Discover the peace zone...

Where is your peace zone? 

Where is the place where everything shuts off, where your mind can focus on a singular thing? 

Just breathe - no emails, no ideas or problems, no bills, no to do list or things to organize.

 ...just breathe in and out. Feel that life giving breath as your chest expands and oxygen fills your body. 

You can't hear or think anything else just the rhythmical breath and maybe the feeling of your heart beat. 

Five minutes in the peace zone can change your perspective, which can alter all the rest of the days decisions. 

You don't need to go to a course or do anything strange to get into the peace zone. It might seem hard in everyday life to go there but it dosen't mean it can't be done. 

If it seems impossible to find your peace zone in your world now, then go somewhere else - the beach, the forrest, a park, even get inside a wardrobe for 5 mins!

I find a simple change of position leads to a change of mental perspective that will amaze you.

Today I was going somewhere and happened to pass by an empty, silent chapel and went in. No phone on or ipad to check emails. Just sitting and allowing the silence to silence me. 

Before long 5 mins had gone by and I felt new ideas were already coming to me. The stress of the former part of the day was already passing. 

As an acupuncturist I often hear patients say they love coming in for acupuncture because it's the only time they can relax.

While it's great that acupuncture helps you to shut off your mind...and you can't exactly run off and do something when your pinned down to the bed, it's such a sad reality of our society that we don't relax well. 

Demands are always there, life will probably get more complicated and even after you die bills will still be coming in. I think we can benefit from all stealing 5 minutes in the peace zone!

If you liked this blog post, why not share the ways you relax in your peace zone below: 

Pregnant? The Chinese medicine and Acupuncture experience.

Pregnancy can be one of life's most amazing experiences, certainly each pregnancy is different and can have it's own different health problems as well as health benefits. 

From a Chinese medicine perspective, pregnancy is a "yin time"...yin and yang are two opposites in our body.

Yin is best described by  words like sedentary, building, solid, dense, rich, cold or cool
Yang is best described by - active, doing, dynamic, hot or warm

Processes in our body usually require yang and yin but there are times where we are more one or the other - Sleep is a time where it should be mostly yin. A disharmony of yin and yang here would be when there is an over activity of the mind or body at night when one should be quiet and resting.

In pregnancy, as the foetus is being "built" there is a greater consumption of yin (which is Blood and nutrients) in Chinese medicine. Eating more Yin foods is often necessary.  These yin tonic foods tend to be the more richer, heavier things like meats, grains and root vegetables. 

Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs and Diet Therapy are used for many discomforting symptoms which can occur in pregnancy including:
Morning Sickness, Swelling and fluid retention, pain - especially common is lower back pain and sciatica, promoting labor, overdue labor and foetus position correcting - Breech position is commonly treated with acupuncture and moxibustion.

In the coming weeks I will outline how Chinese medicine approaches some of these ailments and symptoms.

Many acupuncturists are in favour of doing a course of treatment from 36 weeks onwards to promote labour and smooth flow of Energy and Blood, which is intended to promote a normal labour. This type of treatment is called PRE BIRTH ACUPUNCTURE. In my practice, Metro Health and Medicine, I offer this treatment at once a week for 4 weeks up to the due date.

A recent study of patients who sought acupuncture during their pregnancy were asked by survey about their experiences of the birth and what benefits they reported from having acupuncture during their pregnancy.¹

Of 133 participants who gave qualitative data, there were five main reported outcomes (some gave more than one outcome). Effectively treated their chief concern (37,2%) Holistic benefit (22.9%), no benefit (20.61%), achieved desired birth (13.74%) and assisted in childbirth (5.73%)

A copy of this interesting study is available in our clinic's waiting area at Metro Health and Medicine.


REFERENCES:

1. Soliday E, Hapke P. Patient-reported benefits of acupuncture in pregnancy. Comp Therapies in Clinical Practice 2013;19(1): 109-113

USEFUL LINKS:

Debra Betts Website - A midwife and acupuncturist from New Zealand who has made an abundant amount of resource available:  http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/ 

Download the PDF booklet about pain relief in Labor:  http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/acupressure/download.aspx

Check out Marie's new Chinese Medicine Podcast...

Episode 4: Does Acupuncture hurt?

 

Answering the common question, "Does acupuncture hurt?", or what does acupuncture feel like? is Marie Hopkinson, Board Registered Chinese medicine practitioner from Perth Western Australia. Marie has been in clinical practice F/T since 2001...treating patients for over 10 years. Marie is a lecturer of Chinese medicine, and operates the practice Metro Health and Medicine in Maylands.

Busting Winter Blues

In winter, the lack of sunshine rays makes some people more vunerable to feelings of depression, flatness and even sadness. 

