May 2009 Archives

I was watching Dr. Wayne Dyer on television and he mentioned that in the 1880's the average person consumed 13 grams of sugar a day while today the average person consumes 285 grams of sugar.  Now  Dr. Dyer is known for spiritual guidance but I never question why and from where I receive inspiration ... I immediately decided to look into it.

As I've mentioned before...obesity is not an Asian problem and sugar is not a big part of their diet.  Their diet is always about balance and certain foods are known to strengthen different organ systems and other foods control systems which have become overactive.  They do not count calories or fats but rather choose foods based on their function in the body.  However, having an investigative bent I'm often looking for the why of things.  As I mentioned in my previous article ... Nutrition is the basis of Chinese Medicine. 

There is much research to support the statement that all calories are not equal. The problem with sugar is that it stops your body from producing leptin, which regulates your appetite and metabolism.  Leptin is a hormone that is released by fat cells and the primary function of this hormone is to signal to your body that you are full.  Dr.Oz often speaks about the role of leptin in controlling belly fat.  Excess fat in the abdomen contributes to heart disease and diabetes to name just a few health issues.

Chinese Medicine treats the whole body.  It looks at life-style, diet and emotional states.  The most important and first line of treatment is always nutrition.  They feel that what you eat and how you prepare it is the foundation for Health and Healing.  Then after Diet and Nutrition comes Herbal Medicine.  Asian people grow up knowing herbs and herbal formulas to treat common ailments and also to prevent disease.  Acupuncture is last. 

This is the exact opposite of how it is viewed in the United States.  I have my Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine which includes Nutrition and Herbal Medicine in the curriculum; yet in New York State only acupuncture is licensed.  In addition to my acupuncture license I went on to take the National Boards in Herbal Medicine and to become a Board Certified Herbalist.  There is no uniformity in the US.  Some states require both acupuncture and herbs to be licensed and some states have their own board exams.

Classically acupuncture is viewed as moving energy or Qi, that is why it is so successful in treating pain.  There is a Chinese saying: "Where there is pain there is stagnation; where there is stagnation there is pain."  Classical acupuncturists will argue that for conditions that require more than just moving energy that you must employ Nutritional and Herbal therapies.  I know that there are many acupuncturists that will argue that acupuncture can do everything - however I side with the Classical approach as this has been practiced for over two thousand years.  Japanese acupuncture is another discussion for another time.

Many thanks to Jackie who emailed me to let me know that the Mayo Clinic promotes the use of nasal irrigation.  According to Jackie, their most recent study appeared in January 2009, with the 200 patients in the study reporting a relief of some or all of their allergy symptoms with twice daily nasal irrigations. 

Again I apologize for the problems people are having in leaving comments - all suggestions on how to improve it are welcomed ~ but please email me as I value your input.

In their study they used a Bulb Syringe...at $2 it is well worth the investment.
Bulb Syringes: 

Memorial Day  ~  That great American Holiday when we honor our war Veterans.  Yet the ritual always seems to end with overindulging ourselves with our favorite food and drink ~  to diet at this time would seem positively un-American.  Although I primarily believe in Preventative Medicine ~ in this case I have a few tricks in my bag to get us through. 

Fructus Crataegi, also known as Hawthorn Berry, is the best herb for food stagnation due to overindulgence in meat or greasy foods with symptoms of abdominal distention.  Recently this berry has also been used for hypertension, coronary artery disease, and elevated serum cholesterol. It's always fascinating how much those Chinese Doctors understood over two thousand years ago.

 Hawthorn Berry is used dry fried for food stagnation.  This is such a fascinating herb.  It has also been used in research at a 20 percent solution of Fructus Crataegi and Sugar to treat bacillary dysentery.

So after hot dogs, hamburgers and of course ribs, drink a cup of Hawthorn Tea.  Hawthorne Berry  is also available in a tincture or capsules.  In Chinatown, in New York City, they sell a Hawthorn Berry chewing gum that is regularly chewed after meals.

But if pasta and breads are your downfall  ~

                                                          I have other herbs to help you.

 

We have an important weekend coming up.  Professionally we have the 93rd Indianapolis 500 ~ personally people will be getting in their cars for road trips to visit friends and family.

 I'd like to share a little driver's Feng Shui with you.  First of all take six Peacock feathers and attach them to the visor on the driver's side of the car. The Peacock feathers are considered an extra pair of eyes for anyone getting behind the wheel ~ they really do look like eyes don't they?  You can often find them at a craft store.

Secondly hang a small, round, faceted crystal from the rear view mirror. Crystals are from the Earth and Earth is the Mother of Metal - the car.  The Crystal will offer additional protection.

Needless to say, please keep your car clean and uncluttered.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend !

I

I'll keep an eye out for you  ~

There is a story that goes; when the Buddha was ready to leave this Earth he called all the animals in the Kingdom to come to say goodbye to him.  The Rat asked the Ox if he could ride on his back because he was so small that he was afraid that he wouldn't get there in time to say goodbye.  The Ox agreed; but just as they were arriving the Rat jumped off the Ox's back ~ ran ahead and was first in line.  The Buddha named the years in the calendar after each animal in the order in which they arrived.  Thus the Rat was first and I often wondered if that is where we got our idea of the "sneaky,dirty Rat".

I've provided a quick way to determine your sign.  However if you were born before February 4th then you belong to the animal sign of the previous year as it doesn't change until around February 4th.  If your birth date is close to February 4th you should have someone look up the exact date as they may change each year. Feel free to contact me.

Find your Chinese Astrological Animal Sign:

Find your sign by adding 12 to your birth year until you reach one of the dates listed below.

