Skin issues can happen at any age. Whether you have dry, oily or sensitive skin, it can get complicated.
Although there are many products on the market that promise to “cure” your skin ailments, natural alternatives have proven to be effective and one of the safest options for skin treatment.
Here are just a few of the different oils that are easy to add to your skin maintenance routine and can help with frustrations you may be facing. continue reading
Arthritis is a painful and oftentimes debilitating condition that’s characterized by inflammation within one or more joints. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 2 people will develop osteoarthritis of the knee by the age of 85. It’s important to note, however, that there are several different types of arthritis, with osteoarthritis being just one. Other common types include rheumatoid arthritis, gout, septic arthritis, Still’s disease, and ankylosing spondylitis.
While most people living with moderate-to-severe arthritis resort to prescription medication to mask their symptoms, a safer and more effective form of treatment may come in the form of a 2,000-plus-year-old Chinese practice called acupuncture. Numerous studies have found acupuncture to offer relief of many different types of arthritis. And best of all, it doesn’t come with the adverse side effects associated with arthritis medication. continue reading
Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? It’s a little-known fact that these two conditions are directly linked to each other. Asthma, which affects roughly one in 12 people according to the CDC, is characterized by spasms of the small airways and inflammation. Furthermore, about 90% of children under the age of 16 with asthma have allergies, while 70% of people between the ages of 16 and 30 have allergies, and 50% of adults over the age of 40 have allergies. continue reading
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disease suffered by an estimated 25-45 million people in the United States. Symptoms include chronic abdominal pain, bloating, excess gas and irregular bowel movements. Symptoms can be brought on by a number of triggers including anxiety, insomnia and stress. Although there is no known cure to IBS, there are numerous alternative treatments to prescription medication that can help relieve symptoms. continue reading
About 10 percent of couples struggle with infertility and an inability to conceive, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For those struggling to have children, fertility treatment can become tiring and expensive very quickly. There are numerous alternative treatments including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that have been thought to improve fertility. continue reading
There’s a certain level of mysticism surrounding the ancient holistic practice of acupuncture. Those who haven’t tried it may view it as some sham practice with no real value or benefit. On the other hand, those who have tried are fully aware of its powerful effects on the human body.
Acupuncture is typically performed on specific points throughout the body, including points both along the meridian and outside the meridian. The number of acupuncture points continues to change on a regular basis, but the latest estimate is around 695 (not including ear treatments). continue reading
By Elizabeth Fellows, M.Ac., L.Ac., CHHC
Acupuncturist and Holistic Health Counselor
Director, Center Point Healing
Most people are familiar with the Taijitu symbol, but how many of us understand its meanings?
In Taoist thought, everything that has ever existed, will ever exist and could potentially exist, are part of the infinite nothingness. The number associated with this nothingness/everything-ness is the number one.
The state of one-ness means that everything is connected. Everything that manifests – including each of us – comes from the same source.
As soon as we identify something, we move into the number two. Now we have something and nothing, and distinctions can be made. The Taijitu symbol is known to us as the Yin-Yang symbol. The Chinese characters for yin and yang are the shady side of the mountain and the sunny side of the mountain, respectively.
Yin and yang are often characterized in our culture as “feminine” and “masculine”, but that definition misses out on the richness contained in this symbol. Yin and yang are opposites, but opposites that are interconnected. There is no way to have one without the other. Each gives context to the other: What would day mean if we didn’t have night? What would our experience of warmth be without cold? To understand one, we must understand the other.
We are made up of both yin and yang elements as well. For example, blood is yin, but the electrical conduction that keeps our heart muscle contracting to pump that blood is yang. Generally speaking, our fluids are yin and the processes that move them throughout the body are yang.
Yin and yang can be found in nature also. Yang is more daylight, the growing season, the flurry of activity in the animal kingdom (new babies being born and hatched), the wind and the heat. The seasons of spring and summer are more yang than autumn and winter.
Conversely, yin is more darkness, the harvest and storing seasons, the hibernation and dying back seen in the plant and animal kingdoms, the rain and the cold.
When we experience disease – dis-ease – it is important to check in with what is happening in nature. Are we living in harmony with the laws of nature, or are we trying to subvert them? It is natural to feel more energized in the spring and summer, perhaps to even need less sleep. However, in the autumn and winter, if we listen to our bodies, they will let us know we need more rest and sleep.
It is also natural to be much more active and to do more vigorous types of exercise in the spring and summer – that feeds our yang energy. However, during autumn and winter – the yin times of the year – we may want to turn to different kinds of exercise that supports our yin energy – like yoga.
As we move into Spring, moving from yin to yang, we may notice the stirring of yang energy. Sometimes that movement shows up as headaches, restlessness and irritability. So even though we are moving rapidly out of winter, it is still really important to support our yin by getting plenty of rest, staying warm, eating well and staying well-hydrated.
Lifestyle changes and acupuncture can help you feel to better by balancing your yin and yang energies.
CleaningPart of celebrating the Chinese New Year (February 19) involves cleaning. Traditionally, homes are cleaned before the New Year, but sweeping and dusting isn’t done until the third day after New Year out of fear that good fortune will be swept away. The floors can be swept, starting by brushing the dust and dirt towards the middle of the house or building. Once the debris is piled into the center, it’s moved to the corners where it remains until the fifth day, at which point it can be thrown out. continue reading
2015 is the Year of The Goat in Chinese astrology. Ranking eighth in the long list of animals tied to the Chinese zodiac, people who are born under this sign are said to be calm, mild-mannered, good-hearted, sympathetic, dependable and intelligent. They also prefer to avoid being the center of attention – a trait that’s rare among other Chinese zodiacs. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the characteristics of the Year of The Goat. continue reading
