Appreciation of Life

Last time we touched on Anxiety and Depression. I'm going to continue with the difference between thoughts and feelings. And next time, I am going to talk a bit about positive and negative feelings.

It seems very simple and obvious when you ask someone the difference between thoughts and feelings. But when it comes to identifying one's thoughts and feelings, sometimes it's not so simple and obvious.

Thoughts are statements that you cognitively process and believe in (temporarily).
Feelings are emotions that you feel and they describe your emotional condition at that moment.

For example, "I am happy" is not the same as "I think I am happy."
"I am happy" is a feeling and "I think I am happy" is a thought.

Try this one: "I feel like I am tied down" vs. "I feel frustrated"...Which one is a thought? Which one is a feeling? Can you tell the difference?

For those who are not used to identifying and expressing their feelings, it's actually not easy to know how they feel and/or to find the right words to describe how they feel.

It is a good exercise to get in touch with your emotional side and identify your feelings. Try it. Use the feelings chart to help you identify them.


On a less medical and perhaps more spiritual note:

Appreciate the gift of life. Enjoy every moment of this journey. Experience it and enjoy the process! The good and bad moments, the peaceful and happy moments, the growth and challenges...Altogether they make up the total experience of being a human. So, live it. Don't avoid it. Don't be afraid. Don't ignore it. It's a part of the human experience. Appreciate that you are able to experience it. Be at the present. At this moment. Be at the present in every moment.

Anxiety & Depression

In the past month, I had the privilege to cohost on a radio show and talked about Anxiety & Depression. And I would like to share a bit of what we talked about on here.

Anxiety and Depression are highly prevalent in today's society. The two conditions are closely linked together in both Eastern and Western medicine. Therefore, it is not uncommon for patients to present with both Anxiety and Depression. Try to imagine a patient who faces a challenging situation that is beyond her power to control (unemployment, financial debt, or prolonged illness). She might react in one or two of the following ways:

1. Try to control the situation by being overly talkative, irritable and tense. (Appearing anxious)
2. Giving up and lose all sense of hope that the situation might change; withdrawn; learned hopelessness. (Appearing depressed)

There are many factors that cause anxiety and depression. Physically, it is inherited genetically from one generation to the next. Studies have shown there is an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain as well in depressed patients. Neurochemicals are made from building blocks of amino acids, which are absorbed into the body by good nutrition and good eating habits. Other factors include financial burdens, prolonged illness and sudden changes in life and loss of a loved one.

Some of the symptoms of depression are:
1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly everyday. Feeling sad or empty, appearing tearful, and in children and adolescents, they may appear irritable.
2. Marked diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all activities most of the day, nearly everyday.
3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, such as 5% of body weight loss in a month, decrease or increase in appetite nearly everyday
4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly everyday
5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly everyday (observed by others)
6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly everyday
7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (may be delusional)
8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, indecisiveness
9. Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

Symptomse cause significant distress or impairment on social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Symptoms are not due to direct physiological effects of a substance (drug of abuse, a medication) or a genearl medical condition (hypothyroidism).
Symptoms are not better accounted for by bereavement.

If you have 5 or more of the above 9 symptoms in a 2-week period, then you may be diagnosed with depression.

PMS

Moving onto a more feminine topic, let's talk about PMS!

PMS stands for Premenstrual Syndrome, which is a result of hormone imbalance in menstruating females. PMS may include any of the following symptoms:

• headache
• abdominal bloating
• abdominal cramping
• fluid retention
• swelling of hands and feet
  
• breast tenderness and swelling
  
• indigestion
• constipation
• anxiety or irritability
• angry outbursts
  
• mood swings
• social withdrawal
  
• stress
• insomnia
  
• acne
• joint or muscle pain
• low back pain
  

One or more of these symptoms must be present for 5 to 10 days before the onset of period, and must not be present for 10 days following the end of a menstrual period in order to be diagnosed as PMS. Also, some females have more severe symptoms than others, and based on the changes of your body condition, the symptoms may disappear over time.

Just want to share a few helpful tips to beat PMS blues!

1. Exercise to move Qi before the onset of period.
2. Take vitamin B3 and B6 (or just a B complex) for improving mood.
3. Eat more fibers, fruits and vegetables.
   
4. Consume less fatty foods, caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar and sodium.
5. Get adequate sleep.
6. Other supplements that help relieve PMS symptoms include: Omega 3, flax seed, Calcium, and Vitamin A.
   

Immune system might be a bit low just before the onset of period, so for some people, herpes simplex virus might act out during this time, or they might catch a cold more easily. Be sure to dress warmly and take vitamins to prevent catching a cold or a cold sore! Avoid exposure to cold, such as swimming or hanging out in the snow.

