Introduction to the Liver organ system in Oriental Medicine
Now that we are into the full swing of Spring…let’s learn about the Liver organ system.
In Oriental Medicine, the Liver is considered the General. It is in charge of moving the Qi and Blood in all directions through the body. It’s like a traffic cop directing the traffic through busy intersections.
The Liver correlates to the Spring season and its color is green. Its flavor is sour and the emotion it expresses is anger. The sound it makes is shouting. It is moving, like the wind moves in the spring. Its energy is like a tree growing in all directions.
When the liver organ system is balanced, we feel energized, have an abundance of creativity and are able to accomplish multiple tasks easily. When the liver organ system is out of balance, we feel sluggish, irritable, depressed and stuck.
Lifestyle choices can be a major source of maintaining balance for our Liver. The following are recommendations for keeping our Liver organ system happy.
1) Regular exercise—walking is best for the liver.
2) Eating all things green, in particular bitter greens, fermented or sour foods. Pickled foods such as pickled eggs or beets are good choices.
3) No eating after 7 pm at night. The Liver organ system cleanses all of our Blood and Qi from 1-3 am in the morning. It is important to give the body and digestive organs 6-7 hours of rest before the Liver does the cleansing. (Clients will typically wake between 1-3 am when the liver is out of balance).
4) Get at least 8 hrs of sleep per night if possible. Most of the body’s regeneration and restorative functions happen during sleep.
5) Practicing a form of meditative movement, such as Tai Chi or Qi Gong. Tai Chi and Qi Gong focus specifically on building and maintaining our Blood and Qi for the body. There are specific movements that address each organ system and how to keep it in balance.
For more information on the 5 elements of Oriental Medicine, including the Liver organ system, you may want to review the following list of books:
-Wood Becomes Water, Chinese Medicine in Everyday Life, Gail Reichstein
-Between Heaven and Earth, A Guide to Chinese medicine, Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold
-Power of the 5 Elements, The Chinese medicine Path to Healthy Aging and Stress Resistance, Charles A Moss, M.D.
In psychiatry we aim to eliminate depression, the most common problem that people come in with. Of course, we have our chronic illnesses, too. Anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder come to mind. We also see the serious illnesses such as schizophrenia and dementia-these are like the cancer diagnoses in a general practitioners office. They get a lot of the recognition because they can be so dramatic but fortunately, they only afflict a few. Unfortunately, the news has been filled lately with the issue of mental illness in people who are randomly violent. There have been a number of mass shootings in the news that have captured our attention. Clearly there needs to be more work done on recognizing the potential perpetrators of violence but my concern is that we may see the public perception of psychiatry return to views held in the past.
In my career I have seen literally thousands of patients, including in jails and prisons and have never felt at risk. We may be reversing cause and effect. We choose to see Adam Lansa as mentally ill because there is no way to understand his actions in the Newtown Elementary School, so he must be crazy. If we stigmatize patients who seek help for their problems we will not move toward better recognition and treatment. When I evaluated murderers for the State, I did meet a few psychiatrically ill people but mostly I saw people who were criminals and /or mean. These were, no surprise, not the insightful and caring people who sit in my waiting room. It is my hope that, as a society, we can continue to mature and we can be proud of a person who makes a choice to see a psychiatrist and get some help.
Genetically Modified (GMO) Foods: The real Story and the Danger
What are Genetically Modified Foods?
Genetically Modified foods are foods that have been altered genetically. DNA from different species are merged together in a way not found in nature, and in a way that is confusing to the body. God created our bodies and the food of the earth to nourish our bodies; genetically modified foods do no such thing.
Crops most at risk for being GMO: http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/what-is-gmo/
Are GMO foods Safe?
There is a growing body of evidence linking GMO foods with multiple health problems including allergies, birth defects, autoimmune disorders, antibiotic resistance, hormonal disturbances and increased oxidative stress and aging.
Why does America allow GMO foods?
Good question! “In nearly 50 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale.” (http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/)
What is being done about GMO foods?
Polls show that the majority of Americans want to at least know if what they are buying is GMO, and more than half would not buy GMO foods if they were aware of them. There are many states working to mandate GMO labeling in their stores. Whole Foods is the first retailer to require GMO labeling in their stores, and hopefully many more will follow. You can get involved in the campaign in many ways found on the non-GMO website http://www.nongmoproject.org/take-action/consumers/.
Develop And Maintain Wellness Through Aromapuncture
What is Aromapuncture?
