Practitioners' News

Low back, hip and IT band issues are frequent problems practitioners deal with day-today. Many times, our patients present with tissues that have become extremely compressed and adhered. As an additional support, many practitioners have encouraged patients to do selfcare treatments with foam rollers and other compressive-type tools with some success. With the development of silicone cups, practitioners now have an entirely new set of tools for relieving pain and promoting fascial health.

When you have patients that are pushing long hours, or are exhausted new parents, or out of joint shift workers, or entrepreneurs that are hell bent on working 18 hr days, then remember Natures’ gift of Adaptogen herbs. I personally got tired of recommending 12 separate herbs to patients and combined all the most important plants into two products, Awake and Asleep. These new combinations are convenient and my patients were thankful not having to take so many capsules. I would recommend you try these in your practice as they are essential for healthy aging and managing those stressful times.

Coconut products have been heralded as a wonder "super food" for humans for years, but did you know that the same benefits that humans enjoy, our animal friends can also experience? Eastern Currents offers Olie Naturals Coconut Oil and Coconut Crumble, as fibre-rich and supportive coconut products that are nourishing, supportive, and safe for consumption by our favourite animal companions!

After having translated, worked with, and taught the Great Treatise to students of Chinese medicine for several years, I realized that this text deserves to stand on its own and be much more widely read and discussed than it is at present, perhaps because it is hidden within the voluminous Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor. In addition, the material covered in this text is so deep, complex, and foreign to our modern way of thinking that I have come to accept over the years that no single translation, whether into modern Chinese or any Western language, could ever do it justice, much less make the content understandable to an uninitiated reader who does not have access to the original source text and the volumes of historical commentaries and discussions in classical Chinese.

If you practice Acupuncture you should include Qigong in your daily routine. The classic texts of Chinese medicine often speak of the importance of the mind, intention, and spirit for the success of acupuncture treatment. Establishing a consistent Qigong practice can help focus our spirit and direct it toward improving both our health, as well as the health of our patients.

We often find that tulips droop after we put them in water. Kelly's mother shared a secret she learned from her mother. The trick she said, is once they droop, prick the stem all the way through, just at the base of tulip flower with a sewing needle or safety pin.

Spring is ruled by the Wood Element, which represents new beginnings. Wood is the intermediary between the dormancy of the seed associated with the Water Element and the flowering of the Fire Element. Wood is a time for new beginnings, for creating a new ‘‘big picture,’’ for planning and strategizing so that the mature versions of our ideas and of our actions develop in the strongest possible way. Chinese herbs are powerful allies during the Wood Phase because they are so effective for removing obstructions and nourishing what is lacking. Here are some formulas you and your patients can use to help create a sure course of development for this new season.

The face shows a remarkable amount of information in a relatively small space. We are all face readers as we evaluate faces every time we meet someone new or engage in conversation. Chinese Face Reading gives the benefit of thousands of years of observation, where minor differences in the shape and size of every feature were categorized, the various places on the face were correlated with the organs and every detail of the face was given importance. The most difficult aspect of face reading is combining the traits into a profile of a unique individual. We inherit many traits, but ultimately, each person is responsible for what shows on his or her face. Only you have the ability to control how you act and react and what you chose to express. So, the next time you feel like frowning, you might want to transform it into a smile. Or when life gives you a learning experience, it is truly a chance to grow and gain wisdom and your face will show it.

The 15th annual COMS event has come and gone, and all those that attended this year’s in-depth event can attest to the richness of information that was shared by the two very different speakers.

“Shen Guan” means Kidney Gate. This is Dr. Tung’s master Kidney point (#77.18), and there is no more powerful point for the Kidney. It tonifies not only the Kidney, but also the Spleen and the Yin, and benefits Qi. It connects UB 23 and Ren 4, and this internal pathway between the Kidney back Shu and front Mu points is what makes it such a powerful point for the Kidneys. It addresses Kidney deficiency and all accompanying signs and symptoms.

A number of years ago, I introduced a group of pediatric formulas to the Golden Flower herbal repertoire. These 2 oz bottles are meant for infants, toddlers and young children; they come as sweet-tasting syrups, using glycerin instead of alcohol, and are ready for direct administration.

Nature’s designs are efficient. They never waste energy and they always have a purpose. These two design basics increase the organism’s chance of survival. In fact, many engineering wonders are the result of studying natural phenomena, such as the strength of spider’s web or the structural differences between a bird’s wing feather and a body feather. Similarly, we can learn a lot from how nature has designed probiotic bacteria.

Modern science has discovered the healing properties of emu oil and have studied the oil in a variety of skin-related disorders such as contact dermatitis, herpes zoster and simplex, burns including sunburn, bed sores, skin ulcers and aged skin, just to name a few. The oil has shown to have profound anti-inflammatory and skin-penetrating action which may account for its pain relieving properties.

February 16, 2018 is the start of the Chinese Year of the Yellow Dog. This is a Yang Earth Year, which will bring much more stability, with a few notable exceptions. The Elements are Yang Earth on top of Earth, which means that they harmonize with each other. So, overall, it is will be a much calmer year and may sometimes even seem boring. But there is a Chinese saying that “Boredom is good luck, because you have choices!” After two fiery years, it is time to exhale and take in a deep breath to regroup. There will be a palpable feeling of relief from the tensions of the previous years, especially as we get deeper into the year. Life should get easier and more relaxed.

Acupuncturists in lecture audiences and students alike have long asked me to write up the treasures that I now pass along in class. They tell me that when they overthrow their stab-in-the-dark practice of Chinese medicine to incorporate insights about the workings of channel Qi, their clinical results are vastly improved. They have satisfaction in knowing what they’re doing, as opposed to that nagging feeling that they’re just guessing and hoping for the best.

The tradition of starting the New Year with resolutions has become ingrained in many of us over the years. When something new begins, we intuitively want to institute some measure of change along with it. This year, I have noticed more articles in the press advocating we drop the urge to make resolutions. The naysaying voices reflect that resolutions lead to bad feelings. The better strategy is to drop them and just be the perfect you that you are already!

What are your plans for your 60th birthday, if you haven’t had it yet? How does running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days appeal, as an idea? Well, that’s exactly what Dr. Pushpa Chandra is doing – starting at the end of January, 2018. She’s taking part in the World Marathon Challenge, which starts in Antarctica and moves on to Cape Town, Perth, Lisbon, Cartagena and, finally, Miami. During this intense 7-day period, she will eat and sleep on airplanes and be ready to run a 42.2-kilometre marathon each time she touches down.

Acutonics embraces both ancient wisdom traditions and new paradigms in health and wellness, while remaining firmly based in science and strongly supported by case study documentation and research. It is a re-unification of art and science, music and medicine and elegantly harmonizes the cosmobiology of both patient and practitioner.

The Chinese understood human beings to be microcosms, meaning that within us are the same elements that are found in Nature. When these elements are functioning in health and balance within us, we experience health. If the elements are imbalanced, disease must be the result.

Modern cupping techniques using plastic or silicone cups, both in the clinic, or at home for self care, are opening up new dimensions to healing and health. Maintaining healthy fascia is instrumental to aging well.