Category Archives: Massage

Introducing CAM™ - chiropractic, acupuncture and massage

Introducing CAM™ – Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage in One Treatment

Chiropractic, acupuncture and massage compliment each other, and now they’re all combined into one holistic healing treatment–an exclusive new service offered only at Sage Health called, CAM™. With over 25 years spent in the realm of healing arts, Dr. Sage is excited to have developed this new service using a systematic technique in which she diagnosis spinal misalignments and meridian imbalances through sophisticated palpation, muscle testing, and an eclectic variety of methods blending traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, and massage. She addresses each patient holistically to find the root of the problem(s) and uses a variety of methods to tailor her care to each individual.

Interested? Let’s take a deeper look at the CAM™ treatment and how it can benefit you. 

How many practitioners will I have for this treatment?

The entire CAM™ treatment is given by Dr. Sage. She is dual-licensed and the only practitioner blending these modalities into an all-inclusive holistic healing service in the country. So this is truly a unique treat!

How long is the appointment?

Appointments options for CAM™ are available for 60 or 80 minutes. If time permits, we say go for the 80–it’s totally worth it.

Step 1 of CAM™ – Chiropractic

Dr. Sage starts off with a chiropractic assessment and adjustment to determine what your body’s needs are and develop an individualized course of action for the remainder of the treatment. During this portion, she will diagnose and treat any spinal misalignments and offer muscle testing for further understanding of your body needs.

New Patient Side Note – This treatment is available to new patients but more time will be taken for this portion to give a proper initial assessment. So schedule accordingly if you’d like more time for massage and/or acupuncture.

Step 2 of CAM™ – Massage

Next, Dr. Sage will deliver a full body massage to help maintain the integrity of the chiropractic adjustment while also discovering and working through any muscle tension in the body. This also prepares your body for the acupuncture portion of the treatment.

Step 3 of CAM™ – Acupuncture

Lastly, Dr. Sage will take the information that she’s been able to glean from the previous two treatments and deliver an acupuncture session that specifically targets the needs of your body for deeper healing and relaxation.

When can I book?

Anytime! CAM™ is available as a service now and appointments are starting to book-up so give us a call or book with us online today! 

Sagee Health Make an Appointment Button

If you have any questions, please contact us and we’d be happy to help you. 

PH: 760-753-2157

If you enjoyed this blog you may also want to read The Benefits Chirosage.

Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic, acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness. We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024. Email: health@sagehealthonline.com |  PH: 760.753.2157

Acusage: A Unique Treatment That Combines Acupuncture and Massage

Acusage treatments combining acupuncture and massage

Acusage: A Unique Treatment That Combines Acupuncture and Massage

Sage Health is excited to offer a very special treatment called Acusage. This unique service beautifully blends acupuncture and massage into a single, balanced treatment where the two complement one another for the ultimate experience in relaxation and healing.

Within our busy practice, we see so many patients for a variety of reasons. From regular adjustments and treatments to the urgent “please fix/relax/relieve this!” … we see it all, day in and day out. It’s why we’re in business and why we love what we do — to help people feel their best! Our busy practice allows us to better determine the needs of our clients, and one of the biggest pain points we hear about is time. We get it. Making time for appointments is hard in our busy schedules. So we’ve found ways to combine certain treatments to help save time and offer maximum benefit. We did this first with Chirosage and now with Acusage, offered by our very own Sage Health team member, Dr. Aimee Holdwick, DAOM, L.Ac.

While there’s nothing like experiencing it for yourself, here’s a little info to explain how Acusage works and what the benefits are.

How long is Acusage and how is it structured?

All Acusage appointments are 90-minutes to ensure that the appropriate amount of time is taken for each part of the process. The service is carefully “bookended” as Dr. Holdwick appropriately puts it. The treatment begins with approximately 30-minutes of gentle massage of the back, shoulders and lower legs, followed by acupuncture. Then the front of the body is addressed with another massage focusing mostly on the neck, arms, and front of shoulders, which is followed with another session of acupuncture. The final step is a massage to the lower legs and feet, which is meant to offer grounding benefits.

How deep is the massage portion of Acusage?

The service addresses overall body concerns using gentle tui na and Thai massage techniques. The massage portion is meant to be gentle as it helps the technician to further detect and assess what the body’s overall needs are to offer deeper healing in the overall treatment. The massage portion also helps to relax the central nervous system and bring it into the calmest state possible. A deep tissue or sports massage would be counterintuitive to this treatment so we advise that those types of massages be booked separately.

How often should I book an Acusage appointment?

