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Saturday, January 16, 2010
Winter detox, day 7
Halfway there. I, unlike many of the people I am doing this detox with, am not doing the juice fast this weekend. As I have a full day of work tomorrow, and my metabolism is notoriously slow - I figured it was for the best. However, one day I might like to try it.
Things I've noticed so far as a result of the detox: I feel that I have more energy. Mornings aren't so hard, and I make it through the day. I don't feel sluggish after meals, like I often do when not on detox. I notice how many of my eating habits are just that - habit - not for reasons of hunger or nutrition - but just habit. How much food and drink is a part of being social. It also reminds me how wonderful food can be - the flavors, textures, aromas... and how I need to remember to be present and enjoy that when I eat, instead of letting it be mindless and habit.
It's a little odd, I know, but I've been reading Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' which seems a bit masochistic in the face of detox. However, I find that as I read the recipes and descriptions of dishes and sauces, that the richness is illuminated and while I can't wait to do some cooking involving obscene amounts of butter - I plan to do it with awareness, and to savor it.
It comes back to being present, and mindful - something I personally tend to go in cycles with. I wish to cultivate more of it. That is why I am doing this.
Things I've noticed so far as a result of the detox: I feel that I have more energy. Mornings aren't so hard, and I make it through the day. I don't feel sluggish after meals, like I often do when not on detox. I notice how many of my eating habits are just that - habit - not for reasons of hunger or nutrition - but just habit. How much food and drink is a part of being social. It also reminds me how wonderful food can be - the flavors, textures, aromas... and how I need to remember to be present and enjoy that when I eat, instead of letting it be mindless and habit.
It's a little odd, I know, but I've been reading Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' which seems a bit masochistic in the face of detox. However, I find that as I read the recipes and descriptions of dishes and sauces, that the richness is illuminated and while I can't wait to do some cooking involving obscene amounts of butter - I plan to do it with awareness, and to savor it.
It comes back to being present, and mindful - something I personally tend to go in cycles with. I wish to cultivate more of it. That is why I am doing this.
Labels: acupuncture, being present, chinese medicine, detox, mindfullness
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Winter detox, day 3
Support.
Makes all the difference.
At yoga today we did a lot of downward facing dog (the bane of my existence, I swear). But we did it a little differently, with partners - and used them as support. For me, as someone who has probably never done the pose correctly - it was amazing. Having the support allowed me to do something I was previously unable to. I could feel how the pose was meant to be done, even though on my own my body won't yet do that.
It was a great experience. Support can get you places you may never get on your own. Same with doing a group detox - it's good to have other people to talk to, share thoughts, feelings, and knowing they face a similar challenge.
What have you done with support that you might not have otherwise been able to do?
Makes all the difference.
At yoga today we did a lot of downward facing dog (the bane of my existence, I swear). But we did it a little differently, with partners - and used them as support. For me, as someone who has probably never done the pose correctly - it was amazing. Having the support allowed me to do something I was previously unable to. I could feel how the pose was meant to be done, even though on my own my body won't yet do that.
It was a great experience. Support can get you places you may never get on your own. Same with doing a group detox - it's good to have other people to talk to, share thoughts, feelings, and knowing they face a similar challenge.
What have you done with support that you might not have otherwise been able to do?
Labels: acupuncture, chinese medicine, community, detox, support
Monday, January 11, 2010
Winter detox: day 2
Many of you may ask, why detox? It seems restrictive and you wonder what you could possibly get out of it. I can't speak to everyone's reasons for doing a program like this - it might be to sort out digestive issues, clear up a skin condition, take a break from unhealthy foods, cleanse your system after long term medication use... there are myriad reasons. I am doing it to devote some time and energy to myself.
I often find it hard to make time for me - to eat how I want to eat, to do the activities I want to do. This isn't necessarily because I don't have time - but often I'm more concerned about what other people need. Maybe you've experienced the same thing - for instance cooking meals for more than just yourself can be a negotiation between what you want to eat, and what other people do. Or sometimes your time is not your own - there's always something to do and somewhere to be, and often none of that is for you. Don't get me wrong - I love caring for other people, making them feel better, brightening their day. But sometimes, I find that I am always doing for others and I neglect doing the things I need to do to feel nourished and alive.
