Your Health Equation

Good day! I’ve got some of my creative juices flowing today so here I am writing to you:) The sun and the garden are helping with that.

I thought I would share with you part of my health equation and ask for you to share parts of yours. My next newsletter will highlight some of your feedback. (anonymously)

So here are some of my top health helpers:

#1Neti Pot

#2Breath Work

#3Meditation

#1 Here’s my neti pot, simple and portable

NEILMED NASAFLO NETI POT 50 PACKETS (londondrugs.com)

I keep it pretty easy. 1/2 teaspoon of salt (sea salt or Himalayan) mixed with a 1/2 cup warm water from my tap. My goal is to make it as warm as my body and as salty as my tears would be, so that my body stays calm with no reactions. I started this practice about 5 years ago as a means to cleanse my body before meditation. It also has a myriad of effects on my immune system. My nasal passages being my first line of protection and wisdom to the outside world. I practice this every morning and it has helped keep me strong and healthy.

#2 Breath work is something I do more formally before meditation but I also do it throughout the day, especially in times of discomfort or pain. Nadi Shodhana or alternate nostril breathing is done by breathing in and out through your nose while blocking the opposite nostril. Here’s a video I found to help. Easy Nadi Shodhana | Pranayama Practice – Bing video

Nadi Shodhana is used to calm the mind and body and it helps to centre myself. There are so many breathing techniques (pranayama). This is one of the first ones I learned in yoga class and later learned with meditation. You can do 5-10 rounds. One round starting your in breath on the left and ending on an outbreath on the left. Another simple one I use is breathing in for the count of 4, and breathing out for the count of 6. When my outbreath is longer than my inbreath my body’s nervous system starts to relax.

#3 Meditation is something I do everyday, consistently to find out how I’m doing. It’s a time I take to look at myself without judgement. Can you imagine? I say that bc it’s so easy for me to judge, defend, and protect myself. So I take a break:)

So now, how about you? I’m sure you have lots of tricks up your sleeves. Looking forward to your answers.

I’m in clinic 3 days a week: Mon, Wed, Fri.

Thursdays, I’m teaching at Pacific Rim College, and Tuesdays I work off site. Would love to see you. Hope all of you are feeling supported and finding time for joy.

Many hugs

Gigi

Welcome to Fall! Stay Healthy…Stay Balanced.

gigi_logo_200x200whiteArt Work by Patrick Vincentine

Yin Yang. What way does it go? I see it all kinds of ways. We’ll this is the way I learned it according to ancient scriptures and Chinese philosophy. The Emperor’s Palace faced South to receive the warm wind.  So, to the East (left) the sun would rise (yang). To the West (right) the sun would set and night would fall (yin). Now yang in this diagram is white, rising, warming. Yin in this diagram is black, falling, cooling, and condensing.

And so here we have the change in seasons as well. Now we are in the West (right) side of this diagram where the yang of all of Spring and Summer is now condensing into Fall, we start to nourish ourselves with all our harvests from the orchards and gardens. So the yang energy of all this bounty is now more tangible and has turned to yin nourishment as we move towards Fall and Winter ( a more yin time of the year).

apple-falling2

This time of year, especially late August and September, is a time for prevention prevention prevention! Keep those lungs moist and open! Herbal immune tonics are fabulous. Pear sauce with ginger and cinnamon is a good idea too. Here are some of my go to prevention strategies for kids and adults. The Deep Immune and Deep Immune Kids by St Francis is an immune tonic to help prevent colds and flus and to help adapt to the change in weather and seasons. It’s a good way to keep your energy up and your spirits bright as we move towards darker and shorter days. The Ear Oil and Children’s Ear Formula is something I always have on hand, for those late night earaches that just break your heart. And of course we have the Oregano Oil for under the tongue when you feel something coming on for adults.

sept2016-242

sept2016-243

Keep yourself warm this Fall by adding ginger to just about everything! Choosing more cooked foods and steering away from cold damp foods like ice cream and melons will keep your body’s energies warm and moving.

Regular treatments help keep you “In Health”!

DSC00634

See you soon!

