinatown herb stores.

Plasters – Plasters are self-adhesive sheets impregnated with herbs and oils that improve circulation, reduce inflammation and speed recovery. Most people know about the Salonpas patch, which is available in most drugstores. But Salonpas only uses methyl salicylate and menthol. I prefer to use other patches that use more Chinese herbs, like the Wu Yang plaster. This is a great one for bumps and bruises. If I need to I like to wear it overnight and remove it in the morning.

AVOID ICE – Ice slows everything down and contracts your sinews and tendons, and can actually prolong injury recovery. If you have a very severe sprain it’s not a bad idea to hold a bag of ice on there while you are on the way to the acupuncturist, but don’t use it after the first few hours of an injury. For more on why you shouldn’t use ice, check this blog post. There are better ways to reduce inflammation and swelling, like San Huang San.

San Huang San – also known as “herbal ice.” San Huang San (三黄散, three yellows powder) consists of Huang Qin (scute), Huang Bai (phellodendron), and Da Huang (rhubarb root). These three herbs, when washed, sliced and dried according to traditional Chinese herb preparation methods, turn a deep dark yellow. They are then powdered, and when needed the powder is mixed with water (sometimes green tea or egg whites for extra healing power) to make a paste and spread on the inflammed and swollen area, then wrapped with gauze. The version I use also has carthamus, gardenia and andrographitis. Try it next time instead of ice – you’ll be amazed at the results.

Related articles

• Understanding acupuncture through eastern and western medical traditions (irishtimes.com)
• Acupuncture in the News (jonahewell.com)
• Period Pain ? – Chinese Herbs Can Help (wellnessbytes.wordpress.com)