Yesterday I shared one Five Elements model.
The following table is another look at the Five Elements, showing the interconnections of each element. This model has been used by medical practitioners for tens of thousands of years.
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Meet Wendy
Five Elements Model
December 15th, 2011 by WendyWhat are the Five Elements
December 14th, 2011 by WendyI write a lot about Five Elements Theory in my postings, so I thought this would be a good time for a refresher on what the Five Elements are.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the following Table of Five Elements shows the inter-connectivity of different elements in nature. This model has been used by medical practitioners for thousands of years.
Water, wood, fire, earth and metal all have associated organs, traits, foods and mental/emotional connections. The following chart simplifies and outlines the connections.
In addition to Chinese medicine, other disciplines also reference Five Elements, including Tai Chi (a martial art), Feng Shui, and cosmology.
Table of Five Elements
Tips for Cold & Flu Season
November 25th, 2011 by Wendy
You can tell when the cold and flu season has arrived by the number of television commercials for over the counter drugs!
Many of my patients have been asking me about acupuncture and colds & flu. I am very happy to share with you a new section of my web devoted to Cold & Flu season.
The most important role acupuncture can play is to give your immune system a big boost so that you are capable of fighting off bugs and viruses. By the time you have cold or flu symptoms your body’s defense mechanisms have already been compromised. Yes … acupuncture can help alleviate the symptoms and shorten the duration of colds and the flu. The sooner you act, the better.
Avoid getting sick by:
1. Washing your hands with soap and hot water whenever you come home.
2. Money is dirty and a big carrier of “bugs.” Wash your hands after contacting money.
3. Avoid touching your face (especially your eyes) with your fingers or hands … if you have to touch, use a fresh kleenex.
4. Drink loads of water. Water re-hydrates you and flushes out any toxins.
5. Relax. Take frequent stress breaks. Stress compromises your immune system. Relaxation and regular rest breaks helps build it up.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Wendy
How Acupuncture Helps with Winter Depression
November 15th, 2011 by MelanieDo you love winter? Or do you, like many hate it?
Some people love winter. They stay active and keep a busy social calendar. Others hate the cold, damp air, rain and soggy snow. The seemingly endless days of gloom have them cocooning in front of a fire or the TV. They hibernate, are inactive and avoid human contact.
At the extreme are those who plunge into a world of depression.
This is avoidable …
TCM and Acupuncture
Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM offers a way to reduce depression without the use of over the counter and prescription drugs.
Depression is linked to the blockage of chi energy in the body. It will cause an imbalance in your physical, mental, and emotional health. If not treated, this imbalance will cause various illnesses, including depression. In TCM, depression is known to be a symptom of stagnation of the life force of chi. This stagnation can eventually cause the dysfunction of the major organs such as the liver, the kidneys, the spleen, and the heart. If left untreated, this will result to a vicious cycle. The stagnation will cause the depression and the depression will cause more stagnation.
When a person is depressed, there is a need to regulate the imbalanced chi. The life force or chi energy should be brought to its original state in which it flows freely.
Treatment can take place with the traditional acupuncture needles or a laser treatment device. In essence, the needles (or laser beam) are inserted and manipulated in key points of the body to unblock the Chi energy.
As the blockages are cleared away, and the flow of chi is restored both the physical body as well as the mental and emotional energies return to normal.
If you are affected by seasonal depression, please give me a call to discuss treatment options. 604-839-9789
Winter Food Recommendations for TCM: Two Basic Tips to Eat Right
November 5th, 2011 by MelanieTCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) works to balance the yin and yang elements in the body and to control the body’s chi or life force energy.
TCM teachings tell us that is important to eat different foods in the different seasons because foods have specific energies or forces. During the cold winter season, our bodies should get warmth from the food we eat.
As the winter season cools the body’s temperature, the food we eat should have the properties to warm it. Below are two simple tips that will definitely help you manage your body’s health and nutrition.
Say No to Cold Foods
During the winter, the body begins to burn more calories and fats to counter-balance the cold. This means that the body is spending more energy than usual because it needs power to burn fuel and produce energy. TCM teaches that we should avoid cold food because cold food takes the body’s temperature lower and does not help in what the body is trying to achieve.
The body will benefit a lot from hot foods such as stew and fruits or vegetables that are naturally produced during the winter season such as lentils, beans, oranges, and lemons. Lamb is a great meat choice during the winter because it has healthy fats that the body can burn, unlike beef and pork that are both rich in fats that the body cannot use, both of which end up as cholesterol, clogging the heart’s arteries.
If lamb is not easily available to you, you can eat fish like tuna and salmon. They have high omega-3 fatty acids and can provide your body’s need for protein, an essential building block of nutrition that repairs damaged cells.
Say Yes to Warm Beverages
In the same principle of balancing the yin and yang, warm beverages during the winter will do wonders for the body by reducing the cold and increasing overall warmth. Drink warm water instead of drinking it from the refrigerator. Do not put ice in your drinks. Hot apple toddies, teas and hot chocolate are perfect choices.
Drink lots of hot, green tea. The hot tea also enriches the cells with antioxidants that help fight cancer. Tea has long been proven to have high contents of chemicals that reduce the number of free radicals in the body that rips cells apart, thus causing cancer.
Fruit juices are another great choice – grapefruit or lemon juice help aid your digestive process. The acidity if the juice will help increase your metabolism. Wine is also a common recommendation by TCM, but only in small quantities.