 

Lithium is a natural chemical that our bodies absorb through the skin which is present in rays of sunshine. Natural sunlight has the ability to wake us up with a rejuvenation or brightness to face the day. Often our work schedules are not conducive to this “waking up with the sun” routine either. 

So how can we combat the “winter blues”? In Chinese medicine we recognise life has diferent seasons. While it’s not normal to sit around and sulk in winter, or just become a big slug on the couch, we needn’t have the same expectations of our life or body in winter that we do of summer or spring. Winter is a season of STORAGE and GATHERING of energy. Not expending or “doing” as we would in expect in the warmer seasons of spring and summer. 

Foods which nourish the Yang Qi (Energy) are slow cooked meats. Nuts like walnuts and almonds can be roasted or toasted with honey to make warming and nourishing snacks. For Vegetarians, try lots of slow cooked root vegetables, more legumes which are combined with underground vegies.

For people with stagnation, you should continue to do some exercise – most importantly to keep your body moving, rather than do strenuous Gym or aerobic type exercises. Keep active in stretching and exercise which promotes light (not heavy) sweating. Winter is also good season to cultivate yoga, tai qi and qi gong practices. Your TCM practitioner can advise you on more specific foods for your pattern of disharmony or body constitution.

Stories from China...boy with bells palsy

Stories from China

When I was a new graduate, my first time in China I completed my internship in the Hangzhou Shi Zhong Yi Yuan - Hangzhou Chinese Medicine Hospital. It was a fabulous experience which forever shaped my continued love of Chinese medicine.

One day a boy with bells palsy came into the acupuncture clinic. He was around 5 years old and while his parents were keen for him to have acupuncture, the boy wasn't convinced! Not only was he scared from the sudden facial paralysis that had struck his face literally overnight, he was surrounded by patients with needles poking out from all parts of their body in the acupuncture outpatient clinic of this busy hospital.

It's quite normal in china for people to be treated all together in the same room. Some are seated with needles in their shoulder and face, others lying on beds being treated for back pain etc. While everyone looked quite relaxed and taking the treatment in their stride, the boy was rightly overwhelmed by the whole experience.

Bells Palsy is a condition which causes sudden facial paralysis. In western medicine, they don't know the cause although stress and sudden blast of cold wind to the face are agreed possible causes this conditions etiology in WM remains somewhat mysterious.

In Chinese medicine, we consider Wind - the external pathogenic factor; to be a culprit in causing the sudden contraction of the muscles of the face, resulting in one-sided facial paralysis. THere is often a lot of numbness, the person can't smile or close their eye properly. There can be moderate to severe pain as well.

Back to China...the boy with this condition was coaxed onto the bed by the doctor and they chatted in Chinese for a bit while I looked on and wondered if they would just force the kid to have the treatment? ...what would be the outcome of this situation?

The doctor, was Dr Zhu and was experienced over 30 yeas in his role. As he proceeded to calm the kid down, it was clear he had treated many children before. Taking an acupuncture needle he turned it around and tapped the points on the kids' face with the handle end, asking the kid if it hurt or not (Tong Bu Tong?). For each point the kid said (Bu Tong) "no" "no" "no". The kid's crying had now stopped and he lie there quite relaxed as the doctor cleverly quickly switched the needle around, inserting each point on the boys face quickly and painlessly.

He came in every day for 10 treatments. By the third day he was starting to look better, his facial paralysis was reducing he was able to jump up on the table and didn't need any coaxing to get the rest of the treatments. The doctor had given him a great first experience which caused him to accept the rest of the treatments.

PHOTO: Doctor Zhu and myself all the way back in 2001.

What's the story with weight loss in Chinese Medicine?

“Can you treat people for weight loss?”
...This is one very common question I encounter in my practice of Chinese Medicine. The simple answer is “yes”, although the how is the slightly more complicated part.

I will try to unfold some of the theory behind the treatment of fat and weight loss according to Chinese Medicine.

Just as in the west, the use of Chinese medicine and acupuncture can be used in the “fad” weight loss sense too. When I was in Hangzhou Chinese Medicine Hospital I saw plenty of weight loss treatments in the acupuncture clinic. These ranged from using lots of acupuncture where the fatty areas are to stimulate the body to break up and metabolize the fat, to stimulating with electro-acupuncture, ear acupuncture, herbs and weight-loss massage through to purging type herbal treatments and more bizarre treatments.

Weight gain from western lifestyle is becoming increasingly problematic in China now too as the influence of the West penetrates in to both food and lifestyle.  Before dissecting the follies of the western lifestyle, let us first get a picture of the body’s digestive function according to Chinese medicine.

