In This Issue:
**September 3 Treatment Special - celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival!
**AHA Warning about Sugar
**Acupuncture Treatment for Sugar/Food Cravings - a great option!
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September 3 Treatment Special - Celebrate Mid Autumn Festival!
To celebrate Mid Autumn Festival I am offering my semi-annual three treatment package special. Prepay a three treatment package and get $30 off my standard time of service rates! In other words, you can purchase...
**three one-hour acupuncture treatments for $165 instead of $195
or
**three one-hour massage or foot reflexology appointments for $195 instead of $225.
Its a great deal and a wonderful gift, and it won't be offered again until Chinese New Year! Packages can be purchased on-line or in person and appointments can be booked on-line through my website as well.
So.. what is Mid Autumn Festival All About? Mid Autumn Festival is the Chinese harvest festival and is one of the biggest celebrations of the year after Chinese New Year. Mid Autumn Festival, or Zhongqiu Jie in Mandarin Chinese, often consists of families sharing a stroll to view the full harvest moon at night, enjoying a big family dinner and eating traditional Chinese Mooncakes. While delicious, mooncakes are probably the cardiovascular system's greatest fear - a flaky buttery pastry, usually 3 inches in diameter, filled with a sweet bean paste which is usually made from some combination of red beans or lotus seeds, sugar and lard. There are often competitions in China to see who can bake the biggest mooncake and one of the largest weighed in at 13 tons! Amazing yet terrifying, yes? Zhongqiu Jie is also associated with many myths and legends, most of them concerning a fated love affair between immortal archer and hero Hou Yi and the beautiful mortal maiden Chang'e. It is somewhat like a Chinese Romeo and Juliet tragedy, where Hou Yi falls in love with Chang'e after saving the world and they seek an elixir of immortality so they can be together forever. As she drinks it Hou Yi is killed by a villain who is seeking the elixir but arrives too late. In her grief, Chang'e retreats to the moon for eternity where she watches the earth she once called home from afar, now her lovers burial ground. At Mid Autumn Festival offerings are made to Chang'e. As the woman in the moon who enticed an immortal hero, she bestows beauty upon those who pay tribute.
American Heart Association Warning about Sugar - a little is a lot too much
On August 24th the American Heart Association published a paper illuminating a 20% increase in the sugar intake of our nation over the course of the last 30 years. Average sugar intake in the US today is 22.2 teaspoons or 355 calories per day. The AHA's recommended daily allowance? A mere 6 teaspoons or 100 calories max for women and 10 teaspoons or 150 calories for men. So how much is that really? Well, a can of Coca Cola has approximately 40 grams of sugar in it which is the equivalent of 8 teaspoons, almost the recommended max daily allowance for a man per day. Increased sugar intake has paced national increases in Diabetes, Obesity, Heart Disease and High Cholesterol not to mention the fact that sugar contributes to inflammation in the body and can aggravate any type of inflammatory issue including chronic pain, digestive disorders, allergies, headaches and more. By following the AHA guidelines and decreasing your sugar intake you can drastically improve your health and increase your longevity over time. I know its hard, but its worth it. If you want to get a sense of how much sugar you are consuming daily, try tracking it. My favorite method for tracking foods is The Daily Plate feature of Livestrong.com. This free calorie tracker will automatically calculate sodium, sugar, carbs, fat, fiber and protein for you if you enter your daily foods. Even tracking for just a few days can be illuminating sometimes, so if you want to know how much sugar you are getting in your diet think about checking it out. Once you've assessed your sugar intake using the Daily Plate, you will see very clearly where the sugar is coming from in your diet and you can start taking steps to adjust your eating habits accordingly.
Decreasing Sugar is Hard!! Acupuncture can help!
Okay, everyone who reaches for something sweet when they feel stressed, sad or depressed raise your hand (mine's up too!!). And how about everyone who has tried to stop eating sugar only to feel their sugar cravings get the best of them? I certainly have and acupuncture can help. Cutting sugar down or out of your diet can be very difficult because sugar and food can be addictions just like anything else. Unfortunately, unlike smoking, you can't literally can't live without eating and often times this makes food and sugar addictions some of the most difficult to admit and overcome. Acupuncture has a long proven track record with all types of addiction using ear or auricular acupuncture specifically. There are individual points located in the ear that can help control hunger and thirst as well as others that can decrease the agitation and general symptoms of withdrawl to help you persevere. When dealing with addiction of any type, more frequent shorter treatments are usually recommended. If you want to try acupuncture to help you kick the habit, plan to come in for 2-3 half-hour treatments per week for 2-3 weeks. It may take more to get through that acute phase of change or it may take less, but planning on twice a week for two weeks minimum is a good plan. If you're interested in learning more or would like to to come in please don't hesitate to call, email or book a free consultation on-line anytime.
Thanks for tuning in!
Well Happy Fall, everyone, and thank you for listening. If you haven't been in for a tune up for while now is a great time to come in. Let me help you live in harmony with the seasons to achieve optimal health and wellness the Chinese Medicine way. Book on-line via my website, email me direct or call at (503)445-8888 ext. 1. Hope you enjoy the transitions in the weather and have a great September!
~Rebecca
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