For me being on a detox program allows this. It's 2 weeks all about me. It's all about what I'm eating, and how I treat my body (today was great, I did yoga and got a vitamin IV - tomorrow I'm getting acupuncture), what I'm thinking and how I want to feel. I don't do this for myself on a daily basis, even though I know how important it is. And yes, on an on-going basis perhaps my routine would be selfish, and maybe financially unfeasible, as living and working with others necessitates some sort of compromise. To be able to find that balanced place in the middle where you can care for yourself in order to be more productive, to care for others, can be a difficult place to find, if you're always on the giving side.
These two weeks give me a different perspective (we did inversions in yoga today and I love the idea of looking at things differently) on how I'm living. It allows me a physical and mental holiday from a lot of stressors I didn't realize were there. This is why I detox.
So, whether or not you decide to participate in one - remember that taking care of you is important, and doing things solely for yourself is vital to health and coping with stress.
I'll leave you with another of my favorite quotes - from the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio:
I often find it hard to make time for me - to eat how I want to eat, to do the activities I want to do. This isn't necessarily because I don't have time - but often I'm more concerned about what other people need. Maybe you've experienced the same thing - for instance cooking meals for more than just yourself can be a negotiation between what you want to eat, and what other people do. Or sometimes your time is not your own - there's always something to do and somewhere to be, and often none of that is for you. Don't get me wrong - I love caring for other people, making them feel better, brightening their day. But sometimes, I find that I am always doing for others and I neglect doing the things I need to do to feel nourished and alive.
For me being on a detox program allows this. It's 2 weeks all about me. It's all about what I'm eating, and how I treat my body (today was great, I did yoga and got a vitamin IV - tomorrow I'm getting acupuncture), what I'm thinking and how I want to feel. I don't do this for myself on a daily basis, even though I know how important it is. And yes, on an on-going basis perhaps my routine would be selfish, and maybe financially unfeasible, as living and working with others necessitates some sort of compromise. To be able to find that balanced place in the middle where you can care for yourself in order to be more productive, to care for others, can be a difficult place to find, if you're always on the giving side.
These two weeks give me a different perspective (we did inversions in yoga today and I love the idea of looking at things differently) on how I'm living. It allows me a physical and mental holiday from a lot of stressors I didn't realize were there. This is why I detox.
So, whether or not you decide to participate in one - remember that taking care of you is important, and doing things solely for yourself is vital to health and coping with stress.
I'll leave you with another of my favorite quotes - from the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio:
"Perhaps the most indispensable thing we can do as human beings, every day of our lives, is to remind ourselves and others of our complexity, fragility, finiteness, and uniqueness. And this is of course the difficult job, is it not: to move the spirit from its nowhere pedestal to a somewhere place, while preserving its dignity and importance; to recognize its humble origin and vulnerability and still call upon its guidance."
Labels: acupuncture, chinese medicine, detox, stress management, yoga
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Winter detox, day 1
Hi and welcome to 2010! I hope you all made it through the holidays intact and are having a great start to the year. For the next two weeks I am going to be writing about my experience and thoughts while going through a detox program.
Some of my wonderful colleagues at Awakening Lotus put together a 14 day detox program for our patients, and we decided to do it as well. While I have done a detox before, I am excited about this one for a number of reasons. As much as I usually prefer to do a detox in the warmer weather (it seems easier to me, to eat mostly vegetables in the spring and summer), I find some synchronicity in this - it's a new year, I've been organizing and cleaning out my office, my papers - so why not my body and my mind as well? There are some eating habits I got into over the holidays that I'd like to get rid of, and for me, remembering how good my body feels without all the sugar, caffiene, alcohol and dairy is a good way to get back on track and eating in a way that gives me energy and makes me feel good!
So, that being said the other thing I am most excited about is doing this detox as a group. I have only ever done them on my own previously, and I think dialoguing with people, and knowing that they're going through a similar experience can be enormously helpful. Support and community is something that is beneficial beyond words , all the time, but especially during challenging times. I can't wait to see how it goes!
Another thing I decided to do along with the detox is to post something daily about my experience or some thoughts. I'm using this time to recenter, get back to yoga and meditation - to start this year feeling good, thinking clearly and being joyful.