The answer to this is based on your individual needs and goals, and something to discuss with your acupuncturist. In general, this type of treatment would be beneficial on a monthly basis — especially if you’re often pressed for time and booking multiple appointments on a monthly basis is challenging.

Book your appointment with Dr. Holdwick today as these treatments are starting to book up fast!

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If you enjoyed this blog you may also want to read The Benefits Chirosage.

Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic, acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness. We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024. Email: health@sagehealthonline.com |  PH: 760.753.2157

Gratitude blog image for Sage Health in Encinitas

The Importance and Practice of Expressing Gratitude

November is indeed a month where we take a good look at all of the things we’re grateful for. Expressing gratitude is something we encourage practicing year round, and even daily, to maintain a sense of humility and balance, which can be a huge boost to support our mental and spiritual health. There are so many ways we can do this, from vocal expression to written word, and even in our meditation practice. But the key is to really FEEL gratitude when we’re expressing it! And making this a ritual doesn’t have to be a daunting or overbearing task, you can simply think it or say it with the littlest things such as when someone holds the door open for you or when you and your family arrive home safely after a trip. At the end of the day, the little things we are grateful for are just as important as the bigger stuff, if not more so.

While we’re on the topic, it’s extra important to remember to carry that sense of gratitude over into the holiday season, especially during all the hustle and bustle that inevitably surrounds us during this time of year.

Here’s a little idea…set an intention to carry this sense of grace and gratitude with you throughout the season in an effort to stay mindful of all the little things that mean so much. Every day make an effort to list at least 3 things you’re grateful for to help you stay grounded and truly feel the magic of the holiday spirit!

We have so much to be thankful for here at Sage Health so we thought it’d be fun to compile a list of 10 things we’re grateful for and share it with you…

  1. Our absolutely amazing clients and patients, we wouldn’t be here without you!
  1. Our staff, we couldn’t function without our incredibly talented and dedicated team.
  1. The art of massage…from an amazing therapist — ahhhhhhh!
  1. The ancient healing practice and wisdom of acupuncture
  1. Chiropractic care – to realign and help us hold it all together!
  1. Organic skin care and the special touch of an aesthetician
  1. Holistic medicine – herbs, tonics, essential oils, and ALL of the things!
  1. Chocolate!
  1. Having our wellness center in the beautiful beach town of Encinitas
  1. And last but definitely not least, we are so grateful for our loved one’s — family, friends and, yes, even our beloved pets!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to read our blog, “Just Let That Shit Go: Some Stress Relieving Advice“.

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Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by Chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic, acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness.

We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024.

Email: health@sagehealthonline.com |  PH: 760.753.2157

Just Let That Shit Go: Some Stress Relieving Advice

Girl jumping at sunset

Celebrating Transition from Facing Adversity

The title of this blog couldn’t be more apropos given recent events at Sage Health as we are absolutely celebrating a huge transition from facing some very recent adversity.

Here’s what happened…

We were happy to celebrate the recent rainy weather given the serious California drought conditions, we just didn’t think that meant it would literally rain in our office!

In early March, a pipe burst in the suite above us and the Sage Health office became a disastrous flood zone. Stress doesn’t even begin to describe how we felt. How on earth were we going function as a business?! Our staff needed to work, and our clients needed treatments! Our heads were spinning but we banded together, rolled up our sleeves and faced the adversity head-on — focusing on how we could turn this negative into a positive.

And we did just that!

Immediately, we found a way to maintain business as usual, as best we could, in what was left of the usable space in our current office. We were also lucky enough to temporarily rent the empty space next door to continue offering massage, acupuncture and skin care services. We were beyond grateful that we were able to make it work while we got down to planning how we would renovate the damaged space.

Here’s where the fun part comes into all the madness. In the renovation planning process, we had this “Aha!” moment that our space really needed some adjustments to accommodate our services that required a quieter environment, such as, massage, acupuncture, skin care, etc. As our current clients will recall, all of these services were previously given in the front rooms near the reception and patient waiting area, which in hindsight wasn’t ideal — though we made it work.

So we decided that the front rooms near the reception and waiting area would be used for chiropractic treatments; while the back office space would be transformed into a tranquil spa-like setting where it’s much quieter (and serene!) to more effectively accommodate our services that require this type of setting such as  massage, acupuncture, skincare, and other bodywork treatments.

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. While we certainly wouldn’t have wished for the flood to have happened, it did drive us to improve how our space functions for our clients and staff. We were forced to deal with a disastrous moment of adversity that led us to transition into something that our business truly needed…yet who knows when or if we would’ve ever come to that realization without it!

Lesson learned and we are truly grateful.

We also want to thank YOU our wonderful patients who bore with us and supported us during the transition. We wouldn’t be here without you!

