On my first visit to her office I was already sharing information with her about one of my modalities, the Bio-well! She seemed both open and curious. So on my next visit I brought in my own bio-well report to inform her work to a greater degree! That’s when it really clicked what a powerful combination our work can be together. Since that time I have worked with clients to offer them this same specialized approach, informing the acupuncture process with the report, especially since the Bio-Well can identify energetic patterns BEFORE they are manifest in the body! While prevention is always the best medicine, the combination of our services can powerful help to mitigate and interrupt and rebalance patterns that may lead to disfunction down the road!
Take a dive with me into the past, present and future of this wellness aficineado world and the powerful practices of Constance Bradley.
Kim: You office offers a wide-variety or energy based healing modalities and wellness routines including acupuncture, cranial sacral, cupping, massage and skin care. How would you describe your approach to healing?
Constance: I believe that personalized care is always the best care. I focus on treating the whole person, not just the outward symptom. One of the things I love the most about Chinese Medicine is that it recognizes the inter-connectedness of our body, mind, and spirit while also respecting that each person manifests symptoms and root causes very differently. Contrast this approach with Western Medicine, for example, where something such as back pain is treated the same in almost every case. Chinese Medicine recognizes that back pain has many underlying root causes and symptom presentations, each requiring different treatment strategies. This approach is highly personal and, as a result, I am able to tailor treatments to each individual person.
Kim: For those that are less familiar, can you briefly describe what acupuncture is and why this is considered a biofield science?
Constance: Acupuncture, an ancient healing practice originating from Chinese Medicine, involves the insertion of thin needles into specific points on the body known as acupoints. This practice, dating back thousands of years, aims to restore the balance of vital energy, or “Qi”, within the body, thereby promoting health and well-being. As I mentioned regarding my approach to healing, Chinese Medicine sees human being as a holistic living system, exchanging energy and information with the environment. Chinese Medicine integrates the concept of Qi as the primary driving mechanism in health, pathogenesis, and healing. Qi can be described as the functional capacity of a tissue or an organ, which, in the case of acupuncture, is therapeutically influenced by the insertion of needles into acupoints in the body. The concept of Qi quite sophisticated and complex; it is the reason why acupuncture is considered a biofield science. Qi exists as part of an innate biologic field of the body, in which the bioinformation carried by tiny energy signals can trigger changes in molecular structures. This biologic energy field is involved in maintaining the whole organism’s integrity, regulating physiological and biochemical responses, and acting on development, healing, and regeneration. The application of acupuncture acts upon the biofield via Qi.
Kim: What types of imbalances or ailments is accupuncture good at addressing?
Constance: I love to say “I’ve got a needle for that!” because there are SO many things that acupuncture can help with. Acupuncture tends to be thought of for pain relief, but the World Health Organization recognizes hundreds of conditions that acupuncture has been scientifically proven to successfully address. Besides musculo-skeletal pain, acupuncture is very good at addressing everything from digestive concerns, women’s & men’s health, fertility, headaches, poor sleep, stress, anxiety, and depression – just to name a few. Unlike Western Medicine – which is reactive and focused on issues that are already present — Chinese Medicine was developed as proactive medicine because it is focused on not only correcting imbalances, but also preserving health by keeping major imbalances from arising. Chinese Medicine practitioners, such as acupuncturists, are trained to pick up on the subtle signs of imbalance in the body, so they can be addressed before they turn into larger issues. In this sense, Chinese Medicine is true “health care” rather than “disease care” and as such, everyone can benefit from acupuncture.
Kim: The Starlight House has teamed up with your office to offer and even more tailored approach to accupuncture by using our Bio-Well Report. How does this report enhance or inform your approach?