Gigi Vincentine Dr. TCM

http://www.gigivincentine.ca

250.882.0659

Welcome to Spring…Stay Healthy, Stay Balanced

From the winter stews and soups, you may feel like eating crunchier foods. It is certainly time to start munching on some raw foods, but don’t over do it. Remember we need to protect our stomach fires and not douse them out by eating too many cold foods. You can always “warm up” those salads by adding some ginger to your dressing or fresh lemon juice to aid digestion.

DSC00650
Canadian, Local, and Personally Made Products…My Own Vapour Rub is Next

Have you been waiting to do a cleanse? Yes, it’s time! We move into the Liver/Gallbladder season and hence we could use a little detoxifying. A simple way to cleanse during this time of year is focusing on more green in our diet. Green being the Liver/Gallbladder color of the 5 element system. What’s green in our surroundings that grow like weeds? WEEDS! i.e. dandelion greens, nettle leaves, cleavers. They grow abundantly all around us. Nettle in particular is well known to help us with our allergies. This is because of the high level of minerals and cleansing properties of this plant. Dandelion greens is a bitter plant and helps flush out the liver and kidneys. Cleavers are a diuretic, lymphatic tonic, and a detoxifier. Acupuncture or massage can be a very helpful adjunct to a cleanse by making sure the toxins are being flushed out through your sweat, bowels or urination. It can also help with irritability and low energy as we go through detoxification.

When you are on a cleanse, give yourself time and space for it. It doesn’t mean you have to quit your job or go on holidays, but you will get more benefit from it if you take time each day to meditate, do more yoga, or take some rest. There are lots of approaches to clearing out the winter cobs webs. Choose one that fits your needs and lifestyle.

DSC00648

What have I been treating most this spring? Allergies! Is your nose running? Are you sneezing wildly? Don’t itch your eyes, leave them alone. How about your throat and ears? Ahhhh! There is relief! Acupuncture and Tuina massage regularly during allergy season can help relieve a lot of your symptoms.  I also include some herbal formulas that target your eyes, ears, nose and throat. GuaSha and Cupping are also very popular this time of year. Traditionally GuaSha is done within the family home in Taiwan, usually Grandma or Auntie. Here in Canada a lot more Practitioners are using it in their clinics. Give it a try!

guasha

While I’m working on your immunity and your response to spring, I am also working on detoxifying your liver and flushing your lymphatic symstem (often seen as your Spleen in Chinese Medicine). Working on your immunity during the Fall and Winter months can help prevent some of your allergic responses in the Spring. Doing a cleanse in early Spring can also help your body deal with all the allergens in this beautiful floral city.

Like me on Facebook for more tips on wellness and balance.

https://www.facebook.com/gigivincentineacupuncture/

Book  your appointment today with my online booking with Schedulicity.

https://www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/GVD9PP

DSC00652

Happy Spring!

In Health Gigi Vincentine Dr. TCM

Victoria Professional Building

1120 Yates Street, Suite 406

http://www.gigivincentine.ca

250.882.0659

Welcome to Fall: Stay Well…Stay Balanced

DSC00614

My winter greens! Something to keep my spirits up during this time of year while everything else is dropping and rotting, the greens are still growing and glowing. It’s Fall, Lung and Large Intestine time.  Our energy is starting to turn inward.  Think of that bear collecting and gathering it’s nourishment for the winter months.  For us we are harvesting our fruits and vegetables and drying, fermenting, canning, and storing our food to keep those 2 batteries (2 kidneys) nourished during the colder months and keeping our Spleen/Stomach in balance. Following the seasons and looking to nature for cues is a great way to stay balanced and keep your immunity strong for all seasons.  So this brings us to the foods we could be eating now to build our immune systems for the colder months. Root vegetables! And lots of them! Beets, Carrots, Potatoes,Yams, Parsnips, Onions, Garlic. Eat them in a soup or grill them in the oven. Adding them to bone broths can help strengthen the digestive system and support good gut flora.

