Acupuncture Facials with Adele Reising NYC

Rituals / Tips Sensitive Skin Wellness

Adele Reising is a highly skilled practitioner of Chinese medicine, specializing in acupuncture, herbal medicine, and Chinese medical massage. She runs a private practice in New York City, offering holistic treatments tailored to individual health needs. Adele holds a Master’s degree in Chinese medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, where she taught from 1999 to 2006 and served as the Department Chair of Herbal Medicine for four years.

Tell us a bit about your signature acupuncture facial.

The treatment always includes an assessment and full body treatment, and that can vary depending on what is going on for the person that day and depending on what we are working on. There are body points that have a lifting and toning effect to the muscles of the body, body points that have a moistening effect for the face, body points that are good for the eyes, and of course body points for various emotional blockages that may be contributing to certain wrinkles or holding patterns on the face. For example, transverse lines across the forehead are associated with worry and over-thinking, so if I am treating that I will add body points that calm the spirit and help resolve worry and over-thinking. I also use some herbal masks before and after the needles for the face. The mask before the needles relaxes the face, promotes circulation and nourishes the skin. The mask after the needles is toning and tightening, cooling, and feels very good after the needle stimulation. For the needles in the face, I often needle the origin and insertion of the muscles to help with tone and lifting, which works well around the mouth and jaw line, but also for other issues. For fine lines I insert tiny intradermal needles using tweezers that help smooth out the lines, and if they are not too deep the lines will disappear after a few treatments. After the treatment I usually do some lymph drainage around the face and neck to enhance the treatment. The treatments are very calming, because when your face relaxes, your whole body relaxes.

What are the benefits of an acupuncture facial?

The acupuncture facial lifts and tones the face, reduces and eliminates fine lines, reduces puffiness, smooths the skin, relaxes the body, and resolves old stuck emotions. People feel great after a session!

How does acupuncture work?

Well, this is a big question and there are a few ways to answer it. One is from the biomedical viewpoint, and one is from the Chinese medicine viewpoint. According to Chinese medicine we have channels or meridians that run through our body and carry a vital substance called qi. There are 12 regular channels on the body like the 12 months of the year, and the map of them on the body is like the constellations in the sky. Originally the ancient Chinese counted 365 points on the body like the days of the year, although we have added a lot more over the last 2000 years. Along these channels are acupuncture points where the qi can be accessed more easily. From a biomedical viewpoint, many of the channels follow the pathways of the peripheral nerves in our body. The needles stimulate the peripheral nervous system and have a local effect on the area being treated. Of course, the peripheral nervous system is in constant communication with the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) so there is also a systemic effect on the body. The needles can relieve pain, promote circulation, induce a deep state of relaxation, release muscle spasm, tone muscle, regulate the hormones and more. So, there is a local effect and a global effect with acupuncture.

As for qi, this term is hard to translate. The Chinese character for qi is the vapors that comes off of rice as it is cooking. The idea is that qi is the subtle essence of something. Some people translate it as energy, but activity is probably a better choice. Qi is the activity of something versus the substance of it. For example the beating of your heart is it’s qi, we call that heart qi. Everything has its own kind of qi.

Can acupuncture facials help reduce wrinkles? And, is it better than botox?

Yes, acupuncture facials help reduce wrinkles, and if they are not too deep they can get rid of them. I think it is better than botox, because it also helps resolve stuck emotions that lead to the wrinkles in the first place. Since acupuncture also helps lift and tone and get rid of puffiness it does more than botox as well.

What led you to acupuncture?

Serendipity led me to acupuncture. I have always been interested in herbs and the natural healing remedies that already exist on our planet. When I was in college, I was exploring various healing modalities to see which one resonated with me the most and a friend introduced me to an acupuncturist from China. I started studying with her privately and fell in love with the philosophy of Chinese medicine and all the modalities including acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, cupping, massage, qi gong etc.

What keeps you inspired in your practice?

This is an excellent question. Early on in my practice I was very successful right away, but I got burned out because I didn’t know how to pace myself. Fortunately I had a chance to go back to China to study for an extended period with the help of a Blakemore Foundation grant after I had been practicing for two years. That time of study and reflection after practicing for a few years allowed me to see how important it is to maintain the right balance with practicing and taking time for myself.

