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Today we have access to more things to help us heal than at any other time in history, one of the first and most important steps to healing is making sure you’re getting enough quality sleep every night for the body to do its internal restorative work. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) yang qi is what keeps our minds and bodies busy during the day and at night it goes internal to help a deeper detox and repair the systems of the body while the yin qi takes over externally to rest our conscious minds and shut down muscle activity. This yin/yang trade-off, when working in balance, is the very foundation of good health according to TCM.
The nature of yin is cool and calm. It’s associated with calm, darkness, and stillness…all the relaxing sensations you get when you’re genuinely resting. A body in a yin state will slow down its heart rate and metabolism. In Biomedicine (Western Medicine), this relates to the parasympathetic nervous system. Its main purpose aligns with yin qi: to keep us calm and conserve energy. While the sympathetic nervous system is what switches on our fight or flight response and is more correlated with Yang qi. Yang is expansive, stimulating, warming, and gets us moving. In general, yang qi is more accessible during the day, while yin qi dominates the nighttime.
Sleep disturbances are one of the main manifestations of too much yang and/ or not enough yin. To correct issues like insomnia we need to look at how we are living in accordance with that natural balance.
1) Ingesting Too Much Yang: Before bed, or in general, spicy food, alcohol, or stimulants can disturb sleep. Spicy food and alcohol causes heat in the system, which creates excess yang in the body. Too much coffee also keeps yang qi stuck at the surface to be available for activity. Even just having a large meal before bed can block the yang energy from going deep in the body at night.
2) Too Much Activity/Excitement: The yang qi is needed deep on the inside of the body at night, don’t hold it hostage with outward energy requirements. Stop exercising at least 90 minutes before bedtime. This allows for endorphin levels and body temperature to return to levels that are conducive to sleep. Try not to argue before bed, or even get too excited. Give yourself time to wind down & transition.
3) You need to Cool Down: Literally. Yin is associated with coolness. To invite your yin qi to come out at night keep the bedroom temperature between 60-67℉.
4) Too Much External Stimulation: Lights, especially blue light from tv’s, phones and computer screens prevent melatonin release in the body, making it harder to fall asleep. If you need to finish work on a computer, wear blue blocker glasses or get a blue light blocking screen cover for your computer. Also, yin time should be quiet time, it’s recommended that all electronics should be turned off about half an hour before bed to help calm the mind before bed.
5) Too Much Stress, Not Enough Rest: We live in a yang-obsessed world. This creates stress as many of us are over-worked and over-stimulated, while not always having time for a healthy self-care practice (meditation, Tai Ch, etc.). This leaves us with a restless mind (‘disturbed shen’ in TCM terms), and can keep us lying in bed exhausted, but unable to sleep. The challenge is to resist the modern-day pressure to keep up and create more self-care time to support a more balanced lifestyle.
6) Feng Shui of the bedroom: A Feng Shui specialist can analyze the yin yang balance in your bedroom. For instance, the bed should be opposite the room’s door, but not directly in line with it (this is called the command position in feng shui). The headboard should be against a solid wall with balanced night tables on each side. It is also important to keep the area under the bed clear, not for storage. Many people find simple feng shui adjustments can have a perceptible effect on things like sleep and wake cycles.
In addition to these considerations for improving sleep, don’t forget the value of relaxing into a healing state on the acupuncture table. Acupuncture is a cost-effective self-care tool and can help reset your yin-yang balance for better sleep and overall health, call us today so we can help you get better sleep!
Winter’s element is water and is associated with the kidneys, which in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is considered the source of all qi and energy within the body. Winter is also associated with the bladder and adrenal glands.
Focusing on inner reflection, rest, energy conservation, and storage during the winter months is when it’s most important as it helps us to properly nourish our Kidney Qi.
Below are a few methods you can learn about and apply during this season in order to maintain a balanced qi.
Balancing your lifestyle
For most people, a reduction in activity is common during the winter months whether it’s due to the frigid temperatures, damp weather, or lack of activities available in the area where you reside.
Given that reduced activity is likely a factor for many, it’s important to also consume less food this time of year to avoid unnecessary weight gain. Food that should be gravitated towards would be warmer foods such as beans, ginger or garlic, and even soups and stews.
Rest & Relaxation
Although the days are shorter during the winter, it’s important to stay in line with our circadian rhythm. This can be done by having an earlier bedtime and waking up after the sun has had time to warm the earth in the morning. Not only does getting more sleep helps with balancing our Yang Qi it helps give our body the necessary rest we need in order to prevent common winter illnesses such as the flu, colds, and general aches and pains. Not only that, but according to TCM, unresolved anger, stress and frustration can throw your immune system off allowing pathogens to affect the body.
Relaxation is also a way to stay balanced during this time of year.