As for the detox report - just finishing up day 1 and it went pretty well. This morning (and the next 13 to come) I started with an olive oil, lemon and garlic concoction to help flush out the gallbladder. Which actually wasn't as bad as it may sound. I didn't mind drinking it as much as I minded the 4 hour garlic aftertaste. Had enough energy to get through work, and felt satisfied with my food. It was a good day one.
With that I am going to leave you with a paragraph from "Turning the Mind into an Ally," by Sakyong Mipham, a great book on meditation that I would recommend to anyone.
Some of my wonderful colleagues at Awakening Lotus put together a 14 day detox program for our patients, and we decided to do it as well. While I have done a detox before, I am excited about this one for a number of reasons. As much as I usually prefer to do a detox in the warmer weather (it seems easier to me, to eat mostly vegetables in the spring and summer), I find some synchronicity in this - it's a new year, I've been organizing and cleaning out my office, my papers - so why not my body and my mind as well? There are some eating habits I got into over the holidays that I'd like to get rid of, and for me, remembering how good my body feels without all the sugar, caffiene, alcohol and dairy is a good way to get back on track and eating in a way that gives me energy and makes me feel good!
So, that being said the other thing I am most excited about is doing this detox as a group. I have only ever done them on my own previously, and I think dialoguing with people, and knowing that they're going through a similar experience can be enormously helpful. Support and community is something that is beneficial beyond words , all the time, but especially during challenging times. I can't wait to see how it goes!
Another thing I decided to do along with the detox is to post something daily about my experience or some thoughts. I'm using this time to recenter, get back to yoga and meditation - to start this year feeling good, thinking clearly and being joyful.
As for the detox report - just finishing up day 1 and it went pretty well. This morning (and the next 13 to come) I started with an olive oil, lemon and garlic concoction to help flush out the gallbladder. Which actually wasn't as bad as it may sound. I didn't mind drinking it as much as I minded the 4 hour garlic aftertaste. Had enough energy to get through work, and felt satisfied with my food. It was a good day one.
With that I am going to leave you with a paragraph from "Turning the Mind into an Ally," by Sakyong Mipham, a great book on meditation that I would recommend to anyone.
"It's fine to take pleasure, to enjoy good food, and to listen to beautiful music. Becoming curious about how we suffer doesn'tmean that we can no longer enjoy eating ice cream. But once we begin to understand the bewilderment of our untrained mind, we won't look to the ice cream and say, "that's happiness." We'll realize that the mind can be happy devoid of ice cream. We'll realize that the mind is content and happy by nature."
Labels: acupuncture, chinese medicine, detox, meditation, new year, winter
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
cold and flu prevention
There's a lot of controversy out there over the H1N1 vaccine, and while I'm not going to get into that right now there are lots of things you can do to keep yourself healthy during this cold/flu season with or without the vaccine. a few practical reminders and little bit of Chinese medicine for you today...
1. Wash your hands. Seriously. I'm not even kidding a little bit. Washing your hand with soap and warm water (frequently - after shaking hands, touching public surfaces such as doorknobs and counters...etc) is the best thing you can do. You don't have to believe me, but here's what the CDC says, "Handwashing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection." If you're not near a sink, some alcohol based hand sanitizer will do the trick.
2. Make sure to get adequate amounts of sleep. Lack of sleep is a huge factor in decreased immune function. Sleep is essential to normal biological function, and even more important if your body is under attack. Check this out: "Sleep researcher Eve van Cauter at the University of Chicago exposed sleep-deprived students (allowed only four hours per night for six nights) to flu vaccine; their immune systems produced only half the normal number of antibodies in response to the viral challenge." (link to article below).
3. Don't stress! Easier said than done, I know. But, excess stress increases cortisol (stress hormone) production which decreases your immune function. Not only does increased cortisol lower your immunity, but it slows wound healing - this makes you double susceptible to infection. So, make sure stress relief is on your schedule: exercising, meditating, yoga, acupuncture, massage... whatever your way to de-stress, keep it up!
So, you probably knew those things already, but they're important reminders; not just during cold/flu season but as a part of a healthy lifestyle.