So for the month of May, we’re offering $10 OFF ANY SERVICE! Chiropractic, Chirosage, Fire Cupping, Acupuncture, Massage, Skin Care, etc. This offer isn’t applicable towards insurance co-pays or deductibles but if you’re on our wellness program or a cash patient, you are able to take advantage of this offer.

Thank you again and if you haven’t come in to see our newly renovated space, please come see us!

Sage-Health-Encinitas-Front-Desk

Sage-Health-Encinitas-Waiting-Room

Sage-Health-Chiropractic-Tables

Sage-Health-Encinitas-Massage-Quiet-Area

If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to read our blog, “Find Your doTERRA Essential Oil Match.”

Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by Chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic, acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness.

We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024.

Email: health@sagehealthonline.com |  PH: 760.753.2157

Massage is often touted as a luxury or a means of pampering one’s self in a spa setting. While massage can definitely feel like a treat, it’s actually extremely therapeutic and, in our humble opinion, necessary to maintaining one’s overall health and wellness. Our bodies could easily be likened to the cars we drive. Sure we feed them fuel and wash them regularly, but the reality is they’re most likely to run optimally if we take them in for routine maintenance. Chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage are ways in which we “tune up” our bodies and maintain them so we can feel and perform at our best. The more regularly we schedule these treatments into our world, the better our bodies will feel and function.

That leads us right into an introduction to our awesome massage therapy team at Sage Health. All of our therapists are selectively screened for their abilities, style, and professionalism to ensure they can offer the best experience possible for our clients. They all have a slightly different style and we’d like to introduce you to them here…

Sara Valdez of Sage Health

Sara Valdez as many of our patients now know is a common friendly face in the Sage Health office. In addition to offering massage therapy, she also helps Dr. Sage with a lot of additional services within the office where our patients are concerned. Sara has a very relaxed approach to her massage style and is happy to adjust to the needs of a client. She communicates well with her clients and remains mindful of massage pressure. It’s important to her that her clients feel they can communicate with her in order to give them the best experience possible. 

rebecca-deroest

Rebecca Deroest has a massage style is that versatile and extremely intuitive. She can range from deep tissue with long healing strokes, to a gentler touch if need be. She reads the body through her touch quite well and adjusts accordingly. When asked which areas she likes to focus on for overall health and wellness, she mentioned that neck and shoulders as well as low back and glutes, which are commonly an area of concern that she likes to give a little extra attention to. We can certainly attest to her abilities to release these areas of the body while still offering a relaxing and healing experience.

sunset-ocean-turquoise-sky

Patrick Fischer has been a therapist with Sage Health for a long while, and for good reason. He’s built up an extremely loyal following of clients who swear by his healing abilities. We can tell you first hand that he’s a master of deep tissue massage. As he cares deeply about educating his clients on the reason behind focusing on a particularly tight area of the body, he’s happy to explain exactly what’s going on in your body and offer a truly effective massage to help release any extreme tension.

Lorien-Massage-Therapist-Sage-Health
Lorien Lehmer practices a blend of eastern and western massage techniques
including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Acupressure, Ayurvedic, Polarity, Reiki,
Raindrop Therapy, Reflexology, Lymph Drainage, Energy Medicine,
Craniosacral Therapy and Pregnancy to customize your session for maximum
stress as well as injury relief and deep relaxation of the nervous system.
Working with the body for over 17 years her work is intuitive and
supports an integration of body, mind, and emotion.

We adore our massage team here at Sage Health and encourage our clients to experience them all to feel the difference in what they offer. They are truly fantastic healers and masters of their craft!

Book your appointment today!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to read our blog, “The ZYTO Scan: Overview and Benefits.“

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Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by Chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic, acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness.

We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024.

Email: health@sagehealthonline.com |  PH: 760.753.2157

Fire cupping therapy treatment

Fire Cupping: Insights and Benefits

The 2016 Summer Olympics has been so much fun to watch! We especially love to see all the coverage on the ways in which the athletes are taking care of their bodies while enduring what we can only imagine involves an intense and grueling amount of training. One thing in particular that has gained a lot of attention is a treatment we offer at Sage Health called, fire cupping.

Athletes such as Michael Phelps and Alex Naddour have both showcased numerous large red circular spots on their shoulders and back — an almost ghastly visual of what fire cupping is known to produce. While these spots may look like the aftermath of some sort of torture device, we can assure you the treatment (when performed properly by a licensed practitioner) is actually quite soothing, for most. In fact, this ancient Chinese medicine practice is meant to be extremely healing and rehabilitative.

What is Fire Cupping and What Does it Do?