One thing for me that really keeps me inspired is to learn new treatment strategies and disciplines, it helps keep things fresh and I also get crossover inspiration. There is this idea in Chinese culture that different disciplines cross-fertilize each other and deepen the practice of both simultaneously. For example, practicing qi gong or tai ji quan is very important for learning how to be a good acupuncturist even though you are not studying anatomy, and acupuncture charts and medical theory, but you are literally learning how to manipulate the qi in your own body and utilizing the principles of yin and yang in the movements associated with the practice. Right now, I have been practicing cranio-sacral therapy which is an osteopathic practice and that has deepened my understanding of acupuncture even though they are not related historically. I also practice Gyrotonic, which again is not related to acupuncture, but it deepens my practice and has a lot of elements that are similar to qi gong. Qi gong literally means qi practice and I still do that as well. It is very important for taking acupuncture to a higher level of practice.

How do you stay grounded in this busy world?

I take time for myself to practice the new things I am learning, like cranio-sacral therapy but also my Gyrotonic practice and qi gong practice. I also like to spend time in nature, fortunately I live next to Central Park which is an oasis to me. I also think it is important to have some outside interests, for me that is art, but it could be anything from cooking to dancing to reading. I love to go to the museum and visit some of my favorite works and discover new ones. I also love the history behind the art and learning more about some of my favorite artists. I fell in love with Japanese woodblock prints after I discovered that Monet and Van Gogh were inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. Last year the Brooklyn Museum had an exhibit of a large body of Hiroshige’s work, that was fantastic. I have a small collection of Hiroshige’s wood block prints that give me a lot of joy. Some of them are in my treatment rooms and I think it facilitates a calming and healing environment for the treatments.

Do you have any morning rituals you recommend for beauty, such as acupressure points or massage techniques?

In the morning I like to take time to do some breathing exercises. When we are running around all day and busy we can get stuck in a pattern of breathing that signals to our brain that we are under stress; I call it stress breathing. This pattern of breathing is very common, and it involves sort of pulling the shoulders down in a slight hunch forward on the exhale. It is a protective reflex, that we are trying to protect our heart and lungs when we feel threatened. Just breathing like that can raise stress hormones in the body and put us into a state of flight or fight. So I like to do the opposite. I lie on a yoga mat with my legs bent and my feet on the floor. I put a small rolled towel under my head to support my neck. I lie with my hands down by my sides but a little bit out, like a V shape. When I inhale I allow everything to expand, including the chest, and when I exhale, I allow the opposite, letting the chest sink in a little bit. This creates more space for the shoulders, and I gently roll my arms outward on the exhale, and rotate them in on the inhale. It is a type of qi gong exercise, it can also be done standing, but I like to do it lying down. Just doing that breathing exercise for 10 minutes makes a huge impact on my day. This one breathing exercise has changed my life, but it takes practice. I practice it before sleeping too, but I don’t bother with the arm movements when I am trying to go to sleep, I just lie on my back and put my hands up on my stomach so that my shoulders are more relaxed. I try to integrate it into my daily life to breath like that naturally and stay away from stress breathing.

Can you share some foods you recommend to support healthy or well-ageing?

I believe variety is the spice of life. It is important to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes etc. I also recommend including seasonal foods to the diet, not exclusively, but additionally. Right now the asparagus is coming in so I can’t get enough of that. A lot of people avoid grains and legumes, but whole grains and legumes are incredibly important for our gut health, and that affects the skin. The gut flora is fed by the food we eat. If you eat a lot of processed food or sweets, you are feeding the gut flora that thrive on sugar and simple carbs, which in turn causes inflammation in the body. On the other hand, whole grains and legumes feed the gut flora that keeps the protective mucosal lining of the gut intact and that reduces inflammation in the body. A well rounded, varied diet that does not exclude any major food groups, like whole grains, is really the key to health.

Any other secrets you would like to share?

Well I probably don’t need to tell you this secret, but I love the hyaluronic face serum from Aevi. I have been using it twice a day for months now, and it has really evened out my skin tone, reduced any redness, and made my face feel less dry and more moisturized. I feel like I don’t need to wear any make-up to cover up my skin since I have been using it. I am obsessed with it!

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Book an appointment with Adele on this link here. For more expert tips, holistic wellness and everyday skin wisdom, follow @adelereisingacupuncture on Instagram.