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Hello! Welcome to the eighth edition of Acupuncture Boulder News. I want to thank those of you who have helped me settle into my new offices, and I'd like to invite the rest of you to come by and see my new place—I love it! Remember, you can now see my availability for appointments 24 hours a day from the Appointment Calendar page of my website. In this issue you can read about my grand-opening specials, acupuncture for pregnancy pain, the amazingly healthy grain amaranth (with recipes), and a unique women's expo happening in Boulder to benefit the YWCA. Feel free to forward this letter to anyone whom you feel may benefit from its content. If you are a new subscriber please add robin at acupunctureboulder dot com to your address book to avoid future issues being delivered to your bulk or junk folder. Thank you!

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In this issue:

• New Office Reminder
• Online Appointment Calendar
• Grand Opening Specials
• Amazing Grain: Amaranth
• Research Report: Acupuncture Effective for Pregnancy Pain
• We2e New You Expo: Join us at the St. Julien Hotel May 4th

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New Office Location
My beautiful, peaceful new space is on Valmont Rd. west of 30th

I moved to new offices April 1st. If you haven't seen them yet, come by and say "Hi!"


The new address and phone number are:

2955 Valmont Rd., Suite 100
Boulder, CO 80301

(720) 320-1075

My offices are located in the Centennial Creek office park on the north side of Valmont, west of 30th Street.

They are on the lower level, in Suite 100, which is listed as "Hands for Health" on the building directory.

You’ll always be able to see my current location at http://www.acupunctureboulder.com/boulder-location/.

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Online Appointment Calendar
See my availability for appointments on the web 24/7

You can see the appointments I have available anytime—24 hours a day, 7 days a week—by going to the Appointment Calendar page of my website and using the Calendar link, which takes you to my Microsoft Office Online Calendar.

Spaces that are not marked “busy” can be requested for appointments. Although there is no option to schedule your own appointment directly on the calendar, when you see a spot you’d like to reserve, just use the Request Form on the Appointment Calendar page of my site to send a request. I’ll do my best to respond within 2 hours to requests sent between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday, and as soon as possible outside of those hours.

Of course, you can still phone to make an appointment, but due to the challenges of making phone calls with the few minutes between apppointments I can respond to email more frequently. Requests are honored in the order they are received.

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Amazing Grain: Amaranth
A high-protein, high-fiber option for breakfast, lunch or dinner

In our busy lives, we all face the challenge of eating well and avoiding processed foods. Those of us with a wheat sensitivity find it even more challenging, since so many health-food products are made with whole wheat, and one can only eat so much brown rice!

You may have read about one of my favorite alternatives, quinoa, in my October 2007 newsletter. Now I'd like to highlight the highly nutritious grain amaranth. Amaranth is unusually high in protein for a grain, running about 15% protein. Even better, the protein is well balanced in amino acids, and is high in lysine, an amino acid most grains are deficient in.

Amaranth has been cultivated as a grain for 8,000 years, dating back to the Mayan culture of South and Central America. It was a staple food of the Aztecs. It is very palatable, easy to cook, and its protein particularly well-suited to human nutritional needs. Amaranth also provides a good source of fiber and minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and is especially high in manganese.

Several studies have shown that amaranth may benefit those with hypertension and cardiovascular disease; regular consumption can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while improving antioxidant status and some immune parameters. It is available packaged or in bulk from most health food stores.

How to cook Amaranth:

1. In a saucepan combine one part amaranth to three parts water. (1/3 c. uncooked grain per serving is usually a good amount.)
[Package instructions usually recommend rinsing first, but if you use organic I don't believe this is necessary, and due to its very small size, rinsing can be quite difficult, messy, and time-consuming.]

2. Bring to a boil.

3. Turn heat to low.

4. Stir briefly, cover and cook for 25 minutes.

5. After 25 minutes there may still be some water on top of the cooked grain. Simply stir this in; it will be absorbed immediately. It will have a sort of cream-of-wheat texture.


As a Breakfast amaranth is delicious with cinnamon, agave nectar, almonds and fruit* stirred in at the end of cooking. It will help keep your blood sugar level throughout the morning and hold you until lunchtime.
(For a quick breakfast, make a big batch at the beginning of the week and heat some up each morning, adding water if needed.)
*Organic frozen fruit works well for this. I like to stock up when it's on sale.

As a Side Dish amaranth tastes great combined with chopped dark leafy greens such as spinach, chard, kale or collard greens. Five minutes before the amaranth is done, just toss in the chopped greens and replace the lid. The greens will steam down so they can be stirred into the amaranth. Add some of your favorite herbs or spices before tossing the greens in. I like to use mild curry powder, or just some cumin and ginger.

Amaranth absorbs flavors well. Experiment—just use what vegetables and spices you have on hand to create your own easy, healthy, delicious dish!

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Research Report: Acupuncture for Pregnancy Pain
Acupuncture safely helps to relieve back and pelvic pain during pregnancy

A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology examined the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating the common and often disabling issue of pelvic and back pain during pregnancy. The study reviewed three clinical trials that tested acupuncture on back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. All of the trials found a statistically significant reduction of pain in the women who received acupuncture treatment.

According to the study authors, “Acupuncture, as an adjunct to standard treatment, was superior to standard treatment alone and physiotherapy in relieving mixed pelvic/back pain. Women with well-defined pelvic pain had greater relief of pain with a combination of acupuncture and standard treatment, compared to standard treatment alone. ... Given that acupuncture is a relatively safe procedure, these findings should encourage primary health care providers, obstetricians and midwives to consider referring women to trained acupuncturists for management of this common, painful and disabling condition.”

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we2e New You Expo:
Bringing out the Best in Boulder Women
Interactive expo highlights women-owned businesses and benefits the YWCA

we2e (woman entrepreneur to entrepreneur) is a unique networking group focused on supporting entrepreneurial Boulder women. We are holding an Expo, Tradeshow and Gala at the St. Julien Hotel on Sunday May 4th from 2 to 8pm.

The $20 admission fee (as well as all proceeds) benefit the Boulder YWCA and gets you:

• Entrance to the tradeshow that includes free services, tips and giveaways from Boulder women-owned businesses
• Mini-seminars such as "Declutter your Life and Your Thighs", "Turn Your Digital Trash into Treasure" and "On-the-Spot Style Edits"
• Wine and appetizer networking hour
• Evening Gala featuring keynote speech "Practicing Safe Stress" by Gina Shreck, as well as the results of whole-life makeovers we2e members provided for 8 lucky women
  
  For more information on the expo and the makeover process the women are undergoing visit http://www.we2e.biz/.

A reminder for the women of We2e: if you still have a Gift Certificate for an Immune Boost or Serenity Treatment, be sure to schedule your appointment before April 30th! (The appointment may take place after the 30th, but it must be scheduled by that date.)

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Thank you for reading, and for sharing this with others. Remember to visit acupunctureboulder.com for new additions and changes, or to read past issues of Acupuncture Boulder News!

Warmest Regards,
Robin

www.acupunctureboulder.com