Now, on to a little bit of Chinese medicine. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are extremely effective at treating seasonal illness like colds and flus. In Chinese medicine colds and flus belong to an etiology of disease called an external attack. What this means is that the illness is due to an external pathogen (in Western medicine we talk about bacteria and viruses, in Chinese medicine we talk about pathogens like Wind-Heat and Wind-Cold). While there can be complicating internal factors - I'm going to talk about the basics.
Wind-Cold Invasions: wind-cold pathogens typically enter through the skin (particularly the area at the back of the head and the neck). Some symptoms you might experience: simultaneous fever and chills (predominantly chills), no sweating, occipital headache, muscle aches and neck stiffness, coughing, sneezing, stuffy/running nose.
A couple of tips if you feel a wind-cold invasion coming on:
1) To prevent wind-cold invasions, be aware of the windy conditions outside, and make sure to keep the back of your head and nape of your neck protected from the wind! Scarves and hoods are great for this!
2) If you're just starting to feel an inkling of these symptoms coming on but they're not yet full blown, here's an easy recipe to help your body kick out these early stages of wind-cold:
- 6 scallion bulbs (the white bit)
- some fresh ginger
- 6 tablespoons of cooking wine
Take the above and boil them on the stove for 4-6 minutes, and drink it down! Scallion bulbs are used to relieve mild wind-cold invasions, and fresh ginger promotes mild sweating, warms the lung and warms the middle to treat cold related nausea.
Wind-Heat Invasion: wind-heat invasions typically enter through the nose and mouth. Some symptoms you might experience are fever and chills (fever predominant), cough, thirst, dry mouth, red eyes, and a sore throat.
If you think you're experiencing the beginnings of a wind-heat invasion a few helpful herbs that are easily accessible are: mint, chrysanthemum, mulberry leaf, and honeysuckle.
Taking these as a tea will help alleviate mild symptoms. Mint is helpful for symptoms of the eyes and throat. Chrysanthemum treats fever and headache. Mulberry leaves are useful for treating dryness (of the nose, throat and lungs and for cough). Honeysuckle helps to clear heat toxicity and relieves mild stages of febrile disease.
If you're experiencing any of the above symptoms, give your acupuncturist a call. There is SO much that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can do to make you feel better. From prevention (boosting immune function and strengthening the lungs) to decreasing the severity of your symptoms and the duration of illness acupuncture and Oriental medicine is will help! We can use various techniques including acupuncture, gua sha, cupping and herbal medicine to improve your health during this cold and flu season!
Clearly, none of the above substitutes for the advice of your health professional. If you are ill, PLEASE consult your healthcare provider.
A couple of resources for you:
Cold and Flu Prevention (a handout by my colleague Dr. Erica Peirson, ND with some great advice on supplements.)
Deep into Sleep (an in-depth article on the importance of sleep and what happens without it.)
Hand-washing (a bit of history on the practice and some stats on why you should do it.)
Questions? Comments? Leave one or email me at: alexis@anatomyacupuncture.com.
Labels: acupuncture, chinese medicine, cold, flu, prevention
Monday, August 3, 2009
Up and Running!
I am very excited to announce that my website is finally LIVE! It is still a work in progress, you will notice a few sections that are coming soon - but the majority of it is up and running! So, take a look, leave me feedback - and please please share it with your friends!
on that note... a little bit about what anatomy means to me:
a.nat.o.my (n):
1. The act of dividing anything, corporeal or intellectual, for the purpose of examining its parts; analysis.
2. The science of the shape and structure of organisms and their parts.
3. The human body.
The acupuncturist’s job is one of examination and analysis; it requires discerning a pattern in the chaos of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
on that note... a little bit about what anatomy means to me:
a.nat.o.my (n):
1. The act of dividing anything, corporeal or intellectual, for the purpose of examining its parts; analysis.
2. The science of the shape and structure of organisms and their parts.
3. The human body.
The acupuncturist’s job is one of examination and analysis; it requires discerning a pattern in the chaos of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
The understanding of structure is vital to the understanding of function. By restoring integrity to the physical and energetic structure the acupuncturist can facilitate healing.
The human body is inseparable from the human mind and spirit – we are one whole. The acupuncturist treats each human body as an individual possessing an integrated body, mind and spirit.
