Tips to Get Ready for Spring Allergy Season

  1. Cleanse your liver and gallbladder by drinking warm lemon water first thing upon waking up. You can replace lemon with organic apple cider vinegar also. This helps with the liver detox and bile secretion.

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    Photo by Julia Zolotova on Pexels.com

2. Eliminate all phlegm-producing foods–especially dairies (including yogurts), peanuts, citrus, and fried foods as all of these tend to produce massive amount of mucus in the body. Extra phlegm in the lungs and upper respiratory tract will certainly make your allergy a lot worse.

dairy products3. Cleanse your nostrils with neti-pot daily. During the peak allergy season, do it at least twice a day. Neti pots are an ancient tradition of rinsing nasal passages with salty water. Daily rinsing helps remove mucus and offending allergens so that you can breath better. neti-potWhen using neti pots, make sure that you use either boiled or distilled water (Note: DO NOT USE unboiled tap water). For salt, use non-iodized sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon for 1 cup of water.

 

4. Take probiotics and digestive enzymes to take care of your small intestine and colon. Chronic digestive disorders like Irritable Bowel, food allergies and sensitivities, and Crohn’s will give rise to phlegm in the digestive tract that can exacerbate the body’s ability to deal with allergies. Also, introduce huge amount of fiber in your diet so that you eliminate regularly.

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5. Augment Your Lung Capacities with Qigong exercises.

Qigong

Here is a simple exercise you can do to help your lungs. Sit straight, staying relaxed, breathing evenly. Now cross your legs, exhale, bend forward at the waist as much as possible. It’s best to do this exercise sitting on the floor, however, sitting on a chair is ok too.

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Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

Using your hands to support yourself, raise your body upright, inhale, then holding your breath for 10 seconds. Exhale while bending forward, then change your leg positions. Sit straight and repeat inhaling and hold your breath for 10 seconds. Repeat this action five times. This exercise not only regulates the qi of the lungs, but helps promote and reinforce the function of the lungs.

6. When your allergy makes you seriously sick, take: Allerplex by Standard process, Antronex by Standard Process (these two are very effective in preventing you from getting major allergy symptoms), Albizia by Mediherb, Jade Screen or Jade Screen with Xanthium by Golden Flowers jade screen(Note: all of these herbs and supplements may not be available unless you ask your practitioner. I am highly suspicious of Standard Process products being sold on Amazon). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Stop Leg Cramps (Stronger Version)

To deal with leg cramps that do not respond well to those lighter version remedies, here are a few things you can try.

  1. Soak your feet in hot water mixed with epsom salt for 20 minutes. Fill hot (lukewarm rarely works) water in a basin big enough to hold both feet, then add ½ cup of epsom salt. Water level has to be high enough to cover the ankles. Put your feet into the basin, regardless how hot the water initially feels.  epsom salt footbathWith heat, all six meridians running on your feet– kidneys, liver, spleen, stomach, gallbladder, and bladder–start to open up and Qi and blood flow into the areas of blockage. Chinese medicine regards every single disorder, including leg cramps, as stagnation of Qi and blood flow. Approximately 20 minutes later, you will feel warm and tingly sensation in the lower half of the body.

(Note: Our feet have the most and largest pores of the body, therefore with salt will not only draws toxins out of the body, the body absorbs the magnesium in epsom salts. This method effectively deals with chronic arthritis in the feet and ankles, plantar fasciitis, achilles heel tendonitis, and even toenail fungus infections.)

  1. After the foot bath, make a fist and rub on the center of the soles.

     3. Press and knead on the following points: Taixi (KD3), Kun Lun (BL60), Cheng Shan  (BL57), Yang Ling Quan(GB 34), Zu San Li (ST36). Use the thumb to knead forcefully on each point for 30 seconds.

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  1. Squeeze and roll the calf muscles with both hands, begin at the ankle and move gradually upwards, for 2 minutes.

The above is suggested to be a routine before sleep. You can try one or more of the above remedies to find out to which protocols your body reacts most favorably. In a few days, most of your leg cramps will be eliminated.

Chronic and persistent leg cramps usually indicate serious internal orders, most notably pre-diabetic conditions or active diabetes. Please pay attention to your sugar consumptions, and other lifestyle or diet changes.

