Newsletter

Age one day at a time and stop stressing!

August 13th, 2009

Everybody will get to a point in their life where if you don’t keep your body and mind in a state of peace that your body will go down hill and age rapidly. A man and woman’s body does not need to age it’s just a concept that us as human beings use to justify why all our ancestors dropped off in their 60’s & 80’s. We actually have a brand new body every two years, so if it is new why does it date so quickly? STRESS!

I once visited a Buddhist monastery in Thailand where there was a monk who at the age of approx 83 died. He new he was going to die and instructed his family not to bury or burn his body and instead leave it on display to show the world what peace of mind can achieve.

So what this monk did was he went into a deep state of meditation and from there he passed away. His body is fully intact and has been for 20 years the only thing missing is his eye balls so they put sunnies on him, (Cool dead monk!)

Ok he did not live into his hundreds but he offered the world something else, he has shown that the body can preserve its self if it’s free of stress. It is said that when we die we see our lives before our eyes like a movie show and due to the stress of our past life is the reason why our body rapidly breaks down and decays. The monks body was not injected with preservatives and was not prepared in any other preserving way, the body simply sits there with his hair and fingernails still intact. The body is in-cased in a glass box to stop the animals from eating him but otherwise nothing, nudda, 0, just a peaceful dead monk.

If you are thinking, what has this got to do with you living today? Well if you are constantly complaining, over weight, have a sore back, have re-curing headaches, sleep and wake up as if you haven’t slept, don’t have a bowel movement for days and yes some people weeks, if you are in a job and you don’t know why, you are in a non supportive relationship or you have period pain these are all signs of stress in your body causing you to age much faster than you should.

Stress is the cause of disease, whether it’s from environmental pollutants, emotions, or even side effects from medicines stress will have our body’s break down and die. To free ourselves of stress we must keep check of our health, emotions and the way we think. What is Stress exactly? It’s when a situation arises either mentally or physically that we have trouble dealing with and then react in a negative way to rid that discomfort. A way to deal with stress is to learn about the situation at hand and this will take away the anxiety. Understanding the truth, the laws of cause and effect will free you from stress.

In the old texts its states that to live a long healthy life the key is to keep the heart calm in all activities including exercise. The analogy was that of a turtle, they travel hundreds of miles yearly, live into their hundreds and they have one of the slowest heart beats of all animals.

Over exerting the heart will have you age faster than one who doesn’t. My Kung Fu teacher who was in his 80’s would have us feel his heart rate and then he would do 5 minutes of very physical kung fu exercise and when he finished he would quickly have us feel his heart beat again, it was the same. He laughed and then walked away. Why do you see top athletes age rapidly from the age of around 40? It’s because of their intense training! Don’t get me wrong we all need a bit of competition in our lives it keeps the spirit strong and reflexes sharp but if you plan on living a long healthy life consider keeping the heart calm.

Always balance out activity with stillness this will keep you balanced. Hatha Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong are all slow exercises but what they do is stress the bones and muscles without over exerting the heart and this is an ideal way to stay young.

If you have any questions please feel free to email or come in for a treatment. My focus for you is preserving your health and age. All future studies I take on will be devoted to keeping you young.

Some clients I see are often surprised to know that I do more than just treat muscular problems. Chinese Medicine is a very well rounded discipline and incorporates all sorts of tools. Below are some things I do and treat if you didn’t know already.

•  Massage - Chinese, remedial, facial

•  Stretching - based on Kung fu and a history of physical education

•  Acupuncture - body, face, ear

•  Reflective Listening - life coaching based on NLP techniques and Buddhist psychology

•  Acupuncture Face Lift

•  Moxa

•  Cupping

•  Electro stimulation

•  Herbal pills

•  Meditation

•  Qi gong training & Kung Fu body strengthening exercises

Some uncommon conditions I treat;

Sore teeth, migraine, period pain, insomnia, constipation, heart burn, nervous twitches, depression, breeched baby, infertility for men and women, preparation and post pregnancy, asthma, plus many others. If you think your condition or a friends condition is unusual and not sure if I treat that please ask. It saddens me to see people suffer for years for no reason. Many conditions that western medicine cannot treat Chinese Medicine can. The reason is because of 3000 years of trial and error, that’s a long time.

Take care and see you soon.

Ps. If you have a friend who may like my news letters please pass this on to them and ask them to send me their details.

Kind regards,

Scott Cansdell

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Newsletter

Feng Shui For Pregnancy

July 20th, 2009

The miracle of life really is a miracle. There are many medical reasons why women and men can find it challenging to conceive. Once factors causing infertility have been ascertained, the process couples go through to make changes to improve their chances of conception and successful pregnancy can often lead to further stress, frustration and blaming each other. The act of love making to conceive a baby becomes routine and pressured and it can lead to distance between the couple at a time when they need to be relaxed, intimate and loving.

Sometimes in just knowing where you stand and what is going on can help a couple relax about the time it may take to conceive or have greater acceptance of the trials they are experiencing along the way. Traditional Chinese Feng Shui and other branches of Chinese metaphysics including Ba Tze, Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine is one avenue gaining popularity and used by couples to improve intimacy and chances for pregnancy. These Eastern sciences are based on fundamental laws of nature that highlight how your body is interacting within your immediate surrounds and coping with the pressures of life.