A lot of us didn’t want summer to end, I know. However now that the cooler weather is here, I’m looking forward to hunkering down and getting to “work” on all those things I didn’t get around to on those hot summer days. A few of those things are about getting back to routine and taking care of myself. This starts in my garden. Will I ever get to all those tomatoes, beets, carrots, apples, pears and grapes? Well I got to the grapes and made delicious juice. I used the last of the tomatoes for spaghetti sauce. Next? Apple sauce, apple juice, apple pie, apple sandwiches (That’s from Little Bear stories).

DSC00626

Don’t forget Rosemary Gladstar’s Fire Cider recipe.

½ cup of onion, garlic, horseradish (chopped up)
¼ cup ginger (chopped up)
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Put in large mason jar (1quart)
Fill to the top with apple cider vinegar
Let sit for 2-4 weeks, drain and add honey to taste

So when I’m feeling cold and run down, this should do the trick to help prevent common colds and flu, increase my circulation, and clear phlegm. For more information visit
http://learningherbs.com/

DSC00625

The Fall, in Chinese Medicine, relates to the Metal Element which corresponds to the Lung and Large Intestine. It’s important to keep our lungs open and our chest turned outward. Don’t let yourself “cave in”. A simple exercise to do this is to wave your arms from front to back on a horizontal plane and clap or do circles with your arms or simply thump your chest like a gorilla. This all helps promote circulation to the chest and keep viruses, bacteria, and phlegm out. For the Large Intestine (hence digestion), it’s time for more warm and cooked foods. We don’t have the summer heat to help us digest so put more heat in your food ie garlic, onion, cayenne and ginger is my favorite. Raw foods take more energy to digest, so if you are feeling a little low, try and reduce your intake of them. Make apple sauce with ginger instead of eating cold fruit. Make oatmeal with berries and ginger instead of cold cereals and milk.  Add stewed pears to your diet. Pears are an excellent lung tonic, keeping them moist and free of bacteria and phlegm.

The emotion that corresponds to the Metal Element is sadness or grief. In my practice I refer to it as a feeling of “homesickness”. For me that’s the best way to describe it. For others there can be a real sense of sadness or grief for no apparent reason, especially if they have a history of lung issues. Keep that chest open and know that it will pass.

Fall is the perfect time of year to boost your immune system. Gentle tonics include Astragulus and Elder berry. For kids in particular, (because it tastes so good) Elder Berry syrup can be a great way to keep those viruses away. Add some fish oils and chewable probiotics and that’s far fewer colds this season. Shoni-shin and/or Acupuncture can also be helpful for prevention and treatment of upper respiratory illnesses. Children can benefit with fewer treatments than adults, as their energy is more easily influenced.

In my practice, this is the time of year I encourage my patients with Asthma, COPD, or any Chronic Respiratory Illness to come for a series of treatments before the Winter Season is upon us. It’s also a good time of year for a tune up as the change of seasons can be challenging to your immunity and emotional health.

You can visit me at my clinic: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Victoria Professional Building

1120 Yates Street, Suite 406

(250)882-0659

DSC00622

This is a fun 2 minute video by Brodie Welch talking about Fall and Chinese Medicine. It takes a few seconds to upload. Enjoy!

https://voice.adobe.com/a/LzzYl/

Pediatrics: Acupuncture,Shoni-Shin,Cupping,Ear Seeds And Fun!

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Kids are wonderful to work with. I feel blessed every time to be a part of their healing process. Whether it’s Shoni-Shin, Acupuncture, GuaSha, Massage, Ear Seeds or Herbs, they all seem very proud of themselves when they leave my clinic.

Upper Respiratory Illnesses can be quite stressful in the home.  Lots of sleepless nights and maybe a few trips to the doctor.  Acupuncture, Shoni-shin, and herbs are great treatment options for those looking for alternative therapies.  Chronic ear infections, asthma, low immunity, constipation are just some of the recent concerns I have seen in my clinic.  If you have a concern about your child or baby, come by the clinic or email me.

For more information visit my website under Clinic Services: Pediatric Shoni-Shin Treatment

Pediatric Acupuncture /Shoni-Shin Treatment

or visit Robin Green’s site: http://www.kidsloveacupuncture.com/