Happy Lunar New Year of the Silver Ox!

The Year of the Metal Ox begins on Friday, February 12th, 2021, in celebration of the new moon.

Following such a tumultuous year, this year’s mantra is all about perseverance & letting go. Special attention should be paid to getting rid of clutter: not just material clutter, but emotional, relational, ideological & digital clutter. You are the Ox this year, working hard to slowly & steadily laying a foundation for future plans to blossom & flourish. Breathe deeply. Become a pickier eater. Familiarize yourself with the principles of feng shui & implement them throughout your life.

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6 Tips to Nourish the Spleen in the Long-Summer

“The Long-Summer corresponds to the Spleen & Stomach and the element of Earth”
– Traditional Chinese Medicine Fundamentals

The Spleen builds the Qi and the Blood.
It supports the Immune System.

TCMAnnualCycle-sp
The 5-Element System of Traditional Chinese Medicine
The 5 Element System includes a fifth season that we know in the West as ‘Indian Summer’.
The Chinese call this season the “Long Summer”, and it corresponds to the element of Earth and the Spleen and Stomach.
Just around the corner we have the Fall, which connects to the Lungs. Both of these organs are vital in our immune system.
The Spleen nourishes the Lungs, so it’s important this time of year to give your Spleen a boost, so that your Lungs will be strong for the upcoming cold and flu seasons in Fall and Winter.
Here’s a few tips to tonify your Spleen Qi this time of year…

 

 

6 Tips to Nourish Your Spleen in the Long Summer.

Tip 1: Eat food from the Earth
Farmers_Market__July__2010_027Try to eat as much fresh, local and organic vegetables and fruits. Eating directly from the garden is ideal. If you don’t have a garden, go to a farmers market and stock up.
Eat less meat products, especially if you’ve been BBQing a lot this summer, this is a good time to reduce your meat intake and triple your fresh produce consumption.

 

Tip 2: Eat more cooked and warmed foods
baked-corn-on-the-cobStart cooking your veggies more. Don’t eat only raw salads. Start adding stews, steams and sautés to your meals. Throw more potatoes, zuccinis and squashes on your BBQ. Cook up some corn on the cob.
The Spleen prefers cooked foods as they are easier to digest and assimilate. Too much raw or cold foods can injure the spleen and create dampness in the body. Keep enjoying your salads and raw veggies too, but start adding more cooked and heated foods to your meals.
Tip 3: Meditate and reduce over-thinking
meditation It is said that over-thinking and worry can injure the Spleen.
When the Spleen is injured 3 things can happen:

1. Digestion is compromised: Less nutrients are absorbed
2. Less Qi and Blood is created.
3. Dampness and Phlegm can grow.
The virtue of the Earth element is called “Yi”, which means “Awareness and Attention”. When we let worry consume our thoughts, we lose awareness and attention of the present moment and get lost in obsessing about the future or past. This causes harm to the Earth element and the Spleen and Stomach Qi is compromised.
Doing regular meditation, qigong, yoga, walking in nature, making art or playing music – or any activity to quiet the mind can help restore the Earth element in the body through a serene mental state.
Tip 4: Avoid dampness forming foods
donuts
Mmmm, these doughnuts may be delicious, but the sticker, sweeter, doughier and more chemical any pastry or sweet is, the more damp-forming it will be.
According to Chinese medicine, certain foods create dampness in the body. Dampness can weaken the Spleen and the Qi in the body.
Some symptoms of dampness in the body:
–  Fatigue, body heaviness, sluggishness
–  Weight gain, bloating, gas
–  Body pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis
–  Cysts, fibroids, tumours
–  Yeast infections, candida
–  Unclear thinking, ADHD
–  Chronic sinus infections
–  Cloudy urine, Foul smelling stools
–  Thick tongue coating, swollen tongue
Important: If you have any of these symptoms and want help to clear the dampness from your body, schedule an appointment with me at my clinic for acupuncture and herbal solutions. You can schedule your appointment online or call 613-702-5377.
ice-cream sundayDamp Forming Foods to Avoid:
–  Dairy, Ice cream
–  Wheat & Gluten
–  Cold drinks with ice
–  Processed foods
–  Refined flour, pastry, pasta, breads
–  Cold raw foods
–  Refined sugar and sugar substitutes
–  Coffee, alcohol
–  Deep fried foods
–  Peanuts and peanut butter
–  Bananas, mangoes.
–  Baked goods, cookies, pastries, doughnuts
Tip 5: Massage these acu-points on your foot
The Spleen Meridian travels up the inside of your foot, along the side of your big toe and inner arch.  Stimulating these points can help boost your Spleen Qi.Sp1-5
Rub these important Acu-Points before you go to bed, or anytime during the day that you need a little boost of energy or rest from stress. Rub along these points shown on the image below on the inside of your foot.
Tip 6: Take a walk after eating
While going for a nice walk after eating, try to bring your attention to your breath and avoid thinking or worrying about anything outside the present moment.
While going for a nice walk after eating, try to bring your attention to your breath and avoid thinking or worrying about anything outside the present moment.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s said that excessive “sitting” and “staring” can injure the spleen.  So instead of going straight back to your computer desk after lunch,  taking an easy and short 10 minute walk after eating can greatly assist the digestive system and renew the Spleen’s energy.
This is a great thing to do after dinner too.  Especially if you overate.
Don’t make it a power walk.  Call upon the energy of the Earth element and make it more of a leisurely stroll.
Walk slowly and easily, let your eyes look at different things, breathe the fresh air and try to be in the present moment.
The breathing and slow walking without worrying about anything will give your metabolism a boost and renew your mind at the same time.

Acupuncture for Seasonal Transitions

(FRANÇAIS ci-dessous) …

Seasonal transitions are not always easy for even the healthiest of people.  Especially this time of year when the days are getting shorter, Vitamin D is in short supply and our bodies shirk away from the cold winds of winter.

Traditional Chinese medicine understands how these seasonal changes affect the mind and body through the 5 element and yin-yang theory.   Each season correlates to a different element, different organs and correspond to different stages in the yin-yang cycle.
The winter solstice marks the greatest depth of yin, just as the summer solstice is the highest peak of yang energy.
By using this knowledge a skilled traditional Chinese medicine acupuncturist will adjust their treatments based on the seasons, and take advantage of how the energy is circulating in your body.
Maintaining balance through these transitions is critical to our health and wellbeing.  When proper self-care is ignored during a transition, then imbalance can happen and physical symptoms like colds, the flu, coughs, skin problems, insomnia, seasonal allergies, or aches and pains get worse.  More frequently imbalances during these transitions also bring about psychological and mood disorders like SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture can reduce these problems by balancing the meridians and organ systems to better cope with the external and internal stresses of these season changes.  Acupuncture can help strengthen the immune system and detoxify the body to prevent possible cold or flu-like symptoms from getting a grip on you.  It can unblock stagnant points in meridians that cause mood disorders during seasonal change.
Avid acupuncture users frequently visit their acupuncturists for a “tune-up” or “seasonal treatment” to help them get back on track when they start to feel run down or just “a little off”.  This is very wise preventative self-care.
Those who are even more tuned-in to taking care of themselves will seek acupuncture and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) when going through life transitions.  During acupuncture treatments the body processes the different stressors and stimuli which can otherwise overwhelm someone if they don’t take the healing time they need.  Big life changes can be stressful, acupuncture can help increase your capacity to handle stress and process feelings and emotions.
With the holiday season approaching, and all the stress and activity that comes with that, combined with the winter solstice, short days and cold weather, it’s wise to book yourself in for some acupuncture to help fill up your own reserves so that you can handle the challenges ahead more harmoniously. Just request a “seasonal transition acupuncture treatment” and your acupuncturist will know exactly what to do.
Blaise T. Ryan is a Registered Acupuncturist and Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner.  He accepts new patients at his Westboro location.  Insurance receipts are available. You can book an appointment online  or by calling 613-702-5377.

