Feng Fu spot

The Coolture of Feng Fu

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In the past two months, the unrelenting Arizona summer sun has beat me into submission. There have been only three days under one hundred degrees in the past two months. There is no shade, no way to escape the sun other than to hide inside. There is also no break from this intense heat in the foreseeable future.

As someone living with multiple sclerosis, this heat and sun exposure has been making my symptoms flare up. There are no visible signs, but those close to me notice my struggle. Fatigue is winning the battle and zapping my motivation. If I don’t get to something early in the morning, I will not get to it all. My word recollection is so off that my wife needs a translator. I’m always messing up common things like asking if she got my laundry out of the fridge. My feet and lower extremities are experiencing constant numbness and tingling. Every day is a fight to move an inch.

Last summer, I got a cooling vest and it has been a life saver. When I wear it, it cools me to my core and I feel instantly more vibrant. However, a cooling vest isn’t ideal for every situation. For my birthday, Luanne DiBernardo of Coolture, sent me a Cooling Headband.

At first, I was skeptical. How could one little headband provide me any relief? The results, however, were shocking. I first tried it at the gym before I knew the science behind it. I was absolutely amazed at how crisp and sharp I felt before, during and after my workout. I was curious about the science and how this little headband made such a big difference. So I reached out to Luanne and she told me about Feng Fu.

Feng Fu

Feng Fu (translation Wind Mansion) is an acupuncture point where the base of the skullcap meets the top of the neck.

Feng Fu (translation Wind Mansion) is an acupuncture point where the base of the skullcap meets the top of the neck

Aitchison, S. (2015, March 23). Feng Fu Point – A Surprising Trick to Feel Good. Retrieved August 2, 2015, from http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/feng-fu-point/

A do-it-yourself, home acupressure remedy is to lay flat on your stomach and place a piece of ice on the Feng Fu spot. With the ice on your neck, lay for twenty minutes letting the ice melt and sooth. Do this once in the morning and once in the evening, every two to three days. It is also recommended that you try this with an empty stomach with the warning that you will feel light headed and euphoric when you are finished.

 A do-it-yourself, home acupressure remedy is to lay flat on your stomach and place a piece of ice on the Feng Fu spot. With the ice on your neck, lay for twenty minutes letting the ice melt and sooth.

Do You Know the Ice Cube Cure for Mind and Body? (2015, May 19). Retrieved August 2, 2015, from http://www.ba-bamail.com/content_15573/An_ice_cube_in_the_right_place_can_do_wonders.aspx

According to Steven Aitchison, BaBa Health and Beautiful Mind benefits of using the Feng Fu technique may help alleviate the following health issues:

  • Improve your sleep;
  • Improve the digestive system;
  • Eliminate frequent colds;
  • Decrease headache, toothache and joint pain;
  • Improve your breathing, cardiovascular system;
  • Manage neurological disorders, degenerative changes in the spine;
  • Cure gastrointestinal and sexually transmitted infections;
  • Manage disorders of the thyroid gland;
  • Help with arthritis, hypertension and hypotension;
  • Help with asthma;
  • Manage disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, obesity and malnutrition;
  • Reduces Cellulitis;
  • Manage menstrual disorders, impotence, frigidity, endocrine, infertility;
  • Manage psycho-emotional disorders, stress, chronic fatigue, depression, insomnia;

*Disclaimer – I am not a doctor and cannot vouch for the accuracy of claims made by other sites. It is interesting that each site researched shared a similar list, so I shared the most complete list I found. Please consult your acupuncturist to learn more about the health benefits of Feng Fu*

Feng Fu and Coolture Cooling Headbands

One of the challenges with placing ice on your neck and laying flat on your stomach is that the ice can move.  The Coolture Cooling Headbands solve this problem and allow you to get the benefit of Feng Fu while going about your daily activities. Because of the Acupressure benefits, the Cooling Headbands can be used throughout the year, not just in the summer. They also a great value costing under twenty bucks and come in a bunch of cool colors:

Cooling headbands by Coolture put the cooling where it matters: at the base of your head and neck, which provides a unique response to cooling
COOLING HEADBANDS. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2015, from http://www.coolture.net/cooling-headbands/

If you have never heard of Coolture, check out Van DiBernardo’s story. Van was a designer for DKNY when he was diagnosed with MS. Today, Van designs cooling products for people living with multiple sclerosis at the company he helped found, Coolture.

I wanted to thank Van and Luanne for the difference they make for those of us living with MS. I especially wanted to thank Luanne for my birthday present. I love my Coolture Cooling Headband! It has really has helped manage my MS symptoms and brave the Arizona heat. Thank you!

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4 thoughts on “The Coolture of Feng Fu

  1. I knew the place where your neck and brain stem meet is important to an MSer. Message of that spot and/or acupuncture can help some symptoms. I have used cold packs on my husband, J. on that spot. I have wanted to use ice before, he did not want me to.

    Acupuncture can help with some of the MS pain and spasticity for some people. The problem is lots of health insurance companies won’t pay for it unless it is done by a chiropractor. Also some MSers can’t afford any more non- covered medical expenses.

    I might add that moving to a place like Phoenix, seems like a bad idea to me… if you know you are heat sensitive…. then being outside for a short time, like getting from your AC house to your AC car can cause a problem Also Phoenix can be humid from all the irrigation and/or monsoons..

    If you wanted to live in the West almost anywhere is cooler than Phoenix.

    Where I live is quite a bit cooler than Phoenix and since I am in the high desert at 5000′, the temperature drops quite a bit at night. However, 6 months of the year J. has problems like I mentioned above… I manually precool the car. A car with the kind of system where it could be precooled by starting it remotely from a key fob… is costly. Also J. can’t be in the direct sun and/or humid weather. When the humidity is more than about 40%,it bothers him.

    I am sure you probably had some valid reasons for moving from Boston to AZ: like your parents and/ or grandparents moved there, your wife had a great job offer/ and or job transfer there etc. Also houses may have been affordable in AZ but not in the Boston area.

    If J. and I could figure out how to move to a better place we would do that. It is really hard just trying to figure out places that might be good. But his head can be hot and he will have symptoms like you did: difficulty with speech, problems with balance when trying to walk and cognitive issues… while his legs are achy and cold. J. has pretty bad spasticity in his buttocks and calves.

    Trish

    1. Hey Trish!

      Thank you for the comment. My mom’s side of the family moved to Phoenix when I was little, so I used to visit my grandparents here and decided to go to ASU to be closer to that side of my family. When I finished college, I came home but missed the Arizona weather and lifestyle. As my MS progressed, I didn’t want to deal with the seasons and the traffic anymore. So, when I had a chance, we moved back to AZ. It is more affordable here all around from housing to groceries, the traffic and roads aren’t bad and I LOVE the weather. When it is hot, hot I don’t go outside between 2-5. From October to May it is a paradise. I love it here. I definitely think it helps me. My best wishes to you on your journey.

      Take care,

      Matt

  2. I came across a head cooling band in a local construction supply store! It has been a life saver this summer! I found placing ice-cubes under it at the base of my neck helped carry on this benefits. I just understand when my kinda had a fever putting a cool cloth here made there temperature drop, so I thought why wouldn’t it work for me? I didn’t realize it what is an acupuncture spot ! “Feng Fu spot”. Interesting read Matt! Thanks

    1. You’re welcome Sher! I loved the headband, too. Once I learned of the extra health benefits, I decided that I needed to use it more and share what I learned with everyone 🙂

      Take care,

      Matt

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