Reproducing is in itself a fundamental part of nature. In this fast paced, fast food society the capacity for our bodies to reproduce can sometimes become out of sync with our natural and most basic reason for being. It therefore makes sense that to get back in sync we need to examine our environment and ensure its energy is supporting our harmony and health. In China, they have termed the study of the influences our environment has on all things ‘Feng Shui’.

Ba Tze - an ancient branch of Chinese Astrology also called the Four Pillars of Destiny can be used as an important profiling and forecasting tool in understanding the opportunities you have for children in your life. Chinese Astrology can reveal underlying susceptibility to certain health issues that affect fertility; highlight good timing for you and your partner to conceive and uncover any specific life lessons relating to your children over the course of your life. To maximise your Chinese Astrology reading for children it is important to know your birth date including your birth hour and place of birth. Chinese Astrology reveals much more than just family and children and you will find it a fascinating tool to help you balance your life and make the most of good fortune when it arrives.

Depending on your chart, and focusing on Feng Shui for pregnancy, recommendations you can expect from Chinese Astrology reading can include:
• Ensuring good Feng Shui in your home to encourage positive harmonious energies that will improve your relationships and nurture your body to conceive
• Use of Acupuncture to remedy problematic body organs and functions and to stimulate reproductive organs
• Stabilising the route cause of health issues with nutritional supplements suitable for imbalances in the body impeding fertility. This may also include visiting a naturopath or Chinese herbalist for advice on specific teas to consume
• If your chart reveals obstacles with having children, then Ba Tze can help you make personal decisions about proceeding down paths like medical fertility treatments and IVF.
Like most things, the sum of the whole will produce desired outcomes. The recommendations should be implemented in a holistic fashion –fortifying the influence of each practice.

Feng Shui is an important controllable factor in your life that will assist you in conceiving a child. Good Feng Shui in your bedroom and proper use of rooms within your home can enhance fertility and improve intimacy with your partner. Using rooms in your home correctly and positioning your bedroom furniture using Feng Shui principles is paramount to making the most of your environment for a successful result. Good Feng Shui for the bedroom and home is one part of the equation, ensuring any health related obstacles are being treated follows simultaneously. Your Acupuncture specialist and Chinese herbalist will assess your health from the route cause and then treat you. Alternatively, being treated by a Western medical professional can also be effective.

We are lucky in today’s society to be well informed and have access to a wide range of practices and choice. Chinese metaphysical sciences like Feng Shui are non invasive and backed by thousands of years of evidence from people and families that have been successful in using it as a tool to empower and improve their lives. Using Feng Shui for pregnancy is not to be taken lightly and your Feng Shui consultant should be able to use both Ba Tze and Flying Star Feng Shui to make accurate recommendations for your situation and home. Due to the personal nature of pregnancy you should select a Feng Shui practitioner that you feel comfortable with and one that can adequately answer all your questions.

On a personal note, I had difficulty conceiving my first child. After many years in a highly stressful corporate position and keeping fit by running 5 times a week, my body was unable to give what a new life required to grow. My husband and I had tried in earnest for 12 months and even though my destiny chart revealed I was able to have many children (albeit a tad later than I was aiming) we were spiralling into frustration and despair. Finally I spent time in my home rearranging my bedroom and implementing Feng Shui bedroom decor. At the same time decided to couple Chinese Acupuncture with my good Feng Shui. To my surprise, my qualified Acupuncturist did not treat me to get pregnant straight away but insisted on treating my extremely high blood pressure (for which I was medicated) and poorly functioning organs to start with. Only after these were treated (approximately 8 visits) was my reproductive system stimulated and voila! I conceived the following month. I realised during my visits that to carry a healthy baby to full term, my underlying health issues needed to be addressed first. During pregnancy I continued to use Acupuncture for my morning sickness which left me feeling wonderful and lasted for around 4 weeks before nausea returned and I found myself getting another treatment. The most amazing benefit was that after treatment I came off my blood pressure medication and have not had to resume medication. Needless to say with my body functioning and back in sync, we conceived by surprise our second child as my Ba Tze chart predicted (when my hour of birth clashed with the year of the Dog). Oops – even in knowing you can’t help surprises.

What is good bedroom Feng Shui?
Knowing and manipulating the energy and Feng Shui in your bedroom can help in many areas including couples trying to fall pregnant and simply improving your connection with each other.
Good bedroom Feng Shui will depend on the layout of your home, the front facing orientation and the age of your home. A professional Feng Shui consultant will not only look at the physical aspects of your home and bedroom but be able to draw up an energy grid showing the real influences your environment is having on your life.

Recommendations you can expect from a Feng Shui consultation may vary from simplistic and subtle changes of colour and decor to more physical suggestions for furniture placement and then to the extreme recommendations where the bedroom may not be useful to use at all and if practical, alternate rooms will be recommended until your achieve your goals.