Constance: I LOVE the Bio-Well Report! The report comes loaded with information about a patient’s current state of health, as well as what can be done to help correct imbalances. I appreciate how the Bio-Well Report shows a holistic perspective of the body by taking into account the emotional state, stress, and biorhythms of all systems. The Report details the energy in the Chinese Medicine organs and meridians providing a *synergistic* approach with my diagnostic and treatment methods. Having a Bio-Well Report alone is wonderful, having acupuncture alone is also wonderful, but pairing the two together allows for a real-time look into how the body is existing at it’s current state and informs how I can expertly craft an acupuncture session. For example, a patient can have a Bio-Well reading, then receive acupuncture, then follow up for a subsequent Bio-Well reading to monitor the “before-and-after” effect the acupuncture had on restoring balance to the body. It is such a fantastic tool.
Kim: For those intimidated by the sound of needles, how would you describe the process and feeling of a session?
Constance: When we think of needles, we usually think of getting our blood drawn, which can for sure sound intimidating. Acupuncture needles are NOTHING like this – they are extremely thin and very comfortable. Most people can’t feel a needle at all, but instead feel a *needling sensation*. This sensation is often described as “a weighted blanket” or “pleasantly warm.” The needling sensation is meant to regulate Qi flow in the body and is therefore a systemic sensation arising from the intentional down-regulation of the sympathetic (aka “fight or flight”) nervous system. It is a very relaxing process – most people fall asleep during their treatment.
Kim: You have a super fun Instagram account @drconstancebradley where you often diagnose celebrity tongues! What information can you draw from observing the tongue in a client assessment?
Constance: Tongues are like x-rays in Chinese Medicine! When I look at a tongue, I’m looking at the color of the tongue body, the shape of the tongue, and any noteworthy coating. By looking at a tongue, I can tell a great deal of information about a person’s health such as their sleep, respiratory health, stress, digestion, and whether they are in pain.
Kim: How did you become personally interested in studying this field?
Constance: I became interested in Chinese Medicine during my time in the Air Force. While serving as a professor at the US Air Force Academy, I coached the college’s triathlon team and was also an avid triathlete myself. During a training run, I suffered a debilitating knee and hip injury which sidelined me from the sport I loved. I was told by my physicians that I would never run again and was facing a lifetime of prescriptions and surgeries in order to regain any degree of normal function in my leg. On a whim – and with very low expectations – I decided to try acupuncture. During my visit, it became clear to me that Chinese Medicine was fundamentally very different than Western Medicine. Because Chinese Medicine seeks to understand the total person, I was amazed that acupuncture not only relieved my physical pain, but also cleared my chronic acne and balanced my digestion; in short, it restored my total well-being. Because Chinese Medicine was able to accomplish for me what Western Medicine could not, I knew I wanted to learn more about this amazing system of diagnosis and treatment. After honorably separating from military service, I attended the Phoenix Institute of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (PIHMA) and received a Master’s degree in Acupuncture. While attending PIHMA, I interned at the Mayo Clinic’s Department of Integrative Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. Upon completion of the internship in 2015, I founded my Acupuncture clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Kim: When people become blocked or don’t progress in their healing journey, is their a commonality to what prevents their progress?
Constance: I think this kind of blockage usually occurs as a result of fear. This can come in many forms – fear of change, fear of letting go what isn’t serving them, fear of releasing an old identity and stepping into a new one, fear of becoming more in tune with yourself, etc. I have seen this so many times clinically – a patient says they want to move forward in their healing journey, yet some part of them is still being rewarded for not making progress. This means the payoff for the current, blocked state is going to feel better in the immediate moment than any perceived payoff to move forward in the healing journey. When we pull apart these layers, more often than not, the blockage comes down to fear. It is SO scary to move forward! I undoubtedly understand that. Releasing resistance and letting go of blockages can be a scary process. This is why it’s important to have a really great network of those in the healing arts who can help guide you through the process.
Kim: If you could share one quote, message, or ritual that helps you stay motivated in your daily routine what would it be?
Constance: “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” I love this Marcus Aurelius quote – it reminds me that thoughts are extremely powerful. But I am also extremely powerful because I have the power to select my own thoughts and therefore direct my own happiness.