L’Acupuncture et les Transitions entre les Saisons

Les transitions d’une saison à l’autre ne sont pas toujours faciles, même pour les personnes en très bonne santé. C’est tout particulièrement vrai à ce temps-ci de l’année alors que les journées raccourcissent, que la vitamine D se fait rare, et que notre corps cherche à se réfugier loin des vents froids de l’hiver.
La Médecine Traditionnelle Chinoise explique, grâce à la Théorie des 5 Éléments et du Yin-Yang, comment les changements de saisons affectent l’esprit et le corps. Chacune des saisons est en corrélation avec un élément différent, des organes différents et correspond à différents aspects du Cycle Yin-Yang.
Au solstice d’hiver, le Yin se manifeste pleinement, tandis qu’au solstice d’été, l’énergie Yang est à son apogée.
En utilisant ces connaissances, un acupuncteur qualifié et expérimenté de la Médecine Traditionnelle Chinoise ajustera ses traitements aux saisons et prendra avantage de la façon dont l’énergie circule dans votre corps.
Garder notre équilibre dans ces transitions est primordial pour notre santé et notre bien-être. Lorsqu’on ne prend pas soin de soi pendant une transition, un déséquilibre peut survenir et des symptômes physiques tels que les rhumes, la grippe, la toux, les problèmes cutanés, l’insomnie, les allergies saisonnières, ou encore les douleurs, s’aggravent. Ces déséquilibres durant les périodes de transitions amènent fréquemment des désordres psychologiques et émotionnels tels que le TAS (Trouble Affectif Saisonnier).
L’acupuncture de la Médecine Traditionnelle Chinoise peut atténuer ces problèmes en équilibrant les sytèmes des méridiens et des organes, leur permettant ainsi de mieux faire face aux stress externes et internes qui surviennent lors des changements de saisons. L’acupuncture peut aider à renforcer le système immunitaire et à détoxifier le corps et donc prévenir un rhume éventuel ou les symptômes ressemblant à ceux de la grippe.
L’acupuncture peut débloquer les points stagnants dans les méridiens qui causent les désordres de l’humeur lors des changements de saisons.
Les habitués avides d’acupuncture rendent souvent visite à leur acupuncteur pour une “mise au point” ou un “traitement saisonnier” dans le but d’obtenir de l’aide pour “se remettre sur les rails” quand ils commencent à se sentir fatigués ou juste “pas très bien”. C’est une pratique de soins à soi-même préventive très sage.
Ceux qui sont encore plus enclins à prendre soin d’eux-mêmes vont vouloir recevoir de l’acupuncture et de la MTC (Médecine Traditionnelle Chinoise) dans les périodes de transition de la vie. Pendant les traitements d’acupuncture, le corps traite les différents stresseurs et stimuli qui autrement peuvent accabler une personne si elle ne prend pas le temps qu’il faut pour guérir. Les grands changements de la vie peuvent être stressants et l’acupuncture peut aider à augmenter votre capacité de faire face au stress et d’adresser les sentiments et les émotions.
Avec la saison des Fêtes qui approche et son lot de stress et d’activités, combinée au solstice d’hiver, aux journées courtes et au froid, il est sage de vous réserver des séances d’acupuncture pour vous aider à accroître vos réserves d’énergie et ainsi vous permettre de faire face aux défis de façon plus harmonieuse. Vous n’avez qu’à demander un “traitement d’acupuncture de transition saisonnière” et votre acunpuncteur saura exactement ce qu’il doit faire.
Blaise T. Ryan est un Acupuncteur enregistré et un Praticien de Médecine Traditionnelle Chinoise enregistré. Il accepte de nouveaux clients à son bureau situé dans Westboro. Les reçus pour fins de couverture par les assurances sont disponibles. Vous pouvez prendre rendez-vous avec lui en ligne ici ou en composant le 613-702-5377.