While there are many practical and common sense Feng Shui tips to set up the physical room and placement of furniture within your room, these recommendations will only penetrate the surface of the issues you may be experiencing be they ill health, depression, marital distance, conflict with your partner, difficulty getting pregnant. You may feel an instant change, but that change may not be lasting. What will get to the route cause are the recommendations that derive from analysing the unseen Flying Star Feng Shui energy circulating your bedroom and around your home.

For good Feng Shui in your home to promote fertility and encourage lasting loving relationships, you can take positive action and make changes to your life through altering your environment. If you are a DIY person then books and courses are ideal, however, it is important to do your homework and select a course or book that follows traditional Chinese Feng Shui. A qualified and experienced Feng Shui professional will be able to tell you where the cause of your challenges are stemming from and make useful and practical recommendations to minimise the severity or totally turn the situation around. Below are some free Bedroom Feng Shui tips that you can assess immediately to create a shift in energy. For lasting results, consult a professional who can assess the Flying Star Feng Shui of your home and make genuine recommendations.

Form School Feng Shui Tips for the bedroom include:
• It is best not to have mirrors in the bedroom, especially not reflecting the bed—if nothing else, it’s a little scary when you wake up to find you’re staring back at yourself in the middle of the night! Mirrors can also create a feeling that someone else is intruding or watching you in a place you would prefer to be a private retreat
• To encourage a good night’s rest, the bed-head should be against a solid wall. If there is no other space than under a window, ensure block out curtains or blinds and a tall and solid bedhead that will reduce the chill from the window and provide support while sleeping
• Place the bed adjacent to the door to avoid active energy entering the room and disturbing your peaceful rest
• If your home has exposed beams, avoid placing beds or seats underneath them as it can cause a feeling of restriction
• Allow sunlight through during the day, but have window coverings for night time to induce a good night’s rest
• Avoid air conditioners directly above the bed or placing a Television in the bedroom that will make the room active and detract from the peacefulness of the room
• Avoid placing the bed head directly in line with the door especially if at the end of a long corridor, this will provide too much yang energy coming at your head disturbing your sleep
• While LCD Clocks won’t disturb heavy sleeper, light sleepers will find it useful to cover the clock before going to bed.

Feng Shui is not mystical it is simply a practice that taps into how human beings interrelate with nature and our natural environment. Traditional Chinese Feng Shui is methodical, systematic and based on a database of patterns and outcomes given certain situations. After thousands of years of practice the Chinese have developed this social science into something that can truly assist people with their health, well being and prosperity.

For more information on how Feng Shui can assist you to make positive changes to your environment, contact mariko@backonyourfeet.com.au - Mariko Fisher is principal of FengShui by Sakura in Sydney and offers a range of Feng Shui services including residential and commercial Feng Shui consultations, Chinese Astrology Course, Feng Shui Courses and specialty Feng Shui products and gifts.  Please visit www.backonyourfeet.com.au

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Newsletter

Bloating, Abdominal Distension, baby on the way! Call it what you please, it’s a digestive problem that’s common to many.

December 2nd, 2008

The stomach and spleen are the two organs that are responsible for rotting and ripening the food, breaking it down and distributing the nutrients throughout the body. From an energetic point of view the stomach cooks the food and the spleen takes the food Qi (energy) and transports it around fuelling your body allowing you to work efficiently.

When the spleen and stomach become impaired you’ll become sluggish, bloated and even irritable, because the body can’t function properly. Tiredness sets in and further eating just accumulates creating dampness or indigestion sets in.

Bloating is very common and has various causes. If you have not heard this term before, it’s when after eating, you not only feel full and ready to explode but you look like it also. You will temporarily look as if you have put on a few pounds/ Kilograms around the waist.

To understand how bloating occurs; you will first need to know the organs involved.

- Stomach: Job is the rotting and ripening of food to break it down for the spleen.

- Spleen: Job is to separate the food essence, food Qi and spread it throughout the body to sustain life.

- Liver: Job is to make sure that there is a smooth flow of Qi around the body but if the liver is not happy for what ever reason the Qi will stagnate (not move smoothly) and the digestive function will be impaired.

- Mingmen: Job is to provide heat to the body. It is know as the gate of vitality and its place of residence is between your 2 kidneys. Mingmen will supply the spleen with warmth so it can transform and move the essence and it also assists the stomach in the rotting and ripening process.

The most common cause of bloating is a weak spleen and its inability to do its job. Each organ of the body supports the next like a parent caring for their child. In Chinese Medicine we call it Mother Child relationship but sometimes the parent is too tired so the child is neglected or the child behaves like a spoilt brat and it retaliates. Either way our organs are always in a constant flux of change.

When the mingmen energy is weak, (the mingmen being the parent at this point) the spleen will become cold and sluggish so the food instead of being transported throughout the body will instead sit around creating a mould like substance which in Traditional Chinese Medicine we call dampness. Dampness over time will produce a toxic heat and gas which will blow you out like a balloon and this is bloating.

