Author: lexfrost

by Maureen Cromey

A Healthy, Long Life through Diet & Nutrition

Chinese medicine considers Diet to be the most fundamental basis of health.  Without a balanced diet our body will not run properly or efficiently.  Worse if the food is wrong for us it will damage us. In addition to the food categories and vitamin content the Chinese diet considers foods to have temperatures and tastes. Foods are used as medicine to balance disharmonies.  For example meat is hot Yang protein and fish is a cooler yang protein. Vegetables are Yin and some are sweeter than others affecting different organs.

Everybody’s diet needs differ and we can tailor a diet specific to you. We may suggest warmer drying foods if you are sluggish and prone to weight gain or cooler yin foods if you are suffering from headaches and high blood pressure.

The advice we give you will make you feel better and over the years reap the benefits living a healthy, long and active life.

Chinese medicine seeks to balance out any disharmonies by diagnosing and treating on an individual basis. When you visit your practitioner they will ask you many different questions and check your tongue and pulse. By using acupuncture and herbs they will treat you to restore your metabolism. The food you eat will also be considered as medicine and you will be advised on what to eat and how to prepare it.

by Maureen Cromey

The alarm goes off…. surely not!  It’s still dark outside and I’ve only just got to sleep. It’s winter, I really hate getting up in the dark, it’s not a lazy can’t be bothered to get out of bed type but a full body, physical and emotional and instinctive… it feels all wrong.  I feel so awful, depressed, tired, hungry, apathetic and bloated.

The more tired I am the less I can sleep.  What is going on?  I have a case of The Winter Blues.

SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder is a clinically recognised disorder caused by shortened daylight hours. Symptoms can be very severe and even disabling.  A milder version is something we call The Winter Blues.  Funnily enough I don’t feel blue if I’m away skiing or outside stomping around in crisp cold weather or throwing snowballs or clearing winter debris from the garden.

It’s all about light on the retina; the back of our eye. This affects the production of melatonin, and in turn serotonin, both substances that affect our moods.  Acupuncture regulates the internal homeostasis of the body. This means it helps to restore and maintain the levels of hormones, enzymes, histamines, blood cells and organ activity within normal range.  It is a retune for the body.

Light levels affect mood enhancing chemicals in our bodies,  lower the level and we feel unhappy. Some people are very sensitive to light levels and changes (effects) are severe. Acupuncture helps to restore these to normal.

In TCM terms the flow of qi through the body slows down, it stagnates in certain organs leaving us feeling out of balance, ‘just not right’ and with the feeling that something is missing. The energy to the spleen and stomach may become overheated leaving us with a gnawing hunger which cannot be satiated. Libido drops as kidney yang energy flattens out and depression and apathy set in as the qi passing through the liver stagnates.  This causes depression and can affect sleep, which may become less satisfying, fitful, or excessive.

So what to do?

Exercise; it often feels like the last thing you want to do, but really, try. Walk, dance, go to the gym, make love, move that qi. Once you start it gets easier.

Be outside, remember there is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes. It is difficult on a wet, cold day, but get to the park or the river or walk to work and take in the season. Feel the air on your face and importantly let whatever light there is into your eyes.

Eat well… we covered this last November. Good quality balanced diet, follow the 70% full rule and check that you are not eating too much.

See your acupuncturist regularly, share your troubles and take a soothing, balancing and nourishing treatment.

A Chinese herbal formula that you can take on a daily basis prescribed for you particular constitution will really help.  Plan a few things that you enjoy. Have things to look forward to, a night out with friends, a massage, theatre trip or even a round of golf!  Take pleasure in the small things in life. A lovely cup of tea, a funny joke, a watery winter sun.

Seasons change and so do we, we need to roll with this, being outside helps us to connect with the earth accept the changes and enjoy the moment.

by Maureen Cromey

In clinic I always discuss diet with my patients; Chinese medicine considers diet to be the most fundamental basis of health and being overweight is an indication of an imbalance. Children may be born with a propensity to fatness or it can develop as a result of illness or unhealthy lifestyle. In Chinese Medicine fat is seen as a type of damp in the body caused by a weakness in the spleen and stomach energy. It manifests as soft flabby flesh which seems to cover the whole body. The tongue is often pale in colour and a looks slightly flabby with teeth marks around the sides. This person may feel sluggish and tired and have great difficulty losing weight even on strict diets and can easily gain weight ‘just looking at food’. Of all body types these people need the most support to balance their weight and restore energy levels. Chinese Medicine is very effective for this body type.