Acupuncture can also help with making the menses flow smoothly and reduce PMS symptoms, such as bloating , fluid retention or mood swings.

Stress

Stress, Stress, Stress!!!

No matter what stage in life we are in, life is filled with stressful situations. We encounter stressful situations, and we get a sense of accomplishment or relief when we overcome each one of them. Students are stressed about exams; the unemployed are stressed about landing a job; the employed are stressed about the amount of work and deadlines to meet; parents are stressed about their children's well-being; children are stressed about becoming adults. We are all running in this journey and at times, we run out. Some of us run out of gas, others run out of steam; some run out of money, the elderly literally runs out of breath. And the most common thing that we run out of nowadays, is time. We are all running out of time.

Of course, our adrenal glands handle short-term stress by releasing epinephrine to get us out of dangerous situations. And stress can temporarily push us to perform at a higher capacity, and that can be a good thing when we are being chased by a wild cat. But if the cause of stress in our life is not removed, and if we are continuously under chronic stress, it messes up with our hormonal balance and we may experience some unpleasant symptoms in our body as well as our mind.

Stress can cause a lot of health conditions, to name a few:
-pains and aches: headache, migraine, joint pain, hypochondriac pain, intestinal cramps, epigastric pain, shoulder and scapular pain, back pain, muscle tension, TMJ
-mental disorder: anxiety, insomnia, irritability, depression, panic attacks, mood swings, foggy-minded
-irregular bowel habits: constipation, diarrhea, or alternating between the two
-other digestive issues: gas, acid reflux, cravings
-cardiac disorder: arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), high blood pressure, heart attack
-adrenal gland dysfunction: sweating, weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, weight loss (sometimes)
-gynecological disorder: irregular menstruation, menstrual cramps, amenorrhea, infertility

If time is permitted, exercising for 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 days a week is advised. Of course, depending on the health condition and preference of each individual, different exercises are needed. I recommend choosing an exercise that you enjoy, so exercising doesn't become an additional burdensome task on your to-do list. If you like exercise with others, I recommend recruiting a work-out buddy to encourage each other and to enjoy exercising as a social activity.

For those of you who are pushed to the limits and have no time for exercise, try the following Relaxation Exercises to help you relax when you are feeling overwhelmingly stressed!

1. Breathing Exercise
-First, find a quiet place, sit comfortably
-Close your eyes and focus on your breathing
-Slowly inhale, pause, count to 3 in your heart
-Slowly exhale, pause, count to 3 in your heart
-Repeat for 10 to 15 minutes

2. Release Muscle Tension Exercise
-First, find a quiet place, sit comfortably
-Close your eyes and focus on your body
-Make a fist tightly on both hands, count to 3 in your heart
-Slowly release your fists
-Repeat tightening and releasing your fists
-Continue to tighten and release other parts of your body (face, arms, shoulders, back, abdomen, buttocks, thighs, calves)

Wishing you happy adrenals, and an enjoyable, stress-reduced life!

Insomnia

Do you or your friends have trouble sleeping at night? There are many different TCM patterns resulting in insomnia. Some people cannot fall asleep, others fall asleep but keep waking throughout the night, and others wake up too early in the morning, before the scheduled time to wake up. There are various causes for these sleeping patterns.

You body recovers from its daily stresses during sleep, and when your sleep is disrupted or shortened, your energy level is naturally low, as a result. You may feel more tired and drained the next day and feel difficult to focus and concentrate to get your tasks done. However, if the stresses are not taken away, and the sleep pattern is not restored back to normal, day after day, your energy level will continue to decrease.

Insomnia can be caused by many factors, including anxiety and mental stress (if you are worried about something important to you), disturbing dreams accompanied by poor sleep quality (if you have encountered some psychological trauma); or maybe it's due to food stagnation (if you overeat at dinner or if you eat dinner too late at night); caffeine also affects your sleep (if you are sensitive to it and if you consume it in the afternoon or evening). Insomnia affects women particularly during peri-menopausal period when they have hot flashes and nightsweat, and oftentimes aging people have to wake up during the night to use the restroom. Perhaps you have allergies and nasal congestion when catching a cold, or if you have sleep apnea, all of which limits the amount of oxygen your brain picks up and makes you sleepy and tired the next day. Perhaps you are in school and have an important exam or a presentation tomorrow but you are not quite ready for it yet. Sleep is so important, yet there are so many factors affecting a good night's sleep!

In TCM theory, each internal organ takes turn to rest during the day and during the night. According to TCM, the most important time to be asleep is at 11pm to 3am. If it takes you a while to fall asleep, then it's a good idea to start preparing to fall asleep at 10:30pm and give yourself half an hour to fall asleep, so by 11pm your body and your internal organs can rest. From 11pm to 1am, it's the Gallbladder time, and the period of 1am to 3am is the Liver time. And these are very important hours for your Liver and Gallbladder to detox while your body is at rest. From a Western medicine perspective, research studies have shown that your pineal gland releases melatonin in the dark, which helps with regulating your sleep cycle and protects your body against cancer.