Another cause will be an unhappy liver. You may have been told not to talk about stressful matters while eating at the dinner table otherwise you will get indigestion. Well, that is the start of the bloating process when the liver is involved. The liver is always getting the blame but so it should, it is so temperamental and it needs to get its stuff sorted out. J The liver is always becoming hot and bothered and this affects the smooth flow of Qi around the body. By the liver Qi stagnating food and energy become stuck and then the whole digestive system goes into spasm and eventually the bottle neck needs to blow out somewhere and what better place than your stomach.

Now, there is one other case of bloating that is rare but still worth considering! Worms, yes, slimy gross worms! Worms will have you bloat, probably because they are eating all your food!!!! But seriously, if you have signs of worms like bloating, itchy rectum, belching, changeable bowel movements, intestinal tract burning and cramping, mucus in the stools, malabsorption of nutrients, inability to digest fats, lactose or gluten intolerant please have your self tested for parasites.

www.backonyourfeet.com.au

Alkaline Cook Book - Great way to improve digestive problems

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Newsletter

Headaches

November 27th, 2008

Nearly everybody at some stage of their life will experience some type of headache. Headaches have many causes all of which present themselves differently. The area of the head, the type of sensation and time of the day will all vary due to the cause of the headache.

Following is a list of the different types of headache and their cause.

Exterior Cause: wind-heat, wind-cold, wind-dampness (these are pathogenic influences).

Interior Cause: liver-yang, liver-fire, liver-wind, liver-Qi stagnation, cold in the liver channel, dampness, turbid phlegm, retention of food, stasis of blood, stomach-heat. (These are derived from stress and a weakened digestive system).

Deficient cause: Qi deficient, blood deficient, kidney deficient. (These conditions are due to over working with no rest or a chronic illness).

An exterior type headache will come on fast and is caused by wind. If it’s due to wind-cold the symptoms you will experience is a stiff neck that lasts only a short time after which the wind may penetrate deeper into the body. You may also have sneezing, clear nasal discharge and aversion to cold.

If it’s due to wind-heat you will experience a sore throat, chills and fever, thirst, and a runny nose with yellow discharge. (yellow represents heat).

If it’s due to wind-damp you will experience a muzziness/ heavy type feeling in the head as if your head is wrapped in a wet cloth. This type of headache usually shows it’s self when someone has dampness in the body and a storm is approaching. The dampness is aggravated by the change of weather. Old injuries may show up also with a pain that subsides after the storm has gone.

Headaches due to disharmony of the liver energy will present symptoms like sore, dry, throbbing eyes, pulsating-distending pain around the eye, temporal or side of the head. You may also experience dizziness, dry throat, bitter taste in the mouth and tinnitus. If it’s due to liver-wind it may affect the whole head accompanied with slight shaking of the head, tremors and or numbness.

If your headache is of a deficient type you will experience a dull ache that comes in bouts. Rest will usually relieve the headache. Deficient headaches come about due to not enough Qi and blood reaching the head. Women may experience this after their periods because of the loss of blood.

The previous headaches described are the most common. Migraine headaches fall into the interior type usually also related to liver disharmony. Most interior type headaches like the liver related ones are a result of emotions. Anger and frustration are the main culprits though worry and fear can sometimes also be the cause. Other causes of migraines can be contraceptive pill, red wine, cheese and strangely enough chocolate.

If your headache is of the exterior type it can be eased by staying out of the wind and pressing in the indentation at the back of your head, by the base of the skull at the top of the spine in the centre. Place pressure there for approximately 1-2 minutes, you should feel it release.

When the headache is from an interior cause, hold your hand out as if to shake hands and squeeze the thumb up along side the index finger to make a crease between the two. At the end of that crease (wrist side) you will see a mound, place your opposite thumb on that mound and press down. This should be tender, if it’s not search until you find the tender spot and then hold the pressure there for a couple of minutes. Follow this by drinking plain water.

WARNING: Do not use this point if you are pregnant as it may induce labour however, IF YOU ARE IN LABOUR press this point like crazy or have your hubby press it. It will calm you and help with delivery.

A deficient type headache will ease with rest and some wholesome food. Root vegies are always good also rice soup (Jook / Coongee). Acupressure point: Measure four finger width down below your knee cap and one finger to the outside of the leg from the shin bone you will find a tender point. Hold this point for a couple of minutes. (If you have a sore throat, runny nose and or sneezing do not use this point!).

http://www.backonyourfeet.com.au

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Newsletter

Libido or Lack of it!

November 27th, 2008

Today’s subject is on sex drive.

Most people have the desire but lack the drive. As life gets faster, we end up working ridiculous hours and our rest time is compromised which means we have even less time for play.

However this is not the only reason we have a low sex drive. If we look at the body from a Chinese Medicine point of view, our sex drive is connected to the energetics of our physical organs.

When we are conceived we gather energy from our parents. The quality and quantity of energy we receive is wholly dependent on our parent’s state of health. This energy we receive is called Jing. It is stored approximately a hands width below our navel. The important thing to note here is that, we are only given so much of this Jing and each day we live a drop of that Jing is used up. When our Jing dries up we die. Jing is the essence of life and every living being has it. The good news is that we can prevent our Jing from running out by strengthening our Kidney energy.

