James Whittle

James Whittle M.S., L.Ac. is an acupuncturist and a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). He has visited China more than 8 times to work in hospitals and conduct research. James has also consulted for the BBC on an acupuncture documentary and appeared on NBC news. In 2016, NBC called James “an expert in Chinese medicine.” He is the founder and owner of the Blue Ridge Clinic in Asheville, North Carolina, founded in 2003. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with honors, he completed his masters in acupuncture at Bastyr University in 2001. He is licensed to practice acupuncture in North Carolina and holds license #238. You can reach James at 828-254-4405.

5 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Recipes / /

Healthy breakfast ideas are central to living a healthy life and to starting your day with focus, energy and enthusiasm. In most cases, the Chinese medicine practitioner recommends eating warm foods and some protein first thing in the morning. The best hours to eat are between 7am and 9am when the spleen, pancreas and stomach energies are functioning at their maximum. If you have any other healthy breakfast ideas you would like to share please email me at james@blueridgeclinic.com. 5 […]

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Recipes

Acupuncture for Headaches

Acupuncture and Headaches / /

Headaches occur both as isolated phenomena, and as symptoms of a wide variety of acute and chronic conditions. Headaches that are symptomatic to a specific disease will generally disappear with effective treatment of that disease. Here we will consider conditions in which headache is the major symptom, including those caused by neurosis, hypertension, migraine and traumatic injury. The Western Medical View of Headaches: In Western medicine, headaches are part of the diseases and conditions addressed by neurology, psychology, ophthalmology and

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Acupuncture and Headaches

How Acupuncture Works

How Acupuncture Works / /

Patients often ask me how acupuncture works. And I often say, “patiently…though miracles do happen.” There is a great saying I learned from a master Japanese acupuncturist: “When you are in a hurry take the long way around.” The short cut is not the problem, the “hurry” is the real issue. Remember, there really are no shortcuts in life…observe closely and you will see that shortcuts in most cases are sales techniques: whether in get rich quick schemes, overnight cures

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How Acupuncture Works

Acupuncture and Children

Acupuncture and Children / /

Recent research reports have verified that Acupuncture is a very effective approach for treating children in pain. A recent study completed by Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital in Boston(1) found that two-thirds of children treated with Acupuncture reported improvement in pain symptoms. A most common question I get from concerned parents is: Will Acupuncture be painful for my child? Invariably, parents and their children tend to think that Acupuncture needles are going to feel the same as a shot

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Acupuncture and Children

Dry Mouth and Acupuncture

Dry Mouth / /

A study published in 2001 determined that acupuncture was effective at treating dry mouth. The dry mouth occurred as a result of radiation treatments for head and neck cancers. The International Journal of Radiation Oncology published the study which concluded: “Acupuncture reduces dry mouth in some patients who are otherwise not getting results with best current management.”(1) Acupuncture For Dry Mouth Xerostomia is the medical term for dry mouth. Because radiation treatment for cancer can in many cases damage the

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Dry Mouth

Treating Pain Naturally

Pain Conditions / /

Can you imagine someone telling you that they have never experienced pain? Of course not, pain is ubiquitous in our culture and pain syndromes are on the rise. Chronic headaches, low back pain, tendonitis, fibromyalgia and arthritis are all too common. And what do we do when we have pain? Typically we are told by health professionals to reach for the aspirin, Tylenol or motrin. But perhaps when reaching for these medications we are merely masking the symptoms. Let’s say

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Pain Conditions

The Best Way To Detox Your Body

Detoxification, Purification and Cleansing / /

Have you heard of leaky gut syndrome or dysbiosis? Even if you answer yes, this is a good reminder about these pernicious imbalances. Both of these health problems can cause all sorts of health issues and detoxification and purification is the cure. Leaky gut syndrome describes a condition of altered or damaged bowel lining. Typically caused by certain food allergies, toxins, poor diet, parasites, infection or medications, leaky gut syndrome can lead to increased permeability of the gut wall to

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Detoxification, Purification and Cleansing

Beetroot can lower blood pressure

HIgh Blood Pressure / /

Researchers from the London School of Medicine and Dentistry and Barts recently reported their findings demonstrating that beetroot can lower blood pressure at just 8oz of juice a day. The BBC News Service reported that: “Drinking 250ml (8oz) cut high blood pressure readings by 10mm of mercury (mmHg) in a study of 15 patients, bringing some into the normal range, the journal Hypertension reports. Most marked after three to six hours, the effect was detectable a day later. Scientists say

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HIgh Blood Pressure

How to think with your gut

Qigong Healing / /

Alfred Huang, a Tai Chi master from China and author of books on Tai Chi and the I Ching, once taught me a very simple qigong exercise that he practiced everyday. Mr. Huang was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution in China because of his profound knowledge of acupuncture, the I Ching and his mastery of Tai Chi. While in prison, Mr. Huang took advantage of his time in solitude to deepen his mastery of the qi of his own bodymind.

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Qigong Healing

Male balding and Low T in Chinese medicine

Low T, Male Balding / / /

In global health news today, there are two interesting studies that make sense in terms of the energetics of Chinese medicine: 1. Male baldness on the crown indicates a higher risk of heart disease 2. Low testosterone levels may signal an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis in men. What do these headlines from the BBC have to do with acupuncture and Chinese medicine? Male balding and low T in Chinese medicine are deeply connected. Interestingly, according to the article, a

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Low T, Male Balding
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