Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 2010 All Ways Well Newsletter
In This Issue:
**Acupuncture for Fatigue - increase energy and feel better!**Deep Belly Breathing to Increase Qi
**Rebecca's Maternity Leave Oct 10th-Jan Unveiled**Thanks for Tuning In! Book On-line Anytime!---------------------Acupuncture for FatigueFor those of you that have experienced it, you know that fatigue and low energy can be incredibly debilitating. Not only can fatigue make it hard to get up in the morning and leave you feeling sluggish during the day, but sometimes fatigue can literally feel like a battle you must fight moment to moment and day by day. The fight itself saps more energy and can cause or contribute to depression, creating a viscous cycle that is difficult to break.
There can be many underlying factors involved in fatigue - sometimes it is as simple as diet and exercise, or can be as complex as an autoimmune disorder or a chronic disease or something that is unidentifiable from a Western medicine perspective. In Chinese Medicine, fatigue is often attributed to some combination of Spleen, Lung and Kidney Qi deficiency combined with stagnation or blockage somewhere in the body impeding the free flow of Qi. This combination of stagnation, or blockage, combined with Qi deficiency, or sluggish energy that can't push through the blockage on its own, contributes to and sometimes creates the fatigue cycle. By using a combination of acupuncture, examining underlying factors and recommending herbs or dietary changes as necessary for the individual, Chinese Medicine can make great strides towards safely and naturally resolving fatigue.
Deep Belly Breathing to Increase Qi
Deep Belly Breathing or Dan Tian Breathing is an incredible self-care tool for combating fatigue, increasing energy and centering the mind and spirit to be present and participatory in ones life. Learning deep belly breathing is often a prominent part of Qi Gong, Taji, and Yoga teachings for this very reason. The term "Dan Tian" actually refers to a specific location in the lower abdomen approximately two inches below the belly button and two inches into the center of the body. This location acts as an energetic reservoir that can be both filled - by centering and deep belly breathing - and tapped into through focus and presence as needed. It can also give us both and physical and emotional sense of stability and balance when connected to. This reservoir is an incredible resource for dealing with and overcoming fatigue in your day to day life, and learning how to tap into it is both easy and fun. Try the instructions below every day for ten days and then assess how you feel - calmer? more energetic? less pushed and pulled by the variances in life? Try it and I bet you'll see a difference.
Exercise: Deep Abdominal Breathing from 7 Minutes of Magic(Dan Tien Breathing)
As I mentioned last month, I am pregnant and my bouncing baby boy is due October 27th of this year. That necessitates a little leave of absence for me, but luckily my trusted friend and acupuncturist, Noreen Drake, is going to be filling in to provide you with excellent and conscientious care while I am away. I know many of you probably have lots of questions, so here is a little FAQ to answer some of the most common questions you might have about this brief hiatus:
What are the dates Rebecca will be gone?
Does Noreen accept insurance?
Thanks for tuning in!
As usual thanks again for tuning in! If you are interested in more information about resolving fatigue with the help of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, please don't hesitate to call me or email me anytime. I also offer free 15 minute consultations in person or over the phone that you can book via email, phone at (503)445-8888 ext. 1 or on-line if you have more questions prior to treatment. I hope you will try the Dan Tian breathing exercise and see what you think as well. Here's hoping to see you soon!
Yours in health and wellness,
~Rebecca
**Acupuncture for Fatigue - increase energy and feel better!**Deep Belly Breathing to Increase Qi
**Rebecca's Maternity Leave Oct 10th-Jan Unveiled**Thanks for Tuning In! Book On-line Anytime!---------------------Acupuncture for FatigueFor those of you that have experienced it, you know that fatigue and low energy can be incredibly debilitating. Not only can fatigue make it hard to get up in the morning and leave you feeling sluggish during the day, but sometimes fatigue can literally feel like a battle you must fight moment to moment and day by day. The fight itself saps more energy and can cause or contribute to depression, creating a viscous cycle that is difficult to break.
There can be many underlying factors involved in fatigue - sometimes it is as simple as diet and exercise, or can be as complex as an autoimmune disorder or a chronic disease or something that is unidentifiable from a Western medicine perspective. In Chinese Medicine, fatigue is often attributed to some combination of Spleen, Lung and Kidney Qi deficiency combined with stagnation or blockage somewhere in the body impeding the free flow of Qi. This combination of stagnation, or blockage, combined with Qi deficiency, or sluggish energy that can't push through the blockage on its own, contributes to and sometimes creates the fatigue cycle. By using a combination of acupuncture, examining underlying factors and recommending herbs or dietary changes as necessary for the individual, Chinese Medicine can make great strides towards safely and naturally resolving fatigue.
