The Gift of Gratitude

This year, children from Oak Park elementary schools drew pictures of, and wrote about, what they're grateful for.  In turn, Oak Park Arts District business owners transformed these colorful "gratitudes" into origami crane ornaments, symbols of beauty and luck, which are for sale throughout the holiday season.  All profits go to the participating schools.

Check it out: Holiday Lights: The Gift of Gratitude

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving encourages us to pause and take stock of all that we are grateful for in our lives. Having gratitude for life's experiences, both joyful and difficult, opens our heart energy, releases stagnant energy and expands our shen, or spirit. It's a choice we make, after all, to see ourselves and the world around us as beautiful and bountiful, adaptable to change.

Why not give thanks to your body and it's miraculous ability to protect and heal itself? Nurture your shen with peace and love for your family, neighbors and friends. Meditate on the awe-inspiring perfection of the universe. Choose to wake up with joy and begin each day with gratitude. Blessings to you and yours.

Hegu for Headaches

There are various causes and types of headaches. An acupuncturist will treat a headache based on the quality and location of the pain, taking into account other presenting symptoms. Acupressure is a valuable self-healing technique. One of the most powerful acupoints used for headaches can be stimulated at home. Hegu (L.I.4) is located between the thumb and forefinger, on the dorsum of the hand. Find it by squeezing your thumb against the base of your forefinger. Hegu is the highest point of the bulge of the muscle, approximately level with the end of the crease. Squeezing here, you should feel slight tenderness.

As the "Master" point of the face, Hegu is used for general head or face pain, including sinus pain and toothaches. Although it's typically used as part of a comprehensive prescription, it can be quite effective on its own. To prevent or eliminate head pain, press firmly on Hegu until you feel a dull, achy sensation. Massage Hegu on both hands, for a few minutes at a time, several times a day. Try this the next time you feel a headache coming on. Feel empowered to heal yourself naturally.

Do not stimulate this point if you are pregnant, as it may promote uterine contractions.

Meditate Today

Any debate about whether or not meditation is good for your health is long over.  Meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression.  People who meditate report experiencing reduced pain and improved health in general.  Often, when people think of meditation, they're intimidated by the thought of sitting in lotus position for hours at a time, chanting their way to enlightenment.  But meditation needn't be difficult, nor should it be.  Yes, it takes practice to quiet the constant chatter of your mind, but as with many things, it comes naturally with patience and commitment.   

There are many meditation methods to help your mind relax.  Guided meditation is especially good when you are beginning because it gives an active mind something on which to focus.  The following is a very simple meditation that I use regularly with my patients.  It can be used upon waking, in the middle of the day while seated in a chair, or in bed before going to sleep.  Patients with insomnia report much improvement when practicing this before bed.  

First, sit or lie comfortably.  Take a few moments to listen to your breath as you breathe naturally. Feel your lungs fill with air, then allow your body to relax with each exhalation.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, humans are viewed as living "between heaven and earth;" we receive energy from the heavens above, while remaining rooted in the earth below.  There is an energetic entry point on the crown of your head, and two points on the bottoms of your feet.  With your next inhalation, imagine a healing white light entering the top of your head, traveling the length of your body, picking up any pain, illness, or negative feelings along the way.  With your exhalation, move that white light down through the bottoms of your feet, releasing anything you no longer need nor want.  Continue with each inhalation and exhalation.  

Aim for about five minutes the first time you practice, and work your way up to twenty or thirty minutes, once or twice a day.   This meditation is very relaxing.  If you practice before bed, you may find that you spontaneously fall asleep.  That's o.k.  Try it during the day as well.   As your practice grows, you won't need to guide your thoughts during meditation in order to let your mind, and stress, go.  Enjoy the expansive feeling of bliss and well-being!

Grief

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body, mind and spirit are treated as one, with each aspect influencing the other and organizing uniquely in each individual. Each energy channel in the body corresponds with a particular emotion. Emotional distress consequently effects the physical body, and physical injury can induce emotional instability. This is seen as a web of interaction, rather than a linear cause and effect.

We have all experienced grief at some point in our lives. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, a failed relationship, or the death of a cherished pet, experiencing grief is part of the human condition. Emotions are natural, and when expressed freely, will not cause lasting damage. They are meant to come and go like like the ebb and flow of waves. It's when we internalize emotions, or get stuck in a repetitive pattern, that we have the potential to create imbalance, or dis-ease.

Grief is related to the Lungs in Chinese medicine. Grief is said to "comsume the qi." When we experience prolonged, intense grief or sadness, eventually we may have corresponding physical symptoms. In Chinese medicine, the Lungs are responsible for breathing and transforming the breath into qi, or energy, that circulates in the body. Along with the Kidneys, the Lungs are responsible for water metabolism, and are intimately linked to the immune system. The Lungs regulate sweating and moisten the skin. Physical symptoms of disharmony in the Lungs would include shortness of breath, asthma, allergies, sweating, fatigue, coughing, frequent colds/flu and dry skin.

Grieving is a necessary process, with stages that gradually allow the body, mind and spirit to let go and return to a state of joyfulness. This process is personal and multi-layered. There are many valuable services that assist those in the grieving process. Because Traditional Chinese Medicine is holistic in its approach to emotions, acupuncture can be utilized as one unique tool in the grieving process, by stimulating points that strengthen the Lung channel and calm the mind, it can help ease the path to renewed joy.