Drink Plenty of Water
We’re all aware that drinking water is extremely important to our survival, but it does more than simply keeping us alive.
Drinking water has many benefits including the fact that it’s essential for proper kidney function and can even prevent kidney stones. It’s also known for lubricating the joints, delivers oxygen through the body, regulates body temperature, and maintaining blood pressure.
If you have a hard time drinking water, try adding lemon to it to amplify the taste, drinking tea, or adding a vitamin flavor enhancer.
Wash your hands
Wintertime is the time of year where we are in close proximity with others because we tend to stay indoors more. That being said, we are more likely to spread our germs to others and vice versa.
Washing your hands often can help prevent the spread of germs and keep you healthy. Other ways to avoid coming in contact with germs is to keep a container of sanitizing clothes with you so you can wipe down doorknobs, grocery cart handles, and even condiment containers at restaurants before handling them.
Acupuncture Points
The acupuncture point that we suggest catering to is Du 14. It helps regulate blood circulation and can also strengthen the outer defense layers of the skin and muscle to prevent the intrusion and duration of germs and viruses.
Du 14 is a crucial point that is used to release the Exterior and treat Wind-Heat.
Applying Traditional Chinese Medicine to your active lifestyle is beneficial for your health and should be made a priority.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can apply Traditional Chinese Medicine to your lives, call today, and schedule an appointment with one of our Acupuncturists.
Battling another cough or cold? Feeling tired all the time? You may feel better if you take a daily walk or follow a simple exercise routine a few times a week. Just like any time of year, exercise is a great way to keep your body strong, but it’s extra important if you want to take advantage of what your immune system is capable of. The physical movement will increase your blood circulation and oxygen, as well as eliminate metabolic wastes.
Fitness is one of the largest growing industries today. When choosing which program best fits your life and your desired outcome, it is important to look at these four aspects of a fitness routine.
Endurance – These activities are designed to increase your heart rate and breathing for extended periods. Gradually build up endurance exercises over a period of time, initially starting out with as little as 5 minutes. Examples of endurance exercises include briskly walking, cycling, long-distance running, aerobics, and may even include mopping or scrubbing a floor, mowing or raking the lawn.
Strength training – Increasing your strength can improve and maintain your mobility, control your weight, and sculpt a muscular body. Lifting weights is one of the easiest and fastest ways of building muscle. Martial arts are another form of strength training exercise.
Flexibility – Increasing your flexibility will help “loosen” you up and allow you to move more freely. One great way to prevent injury and aid performance is to do these exercises before and after endurance and strength training. Tai Chi or gentle stretching falls within this category.
Balance – More and more, people are seeking balance exercises to reduce stress and harmonize body, mind, and spirit. Tai Chi and Qi gong are exercises to balance these aspects while cultivating Qi energy that can keep you strong and healthy.
Talk to a qualified professional before you start an exercise routine in order to best determine what will fit into your desired outcome of a healthy, balanced body.
Consider acupuncture for performance enhancement: identifying the underlying conditions that may predispose an individual to injuries and for treating sport-related injuries effectively. Remember, acupuncture can be introduced at any phase of a treatment regimen for an injury. It is safe, effective, and natural.
If you would like to learn more about how Tai Chi and Acupuncture can help you feel healthier call today or send an email to us!
In the United States acupuncture has grown in is popularity. Most people know that acupuncture is effective for pain conditions. Though at Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City we specialize in pain management. We also treat different types of addictions. One addiction that we help people with is smoking.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been shown to help people to stop smoking. How will acupuncture and Chinese medicine help you to stop smoking? According to Chinese medicine we look at balance in the body. When the body is out of balance, then disease may occur. Chinese medicine whether it is acupuncture, herbs, exercise, or nutrition will help you return back to balance and stimulate your body’s self-healing mechanisms.
When it comes to smoking, Chinese medicine will clear heat, detoxify your body, and calm your mind. There may be many different factors why you may smoke. Many people smoke because of stress, anxiety, depression, or just out of habit. Acupuncture will help you calm your mind and relieve stress. Most importantly it will help with the cravings for smoking. It will change the taste of the smoking and cause you not to have a desire to smoke.
Physiologically, acupuncture will act on the brain. It will allow your body to release different chemicals, neurotransmitters, endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. All of these endogenous substances will help your body to heal and overcome your smoking addiction.
There are many other things that you can do to help support your smoking cessation treatments. It does require a lifestyle change and a willingness to change. Here is a short list of some techniques you can do to help you while you are getting acupuncture treatments and taking Chinese herbs:
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will help you to quit smoking. Start today to change your life and become more healthier, balanced, and full of abundance. Give us a call to schedule an appointment today at 801-463-1101.
