September is upon us, school zones are back in effect, and kids are back in school. We have all heard, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” so here are 5 easy tips to help your and your family start the day off on the right foot. 1 Breakfast smoothie Don’t have enough time to make a 5 course breakfast in the morning? Throw some fresh, or frozen fruit in a blender with a scoop of protein powder, some extra virgin coconut oil and you have a complete breakfast! 2 Add to your cereal Add plain yogurt, hemp hearts, frozen blueberries or blackberries, cinnamon, goji berries, and/or nuts and seeds to your regular cereal to make it pack a nutritional punch. 3 Almond butter Yes, “extra smooth peanut butter” is tasty but if you look at the ingredients you will find sugar is the second or third one. Try almond butter on sprouted grain toast (like Squirrely Bread), apple slices, or celery sticks. 4 Eggs with veggies Grab a couple of free range, free run, omega 3, or organic eggs and scramble them with 1 cup of veggies of your choosing. Using left over stir fry as your veggies makes for some interesting combinations! 5 Time One of the worst things to do is jump out of bed and attack the day with fury! Giving yourself an extra 15 minutes of slow, quality time in the morning can help you stay grounded and ‘present’ throughout the busy day! ~Think...
I came across this list of 100 benefits of meditation that applies to qi gong and yoga as well. I remember when I first heard of meditation it seemed very ‘esoteric’ or ‘new age.’ But now meditation is becoming widely accepted as a valid treatment for many disorders. People wonder”what is the best meditation to do?” I heard it answered best once; “the one that you ACTUALLY do!” Enjoy! Physiological benefits: 1. It lowers oxygen consumption. 2. It decreases respiratory rate. 3. It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate. 4. Increases exercise tolerance. 5. Leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation. 6. Good for people with high blood pressure. 7. Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate. 8. Decreases muscle tension 9. Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc. 10. Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms. 11. Helps in post-operative healing. 12. Enhances the immune system. 13. Reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress 14. Enhances energy, strength and vigour. 15. Helps with weight loss 16. Reduction of free radicals, less tissue damage 17. Higher skin resistance 18. Drop in cholesterol levels, lowers risk of cardiovascular disease. 19. Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing. 20. Decreases the ageing process. 21. Higher levels of DHEAS (Dehydroepiandrosterone) 22. Prevented, slowed or controlled pain of chronic diseases 23. Makes you sweat less 24. Cure headaches & migraines 25. Greater orderliness of brain functioning 26. Reduced need for medical care 27. Less energy wasted 28. More inclined to sports, activities 29. Significant relief from asthma 30. Improved performance in athletic events 31. Normalizes...
I recently went to a lecture by Tim Van Orden titled “Running Raw” put on by Vancouver Island Vegetarian Association VIVA. Tim is a raw foodist that has a great understanding of what it is to be a high level athlete and healthy at the same time. Tim aims to consume a raw, vegan, plant based diet 95% of time time without over-consuming nuts and seeds. I was impressed with his depth of knowledge, and his analytical approach. Why would one follow such a lifestyle? For a few reasons: Nutrient Density- with a diet comprised of tons of leafy greens, low glycemic fruits, and healthy fats you consume a massive amount of nutrients per calorie. This is opposite to the Standard North American diet which is very high in calories but low in nutrients. Low “toxic” diet- Cooking foods, especially high starch foods like potatoes, at high temperatures actually change the structure of the molecules causing them to produce a substance called “acrylamides”. Acrylamides are actually toxic and are known carcinogens, cancer causing agents. High “net gain”- Digesting food takes energy. Digesting food creates energy. If you eat foods that are take little energy to digest (such as a raw food diet) then you have a net gain of energy. The North American diet takes a lot of energy to digest resulting in a ‘net loss’ of energy. That is a very over-simplified explanation! As you can imagine following this type of lifestyle is not for everyone, I fully appreciate how difficult it can be to stick to this plan. The most valuable piece of advice I took from...
I realize that it has been over a month since my last article. I have been distracted by Penny, our 16 week Lab/Poodle ball of furry fury! She is a bundle of energy, tons of fun, and a lot of work! She will be available to see patients in the near future when she stops viewing everyone as a chew toy.Her specialty is: lowering stress lowering blood pressure and making people talk in a high pitched voice Actually, it has been very interesting watching Penny’s development over the last couple months. We first saw her when she was 2 days old and literally fit in the palm of my hand. Everything was so new to her and it is amazing to see how her mind processes the world around her. What I have learned is that there are some similarities between humans and animals; we respond best to regular routine. Penny does really well when she wakes, eats, walks, plays, and rests at the same time everyday. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine we should also be following a very regular schedule as well. The ancient Taoists were very strict about their routine, as they believed that it preserved their “life energy” or jing. They would rise with the sun and retire at sunset, eat light meals, and meditate twice a day at the same time. Until next time, stay regular and… ~Think...
I was trying my best to not sound like a foreign hockey player this morning during my interview for Village 900, a local radio station. I don’t think I said “ummm,” and “uugggh,” too often but we shall see! We discussed how acupuncture can be used for breaking addictions to smoking, alcohol, drugs, overeating, sugar, and so on. The show will be airing this Friday, but I will receive a copy of it that I will post here. As I was familiarizing myself with the most recent research into addictions I was reminded of how important stress management is if we are trying to break an undesirable behavior. When we get stressed will will be more likely to reach for the cigarettes, beer, or doughnuts. While acupuncture is fantastic for reducing stress, we need to incorporate other tools that we can use anytime we need them. A great tool is Qi Gong. This past weekend we had the Qi Gong for Vitality workshop which went really well. The feedback I had received since then is how relaxed, and energized at the same time people felt afterward, even for a few days! So wake up 10 minutes earlier, take a deep breath and do some Qi Gong! ~Think...
