Date night can be fun, a celebration of love and romance. But for some people, romance is the last thing on their minds. If you have a low sex drive or no sex drive, the pressure to be romantic can make date night uncomfortable. You may want to show your sweetheart how much you care, but you just don’t feel it.
There are many reasons for low libido and some of them are not obvious. Find out if any of the sex drive killers below are ruining your date night plans. continue reading
If you feel stressed just living your life, you’re not alone.
Americans lead stressful lives. Jobs, relationships, health, family obligations, community responsibilities—they all take their toll.
In “Stress in America 2012,” an annual survey by the American Psychology Association, 1 in 5 respondents reported an extreme stress level of 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale. In that same group 69% of respondents reported physical or non-physical symptoms of stress, including irritability or anger, fatigue, feeling overwhelmed or changes in their sleep.
The top source of stress according to 69% of the respondents is–money. continue reading
Diabetes is a worldwide concern. Millions of people suffer or die from it and its complications. The rate at which it is increasing in the population is staggering.
According to the World Health Organization about 347 million people worldwide have diabetes. Deaths from diabetes will rise 50% in the next 10 years and by 2030 diabetes is expected to be the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. continue reading
Spring is a happy time. Bunnies hop about. Flowers emerge in long forgotten corners of your garden. The birds return and sing so loudly they wake you in the morning.
This is not a time to be angry.
But according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, being angry is exactly what you can expect if you don’t balance your wood element.
In TCM, spring is represented by the element wood. Wood represents birth and newness, the time for fresh ideas and new starts. Unsurprisingly, its color is green like the fresh growth of spring.
Wood governs your spine, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. A wood imbalance can lead to spinal problems, poor flexibility or arthritis. Wood also governs your eyes.
But most important for your mood, wood governs your liver.
Having breast cancer is hard. Your body wages a war against cancer cells and your emotions may slide into fear, grief, anxiety and depression.
And unfortunately, the side effects from breast cancer treatments can make it even worse.
Until now, many people thought they had to suffer through all the discomfort. But new research shows that acupuncture is very effective at relieving the side effects of breast cancer treatments.
Continue reading…
Chinese Medicine has been using different animal products for thousands of years. Deer antlers, or Lu Rong, have been used for knee pain, back pain, and other musculoskeletal problems. In Western Medicine the deer antler velvet has been used as a growth hormone for children with stated growth because it con taints insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). According to an orthopedic surgeon and founder of NY Bone and Joint in Manhattan, Leon Popovitz, there is preliminary research suggesting that deer antler velvet is useful in healing soft tissue injuries.
WebMD lists a number of conditions other than enhanced athletic performance:
In children, deer velvet is used as a tonic for children with “failure to thrive,” mental retardation, learning disabilities, slow growth, or bone problems including rickets.
In herbal combinations, deer velvet is used to improve athletic performance; to improve eyesight and hearing; to reduce stress; and to treat arthritis, osteoporosis, “tired blood” (anemia), women’s reproductive disorders including premenstrual syndrome (PMS), ED, and skin conditions. Herbal combinations including deer velvet are also used to increase blood circulation to the brain and to delay or reduce signs of aging such as tissue, bone, and muscle degeneration, and declining mental skills.
CNN reports on deer antler spray “giving athletes an edge“.
The use of Chinese Herbs in the Western world isn’t a new concept. When ephedra hit the athletic community in the early 90s it became a controlled and banned substance because it was used as a performance enhancing substance to “speed of the metabolism”. Traditionally, ephedra was used to treat the common cold. Ephedra’s modern application was abused and taken in much higher doses than the traditional prescriptions.
The Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Ray Lewis, has been accused of using deer antler nasal spray for injury rehabilitation.
Where do we draw the line in what is a banned substance? The therapeutic application of ephedra as a performance enhancer was misused and consequently cost the lives of over a hundred individuals.
Deer Antler Velvet, or Lu Rong, is actually being used correctly in this particular application, however. Athletes suffer repeated and serious soft tissue injuries, shouldn’t they be allowed to heal their bodies? What are your thoughts?