Deep Belly Breathing to Increase Qi
Deep Belly Breathing or Dan Tian Breathing is an incredible self-care tool for combating fatigue, increasing energy and centering the mind and spirit to be present and participatory in ones life. Learning deep belly breathing is often a prominent part of Qi Gong, Taji, and Yoga teachings for this very reason. The term "Dan Tian" actually refers to a specific location in the lower abdomen approximately two inches below the belly button and two inches into the center of the body. This location acts as an energetic reservoir that can be both filled - by centering and deep belly breathing - and tapped into through focus and presence as needed. It can also give us both and physical and emotional sense of stability and balance when connected to. This reservoir is an incredible resource for dealing with and overcoming fatigue in your day to day life, and learning how to tap into it is both easy and fun. Try the instructions below every day for ten days and then assess how you feel - calmer? more energetic? less pushed and pulled by the variances in life? Try it and I bet you'll see a difference.
Exercise: Deep Abdominal Breathing from 7 Minutes of Magic(Dan Tien Breathing)
- Sit in a chair with the spine straight and bring both hands over the lower abdomen.
- Breathe in and out through the nose. Breathing through the nose helps to cultivate more “qi” out of the air.
- Exhale all the way out to clear the lungs. During “normal” breathing, we usually only exhale 40 percent of the air out, which leave little room to take in a deep breath. So, at the bottom of your exhale, see if you can exhale a little more.
- Then, inhale down into the lower abdomen so that the belly expands. This allows the diaphragm to relax and air to move into the deeper areas of the lungs.
- Again, exhale and squeeze the air out from the lower abdomen.
- Then, take in a full deep breath down into the lower abdomen.
- During this breathing exercise, keep the chest relaxed.
- Visualize a golden ball of energy, like a small sun, growing in your lower Dan Tian. With each breath see this light growing brighter and brighter.
- Practice for at least 3 to 5 minutes (10 minutes is ideal). Throughout the day, take one or two Dan Tian breaths to recharge your internal energy.
- Enjoy.
As I mentioned last month, I am pregnant and my bouncing baby boy is due October 27th of this year. That necessitates a little leave of absence for me, but luckily my trusted friend and acupuncturist, Noreen Drake, is going to be filling in to provide you with excellent and conscientious care while I am away. I know many of you probably have lots of questions, so here is a little FAQ to answer some of the most common questions you might have about this brief hiatus:
What are the dates Rebecca will be gone?
- October 10th, 2010-January 31st 2011
- On-line of course! My on-line schedule allows you to book up to 3 months in advance. You can already book appointments through the end of September, and in November, my schedule will be open for 2011 when I return!
- Yes. You can call me at (503)445-8888 extension 1 and leave a message or email me at allwayswell@mac.com anytime. I will only be checking messages periodically, but I will endeavor to respond within 10-14 days at the latest.
- Noreen will be seeing Rebecca's patients Tues-Wed-Thurs from 9am - 5pm during Rebecca's maternity leave.
- You can call (503)445-8888 extension 5, or book appointments on-line with Noreen anytime.
Does Noreen accept insurance?
- Noreen does NOT accept insurance at this time, HOWEVER she can provide you will a coded superbill and will help you submit that bill to your insurance company for reimbursement. The insurance company will send you a check for the covered portion of your treatment directly.
- The easiest way to do this is to order yourself on-line through my Virtual Dispensary. You do have to create an account and get a passkey identifying yourself as a patient. Follow the directions on my Virtual Dispensary web page HERE to acquire the passkey and navigate to the site. Some basic cold and flu formulas can also be purchased through my Amazon Store.
- Some light massage will still be part of all acupuncture sessions, but for full bodywork sessions please book with one of our lovely LMT's, Summer Knight or Ashley Mueller. They both provide full body and foot reflexology treatments.
Thanks for tuning in!
As usual thanks again for tuning in! If you are interested in more information about resolving fatigue with the help of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, please don't hesitate to call me or email me anytime. I also offer free 15 minute consultations in person or over the phone that you can book via email, phone at (503)445-8888 ext. 1 or on-line if you have more questions prior to treatment. I hope you will try the Dan Tian breathing exercise and see what you think as well. Here's hoping to see you soon!
Yours in health and wellness,
~Rebecca
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