Our Kidneys are the organs responsible for our sex drive and when our Kidney energy is weak we become infertile, tired, and impotent. If you find that you are becoming obsessed with sex as well as having the followin; constant erotic dreams, night sweats, hot cheeks and feet in the evening, premature ejaculation and regular wet dreams this is because your kidney Yin energy is weak. (Yin & Yang)

When our Kidney energy is weak we start over using our Jing and this is when the aging process commences. Some say to refrain from sex while others such as Tantra promote sex as a way to become one with the universe. In today’s society the thought of celibacy would be laughed upon which is a fair comment as we all need an outlet and sex is the most powerful energy we have; powerful enough to create a human being. If we look at sex on an even deeper level when we make love, what actually happens is; we are creating balance between two opposites `Yin & Yang.

Previous in one of my other news letters I spoke of Yin & Yang, man being Yang in nature and woman being Yin in nature and by bringing them both together we get balance. Yang energy is hot and yin energy is cold. If you were to have two Yangs together you will get absolute heat and two Yins together you will have absolute cold. It is said that two Yins’ can benefit from each other for a short time but not two Yangs’ but this is a debate which I will leave for others to resolve.

When we have balance in our life we have health so the fact that men and women balance each others energies is clear statement to me that sex is a healthy activity.

But if you were to have excessive sex would this weaken the body? The rule is, “according to the old scripts” that, if you feel exhausted, have blurry vision, get regular colds, sore knees, sore back or and sex drive is low it is most likely that your kidney energy is weak. If this is the case it can be treated with Acupuncture, herbs and or Qi gong exercises. If you have night sweats, premature ejaculation, hot feet at night this also can be treated.

If you choose not to treat these conditions and are still having regular sex, I guarantee you, it will weaken your Jing and you will age faster than someone with healthy strong Kidneys. If you look at sex workers, over a two year period you will see them age very rapidly.

“There is a secret though!”

If women had orgasms through oral sex choosing only to have intercourse say
2-16 times a year this would preserve her youth. A woman can orgasm many times through oral sex without depleting herself provided she is not tired.

For men to preserve their youth it is best to follow the following rule. If in good health: age 20 you can orgasm 2x per day, age 30 once a day, age 40 every 3 days, age 50 every 5 days and age 60 every 10 days. If he is in poor health halving these numbers is recommended. “The complete system of Chinese Self-Healing”; a book by Dr Stephen T. Chang teaches techniques for men and women; improving health, sex and preserving Jing.

There are many things that can deplete your Jing but remembering to do everything in moderation should be ok. Low libido is a term used when you feel that sex would be just too much of an effort. When you are at this stage it is likely that there is more than just your sex drive that is lacking. Don’t wait for injuries to occur or even worse lose someone you love before seeking help.

If you are experiencing this problem, just say to me on your next visit that your privates are a little tired and I will treat you accordingly. And no I do not have to go down there to fix them, your kidney points are on your back and abdomen.

And be assured you are not the only one with a low sex drive, the only reason I am writing this is because it is a common problem with many of my clients.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me.

I enjoy researching new ideas so please forward all your curiosities.

Until next time, take care and look after your Jing!

http://www.backonyourfeet.com.au

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Newsletter

Bad Breath

November 23rd, 2008

Nearly everyone during their life experiences “the” kiss of death! Yes, that kis

s! It might be your first kiss or one from a relative, but there is no-doubt it will always be remembered as the kiss of death.

BAD BREATH! (Halitosis)

Ever asked yourself how on earth did someone’s breath become so strong or repulsive? Worse still, how did your own breath become so potent? Actually the answer’s quite simple!

Bad breath is a result of bad digestion, an excess of strongly aromatic foods, alcohol, stress or dampness that’s giving off heat and making the breath smell nasty - to the recipient - you or another. Often we can’t smell our own breath, which can lead us blindly into a never ending cycle of unknowing or acceptance.

There are many stories of embarrassing instances where people have actually stopped talking, meeting and greeting other or becoming reclusive due to experiencing or being informed that they have bad breath.

For some it is often a lot easier to stay ‘a breath’ away than to have someone suggest “man go brush your teeth”! Unfortunately unless you know the other person well, often nothing is said at all, they just seem to ignore you or turn their heads in another direction as you speak to them.

If you are lucky, someone may comment “What have you been eating? My dog has nicer breath than you!” Sound cruel; well they may inadvertently be doing you a favour.

Bad breath may not have to be the way.
When food accumulates in the stomach, not breaking down in the time required, it ferments creating heat or heat that rises and representing an example of bad breath.

Another example is when someone has experienced a stressful situation causing their liver to over heat aggravating the stomach, which causes the stomach energy to rise instead of descend, leading to bad breath.

Another common consideration will be internal dampness. Just as a house becomes damp our body will also become damp, leading to the familiar smell of mould - not nice to experience. Dampness will accumulate in the body and in time this Yin energy will become what is considered damp heat or too much yin (negative energy).

The smell of damp heat can be likened to wet carpet ’slowly’ drying or worse still wet nappies that have not enjoyed the refreshing sun and natures curing winds. Gross, you bet, true? You bet.