Another type of fat is the belly or midriff with normal or even thin limbs. In contrast to the damp fat this maybe firmer to touch and is attributed to stagnation of qi or energy which is blocked by emotions such as frustration, anger and stress. Here the tongue may look normal although often the coating is a little yellow and the sides of the tongue quite red. This person may be irritable and angry and often prone to belching!  With stress reduction, exercise and appropriate foods, weight loss is easily managed.

There is also a condition known as stomach fire, you can see it on a person’s tongue, the central area relating to the stomach has very little coating and is often quite red. This is characterised by a gnawing hunger which can never be satisfied.

Chinese medicine seeks to balance out these disharmonies by diagnosing and treating on an individual basis. When you visit your practitioner they will ask you many different questions and check your tongue and pulse. By using acupuncture and herbs they will treat you to restore your metabolism. The food you eat will also be considered as medicine and you will be advised on what to eat and how to prepare it. Food preparation is important as it changes the energy of the food and raw food increases damp, and it also cools stomach fire.  Food can help one condition but worsen another. They will also suggest an exercise regime and other lifestyle changes such as stress management.

The best and most effective weight loss tip is to balance your body and eat in harmony with it.  Go and see your TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner and ask them for advice and have treatments if you need them. Only ever eat to feel 70% full and always eat good quality, fresh simple foods. Avoid sugars and additives, excessive alcohol and stimulants, eat slowly and sit down when eating. Exercise every day, walking for at least 30 minutes and get plenty of sleep.

Your weight will gradually even out to a comfortable healthy level and you will live a healthy life, with a significantly reduced risk of disease onset.

Oh dear my hair is limp, eyes lack lustre, skin seems to be ageing and spotty, there are a few itchy dry patches and even with makeup I look tired.  My muscles ache when I walk up the stairs and I crave a coffee and chocolate in the afternoon.  I’m feeling irritable with everything, low mood and tired even after a long sleep. I’m apathetic, bloated and inefficient.

Detoxing means to remove poisons or toxins. Our bodies have natural waste management system, waste is eliminated via out breath, urine, sweat and faeces. We filter the air we breathe, and the food and drink we consume, and anything we absorb through our skin. Our blood circulation, digestive tract, liver, kidneys and lungs are all brilliant systems that operate efficiently and effectively in the right conditions.

The problems arise when we overload. Drinking coffee and alcohol every day, breathing polluted lead laden air, eating processed foods full of additives and sugars, overeating and not getting enough sleep, feeling stressed and upset, partying hard or often.  These all exhaust our wonderful bodies and gradually their ability to eliminate wastes diminishes and toxins build up. We cease to thrive.

The answer may lay in a Detox. ‘Detox diets” can be severe eating only raw foods or fasting, taking purgatives and colonics.  This can be OK if you are strong but it can drain and exhaust softer constitutions. Detoxing to invigorate and tonify must be appropriate to the individual.  It is much kinder and more natural to support our constitutions by working in harmony with what each person’s needs.  A gradual detox will be as effective and a lot kinder then extreme changes in diet.  Sudden withdrawal from toxins such as sugars, coffee and alcohol can cause great discomfort with  headaches, mood swings and cravings.

From the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective each person is different with different needs, there are some basic steps that will help everybody:

• Eat organic, fresh food.
• Have a vegan day each week.
• Drink water each morning.
• Take at least four consecutive days every week where you do not drink alcohol.
• Reduce sugars and avoid junk foods and late night eating.
• Spend time outside every day.
• Exercise, meditate or take up an absorbing, relaxing hobby.
• Stop drinking coffee and tea.
• Sleep better and for longer.
• Consider using natural cleaning products and cosmetics.
• Switch off the mobile and modem at night.
• Avoid gossip.
• Have sex, this improves energy, reduces stress, helps sleep and cheers us up.

If you follow these steps your toxic load and stress levels will drop quickly.  This allows the organs to function effectively eliminating waste products and conveying nourishment to every cell.  Sadly after years of neglect or particularly toxic habits it can be hard to return to normal function levels and imbalances persist.  This is when acupuncture and herbs are very helpful. Acupuncture regulates the internal homeostasis which means it gets everything working properly,  it is like tuning and servicing a complex machine. Herbs support this function.

A course of treatment and dietary advice from a TCM practitioner will ensure that your detox is effective. Regular visits will help you to stay on course and keep organs functioning well. When we feel well and happy cravings for toxic foods and lifestyle diminish. It is misguided to harshly detox and then return to old habits. Far better to live well most of the time with the occasional indiscretion.  Your body will cope perfectly with that when it is all tuned up.