What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are volatile (easily evaporated) substances that occur naturally in a variety of plants growing all over the world. The oil is the most refined essence of the plant. Essential oils are extracted through the process of steam distillation or cold extraction. It is the unique combination of the plant’s chemical constituents that determine both its synergy of therapeutic effects and its aroma.
What are the effects of using Essential Oils?
The three original effects of essential oils include: physiological, topical, and psychological benefits. Essential oils affect the body’s physiology through stimulation, relaxation, decreased spasms and providing anti-viral, antibiotic and anti-fungal effects.
Essential oils affect the skin and superficial tissues when applied topically. This is the most common use for essential oils. Essential oils affect the psyche (soul) by causing mental, emotional and behavioral changes. Methods of administering essential oils include applying topically, inhaling or diffusing into a room/space. With Aromapuncture, the essential oils are administered directly on specific acupuncture points to affect a therapeutic change in the patient’s condition.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is part of a 2000 ear old practice of medicine originating out of Asia. Oriental Medicine is used worldwide to treat a variety of symptoms and illnesses. Acupuncture is the practice of using very thin, fine needles inserted into specific acupuncture points on the body to affect a therapeutic change in the patient’s condition. With Aromapucture, specific acupuncture points will be selected and essential oils will be applied to those points to treat the patient’s current symptoms. Additionally, acupuncture needles may also be inserted for added therapeutic change in the patient’s condition. With Aromapuncture, specific acupuncture points will be selected and essential oils will be applied to those points to treat the patient’s current symptoms. Additionally, acupuncture needles may also be inserted for added therapeutic benefit.
The overall effects of Aromapuncture include modulating the neuroendocrine functions in the body, thereby promoting improvement in mental-emotional and physical symptoms. Aromapuncture is useful for anyone who is afraid of needles, young children, and elderly patients.
Today I would like to discuss feelings of anxiety during sports performance, and how sports psychology can help.
I think one of the things an athlete may fear the most is experiencing a panic attack while they are trying to perform. A panic attack is defined as a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort that includes the following symptoms: palpitations, increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, feeling of choking, nausea, dizzy, lightheadedness, derealization, depersonalization, fear of losing control or dying, numbness, chills or hot flashes. (Read more here...)
What, Exactly, IS a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation?
Kara Emerson, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist is warranted for any child/teenager with emotional and/or behavioral problems that are interfering with their ability to thrive at home, school, or in other settings. A child and adolescent psychiatrist is a licensed physician (M.D. or D.O.) who completed full training in general psychiatry and two years of advanced training with children, teens, and their families. Child and adolescent psychiatrists can perform a comprehensive evaluation and develop a treatment plan that may include individual and family psychotherapy, behavior plans, lifestyle changes, nutritional changes, as well as prescribe medication if deemed necessary. (Read more here...)
Acupuncture is over 2000 years old. The aim of acupuncture is to restore the proper flow of Qi, which is the body’s energy or life force. It also brings the body back into balance on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels, by stimulating the body’s own self-healing abilities.
Oriental medicine is a broad category that includes other modalities besides acupuncture. It also uses diet, exercise, physiotherapy techniques and herbs. It is a holistic approach to health, healing and regaining balance.
A licensed Acupuncturist will attend a school that specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine training. The programs usually take 4 years and award a Master’s Degree in Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. (Read more here)...
The Buzz Surrounding Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
Concerns About Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
In light of recent media reports concerning the shutdown of a local hormone replacement clinic, there is confusion in the community surrounding bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), specifically, the use of hormone pellets. I’d like to address some of that confusion here.
As a functional medicine nurse practitioner, one of the modalities of treatment I provide is BHRT, or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. I offer hormone replacement to males and females whose lab tests show that hormone levels are out of balance, and who are having symptoms related to hormone imbalance. I don’t believe everyone is a candidate for BHRT. Comprehensive lab testing that can be done through blood and saliva analysis needs to be conducted, a history needs to be taken, especially discussing family or personal history of cancer, and symptoms need to be assessed. (Read more here)...
Goals. It is a word we have heard from a young age, whether it was in school, personal situations, like sports, or business. And if we watch any sporting event, interview, or show, such as ESPN, it is a word that gets thrown around frequently. Athletes use it, announcers use it, and so do coaches. But what is a goal? How is it defined? More importantly how are they achieved? These are questions that are presented to me during lectures, presentations, or individual sessions. (Read more...)
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