Dampness can be explained as a sticky sludge in the body, difficult to circulate as it slowly moves from one part of the body to another. Dampness therefore represents a digestive problem.

So what to do?

The stomach, spleen and intestines make up the digestive system. The intestines are not usually the cause of the problem unless you’ve experienced digestive difficulties for some time. Problems usually involve the stomach, spleen and liver. The stomach doesn’t like heat; the spleen on the other hand enjoys warmth.
The stomach feel comforted by a little moisture; however the spleen will be aggravated by excessive moisture, so a medium in the relationship between the two is required, needles to say the liver has its own favourite climate.

If you personally experience bad breath, start by reducing all heating foods from your diet. This might include chillies, curries, deep fried or oven baked and junk foods. You can assist this process by adding more green ingredients, foods high in water content like cucumber, lettuce and green leafy vegies - or supplementing your diet with a green wheatgrass ‘alkaline food’ ingredient to balance the Ph within the body.

This suggestion will address stomach heat; however let’s not overlook the spleen weakness or possible dampness issues. Consider cooking all green vegies with a slice of ginger - as ginger is a natural source of heat. You can do this by placing a little ginger with vegies whilst steaming or stir frying.

If you prefer stir-frying be sure to do so on a low heat, remembering not for to long or it could lead to over heating the ingredients.

Stress heats up the liver and this inturn affects the stomach. You can counteract this process by calming the body with cooling or calming teas and going for GENTLE walks, (in non-stressful environments like a park). Follow this process with a high vegetable diet and you’ll find the liver and anxiety levels will soon calm down.

Stress causes heat in the body, leading ultimately cause a viscous cycle of anxiety, sleepless nights, irregular bowel movement and unstable female period cycles. Over time any concentrated heat will start to make its way up to the throat - and this can eventuate in bad breath or offering some poor person, the kiss of death.

In order to maintain a fresh breath, keep the body calm, stay away from heating or damp foods, drinking ample water throughout the day to flush the body of toxin build-up. Don’t rely on chewing gum; this only goes to aggravate the stomachs digestive system, fooling it into the misconception that food is arriving. Not good.

Bad breath has nothing to do with teeth and gums, unless you have a rotting teeth and gums or chose not to undertake regular oral hygiene, Instead it has everything to do with rotting stagnant foods that continue fermenting in your stomach.

If you find yourself unsure as to the cause, step back and carefully consider your life, (work and family pressures) but more critically your diet.

If you feel stressed all the time it’s likely that the liver is under attack. If you experience clammy hands/feet and have a thick coating on your tongue, then it’s probably the spleen. Should you suffer from mouth ulcers, experience sensitive teeth and a dry mouth then it’s probably stomach heat.

Should you relate to any of the above symptoms, then come and have a consultation, before that person of your dreams suggests they’d rather kiss a stranger or worse still their dog:

Until next time,
Breathe fresh on others, be cool, take care of your diet and be happy!

http://www.backonyourfeet.com.au

Alkaline Cook Book for digestive health & weight loss

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Newsletter

Anxiety – a vicious cycle

November 9th, 2008

Have you ever noticed tapping of the foot, continual picking at the body, finger nail biting, fiddling with things, pacing up and down, starting something, then moving onto another project before the first is finished.  Or cleaning something then going back to clean it again?  Not you, someone you know or have experienced in others? Well, this is anxiety! Anxiety represents a constant flow of hot blood that disturbs the mind, starving it of rest and depriving it of valuable peace. Anxiety begins in the mind as a reaction to a fear. This fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) is a result of not understanding the situation at hand, creating a state of confusion and letting the mind run rampant. A confused state will be totally unconscious because the conscious mind is preoccupied trying to work out where the problem originated. The body then reacts through the liver heating up as toxins develop from the stress leading the organ to work overtime dealing with the negative chemical reaction being experienced. This hot blood quickly circulates through the brain tissue throwing the whole homeostasis balance out.  This leads to the mind becoming unsettled with thoughts becoming more blurred, eventuating in increased confusion. The process doesn’t stop there; as the blood is over-heating it starts to irritate the heart, the heart then beats irregularly causing palpations and the occasional panic attack. While all this is occurring your body and mind is still trying to work out how to resolve the problem, and that’s not the end of it. Your organs naturally support each other, however when an organ becomes unsettled,  like the liver it will send a negative message, aimed at the digestive system (hence experiencing indigestion when upset at the dinner table). So how does Acupuncture/Chinese medicine deal with this? We start at the root of the problem – that is the physical root.  Acupuncture has an amazing ability to calm the internal organs when unsettled in addition to providing the mind with some peace for a while.  At that point (pardon the pun) your body and mind is given time to regather and think through problems in a relaxed and rational manner. To continue to keep that peace one should take up relaxation techniques like Meditation, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Yoga and or Yoga Nidra. One helpful tip, if the problem that caused the initial confusion is something that needs serious attention, then consider learning all you can about that subject. For example, if the problem is related to relationships, study relationship behaviour, learning from success stories and any ideas that make relationships work.  Talk and learn from the experiences and skills of people that have overcome such conditions – there are some great books out there. Everything we become comes from a learning experience, these can be both negative and positive, naturally any negative experience is only going to produce a negative outcome or in relation to the above subject matter, anxiety.  On the opposing side is any positive experiences generally lead to positive results – leading to a lack of anxious moments and better health, for the body and the mind! www.backonyourfeet.com.au

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Newsletter

Are you more Alkaline or Acidic

November 5th, 2008

What does this actually mean?