Fat is considered a yin substance. It is dense, heavy and generally pathogenic yin - that is an accumulation of damp or phlegm.


Accumulations of damp occurs from consuming too much dampening foods - rich, greasy, heavy, dairy along with a weak digestive energy.

Digestion in Chinese medicine takes place when food, received by the Stomach, is transformed by the Spleen’s energy. This process is likened to the Stomach being the cooking pot on the stove and the Spleen being the fire below the pot.

When the “fire” - the Spleen energy is weakened (from long term poor diet) or the food consumed is overwhelmingly greasy, rich, fatty  and/or heavy, the spleen gets weak and becomes overwhelmed with a pathogenic substance called dampness. Damp is heavy, dense and yin. Fat is often referred to in TCM, as  an accumulation of dampness in the body.

This story explains the “bad diet” overweight person, but what about weight gain with age?

In Chinese medicine, the Kidneys are a source of energy for digestion in the body too. This energy is like a storage reservoir, and it  declines with age.
CONTINUED OVER...
At age 35, the Kidney energy begins to decline.

At age 49 for females and 56  for males, the Kidney fire decline affects the Spleen energy and digestive function. It is not uncommon for people to put on weight in their 40's, with no diet or lifestyle change and not be able to shed those kilos.  

The treatment for weight loss in this situation centers around strengthening the digestive fire through boosting up the Kidney energy.

For all overweight people, the focus should be on eliminating dampening foods, using pungent flavors which stimulate the movement and breaking up of stagnation.
Your Chinese medicine practitioner will be able to give you specific diet advice along with an individual prescription of herbs and/or acupuncture to suit your personal diagnosis, however there are some foods which are beneficial to everyone trying to loose weight.

1) Barley  - get it in the soup section of your local supermarket or Chinese food shops (called “pearl barley”). You can cook it into a porridge, put into soups or stews or simply eat it as you would rice with a meal. Barley drains dampness so it’s great for overweight and puffy types of people.

2) Adzuki beans - work similar to barley. You need to soak them overnight before cooking. Add to soups etc as well or use like you would a kidney bean. You can even make them into a chilli con-carne type of meal or nacho sauce.

3) Mung beans - add to soup for a richer and filling vege soup. Mung beans drain damp and are great to eat when the weather is humid.




4) Fresh herbs like Coriander, Basil & Mint. These herbs can break up the complex dense-ness of meats  and heavy carbs if you find yourself eating these foods, try adding pungent fresh herbs to assist in their digestion. Great additions to wraps and salads.

5) Eat lots of cooked. Cooked foods take up less energy. If you are eating salads and raw foods make sure you include a soup (miso soup is a good one) in the meal to assist the digestive fire.

For more info ask your TCM practitioner, or to make an appointment with Marie Hopkinson contact us via www.metrohealth.com.au

Finally, Here is a free tip for this autum season from the yellow emperor's classic text. Try to avoid the wind in Autumn and you will avoid getting sick. 

Ever woken up with a stiff neck in summer?

A common problem seen around this time of the year is invasion of wind. Wind is considered an "External Pathogenic Factor" in Chinese medicine. Wind can be created by fans, air conditioners or just be a normal part of the environment. No matter it's source Wind can cause a number of problems when it invades the body.

Wind carries other pathogens into the body - heat, cold, dampness - these are common causes of joint pain, aches and arthritic conditions.

Wind causes things to contract and stiffen up...a common scenario in Perth at this time of year is the typical waking up with a stiff neck after a hot summers night...This happens because during the hot weather, it's common to be lying in bed under the fan or with the window open so the wind is directly blowing onto a persons uncovered skin. Of course it's hot so the person either lies in bed with little covering or because of the heat can be sweating. The pores are open and the wind can easily invade the body through the open pores.

When you wake up with a stiff neck, or a neck pain which is pulling your head to one side, in Chinese medicine the cause is Pathogenic wind invading the Bladder and/or Gall Bladder channels(these are the channels located on the neck).

The Solution?

The good news is that Chinese medicine is all about prevention...try to sleep with a thin sheet or t-shirt on so if the weather does cool down and wind starts to invade you have this level of protection. Try to face so it's not directly on your body and make sure air conditioning vents are not directly blowing onto you. If you do have stiffness, pain and particularity severe pain with restricted movement try to use a hot pack for about 10-20 mins and then try to free up the movement with slow normal movements.

A moxa stick applied to an acupuncture point

Chinese medicine practitioners can use acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion (or called Moxa) and herbs to expel wind from the channels and restore the normal function and stop pain.

Marie is available for treatments and can be contacted at the Metro Health clinic on 089371 8077 or email info@metrohealth.com.au.