If you have these feelings or similar feelings we can help you. One of the best exercises that you can practice to help you feel balanced, peace, and energized is Tai Chi. Tai Chi is a Chinese exercise and martial art that is wonderful for all ages. By practicing Tai Chi you will feel more energy and balance in your life.
Research studies have found that Tai Chi has the following benefits:
Tai Chi has been mentioned by Harvard Medical School that it is not only “meditation in motion, but medication in motion.”
To help you start to learn Tai Chi, Master Lu’s Health Center is now offering daily beginning Tai Chi classes. You will learn Tai Chi principles, philosophy, and the beginning movements. This class will help you begin your path to study and practice the Chinese art of Tai Chi.
Tai Chi is one of the oldest forms of exercise practiced around the world. It was originated in China, and up to this date millions of people practice Tai Chi all around the world. One of the great benefits of Tai Chi is that it will improve you health and wellness.
Paul Brennan’s translation of Master Chu Min Yi’s book Tai Chi Boxing Photographed written in 1929 said this statement about Tai Chi and health cultivation:
Boxing arts are essentially a form of physical education, and so health cultivation is naturally a major emphasis. However, this is not represented well by the hard labor of external stylists, and only Taiji Boxing really has the capacity for health cultivation. Regardless of weak or strong, old or young, all can practice it. It is best for us to be able to develop our bodies uniformly, complementing the regular physiological processes within our bodies. Because strenuous exercise does not conform to these processes, it is typically rendered counterproductive.
Hence the movements in Taiji Boxing are unusually delicate. With each movement, the whole body is in motion, and thus no part of the body gets harmfully overworked. Furthermore, because the movements are gentle and nimble, they can regulate the temperament and cultivate one’s character, and because they conform perfectly to physiological processes, they can develop the body uniformly. While practicing, you do not need to put forth undue effort, and so even if you are old or ill, it is not difficult to do. Therefore the claim that it “prevents illness and prolongs life” is truly not a bunch of empty words.
Grandmaster Yin Chian Ho said: “Tai Chi is practiced not only to maintain the body, but also to prevent or remove invisible sickness. Where drugs may be ineffectual , Tai Chi may control sickness. The body and mind together look after the health in accordance with principles of physiology and hygiene.”
As we can see from older teachers, Tai Chi has always been a way for health cultivation.
Some of the many ways Tai Chi will help you as you practice includes the following:
Harvard medical school has said that Tai Chi has been known for “meditation in motion”, but it may be also be known for “medication in motion.” It will heal the body both physically and mentally.
Modern research has shown that Tai Chi has been good for many different health conditions:
All ages and skill levels can practice Tai Chi. Tai Chi will help you feel more energized, balance, and vitality. The more you practice Tai Chi deeper your appreciation you will feel and the benefits will be great.
We highly encourage you wherever you are to incorporate Tai Chi within your daily exercise regime. If you never have done Tai Chi before it is never too late to start.
There are many patients who ask how many acupuncture treatments do I need? That is a good question to ask. At Master Lu’s Health Center, we typically recommend on average five treatments and we will reassess. But then the question is do I need to keep coming forever? That is also a good question to ask your Chinese physician. Here are some reasons why continued care is good.
These suggestions come from Acupuncture Media Works. We think they are a good synopsis why it is good to continue with your acupuncture and Chinese medicine care.
1) Even though you may not be in pain or discomfort, it takes longer to heal than is indicated by how you feel. Your body continues to heal even when symptoms are gone. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine treats the root of the problem. So when symptoms are gone, the root of the problem may still need to be treated therefore it is a good idea to continue to get treatments so your problem will be gone.
2) Chinese medicine is about prevention. It is better to prevent an illness and maintain healthy. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will continue to strengthen your body so you maintain healthy.
2) Acupuncture and Chinese medicine builds upon itself. Each time you come for an acupuncture treatment it improves the healing process within your body. You should get better and better each time you come in for a treatment. In China, Chinese doctors will treat patients three to four times per week for a typical treatment course of ten. Then the doctors will reassess to see if treatments need to be spread more apart or if the patients has been “cured.” Stopping or missing treatments could have a negative impact on your treatments. If you came in for a treatment for low back pain then came back three weeks later, your pain may not have changed that much because too much time in between treatments went by. It is best to have several treatments up front close together then reassess.
3) Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will improve your energy levels and help you feel more balanced. We live in a stressful society. There are many factors that can cause us to feel stressed which in turn may have an effect on our bodies. By having regular acupuncture treatments, you can feels more balanced and reduce your stress.
4) “An ounce of prevention , is worse a pound of cure.” Acupuncture and Chinese medicine will help build your body and prevent illness. It is still highly important to change your lifestyle habits so you can achieve your optimum health and wellness.
I hope these tips help you. If so please sign up for our monthly newsletter with tips, research, and more about how Chinese medicine will help you.