Simply put, if you are more acidic you are poisoning your body!

If the food you are eating is not pH balanced it is likely to turn into poison once in the digestive tract and then instead of your body absorbing nutrients it will absorb poisons. To live a healthy vibrant life we are to find a balance between acid and alkaline foods.

One of our body’s highest priorities is to keep the blood at an ideal pH balance of 7.365. Eating pH balanced foods allows your blood to be able to extract the maximum amount of nutrition available from those foods. If you are eating more acid producing foods your body will start breaking down and the signs of aging will show before their time.

Fat is an Acid Problem!
A man by the name of Dr. Young has a theory that the cause of obesity is actually an acid problem!  What does that mean?
The body creates fat cells to carry acids away from your vital organs so the acids don’t choke your organs to death. Fat could be saving your life! Dr Young goes on to say, “Fat is actually a response from the body to an alarming over acidic condition” and the solution is to Alkalize and Energize to rid the body of both acid and fat.

This theory was also the belief of the early Taoists. (Taoism is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine .TCM). Dr Stephen T Chang who comes from a 400 year lineage of Taoist practitioner’s put it this way, “If one ever goes to the back door of any restaurant, one will find food corruption in garbage cans. Not long ago, this food was served to customers. So the only thing separating the front and back of the restaurant is a wall and a few hours time”. “We would not purposely eat garbage because we know we will become sick from ingesting poisons. Yet, we do eat garbage every time we eat without a thought for pH balance”.

Fatigue, a major complaint in our society, comes from an acidic body.
The toxins produced in an acidic body reduce the absorption of proteins and minerals. This will then weaken the body’s ability to produce enzymes and hormones interfering with the reconstruction of cells and other necessary components of energy production. The result is fatigue, poor endurance, an inability to add muscle tone, and general weakness.
Some other signs of an acidic body; yellow smelly urine, gas, indigestion, heart burn, headaches, sore eyes, foul smelling stools, bad breath, sore gums and teeth, allergies, aches / pains and nightmares.

So what can we do?

Answer: eat four parts alkaline to one part acid and this should maintain your bloods pH level at 7.365. When this balance is maintained micro organisms such as pleomorphic virus, bacteria, yeast, and fungus will de-evolve back to their original healthy state.

What to eat?

Alkali forming foods – millet, Udos oil, avocado, sunflower sprouts, raw almonds, carrots, dates, coconuts, celery, cucumbers, lemons, limes, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, soy beans, walnuts, soy beans, wheat grass, tofu, lima beans, turnip tops, peppers, beet tops.

Acid producing foods – butter, margarine, eggs, veal, fish, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, prawns, lobster, oysters, whole wheat, rye, cheese, milk, sour cream, yogurt, mushrooms, coffee, tea, alcohol, refined sugar.

I am not saying not to eat these things or you can only eat alkali forming foods though to live a healthy, disease free life you may consider balancing out your diet if you do have signs of an acidic body.

With most topics I write about there is always so much more you can learn. If you find this topic interesting keep an eye on my website for books covering this subject. Dr Stephen Chang has a great book called the forgotten food diet which should be available from my site http://www.backonyourfeet.com.au very shortly.

Alkaline Cook Book for digestive health & weight loss

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Acupuncture Increases a Woman’s Ability to Conceive with IVF

November 5th, 2008

So what is it about Acupuncture that has this amazing power? After all…it’s just a few stainless steel needles with nothing on them or in them, how could they possible make any difference?

Acupuncture is the art of understanding the nature of disease or weakness within someone’s body, seeing where the imbalances are and then balance them again by moving the body’s energy around.

The energy that I refer to here is called Qi and it is what circulates throughout your entire body in every moment. And by balancing this Qi your internal organs will work in harmony providing you with the perfect environment for a baby to grow.

If a woman’s spleen Qi is weak she will be anaemic, have possible recurring miscarriages and constantly be tired all the time. If her liver was hot due to stress or pollutants the blood that circulates around her uterus will not flow properly, the blood will be sticky and clot and or the blood will be too hot and in this case make the uterus an unsuitable environment for a foetus to grow.
And then there is the kidney essence. The kidneys set the temperature and provide the elixir of life. And when the kidneys are weak there will be infertility. This essence will be the foundation of your baby’s constitution and its ability to grow into a strong adult.

Acupuncture has the ability to balance your organs so they function at their optimum levels and in the event provide the ideal environment for a baby to grow and develop a strong constitution.

It’s not magic, its wisdom that has been handed down from teacher to student for longer than 3000 years. Acupuncture will help you conceive if you give it a chance. Be sure to visit a practitioner that has a strong foundation in the Traditional Chinese Medicine field and then you will know that you will be getting the best care.