If you have trouble falling asleep, you can try drinking some hot water with long yan rou (Longan dried fruit, Arillus Euphoriae Longanae, 龍眼肉) during the day or in the evening. The sweet and tonifying nature of this herb will help you fall sleep and stay asleep. Acupuncture treatment helps very much with reducing stress and calming your mind. A Korean practitioner has suggested soaking your feet in warm water to ground you and prepare you for sleep. It's a good idea to exercise during the day to increase oxygen intake. If you are the food stagnation type, try having an earlier and smaller dinner to help prevent food stagnation. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine or tobacco; likewise, avoid stimulating videogames or heated arguments in the evening. Learn to write down and schedule your tasks in your timetable. Rest your mind and lift up your troubles, for you cannot change or control anything by worrying about it.

Sleep is so important to our health, and there is so many hindrance to a good night's sleep. I wish you will overcome whatever challenges you encounter and sleep well!

According to the Season of Winter

Huang Di Nei Jing, one of the inner classic texts of TCM, advises us to live according to the seasons. Living according to the seasons means to modify your lifestyle slightly to benefit your health condition in that particular season of the year. Living in harmony with your environment can keep you from being harmed by the climate, and can keep your body at its optimal health. Just as you would go swimming in the summertime and not plunge into the ocean during winter time (unless you are an athlete like Michael Phelps), it makes sense to stay warm and nourish your body during the colder seasons.

I would like to share a few example of how to live harmoniously with the seasons in winter time. Winter is season that is of the yin nature. It is cold and can injure yang easily. To prevent injuring the yang, it is wise to eat foods that are heavier and dense, such as meat and gravy. It is best to eat foods that are warming in nature, such as stews and hearty soups, root vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Avoid cold and raw foods such as salads and cold drinks, which can again easily injure the yang. Winter is a time of gathering and storage, it is natural for you to gain a few (holiday) pounds. Don't worry about it, it will come off when springs arrives, if your activity level keeps up with the season of spring.

In winter time, your body needs more sleep and rest, as there is less sun during the day. Decrease your activity level and allow your body to rest. Get up after the sun comes up, and go to bed earlier. Allow the sun to warm up the air before you get up, so you don't need to warm up the atmosphere with the yang of your body.

Winter is also related to the Kidneys, which is where your vital energy is stored in the body. This is your energy reserve, your back up battery, your savings account, your 401k. Kidney energy is very important in growth, maturation and reproduction. It is the source of all other energy in the body. Therefore, replenish your Kidney energy during winter time, stay warm and eat well, get plenty of rest and do not overly exert yourself. One particular substance to avoid in order to avoid draining of your Kidney energy would be coffee. I know how delicious that cup of coffee sounds in the morning, but in a long run, you are much better off without it. Instead, you may find Chinese herbs more nourishing to your body and giving you the energy that you need to get through the day.

Sharing of Knowledge

Welcome to Natural Healing Place! I am a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner, and I am here to share some helpful health-related knowledge with you.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a history of over 5000 years in China. TCM is considered as a Complementary and Alternative Medicine. TCM treats the root of each presenting illness, instead of controlling the symptoms alone. Symptoms of illness occur because the intricate balance between the internal organs in the body has been disrupted. By restoring that balance at the root of the problem, symptoms will naturally disappear. Also, TCM treats the human body as a whole, and not as individual parts. Using acupuncture treatments, herbal remedies, and by promoting a healthy lifestyle, balance can be restored in the body and your body will heal naturally, as it is designed to.

Acupuncture is done by inserting sterile and disposable filiform needles into various acupuncture points in the body, and acupuncture works by ways of Qi (or energy) manipulation. Based on the patients' condition, sensitivity and the practitioner's style, the patient may or may not feel something. Again, each individual case is different. Some patients may feel sensation more than others.

Herbal medicine is very powerful. It can improve many conditions that Western medicine cannot successfully treat. It is also very safe, because all ingredients are plants or animal products, or minerals that are found in nature. Each formula is meant to be prescribed for each patient's individual condition uniquely. Therefore, please do not try to take someone else's formula just because it works for that person. Even with similar syndromes, the underlying body condition of each patient can be very different.

Feel free to leave messages, comments or ask questions, I will try my best to assist you. Wishing you a healthy and joyful life, and may you find healing in areas of need.

Sincerely,
中醫師
Licensed Acupuncturist, MSTCM, Diplomate in Oriental Medicine