Animal Sign       Year

Rat                      2008
Ox                       2009
Tiger                   2010
Rabbit                 2011
Dragon                2012
Snake                 2013
Horse                  2014
Sheep                 2015
Monkey               2016
Rooster               2017
Dog                     2018
Boar                    2019

Your astrological enemy is the animal 180 degrees from you or six signs away.  Thus if you are an Ox your enemy is the Sheep.

Today's subject is very serious...smoking.  I would be remiss if I didn't at least ask you to think seriously about why you are smoking.  You must have heard over and over again that smoking is at the root of many serious diseases and quitting is absolutely the best preventative medicine available to you.

Did you know that Marlboro cigarettes were originally developed for women as they were filtered?  Everyone was surprised that men started to smoke them and the advertising company immediately switched their focus and voila .... "The Marlboro man".  The popularity of the cigarette was so immediate that other companies started to study Marlboro  to discover why.  They found out that Marlboro cigarettes were treated with ammonia.  The way ammonia works is that it makes the smoke less acidic. That changes a portion of its nicotine into "free nicotine," a form that is more readily absorbed in the lungs. Free nicotine's effects are felt in the brain within seconds.  Boosting free nicotine also ensured that cigarettes would remain addictive even though companies were bringing out low-tar, low-nicotine brands.  In addition, tobacco leaves are cured with sugar which wrecks havoc with people's blood sugar.  To make matters even worse the tobacco companies have admitted that in the past ten years they have increased the nicotine content of their cigarettes by 10%.

In a class I took to stop smoking I was told; "picture the largest rat you have ever seen. It would weigh about a pound. The 1mg of nicotine that entered your bloodstream from your last cigarette would be sufficient to kill that rat.  A smoker smoking 30 cigarettes per day is, over an entire day, taking in enough nicotine to have killed a 160-pound human if the entire 30mg had been taken at once."

I do know how difficult it is to quit.  I loved my cigarettes yet I wanted desperately to stop.  I quit for three years - yet in a period of stress I picked up a cigarette and smoked for a year.  Again I quit for 3 and half years and went back again.  It is very very difficult.  I have lost six very close friends to smoking related diseases.  They all suffered and none died quickly . It was hardest on their families whose lives were forever altered by giving up everything to care for their loved one and then ultimately losing them.

There are as many ways to stop as there are brands of cigarettes. Call around - people will be very happy to talk to you about their stop smoking protocols.  I tried everything and they worked for years but I still went back. Twelve years ago I quit through an acupuncture protocol that was developed by a Chinese oncologist and so far this has worked for me.  Other acupuncture protocols did not work long-term for me but this one has.  You have to be relentless and keep trying till you find the treatment that works for you.

There is never a perfect time to quit ~ just set a date and go for it.

If you have quit, please write in with tips and suggestions that helped you.  If you are struggling to quit please write in with questions and we'll try to help you.


Good Luck!



Taboo:  Never sit with open bookcases pointing at your back. You run the risk of symbolically being stabbed in the back by your co-workers.

The beauty of Chinese Medicine is that it encompasses a total life style.
In China over a hundred years ago one only paid the doctor when he was well; if you got sick you didn't pay because the doctor had not done his job which was to keep you healthy. The doctor then treated you for free until you were well again. One would see the doctor on a regular basis for acupuncture, herbs, diet and lifestyle guidance. This was the ultimate model for preventative medicine ~ I wonder how it would work today..

In the Chinese medical classics, Wind is said to carry 100 diseases and it invades through the back of the neck.  In the Chinese style of dress the collar of both jackets and dresses is up high to cover and thus protect the back of the neck. I would assume that the Indian Nehru jacket that we remember from the 60's had the same purpose.  When I first started studying Chinese Medicine my teachers were adamant about covering the back of the neck - even in the summer. Since I started following their advice I almost never get a cold and never the flu.   Children are very Yang so they usually feel warm and hate wearing their jackets but start them out early to always keep the back of their necks covered; even something as simple as a bandana in the summer - and be sure to wear one yourself.  This is also very important when in air conditioned buildings or cars.

Americans favored the rattlesnake as a symbol even before the Revolution. Many felt the rattlesnake was a good example of America's virtues. Patriots argued that "it is unique to America; individually its rattles produce no sound, but united they can be heard by all; and while it does not attack unless provoked, it is deadly to step upon one." Thus the slogan: Don't Tread on Me.

Believed to be the first Flag of the Marines of the Continental Navy. This coiled snake was painted on the drums of early Marines.

In 1751 Benjamin Franklin suggested that as a way to thank the Brits for their policy of sending convicted felons to America, American colonists should send rattlesnakes to England.  But now I'm getting off message and I don't want to give people any ideas.

I was upset to see that the Presidential Seal was on the carpet of the Oval Office.  Thus everyone who visited was symbolically wiping their feet on The Office of the President.  In Feng Shui it is considered bad luck to put your name or the name of your business on the floor.  I cringe every time I go to someone's home and have to wipe my shoes on their name. Even the word Welcome causes me to shiver.  Anything you value - a special flower or emblem and especially your name should be in a place of honor and never on the floor where it can be stepped on. In many ways Feng Shui is common sense.  I often wonder what Asian guests think when they visit President Obama in the Oval Office.

Tip:  Keep a bowl of fruit on your dining room table.  If it's fresh fruit make sure to throw it out at the first sign of spoilage. This symbolizes abundance as prosperity was measured by having more than enough food to eat. You may also use wooden or ceramic fruit as it is the symbolism that is important and make sure that it is reflected in the dining room mirror.

Taboo: Never just stuff you cash in your wallet as it shows a lack of respect for money.  Smooth out the bills even arranging them in order.  If you do not respect what you have it will be difficult to acquire more.