Get Your Pregnancy Guarantee Here

http://www.backonyourfeet.com.au

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Is ACUPUNCTURE REAL? Can it be regarded as a SERIOUS TREATMENT?

October 31st, 2008

The other day I was Chatting with a guy who did not know me or what I did. He was telling me about a neck problem he had and how bad it was so I asked have you considered acupuncture and he said no the neck is quite bad and it needs serious attention, I will go see a Chiropractor. Now, confused by that statement and thinking about the comment for a while I came to the conclusion that most people really under estimate the power of Acupuncture.

What can be justified as real or for that matter normal? Real to some people may be a feeling, to others it may represent something they visually saw, heard or experienced, but does that really justify that something is real?

When I travelled to Sri Lanka I experienced things that if I shared with you, you’d probably say “impossible” but given for me the experience was real, I’d have to admit and say it was real.
Is a magic trick real or an illusion? At what point can something be regarded as real?

I ask this question because after 3500 years there is still doubt about whether or not Acupuncture is real. Why would generations of people keep Acupuncture therapy around for so long if it wasn’t, real or working for them? What about religion, they have all been around for thousands of years, are they real?  

Could it be because someone experienced something, an event or happening that could not be explained as the experience was so moving, so (real) that they believe whatever it was, that made them feel that way, it would have proven to them to be real?

Is your Brain real? To this day, science does not really understand how the entire brain works, or for that matter electricity but they still say its real; it has to be, without it your body would not work and neither would your microwave.

There are many things in this world that can’t be explained or I should say that can be explained but not everybody can comprehend the explanation.  In one of the old spiritual texts it is said; “when meditating, concentrate on the breath because it is all that is real, everything else is just an illusion!” The breath is real because without it you are dead!  

At this point you’re probably wondering where this story is heading?  In the Western World we are governed by what science informs us is real. Reality is measured by tangibility.  If it can be seen or measured, then it must be real, if it can’t, well, then it must be an illusion. Why are ghosts often considered a figment of our imagination? Maybe because they can’t be called upon when a scientist wants to see them?

If it can’t be summoned, called upon, measured, seen or broken down to know true nature or constituent parts, and then surely it’s not real. So where does Acupuncture come into this? When the body is dissected acupuncture points can not be found, a bit like someone having their leg cut off but still having an itch where the leg once was! Taoist say “the closer you look the bigger the whole becomes!” It is only now that quantum physicists actually agree with this theory, that if you break down the body structure eventually you arrive at a cellular level, then atoms, then energy that form the atoms and then the universe which provides the energy. Why the universe? Because all that is energy is part of the universe. So the full circle starts again. So what’s real?

My best definition of real is, if something makes you feel good, relieves some suffering and improves your life, even a little, then that experience is real, the results are real.

In due time, after science decides to stand still from chasing its own tail, breathe a little and starts to feel its own breath, then they and the no-sayers will notice that there is a vibration of something moving around their body – perhaps they’ll call it Chi or Energy?. In Chinese Medicine we call this Qi. If Science can for once say “yes there is something there because I can feel it / actually experience it” and then just accept that without trying to get to the bottom of it because getting to the bottom of the universe is perceptually possible, then the considered opinion of it won’t happen, doesn’t work, doesn’t exist and can’t be explained therefore it does not exist, may change to Yes, using the Meridians, or life paths of energy form through the body is factual and by redirecting or clearing pathways, acupuncture helps to cure and heal.

Today after no less than 3500 years many people do not believe in acupuncture and even after getting excellent results question whether the treatment was real or in just in their mind (A bit like the placebo effect).  

I can tell you without quoting texts or history, that acupuncture is very real and very serious for all conditions, even serious ones! Some of the problems I have personally treated with instant results are:

Headache
Backache
Breeched baby
Morning sickness
Nausea
Frozen shoulder
Someone unable to stand up
Asthma attack
Impotence
Indigestion
Sea sick
Knee problem
Stiffness in the hips
Fainting

A client arrives with severe leg problems; the Western Medical approach was to conduct spinal surgery – yes serious surgical procedure.  After six weeks of acupuncture, to this day he has never complained of any leg problems again, and this is from a patient that I had to pick up off the floor, as he could not use his legs, let a lone walk.  Did he go into surgery, no!  Would surgery have worked, who knows?  Would he have walked out of surgery, highly unlikely, was he walking after the first treatment of acupuncture, well, he went back to work that day.

Believe me, Acupuncture is a very serious and mostly misunderstood treatment and it works extremely well for most physical complaints. Acupuncture is a very powerful method of treating the human body.  So much so, it has been able to get women strong enough to conceive and carry the full term of pregnancy when no other intervention had worked.  In relation to the client story above, it got a grown man crying in agony up off the floor, wipe his tears away and return to work that day.

Consider this?  Every living thing in this Universe is made up of energy, literally every single atom, be it a solar system, planet, the Earth we walk on or the body we use to walk.  Our bodies are living atoms all vibrating together to keep us together.  Now and then this togetherness needs energetic correction, and that is what Acupuncture provides, it unblocks the pathways that lead to stagnant energy, allowing the body’s natural energy flows to flow.

http://www.backonyourfeet.com.au

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