Traditional Chinese medicine (AKA as TCM) describes cupping as a method in which a vacuum is created on one’s skin to resolve and dissipate stagnation in the body to improve the flow of qi (free flowing life force). In this case, stagnation might exist in the blood and lymphatic system. The suction created (from inside the cups) is known to loosen muscles and produce a mild sedation and relief to the nervous system, offering relief of muscle stiffness and pain. Additional benefits are known to reduce feelings of anxiety, as well as aid with rheumatism, and fatigue. That’s only a small glimpse of what this treatment can help with.

Fire cupping is often married with acupuncture or massage, but not always. It all depends on the needs of the patient. At Sage Health, we pair it with a treatment known as Tui Na — a form of ancient Chinese therapeutic massage, which utilizes a variance of techniques where a type of rhythmic compression is moved along different energy channels of the body to create a harmonious flow of qi in an effort to create positive balance.

Will Fire Cupping hurt?

Typically, fire cupping is painless when performed properly by a licensed professional. Most of our patients find it quite relaxing. Some report a mild sensation of suction, pressure, or heat.

How is Fire Cupping Performed?

There are a number of different ways to perform fire cupping. At Sage Health we commonly use the traditional glass cups.

Fire cupping on patients back at Sage Health in Encinitas CA

Curious what it looks like? Click here to view a short video of a Dr. Kirsten Sage performing the procedure on a patient who was experiencing some shoulder pain in the upper and mid-back.

Why Are Some Spots Redder Than Others?

This is a common question, and there are a variety of answers. The short answer is that the more redness that is brought to the surface of the skin, the more it was needed to expel stagnation, increase blood flow, and release toxins. Your practitioner can explain further based on your specific needs and reason for the treatment.

Fire cupping marks left on upper back

Marks left on Sage Health patient’s upper back after fire cupping treatment to help relieve shoulder pain.

Is Fire Cupping Right for Me?

While we recognize the incredible benefits fire cupping can offer, whether or not it’s right for you is something to absolutely discuss with your health practitioner.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to read our blog, “Spring and the Time Change: Taking Care of YOU.”

Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by Chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic,acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness. We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024. Email: health@sagehealthonline.com |  PH: 760.753.2157

Woman receiving therapuetic neck massage

The Benefits of Chirosage

We all love getting a massage and know how beneficial it can be if we pair it with other therapeutic treatments such as chiropractic and acupuncture.

For some time now, Sage Health has been offering Chirosage treatments, which meld both chiropractic and massage into one service.

While Chirosage has been growing in popularity with our clients, we understand that this service may still leave some people wondering what it is, and furthermore, why they should consider booking a session. So we thought it might help to explain and outline the benefits of it to give insight to anyone who might be interested in this healthful therapeutic treatment.

Enhanced Alignment

If you’re a regular customer of Sage Health, you’re familiar with the common treatments we offer prior to your adjustment — rolling table, heat, percussion, etc. These elements are meant to help you relax and relieve tension. By helping you to relax, your muscles and joints, in turn, become easier to work with thereby enhancing the integrity of your chiropractic adjustment. Now imagine taking that pre-adjustment phase a big step further — this is what you get with a Chirosage.

We start with a massage treatment that is tailored specifically to you. This also gives your chiropractor a chance to literally feel where the particular points of issue are on your body by massaging the surrounding soft tissue and muscles. It allows them to pinpoint these areas and work them out in an effort to relieve excess tension and stress. It also provides them with an enhanced understanding of what needs to happen with your chiropractic adjustment. This only further augments their awareness of your body’s needs and helps them to determine the best course of action to bring your body back into balance. Once the massage portion is complete, your body has become much more malleable — thereby making it so the muscles and joints are ready to release fully and allow your body to align (with ease) during your chiropractic adjustment.

Time Saver

The other benefit of a Chirosage is that it can be considered a time saver since you’re getting both your massage and chiropractic adjustment in one service. At Sage Health, we offer Chirosage treatments in increments of 20, 30, and 60, minute sessions. Often times, patients only have time for one service or the other on any given day. While we’d all love to book an hour-long massage along with an adjustment afterward, this may not be realistic for everyone’s schedule. With Chirosage, you get the best of both worlds in an ideal time-frame that works for you.

For more information about Chirosage, or to book an appointment, please give us a call.

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If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to read our blog, “Setting Realistic and Healthy New Years Goals.”

Sage Health is a holistic wellness center in Encinitas, California founded by chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Sage. We specialize in advanced chiropractic, acupuncture and massage treatments. We are focused on helping patients with natural alternatives to optimal health and wellness. We are located at 531 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024. Email: health@sagehealthonline.com |  PH: 760.753.2157