As I walked around the park the other morning in Victoria I noticed the leaves are changing color, the air is crisp, and fall is setting in. Now that kids are back in school and the weather is cooling many people get sick with the common cold this time of year. Acupuncture theory believes that exposure to “wind” and “cold” at an acupuncture point on the back of the neck allows “pathogens” to enter into the body. This point is called “Fengchi” or gallbladder 20. “Feng” means wind, and “chi” means pool. You can protect yourself from “exterior pathogens” by simply covering Fengchi when you are outside. Scarves seem to be stylish now days so wrap up before heading outside! Exterior pathogens can be cold, hot, damp, wind, dryness, or damp heat and comes from the outside of the body. Interior pathogens arise from imbalances inside the body due to stress, diet, exercise, sleep, and lifestyle. You may also find that if you are just beginning to get sick Fengchi might feel stiff and tight. If you massage this point (or better yet get someone else to massage it!) you can avoid becoming ill. ~Think...
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 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...
Thanks to Mr. R.A.B. “Qi Gong for Vitality, Health, and Longevity” is now going to be practiced in Mexico! This is very exciting to me to know that there are people all over Canada, the United States, England, Ireland, Europe, and now Mexico practicing Qi Gong. I get emails and people telling me weekly about how the simple 18 minute practice helps lower stress, increase energy, and calm the mind. I attended a seminar last year where the instructor was asked, “What’s the best exercise to do?” The answer was, “The one that you ACTUALLY do!” I thought that was brilliant and a good reminder that we don’t need to over think our exercise and stress reducing activites, we just need to do them regularly! We are working on a downloadable version of the Qi Gong routine that can be put on to your mp3 players, ipods, iphones, and smartphones so that it can be available to practice anytime you desire. And, we are working on an audio version that can be used in the same way. But until then, keep practicing with what you have available! ~Think...
This weekend was the first full day qi gong workshop here in Victoria and judging by the feedback, it went well! Thank you to everyone who attended and for giving me such valuable feedback. I read the suggestions everyone had with great interest because I would like to offer as much value as I can and work out all the kinks. What a few people mentioned was they wanted a little bit more feedback on their form and how they were doing. I think this is a valuable part of learning from a real person rather than books or videos. On November 6th, 2010 we are planning the next seminar where I will devote time specifically to helping intermediate people improve their techniques as well as teaching the absolute beginners. So mark your calendars and start spreading the word if you know anyone that might benefit from qi gong! On the note of ‘spreading the word,’ I received a serious ‘beat down’ for not having a facebook fan page. So, here it is! You can “like” the page and find health tips, information, inspiration, upcoming events and happenings. For those of you who are new to fan pages, rest assured I cannot see your personal information or wild weekend pictures! In the meantime, start boosting your immune system because in 2 weeks time a lot of people are going to be getting sick because of kids going back to school! ~Think Vitality!~ photo...