Gluten-Free Cornmeal, Fig and Orange Muffin
The New York Times is brilliant.
Check out this fantastic recipe for scrumptious gluten-free cornmeal muffins!
It’s important to remember that just because something is gluten-free it doesn’t mean that it is inherently health food. This delicious recipe is certainly a treat and a dessert, not a go-to staple for breakfast.
If you’re looking for a little more protein-rich, energy-dense breakfast treats, try out these Egg Muffins!
Many people feel down as winter approaches. It’s dark. It’s cold. The holidays can be stressful.
But for some people every winter is unbearable. They’re tired and depressed. They don’t want to get out of bed. They snap at their families and binge on junk food.
These people have seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Our moods and energy levels fluctuate with the seasons. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) understands these cycles but modern life does not. These days, you are expected to be active, productive and creative at all times of the year. There is no accommodation for a slow, quiet winter. According to TCM, this conflict causes stress, which can result in SAD.
It’s about almost month into the New Year. Do you already wish you had a do-over for your New Year’s Resolutions?
If so, you’re in luck. You do.
February 10th is the Chinese lunar New Year. The celebration of the New Year, the Spring Festival, is China’s longest and most important holiday. Because it is based on a different calendar, it falls on a different date between January 21 and February 20 every year. You can think of Spring Festival as Christmas and New Year all rolled into one. Just like our holiday season, it’s a time of celebration, visiting family and friends, giving gifts and preparing for the next year.
In China, there are many New Year’s traditions during the 15-day Spring Festival. Many people clean their homes to sweep away the past year and usher in the next. Oftentimes family members travel home for a visit. Children receive red envelopes, called hóngbāo in Mandarin, filled with money from their relatives. People hang red lanterns outside their homes to bring happiness and good luck. On Chinese New Year’s Eve families gather for a huge meal and enjoy “lucky” foods together. And, of course, there are fireworks.
The Chinese zodiac has 12 years in its cycle, each one represented by an animal; 2013 is the Year of the Snake. Astrologers say that people born in the Year of the Snake are wise but enigmatic. They are very intuitive and size up situations well, but say little. Snakes are refined; they like to dress well and are usually financially secure. They are intense and passionate in relationships, but can become jealous and suspicious. Snakes prefer a calm, stress-free environment.
The Chinese do not traditionally make New Year’s Resolutions like we do in the West, however this is a good time to reflect on the goals you set a month ago. Are you keeping your New Year’s resolutions?
If you’re having trouble, maybe it’s time to take a lesson from the Snakes. Take a quiet moment and reflect on what is stopping you. Do you need to get serious? Do you need additional support? Are your goals genuine—do you want to do them or do you think you should do them? Why haven’t you kept your New Year’s Resolutions?
If your resolutions include improving your health in 2013, I can help you with that. Give me a call and we can arrange an appointment for anything from a tune-up to weight control to mood balancing.
If you need to make a deeper commitment to your resolutions, take a moment and think about what you need to do to keep them. Write down 3 easy action steps.
…and do them. Now.
Use the Chinese lunar New Year as a do-over. Commit to your New Year’s resolutions.
Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái. Happy New Year.
Photo credit: Gayle Nicholson / Foter / CC BY-SA
Your mother was right–say thank you.
Scientists have now proven what your mother always knew–it’s good to be grateful. Being grateful is more than just politeness; it’s actually good for your health and well-being.
In a study by Robert A. Emmons, of the University of California, and Davis and Michael E. McCullough, of the University of Miami, people who kept gratitude journals showed higher levels of health and well-being than people who journaled neutral events or counted hardships. After 2 months, the people who journaled their gratitude felt more optimistic and happier than their control counterparts. They reported fewer physical problems and spent more time working out. People with neuromuscular problems who did the same thing fell asleep more quickly, slept longer and woke up feeling more refreshed. Even their spouses noticed the difference!
How can you cultivate gratefulness even if you’re a glass-half-empty person?