Labels: acupuncture, anatomy, chinese medicine, Portland, TCM
Monday, July 20, 2009
On looking at the big picture
How often do we hear this saying? What does it mean? How do we accomplish this? And really, why look at the big picture? I'm not sure I have answers, but it does relate to how Chinese medicine is practiced.
This past weekend I took the opportunity to go up in Portland's aerial tram (the weather was gorgeous, and I hadn't yet been since moving to this city) to see the city from up high. It made me think just how different the city looks and feels when you can see the whole of it from the sky. The whole thing seemed to me a living, breathing organism with roadways as arteries, the movement of the cars, blood flowing through the veins (it all comes back to anatomy, doesn't it?). From up there I could see how it all worked together - how and where the highways join, the placement of bridges over the river, the concentrations of buildings versus the concentrations of greenery, the mountains in the distance.
I'm not writing this to wax poetic on the beauty of Portland (though I do find it a beautiful city), but I did want to share how looking at the city as a whole struck me. Usually when I find myself downtown I don't see how all the frustrating one-way streets, bridge on-ramps (which are never where I think they are), buildings upon buildings that block my view, are functional or beautiful. Generally I am annoyed at having to be there, have trouble getting around and can only see what is in front of me. From a distance though, it all made a lot more sense - because I could see the big picture.
This is a bit like diagnosis in Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is built on a pattern based approach rather than a symptomatic one. This is one of the main differences in paradigms between TCM and biomedicine. Both certainly have their places and strengths (and in my personal opinion, work together beautifully) but take drastically different approaches.
Many patients wonder why when they come in with a specific complaint (say, insomnia) we ask all sorts of other questions about seeming unrelated things like digestion, pain, ear ringing, night , sweating, emotional well-being...etc. We do this is because we're looking for a pattern in the big picture. While you may not see a connection between various symptoms (lets say insomnia and chronic low back pain) they might be related as
you are one complete, inter-related person. So, we need to know all about you to find the other pieces of this pattern and figure out what the root cause of your symptom is.
Looking at the big picture is not the only perspective, but certainly an important one. It lets us see possibilities that are different than the ones we may see at close range. What are some instances where the big picture made you see things differently?
~Alexis
This past weekend I took the opportunity to go up in Portland's aerial tram (the weather was gorgeous, and I hadn't yet been since moving to this city) to see the city from up high. It made me think just how different the city looks and feels when you can see the whole of it from the sky. The whole thing seemed to me a living, breathing organism with roadways as arteries, the movement of the cars, blood flowing through the veins (it all comes back to anatomy, doesn't it?). From up there I could see how it all worked together - how and where the highways join, the placement of bridges over the river, the concentrations of buildings versus the concentrations of greenery, the mountains in the distance.
I'm not writing this to wax poetic on the beauty of Portland (though I do find it a beautiful city), but I did want to share how looking at the city as a whole struck me. Usually when I find myself downtown I don't see how all the frustrating one-way streets, bridge on-ramps (which are never where I think they are), buildings upon buildings that block my view, are functional or beautiful. Generally I am annoyed at having to be there, have trouble getting around and can only see what is in front of me. From a distance though, it all made a lot more sense - because I could see the big picture.
This is a bit like diagnosis in Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is built on a pattern based approach rather than a symptomatic one. This is one of the main differences in paradigms between TCM and biomedicine. Both certainly have their places and strengths (and in my personal opinion, work together beautifully) but take drastically different approaches.
Many patients wonder why when they come in with a specific complaint (say, insomnia) we ask all sorts of other questions about seeming unrelated things like digestion, pain, ear ringing, night , sweating, emotional well-being...etc. We do this is because we're looking for a pattern in the big picture. While you may not see a connection between various symptoms (lets say insomnia and chronic low back pain) they might be related as
you are one complete, inter-related person. So, we need to know all about you to find the other pieces of this pattern and figure out what the root cause of your symptom is.
Looking at the big picture is not the only perspective, but certainly an important one. It lets us see possibilities that are different than the ones we may see at close range. What are some instances where the big picture made you see things differently?
~Alexis
Labels: big picture, chinese medicine, pattern diagnosis, Portland, TCM
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