 

A Secret for Foot Pain: Foot Bath With Ginger

One of the most effective treatment for plantar fasciitis is: A Foot Bath With Ginger.

Soaking the foot in hot water, mixed with freshly-ground ginger, is a well known therapy in Asia.

Putting your aching foot in ginger-infused hot water for about 10 minutes will accelerate blood flow, while dissolving “dead blood” stuck in the heel and the bottom of the foot. This method is equally effective in treating broken toes.

Epsom salt can be added in lieu of ginger, however, ginger is proved to be far more effective.

Managing Diabetes with Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

It is estimated that 25.8 million people in the United States have diabetes, a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.

Untreated diabetes affects the whole body and can lead to other medical problems, including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, peripheral neuropathy, digestive disorders and periodontal disease.

diabetes and acupuncture

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 4 people remain unaware that they live with diabetes. Sometimes the body will give warning signs that a person’s sugar metabolism is out of whack. Common signs of Type II(adult-onset) diabetes include:

  • Increased hunger (especially after eating)
  • Dry mouth
  • Frequent urination or urinary infections
  • Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry)
  • Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
  • Blurred vision
  • Headaches

Diabetes is Called “A Wasting Disease” in Oriental Medicine

Acupuncture and Oriental medicines have been used to treat diabetes for over 2000 years.

According to Oriental medicine, diabetes is called “a wasting disease” caused by an imbalance of the cyclical flow of Qi within the meridians and organ systems.

This particular imbalance produces heat that depletes the body’s fluids and Qi, causing symptoms such as extreme fatigue, lethargy, unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst, excessive urination, excessive eating, slow healing of cuts and wounds, infections, irritability, tingling or numbness in the extremities, and blurry vision—all of which are signs of a person being “wasted.”

The treatment for diabetes will focus on regulating the circulation of blood and Qi and balancing the organ systems to improve pancreatic function and address internal heat and the depletion of fluids.

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In addition, acupuncture can treat peripheral neuropathy, one of the most devastating symptoms of diabetes.

Common signs of peripheral neuropathy include tingling, numbness, loss of sensation, muscle weakness and pain. For some people, it is experienced as the uncomfortable sensation of “pins and needles”, or burning pain (especially at night) of their hands or feet. Others may suffer even more extreme symptoms such as muscle atrophy, paralysis, or organ or gland dysfunction.

Oriental medicine teaches that peripheral neuropathy is due to dampness moving to the limbs, where it obstructs the flow of Qi (energy) and blood within them.

The treatment is twofold: to treat the underlying factor that is causing this dampness to accumulate, and to directly facilitate the circulation of Qi and blood in the affected area.

By improving circulation, the nerve tissues of the affected area can be nourished to repair function and reduce pain.

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Well-Known Procedures in Managing Diabetes

There are a number of well-publicized recommendations in managing diabetes.

1. Diet Changes

Anything too sweet must go. While a sweet taste delights our taste buds, overindulgence can cause or worsen digestive problems and upset our metabolic and emotional balance. In Oriental medicine, meats such as pork and chicken are considered sweet.

Vegetables such as yams, sweet potatoes, corn, snow peas, squash and even turnips are also considered sweet.

Anything heavily processed or too greasy must be abstained. Too much dairy, deep-fried foods or canned foods must be avoided. Even fruits are recommended only in moderate amounts due to their relatively high sugar content.

2. Adopt Healthy Life Habits

Healthy habits such as maintaining optimal weight, avoiding exposure to toxins, following a well-supervised exercise program, and limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption can reduce the physical and emotional effects of diabetes.

3. Boost Circulation with Massage (for neuropathy patients)

Massage can help boost circulation, which is generally poor and leaves these areas vulnerable to trauma. You can stimulate your feet, lower legs, hands and arms with gentle massage using light pressure.

4. Relax to Reduce External Triggers

Consider relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, self-hypnosis or biofeedback.

5. Soak for Pain Relief

A warm foot bath with Epsom salt may also help relieve pain. If there is loss of sensation in the hands or feet, you should avoid extreme temperatures, as you may not feel the damaging effects.